I’m enjoying Facebook’s road to IPO but I have to take a moment to acknowledge something from Facebook’s S-1 filing. Over the last few days, colossal amounts of attention were paid and will continue to be paid to Facebook’s amazing business results:  the 800+ million active users, the $3.7 billion (!) in revenue, and their growth rates, too. These are grand but I hope many of you don’t forget to pay attention to the culture and process that made those achievements possible. In that respect, I want to share with you a n excerpt from Mark Zuckerberg’s letter to shareholders. He labeled their internal approach and continuous strive for improvements and iteration, The Hacker Way. It’s surely a 21st-century manifesto for a new way of doing business. Here’s the excerpt:

Simply put: we don’t build services to make money; we make money to build better services.

And we think this is a good way to build something. These days I think more and more people want to use services from companies that believe in something beyond simply maximizing profits.

By focusing on our mission and building great services, we believe we will create the most value for our shareholders and partners over the long term — and this in turn will enable us to keep attracting the best people and building more great services. We don’t wake up in the morning with the primary goal of making money, but we understand that the best way to achieve our mission is to build a strong and valuable company.

This is how we think about our IPO as well. We’re going public for our employees and our investors. We made a commitment to them when we gave them equity that we’d work hard to make it worth a lot and make it liquid, and this IPO is fulfilling our commitment. As we become a public company, we’re making a similar commitment to our new investors and we will work just as hard to fulfill it.

The Hacker Way

As part of building a strong company, we work hard at making Facebook the best place for great people to have a big impact on the world and learn from other great people. We have cultivated a unique culture and management approach that we call the Hacker Way.

The word “hacker” has an unfairly negative connotation from being portrayed in the media as people who break into computers. In reality, hacking just means building something quickly or testing the boundaries of what can be done. Like most things, it can be used for good or bad, but the vast majority of hackers I’ve met tend to be idealistic people who want to have a positive impact on the world.

The Hacker Way is an approach to building that involves continuous improvement and iteration. Hackers believe that something can always be better, and that nothing is ever complete. They just have to go fix it — often in the face of people who say it’s impossible or are content with the status quo.

Hackers try to build the best services over the long term by quickly releasing and learning from smaller iterations rather than trying to get everything right all at once. To support this, we have built a testing framework that at any given time can try out thousands of versions of Facebook. We have the words “Done is better than perfect” painted on our walls to remind ourselves to always keep shipping.

Hacking is also an inherently hands-on and active discipline. Instead of debating for days whether a new idea is possible or what the best way to build something is, hackers would rather just prototype something and see what works. There’s a hacker mantra that you’ll hear a lot around Facebook offices: “Code wins arguments.”

Hacker culture is also extremely open and meritocratic. Hackers believe that the best idea and implementation should always win — not the person who is best at lobbying for an idea or the person who manages the most people.

To encourage this approach, every few months we have a hackathon, where everyone builds prototypes for new ideas they have. At the end, the whole team gets together and looks at everything that has been built. Many of our most successful products came out of hackathons, including Timeline, chat, video, our mobile development framework and some of our most important infrastructure like the HipHop compiler.

To make sure all our engineers share this approach, we require all new engineers — even managers whose primary job will not be to write code — to go through a program called Bootcamp where they learn our codebase, our tools and our approach. There are a lot of folks in the industry who manage engineers and don’t want to code themselves, but the type of hands-on people we’re looking for are willing and able to go through Bootcamp.

The examples above all relate to engineering, but we have distilled these principles into five core values for how we run Facebook:

Focus on Impact

If we want to have the biggest impact, the best way to do this is to make sure we always focus on solving the most important problems. It sounds simple, but we think most companies do this poorly and waste a lot of time. We expect everyone at Facebook to be good at finding the biggest problems to work on.

Move Fast

Moving fast enables us to build more things and learn faster. However, as most companies grow, they slow down too much because they’re more afraid of making mistakes than they are of losing opportunities by moving too slowly. We have a saying: “Move fast and break things.” The idea is that if you never break anything, you’re probably not moving fast enough.

