MattDickman.com

Inside//Out: Facebook Beacon

Wow, when those Facebook guys launch a new service, they really know how to create some buzz. Their latest addition is a service called Beacon. Quite simply, Beacon is a way for marketers to allow users on their sites to send information to Facebook. Some examples include making a blog post on Typepad and having it automatically fed into Facebook or eBay sellers having their products pushed to their profiles. This is a great way to bring chunks of information into one central location and when paired with Facebook's Social Ads, it's a powerful, integrated marketing tool.

Some big name marketers are using Beacon at this very moment. They include AllPosters.com, Blockbuster, Bluefly.com, CBS Interactive (CBSSports.com & Dotspotter), ExpoTV, Gamefly, Hotwire, Joost, Kiva, Kongregate, LiveJournal, Live Nation, Mercantila, National Basketball Association, NYTimes.com, Overstock.com, (RED), Redlight, SeamlessWeb, Sony Online Entertainment LLC, Sony Pictures, STA Travel, The Knot, TripAdvisor, Travel Ticker, TypePad, viagogo, Vox, Yelp, WeddingChannel.com and Zappos.com.

But, Beacon is causing quite a stir with privacy advocates. One reason is that some sites are using Beacon to send data to Facebook without asking the users if they want to do participate. Beacon looks to see if you have a valid Facebook cookie on your machine and uses that to push content to your account. (Multple people using one machine will undoubtedly have problems with Beacon since it is machine specific.) Charlene Li at Forrester has one such story while making a purchase on Overstock.com. Many other people are talking about Beacon across the blogosphere.

Facebook is only partly to blame. Marketers who use Beacon to exploit their users should be held fully accountable.

In a TechCrunch article, Facebook is quoted as saying:

Facebook is listening to feedback from its users and committed to evolving Beacon so users have even more control over the actions shared from participating sites with their friends on Facebook…Facebook already has made changes to ensure that no information is shared unless a user receives notifications both on a participating website and on Facebook.

Check out the video as I take you through a real example and be sure to jump down below for more information and some guidelines all marketers should follow.

[Feed readers, please click through to the post if you cannot see the video.]

Here is a diagram of how it works (click for a larger image):

Marketers apply for and install the beacon code on their site Marketers then set up actions on their site to send information with Beacon Beacon looks on the user's local machine to see if they have a valid Facebook cookie, if it finds one, it sends the data to Facebook When users log in, they are presented with a message asking to allow the data to be pulled in Users can automatically allow all, request to authorize each or deny all on a site-by-site basis If approved, the message is added to the users timeline (mini-feed) and is presented to their friends on the main landing page

Guidelines for marketers:

1. Make sure that you are allowing people to opt-in to use Beacon to push information to their profile. This is permission marketing 101.
   
2. Allow them to opt in to each action you hook Beacon up to (if there are three places you are using it, that's three opt ins).
   
3. Add some explanatory information every time information is sent, as you saw in the video the notification Facebook uses is seen only briefly. Give people a short reminder and allow them to opt out quickly.
   
4. Only use beacon for things that will add value to the user on Facebook. Hold off on the mundane things and focus on items that add value, reduce the time spent re-typing it on Facebook or hook into an application the user already has installed.
   

Points of contention from privacy groups that you need to be aware of:

• Some sites are not allowing people to opt in to use Beacon, instead people are surprised by it (See items 1, 2 and 3 above).
  
• The opt-out message shown on the screen is too quick and not prominent enough (you can see this in the video)
  
• The alert on Facebook (after you log in) is hard to see and, again, is phrased as an opt out message instead of opt in.
  
• Each use of Beacon requires users to set preferences and is tedious.
  

The opportunities with Beacon are immense, but if marketers lose sight of customer privacy it can be a disaster. What do you think about Beacon? Is it too invasive? What should Facebook do to make it work without sacrificing privacy? They have to make some changes to this, but it's anybody's guess as to when that will happen.

[Update 1:] 11/29 Jeremiah just posted a link to this response from Facebook on Beacon via Twitter. The key points are: 1) making it more clear before something is posted to Facebook, 2) asking partners to provide visual cues that they use Beacon and 3) they are going to provide more info and a tutorial on how Beacon works to allay fears.

[Update 2:] 11/29 Justin Smith at InsideFacebook notes Facebook's changes to the system making it opt-in. He notes the following specifics:

• Stories about actions users take on external websites will continue to be presented to users at the top of their News Feed the next time they return to Facebook. These stories will now always be expanded on their home page so they can see and read them clearly.
  
