360DigitalInfluence

I have been participating in WeMedia events for years. I think the world of Andrew and Dale who started pulling this together when they were with the American Press Institute a few years back. WeMedia is an eclectic mix of leaders from new and traditional media and technology and marketing and…. That’s the point. It’s not another echo chamber event.

You should consider attending - especially as I have a neat code that gets you in at “friends of Ogilvy” pricing: WM-OGV.

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If I’m reading the signs correctly Facebook is preparing an major applications push, trying to make them more attractive to developers with monetization and promotion: will it work?

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Over the last year, location-based social networks such as Foursquare, Gowalla and Brightkite have exploded among early adopters. It’s no question—with increasing adoption of smart phone usage, location-based social networks are rising in popularity every day.

Recently covered in GigaOM, CNN, Ad Age and The New York Times, Foursquare is currently one of the most buzzed about location-based mobile social networks. Intel and Ogilvy recently used Foursquare to drive traffic to and create buzz around Intel’s offline events and activities at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month.

For CES, Intel created a branded Foursquare page, featuring locations where Intel had activity and tips for Las Vegas visitors. Intel also rewarded check-in’s to key events with branded badges, paired with the chance to win an Intel-powered netbook for all badge recipients.

This exclusive collaboration allowed Intel to track and build relationships with online influencers active on Foursquare at CES. With more than 400 cumulative check-in’s to Intel-affiliated locations and events, the collaboration was a breakout success and proved to be an interesting event-based model for brands looking to work with Foursquare.

We interviewed Tristan Walker, head of business development at Foursquare, to learn more about their vision for what’s to come for brands, businesses and Foursquare.

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In his famous visit to the Galapagos Islands, Charles Darwin developed a theory suggesting a link between the environment and evolution. He cataloged the incredible biodiversity of plant and animal life and the unique evolutionary quirks that allows these creatures to thrive.

B2B Marketers are sometimes considered to be behind the evolutionary curve of most digital trends when compared to their B2C brethren.  But like Darwin’s turtles in the Galapagos, the B2B Marcom species is evolving in this space because the social web environment happens to be extraordinarily well suited for their needs as they work to build trust, generate and convert leads, and provide a mechanism for sustained engagement.

Here’s how… continue reading

It seems odd to critique a program that just gave $5,000,000 to non-profits, but that’s exactly what I’m about to do. The Chase Community Challenge ended on Friday with some happy people and more controversy. You’re connected to the Challenge if you ever dated someone in high school who was a friend of a friend who went on to be the cousin of a guy’s college roommate who started a non-profit. Such connections earned you dozens of emails, facebook messages and tweets begging for your vote. As much as I appreciate Chase donating so much money to so many non-profits (100 were whittled down from 5,000) and as much as I don’t actually mind voting for people who ask me, there was a misfire here. The non-profits that enter these contests must be happy or things tend to go poorly. Remember: they’re more than purveyors of positive sentiment, they’re also the loudest when they feel wronged or unhappy. You have to leave them happy and moneygrabs aren’t the best way to do that.
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Over the next few months, be on the lookout for Friday posts about Facebook news, trends, and tools. Today I get my feet wet with three hot tips on this week’s Facebook news. continue reading

 ‘Don’t text and drive, it is equal to having four drinks and driving,’ - Oprah Winfrey.

I’d be lying if I claimed to have never texted, tweeted or posted anything while driving – but Oprah asked me to stop, and when Oprah speaks, people listen, so I’ve pledged to make my car a No Phone Zone. Have you?

For those of us who work within the digital mediascape, being plugged-in 24/7 has become the norm. We’ve adapted to the rushing wave of progress and now we connect and communicate faster, in real-time, with the latest mobile devices via text messaging, emails and social networks, all while on the move. However, there is a responsibility that comes with these new capabilities. It’s one thing to get busted for tweeting during a meeting, but it’s undeniable; texting, tweeting or posting while driving is a risky habit that could end up hurting more than just you. 

Don’t contribute to the perils of progress. Embrace the opportunity that digital and mobile technology creates, but please be responsible. Take the pledge.

• 71 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 49 admit they text or talk on the phone while they drive.
• 500,000 people are injured and 6,000 are killed each year because drivers are talking, texting and e-mailing behind the wheel.
• Most European countries ban the use of handheld cell phones while driving, but not all U.S. states have laws restricting texting and driving. So far, 19 states and the District of Columbia have banned texting while driving.

Read about the consequences of distracted driving here.

People hate Google Sidewiki. It’s an ugly word, but people hate Google Sidewiki. The internet is filled with frustration, angst, and incredulity of people who want to know a.) how to get rid of it and b.) how a company with a “Don’t Be Evil” mantra can look at themselves in the mirror after developing something that is so inarguably evil.

I love Google Sidewiki. It mixes the brand engagement of a Facebook Fan Page with the free speech of Twitter. I can now go to a brand’s website and tell future visitors how much I love a brand or how I think it could be better (constructive and fair, of course). If you had Google Sidewiki you could see how I recently sucked up to not only my boss, but also my boss’s boss. It’s great. continue reading

As part of today’s National Day of Service honoring Martin Luther King’s legacy I wanted to share a few ways you could find opportunities to serve throughout the year. Here are a few that come highly recommended:

Serve.gov helps you not only find volunteer opportunities in your community, but also create your own. It’s powered by All For Good - a network of technology, marketing, academic and non-profit professionals.

Volunteer Match has connected millions of volunteers to over 74,000 non-profits since 1994.

Do Something focuses on activating teens (led by teens) in their community.

Apathy is Boring is a Canadian-based project using art, media and technology to encourage active citizenry.

Social Actions aggregates service opportunities from over 60 “action sources” like Policy Pitch and DonorsChoose.

You can also follow iVolunteer on Twitter, which offers daily updates on good places to volunteer in cities.

What’s missing? Please add a comment below and tell us about your favorite online volunteer resource.

We often get questions about if and when brands can edit a Wikipedia article and I’d like to provide some background on Wikipedia’s format and clarify what is and is not an acceptable edit. I am not morally against brands editing Wikipedia articles and there are no rules against it but the acceptable instances are few and any edits should be done transparently and by someone educated in the format and citation process of Wikipedia. continue reading