Average Age of Social Network Users

Ever wonder about the average age of users of the most popular social networks?

According to a post on ReadWriteWeb the average age for the leading networks is

MySpace 26

Twitter 31

Facebook 33

LinkedIn 39

The Pew Internet and American Life Project has this graph showing young users adopting Twitter.

Scamming Social Networks

TechCrunch has an ongoing series of posts educating us about how we are being scammed on social sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

The original post titled Scamville - the Social Gaming Ecosystem of Hell is an incredible eye opener. Did you have any idea what is really happening with your data and personal information?

Here is a link to a post from two CEO's that said no to these scams and millions of dollars http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/11/01/scamville-hotornot-plentyoffish-facebook-myspace/

Here is another link to a post by a former scammer http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/11/01/how-to-spam-facebook-like-a-pro-an-insiders-confession/

This is an BIG issue and a series worth following.

The Web In 5 Years

Another gem from ReadWriteWeb - what the web will look like in five years according to Google.

Here are the highlights according to ReadWriteWeb article...

• Five years from now the internet will be dominated by Chinese-language content.
• Today's teenagers are the model of how the web will work in five years - they jump from app to app to app seamlessly
• Five years is a factor of ten in Moore's Law, meaning that computers will be capable of far more by that time than they are today.
• Within five years there will be broadband well above 100MB in performance - and distribution distinctions between TV, radio and the web will go away
• Content will move towards more video.
• t's because of this fundamental shift towards user-generated information that people will listen more to other people than to traditional sources. Learning how to rank that "is the great challenge of the age." Schmidt believes Google can solve that problem.

There is the full 45 minute talk on the post at ReadWriteWeb.

Nowmium - the Value of Now

Most online businesses are built on the value of now.

Nowmium defined - the value derived from getting it now.

(Woohoo - I think I just coined a phrase)

The Incredible Power of Now

Given the choice of paying to get something now and getting the same thing later for free, which do you choose?

Here’s the Deal

There is something you want. It is something specific. It is on your mind. You need it for some reason.

1. I will give it to you now for a fair price
2. I will give it to you later for the same fair price
3. I will give it to you now for free
4. I will give you it to later for free

Which do you decide to take?

My Choices

Between choices #1 and #2, I believe everyone will choose #1, get it now.

Between choices #1 and #3 I believe it depends on how specific the thing I need is. If I need a copy of Charles Dickens Tale of Two Cities and the difference is hard cover or paper back – with paper back being free and now – I will take the free paper back now – you know, as long as it is new – I hate used books when I don’t know who the previous owner was. If I need the same book and the free offer is for any other book or maybe just a summary of this book, I will take the paid copy now.

Between choices #1 and #4, if I need it now I will pay to get it now instead of free later. Let’s say I need proof of insurance today to be able to get a job contract. The biding ends today. I need it now. Later is of no value to me. Now is the value.

SO?

Free gets all the press because all the press can be had for free online.

Now gets money if the thing is specific, not available for free and needed now.

Build you web presence around the value of now if at all possible.

Examples? I have plenty, please suggest your own.

How to Create a Facebook Ad

I have been talking to a lot of groups lately and always seem to get to Facebook advertising.

This link...

http://www.businessinsider.com/facebooks-self-service-ads-are-ridiculously-easy-to-make-2009-10#go-to-facebookcomadvertising-1

has a great slideshow walking you through creating a Facebook ad.

The primary difference between a Facebook ad and a sponsored ads in search is the source of your keywords.

In search ads you are guessing at what terms people will use for search.

In Facebook ads you are using the terms they actually have entered in describing their interests, etc. As you try out keywords in Facebook's ad creation program, Facebook actively suggests terms in actual use and then tells you exactly how many users fitting you criteria you are marketing to.

Facebook ads are best used to tightly target many small groups. Use a unique ad for each group you target that addresses their stated interest.

Google Wave

Here is an interesting and entertaining use for Google Wave. A scene from Pulp Fiction in the Wave. It contains the exact dialogue - which is somewhat foul depending on in which branch of the Navy you served.

WARNING - at least R rated.

Some people have very little to do - and I enjoy how they do it.

Literal Videos

A literal video takes the original video, keeps the music, but writes new lyrics to describe what is actually happening in the video.

Here is a good one.

I love it. New things to do in the digital age.