• Users must click on “OK” in a new initial notification on their Facebook home page before the first Beacon story is published to their friends from each participating site. We recognize that users need to clearly understand Beacon before they first have a story published, and we will continue to refine this approach to give users choice.
  
• If a user does nothing with the initial notification on Facebook, it will hide after some duration without a story being published. When a user takes a future action on a Beacon site, it will reappear and display all the potential stories along with the opportunity to click “OK” to publish or click “remove” to not publish.
  
• Users will have clear options in ongoing notifications to either delete or publish. No stories will be published if users navigate away from their home page. If they delay in making this decision, the notification will hide and they can make a decision at a later time.
  
• Clicking the “Help” link next to the story will take users to a full tutorial that explains exactly how Beacon works, with screenshots showing each step in the process.
  

[Update 3:] 12/5 Mark Zuckerberg has posted on the Facebook blog with an explanation and apology to users.

Related Posts:

• Et tu? Why "fram" could be the downfall of social networks
  
• Inside//Out: Facebook
  
• Inside//Out: MySpace
  
• Inside//Out: Google Orkut
  
• First//Look: Yahoo Mash
  

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To help you stay on top of what is happening and to filter the myriad options, you can now subscribe to the Techno//Marketer podcast on iTunes. Get updates in real time when new videos become available.

If you use another podcatcher you can grab my podcast RSS feed here.

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You can watch this and other Techno//Marketer videos on your video channel of choice:

   
   

Technorati Tags:
advertising, Charlene Li, Facebook, Inside//Out, interactive marketing, marketing, Matt Dickman, social media, social networks, Techno//Marketer, beacon, privacy

links for 2007-11-28

• Boston.com picked up my Fram story on their blog.
  (tags: boston fram blog blogging)
• ClickZ: U.S. Wireless Subscriptions Surge Past 250 Million
  US Wireless subs passed 250 million, 22 million of whom have access to high-speed internet on their devices.
  (tags: mobile state data wireless broadband)
• The Book Proposal: Tips for Writing a Winning Book Proposal
  Chris Webb tells about the nine tips for writing a book proposal that gets noticed.
  (tags: chris_webb publishing book proposal)
• The Blogger's Guide to Search Engine Optimization
  Great info on SEO for blogs and social media
  (tags: blogs seo marketing blogging analytics)

Et tu? Why "fram" could be the downfall of social networks

What's worse than spam in your inbox?

Spam from your friends!

I've been getting so much of it that I've given it its own name, Fram (short for friend-spam). This differs from bacn, because your friends are generating the emails/updates/requests/invitations, not from a subscription.

Fram has really taken root with the rise in popularity of Facebook. Facebook's viral, social nature is perfect for spreading these messages, invites, applications and other bits like wildfire. So how does this work you ask. It's simple really and I don't think a lot of people even know they're doing it. On Facebook (et.al.) every time you do something, it tells people about it. You join a group, you can tell your friends. Add an application? Why not invite your friends to enjoy it with you? Each one of those interactions sends an email. That's where Fram becomes a problem.

As your network grows, the level of Fram can become overwhelming. If you have 25 friends that's one thing. If you have 100+ it becomes a pain. If you are a super connector with 500+ I don't know how you deal with the flood.

Another problem with Facebook/MySpace/everybody-else is the way they message you. Each of these sites sends you an email telling you you have an update. It doesn't send you the update, mind you, it just tells you you have an update. So, not only do you have an extra email, you have to log in to the site and deal with it there too.

Many blame spam for the downfall of email. Could Fram lead to the downfall of social networks? It could, but that tipping point is likely to be years down the road. It is one more hurdle that will paralyze most people just like spam has done with email. (Will there be Fram filters in the future?)

Here are the top five ways to prevent Fram:

1. If you join a cause or group, don't invite me. I'll see it in my friend timeline and join if I am interested. I add all of my groups/apps from there.
   
2. If you install an application you think I have to have, don't invite me. If I already have it installed I'll find you. Again, I'll see your addition in the timeline.
   
3. If you're a corporation/band/whatever with a Fan page on Facebook, limit your messages to few and far between.
   
4. If you're a group administrator, limit the emails to only those that add value to the group.
   
5. If you're either of the previous two groups, focus on the value proposition for your members/fans. How are you adding value? If you just have a group/page to have one, you're in the wrong space.
   

What tips would you add to this list? Are you overwhelmed yet?

[Update:] This is definitely a hot topic. Hat tip to Iain Tait @ CrackUnit.com for pointing out this cartoon by the brilliant Hugh MacLeod.

Also, Mitch Joel posted the following two tweets on Twitter just a couple moments ago:

To show you more of what I am talking about check out this quick diagram that shows what happens when I get a group/fan message on Facebook. Five individual messages are delivered to me in various ways.

