Scott Monty

Friday Fun Video

There really isn't much commentary about this video, so I'll keep it short. Here in Massachusetts, we have Christy Mihos, an Indepdendent candidate, running for governor. One of the things that's been a huge concern here for the last decade for politicians and the public alike has been the <a href="http://www.masspike.com/bigdig/index.html">Big Dig</a>. Christy Mihos is no stranger to it, as he served on the board of the Massachusetts Turnpike and has been a notable critic of it. There's been a huge buzz about the ad that he released last week, slated to run only between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., due to its content. I've been searching around for it since Saturday; the campaign caught on to the buzz (and probably received numerous requests) and finally posted it on <a href="http://www.christy2006.com/">the campaign Web site</a>. <div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://www.hipcast.com/playweb?audioid=P03c34bf665e46a8f5f1286939e26993eYV56QFREYmJ9&buffer=5&fc=FFFFFF&pc=CCFF33&kc=FFCC33&bc=FFFFFF&player=vp24" frameborder="0" height="207" scrolling="no" width="248"></iframe> <div style="text-align: left;">Let's see how long it takes before someone converts the Flash to mpeg and posts it on YouTube. </div></div>

Friday Fun Video

There really isn't much commentary about this video, so I'll keep it short. Here in Massachusetts, we have Christy Mihos, an Indepd...

It's All Geek to Me

David Armano over at <a href="http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/2006/09/geek_20.html">Logic+Emotion</a> has posted an uproariously funny graphic, along with a perspective on geekdom. 
 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PQ08j2-dKYk/UugvT70mc1I/AAAAAAAAP8A/wjabp3PKIy0/s1600/geek2_0.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PQ08j2-dKYk/UugvT70mc1I/AAAAAAAAP8A/wjabp3PKIy0/s1600/geek2_0.gif" /></a></div>
The Geek-types who used to be social outcasts (well, let's face it, some still are) are now at the pinnacle of the 2.0 phenomenon. According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geek">Wikipedia</a>, "geek" is defined as: 
<blockquote>
A person who is fascinated, perhaps obsessively, by obscure or very specific areas of knowledge and imagination, usually electronic or virual in nature.</blockquote>
But to step it up from Geek 1.0, according to Armano, "these aren't your parents' Geeks. These are the Geeks that invent the Facebook's Firefoxes and Flickr's of the world." 
 
Bottom line: anyone with a passion about something specific, with a profound knowledge in that area - technology, literature, sports, music - is (or can be) a Geek. Hell, I'm a Marketing Geek! 
 
Thanks to a number of well-placed and innovative Geeks, we now have the ability to share our geekiness through user-generated experiences, creating opportunities for others to share our knowledge and enjoy the thing each of us is passionate about. 
 
The Geeks shall inherit the earth!

It's All Geek to Me

David Armano over at Logic+Emotion has posted an uproariously funny graphic, along with a perspective on geekdom. The Geek-types who us...

If You're Going to Do Viral, Do it Right

Great post by <a href="http://whatsnextblog.com/">BL Ochman</a> on What's Next Blog, called <a href="http://www.whatsnextblog.com/archives/2006/09/viral_not_so_cheap_if_its_done_right.asp">Doing a Viral Campaign Ain't Cheap, or Easy</a>. 
 
An important, and sometimes overlooked principle is that "a viral campaign requires not only social media, which provides remarkable new tools, but also integration with offline marketing, from street teams and guerilla marketing, to billboards, TV, radio, and print." 
 
I would also argue that viral is not a channel that can necessarily be controlled. A true viral effort doesn't start out that way; it becomes viral by virtue of the audience connecting with it and making it viral. What clients (and sometimes we) term as 'viral' could otherwise simply be categorized as 'interactive.' 
 
As I've said here before and constantly barrage by colleagues with, social media by itself is not a solution. It's another option in an expanding array of marketing channels. In the BtoB space, it may not always be appropriate for a client, but it's important to have a working knowledge of the range of new media. 
 
It's nice to see my assertion backed up by BL Ochman: "New media marketing is simply not a substitute for all others. It is a tool: one of the best ever created." 
 
Amen, sister.

If You're Going to Do Viral, Do it Right

Great post by BL Ochman on What's Next Blog, called Doing a Viral Campaign Ain't Cheap, or Easy . An important, and sometimes ove...

