Vail Resorts in Colorado recently announced EpicMix, a application touting a clever blend of RFID technology and social interaction enabling skiers and snowboarders to – in the simplest of explanations – track their progress on the mountain.

Through an RFID chip on a user’s lift ticket that can be read by RF scanners at each chairlift, the EpicMix app is enabled and accessible online or via the user’s mobile phone. The system works by tracking data, such as vertical feet traveled and ski runs taken, each day a skier (or snowboarder) is on any of Vail Resorts’ five mountain resorts. The integrated application allows users to share stories and message their friends, receive terrain and weather information, and even earn badges (much like Foursquare) for particular accomplishments.

This level of interactive technology, blending RFID, GPS, and social networking into the form of a game, has undoubtedly become the norm for the way we interact with the everyday world, as seen by the success of Foursquare.

Pretty cool, eh?

Last week, Facebook dropped a bomb on social media marketers, small businesses and developers alike: Facebook Pages need to be “authenticated” in order to have landing tabs.

What does this mean?

Any new visitor to your Facebook Page will not able to land on a custom tab, unless your Facebook Page has greater than 10,000 fans or the Page administrator has been working with an ads account representative. The problem with this is that it requires Page administrators to spend money on Facebook ads (and you need to spend a pretty penny to get an account representative), or have a large traffic base to build a large following.

Less than 24 hours later, and after a frenzy of disapproval from the marketing and developer communities, Facebook removed the “authentication” requirement for setting custom landing tabs on Pages. The following was posted to the Facebook Developer Forum at 10:44 a.m. the following morning:

Hello,

As of last night, we’ve removed the recently-added authentication requirement for setting custom landing tabs on Pages. The requirement was instituted as part of a Pages quality initiative, and we apologize for the inconvenience this caused to our developer and business community. We are re-investigating the situation, and will not make any further changes without first giving our community standard notice and lead-time.

Thanks for all your feedback,
Matt Trainer

The problem that Facebook continues to inflict upon itself is that they fail to be transparent with their audience regarding changes to their platform/services/privacy. This Facebook Pages incident isn’t the first time Facebook hasn’t acted in a social manner. Also, given that Facebook has more than 400 million active users and it is the 2^nd most popular global website (according to Alexa), I’d think Facebook might think twice about doing whatever it pleases and forcing the community to obey its will.

Facebook, like any other social destination site, is not impervious to being abandoned by the community it helped create. Continuing to roll out drastic changes as they please, they may realize this sooner rather than later.

Recently, I sat down with Kate-Madonna Hindes of Girl Meets Geek for a discussion about social media and the necessity of relationship marketing, the Minneapolis advertising and marketing climate, and the future of us all (us advertising and marketing folks, that is).

Little did I know that our conversation would lead to me kicking-off her ‘Passion 2010 series.‘

I’m truly humbled by her kind words in the article, and I honestly think she did a phenomenal job making me sound smarter than I am…

If you haven’t met Kate or stumbled upon her Twitter feed, she is a prominent national public speaker and writer on Social Media, and is never short of a good conversation over coffee.

Thanks again, Kate for the lively conversation and the well-written article. I look forward to the rest of the Passion 2010 series.

This morning, it was reported through Twitter as well as through Mashable that Foursquare was down. Apparently, it has been down for the last few hours…

All I know is that I wasn’t able to check in to a local restaurant (which happens to be one of my favorite breakfast stops on my way to work), and thus get a little insurance on my mayorship.

One sour tweet later, I got a response from several other users that were experiencing the same problems, and preventing them from carrying out coups; ousting current mayors.

It seems that, just like Twitter while it was growing, Foursquare is playing an increasingly important role in people’s everyday activities, and a Fail Whale – or in this case, a Pouting Princess – is enough to leave people feeling dejected and causing them to start their day off on the wrong foot.

Has this happened to you? Are you experiencing any Foursquare withdrawals?

UPDATE: 9:45am CST: Foursquare’s site indicates they are upgrading up their servers.

If you’re active on Twitter in Minneapolis, you’ve likely stumbled across Joel Carlson’s “Twitterviews.” Joel conducts daily interviews, live on Twitter under the hashtag #JECTV, and they are a great way for Twitter users in Minneapolis, and around the country, to quickly and concisely get to know other Twitter users.

This morning, I had a chance to be interviewed live on Twitter by Joel Carlson for #JECTV.

In case you missed it, you can check out the notes from our interview on Joel’s blog here.

Thanks again Joel, it was fun being Twitterviewed by you!

UPDATE (4/16): I was recently informed that my Twitterview with Joel is now the 2nd-most viewed Twitterview ever. Thanks everyone!

