What the heck are Instant Personalization and Social Plugins?   Last week, Facebook released two new features and they have decided that everyone is automatically “opted in”, meaning you have to turn them off.   Consequently, you could be sharing some of your Facebook data without knowing it.   Interestingly enough, even Congress might be getting in the act.

So what are instant personalization and social plugins?    Instant personalization is the sharing of your public Facebook data with other websites.  At the current time, there are 3 partners who are linked with Facebook…..Pandora, Yelp and Docs.com.   If you are logged in to Facebook, and visit these sites, you will see a blue bar across the top that will say…”Hi Larry (or your name).  XYZ company is using Facebook to personalize your experience. “ At this point, you can click “No thanks”.  If you don’t then the site will use your public Facebook data to tailor the site’s functionality to you.   This information includes you name, profile picture, gender and connections.    If you want to stop instant personalization, then login to Facebook, go to Privacy Settings, then Applications and then uncheck the Allow box for Instant Personalization.   At this point you will get an “Are you sure” box with a message……the important sentence in this notification is…..”Please keep in mind that if you opt out, your friends may still share public Facebook information about you to personalize their experience on these partner sites unless you block the application.”  Now that is fascinating.  To stop this, you then need to block the Docs, Yelp and Pandora applications.

The second feature, called Social plugins, add Facebook functions to websites, such as the “Like” button.   If you click the “Like” button, then all of your friends will see that you liked the story when they see the posting on your wall.  To avoid this feature, simply don’t click on the button or log out of Facebook first.

As I said before, the social media concept is fantastic and I believe has yet to come close to maturity.   There are however, many related issues.  While I don’t agree on the default of “opt in”, I really like the concept of using data to create a better online experience.  This is clearly the future.  Marketers have been using this concept for years with cookies and IP traces.   So the concept isn’t new, but this degree of sophistication is. 

Another potential issue for any company is the gathering and sharing of personal information and this issue just got a little more complex.  The rules and regulations on data privacy are still evolving and data breaches still occur, so you need to be careful.

Data on Facebook is personal and most people that I speak with are not aware of the various security settings within their Facebook page…..or what to do if something embarrassing to them happens on their site with all of their friends watching……right Beth?  LOL!

Facebook is great, and I love it.   The bottom line…..go to Facebook right now and log on.  Go to the privacy settings and make sure they are setup to fit your views on sharing information.  For all you parents, the next step is to make sure your kid’s pages are secure as well.

The 14^th annual Webby Awards are in and we’ve got something to celebrate!  From more than 8,000 entries submitted fewer than 15% were distinguished as Official Honorees, and the Medi-CareFirst.com website designed and built by G.1440 was one of them.

The Webby Awards are the Internet’s equivalent of the Academy Awards and entries are drawn in from all 50 states and 60 countries worldwide. Winners are chosen by well-renowned judges at the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences. Members of this organization include: Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson, Internet Inventor Vinton Cerf and Twitter co-founder Biz Stone. This award represents a certain standard of excellence and demonstrates the outstanding caliber of work here at G.1440.

The Webby Award categories are broken down into Websites & Mobile, Interactive Advertising, and Film & Video, and then further divided into subcategories of criteria. Medi-CareFirst.com was recognized under the Websites & Mobile category and was assessed on the following criteria: content, structure and navigation, visual design, functionality, interactivity, and overall experience.

Our excellent team of web designers and developers made this award possible – G.1440 boasts the best and most creative web designers in the region. Our Consulting Solutions team offers an extensive suite of products and solutions that help enhance our clients’ business and we have an unmatched reputation built over a decade for having high quality, on time, and on budget delivery. We offer company specific customized solutions – see for yourself! Our Design Portfolio showcases some of our websites, user interfaces, and marketing solutions.

G.1440’s award winning team delivered a website for Medi-CareFirst.com that possesses unparalleled qualities. The website has proven to be user-friendly, informative, and interactive, which has helped it succeed. This Webby Award proves that G.1440 uses innovative technology combined with technical expertise to help differentiate businesses from the rest of the pack.

Check out the website here for a look at its award winning quality design:  Medi-CareFirst

Bet you never thought about just how smart your “smart phone” really is.  Well, now you should.  In addition to managing your email accounts, voice calls, texting, Facebook, etc…your phone tracks your location and reports back to your carrier on a 1440 basis…that is, every minute of every day.

