Facebook For Dummies author event

I would be remiss if I did not mention that Wiley author Carolyn Abrams will be appearing at the Barnes & Noble Bookstore in the City Center in White Plains, NY on March 4th at 7:30pm. Abrams will be hosting a discussion, Q&A and book signing in support of her new book “Facebook For Dummies.” I’ll be there, and hope to see a big turnout for the event. 

 

News Flash! Dummies Man Banned from Facebook!

This greeted me this afternoon when I was logging into Facebook… 

Disabled (!!!!!)

Why was my account disabled?

Your account was disabled because you violated Facebook’s Terms of Use, to which you agreed when you first registered for an account on the site. Accounts can either be disabled for repeat offenses or for one, particularly egregious violation.

Facebook does not allow users to register with fake names, to impersonate any person or entity, or to falsely state or otherwise misrepresent themselves or their affiliations.

We do not allow users to send unsolicited or harassing messages to people they don’t know, and we remove posts that advertise a product, service, website, or opportunity.

Our Code of Conduct outlines the types of content we do not allow on the site. This includes any obscene, pornographic, or sexually explicit photos, as well as any photos that depict graphic violence. We also remove content, photo or written, that threatens, intimidates, harasses, or brings unwanted attention or embarrassment to an individual or group of people.

So, what did I do?  Well, first off, Ellen Gerstein is still very much a part of Facebook.  However, Dummies Man is not.

Back in the good ole summer of ‘07, I came up with the fun idea to create a FB profile for Dummies Man.  I asked our summer intern to work up the profile, and truth be told he did a job that exceeded my expectations and my imagination. 

Over the months since, Dummies Man has been friending people, commenting on profiles and fan pages, and benignly exploring the site.  It wasn’t a huge organized marketing campaign, more a way for us to dip a toe of the brand into the social networking waters.

I guess I should be happy that Facebook takes a more active role in trolling the site for, well, trolls.  Yet, I’m not happy because Dummies Man isn’t a troll.  As an extension of our brand, he was there to have some fun.  People got such a kick out of getting friend requests from him.  But that’s all ended.  What’s really creepy is that all evidence of him has been removed from the site.  No posts, no thrown books (he was never one to pick up a sheep), and no D Man on any friend lists.  It’s a sad day for me in Facebook. 

 

How would you make a “LinkedIn For Dummies”?

The Dummies team is working on a LinkedIn book.  At first, the response around the table was that LinkedIn is pretty easy and most people would not need a book to set up a LinkedIn account.  As the discussion evolved, people who have used LinkedIn for profile building, job hunting, and social networking started piping up with things they wanted to see covered.  I ended up calling the acquisitions editor after the meeting with a whole list of things I want to be able to do on LinkedIn but cannot figure out how to make them happen. 

 So I turn it over to others - what would YOU want to see in a LinkedIn For Dummies book?  What are you trying to do that you cannot figure out how to do, or what are you doing that you want to try and do better.  Use this opportunity to help shape a new book!