It's no longer fresh news that a contingent of social network users have rapidly become disenchanted with the privacy protocols over on Facebook (GOOG). The Internet rumor mill has generated tales as wild as "60 percent of Facebook users are considering deleting their accounts," and "Facebook exodus planned for May 31."

Now let's see if I have this straight here; I am supposed to believe that tens of millions of Internet users initially thought that they could register with Facebook, upload half their personal biographies to the site, and then remain virtually invisible to all but their chosen few friends? Then, it's expected I'll believe that tens of millions of disenchanted Facebook users are going to organize themselves, plan a virtual walk-out, and then successfully execute it? Somehow, I really find all of this difficult to believe. In fact, I think it's a bunch of baloney.

Continue reading Facebook: Straighten Up and Fly Right

Facebook: Straighten Up and Fly Right originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 May 2010 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dear New Media Executive: I am not your friend originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Aug 2007 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A recent piece in the New York Times discussed the number 1 cause of stress in America: money woes. It also offered a bit of advice on how to deal with it that might run counter to what is traditionally considered good manners: "Talking about it might be taboo, voyeuristic or impolite, but money is our No. 1 stress factor, according to the American Psychological Association, and guess what the research shows can help us enormously? Being open and honest about it. Not just with ourselves (that's a first step), but with other people."

Just as some religions advertise the cleansing power of confession, talking about your financial woes can help you feel better, and even get you on the path to a better place. Here's one reason why: People who are dealing with debt or other financial woes might feel alone and ashamed but the reality is that most people's lives are a financial mess. 70% live from paycheck to paycheck, and people are wracking up debt at record rates.

As Dave Ramsey told the reporter, "When you see Ken and Barbie sitting there, looking like the perfect couple, and then you hear they've had a big fight about money, and they're broke, too, it gives you encouragement."

One of the problems with money woes is that, in this era of consumer credit, it can often be hidden. You might not know that your neighbor leases his car and has a huge HELOC on his home. It's not like obesity, where people wear the signs of their struggle around their waists.

So take a chance. Next time you're feeling stressed about money, tell your friends. You might find that they have similar problems, and you can share war stories and learn from each other. At the very least, it should make you feel better.

Don't be afraid to discuss money with your friends! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 May 2007 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple after the bell 07/25/06: Time Warner offers shows via iTunes originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 Jul 2006 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Other news from the Milken Conference: AOL Chairman and Chief Exec Jonathan Miller let the cat out of the bag that AOL is considering an online model that makes content -- such as television reruns from Time Warner sister company Warner Bros. -- available for an extended period to let the audience accumulate.

While you may think of Warner Bros. as that benign force that brought us ER, Friends, and The O.C., don't forget that we also owe Warner Bros. for such made-for-TV movies as Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!  and Terror in the Mall, as well as the sitcom Full House.

As for prospects of looking deep into my computer monitor and seeing Bob Saget reprise his Full House role as cherubic widower Danny Tanner -- something I thought I'd left, along with my "Members Only" jackets and Thriller cassette, safely in the 1980's -- well, Minesweeper is looking better and better...

AOL to show reruns? Mary-Kate and Ashley to be known as "the AOLsen Twins"? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 Apr 2006 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We all know that office water cooler chat can sometimes get you into a little bit of trouble with the "sensitive" people in your company. But while you might expect some normal forms of passive-aggressive co-worker revenge, like taking your stapler, you probably never expected anyone to slap you with a lawsuit for an off-color remark that you offered in jest.

Well, the folks at NBC, Time Warner and a variety of other media parties expect the same thing. And, apparently, a Los Angeles judge agrees with them.

The court decision handed down last Thursday basically suggests that discussing sex in the workplace is sometimes a necessary part of the the job, especially when you are a writer for show like prime-time sitcom like "Friends." (Funny, I don't remember any sex on "Friends." I just remember all of the bad jokes ... but I digress.)

In the lengthy, 48-page decision, the judge reasoned that discussions of sex at the workplace do not constitute sexual harassment. (And the people at HBO take a HUGE collective sigh of relief.)

All I can say is that -- given this decision -- it's good to be a writer. At least according to this judge, I've now got carte blanche to be rude and inappropriate in the workplace.

Judge decides on TWX's "Friends" lawsuit originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 Apr 2006 06:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.