While this might surprise you, it really shouldn’t.  For example, how many of you are using Google Maps on your phone?  I happen to love this little app on my Blackberry.  I get driving directions, maps, satellite views anytime and anywhere.  I recently used this app in Puerto Rico and it didn’t miss a beat, but did you ever think that the phone has to know where you are to give you directions and…here is the surprise for most – this data is stored after it is created.  So your whereabouts are being recorded.  For most of us, this isn’t really a big deal as I don’t really care if someone knows that I went to Starbucks for a coffee…although my wife might think that I go there too much, so don’t tell her.  As a parent, I welcome the idea of knowing where my kids are. However, it is true that this data could be used inappropriately, and we need to make sure that it is protected.

Interestingly though, this data is proving to be a real asset in the fight against crime. Cell phones are increasingly being used to prove that criminals are travelling to a secret meeting or are at/near the location of crimes.  Law enforcement also has the ability (with the right authority) to listen in on the conversations these folks are having since your carrier can turn on your phone remotely and without you knowing it…just something else to think about.

You may want to keep your eye on this one.  There appears to be quite a debate raging.  Reports indicate that Barack Obama’s Justice Department insists it should have the authority to conduct such tracking without a warrant, although some judges aren’t buying it.

Man, I had no idea my phone was so smart!

Ever wondered what it would be like to actually see and talk with folks all around the world?  Want to join a really, really big chat room (a.k.a. the planet Earth) that combines video chatting and texting?  Here is the catch, you won’t know anyone that you are seeing/talking with and they can be doing anything they want.

Well, www.chatroulette.com is all the rage.   Chat Roulette has only been around for approximately 3 months, and reportedly already has 85,000 users.  I jumped on the site on Tuesday with about 20,000 of my closest friends…. just to try it out and got some real surprises!

The site is remarkably simple, one page.   All you need to do it enable your webcam and click “play” and you are all set.  You are now in the queue and Chat Roulette’s servers start to randomly assign you people that are available to video chat and/or text with.   If you don’t like who you have been matched with, then just click “next” or hit F9 and you are randomly assigned to someone else.   Truth be told, you don’t even need a web cam.

Chat Roulette has come under fire for the lack of controls to keep minors from participating.  Additionally, there are reports that some of the video cam shots you will see are of men that are doing inappropriate things. If you aren’t’ sure what I mean, then use your imagination.   So, I tried it to see if these reports are true.   I started using Chat Roulette and purposefully kept track and my experience was that about 10% of the people that I “met”  were female and of the remaining 90% percent, the majority of the men were either holding the camera at a weird angle (not sure what they were planning and I didn’t wait to find out!) or they weren’t wearing any clothing, so the reports appear to be true.

So as a parent, I don’t want my kids anywhere near this site, and as an adult, you have to wonder if anyone will go there more than once.

Video chatting is finally coming in to prime time, even my kid’s video chat with their cousins all over the USA…..and while random chatting could be interesting, not with a bunch of nude middle aged guys that are doing some weird stuff.

Between cell phones, televisions and computers, our kids are spending an average of 7 and ½ hours a day in front of some type of electronic media.  TV…iPod…cell phone…computer.  For some kids, that’s as much if not more time than they spend in school!

The Kaiser Family Foundation just released a fascinating study on the interaction of kids and media…and (hopefully) to no one’s surprise, media consumption growing.   In 2004, kids were averaging 6 hours and 21 minutes per day…so in the past 5 years, consumption has grown 18%. Quite a jump.

One surprising statistic is that most parents don’t seem to realize how much time their kids are spending staring at some sort of screen…keep in mind that 7.5 hours/day is the average…heavy media users peak at 16 hours/day with light media users around 3.  This amount of time seems crazy, but if you take a minute and think about it…the time adds up quickly…think of all the time you spend on your Blackberry…from calls…to email…to texting…to photos…it is amazing and needs to be managed.

Some other numbers really jumped out at me…71% of kids have a TV in their room and 64% watch TV during dinner.   The number one recommendation for reducing the “over consumption” of media is to pull the TV out of the room.  Duh!  Of the 7.5 hours, TV amounts to approx 4.5 hours, with music at 2.5 hours, computers at 1.5 hours, video at a little over 1 hour and the cell phone at 49 minutes.  This is interesting to me…I have always thought my family was a little odd…but these numbers don’t reflect my family.  My kids are on computers over 2 hours/day doing homework – this may be because their school uses an online learning management system so they have to be online to get homework assignments and/or for online tutorials.   They also spend way more than 49 minutes on their phones (especially if you count texting!)  Lastly, TV time for my family is WAY below 4.5 hours as well. 

Here is some other interesting data…at least for parents…47% of heavy media consumers (16 hours/day) reported having lower grades in school compared with only 23% of light media users (3 hours per day).  So there appears to be correlation between too much media and not studying…who would have guessed…LOL.

So jump out and take a look at the study yourself…and see how your family stacks up.  I found it fascinating and it confirms that my family isn’t normal!  At last I have proof!

