Well, we know what the big news is this week! The corresponding blog post has attracted over 68,000 comments at the time of writing... which is quite a lot.
Is it about the economy? No. Saving the planet? No. A remake of Barbarella? Not even.
No, the big news this week is Facebook usernames... get yours before someone else with the same name does. The feature goes live 12.01am tomorrow EDT.
And what better reading material to keep yourself alert this evening as you wait for the minute hand to tick round than today's Friday Roundup selection.
Best regards, Philip and the MarCom Professional team.
Clip this coupon for $1 million dollar off Ft Myers FL home
by David Meerman Scott of David Meerman Scott
Here's a clever marketing & PR approach that I really like.
In an economy when there is a glut of luxury homes on the market, what can a homeowner do to make his property stand out? Why, get people talking about it of course!
Homeowner Rich Ricciani created a fun and creative world wide rave by thinking up the idea of running a coupon for $1 million dollars off the price of his $7 million Ft. Myers, FL home in newspapers.
Unlike the vast majority of people who just think of ideas, Rich actually followed through. More...
Is Twitter a Conversation or Broadcast Platform?
by Brian Solis of PR 2.0
Are we seeing the Twitterverse through rose colored glasses?
In January 2009 I pondered whether or not Twitter was a viable conversation platform. After all, Twitter is one of the darlings of Social Media and it is conversations and the democratization of content that fuel the rapid expansion and adoption of social tools and services.
Just ask any social media "expert" and they'll tell you that you must absolutely establish a Twitter account and commence the process of responding to everyone who Tweets about your company, market, or competition. More...
Shout loudest and you will be heard on the internet
by Graham Jones of Internet Psychology
Guy Kawasaki is an American venture capitalist who knows a thing or two about the world of technology. As a former Apple employee he has been involved with Silicon Valley businesses for over 25 years. He is an adviser to several leading technology companies and is a prolific writer, blogger and speaker. He is in high demand.
Guy Kawasaki But I have a problem with him; I am sure he is a nice chap, who is a real expert in his field. I've never met him even though he follows me on Twitter and I follow him. More...
Are you ready for the two-tier internet?
by Graham Jones of Internet Psychology
Committee members who regulate the domain names used on the Internet are about to meet in Australia amidst confusion and protest against their latest planned changes. A year ago ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) announced it would be introducing "generic" domain names. Now, several surveys show that could be doomed to failure.
The "normal" internet names could soon get lost in a domain name muddle. The idea is that instead of having ".com" More...
Bad taste
by Hamish Thompson of Twelve Thirty Eight Ltd
A cautionary tale this time, involving Gordon Ramsay the chef. He was interviewed on one of Australia’s leading current affairs programmes recently and in the days that followed is alleged to have said some unsavoury things about the programme’s presenter.
This video is the prologue to her next programme, during which she took the opportunity to respond to Ramsay’s alleged comments. Her response has attracted the support of the Australian PM.
Whether the furore will turn Ramsay’s trip down under into more of a demotional tour than the promotional one that he had intended remains to be seen. More...
Everybody is wrong
by David Meerman Scott of David Meerman Scott
What conventional wisdom that "everybody knows" can you challenge? I've gotten tremendous pushback from thousands of people over the past decade on these ideas. But I’ve also had thousands of people reach out to me to say that these ideas have been incredibly helpful to them.
Some of the best ideas come from contrarians.
Here are some things I’ve challenged in the past ten years.
"Everybody knows that marketing is about promoting your product."
Everybody is wrong. More...
Your website and how it would change if it had an "About You" section rather than "About Us"
by Philip Sheldrake of Racepoint Group
"Nobody cares about your products and services (except you)." I believe this deliberately polemic assertion from David Meerman Scott is spot on. OK, you could possibly exempt shareholders and fellow employees too, but the implication stands. Moreover, saying "Nobody cares about your products and services (except you and the shareholders and fellow employees)" isn't quite so catchy!
Think about it. When you bought that Philips TV, did you really care about Philips and its product range? No, you cared about the aesthetics of your living room, the sound and picture quality you'd experience, the screen size that would work with your space and furniture, and the hit to your bank balance. More...
Authenticity vs. Authority
by David Meerman Scott of David Meerman Scott
Mark Olson asked a bunch of marketers to write a one-paragraph riff on Authenticity vs. Authority. We did not see what the other’s had written until he posted the responses today. Here's what I said:
I remember in college there was a professor who had tons of authority. He was tenured, had written books, and was the head of the department. Although he had authority, he was not a popular teacher and his classes were empty. I recall other teachers who were young and dynamic and had no authority. More...
How to avoid social networking chaos
by Graham Jones of Internet Psychology
Social networking is taking up more and more time for internet users. In the past year, the average number of minutes per day spent on social networking sites has doubled. Indeed, Facebook has seen a 700% rise in average minutes usage since April 2008.
Worn out after all that social networking? You're not alone..!
It's not surprising that we are all being sucked in to the social side of the internet; after all, humans are social beings. We depend upon friendships for all sorts of things, such as self-esteem, enjoyment and even trade. More...
A Copywriting Principle that's Becoming Vital for SEO
by Matt Ambrose of The Copywriter's Crucible
For a while now, I’ve been using this blog as a pulpit for preaching to anyone who’ll listen on the benefits of great content. Building traffic to your website is one thing. But you still have to consider what you’re going to do when visitors arrive.
Are you merely going to offer them the same self congratulatory copy they’ll find in your brochure? Or offer them useful content that answers their questions, demonstrates your expertise and builds trust in your business?
Well, thankfully my clarion call for investing in great content is now being taken up by the SEO brigade. More...
How to start a PR company in 2009 with Google and a credit card: version 2.0
by Andrew Smith of escherman
By far and away my most popular blog post of 2008 was How To Start A PR Company with Google and a Credit Card. As of this morning, the page has had nearly 2000 views since I originally published it in March of last year. The general principle espoused in the post remains true – but I thought I’d update a few things.
1. Do I need to own my own computer?
Last year I suggested you could get a cheap laptop for a few hundred pounds – certainly if you opt for a netbook, that is still true. More...
