Stayin Alive

Yet another adventure into the great internetopia has led our Social Media class to Viral Videoland, a place where anything is possible. 

Anyone can create a sufficiently edited video and post to the web with a little knowledge and a a lot of creativity (and even the creativity part is flexible). 

With these powers, I too have created a video. The internet is rife with user-creator tools that will help even the most inept internet user create something that any and everybody will want to see. I used Sprout Builder to create my video, but the choices are limitless. Unfortunately, a lot of the sites are still in beta and things are constantly evolving on the site so it might be hard to stay consistent. Sift through the bad to get to the good.

While sitting in my room, listening to my re-mastered Bee Gees vinyl, I realized that people are fighting to stay alive each day. This could be made easier if sexually active individuals would get tested and get tested often. Tests are affordable, easy, and results are possible within 2-3 days.

You can find out more at www.tx.tstd.org

Stay Alive. Get Tested.

Got Guerilla Marketing?

Poor Steve. Frustration gets the better of this businessman, and Cisco Interrated Communications gets a fabulously affordable marketing and PR campaign.

This video has all the aspects of great guerilla marketing. It's not a typical ad, and it looks like it is actually happening. The view from the security cam and the reactions of the people in the hotel make it all seem surreal. Where is Iain you ask? Who knows, but Cisco Integrateted Communications will show you how to prevent something like this from happening. Though you might not know that from just looking at this ad. The very end of the video flashes a website: www.donthaveameltdown.com. You have to go there to see just what this short is about, but eventually it will lead you to Cisco. This trail of virtual breadcrumbs is what's new in marketing. Don't let the name fool you, guerilla marketing isn't something to be feared. Take advantage of it. People have been bombarded with tacky Taco Bell commercials for far too long. It's time to think outside the TV Box and create something that is truly attention getting. I'm all for a little guerilla tactics to get a good point across, and so is Cisco.

Do You Orkut? Probably Not...

Orkut. Can you guess what this word means? If you live in Brazil or India, then you know for sure, but if you make the good ol' US of A your home, then that word most likely has little to know meaning to you.

Orkut is a social networking service run by Google and named after its creator, an employee of Google -- Orkut Büyükkökten.

Don't ask me how to say that.

Originally hosted in sunny ol' California, Google realized Orkut's market was no exactly the US and moved their operations to Brazil, where Orkut is most popular.

Besides Brazil, India is quite found of the social networking site.

The basic idea is rooted in the Facebook model, but the site has other features that make it different from the popular site. Because it is Google operated, the site allows google videos to be uploaded, gchat to be enabled, among other nifty google "labs" that are always in beta.

Oprah and Acai Berries and Facebook...Oh My!

What do Oprah, Acai berry producers, and Facebook all have in common?

They all want me to lose weight, and now!

For the last two months or so, Facebook has been on my case to scarf down this infamous berry while reading how the queen of daytime television keeps her yo-yo diets fresh and new.

I refreshed my browser 9 times in a row and I counted 7 ads that concerned weight loss in some form or fashion.

I'm all for an aggressive marketing campaign, but this is ridiculous...aaaaand mildly offensive.

I'm not FAT facebook, I'm big-boned, but thanks for pointing it out. Geez!

Untangling the Web: Twitter vs. Yammer

Show Notes for Untangling the Web, Podcast # 1

Twitter vs. Yammer

In this episode of Untangling the Web, we (Jessica, Russell, and I) discuss the current trends in microblogging. 

For those of you confused by the term microblogging, we offer a brilliant definition before we launch into our discussion of one of the hottest microblogging sites, Twitter. The two-year old website is constantly attracting new users with it's question "What are you doing". Keeping people updated on your current status is the hottest trend in internetopia. 

Yammer, developed a mere six weeks ago, is giving Twitter a run for its money (or lack thereof...learn more about that in the podcast). This status updating site is targeted towards business networks and requires a business to pay a small fee each month per employee (that is signed up for the service) in order to attain administrative rights. 

We talk about pros and cons of both services and all that jazz. Enjoy our first podcast! 

Lee LeFever says "Zombies Don't Dance!"

Not sure how to handle zombies this Halloween? The Common Craft Show will explain zombies to you: in Plain English. 

Zombies are not the only life lesson host Lee LeFever is willing to share with you. In Dr. Weisgerber's PR and Social Media class, LeFever's YouTube channel is put to good use. 

In three minutes or less, Lee LeFever is able to explain the many intricacies of the web with carefully but simply illustrated paper people. 

In his own words, LeFever discusses the work he and his wife Sachi do. 

 "Our videos are short, simple and focused on making complex ideas easy to understand. We use a whiteboard-and-paper format we call Paperworks that is designed to cut out the noise and stick to what matters," LeFever says on his website. 

From RSS Feeds to Podcasting, and Wikis to Twittering...Lee and Sachi LeFever make sure no one gets left behind in this digital age. 

So thank you ,LeFevers, for making the internet 'plain english'. (My mother also wants me to thank you. She is an avid watcher since I introduced her at the beginning of the year.)

You can check out the Common Craft show on YouTube or on their website.

I leave you with a guide to zombies per the LeFevers: 

Deus Ex Machinima

Machinima (pronounced /məˈʃiːnəmə/ or /məˈʃɪnəmə/), a Portmanteau of machine cinema,[1] is a collection of associated production techniques whereby computer-generated imagery (CGI) is rendered using real-time, interactive 3-D engines instead of professional 3D animation software. (Wikipedia)

Sometimes when I'm bored, I like to do an ol' YouTube search for something exciting to watch -- maybe a little Shakira video here, or a Beyonce montage there. Everyonce in a while, I will think I'm clicking on an authentic music video, but I will come across 3d animations moving inhumanly in time with some pop song. I have always wondered what the heck these were.

Well Dr. Weisgerber has yet again enlightened me. Apparently these animations are Machinima's and they are no small feat. In fact, the phenomena is more than a hobby for some people. 

Machinima.com is an online resource for any and everything machinima-related. People can upload their creations, blog about what they have done, get the latest news, and talk with other content-creators. 

Seeing a need to categorize the art form and foster its growth, the Academy of Machinima Arts and Sciences (AMAS) was formed. It is a non-profit organization whose main mission is the development and advocacy of the machinima industry. The AMAS also holds film festivals for machinima and exemplary productions are recognized through awards nicknamed the Mackies.

And now ladies and gentlemen, I leave you with a beautifully constructed machinima video featuring Katy Perry's hit single "Hot n Cold", sung in 'Simlish' (the language used by characters in the EA game The Sims 2). Enjoy. 

If you are interested in dabbling with this art form, I recommend a good ol' fashioned google search on the topic. There are hundreds of resources that will tell you what is the latest with Machinima!