Yesterday was one of the most unified days our country has seen in recent memory.  The idea of SOPA legislation becoming law was horrifying and many people were asking why would one of our leaders in congress consider passing a bill that the vast majority of the population despises.  That’s the problem, we have our “leaders” confused with “moral prostitutes”… I’ll be so kind as to clear up this matter.

A leader is someone like my father.  He’s a man that has worked his way from a carpenter in a cabinet shop to owning the company.  He invested in his family and in his faith.  He’s confident enough to agree to disagree on many issues but won’t go against his morals.  When he speaks people listen because he’s candid and unlike many small business owners wants his employees to reap the fruits of their labor with him instead of hoarding all profit for senior leadership. My father words and actions are based on what is best for the many instead of the few.

By contrast a moral prostitute is someone like Lamar Smith who pledges to work within the framework of our constitution but instead sells their soul to the highest bidder.  Smith (The Prince of Douchebagery) has pledged to rework the bill and try to get it passed at a later date which is his right as a representative but I must beg the question… who is he representing?  Certainly the members of his district in Texas can’t be pushing for this legislation as their collective IQ’s are well above 29. Instead of representing the members of his district and the best interest of our nation he has sold his soul to the entertainment industry.  Now don’t get me wrong it’s not that I don’t appreciate the 46 versions of CSI that are on TV, I just don’t think we need to destroy the leading source of creativity in this nation in order to make his pimps from the entertainment industry feel secure.  Smiths words and actions are shallow and reflect his role as a pathetic puppet protecting the few at the expense of many.

If you feel I’ve been to harsh in calling Lamar Smith a “moral prostitute” for sponsoring SOPA you’re entitled to have an opinion but you’re wrong.  Our country is at a point where we need real leaders… not moral prostitutes.  New faces need to emerge and have the confidence to protect the internet from those who seek to destroy for their own personal gain.  I encourage you to find your voice, unleash your passion, and connect within online communities because we are stronger when united.

In closing I have one question for the people of the 21st district of Texas… Please raise your children to show the same amount of respect for a woman that sells her body as a man that sells his soul.  At the end of the day it’s the same thing isn’t it?

Yeah… I said it.

When I attended Illinois State University one of the most important items our professors communicated to us was NEVER talk about politics at work.  While many people heed the advice of not spouting political rhetoric within physical office, Facebook has blurred the lines between “business” and “personal” networks and many people are surprised with the candid opinions from their coworkers.  Here are 2 examples of heated exchanges focusing on politics:

Example #1 – The Other Party Is Full of Idiots

This is the most standard political post in many networks that highlight all of the struggles of the opposing party.  While it generates conversation and comments it often leaves members of their network wanting an escape from the constant stream of negativity that surrounds politics.  Additionally it can open a Pandora’s Box in the workplace of passive discrimination… (Ex. “If Bill supports candidate XYZ he certainly doesn’t have the mental capacity or logical skills to lead the team through this upcoming project)

Example #2 – Can’t We Just Have An Intelligent Conversation

The aftermath of a political conversation gone wrong can have a tremendously negative impact on professional and family relationships.  Many people view politics as a black/white issue with one side that’s right and one side that’s wrong.  The exchange above shows a general frustration most people feel with the lack of civility in most political arguments.  Most people will only engage in face to face political conversations with a select group of people they trust and that number is usually much smaller than the size of their Facebook network.  By engaging in political conversation before the relationship is ready there’s a very good chance long term damage to a relationship will occur.

My personal opinion on this issue has varied from time to time but I feel comfortable with a solution that allows me to post things of interest but not take a stance that would alienate me from members of my network.  I choose to label anything I share as “interesting” and let the reader take what they would like from the article.

Everyone will find a strategy that works for them as well but I would encourage you to think before you post a link or post a comment “Is proving my point on this issue worth damaging this relationship?”

Many of us throughout our formative high school and college years witnessed a relationship or two where it was obvious that the guy no longer cared about the girl but they continued dating.  Oddly enough feeling like she didn’t have any better options she accepted that it’s “just how he is” and tried to make the best of the situation.  Usually this relationship consists of the same “fight” where the girl has a few basic things she’d like to change (Ex. A “date night” that doesn’t consist of her watching him and his friends play video games).  However due to the lack of respect for the girlfriend things will rarely change unless… another man sends here flowers.