The Importance of Being Social

Chris Heuer at the <a href="http://www.socialmediaclub.org/2006/09/19/the-importance-of-social-media/">Social Media Club</a> blog posts an interesting perspective on business and social implications of social media. Here are a few important takeaways: 
<div style="font-style: italic;">
</div>
<blockquote>
There are four major trends I see from where I sit today:</blockquote>
 
<ol style="font-style: italic;">
<li>Social Media will become more of a business, but will retain the power from its personal passion, unlike new media in the big dotcom boom</li>
<li>More individuals will band together in networks small and large, changing the very notion of freelancing and employment</li>
<li>The corporation will be forever changed, traditional media will adapt before dying completely and all companies will become media companies thereby shrinking the advertising pie</li>
<li>Ultimately, Social Media will be a primary catalyst in saving the world…or bringing about our demise</li>
</ol>
Check out the post. It's long, but certainly a thought-provoker. Makes you consider how social media fits into your life and what you're going to do about it.

The Importance of Being Social

Chris Heuer at the Social Media Club blog posts an interesting perspective on business and social implications of social media. Here are a...

Blog Traffic Down? No Worries!

This is a bit ironic, coming on some RSS feed problems that I've been having. Bizhack notes a foolproof way to build blog traffic . I p...

That's Weird

<a href="http://slashdot.org/articles/06/09/22/1637252.shtml">AOL cancelled the world premiere of the newest 'Weird Al' video</a>, "White & Nerdy," claiming that the video had already been leaked online. 
 
'Weird Al' Yankovic writes <a href="http://www.myspace.com/weirdal">on his MySpace page</a>: 
<blockquote>
Apparently, the video has already leaked online, and AOL doesn't feel comfortable doing a "World Premiere" promotion for a video that a number of people have seen already. Anyway, it's really a bummer... it would have been great promotion for the album...</blockquote>
Why rely on a deal with AOL? Let <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xEzGIuY7kw">YouTube</a> do the work for you! Posted on September 18, it already has over 822,000 views as of September 24, and 5,575 comments. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/3i/~3/25973331/">3i makes a great point</a>: "The pre-release of the video actually affords AOL a chance to get into the social media space proactively and bring the community something additional of value. Unexpected? Yes. But not insurmountable if you’re thinking 2.0." 
 
 
<object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-xEzGIuY7kw"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-xEzGIuY7kw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></object>

That's Weird

AOL cancelled the world premiere of the newest 'Weird Al' video , "White & Nerdy," claiming that the video had already...

Not So LonelyGirl

In the last two weeks, the big discussion regarding online video has been around LonelyGirlGate. It turns out that LonelyGirl15 was not simply an self-vlogger, but rather the brainchild of a couple of guys in L.A. who were trying to jumpstart a career in full length film by scripting every video she made. A couple of observations from her "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd15ku_BVR0">My First Kiss</a>" video this week. First, it's the second most-viewed video of the week, with over 600,000 views. Evidently the scandal worked in her favor. Second, it seems a little odd, knowing that it's scripted, to hear Bree - whose MySpace account is currently the most-visited account this week and this month - to be so coy about telling us about her first kiss, leading up to it with phrases like: <blockquote>"I really don't want to tell you, but..." and "Go away!"</blockquote> If you don't want to tell us, and you're recording yourself, you probably don't really want us to go away. Someone's trying a little too hard to sound authentic. <object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Kd15ku_BVR0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Kd15ku_BVR0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

Not So LonelyGirl

In the last two weeks, the big discussion regarding online video has been around LonelyGirlGate. It turns out that LonelyGirl15 was not simp...

My Agency Can MOO, Can You?

I work at <a href="http://www.agencypja.com/">a full-service agency </a>that still has quite a bit of business in the print space. Which is why I was delighted to read <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/09/19/moo-flickrize-your-business-cards/">this Techcrunch post</a>. 
 
<a href="http://www.moo.com/" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4564/341154559726763/320/moo.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a>A company called <a href="http://www.moo.com/">MOO</a> announced that they can "Flickrize" business cards - that is, turn your <a href="http://www.flickr.com/">Flickr</a> photos into thick, glossy, mini-size business cards. This is a really smart move - Flickr has a wide following (demonstrated by the <a href="http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/060830-110224">1.2 million photos that were tagged in the 24 hours</a> following the announcement of geotagging) and there's actually a revenue model behind this service. 
 
