Recently in Social Media Category

Earlier today, I was asked for my opinion on whether The Age was displaying a misunderstanding of social media by sacking Catherine Deveny for inappropriate tweets during the Logies. I'm not going to retell the whole sorry tale here; there are already way too many news items and blog posts so that if you really have been under a rock, you can follow one of these links.

If you were somehow able to fire a virtual gun at Twitter, chances are you'd hit a social media consultant. Some of you may already be picking up the gun based on that promise, but wait - I'm making a point here. These consultants, marketing experts, tech journos, media geeks, futurists and other whatchamacallits (and I count myself among them, so watch it with that firearm) base their authority on advising brands and businesses on how to manage social media. So what happens when these same people don't behave the way they demand of their clients?

How did Verbatim's marketing team approach a tech-savvy audience with their functional and boringly inanimate digital storage offerings? By bringing them to life in a gladiatorial fight to the death, of course!

The best marketers have always known that strong cut-through isn't just about meeting a consumers need but also creating an emotional connection as well. Especially in markets where brands and products are closely competitive in pricing and benefits, an emotional edge can be immensely powerful in converting more sales.

Probably the most overused cliche in digital marketing today is referencing Minority Report when discussing augmented reality (AR). AR is on many marketing prediction lists for 2010 as the proliferation of 3G smartphones and the convergence of GPS, cameras and applications means location-specific informatin can appear on your phone.

If you want to make me chuckle, talk to me about how social media is something new - a recent innovation or modern cultural phenomenon. The only thing that's new about social media is the standard suspicious business reaction to something that - quite frankly - ain't all that surprising if you have a sense of history. The technology may have changed, but technology is merely the delivery system. The principles are exactly the same as they have been for millenia. Do CEOs and managers really believe listening and responding and building relationships with their public is a controversial new concept?

Misinformation has been a problem ever since language was invented. The moment we had words, we were telling each other that the sun was a god, the world was flat and that fire was one of only four elements.

But as mankind has evolved in our knowledge and also our ability to reason, misinformation has continued to keep pace.

Strobe lights and headaches don't mix.

Stomach bugs and beer don't mix.

But taking the night off and still receiving a pay packet don't mix either.

When we first started running The Pit out of DJs Nightspot in Gosford, it was free entry. Thursday nights had always been notoriously quiet in Gosford - crikey, even most weekends resembled a ghost town - so there were no high expectations and we were on a trial.

The club was packed.

You may or may not know this, but throughout the '90s, I worked as a nightclub DJ. No, it wasn't all duff-duff and techno. My realm was 'rawk' and underground and alternative and black. Beat mixing The Offspring into Joy Division isn't easy, but it's possible!

I love a good meme. There's something so exciting about hundreds or even thousands of people riffing off a simple idea to create sometimes inspired and hilarious results. Some memes have a very short shelf-life, such as the Kanye West "I'mma let you finish" and the wonderful Twitter game of #medievalbumperstickers. Others seem to go on and on, like the champion of social media memes - Hitler's Downfall.