Recently Facebook has come out with several updates to their privacy settings with allowing people to untag themselves in unflattering photos (Goodbye Spring Break 2003) and determine which “friends” see their status updates.  When the updates were announced Facebook said that the changes were based off of user feedback and their commitment to blah blah blah.  User feedback wasn’t the reason for the change all… Google Plus brought us flowers. 

One of the primary principles of Google Plus is allowing users to have more control of what information they shared with different connections was a feature that many users had been asking Facebook to add for years.  Mark Zuckerberg and the team at Facebook have only recently started to respond to these requests because for the first time since the MySpace collapse there is some serious competition from another social network.  I applaud Facebook for stepping up and doing the right thing by allowing their user base to have more control over what content is shown on the network, but much like the neglected girlfriend I have to ask… Why did it someone else buying us flowers to get you to listen to us Mark?

I’ve been using Google Plus for a couple weeks and love the sleek design and circles options.  The time I used to spend on Twitter is now quickly being shifted towards Google Plus.  I’ve decided that I’m going to use Google Plus as a “sexier” version of LinkedIn and leverage it for developing new professional contacts and keep my “personal” social network on Facebook.  I sent out a few Google Plus invites last week and noticed two big problems that many new and potential users are having:

Big Problem #1 – Many people just got comfortable with Facebook

This person received an invite from me a few days ago and is a casual Facebook user (checks her account about every other day).  While the Google Plus demo does a nice job explaining all of the technical and practical advantages to using their product I don’t think most people are ready for “Huddles” or feel comfortable enough to use the “Hangout” feature.  The vast majority of older Gen X’ers and Baby Boomers just got comfortable using Facebook and probably won’t make a switch until the people they care about (probably their kids) stop using Facebook and the only way they can get their “information fix” is on another social network.

Big Problem #2 – Being alone isn’t a lot of fun on a “social network”

Most people who have joined Google Plus are looking to maintain the relationships they enjoy on other social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, and for those still living in 2003… MySpace).  Early adoption by the late 20 & early 30′s “Facebook Crowd” is going to be critical for the initial push of Google Plus.  Many people are eager to try this new platform, but if the people they want to talk to are primarily engaging on other networks than the new platform will struggle to grow.

In a earlier post of mine Moving Sucks… That’s Not Good for Google Plus I thought we’d see these issues and it seems like the two issues above are legitimate growing pains.  I do think Google Plus will be successful long term, but if they are going to see memberships continue to rise than they need to get a consistent message out to public about the benefits of using another social network.

How are you using Google Plus?

I was 11 years old when a Fab Five burst on the college basketball landscape and at that moment I decided I was going to play my college basketball at Michigan.  However when I graduated from high school the University of  Michigan apparently forgot to reserve a scholarship for a 5 foot 7 inch Caucasian point guard with below average shooting ability!  I had forgotten how much I enjoyed watching them play until the recent ESPN documentary put their story back in the spotlight.  Once I finished the documentary I thought it’d only be appropriate to honor them in the best way I know how… match their skills up with my top five Facebook tabs.

For those of you who don’t remember the fab five here’s a brief bio:

Jimmy King – Great defender, consistent scorer, didn’t make a lot of mistakes

Ray Jackson – Tremendous athlete, average defender, decent outside shooter

Jalen Rose – The emotional leader of the group, clutch player, floor general

Juan Howard – Fundamental master, good athlete for his size, smart player

Chris Webber – A total genetic freak, more potential than anyone in his era

Here are my “Fab Five Facebook Tabs”:

Involver YouTube Application – Much like Jimmy King the Involver YouTube Tab brings a consistent level of quality to a page and rarely has technical issues.  Some of the best features of this application are:

• No annoying application box asking for access to user information to watch videos
• Two social sharing options with the “Like” and the “Send” Button
• An area for commenting directly below the video

“Work for Us” Tab – Like Ray Jackson during his Michigan days this application is going to be just as good as the talent surrounding it.  If a fan page has a strong following and an engaged fan base then fans will be motivated to apply for jobs with a company via this tab.  However if a brand has a weak Facebook presence it’ll be hard to justify the monthly expense if fans aren’t applying via Facebook.

