Its going one step further, as bigger blogs like techcrunch making people use facebook to comment…..PEOPLE HAVE TO BE PEOPLE to comment now.

Robert Scoble, a very open and bold blogger, really goes out there and calls people COWARDS who are afraid to put their name / identity to their comments on the internet, part of his article is quoted below:

Hello! Name one person on the web that doesn’t use Google or Bing. One. Go ahead. I’ll wait. Hint, your 700 friends are on Google. Your grandma is on google. Your five ex-girlfriends are on Google. My ex-wife is on Google.

Thinking back over my 46-year life I’ve only read something more wrong a few times.

Not to mention I worked with an executive at NEC who got fired for something he anonymously wrote on a forum (a racist post). Someone figured out where the IP address came from and sent the post to his boss, who quickly fired him. Being truly anonymous and untrackable on the Web is very difficult.

So, what’s going on here? Why is it causing people to lose all perspective on EVERYTHING?
These “authenticity is dead” people are cowards.

See, where I ONLY post opinions I’m willing to sign my name to, lots of people are actually cowards and just not willing to sign their names to their mealy-mouthed attacks.

He is a little harsh there….but if more and more big blogs force you to use facebook connect in order to comment….then either people will have to start creating fake facebook accounts (which do exist I am sure, but is not allowed by facebook’s terms of service) OR only comment when they are not afraid everyone in their life can see what they are saying, and new people they don’t know can look them up on facebook and connect with them more.

For example, I have had my fair share of “comment trolls” on this blog here…..they would use fake names and reach out and criticize me, one some of my friends and readers here (I’m not even going to go back on this blog and check his fake name) he really did annoy me…and he never would say who he was. Every blog post he would say some new annoying comment and upset me, as well as the readers here. I didn’t want to delete / moderate his comments, but after so many of my friends complained I had to block him/her from leaving future comments.

Maybe I will soon force blog commenters here to use facebook connect in order to comment?

Its also going to change SEO as well, as we all know how much comment spam we get in blogs with keywords as the comment name and the SEO target website too. Things keep on changing….social media and SEO merging. People and businesses becoming 1…..the dividing line between personal life and business life blurring….

When can we separate our work life from our personal life? that is another issue.

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Turkle’s thesis is simple: technology is threatening to dominate our lives and make us less human. Under the illusion of allowing us to communicate better, it is actually isolating us from real human interactions in a cyber-reality that is a poor imitation of the real world.

Maybe this EXPERT is right………..but……for me, it has EXPONENTIALLY added value to my “real life”……….I live on the other side of the world from my home country……being in Asia can be tough…and lonely……and I was here before “social media” was so widespread…..and it was harder to live then it is now. With social media, my “virtual friends” travel with me, and I travel with them…..sharing stories, ideas….I can quickly know where my friends are…..and it brings us closer together when we physically can’t be.

Sure maybe I have also adapted to living overseas…..but I am in touch more with my friends all over the world. I have made business contacts, I have focused my network….been referred to people and referred others to others….all from social media.

In this blog I uploaded a pic that I had on facebook….of me with my facedown looking at my mobile…..here are some comments I got:

Added December 21, 2010 ·

Ellen Luong always on that cell phone…hahaha.

Michael Michelini Yea, im addicted, seems more and more pics may look like that

Theresa Depuy lol Thats what I was going to say your always on the phone…gotta stay connected

Michael Michelini if there is a PA (phone aholics anonymous) i’ll be a memeber…..sure that group may come soon enough

But you know what I was doing at that exact moment? I was setting up a VPN proxy for my mobile to be able to access facebook in China! I was talking to @_williamli in hong kong and testing his new VPN. I was connecting to technical people, that I choose to interact with, that I am learning with, sharing ideas with. Building on relationships……maybe I’m crazy, but maybe this interaction at that moment brought us together, made him remember me more and maybe refer me to another RELEVANT (sorry to be cocky, but yes, I want to know more internet and technical people) who can help me down the road. Or maybe the other way around, I can connect him to some people (which I have already, actually!) and build up value in the relationship.

