Facebook studios

August 21, 2011

“I’m Just Sayin….

Long story short (i.e. the twitter version): I’m adding my middle name to my public persona but you can still call me “Dave”

Today I got a posting through my “transmedia group” on Linked-In  from Brian Seth Hurst, CEO of Opportunity Management Company, announcing that he was the inaugural speaker this past week on Facebook Studios. Yes, you heard it right, Folks,  Facebook Studios.  Don’t laugh. This doesn’t sound like what went wrong with AOL Time-Warner, it sounds a lot like what went commercially right  with Zynga. Farmville, anyone?  This news has been leaked in a whisper; but the world of entertainment as we know it will change beyond recognition in the next ten years. I’m just sayin’…. And, of course, it’s not the small news of Zuckerberg buying out Redstone that the snarky photo-shopped picture above suggests.  It’s an economic and cultural revolution that continues to change the way we live and learn and love. You can check out Brian’s presentation on story multi-platforming here.

Well, for a veteran Hollywood studio executive, the idea of Facebook Studios is just too rich an arena not to write about it without some fun and profundity.  I had been looking for a centering theme for my blog, Travels in Transmedia.  I am now  inspired  and convinced that  this series of  contemplations on culture  will now be under “Facebook Studios”.

This creates a bit of a dilemma.  I have a public  doppelganger, a writer I greatly respect, David Kirkpatrick,  who has a very important and informed book out called The Facebook Effect. And now, this David Kirkpatrick, is going to have some fun with Facebook Studios.

Truth be told, I get a lot of panting emails and twitter misfires directed to me, but they are really meant for David Kirkpatrick, the talented writer at the Daily Beast and the writer of  The Facebook Effect. I often get stopped at the grocery store and on the street by someone  telling me how much he or she enjoyed the book. But those were meant for David Kirkpatrick, my doppelganger. Other times, I get stopped for that lucid article I wrote in the New York Times. Who doesn’t appreciate an encouraging compliment?  Those were meant for David D. Kirkpatrick, a writer for the New York Times, my second doppelganger.

I thought there was a funny, insightful book on identity confusion due to the crushing dominance of  the internet that could be written by the three of us. I thought the cover of the book would be really funny. (Of course, I could piggyback on the other two Davids’ great publishing success and I would do the right thing by allowing my name to be last! LOL, you get my drift.) I sent the first David the MIT personas art piece by Aaron Zinman. It is a virtual piece in which you plug in your name and presto – you find out what the internet “thinks” about  you. You should definitely check it out online.  The first David thought the MIT personas thing was “weird”  That’s as far as I got with the tri-laboration.

Let me tell you, if there’s confusion now, in my tiny world,  it will just escalate with my incessant blogging about what Facebook Studios really means to culture.  If AOL can have a prophet, then I am going to be one for Facebook Studios, that’s the least I can do. So I am adding my middle name into the equation , “Paul”. No one has ever called me by both my first and middle name except for my Mother who would be yelling at me to clean up my room or turn the “stereo” down. In any event, I am now adopting the public persona of David Paul Kirkpatrick.  My Catholic Mother and Episcopal father would be delighted: as it is a confluence of two of  the seminal heroes from the Bible: David HaMelekh and Paul of Tarsus. Well, that’s for the public persona.  Everyone else can continue to call me “Dave.”

So look for some hopefully witty and insightful contemplations on Facebook Studios! It’s always fun to write about the thin entering wedge that changes culture… well, maybe not so thin and less of a wedge and more like a sledgehammer. As Facebook Studios says on it’s homepage, “Welcome to the show!”

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One response to Facebook studios

  1. Thanks for your generous comments, doppelganger. Glad to hear that people in your grocery story liked my book! I, too, am frequently misperceived due to the odd coincidence of our common name. I’m eager to hear more of your thoughts about Facebook studios. Keep writing–maybe there will be a chance for us to collaborate sometime.