Posts Tagged ‘facebook’

The Living Magazine

Monday, October 26th, 2009

living portrait of Chris LietoAs with many of my favorite things, I became a fan of Outside Magazine on the juggernaut of social media, Facebook. This niche publication celebrates the adventure seeker who lives for their next far flung outdoor excursion and the people for whom a day at the office might consist of leading a trek on some backcountry path of the Rockies. I was drawn to a Facebook update that featured the elite triathlete, Chris Lieto, and his intentions to win the next Ironman and finally put an American in the top spot. As I read the article, I found a link to what they were calling a “living portrait.” 

This living portrait of Chris Lieto focused on a new form of dynamic magazine content captured by photographer Alexx Henry. As subscriber bases of print editions of newspapers and magazines increasingly dwindle, publishers are looking to new forms of innovation to continue to publish content that can inspire the imagination of their readers without sending all content online. Behold the Living Magazine

Imagine a world where the magazine you hold can tell a story not just with words, but with a movie-like feel – a veritable slate of miniature TV programs captured within the pages of the magazine. And imagine not having to pay much more for that magazine than you might pay for a printed edition today. It is possible with technologies such as OLED (Organic LED) and E Ink (currently used on the Amazon Kindle). This OLED technology is already being developed into a flexible prototype that is light, portable and energy efficient. According to the article, in August, scientists from the RIKEN Center in Japan announced advances that would allow OLED devices to be manufactured as inexpensively as printing newspapers! 

This is only the next generation of what is already being utilized by advertisers in places such as the tunnels of the London subway. Where movie posters may have once been displayed, those images are now coming to life with motion, which can be entertaining for passers-by. The negatives? Some have thought this technology to be intrusive. As digital marketers refine the way they use this technology, the focus is on attraction rather than distraction. I am looking forward to seeing this type of technology come into the mainstream, as the winning formula will be creating content and images in motion which are compelling to consumers, offering valuable information and entertainment. In this way, print can go on living, just perhaps, in a different way.

Do You Tweet/Facebook at Work?

Monday, October 12th, 2009

social media at workAccording to a study conducted by Robert Half Technology and released by Computerworld, 54 percent of U.S. companies say they have prohibited employees from using social networking sites, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace while at work. Interestingly enough, YouTube, which is not necessarily always as “politically correct” as the above-mentioned sites, was not included in the survey. 

The study also reported that one in five companies allows use for work-related purposes. On one hand, it’s obvious from the employer’s perspective that team members should be working rather than “playing” online. However, it is interesting to note that these sites also offer value via “staying connected” with current/prospective clients and business partners. I find myself using Facebook much more often now to reach out to business contacts than I did a few months ago. I often send messages to “friends” as a means of following up, getting information and so on. In addition, our agency team members, as well as our clients, use tweets and fan pages to post news and events. And it is also interesting to note that I get an almost immediate response to my messages, which leads me to believe that people have access at work or using Smartphones.  

I know it’s a challenging discussion as social media becomes more predominant. While I understand the management issue of regulating social networking sites at work, I hope that as professionals, we are responsible enough to understand the relevance of social media and the balance we need to maintain in our workplaces. 

I’m asking for an informal survey. Do you use social networking sites at work? Do you spend more than a few minutes/day on them? Reply anonymously if you’d like!

Even Twitter Wasn’t Fast Enough for Me…

Monday, September 14th, 2009

VMAsI’d like to begin this blog entry by stating that I’m about a year and three months shy of my 30th birthday. As such, I gradually began reducing my MTV intake about five or so years ago, and as a result, I proudly told my husband yesterday morning that I would not be watching the Video Music Awards at all. What a colossal mistake that was! 

As a mature almost-30-year-old, I lay in bed last night with my Carl Hiaasen book, feeling very sophisticated, making a point not to turn on the television. At approximately 9:30 p.m. EST, I decided to check my Facebook page from my phone, and noticed that 10 of the 13 posts in my friends’ news feeds had something to do with Kanye West, Taylor Swift or both. “Kanye West is such a jerk!” “Poor Taylor Swift!” “I cannot believe what Kanye West just said!” 

I clicked on the comments to see what all of the fuss was about, but to my disappointment (and surprise), I was apparently the only person out of my 400+ friends who wasn’t watching the VMAs. No one indicated what Kanye did or said that was so offensive to Taylor Swift, and it was incredibly frustrating! I immediately turned to Twitter for it’s well, immediacy. Surely that social media outlet had the scoop on what I’d missed on television. But nooo… just the same type of nondescript comments about Team Kanye versus Team Taylor. 

After literally three minutes of frantic searching, I finally found the answer that I was searching for in one of the aforementioned Facebook updates (that had been updated with three more comments by the time I left Twitter and checked back in with Facebook). Apparently, during her acceptance speech for best female video of the year, Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift to express that he thought Beyonce Knowles would have been a better choice for the award. I later learned through these same social media outlets that Knowles responded to Kanye’s rude comments with class and grace. Good for her. 

The point here is not that Kanye West was mean to poor little Taylor Swift. What he did was uncalled for, yes, but I think my reaction was even more surprising to me. Not more than five years ago, I probably would not have even heard about the incident until I read about it the next morning in the newspaper. However, I was literally frantic for those three minutes between seeing news of the incident and learning the facts about that same incident. I hated being left in the dark, and I fear that many more of these moments will occur in my near future as I depend more and more on social media outlets for my breaking news updates.

Technology Related Syndrome

Friday, September 4th, 2009

Tech AddictionSometimes it feels like my e-mail, social networking and blogging is getting in the way of my full-time job. Sometimes it feels … the other way around. 

I’ve taken to checking in with my Facebook friends first thing in the morning and then again late in the afternoon.  I’m still not tweeting with any regularity and substance.  I think I need a “101” with one of my colleagues for whom the whole Twitter thing is very much second nature.  

E-mail is a whole different creature. Unless I’m otherwise engaged with a client, a prospect or an organization with which I’m involved, e-mail always breaks in on whatever I happen to be doing. I know, on an intellectual level, that I don’t have to respond immediately to every little ‘ping’ when a new e-mail message arrives, and I know, again, in my head, that if someone really, REALLY needs me, they probably will actually call, on the office line or my mobile phone. I know these things, but I’m like Pavlov’s dumb but trainable dog … when I hear the ‘ping,’ I turn and look to see who is reaching out to me and why.

I blog when an idea hits me (like now) because it’s cleansing on the one hand to share these musings and neuroses of mine, and on the other, it’s comforting when I hear back from someone who is similarly afflicted with this … how should I put it … technology related syndrome. Hmmm. TRS. Big Pharma needs to look into this. 

Today, I had lunch with a client, got a radio spot recorded, talked to a prospect on the phone, did some writing and editing, put the final touches on a proposal and responded to or disposed of dozens of e-mails, a number of quick Facebook hits and learned I was being followed on Twitter by someone I don’t know (sorry, but that’s creepy).  

Just another day at the office. ‘Ping.’ Oh, excuse me please?