and we ask ourselves, why do we sing the songs we sing?

It has welled up inside me, and I am bursting at my seams. I have sat and watched the world around me, soaking it up like a plant eats sunshine. It is inside me, and I must let it out. I am speaking of this terrible and beautiful disease called writing.

You see, ever since I left school, there is no need to write anything anymore. Well, by need I mean there is no "requirement" for assignments and such. And when you work a job, creative writing and creative thought for that matter is no longer necessary. All that matters is whether or not you can pull the lever. Can you pull the lever faster? Great. But there is no need to think of things outside of your immediate presence. Desk, computer, stairs, elevators, and tasks. This is life, and it repeats five times a week, forty hours a week. Repeat 52 times a year.

But to some this might seem like a prison sentence. To some, this may seem like what they have waited and practiced for their entire life. This is fine, to each their own. For now I will not weigh these on their value or merit, that is not what concerns me. What truly troubles me in a way I have never really experienced is a certain surge in creativity. This surge is due in part to an idea that has been hibernating in a dusty corner in the back of my mind for years now. I have come to the full realization that this idea(s) needs to be executed, needs to be realized and materialized. Several things have prevented me from doing this in the past. Fear of failure, fear of criticism, fear of actually putting fingers to a keyboard. The idea of tackling an idea so big that I don't even know how long it would take to finish it. But alas, these fears have subsided mainly due to the desperation inside my creative heart to just express itself. So it begs the question: Why do we sing the songs we sing?

More specifically why do we create art? Why do we release the most revealing, personal, vulnerable thoughts for the world to potentially consume. What is one's motivation for this individualistic purge? Well, there are two reasons I feel one might do something of this nature. And I came upon this realization as I was reading the first book in the Tripod series called The White Mountains. Now, let it be known that these books are not the best written books of all time and they will not go down in history for their clear, cutting prose. BUT, they are fun and exciting stories about a wonderful metaphor for creativity. Allow me to explain.

If you are not familiar with the books at all I will give a brief overview. The setting is Earth in the future. Machines have taken over and rule the entire world by simply "capping" humans when they turn 14. These "caps" are essentially mind control devices that do not allow humans to think creative thoughts, and thus make them slaves to the machines, who force humans to live in somewhat of a feudalistic agrarian society. Ok, I know this sounds like cheesy sci-fi, but bear with me, I have a point. So, our protagonist here is a boy named Will, who nearing his capping decides he does not want that future. He hears of a place called The White Mountains and finds out there is a place where free men live their lives the way they want, without fear of machines. So the whole book is about his journey there and the troubles along the way. Well the part that is important for this discussion comes in the middle of the book when Will is stuck in this castle. Now at this castle Will is treated really well, the whole kingdom likes him, he gets fed well. He meets a girl who is attractive, sleeps in a comfortable bed, yadda yadda yadda, life is easy and things are good. But, everyone there is capped. And if he was to stay there, he would have to be capped as well. The thought occurs to him, should I stay where I know my future, or do I dare try fight for something that is right and true.

And basically this argument can be applied to any form of creative expression. Do you play it safe and appeal to the capped kingdom, or do you reach to achieve something that is harder, less appreciated, dangerous, and not guaranteed. For example, the Jonas Brothers are not trying to achieve anything that hasn't been done. They play safe music, make safe music videos and generally don't try to ruffle any feathers, BUT there are huge advantages to this. They are famous, rich, immensely popular, they sell out concerts, have plenty of praise, and probably will never have to work hard for the rest of their lives. These are good things. Relatively.

Making true art is a true risk. Just because you shed convention and forgo the given road does not inherently set you apart, or justify what you put out creatively. The impetus, desire, and inspiration for what you make must come from the most honest and purest place in your body: the heart. The motivation can not be to become famous, to be rich, or to reap praise and accolades. If these are byproducts of your struggle for art, then so be it. But the true artists do not desire these, nor do they judge their accomplishments on them. As the character Will states: "I would rather die than wear a cap on my head."

So what does this all mean? Jonas Brothers, three-legged machines, and metal caps. It means that I must create. It means that I must write. Not for any reason but to eject thoughts that have swallowed my brain for years now. I hope it is something I am proud of. I hope it is successful in its aims. I hope a few people enjoy it. But above all these, I hope it is art. Indistinguishably and undeniably art. Why? Because why else would we sing the songs we sing...

because these songs are in our hearts.

George Bush is getting a Myspace account?

Ok this headline might be a little misleading, but I assure you its not out of the realm of possibilities in this crazy digital world. The reason I wrote that title is because recently the government just announced that they will be looking into ways of incorporating social media to improve civic communication. Now, this may seem like a horrible idea, but this sounds like it could be cool, partly due to one main reason: the title of the group that will be responsible for making the changes. The name of the group is..........brace yourselves,

Power of Information Task Force!

How awesome of a name is that. I can only imagine a movie montage of the government selecting the geekiest kids in front of their lonely computer screens from across the nation. Each possessing a different technology power. "I'm Tommy, I'm the best at approving friend requests!" "I'm Sabrina, I'm the best Facebook poker this side of the Mississippi!" So on and so forth. Man, even I want to be a part of the POWER OF INFORMATION TASK FORCE!

Anyways, the question is how is this task force going to help us? A government official is quoted as saying, "There are new opportunities for Government to engage with people in the online world. Every day, hundreds and thousands of people come together online to solve problems and exchange ideas on public policy issues - whether raising kids, tackling debt or seeking health advice." It's good to know it took nearly a decade for the government to realize, maybe this internet thing is something worth looking into. Here are a couple of points of interest the Task Force hopes to locate, acquire, and execute over the next few months:

• exploring ways in which Government can use online forums to advise citizens


• the feasibility of making Government-owned data such as maps more accessible to people to 'mash up' with other public data to encourage citizens to engage on issues they care about,

Sounds like fun. I'm glad our tax dollars are going towards paying people to create another Myspace. Oh well, maybe we will be able to benefit from this, like who knows we could very soon be able to friend request Condoleeza Rice before this year is out. Oh the possibilities!

I hope the task force looks something like this -

The Internet Just Got Smaller

Can't find Lil Wayne's new video for 'Lollipop'? Desperately trying to find Weezer's new single? Allow me to introduce you to IMEEM.com

Imeem is a social media service where users interact with each other by watching, posting, and sharing content of all media types, including blogs, photos, audio, and video. Virtually anything and everything can be posted on this site, and I mean everything. I did a quick search for a lot of things ranging from Star Wars, to Rx Bandits, to Ween and there was consistently valid search results. The great thing about the site is that everything you would have to look for is placed in the same site. By this I mean, blogs, videos, images, and songs are all located in the same place so you don't have to go to youtube, and myspace, and google images to find out about a new band.

So you're saying to yourself, isn't this just Google? Well not quite, because this is where the social media aspect comes in. imeem links users through topic groups which were originally called "meems", relating to common interests. Media content can exist in custom profile pages and topic groups (called "meems", from the word "meme:), as well as in browsable content channels and charts. Meems can serve as online communities for artists, bands, clubs, films, schools, festivals, concert tours, friends, and sports enthusiasts. People can connect through simple groups and forums to help each other find cool relevant content to the things they like.

