internet cool?!

I literally almost lost it when I heard about this story. I can’t do it justice, but I did have a great chat with Beyond Madison Avenue’s Danny Nathan the other day about this. Danny, thanks for the lead.

Danny’s entry says all that needs to be said - but let’s just say if all brands (and people) behaved like Zappos, the world would be a better place.

Whether you are a fanatic or just a digital explorer, you’ve probably begun to experience the fade of the written word in one form or another. As a small example, one thing I have noticed is that during my 2hr daily commute I am increasingly seeing less people reading off of paper in favor of consuming media in some sort of relevant/personal format (audio books, video podcasts, mobile RSS articles, mobile news feeds or just browsing the web on their laptop). As this shift continues more an more services like James Bridle’s surely will pop up.

It is a project he created to launch experiments off of that push the convergence of user experience, computer science and traditional publishing. From the site:

“…in what ways will the stories that we tell be affected by the ways in which we receive them, and what new forms will arise?”

“Booktwo.org will be running a series of projects…we don’t have the answer, but we’re looking forward to finding out.”

Swotter is one such project. It basically reads books to Twitter, and via Twitter to YOU. You can currently follow James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ right now if you just head over to BookTwo’s twitter page and click follow.

Interesting enough (and in true “rich idea” form), you read all about the project on the site, including instructions on how to run your own Swotter.

Hey there. So first off, this posting assumes you know what the Global Positioning System is. If you don’t, go here.

Cool. Now that that’s out of the way, check this out: GPSies. It’s a little service based on an idea by Klaus Bechtold. Klaus (who is an enthusiastic runner and also happens to be a software developer) has created a place where you can view and download tracks recorded by GPS devices. So the next time you are headed out there looking for a great place to explore or a way to discover an unbeaten path, with GPSies you can see what Tracks others have recorded. GPSies sorts by things like difficulty, jogging routes or Mountain Bike Tracks, and once you’ve found one that might interest you, just download it to your GPS device and off you go. Oh yeah, and the usage of GPSies is free. Nice.

right, so. consumer friendly?

This is a great little utility just dying to be branded by a outdoor sporting company or mobile provider. Remember, building a community and offering valuble utility can be very powerful and have much more staying power than just a clever message. (Just ask Yahoo about a little thing called Flickr - or MASH which I’m experimenting with right now and you should be too.  Want an invite?

When is the last time your advertising was as useful as it was clever?

Over and out.

First and foremost I owe you a full disclosure that my new Geek Tank POKE New York is working an idea very similar to this one. Nothing to show just yet, but check back as it promises to be consumer friendly.

Hokay Soh, I want to like these guys. I do. And believe you me blog slander is something I am not a fan of nor am I a stranger to.  And it can get really ugly. So in the interest of practicing a little Blogging Etiquette, I’m going to try to keep all of this above the belt.

first, what is it

Supervirals is a website that encourages people (CONSUMERS!) who like to make content to make it for a brand.

1. Creative people can win prizes by sharing original ideas for brands.
   
2. A brand posts a Creator Brief and puts up a prize for the winning idea..
   
3. There’s a competition’s countdown timer.
   
4. The more people that check out and comment on your idea, the higher its SuperVirals Score goes.
   
5. The creator LOSES all IP claims and there are RULES to follow if you intend on uploading content.

They then hand the creator of the top viral some kind of reward in the hopes that they’ve just produced the next BOX In a BOX.

from their site

“SuperVirals is a new creative platform where you can win big prizes by creating and uploading original ideas for sponsor brands. Which means it’s also the place to see the best new viral content on the web!”

Tom!  That sounds great!  RIGHT??  Rich ideation for consumers by consumers!  Yeah!!!

not really

Here’s why. This site is concept first - not brand evangelist first. The format is for the idea junkie - NOT - the product or category enthusiast. Hmm. Wouldn’t a better format be one where the consumer chooses to promote the products they already love? Perhaps a epinions-meets-vimeo kinda place?

think about it this way

You bought the iPhone. Then you went out with it. You got on the train. You stood in line at the movies. Finally some sap said “HEY IS THAT THE NEW iPhone??” And you saiiidddd? “Oh, dude it’s awesome, here try it.” “Now do this, and that, and, and pinch your fingers, and, and, and…” Why?

