Mashable, God love ‘em, is convinced that if (and that’s a BIG IF) AT&T loses exclusivity on the iPhone, they’ll see a major decrease in income and revenue. This just proves, once again, that just because you’ve got a big microphone doesn’t mean you understand the business or the technology behind the mobile industry.

To their credit, the author explains some of the caveats–sure, AT&T isn’t going to lose all it’s iPhone subscribers over night, but then, naturally, he goes right back and contradicts himself:

If, on the other hand, Verizon got the device next year, the incentive to switch to AT&T would go up in a puff of smoke. The number of new wireless subscribers would drop like an iPad thrown out of an airplane.

You are just. wrong. And including juvenile and unrelated Microsoft paint graphics about how tethering means losing your unlimited data plan only exacerbates the fact that you don’t get how this business works.

Harsh? Maybe. True? Yes. Here’s the deal, folks.

If (once again, that’s a big IF) AT&T were to lose exclusivity on the iPhone–which I’m still not convinced will happen until at least 2012 (not to Verizon anyway, to T-mobile is a whole other, much more rational and likely possibility)–then yes the market would change. No, AT&T would not suffer and die because they are just soooooo dependent on the iPhone. That’s nonsense. There’s a couple factors at play here:

1. There’s no such thing as a finite market. This is the number one rule of business, marketing, and well, it’s important and you need to get this. We will never reach a point where every single person on earth is just so satisfied with their cell phone and wireless coverage that they will never ever want to switch or buy a new phone. It’s never going to happen. EVER. Which means that there are always customers to market to, and always new people to buy phones, iPhones or not, AT&T or not. If AT&T loses exclusivity? They’ll keep selling the iPhone to millions of people, along with other networks, and they’ll continue to sell millions of other inferior phones to ignorant customers who don’t understand they’re being ripped off by the quality of their device.
2. Moving to Verizon would be a huge pain in the ass for Apple AND Verizon. On the surface, most people probably don’t see any downside at all to Verizon adding the iPhone to its mobile product line. They’re missing 80% of the substance in this argument. For Apple, they would have to create an entirely new iPhone. Not just a slightly different one, but an entirely different one. Switching to CDMA is not as simple as simply switching out a chip in the phone. With CDMA they would have to rework the entire infrastructure of the iPhone 4, since it’s antennae is specially designed to work on AT&T’s GSM network–meaning this would have to be reconfigured and re-tested, thousands and thousands of times, before they’d let it see the light of day on Verizon’s network. They’d also have to change the software, as the CDMA network will not allow phones to access both the voice network and the data network simultaneously. So all you AT&T customers who enjoy browsing the Web as a distraction while talking to your parents on speakerphone? Kiss that blessed distraction goodbye. For Verizon, they would lose the best mobile partnership they’ve ever, ever had–Google. No, they wouldn’t lose it straight out, but you can bet Google isn’t going to be happy about it. Verizon has now spent over two years all-out marketing the Android operating system and phones (even directly attacking the iPhone on occasion), and going back on all those millions of ad dollars is just about the biggest, most hypocritcal, “f*#$ you” to Google they could pull. Would that stop them? Maybe not alone, but if Android surpasses the iPhone in market sure in the next two years, as has been projected, then Verizon might be crying a little when AT&T starts making bank on both Android and iPhone phones, while Verizon has to catch up by spending millions of dollars in advertising to remind customers that “Oh hey, we have the iPhone now, too! We’re five years late, but trust us, our network can handle it!”
3. Verizon does not have a stronger network, and it won’t take long for customers to figure that out. Regardless of how much the “I’ve got a map for that” ads might be drilled into your brain at this point, Verizon simply doesn’t have a stronger network. They have a better quality network because there is less strain on it. If they get the iPhone, you can kiss that goodbye, too. You think AT&T is bad? Just wait until Verizon unleashes the iPhone on the pitiful networks of San Francisco and New York. AT&T has learned their lesson and is constantly bolstering their network to correct for the insane amount of data usage iPhone customers manage. I’m willing to bet Verizon has underestimated just how much strain the iPhone would put on their network. And if they try to roll it out on 4G… it’ll be like going back to the EDGE network.

But what do I know. I’ll firmly admit I’m not a mobile technology industry expert either. But I’ve spent enough time watching this and learning about it that I think I get it better than most people now. Does it mean that I’m 100% sure of everything I just wrote? No. But ridiculous doomsday theories for AT&T and fanboyish journalism for Verizon is just getting out of hand.

Chances are, nothing will play out like almost anyone has predicted it will, including myself. Chances are I’m wrong about something in this post, just like Mashable is almost certainly wrong in theirs. So let this be your disclaimer before you go off ranting online or in the comments (although feel free, really, I don’t actually mind) about how I don’t know what I’m talking about.

