Orkut Rumors That Must Die!

Warning: This is a very long post, which may require a few donuts to get through)



There are many types of rumors in the world. Some of them are good (potentially at least). Some of them are bad (as in really bad). But there are some rumors that seem to be taken as the truth, despite the fact that they contradict all reasonable explanations.

This post is dedicated towards these Orkut myths, which have (in my opinion) lasted far too long on the world wide web. And since most humans love the number ten (probably because that's how many fingers we have) here are ten Orkut rumors that really must die (as in today).

1. Orkut Buyukkokten is the world's richest man: This rumor comes from the assumption that Orkut gets $12 every time someone registers on Orkut, $10 every time you add a friend, $200 every time you upload a photo and a crisp $1 every time you logout of Orkut. There are more details about this rumor over here.
   
   Now with Orkut having at least 40 million users he would have to be paid $480,000,000 from Google just from people logging in. And if you add images to that figure (which would include those uploaded onto forums) he would receive $8 billion if everyone just uploaded only one photo on Orkut!
   
   If Google even considered paying Orkut half this amount, Google's stockholders would revolt (not to mention the entire company would go bankrupt).



2. Spam your friends and hit F8 (aka the "Crush List" rumor): This one seems to be traveling via Orkut mail, and goes along the lines of "if you send out an email to all of your friends, hit F8 you will see who has a crush on you." More info over here (hat tip: aniNosaintlife).
   
   Sometimes this rumor has some java code attached to it, sometimes it does not, but either way it DOES NOT work (so please stop emailing/scraping me about this).



3. If you do not send out a scrap, Orkut will delete your account: This rumor has gone down some, but when I first blogged about this people kept sending me scraps about this, despite my attempts to inform them to the contrary.
   
   It got so bad (with people emailing me about this) that I cried whined to Google regarding this problem, and they were quickly able to put this rumor to rest.



4. Google is (in the future) going to charge users for Orkut: This would not only kill Orkut immediately (as it is one of many social networks online) but would not really be apart of Google's style, which generally loves giving away free software (and sometimes a premium version as well).
   
   Google has debunked this rumor, so hopefully we will not see this rumor again in our lifetime.



5. Inside Orkut is an official blog of Google: Although this rumor causes me to laugh, I want to make it very clear- Inside Orkut is NOT an official blog of Google, but a personal fan blog started by Darnell Clayton (that being me).
   
   I think I am partially to blame for this error, when I decided to mimic the layout of the Google Video Blog. Despite the disclaimer at the bottom of the page (on the left sidebar), I kept getting questions asking if I was a Google employee, was this an official blog of Google, etc., etc.
   
   I finally decided to change the layout as the last thing I wanted was lawsuit from Google (as I hear they have some pretty fierce lawyers) not to mention the deletion of this blog.
   
   Hopefully my upgrade to the Blogger Custom domain platform (removing the blog*spot) will put this rumor to rest.
   
   Note: If you would like to check out the blog of a REAL Orkut engineer, then Beyond Satire may be the blog for you.
   



6. Orkut was bought by Google, just like Picasa, Blogger and YouTube: Actually Orkut was created by Orkut, who was (and currently is) a Google employee.
   
   Apparently it seems that Google approached Orkut to create a social networking site after being spurned by Friendster (hat tip: Marketing Vox) and although the site never took off in America, Indians and Brazilians have made excellent use of the place.



7. Orkut isn't really apart of Google because its not listed on the "More Page": Despite never making it to the Google hall of fame (i.e. the "more page"), Orkut is as much as apart of Google as Gmail, Blogger, Picasa, and even YouTube.
   
   If you still don't believe me, you can try checking out their about page (although the Google account required to login should be an obvious hint).
   
   Why Orkut isn't listed on the "more page," is something I have no clue about, but hopefully a Googler can correct this (as Orkut is no longer a red headed step child).
   
   Update (4/29): Google finally added Orkut to "the more page." See this post for details.



8. Orkut is Google's way of spying on its users: I think this rumor was spun from a post by Jeremy from Yahoo!, in which some people refuse to use Orkut which they see as even worse than Gmail.
   
