Presentation for the live Elluminate session for week two of the BGI (Bainbridge Graduate Institute) course "Using the Social Web for Social Change". Topic "Personal Brand, Profiles, Social Networking & Blogging", including Social Network Theory, Basic Concepts, Dunbar Number, Social Network Services, Types, Demographics, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Ning

1. Using the
Social Web
for Social Change
Week 4 – Elluminate Session C
October 12, 2009: 7pm PT

2. Week 4: Putting It All Together –
Personal Brand, Profiles, Social
Networking & Blogging
Opening Circle
Review Last Week & Upcoming Week
Quotes from Personal Learning
Journals
Agenda
Review of 5 Student Profiles
Personal Brand & Your Keywords
Social Network Theory – Basic
Concepts
Recap Dunbar Number, etc.
Social Network Services
Types & Demographics
MySpace, Facebook,Twitter, LinkedIn, Ning

3. What have we tagged?
There are 25 students:
Tagging 786 bookmarks in our
network, up from 301 two
weeks ago
Average 33 bookmarks per
student

4. What have we tagged?
There are 25 students:
Tagging 786 bookmarks in our
network, up from 301 two
weeks ago
Average 33 bookmarks per
student
Average dragged down
significantly by 6 people with
under 10 bookmarks
Collaborative Discovery
works best when shared
at least bookmark your
other classes
it will help with blogs

5. What have we journaled?
Personal There are 25 students:
Learning Journals 72 personal learning journal
entries in 3 weeks
Some students are adding
helpful and encouraging
comments

6. What have we journaled?
Personal There are 25 students:
Learning Journals 72 personal learning journal
entries in 3 weeks
Some students are adding
helpful and encouraging
comments
Average is less then 3, and 5
of you have 1 or 2 (not
including the audit students)
By now you should have 4
You can’t do this later
This is 10% of your grade
Combined with lack of
participation you may fail

7. Week 4
Putting It All
Together –
Personal Brand,
Profiles, Social
Networking &
Blogging

8. Readings & Media
Very light readings this week
No required readings, Suggested
Readings added over week

9. Assignments
Finalize your Personal Brand
Know your keywords and key phrases
Update your profiles
The Channel, Google Profile, Blog Profile
Get advice from Personal Brand Buddies
Create your Blog
Pick a name that fits the topic and your
Personal Brand
Choose keywords and keyphrases
Post
1 thoughtful post, 1 comment post, 1 link
post, plus 2 comments in other blogs

10. Assignments (continued)
Sign up for LinkedIn
Add you fellow students
Update your Profile
Sign up for Twitter
Either with Personal Brand name or blog
name
Follow fellow students on Twitter
Search for people who write on same
topic as you and follow them
Post when you new stuff related to your
topic or when you post to blog
Minimum 3 Twitter posts this week

11. Personal
Learning
Journals
Selected Quotes

12. A purpose
Last weekend at intensive, we did a journaling
exercise in Creativity and Right Livelihood class.
We built up through the questions, "What do I
consider my personal identity?" and "What are my
core competencies?" to the ultimate question of,
"What is my purpose?" Yes, that general. Purpose. Beth
By the time I go to that question, I knew exactly Breisnes
what to write, so I quickly wrote down my
response and shut my notebook.
"My purpose in life is to learn and to share."

13. A declaration
Today I revisited the profile, and noticed, after our
exercise in branding, that while accurate, it was
still less than complete. Taking a deep breath, I
added the declaration: I am a passionate, creative
leader. Utterly true.
Bonnie J
Wallace

14. An identity
At first I was a little hesitant about finding my
personal brand, it sounded almost shallow. I've
come realize that it's completely the opposite.
Your personal brand has to be your authentic self
or people won't buy into it. Finding your personal
brand is just another way of delving deeper into Miriam
who I am. I am excited about all of the ways I am Easley
able to explore who I am this quarter.

15. A passion
I use to see my life as a series of incongruous
events. From street peddler in the ghettos of
Philadelphia to artist of the elite, from gardener to
business student, from dysfunctional insider to
foreigner to small town outsider to community
organizer and mom, these experiences were Julie
neatly tucked away in my mind's dusty shelves, Mihalisin
pulled out only now and again for a good story.
For the first time, I am beginning to see how they
are working to inform the passion that is building
inside me.