Illustration for the video was done by Cognitive Media, which looks to be an equally awesome organization.

It goes without saying (well, I’m saying it, really) that any and all entries, tweets, and other social media buzzing coming from me do not represent the views of my employer.

Now that that’s out of that way… I’m thrilled! Tomorrow I begin my marketing internship with the Consumer Electronics Association (thanks so much to @jp1113 for letting me know about the opportunity!). I’m not entirely sure what to expect, but I’m excited for the opportunity to work in a slightly different field (in other words, not PR) and I know my experiences in the past will help me out a lot as I take on new challenges and responsibilities.

As many of you know, I’ve already begun my duties as the Social Media Director for TechChange, and we’ll be launching our social media presence soon (and rest assured you’ll hear plenty about us). I think it’s safe to say it’s going to be a busy summer! But I’m excited about everything I’ve got going on and think I’ll have some opportunities to do some amazing work.

Speaking of work and interning, be sure you check out the AU Intern Blog, where I’ll be blogging periodically throughout the summer. I might also have a few other guest blogging appearances–I’ll let you know more about them as I find out more in the next few weeks!

Social media is a business, and it amazes me how much social media users are, quite frankly, acting like entitled, spoiled brats.

Reality is striking the social media space and it’s hitting hard and fast. As we all know, it’s centered on the Facebook privacy debacle, set in motion by a changed privacy policy meant to help further the business–and the continued existence–of a growing international corporation. Couple that with some bad PR on Facebook’s part and a spoiled user base, and you’ve set the stage for a crisis of poisoned Tylenol proportions. But Facebook can relax, because they’re in the right on this one. People need to wake up and smell the roses, because there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Three things I want you to learn from this post.

Privacy Is an Illusion

First, some contend Facebook needs to get serious about privacy. In Facebook’s defense, I’d argue that Facebook’s users need to get serious about their own privacy and stop posting stupid shit online they don’t want other people to know.

Don’t want people to know your phone number? Don’t put it on Facebook. And delist yourself from the phonebook, contact Google to get yourself removed from their database, and be sure to call up every company you’ve ever subscribed to, filled out a warranty card for, or enlisted in a loyalty program for to get your name off their lists, while you’re at it.

The thing is, privacy doesn’t exist. Not only is privacy dead, but it’s been dead for a long time. If I want to find you, I can. And I can almost guarantee you I can do it without the help of the Internet.

Social Media is a Business

Secondly, Facebook needs to make money, and advertising is how they do it. By taking usage statistics and the information that we, its loyal users, are posting on their site, owned by a private corporation, they are more than entitled to take our information and make those ads more relevant, targeted and profitable. And to be perfectly honest, I’d prefer to see an ad about PR and marketing services (as I often do on Facebook, thanks to my chosen career path) than an ad on nail polish or enlargement pills (circa 2001), any day.

Facebook is a business and if you’ve got a problem with the way they run their business, fine. But don’t act like you are entitled to anything, because you aren’t. They aren’t public, so you certainly don’t own any shares. They never signed an agreement with you–you signed an agreement with them. And they have a responsibility to themselves and their employees to make money and to continue to grow. Are they pushing the boundaries of privacy and the social web? Sure they are. Is it 100% morally right and something they should be doing? Maybe not. Is it their prerogative to do so? Absolutely.

The best way to complain about a business is to leave. So do it. Just leave. Quit complaining about their privacy policy. If you don’t want to be as social as Facebook thinks you should be, perhaps you don’t belong on their social network. There’s nothing wrong with that, and that’s your decision. But making ridiculous claims like “Facebook’s invading my privacy” and that they are “stealing your identity for profit” is getting nothing done, and to be brutally honest, Facebook really doesn’t care about you. You don’t have a legal leg to stand on, and the thousands of lawyers they’ve had write their privacy policy know that.

The “Customer” is NOT Always Right

Finally, to those of you arguing that Facebook should “listen to its customers more”–I think you’re wrong, too. On more than one level. First of all, we aren’t customers because we aren’t buying anything from them. We’re users. Of their service. That they’re providing to us completely free of charge.

Secondly, where do you think Facebook would be today if it had always “listened to its users?” I’ll tell you. They would’ve abandoned the idea of the newsfeed–which single-handedly revolutionized the way we consume and share content on the web. They would’ve abandoned their latest series of redesigns, which undoubtedly make information on the service easier to access and digest. Oh, and they would’ve abandoned the idea of every leaving Harvard University, because I’m sure those users were enjoying having the service very much to themselves. If they abandoned their current line of development–specifically, sharing content and interacting with third-party websites–it would be a remarkable leap backwards in social media technology. They know that, and that’s why they aren’t going to do it.

