Not only is Facebook increasingly synonymous with social media usage, but it’s ubiquity reaches more than 7 out of 10 web users every month, and a growing number of weekly and daily users like myself.  Here’s a few more ways to understand the impact of Facebook:

• Time spent on Facebook accounts for about 1 out of every 5 minutes time spent online every month, and the most total time of any website.
• Facebook’s app is the most downloaded for iPhones, with over 100 million iOS installations. Outside of Android’s stock apps, Facebook is the most downloaded and used app.
• Next to Google, Facebook is the second most visited site on the web.
• While 45% of my friends on Facebook are female, women represent the majority of Facebook users

My 550+ friends on Facebook represent only a fraction of Facebook’s 800+ million registered users, but it represents a historic shift in creating larger circles of friends. Thanks to Facebook’s ubiquitous popularity, I’m able to keep in touch with friends in high school and college who live hundreds (and thousands) of miles away, whereas only a few years earlier I would more easily fall out of contact with my friends. Since I grew up in the Facebook generation, I’m not alone in using the social network to keep loose-ties with old friends following my own graduation and relocation to New York City.  Here’s a few more stats about how I use Facebook to connect with friends:

Facebook Infographic via ShoutFlow.com

5 years ago I reluctantly joined the social network, admittedly at the behest of Lauren Reid who wanted to make our relationship “Facebook official”. I’m happy to say we’re still “in a relationship” (even though only 24% of my friends are single), and that I’ve been hooked on Facebook ever since.  Here’s how I used Facebook when I first started:

I’ve seen this social network grow from a core of friends and college classmates into an everyday network of family and friends used by some people I never thought I’d interact with online; most recently my Mom even signed up! You can connect with me through my Facebook profile or by becoming a fan of my Facebook page for this website.

As social media becomes increasingly intertwined with daily lives, it seems inevitable that romantic relationships make greater use of social media. It wasn’t long after online networks were created that web users found the Internet to be a ideal medium not just for academics communicating over long distances but for developing friendships and romantic relationships as well. Perhaps the first social networks formed around dating sites during the web’s early years, and once these social networks began to take part in our online routines, the relationship status became a key part of profiles. Today many consider updating your relationship status from single to “in a relationship” a legitimate means to acknowledge their entry into a committed relationship, and sharing the news of an engagement is only a mouse click away for Facebook users.

Couples use social media to tell their story and about preparations for the wedding, and to exchange photos and share memories with wedding guests (and maybe those who couldn’t make it) after the big day. One popular trend for newly engaged couples is to make a wedding website on which couples can share the story behind their relationship and to share wedding day plans in advance with guests, not to mention making it a breeze to link to their wedding gift registry. Some even use social media to propose to their spouse, creating a unique proposal but also making it easy to share their special story. Here’s a few of the unique ways couples are using social media to share their proposals and weddings:

• A Google Maps engineer created a scavenger hunt for their would-be fiancé, navigating around NYC using the Maps app on their smartphone
• Dozens have proposed by updating their status on Twitter
• During the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton the couple broadcast their wedding via a live stream on YouTube. News and chat about their wedding set a new record for tweets per second.
• A single issue Groupon good for one marriage contract
• One creative partner set up a series of proposal-themed web links for their would-be spouse to click-thru using StumbleUpon
• An enterprising couple checked-in to the altar using Foursquare to pop-the-question
• At least one couple proposed (and accepted) via LOLCats

This summer I had the honor to attend the wedding between two of my friends, Mark Welsh and Kristin Welsh. Before we arrived in Destin for their wedding, we used their wedding website to make our own plans for when to buy plane tickets, where to stay, what to do in Florida, and which gifts we could buy through their wedding registry. From the day of their engagement up to the ceremony on the beach, they celebrated news about the wedding with friends and family. And afterwards we used the same social networks to share photos and relive their special day.