So is this……..ANTI SOCIAL? Its focusing my network and even when I may be away from them physically, I can connect with them remotely via social media.

Sure, I know I have annoyed some people around me (in real life) as I’m always on my mobile phone…..but hate to be rude, but in a way, I can stay closer to the people and news that is important to my life……

Its my virtual friends…..and they are with me on my mobile phone wherever I go….and I meet so many more people because of this. I am more confident to approach people in real life too…..as I understand the “process” of networking…..the internet has given me practice.

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This was my first time to celebrate New Years in the Philippines, a bit different from USA and in China. Let me explain my experiences in each place I have celebrated New Years

New Years in China (Solar Calendar) – Not much of a big celebration, as the Chinese save up all their celebratory energy for Chinese new years (normally in Feb), which is based on the Lunar calendar. The new years in China I remember going to some expat bars to celebrate with friends and party it up.

New Years in United States – Hard to summarize how New Years in America is…I have had new years in Times Square to watch the ball drop in person, but most people do that once or twice in a lifetime, if ever at all in America. In USA, there are 2 main ways to celebrate – house party or going to a night club / bar.

house parties – I remember high school times, having multiple house parties (and sometimes hotel parties) where I would drive between multiple parties (therefore not drinking as I was driving) meeting all sorts of friends from hometown and high school.

Nightclubs and bars, you have to pre-pay for tickets entrance fees, its become a whole business for certain promotion companies in larger cities like New York and Los Angeles….but mostly anywhere in USA the bars and clubs sell tickets for open bar, etc.

Watch the fireworks- In USA, most states ban the sales of fireworks, and the city government is the only way you can see the fireworks. They will announce the city parks or public areas where they will shoot the fireworks, and as early as late afternoon people from the area will start to gather to watch the fireworks shoot off. This is normally for couples dating, or families to go and watch.

New Years in the Philippines – a bit of a different variation then USA, fireworks are not illegal here in Philippines, so they are selling them on the streets EVERYWHERE, so all evening and night you’ll see (HEAR) fireworks cracking everywhere. And family parties seem to come first, and there is a large dinner and family get together at home…..PAST midnight…..celebrating new years at home. And THEN everyone goes out to the bar or club, normally around 1 or 2am.

Interesting variation from my experiences of New Years in USA….

My reasons for coming back to Philippines – well came back to Manila to celebrate New Years with Mike Mo, and see my staff, as well as some business meetings and networking here in the Philippines. Still plan to come to Philippines rather often, though I will be in Dongguan, China more for the new ecommerce projects and building up a team there.

I’m trying to remember last new year….just seems like social media, mobile, and being “plugged in” has escalated exponentially for me in 2010…..and I don’t think its just me….I think everyone now is getting more and more “Dialed in” to their online lives, online friends. I really have made some quality connections and relationships via twitter, and I am thankful for it.

But really, what a 2010 it has been….a year of transition, finding myself, leaving China, traveling to Philippines, Thailand, Philippines a few times more, USA for 2 months, and end up coming back to China. Excited for 2011, and I think majority of it will be in China.

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The idea that social media is a bunch of nerds spawned after reading Ori’s couchsurfing blog on re-living the prom again and having a social media prom, where social media users can unite and find their dates via social media and prepare for the prom via social media…..pretty cool idea!!!!

Maybe because social media is still in its early stage….and therefore the rules and daily lifestyle tactics have not been implemented – therefore we have the EARLY ADOPTERS still mostly utilizing the tools, and signing up for the newest tools first, sharing photos, location sharing, group buying.

It does take an early adapter maybe to jump into uncharted waters….as we have seen certain platforms already “join the deadpool” and all that user content is lost….so you have to have the stomach and patience to go through various new systems and tools, continuous updates and changes and new platforms, mergers, etc.

