Yesterday, Facebook began rolling out Facebook Questions to the public, with the hopes of creating more meaningful engagement and content on its site. As a part of that – Facebook employees – from Director to Engineer, have sent lots of Facebook user-experience and user-interface questions out to the public – looking for raw feedback from the Facebook population! And it seems to be working! Check out these screenshots of questions from Facebook employees about how their service can be improved:

This probably also includes Facebook Questions release to the public, although that’s unconfirmed!

Here are some exclusive screenshots:

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Mashable also have a great infographic today going through the various iterations of Mashable since its inception!

Despite Mashable’s roaring and unquestionable success, they haven’t forgotten where they came from – and still whenever I write an article about Mashable, or mention them online, I get a nice ping from either Pete or someone else there commenting or thanking me for the mention. They’re a great group of people, and a great set of journos, too!

Wondering what his first article was? Look no further. Here’s the first article Pete Cashmore wrote:

Here’s the infographic:

Here is a status image from downrightnow.com:

Note: This is a cross-post from www.AdamZuckerman.net
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With the passing of the hottest June on record, many of you (including myself) will receive gifts of higher than normal electricity bills from our utility companies.  Fortunately, in spite of the heat, there are some innovative companies and products touting home energy management (“HEM”) solutions that can help you cut back on your energy usage, and thus, save some money.

Approaches to cut back on electricity consumption are varied and diverse, and few are mutually exclusive.   In fact, it’s tough to leave your house or watch TV without being bombarded by the buzz:  Energy Star, Clean Tech, Green Grid, EcoFactor, Smart Grid, Clean Energy, Alternate Power, or any of the countless “green” phrases (greening, green tech, going green, green solutions, etc..) are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg of phrases you will likely encounter.

Complementing the rhetoric, countless tips on how you can cut back on consumption exist.  Many are remarkably simple (turn off your A/C) but others touch upon the realm of obscurity (select climate appropriate paint for your house – light colors in warm climates, or dark colors in cold climates). And, in what might strike many consumers as a bit unusual, utility companies have taking great strides in helping their customers cut back via a spectra of different ways.  But what is the driver behind such apparent detrimental behavior? After all, isn’t in a utility company’s best interest to encourage consumers to increase their energy consumption?

Absent government intervention, the free market economy may support such a notion.  However, events set in motion in August 1977 when President Jimmy Carter formed the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) by signing The Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977 (P.L. 95-91, 91 Stat. 565) altered the energy economy.  Driven by a mission to advance energy technology and promote related innovation in the United States, the DOE has expanded its scope significantly over the past thirty-three years.

Today, one can legitimately argue that the DOE is a cutting edge technology driver.  Not to mention its recent foray in to social networking via the announcement of its Energy Blog, Facebook page, and @Energy twitter account (more on this next week or visit http://www.govtwit.com/ for tracking purposes), the DOE also maintains the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (“EERE“), which “invests in clean energy technologies that strengthen the economy, protect the environment, and reduce dependence on foreign oil.”  (To familiarize yourself with the vast scope of the EERE’s activities, peruse its FY 2010 budget.)

Keeping true to the mission set forth by Carter Administration, the DOE (via conduits such as the EERE), have established hundreds of grants, cooperative agreements, continuation awards, loan guarantees, competitions, rebates, tax credits and more to drive innovation while reducing the nation’s overall energy reliance.  Doing so has positivie implications for the country.  Strain on the nation’s infrastructure is minimized, the economy is bolstered by the creation on jobs, and future generations will be able to enjoy a heritage of cleaner air, cleaner water, and pristine wilderness.  A win-win.

You may ask yourself, “this is all well and good, but are utility companies really helping the consumer?” They are, but not necisarrily for the reasons you might imagine.  As was recently pointed out to me by Ars Technica’s John Timmer (@j_timmer – thanks John!), “[u]tilities often serve as conduits for state and federal (ie – DOE) efficiency programs, which is why they’ve got the money to be helping customers use less power.”  John couldn’t have been more correct — to view the hundreds of financial incentives offered state by state, visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewable and Efficiency’s website.

