interREACCION

Netflix Fails To Keep Up With The Oscars [headlines]

@PSFK — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:00:41 +0000

Report looks into where this year’s Academy Awards nominees are online?

Are Smartphones Replacing Home Computers? [Headlines]

@PSFK — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:00:08 +0000

Has the reign of the smartphone finally pushed the personal computer off the market?

My Obligatory Pinterest Post

Linda Bustos — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:06:38 +0000

It seems every blog feed I subscribe to has had a post or 2 on Pinterest in the last few weeks. I held off on doing a post for Get Elastic because I believed the marketing potential was limited to fashion, beauty and home/garden brands. But the more I read about how people and businesses are using Pinterest, the more I see broader impact.

Consider this my ‘pinboard’ of interesting things I’ve gleaned from the articles I’ve read.

1. It’s teaching web users how to navigate differently

Many conventional things we do on the web are learned behaviors, introduced to us by innovative and disruptive web companies. For example, portal sites taught us to navigate through text links:

Even ecommerce designs from the late 90′s reflected the portal look:

Somewhere along the way, ecommerce design evolved from lists of text links to predominantly image-based design and merchandising. Blogs made way for microblogs and “ticker” style news feeds. Design trends tend to form around a handful of sites that introduce something to the world, that people enjoy using.

Pinterest’s popularity is already influencing other website designs. Easy Living magazine’s home page has embraced the image-block style navigation that Pinterest has popularized (but didn’t invent).

This could change the way some websites organize and merchandise categorical information and wishlists. For example, music and movie streaming services can merchandise by cover art – like scanning a shelf at a real video or bookstore. Image navigation also makes sense for tablet and smartphone apps, images are larger targets to hit and can improve usability.

2. It drives sales.

Facebook’s challenge to marketers is the fact users are not primarily hanging out in social networks to be marketed to, but Pinterest is all about material goods. Within the thriving community, there’s plenty of Attention, Interest and Desire — so Action is not a giant leap. In fact, Pinterest has already become an affiliate with a number of large e-stores – it’s intentionally a “commercial” community.

Without any promotion, John Fluevog shoes has generated sales from “word of pinboard.”

With a proactive engagement strategy, this shoe brand could really kick it up a notch.

Many brands are already running Pinterest contests to rally their fans. For example, Wayfair offers a chance to win a $50 gift card for creating Pinterest boards using Wayfair products.

Pinterest marketing is a natural fit for magazine publishers – one of the network’s most followed brands is Better Homes and Gardens, with over 18,000 followers.

BHG’s pinboards are a way to repurpose content in a creative way that opens up discovery to a whole new world of fans. “Pins” lead back to the articles the images originate from, which contain bold calls-to-action to subscribe to the magazine.

While 83% of American Pinterest users are female, in the UK, 56% are male. Pinterest-clone Gentlemint is intentionally geared toward men, and may be the right avenue for brands like GQ or Indochino.

3. It’s an alternative to blogging.

Of the 85 retailer blogs by the Internet Retailer Top 500 list that were alive in 2007, only 44 are still around. It’s tough to create content that people care about enough to subscribe to when you are a commercial brand, and dedicating resources to content creation is a significant investment.

A lot has changed in the last 5 years, and sharing shorter quips through Twitter and Facebook are quicker and cheaper ways to keep engaged with consumers. Pinterest is another opportunity to engage, as a “content curator,” whether the content is your own or from around the Web.

Some marketers believe Pinterest is not the place to promote your own items, but I don’t see an issue with it. (Nobody bats an eye at sharing your own content and links through Twitter). Williams-Sonoma uses it to expand the reach of its vibrant blog:

As with Facebook, Twitter and Google+, you can grow your audience by promoting your profile through email and as a call-to-action on your website.

4. There’s SEO Opportunity.

Though some links carry the “nofollow” attribute, link juice still flows from from profiles, boards and in pin descriptions. It’s a good opportunity to get some deep links to product pages, and if you link to your own boards from your blog or other domains you control, you can boost the value the links on individual boards pass.

The caveat is you won’t get anchor text – it defaults to the root domain.

While Pinterest is not going to be a home run for every brand, there are a number of ways you can explore it – even if you’re not a clothing store. And if Pinterest isn’t the right market for you, you can expect niche “clones” to pop up that may be a better fit in the near future.

Today’s Links February 26, 2012

h0us3 — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 01:15:44 +0000

The State of the Twitterverse 2012
The first time I wrote about Twitter was March 2007. My, how time and Tweets literally fly. With 500 million registered users and 33 billion Tweets flying across the Twitterverse every day, Twitter has become a fabric of our digital culture. Twitter is now ingrained in our digital DNA and is reflected in our lifestyle and how we connect and communicate with one another.
While many struggle to understand its utility or its significance in the greater world of… Read on!
Are Mobile Devices Destroying Your Body? [infographic]
Though most of my peers are tightly chained to their devices, few of us seem to grasp that. Being truly chained to convenience, most cannot see the parasite for what it is.
Of course, mobile technology has its uses. It’s even ridiculous to point that out. But have you ever felt a distinct repulsion from your mobile phone? Perhaps your delicate eyes, when confronted by the screen, were offended by the fluorescent, hypnotic glare. ..
If you’ve ever felt at… Read on!
Are Mobile Devices Destroying Your Body? [infographic]
Though most of my peers are tightly chained to their devices, few of us seem to grasp that. Being truly chained to convenience, most cannot see the parasite for what it is.
Of course, mobile technology has its uses. It’s even ridiculous to point that out. But have you ever felt a distinct repulsion from your mobile phone? Perhaps your delicate eyes, when confronted by the screen, were offended by the fluorescent, hypnotic glare. ..
If you’ve ever felt at… Read on!
Grab Our 20-Part Internet Marketing Course (No Charge)
Want to discover the smartest ways to mix social media, content marketing, and SEO for lead generation and converting those leads to customers and clients?
We’ve got you covered with Internet Marketing for Smart People. And there’s absolutely no charge.
This 20-installment email course and newsletter delivers the techniques and strategies you need to know when marketing online.
Find out more and sign up for free here.
TweetShare
PSFK Is Ready For Design Indaba
We are heading to South Africa for the annual event showcasing the brightest thought leaders and upcoming design talent
Style Guru On Wheels Talks About Her Mobile Retail Revolution
PSFK chats with Joey Wolffer, creator of the Styleliner accessories truck, who discusses the next iteration of the pop-up shop
The Gaming-For-Good Trend [Need To Know: SXSWi]
Whether improving health, fundraising or solving previously unsolvable problems, games are creating personal and social good
The Social-Pairing Trend [Need To Know: SXSWi]
People with similar interests, hobbies and needs have the opportunity to meet today through smart services that use a mix of social, location and demographic data to match profiles
SPIN Publisher: Music Publications Must Develop A New Media Strategy
PSFK chats with Mike Albanese about his magazine’s redesign and how ‘in today’s media environment, it’s innovate or die.’
The Me-TV Trend [Need To Know: SXSWi]
Using data from an individual’s social graph, new platforms are creating curated personalized entertainment channels
Behance: 30 Foot Demon Babies In Paris, A 1950s Typeface And More Creative Inspiration
In this week’s column from the Behance Network we see the projects that are both made by and inspiring today’s young creative professionals
Retail Visionary Launches Love Concept Store With Online Dating Website
Rachel Shechtman team ups with dating site Nerve.com to launch innovative shopping experience for the month of February
Jonathan Harris To Speak At PSFK CONFERENCE NYC 2012
The artist and computer scientist shares why he believes that the internet needs to be a slower-paced environment that acts as a repository for shared human experience
Jonathan Harris To Speak At PSFK CONFERENCE NYC 2012
The artist and computer scientist shares why he believes that the internet needs to be a slower-paced environment that acts as a repository for shared human experience
The Co-Sharing Trend [Need To Know: SXSWi]
Digital technology allows anyone to find an object or service they need, when they want it, where they want it
Crazy McDonald’s Items [infographic]
I’ve honestly never really been a fan of McDonalds. But the fact it is that everyone else in the world is. McDonalds is everywhere thanks to tasty food and smart marketing. It’s the largest chain of fast food restaurants and takes the throne of all corporate giants. You’ll find a Mcdonalds in almost every country or state that you visit, and once you see those golden arches, you know that your home to your beloved Big Mac. Or are you?… Read on!
Secrets Of A Killer Media Buyer: Creativity
The mandatory role of creativity in the world of the digital media buyer helps to grow the industry while focusing in on originality
Secrets Of A Killer Media Buyer: Creativity
The mandatory role of creativity in the world of the digital media buyer helps to grow the industry while focusing in on originality
Design Creative Of The Week: Mark Bell [Fashion/Textiles/Accessories]
The hottest new talent of the week brought to you by PSFK x Arts Thread. This week a designer who creates original fashion illustrations that empower the underdog
Top Ten Creatives Of The Week [Fashion, Textiles, Accessories]
The latest designs from the hottest young creatives in the business. PSFK x Arts Thread curate a weekly round up of people to be inspired by
This Week In Brand Strategy & Marketing
PSFK curates some of the strategy, digital and creative advertising news catching our attention
The 10 Most Popular Stories Of The Week
Catch up on the stories people were clicking, reading, sharing, Tweeting, Facebooking, Pinning, and more–from the Fast Company network.
This week’s stories ranged from superficial networking tips, to innovative “sock” weaves used in designing Nike’s newest shoes, to a powerful short film on how the proliferation of tech in cities will make city life more efficient and sustainable in the near future. Catch up on the most popular stories below.
1. How The Happiest People In The World Spend Their Money… Read on!
YouTube Enhancements: This Week in Social Media
Welcome to our weekly edition of what’s hot in social media news. To help you stay up-to-date with social media, here are some of the news items that caught our attention.
What’s New This Week?
YouTube Adds More Communication Features: Recent updates on YouTube include “a new way to promote your Google+ profile on YouTube, more options in the Annotations Editor” and more options to post Channel Bulletins to your Channel Feed.
Add a Google+ button to your YouTube channel.
You can now share… Read on!
7 Sensible Content Marketing Links
This week on The Lede:
How Lists (and List Posts) Make Sense of the World
How to say No . . . Especially to Things You Want to Do
85+ Copywriting Resources
The Best Content Marketing Infographics on the Planet
8 Principles of Product Naming
If you want more useful links than the seven we highlight here every week, follow @copyblogger on Twitter.
//
How Lists (and List Posts) Make Sense of the World
There is an elitist… Read on!
Basketball net will rate the force of dunks during Slam Dunk Contest
Sometimes power dunks don’t get much credit, because it’s hard to see on television how hard the ball was thrown down. The MIT Media Lab created a net to fix that, and we’ll get to see it in action this Saturday during the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest.
MIT Media Lab used conductive thread to generate a reading for the force of every slam thrown down. The fabric, as flexible as the nylon in conventional basketball nets, has long been valued… Read on!
Today’s Links February 24, 2012
- Apple And Foxconn’s Ethics Hit Your Gadget Prices
  Last week Foxconn pushed its starting salaries up from 900 yuan ($143) to 1,800 yuan per month, the latest and biggest in wage upticks that began in 2010. Foxconn did this for one main reason: international attention focused on the firm and associated ethical questions surrounding its treatment of workers. The lens through which this attention was focused bears just one name–Apple–because the iPhone seller is one of
… Read on!
One Way Google Might Crash Cable’s Party
Is Google Fiber a Trojan Horse?
While it doesn’t take much for Google to make headlines, this week’s news that it filed applications to operate a video service in Kansas City was much more than your average “Hey look what Google did” story. From the release of Google TV to its recent YouTube redesign to the way it’s been courting professional talent for its YouTube channels, Google has been steadily inching closer to the world of cable TV and shifting… Read on!

