@BasilPuglisi

Content & Strategy, Powered by Factics & AI, Since 2009

Social Media Topics

Stroome me? Redefining video opportunity…

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It used to be that making videos was the territory of the few. You needed a high quality and expensive camera, you needed editing capabilities and you needed the knowhow in editing. Of course you needed a platform to display your videos.

With the advances in electronics and miniaturizing, cameras have become better, lighter and cheaper. Not the property of the rich and professionals anymore. First problem solved, sort of, because what you are left with is raw footage.

Editing software appeared on the market as well. What used to be programs for professionals only which were rented out, not sold like Avid and Final Cut became affordable the Adobe premiere, Final cut or Avid for home use. Those still are expensive and need a learning period to make them work properly.

With experience comes improvement. Editing the videos you have shot still takes a long time, even after you’ve learned the programs. Here art comes into the equation.

The platform became available with YouTube. Millions all over the world shot what they thought was funny, interesting or smart and hurried to share it with the world. Careers have been made out of home postings, rarely but it did happen (Justin Beiber is a very good example).

But sharing those videos with specific people was still a problem. The video files are heavy and can’t be sent via e mail. They had to be uploaded on a server and could be accessed by people who had the password to that account.

The new trend in marketing is videos. It appears people would rather hear and see instead of read. We have all become film-makers.

Enter Stroome, a site that facilitates making interesting videos and sharing them with friends. Unlike Youtube where you just post the video to the world and let your friends know that you have posted it there, Stroome enables you to post your videos on the site, edit it and share it with others.

Stroome allows uploading of raw footage and mixing it with pictures, other videos and music. The editing program (based on the same principals as iMovie) is simple and easy to learn. The result can be shared with you partners and have them write up notes on what needs to change or they can go into the file and make changes you can view immediately. After the work is finished, you can share that video with a larger group of people via a form of social network.

Stroome, coming from USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, was launched in a public beta in April 2010 and is based on the Kaltura video editing suite but goes further by adding to the editing suite community tools. It facilitates journalism, they say, by letting a few people collaborate on a story immediately without relying on other sources to move the video file around. In Stroome the file does not leave the site, so there are no problems of loading time, downloading time and things lost in the transfer.

Using their site, a group can work on a school project together, friends can share their latest videos, journalist can communicate and work cheaply and efficiently and every small business owner can become a film-maker.

Their ambition is to turn Stroome into a verb; in the same way Google has evolved to become part of the American language. They want people to say “Stroome me and see…”

But please bear in mind – the content is still the king.

New Startups to Watch For

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The TechCrunch Disrupt tech show just wrapped a 3 day event in San Francisco. This show looks at the latest and most interesting innovations in the tech world, and gives a prize to one of them. But the point of the show is not the prize ($50,000) but the buzz some of them will get as a result.

Why is this important? Because it might so happen that in one of these companies lies the next advertising platform.

Here are some of the most interesting;

–          Tweetbeat –  Almost 90 million tweets are posted every single day. How can you get those that are most relevant to you? Enter Tweetbeat that sorts out the Tweets with what is called “Contextual Data Mining Technology” and sorts the top stories, trends and the time they peaked. The company was just sold to AOL.

–          Voxy – A company that aims to simplify learning a language. The idea behind it is that text books are boring, people would rather learn from life. The company offers games, news stories, magazines etc. on smartphones and on the web, that have translation tools built in. For the time being they are concentrating on the Spanish speakers who want to improve their English.

–          GameCrush – it’s a site where people can go to play games and meet the opposite sex. A combination of social media and paid gaming or a virtual bar where you can meet people who like the games you do. The company tested the site in March and it crushed because of enormous traffic. The site has been rewritten since and is up since Monday.

–          Gild – Offers a way for programmers looking for work to show off their skills through games and puzzles. This site can replace a resume, says the founder. You show your skills by completing tasks and being creative.