Technorati Tags:
Matt Dickman, social media, social networks, Techno//Marketer, Fram, Facebook

Conversation for a great cause and getting social

Two cool announcements in one post today. First, the Age of Conversation book is stepping into prime time. After a very successful 4 month run, the 103 book authors (myself included) achieved our initial goal and raised $11,000 for Variety, the Children's Charity. To raise even more money, however, we're going to take a new approach.

On November 30th, the hardcover version of the book will be discontinued and the paperback version will no longer be able on Lulu. Instead we're moving the paperback version to Amazon and other book sellers around the world. Get your copy while they're still at $16.95, because after November 30th the price will go up to $30 so we can give the reseller their cut and provide the same amount to the charity. Finally, you can join us on December 14th and bumrush the Amazon charts to propel the book up the rankings.

Fellow authors include:

Gavin Heaton Drew McLellan CK Valeria Maltoni Emily Reed Katie Chatfield Greg Verdino Mack Collier Lewis Green Sacrum Ann Handley Mike Sansone Paul McEnany Roger von Oech Anna Farmery David Armano Bob Glaza Mark Goren Scott Monty Richard Huntington Cam Beck David Reich Luc Debaisieux Sean Howard Tim Jackson Patrick Schaber Roberta Rosenberg Uwe Hook Tony D. Clark Todd Andrlik Toby Bloomberg Steve Woodruff Steve Bannister Steve Roesler Stanley Johnson Spike Jones Nathan Snell Simon Payn Ryan Rasmussen Ron Shevlin Roger Anderson Robert Hruzek Rishi Desai Phil Gerbyshak Peter Corbett Pete Deutschman Nick Rice Nick Wright Michael Morton Mark Earls Mark Blair Mario Vellandi Lori Magno Kristin Gorski Kris Hoet G. Kofi Annan Kimberly Dawn Wells Karl Long Julie Fleischer Jordan Behan John La Grou Joe Raasch Jim Kukral Jessica Hagy Janet Green Jamey Shiel Dr. Graham Hill Gia Facchini Geert Desager Gaurav Mishra Gary Schoeniger Gareth Kay Faris Yakob Emily Clasper Ed Cotton Dustin Jacobsen Tom Clifford David Polinchock David Koopmans David Brazeal David Berkowitz Carolyn Manning Craig Wilson Cord Silverstein Connie Reece Colin McKay Chris Newlan Chris Corrigan Cedric Giorgi Brian Reich Becky Carroll Arun Rajagopal Andy Nulman Amy Jussel AJ James Kim Klaver Sandy Renshaw Susan Bird Ryan Barrett Troy Worman CB Whittemore S. Neil Vineberg

Second, on April 4-6, 2008 a gathering of bloggers will take place like no other. Blogger Social 08 already has an impressive list of people whom I admire slated to attend from all over the globe. If you blog and would like to attend click here to signup. They include:

Susan Bird Tim Brunelle Katie Chatfield Terry Dagrosa Luc Debaisieux Gianandrea Facchini Mark Goren Gavin Heaton Sean Howard CK Valeria Maltoni Drew McLellan Doug Meacham Marilyn Pratt Steve Roesler Greg Verdino CB Whittemore Steve Woodruff Paul McEnany Ann Handley David Reich Tangerine Toad Kristin Gorski Mack Collier David Armano Ryan Barrett Lori Magno Tim McHale Gene DeWitt Mario Vellandi Arun Rajagopal Darryl Ohrt Joseph Jaffe Rohit Bhargava Anna Farmery Marianne Richmond Thomas Clifford

Here is a map of the attendees:

View Larger Map

Technorati Tags:
ageofconversation, Blogger Social 08, Blogging, Matt Dickman, social media, Techno//Marketer

Guest blogging at Drew's place

Please take a moment and check out my guest post at Drew McLellan's blog today when you have a moment. The topic is creating a solid 1.0 digital foundation before moving into a 2.0 world.

A quick excerpt:

Pardon the idiom, but if you don't have your marketing ducks in a row it's hard to make a move into emerging media.

Too many companies try to jump to Web2.0 and skip many important steps in the process. This makes for a hard sell internally and an even more awkward transition.

This post focuses on what you're already doing online and how to make a smooth transition to 2.0.

Here is the link to the post. Thanks Drew!

Technorati Tags:
marketing, Matt Dickman, social media, Techno//Marketer, usability, user experience design, Web2.0, Drew McLellan

What I'm really thankful for, is you!

