You cannot fake social media

I was watching a really good video the other day titled Social Media Mistakes of Five Big Marketers. It is a segment from Joseph Jaffe's speech at the Association of National Advertisers' Integrated Marketing Conference. Jaffe explains some blunders that some major corporations make when it comes to social media. I think the biggest nugget that I took from that segment was the idea of "No Faking." I know this may seem simple, but some big corporations are still not getting it. They think they can treat social media just like any other media; make something up so it looks "social media~ish. The problem is that it stands out like a sore thumb, and your users will hate you for it.

If I could pass anything along it would be this: Don't be afraid about losing control, and just go with the flow. People are going to say what they want to say and it may not all be good. I feel that it's better to have these negative remarks it in an arena where you have a chance to fix the problem right away; rather than hearing it second hand.

You need to be honest with yourself. If you don't think you can handle this level of translucency then social media is not right for you. In a case like this Sometimes doing nothing is the best thing you can do.

Will the iPhone sink or swim

After Steve Job's Keynote speech at Mac World there has been much talk about the future of the iPhone. In the world of PDA's and smart phones will the iPhone outlive all the hype? Marketing Guru Steh Godin announced an iPhone Challenge. He wants everyone to give their prediction on the future of the iPhone, and a year from now we will review.

I feel strongly that the iPhone is going to revolutionize the cell phone just like the iPod did with MP3 players. In the initial release loyal mac users, and tech geeks will flock to the iPhone, while others will wait till the price drops a bit, and any bugs are worked out. Since the iPhone syncs via iTunes; PC and MAC users will have no problem using the iPhone. I do think that Apple needs to let the iPhone be available on phone networks other then Cingular. With the cost of the phone, and the cost to switch networks the iPhone will range from $750-$1000. By alowing the iPhone to be availible on more networks will put the iPhone up there with the BlackBerry, and Treo Smart Phones.

My prediction is this: When Apple launches the iPhone there will be the initial spike in sales just like with any new product, then they will plateau. Apple's ability to fix any bugs, resolve price and provider issues will determine the future of the iPhone. If Apple can resolve all issues within the 6 months to a year after the release of the iPhone I don't see any reason why the iPhone can't be one of the best selling Smart phones on the market.

Microsoft is sneaky, sneaky, sneaky

Ok, so I was going a google search for Linux, and in the sponsors ad section the only ad is a Microsoft ad. I was thinking "What! Microsoft doesn't sell Linux." The ad says "Get the facts", and when you click the ad it is a case studies page on why you should buy MS servers or Linux. Leave it to Microsoft to try to steal business from Poor Open Source Linux. Since Linux is open source i guess no one buys PPC for that keyword. I would think a company like Novell would buy PPC on Linux since the have SUSE Linux.

Is Mac vs PC becoming cliche?

So everyone have most likely seen the Mac vs PC commercials, and they have been parodied everywhere. Well today a stumbled on a version that was really well done. Meet Linux These videos were put out by Novell to promote SUSE® Linux Enterprise 10. They really do show Linux in a good light. When most people think of Linux they mostly think of tech nerds, but they show that more and more people are turning to Linux for a desktop solution. This viral campaign really worked well for Novell. They got press on Slashdot, and Wired. The story even got Dugg 789 times. So if you get a sec check it out!