Borne out of the pro-energy innovation environment the government has worked so hard to foster, the public sector has recently made many great strides toward the advancement of Clean Tech.  As such, for the next four weeks I’ll post every Wednesday highlighting a few companies that are making waves in the Clean Tech space and products on the market that facilitate Clean Tech and HEM related solutions.

Today’s post focuses on OPOWER, Inc., a company that utilizes the power of social persuasion – via a bit of beneficial guilt - to help utilities teach their customers how to reduce their usage with great success.  Companies such as OPOWER are important.  Not because it sells products directly to you, the end consumer (it doesn’t), but becuase an OPOWER collaborative between the company and an energy utility benefits everyone… utilities reduce network strain, consumers save money and OPOWER profits.  Perhaps one plus one plus one can be greater than three after all?

With that, read the spotlight on OPOWER below to learn how the company is making a positive impact.

Enjoy!

-Adam (@apzuckerman)

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It is well deserved that OPOWER has received a fair amount of recent media coverage, including a visit from President Obama. National Geographic, TechCrunch, EnergyBoom, The Washington Post, and CNET are only a few to highlight OPOWER’s success.  (For more coverage, visit OPOWER’s press page.)

• Name: OPOWER, Inc. (formerly Positive Energy)
• URL: http://www.opower.com/
• Twitter/Contact: @OPOWER – Contact Info
• Headquarters: Arlington, VA
• Founded: 2007
• # of Employees: 115-120
• Domestic Corporation Registration: Delaware – File # 4371482
• Financials: “OPOWER has blossomed into one of the rising stars of the energy industry, on track to post a $35 million profit this year, roughly eight times its revenue in 2008.” (Washington Post)
• Stock, Privately Held (via Virginia SCC):
  • Common – 28,000,00
  • Proffered - 8,677,04
  • Total – 36,677,047
• Funding: $14M in Series B funding (12/29/08) from New Enterprise Associates; $1.5 million in a first round of funding last summer from angel investors.

Mission: To create a sustainable future by empowering people to make smarter decisions about their energy use.

Primary Methodology: Partnering with utilities that utilize the Advanced Metering Infrastructure, OPOWER helps persuade consumers to reduce energy consumption via easy to understand information portals such as bills and in-residence displays via its Home Energy Reporting Program.

ENCOURAGING ASSERTIONS AND MY COMMENTS

After reading several articles which mentioned OPOWER as well as the company’s website, I found myself contemplating a few questions and challenging a few of the statements I came across.  Below are a few thoughts…

• Assertion: To date, OPOWER has saved ~135 million kilowatt hours (“KWH”) and saved more than $16,000,000. (See http://www.opower.com/)
• Comment (Primary): According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration , the average retail price of electricity through March 2010 for consumers is 10.86 cents per KWH.  Utilizing the ratio on OPOWER’s home page, it appears that OPOWER is pricing electricity at ~11.9 cents per KWH.  (However, in 2009, the average rate was 11.9 cents, so OPOWER’s $16 million dollar estimate is not far fetched.)

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• Assertion: To date, OPOWER has saved ~135 million kilowatt hours and saved more than $16,000,000. (See http://www.opower.com/)
• Comment (Secondary): OPOWER’s energy savings amounts to 79,440.52 barrels of crude, or 1,549,090.09 gallons of gasoline.  (As an aside, and to put the scope of BP’s oil spill in to horrifying perspective, peak oil flow in the gulf was estimated by some to exceed 100,000 barrels of crude per day.)
  • Calculations (conversion sources 1 and 2)
    • 1 KWH of electricity = 3,413 BTU
    • 135,000,000 KWH = 460,755,000,000 BTU
    • 1 barrel of crude = 5,800,000 BT
    • 133,000,000 KWH = 79,440.52 barrels of crude
      • 1 barrel of crude = 42 gallons, but 19.5 gallons of gas after refinement
      • 79,440.52 barrels = 1,549,090.09 gallons of gas

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• Assertion: More than 35 utilities (7/10 of the largest utilities in the US) have signed onto OPOWER’s program. (See http://bit.ly/dj012R)
• Comment: Which ones? How many end-users actively track their OPOWER provided statistics (regardless of whether they are aware the statistics are powered by OPOWER)?

