I hated online dating when I was single. I must have changed my profile on JDate five times to try and strike a tone that I thought was indicative of my personality and I still never got close. I think most people struggle to “sell themselves” in the online setting because the end result comes from questionnaires. Do I like Flea Markets? Sure. I’ll check yes, although I hadn’t been to one in years and could think of about 20 dates I would go on before saying “let’s go antiquing.” When I looked at other people’s profiles they all started to blend together, in terms of what they were looking for, who they thought they were, etc. Dating online started to feel more like ChatRoulette than a focused search for someone you’re compatible with.

I recently learned about a service called Gelato that pulls your activity feeds from sites like Facebook, Netflix, Twitter, Flickr and Hulu to create your profile. This makes perfect sense to me, and while I haven’t been on dating sites for a long time, they would do well to pay attention to what’s happening here. Now, instead of depending on people’s sometimes “skewed” self assessments and answers to form questions to get to know them, you can see what they’re saying, watching, listening to and sharing. In other words, you get to see who they really are, which you usually don’t get to see until you’ve been dating for a few months (ba dum bum).

It’ll be interesting to see what other services could be integrated. If you were looking for someone to date, what profile of theirs would YOU most want to see? Tell me your answer in the poll below:

I had a whole thing worked out for today’s post – something about routines that I guess I’ll get too later – when something happened that I think merits some discussion. I’m calling it “The Brogan Effect.”

I wrote a post back in October about meeting Chris Brogan and the effect it had on my blogging. For those of you who don’t know, Chris Brogan is one of the top thinkers AND doers in the social media space. He has the ability to break down and explain concepts, theories and practices in a relatable and actionable way. His book Trust Agents, co-authored with Julien Smith, is  a must read.

He also happens to be really nice, very funny, and a real pleasure to spend time with. Like I said in the October post, I sat next to Chris at a charity poker tournament and wound up speaking with him most of the time. Our friendship has sustained through communication on Twitter. I choose to DM him when I can because I can only imagine that his public stream is difficult to keep up with, although we have conversed there as well. I always enjoy finding some way to make him laugh, imagining that I might be making his day a little better. Plus, sometimes it’s only for him.

Sometimes, his reaction to a private message will appear in public, like he did this morning when I thought he might be nearby. Reading the message led to his complimenting my avatar and essentially saying to the public “this is a funny dude, everybody.”

And then it began. In the last 10 minutes I have amassed about 40+ new followers. They just keep coming. Let’s remember that Chris DIDN’T say “you need to follow this guy.” Without even asking for anything, he moved 40 people to action. That’s influence, and Chris didn’t get it because he was famous. he built his audience a piece at a time through hard, FOCUSED work, being himself, and being generous with his time and brilliance. He researches, reads and shares everyday. Sure he’s started a premium resource at  Third Tribe Marketing, but that hasn’t slowed his blistering rate of sharing or diluted the quality of the information he shares. Yes, he has a book for sale, yes he works for money, but his work and his writing are making businesses better, which again increases his influence.

I’m writing this for three reasons:

1. To Illustrate that you can do the same things Chris did and achieve influence in YOUR community. You may not become the rockstar he has, but is that really your goal?

2. I couldn’t believe how many followers I picked up this time and found it amusing; and

3. There is no third thing – I just suffer from some mild OCD.

I always pick up followers when Chris mentions me publicly, and if you’re one of the new folks, I look forward to meeting you. Of course, that’s not why I talk to Chris. I enjoy making him laugh because he’s my friend and other people’s laughter (especially friends) is like crack to me.

Have YOU experienced “The Brogan Effect?”

Leave it to the British to make more funny videos about social media…

Have a great weekend everyone – go out on a date, hang out with friends, throw a party, do whatever you want. No judgement here, but before you run off to Facebook to upload the embarrassing pics you snapped last night, don’t think for one second that nobody is going to look at them. People are watching.

Not only are they watching, they may be laughing.

In case ANYONE out there still believes that they’re living on an island with their online interactions, I submit the following links to prove the opposite:

LAMEbook

My Parents Joined Facebook

…and to ward you off of drunken texting, I humbly submit Texts From Last Night.

Beware, gentle readers, because people with less restraint than I may be watching. Be smart, be cautious, and above all, don’t drink and type.

One of the cool things about my new Droid phone is the ability to blog using the “wp on the go” application. In fact, I’m doing it right now…

The layout is pretty basic. I’ve got a very simple WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor, an area for tags and an area for categories. I can also add a picture, which I have. Not sure where in the post it will appear, though.

I like the idea that I can fire off a quick post whenever I want, but it feels more like a failsafe than a surefire solution.

Do you use a mobile blogging solution (besides Posterous)?

I figured for the holiday week I would review one tech/social media themed gift idea. Santa Claussman (or Hanukkah Harry – I’m Jewish, OK?) came to the Lublin household early this year and brought with him the Motorola Droid.

