Green tech was so last month.

Seriously, quit gasping and finger wagging, or I swear I will turn this blog around.

I’m not suggesting that PR people shouldn’t pitch their clients’ stories of solar powered Wi-Fi or hydrogen fuel cells anymore, because I think companies who “go green” are wonderful! I’m just saying the wave has been caught, ridden, and for the most part, is dangerously close to breaking on the sand and becoming nonexistent. This sounds like a bad thing, but my guess is that most companies don’t just want to help the environment for the media attention it gets them. If it is, then those companies have bigger issues to deal with, anyway. So let’s take a deep breath of that air with the reduced carbon emissions and move forward, because I’ve been holding out on you. You, my dear reader, are probably wondering what I think the media’s newest obsession is, and since I don’t want to make anyone sick with all the tension I’ve created, here it is: charity networks and networking.

Here is where all the jokes are going to end. Charity networks are everywhere, and I can’t get enough of hearing about them. I’ve blogged about Kevin Bacon’s Six Degrees of Separation and Insight by Business Objects and Zerofootprint, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg these days. A big announcement came last week when MTV announced that it would be launching a social network to encourage youth activism, called Think.MTV.com. MTV has always been known for providing youth with knowledge about current political and environmental issues, but MTV also encourages them to turn off the TV and go do something proactive and positive to make the world a better place to live. This being the case, Think.MTV.com is definitely a step in the right direction.

“It’s an issue of not knowing where to start,” said Ian Rowe, MTV Vice President of Public Affairs. “Global warming and genocide in Darfur issues are so huge it’s overwhelming.”

That’s putting it lightly.

Sometimes, especially when you’re young, it’s harder to get people to listen. Even when you’re grown and have everyone’s attention, you’re only one person. But now, anyone can help a good cause. For example, a good college friend of mine used a Facebook application to create a cause called “Stop Dog Fighting Now.” He didn’t work for a nonprofit, and the whole Michael Vick fiasco hadn’t yet begun. He was just your average guy who’s had dogs all his life and happened to strongly believe in putting an end to something truly tragic. Just months after its creation, the group has well over 310,000 members, and over $12,000. has been donated to the Pit Bull Rescue Central, with small fractions of the proceeds also going to Justgive.org and Project Agape. And suddenly, my friend is not just one person, anymore. I couldn’t be happier for him.

Likewise, my colleague Joel and I have been working with Youth and Family Enrichment Services (YFES) to create a presence on Facebook by creating a group and a cause. We’re just starting to promote the group, so if you’ve got a Facebook account, check them out! The amazing thing about this nonprofit is the variety of programs they have and people they help. Just about everyone, somewhere throughout the course of his or her lifetime, has had to endure being or knowing someone who is dealing with substance abuse, domestic violence, mental health, relationship and communication issues. YFES can help people in all of these predicaments, which is very admirable, and definitely a cause worth supporting.

It is my hope that as time goes on, the overall interest in charity networking will stay strong and not go the way of the dinosaur like Tamagotchis, pet rocks and boy bands.

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Do you feel more at ease when you’re surrounded by a caviar munching entrepreneur or a celebutante with a huge mansion and a tiny dog (just a bit smaller than the size of this season’s must-have Prada bag)? Get sick and tired of having to sift through all the “common folk” on your social network? Well, breathe easy, because aSmallWorld (or aSW to its members) is the VIP room of social networks.

… Or maybe you shouldn’t breathe easy. If you haven’t already been invited to be a member, odds are that the eight percent of highly established members that have the power to invite new users aren’t going to be clogging up your inbox anytime soon. And why should they, when they’ve already got an exclusive social network made up of numerous recognizable last names including Firestone, Rockefeller, and Forbes, plus Naomi Campbell, Paris Hilton and Ivanka Trump?

However, if you do somehow manage to become a member of this online country club, you’ll be able to discuss everything from “where to find the finest sushi in Tokyo” to “recommendations on real estate brokers in Rio de Janeiro.” Which is great, because I’ve been meaning to sell one of my Greek isles and just haven’t a clue where to have my butler advertise. Kidding!

According to an article in the New York Times, aSW also arranges dinners and wine tastings, where members can come together and sample advertisers’ products, such as one recent event where Rémy Martin served its premium Cognac, valued at $4000 a bottle, to 200 thirsty people.

Personally, I enjoy spending my time with friends and family who enjoy scarfing down nachos and watching Sunday football in a questionable sports bar while singing Garth Brooks’ “I’ve Got Friends In Low Places” and don’t think that would change no matter how rich or famous I became, but hey, to each their own.

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Love it or hate it, trust it or question its authenticity, Wikipedia has proven itself a force to be reckoned with this week as the most well-known wiki announced that it has passed the two million article mark.  While research is currently being done to see exactly what the two millionth entry was, initial reports claim it was El Hormiguero, a Spanish TV comedy show.  

“El Hormiguero?  Who knew.  If this alone doesn’t illustrate the breadth of Wikipedia then I don’t know what does,” said Daniel Sieberg of CBS.