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The State of the Twitterverse 2012

Brian Solis — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:22:19 +0000

The first time I wrote about Twitter was March 2007. My, how time and Tweets literally fly. With 500 million registered users and 33 billion Tweets flying across the Twitterverse every day, Twitter has become a fabric of our digital culture. Twitter is now ingrained in our digital DNA and is reflected in our lifestyle and how we connect and communicate with one another.

While many struggle to understand its utility or its significance in the greater world of media, it is the most efficient global information network in existence today. News no longer breaks, it Tweets. People have demonstrated the speed and efficacy of social networking by connecting to one another based on interests (interest graph) rather then limiting connections to relationships (social graph). Twitter represents a promising intersection of new media, relationships, traditional media and information to form one highly human network.

I recently stumbled upon a well done infographic created by Infographic Labs to communicate the state of of the Twitterverse. It’s quite grand in its design. So, to help get the most out of it, I’ve dissected it into smaller byte-sized portions.

A Brief History of Twitter

July 2006 – Twttr’s hatched (Yes that’s how it was originally spelled), by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, and Biz Stone

July 2007 – Raises $1 million, valued at $5 million

November 2008 – President-elect Barack Obama thanks his Twitter followers

2009 – 2 billion Tweets per day, Twitter raises $35 million

Dec 2010 – Raises $200 million, now valued at $3.7 billion

2011 – 100 million active users sending 33 billion Tweets per day

The Top 3 Countries for Twitter

1. United States – 107.7 million

2. Brasil – 33.3 million

3. Japan – 29.9 million

The Top 5 Moments in Tweets

1. “Castle in the Sky” TV Screening – 25,088 Tweets per second (TPS)

2. Superbowl XLVI Last Minutes – 10,245 TPS

3. (Tied) Madonna at the Superbowl – 10,245 TPS

4. Tim Tebow’s Win – 9,420 TPS

5. Beyonce at the VMAs – 8,869 TPS

Top 6 Reasons for Retweeting

1. Interesting content – 92%

2. Personal connection – 84%

3. Humor – 66%

4. Incentive – 32%

5. Retweet requests – 26%

6. Celebrity status – 21%

Top 4 Ways People Decide to Follow You

1.Suggested by friends – 69%

2. Online search – 47%

3. Suggested by Twitter – 44%

4. Promotions – 31%

Top Factoids You Didn’t Know About Twitter

1. Twitter’s projected ad revenue in 2012 is $259 million

2. Projected ad revenue by 2014 is $540 million

3. 11 Twitter accounts created every second

4. 1 million accounts opened every day

Connect with me: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Google+ |

Order The End of Business as Usual today…

Are Mobile Devices Destroying Your Body? [infographic]

Julie Tabouli — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 14:00:09 +0000

Though most of my peers are tightly chained to their devices, few of us seem to grasp that. Being truly chained to convenience, most cannot see the parasite for what it is.

Of course, mobile technology has its uses. It’s even ridiculous to point that out. But have you ever felt a distinct repulsion from your mobile phone? Perhaps your delicate eyes, when confronted by the screen, were offended by the fluorescent, hypnotic glare. ..

If you’ve ever felt at a complete distance from your phone, there are some very good, proven reasons that explain this aversion.

Listed below are the insidious, detrimental effects of those seemingly helpful sidekicks.
Personally, I’ve been very aware of the effects of screens on my eyes for a long time. My cave-fish blindness and light sensitivity has heightened my awareness of the raw fire of the screen since cell phones were ever around me.

In fact, as the infographic illustrates, such screens manage to attack all of our senses. Read on to clarify exactly what your plastic “friend” is doing to you. (via)

© Julie Tabouli for Daily Infographic, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: detrimental effects of mobile devices, effects of mobile devices, mobile devices and your health, mobile devices harming senses, technology and health

Are Mobile Devices Destroying Your Body? [infographic]

Julie Tabouli — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 14:00:09 +0000

Though most of my peers are tightly chained to their devices, few of us seem to grasp that. Being truly chained to convenience, most cannot see the parasite for what it is.

If you’ve ever felt at a complete distance from your phone, there are some very good, proven reasons that explain this aversion.

In fact, as the infographic illustrates, such screens manage to attack all of our senses. Read on to clarify exactly what your plastic “friend” is doing to you. (via)

Grab Our 20-Part Internet Marketing Course (No Charge)

Brian Clark — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:20:19 +0000

Want to discover the smartest ways to mix social media, content marketing, and SEO for lead generation and converting those leads to customers and clients?

We’ve got you covered with Internet Marketing for Smart People. And there’s absolutely no charge.

This 20-installment email course and newsletter delivers the techniques and strategies you need to know when marketing online.

Find out more and sign up for free here.

TweetShare

PSFK Is Ready For Design Indaba

@PSFK — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 16:55:59 +0000

We are heading to South Africa for the annual event showcasing the brightest thought leaders and upcoming design talent.

Style Guru On Wheels Talks About Her Mobile Retail Revolution

@PSFK — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 16:45:20 +0000

PSFK chats with Joey Wolffer, creator of the Styleliner accessories truck, who discusses the next iteration of the pop-up shop.

The Gaming-For-Good Trend [Need To Know: SXSWi]

@PSFK — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 16:30:27 +0000

Whether improving health, fundraising or solving previously unsolvable problems, games are creating personal and social good.

The Social-Pairing Trend [Need To Know: SXSWi]

@PSFK — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 16:15:02 +0000

People with similar interests, hobbies and needs have the opportunity to meet today through smart services that use a mix of social, location and demographic data to match profiles.

SPIN Publisher: Music Publications Must Develop A New Media Strategy

@PSFK — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 16:00:07 +0000

PSFK chats with Mike Albanese about his magazine's redesign and how 'in today's media environment, it's innovate or die.'

The Me-TV Trend [Need To Know: SXSWi]

@PSFK — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 15:45:30 +0000

Using data from an individual’s social graph, new platforms are creating curated personalized entertainment channels.

Behance: 30 Foot Demon Babies In Paris, A 1950s Typeface And More Creative Inspiration

@PSFK — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 15:30:10 +0000

In this week's column from the Behance Network we see the projects that are both made by and inspiring today's young creative professionals.

Retail Visionary Launches Love Concept Store With Online Dating Website

@PSFK — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 15:15:42 +0000

Rachel Shechtman team ups with dating site Nerve.com to launch innovative shopping experience for the month of February.

Jonathan Harris To Speak At PSFK CONFERENCE NYC 2012

@PSFK — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 15:00:24 +0000

The artist and computer scientist shares why he believes that the internet needs to be a slower-paced environment that acts as a repository for shared human experience.

Jonathan Harris To Speak At PSFK CONFERENCE NYC 2012

@PSFK — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 15:00:24 +0000

The artist and computer scientist shares why he believes that the internet needs to be a slower-paced environment that acts as a repository for shared human experience.

The Co-Sharing Trend [Need To Know: SXSWi]

@PSFK — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:45:02 +0000

Digital technology allows anyone to find an object or service they need, when they want it, where they want it.

Crazy McDonald’s Items [infographic]

Jasmin — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:43:16 +0000

I’ve honestly never really been a fan of McDonalds. But the fact it is that everyone else in the world is. McDonalds is everywhere thanks to tasty food and smart marketing. It’s the largest chain of fast food restaurants and takes the throne of all corporate giants. You’ll find a Mcdonalds in almost every country or state that you visit, and once you see those golden arches, you know that your home to your beloved Big Mac. Or are you?

Turns out, McDonalds menu options vary by state and country. You won’t find a Cheese Katsu in America, but you’ll find the fried pork sandwich stuffed with cheese available in Asia. Even the McDonalds in Germany features beer on their menu!

Some of the items in this infographic are failed menu items, but it would be great to bring some of them back! I would defiantly like to try McDonalds take on pizza, appropriately named, The McPizza. If anything this infographic should inspire you to try new foods as you venture out of you home state. Instead of venturing out to some hole in the wall to try some new cuisine, you can just stroll over to the nearest McDonalds and see what they have to offer. Bon appetite! [via]

Secrets Of A Killer Media Buyer: Creativity

@PSFK — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:30:48 +0000

The mandatory role of creativity in the world of the digital media buyer helps to grow the industry while focusing in on originality.

Secrets Of A Killer Media Buyer: Creativity

@PSFK — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:30:48 +0000

The mandatory role of creativity in the world of the digital media buyer helps to grow the industry while focusing in on originality.

Design Creative Of The Week: Mark Bell [Fashion/Textiles/Accessories]

@PSFK — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:30:07 +0000

The hottest new talent of the week brought to you by PSFK x Arts Thread. This week a designer who creates original fashion illustrations that empower the underdog.

Top Ten Creatives Of The Week [Fashion, Textiles, Accessories]

@PSFK — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:15:44 +0000

The latest designs from the hottest young creatives in the business. PSFK x Arts Thread curate a weekly round up of people to be inspired by.

This Week In Brand Strategy & Marketing

@PSFK — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:00:39 +0000

PSFK curates some of the strategy, digital and creative advertising news catching our attention.

The 10 Most Popular Stories Of The Week

Dan Asadorian — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 13:02:04 +0000

Catch up on the stories people were clicking, reading, sharing, Tweeting, Facebooking, Pinning, and more--from the Fast Company network.

This week's stories ranged from superficial networking tips, to innovative "sock" weaves used in designing Nike’s newest shoes, to a powerful short film on how the proliferation of tech in cities will make city life more efficient and sustainable in the near future. Catch up on the most popular stories below.

