Next up in our Team Profiles is Katie Knapp, born and raised right here in Massachusetts. She went down to Tampa for college, but found her way back to Massachussetts, and is now an intricate member of the Neal Advertising team.

Name: Katie Knapp

Title: Assistant Account Coordinator & Project Manager

Where are you from?

I Grew up in Amesbury and jumped the bridge to live in Newburyport…I am a total Townie.

What exactly do you DO… what are your daily tasks/requirements?

I help out on several accounts, manage any web projects that come though the agency, and assign creative projects to our amazing designers.

How long have you been doing what you’re doing; and what happened to bring you on board to-do-it here at Neal Adv?

I have been working in advertising for eight years. Prior to coming to Neal, I worked for a Radio Station and Billboard company. I took some time off after I had my daughter and then found my place here at Neal. I have been at Neal for a year and half and am happy to be a part of the Neal team.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

Every day is a little bit different and I like that no day is the same. It makes for some interesting days but at least it keeps me on my toes.

What’s your favorite part of being on the Neal Adv team?

The people…everyone has a great personality and plays an important role at the agency.

If you could go back and change one aspect of your career, what would it be?

I wouldn’t have made the leap into sales. As much as I enjoyed working with clients I would have rather worked in promotions.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Healthy and happy.

You’ve just been handed $6,000 to make ONE improvement/addition to the Neal Advertising office…. what are you buying?

I would get a kegerator.

If you had never ‘made’ it in this field – what would you being doing?

I would more than likely be a teacher.

If you could change anything about your job – what would it be?

The client interaction. I came from a job where I was on the road everyday which is a total change to my current roll where I am in the office most of the day.

What stations do you have on your Pandora?

Hit Radio, Katy Perry, Adele, Jay Z, Michael Jackson, and because of my daughter, Disney’s greatest hits. I love the song ‘Get Low‘ by Lil Jon and The East Side Boyz because it reminds me of my college girlfriends.

What are your favorite kind of movies?

Any movie with a happy ending….my mom calls them bunny, ducky, kitty movies. Nothing too suspenseful or disturbing.

Describe a perfect day for you?

Summertime on my boat heading to the beach with my favorite people spending the day rafting up with my other boating buddies, swimming, playing in the sand, with a cold adult beverage in  hand. I love summertime!!!!!

What do you like to do when you’re off the clock?

I love to spend time with my husband and daughter, and the rest of my family doing pretty much anything with them makes me happy.

Do you have any hobbies?

I love to read, spend time with my family and friends, travel, work out, and play with my daughter.

Who are your favorite sports teams?

Red Sox and Patriots.

What’s your #1 vacation spot?

Hawaii.

What’s something about you that not many people know?

I used to hate my red hair when I was a kid and now I love it and wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m a ginger and proud of it.

If you could live a weekend as anyone of your choice, who would it be?

Kate Middleton.

If you could spend the weekend with anyone of your choice, who would it be?

Dana Rudder- my old college roommate. She lives far away and I don’t get to see her too often and I miss her.

If you could have a dinner party with you and three other people, dead or alive – who are you choosing and why?

John F Kennedy Jr, Walt Disney, and Bethenny Frankel.

If you were getting dropped off on an remote island alone for the next month and could only bring 5 items… what are you bringing?

Chapstick because I am addicted to it, my phone because I am always talking on it, the stack of magazines I never get to read, sunscreen because of my fair skin, and my daughter Libby.

If you won $10 million tomorrow in the lottery, what would be the next 5 things you do?

Call my lawyer…then I would buy my husband any boat he wanted, buy a HUGE vacation home with lots of space for family and friends, buy my parents a house in Florida, and pay for the rest of the Amesbury Town Park renovation.

With our next Team Profile, we head over to the designing side of Neal Advertising with our Art Director, Shelby Carcio –  a gifted designer and singer.

 Name: Shelby Carcio

Role: Art Director

Where are you from?

A small, but great little town outside of Hartford, CT.

What exactly do you DO… what are your daily tasks/requirements?

I’m the Art Director, for mainly print projects, but also some digital and video work. I help create, design, and execute an array of projects. I also tend to arrange any outside group-foodie-activities, ’cause, well, I’m a foodie.

How long have you been doing what you’re doing; and what happened to bring you on board to-do-it here at Neal Adv?

