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November 20, 2007
Social Media Anecdotes: The Facebook Status Message
Friends of mine on Facebook know I make it a point to update my Facebook Status.
During the past few months I’ve learned to appreciate the “real-enough time” nature of Facebook messages. Status message updates on Facebook can have the effect of a group SMS message.
- - -
A few months ago Amit Shafrir and I were in a meeting and looking to name a startup. In my status message I wrote: “If you know Latin please contact me” and within 20 minutes, 3 people contacted me and within the hour I had a name for a new startup.
During my keynote at Fall 2007 VON, I wrote as my status message: “Jeff is doing a Facebook demo. Please message him if you see this.” I received 31 messages in the 18 minutes that followed.
And just last Monday, within minutes of setting my Facebook status message to “Jeff is visiting Boston tomorrow”, I ended up being invited for a meeting with my friend Israel Drori. I was also invited to give an impromptu guest lecture to the class of Pablo Baqués who is a professor at The Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology which I gave the following afternoon. (These are two meetings which never would have happened if I didn’t mention I was heading to Boston.)
While the response you receive from your Facebook status messages will be a function of the size of your social network and how many people happen to be online when you post your update, you may be surprised to how effective it can be.
Social media is changing the face of communications.
[edit: you can now join this conversation on Facebook.]
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Readers of my blog are invited to join me on both twitter and Facebook.
Tags: facebook, Amit Shafrir, Social Media, Pablo Baqués, Jeff Pulver
Posted by jeff on November 20, 2007 10:02 AM | Permalink
Additional resources: #140conf events | Watch the Jeff Pulver Show | Jeff's Qik Videos
Comments
Fantastic article, and I really agree with all the comments also.
I recently wrote a book entitled 'is: The Phenomenon of the Facebook Status' where I collated 1,000's of statuses in order to give the world an insight into life in the 21st century via the medium of Facebook statuses!
I noticed that as people hide behind their computer screens they are more likely to tell the world what they are really thinking and voice their opinions about the hot topic of the day or their mind set. Each status individually can give the world an insight into that persons soul, and how they are feeling at that time. But when you have a look at their status updates over a period of time, you can start to get a feel for the type of person that they are, and the life that they are living!
When you take this information and multiple it by individuals from all over the world, then that allows us to glance into the soul of life in today's world! Something that we have never been able to do before!
The ironic part is that people do this because they believe that they have a certain degree of anonymity as they sit on their computer chairs like its a throne and they are the king of their computer, and the primary reason why they act like this is because they do not receive any immediate social feedback, they don't have to fit into a social hierarchy or submit to peer pressures, there is no danger of them being cast out of the group!
But the paradox is that they have never been less anonymous! These People have posted every detail they could possible think of about themselves up on Facebook and MySpace, from their favourite food to their phone number, with the pictures to back everything up, so the whole world can see what they are all about!
I really had the most fasinating time writing this book, as it opened my window to the world like nothing before had, and I am delighted with the feedback that it has received both from readers and the reviewing media alike, and if you are interested in this read go to my website www.theisbook.com for more information.
Keep up the good work Jeff, I look forward to reading more of your stuff mate.
Patrick
Posted by: Patrick at November 18, 2009 12:13 PM
Fantastic article, and I really agree with all the comments also.
I recently wrote a book entitled 'is: The Phenomenon of the Facebook Status' where I collated 1,000's of statuses in order to give the world an insight into life in the 21st century via the medium of Facebook statuses!
I noticed that as people hide behind their computer screens they are more likely to tell the world what they are really thinking and voice their opinions about the hot topic of the day or their mind set. Each status individually can give the world an insight into that persons soul, and how they are feeling at that time. But when you have a look at their status updates over a period of time, you can start to get a feel for the type of person that they are, and the life that they are living!
When you take this information and multiple it by individuals from all over the world, then that allows us to glance into the soul of life in today's world! Something that we have never been able to do before!
The ironic part is that people do this because they believe that they have a certain degree of anonymity as they sit on their computer chairs like its a throne and they are the king of their computer, and the primary reason why they act like this is because they do not receive any immediate social feedback, they don't have to fit into a social hierarchy or submit to peer pressures, there is no danger of them being cast out of the group!
But the paradox is that they have never been less anonymous! These People have posted every detail they could possible think of about themselves up on Facebook and MySpace, from their favourite food to their phone number, with the pictures to back everything up, so the whole world can see what they are all about!
I really had the most fasinating time writing this book, as it opened my window to the world like nothing before had, and I am delighted with the feedback that it has received both from readers and the reviewing media alike, and if you are interested in this read go to my website www.theisbook.com for more information.
Keep up the good work Jeff, I look forward to reading more of your stuff mate.
Patrick
Posted by: Patrick at November 18, 2009 12:13 PM
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Posted by: hikaye at May 2, 2009 09:24 AM
My twitter community is starting to help me with questions. It's a cool phenomenon to experience. It's just not the same as reading about when it happens to others. When it happens to you, it's like - people really do care.
And I try to respond likewise when I can help people too
Posted by: iddaa at April 22, 2009 08:11 AM
During my keynote at Fall 2007 VON, I wrote as my status message: “Jeff is doing a Facebook demo. Please message him if you see this.” I received 31 messages in the 18 minutes that followed.
Posted by: burun estetigi at March 31, 2009 05:37 PM
Friends of mine on Facebook know I make it a point to update my Facebook Status.
message. thankyou
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Posted by: Jonathan at November 30, 2007 02:32 PM
Keep it going Jeff, as I previously said, you showing the way for users worldwide to cross the chasm into the world of real-time social media communications. Every day now, I have another person from work adding me on Facebook (and or over LinkedIn), and while still being in school for now, it's interesting to see the evolution take place.
My hypothesis, let's say, 1.5-2 years ago, or even less, was that Google should have bought Facebook. They had the platform -- e-mail, calendar, IM, search, most importantly, advertising. Now Facebook's valuation exceeds $10 billion without a doubt, and the opportunity is lost as the startup exponentially grows, and worldwide is becoming a defacto standard. With any acquisition out of the question now (perhaps on the wrong judgment of players in the Internet market), where do you see the direction of Facebook going in the upcoming years? It would be interesting to hear your thoughts regarding this ..
On another note, do you also think with everyone signing up for Facebook that previously used LinkedIn for professional contacts, there will soon be an emergence, or mesh, between the professional and academia world? It already is used as one, but if so, I can see Facebook evolving as a powerful recruiting tool in the future, which can already be observed in the advertisements, groups, etc.
Just thought I would share a few morning thoughts after reading your posting, have a good day :)
Best regards,
Justin Biegel
Posted by: Justin Biegel at November 21, 2007 08:41 AM
Great examples Jeff!
My twitter community is starting to help me with questions. It's a cool phenomenon to experience. It's just not the same as reading about when it happens to others. When it happens to you, it's like - people really do care.
And I try to respond likewise when I can help people too.
Posted by: Connie Bensen at November 21, 2007 12:42 AM
I can't imagine getting by anymore without these status updates, be they on Facebook or Twitter. In fact, I update my FB status from Twitter. Updates accelerate serendipity. I posted some of my use cases here:
Posted by: Alex at November 20, 2007 06:53 PM
I agree it.
Posted by: Tercüme at November 20, 2007 02:44 PM