Updates from December, 2008

• World Economic Forum Gets Social
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 11:14 am on December 19, 2008 | Comments Off Comments Permalink
  Tags: WOM in Politics (94)

  WEF’s annual meeting is typically an invitation-only event and strictly limited to the criteria and quota of each of its stakeholder groups. However, the 2009 meeting promises to be different. The WEF is inviting the public to discuss key issues on the economy, US politics, business ethics, and the environment via social media. WEF will be coordinating discussion on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and an OpenForum wiki, as well as a photo group on Flickr and videos on the WEF website.

  The full story at The Guardian:
  http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/dec/15/digitalmedia-youtube
  

  

  

   

• Aussies Filter The Web for Objectionable Material
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 11:13 am on December 19, 2008 | Comments Off Comments Permalink
  Tags: WOM in Politics (94), WOM Trends (737)

  In an effort to protect children from exploitation and discourage adults from downloading illegal content, the Australian government is moving forward with plans to implement a nationwide online filter of objectionable material. Under the proposed system, all Australian web service providers would be required to block access to about 10,000 web sites on a list maintained by the Australian Communications and Media Authority. Service providers also would be required to offer an optional filter that could be used to block material deemed unsuitable for children.

  The full story at Marketing VOX:
  http://www.marketingvox.com/aussie-govt-to-pilot-nationwide-net-filter-042471/?utm_campaign=rssfeed&utm_source=mv&utm_medium=textlink
  

  

  

   

• Beware the Facebook Foreclosure Poke
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 11:12 am on December 19, 2008 | Comments Off Comments Permalink
  Tags: WOM in Politics (94)

  Here is one friend request you cannot ignore. After a lawyer for MKM Capital failed in its attempts to reach an Australian couple at their house and by e-mail, a court in Australia approved the use of Facebook to serve a foreclosure notice. In a statement, Facebook praised the ruling. “We’re pleased to see the Australian court validate Facebook as a reliable, secure and private medium for communication. The ruling is also an interesting indication of the increasing role that Facebook is playing in people’s lives.”

  The full story at MSNBC:
  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28255716/from/ET/
  

  

  

   

• London South Bank University Offers B.A. in Social Technology
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 11:11 am on December 19, 2008 | Comments Off Comments Permalink
  Tags: WOM Trends (737)

  Believed to be the first complete undergraduate course in social technology for business, the focus of the program is on people’s use of technology rather than technology for its own sake. The program allows students to study all aspects of the social uses and abuses of technologies such as email, chat, instant message, mobile phones, text messages, and online social sites like Facebook and YouTube. Over the course of the three-year degree, students will study a variety of foundation units that will enable them to put social technology into context and practice.

  The full story at Social Media Portal:
  http://socialmediaportal.com/News/2008/12/Dedicated-social-media-degree-course-launched-by-LSBU.aspx
  

  

  

   

• Young Turks and Prime Minister Defy YouTube Ban
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 11:10 am on December 19, 2008 | Comments Off Comments Permalink
  Tags: WOM in Politics (94)

  Earlier this year, a court in Istanbul issued an order denying its citizens from accessing YouTube. In fact, a young Turk trying to access YouTube will most likely be met with the following message: “Access to this site has been denied by court order!” However, as Idil Cakim of WOMMA member GolinHarris has discovered, Turkish Internet users are taking the back roads to access the video-sharing site. The number of visitors to YouTube from Turkey, increased two-fold after the country’s prime minister said he has been frequenting the video-sharing website, despite the ban implemented by courts for almost a year. Milliyet, a leading Turkish paper, recently reported the number of Turkish visitors to YouTube has reached 800,000 per day, pushing the site to one of the most viewed Web destinations in the country.

