Two of the biggest trending topics on Twitter at the moment are Google Wave and the Tsunami (Tidal Wave) in the South Pacific. I thought this would make an interesting comparison between how real world news stories compare to online tech news stories. Both are big topics that peaked within hours of each other, but the Tsunami was the bigger spike. However Google Wave has less of a tail off. This suggests that real world news stories are very short-lived in the social media Twittersphere where as online tech stories grab attention for longer.
We’re hoping to get some Google Wave invites through soon so should post a review in the next few days.
A Few months ago I wrote in my very first spreading jam post about ‘chalk bot’ a printing robot like device that allowed tweets to be printed in the real world. Since then I have come across another clever ‘writing robot’ called the Voicebot. The voicebot is an installation, which gives young people a playful and powerful way to have a direct voice in the House of Parliament letting MPs know what they really care about.
The Voicebot’s website poses the question ‘what do you care about? The robot armed with marker pen then writes out the answers, which must be 160 characters or less. From October 12th the Voicebot will be installed in the House of Commons so young people can voice their concerns inside the corridors of power. The best entries will be displayed for Westminster’s politicians and policy makers to read.
Why not have your say by visiting the Voicebot’s website. As you will see, it’s as easy as updating your Facebook status or writing a tweet. The Voicebot was built by v, the National Young Volunteers Service, and Sidekick Studios to create a way for young people to have a direct voice in the Houses of Parliament by turning virtual social networking like messages into physical ones.
A lead ball rests on the ‘g’ key of this macbook. eventually the weight of the simple document causes the computer to crash. a modern day needle in the haystack, when the camels back is laden only with needles…
this is the latest piece of work by jack strange. simple and thought provoking. i like but i don’t know why.
I find it mildly traumatic that my brain can be so accurately represented by a piece of data visualisation, but this is what the guys over at Information Is Beautiful have managed. Even my once beloved Facebook Zombie’s get a mention.
So, with the digital distraction so plentiful, how can brands avoid being bumped for the latest eBay notification? It is interesting to note that the traditional branded areas are largely confined to the bottom sections of the pyramid, perhaps explaining the rush for the iPhone. It is also worth nothing the almost chronological descent of the pyramid; suggesting that the brand who invests in the latest technologies stands the greatest chance of success.
According to the pyramid, re-Tweeting is more distracting than an e-mail announcing mass redundancy, although there are no signs that anyone is yet willing to combine these two particular distractions.
CNN technology posted an article two days ago stating that Vivox, a US based company that provides an online integrated voice service for gaming and social virtual worlds, is going to launch its services on facebook. Vivox, who currently have over 15 million users, will probably be able to expect a massive user growth, and facebook users will be able to experience their favourite social network in a completely new way.
But Twitter is not late to follow its main rival. Yesterday the web based phone service JAJAH released news about their new service. Through typing “@call @username” Twitter will prompt both phones to start ringing on a secure line, through Twitter. They are also true to the Twitter brand through keeping the conversations to a 2 minute maximum.
I can’t help to think about some problems that this will bring. Both Facebook and Twitter are currently being flooded with information, and to a large extent spam. This opens up for another way for us to get targeted by all the litter out there. Are we going to get this spam through our phones now?
Also, some people have hundreds, others thousands of friends and followers, that actually post or write them messages every day. Imagine that coming as phone calls instead.
from teaberryltd.com
So now that we are actually going back to talking to each other again, will this mean that in a not too distant future we are also going to start meeting each other in person?
It’s surprising that a year has now passed since the App Store launched and now there are more than 60,000 applications released for the iPhone and iPod Touch. See the top 35 of the best apps of the year (so far) via Techcruch
There now really is an app for almost anything from going out, managing money, and travel planning there is even an app called Hello Cow that moos at you. Last week a video was sent my way, which made me consider the app overload and the fact that many apps are really pointless. The simple clip is merely creating a mock of what a creepy stalker app would look like. Title LEAKED I-phone commercial seems intriguing at first until you watch and realise the intentions of it. I wonder how long it will be until an app like this is actually made?
A few weeks ago I was given the pleasure of writing our weekly buzz monitoring article for Media Week. The nominees had recently been announced and it seemed like a good idea to do a piece on the powerful nature of our buzz monitoring tools at predicting the future. In this case who would win the Mercury music prize.
According to the buzz (and the bookies) Florence + the Machine should have won having got the most buzz online about them and the award. However to my dismay, having bet £900 on Florence, the outsider Speech Debelle scooped the award. While I have not heard her music she has made me look like a fool so please do not buy her music.
The valuable lesson she has taught me however is that buzz monitoring is only useful in predicting the future when it is a public vote. The judges in this case obviously read my article and decided to teach me this lesson by choosing the rank outsider.
E-retail group IMRG reported that 15% of fashion sales are now online and that the internet plays an important role in more than 40% of sales. It’s clear that high-street brands that haven’t already need to get to grips with bloggers.
Some brands have started to get involved – TopShop recently invited legendary style blogger Susie Lau to launch their latest collection (she’s 25 if you were wondering) and Next bought key style bloggers to their Next Directory Model Competition final to review their AW09 lines.
For brands yet to get involved, remember that style bloggers probably don’t fit the same demographic as your average customer, but they certainly pack a punch when it comes to your brand’s reputation online.
It doesn’t seem so long ago that I posted a blog about tweeting being banned in the world of sport. In fact, it wasn’t long ago at all. It was two weeks ago.
Now, two weeks later, yet another sport organisation, the National Football League (American - a trend?), decides tweeting and other social networking will not be allowed before, during or after American football games. This policy applies to players, coaches, league officials and the media attending games. Really? The media too?
Policies like this (while their intent is easily understood) are very difficult, if not impossible, to enforce and generally make people upset.
Social media is taking over – it’s unstoppable! Learn a lesson from these sport organisations and try to use tweeting and social networking to your brand’s advantage rather than fighting against it.
A Few months ago I wrote in my very first spreading jam post about 