16. A surrender
I am learning how much I do not know.
Letting go of whatever I thought it would be
(meaning somehow "I will get on top of all of this
soon") is a great start. I am there. There is no "on
top of it" – it's impossible. No battle; only Carol
Schreitmueller
surrender!

17. A question
I am having a hard time finding Reader relevant
because of this. How does Google Reader help
me if I don't read blogs?
Elyn
Heyn

18. An intent
This goes for being effective as well. In the effort to
create change, trust and consistency are key
cornerstones to the networks you can build. To build
trust, you must have a reliable stream of information
and thoughts that express both unique opinion that is
clearly backed up by good reading and resources. Being Justin
the social web, sharing is key too. Without the ability to Fenwick
actively and frequently share information to the right
networks and individuals you have little value. Next,
consistency, this speaks for itself. Be regular, eat your
intertubes fiber, and start pushing a consistent and
dynamic message.

19. A concern
Danah Boyd's "The Not-So-Hidden Politics of Class
Online" talk was stunning. She was spot on about the
"white flight" from the ghetto of MySpace to the ivy
league of Facebook. I wonder if everyone in the
audience felt as uncomfortable as I did listening to her
talk. Because she was basically describing me. As much Karen
as we all talk about how technology can build bridges Goat
between classes and cultures, are we actually building
these bridges? Or are we just using technology as
another way to segregate?

20. Discover
Your Brand
“The Future
You”

21. Know Your Keywords
Given the important words from
your personal brand and identity
exercises:
What related words are possibly more
evocative? Try Thesaurus, OED, roots
What other words are often paired with
those words.Try Google Suggest
What adjectives or adverbs can you add
to both make you more unique and
more evocative?
Is their any pairing of words worthy of a
blog name?

22. I’ve mostly worked in entrepreneurial
Initial words startups, so this was these were
the first words I looked up

23. I right-clicked (option-clicked) the word
Mac Dictionary “startup” to look it up in the Mac Dictionary

24. This is the definition of “startup”
Mac Dictionary in the built-in Mac Dictionary.

25. Mac Dictionary The root word for “startup” is start

26. I looked up “start” using the
Mac Thesaurus built-in Mac Thesaurus

27. I just grab any word that is evocative or has
More words some emotional context attached to it

28. “eager” was the root of one of the more
More words interesting words, so I looked that up further

29. “eager” had a latin root, so I looked up that
Latin Dictionary in the Lewis-Short Latin/English Dictionary

30. These are the results of looking up
Latin Dictionary the word “eager” in the online
Lewis & Short English/Latin dictionary

31. alacritas looked familar,
Latin Dictionary similar to the word alacrity

32. Mac Dictionary I liked the basic definition “cheerful readiness”

33. I liked the evocation of positive emotions
Mac Thesaurus in almost all of these synonyms

34. Google Search: http://www.google.com/search?q=define:alacrity
define:alacrity

35. I looked up the domain
Domain Lookup http://www.google.com/a/cpanel/domain/selectDomain

36. Unfortunately, alacrity.com was not
Domain Lookup available, so I needed a longer domain name

37. Google Suggest is the feature where you begin
Google Suggest words and google suggests the most common
pairings. Useful for finding important pairs.

38. Google Suggest used to give numbers, but there
Google Suggest #s are third party tools that still do:
http://tools.seobook.com/general/keyword-information/

39. Once I had some words, I tried pairing them in
Pairing Words different ways, different combos, until one stuck

40. I can also be useful to check the username
KnowEm.com http://www.knowem.com

41. What makes a word evocative?
A word that brings to mind a
Evocative memory, mood or image.
The best evocative words
have an emotional context.
However, be very aware of
emotional context, as it may
not be what you think.
Evocative does not mean
provocative

42. It is possible to go too far.
If there is a choice between
Authentic an evocative word and
authentic one, pick the
authentic.
However, humor can make a
big difference:
I was tired of the title “CEO
& President”, so on one of
my old game industry
business cards I said instead
“CEO & Herder of Cats”. It
showed I was boss, but not
stuffy, a useful image.

