NOVEMBER 21, 2008

I LOVE flowers.  I love all types and shades.  As far as plants go, I think they’re great indoors or out, but I have a problem… I have never been able to keep one alive by myself - ever.  That’s why, this weekend, I was somewhat disappointed when my mother gave me an Amaryllis bulb.  How could she give me this poor innocent plant that we both knew would die in my care?!?

According to PRWeek, I’m not alone: “Americans spend nearly $44 billion on plants and plant care products each year, but more than a third of plants die within a year of purchase, according to the National Gardening Association.”

One-third of Americans are just like me and can’t keep a plant alive, but it doesn’t seem to stop them from trying!  Luckily, new products such as the EasyBloom Plant Sensor by PlantSense recognize America’s not-so-green-thumb problem, and have designed a way to help.  PlantSense makes soil sensors that collect data and recommend what to grow in your soil.  Genuis!

The smartest companies are the ones designing products have the ability to tap into and enhance the passions of consumers.  Figuring out how consumers spend their time and money - and understanding their passions -  will give companies an advantage in this competitive marketplace.  Now, does anyone know how to make a goldfish live longer?

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NOVEMBER 17, 2008

I’ll admit it - when it comes to health news, I tend to fixate on the negative instead of the positive.  I worry about the germs or the .0000001% chance that I’ll develop a disease from some chemical I’ve been exposed to, rather than celebrate all the advancements that have been made in medicine over the years.

However, recently, a few articles have forced me to focus on the positive.  First, there was an announcement about how targeting cancer treatments to a patient’s specific genes offers extraordinary hope for personalized cures.  Another study further proved that statins are a tremendously powerful shield against heart attack and stroke.  (A friend re-affirmed the importance of this news the other night by mentioning a leading heart surgeon they knew personally who raved about the life-saving ability of statins.)  Then there was the 60 Minutes story on someone who could use their brain to convey thoughts directly to  a computer.  And finally, a piece that profiled the Kanzius machine which - if clinical trials prove successful - will zap cancer cells all through your body without the need for drugs or surgery and without side effects.

All reasons to feel hopeful, right?  Yet it seems as a nation, we still seem to cling to ungrounded fears about risk and disease more than we celebrate medical breakthroughs.  Perhaps it’s because we’ve lost trust in institutions as a whole, the medical industry being no exception.  We feel we’ve been lied to, manipulated, and let down, so no information can be “good” or trusted.  We’re so saturated with conflicting information that we don’t know what to trust anymore, and that confusion paralyzes us and makes us fearful.

While I recognize this tendency in my own life, I am going to make an effort to change my habits.  We live in an era of unprecedented innovation in medicine - will you join me in being excited about it?

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NOVEMBER 10, 2008

Starbucks Shared Planet is a new site aimed at promoting corporate responsibility and environmental stewardship. This is a great example of a company being directly inspired by consumers to be more transparent about its operations. Michelle Gass, the senior vice president of the company, even outlined specific goals the company hopes to achieve by 2015. By inviting customers to suggest ways for the company to become a better community leader, Starbucks is really investing in long-term relationships with them.

The presidential election this year was definitely a historic one in many ways, not the least of which was the use of social media to mobilize voters. Another example was PBS and YouTube’s collaboration on “video your vote”, a site for user-submitted videos documenting peoples’ experiences with voting. YouTube has been very active this year in collaborating with various companies to cover the election; it co-sponsored the first Democratic debate, formed an election center called YouChoose, and debuted many popular videos such as will.i.am’s “Yes We Can”. It’s no wonder than many people have dubbed this election the “YouTube Election”.

I’ve written about Barack Obama’s use of social media before. After the election, the Obama team set up a website at Change.gov to set the tone for the new administration. The website asks visitors to share their own experiences with the election, as well as their hopes for the future. Although the website does not have many social media components yet, it seems that some will be added in the future. Adam Ostrow from Mashable wrote an excellent post on the unprecedented potential of social media as a communication tool for the presidency; I particularly agree with his point that social media can encourage citizens to get more involved and informed about policy making.