I should admit up front that I suffer from big time iPhone envy. I love the idea of a sleek, app-ready phone that is as good at retrieving email and surfing the web as it is at handling calls. Unfortunately, I’ve been on the Verizon network for as long as I can remember, so I’m used the excellent coverage almost anywhere I go, so moving to an amazing phone that has spotty reception at times wasn’t a viable option. In the end, I need my phone to be a phone too. Boo for me. I figured I would be stuck with the Blackberry Curve I’d been rocking since summer ‘08 (I had gone through 3 of them, by the way – for whatever reason, they kept pooping out on me) until Verizon started selling the Palm Pre, which I liked, but which was nowhere near the level of the iPhone in my eyes – the apps didn’t seem to measure up to the iPhone, not just in numbers, but in quality. In the battle of the phones, the apps shall inherit the earth.

Then, along came the Droid. Sure, it looks like a boxy, heavy, industrial device and the ads don’t do much to dissuade you of that, but it was running the new version of Google’s Android operating system and it has APPS and gps and a compass and push email and it runs multiple apps and it has a 5 mega-pixel camera and I WANT ONE!!!

Yes, a social media convert lured by the siren song of advertising. The more I read about the Droid, the more I liked it. 16GB of space right off the bat, with the ability to expand to 32. A processor that rivaled both iPhone and Pre. Video (sorry Pre, but WHY wouldn’t you have your phone shoot video right out of the box? Even the old Treo phones did that…). A slide out keyboard for people who don’t want to type on a touchscreen.

The app store was really appealing to me – they had a lot of the apps I would want for my iPhone, especially my beloved Foursquare. Sweet, sweet Foursquare…

When I finally got my hands on the phone, it was everything I had hoped for and more – fast, smooth scrolling,GPS worked like a charm, the Twidroid twitter app giving me all that I could want and more – I haven’t paid for pro yet, but I might just to have a lists function on my phone. Also, the phone itself was clear, robust and actually keeps its signal better than my Curve did, or maybe its just my imagination. Since I use gmail and google voice, having them run native on the phone is a big plus.

The apps have been great so far, and as the store grows they’ll get even better. I know the store is well north of 10000 apps right now, a mere 1/10th of Apple’s offerings, but at least they’re growing. Installing them is super-easy, and uninstalling them equally simple.

The touchscreen is really responsive and supports multi-touch, although the native browser doesn’t support pinch zooming (I recommend Dolphin Browser if you really want that experience). The keyboard is better in landscape than it is in portrait, especially if you have fat fingers like me. The slide out keyboard is the one feature I could have done without. The keys are crowded, don’t offer a good tactile landscape and the cursor button is smashed over on the side. If you can avoid using it, do so.

The camera was a slow to load but the quality is really nice – upgraded the software to android 2.0.1 fixed the lag issue so I have no complaints there. Compare the Dracu-Pig photos from the last month to those before and see if you notice a difference in quality.

I wish there were a dedicated music buying interface outside of amazon, as a sync with iTunes would be the best. As it is, I just drag content onto my Droid after connecting it to my Mac. Same with pics and movies. You do need an app to close the other apps so you can preserve battery life, which is another minor qualm. The recent OS update helped with battery life, but a full charge can last me through the day, and I use my phone heavily. I would love a case for the phone similar to the InCase iPhone protector with its own battery.

Facebook integration with contacts is seamless, and the navigation may be the hidden hero of this device. It’s so good that I bought the car dock and gave my Magellan to my wife Jennifer. Droid’s turn by turn navigation by google maps is a dream come true – it’s responsive, I can integrate a satellite view, check out traffic and find local businesses and wikipedia entries.

The phone can be expensive, but since it’s holiday time you might find some killer deals. I can’t recommend this phone highly enough for people who want an iPhone but also want a working phone and like Verizon’s network coverage.

Happy Shopping!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dpstyles/ / CC BY 2.0“>

Have you heard about foursquare? For the uninitiated, it’s game where you earn points by visiting different points of interest in a city (nightclubs, restaurants, museums, etc.). Visit a place more often than everyone else and BOOM, you’re the Mayor. It’s simple, fun and extremely addictive (especially when you’re 1/2 OCD to begin with. I’ve been addicted to everything from Guitar Hero to Trader Joe’s Mint Chocolate Chip meringues. I actually called the company when I couldn’t find them in my local store only to learn that they’d been discontinued). I used to “check-in” at various places using my BB Curve, which was slow, inaccurate and led to a lot of double check-ins. Then I got my sweet, sweet Droid, with its pimpin’ GPS and compass, not to mention a dedicated app for foursquare.

There are a few great things foursquare is/can be:

• A way to see what my friends are up to  & where they are in case I want to go see them
• A living travel guide for a city (as people add “to do’s” at various locations)
• Inspiration to go explore everything that a city has to offer
• A travelogue

I’d been wondering how foursquare would monetize their site. To be honest, I was wondering how their monetization would ruin things for the rest of us – I’m always wary of too many ads or having to pay a subscription fee – sometimes irrational fears left over from MySpace. My friend Josh was looking at foursquare on his iPhone when he got a pop-up notification: check in at the Fatburger down the street and get a discount.

