Safety First

Here at Digital DieHard, it is encouraged to be experimental and try new things.

This, however, is something no one should try.

Iran: A Nation of Bloggers

In this country, we forget a lot of times, that we have incredible freedoms. One of them is being able to speak freely on subjects of our choosing in a variety of mediums (i.e. blogs, online videos, public demonstrations). It is our right to do so. But, just because it is our right doesn't mean we shouldn't be held responsible for the consequences that are the result of us exercising such a freedom.

A half-world away, sits a nation that forbids such rights and freedoms. Here is a great video focusing on a new, forward-thinking generation in the conservative country of Iran pushing the boundaries of what is possible and what is plausible in their fight against the Revolution.

Social Media Spotlight of the Week - Pownce

What is it? (in their own words): "Pownce is a way to keep in touch with and share stuff with your friends. Send people files, links, events, and messages and then have real conversations with the recipients."

Who uses it?: People who want an easy way to send specific interests to their friends and co-workers.

Why should I use it?: It's an easy way to connect in a communal setting and exchange files between friends. The interface is not difficult to follow and it never feels messy. Plus, the name is cool.

Recommendation score: **** out of 5

Role-Play Marketing

I've been noticing a trend in some parts of the social media universe. Some microsites have popped up that are jumping to the next evolutionary level. We all know there are sites out there where you can become part of a community and engage with other members via various social networking tools. Most of these (but not all) act independently from each other and are not associated with a particular program, channel, national brand etc. But now we are getting the opportunity to live out fantasies through marketing-generated applications.

For example:

This week marks the return of most of your favorite TV shows and I for one will be looking forward to our friends at Dunder-Mifflin in "The Office." Last season, NBC set up a microsite for the show based on one of the subplots of the year, Dunder-Mifflin Infinity. It's pretty cool in that it allows you to sign up to "work" for the paper company's online division and gives you access to a variety of company items and policies just as if you were an actual employee.

I have coined this technique Role-Play Marketing. My definition of Role-Play Marketing is the use of commercial marketing practices to engage an individual or group into creating a stake of ownership in a fictional or non-fictional universe simply by participating.

In the case of Dunder-Mifflin Infinity, Role-Play Marketing allows the TV viewer and Web site visitor the chance to become part of a fictional or non-fictional universe created favorite show and allow them to feel like they have a stake in the success of the show, thus caring more about it. By setting up a site that allows people to interact with the show in other ways besides just behind-the-scenes clips and other extras. Instead, it tries to infiltrate your everyday life and ensure those interested spend time in the universe created by the show on a regular basis and participate in extensions of storylines they have seen on TV or the Web.

This trend extends beyond TV shows and movies (think World of Warcraft) but as you can see this is a prime example of Role-Play Marketing. I will be talking more about these sites in the future so keep an eye out for them and let me know what your favorite examples are.

Social Media Spotlight of the Week - Plaxo

What is it? (in their own words): "We started with a different kind of address book, one that leverages the power of the network effect to stay up-to-date. We securely host address books for more than 40 million people (and growing rapidly)."

"And now, we're bringing those address books to life with 'Pulse,' a new way to enrich your connection with the people in your life. Pulse is a bit like some social networks you've heard of, but it's different in several key ways…"

"First, Pulse is not a place to see how many online 'friends' you can collect. It’s meant to be a better way for you to stay in touch with the people you actually know and care about — your family, your real-world friends, and the people you know from business. Pulse makes it easy for you to see what they’re creating and sharing online — their blogs, the photos they’re uploading, their restaurant reviews, and so much more."



Does it do anything else?: "Pulse is not a 'walled garden.' It’s a dashboard for seeing what the people you know are creating and sharing all over the open web. You can hook your Pulse account up to all the places where you create or share stuff (your blog, Flickr, Twitter, Yelp, and more than 30 other sites)."

"But 'open' does not mean 'public.' With Plaxo, you have fine-grained control over what you share with whom, whether that’s your contact info — or your photos from last weekend."

Who uses it?: People looking to maximze use of their address book while mashing together some of today's biggest social networks into one platform.



Why should I use it?: It's a free network that allows you to keep tabs on friends, colleagues and family by tracking the content they post online in real-time.