Yammer is a new tool based on Twitter that won top prize at this year’s TechCrunch50, where 50 new tech start-ups were presented and officially launched before an audience of “influential VCs, corporations, fellow entrepreneurs and press.” Like Twitter, Yammer allows people post short “tweets” to share links and hold brief exchanges, but it focuses on internal corporate communications. Every company on the Yammer network is a closed group; you must have a work email at that company to be able to talk in the group. It seems like there’s a very real need for an enterprise version of Twitter, as Yammer adopters have noted its usefulness for enhancing office culture. Maybe we’ll even try it out at TMG!

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OCTOBER 27, 2008

Once again, here’s a brief summary of some interesting news and up-and-coming developments in social media! As always, you can also check out previous social media summaries here.

Dell has created a Facebook page that focuses on providing social media tips and strategies for small businesses looking to get started with using social media in their communications work. This is a very simple, yet valuable resource that really enhances Dell’s image as an industry leader among large companies using social media. Ever since the “Dell Hell” blogger uproar in 2005, Dell has really stepped up to the plate and implemented better blogger relations, multiple blogs, Twitter accounts, and a useful crowdsourcing site.

Plum has launched its Share Space Pro platform, which can add social networking features to a company’s website. Share Space is similar to Ning, a popular platform for creating standalone social networks, but it is more geared towards adding features to an existing website in a clean, easy process. I agree with Jeremiah Owyang’s prediction that demand for products to “socialize” a page with minimal fuss will increase in the near future– I can imagine that there is a need for products that simplify the process of tweaking software to add social networking features to a site.

Fat Muffin is a new crowdsourcing site with an interesting focus: it crowdsources ideas for advertisement campaigns. The community is semi-closed, meaning that those who want to sign up must first receive an invitation from a friend already in the community. Currently, the site has three clients: Prometheus Springs, Babyspot.com, and Ayrwolf. Although the site is still in a closed beta state, it’s a great example of how versatile crowdsourcing can be, with the right management system in place. Unlike social networks that serve to let people communicate directly with each other, these idea-focused websites need a system in place to condense and select the best ideas for serious consideration from the companies.

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OCTOBER 17, 2008

Google, a brand among brands, I dare say can do no wrong.  Its delightfully simple homepage (in use and design), its logo’s cheerful colors, its name’s soothing double “Os”, not to mention its leadership in its industry - these are all reasons why I mark Google an “it” brand.  A brand that, when it innovates or introduces new products like Chrome, its new Web browser, has the potential to see instant and prolonged success based solely on a reputation for quality and reliability.  We all know these “it” brands, like Apple, Toyota, Starbucks, Target, and IKEA.

Now I’m reading about the first mobile phone from T-Mobile to use the Android software from Google.  In a time when technology is constantly being updated and companies are competing aggressively to launch the next big thing, critics might question whether this phone, even with Google’s brand reputation behind it, will break through.  But, come on, it’s Google.  If nothing else, I’m at least intrigued enough to see what it looks like, how the interface works, and what kind of neat features it might offer.  Of course, in true Google fashion, I’m expecting that I will like it, that it will be easy to use, and that it will work well.  Stellar customer expectations and a powerful first impression, indeed.  Lucky dog, that Google brand.

What’s equally interesting is the path this brand has traveled.  It found success as a search engine, created a personal email program I love, launched a Web browser whose name alone invokes coolness, and is now embarking into the phone-tech world, a world dominated by the likes of iPhones and Blackberries (nicknamed “Crackberries,” to illustrate their addictive qualities). In my mind, Google can seemingly do-no-evil - and I can’t wait to see what’s up next.

What other brands do you think have the Midas touch?

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OCTOBER 14, 2008

“Change” is the word on everyone’s mind these days. What started as a political slogan quickly became the mantra of the American people: only 17% of us agree with the current direction of the country. Both candidates now eagerly seek the mantle of change: new John McCain attack ads flash the words “Change is Coming” at the viewer, while Obama’s original “Change You Can Believe In” continues to resonate with voters.

So in a time when the desire for change is palpable, why should sports be any different? Indeed, we’re seeing innovation in American football at a rapid clip. Strategies and tactics adapted at the high school level years ago have gradually filtered up to the college and pro ranks, resulting in a variety of new ways to play an old game.