The only bad thing I can find in this site is you have to sign up to fully experience the benefits of the whole site. But the good news is its free to do it, so what are you waiting for, go do it!

Hunger Bytes Entry

In honor of the United Nations World Food Programme's hunger awareness video competition, I made my own video. I wanted to make a video that highlighted a lot of the harshest realities and some of the more disturbing images of people dealing with hungery and poverty. Here's the final product:

As If Facebook Didn't Connect Us Enough

Facebook has come a long way since its humble inception. I remember when people here at St. Edward's (myself included) were quite irate that we weren't an official Facebook school. This was way back in 2004, when really only major universities were on the Facebook network. Flash forward to nearly four years later, and its hard to imagine a network Facebook hasn't invaded. Practically every school in America is included, most major metropolitan areas, and I'm sure people on the moon could have an account if they reeeaaallly wanted one. We have pokes, Super pokes, pokes that rent us Blockbuster movies, and we can see updates to when our friends brush their teeth. So the next logical step in Facebook's digital takeover was a logical one: chat.

Chat? Really? That was the best they could do? I had that idea about three years ago. Now, my digital generation is a little different than the one that is constantly importing Soulja Boy videos like nobody's business. We grew up on AIM (AOL Instant Messenger). I remember the days of signing on for hours and hours as I thought of clever quotes to add to my profile, while at the same time changing my away message to show what song I was currently listening to. And of course there was blocking, chat rooms, program bots and a slew of other ridiculously stupid functions that I wasted most of my teenager years on. We didn't have Facebook, we didn't have Myspace, hell, hardly any of us even had broadband connections! (I shake my fist at you 56k!) But regardless of how basic these internet connections were, it fostered an interesting community of social media. It was a way to connect to people that we had never experienced. It was new, it was refreshing, it made talking on the phone useless.

Now recently I watched an interview with the creator of Mark Zuckerberg from when he was here in town a SXSW. Over and over throughout the long and arduous conversation, he emphasized how his goal for Facebook is to just help people communicate better and more efficiently. This is a pretty good goal, especially as a communication majors we probably all are reaching for the goal. But, I have to question how adding a basic chat function is progression at all?

Don't get me wrong I'm sure it is a nifty function to add, and is definitely more useful than buying a "virtual egg" for your friend, but I expect more from Facebook. They have been growing faster than probably 99% of all internet companies since their inception. They have the entire social media blogosphere watching their every move, and the best they can offer us is...chat. Mind you, while you're chatting it will tell you if you get poked during mid-chat.

Facebook's reign atop the social media mountain will only last as long as they continue to innovate. If Zuckerberg is sincere in wanting to progress communication, he's going to have to try harder, think more outside the box. If he doesn't, users will not wait for him to catch up. It is not out of the realm of possibilities for Facebook to slowly go the way of the buffalo and end up like the long last Friendster.

the 95 theses

After reading the 95 theses in the cluetrain manifesto I was left with a couple of observations. First and foremost I think it is good that something like this exists. It always important for consumers to control the markets. It also is amazing to think that this book was written such a long time ago, before internet consumerism had really taken place. I do have a few problems with this manifesto.

I appreciate that the tone is very assertive and progressive. However, I think much of the text and ideas are rather bombastic and filled with hyperbole. The idea that consumers truly control ALL aspects of the market and are completely immune to advertising is quite ridiculous. Also the idea that a company shouldn't focus on profit, and solely what the customers desire is also a little incredulous. There are certain elements to capitalism that have to remain in order for it to work properly.

All in all, I think that the 95 theses are a good thing, however they are a little extreme in most cases. I think that a balance between everything the theses claim and what normally goes on, will suit everybody fine in the long run.

Reach Out and Touch Somebody...well not like that

So have you ever been to a Dave Matthews concert? Better yet have you ever been to like 30 Dave Matthews concerts? If you have you've probably made friends along the way and shared a story of your favorite jam session over a brew or two. You probably call them to carpool to the next time Dave will be in town, and you're best bros for life! Right? But what happens when you start dancing in your lawn seat to "Trippin Billies" and lose your cell phone and all your numbers are lost!?!?! Well Radiohead, has fixed this problem.

Presenting the first social media website produced by an individual band. The band's Web-based merchandise outlet, W.A.S.T.E., has now expanded into W.A.S.T.E. Central, where fans who sign up can create their own profiles, post photos and video clips, invite friends to join and generally do the kinds of things they used to do on MySpace. A post from the site's administrators hinted, "We'll be adding plenty more bits and pieces in the coming weeks and ironing out any wrinkles or annoyances the best we can. Hope you find something interesting to play with."

In a day and age where bands don't make money off record sales (unless you do what Radiohead did) bands know the money is in the touring now more than ever. Creating a solid network through your fan base where they can trade set lists, sell Johnny Greenwood picks, and talk about which album is better OK Computer, or Kid A. It will be interesting to see how W.A.S.T.E. central does in the future, but be on the look out. Once again Radiohead is a step ahead of the competition.

Music and Social Media Go Together Like Peanut Butter and Jelly

Let me start with a disclaimer by stating that the social media website I am about to blog about, is currently employing me, but with that being said, this is a really sweet site.

Social media has greatly affected the history of music. In the beginning of Napster (remember Napster?) days, bands and music started to be spread faster, further, and free-er than ever before. A small unsigned band in New Jersey could travel across the country for the first time to a city in California and have people who already know their songs because of peer to peer networks. Now, the effects of this have been good and bad. It is easier and easier for bands to get recognition and noticed these days, but record sales have continued to decline to an all time low. But I think overall the internet has opened more doors, and done more positive things for music than negative things. Bands like Panic at the Disco have gotten signed before even playing a show by posting music on Purevolume.com!

"So what?" you say, "I knew about Arcade Fire before they played their first song." This may be true, in fact many people know about bands before they get big believe it or not. But until now there has been little one can do in order to tell people about a particular band and help them out with publicity. But now, there is a new website called Stereofame which allows not only bands to benefit from the internet, but also fans to benefit from finding awesome music. Stereofame is like a game, it has points, rules, and prizes, but unlike most BORING games like chinese checkers and Chutes and Ladders, Stereofame combines music and social media into an exciting new experiment.

Here's how it works:
If you're an artist, it's all about your music and your reputation. If the fans are loving your music, then you deserve to get some respect in the form of promotion on the website, some sweet merch, and even opportunities to work with professional producers in a legit studio.

Once you've signed up (don't worry, it's painless), artists of all genres can upload their songs and invite fans to start listening. As other Stereofame visitors listen to your songs, you earn points. The more fans dig your music, the more stuff you can get with your points.

If you're a fan, it's all about your passion and your good taste. If you have a knack for knowing which band is going to be next year's Vampire Weekend, then you deserve props for helping to discover them. Once you've earned your cred, Stereofame will promote your choices on the site and give you gift certificates for free downloads and merch from your favorite places.

After you've signed up (it's easy, we promise), fans can set up virtual record labels on Stereofame, and then "sign" the bands that they like best. When the bands on your label earn points, your label earns points, too. The more popular your label becomes, the more stuff you can get with your points.