On this US holiday of Thanksgiving, it gives me a chance to reflect on the past year and count my blessings. I have a fantastic, beautiful wife, two hilarious dogs, a great family and marvelous friends.

On top of that, though, I have you guys. My readers. Without you there is no reason to blog. You give me fabulous insights, cheer me on and call me out. I look forward to waking up every morning and creating content so I can get your thoughts.

So, no matter where you are in the world, I send you my thanks! You guys really make it all worth while.

Here is a quick video (featuring the dogs):

Technorati Tags:
Matt Dickman, Techno//Marketer, thanksgiving

First//Look: Seesmic (pre-alpha)

What do you get when you combine video, social networking, micromedia and a very savvy French entrepreneur? You get Seesmic. Seesmic is the brainchild of French blog-star Loïc LeMeur and aims to do to video conversations what Twitter did to text-based conversations. The site is a social network where the primary content is video. Users record video, post it to the site and other users reply in video.

The site is in pre-alpha (only about 300 users testing right now) and a lot will change over the course of the next couple of months and I'll re-post when it goes into beta. Enjoy the video:

[Feed readers please click through to the post if you cannot see the video.]

Here is an example of the user-side of the video experience from Seesmic:

Key takeaways for marketers:

• The move toward video as an intimate, personal form of communicating is here
  
• Technology has caught up to consumers and video is easy to record on Seesmic right through the browser
  
• Conversations will be mobile on this site down the road so you can create, send and reply to videos from a mobile device
  
• Content created by the users is re-mixed into a daily video best-of video that is then shared with everyone
  
• Hooks into YouTube, Twitter and Skype help auto-promote content to larger, external networks
  
• The company is asking for suggestions and proactive responding to them in video
  
• The openness that the company is providing as they share how they are growing is a model more companies should follow
  

Through the videos they've created I have found myself becoming attached to the company and the model they are using to build a company. I will keep an eye on this in the future and let you know when more invites become available.

If you have a site that you would like me to look at and possibly do a post like this on, drop me an email or leave a comment on the post.

---

To help you stay on top of what is happening and to filter the myriad options, you can now subscribe to the Techno//Marketer podcast on iTunes. Get updates in real time when new videos become available.

If you use another podcatcher you can grab my podcast RSS feed here.

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You can watch this and other Techno//Marketer videos on your video channel of choice:

   
   

Technorati Tags:
First//Look, marketing, Matt Dickman, social media, social networks, Techno//Marketer, technology, trends, video, Seesmic, Loic LeMeur

If you build it they may not come (back)

You've heard the old riddle right? If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Well, the same is true with web sites that take the time to create RSS feeds, but don't tag them properly on the page. Not every visitor to your site hunts for the hidden little orange icon buried deep on the page (). The majority of people use the RSS indicator built in to their web browser. Did I lose you? Let's take a look at some examples.

If you go to a site that does this right, when you land on the page your browser should display an RSS icon in, or around, the main URL address bar.

If you look on FireFox on a PC, here is what the consumer sees (note the orange icon next to the URL of the blog):

If you're on FireFox on a Mac, you see something like this (very similar to the PC version):

If you look on a PC running Internet Explorer, you will see the following at the top of your screen. Note the RSS icon in orange on the lower right-hand side. If there is no feed detected, that icon will be gray.

Now, if the short bit of code I am about to show you is not in place, here is what they see. I found it very ironic that this happened on Microsoft's main RSS listing page, go figure.

The solution is to add a bit of code to the pages that have RSS feeds available. The code looks like this (but just ask your IT folks to figure out the details).

The reason I bring this up is that if I land on a page that doesn't have their code in place, I will keep moving, not subscribe and they've lost the chance to communicate in the future. Bloggers are lucky here as this is automatically built-in, but other sites need to add this into the code.

Each visit is an opportunity to build a relationship and, with the opt-in nature of RSS, this is a no brainer. Even if a page contains multiple feeds, pick one as your default (it is possible to list multiple). People don't want to hunt for icons like they're hunting for Waldo.

Technorati Tags:
interactive marketing, marketing, Matt Dickman, RSS, social media, Techno//Marketer, technology

links for 2007-11-20

• The Trend Junkie » The Importance of Public Speaking
  Why speaking is good for your personal brand and your business.
  (tags: speaking professional brand brandyou)

Too much reliance on free services?

What happens when we rely on an online service too much? Just a couple of minutes ago, via Twitter, I started hearing murmurs of one such service going down. I immediately felt a bit of a panic since I use it all the time. The service is Tinyurl. Tinyurl has a very simple model, they take long, complex URLs and make them short. Services like Twitter rely on Tinyurls to fit more content into the 140 character limit, but it's used more widely than that.