1. How The Happiest People In The World Spend Their Money By Cali Williams Yost

Cali Williams presents the case for thinking outside of traditional norms relating to big purchases, saving for retirement, and achieving the “American Dream.”

YouTube Enhancements: This Week in Social Media

Cindy King — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 13:00:38 +0000

Welcome to our weekly edition of what’s hot in social media news. To help you stay up-to-date with social media, here are some of the news items that caught our attention.

What’s New This Week?

YouTube Adds More Communication Features: Recent updates on YouTube include “a new way to promote your Google+ profile on YouTube, more options in the Annotations Editor” and more options to post Channel Bulletins to your Channel Feed.

Add a Google+ button to your YouTube channel.

You can now share videos and playlists in your YouTube Channel Feed by posting a Channel Bulletin.

Twitter Updates Mobile Apps for iPhone and Android: Both apps bring back high-demand features, including the swipe shortcut, and they also introduce new design and functionality improvements.

Buffer Adds LinkedIn Functionality: In addition to Twitter and Facebook, you can now share updates to LinkedIn through Buffer.

Simply add another social account from your Buffer dashboard.

Here are some social media tools worth noting:

Quipol: This little polling app now supports YouTube and Vimeo videos.

Slidemotion VideoExpress : A free Facebook app which allows you to make videos with music from your Facebook photo albums, in three clicks.

Create your video in three steps.

Constant Contact’s Social Campaigns: A new social media tool to help you get “more likes, more shares and more business.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4m1Ddp52lg

Quick Box Social: Allows a novice user to build a Facebook page with no knowledge of HTML or programming. It’s a simple “drag and drop” set of tools to create Facebook Business Pages with “images, text, videos, forms, email capture, Twitter feeds and LinkedIn feeds.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lusCLowGhiw

Cyfe: An all-in-one dashboard that helps you monitor and analyze data scattered across your online services.

Keep track of all of your dashboards in one place.

Fanmix: A social inbox to “manage all of your social conversations on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, comment threads and everywhere else.”

Find all of your social conversations in one simple inbox.

Kwanzoo: A multichannel engagement marketing platform.

Use Kwanzoo for lead generation, lead nurturing and word-of-mouth marketing.

Here’s an interesting infographic:

22 Ways to Create Compelling Content When You Don’t Have a Clue:

Discover new ways to easily create content for your social media platforms.

What social media news caught your interest this week? Please share your comments below. Tweet

7 Sensible Content Marketing Links

Robert Bruce — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000

This week on The Lede:

How Lists (and List Posts) Make Sense of the World How to say No . . . Especially to Things You Want to Do 85+ Copywriting Resources The Best Content Marketing Infographics on the Planet 8 Principles of Product Naming

If you want more useful links than the seven we highlight here every week, follow @copyblogger on Twitter.

How Lists (and List Posts) Make Sense of the World
There is an elitist Internet out there that loves to regularly attack the “banality” of list posts. You know them, these types like to write in the most dull and incomprehensible way possible, in order to, well, I have no idea why you would ever want to write that way. Turns out — in the opinion of one brilliant Italian essayist and philosopher — that “The list is the origin of culture.” Also, for a prominent case study on the permanence and cultural weight a simple list can deliver, see The 10 Commandments.

85+ Copywriting Resources
From understanding the mechanics of copywriting, to learning the psychology of salesmanship in print, to becoming a student of advertising artistry, Mr. Sexton has curated and compiled an extremely valuable resource for any beginning or working copywriter. His headline delivers exactly what it states, and yet, much more.

How to say No . . . Especially to Things You Want to Do
“Last night, I had a breakthrough: I realized that personal productivity is the new dieting,” says Mr. Pink, launching into a brief and powerful case for saying “no”. His words also stand as a call to action to content creators everywhere: do not publish content that sucks.

The Best Content Marketing Infographics on the Planet
With a nod to Copyblogger’s very first this week, Mr. Pulizzi has brought 8 impressive infographics into one place for your convenience. It’s a visual feast, and a good example of the importance of spreading out into media other than pure text.

How to Effectively Market with Memes (Without Forcing It)
Memes weren’t born on the Internet, but they’ve dominated it, and they’re here to stay. In this important article, Mr. Branson takes you through a 7-step process of making your ideas more popular and more shareable online.

8 Principles of Product Naming
Remember your high school band? Strapping on the guitars and banging out indecipherable chords was the easy (and cool) part. The job that kept everyone arguing for weeks was, “What are we going to call ourselves?” Naming the product is one of the most difficult (and important) tasks an individual or company must get right. Mr. Gordon and Mr. Foley offer us 8 helpful ways to approach this challenge, and find the right name.

Who the Hell Is Bob Lefsetz?
I’d like to end The Lede this week with a content marketing case study of sorts from one of my favorite writers. In fact, I’d argue he’ll go down as the greatest entertainment essayist of the first half of the 21st century. Anyway, the point is, through 26 years of delivering consistent, focused, and opinionated content, Bob Lefsetz has the eyes of the entire music business bent over their phones and laptops, waiting for his next email …

BONUS: The Greatest SXSW Party of Them All
In case you were wondering, we’re doing it again. DJ Clark, open bar, et cetera. Be there …

Did you miss anything on Copyblogger this week? The Downton Abbey Guide to Irresistible Narrative Marketing 22 Ways to Create Compelling Content When You Don’t Have a Clue [Infographic] Why Blind Obedience is Killing Your Business Entreproducer: The Business of Independent Digital Media with Brian Clark The Path to a Legendary Copywriting Career

About the Author: Robert Bruce is Copyblogger Media’s copywriter and resident recluse.

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Basketball net will rate the force of dunks during Slam Dunk Contest

Nathan Yau — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 08:07:46 +0000

Sometimes power dunks don't get much credit, because it's hard to see on television how hard the ball was thrown down. The MIT Media Lab created a net to fix that, and we'll get to see it in action this Saturday during the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest.

MIT Media Lab used conductive thread to generate a reading for the force of every slam thrown down. The fabric, as flexible as the nylon in conventional basketball nets, has long been valued for its ability to transmit electrical signals in products ranging from winter gloves to high-tech carpets. By spinning the thread through a regular basketball net and connecting it to a computer chip, mounted behind the backboard, that renders the force in a graphical output, MIT and Turner have at long last found a way to instantaneously transmit the force of a dunk from the rim to your television screen.

The past two years have been lackluster, so I wasn't planning on watching this year, but this new dimension could add some intrigue.

[Wired via @bbhlabs]