I graduated college with a graphic design degree and have been doing it since, so a LOOONG time. Neal was a great fit for me since I’ve been at very small agencies and huge ones. This is a perfect mix.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

Lately, it’ been video editing. I absolutely love it. Other than that, I love logo design and being able to do my job with fun people.

What’s your favorite part of being on the Neal Adv team?

It’s a great environment with great people. We are all really good at what we do, and know how to do it as a team, with LOTS of humor. That’s KEY for me.

If you could go back and change one aspect of your career, what would it be?

That I got into the video side of it earlier.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I try not to plan that type of thing too much – let’s just say I hope to be happy, healthy and content with wherever I am.

You’ve just been handed $6,000 to make ONE improvement/addition to the Neal Advertising office…. what are you buying?

A Trampoline park. Or a killer BAR. A Juice bar, of course. OH who am I kidding…

If you had never ‘made’ it in this field – what would you being doing?

I have too many! Something with animals – go west, get a ton of land and create a animal rescue sanctuary.  Be in California involved in tv/film/music, acting/singing/directing/producing. I’ll stop there.

If you could change anything about your job – what would it be?

More video/tv!

What is your favorite kind of music? Artist? Song?

Oh so many. It is literally all over the place. Hybrid, Zero 7, BT, Seal, Michael Jackson, Colin Hay, Madonna, Alice in Chains, Pink, Dark New Day, Chris Botti, Killswitch Engage, Morcheeba, Howard Jones, Lionel Richie, Red, Whitesnake, Winger, Frou Frou, Heart, Jamiroquai, Tori Amos, The Panic Division, Goldfrapp, Roy Haynes, etc. See? All over the place.

What are your favorite kind of movies?

I love supernatural movies – things that have to do with “the other side”. Or revenge movies – I love when the bad guys get their a**es handed to them.

Describe a perfect day for you (can’t involve work)?

I can’t pick one. So many things. Not being in Massachusetts, that’s for sure. I know I’d want to end the day headlining a killer show for about 10,000 people. Hey, you never said anything about being realistic.

What do you like to do when you’re off the clock?

Be outside, work out, yoga, play with the band, write music, cook, swim, eat awesome food and relax after all that.

Any hobbies?

Biggest one is my band. Been in bands/singing since high school. Can’t get enough of it. But again, look at the above answer.

Who are your favorite sports teams?

I’m such a homer. All the Boston teams. But I’m also a Minnesota Vikings fan, Cubs fan, and sometimes I cheer for the NY Giants – my dad was/is a huge Giants fan from when I was little. Just been a little hard since Eli came along. Sorry Bobby.

What’s your #1 vacation spot?

I need to travel more – but from the places I have been to – Aruba.

What’s something about you that not many people know?

When I was in high school, I was in a dance troop that traveled around the state for the D.A.R.E. program . We basically did Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation” routine – outfits and all. It was a sight.

If you could live a weekend as anyone of your choice, who would it be?

I think it would be cool to be Madonna for a weekend, circa 1990-ish. I would be curious to see how awesome and how horrible it would be, cuz you know it’s both, in a way.

If you could spend the weekend with anyone of your choice, who would it be?

Tough one! Madonna, to pick her brain and bring her back down to earth, make her be a normal person for a little while. Eat a cheeseburger for cryin’ out loud…

If you could have a dinner party with you and three other people, dead or alive – who are you choosing and why?

The Dalai Lama, Queen Latifah, Ricky Gervais or John Ritter. All positivity, strength and humor around me.

If you won $10 million tomorrow in the lottery, what would be the next 5 things you do?

Call a lawyer

Call a financial planner

But after that…

Buy my parents a beach house

Make sure our families were OK

Buy a house on the west coast

Open that animal sanctuary

Create my own label in which my band and my husbands band could do/play whatever/wherever/however we wanted. BOOM.

Next in line for our Team Profiles, is the pride of New Jersey, Senior Account Executive Bobby McMann. Bobby has been with Neal Advertising for five years and is an avid New York Sports fan and hip hop head.

Name: Robert ‘Bobby’ McMann

Role: Senior Account Director

Where are you from?

I’m residing in the North Shore of Massachusetts by way of New Jersey.

What exactly do you DO… what are your daily tasks/requirements?

I manage accounts and the Account Department, making sure the clients are getting the service and creative they need.

How long have you been doing what you’re doing; and what happened to bring you on board to-do-it here at Neal Adv?