–          Qwiki – The people behind Qwiki believe we are too busy these to stop and read everything we are interested in. That’s where Qwiki comes in. Search for a topic and what will come up is a multimedia, narrated presentation of the subject. It can be used as an alarm clock; it can read aloud your incoming e mails, the weather report and the appointments of the day.

The last one –Qwiki  – won the grand prize.

Those are but a few startups that were presented at the show. There are many shows like this one and many startups looking for attention.

Social Media Review: Delicious

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Delicious is a social network where users can past and share their bookmarks and discover new bookmarks other members of the service have posted.

The service, which was established in 2003 by Joshua Schachter and sold to Yahoo in 2005, had, by the end of 2008 more than 5 million users and 180 unique bookmarks.

Delicious has a list on its home page categorized into “hotlist”, “popular” and “recent” bookmarks and gives the viewer a combines view of other  people’s interests, which turns it into a displayer of internet trends and memes ( In simple terms, a meme is an inside joke that Internet users are in on.)

As one of the most popular internet social bookmarks service, Delicious uses simple interface, addresses that are checked by humans, a simple REST and RSS feeds for web syndication.

The service is growing and more and more bookmarks are posted every day. It can be used by all professionals to list site they want others to look at. Whether a teacher, a CEO or owner of small business who wants his colleagues to understand what they are talking about, they can create a tag that includes all the pages and sites they are interested in other to see. For students for example it can serve as a must reading list, bibliography or just a social network where they can post pages that will help other student learn.

What can it do for businesses? It gives an excellent measure of what advertising works and what doesn’t. You get an immediate feedback and you can see what kind of users bookmarked your website or page. It’s a place that can make your product go viral when many people are bookmarking and tagging your page.

Have you Stumbled upon StumbleUpon?

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You haven’t? Not yet, you mean.

As the amount of information on the World Wide Web grew to huge proportions, things were starting to get lost in the shuffle. There are not enough hours in a day to search everything new uploaded. How do you know you are not missing something?

Enter the social media where people are talking to each other socially and can spread the word about things they like and things they don’t.

One of the latest tools is a site called StumbleUpon, where people, after registering and downloading a toolbar, can go and see what others on the network stumbled upon on the web and recommended. It is what is now called a “discovery engine”.

You are asked to put in your interests, invite your friends to join in and see what similar users have recommended. All that is being analyzed with the company’s recommendation Engine.

StumbleUpon is a mixture of social media and rating system. With these two tools they have become trend setters and a goldmine for advertisers.

The company behind it, 3 guys from Canada, founded StumbleUpon in 2001, sold it to EBay in 2007 for $75 million and in 2009 bought it back for an undisclosed amount. As of now they have over 11 million users.

StumbleVideo is another service of the company. This site allowed users without the toolbar to view videos from site like ColledgeHumor, DailyMothion, Funnyordie, Google, MetaCafe, MySpace Vimeo and YouTube.

StumbleThru is a service allowing users to stumble in youTube, The Onion, PBS and Wikipedia. Since June 2010 they extended their partnership with many more.

Since the users enter their preferences, StumbleUpon directs relevant traffic to them. Small portions are sponsored pages matching their interests. Such content in vetted by humans for quality before it is delivered. Paid accounts (called ‘sponsors’) have many more options:

  • Target the audience you want.
  • Traffic directly to your site, no click through.
  • The more users like it, the more traffic you get.

BugleMe? Social Media’s Next?

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Bugleme is a new arrival to the social media platform that uses the principal of Twitter but instead of written messages it used voice announcements. It is a subscription service that integrates audio calls and social networking in a new platform and allows celebrities to record telephone messages and have them delivered straight to their fans phones. It gives the celebrity and the fans a direct and immediate interaction. For example, here is a message on the website of the band Superchick:

“Hey Superchick fans! I wanted to let you know that you can sign up to get phone calls from me every week! I’ve signed up with something new called BugleMe… and when you subscribe, you’ll get voicemails from me sent to your cell phone weekly with updates about the band, personal life, books we’re writing, being newly married.​.​anything we’re in the mood to talk about, I guess! haha. Yes, it is really me, and I will tell you everything that is going on in my world. You can get a FREE TRIAL, so just sign up here:…”

The fans can interact with the celebrities by leaving them written or voice messages and ask questions.