Be Bold

Building great things means taking risks. This can be scary and prevents most companies from doing the bold things they should. However, in a world that’s changing so quickly, you’re guaranteed to fail if you don’t take any risks. We have another saying: “The riskiest thing is to take no risks.” We encourage everyone to make bold decisions, even if that means being wrong some of the time.

Be Open

We believe that a more open world is a better world because people with more information can make better decisions and have a greater impact. That goes for running our company as well. We work hard to make sure everyone at Facebook has access to as much information as possible about every part of the company so they can make the best decisions and have the greatest impact.

Build Social Value

Once again, Facebook exists to make the world more open and connected, and not just to build a company. We expect everyone at Facebook to focus every day on how to build real value for the world in everything they do.

Thanks for taking the time to read this letter. We believe that we have an opportunity to have an important impact on the world and build a lasting company in the process. I look forward to building something great together.

In order to truly understand whether a corporation’s character and mission statement reflects true commitment you need to to think about the companies entire life. This is Facebook’s eight-year anniversary, and I think it’s appropriate to take a look at what Facebook looked like at the beginning. Here’s a brief quote from Zuck’s very first press interview, when Facebook was but ant compared to today:

After about a week of coding, Zuckerberg launched thefacebook.com last Wednesday afternoon. The website combines elements of a standard House face book with extensive profile features that allow students to search for others in their courses, social organizations and Houses.

“Everyone’s been talking a lot about a universal face book within Harvard,” Zuckerberg said. “I think it’s kind of silly that it would take the University a couple of years to get around to it. I can do it better than they can, and I can do it in a week.”

As of yesterday afternoon, Zuckerberg said over 650 students had registered use thefacebook.com. He said that he anticipated that 900 students would have joined the site by this morning.

“I’m pretty happy with the amount of people that have been to it so far,” he said. “The nature of the site is that each user’s experience improves if they can get their friends to join it.”

I admire this young Zuck, the college student who had the courage to launch an easy, simple app in a week. Throughout the life of this useful app, from when he only had 900 customers to today 800+ million, he has insisted on iterating, executing, and building for the long-term. Thumbs up to all the Facebook Team, I Like it!

I ask because every so often, I get an email that reads something like this:

“Hi Peter, I’ve been working up the courage to ask you this for a long time, and I finally decided to go for it. My blog/podcast doesn’t have a huge number of subscribers, but I’d really like to do an interview with you – would you have time to do that?”

My answer is always YES – I’m happy to do it! For few reasons:

1. I appreciate any opportunity to spread the word about my work.

2. When I was starting out, people with much bigger names than mine took a chance on me, and I’m happy to do the same for others.

3. Helping others empowers the web.

I’m writing this post because I know that for every person who works up the courage to ask about that interview, there are five others who never do.

So I’m being pro-active, and offering it to you: do you want to do an interview with me for your blog or podcast?

No pressure or anything, but if you do, I’m happy to help.  :)

Avid readers already know my fondness for Advanced Web Ranking from my earlier post. In this post, I won’t cover the general working of Advanced Web Ranking but will instead focus on the upgrade from 8 to 8.5. There are so many cool additions in the version I’m testing (8.6) that I will focus on the changes and improvements made to this seo software.
 
First off, lets start with the integration of Google Analytics. Google Analytics is a staple for many web owners and the fact that AWR went and incorporated it into their latest version is simply awesome. You can view much of your regular analytics data but you can also utilize the information those analytics provide into very useful charts or take the data and use it elsewhere in AWR. Take keywords for example. If you want to add keywords to any of your projects, it’s as simple as going to “add keywords” -> “analytics keywords”. And just like that, you can import keywords from your website into search engines to see where you rank for each keyword! Personally, I think this was a fantastic addition have used this feature for every site I manage.