   Google does collect information on its users (just like Yahoo!, Microsoft, MySpace, your own local government unless you live in Antarctica) for the purposes of serving up relevant ads alongside your searches or inside your email (and even on Orkut).
   
   For those worried about Google revealing your data to say, a hostile government should have nothing to worry about as Google defends the rights of its users, even against American courts.



9. Terrorist organizations receiving funding from the ads on Orkut: This humorous hoax was started (or at least popularized) by the Search Engine Journal and was picked up by many bloggers as fact.
   
   I at first laughed after hearing about this (even Ionut had a good time with this silly story) although others took this as another reason why Google was evil (note: ironically, many of those Google hate sites either use a Google product or host Ad Sense, which IMHO is rather odd).
   
   This isn't true because:
   
   a) Only Google makes money off of the ads on Orkut, as these ads display whether users like them or not.
   
   b) If Google even sent one dollar towards a terrorist organization, all of their assets would be frozen by international governments and the search engine king would quickly go bankrupt.
   
   Despite the logic listed above, people continue to list Google as Osama bin Laden's friend.



10. Orkut Buyukkokten is running for President in Brazil/India: No, this isn't a rumor (as I just made this one). However with Orkut popularity in Brazil, I'm pretty sure he could lick the competition. ;-)

For those of you who survived at the end of this post, you have my sympathies. But I am interested, what rumors have you heard recently (or in the past) regarding Orkut? And do you still encounter people who believe these digital tales?

Update: Corrected spelling of aniNosaintlife source link.

How Much Is Your Orkut Community Worth?

Despite the fact that Google controls the hosting of the forum (as well as its ultimate powers), that has not stopped one business from actually purchasing admin rights to one very popular forum on Orkut.

(Google Blogoscoped) Floripa, also known as Florianopolis, is the capital city of the state Santa Catarina in Brazil, and there is one Orkut community specifically for Floripa lovers. The community, titled "Eu AMO Floripa!" ("I LOVE Floripa"), assembled over 74,000 members over time. This size made it interesting for marketers - so interesting in fact that the original owner of the community, Bruno Unger, a guy in his mid-twenties, was able to "sell it off" to an agency for roughly $934 (2,000 Brazil reais), as Googlaxy informed me. The agency is now using the moderation rights that were transferred to them to push an event called "Floripa Tem" (a kind of sports/ music/ food/ fun festival to promote the city, if I understand it right).

Although this boils down to roughly USD 79 cents per user, buying a community for under a $1,000 may seem like a good marketing idea, especially if your company is located in either Brazil or India.

But if Bruno Unger could sell his forum to a company that seems to be (IMHO) spamming its members, I wonder if other people could potentially sell their forums out to respective buyers.

A Semi Interesting Google Joke

While scanning some feeds, I came across this joke by Nick Douglas on ValleyWag:

Orkut Büyükkökten, creator of the Google social network that bears his name, dashes into CEO Eric Schmidt's office and says, "We have a million Brazilian users!"

Eric says, "Keep up the good work."

After Orkut leaves, Eric calls VP Marissa Mayer and asks, "How many is a brazillion again?"

I saw a similar joke on a political card over the holidays. Yeah, its a slow day in the blogosphere...that is unless you are YouTube.

Indian Police: Hacking Orkut Is Too Hard?

It looks like law enforcement in India are having a tough time hacking through Orkut in order to find the real identities of terrorists and criminals. Is it me or does this strike you as a bit...ironic?

(Indiatimes Infotech) Indian security agencies are having a tough time in catching criminals and terrorists who are members of Google-owned Gmail or Orkut sites.

According to security officials, since Google servers are based in US and their IP addresses are masked, it takes a long time to get the real IP addresses and log details of culprits. Moreover, Google demands a judicial order to process the request which further delays the arrest of the accused, who may even have fled by then.

You would think that they would realize Google (probably) hires the best hackers around the world. Although I wonder if anyone inside Orkut would be willing to offer their services to the cops for a small fee?

Is Google Really Funding Terrorists?