Stereofame just launched last weekend so it still has a few bugs here and there, but its really easy to sign up. Check it out, tell me what you think, what's cool about it, what sucks about it, and go make some bands big!

It's All About That Brand LoyalTV

As we have learned in our books Citizen Marketers, and The New Influencers word of mouth is usually the most powerful type of advertising out there. A good or bad review to a friend can sometimes make or break a company. We have seen the influence of things like Dell Hell, or the Comcast commercial, which simply involves one user speaking their mind about a product or service that they liked or didn't like.

With all the power being placed into the hands of the user/consumer I couldn't help but think companies, must be really scared right now. The idea of brand loyalty really means something now, because the importance of keeping your customers happy could mean whether or not you keep your job. So a lot of companies have offered outlets for users and consumers to voice their opinion. The problem with this is usually these outlets are only available on the companies websites, and don't allow users to really voice their opinions in an open forum environment.

So when my boss at Undercurrent told me to checkout the website LoyalTV because we were going to be working with them, I was pretty intrigued. Much like youtube, it is a video social network where people can review products, services, websites, or companies, and interact with other users who may or may not feel the same way. The cool thing is most of the time the reviews are posted by people who just simply love a product or a service and are speaking genuinely. So, even though I'm getting paid in an indirect way for the promotion of the website, I think its a pretty smart idea, and definitely shows the power of the new influencer in the social media world that we live in.

The Internet is Now Officially For Everyone...Even Ghosts

Do you believe in ghosts? Do you believe in aliens? Do you think that Elvis never really died, and simply went back to his home planet? Well I have some great news for you, that will be a lot easier to believe than all three of those questions.

It is rumored, so who knows if it will happen, that a certain notable Hollywood director, is about to launch a very interesting social network in the upcoming future. Now, this director/producer/genius is known for several films including, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Poltergeist (1982), E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Casper (1995), Men in Black (1997), The Haunting (1999), War of the Worlds (2005). If you don't know who I'm talking about yet, you probably should give up on life right now. Just kidding!

Of course I'm talking about the esteemed and amazing director Steven Spielberg! For one reason or another it seems Spielberg has been drawn to supernatural stories his whole career, so in some odd fashion it seems like a logical idea to create a social network, called Ghost Town, for people who are as intrigued as him. What is interesting to me is his choice of actually making it a social network. This will be an amazing site to watch if not just to laugh at some of the people that live in the mountains of Northwest Arkansas (I have a right to laugh at them, I lived there!) who will finally upgrade their 56k so they can connect with others who've also been 'ducted by a spaceship! One can only imagine the features that will exists but I'm hoping for video uploads, and a few other features I think will work nicely:

1) Instead of a "poke" function, how about we get a "Haunt" function, so you can see all the people that are haunting you, ooooooh scary!

2) A google map interface where people can drop a little pin showing where you have been abducted around the world! If you hover your mouse over a pin, we also get a neat little story about what happened on their trip. For some reason I can only see pins being dropped on very, very rural areas....

3) Usually social networks allow users within a certain region to sign up, i.e. Myspace Australia, Myspace Latino. But, for this one we got to go all out, we need to open this up for users from other DIMENSIONS! I'm talking outer space, black holes, heaven, hell, Hades, Limbo, and any other place we might find ghouls, goblins, ghosts, aliens, or space creatures. Come ON let's do this right!

In conclusion, this most likely will be one of the greatest experiments in social media. It also shows that there is a network for practically anyone in the world these days, and if there isn't one now, just wait, it's probably coming. So I'm going to pop some popcorn and start counting down the days to Ghost Town's arrival. Well I probably won't pop it yet, because it would get stale probably before the site came up, but yeah you get the picture, I'm excited!

Check Yes or No...For Your Candidate

Remember in 5th grade when you really liked that one girl? She was really awesome and had like five Tamagotchis and like boys who wore JNCO's. You really liked her a lot, but you weren't quite sure if she was ready to "go out" with you (by "going out" we of course mean sit by each other at the lunch table). Well eventually you probably mustered up the courage to send her a note that simply said, "Will you go out with me?" with a box for YES and a box for NO.

Well the website I'm about to show you is much like that letter I wrote.......MANY of us wrote back in the day. Except this time, imagine it as a note from three people. Those people being of course Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama. And instead of asking you to hold their hand during recess, they are asking you about issues that REALLY matter such as healthcare, the war, nuclear weapons, immigration, and tax cuts. Well if you like that idea, then you will love a survey put together by Minnesota Public Radio.

The survey is designed to help people decide on which candidates they should vote for, on the basis of what really matters: the issues. The survey features about twenty questions featuring different aspects of politics one might have concerns about, especially in the upcoming election. After one punches in all their 'yes's and 'no's they are then able to see the results. I believe it is an intelligent way of pushing past all the rhetoric, all the hype, all the nonsense and getting down to what someone really cares about.

The site also features results from everyone's survey combined. It will be interesting to see if any campaigns or media outlets uses this social media information from the results. While Minnesota Public Radio may not be a large impact player in the media world, it just shows us once again the large role user generated social media is playing in this election.

TAKE THE SURVEY
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/ongoing/select_a_candidate/president.shtml

In My Day We Didn't Have Social Media!

Unless you have truly been living under a rock (which is impossible) there is no reason for you to not understand this year's election is crucial. For a variety of reasons I will not divulge into, the interest and excitement surrounding this election is something that hasn't been seen in many years. This is largely due to the fact of the role technology has played in the electoral process. Speeches are now posted to youtube within moments, candidates are virtually campaigning on virtual soap boxes in Second Life, and users are engaging in open dialogue by posting to a variety of social media sites such as YouBama.com and moveon.org

This is not to say that people have never voiced their opinions in politics before but for the first time a platform for every Tom, Dick, and Harry exists where users can speak, listen, and connect.

One of the more interesting applications to this approach is a recent contests put on by the aforementioned Moveon.org. Now, youtube contests are a dime a dozen these days. Anything from music video competitions to commercial contests are available for practically anybody with a camera to make a film composition and win cool prizes. The name of this contest is Obama in 30 Seconds, and it is as obvious as it sounds. It is simply a contests where users can make anytype of video (i.e. animated, still frames, comedy short) that shows why Obama should be the next president in exactly 30 seconds. It is being judged by a plethora of Hollywood stars who may or may not warrant some second guessing relevancy in their selections (Moby...seriously, Moby?????). Regardless, it is a really sweet contest that offers a plethora of pleasant prizes and is open to anyone.

What is interesting is the recognition of the power of grass roots persuasion in this upcoming election. Never before have we seen candidates recognize and acknowledge individuals who would normally would be outcast to the proverbial water-cooler. I think the more interaction and dialogue that takes place, the better off we are as a nation. So go out there and start shooting! Well not with bullets of course, that would be bad...really bad.

On an interesting side note, a similar contest was put on in 2004 by Moveon.org on why George Bush shouldn't be re-elected in 2004. And...while the winning video was extremely powerful, well we all know what happened. But history doesn't always repeat itself, so don't lose faith just yet. Here's the video:

Podcast Podcast Podcast

Check out our podcast on file sharing, entitled File Sharing Now. Enjoy!
*Click here to listen to it.