 
The next new feature that was a smart addition is the link profile with data from SEOmoz. It generates a list of all inbound links to give you a complete profile. Not only does it do this for your site, but also does this for all competitors’ sites as well! Tracking the link profile used to be a bit of a hassle as you had to maintain these records on your own and updating was very inconvenient. Now with the link profile on the new version of AWR, you can have a complete link profile for you and all your competitors that updates when you want it and tracks the link profile over time.
 
I always thought Advanced Web Ranking created very sharp and useful reports but they definitely stepped it up in the latest version. The fact that it incorporates all the information from the previous version of AWR but it also includes customizable reports that include Google Analytics data and link profile information. This is definitely a time saver and has proven very useful in the short time I’ve had the new software.
 
Overall, I am incredibly pleased with the updates in the latest release of Advanced Web Ranking. The addition of Google Analytics and SEOmoz have vastly increased the overall performance of AWR. Combine that with the reports and it is definitely one of the top tools for those looking to maximize their SEO.

Here are some steps to stay safe while on Facebook.

• Only friend people you know.
• Make passwords account specific. Use a separate password for each account you may have. (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc..)
• Don’t share your password. If you need help and that requires giving them access make an alternative password and change it once the help is finished.
• Alternate your password on a regular basis. Change it at least once a month.
• Limit the amount of personal information you share with people and companies.
• Log into Facebook only ONCE each session. If Facebook is asking you to log in again, close the window and go directly to facebook.com in your browser. If you’re being asked again you may be getting hacked!
• Use a one-time password when using someone else’s computer.
• Log out of Facebook after using someone else’s computer.
• Use secure browsing whenever possible.
• Only download applications from trusted sites.
• Keep your anti-virus software updated.
• Keep your browser and other applications up to date.
• Don’t paste script (code) in your browser address bar.
• Use browser add-ons like Web of Trust and Firefox’s NoScript to keep your account from being hijacked.
• Beware of “awkward” posts from anyone, especially even Friends. If the post looks out of place your better off not interacting with it directly. But if this happens to you send the person a private message to verify the message.
• Your friend’s account may be compromised as some scammers hack your Friends’ accounts and send out links to all their friends. Have caution when you see enticing links coming from your Friends.

Remember, everything online is public!

For more Tips on Facebook visit Tricksfacebook.com

If you love to write, and do so on a regular basis, it seems peculiar that you would eschew hosting your own content in favor of dumping all of your stuff into social networks. Social networking sites do give you the ability to share ideas, activities, events, and interests within your personal networks.

I use social networks, more than most, and I have seen an increasing trend of people using it as a blogging platform. So, is that a good or bad thing? Keep reading.

I admit to not being a huge Google+ user but the time I have spent there has revealed the same issues found on Facebook: blogging via social networks.

I see the appeal in it, you get real-time commenting and a high level of engagement. That being said, there’s no reason why you can’t make changes to your own blog with Disqus commenting to get the same kind of features and results. There is almost always an alternative.

The money argument.

Hosting your own content can cost you money, but when you look at the benefits you should consider it over all others. First – owning your own content. With social networking platforms you’re giving away your valuable content to a service that will analyze your data to create targeted ads. Now there have been many advances to user privacy but why even bother in the first place?

If you can’t afford even basic hosting for say Squarespace or WordPress, you can run your own statically generated site using something like Jekyll, and host it on Amazon S3 for pennies.

Of course Facebook is a vital part of my online life, but the only place where I’ll even think of sharing my lengthy thoughts are on my own site — which I manage, control and curate.

I’m sure many of you reading my site are probably running your own sites, but if you are thinking of starting your own blog, please host your own content. Keep the pithy comments and sharing of your sites posts for disposable social networking sites.

But what does all this mean? It means the big book store chain, Barnes & Noble, is doomed, at least in a physical store front in our neighborhoods. The WSJ writes:

The bookstore chain’s stock sank 16%, to $14.59, after the company reported a worse-than-expected loss of $6.6 million, or 17 cents a share, for the quarter ended Oct. 29, compared with a loss of $12.6 million, or 22 cents a share, a year earlier.

