In the last few months, I’ve been amazed at some of the innovative ways companies are aggregating and using information from social networks. From Bravo’s use of Foursquare to We’re All Fans, wow. It seems like the economy has slowed the innovation of “new” and allowed marketers to really harness what’s out there. And, harness it quicker than ever before.
Surprisingly, tonight’s Grammy’s was the first event that twitter both spoiled and enhanced for me. Everything online, from the MSN homepage to twitter was reporting and commenting on the Grammy’s in real time. The comments made me excited and frustrated. I wanted to see the outfits and performances my “friends” were commenting on. But alas, being on the West Coast, I was three hours behind. For me, it was an interesting and new experience. And yes, it made me wish I was living on the East Coast that much more
One of the coolest parts of the Grammy’s was their use of social media. An institution that’s been around for 52 years continues to innovate and stay relevant. From an iPhone app to We’re All Fans, kudos to the marketers behind the show… We’re All Fans was one wicked cool and beautifully done aggregater of what fans we’re saying.
Just a mish mosh of goodness found over the last few weeks:
I could spend hours playing with this infograph of information. Digg365 shows you what stories were most popular by month and day. Plus, it’s just wicked cool.
Uncork your compliments with Toast-its. They’re greeting cards that wrap around wine bottles.
MySpace Fan Video. Basically the coolest thing to come out of MySpace in a long time. The interesting part? They’re using Facebook Connect as well as the MySpace equivalent. From embracing Facebook to being able to purchase the track created to playing up that MySpace has become a place for musicians and music, I love the whole idea behind it.
The Internet in Numbers. I love trivia. I love big numbers. This is one to bookmark and add to a presentation when you want to amaze and awe or just get your point across that this Internet thing is kind of big.
What would a linkfest be without a video? The Coke Happiness Machine has been circulating like crazy. It’s another great example of how to fundamentally alter how people experience your brand:
Looking back on my posts from last January, I stumbled on this one. I thought it might be fun to update the project with my tweets from 2009. So, here it is, with @replies removed again. Thanks to TweetScan and Wordle for the fun and insights!
I’m always experimenting with something. This post happens to be part of the 10 Guys, 10 Drinks, 10 Weeks experiment. You can see the others here. Enjoy the laughs, I sure am!
Guy #4. Drink #4. Week #4. While I haven’t been turned down yet, this week started with a last minute cancellation. The original plans included dinner, drinks and Jubilee. But, Jay (not his real name) canceled the night before. Since I was exhausted, I was a bit relieved. Then, I ran into Bob (not his real name either). Bob and I run in similar circles and while I’ve always seen him out, we’ve never truly hung out. An invite to Blue Martini seemed like the perfect opportunity to change that.
When I got to Blue Martini, Bob was already two shades to the wind. I didn’t mind, I was ready to blow off some steam. Since we were at a bar specializing in martinis and cocktails, it was the perfect time for drink #4 to be a sidecar. A few drinks in, I told Bob about this project. He got a kick out of it. In fact, he even helped me score Guy #5. After a few more, we decided to bail and head over to Stoney’s. There, Bob met a very loose girl and clearly under the influence of beer goggles, spent the night sucking face with her. That’s Bob for you. And me? I ran into potential Guy #6. Unfortunately, potential Guy #6 wasn’t taking the bait and I was feeling too old to keep trying with someone who was only remotely interested.
All in all, the sidecar was too sweet, too temperamental and too unknown to be a go-to drink. And the guy? Well, at least I found #5 out of the deal.
I’m always experimenting with something. This post happens to be part of the 10 Guys, 10 Drinks, 10 Weeks experiment. You can see the others here. Enjoy the laughs, I sure am!
