Social Networkers Have a Responsibility as News Sources

Pete Cashmore of Mashable wrote an article for CNN predicting the top ten web trends to watch for in 2010.  Some of them are predictable.  He writes to expect several Twitter-copycats as people strive for even more real-time interaction with their world and the people in it.  Cashmore also says with the widespread use of smartphones and apps to expect even more convergence in our devices - for example, Tom Tom's and other GPS devices will likely go out of style and instead they will be sold as apps on iPhones, or even become an included feature.  He also says to watch for the increase in "cloud computing," like Apple's MobileMe, where data is no longer stored on one desktop, but instead stored on a server (or cloud) accessible to multiple devices at once. 

Possibly Cashmore's prediction with the most interesting consequences is the continuance of our news coming to us through our social network instead of a direct news source.  Practically every website, blog, and article have icons to post what you're looking at directly to your Facebook or Twitter account with one click.  With the "information overload" of today's internet, people are getting to know their world more and more through their friends.  This trend is extremely useful for sharing information with your entire social network instantly, but it also has interesting side effects. For example, if people are only paying attention to things that are shared with them through their social network they may be missing out on other relevant information that's not of interest to their social networking "friends".  Having shared interests is a good thing, but this could create a new kind of ignorance and uniform thinking.

In the past, people were concerned with news organizations merging together to create information powerhouses.  The fear was if one news organization controls too many outlets then the same information will be distributed through several channels giving people less choice and variety.  The thought is that it is better to have many different organizations with different agendas and different voices.  Well, now that news organizations are changing with the rapid use of social media I think the new concern in the next decade will be keeping variety in the content that people choose to share with their network.  This new system could work great as long as there is a healthy balance of people participating with new content and different interests.  If too many people become passive observers instead of contributors all we'll ever know about are trending Twitter topics and funny YouTube videos posted to our Facebook pages.  If people participate actively and intelligently the benefits can be very exciting. In my opinion, this should be a trend to strive for in 2010.

-Erin

Social Networkers Have a Responsibility as News Sources

CNN Needs to Find Better "Latest News" Stories

CNN is a pretty legit and respected news source for most of us. Although today under its "Latest News" section reads a story titled, "Jessica Simpson finds a Bosom Buddy". By bosom buddy they do mean, big boob buddy. Yes, the article is all about how Dolly Parton tweeted about going to the chiropractor because her back hurts because she has large breasts. Simpson tweeted back "Amen." That is basically the whole story a part from some pretty inappropriate quotes from her dad commenting on her boobs and being sexy, it's gross. Why CNN, why. This story isn't even under entertainment news. It's a few stories down from Obama, same-sex marriage decisions, and murder, oh and it is one story above voting for CNN's Hero of the year. Is celebrity news becoming more important than real news, things we should care about but no one really does?

-Rachel

CNN Needs to Find Better "Latest News" Stories

Using Twitter as a Fundraiser

I love finding new examples of how useful and multi-purpose Twitter is. And then rubbing it in my friend's faces who still refuse to believe me that it's not "just Facebook but only with status updates." Twitter's latest use: ending cancer.

Drew Olanoff is an avid tweeter and blogger, and has been diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. His approach to dealing with it has been with a strong sense of humor and some creative ideas to use two things that are a part of most people's daily lives - Twitter and bitching.

#BlameDrewsCancer is Olanoff's effort to give back to LIVESTRONG, which he says "has been by my side since my diagnosis," in his blog. It works like this: you can #BlameDrewsCancer for your favorite sports team losing, or for eating way too much Chinese food. Just tweet, "In a food coma because I ate way too much sweet and sour chicken. I #BlameDrewsCancer," or "I #BlameDrewsCancer for the stupid Packers losing." Pretty much anything you would usually call up your friend and bitch about, you can spare them and do it this way instead, and everyone wins. Because every tweet blaming Drew's cancer is being tallied up, and Olanoff is hoping to find a sponsor who will donate $1 per tweet. So far there have been 31,965.

But there's more. Olanoff must have jumped on the Twitter train early, because his Twitter name is just plain @Drew. So he came up with another idea that has never been done before. He is auctioning off his @Drew Twitter name, and all the money will go to LIVESTRONG. He set the bidding price at $10,000 in the hopes that some celebrity Drew would be interested. Drew Carey, who's current name is @DrewFromTV, has already bid $25,000, and took it one step further. If @DrewFromTV gets 100,000 followers by the time the auction ends on Nov. 9th, his will donate $100,000. And if he gets up to 1 million followers, he'll donate $1 million.

