When I officially accepted my admission to UC Berkeley in 2006, I didn't go out to celebrate. Instead, I celebrated my achievement like any twenty-first century teenager would: I made a Facebook profile.

Back in the day (which was just about five years ago), Facebook was limited to colleges, and a relatively exclusive number of schools at that. We all loved it because it was a refreshing change from having to deal with the middle-aged guys who had begun invading MySpace in droves. It was addicting, and despite startling changes like the introduction of the newsfeed (yes, it led to groups like "Petition to Facebook Against Adding the Newsfeed"), everyone in college quickly became a devoted user. Sunday mornings were now reserved for pouring over hilarious photos and riotous status updates of the previous two days' escapades. "Studying for finals" soon came to mean spending hours checking out friends' profiles, before maybe deciding to crack a book come 2 am.

And then, the unthinkable happened: Facebook was opened to the public. In hindsight, it started going downhill from there... at least in the eyes of Facebook's early adopters. Suddenly, everyone had a Facebook profile, from your elderly Aunt Mary to your ten year-old brother. Companies began targeting advertisements based on "likes" and "dislikes" listed on profiles, lines between business and pleasure were blurred as bosses joined Facebook and "friended" their employees, and, perhaps most importantly, our sense of privacy began to become less and less... well, private. As the Facebook demographic began shifting towards the Baby Boomer generation, those of us who had been users since its early days felt disenchanted and frankly, disenfranchised.

What had been our exclusive online world was now open to anyone and everyone, and no longer held the same appeal it once had. It should come as no surprise, then, that many Facebook users in my age group are deactivating their accounts, or at the very least, visiting the site less often. We're moving on in increasingly large numbers, favoring social gaming, Tweeting, and blogging; many of us eagerly await the next site that will provide the online niche for the needs that Facebook used to satisfy. Personally? I keep my Facebook profile for event pages, photo albums, and the occasional surprise of discovering a high school classmate who's gotten married. However, Facebook has lost its original luster. If we originally used the site because it was exclusive to the college social melieu, what good is Facebook when it has surpassed the 500 million user mark?

How should Facebook react to the growing exodus from their site? I think the answer lies in bringing back some of the original exclusivity and interactivity, the two features that drew us to the site in the first place. I still remember the thrill of receiving an email notification that someone had written on my Wall or that someone I'd met in class had added me as a friend. These are the elements that brought people clamoring to join Facebook in the first place; maybe it's time for a return to the beginning?

Is Facebook still relevant? What does it still offer us in our daily lives besides the ability to waste time and reinforce connections we've already made in the "real world"? Comment below and let me know how you view Facebook's current status--no pun intended--in the world of social media.

About the author: Lindsay Goldner is a UC Berkeley graduate working as the Social Media Coordinator at Gemvara. When she's not Tweeting, Facebooking, or blogging, she loves do-it-yourself home decor projects, reading novels, Broadway musicals, and exploring her new home, Boston!

Not sure how I stumbled upon the video below, but I'm happy that I did. If you've seen it on YouTube (and chances are you have, since its received almost 2 million views), you were probably surprised when, at the end of video, it became clear it was an ad for Pantene hair products. They ended the video with their logo and the phrase, "You can shine." Some people left comments about the video stating that while it was great, it had nothing to do with the product because the product itself never actually appeared in the piece. I disagree--it had everything to do with the product.

Pantene wants to tell you about their shampoo by talking "around" it and not "about it," thereby capturing your attention with an authentic message rather than a standard sales pitch or some other regurgitated advertising tactic. Is this just another way to tug at people's heartstrings and make them head straight for Pantene bottles in the shampoo aisle? Well, of course, but the ad also does something that I think is quite clever--it makes you feel inspired by showing you a person overcoming hardship.

The interesting thing about spots like this one for Pantene is that they possess a duality that could be characterized as a blend ofadvertising and also art. Pantene is getting you to think about larger, over-arching themes (overcoming obstacles, victory), much like a film, and draws a connection between those themes and their product.

But the folks at Pantene haven't forgotten to give hair a major role in the piece. The violin player's hair is referenced visually several times throughout the spot, as the young woman is passionately playing the violin, and then again at the end, when she plays for a large crowd with a mane of gleaming, sleek, straight hair.