Sales declined 0.6% to $1.89 billion from $1.90 billion in the year-earlier quarter, with the biggest drop occurring at B&N’s college stores. via

I love the WSJ online, but you may be thinking the same things as me. First, this isn’t a big drop but it is significant. Second, B&N loss in college stores may be an indicator that the time of the old college book-selling rack is almost over.

What do you think? Are B&N’s days numbered? Can a physical book store survive the digital onslaught?

Book stores as locations where kids can learn about reading and adults can discover new works is being changed by the publishing industry. This isn’t a cause and effect it’s a collaborative effort from bestsellers and publishing companies. The first thing you see when you walk into a B&N is the Nook – an ereader.

There are a few things that will eventually kill bookstores – ereaders, the end of the love of paper books, and the paper book scarcity which will occur when books are no longer made available in paper form. All three of these points are indicators of the next step into the text evolution. Barnes and Noble, arguably, is good for the last two of the three.

First and foremost, ereaders are drastically changing the book-selling landscape. B&N created the Nook, even promoting it over paper books, and you can even say it’s selling well. They also have one of the largest online bookstore rivaled only by Amazon’s. I believe the Nook and Kindle will survive the next step side-by-side.

This next reason will likely lead to some great debates when I present it to an upcoming writer’s association.

The love of paper books. B&N and other bookstores are created to make people think they love paper books. Even though books are everywhere = how much longer can the paper (board) book survive in a digital world? When the new generation grows out of those cherished paperback copies of novels and are now able to find these documents on their own with a cheap Kindle it’s inevitable the printed form will not survive. I’m in the in-between generation that still loves books but primarily reads from devices such as ereader, tablet, mobile phone, or online. But will the next generation truly love paperback? Or will they find them to be a inconvenience much like I find my Dad’s vinyl records or cassette audio tapes?

As the new media gains dominate market share the old media is treated with scorn.

Booklovers – skip this section.

————————- Not for booklovers ———————-

No one wants the old, print version of Moby-Dick. Think about how easy it is to read this story on an ereader. It’s right here: http://www.amazon.com/Moby-Dick-Annotated-ebook/dp/B000FC1D6I

In order for B&N to survive it would have to survive the majority of writers who are moving away from the status quo and are self-publishing. Never mind that this will create plenty of bad writing, it will also add shame for lists such as “Best of the year 2012″ when poor writing is elevated by the masses.

————————-Welcome back booklovers —————–

An important element of this entire discussion can be found at colleges everywhere. The refusal to pay for a huge textbook or reading list. We may disagree, but the text books are probably worth more than what they cost if you look at the research and development that goes into them. (Ignoring the sometimes pointless republication for revenue) With self-publishing tools available to almost everyone, it makes it easy for a professor to create their own work. Why depend on the large text book publishing houses when you can create ebooks made up of class notes, excerpts and essays?

It boils down to one thing: Barnes and Noble stores will close. It’s a certainty. When this happen is still unknown. Does the industry data point to 5 years or next year? Well my fellow readers, that is the real question.

Today’s focus is social networking persuasion techniques. The big 4 social media giants down to the recreational blogger utilize different forms of persuasion to grow and engage their communities or the communities existing within them. Lets give you some background info. In the video clip below social excerpt Robert Cialdini describes the most powerful persuasion techniques found in marketing.

Read below for a short snapshot of what these 6 core influence principles mean and observe the current time example from our social media world.

1. Authority

Most people have an easier time making the decision to buy something if they are influenced by someone they see as knowledgeable or having authority in a certain industry. Our trust in authority figures enables us to connect with and buy into certain brands more easily. Using other sources i.e. professionals in a similar field, doctors, etc. to help describe or testify about the quality of a product help the public feel as though “if its good enough for them, surely it is good enough for me.” If its someone we know or trust, we will value that testimony even more.

2. Reciprocity

At a very early age we are taught to reciprocate when given something. Cialdini states: “If you give someone something prior to asking them to purchase anything from you they will feel more compelled to buy it now.” This can be seen by marketers who give great free gifts and information. Businesses that can offer something besides the item or service they are selling, such as information or something entertaining, will gain more in the long run. Blogs give you ebooks so you’ll subscribe and share their site. When it boils down to it, if you are already using their product and it becomes far easier to purchase, share and like because you have a relationship with them.

