Thursday, January 8, 2009

Delete 10 Facebook friends, get a free Whopper | Webware - CNET

An excellent example of truly enlightened Social Media marketing. Seriously, this is brilliant stuff:

The funniest part: The "sacrifices" show up in your activity feed. So it'll say, for example, "Caroline sacrificed Josh Lowensohn for a free Whopper." Unfortunately, you can't delete your whole friends list and eat free (however unhealthily) for a week. The promotion is limited to one coupon per Facebook account.

Read the original post: Delete 10 Facebook friends, get a free Whopper | Webware - CNET

 

ABC Pursues Television Widgets - TV Decoder Blog - NYTimes.com

Here's the background: 

The concept, trumpeted for years, only now appears to be making inroads. ABC, according to Ms. Sweeney, is pursuing the technology in several ways. With a Lost widget, ABC could perhaps feed fans extra clues about the mysterious storyline as they watch the series finale next year. A cooking segment on Good Morning America could be enhanced with step-by-step instructions that can be viewed onscreen via a widget.

And here's my question:

Aside from baby boomers, more and more people are viewing television programs over the Web, on some network sites, and Hulu and similar services. Those viewers, I suspect, are more technically savvy and adept at using various Web 2.0 tools to simultaneously access multiple content streams -- using Twitter while watching favorite programs, for example.

So while the TV widgets idea sounds cool, is it really going to matter if people aren't using their TVs anyway?

And with services like Twitter, and devices like the iPhone and iPod Touch, why but the widget in the TV?

This idea has some merit in its potential to transform the TV viewing experience to make it as customizable and interactive as the personal computer. But it may be too little too late.

Of course, if people are willing to trample each other to save a few bucks on a flat-screen TV, maybe TV as we know still has a chance at avoiding the tar pit.

Read the original story: ABC Pursues Television Widgets - TV Decoder Blog - NYTimes.com

Twitter: The Water Cooler For Mobile Workers - Information Management Blog - InformationWeek

As a "cloudworker" I've learned just how isolated one can feel when your daily commute is the few steps from the bedroom to the home office, and your colleagues typically manifest themselves as lines of text in an email or IM or, at best, disembodied voices  on your cellphone.

So while I was a bit surprised that IW columnist Andrew Conry-Murray had only recently started using Twitter, I have to agree completely with his assessment of Twitter's role in keeping me connected to the world beyond my walls.

Murray writes:

Enter Twitter. I started using it before the holidays, and suddenly I don't feel so trollish any more. Via Twitter you can swap jokes with co-workers, get updates on their personal lives, and dip into a steady stream of industry gossip.

But for me Twitter is far more than a gossip channel. It's a powerful tool I use throughout the day to communicate with a growing network of people who are members of the community that is the focus of my work.  At this point, my job would be so much more difficult without Twitter.

Read Murray's post: Twitter: The Water Cooler For Mobile Workers - Information Management Blog - InformationWeek

Techno//Marketer - Matt Dickman on Digital Marketing and Social Media: Five big social media contradictions and how to manage them

I am frequently asked for advice on blogging and the use of other social media tools in a  corporate marketing environment. Time and again I find myself either quoting Matt Dickman or referring people to his blog or presentations on SlideShare.

Matt's recent post on social media contradictions will certainly become one of those resources  I suggest to people who need help in learning to use these new tools.

Matt writes:

What's fast to build, slow to grow and needs constant attention? No, not a Chia Pet. It's social media! I've given this post a lot of thought over the past couple of months as I talk with executives and marketers who are discussing their entry into the social media space. Some are skeptical, others are passionate. Most have incorrect pre-conceived notions that are contradictory to the way things actually are. Ironically, most of these contradictions have been used as selling points in the early days of the space.

Read Matt's entire post: Techno//Marketer - Matt Dickman on Digital Marketing and Social Media: Five big social media contradictions and how to manage them