  The full story at dot WOM:
  http://dotwom.blogspot.com/2008/12/ban-on-youtube-doesnt-stop-young-turks.html
  

  

  

   

• Make Your Friends into Your Evangelists
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 12:55 pm on December 18, 2008 | Comments Off Comments Permalink
  Tags: WOM How-to (591)

  From the Search Marketing Gurus weekly tips videos comes this week’s latest installment: “Turning Your Friends Into Fans - Social Media Tips Video Transcript.” Certainly, one of the best parts about this post is that Search Marketing Gurus has provided a visual accompaniment to their ideas, which are quoted below:
  “Be A Real Person: First we’ve got “Become a Real Person” to these people not a company. People want to connect with people, they don’t want to connect with ‘things’.”
  “Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help: Ask them [your fans, readers; your customers] to help you with information on how they use the product, or how they use their service. Ask them for their feedback. Honestly when they have that kind of investment in there, they’ll turn into your fans.”
  
  “Give Up Some Control: The third, last thing we want to look at is ‘Give Some Ownership’ over.”
  Check out the full post after the jump.

  The full story at Search Marketing Gurus:
  http://www.searchmarketinggurus.com/search_marketing_gurus/2008/12/online-marketing-tips-video-turning-your-friends-into-fans.html
  

  

  

   

• Monetizing Microblogging
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 12:54 pm on December 18, 2008 | Comments Off Comments Permalink
  Tags: WOM How-to (591), WOM Trends (737)

  The age old microblogging question (okay, maybe only a few years old) has been, “how the heck do we make money from these microblogs?”
  Richard Scoble of Scobleizer.com asked this very question, specifically focusing on Twitter, Tumblr, and Friendfeed. Thankfully, Scoble has also provided some answers on monetizing the microblog sphere, and the reader responses are stocked with additional useful insights into how microblogs just might begin earning some revenue for their creators’ hard work.

  The full story at Scobleizer:
  http://scobleizer.com/2008/12/16/tumblrs-ceo-brainstorms-microblog-monetization/
  

  

  

   

• Holiday [New Media] Charity Efforts
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 12:52 pm on December 18, 2008 | Comments Off Comments Permalink
  Tags: WOM and Social Networks (700), WOM How-to (591), WOM Trends (737)

  Seth Godin found three exciting new media charity plans that rely almost exclusively on new media and social networking.
  “Pistachio is putting her twitter followers to work ($2 a head).”
  “Squidoo is giving away $30,000 via twitter.”
  “Givelist is blog, clearinghouse and portal for a whole bunch of new thinking on this front.”
  Check out the bottom of Pistachio’s page for a great integration of Twitter and donating for a good cause.

  The full story at Seth Godin’s Blog:
  http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/12/interesting-new.html
  

  

  

   

• Rappers’ “I Get on the TTC” (Toronto Transit Commission) Bolstered by TTC Commissioner
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 12:51 pm on December 18, 2008 | Comments Off Comments Permalink
  Tags: Viral Marketing (187), WOM How-to (591)

  First of all, we just need to point out that “I Get on the TTC,” a piece by a rappers duo from Toronto about the venerated and oft-criticized transit system, is a great song.
  Secondly, it’s essential to add that in the past, many organizations like the TTC have responded to such “fan” videos terribly. Thankfully, the TTC did not miss the boat here, and did not issue a cease and desist letter, or try to invalidate the rappers in any way.
  In fact, the duo even got a call from Toronto official and were honored by Toronto Mayor David Miller, along with January Metropasses. A pitch-perfect response by the TTC.

  The full story at mathewingram.com/work:
  http://www.mathewingram.com/work/2008/12/17/the-ttc-does-the-right-thing/
  

  

  

   

• Saturn Fans Fight for Their Company’s Survival in GM Restructuring
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 12:50 pm on December 18, 2008 | Comments Off Comments Permalink
  Tags: Viral Marketing (187)

  In a recent plan submitted to Congress, GM stated that it would concentrate on “four core brands,” Buick, GMC, Chevrolet, and Cadillac.
  The hitch in the plan for many is this leaves out Pontiac, Saab, Hummer, and Saturn.
  Not ready to roll over, Saturn fans have launched an online WOM campaign to save their favorite cars, replete with over 2,500 Saturn fanatics posting their vehicle photographs on SaturnFans.com. Their campaign seems to be working, as we found this article on CNN, and it even includes an audio slideshow with interviews with Saturn fans.
  The WOM campaign is working; let’s see if it can overturn the powerful forces at the tables in Congress.

  The full story at CNN:
  http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/12/10/saturn.owners/index.html?eref=rss_topstories