Social Networking – Official TechtalkRadio Blog

“The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company that is Connecting the World”
By David Kirkpatrick

book cover

The website “Thefacebook” was created in 2004 (February 4) at Harvard University. It has become what we know today as “Facebook”…

On page seven, it is explained that: “…The Facebook Effect happens when the service puts people in touch with each other…about a common experience, interest, problem, or cause…”

The book begins with the story of Mark Zuckerberg’s arrival at Harvard, and an initial computer project he designed that would lead to the beginnings of the type of service Facebook has become.

If you’re interested in the history of social networking, there is a lot of information in (chapter three of) the book about it: services that were, and are, in this category….some of them no longer exist, some do…how others have matured from what they were, to what they are…

As I’m reading the book, I’m seriously considering NOT watching the upcoming movie “The Social Network”. I can’t imagine that I will appreciate it because I expect the movie to take some artistic liberties in its presentation of events, as other similar movies have. I guess I’m more interested in facts than drama…

There’s much explanation about how Facebook was financed. A lot I don’t understand, but anyone interested in how business investement can be done should enjoy the depictions of how some funding was courted…and others discouraged.

For me, some of the major timeline markers of the evolution of Facebook are:

changing from “Thefacebook” to “Facebook” (2005 September 20)…

when it began, Thefacebook was designed to service college students…in the fall of 2005, it allowed students in high school to use the service…

in May of 2006, Facebook was opened to businesses and companines including the military…

September 26th (2006), Facebook launched open registration which allowed the general public to become members…

and (as of 2009) Facebook is the world’s largest photo site, besting Flickr.

After reading halfway through the book, it becomes less “sexy” to me. There’s a lot of great information in it about the organism of Facebook…the people in the company, and how they have functioned together…but after long periods of reading I am reminded of Charlie Brown’s teacher (what I take-away is in a haze of information, scenarios, and stories). I don’t think it’s the writing…my perception is probably enhanced by the circumstances under which I am reading the book…

[After learning about the movie “The Social Network”, and the “The Facebook Effect”, I wanted to review this book and have my review available (at least a week) before the movie was in theaters. The week before the movie was released, I needed to spend an entire week attempting to salvage data from old hard drives. When I was able to return to reading, it seemed that all the stuff that held my attention had been read…and, with only a few days left before the release of the film, I found myself trudging through the book.]

There are a lot of great descriptions of how Facebook came to be, and where it may go. Take your time digesting this book. Some of what is in it can come in handy in the future if you are in similar situations and need to consider what actions to take, and how to react to issues of a beginning and growing organization.

On page 340 I found the “Notes” section: notes that pertain to pages I have read. As I was reading, I did not see ANY footnote markings, so you need to be aware of this BEFORE you being to read so you can consider referring to this “Notes” section as you go along (to see if any of the notes enhance the section you are reading). My preference is to have the “Notes” section at the beginning of the book so I know it’s there, and can refer to it as I am reading the book…

http://books.simonandschuster.com/Facebook-Effect/David-Kirkpatrick/9781439102114

http://www.facebook.com/thefacebookeffect

If we have ever stopped to wonder just how Technology has brought us closer in the past 20 years, it’s mind boggling. Actually, we could go back to the telegraph and imagine how the towns felt back then when they might be able to send a message to another part of the state without having to hop on the back of a horse. Most of us that read this blog and visit this website will probably remember the old Rotary dial phones, heck you might even remember party lines! I kind of miss those rotary phones but could imagine getting rid of today’s Smart Phones. Sprint sent me over the Evo from HTC to play with for 3 weeks, which is up this Friday, its rough for us reviewers because we really do get attached to some of these devices. Even the idea of buying one would be nice, except for the fact, they are extremely hard to come by. So Saturday, it will be back to the Treo 755p which used to be the top of the line, at least for a few weeks.

While all of this technology entering into our lives is a blur, personal connections are happening around us everyday. The Technology though that drives the devices makes it all possible, and because it is faster and now a part of our lives, we accept and respond to those connections like we couldn’t have 20 years ago. The emergence of Facebook and yes, other social networking platforms, has given users the ability to reach out to old friends, reconnect with past relationships or maybe even apologized for a wrong that weighed heavy for years. A good friend of mine told me today that he has become engaged to a women he went to school with in seventh grade, some 20 years ago. He found her on facebook and while connecting with other friends. While not all of the globe uses social networks, some keep it as far away as possible so they can get through this life without having to face people who once called themselves friends. This week however I found a couple of situations that had me thinking about just how this medium of email, chat and IM has changed how I have grown up when it wasn’t even around as a kid.

I have always been a fan of Motion Pictures, I have wanted to work in the industry and have on a couple of occasions. I’ve been lucky in my growing up to have been around friends and educators that always shared that interest. I have always been comfortable around Film Sets whether I was working as a production assistant or there as a visitor. With the Radio Career I have also been able to talk with people that inspired me or that I admired for their work. Today’s technology now not only makes it easier to create short films or develop projects but also get tips on the process.

The other day I received a note from The Fred and Jeff Radio Show that Veteran Filmmaker and Special/Visual Effects Pioneer Douglas Trumbull was coming to town to lecture at the University of Arizona’s Museum of Art. I posted the info on this blog and then thought, I need a photo of Mr Trumbull but the last thing I want to do is just take it from Google. (You have to be careful when doing that), without even thinking about it, I emailed Mr Trumbull and politely asked for a photo to put up on the Blog to promote the upcoming appearance. Within about 10 minutes, I had a photo and note from Mr Trumbull in my inbox. I posted it and went on about my day.

Later that evening, I thought about it as I was telling Gloria of my task throughout the day and she responded with “wait, the guy who directed Brainstorm emailed you a photo?” I responded with “yeah” like it was no big deal. She followed with “2001, the special effects!” Again, I was “yeah”, It didn’t connect with me until she said, “Thats pretty cool somebody with that much stature would take the time out to do that for you..” and then I thought, wow..yeah..Douglas Trumbull and realized the technology made it easier yes, but the person..the kindness himself is really what made it happen. Thank you sir.

Andy

Tag: Social Networking