Tuesday, October 26, 2004

I'm Laughing. How Long Until This Is True?



I'm afraid that it is already true.

I've actually caught myself in conversations with friends saying, "Well, as I wrote about on my blog a few weeks back..." I'm scaring myself. I'm just one sick puppy.

This cartoon comes to us from the Cincinatti Enquirer and illustrator Jim Borgman.

Thanks to NatterjackPR.com and Kevin Dugan's PRBlog for the link.

-aB

Friday, October 22, 2004

Now This I Like



XM Satellite Radio is set to announce next week a "wearable" Walkman-like device that can pick up XM's digital satellite radio signals. Snippet from CNN:

A spokesman for Washington, D.C.-based XM declined to comment beyond saying a major product announcement was planned for Oct. 26 in New York with automotive parts and consumer electronics products maker, Delphi Corp.

"XMSR is also likely to announce its wearable device next week. There is a good shot this 'Walkman' type device, in the near term, will differentiate XM's hardware from Sirius," a rival satellite radio system, said Kit Spring, analyst with Stifel, Nicolaus in a note for investors.


Now, this is super-cool and the type of thing that I would be interested in. I've always been interested in XM (and Sirrus), but the units weren't portable and difficult to carry from one place to another.

You have to assume that both XM and Sirrus are trying to work with Apple on a iPod/XM/TiVo combination appliance. Now, that would be cool.

Read the story on CNN here.

-aB

Thursday, October 21, 2004

Great Presidential Election Poll Site



There are a lot of presidential polls out there - Zogby, ABC/Washington Post, CNN/USA Today/Gallop, FOX, etc. I personally get confused by all of them, and which news organiztion or research firm is sponsoring each one.

RealClearPolitics.com does a good job of showing all of the latest results of all of the polls on one page. It also shows trending data for the past several months and an aggregate/average of all of the latest poll data.

Good site, if you're into polls. Personally, I don't know how accurate they are. I think the election in two weeks will be decided solely on voter turnout - and which party is able to get more voters to the polls.

-aB

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Sports Bar Owners' Worst Nightmare



TV-B-Gone is a little keychain-sized remote control that can turn off virtually any television. Press it's button, and it will turn off any of 209 brands of televisions within sight distance of its infrared eye.

Today's Wired does a story on Mitch Altman, the inventor of the TV-B-Gone who invented it to "improve conversation." Snippet:

"I was always squandering my time, energy and creativity on something that was at best benign," he said, in the suddenly quiet aisle at Best Buy. "I was always trying to get people to do something good. Some people do something for the disabled or something. But that's not really my thing, so I did this."

The idea for TV-B-Gone was born at a restaurant in the early 1990s, when Altman and his friends kept paying attention to a TV in the corner, not to one another. They chatted about how to turn off all televisions, and he wondered if it would be possible to string together a series of "power" commands.


Check out the story here.

Check out the TV-B-Gone here.

-aB

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

So, What Is Viral Marketing?



The new Viral + Buzz Marketing Association has put out a manifesto outlining what I think is a pretty good (albeit somewhat arrogant) definition of viral marketing and general tactics and strategies viral marketers should utilize. Here's a snippet:

We believe that network-enhanced word of mouth has a critical role to play in the future of integrated marketing communications. Marketers need to offer content in the media and through one-to-one connections that the recipients themselves choose to propagate to those that they deem appropriate, thereby eliminating irrelevant, untimely and (as a consequence) annoying marketing messages.


I've said it before that I think viral marketing is about to experience some controversy of its own, and it seems that organizations like the VBMA understand this. This industry needs some rules and standards to help mitigate the inevitable controversy that will hit us soon.

Check out the manifesto here.

-aB

Wi-Fi Where It's Needed



Wired has a story today on the WanderPod, a large, yet portable satellite trailer device that can be set up anywhere to allow people wireless internet access. Applications include traveling events, diaster recovery and military applications, though I bet the U.S. Military already has something quite like this.

It's a great idea, and inventor Dennis Stacey said it was just an idea in his head a month ago. Just a few weeks later, they have a working prototype - and rolled it out at the SpaceShipOne landing a few weeks ago.

Neat.

-aB

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Mark Cuban Interview About Blogging



Mark Cuban, the founder of Broadcast.com and now billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks does a cover story interview with the Online Journalism Review.

In the interview, Mark talks about how he's using his blog to strike back at people who tick him off. That list includes Donald Trump, members of the NBA and several lucky journalists. Snippet:

The media has always known that the power of the word can be immense. With one paragraph, execs and businesses can be impacted significantly. Blogs create a balance. Now if a blog is well read, or read by those in the media who are looking for any chance to swipe at their competitors, a smartly written blog can turn the tables.

I think this new checks-and-balances scenario will make media much stronger. Look at the controversy over whether Bush's records were forged or not. It's bloggers vs CBS. That's a great example of the power and value of blogging.


Cuban has always been very opinionated and controversial. That's why I like him. He also acquired Jason Terry, one of my favorite Atlanta Falcons players.

And he gets blogs, and the idea that they can be used effectively to create dialogue with media (and consumers) and sometimes share a side of stories that some reporters don't cover.

Good read. Enjoy.

-aB

Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Great Article on Narrowcasting



I think the concept of narrowcasting has a huge future. As the number of information and entertainment outlets increase, we'll see more and more niche players serving up niche content.

Think about it this way - the channels are going to desperately need content to fill their programming schedule. At the same time, consumers are going to expect more and more niche programming.

Digital cable has brought us hundreds of different stations, all catering to a different audience. So too have DVDs and now downloadable music. Niches that may have not been catered to in the past because of limited shelf/slotting space at the local record or movie store now have many more choices.

Read the Wired story here.

-aB

Friday, October 01, 2004

It Is the Dawn of the Age of the Amateur



An article from the October edition of FastCompany.com talks about the "Amateur Revolution" taking place. It discusses everything from Rap music, to Linux to astronomy to The Sims all being driven by Pro-Ams, or professional amateurs.

Rap started on the street, as an alternative to the music fare of the big labels. Linux is "open source" programming, the true definition of Pro-Am. The Sims game would have been a modest hit by itself, but became the best selling game of all time because it opened up opportunities for Pro-Ams, or KEY INFLUENCERS to participate and create content that other Sims players could share.

My thought? "Open Source" is the output of Pro-Ams.

The article is a good one. Read the online version of the article here.

Journalism is going through the exact same transformation right now. I was surprised that the article's author, Istvan Banyai, didn't mention it, especially since it is impacting his livelihood - journalism.

Blogs are written by the same type of folks featured in this article - Pro-Ams. These amateurs are passionate and committed, sometimes more so than their full professional counterparts.

Taking this whole theory one step further, what is the economical impact of it all? What if everything in the "creative arts" (journalism, computing, etc.) and science becomes infiltrated by Pro-Ams? Will this commoditize everything? Pro-Ams are usually not compensated for their efforts. What will this do to those who make a living in these areas? Will it drive them to increase the quality of their product? Or will it cause resentment and frustration? Interesting thought.

-aB