The Cluetrain Manifesto

The book The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual is a book that’s mission is to promote global conversation and faster and smarter companies. The book includes 95 theses about the growing markets on the web and how this is the better and smarter way to go about a business. Some of the theses I think are interesting:

6. The Internet is enabling conversations among human beings that were simply not possible in the era of mass media.

Because of the internet, people are able to have faster conversations directly from one person to another without the slow responses and “inhuman” sounding feedback. These conversations were not possible before the internet and all of its connections.

21. Companies need to lighten up and take themselves less seriously. They need to get a sense of humor.
22. Getting a sense of humor does not mean putting some jokes on the corporate web site. Rather, it requires big values, a little humility, straight talk, and a genuine point of view.

I liked these statements for the simple fact that it is saying companies need to be more real. The public likes to feel as though they can relate to a company and are treated as though they are of importance. With these new online markets, it creates a way for people to get in touch and stay in touch in a faster manner. It helps support a steady flow of conversation that is good both for the company but also for the community. The fact that companies are working to become more straight-forward and genuine will help them relate better and become stronger business organizations.

Video sharing gone too far

We have just recently been discussing viral videos and their effect on the internet. A viral video is defined as video clip content which gains widespread popularity through the process of Internet sharing, typically through email or IM messages, blogs and other media sharing websites. Viral videos are often humorous but a recent news story discusses how an attempt at creating a popular video on YouTube turned into teens arrests.

Eight teenagers were arrested after filming the beating of another girl. One of the mothers said the girl “had provoked the other teens by threatening and insulting them on MySpace, a social networking Web site.”
This news story goes to show just how much influence these popular social internet sights have on people and how if not used properly can cause preventable situations like this one. In an earlier blog post I discussed my reaction to “Growing up Online” and talked about how the younger generations are learning to use the internet at an early age because this is what the world revolves around. The internet and social media is the new way of living but also needs to be controlled.

Teens Arrested Over Taped Beating

Social Media...A distraction?

This semester we have been discussing in our internet and social media class about blogs and other forms of social media and how progressive and beneficial they are for people and companies. As I was browsing through some blogs on the subject matter I came across a blog by Jim Tobin who is actually taking the opposite side on the matter. His blog is called Social Media is a Waste of Time, Part I. It is very rare for someone to argue against social media and its productiveness, especially when being in a class where the very purpose is to show and explore the emerging social media technologies. On his bog, Jim Tobin states, “Social media is a distraction. Social media is a time waster. Social media is unproductive.” I think it is definitely a purposefully controversial blog for many of the people who have and will read it.

Personally I do not agree with everything he has written about. He states that blogging is a waste of time and does not check anything off of your to-do list, but in fact having read his blog helped me to write my own in response and has checked off my blog for the week in this class. Not only this but the things he lists that are a waste of time such as watching television and talking to friends are only true to an extent. Otherwise these are very significant ways of idea and creativity growth. Whether we love it or hate it, it has sparked an emotion within us which has inspired us to think, much like his blog has.

Family Blogs about Campaign

As I signed onto the internet earlier I watched as the AOL news stories scrolled across my computer screen. I came across a story about the forever popular election. Since being in this Internet and social media class, the idea of blogging has been cemented into our brains and will continue to be a source of media that differentiates itself from the mainstream. Blogs offer a two way feedback system that can be very beneficial for both the blogger and the commenter.

McCain’s daughter Meghan has hopped on that bandwagon and begun her own blog at http://www.mccainblogette.com/. Instead of going the political route and discussing campaign issues, this blog is more about making the McCain family more real. Her blog also consists of photos, music, and fashion. The idea of her online diary is to show people that her family is just like everyone else’s.

Here's the link to the news story I found on Meghan's blog.

Hillary Clinton's Campaign

I have already blogged about Obama's campaigning and social media strategies so I only thought it fair to share another candidates tactics as well. Hillary uses much of the same internet sites as Obama but far less than him. Some of the sites include:

Myspace

Facebook

Flickr

YouTube

Eons

Twitter

Her main site also connects you to other feature sites of hers including:

Hillblazers

Women for Hillary

Hillary Hub

Fact Hub

Utterz Voice Your Support

Want to voice your support in this year's election? There is a way to do this without standing on the street corner holding a sign for your candidate or posting signs in your front yard. Utterz has created a way to show your support by posting a badge on your blog, website, or any other social network. There is even a tally of the percentages of each badge vote.

This site shows the importance of the internet and its effect on society. People know the internet has a huge impact on people because of its increased usage so why not cater to it?

Podcast on Blogging

Here's a short podcast made by Chase, Marcela, and myself, discussing what a blog is and many different types and aspects of blogging. Check it out by clicking on the picture.
:00 Chase introduces our podcast
:10 Chase defines a blog
1:21 Chase introduces the next segment about the different types of blogs
1:24 Nicole talks about the different types of blogs
3:40 Nicole intorduces the segment about blogging as part of mass media and blogging consequences
3:46 Marcela discusses blogging as part of mass media and consequences
5:03 Marcela closing