Quite Possibly the Dumbest Idea Ever

Ok, so I can be a little critical of everything in this blog, but hey that's my job. I am after all a New Influencer right? Well as I will milling about the internet I checked my RSS to Tech Crunch's blog. And the story that caught my eye first, turned out to be the dumbest thing I believe I have ever seen.

Apparently, in this world there is a website called Juicy Campus. If you are wondering what this website is, well look no further than the title. In essence it is a blog for individual universities. But instead of a blog that talks about say... interesting classes or opportunities it is a place to post gossip and rumors. That's right. A virtual water cooler. Most of the posts range from who is the biggest "whore" on campus, or who is the hottest professor. It is truly one of the lamest things I have ever seen, and trust me I've seen a lot of lame things. I'm all for the idea of social medias that bring people together and help us connect in ways that have never existed before, but do we really need this?

It seems the creator of the website is starting to feel some heat about the whole issue. People who feel that have been slandered or defamed on the website are threatening legal action against him and the site. The interesting part is the whole concept of transparency. The site is very insistent on maintaining 100% anonymity for anyone who posts or replies. It is part of the whole appeal of the site that you literally can say anything about everything and never have to be responsible for it.

In a recent blog post the creator of the site posted this statement: "Some of the things that have been posted have been mean-spirited, and we have received emails from people claiming to have been defamed on the site,” and adds “We want you to make JuicyCampus juicy, not hateful.” Yes, indeed, to be juicy is always a much better alternative to being mean-spirited.

As social media ingrains itself deeper and deeper into our daily lives it is more and more often that we are losing a lot of our anonymity and transparency. A site like Juicy Campus has an interesting concept by offering and securing these attributes, but at what expense, defamation of other individuals? I think I'm going to monitor how long this site sticks around, because I don't think that will be very long. Oh and it's probably time for that creator to get a lawyer.

The Point of Innovation is to Make Real Money

I have midterms, a part-time job, a dog, and something that resembles a social life. I'm not the busiest person in the world, but 9 times out of ten I have something I at least SHOULD be doing. I assume this is very much the same case for most college students. Between clubs, sports, friends, and classes we are a very active age group. So I think I can say with fair measure that we don't have too much free time. Which leads me to a recent topic we discussed in class. This concept of a "Second Life".

I will admit, I am one of the biggest geeks you will probably ever meet. I am an adamant Star Wars fan (not just the movies, I've read every single book written about it). I am on a computer or on the internet probably two-thirds of the time I'm awake. I love technology, dinosaurs, and most video games. But I honestly have to admit, the idea of Second Life just does NOT appeal to me.

I was very skeptical of the whole idea. A world where we can virtual money, virtual clothing, go to virtual concerts! Sounds like heaven right? Well...as Dr. Weisberger went on about this magical mystery land, I couldn't help but think this was the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Now don't get me wrong, I played the Sims back in the day. I remember building a virtual house and listening to a virtual radio, it was tight. But I was like 12 years old back then. Not that I am much more mature now (I'm not), but I just could not find the appeal in a world where everything is virtual and nothing is real, and I love the Lord of the Rings.

So I decided to jump the shark and join in this cyber fantasy land. I created a character named Dagger Weatherwax. It took me about 6 hours and countless times of trying to log in before I actually could sign in. Soon after that I had to download three large updates and re-install Second Life three times because within that time frame that's how often they are updating the program. FINALLY, after much "virtual" frustration, my virtual character landed in a place where no one spoke English and there were cartoons on the walls, in Portuguese no less. After trying to "teleport" for nearly 20 minutes I decided to just start flying. I'm not joking, you can fly in Second Life, well virtually fly that is. I ended up flying out over the ocean for what seemed an eternity, when I realized I was no longer flying and the program was frozen. Not virtually frozen, just frozen. I immediately force quit the program and canceled my account at that moment.

I understand from a public relations standpoint that Second Life can be used for a variety of purposes. Several political candidates have virtual offices where the give speeches and what not. Companies build offices where users can ask questions, inquire about products, and meet other fellow customers. Yet, does all of this virtual interaction equate into real profit, real customer service, real life progress? If we all get stuck flying over the ocean, should we ever try getting our feet off the ground? Perhaps, that is up to real life programmers to create a better Second Life. In conclusion, I feel this video pretty much sums up the way I feel about the whole second life deal.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.. But It Will Be Podcasted

Call me a skeptical Sandy, but I don't think I'm quite ready to jump on the Podcast bandwagon just yet. While our book, The New Influencers, mentions a variety of wonderful applications podcasts can add to our lives, what remains to be seen is whether or not podcasts can become a viable force in the mainstream media world. And for that to occur, podcasts must begin to attract people to listen so that advertisers will be encouraged to pump money into them.

So how big of an audience is actually listening to podcasts? According to an Arbitron/Edison Media Research study in April of 2007, 30% of Americans over 12 have an iPod or other similar digital media player. Based on US census numbers, that would be about 73 million units and therefore 73 million listeners. Arbitron claims only 13% of the total audience has ever heard a podcast; meaning at the least, listened at least once to a podcast. Even more depressing, the study proceeds to claim that only about 1 to 2 million people WORLDWIDE listen to podcasts REGULARLY! Not a very large audience to advertise to, in any medium.

Now, this is not to say podcast audiences are growing by large amounts of numbers everyday. We know that each year the amount of money being advertised in podcasts is also increasing with audience size. But who is going to reap the benefits of this increased revenue. Well, leave it to Big Media to extend their Kraken like tentacles and sink the ship of independent podcasters.

As TechCrunch's Duncan Riley puts it, "While greater awareness of podcasting is growing the overall market for podcasts, the mainstream media is taking a big slice of the pie." Meaning that they are the ones that are benefitting the most from this new media form. Will podcasts sink or swim, and who will reap the benefits of their growth? It will be interesting to see if independent users will maintain a strong presence and not be swallowed up and consolidated much like radio has become. And we don't want that to happen because we ALL know:
"the radio will always suck".

To be or not to be...A Facebook Prince

You see this man? He is going to jail. Why? We'll get there. There are some things I read on the internet, that as soon as I see them with my eyes, I know they are not true. For example, I recently saw a video explaining how Tom Cruise was at the scene of 9/11 helping fire fighters pull people out of the rubble...yeah I wasn't really buying that. Apparently he was helping them out somehow, but we all know 80's Tom Cruise > 90's and beyond Tom Cruise. And of course we have wonderful banners on websites claiming that if we hit five monkeys on the head with a click of the mouse we can win an a million dollars or something to that effect. But the next story I came across was so incredulous, I could not believe it. Yet, after much research and deliberation, I have come to the conclusion it is emphatically true. So believe it or not, here is something that really brings the concept of transparency to a whole new level:

"A Moroccan court sentenced a computer engineer to three years in prison late on Friday for setting up a Facebook account in the name of King Mohammed's brother."

That's right, a man is going to the BIG SLAMMER, for setting up a fake Facebook account. Imagine how awkward/horrifying that first day is going to be for him. If I were to transcribe how this encounter will go down, it would probably be like this:

Scary Inmate #1: "So what are you in here for" (flexes gigantic, tattoo covered biceps, while pointing to scars that are most assuredly from illegal activities).