For more info on finding jobs with Facebook click here

ShortStack Fan Only Content – is the “Jalen Rose” of Facebook Apps.  This application plays the role of the point guard and gets “the offense set” by encouraging fans to “Like” the Facebook page and implementing the conversion strategy once the “Like” has been achieved.

Payvment Storefront – “Money” would be the best way to describe Juan Howard in the paint during his career at Michigan so the most popular storefront app seems like a natural fit.  For the depth of the application it’s very technically solid and gives customers consistent results… very similar to Howard’s 3-year run at Michigan.

Deal Share by North Social – Chris Webber had so much talent he could have changed the way college basketball was played.  The Deal Share application has that same kind of potential with the ability to go head to head with Groupon and Living Social.  Chris Webber gave us flashes of greatness but his coach Steve Fisher was never able to develop Webber into the once-a-generation player he could have been… Deal Share has similar potential and with the game plan North Social has put together it has a strong chance to be a “trendsetter” app.

So there’s my Fab Five Facebook Tabs and if I forgot any let me know… and before anyone asks the answer is NO… Dugan Fife is not getting an honorable mention tab.

One of the lessons that I’ve learned as a parent is if my children are worried about something going on in their life I need to listen to their feelings even if I already know the answer to the concerns.  A perfect example of this was when my wife and I were discussing ordering pizza for dinner and my daughter began to worry that we wouldn’t be getting any bread sticks with the pizza.  (My older daughter has made it very clear that she would have no problem trading anyone in the family for a 5 pack of Monical’s bread sticks) I know that my daughter loves bread sticks and we always get those when we order but because she didn’t hear us specifically mention bread sticks she started to worry.  My initial reaction used to be “Calm down!  When is the last time we had pizza and didn’t get bread sticks?” but I’ve learned over time that what she needs more than anything is to have her feelings heard and validated.  I hope that by listening to her problems at the age of 3 when she’s 13 she’ll still feel comfortable coming to me with things that are on her mind.

I think in many ways that’s how God deals with us as His children.  The worries we have as His adult children (financially providing for our family, saving for retirement, etc.) may seem just as trivial to Him as my daughter having a minor heart attack because I gave her the Dora cup instead of the Mickey Mouse cup.  He always takes the time to listen to His children even though He knows all of the answers.

The last 15 months have brought more challenges than the previous 15 years for my family.  It’s been hard for us to not to worry when there have been so many struggles in such a short time, but in the 6th chapter of the gospel of Matthew the Lord gives us very specific instruction…

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

I think that’s Jesus way of saying… “Dude…don’t worry… I’ll make sure we get breadsticks”.

My wife and I recently decided to have her take a year off of work and focus on raising our two young daughters.  While we feel it’s in the best interest of our family to have her home with the kids and are taking some drastic measures to make that happen.  One of the biggest decisions we’ve had to make is putting our house up for sale.  Now we love our house and don’t want to leave but we need to make some sacrifices and feel that downsizing our house is one of the best ways to accomplish that goal.  Which brings me to my point… MOVING SUCKS!  Anyone who has moved would agree that packing box after box of spring dish sets, 412 children’s books, and relish trays is about as much fun as playing “slam the finger in the car door”.  It’s much easier to stay in your current house even if it’s not perfect because moving all of your possessions is a difficult process.   That’s why I think Google Plus could be in serious trouble from the start.

Google Plus (google.com/plus) was introduced to the masses yesterday with a sharp demo of a very clean and innovative social network.  The initial reaction from many people in the social media world were labeling Google Plus as a Facebook killer and Google’s last opportunity to be relevant in the social media arena.  Here were my observations from the demo:

• On a technical level it’s vastly superior to anything currently on the market
• The core features seem to be just the tip of the iceberg paving the way for a bright future
• Everyone at our office was amazed and then had the “Now what do I use this for look?”

While I was intrigued by several of the tools the item that stood out the most to me was “Circles”.  The Circles feature gives the ability to bundle connections into groups in a easy way that Facebook or any other relevant social network currently doesn’t allow.  The other core features Huddle, Sparks, and Instant Upload complimented each other well and should make for a tool vastly superior to anything on the market today.