And maybe its also nerds utilizing these tools because you need to have some technical experience still…sure, blogging is getting easier and easier, don’t need to know HTML or programming to really do it after the blog is installed, but even I , who sees myself as a middle to high experience internet user, have to spend time researching how to implement certain things on my blog, or new tools….especially with mobile internet….constantly crashing my android phone, resetting, uninstalling, upgrading…..

Also I have met other twitter power users, in various twitter meetups hong kong and manila philippines meetup and yes, we all push and fight our friends to sign up and interact…but really, I see the common user of twitter as a creative, open minded, early adapter and connector. WHICH IS REALLY COOL. This means, I want to know and network with as many of them as possible. We are always staring down at our mobile phones when we’re out, checking in on foursquare, @ replying on twitter, status updates on facebook….tottally wired.

Yet I see Facebook “powerusers” as the less techy, less creative….as its more “plug and play” and WYSISYG (what you see if what you get) and more “Closed environment”

But its kind of funny, the nerds have taken over after the high school gossip and drama.

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The Hootsuite Certification Program went through 4 basic topics of its program, “hootsuite” as well as strategies for social media platforms such as twitter and facebook, also discussing klout.

One thing, the course costs $27usd/month! I think thats a bit strange, as its a 1 time test, and then to remain an approved specialist, you have to keep paying the monthly fee.

Seems the people making money aren’t twitter themselves, but these 3rd party tools and training programs!  Still, I think its worth taking the class, freshening up your social media skills, and learning some new tactics and strategies.

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One big thing is Klout. While I have heard of it before, it really clicked after reading businessgrow.com ‘s get ready for social scoring.

His main points are:

Klout is the new black – maybe this will be the new resume!

Take Klout seriously – Its real, and its here to stay!

Personal Branding starts with social influence – even Harvard business review says so!

Prepare for gamers – people will cheat the system.

Klout coaches – those who study this early will become COACHES and experts later for those who want social influence.

Just the idea that if you have the high score you can get discounts on airfare, or dinners…..the

what is Klout?

First, from the klout.com website it explains it “technically” as (don’t worry, i’ll summarize after):

The Klout Score is the measurement of your overall online influence. The scores range from 1 to 100 with higher scores representing a wider and stronger sphere of influence. Klout uses over 35 variables on Facebook and Twitter to measure True Reach, Amplification Probability, and Network Score.

True Reach is the size of your engaged audience and is based on those of your followers and friends who actively listen and react to your messages. Amplification Score is the likelihood that your messages will generate actions (retweets, @messages, likes and comments) and is on a scale of 1 to 100. Network score indicates how influential your engage audience is and is also on a scale from 1 to 100. The Klout score is highly correlated to clicks, comments and retweets.

So what the heck is that? Yea, this is a lot of twitter talk here.. ….and I know tons of my American friends only have facebook….don’t have time for twitter, don’t care about twitter….blah blah…..

well, it now connects with facebook! but because facebook’s content is private…you have to allow klout to access your facebook data.

Then it will check your profile, your friends, your messages, the amount of likes on facebook you have, the amount of comments. What you are talking about on facebook. How many times you post on other people’s walls, how many times they post on your walls.

Next is linkedin I am sure, seeing who your connections are there, the relevancy (are they all in 1 industry, or various industries) locations, positions.

Is this good or bad? Yea, I have to admit, it is kind of scary…but then think about your SAT score when you were trying to get into college…..sure it was somewhat private, but friends asked, family asked. It went into other universities, applications. IT MATTERED. As much as we may or may not have liked it, that SAT score mattered. And to some extent, it was semi-public.

I also liked boy scouts. Call me a nerd or a dweeb, whatever. I liked earning badges, points, advancement in ranks. That was pretty public, within your meetings wearing your uniform, others could clearly see your points, your score.

I am sure military is somewhat like this, with ranks and “order”.

Sports teams, sports stats.

