Socially Adept

Damn It Feels Good to be a Sellout!

My, oh my, how music has changed!

It wasn't too long ago when any musician that allowed their music to be featured in a commercial was branded as a sell out.  For many, the idea of including a single in a commercial meant certain death.  However, over the past 5 years or so, that thought process has completely evaporated.

With the rise of music downloads, the iPod, and satellite radio, bands aren't just facing a battle on Friday nights in the High School Gym anymore.  Everyday is a battle to get your music heard and garner enough popularity that warrants main stream radio play.  What better way to get your name out there than hitching your bands new single to a hot consumer item... like an iPod.

The release of the next gen iPod's has unearthed a new artist that is getting some major attention online.  Fiest's "1-2-3-4" is the song featured in the commercial.  Here are some stats for Feist's, a solo artist from Ontario, Canada:

• 749,335 plays of "1234" on her MySpace Page
• 171,384 friends on MySpace
• Appeared on Letterman 8/28/08
• Appeared on VH1 "Behind The Music"
• 2,316,947 YouTube views of the "1234" video

Although this is her second US release, I (for one) had never heard of her prior to the iPod commercial.  After finding the song a bit catchy, I searched for it online and found multiple sites dedicated to informing consumers of songs featured in commercials.  I found it here (love the name of this blog), but a simple search can lead you to any song featured in a commercial... like the Old Navy commercial or the Target Commercials.

After speaking with a few musician friends of mine, the change in perception is incredible.  Now, they are constantly asking if there is an online video shoot we are doing that could potentially feature their music.  If the video hits it big, so too will their song. 

Utterz Launches - Be Herd!

Utterz is the first way you can instantly blog your experiences, thoughts and ideas, anywhere, using all the capabilities of your mobile phone.  Located in Maynard, MA (gotta have blog love for the locals), Utterz officially launched this morning and announced a $4 million investment.  Although it's a bit "cow" focused, the concept seems pretty cool.  I'll be giving it a whirl today to see how it works out and if there is any room for it in my social networking arsenal.

Here's a link to the announcement in the The Boston Globe today.  Check out my "Utterz" (OK...that just doesn't sound good, but it's better than teats) username = SociallyAdept.  My first "Utter" is a pretty cool video with a Boston sports tie in.

For more coverage, check out Mashable.

Chris Crocker Having the Best Week Ever

Unfortunately, Chris Crocker is having the "Best Week Ever" according to VH1.  His pathetic (aka Psycho) video demanding that people lay off Britney Spears for her poor performance at the MTV VMA's has transcended the online world and migrated to mainstream media.  Unfortunately, this is one of the negative side affects of anyone having the opportunity to grasp their 15 minutes.

My problem with Crocker's video has nothing to do with his sexuality, taste or delivery.  I don't like him or his videos because of the impact they have on the gay community.  Unfortunately, there are people out there who will utilize his videos to feed stereotypes.  This disturbs and angers me.

My best friend in the world is gay and if anyone responded to him as most commenter's have responded to Crocker, I would be beyond angry.  However, I can't support Crocker because I believe that he feeds the stereotype and uses it to his advantage.  He plays it up to increase his exposure.  His outrageous behavior is just feeding ignorance.

I consider myself privileged to have met unbelievable people, friends and colleagues who just happen to be gay.  The impact they have on my life is so profound that I can't help but be irritated by people who feed stereotypes.  I'm not saying that Crocker isn't being sincere in his video, but why the drama?  I would be surprised if anyone out there didn't think that Crocker hammed it up just to generate views.

Thoughts? 

The Mobile Advertising Debate Rolls on

Awhile back, I posted on Third Screen Advertising (i.e. Mobile Phone Ads).  To be honest, I'm in favor of this offering as long as it's managed and the mobile phone owner has the option to control the ads being offered.  One way of managing this is via Bluetooth, like I mentioned previously.

In a recent article in the Boston Globe, details on how this type of advertising is occuring already are revealed.  Here's what I don't like as a consumer:

1) Don't send me bluetooth ads based on proximity beyond 5 - 10 feet (encourage me to walk into the store and see the offer.  At least this way you will know I am a qualified lead).  Or have something in front of the store so if my interest is piqued, I can turn on bluetooth to see the offer.

2) The best approach is to encourage existing customers to buy... not try to source in new customers from the street or other stores.  When I'm in the store, let me approach the billboard and see what the offer is.  I may buy another pair of jeans to save 15%.

