SEAN TINER

Earlier today, I received a link to the new Facebook layout. Yes, the world's #5 most visited website is receiving another face lift. Apparently, the site is making a return to the basics, with a new simple layout that is visually reminiscent of its origins. It will be interesting to see the public's response to the updated look. Will people spend more time on the site? Will this encourage new growth? Will advertisers be encouraged to spend more? Although Facebook recently passed Myspace for total amount of internet traffic, the site's reported revenues are still lower. According to Alexa.com, Myspace.com's estimated revenue is between $250-500 million, while Facebook's is between $10-50 million. The flip side is Facebook is continually growing, while Myspace's traffic has remained stagnant. Will the revenue tables also turn? Time will only tell.

(Tom Anderson, portrait by Tiner). Today, Myspace received a face lift. Say goodbye to the site's wrinkles and hello to a younger, fresher space. After 6 months of programming and preparation, the first phase of the redesign is revealed today. The new look involves changes to the home page, navigation scheme, search engine and video player. Strategically, the new layout makes the site easier to navigate and even more competitive with the website's closest competitor, Facebook .

( Big Brother , Portrait by Tiner). Yes, gasoline will probably reach $5 USD a gallon this summer. Shocking? Yes, considering it was only around $1 USD a gallon six years ago. Ah, the good old days, when $20 would fill up your SUV and you would still have change for a Double Double, lotto ticket or a cold one. If you think gasoline prices are overvalued, then you will be shocked by the value of Web 2.0 entities, in particular Facebook applications. According to Adonomics , a website that assigns monetary value to Facebook applications, the most popular and expensive application is Super Wall . The application has over 2.2 million active users and is valued at over $30 million USD. In fact, the majority of the top ten applications are valued at over $8 million. Yes, this makes the price of gasoline seem trivial in comparison. Today marks the start of The Supernova Conference , a symposium that "brings together business, government, and technology thought leaders to understand h...

Here’s an idea for you …Facebook & Myspace. Imagine if you can make money of your social networking profile? The same way that application and website developers (and bloggers) monetize their websites with small pay per click advertisements. Blogspot and .mac accounts already allow individuals to easily incorporate Google’s Adsense advertisements into their websites. According to Google's 2007 Annual Report , the company earned a total of $16,512.6 (million USD) of total advertising revenue and 5,787.9 (million USD) from Google's Network of partner web sites (individuals and companies who make money from posting Google's ads on their websites). (Google's 2007 Annual Report, screen shot of advertising revenue) Doesn’t register? …Well to make it clear and simple, I make money from this blog (see the advertisements at the top). Not much at this point (in fact, it doesn’t pay to fill up my SUV these days) , but nonetheless it’s still money. Although, I blog as a medi...

.... ALL of my myspace friends for your interest in my artwork and creative thoughts. Today, I expanded my network to 8,000 myspace friends. Thanks again.

(A screen shot of Mark Tiner's profile on " mydeathspace "). I recently discovered a Web 2.0 site " mydeathspace ," which links people who have passed away with their myspace profiles. ...Is this a reflection of the world that we live in? ....I guess Andy Warhol's cliché should be changed from "In, 15 minutes everyone will be famous" to "In 15 minutes, everyone is famous" ...thanks to social networking profiles that apparently outlive our mortal lives.

( Sean & Soul Cole outside 89.7 KLAS recording studio w/Sean's surfboard Soul Cole's portrait ). (Inside the studio with DJ Soul Cole and his stylized portrait ). Yesterday, afternoon I was excited to be a guest on Soul Cole's weekly 89.7 FM (Hollywood, CA) radio show. I enjoyed surprising Soul Cole with a stylized portrait that I created for him, which captured his energetic personality. Throughout the show we discussed several topics, collaborating with Michael Baron on my surfboards, recent travels to Fiji and my volunteer work with my brother's memorial foundation . I really enjoyed the experience.

( kkindc.blogspot.com's opinion of "Faces"). Yesterday, I discovered KK's opinion of my original "Faces" Series. In her words, "I saw the photo- which he created through a digital process, and thought it was really cool. I learned more by checking out his blog and then his website. I am really impressed by his artistry as well as his reasoning for doing the series." I agree that a minority of the people were a little confused about the series at first, because I purposely selected some people that I did not know to well. I wanted to reflect upon how anyone can access information that is posted online. From old girlfriend's parents to company recruiters, you never really "know" who is viewing your social profile in this Web 2.0 era. Additionally, I desired to connect faces digitally as a reflection for the serendipity of social networks. Overall, my Faces series continues to be successful and I receive daily requests for perso...

I just updated my MYSPACE PAGE with a fresh look for the Summer. Enjoy.

Two weeks ago, USC's Annenberg School for Communication hosted their annual career fair. The top entertainment and advertising agencies from the Los Angeles basin transcended upon the cardinal and gold's campus to select the best and brightest Trojans for summer internships and jobs. Personal Branding: Keep in mind these are creative agencies looking for innovative and articulate individuals, not “cookie-cutter” molds. Instead of using a traditional resume to distribute at the event, I tried a different approach. I wrote a personal statement and placed it on the front of card stock paper. I selected card stock, because it shows thoughtful preparation and stands out from traditional paper or other resumes competing for the same job. The personal statement (see my linkedin profile ) allows companies to quickly understand me. It also prevented me from worrying about including every detail of my life in the short interview. I simply was myself and enjoyed talking with the com...

(Excerpt from my thesis: Thinking Beyond Web 2.0: Leveraging the Dynamics of Generation-Y to Build Business ) "Have you been Googled? Odds are ....YES! Either it was by an employer, an old friend or that inquisitive neighbor. Here are 5 Simple Rules for Companies or People in our Web 2.0 Era: First: People Google One Another. Accept it. We live in an era, where if your company does not have a website or you do not have a social networking profile …you are either living in the stone ages or are too old school. Human beings are inquisitive and constantly desiring to know information about each other. The more interesting and stimulating content that is online via a traditional website, web 2.0 site or blog …the better. ...This leads me to my second point... Second : Control The Content If you have pictures of yourself doing a keg stand at a frat party or getting down with Cheech and Chong …this may not be the best content to have tagged or posted to your Facebook or Myspace profi...