Today’s Links February 24, 2012

h0us3 — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 01:16:45 +0000

Apple And Foxconn’s Ethics Hit Your Gadget Prices
Last week Foxconn pushed its starting salaries up from 900 yuan ($143) to 1,800 yuan per month, the latest and biggest in wage upticks that began in 2010. Foxconn did this for one main reason: international attention focused on the firm and associated ethical questions surrounding its treatment of workers. The lens through which this attention was focused bears just one name–Apple–because the iPhone seller is one of the biggest companies in the world, and has recently made very bold… Read on!
This Week In Bots: Dino Robots, Fish Robots, And The Future Of Self-Driving Cars
Let’s do the weekly electric boogaloo through a menagerie of mechanical wonderthings. No humans required.
Bot Vid: Truss-Climber
Cornell boffins have put together an autonomous truss-climbing robot. It’s not something you’ll find navigating the inner clothing of William Shatner, instead being a demonstration of a machine that can climb up structures like scaffolding and actually reconfigure it as it goes. In the future swarms of robots like this may be useful for actually building the structure of habitable buildings
PSFK Is Ready For Design Indaba
We are heading to South Africa for the annual event showcasing the brightest thought leaders and upcoming design talent
Amazon Goes To Brazil
Amazon’s gearing up a Brazilian launch for the Kindle this summer. Their strategy? Sell their product for far cheaper than the local competition, take a hit in import duties, and watch the profits roll in.
The Amazon Kindle is an ubiquitous piece of tech in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Amazon is now entering the Brazilian market with a vengeance–and giving journalists everywhere the opportunity to make awful Brazil/Amazon puns. According to the Frankfurt Book Fair’s trade magazine Publishing Perspectives,… Read on!
Uncommon Startup Wins COMMON Pitch NYC
Good Karma, a baby clothing recycle bank, is the 2012 winner of NYC’s socially responsible business competition
New Satellite Could Be A Garbage Truck For Outer Space
Swiss developers working to clean-up space debris from Earth’s orbit.
Minding The College Gap
In her sophomore year at Chicago’s ACE Technical Charter High School, Kewauna Lerma had a 2.25 GPA. Yet when Jeff Nelson met Kewauna, he knew she was capable of getting into and graduating from a four-year college. Nelson is the cofounder and Executive Director of Urban Students Empowered (US Empowered), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to college preparedness and college persistence (keeping students in college once they have enrolled) for low-income high school students.
“If you spent 10 minutes talking with… Read on!
Style Guru On Wheels Talks About Her Mobile Retail Revolution
PSFK chats with Joey Wolffer, creator of the Styleliner accessories truck, who discusses the next iteration of the pop-up shop
The Strategy Of Being Needed
I spent last week in snow-plow position, trailing my 4-year-old daughter down ski slopes. On the lift rides up, while singing songs with mispronounced words (Frosty the Snowman has a “bucky” nose, by the way, instead of a button), my thoughts drifted to a struggle that occupies me today. I am negotiating a series of license agreements for my “Outthink the Competition” IP and I want to make sure I don’t get taken for a ride.
I bet you have faced… Read on!
Biomechanics Play White Stripes Song With Sounds From Their Lab [Video]
Students recreate the song “Seven Nation Army” to show how the scientific process and the creative process are similar
Giant globe display
Hawt. [Tokyotek via @datapointed]
src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FlowingData/~4/8HfGa41DH1U" height="1" width="1"
Giant globe display
Hawt. [Tokyotek via @datapointed]
src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FlowingData/~4/8HfGa41DH1U" height="1" width="1"
The Gaming-For-Good Trend [Need To Know: SXSWi]
Whether improving health, fundraising or solving previously unsolvable problems, games are creating personal and social good
Secrets Of A Killer Media Buyer: Collaboration
Top industry dogs share their insights about the role of partnership in their day to day lives
The Path to a Legendary Copywriting Career
John Carlton is a force of nature.
He’s that rare breed who can write fascinating copy, and is just as fascinating to listen to. Every story ends up a great story.
Through the lens of his remarkable journey to and through the copywriting trade, John delivers practical business tips and killer copywriting advice in this first half of a two-part interview I did with him.
Whether you’re a veteran writer, or just starting to learn your craft, the… Read on!
Artist’s Project Hacks Google World View Images From The Ground Up
Public initiative wants to get the world to collaborate by creating colored “pixels” in locations that satellites are passing over
Charge Your iPhone While It’s In Your Pocket With Nanotech Fabric
A new material that uses warmth to create electrical charges can generate power for various devices without plugging them in.
How Sam Adams Founder Jim Koch Is Helping Entrepreneurs Brew The American Dream
By definition, “craft” is an art or occupation requiring special skill and, if my taste buds have any say in the matter, the craft beer industry exemplifies the word. The Boston Beer Company founder and chairman Jim Koch was a key pioneer of the craft beer movement; in April 1985, he debuted his Samuel Adams Boston Lager in about 25 bars and restaurants in Boston. While it didn’t have the trappings of a company that was about to change the… Read on!
Friday Odds and Ends
-Since it’s almost Oscars time, let’s show this ad from Doner for Fiat that appeared in Vanity Fair (above). link
-Survey: Advertisers anticipate an increase in spending. link
-G2/iris alum Brad Bryen joined New York-based shop George P. Johnson as VP of client services.
-It’s a tweet-off kids, as Taco Bell introduces its Doritos Locos tacos via a battle on the micro-blogging service. link
-Salma Hayek is on a desperate hunt for milk in a new campaign from Deutsch… Read on!
See Mix Drink: Infographic Cocktails
The See Mix Drink Cocktail Guide is a fabulous infographic drink recipe book from Brian D. Murphy (@murph_e)
Crowdsourced Mugging Map Helps Keep UK Residents Safe
New site puts street violence on a Google map to alert communities, appeal for witnesses and thank those who helped
Augmented Reality Describes The Views From The London Eye
Visitors to the giant observation wheel will be able to get info about the city on their tablets and smartphones
The 8 Principles Of Product Naming
Even at the best of times, naming is a contentious and emotional business. Whether you’re naming your baby, your boat, or your brand, the process can breed nearly endless deliberation. Keep these principles in mind as you scout the perfect name.
MAKE IT
Church Built Out Of Giant LEGO Blocks [Video]
Colorful toy-like building blocks were used to create this 65-foot chapel.
Webcam Glam: 3 Easy Ways To Look Polished On Video Chats
More than 300 billion total calling minutes take place annually on
New Molecular Superglue Was Inspired By Flesh-Eating Bacteria
Biochemists created a protein used by bacteria to bind and invade human cells and made a glue that binds molecules together
State Farm Highlights NBA Fandom, Argues Semantics
Tonight marks the beginning of the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend. Though the traditionally dull event won’t get a boost of excitement from an appearance by the league’s biggest story this year, New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin, the TV broadcast will more than likely feature a round of new spots from Translation for State Farm chronicling situations when sports fanaticism requires an insurance broker.
Out of the five “Fables of Fandom” that we’ve seen, the Cleveland Cavaliers and… Read on!
Coca Cola Transforms A Square In Instanbul Into A 3D Installation [Video]
A creative moving image visual display captivates visitors for the brand’s 125th anniversary
Nintendo Wii Could Begin To Recognize Your Face & Voice
The much-anticipated console could include some pretty nifty features.
Piers Fawkes: Nike Thinks I’m The Athlete I’m Not
The tracking accuracy on new Nike Fuel band is suspect and the brand’s view of health is naive
Most Popular Stories on AgencySpy from the Last 7 Days
-CP+B Takes Over on Arby’s Biz
-BBDO NY CD Says Bye with Late-Night Ride Through Office
-Thibodeau Out at KBS+P
-GM Loss Leads to More Big Fuel Cuts, Closing of Detroit Office
-Mullen Beats Out Riney for U.S. Cellular Biz
-Digitas Makes Some Cuts
-Austria Officially Assumes Title of Digital CD at Deutsch LA
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Musician’s Tweet Inspires Kellogg’s To Make Him A Personalized Cereal
A social media + brand success story results in an uncanny breakfast treat called ‘Totes Amazeballs.’.
Steam: Valve’s Ingenious Digital Store [infographic]
The one thing in common about movies, television shows, music or books is that they’ve all gone digital. I use Netflix instead of cable, Spotify instead of iTunes, and Kindle Reader instead of paperbacks. Want to guess what I use for video games? Yup, Steam.
Steam has been around for a while and was one of the first digital distributors who really figured it out. The Valve team noticed that video games don’t have to have a $60 price… Read on!
The Best Ad-Related Videos of the Week
Each week, we’re sent hundreds of pieces of advertisement-y work that falls into the fun-to-watch-video category. There’s not enough time in the day to think up copy for all of them so here’s a round-up of the best ad-related video we’ve seen in the last 7 days. You’re welcome.
This week the internet failed to bestow upon us its usual cornucopia of worthwhile ad-related videos. But lack of content is not a deterrent to be deterred by. When the… Read on!
Cars Given The Cold Shoulder In China’s City Of The Future
Architects’ environmentally enhanced urban design includes an advanced multi-modal transportation network
Unfold This Coffee Table From A Single Board [Pics]
The cleverly designed ‘Rising Table’ nearly self-assembles with a simple pull that makes it transform
Trends in Social Media: Are Most People Using Social?
In this video I interview Tom Webster, vice president, strategy and marketing at Edison Research.
Tom shares insights into current trends in social media.
You’ll also discover why you need to know how research is carried out and how to interpret social media trends.
Tom gives you the questions you need to ask before following these trends to drive your business forward successfully.
Be sure to check out the takeaways below after you watch the video.
Here are some of the things you’ll learn in… Read on!
What is the Brand and What is Not? Stephen Colbert Discusses Wheat Thins
This is a statement from a tipster regarding one of Stephen Colbert‘s latest rants from his Comedy Central show: “The definitive word on planners, planning and how little they contribute.” Choice line? “You think you know Wheat Thins? F*ck you. F*ck you and the cracker you rode in on.” We’re not sure if this is the product placement Nabisco was hoping for by placement on The Colbert Report, but here’s his reaction to a memo from the Wheat Thins… Read on!
Space Elevator Would Take Tourists 22,000 Miles Above The Earth
A Japanese construction firm takes space tourism to a new level by sending people above the planet in a small contraption
The Zac Brown Band is Jack Daniel’s Model of Responsible Drinking
From Arnold Worldwide comes a new campaign for Jack Daniel’s that lauds the seriousness of responsible drinking. And, who better to instruct America’s whiskey drinking public on the importance of togetherness and watching your friends’ backs than Georgia-based Grammy-winning country group, the Zac Brown Band? With beards like that, it’s fully believable that the band has some veteran experience with imbibing Tennessee bourbon.
As you might recall, Jack Daniel’s partnered with ZBB in August for an integrated campaign and… Read on!
Google Street View Charts The Great Barrier Reef
Google partners with the UQ Global Change Institute to photograph and map out the health of coral on the national landmark
Is The iPad Losing Its Hold On The Tablet Market? [Headlines]
Apple’s device is still the most popular, but competitors are starting to gain popularity
Apple Buys App Seeker Chomp, Dropbox Focuses On Photos, Motorola Suit in Germany Blocks Push Notifications
Breaking news from your editors at Fast Company, with updates all day.
Apple Buys App Seeker Chomp. Apple has bought app searcher experts Chomp for a reported $50 million. Word is, Apple is looking to retool the search on its hugely popular (closing in on 2.5 billion downloads) massive (550,000+ app strong) App Store. –NS
Dropbox Focuses On Photos. Dropbox has updated its Android app (with plans to update the iOS app) to include a photo saving function called Camera… Read on!
Are Phone Companies Dying Out? [Headlines]
Telecom lost $13.9 Billion to chat apps In
Are Phone Companies Dying Out?
Telecom lost $13.9 Billion to chat apps In
Changing face of plastic surgery
Many people aren’t happy with their face or body, and a proportion of those turn to plastic surgery to try to alleviate their displeasure. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons annual report shows just how many have opted for cosmetic surgical procedures. There were nearly 1.6 million of them performed in 2011, along with 12.2 million minimally-invasive procedures.
The above chart compares the distributions of the former from 2000 (shown in green) to 2011 (shown in blue). The two years… Read on!
Infographic: Why Are We Addicted To The Internet? [Headlines]
This data visualization tries to explain why we just can’t get away from our networked society
G2 Parts Ways with Brian Hull
A year-and-a-half after rejoining G2, executive creative director Brian Hull is no longer with the agency according to sources familiar with the matter. Hull’s second tour of duty at the agency called for him to served as ECD of G2′s Interactive practice, but from what we’ve been told, his role has been phased out as part of a restructuring of the creative department that’s being led by CCO Bruce Henderson (who arrived from O&M a year ago).
Before his return… Read on!
Mike Wilson Out at Arnold
The Mike Wilson agency tour continues as sources familiar with the matter confirm that Arnold has parted ways with the creative, who joined up with the Boston office and reunited with Pete Favat less than a year ago. From what we’re hearing, Wilson was let go from Arnold, which brought him on last May to handle Dell and other global clients.
Prior to Arnold, Wilson served as CCO at GSD&M for a year, held the same title before that at… Read on!