3) Do not invade my phone with unwanted offers.  there is no need to send me a message without my consent.  Don't pinp me to tell me that if I turn on bluetooth I will receive a message

4) ADD VALUE!!!  If it's not a coupon or special offer, I won't care.  This is why greater distance proximity ads will not work.  A logo and a tagline will not encourage me to come shop and I don't want to receive 6 at a time

5) Don't let the carriers cash in by charging for bluetooth.  Even though bluetooth adds value, I wouldn't pay for it in it's current state

For a good blog on mobile advertising, check out Mobilitee.  I'm eagerly awaiting their thoughts on CTIA for 2007.  If 2006 was a big year for mobile advertising, 2007's show should be unbelievable!

Nudists and Social Media - Whatta Combo!

John Ordover, I don't get it? What affect does www.marryourdaughter.com have on marriage laws?  Obviously, this is big news over the last two weeks, but instead of posting on it when I found it, I decided to wait and see what the fallout was.

Per the NYT Bits post, this site is, "a parody aimed at drawing attention to inconsistencies in state marriage laws. States consider it a crime for adults to have sex with minors, but they allow kids as young as 12 to get married with parental and sometime judicial permission."

So, what is John trying to accomplish?  Obviously, he wants the laws changed, but which part of the law?  Making sure that under aged children can't get married and instituting a national marriage law or repealing the law regarding adults having sex with minors?  In all of the coverage I have seen, Ordover's goals for the site appear a little vague.

Of course, I can assume based on the NYT coverage that Ordover is trying to protect children, but the message is a bit convoluted.  Unfortunately, the site is down (probably from the 10 million views it gets a day) so I can't get back on to investigate deeper, but I can't figure out what this site is influencing me on.

So there are some old, off the wall state laws on marriage.  What should I do about it?  Should I write my congressman?  Is there a movement, or is this just sheer flame stoking?

Maybe John should stick to his nude cruises because I can't see what this site does for encouraging marriage law reform.

Your Blog is Popular! So is everybody elses...

I've noticed a startling trend lately.  "I am the author of a pretty popular blog called _________ (fill in the blank).  Everybody reads me and I have lots of links.  Maybe you've heard about me?"  Well, no actually, I haven't.

In my career, I am lucky to work with and speak to bloggers from all over the country, from all walks of life, on a daily basis.  Many of these people are very humble and passionate about their blog.  Some are even utilizing their blog as their sole form of income.  I've also had the pleasure of chatting with bloggers that I believe are the most popular and found them to be unbelievably responsive, friendly and appreciative of links and mentions (David Armano, Mack Collier*, Paul McEnany to name a few). *click on Mack's link for a great post today

However, in some recent conversations, I've come across some bloggers who are flat out lying.  "My blog gets 25,000 hits a month!  I'm read by Seth Godin!  Joseph Jaffe gets ideas for posts from me!"

Be weary of these folks and make sure you do your research.  If someone claims that A-List bloggers are getting story ideas from their blog, they should also know that A-List bloggers are smart enough to link back to the content they reference.  Technorati will shed some light on the truth.  Meet a blogger who claims they have enormous traffic?  Check their rankings to see how they stack up.

So, you've done your research and found that your proud blogger friend doesn't have any links from A-listers.  They have reasonable traffic, but no one comments on their posts.  This is interesting... good content calls for interaction.  If you receive 25,000 hits a month, I would hope that at least one person was compelled enough to comment.

Am I the only one seeing this trend?  What is driving this need for validation?  Are there more bloggers out there looking for fame than committed to content? 

Talk amongst yourselves.

Can Blogging Derail Your Career?

No, I'm not talking about being "Dooced."  Let's say you're a young professional just starting out in the world of widgets.  In an effort to promote yourself and connect with a like minded community, you begin blogging about your experience (all be it only months) and your recent activities.  However, you haven't fully honed your skills and some of what you may post about seems trivial and/or incorrect in the minds of those in your field.  Can you be damaging your opportunities?

For the most part, I believe other bloggers recognize junior folks and realize that great ideas can come from anyone.  I also believe that good bloggers will take the time to educate the community and share experiences and insights without judgment.  However, if during a job search, a hiring manager or recruiter comes across your blog and disagrees with your point of view, have you hurt your chances for that dream job?

This is just another scenario where it is crucial to look at the entire body of work, not just one post.  Every blogger, no matter how popular, will put up a crap post now and again.  Every blogger will also change their stance on issues previously posted on as a result of community feedback.  It wouldn't be fair to judge an author on one chapter, would it now?

When considering how to leverage the blogosphere for employee research, marketing initiatives, research or anything else for that matter, make sure you take them for what they are worth.  My blog is only a 3% representation of me, but you wouldn't know that, unless you asked.  Just something to keep in mind.