Car of the Future, or Car We’ve Already Had?
The Chrysler GEM Peapod might be the car of the future, or it could be just the grown-up version of the coolest toddler toy evah. They look like they’re about the same size, anyway…
You be the judge:
Chrysler
Little Tikes
Bacon Tastes Like YouTube
Bacon + weird = the following. These videos are weird and silly–I have no idea what sort of viral campaign they’re for, but sometimes that doesn’t matter. Sometimes you just like watching weird ish cuz you enjoy weird ish.
FACT: The giant strip of Bacon hitchhiking reminds me of last Christmas when I saw a man dressed as Grover from Sesame Street hitchhiking at home near my parents’ house. Nothing like that to get you in the holiday spirit.
You can thank Mr. Brian Solis for sharing these gems with me, and thus, you.
SM4SC & U
This week, my dear friend Rebecca Corliss told me a bit about Social Media for Social Change (SM4SC), and what the new organization is up to. I think it’s great.
SM4SC is an online grassroots movement started by Boston’s Gradon Tripp to rally social media participants and influencers in support of a common cause. We’re all using new media and marketing tools to talk about brands, products, services, business… The focus here is on social change and helping people.
Gradon and the group tell a pretty inspiring story: “SM4SC is powered by the influence that individual people have within their own online communities to work together and make something happen. We’re utilizing the communal nature of the Internet, which can cause a YouTube video or blog post to reach millions, to raise money for crucially important charities and help fix real-world problems.” Pretty refreshing stuff, don’t you think?
The group is hosting its first fundraiser event on October 10 to benefit Jane Doe, Inc. It looks like there are a few tickets left, so move fast if you want to attend.
How will you help?
Buzzing Bees, Events, Helping People, Honey, Social Media | Comment (0)Want! Villainess Killer Beez Soap
I love cool soaps. Love.
Sabon is one of my favorite stores on the planet–if you haven’t been in person, get yourself there and indulge in one of their complimentary first-timer well water scrubs. Now that I’m checking out Villainess (thanks @HollyGrande), I’m finding myself saying over and over “want” “want” “want.”
First on the list? Killer Beez soap:
Mapping the Traits of the States
Today I checked out a really cool WSJ article, “The United States of Mind” about differences in personalities by state and region across the country.
In my opinion, there were some really surprising findings about the various traits of people in the United States.
- As for high-anxiety states, that group includes not just Type A New York and New Jersey, but also states stressed by poverty, such as West Virginia and Mississippi. As a group, these neurotic states tend to have higher rates of heart disease and lower life expectancy.
- The flinty pragmatists of New England? They’re not as dutiful as they may seem, ranking at the bottom of the “conscientious” scale.
- High scores for openness to new ideas strongly correlates to liberal social values and Democratic voting habits. But three of the top ten “open” states — Nevada, Colorado and Virginia — traditionally vote Republican in presidential politics.
The article aptly mentions the “chicken-and-egg” idea here, too. Are these traits developing due to existing cultural and social factors, or are like-minded people drawn to each other and create culture based on the traits they already share?
Fascinating stuff.
The article also features an interactive map that ranks each state based on Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Openness.
If we look at Neuroticism, it’s almost shocking to see that West Virginia beats out all the other states, including New York, which comes in at No. 3, just after Rhode Island. However, when it comes to Agreeableness, I’m not surprised that almost all the New England states are pretty far down the list.
What do you think? Does your state’s personality surprise you?
[Hat tip Sandy]
Noise | Comment (1)State of the Blogosphere 2008: One Girl’s Impressions
Some of us have been wondering what the hepcat Technorati has been doing lately, and it seems they’ve been working on the State of the Blogosphere 2008 report, the first installment of which actually imparts some very interesting tidbits. Here’s what jumped out at me:
Blurry Lines
I really like the section of the report about the lines blurring between blogs and mainstream media. By now, unless you’ve been hibernating while living in a cave that’s under a rock, you know that blogs are viable media outlets and sources of information, entertainment and inspiration, and contribute greatly to the colorful media landscape we get to enjoy today.
As a young PR pro, I am sometimes baffled to hear of clients who so sharply draw a line between traditional and new media outlets, and want their dollars to pay for only one or the other. The reality is that there is no one or the other anymore. It’s becoming harder and harder to justify separating the two into distinct categories, which is brought to light by Technorati, “Larger blogs are taking on more characteristics of mainstream sites and mainstream sites are incorporating styles and formats from the Blogosphere. In fact, 95% of the top 100 US newspapers have reporter blogs.” Let’s face it: mainstream is one ingredient and blogs are another–they mix well and all belong in the same online alphabet soup.
Yes, People Are Talking About Brands
It’s been said a googolplex times. People. Are. Already. Talking. About. Your. Brand. The blogosphere gives you so many opportunities to jump in and talk with people who are already discussing your brand, your company, your product, your whatever. And they have been for some time now, in lots of places and in lots of ways. The ’sphere just makes it easier for you to dive in and participate, too. I think the report captures it: “Whether or not a brand has launched a social media strategy, more likely than not, it’s already present in the Blogosphere. Four in five bloggers post brand or product reviews, with 37% posting them frequently. 90% of bloggers say they post about the brands, music, movies and books that they love (or hate).”