Fake Facebook guy: "I pretended to be a prince on the internet" (quivers nervously and cries on the inside) "What are you in here for?"

Scary Inmate #1: "Murder"

(single tear rolls down Fake Facebook guy's cheek)

end scene.

We have learned in class that transparency is a key element in today's Web 2.0 world. You can't go about these social networks galavanting as a masked crusader ala Zorro or some Mexican Luchador. The key to the success and rise of Web 2.0 is that there is some sort of community that is formed for the interactivity amongst the users. The amount of transparency that exists or is required may be different for each site. For example we all know what happened when the CEO of Whole Foods decided to blog about things that shouldn't be stated, and did not reveal who he was. Bad idea, and he was reprimanded for it. Now, if there is a Myspace profile created for say...Homer Simpson, it is a safe bet that the person who actually logs on to that Myspace is not really Homer Simpson. But, we don't reprimand that person for creating it, because the community understands that transparency on Myspace is not as crystal clear as perhaps we would like it to be. Yet, Facebook is a whole different barrel of monkeys (second monkey reference, what is wrong with me?). We expect for the person who owns a Facebook account to actually be the person they are representing probably because the site is a network site that initially required you to have a university email, thus making it much harder for Internet predators to fake their way into the webs of college alums. This is not say it doesn't happen, but its a lot harder.

Now, in the case of this Moraccan engineer we have a deliberate disregard for transparency. Not only did he choose to lie about the person he was representing, but he choose to be someone I'm guessing is a pretty, popular well known person within Morocco. Fouad Mortada (the man about to serve hard time) claims that this was simply a joke, and he truly admires the Prince, and in no way meant to do anything wrong. Regardless though he was arrested on February 5, blindfolded and taken to an unknown building where he was beaten and insulted. On Friday he was found guilty of falsifying data and imitating the prince without his consent, sentenced him to three years and also fined him $1,300.

I think beyond the idea of transparency what we are seeing here is an interesting take on government net neutrality. Say what you will about America, but at least you can make a fake Pete Wentz profile without having to fear Homeland Security busting down the door and dragging you out into the dark of the night. But where do we draw the line? I did my own search on Myspace for fake George Bush profiles created by users. Oddly enough I fond over 290 fake profiles all offering a different profile take on our Commander in Chief. I'm assuming most of these people are safe and sound, sitting in their houses probably playing World of Warcraft. It seems it is up to the respective government to decide whether false information is a threat to their safety. And from this story it seems that the leaders of Morocco have little to no sense of humor, and have very little regard for web user independence. Regardless of whether or not Fouad Mortada violated the unwritten rule of Web 2.0 transparency, I just do not see the justice of sentencing of a man to three years of hard time in PRISON. As social networks, technology, the internet, and our lives become more and more increasingly integrated web neutrality is going to become more and more of an issue. We must make sure the line between neutrality and safety for everyone is preserved and not abused. Unfortunately for Fouad Mortada, it is a little too late to change his status, and far to late to adjust his news feed.

Home Depot, more like Shmome Shmeeep-O

Let me begin by saying I'm not mad. No, instead, I am rather irate. You see, I just had a bad consumer experience. Now in the past I would have griped to a few of my friends, comiserated with my mother and that would have been the end of that. But after reading a chapter in the The New Influencers, and recollecting over the infamous Comcast technician video we saw in class, I shall now blog about this atrocious moment in history and make it an everlasting footnote in the index of the ever-growing internet. So sit back, relax, unwind, and prepare yourself as the story unfolds.

It's cleaning time at my house. This means six college aged males muster up all the courage and might to clean what could be considered a toxic waste dump. This fervor and gallantry only rears its glorious head about once every five months, so it was quite an occasion. There was dusting, sweeping, mopping, Swiffering, and vacuuming. It was a regular parade of cleanliness and after about five hours we were nearly completed. That was until we realized a lot of light bulbs had gone out in the house ever since we moved in, two years ago. It was high time we replaced them. After a quick count, I noticed that indeed 30, I repeat thirty, lightbulbs needed to be replaced. It was then decided we should go to our local hardware mega store and purchase all the lightbulbs we could afford. Keep in mind, we are ready to spend WHATEVER it might cost to buy these bulbs, because by God we are tired of living in the dark, and we are ready for enlightenment (sorry, could not avoid the pun).

Normally, I would not mention the name of the establishment where this atrocity occurred, but since now I am a NEW INFLUENCER, I will gladly post the name of the horrible store we went to:

HOME DEPOT, HOME DEPOT, HOME DEPOT!!!!!

Got it? So, we walk into the store, which quickly resembles the hardware store version of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, but not nearly as sweet, and not nearly as magical. With shelves resembling towers and monuments built for electrical fans, chainsaws, lawnmowers, and enough fertilizer to grow grass even in Death Valley I'm thinking this store can supply me with thirty, low cost, 65 watt, indoor floodlight light bulbs. Oh oh oh, was I in for a treat. First of all, after searching for the light bulb aisle as if it were the lost city of Atlantis, we stumble across it. The bulbs we need are moderately easy to locate, but there are two brands and one brand does not have any prices on it. Nearby we locate a button that informs us if we push it, a store attendant will be there quickly to help us. After pushing the button twice and waiting nearly ten minutes, a meandering store clerk somewhat helps us, but is ultimately useless. We find that the ones we want are the following price:

A box deal for 12 bulbs for $34.97. Not bad of a deal, so we decide we can chill on the other six bulbs we need and grab 24 bulbs for $69.94. This roughly makes each bulb only $2.91, a good deal by any measure. So we look to find a box that houses the said 12 bulbs for $34.97, but there is no box to be found. In this entire mega-conglomerate-over stocked-Disneyland-theme park of a hardware store, they don't have the one item we need. So instead of accepting defeat we gather 24 bulbs. Now keep in mind, individually a single bulb is $4.27., much much higher than $2.91. In fact, if we have to pay for the bulbs individually, it will cost us exactly $32.54 MORE out of our poor, empty, college student wallets. So, we plan to explain our situation to the cashier who we assume will be a human, with a heart, and a conciense, and reason, and be able to understand our plight and do the right thing and give us the right price for what we want.

Let's recap real quick. If Home Depot does the right thing, because it's their fault they are out of stock on an item that should be available, especially when I could buy 5,000 buckets of paint in necessary, we save over:

$30 dollars

If they don't do the right, and instead choose to push the customer beneath their heal and crush us like a figurative jellybean we will end up paying:

$102.48

Well, we were wrong. As soon as we get to the check out line, we explain our case and a manager is called. The manager is asked to do a price check and I follow him to where we found our product. He quickly informs me that I am wrong, that the deal for $34.97 is if, AND ONLY IF, those 12 bulbs come together in a single box. It at this moment the only thing seperating me and saving a lot of money is a box. A piece of cardboard. Something I could make if they gave me five minutes, a roll of tape, and some spare scraps from the back. A BOX. I inform the manager that this is ludacris and inane, and ask him if he really wants me to pay for 24 individual light bulbs at nearly twice the price, JUST BECAUSE THE DON'T HAVE A MODIFIED PAPER ENCLOSURE AROUND THEM. And he says and I quote, "Sorry, that's just the way it is, we just happen to be out of stock of the product at the time". And I said, "Well I don't think I'll be buying those light bulbs here." And do you know what he said to me? With those beady, empty eyes, that scraggly-aging, handlebar mustache, and those thick, coke-bottle glasses he said...