Guy #3. Drink #3. Week #3. This wasn’t your typical Vegas out-of-towner. Oh no, Paul (not his real name) is part CEO, part Venture Capitalist, and all aloof sexiness. He’s the guy that knows he’s the best, but never shows it. The guy who’s uniform consists of skinny jeans, untucked button-down shirt, leather jacket and boots. He pulls the look off effortlessly, no matter where he is. By night, he’s a wine lover and so drink #3 was undoubtedly red wine. I love red wine. But with acid reflux it’s become a rare, guilty pleasure. It’s something that saddens me to no end.
Paul easily dominates many a conversation. I don’t think he means to. He just does. He dominated this one and I let him. He talked of nights in LA, bottles of wine, his new company and old competitors. We laughed, we drank and my mind wandered to the blog post I read earlier in the day about the why’s of dating. I thought about why I’m doing this experiment. And, with that in mind, I decided that I was a little too cool for Paul, but the red wine? Well, the red wine might just go back to being more than a guilty pleasure.
I’m always experimenting with something. This post happens to be part of the 10 Guys, 10 Drinks, 10 Weeks experiment. You can see the others here. Enjoy the laughs, I sure am!
Guy #2. Drink #2. Week #2. The theme? Marriage. The venue? Vanity. Complete with male and female strippers (for the bachelor and bachelorette parties, duh!), candy necklaces and table dancers dressed in sexy wedding dresses and black boots. The guy? Mysterious. Part of me has him completely figured out. The other part? Not so much. Oh, and the drink? Vodka Soda. Grey Goose to be exact. While the club was transformed into an alternate universe of brides and grooms, a few things still remained the same – we walked straight in, past the line of 50, to the best table in the club. The cocktail servers were overly attentive – glasses were always full and the table was always clean. Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like to be a regular club-goer. It’s an experience I rarely, if ever, encounter.
Alas, I suppose you want to hear more about Jim (not his real name) than the club Jim is the perfect gentleman. Utterly brilliant, charismatic, not needy or clingy. He commands a room effortlessly. The guys admire him and the girls shoot me evil eyes for being the one on his arm. He’s the male version of my social butterfly. In theory, he’s the perfect guy for me. And yet, the puzzle pieces don’t quite fit. I can never figure out why.
On the other hand, the drink… well, the drink just might fit. Nevertheless, it’s still too early to tell. Besides, I can’t disappoint the other eight drinks waiting for me.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. I know, you can probably see the smoke
We all think we’re going to be great and we feel a little bit robbed when our expectations aren’t met, but sometimes our expectations sell us short. Sometimes the expected simply pales in comparison to the unexpected. You’ve got to wonder why we cling to our expectations because the expected is just what keeps us steady, standing still, the expected is just the beginning. The unexpected is what changes our lives.
I want the unexpected. I want the challenge. I want to always be happy, but never satisfied enough to sit on my laurels. I want chaos and passion. I want to always be busier than I can handle. I don’t want everything to add up. I want good things to fall apart, so better things can fall together. And, if that’s truly what I want, then I need to take the leap again, and build a new set of wings on the way down.
I love this. I’ve watched several videos lately about how powerful, refreshing and transformative personal projects can be. Time is just an idea… enjoy the video!
I’m always experimenting with something. This post happens to be part of the 10 Guys, 10 Drinks, 10 Weeks experiment. You can see the others here. Enjoy the laughs, I sure am!
Guy #1. Drink #1. Week #1. In true Vegas fashion, I kicked it off with the culmination of CES and AVN. Maybe not my brightest idea, but as always, it sure was fun! Staying with the theme of bright ideas, I chose Patron shots with a soda chaser as my first drink. Not really what I was looking for, but it was on the list and I figured I’d get it out of the way. You know, kind of like your virginity. The night started out great and then came talk of AVN. Anytime you mix males with AVN talk the night usually ends with the guy thinking he’s getting some and me just thinking he’s a sleazy, old man.
Like any late night in Vegas, it also ended with a bit of gambling and me deciding Patron shots are only for shot time. Good thing too… I have nine more nights to go
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