Welcome | View My Profile | Sign Out
MediaPost Home About MediaPost Privacy/Terms Media Kit Sitemap
Publications Home News
Online Media Daily Media Daily News Marketing Daily Mobile Marketing Daily Search Marketing Daily
Daily Feed> Email Daily Feed> Video Daily Feed> Social
Online Blogs
Online Spin Email Insider Search Insider Behavioral Insider Online Publishing Insider Mobile Insider Video Insider Gaming Insider Performance Insider Metrics Insider Social Media Insider Just An Online Minute Daily Online Examiner Raw Blog
Media Blogs
Research Brief Diane Mermigas:On Media TV Watch TV Board Magazine Rack Media Creativity Notes From the Digital Frontier Digital Outsider Mad Blog Red White and Blog
Marketing Blogs
Engage:Hispanics Engage:Kids 6-11 Engage:Moms Engage:Boomers Engage:Gen Y Engage:Teens Marketing:Green Marketing:Sports
Magazines
OMMA Magazine Media Magazine
Subscribe
Feedback Loop RSS Feeds Archives Subscribe
Feb 24 OMMA Metrics Measurement (NYC) Feb 25 OMMA Behavioral (NYC) Mar 17 OMMA Global (San Francisco) Apr 14 Search Insider Summit (FL) Apr 18 Email Insider Summit (FL) Apr 27 Outfront Conference (NYC) May 12 OMMA Mobile (NYC) May 13 Digital Out-of-Home Awards (NYC) Jun 15 OMMA Video Jun 16 OMMA Publish (NYC) Jun 17 OMMA Social (NYC)
Recently Concluded Events
Jan 26 OMMA Social (San Francisco) Jan 25 OMMA Performance (SF) Jan 12 MEDIA Agency of the Year 2009 (NYC) Jan 11 OMMA Agency of the Year 2009 (NYC) Dec 6 Email Insider Summit (Utah) Dec 2 Search Insider Summit (Utah) Nov 3 OMMA Adnets (NYC) Oct 30 OMMA Video (LA) Oct 29 OMMA Mobile (LA) Oct 29 OMMA Mobile & Video (LA)
All MediaPost/OMMA Events Event Blogging Past Event Videos
Industry Events Calendar
2010 Digital Out-of-Home Awards
2010 MEDIA Agency of the Year 2009 2010 OMMA Agency of the Year 2009 2009 Creative Media Awards 2009 OMMA Awards 2009 Digital Out-of-Home Awards 2009 Media Agency of the Year
All Awards
Employment Situations Wanted Services Offered Post a Job
Briefs Reports Online
MediaPost Directories
Mobile Insiders Group
People Finder Edit My Profile View My Profile My Contacts My Calendar
HOME • MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS • MEDIA KIT
OVER THE LINE
Not in My Neighborhood
by George Simpson, Friday, October 16, 2009, 7:00 AM


SHARE

TOOLS

RELATED ARTICLES
TAGS:  Commentary

MOST READ

It turns out that it isn't true that on the Internet "no one knows you're a dog."

A recent study by Nielsen Claritas found that people on MySpace are decidedly more "middle-class, blue-collar" than those on Facebook, and that denizens of both are more downscale than users of LinkedIn and Twitter. Which should come as little surprise, since our nation has a rich heritage of isolating social classes along economic, racial and even religious lines. If we choose to live in neighborhoods surrounded by people "like us," it follows that we would want to hang out online with those like us. But, just like you don't want any outsiders to move in and "lower the property values," I think it is important that we protect the class lines in social media.

For example, if Ralph Kramden or Ed Norton were to post their resumes in LinkedIn, I think it only appropriate if you threaten to post negative criticism of their work, until they decamp to MySpace where "surely they would be more comfortable."

And if you get a Twitter from Norton that claims the right way to address the ball in golf is, "Hellooooo, ball!" I suggest you encourage everyone you know to stop following him to minimize his impact on the generally highly level of discourse flowing across the Twitter world (notice of the consumption of unappetizing meals and distance run achievements notwithstanding.)

Is it me, or do the drunken teenagers on Facebook seem to come from better suburban and private schools than the more rural and urban drunken teenagers on MySpace? Something sure to catch the eye of admission committees who can discern between barf on a Polo shirt vs. a Sean John. Or perhaps they can spot the premium beer and liquor brands in the hands of the more affluent stumble bums. On the other hand, with lily-white teenagers sooner or later all going through their gangsta phases, it might make sorting out the MySpacers from the Facebookers a little harder.