"Fine".

Fine that is, as in, "I don't care what you do, I'm old enough to be your father and I don't believe in customer service. Sure, we could have made at least $70 dollars off this transaction, but we are a giant and greedy company, seventy dollars means NOTHING to us! You are just a kid, a child, a petulant pip-squeak and you have no influence or power in this world. Fine." And he danced away gleefully, like a joyous faun might do when celebrating a winter's solstice. Not really, but you get the point, he didn't care about me, or my money. He made me feel like an insignificant loser.

So this has been long, overwrought, somewhat exagerated, and extremely melodramatic, but I don't care. I'm mad. I'm pissed. I have steam shooting out of my ears! And I'm blogging about one of the worst moments of my consumer life. Well to you Mr. Home Depot Manager, I'm through with your services. I will never step foot in your horribly orange and white decorated amusement park of a store again. I am an influencer, and I have a voice. And you sir, well you probably will never read this, nor will anyone for that matter, but it doesn't matter. You are the last fragments of an aging generation that doesn't realize how powerful people like me are. You're company slogan states "You can do it. We can help." Well, I can do it, and you did help by adding fuel to a fire that never should have been lit. Speaking of lit, we ended up buying a lot of light bulbs for cheap at Wal-Mart.

Moral of the story: Don't shop at Home Depot, I know I won't.

I Spy With My Eye...Everything About Your Internet Life

Here in America, we love our privacy. In fact, we value it so much back in the day we made an amendment to our constitution to make sure British soldiers (or lobsterbacks as I like to say) couldn't come into our houses and do as they please, i.e. drink tea, eat crumpets, say something about the Queen. This fundamental notion of privacy is a large part of our culture; the idea that our property and lives should be kept private and be respected. We have confidential files, authorities must obtain search warrants before entering our house, we have passwords for virtually everything, and the list goes on and on. However, it seems that with the rise and proliferation of the internet our sacred right to privacy has been slowly chipped away piece by piece. Therefore, it is high time we examine this conundrum!

Back when the internet first began to rise in popularity (remember when everyone had American Online?), there wasn't too much to worry about. Dial-up access was costly, intolerably slow, and limited the time and speed of our connectivity to the very limited virtual network that existed. But now, with the rise and dominance of broadband internet connections, it is easier and more affordable for users to constantly be connected to the internet. For example, people now pay their bills exclusively online. They set their bank accounts to be automatically connected to their bill collectors, so that money is withdrawn from them as soon as the bill is released. With iPhones and other mobile phone devices we can instantly be connected to the internet at any point in time. With applications like SnapMyLife, you can take a picture, instantly upload it on their social network and have friends and peers comment on it, within seconds of taking a picture! It seems the more technology is produced, the closer our lives become integrated entangled within this interweb.

This is not a bad thing. With greater connectivity we have learned we can do amazing things through public relations, advertising, charity outreach, blah blah blah etc. But what has happened to our beloved privacy? That bill you paid with your online account setup, most assuredly had your bank account number saved in the annals of the internet, most likely with your social security number. An easy goldmine for a hacker with minimal skills! The photos you took on your iPhone of you chuggin Zimas with Hannah Montana is available for the world to see, and since you're most assuredly under 21, now you're parents, teachers, coaches, and preachers all know you are a very young alcoholic. Yes, now we can be connected within a moment's notice, but what we fail to recognize at times is that very fact, WE ARE CONNECTED. When you post to the internet, you have now entered the public sphere, an its practically public domain. Privacy is not really a counterpart of connectivity. It stands in the way of full networking and integration. How many of us enjoy firewalls, member's only websites, or facebook profiles of our ex's that are set only to private? It seems to be a full member of this online network, one must give up a large portion of their anonymity to fully participate in the evergrowing online network.

But what if I told you, this was no longer so? What if someone created a social network that allowed you to post pictures of all your frat party keggers, upload as many videos of you 'cranking dat Soulja Boy' dance, and you never had to worry about an employer, stalker, or the worst of both of these an "employer stalker" (I don't know if those exist, but imagine if they did!) browsing upon your private life. In fact, it is truly the best of both worlds. A social network with connectivity that is determined solely by you. But, alas, no one has made such a thing right? WRONG.

I would like to introduce to you MOLI. Designed by financial transaction veterans who understand the need for secure transactions, MOLI's members, consisting of enterprising individuals, groups and small businesses, can control their privacy by managing multiple profiles in one account. Members can then segment their social, business and family relationships as well as attain more control using three levels of permission - public, private and hidden - to determine who can and cannot access their profile information. In addition, members can add low-cost, online store capabilities to sell their products and services within the global community. MOLI membership is free as are most of the interactive tools. It allows for a user to be connected and still be private. And from a public relations stand point it is also a win. For advertisers, the appeal of professionally created content in specific channels provides a higher degree of confidence that their message will reside within an appropriate context for their brand. Privacy + networking = Awesome.

You probably are familiar with the Andy Warhol quote about how in the future everybody will be famous for 15 minutes. Well, we know with the internet, it has become increasingly easier to become a "celebrity". And it seems far too many people are willing to forgo privacy just to achieve the status of "celebrity". But I feel renowned and infamous artist Banksy is more correct in his quote, "I think Andy Warhol got it wrong: in the future, so many people are going to become famous that one day everybody will end up being anonymous for 15 minutes." Instead of asking ourselves what is the price of fame, we must ask ourselves "how much will we be willing to pay for anonymity?"

Believe the Hype...machine

Okay, okay, okay I know you're saying, "Wait a second, didn't a few posts ago didn't this very man tell us to rage against the hype machine? Now, you're encouraging it?!?!?" Allow me to explain myself and this rather erroneous contradiction.

Not too long ago, in fact less than two weeks ago, I explicated in blog form how bands these days can get famous just from internet hype, especially through the use of blog promotion. The message I was trying to convey is we need to be careful that these bands that do receive hype, fame, and money deserve said rewards. But how do we find these bands? With so many sites that allow users to upload music to their server space, there is an increasing influx of BAD music. I mean a twelve year old can record his ripping cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" complete with prepubescent vocals and horrible tuning, and within minutes have it streaming on Myspace, Youtube, or Purevolume. And most assuredly following that we will be bombarded with bulletins informing us that he has just posted a new song and that it sounds really "tight". So how do we sift through the muck and mire that is being forced upon us. Well thats where we turn to the Hype Machine.

The Hype Machine is a website that tracks and follows music blog discussions. Every day, thousands of people around the world write about music they love — and it all ends up on their site. Imagine the site as a giant music magnet, attracting all songs and artists that are blogged about in the junkyard (in this case the internet). The songs and artists that are the most metallic (no not the most Metallica, that's different) i.e. most popular or talked about, stick to the magnet and are posted onto the sites front page. Instead of scouring the internet like a wandering traveler in the desert, desperate for water, the Hype Machine finds them for you and you can pick and choose as you please.

