A SOCIAL CONTRACT
Ramblings on the collision of technology and human nature
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Warren Adelman
A Social Contract is the personal blog of Warren Adelman, President & Chief Operating Officer of GoDaddy.com. The blog represents his personal thoughts only.
GoDaddy President & COO Warren Adelman, Personal Blog
Twittering Away Time
A new study from Pear Analytics reveals that some 40% of tweets are "Pointless Babble." Anyone in the least surprised?
I am a big fan of Twitter and a user: @asocialcontract But I have written in the past of the banality of tweets. Here are some examples from today:
Ethanjames5: My roomate is frying bacon naked...hope he does not burn his weiner.
Jewlery2TheSea: Picking my ears for earwax...
And the most insightful of all:
rasheedparker: the rate of my tweets illustrates my boredom
I myself berated a colleague at GoDaddy.com for tweeting about tasty broccoli!
That being said, I have been tweeting and blogging today which perhaps provides a view into my life 
Thankfully my few tweets did not focus on food or bodily functions. In fact, I thought tweeting about the launch of a Wordpress URL shortner using wp.me was quite cool.
Resident Evil 6?
I have written before about the perils of Internet addiction. Online games continue to be a hot spot of addictive behavior. I myself experienced a mild version years ago with StarCraft and still have a soft spot for Kerrigan:
Who wouldn't!
Asia continues to be the epicenter of online game addiction and the problem took a grim turn for the worse recently. A 16 year old sent to one of a growing number of camps for Internet addicts was beaten to death within hours of arriving. You can read the full story here.
Deng Senshan, pictured below, was one of a growing number of addicts among the estimated 300 million-plus Internet users in China. The Chinese have often turned to rather draconian measures in attempts to break the cycle of addiction including electro-shock therapy. This practice was recently banned by the Chinese Ministry of Health.
The whole thing reminds me of a real world Raccoon City!
Family Fun?
A friend forwarded me a link to a video recently of a 2 year old child in China lighting up and smoking a cigarette. The video clip is just wrong on so many levels, And now, it is enshrined on the Internet for all eternity. You will have to find the clip as YouTube removed it.
Could he be a 40 year old dwarf in reality?
The adult onlookers seem to be having a good laugh. Will they be charged with child endangerment now that the video is widely available?
The Internet remains a treasure trove of the bizarre and disturbing-and, strangely, like the reality shows that litter TV, humans seem to relish being the featured stars.
The Mob (No Not That One)
More than a year ago I wrote about how the anonymity of the Internet often drags open online discourse into the gutter. Well sadly not much has changed!
I've been a user of Twitter for quite some time. You can do a lot in 140 characters (sometimes!). But here are 8 characters I would love to see disappear from the Twitter lexicon:
SUCKS ASS
I don't really understand why people want to express their innermost feelings publicly, but so be it. They also want to comment on an event, a product or service or a celebrity, politician, friend or enemy on Twitter. But why must they use these choice 8 characters to do it?
SUCKS ASS
Is our educational system so dysfunctional that those who Twitter cannot come up with a better level of commentary? Have social norms been so degraded that
SUCKS ASS
is now an acceptable way to communicate?
Do a search on twitter for
SUCKS ASS
Just in the last hour this descriptive has been used many times. Apparently ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy sucks ass. Many think school sucks ass...That is an age old complaint of students! Breakfast, work, sunburns and cramps all suck ass. A rapper named Kobe sucks ass compared to Eminem according to one person. Another twitterer thinks the baseball player Mariano Rivera sucks ass.
I'm so tired of hearing those two words from the Internet Mob.
Recommended alternatives to sucks ass are welcome!
I've been a user of Twitter for quite some time. You can do a lot in 140 characters (sometimes!). But here are 8 characters I would love to see disappear from the Twitter lexicon:
SUCKS ASS
I don't really understand why people want to express their innermost feelings publicly, but so be it. They also want to comment on an event, a product or service or a celebrity, politician, friend or enemy on Twitter. But why must they use these choice 8 characters to do it?
SUCKS ASS
Is our educational system so dysfunctional that those who Twitter cannot come up with a better level of commentary? Have social norms been so degraded that
SUCKS ASS
is now an acceptable way to communicate?