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One Way Google Might Crash Cable’s Party

David Holmes — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 23:11:40 +0000

Is Google Fiber a Trojan Horse?
While it doesn't take much for Google to make headlines, this week's news that it filed applications to operate a video service in Kansas City was much more than your average "Hey look what Google did" story. From the release of Google TV to its recent YouTube redesign to the way it's been courting professional talent for its YouTube channels, Google has been steadily inching closer to the world of cable TV and shifting its content-delivery strategy from America's computers to America's living rooms.
You might remember how Google got caught up in the Kansas City market to begin with--over two years ago, cities across the country jockeyed to become the test market for a high-speed Internet service called Google Fiber. One even went so far as to rename a city landmark after the tech giant. In the end, Kansas City was selected as the lucky community, but was the high-speed Internet offering a Trojan Horse for Google to break into the cable TV business?
The company is keeping a tight lid on its plans; in an email to the Kansas City Star, Google spokesperson Jenna Wandres wrote, "We're still exploring what products will be available when we launch Google Fiber."
Google's application is a bit more revealing, however, stating that it "will utilize national and regional video headend facilities to send IPTV" or Internet Protocol Television, the method AT&T uses to deliver cable programming with its U-Verse service.
But whether Google is merely dipping its toes in cable's television waters or planning a big splash, the company's experimentation with various ways to provide video will likely pay off, says Steve Rosenbaum, the author and entrepreneur behind the video curation platform, Magnify.net.
"If you look at what they've done, they've decided to explore video from all sides, which is very smart given their resources and the shifting sands of content delivery. So they've purchased Motorola Mobility to be in the set top box business, they built and deployed Google TV, they're funding content through YouTube originals. It's all very smart because some of it will work, and they'll get a ton of earnings in the process."
But having the hardware and the broadband is only half the battle. Google also needs eyeballs, which means it will also need access to sportscasts and other high-quality programming that viewers still rely on cable television to provide. To secure that, Rosenbaum says the answer is simple:
"Show up with bags of cash. It's not a whole lot more complicated than that. Rights owners know that Google is trying to shift the playing field. And there's a long history between cable and the leagues and movie studios. Those negotiations haven't always been warm and fuzzy, but in the end, both sides came out okay. So for Google to ask a major licensor to give cable a head-on competitor, they'll have to more than make it worth their while."
[Image: Flickr user gbaku]

Apple And Foxconn’s Ethics Hit Your Gadget Prices

Kit Eaton — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:19:06 +0000

Last week Foxconn pushed its starting salaries up from 900 yuan ($143) to 1,800 yuan per month, the latest and biggest in wage upticks that began in 2010. Foxconn did this for one main reason: international attention focused on the firm and associated ethical questions surrounding its treatment of workers. The lens through which this attention was focused bears just one name--Apple--because the iPhone seller is one of the biggest companies in the world, and has recently made very bold steps to improve worker conditions. But Foxconn is actually a key supplier for a laundry list of international electronics firms, from Samsung to numerous household American names. Now two of those firms, tech giants HP and Dell, have warned that rising costs in their Chinese supply chain may result in increased in-store prices for their wares.
Just think about that for a minute, let it simmer in your mind. While it's cooking, here're a few spicy facts to add to the flavor.
1. Apple, facing enormous criticism about unfair treatment of workers in its supply chain--who technically work for a totally different company, in a different nation with a vastly different social and economic background--has tried to improve the situation, and has admitted errors publicly.
2. Foxconn faced controversy in the past over its supposed suicide problem. As a harsh statistic it's worth pointing out its actually much lower than the Chinese average. Infer from this what you like about worker conditions. And remember that many potential employees are battling to work at Foxconn compared to its competitors.
3. In early 2011 it was noted that China already had the third highest labor costs in the emerging Asian economies.
4. China's work ethics, worker conditions, and economic situation are radically different than those in the U.S., influenced by Chinese politics, history, local economic effects, laws, social habits, and tradition.
5. Raw global economics and relative currency values mean that the local equivalent of a dollar can go further in many nations than you may expect it to go in the U.S. Anecdotally a can of Coke costs $0.34 at equivalent rates.

This Week In Bots: Dino Robots, Fish Robots, And The Future Of Self-Driving Cars

Kit Eaton — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:11:48 +0000

Let's do the weekly electric boogaloo through a menagerie of mechanical wonderthings. No humans required.
Bot Vid: Truss-Climber
Cornell boffins have put together an autonomous truss-climbing robot. It's not something you'll find navigating the inner clothing of William Shatner, instead being a demonstration of a machine that can climb up structures like scaffolding and actually reconfigure it as it goes. In the future swarms of robots like this may be useful for actually building the structure of habitable buildings.

Amazon Goes To Brazil

Neal Ungerleider — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 20:12:14 +0000

Amazon's gearing up a Brazilian launch for the Kindle this summer. Their strategy? Sell their product for far cheaper than the local competition, take a hit in import duties, and watch the profits roll in.
The Amazon Kindle is an ubiquitous piece of tech in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Amazon is now entering the Brazilian market with a vengeance--and giving journalists everywhere the opportunity to make awful Brazil/Amazon puns. According to the Frankfurt Book Fair's trade magazine Publishing Perspectives, Amazon is planning a massive Kindle launch in Brazil this summer.
According to Publishing Perspectives' Roberta Campassi, the Kindle will sell for a flat price of US$115--and Amazon's also considering a special launch price of $87. The Brazilian e-book reader market is currently dominated by a local device, the Positivo Alfa, which retails for $465 and uses Adobe's eBook platform. Computer hardware in Brazil is subject to high taxes and import duties, which has worked to the detriment of local manufacturers while hobbling Apple and Amazon's attempts to enter the market.
More than 3,600 Portuguese-language Kindle books are already available from Amazon. Publishing Perspectives reports that Amazon is also planning to launch a separate Brazilian Kindle store; similar portals were also created for the Italian and German markets. The actual launch date for the Kindle in Brazil is expected to be in June or July.
Despite the fact that Amazon takes its name from Brazil's iconic river, Amazon currently has no presence in Brazil. The domain “amazon.com.br” is currently occupied by the Brazilian IT outfit Amazon Corporation, which has a suspiciously similar logo to the American e-retail/cloud hosting monolith.
While the launch proves Amazon believes there's a market among Brazil's rapidly growing middle class for tablet computers, they might face an uphill battle: a new poll of British consumers revealed less than half are interested in buying budget tablets.
Amazon did not respond to a request for comment.
[Image: Flickr user roger4336]
For more stories like this, follow @fastcompany

Uncommon Startup Wins COMMON Pitch NYC

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:32:34 +0000
Good Karma, a baby clothing recycle bank, is the 2012 winner of NYC's socially responsible business competition.

New Satellite Could Be A Garbage Truck For Outer Space

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:24:01 +0000
Swiss developers working to clean-up space debris from Earth's orbit.

Minding The College Gap

David D. Burstein — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:04:34 +0000

In her sophomore year at Chicago's ACE Technical Charter High School, Kewauna Lerma had a 2.25 GPA. Yet when Jeff Nelson met Kewauna, he knew she was capable of getting into and graduating from a four-year college. Nelson is the cofounder and Executive Director of Urban Students Empowered (US Empowered), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to college preparedness and college persistence (keeping students in college once they have enrolled) for low-income high school students.
"If you spent 10 minutes talking with one of our students, you would be absolutely convinced that they have everything it takes to get to and through college," Nelson says. But, "If you look at the data, you'll see that the reality of the trajectory for them to get there is incredibly unfair."
There has been fierce debate about the causes of the problems as well as what the best solutions might be to address our arrested public school education system, which is almost universally recognized as being in crisis. Hundreds of organizations collectively spend more than $4 billion dollars working on education reform. In 2010, the documentary film Waiting for Superman helped achieve more widespread public awareness about the challenges in the education reform process itself. There has never been so much attention from politicians, celebrities, social entrepreneurs, and not-for-profits around education. Even in bitterly divided Washington, some politicians from both parties have been able to agree in principle on certain elements of reform plans.
Yet even with so much focus on education reform and so much support for taking urgent action to respond to the crisis, it often seems that very little is actually getting done. This is especially true at the level of the high school to college transition, since most of the focus on educational reform is on how to get students to graduate from primary and middle schools and to keep them in high school without dropping out. Comparatively little attention has been given to preparing students, especially the less privileged and less affluent, for the day that some of them actually begin their freshman year of college. For those students, the challenges remain daunting. Once this demographic enters college, the risk of dropping out is high. In the Chicago Public Schools, only 18% of students enroll in four-year universities and just 7% graduate from college by age 25.
Enter

The Strategy Of Being Needed

Kaihan Krippendorff — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:18:53 +0000

I spent last week in snow-plow position, trailing my 4-year-old daughter down ski slopes. On the lift rides up, while singing songs with mispronounced words (Frosty the Snowman has a “bucky” nose, by the way, instead of a button), my thoughts drifted to a struggle that occupies me today. I am negotiating a series of license agreements for my “Outthink the Competition” IP and I want to make sure I don’t get taken for a ride.
I bet you have faced a similar challenge. You’ve created something and you want to get it out into the world, but you also want to make money from it. How can you avoid following the path of countless artists, inventors, and entrepreneurs who have enriched our lives but failed to enrich themselves in the process?
In the mid-1600s, Balthasar Gracian, Spain’s answer to Niccolo Machiavelli, pointed to this fundamental strategic question

Biomechanics Play White Stripes Song With Sounds From Their Lab [Video]

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:45:29 +0000
Students recreate the song "Seven Nation Army" to show how the scientific process and the creative process are similar.

Giant globe display

Nathan Yau — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:41:23 +0000

Hawt. [Tokyotek via @datapointed]

Giant globe display

Nathan Yau — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:41:23 +0000

Hawt. [Tokyotek via @datapointed]

Secrets Of A Killer Media Buyer: Collaboration

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:18:54 +0000
Top industry dogs share their insights about the role of partnership in their day to day lives.

The Path to a Legendary Copywriting Career

Robert Bruce — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:05:00 +0000

John Carlton is a force of nature.
He’s that rare breed who can write fascinating copy, and is just as fascinating to listen to. Every story ends up a great story.
Through the lens of his remarkable journey to and through the copywriting trade, John delivers practical business tips and killer copywriting advice in this first half of a two-part interview I did with him.
Whether you’re a veteran writer, or just starting to learn your craft, the next 30 minutes with this outspoken ad man is a worthwhile spend …
In this episode we discuss:
How to go from slacker to pro Why writer’s block is a myth, and how to get your work done 4 books that will change your career (and you should read every year) The dirty little secret most copywriters don’t want you to know The mental attitude that made John’s career 2 secrets of John’s success A vital lesson on the nature of opportunity
Hit the flash player below to listen now:
Other listening options:
Click here to download the mp3 | 36.3 MB | 30:13 Click here to subscribe via iTunes Click here for the RSS feed (non iTunes) Click here for the show archive
The Show Notes:
Internet Marketing for Smart People Course (free) John Carlton’s Blog Copywriting 101 We left the building with Girl Talk …
About the Author: Robert Bruce is Copyblogger Media’s copywriter and resident recluse.
TweetShare

Artist’s Project Hacks Google World View Images From The Ground Up

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:56:58 +0000
Public initiative wants to get the world to collaborate by creating colored "pixels" in locations that satellites are passing over.

Charge Your iPhone While It’s In Your Pocket With Nanotech Fabric

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:46:27 +0000
A new material that uses warmth to create electrical charges can generate power for various devices without plugging them in.

