Strategy+Art = Influence » facebook

Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?

jackhardy — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:02:09 +0000

Just finished a very interesting article from Atlantic Magazine, that not only has implications for marketers and public relations people, but perhaps is a more telling commentary on the state of human relationships. Naturally, the conclusion among researchers is that the technology does not make us more lonely, but it is how we use these tools. There is some fascinating research about social and human interaction that speaks directly to the issue of loneliness and the feeling of connectedness. I’m particularly interested in this subject since I have felt that Facebook legitimizes narcissism. What do you think?

The Hacker Way

jackhardy — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:46:30 +0000

In the wake of the anticipated $5 billion Initial Public Stock Offering (IPO) for Facebook, a revealing portrait of founder Mark Zuckerberg’s management and company philosophy is found in an open letter to future stockholders found here: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2012/02/01/text-of-mark-zuckerbergs-ipo-letter.html?page=all

The letter is alternatively forward thinking and snarky. Perhaps his mantra that “done is better than perfect” symbolizes his engineering-focused rule of computer programmers. Their stated company code to break it down and reinvent, otherwise known as the “hacker way,” seems troubling because of what it does not say. I did not find a long-term philosophy about building a great company. Perhaps this is an archaic business philosophy in a world where get-rich dot-com companies come and go. As a potential investor, I did not find anything reassuring about the company’s attempt to protect consumer privacy or to provide a long-term return on investment for shareholders. Does this sound like a nurturing place to work or one in which confrontation rules and no-holds-barred engineering trumps the value of the people who work there. What do you think?

Facebook Dilemma

jackhardy — Tue, 04 May 2010 22:47:18 +0000

Read a post today that was highly critical of Facebook. Well, to be more accurate, it actually recommended deleting your Facebook account and provided the top ten reasons why this made sense. First, read the article here: http://www.rocket.ly/home/2010/4/26/top-ten-reasons-you-should-quit-facebook.html and then post your own thoughts about it. Is this just a rant of an unfriendly blogger or a well-thought out post by a disgruntled customer. Or, is it perhaps a thinly disguised attack piece by an employee of a competitor? The main question you need to answer is this: Should the company ignore it or respond?