It seems so. According to the Search Engine Journal, which only reports the truth, especially on Wednesdays (and Loren Baker posted this yesterday on Wednesday). Here is what they had to say:

(Search Engine Journal) The specific Google properties which are serving these ads are housed on the Google Orkut social network. Orkut groups which were serving these Google Ads were set up by Hezbollah, Iraqi insurgent and other terror oriented groups.

I took it upon myself to perform some searches within the Orkut network and came across multiple Hezbollah and Al Qaeda groups, associated forums and member profiles which are serving Google AdWords contextual advertisements. [...]

Sure the argument can be put together that Google is not responsible for the content which is created by members of their Orkut community, which lets registered users set up their own forums, blogs, and groups to connect different users over the Google network.

I am shocked, I tell you shocked! Ionut, over at Google Operating System has vowed to never blog about Google again. But why should he?

After all Google is responsible for so many evil things, I can't post them here because they will delete my Ad Sense account.

Is this the end for Inside Orkut?

Disclaimer: I am totally joking, and no Google is not funding terror according to the Search Engine Journal. Matt Cutts (from Google) has already debunked this both in the comment section as well as on Digg.

I actually found this story to be quite funny...until people started taking it seriously. Ah well, we are all human and we all make mistakes...at least I do.

President Bush Is The Devil?

I am surprised that this discussing is not in the United Nations forum, but over in American Politics community discussion is already picking up over Venezuela's President Chavez calling Bush a devil.

While some enjoyed the speech...

Wahab: haha omg, i just saw the news of the V. presidents bashing bush and how the white house has failed to comment. i just want to see what people think of this...

should the US bomb venezuela too? or should the US support another coup? or should the US simply stop importing oil from venezuela?

Mansoor (on page two): Hugo Chavez has insulted the devil by comparing him to Bush.

...others were not very impressed by it.

The Prophet: While Bush is an evil ****, Chavez' speech was childish and not worthy of the United Nations. It showed Chavez to be the lunatic **** that he is.

Charlie: As a Head of State, I would expect Chavez to show a little more class.I think he could make his point without being vulgar.

He's a low life.He should take a hard look at his own backyard before start talking about "democracy".Go to Venezuela and ask the folks there, and you'll find who the real Devil really is...

Bush is an idiot, but he's OUR idiot...

Later on throughout the post, Paul points out that Chavez may be on the UN security council and in frustration wishes he "could move to a different planet." (he will have to talk to LiftPort about that).

For those of you who have not seen the video clip, you can watch it over on Google Video.

Talk Like A Pirate...Aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrggg!!!

(Hat Tip: Share Skype)

Unless you have lived in a box (or perhaps never heard about this until now) today is the International Talk Like A Pirate day (believe it or not, it's true).

Over at Clifton's Pirate Crew, Captain Clifton is leading his swashbuckling crew in the ways and mannerisms of piratehood.

heed this notice!
Come this morn, like the black spot caught up with ye at last, this date swabs all scuttlebutt with a touch of the maritime!

MATIES, it be TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY! Accord the day's parlance with that of the corsairs and gulp rum, or walk the plank!

YAAAAAR!
-Captain Clifton

And you of course can not talk about Pirates without mentioning Pirates of the Caribbean!

Over in the CAPTAIN---> Jack Sparrow forum, R.J. leads off a pirates story full of rum, a girl and more rum (sound familiar?).

And you can not be a pirate without a real pirate name! Achin in the Captain Jack Sparrow community (these forums are quite numerous) can help you rediscover the pirate in you, and all you pirates (at least for today) can now address me as Cap'n Wade Jailbait.

For those of you looking for real pirate news, Captain Jack D has confirmed that Pirates of the Caribbean three's new title will be At Worlds End (thanks Karina for the link).

Note: Blast! Cap'n Wade Jailbait missed the boarding party! That's what you get when one eye ye have!

Save Pluto?

A new forum has appeared called Save Pluto where users can (sarcastically) vent their feelings regarding Pluto's demise.

Boasting a little over 100 members, here is what some users had to say about Pluto's dwarf status.

Tanmay: Give us back Pluto... i grew up learning that pluto is a planet so no matter what they say pluto will alwayz be a planet for me

Amlan: [...] even the Plutonians now know that there is this group fighting for them, leave aside our planetmates, n keep fighting for our common cause, that is to save PLUTO before its too late.