So why is it so crazy to have a “Social media score” (Klout)?

You don’t have to care about it if you don’t want to. You can say this KLOUT is a bunch of crap….but probably someday, and someday soon, it will be looked at when you are applying for a job, selling a product or service, or getting a recommendation for something.

Social media will be measured more and more soon, this is only the tip of the iceberg.

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I remember my dad telling me when I was young, you are who you hang out with. If you are friends with people who are breaking rules and lazy, it will influence you to be like them. And even if you don’t “Act” like them, t will also make others think you are doing similar things they are doing. Sure, you/we/I can say it doesn’t matter what others think of you/us/I, but actually, in business and life it kinda does.

But while it seemed to be pushed on me negatively when I was little, that if I hang out with bad kids, I will be a bad kid, and forbid / discouraged by my parents to befriend bad kids in school – it also works the other way! If you work actively to surround yourself with POSITIVE people, and positive minds, then it will “rub off” on you as well. It will exponentially increase your chances of growing up positive. These people around you will support you, and prop you up when you get down. And you will do the same for them when times get down.

Putting this in today’s modern world – with the internet and social media, facebook, twitter, linkedin – if notice probably on our “streams” (daily updates from friends / followings) we see messages / thoughts / actions these people are doing. THIS IS INFLUENCING OUR MOODS AND OUR MINDS.

I think twitter is awesome, why? Because I can get information quickly, short messages, and normally my twitter lists (I break the followings into groups) have positive, happy messages. Sure, this is corny to some, and to me it sounds a bit silly, but it is positive energy throughout my day. I check my mobile phone, see status updates of positive thoughts, motivational quotes, and new perspectives, and its like my daily coffee – it keeps me going throughout my crazy day and insane lifestyle.

But there are those negative messages. I have to say, its more on facebook then on my twitter. Maybe I just have some more “special” facebook friends, getting messages about politics, negative news, and “I’m having a bad day”……this kinda knocks me down a bit. But on the other hand, normally I can crack a joke back to some of these negative messages, hopefully changing their perspective and those readers of it.

The other side of it though is, why should I follow someone who has such negative vibes? The rule in life is normally you cannot change people (we naturally want to help CHANGE someone) but they have to be the ones who want to change themselves.
I just think social media and the internet is so amazing...and now with my friends, followings, and linkedin connections, these people are with me all day, everywhere, supporting me and motiviating me, and I am doing the same back.

I truly believe this is helping society and growing / expanding people’s minds and horizons. I am never alone anymore, I have my “Virtual friends”, and will keep on traveling.

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Just arrived back home, my grandmother (nana) lives in the next retirement community so its a quick drive over.  Spent some evening hours talking with her, and my 2 uncles – Uncle Steve and Uncle Gary.  I was reminded how rough the USA economy still is……as my uncle Gary is still without a job and Steve is getting by.

Nana is getting stronger, she had been in the hospital late last year (which was giving me reason to rush back to USA from China)…but she has recovered, and is instead at home with my uncles taking care of her.

They asked so many questions about China, how is it to live there, do I speak the language (well, a little bit…), relationships, business (how much do I make…kinda secret…not so much!!), just bombardment about questions.  I guess I love it, I try my best to give accurate statements about China…I jsut say what I have seen and if I haven’t seen or experienced it, it may still be possible.  Like Uncle Gary spoke about “green cities” in china that are running off low power and using alternative energy – I never saw or heard of it, it may be in China, but not that I know of.  Not just this visit tonight, but all the time now in USA I’m getting off the wall questions about things in China someone has heard about.  Maybe they are true…

Another amazing thing – THEY ARE READING MY BLOG regularly! Uncle Steve printed out my blog for nana to read (well the facebook note from my blog) and uncle steve had really enjoyed reading my posts….reading excerpts from various posts like my landing in jfk and struggling to use a payphone to my experience in a chinatown filipino chinese wedding and who the girl Sarah was, and how the ceremony was. Its almost mindblowing to think how much this blog has reached, and that people are actually reading it. I’ve been blogging for over 3 years now, but seems its finally being read!? Awesome, better late then never.

