Monthly Archive for April, 2008

Marketing via the blogosphere - send an embeddable video

Published
by
toby
on April 23, 2008
in Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

It’s notoriously difficult to do but can be done. The objective is to get bloggers to put your message out there and discuss your web service.

Take this example, a nice email from Sky News producer Ruth with a thank you video for contributions to the Sky News Technology programme (nightly 7.30 GMT…) to embed in my blog. How can I refuse? Here it is

The only issue is that the embed code is not compatible with WordPress (the engine I use to blog with) so I had to provide a link rather than embed it direct in this post. WordPress supports Google and Youtube videos only.

This unfortunately may be the real message of web 2 marketing - you still need to use the existing platforms and get your message and content out that way.

This leaves Sky in a quandary as they want to be media channel not a content provider. So they need to be one of these platforms that WordPress supports - allow me to post and exchange High Quality digital videos in a format like their Sky News player.

So well done Sky News, something nice for my blog, good publicity for Sky News and no money changed hands. Now come on Sky online - be a platform for users as well as for yourselves and compete with Youtube head on with a high quality (widescreen) video excahnge platform.

What makes Facebook different from the web

Published
by
toby
on April 8, 2008
in Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

Dinner Party

OK, so Facebook is a fun, easy to use, mega popular site but is it different from the web by degree, many small differences, or by substance, a different thing altogether?

I argue for a substance difference:

  • The web is fundamentally anonymous - no-one knows who you are
  • Facebook is fundamentally identified - you are authenticated with your real identity, evidenced by your real friends being part of your network

This creates a new platform - Facebook is private while the web is open; Facebook is the equivalent of a dinner party while the web is a street party.

You wouldn’t serve Coq au Vin at a street party and you wouldn’t use plastic cups at a dinner party. You need to change your offering to satisfy a new environment.