I’ve been at Neal Advertising for over 5 years, I’ve been in the automotive advertising space for over 7 years and working in advertising and marketing for the past decade.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

Being a part of a successful campaign for a client or being a part of bringing a new client of board.

What’s your favorite part of being on the Neal Adv team?

Neal Adv is a melting pot of different personalities, expertise and backgrounds meshing together to come up with great work.

If you could go back and change one aspect of your career, what would it be?

I would have gotten more involved in the actual creative and design process.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Hopefully helping clients navigate the ever changing landscape of advertising and marketing. Or talking/writing about fantasy football for a living.

You’ve just been handed $6,000 to make ONE improvement/addition to the Neal Advertising office…. what are you buying?

A balcony for my office. Sometimes creativity is sparked by fresh air.

If you had never ‘made’ it in this field – what would you being doing?

I feel like I could have latched onto a number of different fields. I think most likely I’d be a teacher or a writer of some kind.

If you could change anything about your job – what would it be?

More opportunity for creativity and client interaction.

What is your favorite kind of music? Artist? Song?

The standard answer that most people give here is “I listen to everything”. I don’t. I listen to 95% hip hop and about 5% other stuff. Favorite artists at the moment are Action Bronson and Danny Brown. All-time; Biggie, Michael Jackson and Jay-Z are in some order at the top. Favorite song is a tough one, I’ll say Juciy  by Notorious B.I.G.

What are your favorite kind of movies?

I like action/thrillers. Favorite movie is Dumb and Dumber, followed closely by Fight Club. Can’t say I have a favorite actor or actress, maybe Zach Galifianakis or Aziz [Ansari]?

Describe a perfect day for you (can’t involve work)?

Well, since it can’t involve work, I would say a crisp Fall Sunday stroll by the beach, then watching football with my fiancee Danielle. Giants win.

What do you like to do when you’re off the clock?

Playing and writing about fantasy sports, listening to music and watching movies.

Any hobbies?

Playing/collecting records, eating hot dogs and sports.

Who are your favorite sports teams?

Definitely most passionate about the New York Yankees and Giants. It affects my life in that I let everything revolve around sports… and I’m okay with that.

What’s your #1 vacation spot?

The Jersey Shore is probably my most frequent destination, but #1 would be an island, any island. Even Rhode Island. Love Newport.

What’s something about you that not many people know?

I’ve never seen Forrest Gump. I find Tom Hanks extremely annoying.

If you could live a weekend as anyone of your choice, who would it be?

Tough one. Derek Jeter is too obvious, Mike Tyson would probably be interesting… but let’s go with Rob Dyrdek.

If you could spend the weekend with anyone of your choice, who would it be?

I’ll hang with Lamar Odom. Who knows, maybe Danielle and I will go on a double date with Khloe and Lamar.

If you could have a dinner party with you and three other people, dead or alive – who are you choosing and why?

Notorious B.I.G. – For entertainment. Plus, if we go to a buffet he could probably shut it down.

Jesus – For a Q&A session and if we ever run out of wine…

Giada de Laurentiis – For her cooking skills of course.

If you won $10 million tomorrow in the lottery, what would be the next 5 things you do?

1. Buy a $10 million car.

2. Celebrate with family and friends.

3. Buy a new house.

4. Start a charity.

5. Travel.

My 30 days off Facebook finally came to a conclusion last week. I wanted to wait until today to write about it – mainly to give  myself a little time to let it marinate. After these past few days, I’ve come to learn that my initial response (last week) is the same feeling I have today…it hardly effects your real life; but without it, you’d lose almost all access to 90% of your friends.

During my leave of absence from Facebook, there are four major points I took away from the experience.

1. Your real (offline) life isn’t effected that much by being off of Facebook.
2. However, there are people you WILL NOT interact with at all off of Facebook.
3. Facebook is a constant stream of what other people are doing with their lives – you certainly feel ‘out of the loop’ when off of Facebook.
4. Just like companies on Facebook, people on Facebook are all about ‘building their brand’.

#1 (Your real (offline) life isn’t effected that much by being off of Facebook) should be obvious – there are people who you hang out with on a regular basis, and Facebook has little-to-no influence over that relationship.

