Google turns whole web into social network December 9, 2008

Google turns whole web into social network

By: Vincent Maher

It was just a matter of time before Google started to leverage the massive base of Google accounts to connect everyone together. As usual, this new Google project is ambitious – instead of creating a new social network as a destination site, the new Friend Connect service takes the network to where the people already are – on blogs and websites.

Friend Connect (www.google.com/friendconnect) comes in the form of a sidebar for websites and blogs that has a powerful viral invitation tool for getting people to join and become part of a community that centres around the content of the site. Website creators and bloggers can invite new community members from a list of Gmail contacts or share the site inside other social networks such as Facebook, MySpace etc.

The genius of it is its simplicity – much like the paradigm-shift brought about by Google’s Adsense – Friend Connect explodes the notion of social networking completely and enables any website to be a component of a global social network.

How does it work? Website creators log in to FriendConnect using their Gmail accounts, download some code and put it on the site. Once this is done, there are several gadgets that can be embedded into the site to enhance the community aspect once people have joined your network:

• a wall gadget so people can post videos, comments and other bits of social lint onto your site;
• a review gadget so people can discuss how cool or lame you are depending on their mood, and,
• most importantly, an OpenSocial gadget that allows you to embed OpenSocial applications inside your site.

The scale of it is grand, like the Israelites toppling the walls of Jericho with their trumpets, or the rumble of elephants and infantry descending upon the Rhône.

Forget the social network as a walled garden, forget social networks as destination sites – FriendConnect turns the whole web into a social network.

Jeff Palumbo—

The great social network debate is unified profiles -vs- singular social networks. Googles friendconnect is a giant leap for the unified profile. Under the unified profile we will see profiles connected to one another in a more conventional life fashion with out or with little reprensentation of where the profile was created. Under the social network side we have a community for bikers, schools, charities, etc. as one community that you and your profile are a part of. This is a great method for many community types such as an independent private school, a church or a charity where belonging to that community means more than belonging to a website like bed bath and beyond.

This relates to many businesses. How can I leverage my social initivitave with in this great debate. If your company is seeking the relestate of the profile you need to be an application or widget. If you company seeks the verticle community you need your own social network. Which is better? They both serve their purpose and hold value to the respective business that uses them. The unified profile allows the profile owner to dictate the content on their profile. The community allows an enclosed colaboration between people under a percieved community.

Social Networking for Charity November 24, 2008

Young donors and volunteers, snubbing traditional appeals such as direct mail and phone calls, are satisfying their philanthropic urges on the Internet. They’re increasingly turning to blogs and social-networking Web sites, such as MySpace and Facebook, to spread the word about — and raise funds for — their favorite nonprofits and causes. They’re sending Web-based fund-raising pitches to their friends and families, encouraging them, in turn, to forward the appeals to their own contacts.

At the same time, a growing number of charities — ranging from start-ups to established names such as the Salvation Army — are launching profiles on popular social-networking sites, hoping that young people will link up to the pages. Some are also encouraging bloggers to mention the causes on their sites, raising thousands of dollars in small donations from readers.

Many of the nonprofits that have embraced social networking are themselves run by people in their 20s and 30s, who already spend a good portion of their lives online. Some of them also appeal to donors by offering them tangible results of their gifts by directly linking contributors with recipients.

Social-networking sites, for their part, are offering new tools to help attract nonprofits and contributors. In May, a social-action start-up called Project Agape launched a new program on Facebook called “Causes,” in which users can create online communities to advocate for various issues, charities and political candidates. Since then, the program has attracted more than 2.5 million Facebook users, raising some $300,000 for nonprofits and politicians, says Joe Green, 24, the project’s co-founder.

Social Media ad Spending decline, demands inproved results November 24, 2008

 The global financial crisis and drastically lower consumer spending, as indicated by Friday’s Commerce Department report of a 2.8% drop in October retail sales, has forced marketers to slash budgets and seek better performing alternatives.

The consumer spending recession is quickly “trickling-down” to cause a traditional media depression. Research from Jack Myers Media Business Reports indicates up to double-digit declines for newspapers, magazines, broadcast radio and television in 2008. And there appears to be no good news in sight, as sales are projected to decline further in each of these media sectors in 2009.