For a small agency or the solo practitioner without a big budget for new business pitches, this could be a unique leave-behind. Simply upload your creative to your Flickr account and use teh MOO interface. For 20 bucks, you can supply your audience with 100 cards of interesting, relevant and customized information in an easy-to-pass-along format. 
 
Along with another technology that I'll blog about tomorrow, this is a simple, yet powerful way to build awareness of your company's brand after you've left the building.

My Agency Can MOO, Can You?

I work at a full-service agency that still has quite a bit of business in the print space. Which is why I was delighted to read this Techc...

"A Mind-Blowing New Advertising Model"

In <a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/02/8387416/index.htm?postversion=2006091810">Viral Ads: It's an Epidemic</a>, CNN Money notes the popularity of using YouTube to distribute a viral message (or in the case of Smirnoff's Tea Partay, using their own Web site to post the video, and seeing it ripped and posted on YouTube therafter). The $64,000 question is "Can YouTube and Google Video figure out a way to make this a business?" It's the question we are all asking ourselves around the office and in the agency business. Is this a sustainable business model? If advertising dollars are required, at what point do advertisers begin to fit into the model, and where do they fit without alienating the loyal audiences of these sites? YouTube has been inking deals lately (most recently with Warner Music, for a paid branded channel), but beyond that, there must be a some sort of financial infrastructure to support the incredible bandwith required by hosting hundreds of millions of videos. According to the article, "They hint that they are working on a mind-blowing new advertising model that may eclipse these efforts." Just what that model is, they don't say. We'll have to wait and see. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.shaveeverywhere.com/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4564/341154559726763/200/shaveEverywhere-thumb.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a>On the flip side, agencies think that a really good viral ad doesn't need to be promoted - it should create its own buzz. You can't will something to be viral (<a href="http://viralcartoon.blogspot.com/">or can you?</a>). At a social media roundtable last week, the group was trying to determine how<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.subservientchicken.com/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4564/341154559726763/200/subservient_chicken.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" /></a> (and whether) to advertise in social networks. We were discussing some of the hot viral campaigns (<a href="http://www.subservientchicken.com/">Su</a><a href="http://www.subservientchicken.com/">bservient</a><a href="http://www.subservientchicken.com/"> Chicken</a>, <a href="http://www.shaveeverywhere.com/">Shave Everywhere</a>, <a href="http://www.teapartay.com/">Tea Partay</a>) and what made them successful. I suggested they came on the scene, almost unannounced and had a single element in common: entertainment value. Lo and behold, at the conclusion of the CNN article, Kevin Roddy of BBH (the agency that created Tea Partay) says: <blockquote>"I believe if you want to be successful in the world of viral, you need to play by the rules of entertainment, not the rules of selling. A lot of brands might have difficulty with that. But as soon as you [sell], people say, 'Well, I'm not going to do your work for you.'"</blockquote> Props to <a href="http://www.micropersuasion.com/">Steve Rubel</a> for the link.

"A Mind-Blowing New Advertising Model"

In Viral Ads: It's an Epidemic , CNN Money notes the popularity of using YouTube to distribute a viral message (or in the case of Smirno...

Trail Blazers

They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. Am I blushing yet? 
 
Todd Defren of <a href="http://www.pr-squared.com/2006/09/wanna_see_what_the_media_pitch.html">PR Squared</a> fame picked up on <a href="http://socialmediamarketing.blogspot.com/2006/09/long-trail.html">my mention of Trailfire</a> and went one step further: he created <a href="http://www.trailfire.com/tdefren/trails/11864">an awesome trail on the Social Media Press Release</a>. Prepare to be enlightened about the SMPR. 
 
<a href="http://www.trailfire.com/" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4564/341154559726763/320/Trailfire.0.png" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a>If you had any doubts about the power or functionality of <a href="http://www.trailfire.com/">Trailfire</a>, this should set your mind at ease. This is an incredibly powerful tool with some rich B2B potential. 
 
Now, rather than relying on a paragraph full of links that readers might click indiscriminantly (if at all), you can bring prospects, clients, employees, readers, etc. on a guided tour through sites of interest while telling them a story about why each page is important. 
 
Being able to lead your audience in a stepwise fashion while creating context around each page is a huge deal. The ability of Trailfire to personalize this experience, as if the trail owner is communicating directly with the reader, cannot be overstated. 
 
The only improvement I would like to see is some degree of feedback aside from the mail icon in each trail mark. If a reader could IM the author or comment on a trail mark, this could lead to more converations rather than commentary.

