Do something meaningful with emerging media

So it’s milestone time: Data usage has surpassed voice traffic in the U.S. for the first time, marking an interesting turn both culturally and technologically. What does this say about our society? People are spending more time and using more bandwidth, communicating with SMS, social networking, and browsing websites with smartphones. The phone call has largely become a secondary feature, which is odd.

As a culture we’re placing less emphasis on physical presence and connection, and more emphasis on virtual connection, that’s to say we can be interact in-the-moment using chat, Twitter and Facebook, and engage each other in a much deeper way. We combine our thoughts and ideas with information on the web, and aggregate these combinations in new ways. It’s a more collaborative culture, where news and information travels to more people more quickly than ever before.

Older generations would probably scoff at the idea of interacting this way, at least in the amounts that we do…and they’re probably right. We need to get out more and interact with our neighbors, use this medium to do good things in our communities. There’s a lot of need out there, and social networking has proven that its powers can be harnessed to focus attention and organize efforts.

As this blog winds down, I think it’s important to note how truly amazing it is to be alive in an era where so much is changing so quickly. It’s an exciting time. There’s so much potential, and all we can do is try to contribute our best, and hope that it’s as great as we’ve envisioned. The future is what we make it.

If you want to land a job, get creative and social.

Going back to school to get a Master’s degree in the Integrated Marketing Communications at WVU was the best decision I’ve made in a long time, and I think it will truly help me out in whatever I end up doing. I have to admit, I get a knot in my stomach when I think about the job search and my chances of landing something as good as what I had before.

The company I worked with for nearly a decade filed for Ch. 11 when the economy bottomed out, and the entire content team was let go. Going back to school was making the best of a bad situation. So as I’m now looking for gainful employment, I can’t help but think that to make myself stand out among other like-minded applicants, I’m going to have to be resourceful. There are just too many people out there looking for a job.

Could social media be the key to cutting through the clutter? The web is full of great examples of people using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to get noticed. I’m using all three, especially LinkedIn, as this blog links directly to my profile…hopefully somebody out there shows interest.

There are also some great examples of people creatively using Google AdWords to create visibility. In one particular example, a copywriter named Alec Browstein, bought up the names of the creative directors he most wanted to work for, so when they Googled themselves, a message from him showed up in the top results. “Everybody Googles themselves,” Brownstein explained. “Even if they don’t admit it. I wanted to invade that secret, egotistical moment when [the creative directors I admired] were most vulnerable.”

Now that’s a bold move.

Diaspora Underdogs: A Lesson in IMC

There’s nothing quite like watching capitalism in action, where the market decides who is up and who’s down. If you’ve been reading this blog, you already know that we’ve devoted more than a few entries to the issue of property rights- more specifically, privacy. There are some new upstarts on the social networking scene, taking advantage of Facebook users growing ire over the way it’s using its member’s personal information.

Enter Diaspora. A few months ago, four NYU students decided to embark on creating a new social network, one that didn’t rely on users giving up their privacy in the name of usability. These four students have to date raised over $131,000 to fund their project using kickstarter, a site that helps raise funds for the creative projects via pledges.

Diaspora: Personally Controlled, Do-It-All, Distributed Open-Source Social Network from daniel grippi on Vimeo.

The fact that they were able to raise this kind of money in such a short amount of time speaks to the amount of discontent there is with Facebook, and could have something to do with Facebook convening company-wide privacy crisis meeting. I can’t help but think that slow boil in the blogosphere has helped bring this issue to the front burner, and maybe my blog in some small way contributed to some real change.

The NYU Diaspora crew has over 2000 people following “joindiaspora” on Twitter, and the geeky underdogs are using the collective anger towards Facebook to drive their ambition to create something more privacy-friendly. It just proves that even a company like Facebook has to look over its shoulder for the next big thing, that privacy is relevant cyberspace, and that if you’re not listening to your customers, they will move on to someone who is.

Is Facebook trying to distract, or convince us?

Facebook, fresh off of criticism that two security holes – one attributed to an engineering bug, and another concerning its new instant personalization component, continues to raise questions in regards to privacy. What’s being revealed about us? How safe is that information once it is divulged to another company? Have Facebook users been adequately informed of what’s going on behind the scene with their data?

The prior allegedly put third-party applications onto profiles, the latter possibly revealing user data. I’m personally a fan of Facebook, but I’ve tweaked my privacy controls to Defcon 1, and I’ve opted out of the instant personalization option until I get a better understanding of how my personal information is being used on the sites that are optimized for this new component.