Do a search on twitter for
SUCKS ASS
Just in the last hour this descriptive has been used many times. Apparently ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy sucks ass. Many think school sucks ass...That is an age old complaint of students! Breakfast, work, sunburns and cramps all suck ass. A rapper named Kobe sucks ass compared to Eminem according to one person. Another twitterer thinks the baseball player Mariano Rivera sucks ass.
I'm so tired of hearing those two words from the Internet Mob.
Recommended alternatives to sucks ass are welcome!
Recommended Reading
My Blog Administration service from GoDaddy-Quick BlogCast tells me I have not published an entry in a very long time........So I thought I would jump back in with some book recommendations for all those interested in sales, marketing and human behavior. I enjoyed the following books and also learned quite a bit from them. In fact in one case, Nudge, I wish I had read it BEFORE implementing some new practices.
Here we go:
By Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein
Among other things, this is a good book for any HR or Finance professional designing 401k programs or anyone considering their own retirement needs. It is also an important read for online marketeers presenting options to customers. The authors cover the irrational decisions individuals make and the importance of guidance, their "nudges." They have some interesting thoughts on the marriage process. You will also enjoy the urinal story from Schipol airport in Amsterdam. I'm going to check out the urinals the next time I am there!
By Martin Lindstrom
Lindstrom used MRIs on a few thousand people to observe their reactions to certain ads and buying habits. He looked at the notion that sex sells, at "anti" campaigns and other advertising strategies including product placement. For those of you wondering, the book came out more than 3 years after GoDaddy released its first, and now famous, Super Bowl commercial.
One of the interesting findings....anti-smoking billboards and commercials can actually drive sales of the products they are warning against. You can check out an interview with the author here. And that lime you stick in your bottle of Corona...I've had people tell me it was a practice intended to keep flies away. Look for the REAL answer in Buyology.
by Dan Ariely
A really compelling read on why we do what we do-even when it is not in our best interest. Ever wonder why a $4.00 cup of coffee seems entirely reasonable these days? Or the power of a "Free" offer ? How about bundles--print and online versions of a magazine for example. Like Nudge, this has real world practical insights for marketeers.
Ariely also covers social behaviors, sex, procrastination and choice
Ariely, now a professor at MIT, also shares his heart-wrenching personal story in the book's introduction.
I suggest you read them all. And if I see a lot of referrer traffic to Amazon I guess I should think about joining their affiliate program
Whom The Gods Will Destroy They First Make Mad
This cautionary tale of cellphone use is now a few months old but worth relating nonetheless. It revolves around the magic trio of cellphone, nude pictures and McDonalds. Think of it as a new kind of combo meal......
In Fayetteville, Arkansas a Phil Sherman left his cellphone at a local McDonalds. That is always a bummer but for Phil it was a little more problematic. It turns out that Phil had a collection of nude photos of his wife, Tina, stored on his cellphone. Doh!
In Fayetteville, Arkansas a Phil Sherman left his cellphone at a local McDonalds. That is always a bummer but for Phil it was a little more problematic. It turns out that Phil had a collection of nude photos of his wife, Tina, stored on his cellphone. Doh!
The phone was apparently picked up by someone at the McDonalds and it wasn't long before those pictures of Tina made their way to the Internet. Phil was apparently not familiar with the password/lock function of his phone (a really good thing to use if you store nude pictures of your wife or anyone else on your mobile device.)
So what happened next? In grand American litigious style, Tina and Phil filed suit against McDonald's Corp, the franchise owner and the restaurant manager. The couple is seeking a jury trial and $3 million in damages for suffering, embarrassment and the cost of having to move to a new home?
Why I Still Belong to Netflix
I first started blogging in December of 2007 after an experience with an inconsiderate cellphone user at the movie theater. Luckily violence was averted. Not so in Philadelphia this past Christmas season. When I read this story below. I just had to share it. I'm, of course, not justifying the shooter's action. It is simply another example of the decay of social behavior (no cellphone involved.)