Well played, foursquare.

I actually don’t mind seeing offers for checking in at local businesses, provided they don’t dominate the screen. I’d even like the option to receive or NOT receive them.

Here’s another idea: Mayor Discounts!

I recently became the mayor of an awesome pizza place called Fresh Brothers. They congratulated me via twitter, and I asked if I would receive the mayor’s discount (I was joking – I do not feel any actual sense of entitlement from being a fake mayor). They replied that I could have a t-shirt and a free tweet-up tasting. Great move on their part. Here’s why:

- They actual gave some legitimacy to the game and are encouraging others to play and come to their shop.

-They’ve rewarded me for my repeat business and pimping their brand

-They’ve seized the opportunity to take integrate our online and offline relationships. Hosting a tweet-up is a no-brainer for any restaurant/bar.

I think some reward system for mayorship is going to be the next step for foursquare. What do you think?

Secret blogging tip: When you’re “blocked” you can find an interesting video and share it with people. That totally counts.

I don’t know what my favorite part of this video is, but I think the fact that it isn’t blues music at all in a dead heat with the bouncing twitter bird, which I could sit and watch for hours. The lyrics aren’t bad either. Enjoy!

"The Big 4-0" used courtesy of lorda

Happy Birthday, The Internet! Oh, the times we’ve had together. When I was but a child, I play chess with people in russia using you (and a Commodore64) and felt that in some small way I was doing my part to end the cold war. When I was in high school, you let me send email to friends (only one, really, who was in college and therefore had an address.) Sure, the address ended with netcom.ix.com, but I was so excited to receive mail on a computer! With college came “Web Browsing,” and all of a sudden I could read news, get sports scores and even submit homework!

You’ve grown a lot, in 40 years, The Internet. You’re a bog boy now, and you’re helping people stay connected, make friends, meet spouses, build communities, and you’re even helping businesses connect to their consumers in new ways.

Go get yourself something nice, The Internet – on us.

Just don’t go crazy. We’re not made of money here.

If you’re reading this and you’re a friend of mine, you already know who Dracu-Pig is. For those of you who don’t, first let me say welcome to my blog. (I wonder if you were searching for vampire/pig hybrids or something “social media-y”…) I thought I would share the origin story of Dracu-Pig because I think it’s a cool example of how real relationships are formed through social media, and how a social object (defined as anything two people have common) is born.

During a conversation one morning on Twitter, my friend Sarah Cooper and I were discussing the muppets, which led to me sharing a picture of a puppet I own (made Michael Earl, a former muppeteer who taught a great puppeteering class I took. Thanks to that class, I memorized “Mahna Mahna”. For real.). About a month later I got to spend some face-to-face time with Sarah at ReBarCamp Ohio, and she immediately presented me with a gift of three hand-crafted finger puppets: a dog, a bat and a pig. She offhandedly remarked that when you put the pig in front of the bat, you get Dracu-Pig!

I started taking pictures with my Blackberry that night and uploading them to my newly minted Posterous blog. By the end of the weekend, I had taken somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 pics, bought a domain name, secured a twitter account and a fan page on Facebook. Yes, I am THAT kind of crazy.

There are two things that amaze me about all of this. First, Sarah is just an amazing person who just cemented for me that online relationships are not only “real”, but translate smoothly into the physical world. Second, I post silly pictures of finger puppets because I think they’re funny, but some of the feedback I’ve received lets me know that other people think it’s funny too, and he’s become a little mascot of sorts (he’s even hobnobbed with celebrities and social media superstars!). People ask for him when he hasn’t been around in a while, and a few stories I’ve heard about how the Dracu-Pig blog has helped people laugh when they needed it makes me feel like I’ve done a little bit to make the world better, and whether 10 people or 10,000 people look at it, I’ve got all the fuel I need to keep it going.

That’s how easy Social Media is. Listen up, business people! Heed the tale of Dracu-Pig! If you start a relationship online, you can extend it offline! Sometimes the thing that brings us together is a small thing (or two small things, one positioned in front of the other to create a new animal). You can expand a relationship from there, two. We meet people and start talking to them because we might have something in common, but we keep talking to them because the conversation heads elsewhere, we learn more about each other and the next thing you know, the relationship has staying power. Why should it be any different for a business? Is your product your social object? Maybe. Maybe it’s church, or your kid’s school, or a community organization, or a love of chocolate (in my case, a love of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. You know you love it…). Whatever it is, that’s just the launching point for a deeper relationship that can build customer loyalty, interest and can ultimately result in business being done!

I want you to ask yourself: What’s my Dracu-Pig?

OK, you don’t have to (although it would be funny if you did).