43. Build
Your Brand
“The Future
You”

44. Finalize Your Username
Now is the time to finalize the
username you are going to be using
for some time, possibly the rest of
your career.
Decide on either your name, a nym,
or a pseudonym, and have a backup
Max 15 chars, no punctuation
Use KnowEm.com
Use CamelCase when registering
Pick a good face avatar that you can
be comfortable with for some time

45. CEO of Your Own Brand
You are the CEO of your own career
What is a title for your career now
that is likely to be true in 2 years?
Mine now is “Entrepreneur, Advisor &
Technologist”
What is the best one sentence
introduction of your professional
self?
“I am a long-time technologist focused on
the opportunities found in the social web,
online trust and online communities, which
I write about in my blog Life With Alacrity.”

46. Update Your Profiles
Starting with your Channel profile,
update your profiles to your new
Personal Brand
Ask colleagues and friends for their
impressions – it is difficult to judge
your profile yourself
Think about your profile’s audience:
The Channel: fellow students, teachers
LinkedIn: future professional colleagues
Google Profile: generic
Blogger Profile: your blog audience

47. Don’t Fill Out Everything
Just because a website asks you a
question, you don’t have to answer
Why answer “My superpower” or
“Something I can’t find on Google” or
“Where I grew up”?
Answer only those questions that
support your Personal Brand
Interests is often useful profile field
Keep a text file with your standard
profile answers

48. Social
Network
Theory
Basic Concepts

49. What is a Network?
A network is a set of relationships A B
the nodes
the connections between the nodes
Connections can be one-way A B
(asymmetric), two-way (symmetric),
and can be multiplex (multiple ways)
1 2
The network distance between A B C
nodes are called steps
B
The maximum distance between A C
many nodes is the diameter dia=3
G E D

50. Types of Networks?
Ego-centric networks B C
connected with a single node, e.g. my A
friends, companies that do business with E D
Apple
B
Socio-centric networks A C
where the centrality is not clear, but are
completely described. “in the box”
F E D
Open-system networks
B
boundaries are not clear, are not
A C
completely described, not “in the box”
F E D

51. Connections
Propinquity
Nodes are likely to be connected if they
are geographically near each other
Homophily
Nodes are likely to be connected if they A
share one or more social characteristics C D
For individuals, the they are more likely B
to be connected the more characteristics E
they have in common
For collectives, this may not be true
GM may not be connected to Ford

52. Mapping Social Networks
The maps are called sociograms
The distance between nodes is
determined by
size of the first order of nodes
extent to which the nodes overlap
barriers between nodes
agency (acting on behalf of others)
exercised between nodes
First order zone is the interpersonal
environment (number of people
known), second order out from there

53. Max Subgraph Ratio
A subgraph is a group of people that
interact with each other more then
others
In this 14 person network, all the members play
World of Warcraft together in the same guild
Strong ties are people who played often at the
same time and same place, weak ties are people
who interacted less
There are 5 subgraphs, 4 of two people, and 1 of
6 people
The max subgraph ration is 6/14=0.43
The max subgraph ration is a measure
of group cohesion

54. Six Degrees
If there was zero overlap in first
order interpersonal zones, then you
could reach the entire population in
the US in three steps
Experiments by Stanley Milgram
estimate actual steps to be six
(reached through five intervening
persons)
Thus “Six Degrees of Separation”

55. Small World Networks
The property of “six degrees of Ordered
separation” is an example of a small Network
Random = 0
world network, also called a scale-free
network
A small world network is connected
almost randomly, yet the “diameter” of Small World
Network
the network is very small Random >0, <1
Small world networks are very
efficient, and robust against damage
Small world networks have been found
Random
in many other places: in brain, Network
proteins, genes, ecology, markets, etc. Random = 1

56. Hubs
Analysis of small world networks
shows that there are many hubs
Often called connectors or mavens
Milgram and others originally
believed that hubs could be
discovered
Thus marketers thought they could
be found and influenced
Milgram has since discovered that
hubs are not predictable

