We’ve all mocked those horrible Snuggie TV commercials late at night – but did you know 4 million Snuggies sold over a three-month period of time? That’s a Sleeveless Blanket Force to be reckoned with. Yes, according to an AdAge.com article not only did they sell like hotcakes, but there was also a Snuggie waiting list.

This can’t all be the result of a television buy, right? Sure, Snuggie Corp bought lots of cheap airtime during the downturn, but word-of-mouth across social networks also played a big role. Inside Facebook, there’s a Snuggie Page with 4,000+ fans. Search for “Snuggie” in YouTube and you’ll discover over 700 videos created by customers.

In this week’s Area 52 video, I talk further about the Snuggie phenomenon. And I’m also wearing one:

On Wednesday night I had a conversation with Karri Wells about how mainstream (and huge) Facebook has become. You may have read recently that — at 175 million users strong — it would be the world’s 6th-largest country. Facebook has yet to prove a sustainable business model, but if it continues to be so pervasive in culture and society, at what point do we need to shift our perspective of what it is? Social network, or critical infrastructure? Maybe even utility: Water supply, energy grid, interstate system, Facebook.

Time will tell. This video was meant to be a conversation starter, so please add your thoughts below.

This morning we accepted the unique challenge of presenting to a room full of librarians at Drake University’s Cowles Library. (They referred to themselves as a “gaggle” of librarians). The audience was already well-versed on the inherent value of social media, but wanted a deeper understanding of how to get more engagement going on their blog. They were also very curious about Twitter — in fact, almost 30% of them already had accounts!

Embedded below is a copy of our presentation, which we think is applicable to any organization with a blog seeking more engagement. As always, you can’t just click a button to get more comments — it’s earned over time through active participation in other online communities besides your own.

One of the audience members referred to the “social mission” baked into the five laws of library science (put forth by Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan) and how this applies to the new tech they adopt. This afternoon I went back to the office and Googled the five laws. Number five certainly stuck out to me: The library is a growing organism.

While doing research for this presentation, Hillary discovered a ton of fantastic resources for libraries seeking to bridge the social technology gap. If you’re interested, go ahead and browse The Shifted Librarian, LibraryCrunch and The Ubiquitous Librarian — blogs that touch on the adaptation of new mediums within libraries.

Library 2.0 is a niche social network for librarians who want to connect, share knowledge and form a virtual brain trust. ASU’s Library Channel is an excellent example of an institution that has integrated social media into their web presence. Last but not least, you might want to check out the OCLC’s 2007 report: Sharing, Privacy and Trust in Our Networked World.

Special thanks to Scott Phillips for inviting us to present to his co-workers, and for being a champion of social media at Cowles Library. If any librarians happen to stumble across this post, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Today, while Nathan was out of the office traveling on business, I decided to hijack the blog so I could give you all a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on when he’s not here. Basically, lots of lounging, beer drinking and of course, a dance party. Well, I just saw a tweet that Nathan is on his way back from Minneapolis, so I better clean this mess up and get the office back to normal. Enjoy the video!

On Thursday, February 12, Des Moines (along with 100+ cities worldwide) will be hosting a Twestival to raise funds for Charity: Water. The event will be taking place at Mars Cafe (in the Drake neighborhood) from 8:00 pm until 11:00 pm, featuring funky beats by local DJ duo Flatform. A donation of $5.00 will get you free beer from
Olde Main Brewing.

We don’t want our friends at Mars Cafe to violate any fire codes, so we are limited to 80 tickets total. In order to attend, you’ll need to do two things:

1.) Donate $5.00 to Charity: Water here. (Choose Des Moines from the drop-down menu.) Please print your Paypal receipt and bring it with you.

2.) RSVP here and get your e-ticket. We’re doing this to get an accurate headcount.

The Twestival is organized 100% by volunteers in cities around the world and 100% of the money raised from these events will go directly to support charity: water projects.

So come out and meet new friends, have a great time, and support a good cause!