Adding personalization features found in the realm of social networking will make for more intuitive and interesting engagement with some of the most popular websites we visit. “We think the story behind these stats is more important than the stats themselves. As we’ve found on Facebook, people share, read, and generally engage more with any type of content when it’s surfaced through friends and people they know and trust,” according to Facebook developer representative Justin Osofsky.

Does the loss of privacy outweigh the desire for convenience? Facebook hasn’t handled the recent bad press in a very transparent way, and has done little to allay the fears of those concerned about privacy rights. It’s becoming clear that Facebook is more concerned about integrating its services at any cost, an it’s important to keep informed with what’s happening inside the beltway as it is in talks with Congress over the information-sharing with third-party companies using its platform.

Cupidtino: Mac Fans Unite! (and go on a date)

I can’t decide if this is a brilliant or bewildering version of consumer segmentation. Cupidtino.com is a dating/social site launching in June 2010 designed to appeal to and connect lovers of all things Apple. The idea is that if two people love Apple products and aesthetics they are all the more likely to like each other, right? So much for opposites attract.

The name Cupidtino is a combination of the word cupid, and the location of its business muse, Apple – in Cupertino, California. Three guys started it, and you have to be impressed with their buzz so far, they’ve managed to get a ton of free pre-launch press to date from major networks, online blogs, and publications.

A question still lingers in my mind about this endeavor. Although I’m impressed with the idea and premise of a dating site catering to Apple fans (as I’m one myself), can simple product preferences be extrapolated to personal preference for people?

I’m sure there are volumes of psychological and behavioral data to make correlations – but I wouldn’t want to be with someone who thinks exactly like me, or is so enamored with a purchase that they decide to make it a centerpiece of their existence.

In the end, it’s nothing but a club for uber-fans. If it helps two otherwise lonely people find ever-lasting love, then good for Cupidtino.com. Don’t be surprised however, if it becomes the butt of PC jokes. If you’re life revolves around the computing devices you own, you may want to take some time and reassess. Do you really want to be with someone who thinks or does exactly like you? It sounds a little boring to me.

Satisfaction…Get Some.

It would seem that between the headlines of privacy issues and record unemployment that online consumers have posted record satisfaction with e-retailers, which begs the question; is the recession over?

Satisfaction levels with the top 100 Web-based retailers rose five points this year from 2009, scoring 78 overall out of 100, according to ForeSee’s annual survey. The 78-point mark achieved this year was the highest in the index’s six-year history.

No doubt that Apple’s launch of the iPad literally “padded” this average, but it is becoming increasingly clear that buying online is more accepted across widespread demographics. For the marketer in mind, it’s further evidence of the importance of using Web 2.0 effectively.

Give them what they want...

As mobile marketing becomes more prevalent, coupled with the increased integration and acceptance of online retail, it should be expected that more goods and services would be purchased online.

Among computer and electronics vendors, Apple took the top spot and was one of the index’s most improved companies, said ForeSee. In second place was TigerDirect with a score of 81. Rounding out the top five were BestBuy.com, Dell.com, and NewEgg.com, all of which scored a grade of 80 out of 100.

It’s difficult to account for the reasons behind the increased online purchasing trend, but based on the CNET evidence it can be attributed to a combination of early technology adopters (in the case of the iPad), increased trust and awareness, and increased discretionary spending. Maybe there are green shoots after all.

Here and Now…

It looks as if geolocation will be a new feature that we can take advantage of in our browsers as Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome look to expand utility in our daily browsing experiences. Geolocation lets a browser tell a Web site the location of a person’s computer once the person has given permission.

The possibilities are endless if you think about it. Just as it has revolutionized smartphones and automobile GPS systems, and digital SLR cameras, geolocation will enhance our browsing by making more intuitive search functions available to us, should we choose to use them. There is also a very distinct advantage for the mobile marketer, as users will be able to be targeted by physical location, the holy grail of segmentation as the message meets the customer where he or she is at the moment.

You want Chinese take out for dinner – here’s a Google map enhanced search of all the Chinese restaurants in your immediate area, complete with digital coupons that can be redeemed at participating restaurants. The mobile nature of how we use the web today makes this a natural progression in usability. Those of you concerned about privacy shouldn’t fear. The geolocation option is selectable and able to be toggled on and off in these browsers.

The real question is how quickly can websites and apps be developed to take advantage of this new web component. At the 2010 South by Southwest Interactive Festival (SXSWi) in Austin, Texas, mobile networking companies GoWalla and Foursquare are already competing for customers in social networking “location awareness”. No doubt this is just the beginning for an incredibly powerful new resource for customers, businesses, and marketers.