So nana was quiet most of the night, listening to me and my uncles talking, when we asked her if she had any questions for me, she said:

When are you getting married?

Jeez, I guess I should expect that, I am 29, she was married much younger then that. My uncles – Steve and Gary, never got married. They explained they had never met the right girl – Gary saying that either the girl liked him and he didnt like her or vice versa. My dad and mom have been happily married for around 35 years, and everyone supports that and is happy for them. Marriage is tough these days, seems extra pressure, on top of it seems so easy for people to get divorsed, almost supportive. But yes, I keep hearing about my friends getting married while I’m out in China – and now just attended a bachelor party, but I’m gonna keep living life, working on developing myself as a person, growing stronger, and seeing where life takes me.

But seeing my family has INSPIRED ME. I need to fight to build my business, my future. Kinda feel INDIRECT PRESSURE from this trip. The world is such a big place…I’m trying to “take over the world” and coming home has opened my eyes…..to my family, my life, my roots.

I want to prove something.  Do it for Nana!

Hung out at the Teak bar meeting old friends stopping in and out – it was great to see so many faces after such a long time. Richard Persaud stuck with me most of the night, and we had our traditional Johnny walker black and coke drinks! I’m such a traveler, brought my backpack to the bar, which was a rather upscale yuppie bar, and I am in there looking like a college student with my stuffed backpack holding my laptop and change of clothes. Just living life on the road, my friends all said I looked the same as I had left, even younger! Jeez, all over the place in NY and NJ I’m getting ID’d – as I look in my teens or early 20s…..unbelievable. I know, I should be thankful that I look young- I’m almost 30 years old and people think I’m 18 or something!!! Haha…. gotta live with what we got and make the best of it.

Sunday had a lot of meetings to catch up with people in Hoboken.  and again Social media helped me meet and connect with more people – sunday morning grabbing coffee I checked in on foursquare and James Runkle saw I was 1 block from his apartment and asked to meet up – we grabbed coffee and walked around, talking internet, social media, sales cooperation, etc.  It was really cool and amazing.  And this is why I love twitter, facebook, blogging, foursquare, linkedin – its all about not only making NEW connections – but strengthening current relationships….

Anther great thing is the FOOD – I have been going to these buffet stations where you can grab anything you want, they charge you by the pound – so I’m grabbing things I haven’t had in China / Philippines like cottage cheese, macaroni and cheese, salmon (cooked a certain way here), and all kinds of random things.  SO AWESOME!  jeez…i’m probably gonna gain more weight here…..

So after hanging out with Lily,  Richie, alan, cindy, James runkle, Mike Andrews, Nornalie, Lauren, and Silvio Laccetti – man just working deals – met some professors at Stevens Tech…..hope to work more closely with Stevens as they do an exchange program in China – maybe I can help them do something like this in the Philippines…but then again, not sure if its financially possible.  Just want to make things happen and make win-win deals.

ended up buying a NEW PHONE….signing a 2 year contract for US phone service, since I can pause it when I’m not here and it just adds to the time (meaning you cannot escape using 2 full years of service, but can pause it) – I ended up picking t-mobile phone service with an android operating system (google’s new system) – on a samsung galaxy S phone  – a complete copy of the iphone shape/style.  I am a little nervous using a 100% touchscreen – because of prior bad experiences – but the sales rep told me this has a special material, and he threw one on the ground on front of me and it worked fine afterwards.  So lets hope.  The one negative thing is that it doesnt have a flash on its camera!  And I am noticing battery life is only about 7 hours….I need to charge it in the same day I am using it….But I love being wired all the time, as I got the data plan with unlimited data and text messages.

Just still soaking in all the changes and feelings of being back in USA!  Especially New York, I love this crazy hyperactive city.  But I really need some rest, been an intense 4 days.

