By now you’re probably tired of reading about Chatroulette.com, the video chat Website created by a Russian 17-year-old that randomly pairs strangers for a conversation via computer-to-computer connection. When you are set up with someone you do not wish to talk to, you simply hit “next” to get matched with another person.

The novel concept has been embraced by millions of users a month. On the site you will find men, women, children, men and more men. And for whatever bizarre reason, a rather large group of men have hijacked the site as their very own masturbation catalyst. More →

It is no secret that the umpires have been absolutely atrocious during the baseball playoffs this year. And don’t tell me that it’s the volume of HDTV sets and advancements in video technology that have brought the imperfections to light.

Being an umpire is not difficult work. It requires concentration, a certain level of equanimity, and a willingness to spend much of your life traveling. Beyond that, there are very few responsibilities. More →

I’ve sat in on dozens of Webinars, conference calls, and meetings on how to leverage the power of social media. And every time I am tempted to tell the fat cat corporate as*hole who set the whole thing up that they are wasting their money and my time. One day I might just do it.

The reality is, people are making serious money pedaling their so-called expertise on this “exciting new medium.” Meanwhile, as they waste our time, some kid is sitting in a basement in Converse County, Wyoming making up his own rules – and enjoying Web success. More →

Rejection. For some people it can feel like the world is caving in. No matter how you handle it, it’s fair to say that no one thrives on hearing ‘no.’

I recently made a Facebook boo-boo. When it was announced that vanity URLs would be made available, I registered for an account (if you haven’t put the pieces together, I am NOT a Facebook user). Since my full name is quite common, I often try to secure URLs and screen names that give me greater control over my online persona. After signing up, I discovered the small print that stated I was unable to claim a custom URL since I did not have the account for a specific amount of time. Discouraged, I closed the window and went about my business.

Several days later friend requests started to appear in my inbox. First it was a few former co-workers, then some current ones. They were joined by friends past and present. Unsure how these people were tracking me down, i asked a friend if I could login to their Facebook account. The answer to my mystery appeared immediately. There was my name, hanging out in the corner as a “recommended friend.” Anyone who had emailed me via the address I signed up with for Facebook had the option to add me to their parade of empty communication.

Even though I now had my answer, I did nothing about it. I assumed that people would see that I was not linked to anyone and take the hint that I was not a user. But as I happened to speak to each person offline, a clear theme emerged: feelings were hurt over these ignored friend requests.

Despite my attempts to explain how I was not interested in being on Facebook – even though I opened an account – my instinct tells me these people think I am lying and that I am avoiding them.

That is not the case. And the next time I ignore a friend request, I will just email them a link to this blog post.

Social Media and Social Marketing Guru par excellence Trent Reznor, from NIN fame and more even of free music fame, has had enough of it and quits Twitter and co for a while.

The reason: the haters online. Never mind that Ashton Kutcher much more boring and annoying is online and no respect at all deserves for his tweeting efforts. Respect which Reznor has earned over the years. That much even that Jack of All Blogs never had a go at him. How have we been that silly. One celebrity decides to have a break from the intarwebz even though we never bashed him. I feel as if we just failed.

Here at JOAB we have to wonder what else we will have to do now. How can we improve again and make sure we will not be not guilty when the next star quits. I think we should put Scobleizer back on the agenda. On top of our agenda, because don’t you think that it has gone quiet around our formerly most beloved online ‘guru’/'pundit’?

Social media departments are popping up at companies across the globe, spreading faster than the Swine Flu ever could.

Many large businesses have already, at the very least, dipped their toes into the social media stream. Some run because the water is too cold and choppy. Others think the water is a mirage and refute its existence. But for those who have bought the hype (and it’s probably fair to say that it’s no longer hype, despite a lack of empirical ROI data), there have been many different strategies incorporated.

Over the past few weeks I have come across MANY examples of large companies – some mammoth in size – completely dropping the ball on their social media endeavors.

I understand that it’s not always easy for big and stuffy organizations to bust out of their brick and mortar shells, but just because they are attempting to reach a younger demographic, is no excuse for poorly implemented ideas and haphazard marketing strategies.

Share your examples of businesses who, in your opinion, are doing a poor (bordering on embarrassing) job with their social media entities.

We’ll get you started with this crappy mess. The Quiznos, 2 Girls, 1 Sandwich video. I mean, this is not Uncle Mike’s blog – this is Quiznos – a company that generates millions of dollars in sales. Not to mention, their franchises are owned by everyday, hard-working people. People who likely did not sign off on this horrendous social media foray. It’s one thing to try to cash in on new media, but that is not an excuse to throw social responsibility to the wind.

By the way, the Quiznos up the block just closed. Good.

I never want to hear that all young people are “into social networks” again. A recent little experiment I conducted proved otherwise.