The service is free, and there is no uptime guarantee. I'd thought about this scenario a while back when an author asked if it would be wise to use Tinyurls in their book to make re-typing them easier for readers. I hadn't given it too much thought since then.

Are there other online services that you rely on with no guarantees? What if Google Maps crashed or YouTube was attacked and lost service? Have you thought about contingency plans in case they go offline? It certainly makes you think.

Technorati Tags:
Matt Dickman, Techno//Marketer, technology, tinyurl

links for 2007-11-17

• Social Networking with the Elite
  Private social networks are becoming more mainstream. Some of these are invite only, some you have to qualify for. Look for more of these to pop up all over the place in a number of industries.
  (tags: business networks socialnetworking private)

Buzz Friday for November 16, 2007; mega edition

Here is a look at what is happening across social media and new marketing this week. If there is anything that you would like to see in this post or if you have something you think is Buzz-worthy please drop me an email or leave a comment on this post. I want to make this as beneficial for you as I can.

Buzz Friday is also available as part of the Techno//Marketer Podcast on iTunes. Click here to subscribe and take the Buzz to go.

[Feed readers please click through to the post if you cannot see the video.]

Inside the video:

• Google announced two huge platforms over the past couple weeks. OpenSocial aims to make app development easier across multiple networks and Android looks to be the OS for mobile devices of the future.
  
• OpenSocket has created a container to allow apps developed on Google's OpenSocial platform to run in Facebook. Where there is a will there is a way.
  
• Blogger Social 08 Ramping up. Are you going?
  

And in other news:

• Toby continues her recap from BlogWorld in Vegas.
  
• Andy Beal looks at the platforms most used in the blogosphere. Blogger leads with Wordpress in a close second in front of Tyepad.
  
• Faris points out a very humorous message in MIT's campus map software.
  
• Hadn't seen this Apple/PC commercial with the PR lady. Too funny.
  
• Josh Hallett is sick of bad presentations at conferences. Can't say that I blame him. Sadly, the same people speak repeatedly to audiences making everyone less smart. Conference organizers, get new, better speakers!
  
• Geoff looks at some key points to consider when looking into social media for your company. His are similar to my points; have something to say, want to say it, say it, get out of the way, support the community.
  
• In what seems a natural tie-in Embark has created a Facebook application to let college students apply to colleges right from the app.
  
• Scott (at my company, DigiKnow) looks at the value of engagement as a metric.
  
• Search Engine Watch compiled a nice list of the top 10 common SEO mistakes.
  
• Joel Spolsky writes a great article on how to demo software. If you do this for a living, take a couple minutes and invest in this.
  
• Tangerine Toad points to a great, emotional ad from JC Penney. Wow!
  
• John Moore looks at Starbucks new TV ad plan. If anybody can break this down, it's John. If you're interested in the changing world that Starbucks needs to adapt to, check out John's Change This manifesto.
  
• Geoff points out November's most influential bloggers. Go Valeria!!
  
• Drew asks a great, timely question. Are you so confident in what you deliver that you'd let your customers choose what they pay?
  
• Noah has some great points he's collected on SEO. Take a look.
  
• Are you being talked about? Olivier Blanchard has a post on why you may not be talked about.
  
• Jim thinks that traffic is B.S. He's pushing for attention and influence. What do you think?
  
• Scoble has problems with his MacBook Pro. Apple community gets him up and running in five comments. That's the difference between Apple's fans and other computer companies.
  
• Greg Verdino is up in the running for a Silicon Alley people's choice award. If you know Greg head over and help him out.
  
• LinkedIn is the fastest growing social network, according to Nielsen, outpacing Facebook and MySpace.
  
• Watch maker Tag Heur is going online with its first campaign.
  
• Mack thinks that AdAge has hoodwinked bloggers with their mis-use of the Power 150 rankings. I tend to agree, what do you think?
  
• Lewis Green's newest book is launching and he's looking for ideas to help get the word out.
  
• Last.fm is launching an OpenSocial app on Ning.
  
• Patrick looks at measuring social media and tags me. I'll respond next week, but check out his post in the meantime. Mack also has a post on the topic.
  
• Ann Handley is guest blogging on Rohit's blog. Check out her post on the top 10 network and blog rankings.
  
• Brijit, a "digg for writers", launched this week. More on this in a video post next week.
  
• A Dutch teen is getting jail time for stealing virtual furniture. Yes, I said virtual.
  
• Ads sent via SMS to your shopping cart? Yes indeed.
  
• How should companies respond online? Mike has some good tips on analyzing the situation.
  
• Publicis is creating a new agency called 'Insight Factory' from a combination of other agencies.
  
