"Mr. and Mrs. Twitter"

They say that in marriage, communication is the thing. With Hollywood stars Ashton Kutcher and wifey Demi Moore-Kutcher, they've taken that saying and flipped it to millions of people.
On the social networking site, Twitter, no couple exudes the power and influence that the Kutchers have. Together they reach more almost 7 million people. Everyday.
That's the population of Switzerland or Honduras. That's the total number of people in the United States in jail or on probation. The Kutchers most literally have the "tweets heard round the world."
To put in simple, Ashton is bigger than CNN. In fact, he beat out CNN in a race to be the first person on Twitter to have 1 milion followers (He now has over 4 million).
Also, to give an example of the influence the Kutchers have, the president of the United States talks to the American people weekly via Youtube video every Saturday. In a country of more than 300 million, he averages about 1 million views  and sometimes as low as 161,000.
The Kutchers, communication-wise, may be the most powerful couple in the world.
The Kutchers are not just using their following status for superficial niceties online, they are seriously trying to help.
Ashton, 32, or "Aplusk" as he is not in Twitter world, came to recognition on "That 70s Show" before launching "Punk'd" on MTV, a celebrity prank show. Before and after, he's starred in a handful of movies, none of which pulled in the 4 million people that he has following him.
Demi Moore-Kutcher could most simply be called "Bruce Willis' ex-wife" except that it is more accurate that Bruce was "Demi Moore's" ex-husband. (You ever heard her referred to as Demi Willis? #MESSAGE).
But how did this run-of-the-mill, average Hollywood couple achieve such power?
We. Don't. Know. All we know, is if you've got a Twitter account, you follow Aplusk and mrskutcher.


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what your profile pic says about you

What makes a successful profile pic on a social networking site? You'd be surprised, according to OkCupid, which specializes in such things.
It seems for men that look away from the camera and hold a stoic, unflinching look (better not smile!) are the winners here.
As for women, the pic that flirts with the camera and shows a hint of cleavage wins out. Perhaps that's why women on Twitter who are otherwise "nobodies" can have a million followers with nothing more than a bikini pic? I don't know (it certainly would seem true for the "Myspace Model".)
If the statistics are right, then women want men who are tough-looking, meanies.
And men on the Web want, well, seductive types.
Does this describe you?

Twitter Study of the Sexes Raises Eyebrows

In a new study by Harvard University Business School, it's been noted that there is a social phenomenom inside Twitter that analysis clearly shows: Men don't tweet each other.
Oh, they follow each other and keep tabs apparently in silence, but the resounding sound coming from dude-to-dude communication is, instead of "Tweet tweet," "CRICKETS."
Seriously, an eye-opener for me was that Twitter is mostly male-dominated, which they say is in reverse to most other social networking sites (Could it be you must tweet within 140 characters?).
Other gems from the analysis:
Men have 15% more followers than women.
an average man is almost twice more likely to follow another man than a woman.
Among Twitter users, the median number of lifetime tweets per user is one.
the top 10% of prolific Twitter users accounted for over 90% of tweets.

My Problem With Twitter

It's cool and all, but, I dunno, I just can't get all into it like some. It's been called "microblogging," it's been called just a simple IM platform. What is it about Twitter that's so friggin' popular? I mean, I get that I can follow and get followed by "friends." I get that Amanda Diva will holla back. I get that "What are you doing" is a fundamental question in life. But do we really need to know that I just cut a bunny bread slice into two perfect triangles? Do I really need to know that somebody in northern Ohio just pissed in the snow? Twitter just seems to me, i dunno, a stalker's paradise? I mean, it's cool, don't get me wrong. But this post kinda sums it up for me. I dunno, maybe it's just me.

Social Web site + Your Nudity = No Job4U

Social networking has taken the Web by storm in the past 2 - 3 years: People have acquired "Friends" by the thousands, conversations have been enjoyed by diverse people across the globe and ... people - normally reserved shy people - are putting rude pics, nude pics all up on the Web for the world to see.
Is that smart?
Last year it was reported that companies have their recruiters scouring the Web to make sure potential candidates haven't played themselves on the Web. But guess what: So many have.
So many people (not to mention malicious pranksters)have put nude shots of themselves on the Net that it's like they don't want to ever get a job. And to think, we're in a recession-depression.
Would you do it?
Could you do it?

Social compartmentalization: A theory

'After we had sex, our relationship changed," she said. Statements like those have been uttered millions of time over the decades and perhaps centuries.
Things were going so peachy between the two of you; sex seemed to mess it all up. Evr felt like that?
If so then you have probably stumbled upon the rationalization of compartmentalization.
Compartmentalization means fractionalizing your relationships into compartments.
This is all heady stuff, but if you think about it, it all stems from the basic social unit we all know and love: family.
Every other relationship is an offshoot, and derivative of that one. But because of our need (or lack of) family we compartmentalize our friendships.
Where there used to be just boyfriends and girlfriends (pre-cursors to husbands and wives), now there are cut-buddies, and simply hookups, "friends with benefits," etc.
So, as you sit and realize that you just had sex with a big playboy bunny, it all seems to sink in, we're all trying to get family, or what's familiar to us.
It all gets complicated after sex, doesn't it?
The questions are many: "Are we friends ... or lovers ... or was it (gulp) jes sumptin ta do?
The crux of the matter is: Do you have compartments for your friends?

Teens and the Web: A bad thing?

The New York Times today cites a report that says that teenagers' socializing via the Web is not a bad thing.
True, they could be out robbing, stealing, but encouraging them to nerd out on the Internet, is that positive? I mean, I'm borderline addicted and I wouldn't necessarily want anyone to spend countless ours on the computer but I'm not a parent. The story goes on to say that:
“It may look as though kids are wasting a lot of time hanging out with new media, whether it’s on MySpace or sending instant messages,” said Mizuko Ito, lead researcher on the study, “Living and Learning With New Media.” “But their participation is giving them the technological skills and literacy they need to succeed in the contemporary world. They’re learning how to get along with others, how to manage a public identity, how to create a home page.”
That's true, but there are some dangers out there that the study fails to acknowledge, just recently a Webcam suicide that nobody took seriously.
But there are positives, the story says:
“It certainly rings true that new media are inextricably woven into young people’s lives,” said Vicki Rideout, vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation and director of its program for the study of media and health.