HAIL PLUTO!!!!

Avadhut Das: You puny Earthlings may believe it or not, but at Charon, every 2 legged spider, 3 tailed lizard and Clean Shaven Plutonian Cockroach believes that Charon is going around Pluto, so Pluto is a Planet. [...]

We want our Pluto's planetary status back and we want it NOW!

There is apparently a petition still going around to save Pluto's planetary status, although I am doubtful on how successful e-campaigns are in the real world.

But for those of you who are still in mourning, a Canadian rock group made a song called Pluto Rocks which may help relieve some of the pain.

Why Orkut Is Popular In India (Chirkut)

Many of you have probably noticed the increase of Indian users within Orkut. I was puzzled at this myself, and after finding about a Brazilian word rhyming with Orkut I tried searching for something similar within India.

At long last we have an explanation.

(Ideal Web Tools) Chirkut is non-dictionary hindi word often used in Utter Pradesh and Bihar (two states from India) to praise a person for being loser, stupid and dullard. Recently our favorite politicians have accepted this word as an integral part of performance appraisal system (Interested people can read, "So what if am a 'chirkut'?" by Samajwadi party's Amar Singh).

AjiNIMC (the author of Ideal Web Tools) provides this humorous image as a visual example.



With that mystery now solved, we can now turn our attention to what is happening inside the Orkut forums.

Under Aged Orkut Users?

Orkut is a great site where users can network for business, romance, activities or hobbies--as long as users are 18 years or older.

That restriction apparently is not stopping thousands of youth for signing up onto the forums, as you can see from a quick search below.



Upon reading Google's terms of service, one discovers that Orkut was never intended for the youth.

(Terms of Service) eligibility and registration

You must be 18 years or older to use the orkut.com service. By registering for the orkut.com service, you represent and warrant that you are 18 or older and that you have the capacity to understand, agree to and comply with these Terms of Service.

The humorous part is that despite illegally using Orkut, many of the youth seem to be complying with the second part of the terms of service.

In addition, you must provide true, accurate and complete registration information to be an orkut.com member [...]

Although to my knowledge Orkut rejects users from registering who are under 18, it ironically allows users to adjust their age below 18 which makes them easy targets for child predators.

Google might be wise to either remove the age reduction below 18 or simply create an Orkut for kid's--otherwise they may find themselves in hot water again.

More Orkut Censorship

I just came across these weblogs detailing more censorship of Orkut happening. The only difference this time is instead of being censored by the government, (confirmed by another blogger) Orkut now seems to be beginning to be censored at work. Asmyaham has the details:

Apparently, with the herd of freshers actively using Orkut at work, a decision to block the same was passed by SA, and this made the site inaccessible to 600 odd star employees, thus bringing to a standstill, the breadwinning occupation of these individuals who contributed to the top-lines of the organisation by constant networking through the website, and hence made hunting for prospective customers that much more easier.

Asmyaham later on chats with his boss "SA" and apparently worked out a deal to bring Orkut back by baby sitting his kids (is he serious?).

Perhaps Orkut is becoming the opium of the Internet masses. At least in India it is.

Daily India Reports Orkut As A Drug

I came across this post from the Daily India which headlined Orkut as "...the opium of the Internet masses." I've heard this phrase before, but did not understand it until now.

(Daily India) Take the case of science undergraduate Rajeev Krishnan. He says his addiction to Orkut has taken a 'serious toll' on his leisure time.

So much has Orkut seeped into Krishnan's system that he spends more than three hours a day with the community - at the cost of his other interests like singing, watching movies and reading. [...]

'I tend to forget to eat, sleep and perform most of my daily chores after I log on to Orkut. I seriously feel powerless before Orkut,' Krishnan told IANS.

'Ever since I joined Orkut last month I have spent hundreds of rupees on browsing. Its almost like Orkut is the drug and I am the addict,' he added.

Wow...I wonder if there is a 12 step program available?

The Orkut Song?

I came across this song while searching Del.icio.us for Orkut related items. This song was on Spatch.net's servers, although I am unsure if he is the original author of the musical.