However, while trying to decide the form I want this project to assume, I haven’t been acknowledging the simple fact that I enjoy writing about the on-goings in the ever-changing social media and technology landscape, and their impact on the marketing and advertising industries. This is however the general subject matter at the core of this project.

It also isn’t fair to my readers. While I originally thought that I should have a well thought-out plan and predetermined scope for my blog (as most blog marketers will tell you), given the fact that I had already started blogging, I already had a focus (fuzzy though it may have been) and I already had an audience, not posting anything nor engaging with the audience I had curated didn’t seem like the best course of action either.

Anyway, rather than sit idly by and stew over every minute detail for my blog, I accept that this is a work in progress, and I should enjoy the ride while it evolves. After all, isn’t that what life is about?

I wanted to give a quick shout-out to my co-worker Jason Douglas at Spyder Trap Online Marketing for offering me this lesson (without knowingly doing so). Since social media is always evolving, one doesn’t always need a rock-solid 8-step plan in place; sometimes its ‘ok’ to jump in and let it evolve in front of you. Jason blogs regularly about topics he is passionate about, and he doesn’t necessarily have a singular subject to his blog.

In the end, someday this blog might take a very defined form to a very specific topic for a very defined group of individuals, but until then I’m going to let it grow and take the shape that it will.

I’d appreciate if you’d take that journey with me.

-Brad

In the podcast we discussed what we like about Sigma Chi’s latest push into social media as well as pointing out areas where they can improve.

Here are some highlights of what we discussed this time around:

• Pros/cons of the official Sigma Chi Twitter account: @SigmaChi1855
• The good and the bad of the Sigma Chi Facebook application
• How Sigma Chi is utilizing their Facebook Fan Page

The podcast can be found here via iTunes. Running time: 31 minutes, 57 seconds (31:57)

I’m very pleased with Sigma Chi’s overall push thus far into social media. Although it is still early, I’m very excited to see what the Fraternity does in the future.

IHSV,

Brad Wellman
Initiated: April 2006
University of Minnesota
Alpha Sigma Chapter

I happened to stumble across this news article from news station WPIX in New Jersey. It is an article about how recently, “The sudden death of four infants less than 4 months-old within an eight-day period in one New Jersey town has families and authorities baffled.”

While this is a tragic and very unusual story, as SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) affects about 1 out of every 1,000 babies born in the United States, what really caught my attention is the URL the news station used for this article:

Really?! Use the words “dead-babies” as your URL?! Can we please be a little more insensitive? Does anyone else find this a little offensive?

What do you think about this? Should a little more thought be put in to how organizations title their web pages?

Please have a listen, and let me know what you think

The podcast can be found here via iTunes. Running time: 1:04:03

Thanks again to Jacob Cook at Share Sigma Chi for this opportunity.

I have had three loved ones suffer from breast cancer, one of whom lost the battle against it late last year. I know full well how scary it can be, and utterly powerless it can leave you feeling.

That is why I am on a mission to help bring an end to breast cancer.

I for one hate feeling guilty by not helping because I can’t afford to make sizable donations. But luckily, if you’re like me and would like to help but don’t have the means to do so (I for one am a poor college kid), there is still a way for you to help! Just click on the SocialVibe widget on the right hand side of my blog. I have been sponsored by TNT to make donations on your behalf. All you need to do is click and type a message, and TNT will make a donation to the Keep A Breast charity.

Its a great way to help a great cause, and best of all you don’t have to spend any of your own money.

Thanks!

“THESE INTERNET SITES IN GENERAL ARE A PROVEN HAVEN FOR MALICIOUS ACTORS AND CONTENT AND ARE PARTICULARLY HIGH RISK DUE TO INFORMATION EXPOSURE, USER GENERATED CONTENT AND TARGETING BY ADVERSARIES. THE VERY NATURE OF SNS CREATES A LARGER ATTACK AND EXPLOITATION WINDOW, EXPOSES UNNECESSARY INFORMATION TO ADVERSARIES AND PROVIDES AN EASY CONDUIT FOR INFORMATION LEAKAGE THAT PUTS OPSEC, COMSEC, PERSONNEL AND THE MCEN AT AN ELEVATED RISK OF COMPROMISE. EXAMPLES OF INTERNET SNS SITES INCLUDE FACEBOOK, MYSPACE, AND TWITTER.”