And with 1.5 million blog entries posted in the last 7 days, on some of the 133 million blog records indexed on Technorati since 2002, that’s a lot of brand-centered conversation you might be missing. Don’t miss out.
Girls Against the Boys
For some unknown and slightly annoying reason, I’m always interested in gender and the behavioral factors that divide and unite the sexes. The State of the Blogosphere report shows a table with a gender-focused data breakdown which I think is pretty neat. I find it extremely interesting that only 9 percent of female and 15 percent of male bloggers surveyed were between the ages of 18-24. I had no idea I was in such a tiny minority of the age slice of the blogging population. I think people often think that blogging, Web 2.0 and all those crazy social networks are dominated young people, and that the 18-24 crowd is at the forefront of these sociotechnological trends. (And yes, that’s really a word.) It’s clearly a very misguided and skewed perception.
Have you checked the report out? Looks like there’s more to come, so I’m interested to see what else T’rati has to say. Did anything surprise you?
Photo: “Blurry Lights” by gregverdino (but really taken by me!)
Noise, Social Media | Comments (2)It’s a Pirate’s Links for Me!
It’s National Talk Like a Pirate Day AND National Respect Day. Let’s celebrate!
I don’t usually do this, but I call the shots around here, so I’m posting a few links. Think of it as randomly finding really cool, honey-flavored pirate treasure on the Internet.
HP gets glitzy with the Vivienne Tam designed Digital Clutch: when your laptop becomes your hottest accessory
Thoughts on Airplane Mode and (Dis)Connectivity: when does a phone stop being a phone?
Send Your Respect in a Text!: when SMS becomes part of National Respect Day [Arrrrrrrrrrr (e, s, p, e, c, t?)]
Happy Birthday, Social Honeycomb!
My little blog turns 1 today. I’m a proud blogmama today, on my first social media birthday. Happy Birthday, Social Honeycomb!
Five Helpful Food 2.0 Tools
Earlier in the summer, I blogged about beYOU.tv, and encouraged you (and myself) to live a little healthier. I don’t feel that I’ve been doing my best at following my own advice lately, but I’m embarking on some lifestyle changes that will no doubt kick my butt into gear.
One of those changes is that I’m not letting myself order delivery and takeout every day anymore. It’s easy, it’s comfortable, it’s familiar–but it’s an expensive and calorie-filled habit that isn’t helping me reach any fitness goals. The solution? I have to prepare some of my own meals. Ummm, easier said than done, Amanda.
I have no idea how to make food. I can use a microwave and I can open pints of sherbet. It’s a very special day if I make an omelette. But that’s the extent of my skills. The thought of having to prepare my own food is daunting to say the least. But I’ve found some helpful resources out there on the social web that I’ll be playing with as I explore the many unfamiliar appliances and utensils in my kitchen.
Zeer is a resource to help nutritards like me learn more about what you’re buying at the store, and what you’re putting in your body. The site’s community feature enables members to share advice and information about various food products related to specific lifestyles or grub preferences. You can also browse through huge lists of products to find better or tastier choices for yourself. This is a valuable tool: Zeer helps you shop smarter so you can eat better.
Tasty Planner seems like exactly what I need. This site allows you to search for new recipes based on keywords or choices from a tag cloud, and has Recipe Box and Weekly Planner functions to help you along the way. Once you find a recipe you like, you can add it to your Recipe Box so that it’s saved, and you can go a step further by adding it to a Weekly Planner that helps you outline your meals and nutrition for the week. For someone who hasn’t planned a meal in her life, Tasty Planner seems like a great, easy way to get a healthy diet underway.
SuperCook is an interesting concept. You enter what foods you already have in your kitchen, and the site will generate recipes for you based on those ingredients. For someone who really has no creative cooking skills to fall back on, and for someone who is pretty lazy when it comes to trekking out to the grocery store on the train (it’s so hard to get your grocery shopping done without a car!), this resource may come in handy. It’s sort of like a Top Chef challenge without having to think about anything.
Cookthink is all about cravings, which can be a girl’s worst enemy. This site lets you find recipes that may satisfy your various cravings, and you can search by entering a keyword, choosing an ingredient, picking a dish, selecting a cuisine, or focusing on a mood. Based on the cravings you enter, Cookthink gives you a list of recipes that will probably make your tummy growl and send you running to the kitchen.
FoodFeed is a strange creature. It’s like Twitter for eating. The premise is simple: you make updates to the site about what you’re having to eat and you can search for other users who have having the same thing. On the About page, the site claims that it isn’t really useful, but on some level I disagree. There’s a lot to be said about regularly, honestly, and publicly announcing what you’re eating, and that may drive you to make healthier choices so you aren’t forced to reveal that you’re having 2 Big Macs per day.
Have you tried any of these Food 2.0 sites? What are your thoughts? Are you hungry yet???
Apps, Helping People, Social Networks | Comments (5)The Future of Viral Marketing…
Silly, but smart. The world we live in can seem pretty over-saturated with so-called “viral” and “guerrilla” marketing messages, but this video from Slate takes the idea to a whole new level. [Hat tip Cha-Cha]
