It’s going to happen again, and this time, it’s even bigger.

Facebook is now letting its users do more than just “like” books, television shows, brands, etc. Now, with Facebook’s Open Graph Changes, we’ll be able to say things like, “Susan wants to read ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’” and “John watched ‘Arrested Development’”.

There’s so much more value with these changes. Doesn’t it make you wonder what the “like” button even means now?

The changes with the Open Graph have already been so successful when it comes to music on Spotify. Facebook took music– inherently social–and let people  discover new songs, listen and share with friends online.

VentureBeat makes the argument that the “want” and “own” actions will be two of the most important indicators people can use. Advertising efforts will be more exact than they are now by targeting Facebook users’ wish lists instead of bombarding them with ads that are irrelevant. In the long run, it’ll be less annoying for Facebook users and less wasteful for advertisers.

It’s been real, “like” button. It’s time for newer and better things.

I collected some examples of how all different kinds of sites chose to display their SOPA protests and came across some pretty cool examples.

I’m sure Google’s design approach is no stranger to you. Still, I felt the need to include it.

Did you check out TechCrunch‘s form of protest? Their site remained pretty much the same but they changed the logo.

Wikipedia‘s black out was publicized days before it actually happened so I was interested to see how the site would look on Wednesday. They did a really great job with both their messaging and their call to action. A simple zip code and you’re on your way to stopping SOPA.

Buzzfeed supported the SOPA cause by using black censorship bars across all of the text on their header. It’s a great way to get the censorship message across while giving people a chance to learn more about SOPA and contact their representative if they choose to.

WordPress took a similar approach with the censorship bar but it’s all over their homepage. It sticks with their simple design and is definitely eye catching.

One of my personal favorite blogs, allthatinspires.me also blacked out its page. It was nice to see that even smaller blogs took the time to make a difference. (Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t get my daily fix. Anything for a good cause!)

Cheezburger went with a lightbox approach. The pop up tells you everything you need to know and when you close out of it, the site goes back to normal.

Chris Brogan, very well known social media marketer, took a simple and informational approach and even added a video on the movement which I thought was a great touch.

In case you’re wondering how this helped, check out this article from Business Insider.

What were some sites that really stood out to you? Were you surprised to see some sites not take action?

So go ahead and exchange gifts, listen to holiday music, and decorate your home. However you choose to celebrate, the Blueye team would like to wish you and yours a safe and fantastic holiday!

B4YOUBOARD

I don’t know about you, but when I finally pass security and get a prime seat at the gate, the last thing I want to do is get up with all of my carry on bags and look for some snacks. As always, there’s an app for that. With B4YOUBOARD, you can order your food and nonalcoholic drinks and get it delivered to you for no extra charge. This service is only at a few airports including Chicago’s O’hare, but it seems like the kind of app that we’ll see more of.

My TSA

Even the TSA has its own app. The app shows you airports’ real time statuses, what you can safely check through security checkpoints, and even how long you’ll have to wait to get through security.

Meet & Seat

If you’re the kind of person that gets anxious about who you have to sit next to on a flight (and let’s face it, who isn’t?) then this is a pretty cool tool.  Dutch Airline, KLM, is planning on letting its passengers chose who they’ll sit next to based on their social profile. You’ll be able to choose your partner based on interests, physical appearance, career, etc.

Would you use any of these apps while traveling?

Privacy & The CIA:

The Central Intelligence Agency reads public posts on Facebook and Twitter as part of the effort to compile reports for President Barack Obama.

- via AllFacebook

Privacy & Facebook Ads:

This is a pretty funny video pointing out how detailed Facebook ads can get with their targeting.

In my opinion, this aspect isn’t such a bad one. If there are going to be ads on Facebook, they might as well pertain to what I’m interested in. Would you agree?

Privacy & The Past 6 Years:

Mashable has a great infographic on Facebook’s privacy missteps in the last 6 years. It’s not the first and most definitely not the last infographic to outline Facebook privacy flaws, and yet many people still spend hours every week on the site and Facebook still hasn’t perfected privacy settings.