Here's how it works:

• "The Hype Machine tracks a variety of MP3 blogs. If a post contains MP3 links, it adds those links to its database and displays them on the front page.
• Some of the frequently accessed tracks are cached by the Hype Machine server, much like Google Search caches web pages, to reduce load on the bloggers' servers and protect their bandwidth.
• Those tracks are NOT available for download, but you can preview them via the play buttons that are next to each track.The blog that posted a particular track is identified under every track by name so you can read more about why they posted it. If you enjoyed a track someone posted, stop by and let them know!
• You can purchase CDs and individual tracks by using the "amazon" and "itunes" links that appear next to most tracks. Each purchase you make via the Amazon and iTunes links supports both the artists and the Hype Machine. Please buy and enjoy." www.hypem.com

This is a huge breakthrough in online music because not only does it try to give artists exposure without letting people steal their music, it allows users to connect to one another's blogs, playlists, and user profile pages to learn more about other things they might like. Also, it encourages users to interact with actual blogs. For instance, if you are in a band, or are a huge fan of one, you can submit music to one of the blogs the Hype Machine collects from. If the blog likes what you send, they'll post it and so will Hype Machine, thus allowing for a lot of exposure to a strong, socially networked audience.

So, I apologize for previously stating that we should merely rage against the hype machine as if it were some terrible monster from the hillside. The truth is we truly do control the machine and technology can always be used for the betterment of everyone. The Hype Machine allows true fans of music to spread the word about music they love and also allows us to no longer be reliant on radio, MTV, or Rolling Stone to tell us what is cool. So I encourage everybody to go to the site, check it out, listen to some music, hate it, love it, praise it, diss it, turn it up, turn it down its all up to you. As I said earlier there is a lot of music floating around there on the interweb, so the question is "who has the power to spread it?" Well, in the words of our hero Captain Planet, THE POWER IS YOURS!

Sing it with me now: The more we get together, the happier we'll be.

I have a confession to make. There are some things in life I don't understand. I don't understand how Lindsay Lohan can still be considered relevant. I don't understand why people like Grey's Anatomy. And I really don't understand how people can look at Amy Winehouse and not want to curl up into the fetal position and cry. Alas, I digress. That being said, I would like to discuss with you today the concept of customer evangelists. We have learned about this concept and read about it extensively recently and every time we bring it up I just find it really hard to imagine someone spending all their free time promoting a product for FREE. It is beyond me how someone could truly love the carbonated beverage Vault so much that they actually made a website for it, much less the top Google ranked page. Regardless, whether I understand it or not, I still find it fascinating that these people exist. That is why we shall take a closer look at them.

From a public relations standpoint it's almost like finding the holy grail. You have a product/service/good/thing/etc. you need to promote, and you know its the best one on the market. You need publicity and press for it, but you also know the best type of advertising is word of mouth. You want to get your point across, but you don't want to spend a lot of money, because you're client is cheap (naaaaaahhh j/k, but they could be, who knows). Well now, you don't have to spend a dime, because customer evangelists are taking the reigns of how a product is being promoted. Now all of a sudden, your client is receiving publicity and press from a consumer who not only consumers your product but loves it enough they want to tell the whole world about how much they love it WITHOUT GETTING PAID.

To me the best part of customer evangelists is what happens when they start to network and interact with each other. With the advent of the internet people who were once secluded to the social groups within their local community can now be instantly connected to an unlimited amount of individuals who have the same likes/dislikes, loves/hates, interests/disinterests. When several of these customer evangelists connect they can create a form of brand loyalty that is truly extraordinary.

Now, let it be known that I never intended for this blog to become solely about Apple products, rather it just seems that when I wait till Sunday about what I'm going to write about it turns out that they always provide a very applicable example to our class's lectures and readings. So as I was lurking about the internet like Darkwing Duck did in the night, I came across a clip for an upcoming documentary called MacHeads. It is a film that centers around the community of customer evangelists that ascribe themselves to all things Apple. Now, to say these people are evangelists is a gross understatement. These people are a consumer cult, but without the space comet, red kool-aid, and mass suicide stuff. This community has grown over the years not only in size but also in the amount of zeal they hold for this company. It goes to show that if a company can bring people together and get them excited about their products, well the evangelists will go tell it on the mountain and make sure to bring more and more people together into their community, thus providing more and more sales. And after all, the more we get together, the happier we'll be.

Please watch this video! It is hilarious/horrifying/awe-inspring:

Whatever happened to the "Personal" in Personal Computers?

Have you ever seen the movie Antitrust starring Ryan Phillippe? Probably not, but that's okay, it's not that great of a movie, so I'll go ahead and you give a plot synopsis from IMDB: "A computer programmer's dream job at a hot Portland-based technology firm turns nightmarish when he discovers his boss has a secret and ruthless means of dispatching anti-trust problems." Now, I don't remember exactly why I saw the film, but I do remember quickly realizing that this movie was an poorly guised allegory for the antitrust problems Microsoft was a part of in the 1990's. The company was based in Portland instead of Seattle, the CEO's name was Gill Bates instead of Bill Gates (not really but it might as well should of been) so on and etc. But the funny thing is even in 9th grade I was able to recognize this parallel and was not surprised or dumbfounded. When I left the movie theater I recall saying to my friend, "Man I bet Microsoft DOES kill whistleblowers in their company." This was also quickly followed by, "Did you call your mom to pick us up?"

Anyways, after reading Chapter 7 in the New Influencers I couldn't help but be reminded of the horrible acting and screenwriting that was present in Antitrust, and I became really intrigued about how Microsoft tried to humanize themselves. Robert Scoble's Blogger's Manifesto is truly something every company should ascribe to. My generation has grown up in a reality with Enron, MCI Worldcom, and Microsoft. The idea that corporations are somehow looking out for the best interest's of consumers is laughable, and the notion that they are even more concerned about the welfare of their competitors is even a better joke. While the book goes to say that the humanization of Microsoft was a success is something that I can't really agree with.

Due to my own personal experience I will try as hard as humanly possible to never own a computer that runs on a Microsoft operating system again. Their recent blunder with Windows Vista is further proof to me that they really haven't listened to what the blogosphere or consumers are telling them. Furthermore, I don't feel that they are any more "human" than they have ever been, and still are much like the monolithic giant IBM (rember Big Blue?)was back in their heyday. The question I have is, has Microsoft really read the blogger's manifesto?

The point is you can only be on top of the mountain for so long. While Apple continues to put more and more innovative products, made with better quality, better technical support, at reasonable prices they also continue to build a strong consumer based community and humanize themselves with honest, personal communication from the man himself, Steve Jobs. Although, it is obvious Microsoft based systems dominate the market share of all personal computers, a crack in the dam will eventually break free, and if the New York Giants can beat the New England Patriots; who knows, in a couple decades down the road we might see Antitrust II starring Justin Long showing how Apple was able to eliminate the competition.
I personally feel corporate transparency is essential in this day's market to remain a vital, relevant, and successful company, just make sure whatever is revealed is something worth seeing.

YouBama, iBama, ManypeopleBama

With Super Tuesday closing in on us as we speak, I figured a politically centered post was most appropriate. The 2008 presidential campaign has been the most technologically focused campaign of all time. Candidates have reached out with a variety of forms of social media to attract voters and to connect to them on a personal level. Some people have gone so far as to say that this is the first YouTube election. With millions upon millions of campaign dollars at stake, and the hopes of several devout supporters candidates are continuing to look for new ways of garnering more attention and votes through the world wide web.