My thoughts exactly.  This online encyclopedia has been around for less than six years and has already caused a stir with journalists, librarians, tech geeks, our friends over at Encyclopedia Britannica… and the list goes on.  This milestone is truly a testament to Wikipedia’s staying power, so I say cheers to another two million entries that will come sooner than later, I’m sure.

… And while we’re celebrating milestones this week, I read on Mashable! that Apple has now sold one million iPhones just 74 days after its release.  What a week!

Apple, CBS, Daniel Sieberg, El Hormiguero, Encyclopedia Britannica, iPhones, Mashable, Wikipedia, wikis

About a month ago, I got a text message from an irritated friend saying that she tried to sign onto Yahoo! Messenger to find that she’d been blocked.  Then, over the long weekend I was catching up with an old friend who told me that she stopped using Facebook during work hours after a colleague was fired for a dispute surrounding a wall post made on his girlfriend’s profile.  She wasn’t blocked from Facebook per se, but she was too nervous to continue. 

Several other companies have even stricter policies.  According to an article in Computerworld, numerous companies have gone as far as actually blocking social networking sites, which reportedly include Lloyds TSB, Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs & Co.  The article goes on to say that, “Sophos, for one, has made targeted blocking of instant messaging, gaming, social networking Web sites, P2P and nonallowed VoIP clients, one of the main features of its client security software.”

These stories bring up a relevant question: With so many people talking about using social networks to their advantage in the workplace, why are so many companies blocking these new threads of communication?

According to two surveys completed by Sophos PLC, the main concerns are that employees will waste time on Facebook or share too much information on the site, which might lead to targeted (and potentially very costly) phishing attacks.

Although I suppose these allegations can in some instances be true, I still see Facebook as an opportunity, not a hindrance, especially when a company’s employees are responsible and trustworthy.  I was actually pretty surprised when I heard my friends telling me they’d been blocked.  First of all, let’s think employee morality: the glass is supposed to be half full, not half empty!  I also happen to think that leveraging these technologies is greatly beneficial to a company and its employees, especially in terms of productivity.  For example, one of Eastwick’s first day drills is to have our new employees download Yahoo! Messenger so that they can communicate with one another more quickly and effectively.  This also serves as a good means of communication with our clients and media contacts.  As if that’s not enough, ever since our social media guru (I know he loves that nickname) Joel Postman joined the fold, the two of us have been part of a movement to get each and every employee an account on Facebook.  If you’re going to preach about the latest trends, you’ve got to know them, live them and love them.  That’s just my two cents.

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I recently had a chat with a colleague who was telling me about an engineer that she’d met on Match.com a few years ago, and how on paper he seemed like a great catch.  They’d made plans to meet up for coffee when he mentioned that he was married, and wanted to know if that would be a problem.  It was.  She sent him an e-mail telling him where he could go (it wasn’t some tropical vacation destination, although it is known to be quite hot there), and that was that.  She cancelled her account.

While I think online dating probably has the potential to help people find their better half, I have to take back what I said in an earlier blog post about Match.com being a potentially good idea.  It seems like there are still too many screwballs registered, and there’s no foolproof way to sift through them all.  For example, there are many men out there who use online dating as an outlet to cheat on their wives because they can easily lie about their marital status.  It’s scary.  According to MSNBC, research shows that one third of people using online dating services are married!  That reduces the amount of available men registered with online dating sites to 66 percent.  But wait, don’t jump to conclusions just yet, as there are some other factors to take into consideration.  After a move up north, my colleague re-opened her account on Match.com so that she could meet some new people.  Here are some of the other “princes” she’s encountered, as told to me via e-mail:

One time, she decided to go on a date with a guy who said that he wanted a committed relationship on his profile, but it turns out he wanted something to the contrary.  This guy falls under the large category of men who misrepresent themselves online.  My colleague says she’s also gone on dates with guys who lie about their age and post outdated pictures.  I’ve got to use her words here, because I don’t think I could put this any better: “So you think you are meeting a 35 year old and the guy who shows up looks more like Dick Cheney.”  NEXT!

One guy told her his entire dirty laundry story on their first date, which included a stint in rehab for alcohol addiction and the fact that he had a 5-year relationship with a married woman.  No explanation necessary for this one… NEXT!

A guy who seemed totally normal during a date text messaged her afterwards to tell her that she was “too cerebral” and her “looks were a problem.”  What a jerk!  And since when is being smart a bad thing?!  NEXT!

Another man she went on a date with only talked about his ex-wife and how badly she screwed him over.  How about a therapy session with Dr. Phil for a first date, instead?  NEXT!

Actually, there is no next.  She cancelled her account, and this time, I think it’s for good, and with good reason.  If we take our previous percentage of available guys and factor in these walking wounded, commitmentphobes, and players, we come up very short on quality men.  Should the odds of being struck by lightening really be better than the odds of a single adult finding his or her special someone?  I don’t think so, but when it comes to interpersonal relationships, I think it’s probably best to stick to meeting people offline.

Dick Cheney, Dr. Phil, Match.com. online dating, MSNBC, Online Communities, social networks