1. You were psyched about your purchase.
   
2. You love to evangelize apple.
   
3. You felt damn cool.
   
4. You were in love (at least for a week) till you realized the gPhone was coming ;).
   
5. All of the above.

‘sactly. You were smitten. A consumer in lust and you were ready to sing. So what if Supervirals had a position like this (they don’t, but c’mon for the ride):

“SuperVirals is a new creative platform where you can win big prizes by creating and uploading original ideas for THE BRANDS YOU LOVE. Which means it’s also the place to get creative and recommend in any way you’d like, the products and services you can’t live without!”

But it doesn’t. “Sickening.” “Incredible.” “Brilliant!” “Oh for f$*s sake!” Are just some of the comments floating about the web on this one. All in all, it IS a step in the direction of consumer-friendly thinking to have big companies rewarding creative ideas developed on their behalf. But will this one fly? Is it just super-powered spam? Will it really be a consumer friend? Foe?

I guess it remains to be seen what kind of content gets created. For their sake, I hope THIS isn’t any of it.

So yeah. I’ve become a facebook junkie. (And a twitter and flickr junkie) to boot. Linked-in is still there - making a bit of a vie for my attention recently with all its new members, but nowhere quite as much as the others. And twittering - it takes dedication! Its all a man can stand but I’ve gotta say, so far it has been rewarding. I’ve hired on to POKE 2 great people through facebook in the past month. All in all it has been a lot of fun and honestly its a daily learning experience.

But none of us are social networkie smart enough yet. None of us. (Yes, even you Zeldman, Creamer and Jaffe). I mean, you are damn smart about Socialopolis but we all have a lot more to learn.

I think Facebook learned something important this week.

Quick, check your Facebook profile. Notice something different? You should see something up top that looks like the picture to the left. Facebook has made some updates that include enhancements to the way your profile is handled and casted into the web. These changes will up both Facebooks SEO optimization as well as your personal name bouncing around google the next time someone is searching for you. I’d like to take a moment to celebrate the fact that Facebook told you about all of this and they didn’t have to (Ahem, Twiter) - with ample time to respond. Nice.

 

I’m not sure where your politics stand on the case of whether or not video should be free online but one thing’s for sure: if the folks at Miro get their way video will become even more democratic than it is now.

and why shouldn’t it?

you downloaded joost. it was fun - for a whopping 10 min. now it just sits on your hard drive with all the other stuff you tried for a a millisecond. why? i think its because (as cool as joost is) it still FEELS like your old TV. And TV, for the most part, just isn’t (as intriguing) as the stuff the citizen videographer puts forward.

And Miro is betting the farm on it.

Lip Dub - Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger from vimeo widget on Vimeo.

If you hit the link above my new favorite music video you saw that it lands on a back-door Miro site that teaches you how to create and post your own content. Still not sure? Head to the “I’m Overwhelmed?” section for an even more pedantic (but helpful!) approach to getting started.

i see it this way

There’s lots of places to consume video content - but there is still no channel-minded platform that relates this new world of video consumption to the model we are all used to. (An important and missing link in my mind.) Joost has made the attempt - but where’s the fabric? Where’s the citizen videographer? There’s an opportunity to build a new, open mass medium of online television. Unlike traditional TV, everyone in this new medium will have a voice. And this new world of agnostic content needs an infrastructure. Miro is aiming to make creating and watching video online “as easy as watching TV”. Cheers to that.

Miro is a cross compatible, open-source Internet TV application that combines a media player and library, content guide, video search engine, as well as podcast and BitTorrent clients. Described by some as the “firefox of content applications”, it is specifically designed to give video creators and viewers more freedom. And it is built to work with “as many video hosting sites and video search engines as possible.” Miro allows the user to choose the end-publishing scenario that is best for them but also allows the browser access to every and all video search engines, even organizing content between the different networks.

 

Heard of Sunday? They provide 24/7 assistance with nearly any task that can be completed remotely (in about 30 minutes). I can remember seeing ideas like this come and go throughout the booms but perhaps this one just might make it.

here’s why

They are practicing some Rich Thinking. Sunday thinks it might be cool if you could buy an opportunity to communicate with your target through them from inside the customer experience. Think of it as “real” or “personal” media. Say you use FreshDirect, Sunday could have agents on the “FreshDirect Account” now acting on your behalf in a more personal way. Those who know me know I am a firm believer that the more interactive you are with your customer the better chance you have for building loyalty - this could turn that knob to 11.

Your brand, ready, with its party hat on whenever your consumer is at a point of consideration for it? Score.