#2 (However, there are people you WILL NOT interact with at all off of Facebook) starts to dig a little deeper. In my case, there are people on Facebook who I grew up with, have met along the way, used to work with, etc, etc, that I simply (for whatever reason or another) don’t hang out with in person – in most cases I don’t even have their phone number. This limits my sole interactions with them to Facebook; through status updates, comments, likes. This is proof that the way the ‘Facebook Generation’ will stay in touch with each other throughout their lives compared to our parents is astounding. For example, my mom just linked up with her college roommate about a year ago after not having spoken with her for 30+ years… that’s crazy! Facebook ultimately allows this to NEVER happen – as long as you have an account and didn’t completely scorn someone in the past, you’re going to be able to stay in touch with whoever you want, for the rest of your [Facebook] life.

#3 (Facebook is a constant stream of what other people are doing with their lives – you certainly feel ‘out of the loop’ when off of Facebook) kind of intertwines with #2, but travels a bit further because it starts to involve people you have a ‘real-life’ relationship with. Just like people watch news stations and sports networks for the latest news in those worlds, Facebook acts as a news feed (fitting – that’s why Facebook calls it that) for people in your life. It allows you constantly monitor and get updates with what all of your ‘friends’ are doing. I say friends in quotation marks, as #2 begs the question whether or not we’re actually friends with the majority of our Facebook Friends. This aspect is the reason most people would find giving up Facebook hard to do – which brings me to my next point…

We as humans have three levels of friends. Level 1 is people we are really close to, and who’s relationships are in no way effected by Facebook. Level 2 is people we are moderately close with, hang out with on occasion and stay in touch through phone calls/texting and social media. Level 3 are the people I mentioned above; we most likely don’t have their phone number and the only interaction is online. To break it down into percentages, I’d ballpark it at about the following: 10% are Level 1, 65% are Level 2, and another 25% are level 3 (If the Level 1 percentage seems too low to you, actually THINK about the amount of people you hang out and/0r interact with on a regular basis – for example, 3-4+ times a month…. if it’s higher than 10% of the number of people you’re friends with on Facebook… I just simply don’t believe you – 10% might be too high in comparison to the amount of Facebook Friends people have).

This means the removal of Facebook would, for the most part (minus texting and phone calls), cut off our communication with upwards of 90% of the people we interact with (I won’t say friends, because again – we’re not really ‘friends’ with a large number of our Facebook Friends – this should prove that). In conclusion on the topic of #3, I think that the biggest impact Facebook has on our lives is our relationships with our Level 2 friends – people who we would love to hang out with as much as Level 1 people, but for whatever reason (distance, relationships, etc.) we can’t. Facebook allows us to bridge the gap and keep these relationships relatively active.

#4 (Just like companies on Facebook, people on Facebook are all about ‘building their brand) is my favorite finding of all. I’ll preface it by saying, as the social media specialist here at Neal Adv – my job is to help build our clients’ online presence through social media. During my time working here, I’ve come to the conclusion that the majority of people on Facebook are all in some way social media specialists, and their job is to build their online presence through social media… for themselves. The driving factor behind what a lot of people post on Facebook is to improve their ‘perceived’ appearance to their Facebook Friends (it’s also the driving force behind the ‘check-in’ feature on Facebook – PROVING you’re at a specific location). I’ll start off with the clear cut #1 example: when people alter their profile picture to depict them in best possible manner; almost always leaving an end result that looks nothing like them. You’ve all seen it before: the ‘kissy/duck’ face, the dimly lit photo, the head tilt, photo-enhanced, etc, etc – almost everyone does it, and why wouldn’t you? You want to look as good as possible in your profile picture, and unfortunately some people think whatever they look like regularly isn’t ‘good enough’ (this obviously opens Pandora’s box to an even larger issue with society as a whole, but I’m not sure my ‘enlightenment level’ is high enough to take that issue on).

The other way people build their brand is by uploading photos of places they’re at/things they’re doing. The only reason people post pictures they’ve taken on their latest tropical vacation, or a shot of the Red Sox game is so that other people ‘recognize’ the cool things they’re doing. Why else would you take time away from the experience you’re having, other than to inform people that you’re having it. Another example is when people post photos of the meals they’re eating – I mean why ELSE would you, as a waiter or waitress places your meal in front of you (or even better, your significant other), whip out your smartphone and take a picture, upload that picture, and then write a witty line about this plate of food. It’s almost unreal if you think about it – the extent we go to inform anyone who will listen in cyberspace about what we’re experiencing in our ‘real’ lives. There’s a ton of other examples like music videos, quotes from songs, funny moments you’ve participated in – all in one way or another proving your depth as an individual, your artistic side, or the quality of your personality. People also seek sympathy when they share information about a sick relative, or something bad that’s happened to them… it’s the only reason you’d share something so personal – so that people are aware you’re going through something tough.