Man Allegedly Shoots Talker at Movies
By MARYCLAIRE DALE
PHILADELPHIA (Dec. 27, 2009) — A man enraged by a noisy family sitting near him in a movie theater on Christmas night shot the father of the family in the arm, police said.
James Joseph Cialella, 29, of Philadelphia, faces six charges that include attempted murder and aggravated assault. He remained in custody.
Philadelphia Police Department
Police said James Joseph Cialella, 29, was carrying a .380-caliber handgun when he was arrested for allegedly shooting a man in a Philadelphia movie theater.
Police said Cialella told the man's family to be quiet, then threw popcorn at the man's son. The victim, whom television reports identified as Woffard Lomax, told police that Cialella was walking toward his family when he stood up and was shot.
Detectives called to the United Artists Riverview Stadium theater in South Philadelphia found Cialella carrying the weapon, a .380-caliber handgun, in his waistband, police said.
Lt. Frank Vanore called the incident "scary that it gets to that level of violence from being too noisy during a movie."
Lomax, 31, of Yeadon, was released from a hospital after the shooting. He declined to comment when contacted by phone Saturday.
It was not immediately known whether Cialella had a lawyer or whether bail had been set. A woman who answered a call to his home number Saturday declined to comment.
Police could not confirm what movie was playing in the theater, but The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that it was "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."
Does he look like the type that would have been seeing Benjamin Button?
Blackberryphilia
Blackberry addiction is once again in the news. President-elect Obama is a heavy Blackberry user and a variety of government rules appear to have the device destined to the sock drawer for a few years. (I recently had a conversation with a German about this who advised me that the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, is a total SMS addict and had the law adapted to her digital needs.).
While Im sure the President-elect is going to have MUCH bigger issues to deal with, I would support a change that allows SMS and mobile mail to be used by the Pres. Why stand in the way of societal technology trends?
But, of course, there are always people who give the Blackberry a bad name. (No-- I am not talking about myself despite the pictures below from Europe which my wife took).
Enjoying Paris:
And Berlin:
A fairly recent study conducted by that bastion of scientific research, Sheraton Hotels, fond that a whopping 35% of executives would chose their Blackberry over their spouse. " I can't live without it," was a common refrain.
The study, which included some 6500 executives, also noted that 87% of those polled bring their device (smartphone) into the bedroom. 84% check their mail just before they go to sleep. And, in one stat I had to read more than once, 85% check their email once in the middle of the night!
These people are really sick. I feel comparatively healthy and normal. I've printed out the whole study to show my wife how well adjusted I am compared to these sickos!
Yes, I think the Blackberry is a great productivity tool (in addition to being an electronic ball and chain). Yes, I think it is great that, when necessary, you can be connected anywhere, anytime. But there are limits.
One psychologist's comment on the study's findings: "Turn it off...Have a real relationship with a living human being." Or as Bob Parsons would say, "We're not here for a long time; We're here for a good time."
Does facebook Think I'm Fat?
I was on my facebook page today and noticed the two interesting display ads on the page.
The first ad, as you can see below, is for the Simon Pegg film Run Fatboy Run. It is a movie with a few chuckles but I would never rent ANYTHING from Blockbuster. I'm still angry for the $35 dollars they charged me years ago for a film I absolutely returned.
The second ad (also below) is for a liposuction clinic here in Arizona. You get to watch a real liposuction procedure. What fun!
Should I assume that facebook thinks I am fat. I don't think I am fat. My friends on facebook have not posted about me being fat.
The other possibility is that facebook thought I would like to watch Run Fatboy Run. Not a terrible assumption. Then I assume their ad system decided to match the second ad with the first. Run Fatboy Run equals liposuction. More fat to go around. You can check out the great video (lipo porn?) here.
I'm going to go with scenario two (and maybe layoff on some high calorie snacks just to be safe).
The Stuff of Creation
Day Two and all is well at CERN with the Collider. Phew!
All of the news, and concern, around the First Beam jarred my memory. I recalled that famous interview with Robert Oppenheimer where he reflected on the feelings among the scientists as the first atomic bomb was tested in the New Mexico desert. Here it is:
Chilling.
The ultimate collision of technology and human nature.
Chilling.
The ultimate collision of technology and human nature.