Here is a timeline of my favorite memories from Mark and Kristin’s wedding, as told through social media clips by friends, family, myself, and the bride and groom themselves:

Social Media continues to have a profound effect on all our relationships, bringing romantic couples together and connecting us closer with family and friends when couples share their special day. Or at least it’s likely to shape how we share memories in the future, just as wedding photography and videography has in the past, by creating unique memories not only on the big day, but all the day leading up to and in the lives they choose to share together.

Full article available via WSJ.

Image c/o DeneyTerrio on Flickr (under CC-licensing)

What Mr. Sheen hasn’t learned through his own use of social media is true for many other organizations who want to promote their brand and protect their reputation using social media: you’ve got to have a communications strategy.  And no, “going viral” is not a strategy, it’s only a goal (which can sometimes backfire).  To that end Charlie Sheen captured the attention of the online world, but without a strategic approach his haphazard embrace of social media seemingly hurt, rather than helped his reputation.  In contrast with individuals who have developed their personal brands, Sheen lacks personal experience to cultivate the tremendous interest in his brand in the best direction, which seems justify his search for a third-party who can give his Twitter account a positive spin.  Yet instead of looking for an intern, he should take a page from the many established brands who’ve successfully managed their social media presence, either though hiring online marketing and PR agencies or developing internal resources to plan their communications strategy.

Of course many brands didn’t always feel this way; when I started this blog in 2009 I wrote about my own experience using Twitter as a tool to find internship opportunities. At the same time agencies turned to my generation of recent grads and millennials to help them understand social media, so many were receptive to the idea of an interns helping out with a niche website like Twitter or Facebook. Especially because many businesses still considered social media a new fad (and not an important emerging platform) many were willing to let interns manage accounts for their brands; after all many simply assumed it was only kids using new media.

What seemed true in 2009 should not be assumed in 2011; social media have emerged as core platforms not only for promoting brands but for building businesses. With 600 million members on Facebook, and an established user base on Twitter that averages over 30 years in age, no brand would risk putting their reputation in the hands of an inexperienced graduate, much less an intern.  Instead organizations who want to build their brand through social media should hire professionals who’ve developed their strategic approach through experience, especially those who have tactical experience using blogs and social media to promote another organization.  Brands should look for professionals who’ve learned about social media through broad online experience, not necessarily specific skill-sets related to individual platforms like Twitter, because it demonstrates their ability to adapt and learn as new platforms emerge.

For prospective interns and job candidates, Twitter continues to stand out as a great tool to network and find job opportunities like my own Twitter internship. It’s also an excellent platform to share ideas and build your online reputation as a knowledgeable professional, particularly for social media marketers like myself, in a forum that’s highly visible in search results for those screening applicants. Likewise for job recruiters, social media offers a unique opportunity to screen potential employees and get a fuller picture of the people outside of their resume.

While it’s yet to be seen what the outcome of Mr. Sheen’s search for an intern may be, it seems likely that the same lack of direction that stifled his own social media efforts will sabotage any intern’s efforts.  At the end of the day a brand is only as strong as it’s own commitment to their unique offering, and that comes only through the knowledge and experience all members of an organization share.  To be sure, Charlie Sheen has earned America’s collective attention fixed on his social media presence, so what he is able to achieve depends not only on what he says but also who he chooses to manage his brand’s voice online.

Update:Since I published the original post on my Twitter internship, people have asked me about what most appropriate role for an marketing/communications intern might be.  First I should note that Internships are valued most for helping gain experience in the field, but that legally Interns are usually prohibited from making contributions to the main business practices of a company. Social Media may have been considered an emerging platform in the past, but Facebook and Twitter are now core parts of a brand and many organizations now use their blog as a primary outlet for communications. As much as today’s interns may want to demonstrate their own understanding of new media, no organization fulfills their educational (or legal) obligations by assigning an intern to perform services they should expect of their PR/marketing/communications professionals.