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• Assertion: More than 75 percent of the people who get the enhanced reports do something to measurably reduce their energy use. (See http://bit.ly/b4ruFO)
• Comment: Over what period of time?

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• Assertion: By the end of 2010, OPOWER will have the equivalent impact of one-third the entire domestic solar market. (See http://www.opower.com/Careers/OurCulture.aspx)
• Comment: In what capacity?  Energy saved, individuals impacted, other?

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• Assertion: OPOWER can save an average of 1.5% to 3.5% in energy spending – representing 150 to 300 kWh in annual savings per household. (See http://bit.ly/cyNfdw)
• Comment: Is this year over year?  Has anyone discussed whether consumers have utilized OPOWER’s statistics to justify the acquisition of other power drains, such as a new entertainment center?  Does such a moral consumer offset exist?

FIVE NOTES AND/OR SUGGESTIONS

Undeniably, OPOWER is doing very well for itself.  The company is currently hiring at a rapid rate, expansion to the west coast was recently announced, and its advisory board continues to grow.  (Just yesterday it was announced that Fred Butler joined the OPOWER Industry Advisory Board.) However, room for improvement may still exist.  With that, here are five quick notes on things OPOWER may consider (from an outsider’s perspective).

1. OPOWER may want to revisit, clarify and update its online (and social media) strategy, which should be tailored to meet specific goals.  After all, execution without purpose is inefficient at best (and we all know that OPOWER loathes inefficiency). Is the purpose of the website to educate consumers or prospective businesses? (If both, consider a dual-sided site with complimentary messages.) What does the company hope to accomplish by maintaining its Twitter feed, @OPOWER? Should it be used solely for publicity and press releases? What is truly gained by offering general tips such as “TIP: Switching to more efficient light bulbs can have a big impact on your energy efficiency.”?  At bottom, the current media strategy may make it difficult for consumers (individuals) to grasp that OPOWER’s direct customers are, in fact, utility companies.

2. Create a searchable platform on the OPOWER website for consumers to identify whether their utility company utilizes OPOWER technology.  If it does not, assist with contact information to help encourage the utility company to do so. (Electric utilities by state.)

3. Offer OPOWER social networking badges (provided via uniquely identifying URLs or codes) to consumers who reduce their energy usage. These badges can be tailored to thresholds (“I reduced my consumption by 25%!”), displayed on web pages, blogs, and shared social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter at the consumer’s discretion.

4. Related to number one (above), don’t bury the Independent Verification page on your web-site.  Link to it from the In The News page.

5. Partner with companies such as Proliphix, manufacturer of internet enabled thermostats, to maximize end-users’ energy saving efficiency. (Think, “I’ll be home in 30 minutes… I’ll use my smartphone app to adjust the temperature in my house.”)

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With that, what do you think about OPOWER?  If you worked for the company, what would you do differently?

That said, Refudiate.com has taken Palin’s new ‘shakespearian’ coining, and turned it into a money maker with a new t-shirt that reads “Sarah Palin Refudiates this shirt”!

Here’s the pic:

Update: I spoke with someone at Mashable, and they are working very hard to get the homepage up as soon as possible.

Update: It seems that inner pages on Mashable.com are working just fine. The homepage is the only one that’s down.

Two million people subscribe to Mashable.com, and hundreds of thousands subscribe via RSS alone. So when a site like this goes down, it gets noticed – fast.

Apparently, Mashable has been down for an hour now – and no, it’s not just your browser or server. It’s down.

No word yet as to when it will be back up, but I am told that they are working on it.

If you’re wondering if it’s just you or if Mashable.com is really down, you can visit: http://downforeveryoneorjustme.com/mashable.com

Here is a screenshot of the twitterstream confirming it’s everyone: