Archive for June, 2010
Combating Cyber Bullies
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
n Sunday, the New York Times published a good read on how cyber bullying in schools is becoming more prevalent thanks to the growing popularity of text messaging and Facebook. In the article, plenty of middle school educators provide their opinions on how to deal with and prevent students from running digital smear campaigns against their peers. Their solutions include suspensions, phone calls to parents, counseling and other classic methods of educational discipline. Texting aside, I did not read one mention of the processes Facebook has instituted to remove indecent material posted by users, cyber bullying explicitly included.
The polite folks at the world’s largest social network have provided users a way to report virtually any user-generated content as inappropriate. Photos, groups, pages, messages, profiles and even individual wall posts can be flagged as a violation of Facebook’s terms of service, under which the practice of cyber bullying falls, and submitted for removal by Facebook. Reporting and removing the harassing content in question through Facebook should be the first step in dealing with the issue in order to have it taken down as soon as possible, like cancelling your credit cards as soon as you realize you left your wallet somewhere. The flagging of hostile content coupled with the old-fashioned procedures of enforcing a code of (digital) conduct that parents and teachers may see fit makes for a solid all-angles counter assault on the wussiest of tormentors: the Facebook bully.
To report someone on Facebook for cyber bullying, inappropriateness, hate speech, threats or just general unwanted contact, go to their profile, and on the bottom of the left section below their profile picture, friends list, photos, links and so forth is a link labeled “Report/block this person” just above “Remove from friends” (which I’m assuming is another measure that’s taken when you are cyber bullied by someone. If not, think about it). The link opens up a window that asks you to be specific in your report by pointing out the location of the particular piece of user-generated content you have an issue with. Then the report is sent to someone at Facebook who determines whether or not the claim is legitimate and eliminates the content accordingly. It is not always the hastiest of results I’ve heard, but that’s all the more reason to report it as soon as the problem is made known.
Parents and teachers should also consult the Facebook FAQ about protecting kids on the network and learn how to fight back against cyber bullying. Remember, if you mess with the bull, you get the horns.
Making ice cream and shootin’ kitty videos. Life is not sucking.
Thursday, June 24th, 2010
Most internet memes are here today and gone tomorrow, but for some reason cute cats continue to be the ultimate time suck. Not only has this meme outlasted the test of time, but it’s appeal is incredibly broad – everyone loves cute kitties. Face it: if you put a cute kitty video in front of someone and they don’t crack a smile, you might as well cut them out of your life.
L.A. based mobile ice cream parlor, Lake Street Creamery has tapped into this demographic. Their mission is to bring “you the finest in kitten videos and iced deserts.” Recently one of their videos went viral. Warning: it is not for our more easily startled readers. This video quickly goes from cute to shocking to sad. In my expert opinion, it succeeds as a cute kitty video because it takes you through the entire emotional gamut.
Based in a truck, Lake Street Creamery relies on social media to help customers find them on the streets of LA. This kitty video campaign works because they link their website and social media properties together. Through that one viral video, they got 1,437,030 impressions virtually for free. Their videos demonstrate a fantastic brand personality that make you want to interact. It has to make you wonder why a small business owner would be reluctant to use social media as a marketing tool. With a little creativity and luck, Lake Street Creamery’s brand recognition has increased exponentially and they’re having a ton of fun with it.
All in all, I would like to tip my tiny kitten hat to them for a job well done!
Are We So Connected We Can’t Connect?
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
I know, it sounds like a crazy riddle. But the truth is, it’s probably true for many of us. In a world where mini computers are churning away in our pockets ready to tell us who said what about whom and where they were when they said it, we’re constantly connected to the digital world. Is this to the detriment of actual face-to-face interaction? The group behind myphoneisoffforyou.com thinks so and I can’t say I don’t agree (at least a little) with them.
Their site and opening video advocate for the turning off of cell phones during dinners with those who matter to you. Pretty simple, right? They even offer products aimed at displaying your intentions, but I couldn’t find a way to actually purchase them.
In the meantime, I’m going to keep my eyes open on dates to see if the lady across the table from me brings out a big stamp that says “My phone is off for you,” although I’d probably settle for one that says “no, I’m not judging you by how much money you make.”
Skullcandy Channels Their Headphones Through Social Media
Thursday, June 17th, 2010
Having lost my headphones earlier this week, I went to work with nothing to plugin into my iPhone. Shifting to the left and then to the right, I realized that I was just about the only person in the office who was working in silence. At that moment, I knew that there must be a lifestyle company producing headphones, earbuds, and so forth, tapping into the social media stream to connect with people like me, and possibly you. A quick search on the web for headphones brought me to Skullycandy. Unfamiliar with the brand, it was apparent from their website that they knew a lot about branding, specifically to their niche audience of snowboarders, skaters, surfers, bikers, and so forth. With a twitter handle, Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube page, Skullcandy is tapping into key social media channels. It gets better though. Turn on Skullcandy TV to watch and listen with their “candy” plugged in or download their iPhone App to review surf and snow reports, find a skate park, or again listen to music via their free player. And later this month, Skullcandy will be releasing their first high-performance, over-the-ear, audiophile-grade headphone given the name Roc-Nation Aviator—thanks to Jay-Z. Going social makes a lot of sense for a company in the headphones market. Every day, millions of people slump into their chairs—at home, in the office, or at the coffee shop—to send emails, update their Facebook status, send tweets, and build relationships online. Whether it’s because of silence or a means to block out distracting white noise, headphones provide a solution to both; music blocks out what you don’t want to hear and adds when you want to hear something. Skullcandy isn’t the only headphone company with a social media marketing and engagement strategy, but I have yet to come across another with more than a 125,000 Facebook fans and a following of more than 9,000 on Twitter.
Social Media Goes to Washington
Monday, June 14th, 2010
Wouldn’t it be cool to live in the times when government was simple? When you knew all the issues that were out there and you could put in your two cents. That was like 200 years ago but those were the days. Now, in these fast-paced modern times, I have no idea what my representatives are voting for in my name. But I can guarantee that politicians that I’ve helped put in office have voted for bills that would make me cringe. This isn’t something I’ll be able to control anytime soon (until I’m 35 and eligible to be the next Barack).
But there’s hope! The YouCut program was introduced a couple of weeks ago on Eric Cantor’s website. Each week the site gives you a choice of five porky government programs to cut and opens it up for voting by text or web. At the end of the week the votes are tallied and the winner is proposed to be cut before the House of Representatives. In its first week 280,000 Americans voted to cut an initiative that scales back welfare requirements that would have saved 2.5 billion dollars. The cut failed to pass with a vote of 177-240.
Regardless of your political persuasion you have to admit that this is pretty cool. I’d love it if more representatives gave their constituencies a say in the issues. Eric Cantor and his fiscally conservative posse are blazing trails and hopefully we’ll see more politicians jumping on social politics bandwagon soon.
http://www.republicanwhip.house.gov/YouCut/
Nielsen’s State of Mobile Apps: Shock and Blah
Friday, June 11th, 2010While Nielsen isn’t exactly known for releasing studies that blow minds, the work they’re doing in the mobile space is quickly becoming a favorite read of mine.
While the mobile space is an ever-expanding space with more options than ever before, a majority of the players are making their bets on the iPhone market, but with the expansion of HTML5, you might see a move from apps to Web-based applications (remember when you used to have to create Web apps on your first-gen iPhone?).
Here are a few head turners (and duhs) from the Nielsen report:
- The Smartphones are Coming. U.S. wireless users continue to gobble up smart phones as 21% of those polled have a smartphone, which is up from 19% the previous quarter and 14% during the study before that.
- iPhone Users are App Collectors. The average number of apps on an iPhone: 37. That’s a full 15 more apps than the next largest OS; Android with 22.
- Who’s Where? Facebook continues to be the most-popular social networking app, with MySpace still trending high with teens.
For all the info, head over to Nielsen.
Apple + Ads: Must-Skip to Must-Touch
Thursday, June 10th, 2010
I’ll admit, I read a lot of magazines, but mostly only when I travel. The only magazine that gets sent to my apartment is actually in my roommate’s name and involves a small, furry, woodland creature and a very old man with way too many girlfriends. So, for me, a lover of WIRED when I’m on a plane, the fact that they were one of the first publications I cared about to release an iPad application was pretty huge. What I didn’t expect, though, was that instead of flipping past the ads like I did in my use-to-be-a-tree copy of the rag, I actually stopped and looked at the ads because (get this) they were actually engaging.
For the first time, rather than just telling you about a product, service, or idea, brands are able to bring you into the experience through clickable links, video, audio and animations.
Now, the iAds announcements of late don’t necessarily play into the experience of in-application advertising with the likes of The New York Times, WIRED, USA Today, etc., but Apple is quickly becoming a best friend to advertisers looking for a way to showcase their brands not only in traditional and non-traditional mediums, but in mediums where the experience is heightened to levels never before seen.
Developers will be able to create ad experiences in tandem that can work both in the iAd environment on the iPhone, and as integrated ads on the iPad in publications and applications, each delivering targeted info to publics that are more likely to be receptive to the message.
While I don’t have any numbers for advertising included in WIRED or the likes, you can bet that brands are paying top dollar for a chance to be part of the next wave in the field. Apple did, however, say they already have $60 million worth of advertising committed to their iAds platform for H2 FY10. That platform goes live July 1, 2010. The brands on board for the initial launch read like a who’s who of the big brands world: Nissan, Citi, Unilever, AT&T, Chanel, GE, Liberty Mutual, State Farm, Geico, Campbells, Sears, JC Penny, Target, Best Buy, Direct TV, TBS and Disney.
During that same portion of the WWDC keynote, Jobs also said that iAds are projected to account for 48% of all mobile display advertising in the second half of 2010. Add those numbers to the number of people taking more than a passing glance at the ads in publication applications and you’ve got a whole new ballgame. The recent news about Symbian users being the most-active ad clickers in the mobile space could easily read much differently a quarter from now.
To tide you over, until we get a snazzy photo carousel on the blog, check out these eye-catching pages from the latest edition of WIRED on the iPad:
Hotties, RBV’s and Communities
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010I only thought about work once this weekend; coincidentally I spent it in Vegas. Here’s a little bit more on the time work came into my mind. I was cruising up to the pool with my dogs, shirt off and suit on when I heard a mamasita calling me over. I’m used to this when I have my shirt off. So I walk over to the guilty party and ask what’s up. She says “Want a free Red Bull Vodka?” Holy hell! As many Creekers know this is one of my favorite adult beverages so naturally I agree without really knowing what I was getting myself into.
At this point I realized that this tenderoni was not trying to get my digits and buy me a drink. Her intentions became clear when I saw an iPad station in front of her. She explained that all I have to do is sign into Facebook and Like the MGM Grand Restaurants and Lounges Facebook page. I cue up my profile and Like their page with the full intention of Unliking it from my phone and coming back for more RBVs.
I’ll stop the flashback there as a story about me and unlimited RBVs may not do wonders for my professional image. This got me thinking about a problem that I’ve seen before with brands and their social networks: buying fans to inflate their fan count. I know what you’re thinking, “That’s what it’s all about, you idiot. More fans = more impressions = more $$, dumbass”. First of all, I don’t appreciate your coarse language. I understand buying fans to jumpstart a page or to promote big product announcement. But simply buying fans so you can brag about having bigger number is kind of like buying an Escalade to compensate because you’re lacking in “other areas”. Pages that grow fans through bribes generally do not have the quality communities. In my opinion the future of social media is going to be more about quality of fan discussion rather than quantity of fans. Less money may be injected into these pages, yes, but true fans will be able to congregate and customer support will happen more and more.
Obviously, I did not come into Spring Creek Group with a marketing background and tend to value a strong community on the networks that manage above all else. This may diverge from the goals of many of my colleagues in the SMM world. But my resolve is steeled by our mission here at SCG to bring fans closer to their favorite brand which means we can’t be looking at them with dollar signs in our eyes. And if you don’t agree with anything in this post, at least remember that you can get free RBVs by the lazy river at the MGM Grand. Don’t say I never gave you any useful information.
Not-so-live Coverage of Actual Live Coverage of Apple’s WWDC
Monday, June 7th, 2010
If you’ve ever actually been near Moscone Center during WWDC’s opening extravaganza, you know what the scene is like – crazy. If you haven’t been, imagine thousands of guys walking around with their iPhones, iPads, iPods, iEverthings all waiting to hear their cult leaderesque, black mock turtleneck wearing guru tell them the “one more thing…” Now, that’s WWDC. We obviously didn’t get an invite to this year’s festivities – Katie Cotton swears she gave our invite to Gray Powell for safe keeping, but we never received it – but we did take some time to follow the excellent live blogs out there (including Engadget, gdgt, MacRumors, Technologizer and Wired) to bring you what we think are some of the highlights.
iPad
The big item already in market for Apple is the iPad, the tablet device that’s changing the way we look at mobile computing. With over 2 million units sold, Apple is averaging one iPad going out the door every three seconds – say what?
Steve Jobs noted that there are 8,500 native iPad apps in the App Store and thousands of apps downloaded every day… blah, blah, make with the iPhone news, Steve.
iPhone
Just when you think it’s all iPad, Jobs brought out the trusty iPhone (3GS style) and showed us a couple new items in the arsenal, but the one that stood out most was Netflix streaming over WiFi and 3G for the iPhone coming soon (free). This means you can now watch your Netflix videos and pick up where you left off on your PC, Xbox, iPad, and now iPhone.
Zynga came on stage to show off Farmville for the iPhone (a meh for us, but wow for them). Activision also talked about Guitar Hero ($2.99 in the App Store).
The big numbers were:
- 5 Billion (with a B) downloads
- With Apple now paying 70% of revenues to devs
- $1 Billion in revenues to developers.
Jobs threw a study out that showed RIM with 35% of market, iPhone with 28%, Windows with 19% and Android with 9%. To give a more-telling look, he also noted that iPhone is accounting for 58.2% of mobile browser usage and Android is 22.7%
And then, the moment all the fanboys were waiting for… iPhone 4
Jobs actually joked about the fact that people had seen the phone “I don’t know if you’ve ever seen this… you ain’t seen it.” This humble blogger still thinks it would have been great to have the guy who left his prototype in a bar bring the phone out.
“24% thinner than the 3GS. Thinnest smartphone on the planet.” We’re going to spare you all the actual physical specs here and just link you to Engadget, but the fact that the actual bezel/band of the phone is being used as part of the antenna system is engineering genius. You can catch the well-produced video featuring Ive and his crew here.
Retina Display is basically one of the big selling features of the new iPhone 4, with crazy specs. This does mean that existing apps will look better, but if devs do a bit of work, they can take even more advantage of the new resolution and deeper levels of color.
From the teardowns of prototypes left in bars and the likes, we knew the battery would have a much-improved life – we just didn’t know how much.
For the first time, Apple introduced a gyroscope to the iPhone, and coupled with the accelerometer and compass, created six-axis control movements – yay for gaming. Now you can actually drive the tractor to plow your crops in Farmville.
Camera updates to the iPhone were definitely expected, and with a 5 megapixel camera, Apple actually was able to up their megapixels and still capture great low-light images by increasing the number of photons that hit the sensor and adding an LED flash. The camera can also take 720p HD video at 30fps.
But, Steve, how will we ever edit those videos on the iPhone? Well, they’ve got an app for that – iMovie for iPhone ($4.99 from the App Store).