So take that Twitter-haters. How can you knock something that is raising awareness and money for a great cause, and is so ridiculously easy to do? If Drew Carey doesn't reach 1 million followers by Nov. 9th, I'll #BlameDrewsCancer.

-Erin B.

Using Twitter as a Fundraiser

New Regulations on Tweets

How many times have you read something on Twitter, on Facebook, or even under the reviews for products on sites like Amazon and thought it sounded a lot like they were trying to sell you on something. Well, those days are over.

Starting December 1, 2009 bloggers are required to clearly state any connection to an advertiser. This meaning that anyone making a post anywhere in the social media world must disclose payments for an endorsement. Furthermore, they can be held accountable if the statements made about the product are false.

No longer can celebrities get paid for commenting about products and influencing our decisions without explicitly stating that they are getting paid to do so. It’s the first time that rules are being placed in the blogosphere about what can be said. Previous to Twitter and Facebook endorsements were made through the actually ad firms in forms of testimonials or television ads, but it has become increasingly popular to pay individuals to post their “personal experiences” in hopes of creating buzz.

Izea is a social media marketing company that specializes in sponsored tweets and sponsored conversations in blogs. Their purpose is to create buzz and drive traffic. Some might say this is the end of Twitter. What if every post made on twitter was for advertising? That would take away the purpose of spreading ideas and engaging in conversation that twitter holds, and turn it into an advertising frenzy.

But now with these New Guidelines bloggers must disclose that they are getting paid to make the statement. FTC regulations might have just saved twitter!

-Annie H.

New Regulations on Tweets

Capitalize on photo sharing via Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace: Visual endorsement; the new way of advertising?

Much of product placement research concludes that when the product and the plot of the scene are congruent then memory is affected along with attitude change. But there is also a negative effect if the product and the plot seem to be unrelated. Then the consumer will detect the product as being out of place and discredit the product. More times than not, consumers can detect product placements leaving them thinking negatively about the product.

“It’s like people only do things because they get paid, and that’s really sad.”

Check out this clip from Wayne’s World exploiting product placement:



In this example of Wayne’s World, Wayne doesn’t want to harm the reputation of his show by adding a segment in about his sponsor. He then continues to mock product placement by showing how obvious it really is.

Marketers have been using product placement since the 80’s to reach their audience, and now consumers can endorse the products, services, and people they believe-in by putting their own credibility on the line to do so then brands can pay them for their contribution. New start-up companies such as Udorse are capitalizing on visual endorsement by connecting brands and Facebook. Here is how it works, from Facebook you click on your picture and endorse an item, a service, or a new favorite band. If your friends then take action, such as visiting the endorsed products’ website, then the brand will pay you.

Whether Udorse is exploiting social media sites or creating a web version of word of mouth advertising, it is in deed another phenomena to the social media world.

-Annie H.

Capitalize on photo sharing via Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace: Visual endorsement; the new way of advertising?

The New Media Ark (under construction)

While a lot of the old heads stand in the raging rains waiting for it to pass, we have these new media sites which are becoming an ark. So when the water eventually passes over everybody's head, only those that focus on what's "now" and keep building on their ark will survive.

Everybody knows about declining record sales and feel as though their drowning in their past strategies. From several counts it can be to lack of good music- But with countless different genres and many variations with the lowest near 200,000 and top over 2 million on MySpace artists I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. Some call it over saturation which could be the case. Could it be the overall quality?

Well in hindsight we see where we went wrong when we find the finished ark of our new media, but I don’t think there will ever be a finished ark. With media and software always changing, so should the ark. Those who stick to the old ways will fail and those who are late on what's new will just miss the ship (i.e. those who don’t use Twitter, Facebook, MySpace [which is quickly becoming old], Pandora Radio, and/or any other start-up sites that use a word of mouth approach to marketing).

Right now the best sales pitch is friend-to-friend, not billboard-to-billboard on the highway. A lot of new media is free. It's just a matter of standing out, which is why the ark will never be finished, just like in DC it’ll always be under construction. We must continuously be on the lookout for what's new and jump on the ship before its time to build another.