Facebook’s issue with Privacy

In the last few years it’s been interesting watching online privacy issues arise, then quickly fade into the background of the 24-hour news cycle and growing public ambivalence. I think we’re onto something this time however, as Facebook made headlines today over its instant personalization feature, and its newly introduced integration of over 50,000 websites to its social plugins.

What’s not to like if now many of the websites that I visit now work more intuitively with my personal preferences? The answer is complicated, and gets to the core of how we intend to use social media in the future. Along with increased personalization and functionality on these websites, is the transfer of personal information about me, what pages I visit, and probably much more then I’m willing to give to any third party.

Privacy is everyone's business

Data mining has been an amazing marketing tool to allow effective targeting of products and advertising messages, and companies large and small are engaged in it. In most cases, the consumer has a choice to opt-out or opt-in, depending on their preferences.

What makes the Facebook issue more of a sticky widget is the implementation of this was done quickly, and Facebook’s user settings default as an opt-in. It’s fairly complicated for a casual user to find the settings to opt-out of this feature, and only if they were aware of it in the first-place.

It looks as if the Government could be stepping in as New York Senator Charles Schumer

is asking the Federal Trade Commission to get involved and set guidelines for social networking. I don’t think that additional regulation is the best approach, but I am sure that if left unchecked, large transfers of personal information will eventually lead to identity theft and abuse.

Legislation has always lagged behind the digital world, and Facebook must take a more responsible tact by transparently making efforts to protect its users data. Opt-out should be the default privacy setting.

Hulu, I love you just the way you are.

It appears that hulu.com is planning to start testing its subscription model later next month, while at the same time asking advertisers to fill up spot loads that would be the same as network TV. It stands to reason that monetizing a service such as Hulu was the aim all along, but it’s difficult to find the precedence here, given the limited content and competition.

Hulu is a great service, and one of its draws is the limited commercial interruption that’s normally found on broadcast TV. Online video on-demand is perfect for busy individuals that aren’t available for regular appointment viewing. It also serves as a great vehicle for advertising, both as short bumpers into and in-between program segments, and for web advertising through banners and new media forms.

Taking the positive experience that Hulu has created, and reverting it back to something more like cable TV with long commercial loads and expensive subscriptions is going to send customers away, leading to new business models that have cropped up to compete. The Hulu Plus subscription model simply doesn’t have the sizzle to demand a monthly fee of $9.95 a month, as consumers are being nickeled and dimed to death for content and access to that content.

ars technica reports:

“Hulu’s subscription tier is also expected to be tied into its pending iPad app, which has also reportedly been in testing. We have said before that Hulu needs to sweeten the deal if it wants to start charging for access, and offering shows on more screens (such as the iPad and other mobile devices) is one way to do that”.

Even with an iPad app, it’s going to be a tough sell to customers who can find this content elsewhere. It does however add some value to the Hulu subscription plan, especially if you’re one of the growing numbers of people who are giving up traditional cable TV. In this context, there’s a good chance Hulu’s subscription tier will make it a profitable and groundbreaking online endeavor.

Buzz-Building or Fumble?

So did you hear the one about a guy who walks into a bar and leaves a prototype iPhone behind? Apparently, it’s not a joke to Apple, who fiercely guards its intellectual property. What the phone was doing in public in the first place is anybody’s guess.

When I first read of this story, I thought that it was a really clever buzz-building effort on the part of Apple around the eventual release of a new iPhone (Rumor has it maybe this summer). Since then, as the story has been fleshed out, Apple has brought a computer crime task force out to investigate the matter…hardly sounds like a publicity stunt now. The question remains: Was the surrounding hype just as effective? I would argue yes.

When tech sites like Gizmodo and Gawker vie for the story and related photos, significant buzz is created for a salivating Apple fan-base, who are planning future purchases…these pictures, whether they represent the final product or not create some hefty hype around a money-making product for Apple.

CNET.com reports:

This could end badly Gizmodo...

“Editors at Gizmodo.com, part of Gawker Media’s blog network, said in an article posted Monday that they paid $5,000 for what they believed to be a prototype of an impending iPhone 4G. The story said the phone was accidentally left at a bar in Redwood City, Calif., last month by an Apple software engineer and found by someone who contacted Gizmodo, which had previously indicated it was willing to pay significant sums for unreleased Apple products”.

Regardless of the final outcome – Apple fumbled, but has every right to protect its property. It gets stickier though, considering that the 1^st amendment protects the right to broadcast leaked information. How it applies to this case however remains unclear to this blogger.