Gorillas x Twitter

Twitter is being used for a new purpose: nature conservancy.

Soon, people will be able to 'follow' Ugandan gorillas on Twitter, in exchange for $1 donation to the Friend a Gorilla campaign. What does a gorilla have to tweet about? "OMG today I had the most delish termites for lunch. Nom nom nom." "Gary thinks he's such the alpha male, but really he's not." "Me hungry. Yeeeeeeek!" Well, perhaps not quite like that, but that's what I imagine anyway.

More info at friendagorilla.org.

More privacy on Facebook

Millions of Facebook users can now decide exactly who sees the provocative picture of them.

The company is looking to streamline the space to better compete with Google, MySpace and Twitter.

Facebook as well as its users are trying to figure out how to monetize the site. This may put the company one step closer.

Celebrity tweeters, for real

You know Ashton Kutcher tweets, but can you be sure the celebrity tweeter you're following is the real deal.

Celebrities have been complaining and even suing Twitter because someone is impersonating them online. St. Louis Cardinals Manager, Tony La Russa sued the company for allowing someone to create an account in his name.



In response, Twitter is creating a way to verify accounts and ultimately place a symbol on the account so you know it's a real celebrity.

Now the winner of the best job in the world....

Drum roll please... it's Ben Southall from Britain. Southall beat out more than 34,000 people to win what many are calling the best job in the world.

He'll spend 6 months on beautiful Hamilton Island where he will explore the white sandy beaches, scuba dive and snorkel. Then he will write all about his adventures on a blog.

The 34 year old will make over $110,000 for all his troubles.
If you missed out on that job and want to try for another dream job, check out this winemaker who is looking for some temporary help.

Murphy-Goode in Sonoma County, CA is looking for a wine country lifestyle correspondent to work 6 months for $60k. You'll learn a lot about the wine making process and post a lot on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. You can find more info on the job here.

More changes at the White House

The Obama Administration is everywhere. For those who followed the campaign, it should not be a surprise to find out that you can now find the White House has a Facebook, MySpace and Twitter page.

The administration won't be able to respond to your Facebook posts or questions, but other people in the group could give you a thumbs up.

Celebritweets

Question: how are MC Hammer and Martha Stewart connected?  Answer: Twitter.  (MC Hammer follows Arnold Schwarzenegger's twitter feed; Arnold Schwarzenegger follows God, who follows William Shatner, who is followed by Xzibit, who follows Snoop Dogg, who is followed by Martha.)

These and other fascinating questions are answered in this article in the New York Times about celebrity twittering.  Apparently, celebrities really are just like us: they like to hear about what celebrities are doing.

Master's in Social Media

I know what you're all thinking... I can teach this course. Someone at Birmingham City University in the United Kingdom already has the job. Students will learn how to use Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter as marketing tools. The cost: about $6,200.

Considering the future of the free world depends on monetizing the web, this must be a worthwhile degree. For all of you amateurs out there with blogs, the pros will be on the scene soon.