The future of marketing is results driven advertising. Pay-For-Performance models stand to dominate in down market trends.

Greenwood High School is a web 2.0 innovator… November 24, 2008

  A high school as an innovator. It has happened. GHS or Greenwood highschool has taken myspace into their own hands, by rolling out their own schools’ social network. This in my opinion is an innovation that every school, religous orginization and charity in the country should follow. With the small cost (under $100 usd) of starting and operating a social network on ning, kickapps or boonex there is a million resoans to do this.

Social netowrk brings a tremendious and relitivly simple system to bring like minded audiances together in a managable enviroment. With a social network people of your like minded group are able to share, communicate, colaborate, in a safe enviroment that you can eaisly manage and market to.

The GHS Social Network, http://greenwoodhs.ning.com continues to grow. Our site is less than 2 years old and has more GHS students, alumni and faculty than MySpace. At over 2,600 members we have groups for each class year so you can pass around reunion plans; we have many forums, ranging from Wines and Spirits to Movie and Restaurant reviews to Missing Classmate searches. Our groups include the GHS Memorial Group – a place to remember those who had passed on; our Prayer Circle for those who are sick or grieving and know the benefit of prayers from others; Parents of AD/HD group; our Southside Rebel and Northside Knight groups and many more.   You can post photos – we currently have over 20,000 posted by the members. There is live chat with your friends, a place to list member owned or run businesses; create your own blog and personal page and so much more. This site is for GHS alumni, current students, faculty and staff. It is family friendly – so your kids can look over your shoulder as you surf the site. It is run by a GHS alumni who verifies all members before they are approved and closely monitors the content to ensure that the site never has any offensive material on it.   Best of all – IT IS FREE. So come and join the 2600+ who are already here at: http://greenwoodhs.ning.com The original GHS alumni site! To learn more about how you can get a free social network started for your educational facility, church orginization or charity please call Jeff Palumbo at United Media Partners 734-652-1846.

Memelabs, the user-generated video contest platform company, November 20, 2008

Memelabs, the user-generated video contest platform company, today announces the release of a custom version of memelabs to help non-profit organizations and charities easily create and manage User Generated Video (UGV) campaigns online. The company is rolling out a pilot version of the new platform for Apathy is Boring, a Canadian non-partisan project that uses art, media, and technology to encourage active citizenry.

Vancouver, BC (PRWEB) — Memelabs, the user-generated video contest platform company, today announces the release of a custom version of memelabs to help non-profit organizations and charities easily create and manage User Generated Video (UGV) campaigns online. The company is rolling out a pilot version of the new platform for Apathy is Boring, a Canadian non-partisan project that uses art, media, and technology to encourage active citizenry.

Memelabs helps organizations promote viral video marketing that gain targeted exposure for marketing campaigns online, such as the successful viral video contests the company launched for Wells Fargo, Intrawest, Texas Instruments and Garden State Life.

In three easy steps marketers have a fully customized video contest ready for launch.

• Design: the customer can supply its own design or the Memelabs team works with the client to create a design; a fully customizable CSS with 100% share of brand.
• Integration: the Memelabs team applies the design to its contest platform, and can advise on and implement additional social media outreach strategies.
• Promotion: the Memelabs team helps to get the word out through social media tools, such as blogs, newsletters, bookmarks to its user base of over 100,000 people and partnerships with 40 film schools. These are film makers and enthusiasts who have previously signed up and participated in memelabs contests.

Once the contest is up and running, videos are submitted by consumers for voting and ranking by the user base. Memelabs constantly monitors video submissions, rankings and commentary to ensure no fraudulent or offensive activity takes place. In addition, this version gives customers access to the back-end platform from which clients can manage campaign details.

“We chose to integrate memelabs into our National Video Contest as it was the perfect medium to reach our target demographic, Canadian youth, in an engaging and user friendly online environment. We’ve also received an incredible amount of support from memelabs, whether in site development, marketing strategy, and content management, making our campaign a cinch to update and maintain,” comments Apathy is Boring’s Development Coordinator Adrienne Smith. “Memelabs’ commitment to the Apathy is Boring cause has made them a perfect partner for us and we look forward to our continued collaboration.”