Recommendation score: *** out of 5

Mad Twittering: The Medium is the Message

Another thing I wanted to pass along from Pop Candy...

Evidently, AMC is not happy with some folks who had personas on Twitter reflecting characters from the hit series Mad Men. Read Whitney's story for all the details.

Here's my take...It's an interesting debate whether people's avatars should be allowed to impersonate fictional characters. I don't think it's a big deal. People impersonate others all the time. If I opened an email account with the name Superman2008 and sent an email to my friends saying I was from the planet Krypton and that I was a flying crime fighter, do you really think DC Comics would care? What would I be hurting?

Now don't get me wrong, obviously AMC feels they are in the right because people posing as characters from a popular TV show on a popular social network could be seen as a form of advertising.

That's the most fascinating part of this story to me. The blurring lines of communication between "friends" and and perceived advertising/social media marketing. Who's to say that a Twitter promotional campaign wasn't in the works for the show (although I doubt it since the popular series is set in the 60's).

The main thing to realize here is that with the evolution of social media and its place in our everyday lives it is becoming harder to distinguish what is real and what isn't (and who is real and who isn't).

But there in lies the beauty of the digital era that is upon us. The medium truly is the message.

My Infinite Playlist

I ran across a post by the great Whitney Matheson on the blog Pop Candy today that talks about a social media promotion for the upcoming movie, "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist."

The premise is pretty sweet. By going to this promotional microsite you can create your own playlist of uploaded songs, pics and videos. If you want you can also use Imeem.com to upload songs already on their network and available for use.

Once you complete your playlist, you can embed it on just about any application that allows embedded HTML code. So, for example I've placed mine at the bottom of this blog. So if you want, you can head down there right now and listen to my infinite playlist...I think I'll keep this around for a while and remix the songs every week.

The other cool thing is you can remix my playlist and add some of your own songs and place them on your sight, simply by hitting the "remix" button at the bottom of my playlist. Let me know what you think about the application and my choice of songs.

Social Media Spotlight of the Week - Ustream.TV

I'm starting a new segment here at at DDH called "Social Media Spotlight of the Week" where we will (as you may have already guessed) shed light on a different social media network/application each week.

Sound like fun? Let's give it a try. This week's spotlight is on Ustream.TV.

What is it? (in their own words): "Ustream.TV is the live interactive video broadcast platform that enables anyone with a camera and an Internet connection to quickly and easily broadcast to a global audience of unlimited size. In less than two minutes, anyone can become a broadcaster by creating their own channel on Ustream or by broadcasting through their own site, empowering them to engage with their audience and further build their brand."

Does it do anything else?: While broadcasting on Ustream.TV, your audience can interact with you and each other via live chat on your specific channel.

Who uses it?: Almost everyone from radio stations and bands recording albums to city councils and the Republican National Convention.

Why should I use it?: It provides you a free platform from which to broadcast live streaming video and interact with both exclusive or inclusive audiences around the world. Since all live streams are recorded and saved, you can also watch recorded clips (like YouTube) and share with your friends or embed on your Web site or blog.

Likability score: *** out of 5

MEMO 8.25.08

Well, it's been too long since my last update and I have a lot of ground to make up. So, let's get right to My Electronic Morning Observations for today:

• Heard an ad on local radio this morning from US Cellular touting it's free incoming calls, texts and pics. But the interesting thing was they mentioned you could also keep up with your Facebook page via a mobile application on your phone. Obviously, this service isn't exclusive to US Cellular customers, but to hear them advertise it because they believe it will help them reach a specific target demo (in this case, college students) was refreshing.

• Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama announced his running mate would be Senator Joe Biden over the weekend. The news leaked early Saturday morning, well before the campaign had planned. So it sent staffers into a frenzy to make the announcement via text message as the campaign had promised to those who had signed up to receive the eagerly-awaited breaking news. See Obama's text message to supporters here.

• The games of the XXIX Olympiad (as Bob Costas would say) are officially over. Here's a follow-up story on how the games fared online.