Each celebrity has his own private community where their social content is placed. All the messages are archived so when someone joins in late he will get all the messages he had missed. Subscribers can post their own content within the celebrity’s community.

And with this, BugleMe opened the door to another form of advertising, where you can reach thousands of people with one post and advertise products relating to or endorsed to the celebrity.

Commercials and Internet Visibility

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What can we learn from the big boys? The big firms with millions and billions of dollars behind them, and how they approach internet visibility.

The case in point is a product called “Old Spice”. You must have heard the name. Old Spice cologne and aftershave has been around since the 1930. It was the scent of America, since it started in the United States.

Through the years, when transport and import became simpler, the market was flooded by European products. Old Spice market share went down drastically.

In 1990 the company was sold to Procter and Gamble. 20 years later, in the middle of 2010, new commercials for “Old Spice” body wash started showing on TV. Many experts were behind it; P&G, an advertising company and a digital media specialist.

  • They opened a twitter account and a Reddit account for the lead character.
  • They opened a Facebook page
  • They opened YouTube channel and started putting out the 15 second spots, one after the other.

The ads went viral on the internet. Google search went up 2000%, Facebook interactions up 800% and 1.5 billion impressions (The count of a delivered basic advertising unit from an ad distribution point, according to “Basic Advertisement Measures”) since February.

The campaign was a combination of the success of social media and viral success. And it didn’t happen overnight. It took them 6 months of adjusting and changing to get to the point that the reaction was getting to where they hope it would be.

The reaction was immediate; sales went up 107% the first month and are still going up in the rate of 55% in the past 3 months.

Lately the company recorded 183 video answers to question posed by Twitter users. They are staying in touch with their followers.

What can we learn from that success story?

–          The campaign should be all inclusive. All the possible channels.

–          It might take time to develop the correct approach. Some corrections are needed in the middle of the way.

–          If the ‘big boys’ do it, and it works for them, why not do it on a smaller scale?

To see what can be done for you and your business in this new era of advertising, you might be best serve if you approach someone that has expertise and knowledge in the area. Companies like Puglisi Consulting Group at http://puglisiconsulting.com/#, that can design a campaign to your budget. Through their internet visibility arm Visibility Acceleration http://www.visibilityacceleration.com, they can advise you how to be visible on the internet and all over the world.

Capitalizing on Social Media: Michigan State University

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“Many MSU alumni have emerged as players in the newly emerging social media, a phenomenon that is revolutionizing traditional notions of marketing, communication and social relationships” (MSU Alumni Magazine 2010 Summer Issue).

This MSU Alum is sold, it seems that while others are content with their status quo, Spartans are starting to dominate the digital world and that includes Social Media. With one of the largest Alumni networks in the world it is no surprise that MSU would be at the front of Social Media, from advertising, recruitment and even alumni relations, it’s clear that MSUAA has hit the ground, flying? That’s right the number of MSU Alumni on Social media is sky high!

Take LinkedIn for example, the MSUAA currently has hundreds of comments about Spartan Alumni Job Opportunities as part of the over 20,000 MSUAA LinkedIn Members. That’s 20,000 where the average Alumni group has only about a third of that! Only the Long Horns boast more with 22,000, where University of Miami, Florida State, Alabama, Penn State, Iowa and more all have under 5,000.

“At the end of the day, you have to find new ways to add value to the world,” said Scott Westerman. “It’s about the friendships and relationships that you have gained” (MSU Alumni Magazine 2010 Summer Issue).

YouTube – LinkedIn – Twitter – UStream – MSUAA Blog

MSU Rides the Social Media Wave!!!

“Think of what half a million people can do.” just a one line statement that exemplifies the experience and network that MSU offers.

