surge

In chapter five of Citizen Marketers they discuss the issues with social media that the Coca Cola soft drink Surge faced. Savesurge.org and vaultkicks.org are fan sites created by Eric Karkovack for his love of these soda products. These sites became so popular that when googled they would show up before Coca-Cola's offical website. It seems silly that these sites were only for a soft drink that they really liked. However, these sites are successful and seem to get their points across! Companies need to keep up with social media and make sure to allow their customers to voice their opinions and give feedback.

Hey!Nielsen

Another social network I came across that I had yet to hear about that is still being tested but will launch soon...Hey!Nielsen. This website is for members to share opinions, inform, and talk about music, movies, television, the internet, etc...basically entertainment and pop culture. Hey!Nielsen was started by The Nielsen Company, "the world's leading provider of marketing information, audience measurement, and business media products and services." This social network will allow companies to know what we (the consumers) think of their products, services, or entertainment.

Additionally they will introduce a Spanish version, Oye! Nielsen early next year.

In my opinion, I don't think the name is great. I think the site might

Ikea

Ikea is using a new technique for their advertising, with a new campaign and social media that supports its branding campaign. They are using a new theme, new commercials, and a photo contest. The America at Home page is a week long photo contest that challenges Americans to post photos that capture "the emotions of home": American home life, culture, social life, economy, etc. Snapfish is involved with the contest by allowing contestants to use their program to load their photos for free. Ikea is promoting this contest.

"Home is the most important place in the world" is the new theme of Ikea. It makes people look at Ikea in a new way. A way that is not only fun and hip, but is comfortable, family oriented, and for everyone. Brian Solis of PR2.0 says, "Brands are evolving from catchy slogans and artistic logos to living, breathing personalities that are defined by the people, principles, and community-focused activities behind them." Ikea has definitely established a new catchy slogan that focuses on all people, that can be seen as emotional and personal.

The UK approach differs from the US approach because the UK's approach is more direct and in your face. Their site of notgoinganywhere.co.uk, is for people who are not interested in money and profit of their homes. It is for people who love their home for the memories shared and its special and unique personality.

I think Ikea's efforts are good and will be successful. Their new commercials are catchy and different and their photo contest is exciting and happening at a great time for the world of social media. Additionally, their new theme will create a new brand image for people of what Ikea is like, and how they view it. In my opinion, they have done a great job, especially with fitting the theme and commercials together.

Y! Mash

Today on PR 2.0, I came across a blog about Yahoo!'s new social network, Y! Mash. I hadn't heard of this new social network yet. But according to the blog, it will be more like Myspace than Facebook because you can customize your page however you would like it. It also sounds similar to a wiki in that you can edit not only your page, but also your friend's pages. It also claims you can have widgets, "you can add RSS feeds, Twitter status, flickr photos, Last.fm artists, and Youtube videos - among many other games, time wasters, and tools." Additionally, instead of searching for people by names, people use tags to describe themselves. Currently, Y! Mash is not open to everyone yet, it is on an invite only beta system. However, I'm sure that won't last long, and before you know it, it will be up for everyone to use.
Yes, it is ANOTHER social network, but that is what is in right now. This social network sounds quite advanced, as it incorporates Myspace and Facebook's special features, and goes beyond them. It sounds easy to use and "hip", however, I think time will tell it's success because of the closed invite only system.

Blogging

While reading chapter 2, “From Chaos, Structure”, of The New Influence, many things caught my eye and made me think. Prior to this class I did not realize how much of a world blogging is, and had never attempted to try to blog. I think it shows quite a success that they are even able to have unwritten rules and show respect for other bloggers with the unwritten rules or blogging standards of thou shalt link, thou shalt not diss, thou shalt be transparent, thou shalt comment, and thou shalt not blather. In particular, thou shalt comment interested me. I have never commented on a blog until this class, but I also did not have a blog of my own prior to this class. Reading that 71% of bloggers comment on at least four blogs a month and 93% of bloggers respond to comments makes me realize how addicting these things can be! I believe comments are the key to blogs: they help them grow, spark new ideas, and allow them to thrive. After only using our class blogs and learning these new social book marking sites, I have already started a small addiction to them. It’s interesting to read comments and it’s exciting when you receive one! It makes you want to continue to blog more often. At first I wasn’t very sure about the 2 blogs and 2 comments per week as part of the course curriculum, but I definitely think before we know it, it’s going to become much easier, addicting, and has already opened a new world to us…the blogosphere.

Craigslist

“Craigslist is a centralized network of online communities, featuring free classified advertisements (with jobs, internships, housing, personals, for sale/barter/wanted, services, community, gigs, resume, and pets categories) and forums on various topics” (wikipedia).

An article in the New York Times came out last week about a controversy Craigslist was facing with people selling prostitution on Craigslist.org. Code words, provocative cyber-advertisements, and offering escorts were the ways they went about it on the site. They would be typically suggesting more. Additionally, words have even been used on Craigslist for drugs.

I was surprised to hear this because I have used Craigslist before searching for housing and furniture, even though I never followed through with them. So to hear that this everyday, popular website has secret illegal activity going on came as surprise. I particularly liked this quote by Richard McGuire, a detective in Nassau County who was investigating the case: “Craigslist has become the high-tech 42nd Street, where much of the solicitation takes place now. Technology has worked its way into every profession, including the oldest.” This is so true. What’s next? It’s amazing how far social media networking has gone…people are not just selling household products, renting out their apartment anymore. People are selling their houses and their bodies! This also shows how advanced networking on the internet has become! Has it gone too far? Craigslist may be in need of some good PR after this scandal. However, they have so many positive features and good feedback, that I don’t think they are going to have any trouble with the occurrence of this incident.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/05/nyregion/05craigslist.html

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Testing...first post.