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!