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!