Look at what happened to Myspace. Myspace didn’t fail because it “stopped listening to its users.” It failed because it listened too much. There’s a fine line to walk when it comes to customer service in social media and those boundaries are still being explored. However, by giving its users so much free reign over the service, Myspace collapsed into a jumbled mess of spammy-looking profiles and pedophile stalkers.

Facebook has succeeded because it took a hard line on what they thought was best, and what they thought would best propel the social web forward. They’ve done well, so far. It’s hard to argue with their kind of success–500 million users is nothing to balk at, and the innovation they’ve brought to the web (minus some feature-stealing from Twitter) can hardly be considered minor developments.

Now obviously this all just my humble opinion. I’m not looking for a fight, and I’ll gladly entertain other opinions and respect other views. But to be perfectly honest, I think this entire debate is just getting ridiculous.

P.S. Twitter is a business too.

Image courtesy of NOAA, tsunami.gov

There’s no doubt that the earthquake in Chile today is a horrible, horrible tragedy. It’s yet another terrible reminder that we truly are at the mercy of nature–as if Haiti wasn’t proof enough. But as with Haiti, we’re witnessing an amazing case study of people coming together with technology to manage the impact of this natural disaster, and it’s truly fascinating to watch.

This morning I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and immediately read the news of the earthquake on Twitter, from my bed. I watched news coverage of the event on TV while I worked out in the gym in my apartment. I kept track of updates on the earthquake and resulting tsunami via Twitter throughout my make-up class session this morning.

When I went downtown this afternoon, I listened to NPR’s coverage of the event on my iPhone while I was biking, and then watched coverage of the impending tsunami in Hawaii via Ustream on my iPhone while at Chinatown Coffee. I continued listening to the audio from Ustream while I biked back–including in the metro thanks to relatively new wireles capability for all carriers they’ve installed in the largest metro stations in the city.

Within all of this coverage, of I heard references to Twitter, Twitpic, Posterous, Ustream, Facebook, CNN iReports, hashtags, texting, iPhones, and more.

The natural disasters, record snowstorms, unprecedented level of news coverage, and rapidly advancing online technology we’ve seen in the past three months alone prove–loud and clear–the world is changing, and fast. Social media is playing an integral role in this. I saw a tweet earlier today mentioning that Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter, said one of the initial purposes driving Twitter’s development was for crisis response and management. The Haiti and Chile earthquakes prove that it’s been incredibly effective for it.

Again, this is obviously an absolutely tragic event. It’s an incredible case study for technology, but obviously one we all wish we could’ve avoided. I know my thoughts, as well as millions and millions of others’ thoughts, are with those in Chile–as well as those still recovering in Haiti–and we hope we can continue to drive the development of technology and advanced communications to ease recovery from disasters such as these.

Work today was good. I won’t delve into that much more because before too long I’m going to be writing blog posts for the American University Career Center about my internship experience, which I’ll crosspost here. After work, I attended my very first ever Social Media Club DC event, and it was fantastic! The event was held at the Consumer Electronics Association headquarters in Arlington and featured two speakers from the CEA, Megan Pollock and Joe Gizzi, as well as Frank Gruber, entrepreneur and co-founder of TECHcocktail, shinyheart and thankfulfor, among others.

But enough links and name-dropping–what did they talk about? Well, fresh back from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, they talked about tech of course! And, naturally, how it all fits in with social media. Joe Gizzi, especially, had some really interesting things to say about the CEA’s social media strategy to build buzz and deal with attendee complaints/suggestions at the conference. He talked about software they use (namely, CoTweet) as well as how they keep track of much of their dizzying analytics (mostly Google Analytics and CoTweet). For the next few days, you can see some of the livestream from the event here on Twitter. Needless to say, it was enlightening and fun, and I’m already looking forward to the next SMC-DC event (which just so happens to be a Social Media Breakfast next Monday morning!).

Anyway, one last thing I’ll leave you with–an entry from One Day At A Time In Al-Anon. No, I’m not crazy. I just picked it up for free at the Social Justice Camp last weekend (they were giving out free books–all in the name of literacy!) because it looked like a fun thing to have on my bookshelf. It provides some inspirational little passages for each and every day of the year, and today’s seemed particularly relevant given my hectic schedule as of late. Here it is:

No matter what the problems are that we’re trying to cope with, a major source of frustration is trying to encompass too much at once. We forget that we need to deal with only one day at a time, and try to crowd too much into the waking hours of that day–or we even extend it beyond the point of weariness. We can get more out of each hour–and accomplish more–if we try to cope with only as much as is possible in that one day.

Appropriate, no? Always learning.