Apathy is Boring wants young Canadians to grab their video cameras and cell phones and tell their vision for the next 250 years of Canada and enter this in an online contest at the Apathy is Boring contest site. Running July-September, 2008, one national contest winner will receive a grand prize: a trip to Halifax for the winner to attend and showcase their video during a Youth Dialogue hosted by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, on September 20th. More information on the Governor General’s Youth Dialogues is available at www.citizenvoices.gg.ca. The winner will also receive backstage passes to the Apathy is Boring Concert featuring artists ill Scarlett.

“New conversations are emerging online between organizations and consumers and as social media has now become part of the mainstream, organizations are looking for new ways to engage with its customers,” comments Dario Meli, co-founder and partner, memelabs. “Memelabs creates this bridge – engaging, encouraging and supporting positive interaction and inspiring community development. All we ask of organizations is to bring their marketing idea and we’ll put it into action.”

About memelabs
Memelabs is the first platform for companies to effectively roll out consumer-generated online video contests to gain brand loyalty in the Web 2.0 world. Easily and efficiently marketers can take advantage of the growing social marketing trends of consumer online video production, viral video marketing and consumer participation in online contests.

Power to the people: The new era of social network marketing November 20, 2008

The world of social networks is a daunting one for marketers. At last count, MySpace.com had over 300 million users, Facebook boasted over 62 million active accounts and business networks such as Plaxo and LinkedIn featured over 15 million profiles each.

Social networks hold huge opportunities for brands. The personal, interactive nature of social networks mean that brands have the chance to present themselves to users in their own, personal space – allowing for a more memorable, individual interaction.

Added to this, brands can leverage the natural endorsements given through groups and personal associations with brands, almost functioning as free market research into their specific consumer set.

But, how do you successfully leverage your brand within a social network?

1) Create a brand profile

Register your own brand group as the ‘official’ offering on the relevant network. You can then make access of related groups and communities, inviting them to join this sanctioned brand group.

2) Continuous communication

To ensure your community is constantly up-to-date and involved, make sure that relevant content is always available and a host of topics offered to allow users to personally interact with the brand.

3) Encourage collaboration

Run a contest to devise a new campaign slogan or solicit entries for the next advertising spot – it will enable users to interact on a new level, whilst providing cost-effective creative straight from your target consumers!

4) Register your own network

A very big idea but one that is sure to win you prosumer praise. Represent the interests of your consumers by starting a social network i.e. a fantasy league network for a sporting goods retailer.

The people formerly known as the audience have transformed. Blogs and social networks have become vital tools in the arsenal of marketers worldwide and any brand looking to promote and protect itself should seriously consider the influence these resources have on consumer purchasing behaviour.

The new era of prosumers is here and they’re brand-savvy, marketing-aware and prime for the taking. Ensure your brand harnesses the potential of these new ‘super-consumers’ before you are left behind, choking on the dust…

Mercedes Intros ‘Generation-Benz’ Social Network November 20, 2008

Mercedes-Benz USA wants an invited group of Gen Y netizens to open up about the brand. So it is running a social networking marketing program called Generation-Benz, intended to bring younger consumers into the brand while giving Mercedes insights about the 20-somethings. The site, at www.GenerationBenz.com, via Los Angeles-based firm Passenger, is an invitation-only forum by which the company will mine the Gen-Y attitudes, lifestyle and brand preferences. The company says that with the new program it hopes to get a new group of consumers into the brand and shape the brand for the future. Said Stephen Cannon, Mercedes-Benz U.S.A.’s VP/Marketing, in a release: “When our customers join the brand, they tend to stay. Our Generation-Benz community is a natural extension of our desire to broaden the Mercedes-Benz family, and establish a dialogue with future buyers to guide us with the design of our vehicles and direction of our brand.” The company wants feedback and perspectives on vehicles, brand positioning and sociocultural trends. The netizens will preview advertising and marketing campaigns, and engage in real-time discussions. Mercedes-Benz is the second automaker to conceive and execute such a program. Ex-sibling Chrysler this March launched a similar program, also via Passenger. Chrysler’s Customer Advisory Board comprised some 2,000 consumers. Justin Cooper, co-founder, chief marketing and innovation officer at Passenger, says the scope is similar for all of the firm’s clients. “With Mercedes, it’s how they apply it.” He says that the majority members of Mercedes’ site are actually non-owners of Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Cooper says that the firm has signed another automaker to create a similar program.