• But forget that for a second....how about Jimmy Page rocking Beijing/Bay-jing/Bayzhing/Bayshing???? Bring back Zeppelin...one night only...Omaha, NE. Make it happen.

• And on a sad, truly tardy note, I must take a moment to say goodbye to the soul of the Dave Matthews Band. R.I.P. LeRoi Moore.

8.19.08 MEMO

Yesterday is history and tomorrow's a mystery, so let's get right to it:

• Interesting article on Michael Phelps and the phenomenon that is his Facebook page.

• Google likes to satisfy its customers.

• NBC's Olympic coverage online is continuing to grow even as TV ratings soar.

• Want to start social media initiatives for your company but don't know where to begin? Show your boss this list.

• I haven't read the graphic novel (yet) and really don't know much about the story, but I can't wait to see this.

8.18.08 MEMO

And I'm back after having to take a half-day off on Friday...so without further ado I give you this morning's MEMO:

• If you're a fan a STAR TREK, check out the new MySpace page from the highly-anticipated and twice-delayed movie now scheduled to come out early next summer.

• This new movie page on MySpace got me thinking of some others I have seen recently (some good and some not) such as this one and this one. Can't forget about this one and of course my favorite from this year (at least so far).

• And finally a look at the top 50 Web rankings for the month of July from Marketingcharts.com.

A MySpace Record

It seems as though MySpace has set a new record for unique visitors in July 2008. According to data from comScore released by MySpace, the social networking juggernaut chugged along to the tune of 75.2 million users.

Who says MySpace is a thing of the past?

8.14.08 MEMO

I'm starting a new segment here at DDH. I'm calling it MEMO (My Electronic Morning Observations).

These random thoughts will cover everything across the spectrum from news and sports to entertainment and technology. You name it...we can discuss it. And that's the key...I'm looking for feedback and interaction from all the Die Hards out there on posts, what you want to see from the site, etc.

So without further ado...here's the first ever MEMO:

• The Olympics have taken over and have already provided us with some fantastic moments. However, last night was a dud. NBC probably suffered because of the lack of star power in play last night and was instead stuck with trying to convince Americans Synchronized Swimming was Must See TV. But who are we kidding? Without the likes of Michael Phelps (qualifying swim doesn't count) and Shawn Johnson the night felt a little off. The highlight of the night was seeing Mary Carillo's report on the food in China. Love me some fried Scorpion...Luckily, Bob Costas can make almost anything interesting in studio, but won't need to stretch too much tonight since swimming and gymnastics will once again take center stage.

• NBC seems surprised by the number of mobile viewers that are watching the Olympics on the phones. This is one area broadcasting is headed (not to mention online) and until now there hasn't been a big enough event on the medium to test its popularity. Seems like NBC is figuring out people like to receive and digest content on their own terms...Eyes are opening...

• And finally...check out the blog Fourth Place Medal for always updated commentary on the Games.

Out for the Day

I'm gonna be out for the rest of the day, so no more posts. So, I'll leave you neophytes with this...

You Need to Go...Trust Me

I stumbled across i-needtogo.com (check it out below) as I was doing some research. It's an interactive site that catches your attention immediately. I don't want to spoil your experience, so I ask that you check it out (although I will say my favorite part is the wall ads above the urinals).

I initially wasn't expecting a well-known financial institution like ING to have created this site, but frankly I'm glad they did. Even though it's all just a simple, fantastic, disgusting set-up to get you interested in one of their products, it shows you that even major companies in traditionally-safe advertising industries aren't afraid to stir the pot anymore (no pun intended).

Whether you agree if this site is tasteful or not, makes no difference. The mere fact you checked it out makes all the difference in the world...at least to ING.

In the Beginning...

...there was no such thing as a blog. Thank goodness we're past that. Although it's taken some a while to catch on, I've got a feeling this Internet thing just might take off.

And with that, I welcome you to Digital Die Hard. No, it's not the fifth installment of the famed Bruce Willis franchise. Although I don't mind the movies.

Instead, it's a dedicated site that will include posts on a wide range of topics dealing with digital media marketing techniques, trends, reviews and anything else I want to talk about. I will be updating frequently, so check back often.

Feel free to leave me comments and questions.

Yipee Kay-Yay...