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just last week the Chinese Yuan (RMB) was released to rise again from the US dollar – the Chinese government has just unpegged it and allowed it to go…and we all know which way the US DOLLAR is going to go, DOWN…..

IPhone Supply Chain Highlights Rising Costs in China

On Monday July 5, 2010, 8:18 pm EDT

SHENZHEN, China — Last month, while enthusiastic consumers were playing with their new Apple iPhone 4, researchers in Silicon Valley were engaged in something more serious.

They cracked open the phone’s black plastic shell and started analyzing the new model’s components, trying to unmask the identity of Apple’s main suppliers. These “teardown reports” provide a glimpse into a company’s manufacturing.

What the latest analysis shows is that the smallest part of Apple’s costs are here in Shenzhen, where assembly-line workers snap together things like microchips from Germany and Korea, American-made chips that pull in Wi-Fi or cellphone signals, a touch-screen module from Taiwan and more than 100 other components.

But what it does not reveal is that manufacturing in China is about to get far more expensive. Soaring labor costs caused by worker shortages and unrest, a strengthening Chinese currency that makes exports more expensive, and inflation and rising housing costs are all threatening to sharply increase the cost of making devices like notebook computers, digital cameras and smartphones.

Desperate factory owners are already shifting production away from this country’s dominant electronics manufacturing center in Shenzhen toward lower-cost regions far west of here, even deep in China’s mountainous interior.

At the end of June, a manager at Foxconn Technology — one of Apple’s major contract manufacturers — said the company planned to reduce costs by moving hundreds of thousands of workers to other parts of China, including the impoverished Henan Province.

full article here

All those factory suicides here in Shezhen must have been from overtime workers in the factory making those new iphones. Factory strikes, pushing for more salary to pay for increased rent, increased food costs, the list goes on and on. i spend some time on twitter searching for people talking about their backorder from apple.com saying that its currently in shenzhen china – WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT MEANS- that means apple.com is waiting for FOXCONN factory workers to be finished assembling your new iphone 4.

it has amazed me that on the SAME NEWS HEADLINES YOU SEE

Dont people understand, Shenzhen China is where Foxconn is, and Apple is a major customer of FOXCONN…..

And Foxconn is under HUGE PRESSURE from Apple to get its iphones made FAST, and CHEAP as possible…..

maybe Apple purchasing agents are even threatening that if foxconn cant make its damn iphone faster, and keeps rising its prices – then Apple will have to pull the account and assemble with another contract manufacturer.

What do you think FOXCONN has to do.

MANAGE BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And what is “manage better”

MAKE THOSE iphones FASTER! Work overtime without pay.. ….. “oh, you’re tired, oh, you want to go back to your dorm – well you need to snap that piece SKU 534FEWE to SKU 6D4S2 or we’ll embarrass you in front of all your coworkers and hold your pay”. Something like this is obviously the affect of this economic turmoil.

And yet no one blames Apple…..it only gets praise for how great its phone is. I am POSITIVE they are pushing hard on their supply chain to keep costs down.

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Bangladesh Blocks Facebook Over Muhammad Cartoons

Published May 30, 2010

| Associated Press

AP

May 28, 2010: Bangladeshi Muslim protesters burn a Swedish flag during a protest against Facebook. Reportedly, Swedish artist Lars Vilks has angered many Muslims by caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh says it has blocked the popular social networking website Facebook over a page that urges people to draw images of Islam’s prophet Muhammad.

Chief telecommunication regulator Zia Ahmed said Sunday that access to the site has been temporarily blocked because it was publishing caricatures that may hurt the religious sentiments of people in the Muslim-majority nation.

Muslims regard depictions of the prophet, even favorable ones, as blasphemous.