Of course this isn’t to say interns can’t make valuable contributions using their own insights into new media, only that they shouldn’t be acting as social media spokespersons for their organization.  Instead there are many additional roles an intern can serve, including social media monitoring, auditing, and even old school media clippings with an online twist. In a Sales capacity, I’ve also seen interns do great research work identifying sales prospects using social media, and turning these leads over to an appropriate sales representative for the company.  Internships are a great way to gain experience using new media professionally, but they shouldn’t be representing the public face of their company externally.

It’s better to give than to receive, so each month I share a list of 7 worthwhile ideas currently influencing my perspective as my gift to you. As 2010 comes to a close, I’m reflecting on the year that was with a certain nostalgia, so I’m checking my list twice to find out which ideas are especially nice, or at least 12 worth sharing this December:

Blog: Gizmodo.  In addition to being my favorite geeky outlet for tech news over the past few years, Gizmodo is probably the best blog to read when picking out your gifts this holiday season.  And since we know that consumers are willing to spend more on electronics and tech this year, Gizmodo’s sharp analysis (and new rating system) are more important than ever.

Colleague: Ishmael Vasquez.  As a co-worker of mine at Blue Fountain Media earlier this year, I was able to experience first-hand Ishmael’s creativity and ability to use social media strategically as an online marketing professional.  He’s also a productivity master who is a pleasure to work together with, in addition to being able to put work and life into their propper perspective.  Personally I’m proud to call Ishmael a good friend of mine, especially since he’s one of the nicest people I’ve met in NYC (and fortunately, he’s pretty humble to boot).

Game: Angry Birds.  If you’ve played you know already, but for the uninitiated Angry Birds is an instant classic on par with Pac Man for the smartphone generation. The original is already on its way to becoming one of the best selling games of all time, spurring Halloween Costumes and fan Meetups alike in the process, and already has season sequels that are best sellers in the iOS and Android markets.  I think it’s an addictively fun game that will be around for awhile longer.

Group: Movember. Participating alongside my co-workers and mustachioed peers I was able to raise over $130 toward mens health issues while raising awareness about testicular and prostate cancer.  My mustache was a regular source of curiousity and discussion in my workplace, and an interview on Anthony’s blog as well as a point of pride for this folliclely-challenged young man.

Social Network: Facebook.  500 million strong and growing, in spite of numerous threats to leave the site due to privacy concerns.  The company continues to make smart acquisitions that build talent and leverage their position as the largest network to create innovative software that improves how we interact with our friends online and IRL.

Theory: Cord-cutting. Since moving to NYC in 2009 I’ve lived without cable TV, on a media diet of Netflix, Hulu, and over-the-air DTV via rabbit-ears antenna. Anecdotally I know lots more techies interested in changing their media consumption habits, mostly for cost cutting reasons, although despite what you read in the news it’s yet to become a widespread phenomenon.

Company/Agency: Blue Fountain Media.  This online marketing agency and website design company is a leader in creating results-driven websites that build businesses online.  This time last year BFM was willing to take a chance on me, and helped develop my skills as a social media manager into a full fledged SEO specialist. I was proud to call them my employer in 2010, and would easily refer them as the best in the business.

Meme: Horrible Logos. To raise beer money, the entrepreneur draws bad cocktail napkin style logos for your website.  I’ve asked them to draw logos for Brew Noob and this site already, and have yet to be disapointed by their results.

Film: LENNONYC. Retracing John Lennon’s residency in New York City following his post-Beatles music career, this documentary celebrates both the singer-songwriter himself and the city in the 1970s.  Even if you’re not a fan of the musician, his story is interesting in remembrance of his untimely death on December 1980.

Music: Kanye West’s “My Dark, Twisted Fantasy“. Only a year-ago I would have characterized Kanye West as a talented artist whose time in the spotlight had already passed, especially in the shadow of his memorable crash in front of MTV’s Video Music Awards.  A year later Kanye is back on top, with one of the most eagerly anticipated records of the year, and it lives up to the hype.  To top it off, Kanye has finally evolved his introspection beyond his previously self-involved rhymes to take on darker more universal themes that still manage to get the party off to the right start.