57. Strong Ties
The strength of an interpersonal B
connection is a combination of A
amount of time
emotional intensity C
E
intimacy (mutual confiding) D
reciprocity (mutuality of services)
Those with large interpersonal
connection are considered to have a F
“strong tie” G
However, networks of only strong H
ties are not efficient nor robust I

58. Weak Ties
Studies show that information B
diffusion is more efficient through A
weak ties
More jobs come from weak ties C
E
More relationships come from weak ties D
Strong ties breed local cohesion,
however, lead to overall
fragmentation F
Weak ties, often denounced as G
alienation, are the key to large H
communities I

59. Value of Weak Ties
Your strong ties already have the
same friends, same resources, and
know the same things you do.
Your strong ties are vulnerable to
group think or “echo chamber” effect
One of most valuable reason to
maintain a network of strong ties is
to have access to their network of
weak ties

60. Social Capital
A person with social capital has the
ability to draw on the resources
contained in their network
Social capital depends on the extent
and shape of one’s social network,
and resources available to that
network
However, the ability to know how to
make connections is important
Social capital is sometimes called
“whuffie” from an SF story

61. Tipping Points
Information is not propagated
through a social network in a linear
fashion
Instead, once a certain criticality of
propagation is reached in one
subnetwork, the information is
spread to the rest of the network
This threshold of criticality has been
popularized as “The Tipping Point”
All small-world networks have these
thresholds

62. Unstructured
Trust
Intuitive, unconscious trust
Emotional, intimate, often
irrational
Your “monkeyware” for
trust

63. The Dunbar
Number
Limits on the size of
“unstuctured trust” based
groups

64. Social Channel
Capacity
Limit to your ability to have
an emotional connection

65. People you go to in times of severe stress
Support Circle Core of your Intimate Social Network
Typically 3-5 people

66. People you go to for sympathy
Sympathy Circle Or whose death would devastate you
Typically 10-15 people

67. People whom you share a mutual
Trust Circle “intimate” emotional connection - strong ties
Ranges widely, typically 80-120 people

68. Non-mutual emotional connection - weak ties
Emotional Circle Also called “social channel capacity”
Multiple studies show average 290

69. People in Emotional Circle
Weak Ties but not Trust Circle are weak ties
New opportunities are more likely

70. Dunbar Number ≠ Social Channel Capacity

71. Dunbar Number, Social Channel Capacity & BGI

72. Social
Networking
Services
Types & Demographics

73. Social Networking Over 400 several years ago
Services Many more today

74. Types of Social Networking Services
Friend Networking Sharing
MySpace, Facebook,Twitter, Flickr, Dogster, Home Exchange,
Orkut, Ning Couch Surfer
Business Networking Mobile, Location & Presence
LinkedIn, Spoke Dodgeball, Plazes, Doppler,
Common Interest Twitter
Classmates, DeanSpace, Small Dating
Planet eHarmony, Match.com
Face-to-Face Facilitation
Meetup, Upcoming, Eventful

75. Different social networks services serve
Different Identities different parts of our personal identities

76. Different Cultures Different social networks have different cultures

77. Social Media Matchup Chicago Tribune 2009-10-09
MySpace, Facebook & Twitter http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-twitter-graphic-oct07,0,1689342.graphic

78. International Social Social Network Services are not just used in the
Network Services US, nor are they using predominately US services

79. International Social Usage patterns differ outside the US
Network Services Very important in Korea & Brazil

80. Orkut leads in the Indian subcontinent, as well as Brazil.
Facebook is stronger, internationally, than MySpace,
with surprising strongholds in the Middle East.
hi5.com is the most international of all the social
networks, leading in Peru, Colombia, Central America,
and other, scattered countries such as Mongolia,
Romania, and Tunisia.
Both Bebo and Skyblog follow colonial patterns, the
first strong in smaller English-speaking countries such as
Ireland and New Zealand, and the latter in Francophone
countries;
Friendster, the original social network, leads all across
Southeast Asia.
Fotolog, a photo service defeated in the US by
Friendster, has re-emerged as the dominant social
International
network in Argentina and Chile.

