Updates from May, 2009

• Wikicourt Excommunicates Scientology
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 1:09 pm on May 29, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  

  A longstanding trial in the Wikipedia Supreme Court ruled that Scientologist editors must go. The public encyclopedia regularly bans members who tamper with entries to promote their own interest, but this is the first ban on an entire organization. One insider who left the church in 2000 stated that the church actively and vehemently works to fight online criticism and promote their image. Wikipedia decided the organization as a whole was working against the website’s goal of creating a neutral and unbiased information source for the public.

  The full story at The Register UK:
  http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/29/wikipedia_bans_scientology/
  

   

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• Indonesian Clerics Defriend Facebook
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 1:09 pm on May 29, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  

  Islamic clerics urged Muslims in Indonesia to only use social networking sites like Facebook and Friendster to promote Islamic values. According to them, the use of the popular websites could lead to flirting, gossiping, and obscenity. Indonesia as a country is the fifth largest user of Facebook, and few think the citizens will stop using their beloved social networks to prevent something that has been happening in kitchens, street corners and bars since the dawn of time.

  The full story at The Sydney Morning Hearld:
  http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/indonesian-muslim-clerics-frown-at-facebook-20090523-bihy.html
  

   

• Would We Follow our Friends to the Gym?
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 1:09 pm on May 29, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  

  British researchers are testing to see if one person’s healthy behavior influences other people in a group. By using software installed on smart phones, they show participants their degree of health compared to others with either a blooming or withering flowerbed. They are also planning studies to measure what degree of influence friends have on each other to move towards a more sustainable lifestyle. Healthier people? More sustainable lifestyle? It seems like there is nothing word of mouth can’t accomplish.

  The full story at eHealthEurope:
  http://ehealtheurope.net/news/4883/social_media_may_%E2%80%98nudge%E2%80%99_users_to_health
  

   

• Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Facebook Fan Page in the Works?
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 1:09 pm on May 29, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  

  Facebook was banned for a few days before being made available again to Iranian Internet users. With nearly one third of the country using the Internet, political candidates have found it to be a useful tool for getting their message to the public. Major presidential contenders had made use of Twitter, personal webpages and YouTube to get a buzz going. It goes to show that social media continues to be an effective tool in connecting people and ideas no matter what the place or social constraints.

  The full story at L.A. Times:
  http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iran-facebook27-2009may27,0,5873106.story
  

   

• Friends Don’t Let Friends Buy Boring Products
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 1:04 pm on May 28, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  

  From MIT to Facebook, researchers are studying social networking data to understand the common interests of friends. By utilizing the friendship data received from sites like Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, and Linkedin, businesses can better target likely customers on the Internet. With some promising studies yielding triple-click rates, online marketers are taking note. Companies like IBM are taking it one step further by using internal social networking programs to understand employee interests and pairing workers with people they like for increased productivity. This new type of data, unavailable a decade ago, is bringing marketing and business to a new level of consumer connection.

  The full story at Business Week:
  http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_22/b4133032573293.htm
  

   

• WOMMA Members in the News
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 1:04 pm on May 28, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  

  As Washington’s largest locally based insurer, PEMCO Insurance believes people of the Northwest deserve an insurance company as different as they are. That’s the sentiment behind the company’s “We’re A Lot Like You. A Little Different.” ad campaign, which seeks to celebrate the differences – or quirks – shared by many in the Northwest through profiles of recognizable residents. On May 20, PEMCO hosted a reception at Seattle’s iconic Space Needle to unveil its newest Northwest Profile – the “4-Way Stop, You Go, No You Go, No You Go Guy.” The event’s purpose was to celebrate the new profile and to debut its 30-second TV ad that would be featured in a story on Evening Magazine, the local NBC affiliate’s news magazine show.
  Domino’s Pizza engages social media pioneer, New Media Strategies, for customer engagement and strategy. Domino’s has taken decisive and progressive action in partnering with New Media Strategies to assist them in strengthening their relationships with consumers and online communities. As a leader in the industry, New Media Strategies has been asked to help Domino’s continue to incorporate social media into their overall communications plan, expand consumer trust, and build excitement in new services and products like the Domino’s Pizza Tracker and Bread Bowl Pastas.
  Dell is leveraging the power of social networks in a new marketing scheme being tried out in Singapore. If you agree to buy a laptop on Dell Swarm, the discounted price drops as others join your “swarm” and also buy. The Swarm ends when it reaches the maximum number of 15 buyers or a time limit of 72 hours, whichever comes first.

   

• National Geographic: Not Just For Your Father’s Bookshelf Anymore
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 1:04 pm on May 28, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  

  National Geographic, known worldwide for its breathtaking coverage of our planet, has ventured deep into the jungles of social media. By hitting every major online social venue, they have connected with their avid fans, nearly half a million on Facebook and 150,000 on YouTube. Their strategy of not only posting but also interacting with the public has created a fun, searchable and regularly updated place to find world-class nature videos. Simply by keeping up to date with the latest in social media, they’ve found a way to keep their fans excited and talking about their magazine, website and TV station.

  The full story at Ignite Social Media:
  http://www.ignitesocialmedia.com/social-media-marketing-example-national-geographic/
  

   

• YouTube Guru Kevin Nalts Lampoons The Enlightened Stupid Marketer
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 1:04 pm on May 28, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  

  In a newly released YouTube short, Kevin Nalts reveals his (dis)taste for corporate speak. His penchant for lighthearted self-deprecation will have marketing haters chuckling and marketers rolling. This video lights a match under the managers’ weekly motivational speech and begs the question, “How can we satisfy the client and connect with the consumer without sounding ridiculous?”

  The full story at Pharma Marketing:
  http://pharmamkting.blogspot.com/2009/05/new-nalts-video-resurfaces-enlightened.html
  

   

• Analyzing the Role of Your Communities Manager
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 1:40 pm on May 27, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  

  It’s a role more and more organizations are filling nowadays. Some see the title as Community Manager, some as Director of Conversations, some as Social Media Executive. There are many titles, but they are all essentially doing the same thing, and Buzz Canuck was nice enough to break down that role into levels we can all understand. As Buzz Canuck explains, ”Community managers are the future host of your organization conversations - part corporate journalist, part PR person, part customer service, part likable, part sociable and enthusiastic face, part technologist, part Renaissance person and part brand fanatic, these are roles not easily configured inside companies currently.”

  The full story at Buzz Canuck:
  http://buzzcanuck.typepad.com/agentwildfire/2009/05/the-community-manager-role-unplugged-15-essential-roles.html
  

   

• Coin-Operated Tweeting
  
  

  WOMMA Editor 1:40 pm on May 27, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink | Post Your Comment!
  

  This is almost too good to be true. And, as we’re prone of saying of late, we couldn’t make this stuff up. A coin operated machine from the 1930’s, where (many years before mobiles were dreamed of) you could leave a message for a friend to pick up later. The machines were placed in stations and highly trafficked areas and on leaving your message and paying a small fee, your localized note would be displayed for a few hours. 80 years ahead of its time? Maybe. Or, proof that technological social networking has been on the brain for a while, and that computers are just the latest medium for doing so.

  The full story at MobHappy:
  http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2009/05/18/twitter-local-from-the-1930s/