Joining a movement

Really cool site, Ive never seen this technique before where photos uploaded by users are incorporated into videos. Its a great way to get people involved and have them become a part of the movement. Props to Am, for this lead.

visit the site

Twitter and who is tweeting?

Despite hearing about Twitter from its early inception I still haven't found a way to make it useful in my life. Any web based technology I've adopted to, is usually because it's made things easier for me or is entertaining. Twitter doesn't fall into any of those categories for me. I recently read this article in the N.Y. Times which identified the people who I suspected it would be relevant to. According to Walter J. Carl, an assistant professor of communications studies at Northeastern University“The people who I see using it are an older demographic, people in marketing or P.R. or advertising, who use it for work, to present themselves as particular types of people. They’ll twitter, ‘I’m traveling,’ or ‘I’m going to interesting restaurants.’ They’re using it to do identity work." But he also points out that its the same reason people use Facebook, " is to control other people's perceptions of them.”

These are really interesting insights the first one being that people whether or not they realize it, use Facebook for their own branding and positioning purposes. My second thought was that maybe why Twitter works better for the marketing, P.R. or advertising demographic is that all their tweets are more announcement worthy. They're usually about doing something productive. The difference here being that business productive,"I've just finished my post mortem report on my last project" has more net worth than the personal productive," I've just done two loads of laundry." Well, its not that either one of these tasks are more virtuous than the other, its all in the context of their respective audience. In Facebook, my doing laundry doesnt really make me anymore esteemed.

Here are two great articles on how Twitter is much more effective in the business realm, both showing how a brand could successfully utilize Twitter. From The Toad Stool, titled,Twittering As The Ultimate Ad Vehicle talks about successfully using Twitter at event your brand might be sponsoring, and having someone who can report insider happenings or on the spot information to fans of that event. Another great idea comes from Brand Flakes, Darryl Orht calls it TweeVee," a television that one could add my own Twitter sub-titles to. A broadcast that is streamed, and allows users to choose the Twitter buddies that appear as sub-titles? Very Cool.

Your brand is not my friend

An excellent article from the Tangerine Toad. It's a clear and concise description of the social media landscape and contingent on whether or not your a "Prom King" brand -- how you should use the space accordingly.

read it here
Props to the Toad for the inspiration for this blog name

Consumer Generated Content

According to Wikipedia, the advent of Consumer Generated Content in 2005 was due to new technology becoming affordable and accessible to the masses. They define it as , "various kinds of media content, publicly available, that are produced by end-users.

My initial thought about blogging about “User Generated Content” was that it would be that it would be limited to reporting on, deconstructing, and understanding past User Generated Campaigns that have been executed. My other thought was, since interactivity is the true nature of the web; I would have a lot of ground to cover. Joseph Jaffe articulated it well when, he said," the tv was the lean back; passive medium and the internet was the lean into, engagement medium."

Upon more reading, Wikipedia's cited these three central characteristics for UGC:

1-Publication requirement
2-Creative effort
3-Creation

And these as the different types of user generated content

Discussion boards
Blogs
Social networking sites
News Sites
Trip planners
Customer review sites
Experience or photo sharing sites
Any other website that offers the opportunity for the consumer to share their knowledge and familiarity with a product or experience
Games

I again, realized how broad this topic could be so for my intent and purposes I will define User Generated Work as a vehicle to engage a person, whether in a conversation or an activity. Its about getting people to participate thus, making a connection with the consumer, especially one of the emotional nature. I love the saying the president of our company Ben (Heo) quoted in a meeting, "Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand."

That being said the parameters of this blog is to cover anything consumer generated from discussion boards to games; anything that a brand could use to CONNECT,CONVERSE, and or ENGAGE their audience in a MEANINGFUL way.