• Charlene Li notes why you need to be on Facebook and MySpace as a company.
  
• Stephen posts a good example of a social media news release and how to use RSS to make it better.
  
• Joe Jaffe asks who is responsible for Second Life's lack of reach. Who do you think is to blame?
  
• Duncan at TechCrunch thinks that online content providers will be the winners from the CBS news writers strike. Definitely will give online a boost as the go-to source.
  
• Om Malik looks at the rise of WebKit mobile in line with Google's Android mobile platform.
  
• Flickr hit 2 billion photos this week.
  
• Marvel Comics will put 2,500 comics online for reader enjoyment.
  
• Bebo released their open platform push with Open Media.
  
• MarketingProfs book club is open with this month's feature "Robin Hood Marketing".
  
• My friend George, a Cleveland blogger, reports on his experience from BlogWorld Expo in Vegas.
  
• Kevin has a great PDF of 10 things never to say to the press. Check it out.
  
• Canon's launched a cool site to promote their new 40D DSLR.
  
• Iain points out a cool video for a Minority Report-esque hack for the Nintendo Wii.
  
• Joanna has a great intro to experience design post. If you're looking for basic information on UXD check this out.
  
• Sean at Copyblogger has good points on creating headlines that will get read.
  
• Tangerine Toad wrote a provocative post on the impact freelancing has had on agencies.
  
• Want to know more about nerds and what makes 'em tick? Check out this clever handbook from Rands.
  
• David Armano looks at office influentials. I think he hits the nail firmly on the head on this. Do you know one? How do you maximize their value?
  

Top Five Web2.0 Movers of the Week (using Alexa data)

1. StumbleUpon
   
2. Geni
   
3. Bloglines
   
4. Upcoming
   
5. Technorati
   

More

Top Ten Marketing Blogs from Viral Garden

1. Seth's blog
   
2. Duct Tape Marketing
   
3. Search Engine Guide
   
4. Daily Fix
   
5. Logic + Emotion
   
6. Diva Marketing
   
7. What's Next
   
8. The Engaging Brand
   
9. Brand Autopsy
   
10. Influential Marketing
    

View the top full top 25

Top 5 "Viral" Videos This Week

1. Por que no te callas?
   
2. Android demo
   
3. Not the daily show, with some writer
   
4. Why we fight
   
5. Spice tesco 2007
   

More

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To help you stay on top of what is happening and to filter the myriad options, you can now subscribe to the Techno//Marketer podcast on iTunes. Get updates in real time when new videos become available.

If you use another podcatcher you can grab my podcast RSS feed here.

---

You can watch this and other Techno//Marketer videos on your video channel of choice:

   
   

Technorati Tags:
trends, buzz, buzzfriday, matt dickman, Techno//Marketer

First//Look: Firebrand (beta)

What do you get when you take a great user interface, add in the biggest brands from around the world and pull in all of their best commercials? You get Firebrand. Firebrand is a site that uses commercials at the content. There is precedence for this in the mainstream media where every quarter there is a show in prime time called something like "Worlds Best Commercials". The Superbowl ads are highly anticipated. People do like to watch good commercials, but will they come to Firebrand? Time will tell.

The site is in a private beta, but I'm showing it to you today to get your input. Check out the video.


[Feedreaders, if you cannot see the video, please click through to the post.]

Here are a few of the commercials I saw/found on the site.

Some make me laugh:

Some make me emotional:

Some I just love to watch over and over:

Key takeaways:

• Great interface for showcasing, searching and navigating video
  
• Big brand representation gives immediate legitimacy
  
• Social interaction is key to engagement
  
• Co-branded promotions and contests could be a driver of traffic
  
• Promos are not interruptive (as they should be)
  
• This is the long-tail at work, niches like this have an audience you just have to find them
  
• Content portability is crucial and well done. I can take it on my phone, iPod, blog, etc.
  
• Tie-in with TV channel could help drive traffic to the web
  

Key questions:

• What is the revenue model here? Outside of the brands sponsoring their clips or paying to get involved, I am not sure.
  
• Will people come? This is the key question.
  

What do you think of the site? Will you visit it regularly or just every once in a while (or maybe never)? Do you think it has legs to stand on?

---

To help you stay on top of what is happening and to filter the myriad options, you can now subscribe to the Techno//Marketer podcast on iTunes. Get updates in real time when new videos become available.

If you use another podcatcher you can grab my podcast RSS feed here.