How Sam Adams Founder Jim Koch Is Helping Entrepreneurs Brew The American Dream

Shawn Parr — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:22:38 +0000

By definition, “craft” is an art or occupation requiring special skill and, if my taste buds have any say in the matter, the craft beer industry exemplifies the word. The Boston Beer Company founder and chairman Jim Koch was a key pioneer of the craft beer movement; in April 1985, he debuted his Samuel Adams Boston Lager in about 25 bars and restaurants in Boston. While it didn't have the trappings of a company that was about to change the industry, Samuel Adams had two key qualities in its favor: a full-flavored quality beer, and an incredible passion.
Today, the company has a team of about 750 people with breweries in Boston, Cincinnati, and Pennsylvania. The family of beers has expanded to include over 30 different beer styles that are ever-changing, and the company paved the way for an army of craft brewers across the nation. Samuel Adams beers are now available in all 50 states and more than 20 foreign countries.
I am fascinated by CEOs of successful companies who also actively engage in, and invent new ways to make a difference. So, naturally, when given the opportunity to interview Jim, I wanted to find out just what makes this passionate founder tick:
SHAWN PARR: What's the best advice you've ever been given?
JIM KOCH: Early on in the business, I made mistakes, like not keeping a close eye on accounts payable. But I also received advice and made choices that panned out, like the decision to pay extra for high-quality ingredients.

Friday Odds and Ends

Kiran Aditham — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:17:13 +0000

-Since it’s almost Oscars time, let’s show this ad from Doner for Fiat that appeared in Vanity Fair (above). link
-Survey: Advertisers anticipate an increase in spending. link
-G2/iris alum Brad Bryen joined New York-based shop George P. Johnson as VP of client services.
-It’s a tweet-off kids, as Taco Bell introduces its Doritos Locos tacos via a battle on the micro-blogging service. link
-Salma Hayek is on a desperate hunt for milk in a new campaign from Deutsch NY. link
-Here’s USA Basketball’s new logo. link
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

See Mix Drink: Infographic Cocktails

Randy — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:45:01 +0000

The See Mix Drink Cocktail Guide is a fabulous infographic drink recipe book from Brian D. Murphy (@murph_e).

Crowdsourced Mugging Map Helps Keep UK Residents Safe

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:43:33 +0000
New site puts street violence on a Google map to alert communities, appeal for witnesses and thank those who helped.

Augmented Reality Describes The Views From The London Eye

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:20:52 +0000
Visitors to the giant observation wheel will be able to get info about the city on their tablets and smartphones.

The 8 Principles Of Product Naming

Matt Gordon and Nick Foley — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:12:22 +0000

Even at the best of times, naming is a contentious and emotional business. Whether you're naming your baby, your boat, or your brand, the process can breed nearly endless deliberation. Keep these principles in mind as you scout the perfect name.
MAKE IT MEMORABLE

Church Built Out Of Giant LEGO Blocks [Video]

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:00:58 +0000
Colorful toy-like building blocks were used to create this 65-foot chapel.

Webcam Glam: 3 Easy Ways To Look Polished On Video Chats

Amber Mac — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:54:40 +0000

More than 300 billion total calling minutes take place annually on

New Molecular Superglue Was Inspired By Flesh-Eating Bacteria

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:45:10 +0000
Biochemists created a protein used by bacteria to bind and invade human cells and made a glue that binds molecules together.

State Farm Highlights NBA Fandom, Argues Semantics

Bob Marshall — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:35:50 +0000

Tonight marks the beginning of the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend. Though the traditionally dull event won’t get a boost of excitement from an appearance by the league’s biggest story this year, New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin, the TV broadcast will more than likely feature a round of new spots from Translation for State Farm chronicling situations when sports fanaticism requires an insurance broker.
Out of the five “Fables of Fandom” that we’ve seen, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Memphis Grizzlies spots are easily the most ludicrous and silly of the bunch. But, you can’t help but wonder if these ads would take a violent, gory turn if the Washington Wizards were still called the “Bullets.” Two more spots, for my beloved Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls, follow are the jump.
continued…
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Coca Cola Transforms A Square In Instanbul Into A 3D Installation [Video]

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:30:56 +0000
A creative moving image visual display captivates visitors for the brand's 125th anniversary.

Nintendo Wii Could Begin To Recognize Your Face & Voice

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:15:35 +0000
The much-anticipated console could include some pretty nifty features.

Piers Fawkes: Nike Thinks I’m The Athlete I’m Not

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:13:51 +0000
The tracking accuracy on new Nike Fuel band is suspect and the brand's view of health is naive.

Most Popular Stories on AgencySpy from the Last 7 Days

Kiran Aditham — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:00:57 +0000

-CP+B Takes Over on Arby’s Biz
-BBDO NY CD Says Bye with Late-Night Ride Through Office
-Thibodeau Out at KBS+P
-GM Loss Leads to More Big Fuel Cuts, Closing of Detroit Office
-Mullen Beats Out Riney for U.S. Cellular Biz
-Digitas Makes Some Cuts
-Austria Officially Assumes Title of Digital CD at Deutsch LA
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Musician’s Tweet Inspires Kellogg’s To Make Him A Personalized Cereal

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:00:26 +0000
A social media + brand success story results in an uncanny breakfast treat called 'Totes Amazeballs.'.

Steam: Valve’s Ingenious Digital Store [infographic]

Tim — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:00:17 +0000

The one thing in common about movies, television shows, music or books is that they’ve all gone digital. I use Netflix instead of cable, Spotify instead of iTunes, and Kindle Reader instead of paperbacks. Want to guess what I use for video games? Yup, Steam.
Steam has been around for a while and was one of the first digital distributors who really figured it out. The Valve team noticed that video games don’t have to have a $60 price tag. Lower pricing means more volume sold – cutting out the packaging and selling digitally is very cost affective. They are constantly having specials, game bundles and discounts because they know the profit of a customer doesn’t end with one sale. I know the first time I used Steam was for a super discounted Portal. Since that day I’ve bought two other discounted games and have some pretty boisterous brand loyalty.
With Steam already owning over 50% of the video game digital distribution market they have a huge head start on competitors. They have set the standard of rewarding game developers over twice what they receive from their normal retailers. This is going to be a tough pill to swallow for companies like GameStop. They have been screwing over their customers and clients forever. Now that they must deal with a dying business model, they better jump on board the digital distribution train. [Via]
© timwillingham for Daily Infographic, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: battlefield 3, digital distribution, gamestop, halo, modern warfare, MW3, orange box, portal, steam, valve, video game discounts, video games

The Best Ad-Related Videos of the Week

The Advert — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:56:03 +0000

Each week, we’re sent hundreds of pieces of advertisement-y work that falls into the fun-to-watch-video category. There’s not enough time in the day to think up copy for all of them so here’s a round-up of the best ad-related video we’ve seen in the last 7 days. You’re welcome.
This week the internet failed to bestow upon us its usual cornucopia of worthwhile ad-related videos. But lack of content is not a deterrent to be deterred by. When the web doesn’t giveth, we must findeth. This week is a mixed bag of new attempts at getting eyeballs, with some of the latest from cuteville – meaning puppies and kitties – for latter of which are all the hotness right now.
5. Ellen Degeneres had a bit of a dust up a few weeks ago when a group on Facebook railed against her and JC Penney to hire her as a spokeswoman. But the brand stuck with her, and today they release this teaser spot with the new spokeswoman. The piece hints at a sleek redesign and eclectic clothing. We’re not sold on their overhaul yet but we’ll definitely have the rebrand in the forefront of our minds when the carpet rolls out.
4. From Black Sheep Films comes the Inception Rollercoaster. If you haven’t seen this by now, it’s simple and elegant. But is it Inception? Not really, but we understand the nomenclature.
3. Rocketing up the trendomatic chart this week is a great little promotional piece for Australia’s own Central Institute of Technology, starring two guys name Aaron and Henry who teleport around campus checking out the school’s offering. That is, until Aaron teleports himself into the wrong place. This is probably the very first ad for a tech school that’s actually good.
2. Kitties! They just woke up from a nap, so, why haven’t you pressed play yet?
1. Topping off the week is the return of Kenny Powers, who channels Steve Jobs in this five-minute piece.

Cars Given The Cold Shoulder In China’s City Of The Future

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:30:36 +0000
Architects' environmentally enhanced urban design includes an advanced multi-modal transportation network.

Unfold This Coffee Table From A Single Board [Pics]

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:16:58 +0000
The cleverly designed 'Rising Table' nearly self-assembles with a simple pull that makes it transform.

Trends in Social Media: Are Most People Using Social?

Michael Stelzner — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:00:14 +0000

In this video I interview Tom Webster, vice president, strategy and marketing at Edison Research.
Tom shares insights into current trends in social media.
You’ll also discover why you need to know how research is carried out and how to interpret social media trends.
Tom gives you the questions you need to ask before following these trends to drive your business forward successfully.
Be sure to check out the takeaways below after you watch the video.
Here are some of the things you’ll learn in this video:
Where to expect growth in social media in the futureThe challenges of conducting social media researchWhy you need to know what you don’t knowHow non-response bias impacts research dataHow businesses should make sense of social media researchWhy you should not develop answers based on researchAsk your customers “Hey, is this a problem or not?”The roles of social media monitoring: real-time data and “slow data”Why you need to also do research on changes over timeWhy you need to look at data and ask what’s missing
Connect with Tom on Twitter @webby2001, at Edison Research and check out Tom’s blog: Brand Savant.
What do you think? Do you do any research on your social media activities? What’s been your experience? Please leave your comments below. Tweet

What is the Brand and What is Not? Stephen Colbert Discusses Wheat Thins

Kiran Aditham — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:00:02 +0000

This is a statement from a tipster regarding one of Stephen Colbert‘s latest rants from his Comedy Central show: “The definitive word on planners, planning and how little they contribute.” Choice line? “You think you know Wheat Thins? F*ck you. F*ck you and the cracker you rode in on.” We’re not sure if this is the product placement Nabisco was hoping for by placement on The Colbert Report, but here’s his reaction to a memo from the Wheat Thins brand itself. Enjoy.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Space Elevator Would Take Tourists 22,000 Miles Above The Earth

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:30:39 +0000
A Japanese construction firm takes space tourism to a new level by sending people above the planet in a small contraption.

The Zac Brown Band is Jack Daniel’s Model of Responsible Drinking

Bob Marshall — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:16:42 +0000

From Arnold Worldwide comes a new campaign for Jack Daniel’s that lauds the seriousness of responsible drinking. And, who better to instruct America’s whiskey drinking public on the importance of togetherness and watching your friends’ backs than Georgia-based Grammy-winning country group, the Zac Brown Band? With beards like that, it’s fully believable that the band has some veteran experience with imbibing Tennessee bourbon.
As you might recall, Jack Daniel’s partnered with ZBB in August for an integrated campaign and tour dates that included some heavily sponsored sold-out tour dates. As part of the next phase of the campaign, ZBB is starring in two new TV spots for Jack, beginning with “Responsibility” (above). With the tagline “Protect Your Band,” ZBB calls for the watching over of one’s bros when leisurely ingesting liquor.
So, dear readers, when the upcoming weekend threatens to claim one of your own, remember the wise words of the Zac Brown Band, and leave no man behind. Credits and one more spot follow after the jump.
continued…
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Google Street View Charts The Great Barrier Reef

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:00:35 +0000
Google partners with the UQ Global Change Institute to photograph and map out the health of coral on the national landmark.