But browsing the conversation in each social medium should yield clues to those out of their designated elements. For example, if someone in MySpace says they thought it "a travesty that Placido Domingo was given the $1 million Birgit Nilsson Award by Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf instead of Roberto Alagna, who probably lost points because of his pending divorce from Angela Gheorghiu..." it might be a year or two before anyone else comments with the exception of "yo, don't forget to wear your Vikings jersey to the bowling tournament on Friday. Go Brett!"

Similarly, if someone on Facebook posts, "Got a great looking 5 in. kafer fitting; looks like I can finish the sink by Thursday..." it would be not be inappropriate to post back: "Have you thought about heading over to MySpace, where somebody (perhaps even everybody) will know what the hell a kafer fitting IS?"

It is harder to hide your identity on LinkedIn, since you are supposed to post your resume so in theory someone could hire you. That this has never once happened in the history of social media should not discourage you, but since everyone else in LinkedIn is so frickin' upscale, you might want to embellish here or there. For example: Executive Assistant to Regional Sales Manager (2004-2005) Responsible for recruiting, training and managing team of 250 sales representatives in 8 international offices. Grew company revenues from 2K to $3.5 million in less than one year. Got that same Salesman of the Year trophy that Michael Scott has on his desk. Left to pursue other entrepreneurial interests.

Finally, in order to maintain the "status" of Twitter, it is essential that you never twit about any of the following: Razrs, Gossip Girl, Michael Arrington, the Kansas City Chiefs, NOS Energy Powershot, AT&T coverage, SAW VI, Blackstone, Glenn Beck, Brazilian Butt Lift Autologous Fat Transfer or AOL. In no particular order.

5 people recommend this article. 

One comment on "Not in My Neighborhood"

  1. Monica Bower from 3x Systems
    commented on: October 16, 2009 at 10:05 AM
    Snarky, but here's the thing that the metrics don't (maybe can't) calculate, in all seriousness; while the average means of the varous social nets are different, within any given social net there is subdivision as well. This is most evident on twitter where (unlike the other three) anyone can 'follow' anyone without permission or even particular notice from the target/victim/friend/connection/etc, there the lines are more easily crossed so that at some point you have work-at-home bots tweeting to pornstar spammers about joining each other's mafia family and no human beings may even be involved in the transaction at all.

    See my riff on 'Your AutoDM is weak" @3xSystems for more examples of how the downscale and the upscale mix uncomfortably (for the upscale at least) on Twitter. Having a business account that gives few clues as to my gender or interests (other than talking to customers, selling my products, and occasionally identifying the origins of pictures of obscure transformers - when there's some possibility that may lead to selling my products to someone), the homogenously useless nature of the various spam direct messages I automatically get while following back people who have followed me is amusing and, really, inspiring. The sad thing being I usually don't follow back any really egregiously obvious bots or spammers (because they're never going to buy my product or start a conversation or share an insight or do anything other than ask me if I want more followers).

Leave a Comment

You must be signed in to comment. Sign In
GEORGE SIMPSON



ARCHIVES

Recent Online Media Daily Articles
2010: The Year Brands Embrace Social Commerce   
Last week, social shopping site ThisNext announced plans to buy smaller rival StyleHive; that announcement came...
Web Design Has Changed Since 2000, Why Haven't Evaluation Standards?   
When design criteria were initially established in 2000, Web designers and developers were limited by implementation...
Smile, You're On An NEC Candid Camera   
While certain legislators and so called privacy wonks tie up the FTC with worry about anonymous...
The Promise Of Mobile Is A Reality   
It's Monday morning. You're sitting on the subway on the way to work. Chances are you'll...
Intentional Grounding: The Simple Art Of Spiking A Super Bowl Spot   
As sure as the sun rises, the milk is delivered and bad romantic comedies are dumped...
The Morality of Network Money   
So far this year CBS is second only to Fox in network ratings. They sold north...
For Digital Publishers: Ditch the Survey and Embrace the Scientific Beauty of Web Analytics   
After 23 years of conducting advertising research, I have reluctantly come to this conclusion: Most digital...
Video Advertising Afterschool Session: Understanding Video Ad Impressions   
Too often one January's bold predictions ("The Year of Second Life!") become the following December's sheepish...
The National Broadband Plan: Let's Focus on Main Street First   
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been working 24/7 to craft a national broadband plan that...
Only in America    
The Kaiser Family Foundation released a study this week that said 8- to-18-year-olds are spending more...
>> Online Media Daily Archives 
ABOUT MEDIAPOST • MASTHEAD • MEDIA KIT • RSS FEEDS • PRIVACY/TERMS & CONDITIONS
©2010 MediaPost Communications. All rights reserved.
1140 Broadway, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10001
tel. 212-204-2000, fax 212-204-2038, feedback@mediapost.com