Good news and bad news…the good news is that new ideas on how to connect and communicate are still coming…enhancements to Facebook, Google Buzz…lots of good ideas.  The bad news is that folks seem to have forgotten that there are a lot of bad guys out there and you need to protect your social networks just as much as you need virus protection software for your pc and a firewall for your network.

Keep in mind that hacking has taken on a new strategy whereby the hacker gets in and keeps their presence quiet so that they can pick my opportunity to take advantage…no longer are they just attacking…hackers are in stealth mode and your social network is a great target.  Also note that hackers post successes for others to read…so that when one gets in, the rest can follow.

Social networks are the new big “Greenfield” opportunity for hackers.  People are forgetting that your network has a ton of info about you and a ton of info about your friends.   I have been seeing reports of Facebook hacking scams where a hacker gets in to your page, changes the password so that you cannot get in and then scams your friends by telling them you are trapped in some foreign country and need money.   Your friends respond by sending you money…only problem is that you don’t get the money…the hacker does.    Facebook has a form that must be filled out if your account has been compromised.   Make sure that you know where to find it on their site as it might come in handy some day.

Other tips include limiting the info that is on your page…don’t have your complete birthday (just the month and date are good enough) and don’t put your full name or address or cell number on the page.  Also watch out for information that you unwittingly include…such as your schools name on a sweatshirt or a license plate on a car.  Hackers are smart people…don’t forget that…and your friends already know how to get in touch with you.  Also make sure that you review the privacy settings…don’t just go with the default.

Google Buzz…you have to love the notion of using your email list to automatically create your social network.  I think that this is a great idea because the people that I email all the time are great candidates for my social network.  Only problem is that my contacts could become publically available.  Don’t worry as Google is fixing the issue, but this is a great example of a well meaning company making a mistake.  Google is getting real serious about social networking and Buzz won’t be the last we hear from them.

So what is the bottom line…for me it is that you have to pay attention to the details and make sure you information is protected no matter where it is stored.

This is a great site…very useful…

The big V day is Sunday and some of us may have forgotten to make dinner reservations!  Well, never fear, because there is a solution…check out www.opentable.com and you can have a table waiting for you and your significant other for Saturday night…and for free!

Believe it or not, reports indicate that a full 30% of folks that plan on dining out, are going to make reservations at the last minute.   This is where www.opentable.com comes in.

OpenTable provides access to restaurants and their openings for dinner and thereby saves you a TON of time in finding the perfect spot for you and your significant other.  Check it out.  I like being able to search by location, type of food, price, date, time and party size.  So for example, I searched for a steak dinner in Baltimore at 7pm for 2 people and found 4 restaurants with openings and another 7 with openings that are close to my 7pm time.  Oh, and I did this in about 10 seconds.

Another aspect I like about open table is their ability to help you find a good restaurant and see ratings and reviews of this restaurant.  I frequently run in to the issue of “we want to go out, but don’t know where to go”.  OpenTable solves this issue.  Now you can search for a type of cuisine (e.g., American, French, Fusion and 16 others) and an approximate cost and then read some reviews…pick a place to go and you are all set.  Very cool.  I really like the ability to find new restaurants to explore.

OpenTable has more than 11,000 restaurant customers and, since its inception in 1998, has seated more than 120 million diners around the world.

Check it out to get you out of a bind for V Day and you use this site all year…I know I am.

The worst of the recession looks to be over and companies are starting to hire again.  Great news.  So if you are in the market to find a new job or career – then where do you look?  The same is true if you are just coming out of college and are looking for employment that might not be in your main field of study.   Since I have spent the last 20 years in tech, I may be biased, however I recommend technology.

The demand for tech is continuing to grow with many tech jobs remaining in demand during even the bottom of the recession.    AND…technology jobs are going to be one of the first to return…I have already seen this to be true with IT job demand since the January 1!

So if you aren’t a techie, but want to be…or at least think about it…what positions are the most in demand?

Well, the folks at Network world did some research and came up with the following listing…I am only going to directly discuss the first two and add one that is not on the list.  The entire list can be found at www.networkworld.com.

First on the list is Security specialist/ethical hacker.   Most websites are Swiss cheese and hackers are having a fun time hacking in to everything they can.  There are even websites that list sites that are vulnerable and how to break in.   Want to be surprised…go to YouTube.com and search on “hacking how to” videos…there are plenty of them.  This is going to be a major field, so get in now, with the Wash/Balt region becoming the epicenter for IT security for the world – you can’t go wrong.