One such example is the Miami Dolphins’ “Wildcat” formation, adapted from years of use in high schools around the country. In this formation, Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown receives what’s called a “direct snap”. This means that instead of the ball being hiked to the quarterback, it’s snapped directly to Brown, who can then hand the ball off to another running back, pass the ball, or run it himself. This flummoxes defenses and changes the traditional way that football offenses work, which places great responsibility on the quarterback to either hand the ball off or pass it down the field. It also changes the balance of the offense, which usually pits 10 players against 11 defensive players. The Dolphins add another wrinkle by placing two running backs in the Wildcat, meaning that the snap could possibly go to either one - making it much harder for defenses to predict where the ball will go.

Another novel scheme is the A-11, a high-flying, pass-oriented offense that features two quarterbacks, six wide receivers and two tight ends (most NFL formations have three receivers and one tight end). In this offense, the goal is to spread the field and create mismatches in coverage - for instance, forcing a lumbering linebacker to cover one of the six receivers, who are normally much faster players. And even if all of the receivers are covered, the quarterback usually has ample room to run the ball for a short gain. The scheme, invented only a year ago, has been embraced by many big high school programs, but rule differences make it impossible to use in the NCAA and NFL. Look for those rules to change if the formation becomes more popular in high school.

This kind of innovation stands in very sharp contrast to sports like baseball, which has not seen much tactical innovation since the modern rules of the game were codified early last century. I guess it’s not surprising that in our rapidly-changing society, the most successful sports are the ones that change along with it.

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OCTOBER 1, 2008

This summary is part of an ongoing series that highlights recent news in the social media world. You can go here to view past summaries.

According to data released by Cone, Inc., 93% of consumers believe that companies should have a presence in social media. Additionally, about 60% of consumers interact with companies online, and 25% interact with these companies at least once a week. Consider these figures a sign that social media, despite the frantic and fleeting nature of Web 2.0 startups trying to get a piece of the action each month, is very well established as an expected mode of communication.

During the presidential debates last week, the Twitter sphere was a great place to go for some instant crowd sentiments. Tweet volume directly corresponded with certain phrases uttered by the candidates– how much easier could it be to gauge the issues or statements that were the most provocative? What I find interesting about this is how easily Tweets can be captured and analyzed. I feel empowered by the idea that I can make sense of the Twitter noise by following keywords; it offers a great change in perspective.

Speaking of the election and Twitter, another great way to tap into what Twitter denizens are saying is to visit Twitter Election 2008, a site dedicated to gathering data and streaming tweets that have anything to do with the election. Even if it’s easy to feel lost in the hundreds of thousands of Twitter users, there’s no denying that I still feel pretty significant when something I say about one of the candidates makes it onto the front page stream on this site. Tomorrow, I’ll be watching this site during the vice presidential debate!

InsideCRM has a great article detailing the various ways government agencies have been using social media. Some of these may surprise you– for instance, did you know that the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency) has partnered with an activist social network called Care2 to promote awareness of the deterioration of coral reefs? By partnering, the agency is able to leverage the social network to put public events and awareness campaigns in motion. Government agencies have also been using internal wikis to get their work done; the intelligence community has a large intranet called Intelink that contains a wiki called Intellipedia. This allows analysts to find each other across agencies in order to collaborate on projects. These examples all show how effective social media can be in helping government agencies become more responsive and tuned in to public sentiment.

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SEPTEMBER 23, 2008

Did you know that macaue monkeys have learned how to fish?  Researchers have discovered a group of these primates in Indonesia that have adapted to their changing environment and shifting food sources by foraging along rivers and scooping up small fish with their hands.  While this behavior seems isolated, the question is, will future generations of monkeys imitate their elders? And is this an indication of how current species who might be endangered will have to adapt to survive?

It might be the question we should be asking ourselves as human beings in light of our dwindling resources.  When NPR asked Ray Kurzweil, author of “Singularity is Near:  When Humans Transcend Biology,” if there is a chance we could use up the Earth and have to move off of it, he was optimistic that desertion would not be necessary.  What will be needed, he says, is for us to be adaptable enough to utilize untapped resources.  He cites as an example the emerging development of  nano-technology solar collectors that can harness the almost limitless power of the sun.

Talking about a video of a speech Kurzweil made in 2006 at a TED Conference, Donald Latumahina noted in his blog, Life Optimizers:

“There is a statement in the video that interests me. Kurzweil said that while a single technological event seems chaotic, as a whole those events reveal a clear pattern. In this case, the pattern is exponential growth.”