Trail Blazers

They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. Am I blushing yet? Todd Defren of PR Squared fame picked up on my mention of Trailfi...

Behold, the Power of Blogs

Following up on their study on the use of podcasts in the B2B space, KnowledgeStorm and Universal McCann commissioned <a href="http://www.knowledgestorm.com/MainServlet?ksAction=aboutus&subpage=s_pressrel&pageName=/resources/content/c_press_rel_071006.jsp">a joint study on the emering role of new media</a> specifically on the effect of purchasing decisions in the IT space. The study concluded that IT purchase decisions are heavily influenced by content found in blogs. Some top-level results about blogs: <ul><li>80% claim to be blog readers, with 51% reading blogs at least once a week </li><li>53% read blogs weekly for business information, while 57% read blogs on technology topics each week</li><li>70% of survey respondents recommend or pass along content from blogs at least once a month</li><li>More than 53% of survey respondents felt that content they read in blogs already impacts their work-related purchasing decisions</li></ul>And some highlights regarding RSS: <ul><li>59% of respondents said they are "somewhat" to "very" familiar with RSS</li><li>31% subscribe to RSS feeds or readers</li><li>79% of respondents said they are accessing RSS feeds on specialized news topics, covering specific industry or company information, while only 36% of respondents are accessing blogs via RSS feeds</li></ul>Worth noting: <blockquote>"New online media formats, such as blogs, will help companies better address shifting preferences and opinions in the B2B marketplace. Marketing campaigns will achieve even greater results because companies are now able to truly listen to and come to understand their audiences' needs and wants through these mediums."</blockquote> Update (9/22/06): the ANA blog notes that <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/%7Er/blogs/kXlb/%7E3/25595682/b2b_blogs_more_.html">B2B blogs are more important than ever</a>.

Behold, the Power of Blogs

Following up on their study on the use of podcasts in the B2B space, KnowledgeStorm and Universal McCann commissioned a joint study on the e...

Podcasting: It's Not Just for Kids Anymore

KnowledgeStorm and Universal McCann have embarked on a series of studies regarding the emerging role of new media on marketing. The first focuses on the <a href="http://www.knowledgestorm.com/MainServlet?ksAction=aboutus&subpage=s_pressrel&pageName=/resources/content/c_press_rel_071006.jsp">penetration of podcasting in the B2B space</a>. 
 
This is one of the first surveys focused specifically on the B2B audience and it clearly shows that podcasts, blogs and other new media types are viable mediums for reaching B2B technology buyers. 
 
Podcast usage among B2B technology buyers is significant and growing: 
<ul>
<li>41% of survey respondents claim they have listened to podcasts on more than one occasion, while 13% stated that they "frequently" download or listen to them.</li>
<li>32% of survey respondents stated their usage of podcasts has "Increased" or "Significantly Increased" in the last six months. The same question yielded 39% for blogs.</li>
<li>B2B technology buyers are listening to podcasts for business interests, specifically technology-oriented topics</li>
<li>Nearly 60% of respondents said that information on business or technology topics, currently delivered as white papers or analyst reports, would be more interesting as podcasts.</li>
<li>55% of respondents would be more likely to consume white papers and analyst reports if they were delivered as podcasts.</li>
</ul>
And perhaps the biggest opportunity can evolve from this finding: 
<ul>
<li>57% of the frequent podcast users stated their biggest challenge with podcasts is the scarcity of interesting content</li>
</ul>
Stacy Malone, vice president, interactive media director at Universal McCann concludes: 
<blockquote style="font-style: italic;">
"Business and technology-related subject material is a perfect match for podcasting content. Podcasts are no longer being used only for pure entertainment value. They are turning into an indispensable, business-critical information tool."</blockquote>

Podcasting: It's Not Just for Kids Anymore

KnowledgeStorm and Universal McCann have embarked on a series of studies regarding the emerging role of new media on marketing. The first f...

New Numa, New Media

A couple of interesting developments related to YouTube. First, a new site called <a href="http://www.viralvideochart.com/">Viral Video Chart</a> tracks the most talked-about videos on YouTube (thanks to <a href="http://www.micropersuasion.com/2006/09/new_chart_track.html">Micro Persuasion</a> for the link). 
 
Coming in at #11 is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gg5LOd_Zus">New Numa</a>, a video by Gary Brolsma, the original Numa Numa kid (*see below for details on Numa Numa). Here's the interesting part of New Numa: with this video, Gary is challenging viewers to participate in a contest to vie for $25,000 in grand prize money for the best video. 
 