“The Day we created an cancer saving drug began like any other” just one of the examples of the global impact that MSU has, had and will continue to make.

How about a campus tour? – What’s it like to live at MSU? – GO GREEN!!!

What about being part of a NCAA Division 1 Athletics program, talk about school spirit!!!

While MSU and the MSUAA seem to bolster a powerhouse of Social Networking opportunities online, let’s not forget that the nearly 500,000 alumni across the earth, which means you are as likely to run into one doing anything from helping an old lady across the street, to serving as a CEO of just about every other major company.

Basil C. Puglisi, is a member of the MSUAA and a Proud Member of the Graduating Class of 2005 from the School of Social Science at Michigan State University.

Social Brand Visibility – All About Hi5

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When you hear the words Social Networking, what comes to mind? Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, Linkedin etc. But since 2003 there is another player in the social networking game that generates a lot of buzz; the name of this site is Hi5. In the beginning of 2010, Hi5 acquired a gaming site called Big Six, and is raising money (in the millions) to extend their reach.

When a customer join the Hi5 network, he create a profile that includes his information, interests and he can upload pictures to create a photo album that is all his. He can also play games online and interact with other users. Just like in other social media sites, he can send his friends a friendly request to join, which can be accepted or declined. If the friend accepts the request, they are now connected in the 1st degree (direct friends). It is possible to be connected in the 2nd degree with friends of friends or in the 3rd degree with friends of friends of the direct contact. 67% of the users of Hi5 social network site are between the ages of 18 and 34.

As back as 2008, Hi5 was the third most popular social network, as far as unique visitors go.

Why didn’t you hear about it? Because Hi5 is most popular in other countries outside the United States, especially in South America. It is connected to Gmail and will send an invitation to join to all the Gmail addresses in the user’s address book.

Hi5 enables the user to express yourself, use avatars, share music, find friends, play games, give gifts, and if you so inclined, flirt on line.

Today, there are about 30 million users of Hi5, and about 200 million pages are served up every day.

With so many users worldwide the site offers innovative options and precise targeting with viral marketing techniques.

So what can Hi5 do for you as a small business owner?

–          Offers unique and engaged audiences who spend on average 20 minutes a day on the site and view 50 pages per day. It is aims at young audiences that like to share and talk about what they saw.

–          The site enables advertisers to target audiences based on interest, demographics, gender, language and other factors.

–          A range of advertising products: Banners, media placement, games, video pre-rolls, viral promotions, contests and sweepstakes.

–          It allows for homepage takeover, where the background of the sign-in page advertises your company, event of movie.

–          Interaction with customers that creates viral awareness.

–          You can insert ads that appear directly in conversations.

–          Place video ads before online games.

–          Mobile ads

–          Enables you to create or sponsor an online game.

–          It has standard ad units for home page, photo pages, game pages and friend’s pages.

Hi5 is another venue in social media that is able to raise awareness to you product. There are other sites that do that, but to get all the information about your possibilities, it is best to contact a consulting experts who are familiar with all the venues, like Puglisi Consulting Group (http://puglisiconsulting.com/#) and their specialty arm Visibility Acceleration (http://www.visibilityacceleration.com/) who can customize an advertising campaign that fits your budget and needs. They are experts who keep updating their knowledge with all the new methods of online advertising and visibility.

Digital Visibility – What is it all About?

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The world is changing very fast, and new trends appear, some to disappear even before they are launched. Businesses had to adjust to the new fast paced world or disappear. It is sometimes hard to believe this or that kind of trend will catch to find out you are completely wrong. And if you are not watching it closely, you might be left in the dust.

Look at what happened with newspapers. For a long time they fought tooth and nail with the internet, waiting for the news part of it to crash and burn. It didn’t happen, and slowly, too slowly for some, the written print started migrating to the electronic news gathering. These days every respectable newspaper has a website with all the news of the day on it, updating much faster than ever before. What used to be the domain of CNN, is now the field of many. New York Times will start charging for its website next year, and everybody is holding their breath to see if it’ll work. If this business model will, the written press might cease to exist all together. If not, they will be looking at other business models.

