The buzz about the buzz is buzzing (cheezy I know but I had to). This week I had the luxury of seeing two great releases applied to me. As many of you know those two releases are 1) Facebook’s new layout, and 2) Google’s Buzz.

Facebook

I’m not going to say that I dislike the new layout because the truth is I do like it. The layout is simpler, just as easy to follow, and it doesn’t change things around so much that the users will have some new kind of heart attack causing groups of hundreds of thousands to whine and moan about it.

Pros

• Just as simple, easy to follow, it has good flow.
• Everything you need is within the first left column or on the top bar.
• The search bar becomes more prominent, easier to find, and still just as great to use.
• More focus on the real-time news feed, and the option to control it better

Cons

• It’s a little bit too blue. I don’t know if I’m colorblind or what, but the three icons next to the Facebook icon, are hard as hell for me to see. I will definitely not use them as much.
• Message inbox isn’t as noticeable. I like using the inbox, private messages are helpful. But now accessing the inbox is a little bit tougher by creating a non-top bar icon and moving it to the mix of the left column.
• It’s a hair slower, my connection here in my dorm sometimes isn’t tip-top, so when it slows down and comes to a crawl, it’s noticeable.

I have my opinions, about it but all-in-all it’s a new layout. I don’t think that it will cause too much controversy.

Google Buzz

I’m normally a late adopter finding about things behind the curve and even more so becoming accustomed to using them.  But before I give my opinion, read this, it’s a funny bashing of Google Buzz (no I’m not 100% against it).

The new Buzz feature isn’t new. As Microsoft and Yahoo have recently been doing by belittling the new tool explaining that they have had the feature for over a year now, this is nothing new, but the dominant market of social-medialites has normally been associated with Google. The shear fact that this expectation arrives out of Google immediately offers it up to a larger and more target market. Buzz will just stick more with the people who want it.

Now I don’t like that Buzz provides me a number (like unread emails) from people I don’t follow, such as commenters from people I do follow. It’s annoying and when I read my friend’s posts, I will then look at the comments, I don’t want to see 587 Buzzes when I actually only have 20. It’s annoying, I don’t want that. Oh, and make the settings a little more prominent while it’s still new.

I like on the other hand, that there is not as much of a character limit, like Twitter. This will lead to better search linking especially if it turns into real-time search results. It’s easy to use, just like Twitter and FriendFeed it’s simple to figure out and won’t take long for people to use Buzz almost in a way to connect their other social media sites. Google’s Friend Connect also incorporates well into this!

Overall good things, I like new changes.

What do you make of all the new releases?

Image by ayche_em_ayche

I only have two small things for today being that it is New Year’s Eve.

Happy New Year

I just want to wish everyone a great New Year’s Eve. Tonight is a night for change, happiness, and company. I dearly hope that everyone has the opportunity to either spend this night with someone they love, or care for or have a great friendship for.

Tonight is a night where we put the past behind us and start a new era. Tomorrow is a new day, a new year and a new opportunnity.

Seize that.

Make the best of this night that you can because when you get back after the champagne, after the grapes, and maybe one too many beers or glasses of wine; You will be back to the grind, you might go back to doing what you love or a job that you hate, but tonight is that night. A night for change and I night for what we make it.

So make the best of this day!

Do It For Everyone Else

While you’re changing all your social media predictions, and making expectations or plans for this new year, I only ask one thing that you include.

Stop doing everything you do for yourself. The time for selfishness in this day and age is over. I am sick of it. Sure you might be in need of a new product, a new marketing plan etc. etc. but come on; can we please stop being so greedy?

Are you a social media professional? Well, what are you doing to help others besides writing blogs, or giving seminars? Try going out there and giving directly to the community, show them what to do, be there with them.

Marketing? What are you doing out of the goodness of your heart for non-profits? Are you cutting them a pricing break (probably not).

Even if you make workout goals…why not try helping someone else workout, wouldn’t that still help you?

Just give this a shot, let me know what you think!

Image by Mundilfari*

Posted via web from Greg’s posterous

Many times we try very hard to get where we want to go. This has always been a mix of marketing advertisement, social connections, and your own ambition of wanting to get your self out into the open and to try to make a word for yourself.

Therefore, here are some simple suggestions to help get word out and to achieve what you want. Whether it’s getting your resume out, or like me getting a new blog into the plethora of the blogosphere.

• Know your people! Make the connections with the people who have very successful blogs, have them take a look at yours and get them to make a post on theirs. With thousands of people visiting their blogs, they are always likely to visit something they recommend.
• Talk – Make sure you are keeping up communications with the people helping you out, this always makes them more confident in what you are doing.
• Public Resume – For getting your resume out, make sure it is in a reasonably readable format that can be accessed easily by anyone. Make a link to a PDF format of your resume and make sure your resume is basically kick ass. If need be hire a resume maker.
• Make sure you know what you wan with your jobs, blogs etc. Make them objective so search engines can use them beneficially. Also, your target market will be able to understand your blog, and be able to use it productively.

Hope this help, all those who need it!

-Greg