Two things I want to make clear before I wrap this up – I’m not trying to project here; and in no way am I trying to claim ‘I’m above people who do these things’ – because the fact of the matter is, I do a lot of them too. We all do in one way or another, it’s the most powerful aspect of the site. We may not cognitively know the underlying reason for a lot of what we do on Facebook, but I’m theorizing that it has a lot to do with what I’ve previously mentioned.

That’s all I’ve got on this subject – hope you enjoyed my points. I learned (I think) a lot during my 30 days off of Facebook and am not afraid to admit that I never want to do it again. I love the site and love the connections it keeps alive. I enjoy occasionally bragging about the fact I’m at a Patriots game, showing people that I enjoy specific songs and posting odd points of views I have in hopes that someone will get a chuckle out of what I have to say (and then of course confirm that chuckle digitally through a ‘like’).

All in all, thanks Zuckerberg… quite the product you’ve got here.

Neal Advertising is hiring! We are looking for a talented, self  motivated web developer.  We are constantly working on new and  interesting projects most of which are built on WordPress.  We are an energetic group  committed to providing the best quality products and  services to our clients.  We believe and are passionate in what we do  and will be looking for the same in you.

A qualified candidate will have the following experience:

• College Degree in related field
• 4 years of developing websites
• Client interaction and management
• Lead or directed a team through design and development process

You must also have the following skills

•  PHP / mySQL
•  Superior HTML and CSS skills
•  jQuery
•  WordPress theme development any plugin development experience is a plus
•  Understanding of basic server requirements. You should know how to alter domain dns, create and alter databases, basic security needs and  the ability to put a website live.

The right candidate would be excited to join a team of talented  designers and developers.  You would be passionate about the web  industry and likely attend local meetups on a regular basis.  Knowledge of industry happenings, latest news, tools and more.

Send me your resume with a link to your portfolio.  Your portfolio  must at a minimum include websites that you have developed without the  use of a WYSIWYG or based on a template or framework, WordPress themes  you have developed, at least one responsive website, any HTML5, CSS3  is a plus.

We are offering a full time position on our staff with health and other related benefits.  Salary is competitive and based on experience and skill level.  We prefer candidates to work in our Danvers office but for the RIGHT candidate we may consider telecommuting (if you’re able to come to the office periodically).

Fill out the form below to apply

Starting with Jesse Friedman, our Director of Web Development – we will be rolling out fun, personal in-depth interviews with the members of our Neal Advertising Team. The interviews/bios will allow you to learn about the members of our great family here. For the most part, people outside of our company only see the final product of what we produce and have no idea where it comes from… what sparks the idea… or who created what they’re seeing. Now you’ll be able to see past the invisible wall and see what makes this company such a finely tuned machine… the people behind it!

Name: Jesse Friedman

Role: Director of Web Development

Where are you from?
I’m from Queens, NY, Later I moved to Cape Cod now I’m in Rhode Island

What exactly do you DO… what are your daily tasks/requirements?

Oh man, I think the better question is what don’t I do, which would be take out the trash, put paper in the printer and restock pens. In reality, I oversee the development of all of the websites that we build. I write a ton of code, answer a ton of questions for people and also help run day to day operations.

How long have you been doing what you’re doing; and what happened to bring you on board to-do-it here at Neal Adv?

I started building websites in 1999 and have always loved doing it. I have always looked for the next challenge and when I found out Neal Advertising was looking for someone it was a perfect fit. It’s been 5 years; and a great 5 years.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

Working with our design team to build some awesome websites.

What’s your favorite part of being on the Neal Adv team?

Working with the talent that we have on our team. Everyone is so motivated to do the best work they can. It’s inspiring to always be apart of a team that’s always working to improve their own skills and put out the best products.

If you could go back and change one aspect of your career, what would it be?

I would have shaked more hands and bought others more beer.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Probably in a mirror or a reflection pool, hopefully holding a book or something else I might have written.

You’ve just been handed $6,000 to make ONE improvement/addition to the Neal Advertising office…. what are you buying?