Verizon’s Interactive Video Sharing Service and Mobile Social Network November 20, 2008

FunMobility, a leading provider of innovative wireless community and media services, today announces the launch of America’s Best Mobile Flix(TM) (aFLIX), the first interactive video sharing service and mobile social network, on Verizon Wireless. aFLIX will enable Verizon Wireless customers to easily create unique mobile video experiences and share user-generated content with other mobile phone users across multiple carrier networks.

Using aFLIX, Verizon Wireless customers who have phones with video capabilities may share their mobile videos as life happens. Customers can upload videos into categories such as Comedy, Kids Vids, Crazy Pets, Sports Hijinks, and many more, or create a profile with their videos and share public or private messages with other members. Customers can also review, comment, rate and share every video on aFLIX right from their mobile phone. Videos with higher ratings are featured in a special “best videos” category every month, and customers are automatically presented with the highest-rated video they have not yet seen when they open the aFLIX application on their phones.

“Today’s mobile consumer demands creative freedom and giving them the tools to generate their own media is the next step in broadening and deepening their mobile experiences,” said CEO of FunMobility, Adam Lavine. “aFLIX represents the next evolution of mobile media creation, giving users the ability to point, click, and immediately share their personal videos with millions of others.”

“Today’s mobile phones give our customers the flexibility and opportunity to create their own media,” said Barry Ross, associate director, Digital Media at Verizon. “Our relationship with FunMobility is focused on helping our customers do that, and we’re thrilled to offer a greater selection of personalization options and applications like aFLIX, which lets them capture some of their favorite moments on video and share those experiences from almost anywhere.”

The FunMobility aFLIX service will run alongside its existing America’s Best Mobile Pix application (aPix), FunMobility’s popular photo sharing service that generates over 20 million mobile impression votes per month. FunMo.com, will power the aFLIX application, which can be downloaded directly from Get it Now or Media Center for a $4.99 subscription. Additionally, aFLIX is available on FunMobility’s direct-to-consumer website at http://www.funmo.com.

New MTV series 4Real (.com) debuts November 20, 2008

Sol Guy stands next to a needle drop-box in a Downtown Eastside alley, and nods to two men dumpster-diving a few metres away.

He’s retracing a scene from an episode in his new MTV series, 4Real, in which he and Hollywood starlet Eva Mendes examine the troubled neighbourhood’s issues, from drug addiction to homelessness.

“We were picking up needles and putting them in here,” said Guy, 33, raising his eyebrows and smiling at the graffiti-covered box.

The series, which Guy hosts, kicks off tonight at 7:30 p.m. on CTV with the first of four “sneak peak” episodes. The entire series, including the Vancouver-based episode, will air in March on MTV in Canada.

In each show, a celebrity — including Mendes, Joaquin Phoenix and Cameron Diaz — travels to meet with local leaders and activists in developing countries, war zones, remote villages and slums.

Phoenix visits an indigenous tribe in the Amazon. Diaz meets a medicine man in Peru. U.K. rapper M.I.A. heads to Liberia to meet a children’s rights advocate. Hip-hop star, K’naan, visits the largest slum in East Africa with a local aid worker.

Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside seemed a good fit, said Guy.

“It’s the poorest postal code in Canada and it’s like, yo, we can do better than that as a city,” said Guy. “We have to examine collectively why that place exists, where have we failed?”

The Vancouver episode focuses on health advocate Liz Evans and her work with the Portland Hotel, which has a number of outreach programs for people in the area. While filming in October, Mendes worked in the hotel’s kitchen and joined volunteers at night, collecting used needles in alleys.

“I’ve completely been educated,” Mendes said of her experience. “We can’t look the other way, nor should we look the other way.”

