NY Magazine just posted a diddy on an initiative that Gawker put in place where they attempted to highlight the Facebook privacy issue/debate.

In order to bring the privacy “plight” to life, Gawker assigned a photographer to in effect stalk Facebook’s Founder/CEO, Mark Zuckerberg for a few days. The resulting reporting was an incredibly boring detailing of Zuckerberg’s every day life.

As, mundane as the reporting was, it brings to light how much of a non-issue the Facebook “privacy” issue is. By choosing to participate in Facebook, the user is in affect relinquishing their privacy. They are putting themselves out there for the whole wide world to see regardless of what their “privacy settings” are.

Users tend to forget that what they “put out there” is the image they are portraying to the world. Think about it, what you put on Facebook represents brand me. Do something, take a look at what you have up on Facebook in a whole new light. What would someone who knows nothing about you think about you after reading your posts or purusing your pictures? What would your employer think? What would your perspective employer think? You might be horrified by what you find out about yourself based on your Facebook persona.

In fact, a story just broke today about how a guy created a program that was effectively able to troll Facebook for users personal information.

So, the moral of this whole story is that there really isn’t much privacy on Facebook and we should all keep that in mind when using it.

NEW YORK – Luminosity Marketing, a boutique media and marketing research firm in New York City announces that it has completed a pro bono donor research study for Peer Health Exchange to provide insight into their donation model. Peer Health Exchange trains college students to teach health education in public schools that lack health education and in which the majority of the students live at or below the poverty line. These students experience a disproportionate number of serious health risks ranging from teenage pregnancy to obesity.

By reviewing and analyzing the geography, marketing activities, and other key factors of individual contributors, Luminosity was able to provide recommendations to Peer Health Exchange on the most effective methods for garnering donations.

“Luminosity Marketing was pleased to assist in this important analysis,” said Candice Seiger, Associate Research Director. “By analyzing key factors to contributions over the last year, we were able to identify ways to optimize Peer Health Exchange’s fundraising efforts. We enjoy leveraging our healthcare research experience for a cause like health education and look forward to continuing to assist Peer Health Exchange.”

“The Luminosity team provided an extremely valuable service to our growing organization. We are fortunate to have their pro bono support,” said Madeline Kerner, Director of Outreach and Development at PHE. “We look forward to continuing our relationship with Luminosity.”

About Peer Health Exchange

Peer Health Exchange was founded to address a growing crisis among teenagers: teenagers today are engaging in risky behavior at alarming rates, harming their bodies and their futures. PHE recruits, selects, and trains college student volunteers to teach high school students a comprehensive health curriculum on topics ranging from decision-making and sexual health to substance abuse and nutrition.

Here at Luminosity we have to wonder, when is enough enough? Why do the TV and film executives keep repeating the same stories and formulas? On TV, do we really need to see three CSIs, two NCIS‘, two Criminal Minds, two Law and Orders, etc. Yes, the Shrek and Toy Story film properties were excellent but did we really need four Shreks and three Toy Storys?

Come on! We are creative people. There is a lot of talent in our country, why don’t we embrace it? We are now in a unique position with TV and film production where it is much more affordable to take more risks and fund more ideas when we produce shows. The days are gone when the “Big 3 Networks” had a stranglehold on TV viewing and the big movie studios controlled theater goers. Now the public has options. They want to see new and different and unique.

So, let’s seize this opportunity and give the audience what it craves.

Have you ever asked the question, “Why would anyone pay full price for that?”  I know I do all the time.  I’m a self-admitted deal-seeker.  Being a deal-seeker doesn’t mean you have to give up having a fun night out, forgo pampering yourself or not exploring the town you live in.  A whole host of sites have popped up that focus solely on providing members with daily deals.  What are my favorite sites?  Well, I’ll tell you . . .

	Groupon: Launched in 2008, Groupon covers cities in the US, Canada and Europe. I primarily use their site for my city (New York) to get deals on restaurants, spa treatments, and fun activities. Groupon’s coverage also allows me to scan cities I will be visiting in the near future.
	LivingSocial: Covering US cities and London, UK, LivingSocial is a great place for deals on things I’ve never tried before. Deals range from tours to restaurants to instructional classes. LivingSocial’s coverage isn’t as extensive as Groupon, but their deals are sometimes better.
	Scoutmob: By utilizing mobile technology, Scoutmob is able to provide daily deals that have fast expiration dates. Deals are usually only good for a few days. I haven’t used Scoutmob extensively yet – they just launched in New York and only have 12 other cities – but I love the idea and I’m hoping to start using the good deals soon. (Update: See comment below from Scott at Scoutmob on redeeming deals)

What do the featured companies get?  They get targeted marketing to a group of consumers that are highly likely to purchase.  For businesses that rely on repeat customers – salons, restaurants, etc. – these deals get NEW customers to venture in.  For tour operators and similar more one time use businesses, these deals can create buzz and word-of-mouth advertising after customers have utilized the deal.

All in all, I love these sites and am always looking for new ones.  Do you have any that I should check out?  Write them in the comment section below.