The Astoria Gloria SAE 2 2 Group Automatic Espresso Machine

If you had never ‘made’ it in this field – what would you being doing?

I’d be a carpenter. I love building furniture, it’s the closest thing I have to a hobby.

If you could change anything about your job – what would it be?

I’d be closer to the office so I could come in a bit more. I work from home and it can be a bit lonely.

What is your favorite kind of music? Artist? Song?

I love all music everything from Opera to Rap. Right now I’m in a rock-ish phase. I have to give a shout out to Shelby and Era For a Moment.

What are your favorite kind of movies?

I love war movies and one of my favorites is Hunt for Red October

Describe a perfect day for you (can’t involve work)?

Camping with the family. I love to at least attempt to disconnect from the world and no better people to do that with than my Wife and Son.

What do you like to do when you’re off the clock?

Mostly play with my 4 year old son, Landon. We’re always building stuff or going on little adventures. I recently bought a new bike so we are going to do that more in the spring.

Any hobbies?

I love building things and playing golf

Who are your favorite sports teams?

New England Patriots and Boston Bruins. I’m really not into baseball or basketball. I am not talking about the Patriots much at the moment, kind of in mourning.

What’s your #1 vacation spot?

Walt Disney World.

What’s something about you that not many people know?

I have at least 6 toes.

If you could live a weekend as anyone of your choice, who would it be?

An astronaut who was going to space that weekend. I’d love to go into space, that would be cool.

If you could spend the weekend with anyone of your choice, who would it be?

Matt Mullenweg the creator of WordPress.

If you could have a dinner party with you and three other people, dead or alive – who are you choosing and why?

Albert Einstein – ’cause I have a feeling his intelligence is contagious plus he seems like a lot of fun.
Abraham Lincoln – I think could learn a lot from him plus he’s the only politician I’ve ever admired and that says a lot.
A Samurai Warrior – …enough said.

If you won $10 million tomorrow in the lottery, what would be the next 5 things you do?

I’d start a foundation that would build websites and web strategies for non profits.
Buy a house with more than one bathroom.
Take a trip to Europe.
Make a documentary about skateboarding bulldogs.
Go to Cuba for a real cigar.

Stay tuned for our next Employee Profile!

If you missed the introduction of my social study, make sure that you check out the details here. For those of you returning, I currently have six days left until I can reactivate my Facebook account. I’m going to have a full break-down of my 25 day Facebook-fast once the six days are completed, but I wanted to give you a little update on how things are going.

It’s really an odd scenario that I find myself in. There are times where I get hardcore cravings to just drop this whole routine and hop on Facebook – almost like a drug-addict. I’m easily able to talk myself out of these scenarios with the simple question “why do you want to go on so bad?” After about 2-3 reasons tops on why I want to browse the site, I realize (or at least think I do) that it really isn’t that big of a deal that I can’t hop on. It’s a bizarre cycle to say the least. I found that the biggest urges came from wanting to see photos/statuses from a weekend with my buddies back home (and) for finding out more about people I have recently met. I don’t know about you, but usually within a week or two of meeting someone new, we become friends on Facebook (by either my friend request or theirs) and I check out their profile to see if I can learn anything more about them from what I briefly learned in our initial meeting (musical interests, movies, photos, etc.) – I can’t be the only one who does this.

Probably the biggest surprise (and not trying to sound like Ron Burgundy ‘I’m kind of a big deal’) to me has been that no one has noticed by absence. I feel like I usually notice when someone has deactivated their profile because I either go to write on their wall or message them and they’re no where to be found. But then again; what is someone supposed to do? Call/text me and ask me what’s the deal with my Facebook profile? So I guess this could just be my imagination running wild. Needless to say – Twitter has been a big help as far as socially interacting with friends online. My usage has gone way up and I’ve discovered a lot more people on Twitter that didn’t even know were on there… but more to come on this in my Phase 1 recap next week.

Until then…

A little over a month ago I wrote an article (here) explaining the almost-unlimited positive possibilities that could derive from Facebook allowing companies/businesses to use the new ‘Timeline’ format for their public pages. Ad Age recently released a report stating that the Timeline profile will be made available to companies’ pages starting as soon as the end of February. This is huge for what businesses are going to be able to do (fully broken-down in my original article, linked above).

