WillBurrus.com

This is classic. Some of you will get it, some won't. For those that do, enjoy!

Here is a great article that ran in the Wall Street Journal this morning on Marketing in the Web 2.0 world. Great food for thought for marketers and consumers alike.

 

How Stupid is the Thought of A Black Browser? 

 

You know, I was one of the ones who cringed at the thought of a 'Black Web Browser' and I certainly exercised my inner advocate to complain about it on Twitter. But I just watched the interview with the CEO on BrianLehrer.tv and realize why this whole idea backfired in his face so quickly, and why I will give him the benefit of the doubt in spite of his naivety.

BlackBird and the "Colorblind" Web from Brian Lehrer Live on Vimeo.

 

A Browser Is A Type of Technology, Not A Type of Content.

 

There are plenty of opportunities for niche content on the web. This is quite acceptable and even expected in the digital economy. However, when you come out with an application that is marketed specifically at a niche, you will always inevitably invoke a spirit of exclusivity. An application requires much more than a search for content, it requires a commitment on the part of the user to install, engage, and commit to its use. An application is typically used to solve a TECHNOLOGY problem, not a CULTURE problem. I heard the CEO mention that Internet Explorer, Mozilla, or what I will feel is a true comparison to this tool, Flock, are technically 'white browsers' by virtue of the fact that they are percieved to be largely used by white people (which I am still struggling with). This thought is counter to the digital mindset and hence skewed because they were not created for a specific target audience, they were created as a tool to be used to gather content by anyone.

 

Oh Well, Everybody Makes Mistakes.

 

So now, my anger and frustration has turned into pity. I thought this was an exploitative move when I first heard about it; a cheap marketing angle to capitalize on an underserved technology niche. I cringed because I just knew I was going to have to go from being 'Will' to being 'Black Will' and explain this one away. Now, I am calm and I just think this CEO Ed Young just doesnt get it.

This was an incredibly short-sighted business idea. He should find some way to make it innovative, call it something else, and try again.

What do you think? (Dare i ask... :-) 

Are Social Networks Sinking? 

So, I ran across this interesting question presented in this article on technology Review today and it struck a nerve that can be best explained with this question: Linked In or Plaxo? 

Ever since I have taken this plunge into the matrix of digital activity out here, I am almost daily faced with a new network to join. Most of the time, it's a network that offers the same services as an existing tool..plus one extra feature! While I understand the game, I have found myself repeatedly scratching my head wondering..."How did this get funded?" 

 

Thin Out The Numbers.... 

This has led me to the conclusion that there are just too many networks out there with not enough competitive differentiation to justify sinking more time into them. In fact, I have been hoping that more of them would fall off just to reduce the options! I mean honestly, ever since I started Twittering I haven't even taken the time to keep up my Facebook account, and those are two completely different networks! Do we really need another?

With that being said, I am not surprised about Pownce, Values of N, or any of the other recent casualties of the recession. The world could use less social networks. Then we can focus on making the staple ones better.

Nah...Survival of the Fittest

You know, I don't think they are sinking though. That's harsh. Social Media has revealed itself as a new and effective communication vehicle for communicating in realtime exponentially. No recession or bubble is going to change this reality.

God help us when they figure out how to actually make money off of these things though!

I don't know...What do you think? 

social media

This is a great presentation that we have just posted up on SlideShare about the Emotions of Healthcare Seekers. Very though-provoking piece. Enjoy!

Facebook is Dead.
So I had an interesting epiphany today. Facebook is dead. Interactive Marketing killed it. I know this sounds a bit grandiose but hear me out.

We all know the great story of how Facebook came to be. It was created by some Harvard kids to essentially automate (again the 'Remote Control factor') the paper facebooks that students would use to get to know one another on campus. It eventually grew into a huge community of users who use it to keep in touch with their friends lives. Great technology, right! Great purpose. It helps us to stay in touch with people. Score one for technology once again helping peoples lives...

Enter the Dragon
Being the cool useful technology that it is, it quickly grows to 127 million users. That’s sounds like dollars and the marketers want in! They are going to throw anything at Facebook to get the attention of anyone in hopes that a viral spark will be lit and massive amounts of business will be driven back to the client! Can you blame them? 127 million people is a BIG audience? Not a problem. We can deal with some branded mini-apps and we consumers enjoy exploring our advocacy powers for brands we like. Heck, I just convinced someone on Facebook NOT to buy a Samsung Insight (I think) because I found out it was a piece of crap! Either way, I still have my community of real friends whom I can keep in touch with from afar…

Here comes evolution.
OK. So we created a cool tech, and we let the marketers in to monetize it and give us some face time with brands, but wait…something doesn't feel right. I have a lot of friends now…some of them aren't real people…some of them I don't really know that well! Oh well, it's kind of cool and gratifying to see my list of friends grow. I wonder if I can get a many friends on Facebook as I have connections on Linked in?

The Point
So what is the point of this rambling narrative? I was at a conference recently where the presenter listed his count of Facebook friends as a credential to validate his net worth or value on the internet. It was listed right along with the amount of blogs he authors, columns he writes, education background, etc. As I was explaining this in a client meeting I suddenly realized… our value on the internet is quickly becoming directly attributed to the amount of people we have access to through these social networks. The amount of people you can share a thought, link, pitch, idea, or product with at any given point is critical to your success of your personal brand. This in itself is monetizable, similar to how a user registration database full of email addresses is valuable to a web based business. If you have a massive reach on the internet, I have to believe that companies would be willing to pay large sums of money to advertise to your network through you.

And now…the Amway Effect
So your 'friends' aren't really friends anymore. They are now all potential customers. If my goal is to market my personal brand and try to be successful in this new networked age, should I try to build my list of connections as much as possible on all of these networks, irregardless of if I have a personal relationship with these users or not? If I want to validate myself in my field, how many Facebook connections makes me interesting? How many make me a rock star?

Score another one for the Marketing folks. They have turned our precious Facebook into the ultimate PR tool. Or maybe we technology folks we're just naïve in not seeing the PR potential of a technology that communicates to so many so easily.

Suddenly, I feel conflicted. What do you think? I'll think I'll blast this post out to my network on Twitter and see if I can't gets some clarity, or at least some consolation.

interactive marketing, personal brand

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have been soapboxing daily on the necessity for us all to dive into this social media pool and quickly learn how to swim.

For those that don't, let me just say that I believe that we are quickly shifting from an information age to a networked age and this age will be defined by a completely different set of parameters. This post on SocialMediaRockstar is a brilliant explanation of what I have been trying to articulate.

Enjoy!