The bottom line? If every time you see a Pantene bottle you think of overcoming obstacles and believing in yourself, isn't that a victory often more glorious than an ad that has the actual product in it for 10 seconds? I think so.

Check out the video for yourself below and let me know what you think.

Every once in a while, a company comes along that just gets it. They don't just entice you with a flashy website--they actually deliver a quality product at a competitive price, and enhance the customer experience with outstanding support. Recently, I discovered a company called Inkd, which fits that exact description. I was looking for some last-minute graphic design work for a flyer, and Inkd gave me some of the most personalized care I've ever received from an online merchant.

Inkd provides original graphic design templates for flyers, brochures, business cards, and much more. Due to a last-minute change in the scope of a project, one of my clients needed a two-sided flyer designed as soon as possible. Not to worry, Inkd had me covered. They took on the project and turned it around in no time, thanks to super-designer Chelsea and her team. A proof was ready for me in a few hours. Brilliant!

Their site is remarkably easy to use: browse the available templates, pick a great design for your flyer/business card/brochure/etc., and tweak it as necessary (if at all) to make it your own. The whole experience was easy, and whenever I had questions, Chelsea and the Inkd staff where there for me.

Inkd makes it easier for the producers and consumers of design work to connect. Even if you regularly work with a graphic designer, it's possible that they may not accept last-minute projects. Inkd took on my project at a good price and allowed me to finish other work simultaneously. Added bonus? Inkd doesn't use cheesy templates that make you think about dot matrix printers and Betamax machines--all of their designs are fresh, modern, and look 100% custom.

As a business owner, it's a relief to know there are companies like Inkd out there. Their personalized and efficient service has made me a fan!

The benefits of using Inkd:

- Stylish templates for a wide array of projects

- Designs that reflect a more modern aesthetic

- Excellent, personalized customer care

- Quick turnaround

- Fair pricing

Many of you have been asking when the song "Chain Reaction" (from the Grasshopper video I produced) will be available via multiple music sites. Well, some good news: it's finally available for purchase on iTunes (in addition to Amazon and other sites).

Carly Comando created this incredible track, and she was really a pleasure to work with--enthusiastic, poised, and responsive. She composed "Chain Reaction" based on the script I wrote and my sometimes annoyingly specific feedback about the sound I needed for the video. She ended up producing one of the most evocative tracks I've ever heard. It really completes the "Entrepreneurs Can Change the World" video.

Grab the track on iTunes today!

I don't normally write blog posts about work I've done for specific companies, but I've permission from the wonderful folks at Grasshopper (formerly GotVMail) to write about what they've done because I find it so inspiring.

On Monday, the company that was GotVMail launched a pretty bold campaign to re-brand themselves as Grasshopper. Change isn't always easy, but when there's a great idea behind it, it's a lot easier to galvanize support. That's the case with Grasshopper. While the company has always been a champion of entrepreneurs, the re-branding is all about inspiring entrepreneurs to change the world, and taking innovation to a whole new level. And we could all use some inspiration right now.

I was fortunate to be involved in several aspects of the re-branding but I'm really proud of one piece of work in particular: the company's inspirational video, "A Single Brilliant Idea." Producing and writing the video was amazing because I got to work with two incredibly talented individuals during production, one being Carly Comando, who created the original score. Carly is best known for writing the score for the Noah Kalina "Everyday" viral video and for music she's provided for the NBA's "Where Amazing Happens" campaign. Ben White was the motion designer on the project. I feel so grateful to have found Ben, because he understood what I was going for with the video, and he brought a lot of passion to the project. I feel fortunate to have collaborated with these two creative people.

UPDATE: Many people have been asking for the name of the track Carly created for the Grasshopper video. It's called "Chain Reaction" and it will be available for purchase on iTunes at the end of June or early July.

Without further ado, I'd like to share the video with you:

Fast food corporation + public works project = KFC's new marketing campaign.

Got potholes? KFC's got a solution: they'll fill the potholes in your city if, after they've been filled, you let them spray-paint their logo on the finished product. Sound like a good deal? Then you might want to give Colonel Sanders a call and let him know to come to town (or go to town--on your potholes, that is).