Is The iPad Losing Its Hold On The Tablet Market? [Headlines]

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:00:31 +0000
Apple's device is still the most popular, but competitors are starting to gain popularity.

Apple Buys App Seeker Chomp, Dropbox Focuses On Photos, Motorola Suit in Germany Blocks Push Notifications

Nidhi Subbaraman — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:30:56 +0000

Breaking news from your editors at Fast Company, with updates all day.
Apple Buys App Seeker Chomp. Apple has bought app searcher experts Chomp for a reported $50 million. Word is, Apple is looking to retool the search on its hugely popular (closing in on 2.5 billion downloads) massive (550,000+ app strong) App Store. --NS
Dropbox Focuses On Photos. Dropbox has updated its Android app (with plans to update the iOS app) to include a photo saving function called Camera Uploads. As advertised, the feature automatically pulls pictures you've snapped on your smartphone into a private Dropbox folder. Dropbox has also revamped its website to make it photo-friendly, and has enabled its desktop apps to automatically suck in photos when a camera, smarphone or SD card are hooked up to the computer. --NS
Motorola Suit in Germany Blocks Push Notifications. Motorola's patent suit against Apple in Germany has had Apple disable push notifications on Mail services on iOS devices via MobileMe or iCloud. (Last week, Apple had its turn at a win, picking up an injunction against several Motorola models over a touchscreen unlocking feature.) While law suits between device makers have been in the air for several months now, this move is an early look at how patent suits could have a real effect on all their customers. --NS
--Updated 5:45 a.m. EST
[Image: Flickr user Johan Larsson]
Yesterday's Fast Feed: Shanghai Court Allows iPad Sales, Pouty Amazon Drops Thousands Of E-books, HP Reports Q1 Earnings, Dip In PC Sales, and more!

Are Phone Companies Dying Out? [Headlines]

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:30:15 +0000
Telecom lost $13.9 Billion to chat apps In 2011.

Are Phone Companies Dying Out?

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:30:15 +0000
Telecom lost $13.9 Billion to chat apps In 2011.

Changing face of plastic surgery

Nathan Yau — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:09:59 +0000

Many people aren't happy with their face or body, and a proportion of those turn to plastic surgery to try to alleviate their displeasure. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons annual report shows just how many have opted for cosmetic surgical procedures. There were nearly 1.6 million of them performed in 2011, along with 12.2 million minimally-invasive procedures.
The above chart compares the distributions of the former from 2000 (shown in green) to 2011 (shown in blue). The two years are overlaid, and procedures are roughly organized by spot on the body. Breast augmentation led the way in 2011 with about 307,000 performed.

Infographic: Why Are We Addicted To The Internet? [Headlines]

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:00:38 +0000
This data visualization tries to explain why we just can't get away from our networked society.

G2 Parts Ways with Brian Hull

Kiran Aditham — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:53:31 +0000

A year-and-a-half after rejoining G2, executive creative director Brian Hull is no longer with the agency according to sources familiar with the matter. Hull’s second tour of duty at the agency called for him to served as ECD of G2′s Interactive practice, but from what we’ve been told, his role has been phased out as part of a restructuring of the creative department that’s being led by CCO Bruce Henderson (who arrived from O&M a year ago).
Before his return trip to G2, Hull spent nearly three years as group creative director at Organic and continues to serve as principal of his own firm, Brian Hull Designs.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Mike Wilson Out at Arnold

Kiran Aditham — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:32:35 +0000

The Mike Wilson agency tour continues as sources familiar with the matter confirm that Arnold has parted ways with the creative, who joined up with the Boston office and reunited with Pete Favat less than a year ago. From what we’re hearing, Wilson was let go from Arnold, which brought him on last May to handle Dell and other global clients.
Prior to Arnold, Wilson served as CCO at GSD&M for a year, held the same title before that at Dentsu (two-and-a-half years) and had a decade-long stint at worldwide creative director at Ogilvy. No word yet from sources if there are plans to replace him, but we’ll keep you posted.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

71% Of Businesses Are Going Mobile [Headlines]

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:30:00 +0000
Companies are being forced to develop mobile applications despite their reservations in order to stay current.

Adele: First Musician To Go Double Platinum On iTunes [Headlines]

@PSFK — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:00:17 +0000
The artist has sold 2 million copies of her album "21" on Apple's platform.

Friday Morning Stir

Kiran Aditham — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:43:04 +0000

-TBWA\Vietnam launched its own “Young Bloods Programme” in Ho Chi Minh City.
-Firms are supporting Do Not Track technology for targeted ads only. link
-Chinese telecom brand Huawei tapped BBH to serve as its global ad agency. link
-Here’s a look inside Google’s recruiting tactics. link
-Chicago-based production studio Leviathan promoted former design director Tim Sepulveda to VFX director, and added producer Lauren Shawe and senior FX designer Nathan Davies to its roster.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

How People Use Facebook [Infographic]

Linda Bustos — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 08:05:42 +0000

The whole internet was a-buzz about F-commerce this week, thanks to a Bloomberg article last Friday that prompted reactions Forbes, Get Elastic, Econsultancy and others.
If people aren’t logging into Facebook to shop, what are they doing? This week’s ‘Fographic Friday provides some insight. Think about how you might incorporate this data into your social marketing plans.
People check their Facebook in bed. How are you going to time your Facebook Page status updates?70% of Americans are on Facebook. Maybe it’s time to seriously consider using Facebook Login as an authentication tool?People share a lot of information about themselves (including marital status) on Facebook. How could you leverage Facebook Connect to personalize your web experience?About half of young Americans find their news through Facebook. Do you make it easy for people to share content and articles?

Via: Online Schools

With 50 Million Tickets Sold, Eventbrite Finds Fresh Chunks Of Ticketmaster’s Ankles Ripe For Nipping

David Holmes — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:40:39 +0000

After achieving two important milestones, what's next for Eventbrite?
The last time Fast Company caught up with the folks at Eventbrite, the online ticketing service was celebrating the opening of its first international office in London. Now, it has two more benchmarks to be proud of: It issued its 50 millionth ticket, and CEO and cofounder Kevin Hartz tells

Will Connected Cars Catch On? [Headlines]

@PSFK — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:39:54 +0000
The future of automation might include wireless cooperation between vehicles.

As Digital Song Sales Leap, No One Is Buying Music Mags [Headlines]

@PSFK — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:25:51 +0000
Traditional media is suffering as consumers continue to purchase more and more mp3s.

Iran’s "Second Internet" Rivals Censorship Of China’s "Great Firewall"

Neal Ungerleider — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:14:12 +0000

Iran is unveiling a nationwide "Halal Intranet" this spring that will try to seal the nation off from the corrupting influences of Google, Facebook, and Twitter. But can it work?
Iran's long-awaited “Halal Internet”--a nationwide intranet that will be heavily monitored and cut off from the rest of the world--finally has a launch date. According to Iranian Telecommunications Minister Reza Taghipour Anvari, Iran's new Internet will be launched in late May or early June. The project is the most ambitious effort yet by any government to censor the Internet, with the exception of China's “Great Firewall." Governments worldwide are watching the launch, which could fuel the growth of easy-to-monitor, censored, and publicly accessible national intranets in many different countries--if Iran's Internet actually works.
The late spring launch is a delay on Iran's part; their national intranet was originally expected to launch in February. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Golnaz Esfandiari quoted Taghipour Anvari as saying that “Supporting local software and creating secure communication infrastructure are among the most important strategic decisions in the field of cyber defense, and in this regard the first phase of this network will become operational in the month of Khordad.” The month of Khordad on the Persian calendar begins in late May. Taghipour Anvari made the announcement at a Tehran cybersecurity conference on February 20. According to reports from the Iranian Students' News Agency obtained by Le Monde, Taghipour also announced that Iran would use new measures to block VPNs (français) at the same conference. VPNs are a preferred workaround in Iran, China, and other Internet-censorship regimes that allow users to access forbidden websites.
Fast Company first reported on the “Halal Internet” back in 2011. The big question for observers is what a nationwide intranet would look like. After examining chatter from cybersecurity experts, Iranian expat boards, and Western Iran watchers, the general consensus is ... Iran's national Internet is more like an intranet, basically a walled garden similar to AOL or Compuserve back in those services' golden years. The only catch? Instead of operating with the goal of getting as many subscriber fees as possible, the “Halal Internet” will exist with the goal of making it difficult for ordinary Iranians to communicate with the larger world.
Iran's national intranet is specifically designed not to allow users to access websites outside of the country. There will have extensive built-in logging capabilities, with control of top-level network infrastructure lying in the hands of the government. The government and affiliated institutions will serve as primary content providers, and content creation by individual users will be heavily monitored. Pornography and content deemed critical to the Iranian government will be forbidden. Internet users inside Iran have seen several surprise service disruptions and government announcements in recent days.
On February 20, Iranian Internet users found that their access to Gmail, Google, Yahoo and all https websites had been blocked. This blockade followed another nationwide outage on February 10. The Iranian government, meanwhile, announced that the import of non-Iranian computer security software would be forbidden. In the announcement, Taghipour Anvari claimed that “Domestic security programs have been improving, and Iran will use them, instead of foreign security software, which cannot be trusted.” New regulations were also put in place at the beginning of the year that require cyber cafes to collect users' photo identification and to give customer information to the Iranian government, as well as detailed logs of every website visited by patrons. Internet cafes are a preferred access method for lower-middle class and working class families who cannot afford home computers.
Iranian parliamentary elections are scheduled for March 2, 2012. In addition, there have been concerns of repeats of the 2009 Iranian election demonstrations or of unforeseen domestic complications if Iran and Israel go to war.
In recent weeks, millions of Iranians have had trouble accessing the Internet. Local service blockages, while patchy and sporadic, have been very real. The makers of Hotspot Shield VPN told Fast Company that a sharp increase in VPN downloads took place in Iran from February 18 until February 20. At the peak download time on February 20, more than 8,000 daily downloads took place in a single day. Ancedotal evidence also suggests that smaller, sporadic Internet slowdowns--sharp attacks of sudden lag--have taken place in Tehran and other large cities this past month. Tor is also developing products for the Iranian market.
We don't know whether the Iranian national intranet will definitely be launched in late spring. The only conclusive word on it is the Iranian Communications Minister's statement; no formal announcement has been made. Information on the funding allotted to the project, the technical specifications, and the testing process are barely available--whether in Persian, English, or in any other language.
In whatever form it will take, other governments will be eagerly watching. Initiatives to envision a successor technology to the Internet such as Stanford's Clean Slate program have been eagerly followed by two separate groups. Nation-states such as China and North Korea believe that a successor technology to the Internet--such as a nationwide intranet--would be easier to monitor, and international organizations such as the United Nations suspect the Internet has fundamentally dangerous native technology flaws and could be bought down by malicious hackers. Either way, if Iran pulls off their “Halal Internet,” it will have profound international consequences.
Meanwhile, just over the way in South Asia, Pakistan has taken the first steps toward building a massive national Internet censorship system that would block access to “millions of undesirable web sites.”
For more stories like this, follow @fastcompany

Indie Musicians Are Outsourcing Video Production To India

@PSFK — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:25:31 +0000
Drew Smith's creation process has demonstrated that sending labor out of country has become a viable option for independent artists.