I mean…….when can the world……be free. Then people will say its because America always controls the news, and blah blah blah – but if I don’t like Obama, I can say it. I can joke about that. I can talk about any religion, joke, sex thing I want to. And the US government will not block it. No matter how much they may disagree or not like it….they will allow the us citizens to read it.

I really wonder, I guess, try to understand. here in China, I have learned maybe why, the Chinese government has to control its people…..as the history and culture developed over time that “if the government rule or law is not there, then it is legal”. I don’t even know how to explain it, but the Chinese people feel, like with tax and local laws, that if it isn’t clearly stated and governed by the ruling “law” or government or police, then its OK to do……

So the idea here is, and connecting the filtering of internet information is that, if anyone in China can say or do anything on the internet, without there being guidelines, rules, and CONSEQUENCES for breaking these rules, then it is feared it would become an INSANE FREE FOR ALL. Complete insanity, and anarchy….

Now, is that is what would happen, who knows…….but I think the older Chinese businessman I talk to believe that is the case.

But I think Bangladesh situation is a bit different, its about religion. But….I mean…..seems like a bunch of cry – babies. Why not blog back, post something on facebook to oppose this, and to make fun of someone else’s religion….instead of having it removed or blocked…..post back….

blocking it…..hmmm…accomplishes what really???? I mean…ok, so people in Bangladesh won’t see these horrible images – BUT EVERYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD STILL WILL!!! haha, i mean…..and then it will still exist…..and still be disrespectful.

but maybe that is cultural differences too…..

Update May 31

Damn…facebook took it offline, but why give in? I dont understand……I would not have removed it if I were facebook

Looking at one’s own personal pro and con – I am sure my passion and emotion gets the best of me. I have to be more level headed. I have to separate friends and business.

Watching a bunch of DVDs last night, one was called “taken” – its a great movie, I would definitely recommend watching it.

The basis of the movie is a retired secret agent is extra-paranoid about his daughter going on a trip to Europe. Everyone thinks he’s over-reacting, but actually she gets kidnapped SAME DAY she arrives in France.

anyway, so he goes to France and talks to some of his old colleagues there. They help him, to a point, but actually they are in on the crime (indirectly)….. so he has to make things personal, attacking their wives and using that to get information.

Then when he finds the area his daughter is held captive, he asks for her back. The “bad guys” say its not possible, until he shoots up the place. the mob-boss begs for his life to the father, saying – you have to understand, “it was not personal, it was business”….

The father doesn’t think so, and executes him coldly on the elevator floor.

If that a mix of personal and business?

Sure, its a movie. And extreme…..But there are other cases, weekends seeing staff, do you talk about work? Do you forget work and just be friends? Seeing your friends you are buying from, or selling to, at a party – how not to talk about business?

Especially with the explosion of social media in today’s internet environment. We see the facebook profiles of our friends. they are talking business. at the same time they are talking a bout getting drunk at a house party.

Then, when you have a dispute in business- do you delete them from your “social friends” profile? So strange.

I just keep going on, but would like some ideas here. Also, today is the first day I integrated my blog into my facebook account – hope to get some more activity / readers.

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Being here in China now about 1 and a half years, I have grown perspective on this topic. Put yourself in this situation:

See a product / service you like that is sold overseas. It is not being offered in your country. You don’t speak the language where it is currently being made. You see opportunity of this product / service selling in your home country. Also, the original concept is not exactly how you think it would be best in your home country – the people here would want it differently.

WHAT DO YOU DO?

OK, so you want to do the right thing. You, what? Call a USA phone number, but you cannot speak English that well, and it is pretty expensive to call internationally. Do you consult with a company in your city? Well, they probably would say just do it, they would not say bother contacting this international company (and this is the main problem, no standard international policy on IP!).

but say you do speak good English, and you stay up late one night and make a phone call. OK – a customer service rep picks up the call – “who are you? hmmm, who to transfer you too”. etc etc, I mean, how do you get to the right person?

And then, say you get to the executive team who owns this great product / service in USA. If they even take you seriously, what are they going to say