Recently, I’ve been interviewing college-aged students for a summer temp position at my full-time gig. Since the job involves some writing and proofreading, I issue a short quiz that includes several basic spelling and grammar questions, along with some simple writing exercises. Since the organization would like to increase its presence on social networks, I figured I’d ask each kid to name three (excluding MySpace and Facebook).

I interviewed eight people for the position. Guess how many of them were able to complete the social networking question. That’s right. ZERO.

The students offered all kinds of excuses (‘I’ve been studying abroad’; ‘My brain froze’; ‘I’m not on the computer that often’).

Keep in mind, this job is for the INTERNET department.

I understand that the answers that eight people provided does not constitute a scientifically accurate focus group. However, these were smart kids with varying levels of education who have grown up within 30 miles of New York City.

During the candidate research process, I was able to locate several of them of MySpace and Facebook. However, many of the profiles were established several years ago and are not regularly updated.

Is the use of social networks by American youth overblown? Or are they simply only using MySpace and Facebook?

Speaking of which, out of the seven who had some sort of online profile, I’d say ALL of them had information that could easily be used against them when considering them for a position. In this case, they’re lucky I’m a nice guy.

How do you gracefully tell people to F off these days? Since everyone likes to play Internet P.I., it’s become increasingly difficult to end relationships. Something, quite frankly, I used to be very proficient at.

DeadSpace. EndSpace. LonerSpace.

That’s what the Web needs. A Website where you have no desire to tell anyone where you are, who you’re married to or what your current mood is. The site would be designed to tell people not to waste their time looking, because you have taken preventative measures not to be found. And even if the person does manage to track you down, this Website sends a message that you are not to be disturbed – forever.

Anonymity is a beautiful and important thing. I want mine back. Proxy servers help keep my surfing activity private. Can I get a
human proxy server?

From what your house is worth to how much money you make, the Internet reveals too much.

If I haven’t called, written or texted you in more than six months, it’s highly unlikely I want to receive a LinkedIn request from you.

Let alone grab a beer.

It’s no secret that as we get older we tend to shed our circles. Heck, mine is starting to look like a funnel. But that is by choice.

Before you send me (or anyone else) a friend request, I ask you to visualize the following:

Pretend there is no Internet. No computers. That means, any communication we have will have to be face to face.

Still want to connect? Probably not. Because these types of relationships take work – something most people are too lazy to put effort into. If you honestly want to reconnect, call me or drop by.

So consider the ‘Do Not Disturb’ doortag hanging on the door and buzz off!

As little kids, quantity beats out quality at almost every turn. If faced with the choice between 10 toys or just one, the little ones will always buy in bulk. As adults, most of us understand that quality wins out every time. Would you rather have five minutes of intense pleasure or 15 minutes of generic sex? Exactly.

Then why do smart, educated, intelligent adults play the social networking numbers game? Including you! The reality is that many of us claim we have an abundance of friends or connections on these Websites. Yet, in real life, the older we get, the fewer friends we have.

If my profile on one of the major social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook) featured only 14 friends, I’d be viewed a loser. And 14 is pushing it, rounded out with cousins of acquaintances of friends.

Isn’t it time for some quality control?

Perhaps there should be a company that randomly contacts your “friends” to find out how much they really know about you. Stuff like your biggest fear; your college major; your mother’s middle name. You know, the things only a real friend would know.

The people who actually have the courage to show their face with only six pals are either silently judged (‘what a loser!’) or forced to set their profile to ‘private.’

For every person out there who doesn’t inflate their number of friends, I salute you. You’re choosing quality over quantity. And you’re exactly the type of person I want to be friends with. How about an add?

According to TechCrunch, Google and Microsoft are front and center, ready to make a bid for Web 2.0 darling Digg. The site, which bloggers across the world aspire to make the homepage of, will likely sell for approximately $210 million.

The thing about it is, I could care less who buys Digg. I’m so over it. Here are the reasons why.

1) Algorithm, Shmalgorithm. I don’t care what anyone says, the voting system is terribly flawed – and has devolved over time. Since 2005 I have had my time wasted by crappier and crappier stories. In many cases they lack humor, facts and overall quality. Someone is gaming the system. Top Digg users still hold too much control, dictating the majority of homepage content.

2) E-mail Forwards. I’m tired of friends, family and co-workers spending a good part of their day scouring Digg for links. If I want to see what’s popular, I’ll visit the Website myself. I don’t need you as a human-edited RSS feed.

3) Downhill Spiral. Traffic and revenue aside, the Digg product has peaked – in a cultural sense. It’s already worked it’s way as America’s favorite cool verb to start the 21st century. All we need now is old school conglomerate money running the thing to help it sink faster.

4) Dad “Diggs.” Once my parents are registered for something, it’s usually time to move on.

Full disclosure: I’m about the same age as Kevin Rose and might just be insanely jealous.