Guy said the experience made him examine his own stereotypes, something he hopes the audience will also do. “I just hope that people in Vancouver recognize the beauty of the people [in the Downtown Eastside] and they’re not to be ignored.”

Josh Thome, 35, an environmental and social activist, created the series with Guy. The childhood friends, who went to elementary school together in Grand Forks, began brainstorming about the series five years ago. They spent two years travelling together before deciding on the format, then creating a pilot. Thome said he hopes the series inspires people to action. “We’ve come so far, but I feel we’re at the starting line,” Thome said in an interview Sunday.

He said the website for the show, www.4Real.com, is important to connecting the audience to issues. It includes background on the people and areas the series features and it is linked to Vancouver-based online giving group, www.givemeaning.com, so people can donate funds.

Thome said he’s particularly proud of the Downtown Eastside episode, to air in March. “It shows you don’t need to travel around the world to find inspiring leaders or issues that need addressing,” said Thome. “You can literally look outside your door.”

Fifty per cent of any profits the show makes will be given to the community leaders and groups including the Portland Hotel, said Guy. “I don’t want to find myself taking advantage of anyone,” he said. “They’re part of it too.”

Go to www.4Real.com to learn more.

4Real is an excellent original content create to generate awareness for charitable efforts.

Marketing Executives Networking Group Survey Finds Social Media Practices Still in Infancy Stages November 20, 2008

There is Opportunity for Growth in Web 2.0 Practices; Most Marketers Still on Learning Curve

 

Despite the fact that many marketers feel like they are losing the race to adopt social media practices, the Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG), today announced the findings of their social media membership survey which reveals most marketers are still in the early or experimental phases of adopting and measuring social media. The premier organization of executive-level marketing professionals conducted the survey last month and found that 67% of respondents consider themselves beginners at using social media for marketing purposes. Additionally, more than 87% of respondents are not regularly measuring the ROI of their social media marketing efforts.

“Our members are excited about the potential of social media, but most have not yet fully integrated social media practices into their traditional marketing efforts,” says Richard Guha, Chairman of MENG. “While many marketers are worried they’re missing the boat, in reality even the Fortune 500 companies don’t feel they’ve mastered social media just yet.”

The survey was conducted to gauge the role of social media in today’s marketing practices, and nearly 75% of respondents define social media as media that is based on conversations among users. While more than 67% report they will increase their social media advertising budget in 2009, nearly 80% say social media is not a fully integrated component of their marketing programs.

“Many marketers are unsure where to start with social media,” said MENG member Dwight Griesman, Chief Marketing Officer at Forrester Research. “It’s important to make the decision on what to do based on your target audience and your strategy, not the technology. As noted in Forrester’s book Groundswell: Winning In A World Transformed By Social Technologies (Harvard Business Press, 2008) following the four step POST process provides marketers with a framework for leveraging social media to achieve their goals. The first three steps cover People, Objectives, and Strategy. Only then does Technology factor in. Focusing on the audience first is the right place to start as marketers formulate their approach to social media.”

“An important thing to remember is the initial foray into social media should always begin with listening to your consumers,” said MENG member Bert DuMars, Vice President E-Business & Interactive Marketing at Newell Rubbermaid. Newell Rubbermaid’s Graco brand implemented a social media strategy designed to humanize and increase positive perceptions of the brand. “Ask them how they would like to engage with your brand, find the communities where they are already active, and immerse yourself in the social networking environment. Also, always be transparent to your consumers, and remember it is a conversation not an interruption…and always start with listening.”

Earlier this year MENG launched Social Media University, a webinar series designed to help MENG members brush up on social media tools like RSS feeds and podcasts. The webinar series, designed to help members take advantage of current trends, was one of the highest-attended this year. In addition, local chapters are also seeing record attendance at meetings led by social media experts.

“It’s encouraging to see MENG members collaborating and participating in hands-on sessions that advance their knowledge of social media,” Guha said. “It’s this collaboration and sharing of best practices and campaigns that will show some members how to get started or take the next step and help us all to gain a better understanding of how to leverage the techniques and determine the results.”