Charity: Wikipedia.  If you’ve visited Wikipedia anytime in the past month, you’ve seen their appeal to the community they’ve built to help fund the site.  It’s easy to overlook, but Wikipedia is an incredible resource that has changed how we organize information online.  In this season of giving, please consider making a contribution.

Extra Credit: Toothpick Swords.  The Brew Noob now has a sister blog about cocktail culture, written and edited by my frequent collaborator Gabe Bullard. Cheers!

Infographic by Buriednexttoyou (via Flickr)

If your friends are like mine you’ve heard them complain all year-long that we’ve lost our private lives, sacrificing anonymity in the interest of advertising data.  Since the beginning of 2010 we’ve heard public figures and friends alike suggest it’s time to quit social media.  Culminating with the FTC’s policy recommendations about internet privacy, 2010 has been another marque year for privacy advocates.

Yet the internet has opened up new windows of insight into each others’ lives, connecting us closer with our friends and sometimes revealing new aspects of our personality between friends.  Often these ideas are shared in public channels, opening individuals to new connections, although others prefer to keep there information between friends alone.  For years there has been a backlash to protect privacy on the internet, but is an open medium paid for with advertising dollars ever truly private?

In the interest of full disclosure, I should acknowledge that I work in the business of measuring consumer behavior online, although all opinions stated in this post are my own and are not necessarily shared by my employer.

Facebook’s privacy woes

In contrast to the non-stop growth of Facebook, including many laggards finally integrating social media into their everyday lives, there has been public outcry every time Facebook tries to make changes which open their network. For many, Facebook began as a private network, closed to the rest of the web, with the built in expectation that what was on Facebook would stay there. Beginning with the introduction of Facebook Open Graph, Places, and many other missteps along the way (including potential security breaches), the company has lost the trust of many frustrated by their complex privacy options. At the very least, it became increasingly difficult to prevent your Mother or Boss from finding embarrassing photos your friends sometimes post.

Along the way, Facebook created new tools to organize our social graph, creating the revised Groups system to organize who information can be shared with. This replaced the previous lists system for controlling privacy between friend groups, which Facebook claims less than 5% of users ever tried. As the social network continued to innovate and grow, users staged “Quit Facebook Day” in May (although less than 40k pledged to walk out) and famously sprung a new social network named Diaspora over the summer. Ultimately millions more have joined Facebook this year, and the network has introduced millions more to new experiences possible only through a network of it’s scale.  As long as the benefits of using Facebook outweigh any complications, we’re not leaving Facebook because there’s not anything else like it.

Check-in Fatigue and Privacy concerns

Another major trend in 2010 was the rise of Location-based social media, and with it’s emergence came new warnings about the threats of the check-in.  While I’ve written before about the benefits of place-based networks like Foursquare and Yelp, for others sharing your location seems self-indulgent at best and downright dangerous at it’s worst. Even dedicated users like me who check-in as a reflex and see the benefits of a serendipitous rendezvous with friends have become vulnerable to what’s been called check-in fatigue, in which diminishing rewards (in the form of deals or gaming) don’t always justify the extra exertion necessary to participate.

Please Rob Me was created in February 2010, collecting public check-ins (at least via Twitter) by users as indication that they’re out of their homes.  More recently Fourtrace re-introduced the idea that oversharing provide clues to your whereabouts that can lead to danger.  However these sites miss that these services often feature built-in controls over who you can share your whereabouts with, and that each time their location gets shared on Twitter or Facebook gets shared its a choice of that user.