But as we learned in our class there are people who might support an idea, product, or cause so much that they desire to support that on their own, without any assistance or payment from the very thing they support. Such is the case with the new grassroots website YouBama. Created by two Stanford grad students, the site serves as a grassroots outlet for supporters to upload testimonials, music videos, clips of Obama on television, and practically anything related to the Obama campaign. An interesting feature is the rating feature which allows users to vote videos up and down much like the site Digg. Uploaders have featured such notable people as George Clooney, Jimmy Carter, and Charles Barkley but most of the contributed videos are from everyday people who simply want to promote their inspiring candidate.

This is another example of citizen marketers who are impacting the public relations through social media. The creators did not make the site for any profit, and do not wish to create any other sites for other candidates because they feel, "this site is most applicable to the Obama campaign because of its efforts to reach out to younger voters and speak to their aspirations." What happens when brand loyalty is fused into a candidate and mixed with a little bit of Web 2.0? Well you get just another way for a candidate to reach out to a voting population and try to impact a generation most often noted for its apathy.

Stumbling never felt sooo good...

Sometimes when I think of the internet I can only help but conjure up images of a technological jungle. Now, I'm not talking about a place where lions, and snakes, and dangerous predators live (although there is always the occasional stalker), but a place that is dense, vast, and full of discovery. But unlike the jungle in Fern Gully, the internet is not being chopped down and decimated by man. In fact, 17,000 websites a day are being added to the already immense amount of data that is spiraling through the internet right now. With this influx of information, entertainment, and potential for public relations and social media, its hard to find what you actually like out there. It could almost be equated to the ole needle in the haystack story.

However, I write you today to tell you about an amazing website: www.stumbleupon.com. Unlike most social bookmarking sites that mainly filter through articles or special tags you identify, Stumbleupon takes that one step further. Browsers on Stumbleupon can cycle through videos from a variety of sites including Google Video, Myspace Video, and Youtube, and vote on whether they liked it or not. Basic social bookmarking right? WRONG. The great thing members of Stumbleupon can utilize is that once a user votes on whether or not they like it, they can view multiple members who also enjoyed the same video. This also goes for websites, users can click a button, be taken to a website and assert whether they like it or not.. Members can create profiles, add pictures, quotes, and likes and dislikes and become friends with other users. In a way it is a social networking website that connects people, videos, and websites. All with the simple click of a thumbs up or a thumbs down. Instead of having users dig through the attic of what the internet has to offer, one site brings all this information together in one easy to find spot.

The role this can potentially play in public relations is quite easy to imagine. Perhaps you just released an funny, engaging video about your non-profit organization. A member stumbles upon it, likes it, and quickly his friends check to see his videos that he likes. Without much delay several individuals could all stumble upon it, like it, and give your organization a quick demographic of individuals you might want to market to. The possibilities are endless.

So before you decide to brave the hidden dangers that lurk in the depths of the technological jungle that is the internet, I suggest you try stumbling a little.

Youtube video on Stumbleupon

Rage Against the Hype Machine

It is no mystery that Myspace has quickly become the most successful networking website in the galaxy. In fact, to not know instantly what that word means would suggest you have been living under the proverbial rock, or live in a area where there is no internet connection (which could coincidentally actually be under a rock). As Paul Gillin, author of the critically acclaimed book The New Influencers, suggests the rise and prominence of such a site must be acknowledged as a very important catalyst to the evolution of social media. And of course for every cause there must be an effect, which is where this long winded introduction is leading. Humor me, and follow along if you can.

According to a press release on July 12, 2007 by the corporate equivalent of Godzilla, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation stated that, "MySpace is outperforming all other social networking sites according to multiple metrics. America’s leading and most trafficked website has crossed the 70 million active monthly unique user mark in the United States, meaning that nearly one in four Americans used MySpace last month, according to newly released data from comScore MediaMetrix." To fully comprehend that statistic consider this fact released by the Associated Press: 1 in 4 Americans did not read a book throughout the entire YEAR of 2006, but apparently during a given month they found the time to check to see if they had received any friend requests. As Gillin notes, with such a wide audience, messages, information, and media are being transferred at epic rates through the lovely interface Myspace has to offer (note sarcasm).

The fact that any type of social media has been able to grow as rapidly as Myspace has is a testament to the power of Web 2.o. But as Peter Parker's late uncle Ben so famously said, with great power, comes great responsibility. And unfortunately the hype machine does not necessarily yield to this maxim and can often use its powers for good instead of evil. Now, as with most issues the line between good and evil, often depends on which side you are standing on, but for me I feel I must complain.

Consider the beloved blog band Black Kids. All within a short period of time in 2007, they managed to sign a management deal with the same team that represents Bjork and Arcade Fire. They played at the CMJ Music Marathon garnering press from the New York Times and USA Today. They received a favorable review from Pitchfork.com (an accomplishment in itself) and were awarded a best new music commendation. And to add the icing to the cake, they were nominated as one of the ten best new bands for 2008 by Rolling Stone. All of these accomplishments are impressive for any bands resume, especially for a band that did not even release an album.

Wait, I'll type that statement again: THEY DID NOT RELEASE AN ALBUM IN 2007.

So how, might a band, that is barely a band by definition, garner so much attention you might ask? Well leave it to nothing other than the behemoth that is Myspace. By release an electronic 4 song demo for free download on Myspace, Black Kids were able to get the hype machine rolling. A few downloads leads to a few blog posts, not unlike the very post you are reading. From there, a few posts can get social bookmarked through a variety of sites such as Del.icio.us, Digg, or Furl. From there people who don't even have a Myspace account have now heard of the band, and can instantly get on the super information highway and download 4 songs of demo quality. Someone might have even paid to see the band at the CMJ showcase and added a low quality cell phone movie of the band performing live. Add some much needed hype by Pitchfork and a few web-zines, and you are looking at the poster band for the Web 2.0 revolution. A band so popular they didn't even have to press a single copy of their music to be successful. (or if that example doesn't puzzle you enough, think about Tila Tequila)

The point: The rapid fire rate that Myspace is growing at means a lot of things for public relations. For instance, the above mentioned band didn't even need to pay for a publicist. All they had to do was sign up for a free account on Myspace. Movies can pay to advertise on the homepage of Myspace instantly guaranteeing them the fact within a month 1 in 4 Americans will see the title and release date of their upcoming project (and most assuredly an annoying clip that I will have to frantically race to mute by clicking on it). Messages, ideas, bands, photos, videos, news, and friend requests are being trafficked by the truck load, eating up mountains of bandwith through this site and that is more than any form of social media can say they are accomplishing. The beauty of Web 2.0 is that the everday internet browser is no longer subject to what he/she is presented. We control the airwaves, we turn the cogs on the hype machine, we decide what is relevant. The responsibility to make sure the right ideas, the ethical messages, and the noteworthy news/bands/videos are the ones that are broadcasted, is ours and ours alone. But which ones are those?

Well, that just depends on what side of the line you are standing on.