81. Amount of time spent using social networking is
Demographics – Age highly dependent on age.
However, > 50% of MySpace users are over 35

82. Demographics – Age Usage patterns differ slightly over age

83. Demographics – Gender
Slightly more women use social networks

84. Demographics – Gender
Some are as much as 2/3rds female

85. There is substantial overlap between different
Demographics – Gender
social networks, however social network
fatigue is becoming more common

86. The Connection
The “friends” connection is the unifying
characteristic of all social networks
Is not always called “friends” but
sometimes “connections” or “contact”
It is often further qualified “met”,
“aquaintance”, “family”, etc.
Is not always mutual
Typically are “explicit” connections,
however, “implicit” connections are often
more valuable.
Inviting friends serves the network’s
interest more then the users
going viral is rarely in your interest

87. The Profile
In the long run a user’s profile is probably
more important then list of friends
Is a place to show your identity
including interests, values
Also shows your connections
Group connections can also be important
Often contain ephemeral “presence”
information
Can have big privacy issues
Typically defaulting semi-public, which is
in the social network’s interest
Not very good with contextual privacy

88. Status Updates
Most social network offer easy ways
to view changes and updates of
friend’s profiles
Most offer easy ways to update your
profile
“presence” or “microblogging”
Often looking at friend’s profiles is a
social action
pokes, comments, endorsements
Looking at friend’s of friends profiles
and status updates is a common
behavior

89. Major US
Social
Network
Services
MySpace, Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn, Ning

90. Facebook
Originally organized around colleges,
later by workplaces & locality, now
open
Tries to be a central social “portal”
All connections are mutual – both
parties must agree
Reconnect with old friends and family
For colleges today, central to social
life
Oriented toward professionals and
white-collar

91. MySpace
Until recently the largest social
network
Originally launched as an alternative
music centric social network
Friend connections are mutual, but
very light – bands can be friends
Profiles are very customizable, and
allowed for more personality
Beginning to class segment against
white-collar and professionals

92. Twitter
Never marketed itself as a social
networking service
Connections are asymmetric
Focus is on byte-sized chunks of
information
The 140 character limit is ideal for
texting, thus has large penetration in
unusual market segments
Open protocols give Twitter an edge
in flexibility, search is very powerful
Great for social networking during
events and crises

93. Comparison
MySpace
“wandering the halls of high school
befriending all you see, with a boombox
on your shoulder”
Facebook
“like a large family wedding or class
reunion”
“is for those you know”
Twitter
“is for you those you don’t know”
“mingling in the conference of life”

94. LinkedIn
The “professional” social network
Focused on professional
connections, the links are not called
friends, and until recently no avatars
Has an introduction mechanism
However, in my personal experience not
very useful beyond 2 degrees
Strongest point is the 21st-century
resume in the professional profile
Endorsements very powerful
I have 360°of endorsements: investors,
coworkers, employees, colleagues, etc.

95. Ning
Offers “private” “customizable” social
networks
For existing groups, can give the
group for more control and flexibility
However, critical mass is an issue for
niche social networks
With over 5,000 different social
networks, it is difficult to connect to
people outside of niche

96. Using Social
Networks

97. Choosing a Social Networks
Your first personal social network
should be the one where you have at
least 6-7 people you have a strong
emotional connection with
Be aware of your social context –
Facebook and MySpace in particular are
very personal, LinkedIn is very
professional, and Twitter in-between
Facebook is for sharing the people you
know well, MySpace is to show off your
style, LinkedIn is for your resume, and
Twitter is for people you don’t know

98. Invite Etiquette
Never bulk request friends
It is always in the social network services
interest to do so, but it is spam that
reflects badly on you
I suggest you only invite those
already using the service
Always personalize invites
Do one at a time
Remind them why they might want to
connect
Focus on those you have an
emotional connection

99. Questions?
Feedback?
ChristopherA@LifeWithAlacrity.com
Next: Elluminate Session D
Social Video,Viral Media & Memetics
October 19, 2009: 7pm PT