Oversharing vs Curation

Most privacy concerns come back to not only the expectation of privacy, but to the choices of what users believe is worth sharing.  While social norms may differ between groups of friends, chances are that to at least a few of your friends you’re already oversharing.  For example, unless we have mutual friends, we probably don’t care who you’re having lunch with, and likewise for any number of dubious honors from outside social media.  It’s no coincidence  that many of those who mock Twitter without trying it for themselves are also the same who protest most loudly everytime Facebook changes it’s privacy agreement; for many social media exist primarily only for sharing between friends.

It comes back to a simple benefit-exchange: is what you’re sharing forth following you for?  Influencers walk a fine line everyday between oversharing and providing regular updates which add valuable insights for those within their social network.  Bloggers often speak of a curatorial influence that provides value for their readers, and likewise individuals courting influence must consider what’s worth sharing with their own audience of friends.  In any case, it’s a fair assumption that whatever you share online is fair game to see elsewhere (one need look no further than Lamebook to see shameful examples), so it’s good to keep in mind what’s really worth sharing.

Who cares? Google me!

Ultimately in spite of the privacy concerns of many who fear their private musings will be of interest to online marketers/strangers/stalkers forget to ask “Who cares?”.  We’re all relative strangers outside of our social network, and besides those actively courting influence (and trying to help marketers to find themselves), few individuals are interested in their opinions over those more easily available on the rest of the internet.  The best way for individuals to defend their reputation from potentially damaging information online is by securing their own profiles and promoting their personal brand (see this website as my own example).  That way next time your Mom or Boss decides to Google your name (it happens more that you think), you’re actively prepared with a public profile, rather than worrying about what private details might be available online.

App: Chump Dump. I admit that I have a problem: too many friends and followers on Twitter to keep tabs on those who’s ideas I care about the most. This app should help me attain a better balance (or at least a lower ratio) by helping me loose random twitter followers, particularly those most prolific narcissists currently clogging up my Twitter stream.

Blog: Wonkette. With Election season in full swing, I’ve become a daily reader once again of this DC-based liberal rag with its tongue planted firmly in cheek. Sarcasm runs thickly through each post, pulling together the best (and most embarrassing) news clips from around the blogosphere to add their irreverent take on our nation’s partisan political dysfunction.

Film: Scott Pilgrim vs The World. Comic books, video games, rock and roll; what’s not to love in this romantic comedy? Of course it’s geeky, so I love it.

Meme: Check-in Fatigue. As an early adopter of location-based social media, I’ve been anticipating the growth and inevitable backlash against these platforms as they mature. It’s interesting to watch my friends walk through the same curiosity, excitement, and disappointment as these services start to become adopted by the mainstream, most recently Facebook.  What was first a fun, new way to connect with friends and meet people has grown into an all-consuming competition that frustrates new users with legitimate privacy issues.  Of course I’ll still be playing along, so don’t hate the players (hate the game).

Music: Plastic Ono Band by John Lennon. His solo effort has become the anthem of my summer, driven by irresistible hooks, existential uncertainty, and all the emotional power of a young man trying to plant his roots in the world. Lately I can identify with those themes.

Social Network: Glue. At first the name of this social recommendation engine is puzzling, until you realize it’s apps and extensions help it connect media and the net. The cousin of Facebook’s Liking system improves on their social graph parent, allowing you to add semantic status updates; telling your friends what you’re watching on TV, reading, or listening to.  With the impending closure of my prior favorite Hot Potato following their purchase by Facebook (congrats y’all), it’s refreshing to see former Facebookers go on to create innovative social media outside of the mothership.

Television: True Blood. Sure the series is trashy romp with thinly veiled allusions to sex, drugs, and southern hospitality meeting the occult. It’s also driven by nuanced characters living in the well-crafted universe by writers who keep me guessing at every twist and turn. I’m a fan.

Theory: Transparency. It’s what helped me become interested in becoming a PR pro, and now it’s part of my daily work. So in the interest of full disclosure, I want to acknowledge that I’ve begun working at The Nielsen Company as a Communications Analyst, specializing in Online insights on their Communications team. Otherwise you should consider the opinions I express here as my own ideas, and not necessarily those shared by my employer.

