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Facebook has been reluctant to implement one and on June 20, a group was started to petition and voice their want for the dislike option.  What has been slow to start has now become the snowball running down the mountain into a monstrous avalanche.  At the end of July the group reached 1,000 members and by November 2nd had 1, 232,116.

I did a little playing last night, and noticed that after consecutively pressing the refresh button noticed that membership kept jumping 60 people at a time.  So, I did a couple tests to see how many people joined after a minute, and the average was 200.  After five minutes 1,115 people signed up.  It was totally batty.  This was all around 9 o’clock, maybe that’s when they get the most traffic across the US, I’m not sure, but I was amazed at how fast the numbers were racking up.

What are your thoughts?  Right now they are at 2,368,745 fans.  If you have a Facebook account, check to see how many people are a member of “Dislike Button,” and post in the comments below what their current number is.  It will be interesting to see how fast the numbers change and if Facebook decides to listen to its members.

Update:

In the comments below I mentioned an article read on Mashable that discusses a plug-in Firefox created that allows you the function of a dislike button, but the catch is that the other person has to have the plug-in, in order to see it.  In the first comment here, Nathan mentioned that maybe the folks at Facebook could build the button, but allow the user to customize its usage in their profile settings.

Current Dislike Button Membership at 10 p.m.: 2,449,562

Also, I’d like to include my opinion on this issue since Nathan Acosta asked.

I’m really fascinated at the position Facebook is in by being able to receive massive amounts of feedback from their users, using the tools that they may not have intended to be used, directed at them.

I say go ahead, and give the people what they want. I think that if a majority of users want it, Facebook really should give them what they want if they want to stay on top.

Honestly, I think that it’s really more of a fad right now and if Facebook implemented it into their interface people would use the crap out of it. Even if they don’t dislike someone’s update. After a few weeks to a month…it won’t be the day’s big thing anymore.

I enjoy your idea about being able to regulate it within your preferences. That is the type of idea that I feel will provide a compromise between Facebook and its users. It seems that the reason they are hesitant is because they don’t want to promote negative energy.

I read an article on Mashable, and I’ll go back and insert the link in my blog post, about a Firefox plug-in that allows you the dislike option on status updates, but the other person has to have the plug-in in order to see it.

Let’s not forget if somebody repeatedly has status updates you don’t care for, you can always “hide” them in your news feed. I’ve done that with several people that will remain nameless, haha.

One of my classmates, Kathryn V. Williams, has voiced her opinion on the dislike button here.  Go check it out and keep the conversation going!

Some companies embrace the conversations with their customers, but that last statistic shows a glaring amount that are using social media merely for the presence.  They aren’t receiving any value from the potential these tools are capable of offering and instead are going through the motions.  It was not suprising when the article later discussed that companies are weary of using social media tools, even though they notice that this is the future.  This is attributed to two different reasons.  One, is a lack of knowledge of how to use them.  Two, is the fear of what this could do to their brand.

Almost 100% of companies manage their social media internally as opposed to the traditional method of outsourcing marketing/pr to agencies.  There are advantages here, in the sense that it allows the companies to move at real time, making quick updates and allowing customers to interact directly with the company.  The problem at this time is that if the companies don’t know how to use social media and are merely seeking a presence, then John and Jane Smith that were roped into the position won’t be doing them any justice.  This is where experts come in, and it provides hope for folks like me working for a graduate degree in Interactive Media.  Most likely companies will continue to keep this department in house for the reasons mentioned above, but I don’t see agencies dying out (so long as they are flexible to large and small company needs).

As for the fear of the impact on brands?  That’s up to the company.  They can and should embrace the positive and negative feedback in order to move forward.  Gone are the days of guessing games and surveys and focus groups to figure out how to make your product in its best form.  Now they have the opportunity to take words straight from the proverbial horse’s mouth.

The Broadway figure and centerpiece for a crowd of about 30 people was, Charles Strouse.  If you’ve never heard his name before, which was my case, you’ve definitely heard his music.  This is the man responsible for writing the music for “Bye Bye Birdie,” the score for “Bonnie and Clyde,” and most well known for the famous lineup of songs from, “Annie” (there’s a lot lot more).

The stage was set in a Behind the Music format in which Strouse weaved stories in between songs about his successes, fears of failure, and what he enjoys about his work and marriage.  He opened with the theme song from “Bye Bye Birdie,” and continued through highlights of his catalogue, ending with a Q&A session.  Throughout his performance I kept thinking what an honor and privilege it was to hear the man responsible for the music that has shaped Broadway perform.