From the mind of

Keveeno Reeverts

The New Media Ark (under construction)

Twit-Stalking

Since joining Twitter last summer I have become quite the “tweeter”. But lately I have turned into more of a Twitter-stalker, “twit-stalk”, if you will.  I find myself so invested and engrossed in (insert twitter name here)’s ramblings throughout the day that I feel the need to login to the site 17 times a day in addition to receiving tweets to my phone.  I just have to know what people are saying in 140 characters or less. For some reason it’s fascinating to me to know when someone is “stuck in traffic” or “trying on sunglasses, aviators rock”.
 
I even twit-stalk celebrities.  Spencer and Heidi tweet at each other and about the fabulous music career of Ms. Spencer Pratt.  Oprah name-drops in her tweets and throws in an inspirational message every now and then.  Ashton is still working on creating a Guiness work record for most followers. Perez dishes out the gossip and rants about Lady Gaga. Fascinating.
 
If anyone out there shares my twisted twit-stalking habit follow me: twitter.com/torreyyy.  I promise to keep you updated about how much I love the diet coke I’m drinking and keep you updated on the status of my tan lines. 

-Torrey

Twit-Stalking

Interesting news from the world of Facebook, Twitter and the FCC.

I read a story saying that Facebook has a value of $10 Billion dollars. That is crazy! The site we use everyday for putting off homework or just to stalk people we don't know (don't lie we all have done it) is worth $10 billion dollars!

In Twitter news, there has been rumors going around that the social networking site will try and create a TV show to go and find celebrities. Isn't that called stalking? Just think what the world would be if the paparazzi would follow celebs around by their twitter. That would be insane and really creepy to say the least. But, the biggest tweeter of them all, Ashton Kutcher, said that he would be against it and his better half Demi Moore would stop twittering as well.

In closing, I was watching TV the other day and they mentioned that due to a really old law the FCC has power to go into your house and search your belongings. The reason for that is due to the that fact that cell phones transmit radio waves. So, if you are transmitting radio waves it gives them the right to search your house and if you have anything illegal then say goodbye to it. I am in the process of finding a link for the FCC story. When I get it I will post it.

Let me know what you think.

-Will

Interesting news from the world of Facebook, Twitter and the FCC.

Tweeting a Buzz, “Rehab” Style

Hip-hop artist Eminem’s new album “Relapse” was released May 19th, but far before that there was a tweetabuzz going on at marketing headquarters.

In the hip-hop world, being away from the scene for five years is a near deal-breaker, so Eminem’s marketing team at Aftermath/Interscope Records had a unique challenge ahead of them: bringing back the dead. Using Twitter as a means to convey a story, something Eminem is very good at conveying musically, they were able to tell a tale in a series of disturbing and intriguing “tweets” that blurred the lines between real and fiction creating the type of viral buzz that is slated to carry the album to platinum status.

There were basically two types of tweets going on simultaneously. One type was directly related to the release of the album with its accompanying iPhone/iTouch game and interactive website. While the other revolved around a haunting thought or something that would link Eminem to a mental institution/rehab facility called Pompsomp Hills.

By using this method of anticipation via intrigue, this musician was able to pre-engage his fans to talk about the experience and ultimately push them to hurry out to buy the product; a recipe for success!

Eminem is not the first artist to use new media marketing in order to engage a fan-crazed rage as you can see in the case of the “Twilight” book series , but it does take an imaginative artist to realize the power of a story and how incredible this power is for sales. This type of characteristic campaigning proves that you don’t need to be extra talented in order to bring yesterday’s news out of the closet.

A compelling story and some clever marketing plotted out over a period of time will create a chattering frenzy; ultimately boosting a band or even a product like the Beanie Baby back, even if it was proven dead and gone.

-Jodi

Tweeting a Buzz, “Rehab” Style

MySpace is Dead? (2): Rich's Rebuttal

At least this graph is more credible than the last one Rich sent me:


Yes, obviously Facebook is winning the race, but this actually shows that for the most part traffic has stayed steady on MySpace over the last year. Mere fluctuations. For MySpace to die they'd have to experience a little more dramatic drop in its 60 million (!!!) monthly visitors.

Besides, of course Facebook is leaving MySpace in the dust. Everyone and their grandma has started joining. Seriously, someone's grandma added me the other day!
Love you Rich.

-Tooth

MySpace is Dead? (2): Rich's Rebuttal