But am I leaving current social networks because there’s a better product on the market?  No.  And here’s why… Moving Sucks.

The thought of moving my Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn connections to Google Plus sounds like a big ordeal and one that I just don’t want to deal with right now.  I’m excited to try out Google Plus but I don’t see it replacing Facebook as my primary social network anytime soon.  Until Facebook does something to really turn me off (like changing the homepage to Carl Lewis singing the national anthem) Google or any other company can implement great ideas but getting people motivated to “move” to another site is going to be an uphill battle.

I’m already moving my physical home this summer… Google Plus will need to be a once in a lifetime offering to convince to move my online home as well.

I’ll be speaking at the the first @Midwest social media conference in Bloomington, IL.  I’ll be leading a 1 hour breakout session about the “Engine of Facebook”.  I’m very excited about presenting to a group of my peers and can’t wait to meet and network with the other speakers as well.  I just hope they are comfortable with me presenting in my blue spandex body suit. Here is the session let me know if you’d like to attend.

Eric Osterman — The Engine of Facebook

While much of the time spent discussing Facebook is built around generating “Likes” this session will go into heavy detail some of the features that shape the success or failure of a Facebook Fan Page or Group.  This session will include detail on:

• Facebook Edgerank – Best practices to get your content in the top spot in the news feed
• Facebook Insights – How has the tool improved in the last 6 months and what data from Insights is valuable
• Facebook Social Sharing – What is the difference between the Like, Share, and Send buttons and how has the industry determined a numerical value on shared content
• Facebook Questions – How can we use this tool to leverage our business
• Facebook Places & Deals – Why your company needs to skip this FourSquare nonsense and start using Deals today.

Most guys in their late 20′s and early 30′s are familiar with Stephon Marbury and grew up watching him play basketball.  He was a very talented player who never lived up to his potential.  Stephon Marbury isn’t unlike many people in the workforce today.  He had all the talent in the world, the full support of the organization, and tremendous compensation packages but all of the pieces never seemed to fall into place.  Now no one of is going to confuse me with Phil Jackson but I have a theory why Marbury’s teams never “made it to the next level”…

He’s a jerk and people hated playing with him.

Yes I said it… and yes I’m right.  If you play point guard in the NBA and want to win championships your career won’t be about personal numbers, it’ll revolve around leading a team and being smart enough recognize and exploit mismatches on the court.  That wasn’t what Stephon Marbury was all about… Starbury (his self given nickname) was about “getting his”.  His shots, his minutes, his sponsorships… etc.  He didn’t want to play with one of the top players of his generation early in his career because he was uncomfortable playing with someone “who made so much money”.  That mistake early in his career blackballed him from other superstars in the league and led him down a path from which he never recovered.

Stephon Marbury didn’t lack talent, skill, or ambition… he lacked character.  Throughout your career you’ll have many teammates.   Make sure your aligning yourself with individuals that have the teams best interest in mind not just their own.

During the fall of 2005 I sat in a church pew and listened to a pastor give the congregation a 45 minute message on the importance of not having different “compartments” of ones life.  His rational was that if you have different guidelines and standards for various areas of your life than you’ll never be headed in one consistent direction.  I remember walking out of the service thinking it was a nice “idea” but about as practical as “Let’s give a ton of money to countries with starving kids and everything will work itself out for the greater good”.  I found great comfort in the fact that I could be all different types of “Eric” in my various social circles and could adapt my actions and attitudes at a whim.

Recently that message has been at the forefront of my mind and I’ve given consistent thought to removing all the different compartments and having one unified version of “Eric”.  My initial idea for this blog was a showcase for my social media theory and a resource for people to learn how to use social media in their job search.  While there is nothing wrong with the goals and traffic has increased each month it’s been up I strongly feel that there’s a component that needs to be added.  I’ve never discussed my faith on my blog before because I felt that I should keep my social media career and my faith separate.   I understand I may lose a few readers off of the RSS feed, get some negative comments, and have people tell me I’m getting away from the “central theme” of my blog, but from time to time I do plan on sharing what Jesus Christ has done in my life on this site.  I’m finished compartmentalizing my life… how about you?