Since I am relatively unfamiliar with some of the productions that he built with music, my favorite part came at the end when he performed a four piece montage from “Annie.” It had all the major players, “Maybe,” “Hard Knock Life” (Jay-Z’s got nothing on this guy), the duet between Annie and Daddy Warbucks, and finished with “Tomorrow.”

He spoke of collaborations with other various artists, and how he worked with Mel Brooks and ultimately introduced him to the woman he would marry.

The funniest story dealt with Warren Beatty.  He mentioned how Warren called him to work on the music for “Bonnie and Clyde,” but wasn’t convinced that it was actually Warren Beatty on the phone.  His son, he explained, has always been a prankster and frequently calls him impersonating someone else.  Charles was determined not to fall for one of his son’s little jokes, and assumed that this phone call, which was actually from Warren Beatty was his son.  When Warren told him about the project and asked how much he would work for, Charles responded with a figure that was top dollar for the time that the film was made, $50,oo0.  Beatty was surprised at the high cost and said that he would have to get back with him.  After not much time, Warren Beatty called him back and agreed to pay him the desired amount.  Charles couldn’t believe it and confessed to the audience that he would have done the work for free, but didn’t actually tell Warren this until many years later.

One of the ground rules mentioned before the performance was that the audience was not allowed to sing along because this was a live recording.  The very last question came from a student asking Strouse that because his melodies are so contagious and they weren’t allowed to sing along, would he mind playing “Tomorrow” with the assistance of the audience.  With a smile, Strouse began to play the opening bars and the entire crowd sang in unison.

They allowed Mr. Strouse to leave the studio first so that he could prepare to sign books for everyone, and as he walked past me I said, “thank you.”  He gave a genuine, heartfelt smile and shook my hand.

It’s pretty amazing how people can join together over something they feel strongly about to evoke change.  While Facebook urges users to give the new interface a chance, I wouldn’t push it on them for too much longer.  The already million and a half group only represents a portion of users unsatisfied with the new version of Facebook, and there are many users, like myself who aren’t totally happy with it, but are not motivated to join the group.  As a company, Facebook is able to receive feedback from its users within it’s own social networking weaponry.  While I understand they may not be too quick to change back, they should seriously consider lifespans of other social networking sites.  People tend to be loyal to these sites until the trend dies out and the next big thing rises.  First their was Friendster, which fizzled out into MySpace, which competed with Facebook for sometime, but has since fallen to inferior status.  I’m sure it won’t be long before the next big social networking place appears before us, and with Facebook’s collaborative shirt and tie brain trust, they don’t want to start slipping.

Back to the article.  I think it’s wild and a great demonstration of what is happening on the net right now.  People can adapt different personas that even give them the responsibilities not above their age range.  Here we have a young revolutionary whose parents had no idea what he was up to.  This adolescent icon’s mother signed up, friended him, and became a member of the group just so that she could know what her son is up to in between school and family meals.

It’s been a little bit since I’ve blogged.  I have thought more on the role that I would like blogging to play for me in regards to building a brand and the rest of the school year.  First and foremost I want to really hunker down and concentrate on what interests me the most and how I can use my thoughts and research to build connections, as well as a reputation.

At one point I thought it would be really fun to be a full time blogger.  After a class discussion today, I’ve learned that it’s much easier said than done.  Professional bloggers that rely on blogging solely as their income typically have four different blogs!  Not only does this take demonstrated knowledge about what they are blogging about in each topic, but also diligence to post consistently and strive to find new content.

Some professional bloggers make some pretty good money, but in order to reach that level of comfort you have to be pretty well established.  I would think that one of the more challenging aspects of being a blogger at this level, posting so frequently, is the the detachment from your work.  Sure, these writers most likely do research, interviews, or grab some muse buzzing around their head and use these factors to wield their craft, but once you’re done you have to move onto the next article.  Ben Parr of mashable sometimes posts 20 times in one day!  I have difficulty remembering what I wore or ate two days ago, nevermind rattle off all the articles someone of that caliber posts in a day.

For now I am striving for consistency and quality.  I’ll greet the multiple blogs with an extensive amount of posting per day with a six figure salary.