Either way you can listen to the song by clicking below or download it for future enjoyment.

powered by ODEO


As a courtesy, lyrics are provided below.

Hey everybody! Lets sing the Orkut song!

You should come to Orkut now.
I promise you'll have fun--oh wow.

It's a place where people meet,
To discuss the food they eat.

Maybe with a little luck,
They could find someone to--have fun with.

Every boy and every girl,
Should be apart of Orkut's world.

Oh yeah, this is a good song.

But I'll say that without fail,
You'll end up in Orkut jail.

There you won't have much to do,
And they don't explain to you.

Or perhaps a special treat,
Your account should get delete (oh no!)

But before you beat your breast,
This is still a beta test.

Okay do the Orkut limbo now.

So lets make a lot of friends,
Talk about Mercedes Benz

Rate everyone real cool and cute
Network in your birthday suite

Orkut's great its real inspired
But your session has expired.

Sign back in just like a squirrel,
Welcome to the Orkut world.

Welcome to the Orkut world,
Welcome to the Orkut world.

Rise Of The Geek Machines?

Over on Orkut Media Jen La Sala (whose articles never cease to amuse me) publishes another amusing post regarding the dreaded office machines of America.

Other people must have this problem. It starts when one thing breaks, then something else, then something freezes, and when you think there is nothing left that can go wrong, something starts to smoke. That's when you know it's happened. The machines have turned against you. [...]

In any office, there is that one contraption that befuddles the most eager of IT personnel that can reduce the most even-tempered employee into a raging stapler wielding head case. In my office, it is the combination printer copier.

Having worked on these machines as an IT technician, I can testify how annoying they were to work on. It usually did not matter if these machines were old or new, laser print or an office machine, USB connection verses wireless, they always caused jams, toner issues and worst of all, missing documents.

The "printer ate my project" was a common excuse at my former job, and to make things worse I could not operate on the machine because of a "minor" contract with the manufacturer!

Ok, enough ranting about my life experiences, here is more of Jen via Rant:

All of this makes me glad I'm not an astronaut. Since technical things seem to go wrong all around me I could be right at home at NASA. [...]

Insulation issues have been a thorn in the side of NASA's space program since the mid-air disintegration of Columbia in 2003, caused by a piece of insulation breaking off from the shuttle mid-decent.

She later talks about the Discovery space shuttle mission which NASA bet it would succeed despite the minor issue with the insulation (and it looks like NASA won that bet).

Hopefully technology failures won't keep Jen from reaching the stars. After all, with Google expanding around the world, I wouldn't be surprised to find her writing from the Moon.

North Korean Dictator A Film Critic?

(Note: I guess I should not be too surprised that blood thirsty people have their hobbies...outside of slaughtering people that is.)

I came across this post on Orkut Media which I found almost amusing. John Gorenfeld on 2400 Baud talks about Korea's favorite dictator's passion about acting and film.

Kim has also written a book on what's wrong with opera. I bought it on Amazon.com. 1974's "On the Art of Opera: Talk to Creative Workers in the Field of Art and Literature" is available from the University Press of the Pacific, along with "On The Art of the Cinema," which recommends that actors seethe with ferocious party loyalty as the only path to mastering their craft.

"Actors must be ideologically prepared before acquiring high-level skillsÂ…The actor requires an ardent love of his class, and a burning hostility towards the enemy," he writes.

I do not know how anyone could take this dictator seriously. Not only does he have goofy hair, (just like Hitler) but he also thinks he can win a nuclear war against the West. (note: no one wins a nuclear war Kimmy)

Getting back on topic, here are some of the reviews from Amazon (which were in my opinion quite appealing).

(via Gjergj Plazh "comecon") Reading this book by this great Korean leader and the best man of his country put me in true ecstacy. The depth of his work is so immense. Yet he is able to put the most complex problems of his country in so simple terms that one begins to wander if his career would be better off as a writer or a philosopher.

(via Greg Mills "Greg") First off, I'm a huge fan of Mr. Jung's work.

"Let's Work On Doubling the Output of the Red Harvest Tractor Factory #8!!!!" was a beautiful little film, all four hours of it. Great rainy day treat, if your work militia collectively owns a dvd player.