KFC's pothole-filling project is all part of their new "street marketing campaign" to spread the word about the freshness of KFC's chicken. According to the company's press release, "While most people know the signature taste of the Colonel's Original Recipe, not everyone knows that KFC restaurants receive shipments of fresh chicken on the bone throughout each week." But make no mistake, this isn't about just letting consumers know they sell fresh chicken at KFC.

As soon as I heard about KFC's new promotion, I remembered what I'd read in Martin Lindstrom's book, Buyology. In the book, he describes KFC's subliminal ad for the Buffalo Snacker chicken sandwich, which "if the viewer replayed... in slow motion, revealed a code that consumers could enter on the KFC Web site to receive a coupon for a free Snacker" (Lindstrom 2008: 73). The point is that KFC doesn't slap logos on potholes without a good reason--it's all part of the great KFC master marketing plan. The question is, will consumers find it authentic and believable?

The "Re-Freshed by KFC" pothole campaign is an interesting one--doing something good for the community and also spreading the word about the KFC brand, but some people don't like the idea of public works and business mixing. Others just don't like KFC's practices, and find the idea of promoting the brand on potholes rather repellent, regardless of the fact cities are getting help improving the roads.

PETA has accused KFC of cruelty to animals for years. They're so inflamed over the company's new "Re-Freshed" campaign that they've offered Louisville's mayor $6,000 (twice what KFC "donated") to fill potholes and then spray-paint them with anti-KFC messages. The mayor declined PETA's offer. It would appear PETA's money isn't good enough for Louisville.

No doubt the conflict has brought attention to KFC's campaign, but it also sparks discussion about the limits of advertising campaigns. Should public streets be branded with the logos of companies? Some say that has essentially already happened at bus stops, on park benches, and on city buses--so what's the difference? In this case, it seems like the difference is the close partnership between KFC and the City of Louisville. But can this be helped? After all, as Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson points out, KFC employs a lot of people in the city.

Does KFC's advertising campaign cross the line or is it just smart marketing? What do you think?

Those of you who follow me on Twitter know that last weekend I went to check out Shepard Fairey's "Supply and Demand" exhibit at the Institute for Contemporary Art in Boston, which opened on February 6th and runs through August 16th, 2009. Fairey's show was really interesting not only because I'd seen "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" and "Obey" graphics stenciled onto lampposts around the New York City area growing up, but because his work really makes you think about what we call "art," and why. His work also raises questions about the process of making art, and how to give credit to the people/work/movements that inspire you (although in the case of Fairey, the issue might be whether or not to give credit at all).

Fairey uses everything from newspaper clippings to stylized graphics to other people's work(!) to address potentially incendiary subjects like war, violence, and consumer culture. He's been creating street art for more than twenty years, but resurfaced again in the media recently for creating the Obama Hope image seen on t-shirts, posters, and even on Spike Lee. According to Fairey, in the video below, his work is based on the concept of "cross-pollination." While Fairey describes this as "getting people to think about things from a perspective that they hadn't before," I think it would be best defined as the idea that what you produce is informed by other cultural movements--social, artistic, or otherwise--as well as other people's ideas, and perspectives.

However, sometimes the fruits of cross-pollination can get you in trouble, which is what happened to Fairey last week, when the Associated Press threatened to sue him because the Obama Hope image he created is based on a photograph taken by an AP photographer. However, just yesterday, it was announced that Fairey will actually be beating the AP to the punch, and suing them first. What's happening with Fairey and the AP gives credence to the artist's detractors. It also bolsters claims from those who say that while Fairey draws liberally from other artists, he doesn't like it when they draw on his work. Case in point? When Austin graphic designer Baxter Orr borrowed from Fairey's work, he received a strange expression of gratitude: a cease and desist letter from a Fairey representative. So much for cross-pollination!

All in all, Fairey's exhibit was really thought-provoking. It made me think about the kind of art he creates, and about his beliefs and actions as an artist. But it left me with more questions than answers. While I'm still so curious why someone who believes in cross-pollination reacts so negatively to artists pursuing that very same goal, I know the show succeeded in some way by making me question everything.