Media Bullseye

I'm delighted to welcome John Cass back to the program this week, as he joined Jen Zingsheim and myself for our weekly Radio Roundtable discussion. This week, I wanted to talk to John about his series of posts discussing the "unniversary" of the Cluetrain Manifesto, as well as some other interesting issues that have copped up in the social media world this week.

Following the recent lawsuit filed against Blockbuster Video in the aftermath of the Facebook Beacon debacle late last year, online privacy is a hot button issue. Jonathan Trenn promotes a service at MyDataIsMyData.org that allows users to download a plug-in that helps them determine how much information they'd like to disclose online. Also: Customer service tips, and more on privacy and reputation management.

New reports reveal that Microsoft and Google may be bringing offline functionality to mobile applications that have historically required users to be connected to the Internet.

The dream of a universal Internet user ID took a step closer to reality when Yahoo recently announced its intention to support the OpenID platform.

The advantages of Twitter can be similar to the advantages of living in a small town. Every trip down to the coffee shop, you're liable to bump into someone you know. As we interact on Twitter, it moves from somewhat silly to somewhat indispensable.

Google and Facebook have just signed on to the DataPortability Workgroup, which hopes to make it easier to move content across different social networks. This is seen as a significant shift in strategy by networks that have historically held on to their users with a kung-fu grip.