So according to Kurzweil’s theory, while it may seem that we are taking only small or random steps to save ourselves, in the future progress will be more rapid and straightforward than it appears now. We can’t gauge the true scope of this progress because we’re experiencing it; the confines of our own lifetimes keep us from having a clear view of the bigger picture.

But, take heart.  While the monkeys harvest the fish, we will capture the sun.  Maybe there is hope for us yet.

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SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

One of the more frustrating things about creativity is that it rarely appears on cue. Our busy schedules mean that we are often hard-pressed for the one thing essential to the creative process: time. Time to read, time to observe, time to listen – and most importantly, time to just sit back and think.

And while there is no substitute for quality time, there are some great blogs out there that can help spur creativity in a pinch. We all hit our creative walls. When I’m struggling for ideas that will break through, here are six blogs I look to for inspiration:

• This Next: This World: There is something about information presented visually that makes me think about the world a little differently. Five minutes spent at this site watching people shop reminds me that there is a lot going on in the world outside my cubicle.

• TED Blog: Big thinkers, big ideas. With its mission simply to “Spread Ideas”, TED conferences bring out the best and brightest thinkers – the TED blog shares their passion and insight.

• The Numbers Guy: Carl Bialik reminds me that even numbers aren’t always what they appear to be and that looking at a fact from another angle can sometimes change its meaning completely.

• PSFK: There are many trend blogs out there, but I particularly like this one because it is thought-provoking, global, and concise.

• HorsePigCow: I love this blog for many reasons, but when it comes to stretching the way I think, I look to Tara Hunt’s weekly links. With topics ranging from online networking trends to jobs for Facebook addicts to pet-friendly restaurants in San Francisco, Tara’s weekly link round-ups provide a best-of look into the world of marketing, technology, and social communities.

• Ypulse: While Anastasia Goodstein’s focus is primarily on marketing, her daily YPulse Essentials posts offer a glimpse into all things teen, tween, and Generation Y.  The links include the latest on television, fashion, education, gaming, online communities, technology, and more.

Inspiration comes in every size and shape — and the best ideas are often discovered in unexpected places. Any sources you look to when you’ve hit a creative wall?

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SEPTEMBER 12, 2008

As part of the social media team here at TMG, I like to try to stay on top of all the new developments coming out. I’m going to start posting bi-weekly summaries of interesting social media news; many of these topics reflect growing technologies online and innovative ways to use these technologies, so hopefully it will be interesting to you!

LinkedIn, a popular social network for professionals, partnered with CNBC in hopes of bringing users of both sites added functionalities to help them share news content. In this blog post written by Dan Nye, the CEO of LinkedIn, I found his third bullet point about the implications of the partnership to be interesting: “Community-generated content from LinkedIn will also be broadcast on CMBS programs.” Looks like user demographics on social networks are becoming more valuable to news sources like CNBC.

We see some more adoption of social media in the nonprofit realm, as the AARP recently announced that their revamped site will feature a social network. The Arthritis Foundation also added social media tools to their website in August, allowing members to create blogs, profile pages, and RSS feeds. It seems like nonprofit organizations can really benefit from the use of social media tools, since their goal is often to inform and represent a specific group of people. These new site features will help people get to know others who face similar challenges; the nonprofit organizations are establishing themselves as community centers for their target audiences.

Google released Chrome, its new web browser, this past week. The technology realm has been completely overrun with commentary on Chrome, since the browser brings some new offerings to the table. Google has developed Chrome to handle multiple rich web applications better than any other popular browser. Since social media involves many of these rich web applications, Chrome widens the possibilities for programmers as well as users. I think it might be interesting to see developers work with the Chrome technology to make it even more social media friendly, like the Flock browser that was based on Firefox 3 technology.

InvespBlog interviews a top anonymous Digg contributor, shedding some light on how he earns money from his Digg activities. The contributor charges up to $1,200 dollars for a story that gets on the front page of the site. Digg tries to combat any sort of abuse of the system by advertisers, and has attempted to do so by changing its algorithm in the past. However, they fight an uphill battle to figure out how best to represent the most popular and relevant stories without allowing users and advertisers to take unfair advantage of the system. It seems that the social media spirit of group sharing and voting causes difficulties to developers who want to create sharing platforms that accurately reflect popularity.

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