In this TEDxBoston talk, Seth Priebatsch of SCVNGR talks about the coming decade of games and building a game layer on top of every day life. It’s a compelling talk (minus the sunglasses on the head and the Chief Ninja moniker) and one that should have all marketers thinking about how games work in marketing their products. If Facebook has reached a point of non-displacement, (which Seth argues it has) then what do marketers focus on to get the jump on the competition and win customers in today’s market place? When everyone has a Facebook Page the answer might just be games.
From location, to loyalty, to rewards, we’re playing games every day. Some are well designed, others not so much. As marketers we need to think about what we’re asking our customers and potential customers to do and how we can make that a game that’s worth playing.
A while ago I gave a talk on video search engine optimization, or VSEO. I never got around to putting it up here on the blog, so I thought, what the heck! If you’ve ever wanted to learn how video can help your search rankings this isn’t a bad place to start. I’ll be talking more about video at C.A.R. Expo in Anaheim in October and PubCon in Las Vegas in November. I hope to see you at either one of these events.
The Social Network is the upcoming movie about the start and rise of Facebook. There is plenty of reason for skepticism as much of it is likely to be over-glorified, dramatic and intriguing then the actual birth was; but I have to admit, after seeing the trailer I’m intrigued.
I’ve read both Ben Mezrich’s “The Accidental Billionaires” and David Kirkpatrick’s “The Facebook Effect,” and while Kirkpatrick’s is reportedly much more realistic-and based on actual facts and interviews with key players-it is still riveting. Which gives me hope – sometimes the truth is plenty exciting enough. Let’s hope the producers feel the same way.
Here’s the trailer, let me know what you think. Also, can I just say the remade “Creep” by Radiohead for this piece is perfect. Will you be going to see it come this October?
As I announced a few weeks ago, I’m leaving my current job and am on the hunt for the next great opportunity. And while I’m sad to be leaving my current role, I’m excited about what the future holds and the opportunity to find the best fit for me and my next employer. What I’ve learned over the last few years is that the most important thing is to ensure your world view lines up with the people you work with. You need to understand, at their core, what drives and motivates them. You need to really understand the goals of the leadership and the company in general.
I think this idea has been crystallized nicely in the two videos below. The first is based on Daniel Pink‘s new book Drive, the second is a TEDx talk by Simon Sinek, that is based on the principles of his new book Why?
Both focus on this idea of what is the motivating factor in the office place. And it comes down to much bigger things that simply monetary rewards. It comes down to purpose. And that’s what I’m looking for now – people who share the same purpose. The same outlook, the same opinion on what it means to run a successful business.
I’m looking for the Zappos, the 37 Signals, the Apple’s and all the other companies that aim to change the world and make great products and experiences. I believe that if you do that the money follows.
If you believe that, then I’m interested in talking about how we can work together.
The word friend has been bastardized by social networks. From Tom at MySpace (your first MySpace friend, remember?) to the friend requests you get daily from people you never meet; we’ve changed what it means to be a friend. It’s a shame we don’t have a better word for it – LinkedIn comes close with ‘connections’ – because true friendship, as this article argues, is not about collection (how many friends do I have?) nor about gain (am I friends with Chris Brogan? and what can he do for me?) but of a more enriching relationship steeped in the past of shared experience and built on a blurred sense of self.
It may be reassuring to look at Facebook and see your 700 friends, but how many of them will come sit by your side incapacitated in the hospital? The article, and I, both suggest that this latter number is the more important and most fulfilling.
Friendships worthy of the name are different. Their rhythm lies not in what they bring to us, but rather in what we immerse ourselves in. To be a friend is to step into the stream of another’s life. It is, while not neglecting my own life, to take pleasure in another’s pleasure, and to share their pain as partly my own. The borders of my life, while not entirely erased, become less clear than they might be. Rather than the rhythm of pleasure followed by emptiness, or that of investment and then profit, friendships follow a rhythm that is at once subtler and more persistent. This rhythm is subtler because it often (although not always) lacks the mark of a consumed pleasure or a successful investment. But even so, it remains there, part of the ground of our lives that lies both within us and without.
A new entrant to the world of branded, experience-based retail stores (think Apple, Microsoft, etc.) finally has me excited. Lego opened it’s first store in New York (the grand opening is this week) and from the pictures, let’s just say, I hope they put one out in California within any type of driving distance from me.
My favorite part? Going in and seeing the look of happiness and wonder that would surely strike my son – I get chills thinking about it. Lego is such a great brand because it inspires creativity and play, two things we tend to wring out of our kids in school, and I think this new store experience is a great way to reintroduce people to the creative enjoyment that is Lego.
I have the pleasure of joining a ton of talented folks for a presentation for Social Media Day on June 30th, hosted by the Orange County Register. Come out and join us, have some great food and learn a thing or two about how you can put social media to work for you. I know I’m excited to learn a few things.
Check out the full post for the schedule. I’ll be speaking on “Leveraging Online Video.” From the OC Register’s site:
You may also want to take part in a new summertime tradition taking shape on Wednesday, June 30: Social Media Day. Mashable, which covers social media trends and innovation, is initiating nearly 450 group discussions or “meetups” in 74 different countries, including one right here in Santa Ana, to celebrate the many ways our world is becoming more social.
The Orange County Register has invited some of OC’s foremost social media experts to speak at a meetup during the first-ever Social Media Day (June 30) at its headquarters, 625 N. Grand Avenue in Santa Ana, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. If you are utilizing social networking to connect yourself or your business with communities of interest, you won’t want to miss this event. The event is free and open to the public.
Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg created quite the stir last week when she said that “email is probably going away,” and the results of this new study seem to suggest that she’s right. What does this mean for marketers? I think it means that while it’s important to build and grow email databases and have a solid email marketing strategy that the time is now to begin to build other, permission-based marketing assets like Facebook fans, opted-in mobile subscribers, Twitter followers and YouTube subscribers.
The online audience and communication channel will continue to fragment – the saavy marketers recognize this and realize that one communication medium won’t be enough – especially when trying to reach the Millenials.
A new Ball State University study says text messaging has far eclipsed e-mail and instant messaging as college students’ favored way of staying in touch.
The findings show that 97 percent of students now send and receive text messages, while only about a quarter of them use e-mail or instant messaging.
Here’s Sandberg explaining why email is probably going away:
Celebrities are more and more appearing in online video. Advertisers who are seeing the success of video campaigns on YouTube and around the Web are turning to known quantities to connect with customers and inspire action. These celebrities are slowly displacing Web-celebs like iJustine and other paid Web-based pitchmen now that the medium is proven and effective.
While I believe that Web-celebs will continue to get commissioned endorsement work-after all, they create a much different type of brand interaction-celebrities will more and more become a fixture in online video.
Online video, in its initial phases, was populated mostly by unknowns because many stars were reluctant to lend their prestige to an untried medium. Now, though, the ability of celebrities to cut through the clutter means that familiar actors, athletes, comedians, models and singers are being cast for webisodes.
Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg created quite the stir last week when she said that “
