Facebook has a tool called “Lexicon” that allows you to track the popularity of any word or phrase used on user’s walls. “Your mum“, not surprisingly, is quite popular – but spiked dramatically on the first of September. It will be much more useful when the switch is made to the “New Lexicon” where you’ll be able to dig a little deeper into the data.
Tag: Facebook
A weighty cause
I have a deal with my lovely wife that if I lose 10kg I can have an Xbox 360. It's a long running deal. My progress has been pretty stagnant. But now, thanks to Peter Davey and Facebook, you can join the cause and track my progress via this group.
Feel free to drop by the group and give advice/encouragement/suggestions for games to purchase when I reach the goal.
Walldrop number 3
It turns out urbandictionary.com already has a “walldrop” which is a backdrop featuring a wall. The only way to guarantee my much better definition is for you all to go here and vote down this definition.
Walldrop number 2
I am so taken with my new word that I’ve submitted it to the Oxford English Dictionary… my chances of success are less than good.
Here is the email I sent:
Dear Oxford English Dictionary Editor (or whomever reads this correspondence),
I wish to submit a new word for your consideration.
The rise of Facebook and other social networking hubs has, I believe, created a new sphere of voyeurism whereby readers are able to secretly observe the conversations of their friends via the Facebook element known as “the wall”. As “eavesdropping” was so named for listening to the conversations of others through the “eaves”, I submit the following word and definition:
Walldrop:
intr.v., -dropped, -drop·ping, -drops.To read the conversations of others on Facebook
Etymology – derived from eavesdrop
Best regards,
Nathan Campbell
Corporate Communications Executive
I included my title because it makes me sound impressively wordy.
Just to ensure some modicum of success I also submitted my word to urbandictionary.com which goes as close to guaranteeing inclusion as possible. I’ll let you know how the campaign goes.
Walldropping
Walldrop:
intr.v., -dropped, -drop·ping, -drops.
1. To read the conversations of others on Facebook
2. To fall off a wall eg – Humpty Dumpty
I don’t know about you – but Facebook awakens my inner voyeur – I think walldropping is a good new word to describe using the “wall to wall” link to peer into other people’s conversations.
You heard it here first people. Remember that. I don’t think you get royalties for coining new words. Coining is therefore an inappropriate word to describe the creation of new words.
Evening the scores
Well humble reader it has been some time since I’ve posted here – some would say too long – others would not have noticed the gap. I’ve been posting with growing irregularity since being burdened with an extra workload at work – and an extra load of work outside of work.
Those of you who are now my Facebook “friends” – as if that somehow gives you more status than my real life friends – will know that I haven’t been idle when it comes to maintaining an online presence. And I’m happy to report I now have more than 100 fb buddies… it seems I came to that party pretty late.
The extended gap between posts means that I now actually have some news to report. Last Saturday we were approved for a lease on a nice little 3 bedroom townhouse in Pimlico – it’s pretty functional and has its own access gate to the shared pool.
This followed a hectic week of house drive bys, inspections and robust discussions. Our favourite place – at first – was a nice, modern Queenslander. We both inspected this house prior to applying and even bumped into the owner as he did his gardening – we were confident that we’d get the nod. However, we were looking for a 12 month lease – and the owner was only really prepared to give 6 months. He was also planning to build in underneath the house in that period. This house was advertised as having two garages – which would have disappeared within weeks due to a money hungry landlord who basically wanted to fund his rennovations via tenant. We were offered the house yesterday and turned it down. Stupid real estate agents.
So K-Rudd got down and dirty in New York on the tax payer’s dime. Farbeit from me to let an opportunity to dig the boot in to either side of politics – particularly on such a public indiscretion. I won’t tear strip(er)s off Kevin Rudd for his nocturnal dalliance – I note the Australian Christian Lobby was also eager to affirm the fact that we all are in fact fallen and sinful. I will however point out that the media’s eagerness to feed off the situation – whether it be Glenn Milne’s initial condemnation or the chorus of defenders who surfaced on the left’s side of the debate – perfectly demonstrates the point Jim Wallace from ACL made. On one side you’ve got stone throwers eager to beat K-Rudd down in a hail of self-righteous rage – on the other you’ve got those overly eager to associate themselves with whatever wrongdoings possible in order to diminish the perception of misconduct everywhere. Paradoxically, when it comes to commenting on this situation you’re damned if you do – and damned if you don’t.
Personally, I think when it comes to elected represenatives we’re probably entitled to throw a few stones. At that point we’re not judging the man himself – but his ability to do that which he was elected to do – that is present the country in the best light possible. Evidently not something he’s achieved here, or here.
Children of the revolution
Today is an historic day. Not content with my hotmail, gmail, flickr, picasa, blogger, internet banking, ebay and youtube accounts I signed up for social networking site “Facebook” – for those not in the know (and apparently there aren’t many of you out there) – it’s a much more functional and aesthetically pleasing version of MySpace.
I’m now collecting friends. So add me. Here is my profile.
K-Rudd and J-Ho have been making the most of this web 2.0 thing and if they can come to grips with all this new technology, then I – who am practically a luddite by comparison, can do it too.
I promise not to start any online messages with time specific greetings. I can learn from the mistakes of my predecessors.
This whole “time specific” campaign issue could come back to bite K-Rudd on the backside. If I was J-Ho and facing K-Rudd’s shmico “Kevin07” campaign I’d immediately call the election for January 08 – the latest date possible – rendering his entire site useless. In fact, as long as opinion polls reflect an 8 point gap between the parties I see no reason why the Coalition would want to force themselves out of jobs and power any time before they have to.