At IDEO’s Humanizing Social Media event in February 2010, we explored the implications of social media on interpersonal communication. Rather than perpetuating the discussion of case studies and e-commerce during Social Media Week, this social experiment left us questioning how the communications shifts have impacted the way we develop new friendships online. Our cellphones were left at the front door and we exchanged our clothes for a plain white t-shirt affixed with buttons which carried tags that describe ourselves, like “blogger” and “geek” in my own case.

It was an thought provoking exercise, and now I can  finally share the results from this experiment with you.  We had a great night at this event, so much that I was awarded the honor of “Person with whom you’d most like to stranded on a desert island with”!  Look for yours truly to take a staring turn during the panel discussions, as captured in this video.

A little further news and notes not quite long enough to warrant a blog post of their own:

• The Case Study of my work on  SpaFinder’s Deal Days event using social media has been published.  Our outreach to bloggers and through social media resulted in at least 1200% increase in word-of-mouth discussion of their brand, successfully launching this event while working to promote their brand and improve SEO.  My responsibilities also included developing best practices for their social media strategy, in addition to helping launch their iPhone app and video production work.
• Following the announcement at Facebook’s developers conference, I tried to answer what  Facebook Open Graph means for website owners, in a post Blue Fountain Media’s blog.  Since then we have an even better picture of both privacy concerns and the benefits of the platform for casual users and developers alike.  In many ways Facebook is poised to become the first semantic search engine by integrating their social network with the rest of the internet.
• BrewNoob.com has officially launched!  Only one year ago I created a Twitter account to share my love of tasty beers, and now it has grown into a blog in its own right.

The best is yet to come, so come back soon for exciting updates as I grow professionally (and personally) online and off.

What difference can one person make simply by asking their friends to make a charitable contribution? Any individual can help change the world, and this story is just another example to prove that (click here to play the video).

For my last birthday I challenged my friends to donate to a cause, People To People International (PTPI), instead of buying me a gift. I used the Causes application on Facebook for fundraising, and was overwhelmed by their support. I’ve written about my efforts before, and have since raised a few hundred dollars for PTPI.

My efforts earned the attention of People To People, who like most non-profit organizations are exploring all the new opportunities for fundraising that social media can offer. We connected though Facebook, where an interview was published highlighting my fundraising efforts in addition to how PTPI has impacted my life both personally and professionally.

We wanted to share my story and inspire others to try the same challenge for themselves, so I flew to Kansas City, Missouri to shoot this video. The birthday challenge has also been the subject of another recent interview accompanying the video, as part of a series highlighting the accomplishments of young people working with PTPI.

Thanks to Scenic Road Productions for creating this video promoting a good idea for a a great cause. And Happy Birthday for my friends at People to People, which celebrates their 53rd year of fostering peace through understanding this week!

Says Matthew, “ I’m probably one of those people who panic when their smartphones sits battery, because without a mobile GPS, I can and the city lost.”  Morning of Matthew begins with checking e-mail.  Light lunch – and Mr. Hurst had to stop in anticipation of the bus.  Make sure that the site of public transport District of Columbia has no information about the delay of its route, he can afford to read the latest press.

Earlier this year I wrote about promoting my favorite non-profit cause, People To People, who also posted an interview with me. In addition to discussing my work with them in fundraising, we discussed the impact my years traveling as a student ambassador has had on me intellectually and personally. You can read the whole transcript on their Facebook fan page, where you can learn more about their work to create peace through understanding.

Thanks again to my esteemed colleague Gabe Bullard for the personal recommendation on his blog, which features his expert insight into media and culture that serve as a source of inspiration for this blogger.   I’m also looking forward to sharing interviews from my alma mater (Webster University) and the video we shot for People To People, which I’ll be happy to share here once they are both published.