<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4564/341154559726763/1600/Numa.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4564/341154559726763/320/Numa.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a>Since the posting of the video on September 8, 2006 (one week ago!), it has had over 1.6 million views - plus it's helpful to know on YouTube that others can rip your video and repost it under a diferent title, so the views may be significantly higher. "New Numa" (Gary's YouTube name) has nearly 1,200 subscribers and the video itself has encouraged nearly 20,000 comments. 
 
The New Numa has its own <a href="http://www.newnuma.com/">Web site</a>, on which Gary is immortalized in a logo. Once there, you can download ringtones, buy Numa Numa gear, chat with Gary, get the music from iTunes, and read a <a href="http://www.newnuma.com/press_release.html">press release from Jaeter Corporation</a>, the new media company that is hitching its wagon to Gary's star. 
 
It used to be that star personalities sprung from campaigns (think Jared, Mr. Whipple, etc.). Now media companies are taking advantage of individuals' 15 minutes of fame and trying to create a larger sensation out of it. What fame-seeking shlub can turn that down? 
 
For the two of you of you not familiar with the original Numa Numa, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/vqr2q3YPu4E">here it is</a>. Gary Brolsma had recorded this on his Webcam and sent it to a friend. Ever the pal, his friend uploaded it to the Internet and a star was born. 
 
If you ask me, the original is much better than the new also-ran. Plus, I like the logo.

New Numa, New Media

A couple of interesting developments related to YouTube. First, a new site called Viral Video Chart tracks the most talked-about videos on...

The Long Trail

<a href="http://www.trailfire.com/">Trailfire</a> is a Web app that allows you to create context around your Web experience, and then share it with anyone. 
 
<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4564/341154559726763/1600/Trailfire.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4564/341154559726763/320/Trailfire.png" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a>Subtitled "Rewire the Web with your point of view," Trailfire allows you to mark pages with annotations that can be either plain text or HTML (including dropped in widgets like those from YouTube or Google). The next time you mark a page with the same trail name, the pages are linked together in a trail. 
 
Its creators claim that there are "far-reaching implications towards creating a user generated meta-web, a Social Web." According to the site: 
<blockquote style="font-style: italic;">
<div class="blurb">
Trailfire is a hosted service that enables anyone to comment on any web page. Place a 'trail mark' on a page with your comments or notes. A trail mark can contain text, images, videos and other media types. When you give several marks the same 'trail name' you are forming your own navigation path on the web. We call this a 'Trail'.</div>
<div class="blurb">
Anyone with a <a href="http://www.trailfire.com/pages/about/faq.php#faq2.4">compatible browser</a> can follow a trail. To make a trail, you will need a plugin to your browser. <a href="http://www.trailfire.com/pages/about/getting-started.php">Learn more</a>. </div>
<div class="blurb">
Making trails is easy. Trails can be used for hundreds of reasons, ranging from serious research to serious fun. Use trails to organize and annotate web pages or to communicate your point of view. Share your trails by sending them via email, posting them on your blog or by publishing them on Trailfire.com. <a href="http://www.trailfire.com/pages/about/applications.php">Learn more</a>.</div>
</blockquote>
Trailfire runs a blog called <a href="http://occamsmachete.com/2006/08/the_social_web.html">Occam's Machete</a> ("Given two equally predictive theories, hack the stupid one to a pulp.") on which they've posted some early applications of the technology. Here's a screenshot of a trail at work: 
 
<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4564/341154559726763/1600/Trailfire_screenshot.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4564/341154559726763/320/Trailfire_screenshot.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a> 
 
There are some interesting BtoB implications here, as this seems to be a much more user-friendly and on-the-go version of <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/">Squidoo</a>, Seth Godin's brainchild that encourages a network of various experts to post their "lenses" on topics.

The Long Trail

Trailfire is a Web app that allows you to create context around your Web experience, and then share it with anyone. Subtitled "Rewir...

Great Advertising + Marketing Posts

Just something for light for a Tuesday morning. This entry from Marketing Nirvana has been in my "drafts" folder for a while: 5 ...