While it is understandable from a defense standpoint that social networking sites (SNS) do provide a potential loophole in keeping classified information from getting into the wrong hands, the decision to ban the marines from SNS simply helps to solidify the lack of a cohesive policy for social media across the entire DoD. In a Danger Room article here, and similarly in a Stars and Stripes article here, it is apparent how the standards for each branch of the military when it comes to SNS are not so standard after all.

I’m not sure which is more troubling to me:

• That our armed men and women can be sent to fight for our freedom, and we trust them with a loaded weapon, but we apparently don’t trust them enough to not disclose classified information, or
• That social networking sites have become the easiest way for friends and families of our armed forces to stay in contact with each other, and I’m sure this blockade of SNS will surely not help troop morale, or
• That the DoD seems to have no discernible over-arching policy for social media across each branch of the armed forces

It seems to me that the DoD constantly plays the “security” angle as their trump card to end all arguments; that they only win through constant fear mongering.

What are your thoughts about this?

Ok, enough of the sidebar, back to the post…

Where was I? Oh yeah, Social media is just a fad…like the pet rock, beanie babies or Furbies…

…Riiiiiight (Dr. Evil, anyone?) I’m a sarcastic person.

Think about that for a second. What is social media really all about anyway? To be honest, at its most basic and functional level, social media is all about one-on-one interactions. As David Wang points out, social media isn’t anything new. People have always engaged in one-on-one conversations and interactions with other people, but their means to do so have changed over time. Whether it be by standing on a soapbox in a crowded marketplace, using the telephone or now sending a tweet, the need and/or desire to interact with people on a deeply personal level is nothing new. No, social media is nothing new. Rather, the tools with which we are able to engage and interact with others have evolved, along with our ability to do so.

Social media tools like Facebook and Twitter have played an increasingly important role in my life, both personally and professionally. I use the term “tool” in this context because the Internet itself is a medium, and portals like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are different tools which utilize this medium. From the moment I first heard of Twitter, when I thought to myself “who really cares about other people’s short status updates anyway?” to today, in which I fully grasp its importance in how I interact with people and receive news, advice, and countless other bits of valuable information, I have grown to adopt Twitter as a staple of communication. It has also provided me with an avenue for a career that I love: using new technologies to help business, brands and individuals interact on a deeper level with other people.

As such, my use of new and ever-improving social media tools has evolved as I have. My changing lifestyle has utilized these tools to an ever-increasing degree. Maybe I’m off base, but I can’t be the only one adopting social media into more of a lifestyle change than anything, as Mashable recently posted that the number of social networking users has doubled since 2007. My good friend Jason Douglas wrote a great article for Spyder Trap Online Marketing looking back over the last year, and how he has evolved in his use with social media, specifically Twitter.

How have you evolved?

Social media isn’t a fad. Sure there will be other forms of communication that one day will leave platforms like Twitter and Facebook withering in the dust, but marketers need to understand social media for what it is, and what it isn’t. If you need help understanding what social media is or what it can and cannot do for you, I’m sure the folks over at Spyder Trap Online Marketing would be more than happy to walk you through it…

Being a Verizon customer, I have seethed with how infrequently they offer new smartphones to their customers. It seems to me that every new smartphone, especially BlackBerry devices, go straight to AT&T. Aside from the BlackBerry Storm – which had its own slew of problems – every new BlackBerry makes its way to AT&T almost immediately it seems. The Bold? AT&T. The Curve 8900? AT&T after T-Mobile had it. The Apple iPhone? Duh, AT&T…

This has caused me to wonder why I am with a service provider that, although the coverage is terrific, the selection of phones is ridiculously limited. It seemed to me that since Verizon is playing the “our coverage is better than [insert competitor here]” card, they should have the selection of new, high-tech devices to back it up.

Verizon claimed, in an email response to me from their customer service department,

“Verizon Wireless will not offer a product or service unless it meets the high standards our customers have come to expect. Verizon Wireless is constantly improving the services, features, and wireless phones we offer to our customers for their communication needs. There are several wireless phones being tested for functionality and reliability with our network.”

Anyway, all my ranting aside, finally some light at the end of the tunnel surfaced today in an Engadget article, where it was made clear that Verizon Wireless will soon (as in next 6 months) be carrying the Palm Pre. Lowell McAdam, a top exec at Verizon and Vodafone, was quoted to say: “Over the next six months or so you will see devices like Palm Pre and a second generation Storm.”

This is huge. While I have been itching to switch over to AT&T to get the iPhone or test out the Palm Pre when AT&T picks it up, but hesitant to do so because of coverage issues with AT&T, this news has certainly made me more optimistic and enthusiastic to stick with Verizon.

What do you think? Any other Verizon customers out there that are excited about the new BlackBerry Storm 2 or the Palm Pre?