The music industry went through a major change is purchasing habits. Mega stores went out of business because suddenly there was no need for them. Everybody was downloading their music illegally from the internet.  The popular music was still very much in demand, but the internet offered quicker, more diverse and free music. The way the music industry fought it was to reign in the illegal downloads and enable the fans legal downloads for less than a dollar.

The movie and film industry are facing the same problem at the moment. How to reign in the illegal downloads the studios estimate cost them in the billions. Those who legged behind on the download wave, like Blockbuster, are going under. The company is about to announce bankruptcy will a debt of 1 billion dollars. Netflix and its fast turnover had a lot to do with it too.

The advertising industry went through a quite change that was not as dramatic. The ads still work, the television spot (if they are not zapped by TiVo) still bring costumers, but a whole new world opened up called Internet Marketing, and this world is changing in a neck breaking speed.

Websites have become the properties of many. People figured out ways how to advertise without really selling anything, by linking to other sites that did do the selling. The amount of users of the internet far excessed any known medium, and any new program that becomes popular, like Twitter, is securitized and maximized to generate profit.

What seems easy, because it can be done from a home computer, at all hours of the day or night, is anything but. This is a complex of many programs that can be tied to one another and aimed at creating link backs, visibility, presence and commerce.

It is enough to watch the video presentation on a site like Visibility Acceleration http://www.visibilityacceleration.com/ to understand how intricate it is. If you really want to make an impact in today’s market, a company like that one, who is a subsidiary of Puglisi Consulting Group, can show you the way and tailor your campaign to your budget.

Don’t Say “No” Before you Read 140 Characters

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In the last “State of the Union” speech President Obama gave, some politicians could be seen were busy twitting their remarks about what they just heard. Comedians do it too, to increase their audiences, and if the tweets are funny, they have a following. It’s for fans as well as a way to feel close to their idol. Justin Bieber tweets when he goes to eat, telling his fans what kinds of food he likes.

Twitter is a marketing tool as well and if it is used right can be a very useful tool. Here are a few examples how it can work:

–          A Global Communication company established an account. For a short time they learned the ropes, tried a few things but nothing big happened. The man in charge of the account found out there is a third company application that will alert him to tweets which contain certain words. Not long after, he got one of those from a company that is looking to revamp their communications and asked for recommendations. The man called the company, and less than two weeks later closed a deal for $250,000. He was there at the right time in the right place

–          A small independent Ice Cream shop in San Francisco had no money for advertising, but wanted to increase their circulation. A twitter account enabled them to stay in touch with their regular customers and let them know every time a new flavor is introduced. The reaction is amazing, says the shop co-owner. Every time they tweet about a new flavor, the response is immediate. Almost every customer that walks in asks for this flavor and more and more new customers are joining their ‘community’.

–          A bake shop owner in Los Angeles uses twitter in another way. She likes to experiment with new recipes but can’t afford to wait and see if the new creation will sell. Instead she tweets, and asks her followers to voice their honest opinions. Much cheaper then making a batch of muffins that don’t sell, or investing money in research and polling. Her latest muffins, with bacon, went through 3 changes fuelled by twitter comments before it became one of her best sellers.

These are only 3 examples how small business owners use Twitter accounts. It’s not enough anymore to just open an account and hunt for followers. Twitter is a tool and you have to know how to use it to maximize your exposure.

That is not so easy to do, when you do not know all the possibilities. By hiring someone who does know how to make it work for you, you get an exposure that costs you very little money compared with an advertising campaign. Visibility Acceleration (http://www.visibilityacceleration.com/) is a company that deals with electronic media and increasing your visibility in the market place. A subsidiary of Puglisi Consulting Group (http://puglisiconsulting.com/#), it can provide you with the knowledge and the connection to make every available electronic media work for your benefit and increase your business.