Spam Ads

Most of us hate spam emails and pop-up advertisements that tell you to click or complete a survey and win a free gift...usually an Ipod, Xbox, trip to Mexico, whatever it may be. It is said that 83% of our emails are spam. The FTC has finally begun to crack down on these spam ads and has fined an advertiser, for a free Ipod, $650,000! The advertiser was in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act, which punishes people for sending out non-solicited emails and ads.

These ads are never just "free", there is always a hunch. It also can create bad PR for the company's product that is being advertised as free. For instance, if someone completed the survey and were expecting their free Ipod, they could be disappointed with Apple for not receiving it, rather than the fraud advertiser.

ABC and FB

The TV station ABC is using the popular social network of Facebook to increase their young news audience. However, they are not the first news station to do this, CNN has already joined forces with MySpace. The two companies are in agreement that ABC will provide Facebook users with Web 2.0 related content. This includes debate groups, campaign trail videos , and online surveys. Additionally, ABC reporters will create their own personal Facebook profiles which will contain photos and blogs. "Networks are looking to connect with a lost audience -- and the way to do this, they have come to realize, is through Web 2.0 technology and Web sites."

I think this is a great idea, the traditional news is not as appealing to the youth today. This will make the news more contemporary with a youthful feel. It is a good public relations step for ABC.

Selling Towns on Ebay???

Yes, that's right. An Italian man recently purchased a small, unpopulated Texas town on Ebay for $3.8 million. Apparently this is not the first town that has been bought on Ebay. Bridgeville, North Carolina was purchased in 2002 on Ebay but the transaction did not go through and was purchased again in 2006. This could be great PR for this town it is starts to develop.

Web Video Project

Here is a video we made as a class project. The video is about religious tolerance, relating to the "Golden Rule" in seven different religions: Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Native American Spirituality, Islam, Wicca, and Christianity. Enjoy!



Credit goes to Flickr for the photos and the song "Wisdom" by Delerium.

Smart Closet

Smart Closet is being developed to help fashion clueless people figure out what to wear and how to match their outfit. The system will work through electronic panels on your electronic hangers you can put in your closet. It will be able to tell what you have recently worn. It can also warn you if you are going to wear something that you have already worn around the same person.

This is crazy, it reminds me of the scene in the movie Clueless in which the main character Cher has a computer program that allows her to view her wardrobe and she is able to match them on the computer. During my childhood I thought this was the coolest thing and now it might actually exist! I'm curious to see if this will actually work, and be used. It sounds like you need to have a large enough variety of clothes to even be able to use this program.

Second Life Meets CNN

It seems that I see Second Life appearing everywhere since we discussed it in class. I came across an article that talks about Second Life now featuring a CNN news bureau. It features a news blog called "SL I-Reports: Your News of a Virtual World." This allows Second Life users to collect and file their personal reports in a virtual "news desk." Stories have ranged from people standing around to a character trying to beat the world's bull riding record.

They see this as being a future spot for the presidential candidates to show their stance. This would be great PR for them.

More ads on facebook?!

Facebook will now allow corporate advertisements on the status updates menu and on the news feed. There will also be "static ads" popping up when you view and update your profile. It is a free service, therefore it is supported by ads. Advertisers that join the program can also pay for a small ad for their product to appear any time it is mentioned on a news feed. Such ads appear on a personal page that only the user sees, and not on their public profiles.

I really hope this doesn't lead to a MySpace. Facebook is a SOCIAL NETWORKING site, not an advertisement. So much for the college only style that started Facebook. I'm sure the Facebook users will put in their two sense about how they feel about the ads once they start popping up. When the news feeds started complaints and groups were formed instantly. Their public relations team better be ready for that again.

Granny Bloggers

When you think of a blogger most people tend to think of a young, trendy, educated person, who is up on technology. Here is a blogger, Amelia Lopez, who is 95 years old. This granny has over 60,000 readers worldwide. She first got into blogging from her grandson who set up a blog for her birthday. The main subject Amelia discusses is history, and all the history she has lived through such as the Spanish Civil War. The blog is in Spanish and is quite opinionated. She is one hip granny!

"Invention of the Year": the iPhone

Who would've guessed, Time Magazine has named Apple's iPhone the "Invention of the Year." The iPhone has been discussed like crazy and is constantly on the news, with positive and negative feedback. Time gives five reasons for naming it the "invention of the year":
1. It's pretty.
2. It's touchy-feely.
3. It will make other phones better.
4. It's not a phone, it's a platform.
5. It is but the ghost of iPhones yet to come.

This invention has already created spin offs, the iTouch. With so much success I can't wait to see the new cell phones to come. The competition is going to get greater, which will mean more work for the PR teams! Last year's winner was YouTube. Who knows what the next year will bring!