---

You can watch this and other Techno//Marketer videos on your video channel of choice:

   
   

Technorati Tags:
advertising, marketing, Matt Dickman, social media, Techno//Marketer, video, Web2.0, Firebrand, First//Look

links for 2007-11-14

• YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.
  YouTube mobile is now available and content creators have the ability to syndicate to the new platform along with TV syndication.
  (tags: mobile sharing video YouTube)
• OpenSocial and Facebook Stats from Rapleaf
  Rapleaf looks at the demographics of major social networks as well as the user overlap between them.
  (tags: community facebook myspace opensocial socialmedia statistics)

The power of first-person content

There is something very compelling about seeing what is happening somewhere in the world through the eyes of the people who are there. I saw a segment on the History Channel for a new feature they were running on their site. It's called "Band of Bloggers" and features original, un-edited content from our troops on the front lines.

There is no editor or producer here and the clips are raw. The power of seeing our troops in action and hearing what they think is impressive and a nobel use of this technology. Troops can get a camera and then all they need is a computer to type their message, upload the videos and submit photos. All of this is woven into the site and forms a powerful story.

I urge you to check it out. For all of the talk of navel-gazing and bright shiny objects, the tools we're working with in social media are changing the world. Not five years ago you would have NEVER seen content like this unless you were related to somebody who was serving.

On a related, and belated, note many thanks to all of the men and women who serve now, and have served in the past, for the freedom we enjoy today.

Technorati Tags:
Matt Dickman, social media, Techno//Marketer, user generated content, band of bloggers

End of the line or beginning of a new opportunity?

Imagine this scenario for a second. You're walking through Barnes & Noble. You've just picked up a hot cup of coffee and now you're ready to browse. You start checking out the new fiction best-sellers and move through the magazine section. Finished there, you head towards the business section picking one of a dozen routes. Just then, BAM, you're standing on the sidewalk. You think to yourself, "what the...?".

This same situation plays itself out every single day when millions of people reach error pages on the web. This typically happens when a user mis-types a link or the link is mislabeled by the site. The errors typically look like this:

First, you need to find out how you're currently handling the problem. Go to your site and type in your URL and then add a "/75;yu" (that's a totally random keystroke). If you see the error message above, you have a little work to do. There are opportunities here for marketers who are smart enough to realize it. Here is how a couple of sites handle these errors.

Technorati: Here is a basic approach. Technorati gives you an error message, but adds links to quickly find whatever you typed just in case you were guessing.
Google: Shame on Google for such a poor error page. The company could easily take you to a search result page similar to Technorati.
Greenpeace: Greenpeace takes advantage of the situation and uses it to educate the user on its mission. Click the image for a larger view.
Marvel Comics: Marvel uses a touch of Homer Simpson-esque humor.
Craigslist: The Craigslist error page is as simple as the site. Very basic, but in line with their voice.
The Motley Fool: The Motley Fool has a great little page. A Haiku for the error message with a search embedded on the page to get you back on track.
Bloglines: David Berkowitz sent me this one from Bloglines. Nice little bit of humor.

So, when your customers make a wrong turn, are you going to help them out or kick them to the curb? Do you have an example of a page you like? Let me know in the comments!

[Links: A List Apart has a great article on the perfect 404 page]

Technorati Tags:
interactive marketing, marketing, Matt Dickman, Techno//Marketer, usability, user experience design, 404

links for 2007-11-09

• Awaken Your Superhero with Christopher S. Penn » One Laptop Per Child
  Christopher Penn has a very good piece about the One Laptop Per Child project. Bottom line, millions of these will be in circulation and if you don't know how they view websites, etc you may be at a disadvantage.
  (tags: marketing OLPC Christoper_Penn)

Inside//Out: Utterz (beta)

Utterz is a new micromedia service along the same lines as Twitter, Pownce and Jaiku. Utterz, however, concentrates more on multimedia than straight text with options to record audio and send video and photos. All of this content is tied to the user's cell phone, so all you have to do is dial in and Utterz knows who you are. The same thing goes with video and photos, just send the file in an email and they post it to your account.

As with any social network, and micromedia networks are no different, there is a balance between audience and functionality. The people make up the network and Utterz is new to the scene and has low adoption right now. On the other hand, the service makes it so easy to create content and automatically feed it out to existing services (website, blog, Facebook, MySpace, etc.) that it is worth a look.

Check out this Inside//Out look at Utterz:


[Feed readers, please click through to the post if you cannot see the video.]

What you need to know:

• Utterz allows for micromedia content from a mobile phone to be easily created and distributed
  
• Content creation is down to the level where anybody who has a mobile phone can be a creator
  
• Content can include voice, video, photos or text
  
• Content can also be accessed through the web or through applications built on their API
  
• Utterz allows for quick creation, but the power is in the distribution (widgets, RSS feed, etc.)
  