“The Social Enterprise Summit is THE gathering for social practitioners and experts who are using business methods to solve the most pressing human, social, and environmental problems.”

The Chicago 2011 Summit is next week from October 30^th through November 2^nd and we’re proud to say that Blueye’s Abby Ross is going to be speaking at the event!

Heather Williams and Jenn McTigue will be there as well live tweeting from the event under @SEAlliance and @BlueyeCreative where you can keep up with great talking points that come up throughout the summit.  You can also follow the conversation with the #SEASummit hashtag on Twitter. Keeping yourself informed about the summit is easy. You can also check out the Facebook and LinkedIn pages for the latest conversation surrounding the event next week.

It’s not too late to join us at the Social Enterprise Summit and do some live tweeting too.  Tickets are still available and you can save $50 by entering the code: BUZZ50.

Feel free to let us know what you’re most interested in learning about and we’ll try to keep you updated on those topics.

Hope to see you there!

Today is Boss Appreciation Day and there’s no better way to celebrate it than with our bosses Shannon Smith and Abby Ross.

As our bosses, Shannon and Abby make sure that everyday is unlike the day before. There’s always excitement in the office whether it involves beach balls or birthday celebrations—we never know what to expect in the Blueye office.

So in return for all of the good times in the office, we’re showing you our appreciation and love the best way we know how: dessert and gifts.

Thanks for everything you do!

The answer to that question may not have been answered yet, but what we do know  from a recent study held by Maritz Research Company, is that 71% of people that have complained to a company via Twitter did not receive a response. Think about what that would be like long before social media came along.

A takeaway point  from this information is this: Just because the medium has changed, doesn’t mean the sentiment behind it should. 

What have been some of your experiences with Tweeting with companies in the past?

Now the Facebook community has another thing coming. With the timeline right around the corner, people have a lot more to get used to than just a few small changes. Timeline is going to change everything about how we Facebook everyday. Obviously this isn’t news, but it’s more so some motivation for people who don’t know how to deal with change.

“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.”

- Arnold Bennett

I thought this quote was a perfect one to think about how the Internet and Facebook is always changing. Sure, change is going to challenge your comfort zone. It always has and always will, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. That’s why I think this video of Don Draper introducing Facebook Timeline is a great one. It shows how change is timeless and it’s something we have to get used to.

It also wouldn’t hurt if everyone had the presentation skills that Don Draper had, maybe then we wouldn’t be so hesitant whenever we heard Facebook is going to change everything that we’ve grown to know.

Video: Don Draper Presents Facebook Timeline

This post was written by Heath W. Black, poet, beagle owner, digital strategist and connoisseur of Lionel Richie records. 

The past week has been a pretty crazy one for me. I attended Facebook’s annual F8 conference with some of the Blueye Team. I had a golf match and football game rained out. I bought my beagle her first raincoat. I also bought a record player, bookshelf and paint for my living room remodel project (It’s less of a remodel than patching up things that need patched up, but I like how manly I feel when I say remodel). As I’ve been taping, painting, remodeling and assembling things I thought to myself, “Self- there’s something to learn here…”

But what could F8 and painting my house possibly have in common? A few things, really.

1. I’ve participated in both in the past seven days.
2. My wife has patiently listened to me talk about both in recent weeks.
3. Mark Zuckerberg was present at both (note: whether this is factual or not is still being verified by Snopes.com)
4. Most importantly, they both emphasize the notion of iterations or, as designers will say, iterative design (disclaimer: i’m not a designer or developer, so if this post is errant it’s because I think on a higher-plane than most individuals).

Here’s a quick QA about iterative design:

What is iterative design?

Iterative design is the cyclical process of developing a product (whether it’s a mobile app, website, facebook application, etc is irrelevant in this case) based on prototyping, testing, analyzing and enhancing a product. Simply put, it’s the idea that you can’t build Rome, or your mobile app, in one day.