Although tempting, I'll probably refrain from purchasing the books. After all, why support a regime that threatens the world with war?

Endangered Species: Crazy American Soccer Fans

Jen Sala over at Orkut Media has an interesting article about why Americans are generally not interested in soccer.

American sport enthusiasts are the poster children for attention deficit disorder. We like big numbers; we like clear-cut winners; we like action and aggression marked by runs, touchdowns, baskets, and goals, peppered perhaps with the occasional fistfight. We like tangible action that we can read about in the box scores the next day. We don't appreciate the drama and struggle of a zero-zero game. [...]

I personally think that American soccer fans aren't nearly dedicated enough as Latin American or European fans. We need more painted people, more people dressed up like complete freaks. I would like to see more fans covered in greasy head to toe red, white, and blue. We need more people in giant wigs.

What Americans like about soccer is that it is what I call "a hype sport." Basically, it is a sport that, like basketball, a player can do a lot of cool tricks, have fun and use their skills to out smart the opponent.

Unfortunately unless those tricks are giving your team a massive lead (or showing up early on the score board) then the game loses interest, making the Golf channel much more appealing.

Superman Was Jewish?

Q. F. Azeem posts an interesting secret regarding the man of steel over in the Jewish/Judaism/Jew forum. Apparently Superman has jewish roots, at least in parable form which leads to some humorous (yet enlightening) discussion in the kosher community.

Daniel: [...] Even his Kryptonian name is Hebrew! (I wonder how they'd call him up for an aliyah? "Yaamod, Kalel ben Jorel...")

Milt: The facts of Superman's origins began in the fertile minds of 2 Jewish art students in the 1930s, Joe Shuster and Jerry Seigal, as a reaction to the threat to the Jews in Europe during the rising Hitler era in Germany. [...]

The Kryptonian names were not particularly Jewish unless there was an inside joke by the authors/illustrators. My own guess is that the names were "accidentally" Hebraic because the two originators were not that long before, Bar Mitzvah boys.

Carlos: In fact, not only Supermen... the guy whom created Marvel Comics, Mr. Stan Lee, is jew... so, the major part of the superheroes are from jewish genetic origin...

That last point is interesting because in X-men Stan Lee briefly goes over Magneto's (who is a super villain) jewish roots (plus many others).

Are the people of the book also the people of the comic books? If so, then that means all of my child hood hero's were kosher. That probably explains why I love falafels so much.

Happy Friday (And Funny Orkut commercial)

Well, its that time again! And I have some great news! Unfortunately I won't have time to post it over the weekend, but I will update everybody when Monday comes around!

Anyways, in order to humor everyone while I'm gone, here is a funny Orkut Commercial that I previously mentioned before. Enjoy!

Can Men Be Homemakers?

"Mr. Hyde" (a very unique, funny and interesting person) has whether or not men can be homemakers in the Indian Woman's Issues forum. Responses range from laughter to debate, but here are some of the best responses towards that question:

• Ruchi: Men are also capable of being perfectly good homemakers...but first the mindset needs to be changed. When people see certain jobs as "women's work", men are not supposed to do them. But only if all work is considered equal, and even men take interest in sharing the house-work etc, will Indian men try to be good homemakers (Source*)



• Anjana: Homemaking according to me is a full time job and will need the person to stay at home(with servants or without).It's an unpaid profession.
  
  Men can definitely be homemakers but the society does not look good upon them but if a woman is a homemaker it's fine..So it's been a woman's profession from time unknown.. (Source*)



• Nabanita: When both r working, both should share the household chores....but depends on who does which chore better....if the wife is better at cooking, the husband can do the grocery shopping....there must be a balance between the amount of work done by each....each and every work cannot be divided into 50-50 and shared equally.....can the husband make the crying infant quiet as soon as the mother?....some things women r expert at...so men can help out in other chore....like ironing clothes... (Source*)

I think Nabanita has the most realistic view, especially in America. I am not sure if this is a cultural, religious or general concept, but it seems that "Stay at home Dads" are often frowned upon in society, and are referred to as losers in mainstream America.