I came across one this afternoon that I really liked.  Check it out:

What I enjoy so much about this video is all the work that went into making it possible.  It’s amazing to watch the dancers that gradually fill the room, after lurking among the crowd.  This is one of those videos that makes you feel good about humanity.  It sounds cheesy, but the content itself is light-hearted, humorous, and just plain enjoyable.  To some extent it’s unexplainable, but watch the sense of community.  Think about how pleasant it must have been to have been passing by unexpectedly and have this unfold before you.  If you were having a crappy day, how wouldn’t this have made it better?

It’s nice to think about how this may have inspired someone to do a good deed that day.  Or, even think about the people they influenced, whether directly through their kind action or by sharing the pictures and videos from that moment.

The world is a great place, and it’s fun to see moments like this evolve into a beautiful piece in the greater picture of humanity.  After watching this video, what will you do?

There is a crew of us that stay at school until such late hours that it’s pretty damn silly.  Whether we are doing work for a big project, attempting to get ahead, or simply enjoying the distractions, you can’t complain about good company.

This week was off to an intense start thanks to a Flash project.  Needless to say, here at the end of the week, we are all pretty wiped.  Fortunately nothing too grueling was due today, but people were still at school pretty late last night.  Some were actually doing work, but a couple of my classmates boycotted work in favor of sanity.  Instead, they went down the block to the library and rented the entire The Beatles Anthology.

I joined them throughout the night, taking extended work breaks to enjoy great music and watch some amazing footage of the Fab Four’s domination.

I love music.  This is a statement of absolute truth, which cannot be faltered.

All personal interests aside, it was really neat to watch this historic footage because of all the old media.  The cameras, the television show, and how people interacted with one another.  Sure, some things have not changed fundamentally, but pop-culture of the 1960’s was completely different for humor and presentation.

You can’t not watch these movies and think about audience.  It’s everywhere.  In between shots of the band being chased by their fanatics and intimate studio sessions, was where the audience came to play.  These folks were not only talented musicians that had a product, which not only sold itself, but they also had a way of captivating a crowd.  The charm, the genuine interest in their fans, all this leads to the groundswell.

Well, maybe something’s aren’t meant to be analyzed too much, but this was a fun night and I enjoyed sharing a moment with a couple of people from school and exchanging thoughts about what their music meant to us.

What will this project do?  Expect growth for Twitter in more ways than one.  First off, it will attract more users in a variety of locations.  Most likely they are going to focus on more of the widespread languages, but language barriers will be coming down.

People will be more united.  You will be able to make connections around the globe and be able to communicate.  To answer the question that awaits you in an empty text box on twitter’s Website will take your voice and inspiration to meet new relationships.

Certainly, Twitter will be selecting qualified individuals, but you’ve definitely got to keep the “lost in translation” factor in your mind.  Twitter only allows you to speak in 140 characters.  That includes spaces.  Your thoughts are consolidated to concise quips and sometimes the best way to beat home a point is through slang.  Slang doesn’t translate very well, and sometimes neither do well thought out ideas (literally anyway).

For example, “churro de hombre” in Spanish means good-looking man.  In English it literally means man of doughnuts.  Coming from Spanish to English, this is likely to be smoothed out, but what about the other way?  An English speaking person may attempt humor and exclaim, “I am a man of doughnuts!”  Translated back into Spanish, “Soy un churro de hombre,” is I am a good-looking man.  Humor lost, intentions not carried through.  This is somewhat of a facetious example, but the point is there.

How will multimedia change the format of journalism?

I elaborated on my question a little bit more by pointing out how with new multimedia content, journalists are given more creative freedoms to assemble a story, without being restricted to a particular format.  Could this eliminate a formal AP Style or Inverted Pyramid approach or will specific guidelines frame multimedia?

“We have seen multimedia develop from broadcast, and we have seen similar elements in the shots and sequencing,” she explained.  “The elements are true to the original model.”  She discussed how multimedia in print journalism’s digital form strives to maintain the same amount of objectivity, but allows you to hear more sources and sounds.

“We are still holding onto the fundamentals, and you can find the Inverted Pyramid in 140 characters,” Angelotti concluded.

This all took me a little bit by surprise because I can’t say that I’ve really observed the above.  Sure, journalistic styles cross over in photography between online and television, but the stories are pretty different.  Broadcast journalism packages are quick and to the point, and perhaps have some semblance to the Inverted Pyramid.  Although multimedia packages for newspapers are typically no more than a few minutes long, the stories seem to flow differently.

Perhaps it varies from publication to publication, but only time will tell if multimedia will write its own story or sized for a traditional mold.