I think this could ultimately do away with the ‘tabs’ that most pages have. The strategy will ultimately lie in how quick you can sell yourself/gauge interest with your cover photo and recent uploads. It’s going to be a wild ride, and I’m very, very pumped for it. Once we have our clients up and running, I’ll be sure to link you all back to them.

As a young 24 year old gentlemen growing up in the new age of social media, I’ve come to find that social media engulfs a large majority of my free time/life. Whether it be through Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, etc., I always seem to find myself immersed in one of these platforms. I’ve never gone as far as staying home on a weekend night, ignoring actual human engagement with my friends, to instead browse social media sites – but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t at times preferred communicating with someone through social media rather than over the phone or face-to-face. In fact I can recall a time where I’ve been annoyed that someone was ‘actually’ calling me, rather than continuing the current conversation we were having through Facebook chat (I think this largely has to do with the fact that, just like texting, you can focus on multiple tasks – as opposed to talking over the phone, where the main source of your focus is towards the call/caller itself… maybe that’s just me though).

Either way you slice it, this is undoubtedly an issue, and I’ve decided I’m going to do something about it.

I feel that this social media dependence, or ‘social crutch’ as the Therapists and Doctors are calling it (I just made social crutch up) is something that’s becoming more and more common for people my age. I think that people’s social skills/activity are being handicapped by their constant reliance on social media sites as forms of communication. In fact one of my friends just told me they were taking a break from Facebook because, “I spend way too much time on it, I feel like friends neglect to communicate with me because of it…like they always know what I’m doing - I want to weed out some people and see who can actually try other means to communicate with me”

I thought that quote was fascinating. Fascinating not just because I couldn’t believe such an intelectual quote could be based on Facebook, but fascinating because it was true. Are social media sites like Facebook robbing of us of human interaction? Slowly turning us into robots who can’t comunicate/interact without some sort of screen being involved? I know (through friend’s siblings) that kids in high school are going to parties in other towns based solely on conversations/invites they received from other kids on Facebook. They haven’t even met in person, much less spoken over the phone – they’ve chatted and seen pictures of each other, thus deeming that the other is worthy of a hangout. That’s crazy to me – I remember when it faux pas to even FRIEND REQUEST someone on Facebook if you had never spoken to them in ‘real life’, much less attempt to engage a hangout.

In an attempt to make some sense of it all, and to see if this growing reliance on social media is an actual reality – I’m going to conduct a study. I’m going to research my social interaction for the next 75 days and I’m going to keep a running log of my interactions with friends, both online and offline. The 75 day layout will look like this:

• First 25 days: No Facebook (Twitter allowed)
• Next 25 days: No Twitter (Facebook allowed)
• Last 25 days: No Twitter and no Facebook – I’ll be completely ‘dark’

I’m going to be keeping track of my interactions with people – here is the first version (I’m sure new means of interaction will appear, and be added to the list throughout my study) of my list of different interactions:

• Interactions engaged (any attempt to communicate with me)
• Plans Scheduled (any plans scheduled through communication – plans can be anything from scheduling a phone conversation to a physical hangout)
• Plans generated (this is essentially if plans are acted upon – this is important because I’m interested to see if online vs. offline plans have a higher/lower success rate)

Throughout this study, I’m going to be keep a live journal (on this site) to keep everyone in the loop on what’s happening. I’ll be making notes of things that I find interesting, tasks that are more/less difficult and just an overall log of what’s going on in my mind.  For those of you that are curious – No, I will not be informing people of the REASON behind my ‘fasts’ from these social media sites; I believe that it would alter my findings (alter my findings is arguably the most scientifically inclined thing I’ve ever said… right behind scientifically inclined! – I think this ‘fast’ may be already increasing my brain productivity/efficiency). If anyone were to ask the reason I’m off these sites, I’d just feed them some excuse to extinguish the conversation (if any of my friends come across this, PLEASE don’t try to sabotage my study! This will be really great/informative for all of us!). Also, I’m going to be keeping track of how I reach out/get in touch with people as well).

The study starts today, so keep an eye out here on Nealadv.com for my future updates. Look for new/different types of interactions to be added to my list, as I’m assuming new areas of study will unfold. When all is said and done, I’ll publish my findings and we’ll be able to see how impactful these social media sites are in my everyday communication with people.

If you’re still reading – Thank you, Tebow bless you, and lets see how this thing goes!