The list below – in no particular order – is of my favorite desktop and web-based Twitter clients out there right now that make the Twitter social media experience easier and more enjoyable.

1. Tweetie – available for Mac only, this Twitter client gives users the freedom to easily manage multiple accounts in one window. It is designed similarly to the iPhone app, and users love its keyboard shortcuts and threaded direct messages.

2. Tweetr – a handy tool for sending files quickly and easily to your friends on Twitter. It automatically uploads your files or pictures and provides you with a shortened link that you can send out to your network.

3. Twitsay – Got a big announcement? Twitsay is perfect! Twitsay allows you to record a voice message and broadcast it to your network via your Twitter account.

4. Twits Like Me – After you register, Twits Like Me will analyze your tweets and suggest other Twitter users that you may be interested in following.

5. SpreadTweet – Want to get your Twitter fix, but Twitter isn’t safe at work yet? Now there’s SpreadTweet. A Twitter client designed like everyone’s favorite spreadsheet program. Now it will always look like you’re working.

6. TweetLater – TweetLater allows you to manage scheduled tweets for an unlimited number of Twitter accounts. You can automatically follow new followers and send automatic direct messages to new followers, and even perform keyword tracking.

7. Group Tweet – Allows you to make a protected Twitter group so you can discuss private information with multiple people, without anyone else see it. It is useful for co-workers, close friends, families, and others (secret clubs anyone?)

8. CoTweet – Although in Beta form, CoTweet adds a business aspect to managing corporate Twitter accounts. You can have multiple accounts, but the key with CoTweet is allowing multiple people to effectively manage the same account so there’s no duplication, and keep track of who said what to whom. It’s great for scheduling tweets, assigning tweets to coworkers, and adding notes to Twitter users.

There’s my list, did I miss any of your favorites?

Gotta love the families that love their Teddy bears…

Or the families whose male role model is both a priest and a gym teacher…

The idea for this post came to me when watching the latest advertising campaign “Lessons Learned” for Price Waterhouse Coopers how life experiences have shaped people’s individual view of business. In thinking about this concept, I thought about the simple life lessons we (well, many of us) are taught at a young age, and how they so innately fit into social media.

1. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

The Golden Rule. How do you want other people to treat you? Probably by sharing your content and commenting on your blog, among other things. My advice? Do the same. Contribute. Comment on other people’s blogs, even if not directly related to your niche. Don’t force your message or links on them, because you wouldn’t want them to return the “favor.”

Earn your reputation by being worthwhile, and increase people’s desire to link to you by offering fresh and relevant content. People value their time, so don’t waste it by simply re-stating what’s out there.

2. “Give and you shall receive.”

Share. Become a resource for people. Encourage people to use your content and/or tools to produce something different, or a little more “out of the box.” Even if it doesn’t help you in the short-term, sharing content with the community by adding value and outbound links will help you in the long-run.

3. “Be yourself, because everyone else is already taken”

Be real. In social media, as in life, authenticity is key, and it is elemental in building and maintaining relationships. People can spot a fake, and it has burned many companies in the past.

4. “Always say please and thank you”

Take some time to remember those that have helped you along the way. It is easy to get caught up in your successes, but be sure to stay humble, and recognize those that have helped you get to where you are. Reward inbound links; list blogs that link back to you. A little humility goes a long way.

Now it’s your turn. What are some of your valuable life lessons you’ve learned that shape how you approach the business world?

What?!?

Yep, Vick is in discussions to do public-service ads aimed at the ethical treatment of animals. This is one PR scheme aimed at rehabilitating Vick’s career, but one that walks a very fine line, and here’s why…

“Mr. Vick’s obstacles are many — a hard-line NFL commissioner who wants to see “genuine remorse” before reinstating Mr. Vick to the league; individual franchises who might be wary of the backlash and potential damage to their brands by signing Mr. Vick; and an incredulous public that remains shocked by the story. “

The reason why there is such a fine with this PR play is that it needs to come off more authentic than almost any other PR job in history (at least, that I can think of). People aren’t idiots (for the most part) and they hate being treated as such, which is why this is a difficult task.

Richard Levick, president of the Washington public-relations consultancy Levick Strategic Communications, said “What the American public looks for is recognition of error, contrition and fixing the problem. There was plenty of opportunity for Michael Vick early on to have admitted his errors without admitting his legal liability, to reach out to his sponsors, animal rights communities, the football communities, but he didn’t. So now he has to. Americans are willing to forgive egregious acts, but not arrogance.”

The article written in AdAge is a good one, and I suggest you check it out.