The ability to capture, create, and syndicate HD video that can use geolocation means you have a fully-functioning social video device right in your pocket. No longer will you have to run around with your Flip HD and your iPhone getting footage and then heading back to your computer to do a quick edit before uploading to YouTube. This single factor could change the way we look at self-produced video on the Web – it’s the next level of usability.
At this point in the talk, there had been problems with the live demoes which required WiFi access and Jobs actually asked attendees to turn off their laptops and stop using wireless… funny.
iPhone OS 4 = iOS 4
Here’s the good stuff, the stuff that actually changes the way we interact with the mobile device.
The biggest feature in the new OS is the ability to multitask (run numerous applications at one time). This means users aren’t logging out of their favorite applications, but simply switching to a new one just like they would on their laptop. This means more time in social networking applications, more time when advertisers can be running ads through iAds, and more time being productive (given that you’re not spending all your time playing Zynga games). It’s yet to be seen how much this chomps away at the battery life, but Jobs did mention that the reason Apple didn’t come out with multitasking in earlier versions was because they were perfecting how to do it with an eye on battery consumption and performance.
There are also folders on the home screen (like we all knew) which allow you to place applications within them.
The enterprise crowd will love the increased support for enterprise mail systems (exchange) and Bing has been added to the search engine list available on the iPhone.
iAds
This recently-announced program would bring standardized advertising to the iPhone and help developers continue making free and low-cost applications. The platform launches July 1, 2010. Brands on board already: Nissan, Citi, Unilever, AT&T, Chanel, GE, Liberty Mutual, State Farm, Geico, Campbells, Sears, JC Penny, Target, Best Buy, Direct TV, TBS, and Disney. And they’re spending a lot of money, enough money in fact that Jobs said iAds are projected to represent 48% of all mobile display advertising in the second half of 2010. These numbers are big time when you think about the recent report on who is actually clicking on ads (hint: it’s not iPhone users).
And then, in classic Jobs style…
“It’s called FaceTime. WiFi only. iPhone 4 to iPhone 4. No setup.” The video chat feature uses both the front-facing and rear cameras to provide a face-to-face experience over WiFi, which is pretty awesome. The video they showed had some incredible uses, including the one below where users were actually chatting using American Sign Language (yay for accessibility!).
And that’s it! Check out the blogs I mentioned up above, and even Gizmodo, who wasn’t invited, but played nicely with everyone else throughout the day.
What’s Next?
Well, as Apple often does, they’ve changed the game a bit. This isn’t truly monumental, but whenever a product comes to market that shifts the way you use an everyday device, things change. It will be an interesting time as we see what comes out of Palm’s acquisition by HP, developments in the Android operating system and handsets, and the planned introduction of Windows Phone 7 Series devices further down the road. It’s an exciting time to be addicted to shiny objects.
Bye, Steve.
*Note: Microsoft, maker of Bing, Windows Phone and Xbox is a client of Spring Creek Group
**Another note: All photos in this piece are property of Engadget. We weren’t in attendance, and couldn’t take as beautiful of pictures even if we were.
Putting the Social Back in the Arts
Monday, June 7th, 2010
Last week, I had the great fortune of joining the Pacific Northwest Ballet technology brainstorm session. Two years ago, PNB as well as eight other local arts organizations were awarded a four-year grant (totaling 7.7 million dollars) by the Wallace Foundation for outreach to young audiences, primarily using technology and social networks. Two years ago, very few arts organizations had the resources or knowledge to implement big social media campaigns – and this grant blew the doors open on the possibilities.
Since then, the ballet has gone from zero to 60 in terms of their online presence. They performed intense market research, rebuilt their website and developed their Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels and are moving into the next phase- implementation! Now, I cannot tell you the top secret details of what happened in the powerhouse brainstorming session, but I can say I am excited to see what comes out of our discussions.
If you haven’t checked out PNB recently- you really should. They already have great programs for discounted tickets and a good mix of family-friendly story ballet, classical (tutus) and an impressive mix of contemporary dance. Also, check out what the other Wallace recipients are doing with their funds, check: here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. They are great examples what an organization can do to engage audiences with unique content and creative ideas.
