Recently, television star Courtney Cox joined the legions of American celebrities who use Twitter for publicity. Some users may take offense but celebrities who use Twitter to promote themselves are only guilty of using the platform with purpose and a lot of brands, whether it's an author, start-up, or an established brand, would do well to take note. After all, blanket marketing without purpose is just a lot of white noise and a costly waste of your marketing time.
This article initially was going to explore how the definition of the word "friend" has changed in the social media age. The plan was to start this article with a definition of the word with Dictionary.com being the source. But upon visiting the Dictionary.com site, something caught my attention. Something that just a couple of years ago probably didn't exist. There are six definitions of the word "friend." These all seem to be what one would expect. But it's when you get to definition number six that things get interesting.
A stylus. A stylus? Really? Of all the comments made out loud during the Super Bowl, this one got the most laughs. Other moments came close: Elton John in platform boots, Flava Flav, dogs in sneakers and fetching beers, Madonna almost falling. But the stylus? Peddled by a retro band, no less? Everyone caught a case of the nerd chuckles. Everyone caught a case of the nerd chuckles. Well, you can't fault Samsung for taking a risk. The new Samsung Note does indeed come with a stylus.
Pinterest, the virtual pinboard/social network, has hit critical mass — finally! Everyone I know these days is a “Pinner,” from distant high-school acquaintances to colleagues’ mothers. It is a unique experience to receive emails in the excess Facebook-quantity league.
No, this is not a retrospective on the Vincent Lombardi classic; however, in a big way, Super Bowl I occurred last night. As social media evolves from the endless possibilities found in an application opening up its API to even the most conservative corporations beginning a Twitter feed, we can expect each subsequent Super Bowl to eclipse its predecessor in more than just the roman numerals. Socially, the Super Bowl is just getting started. Last night the world watched the big game and it watched in more innovative ways. Verizon-powered tablets and mobile and (legal) streaming from the NFL and NBC websites hosted their own Super Bowl parties.
Seemingly on a daily basis, the Internet lights up with reports of clueless companies that create firestorms by posting a thoughtless or offensive tweet. Hence, we are all used to hearing the phrase "Think Before You Tweet" bandied about in blogs. But now, researchers give us a new reason to think before you tweet: you might be boring.
For years now we’ve watched our lives slowly move from ink and paper to digital archives. It seems inevitable. Digital can be easier to organize. Is faster and often far more reliable than handwriting. But as we move closer and closer to a paper-free world, an interesting thing is happening. People want paper. And not just any people: the people who don’t remember life before email.
Superbowl 2012 will likely go down in history as the first major event to include a social media command center, otherwise known as a marketing team using social channels to communicate information and answer questions for game attendees, as well as TV viewing audience members. Yes, social media marketing pros will be monitoring, responding to and analyzing online chatter to gauge the effectiveness of Super Bowl ads.
Yesterday was my birthday. And I, like many other Facebook users, look forward to all the well-wishing wall messages I get from dear friends and family members. I'd say one of the best things about Facebook is the way it not only reminds you of other people's birthdays, but the way it enables others to make you feel special on your own birthday.
The term “viral video” gets thrown around quite a bit. Every brand these days wants to develop the next Darth Vader ad and garner nearly 50 million views. However, setting out to accomplish this type of viral success can be daunting. Where do you start? In many cases, companies start out with a blank statement: “We want to create a viral video.” Over the last few years, I have really tried to caution those who start with this objective. Web video is more than just a “one-hit wonder."