What does the process look like?

Design/Develop your product with basic functionality and features. Launch it, and begin the “listening phase” by analyzing what your users are using the most, where your users are experiencing frustration and take this data to make your product better (whether by enhancing those features or by fixing bugs) with a new design/development round.

What is the intended goal of iterative design?

To improve the functionality, quality and features of a given product based on user-intent.

But, once again, how does Facebook (F8) and painting my living room connect?

Here’s how.

I have this tendency to try to do everything at once. It’s a tendency I need to shed immediately. I try to tape the crown moulding, install the new record player, mount the television and paint all at the same time and needless to say, I don’t get a lot accomplished. Just bits and pieces of a lot of things. I want to start redecorating the guest bedroom before I’ve finished painting the living room. I want to plant grass in the backyard before I’ve mowed the grass in the backyard.

Annoying, huh?

If I tried to live my life with the same philosophy that I encourage entrepreneurs and brands at Blueye to implement in their product, I’d probably be more focused and effective.

Facebook is a great example of a company who has utilized iterative design throughout the years to enhance their product. They launch the wall, see that individuals are using it a lot and then they add commenting. They add photos and watch uploads increase, so they add albums. Facebook’s new timeline is a great example of this. After creating the Facebook profile, watching how users were doing it and seeing the holes that existed in the product, Facebook enhanced their product by creating an actual place where individuals can share their story and experiences with individuals rather than simply posting what a user’s solitary experience is. Facebook ITERATED on something they had to make it more effective.

Here are a few perks of iterative design that I think we should adhere to technologically, that hopefully I’ll adhere to at home as well:

1. It allows for earlier adjustments. - It’s easier to adjust and enhance a product when you’re only adjusting a piece of the product rather than the product five-years in.
2. It encourages user-feedback.- I’m a big advocate of beta-testing. If you aren’t asking your users for feedback, you’re probably missing out on some of the most importance product development ideas on the market.
3. It saves you money.- It’s said that 50% of all product design is never utilized by frequent users. Having said that, wasted code is money OUT OF not IN the bank.
4. Scrum means control.- The reason I got a beagle is because she will only weigh 12 pounds, not 120. When I walk her down the street, it’s much easier to control her frantic leash pulls because of this. Scrum/iterative design is the same way. When you work in small spurts, you are able to control, solve problems and prevent catastrophe at a higher ratio.
5. Inconsistencies disappear- As you iterate over and over, you are able to see inconsistencies in your product and address them as such.
6. Team Workload- I’m big on keeping my team happy. Iterative design is one way to do so. By spreading their workload out over an amount of time, I enable the employee to get his/her task done more effectively.
7. Investors Need To Know- If you have investors in your product, they want to know progress. In my humble opinion, one of the best ways to update an investor is through weekly or biweekly SCRUM meetings, to show them what enhancements/features have been implemented over the past seven-to-fourteen days.
8. Complexity Isn’t Muddling- Complex problems aren’t bad problems, but when you have hundreds of complex problems they often become muddled. Iterative design helps limit the amount of complexity on a given task.
9. Evolution DOES Exist- This isn’t about whether man was once monkey, but rather about the idea that the flexibility of product is a defining feature in the lifecycle, growth and survival of that given product. Simply put, evolve with your users. Learn from them and make their lives better.
10. Keep People Excited- I love Facebook. I’ve always loved Facebook. But every time Facebook launches a new product, design change or enhancement I REALLY love Facebook. it keeps me really excited to come back and use the product. I don’t get bored with what they’ve made and neither will your users. If you don’t iterate, you’re a Myspace. If you DO iterate, you’re a Facebook.

Next time you’re planning to build a website, mobile app, social app or even decorate your house. Do it in iterations. Take things one step at a time. You’ll find yourself more focused, saving money and enjoying the process so much more.

Now that I’m done writing this, I have to head home and paint my living room while simultaneously mounting my tv. Wish me luck!