Indie Musicians Are Outsourcing Video Production To India

@PSFK — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:25:31 +0000
Drew Smith's creation process has demonstrated that sending labor out of country has become a viable option for independent artists.

Alex Peake’s "Code Hero": How To Scale Education The Right Way

Dale Stephens — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:18:00 +0000

Thiel Fellow Dale Stephens explains how "Does it scale?" applies to education.
In Silicon Valley, one often hears the question, "Does it scale?"
What a technologist means by this is: How can a specific technological innovation be applied in a broad manner to affect a wide range of people? If Google only searched two websites it wouldn't be terribly useful. But because Google scaled effectively to search the entire Internet, it became extremely engaging.
Technologists wonder the same thing about education. And projects like the Khan Academy

The Smartphone Revolution Is Over (For Now)

Kit Eaton — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:13:25 +0000

Ahead of the Mobile World Congress event next week dozens of new smartphones are being revealed or teased to stir up the tech press, get potential customers excited, and, of course, drum up sales. Among the varied designs, operating systems, and technical specifications coming from a long list of manufacturers, one thing is clear--there's really not an enormous amount of innovation going on. The smartphone, it seems, has hit an evolutionary dead end.
As a case in point, look at the behavior of Chinese firm ZTE, which has revealed

Dental Retainer Lets The Paralyzed Move Computer Cursor

@PSFK — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:54:06 +0000
The newest prototype of the Tongue Drive System gives users additional control over their computor or wheelchair, thanks to an inconspicuous apparatus in the mouth.

Dental Retainer Lets The Paralyzed Move Computer Cursor

@PSFK — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:54:06 +0000
The newest prototype of the Tongue Drive System gives users additional control over their computor or wheelchair, thanks to an inconspicuous apparatus in the mouth.

Dental Retainer Lets Paralyzed Computer Users Move A Computer Mouse

@PSFK — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:54:06 +0000
The newest prototype of the Tongue Drive System allows users to control a computer cursor or wheelchair, thanks to an inconspicuous apparatus in the mouth.

Real-Time DJing Platform Adds Private Chat So Users Can Share The Best Mixes

@PSFK — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:32:22 +0000
Turntable.fm now provides DJs with an entertainment channel where they can keep track of what mixes are successful based on crowd reaction.

Ed Cotton: To Get Close To Customers, Brands Need To Get Real

@PSFK — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:24:00 +0000
The UK newspaper, the Guardian, will be opening its doors to readers by hosting a two-day face-to-face event where readers can debate with journalists.

Nike+ Smart Sneakers Help Basketball Players And Athletes Train Better

@PSFK — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:03:43 +0000
Nike+ launches two new shoes specifically tailored for niche athletics that track performance and stats and allow users to share their stats on their networks.

Boku Enables Mobile Pay On Your Current Phone

Kit Eaton — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:59:40 +0000

Boku currently lets cell phone owners pay for things through carrier billing in over 60 countries. Usually these transactions are for small things--items like apps, ringtones, small-scale online purchases--perhaps because that's all users are comfortable with, unsure of how big their cell phone bill will be at the end of the month. That's all about to change.
Boku Accounts is built on top of Boku's global partnerships with companies like AT&T and Vodafone, and is designed to allow purchases in physical stores, which means it can be used for buying bigger-ticket items. It works via an NFC-powered sticker that users slap onto the back of their existing cell phone (smart or dumb variety), which connects to the ever-growing number of merchant terminals that support wireless payment. There's also a standard-format pre-paid plastic card that works in lower-tech payment terminals and also online or in-app, but which makes exactly the same transaction as would happen via the NFC sticker.
That means the service works pretty much anywhere standard credit cards are accepted, and also lets people send payments to other Boku users. Clients get a special online interface to their account, which lets them charge up the system with cash, and also lets them track where they're spending their money. But the system is framed by the cell phone carriers themselves, who'll issue the account in a branded format to their customers alongside their usual cell phone tariff.
Because there's a loyalty and rewards scheme in the mix, the system can be seen as an early play to gain market share in the mobile payments space ahead of the expected (and imminent?) mobile payment revolution.
It's also a symptom of how complex the mobile pay game will get, as it inserts the carriers themselves very much into mobile transactions--a place they want to be to exert power, gather data, and probably earn a fee. This is in contrast to other schemes like Apple's EasyPay, which circumvents carriers, credit card companies, and NFC tech to achieve a similar mobile pay solution, or Google's Wallet, which is an NFC solution also independent of carriers but very much controlled by Google--which also wants to gain access to all your transaction data.

This Week on the mediabistro.com Job Board: Publicis, Sephora, Blue State Digital

Nadine Cheung — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:46 +0000

This week, Publicist Seattle is hiring a business affairs manager, while Sephora needs an editorial manager with agency experience. Blue State digital is in search of a client manager, and MVP/NY is in need of a senior account manager. Get all the details on these openings below, and find more just-posted gigs on mediabistro.com.

Business Affairs Manager Publicis Seattle (Seattle, WA) Editorial Manager Sephora (San Francisco, CA) Client Manager Blue State Digital (Washington, DC) Senior Account Manager MVP/NY (New York, NY) Media Manager BLiNQ Media (Cambridge, MA)
For more job listings, go to the Mediabistro job board, and to post a job, visit our employer page. For real-time openings and employment news, follow @MBJobPost.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Streamline Crowdsourced Recommendations By Only Listing Favorite Things

@PSFK — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:18:50 +0000
Stamped app allows users to rate only the things they like best and to share these reviews exclusively with their friends.

When ROI Represents the Realization of Influence

Brian Solis — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:06:19 +0000

Vincenzo Cosenza is a new media strategist living in Italy who has over the years, designed some of the industry’s most comprehensive infographics on social media’s global footprint. Recently, he asked if I would write the foreword for his new book, Social Media ROI. And, as I’m a fan of his work, it was an easy decision. As usual however, I asked for permission to share it with you here and his publisher agreed.
While I written on the subject of ROI many times in the past, I opted for a different approach this time around. In the book Engage, I introduced a metric that tracked Return on Influence. I wanted to expand on that metric by focusing on strategies track ROI as a Realization of Influence. The idea was to raise the stakes in the equation, to design desired actions and conversion into our strategies so that ROI measured real change, outcomes, and the progress of transformation. While similar, it’s a subtle nuance that’s powerful.
Influence: To cause effect or change behavior
New ROI: Measure caused effect and outcomes and/or the tracked change in behavior over a fixed period of time
In the development of new ROI strategies, the result is a truly a measurement of influence. No, it’s not a score. It’s a metric of cause and effect. As such, you become an architect of influence as you define the change or actions you wish to see. In the strategies that you develop over time as by definition, you introduce initiatives that cause effect or change behavior and you can measure it. While you still calculate return on investment, you are also measuring the realization of influence. And, it’s far more accurate than a traditional influence score.
My foreword for Social Media ROI…
In social media, one of the most often asked questions is what’s the ROI? Surprisingly, this question is voiced without an understanding of why it’s asked in the first place. If the answer is “I don’t know,” it makes it a simple and grounded decision to either minimally invest in social media pilot programs or not invest in any new media efforts whatsoever. If the answer is, “this is the ROI we can expect from the following initiatives,” you’ll witness an incredible transformation of doubt or skepticism into curiosity and eagerness.
Indeed, new media represents a necessary change in direction to improve customer relationships and experiences, develop more significant products and services, and increase overall reach and market share. But remember, what you know and what decision makers need to know are on two different sides of the same coin. Both seek relevance and success for the organization. The difference is that only one side will attempt to unite everyone around a common vision for the future. And in this book, Vincenzo Cosenza will help you address one of the most important questions hindering the evolution of modern business, “what’s the ROI?”
The reality is that no matter how creative the idea or however brilliant the strategy, it is the responsibility of decision makers to evaluate proposals based on merit, thoughtfulness and impact to the organization. People, time, capital, technology, are finite resources. It really comes down to opportunity costs. If the organization invests in new media initially, it either must “create” new resources and funds or it must borrow from elsewhere. For you to realize your vision and to bring your plan to life, you must tie everything to Business objectives and priorities or demonstrate how your strategy will push the organization forward.
It comes down to numbers and core values. Will your ideas perform against or exceed existing business metrics and KPIs? And, do they align with or improve the values of the organization and the universal aspiration for building customer relationships. Performance metrics are a key part in measuring progress and communicating whether or not you’re on plan. They also force us to think through strategies at the beginning of the process, so that initiatives unfold as designed or intended.
In many ways, performance metrics are a subset of influence. And, influence is an underestimated or misunderstood business purpose. Influence is the ability to cause effect or change behavior. And as you think about ROI, think beyond numbers. Become an architect of relevance where cause and effect become the foundation for how you build the business of the future. Developing strategies where cause and effect are the catalysts for performance inspires strategies rooted in significance whereas metrics and KPIs document real transformation. I like to think about ROI in this regard as Realization of Influence…tracking the relationship between cause and effect or the change in behavior.
As such, packaging raw numbers requires deeper consideration to demonstrate progress toward business objectives and priorities.
These can include:
- Brand Lift/Awareness
- Brand Resonance
- Advocacy
- Sales/Referrals
- Endorsements
- Sentiment/Perception Shift
- Thought Leadership
- Demand
- Trends
- Audience/Community
- Behavior
- Influence
Vincenzo Cosenza’s Social Media ROI is now available online, in ebook format, and also in bookstores across Italy.
—
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Order The End of Business as Usual today…

Students Can Now Pay Their Rent On Facebook

@PSFK — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:53:01 +0000
Integrating social media is an effective way to ensure bills are paid off in a timely manner.