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Monthly Archives for April 2008

Get a Facebook Strategy

Facebook

Like many of you out there I am sure you have had your fill this year of Social Networks.
MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, OpenSocial, Gorooze, the list goes on and on. Well I say, enough is enough already. I heard this acronym at BlogWorldExpo – YASN – Yet Another Social Network

According to data on Alexa:

  • 1/3 of all web visitors in august 07 visited Myspace
  • 1/7 of all web visitors in august 07 visited Facebook
  • 5 of the top 10 sites are all web 2.0 site in the world
  • ½ of the top 30 are all social networking sites

Powerful data and powerful growth by these sites which point to their diversity and only you will know which ones would be the best fit for you and your brand. But I would like to suggest you adopt a strategy for solely for Facebook:

1) Why Facebook?

  • With 60 Million users in 2007, 50% of which return daily this one should be tops on your list!

2) Make your Facebook profile a source for quality content

  • Sure throwing sheep and poking people is fun but why not add value to the conversation by posting quality content (small side note – if you read the fine print, Facebook owns all content on the Facebook site)

3) Use Facebook as a clearinghouse for everything you are doing online for your “community” by filtering content you find on the web, why not:

  • add Twitter application – so others can see what you are doing
  • add Del.icio.us application – so others can see what you are tagging
  • add the StumbleUpon – so others can see what you are finding interesting
  • add zuPort for YouTube – so others can see what videos you posted

4) Start a group on Facebook – either for an area of interest or for your brand

  • the Seinfeld group started with just 10 members by the very next day it was up to 2000 members!

In general, you need to think of these social networks as a way of people interacting with your own brand so why not leave a trail of digital breadcrumbs back to your brand by using widgets from other applications to dress up your Facebook profile!

Written on 23 April 2008 by admin under Uncategorized with No Comments
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AboutFace Digital Opens Its Doors

AboutFace Digital has officially opened its doors. The social media agency specializes in Facebook marketing and employs a number of Web 2.0 viral marketing techniques to drive awareness, build brand and generate sales for its clients.

The company is working with leading brands and celebrity personalities in managing their Facebook presence. Stay tuned as we traverse the social media landscape in search of truth, justice and the social media way.

Written on 09 April 2008 by admin under News Items, The Agency with No Comments
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Pogo + Facebook = Cafe.com

After two years of development, the people behind leading casual games distributor Boonty have just launched Cafe.com.  With an impressive array of casual games,  from single player up to six people., the games stand out from the myriad of free online gaming sites.

Cafe.com home page

But what’s truly impressive is Cafe’s Web 2.0 social networking features and micro-transaction-based business model.  Think Pogo on steroids. This represents the future of social gaming.

Author’s note,  I’ve previously served as CMO for Boonty, Inc., and am presently involved with the launch of Cafe.com.

Written on 04 April 2008 by admin under Casual Games, Social Gaming, Widet Review with No Comments
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The Art of Making a Mix Tape - Retro or Relevant?

Mixwit LogoYou could say I’m old school. I’ll shun Halo for a game of Air Hockey, Frogger or Space Invaders anytime. I prefer drinking Stoli to any of the new-fangled vodkas - give me the taste of mother Russia over triple purified distillation any day. And, I still enjoy listening to my mixed cassette tapes, some of which date back to the 70’s.

Now, for those of you who don’t know what a mixed tape looks or sounds like, you are definitely too young to understand the connection it conjures up. From the sketchy hand-written labels to the cracked case, my brain’s memory goes into overdrive as faces, places and emotions are instantly retrieved from some long-ago, distant time. Nothing brings the past alive more than hearing a song from my youth.

And, just when you thought mixed tapes were a thing of the past, comes MixWit. A melding of my analog past and digital present, MixWit brings all the excitement of making a tape for that special somebody to a shareable widget format. And, with plenty of cassette casing, hardware and label customization to choose from, MixWit is much more fun that my old double Aiwa cassette deck ever was.

The free service allows you to choose between Seeqpod and Skreemr to search and add songs, or upload from your hard drive. You can then customize the cassette and cover art. Here are some examples:

(Jonny A's Super Duper Mix)Pop DreamsJoni Mitchell MixMixtape Truqueira

You get the idea. The playback controls are simple and straight forward. The case displays the title of each song as it’s played. This is a great concept in widgets and executed brilliantly. Everyone I’ve sent a tape mix to has signed-up and made their own mixes.

So, if you thought the cassette tape had seen its last days, think again. Everything old is new again, and MixWit makes retro relevant.

Written on 01 April 2008 by admin under Music Widgets, Widet Review, facebook with No Comments
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Nexus - Understanding The Ties That Bind Us

Nexus LogoWhat if you could map your friends and family inter-relationships and gain insights into the commonalities that exist within the overlapping networks? If you’re on Facebook, you can with a nifty application called Nexus.

Nexus creates an interactive image displaying the friendship links and shared interests of your friends. Roll your mouse over the dots that represent your friends and get a side bar view of their profile, complete with Facebook picture and common friends and interests.

Here’s a picture of my Nexus map:

Rich’s social network of friends

When we look at our relationships in relation to one another, some interesting patterns emerge. As circles overlap and friendships intersect with interests, I’m reminded by something my father use to say, “the company you keep says as much about yourself as it does about your friends.”

Nexus allows you to map your corner of the world and make sense out of who you are.

Written on 01 April 2008 by admin under Widet Review, facebook with No Comments
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