Next on the list is Virtual Systems Manager.  If you aren’t familiar with the concepts of Software as a Service (Saas) and Cloud technologies, take a few minutes and read up on these topics.  Predictions are that more than 50% of all software will be purchased using a Saas model – meaning that you will pay as you go.    Cloud technology and virtualization allow for companies to significantly reduce their risk and costs by using technology computing resources that are “in the cloud”..you no longer need to know where your servers are…let someone else worry about it and cut your costs by 50%.  Amazing.

Other positions on the list include Capacity Manager, Network Engineer, Open Source Specialist, Service Assurance Manager, Electronic Health Records Manager, Sourcing Specialist, Service Catalog Manager and Business Process Engineer.  All good jobs and worthy of some research should you be interested in choosing a new career.

Also give some thought to a Social Media Analyst.  These folks are very much in demand as everyone works to grapple with the best way to utilize Facebook, Twitter and FourSquare to create and maintain communities of friends, clients, customers, prospects, vendors…Being able to do a little HTML will dramatically raise your price tag for this position.

So the good news is that companies are starting to hire and tech positions are one of the first to gain momentum.    Do some research and jump in…a bright future awaits.  If you want more information on what the Baltimore business community is looking for in IT positions, feel free to visit www.g1440.com and check our list of positions that businesses are looking for.

Ever heard the term…”it takes a village”…well, Mark Randall, a local entrepreneur has launched The Athlete Village.  If you haven’t heard about this site, I believe you will.

Launched on January 19^th, www.theathletevillage.com was built to create an online community of swimming coaches and swimming enthusiasts for the purpose of making you a better swimmer and building community.  Cool idea and joining the village is free.

Let’s face it…most folks are competitive and we all love to win.  What is the major difference between many successful athletes and many unsuccessful athletes?  Professional experienced coaching.

Athlete Village solves this issue by offering online technical analysis of your swimming stroke…and for only $49.   All you need to do is upload a video on the site, and you get access to some of the best coaches in swimming…they will give you feedback, advice and pointers on how to improve.  Now, the really good coaching that used to be only available to the top swimmers is now available to everyone!

The Athlete Village is really an online “village”…and provides an online meeting place for athletes and coaches to share experiences, knowledge, guidance, and just to get together with other villagers with similar interests.   Athletes love to hang out and learn/chat with others of similar interests.

“There is a large community of swimmers out there – a community that includes beginners, kids looking for better times to get college scholarships, masters swimmers, recreational swimmers, and triathletes –and they are looking for ways to improve,” said Scott Riewald, performance technologist for The US Olympic Committee and Athlete Village coach. “We don’t intend on replacing existing coaches or swim camps but rather want to provide access to other resources and a greater number of experts than is readily available to most swimmers along with a community site to host the exchange of information”

And swimming is just the beginning…many sports will fit in to this model…so stay tuned and keep checking out as Mark and his team continue to roll out new sports.  I can’t wait for golf…because I could certainly use the help!  Come on Athlete Village…what is wrong with my wedge…it IS my wedge right…and not me…right?   It has to be the club…couldn’t be me…right?

Imagine watching a Ravens game in 3D… pretty cool, huh?  How much fun would it be to see Tom Brady get sacked and feel like you are right there…well, 3D TV is right around the corner.

In case you missed it, last week was the CES or Consumer Electronics Show…this is the show where really cool stuff usually shows up before hitting the mass markets.

3D Television was one of the hot technologies on display this year.  While 3D television has been discussed by many folks over the years, the big news is that manufacturers are signing up to start delivering 3D sets this year for about the price of an HD set.   Manufacturers like Sony, Samsung, LG and Panasonic have either rolled out 3-D products or are expected to in the near future.

To make the picture complete (sorry for the pun, but couldn’t resist), several studios are also on board to provide content…which is nice, because we will actually have something to watch if we were to buy a 3D set.  Content providers like ESPN, DreamWorks, Direct TV and Discovery have said they are planning to produce 3D shows in 2010.  ESPN is clearly out in front, because…well, who buys a lot of TVs…um, men.  And who watches a lot of sports…um, that would be men too!

My research shows that some TVs currently available are 3D ready and/or can be upgraded when the 3D content is broadcast.  So, if you are in the market for a TV, be sure to check on whether or not your TV is 3D ready.   Also be sure to check on how 3D will be provided as some TVs will require glasses and some will not.

I checked with some folks in the “biz” and they tell me that this technology is likely to go through a number of early stage changes and enhancements, so if you buy early, you may be left with some obsolete technology pretty quickly.  They recommend waiting for the first few generations to come out before jumping in and slapping down your $8,000 to $10,000.

Personally, I can’t wait.  Anybody seen Avatar in 3D or Up?  3D technology has come a long way in the last couple of years and I believe will become the standard for viewing pretty quickly.