3. Social Proof

People tend to do whatever the crowd or majority are doing. They figure if so many people are all choosing to do the same thing then they could safely do it as well. If our friends like it, chances are we will like it too. Social proofing has become incredibly easy in the social media world we live in now. The integration of social networks into websites and products, the ability to “like” anything, sharing across any platforms – it is easier to socially proof products than ever before. We can find out just how many people “like” that item, how many have shared it and who is talking about it. If everyone loves it, maybe we would too!

4. Liking (Know, Like, Trust)

If people do not know like or trust you they will not buy from you. Your job is to get them to like you through your content. (ad copy, status updates, pictures) Simply put if you want to persuade people to buy from you they need to like and trust you. Put effort in showing the human side. This is why autoresponders and videos are so helpful. It adds a degree of transparency and transparent organization have nothing to hide. By showing staff, your office, and sharing some behind-the-scenes photos – it all adds to the trustworthiness of a business to increase the relationship and to create trust so they make a purchase.

5. Scarcity

The age old supply vs demand principle. “We only have XX amount left and they are selling out fast!” People are more motivated by fear of loss than the joy of gain. Use scarcity to influence the fence sitters to make a decision. Part of scarcity, is making yourself unique. If there is no other one out there like you, then your product is scarce. Take Apple for example. They make a phone, music players, and computers right? No. They make the iPhone, the iPod, and the MacBook. We perceive them as being almost a unique product that’s separate from the entire electronics market. Social media allows the opportunity to make you and your product unique and give you an element of scarcity that drives them to you.

6. Commitment and Consistency

Statistics clearly indicate that if a person commits to a task of sorts they will inevitably complete it as expected. This is the driving force or reason you see so many $1 trials popping up all over. They know that you will stick around because the deal was – check it out for $1 if you like it then PAY $37 next month. Once you’re in, you’re in. Why is this? We have already committed to paying and it is easier to part with $36 then to stop the service altogether. We tend to overvalue a product or service once we have it and his is one of the many quirks in human nature. Use it to your advantage. Offer them something that gets them in the door and using your product and you’ll find out that you won’t lose all of your customers when the price returns to its normal level.

What persuasion techniques do you use?

This infographic from creative agency One Lily looks at the state of social media today.

(Source: One Lily.)

My good friend Tom Milne of Milne Photography points out that more and more people are coming to his studio to capture that all important professional pose. This increased demand isn’t only for the company website or for job seekers. It’s interest comes from representing that individual to the world via social media.

Social media began as college students being social online not as a professional environment. But today sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are providing businesses and their executives an opportunity to connect where connections may have never existed before. It is difficult to find an Executive with disheveled hair or a seat belt across his tie taken with a mobile phone. We see a thought-out digital representation of the individual.

How do you capture a great professional representation of yourself?

Well, there are many factors to be aware of when capturing a great portrait (Light, lens, environment, outfit, hair, skill, etc..). I want to know what people like you and me can do on our end, what we have control of, to easily facilitate a professional photographer.

On stylishlyme.com I’m primarily know as a style fashion photographer so I decided to get some backup from my good friend Tom of Milne Photography about professional photography. Milne has been passionate about photography since his youth and after 20 years of photography experience, (shooting in the Navy, and running his own studio) and being an award winning photographer, his opinon was a valuable one I’d like to share.

Here are some of the best info from our conversation for you to consider:

Pick the right photographer for you

Selecting the right photographer takes some careful consideration. If you’re not located near Tom Milne, ask around for recommendations, research photographers through their portfolios, locate corporate headshots that you like, and don’t be afraid to interview a photographer you would like to hire. Feeling comfortable is key and having a person you can trust will make the difference between a OK session and a great session!

Remember: as an important rule, you’re likely to get what you pay for.