Quite a Sticky Wiki

Steve Rubel of <a href="http://www.micropersuasion.com/">Micro Persuasion</a> fame also writes a column for Advertising Age. In his lastest entry, <a href="http://adage.com/article?article_id=111747">Your Brand on Wikipedia</a>, he notes the importance of tracking your organization's entry in Wikipedia: 
<blockquote style="font-style: italic;">
Like it or not, the Wikipedia open-source phenomenon looms large right where companies are increasingly spending billions of dollars to jockey for position: on search-engine results pages. 
 
In all seriousness, as soon as brand managers learn where they stand on Wikipedia, there is a natural inclination to want to control it. Some, in fact, actively police it. After all, anyone can. But doing so is asking for trouble.</blockquote>
This is one of those instances of social media marketing - like creating a fake identity on MySpace or even more current, like the YouTube/LonelyGirl15 stunt that's in the news (see <a href="http://www.newyorkmetro.com/arts/tv/features/19376/index.html?imw=Y">LonelyGirl15's Online Diary Is the Birth of a New Art Form</a>) - in which any disingenuous tinkering by corporations will be sniffed out and could negatively affect the brand. 
 
By all means, it's important to <a href="http://www.jaffejuice.com/2006/08/23_things_every.html">monitor your company's reputation</a> on a variety of sources. But be careful about how you get involved in the conversation. For too long, marketers have been accustomed to controling the message as a one-way push of information. 
 
Now that we're engaging our audience in true conversations with powerful online tools, the temptation is to use those tools to try to control the message as best we can. Ignore that temptation. Let the conversations happen. Monitor them. Respond to them. But don't jump back into your old role. 
 
We had a debate here at the agency about a month ago, trying to decide whether or not to include "Create a Wikipedia Entry" as part of our Top 5 Social Media Recommendations for a client who was considering options for organic growth of awareness. Eventually we opted to omit it as a recommendation. 
 
Our reasoning was that the client already has content on the Web. Our job is to draw attention to it and let the conversations occur. Should a reader decide to create a wiki based on reading the content, then we would encourage the client to monitor and enhance the entry as appropriate. But we thought that it would be a mistake to lead off by creating one from scratch.

Quite a Sticky Wiki

Steve Rubel of Micro Persuasion fame also writes a column for Advertising Age. In his lastest entry, Your Brand on Wikipedia , he notes th...

BtoB Uses of Social Bookmarking

Today's Wall Street Journal has an excellent section on <a href="http://online.wsj.com/page/2_1241.html">Technology Innovation</a>. Included in the section is <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115755372327355120.html?mod=2_1241_2">Information Found - And Shared</a>, [registration may be required] about social bookmarking for corporate uses, such as information sharing in project management. It's cited as "a fairly quick way to get a widely distributed client team to be familiar with the company and the industry." 
 
 
<a href="http://blog.holtz.com/index.php/weblog/cogenz_seeks_beta_testers/">Shel Holz</a><a href="http://blog.holtz.com/index.php/weblog/cogenz_seeks_beta_testers/"> mentions</a> that Niall Cook's startup, <a href="http://blog.cogenz.com/index.php/2006/09/10/">Cogenz</a>, aims to bring social bookmarking to the enterprise level and is currently seeking beta testers for industry segments. According to Holz, "Cogenz will offer a secure hosted site for use strictly within a single organization, bringing the benefits of social bookmarking to intranets and other internal networks."

BtoB Uses of Social Bookmarking

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Old vs. New

David Meerman Scott has a couple of interesting posts on Web Ink Now: 
 
In the old days, <a href="http://www.webinknow.com/2006/08/the_old_rules_o.html" style="font-weight: bold;">marketing simply meant advertising</a>: 
<ul>
<li>Advertising needed to appeal to the masses.</li>
<li>Advertising relied on interrupting people to pay attention to a "message".</li>
<li>Advertising was one-way: company-to-consumer.</li>
<li> Advertising was exclusively about selling products.</li>
<li>Advertising was based on "campaigns" that had a limited life.</li>
<li>"Creativity" was deemed the most important component to advertising.</li>
<li>The agency winning advertising awards was more important than the client winning new customers.</li>
<li>Advertising and PR were separate disciplines run by different people with separate goals, strategies and measurement criteria. </li>
</ul>
The Web, of course, is different. Instead of one-way interruption, marketing is about delivering content at just the precise moment that it is needed by a buyer. 
 
In a separate post, he takes notice of <a href="http://www.webinknow.com/2006/08/think_like_a_pu.html" style="font-weight: bold;">the new publishing model</a>: It is about delivering content when and where it is needed and branding you or your organization as a leader in the process. 
 
