Social Media Heroes and Villains
Love Facebook? Hate Facebook?
Love Twitter? Hate Twitter?
Too confused to know? Well apparently even ’leading online opinion formers’ aren’t quite sure. Their thoughts on everything from what they love and hate, to what they wish they’d known a year ago, have all been included in a new ShinyRed report Social Media and Brands 2009. You can download a copy of the report and decide for yourself.
Hghlights of the report? Well, um, a certain little grapevine *ahem* was included alongside big bananas like Charlene Li, Antony Mayfield and Neil McIntosh. Thanks for allowing me to participate guys, loving your work!
Other contributors:
FRUKT Sessions 001: What did we learn about Generation Free?
Last week I attended the inaugural FRUKT Sessions. I promised to drop a few notes down so here goes.
Dan Southern: Xtreme Insight
Dan kicked off with some interesting vox pops showing that if you ask people what they get for free they can’t recall exactly. Of course we’re accessing a huge range of free services & content everyday (particularly on the internet) but this has become so normal, especially for the young folk, we’re seeing ’Generation Free’
Dominic Hodge: FRUKT
Dominic listed some of the trends which have been driving the culture of free in music:
How to promote your music via Social Media
What a week. First I nab the goods from children’s author Alex Milway on How to promote your children’s book via Social Media then the ever talented solobasssteve whips up a similar post for musos with ‘Social Media- first principles for musicians‘.
At this rate I may never have to think of an original thought again!
Both new and established creatives are lucky; they don’t need to wait for help from fancy agents or publicists and can take hold of their online self-promotion today with these masters sharing their best tips.
is it a kiwi thing?
A stream of consciousness story told in video.
Yesterday I was lamenting on Twitter the geo-blocking on TVNZ’s OD service. Back home I’m missing the [re]debut of my sister, Narelle Ahrens, as Nurse Bernadette Hamblyn on Shortland Sreet :-(
Social PRobiotic, reminded of my kiwiness, then told me to watch the new Air New Zealand advert currently on YouTube.
[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bh44yOZdPZo]
I liked it, but it doesn’t touch my fave NZ ad from a few years ago. This from L&P showcases how funny we can be when do that thing where we just laugh at ourselves (while secretly getting very very upset if you say one mean thing about our beloved country).
[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GSFCvG6curE]
Listening to the ad again, the voice sounds suspiciously like Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords. Then I had a thought – now wouldn’t that be the perfect brand partnership for Air NZ!! NZ comedians + international audience + name related to flying = Advertising dream, no?
[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zs_rXxi0zhM]
To try and round off this whole ramble, I discovered this old video of Jemaine AND my sis from cult hit Tongan Ninja. Now I don’t mean to perpetuate the myth that all NZers know each other it’s just, as Air New Zealand says, a kiwi thing.
[And she is gonna freakin' kill me].
[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FtDtCqoDet0]
How to promote your children’s book via Social Media
[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-bWSuuBVjtI]
This is a follow up post to How to promote your book via Social Media. In that post I mentioned a chidren’s book called The Mousehunter.
Now you can read the author, Alex Milway, explaining what he’d recommend for self-promotion in his own words (which, you know, is probably better than me trying to paraphrase here because he’s like a proper writer and stuff).
Frukt sessions 001: The Meaning of Value in a free World
Today I’m attending the very first FRUKT Sessions 001. Don’t know who FRUKT is? Back at the start of the year I saw them at Iris’ Under The Influence event. They’re a music and strategy agency working with some really exciting brands and projects.
Today’s event brings together thought leaders who’ve played a part in shaping ‘Generation Free’ and how it impacts on business. Anthony Ackenhoff (FRUKT) will be kicking things off and my former client at Shiny Red Steve Purdham (We7) will be joining in on a panel later.
The most important question they’ll be trying to answer today is:
How do you connect with an audience whose most precious commodity is their own attention?
I’ll take some notes and post back here.
The Cool Curve
[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=19411479855870500&hl=en]
I’ve been a bit of a dweeb this year reading books about Lifestyle (like Tim Ferriss’ 4 Hour Work Week), Business (like The Beermat Entrepreneur), and Design (like John Maeda’s The Laws of Simplicity).
Now I’ve found a concept which plays to my need to obsess on theories *AND* teaches me about my inability to be even remotely cool – The Cool Curve.
The Cool Curve is a presentation honed at Tuttle, introduced to me by one of my favourite web people (sizemore), and created by Creative Coffee Club guru Toby Moore AKA sleepydog.
Enjoy.
Bring back 2001: Google makes their oldest index available
Ah, 2001. The first year of the 21st century [Wikipedia]. George W. Bush was sworn in as President, buying “vintage“ became fashionable, and I moved from Wellington N.Z. to a little old place called London Town.
This was long before I was doing stuff with the internet of course. But now I can experience the 2001 internet all over again because ruggerblogger sent me the link to Google’s oldest available index which they’ve brought back in honour of their 10th Birthday.
See what my 2001 Darika namesakes were up to on the world wide web:
14th October 2008: Half-an-hour day
Half-an-hour day for Growing Ambitions
A little while back I wrote about some of the interesting companies I’d met via Media Trust. One of the organisations I met was Growing Ambitions who are currently organising ”half-an-hour” day on the 14th October.
On this day individuals and businesses are being encouraged to sign up to give one half hour of their time in the next 12 months to help young people near them make more informed career choices.
Go on, it’s only half an hour out of your life to do something nice for today’s ‘yoof’.
About:
I'm Darika Ahrens and I help brands develop marketing strategies for Social Media. My background is in Public Relations for companies like Orange, Microsoft, Philips, HTC, Yell.com, and Estee Lauder. I've worked with and trained some of the UK's top agencies.