Today's catchy stuff from the web

Masters in social networking

Urban scavenging

GM, consumer sentiment, and the effect of bankruptcy

Monetize social media

Virtual currency

Online spying

Conficker protection

Twitter...3 yrs old.

Apparently yesterday Twitter turned 3 years old.

Honestly, I'm not an expert when it comes to Twitter...I think I've written just over 40 posts (tweets) on Twitter since I joined last summer - although, many of those have come in the past month or so, as my general fascination with social networking has reached an apex.

So the other day when I sat down to lunch with some coworkers, I was pretty enamored when the topic of conversation turned to social networking and Twitter - and without regard to my office reputation, I foolishly and proudly announced the fact that I was a newly devoted fan of the service.

I sank a little lower in my chair, and I'm sure my face turned red when everyone around the table raised their eyebrows and seemed to harmonize: "Why?? What's it for??"

"Ummmmm....yeah, I don't know. It's, you know....microblogging."

"Micro-what?"

Since then, I've been feverishly trying to figure out how to explain the utility of Twitter, and social networking in general...so I don't feel like an idiot again the next time I'm faced with the question - especially by coworkers.

What I've decided is that there are 3 basic kinds of people that use Twitter, and likewise 3 basic utilities:

1) The people who like everyone to know EXACTLY what they're doing at a particular moment (or they think that you want to know). This category includes the people who write about what they just ordered from Wendy's, where they're going to watch the game, and what home-improvement projects they're working on today.

UTILITY: Updates on life.

2) The people who use Twitter to post things that interest them. This includes bloggers, activists, and people who spend a lot of time reading.

UTILITY: Spread the word.

3) The people who use Twitter to ask questions.

UTILITY: Collaboration, Crowdsourcing.

I'm sure there are things I'm missing, so feel free to comment, and make suggestions, or let me know if I'm completely off the mark.

Lansing Weekly Meal Deals

I'm a person who loves restaurant deals...so recently, when I was visiting one of my favorite eateries and noticed their list of weekly specials on the menu, I decided it'd be a good idea to try and compile a list of these deals, so that maybe other people can benefit too.

So I started a list here...it's definitely not all-inclusive, so feel free to leave me comments with suggestions, corrections, additions, etc.

Also, try to adhere to the criteria - all posted "deals" need to meet one of the following:
1) Free
2) 1/2 off (or close to it)
3) All-you-can-eat (or free refills)

Urban Prairie Exploration

So the other day I drove down to Royal Oak for my monthly "Jake-time". Jake and I were roommates back in '99-'00, when we were both first-time seniors at MSU (I made it through school with two senior years, Jake three). Jake and I have a ton of common interests and projects, and even though our minds work in entirely different ways, we always make a point to get together and hang out at least once a month. This trip was supposed to be about getting out in Hamtramck to hear some techno at a sorta underground coffeehouse/bar called Trowbridge House of Coffee, or THC. A group of twenty-something techno fans have put themselves together as producers, and the outfit is called Proper Modulation. A little bit pretentious, but otherwise, good stuff.

So after our techno night, we decided to cruise around Detroit the next day, and test out my new camera. We started downtown on the riverfront near the Renaissance Center - not too interesting. We then headed over to Corktown to check out Tiger Stadium - or at least what's left of it. On the way over, we stopped at Michigan Central Station and as we stood there gawking at the once-magnificent building, Jake said something about how the Detroit scene reminds him of a post-apocalyptic world. We eventually made our way up Trumbull to the New Center and east towards GM's Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly. It was in this area of the city that I was truly amazed. Witnessing first-hand the emptiness of enormous warehouses and decaying manufacturing facilities, coupled with the edgy graffiti art and urban sculture was enough to make my weekend trip worthwhile.