Note the key word in the first phrase: content. While some may be romanced by the latest tools, technology and widgets, it's a strong content strategy that drives a successful campaign. Then and only then can the latest hoo-hah be used to bring the content to life.

Old vs. New

David Meerman Scott has a couple of interesting posts on Web Ink Now: In the old days, marketing simply meant advertising : Advertising ...

I Can See You

<a href="http://www.pr-squared.com/">PR Squared</a> has a great post about <a href="http://www.pr-squared.com/2006/09/ode_to_transparency_and_shel_h.html">transparency</a> - why it's important in today's environment. Todd Defren cites <a href="http://www.webpronews.com/blogtalk/blogtalk/wpn-58-20060906TransparencyKeytoShiftsWin.html">Shel Holtz's post</a>, which opined that SHIFT's expertise in social media and commitment to transparency was the key to winning the account. 
 
Indeed, Novell has completely turned around when it comes to transparency. Not only is their technology based on open-source, but their very behavior is open-source: an entire page of Novell's Web site is dedicated to <a href="http://www.novell.com/company/blogs/">Novell company blogs</a>. 
 
In trying to quantify the value of social media, Defren writes: "I am absolutely convinced that "transparency" is the #1 most positive ideal to rise from the Social Media era." While this doesn't equate to 100% openness, it means that companies are more communicative about more issues, leading to conversations that can improve the brand experience. Defren cites fairness and the wisdom of crowds as the principles of transparency. 
 
How much is too much? That is an answer that lies with each organization's tolerability for and culture around transparency. But the winners in our Web 2.0 world will certainly be part of the conversation with their customers. 
 
(Disclaimer: Novell is a client of <a href="http://www.shiftcomm.com/">SHIFT Communications</a> and of <a href="http://www.agencypja.com/">PJA Advertsing + Marketing</a>)

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Story Time

Great post from <a href="http://www.podcastingtricks.com/?p=325">PodcastingTricks.com</a> about what Starbucks needs to learn in the podcasting business. It really is about content. Without good content, you've got nothing. Good content/good marketing, boiled down to its essential component, is just storytelling. Here's <a href="http://brandplay.typepad.com/confessions_of_a_brand_ev/2005/05/every_good_mark.html">a neat little poster</a> of some of Seth Godin's blog posting <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2005/05/what_every_good.html">What Every Good Marketer Knows</a>. Relevant to this post are: <ul><li>Good marketers tell a story</li><li style="font-style: italic;">Effective stories match the worldview of the people you are telling the story to</li><li style="font-style: italic;">Reminding the consumer of a story they know and trust is a powerful shortcut</li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://brandplay.typepad.com/confessions_of_a_brand_ev/2005/05/every_good_mark.html"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4564/341154559726763/320/GodinMarketer.0.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a>

Story Time

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I'm Lovin It

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ThsraAqgYi0/VX8wqMRcfSI/AAAAAAAAgRg/4_yvn66D698/s1600/McDonalds%2BBillboard.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ThsraAqgYi0/VX8wqMRcfSI/AAAAAAAAgRg/4_yvn66D698/s640/McDonalds%2BBillboard.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
 
Sometimes it pays to get back to the basics. 
 
In <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/2006-09-10/street-stunts-on-the-digital-highway">Street Stunts on the Digital Highway</a>, BusinessWeek reports that McDonald's didn't see much movement in its breakfast business from TV, radio and newspaper ads in the Chicago. What caused the most buzz? A billboard. 
 
But not just any billboard. A <a href="http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=21278">fully-engineered sundial</a> that suggested which McDonald's foods you might want at a certain time of the day. 
 
 
But Leo Burnett didn't stop there. They sent this photo to Chicagobusiness.com, a regional portal, where it was visited 105,000 times in two weeks and from where it richocheted <a href="http://www.foodfacts.info/blog/2006/07/mcdonalds-sundial-billboard.html">around </a>the <a href="http://www.adrants.com/2006/07/mcdonalds-billboard-tells-time-with-sun-d.php">blogosphere</a>. 
 
BusinessWeek states: 
<blockquote>
"With a clever idea and a few thousand dollars, brand managers are able to harness the power of blogs, video and photo-sharing sites like YouTube and Flickr, thanks to millions of people roaming the streets with camera phones."</blockquote>
 
It's a basic concept that takes advantage of the newest technologies. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves to remove the Web 2.0-colored glasses and just squint a little bit. 
 
--

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