• Uses include communication breaking events in photo, video, voice and text, update messages to customers ("the network is down and we're working on it")
  
• The use of multimedia allows more expression in out attention-casting
  
• The success of these tools is getting the content to the audience, Utterz is a network, but your customer may not be there so extending the content to other networks is a key strategy
  

Here is one of the widgets that allow you to take the content to

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If you use another podcatcher you can grab my podcast RSS feed here.

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Technorati Tags:
Inside//Out, marketing, Matt Dickman, social media, social networks, Techno//Marketer, technology, trends, user generated content, video, web2.0formarketers, Utterz

Planting the seed

One question that I often get when speaking to groups, and in conversations at events, is how to "seed" content. Content has to originate someplace to start moving from person to person, but how they ask? Usually the agency creates it and loads it to the platform du jour (YouTube, Facebook, Flickr, etc.), but then what? You could have the funniest, most original video/photo/story, but without getting it out to your audience what good is it?

I've seen a few tactics for doing this:

• The bait and switch seed - One video I recall that worked on this premise was the Canadian Sunsilk shampoo line. Here is the video.

  The entire video was staged by the agency and received some interesting press coverage. The video gained widespread attention and was a nice bit of PR for the brand once they were "discovered".

• Agency seed - No matter the campaign, agencies are commonly asked to seed their content through their network of peers. This may or may not immediately reach the target.

• Traditional PR seed - A traditional PR agency is increasingly called on to create awareness of specific content, spreading the message to the target through traditional means.

• Social network seed - If placed correctly, and given to key influencers in a community, social networks are great at spreading the content through a specific audience. Facebook is a great example where content spreads through the network from group to group as more and more people engage with it.
  

These are just some of the ways I've seen content seeding and there are many more. What is your take on the methods I've mentioned? What else have you seen out there? What's been most effective for you?

Technorati Tags:
Facebook, marketing, Matt Dickman, social media, social networks, Techno//Marketer, Word of Mouth

links for 2007-11-06

• The Enquirer - Ideas that spin, pour or squirt keep spilling out
  Cleveland-based, industrial deisgn company Nottingham-Spirk featured in Cinci Enquirer.
  (tags: design cleveland)
• A look at the renovation in the Flats in Cleveland
  (tags: crains cleveland flats redevelopment real estate)
• Newspapers Try New Math on Circulation - WSJ.com
  A look at the decreasing circulation numbers at the top 10 newspapers and what they're doing about it.
  (tags: WSJ circulation newspaper)

The blogger, journalist divide

This post is a little off-topic for Techno//Marketer, but I think it's an important issue to address concerning social media and it happened in my hometown. (This post is not, and will never be, political in nature.) The local newspaper here in Cleveland, The Plain Dealer, took a fairly progressive step and created an area of their site dedicated to political debate and hired four bloggers to create the content. Two covered things from a liberal perspective and two from a conservative under the banner "Wide Open".

As of November 2, 2007 the project has been cancelled in the midst of quite a bit of controversy. Here is how things played out. These four bloggers were hired by the paper to present their opinions as bloggers. One of the bloggers openly attacked a politician's policies and stated that he had contributed to the campaign of that politician's opponent. The politician who was attacked complained to a Plain Dealer reporter who relayed his concerns to the PD's editor. The editor asked the blogger to refrain from covering that candidate and when the blogger refused, he was fired. Subsequently, one other blogger quit the project in protest which led to its suspension.

According to the blogger who was let go, he (and the others) were hired as just that. Bloggers. Not reporters. The bloggers were being paid, which is where I think this gets a little gray and his contribution to the opponent's campaign just adds to the fire.

So let me turn this to you, my readers and get your input on the crossroads of blogging and journalism. Here are some important questions to ponder:

• Can a newspaper include blogger content and have editorial separation?
  
• Are bloggers and journalists separate anymore?
  
• If they are, are they bound by the same code of ethics?
  
• Does paying the bloggers create the conflict of interest?
  
• Do you think the Plain Dealer would have pulled an editorial piece under pressure from a politician?
  
• Can traditional newspapers survive against pressure from citizen journalism?
  
• What if no money had changed hands and the bloggers just contributed? Does that change things?
  

Let me hear what you think! Can we all just get along?

Technorati Tags:
Cleveland, Matt Dickman, Techno//Marketer, Plain Dealer, Newspapers, Journalism, Blogging, Ethics

links for 2007-11-03

• OpenSocial - Google Code
  Google's Open Social aims to make development easier and allow cross-network operation.
  (tags: api collaboration community development socialnetworking opensocial)