Know what you want

Just like the other activities involved in branding, business portraits should be well-thought. Some things to think about:

Has your company set a brand standard already? Bring an example of your company’s photos so that your photographer create the same look.

What tone are you trying to express with the photo? Corporate? Serious? Approachable?

Who is your primary audience? Other professionals and businesses or consumers? Or both?

Give yourself time to relax before shooting

Photographers like Tom and I understand that people are not used to being in front of the camera all the time and because of this unfamiliarity they are likely to get nervous about the whole process. The longer you have to relax before beginning, the better.

A great trick is to start the session in your least favorite outfit. Since you might feel nervous and awkward, it’s best to save the best for last when you’re relaxed.

Clothes make the person

Here are some dos and don’ts you should consider:

DO wear solid colors! Patterns can be loud or distracting which will take away from the most important part of the photo: your face!
DON’T wear spaghetti straps or any of those crazy crisscrossed wrap/blouse things.
DO choose shirts that have something of interest around the collar and neckline.
DO bring at least 3 – 5 outfit options. Options, options, options. You’ll appreciate the flexibility when choosing settings, backgrounds, and makeup.
Invest in Options!

Milne highly recommends taking a variety of images in different outfits and settings so that you can keep your image and your various social media presences fresh while maintaining a consistent tone and message.

FYI: Facebook supports a 2×3 crop ratio, which means they’ll display the entire image. Twitter & Gravatars on the other hand uses a square aspect ratio of either 73×73 pixels or 48×48 pixels. Remember that you or Twitter will crop the image to fit inside a square. Keeping these in consideration will make sure your photo is represented well thought our social media presence.

—–

Having not only a great photographer but the right photographer for you will be get help to your business and your energy in social media. By using the techniques above, I hope you will be able to capture that professional image that will help open doors and create relationships.

- Peter

(Advice: have a blog in your website)

Although most bloggers / webmasters are concerned how they are perceived online and will ask fellow bloggers what they think of, or how they can improve their sites, some people REALLY don’t want to know. Some bloggers especially like their site just the way it is.

And that’s okay.

Today’s focus.

I’ll admit, my job is to enhance the positives and uncover the areas that need improvement.

So, if you asked me what I think of your blog / website, I’d find something I like about it and pay you a compliment. And, to be honest this is not just to please you.

I believe that your site is a representation of YOU and it needs to be a place where you feel comfortable to express what ever you want to express.

Much like your home, I wouldn’t come in and say “You need more indoor Foliage, or that picture would be more inviting if you move it.”, If you want my input and insights you’ll hire me. I don’t feel it’s my place to tell you how to design your own online space.

After all, your site is a reflection of YOU.

Now I’d like to share what I like to see on blogs.

What is the blog about?
More often than not, the name of a site does not give light to what the site is about. Whether it is in the title, typography or a tagline this simple direction will let readers know what our blog is about and what they can expect from your site.

Recent/favorite and/or random posts
When I first come to a blog I’m not familiar with, I like to read a few articles to dig into what the site has to offer. I may want to read something other than the current article that brought me to the site. When I can’t find older posts, categories, tags, I leave. I don’t have time to explore for them, nor will I use the “previous” or “next.” Make it simple for a visitor of any page to dive deeper into your site.

Where’s the “about me” page?
Every site creator has a story and the the “about” page is where you can share that story. The “about” page doesn’t have to be long widen timeline of your life, we now have the new Facebook timeline for that. At the very least I like knowing a little about the blog author(s). Need ideas about writing one? Visit my about page maybe it will help act as a guide. “About me”

Voila, three things I look for when I land on a blog. These are basic necessities.

What about you?

Here is your homework and make sure to write your answers in the comments below.

What are somethings you look for when you first land on a blog?

Would you want feedback from users on how to improve your blog?

Care to share?

BTW. These descriptions may not apply to some business/Executive blogs which are designed with certain kind of professionalism and branding of the company they represent.

Also, I’m not saying my blogs are perfect, rather the sites are like me, always evolving.