A File Transfering Phone App

This latest technology will help to make the new generation of all new media all the time a reality. Even those that can't stand the restraints of cell phones and are still only using the internet to do major projects with their partners and team, will be pleased to hear about the Nimbuzz technology.

Nimbuzz is a phone application that allows its users to see who´s online and where, participate in conference calls in chat rooms, transfer files such as photos/music/video and make their own ringtones. It also allows for international calling and voicemail. The best part, Nimbuzz is FREE!

To find out more of what real Nimbuzz users are saying, CLICK HERE.

Desperate Housewives: The New Chic

According to Hernandez and Minor (2003), "Advergaming is the use of electronic games to deliver advertising messages in order to build brand awareness, to offer product information, and to provide a means to compare similar products, for the purpose of developing lasting exchange relationships with the customers."

The beauty of advergaming is that most games are made with a demographic already in mind. Meaning, if companies know that Grand Theft Auto is meant for young boys into destruction and cars, they know to sell space to race car and alcohol companies. And since most of the unique gaming ideas are now taken, console companies now have the opportunity to partner with television networks to create games that will have a guaranteed audience based on known ratings. As we all know, the new millennium is all about collaboration!

The Desperate Housewives game is one example of a collaboration between ABC and PC CD.



What makes this game effective is not only its guaranteed audience based on video game savvy television show fans, but also the interactivity that it introduces. What seems to be just another SIMS-like game, gives you adventure and a soap opera all at the same time. This game is based on a new housewife that moves into the neighborhood and starts her dramatic life by interacting with the well-known Desperate Housewives characters, choosing her house and wardrobe, and going on adventures. The game player is the new chic! The game lures bored video game fans into the show by giving them a fantasy life filled with drama and adventure. It keeps the Desperate Housewives fans hooked by allowing them to become part of the show and choose their fantasy life from the beginning while they answer trivia about their favorite show.

Hilarious Twitter Mockumentaries

Repost: 10 Facts About Micro-Blogging

The following facts about micro-blogging come from Mindy McAdams, her site, Teaching Online Journalism, is dedicated to student communicators. The article can be found at http://mindymcadams.com/tojou/2008/twitter-mumbai-and-10-facts-about-journalism-now/.

10 Facts About Micro-Blogging

1.Breaking news will be online before it’s on television.

2.Breaking news — especially disasters and attacks in the middle of a city — will be covered first by non-journalists.

3.The non-journalists will continue providing new information even after the trained journalists arrive on the scene.

4.Cell phones will be the primary reporting tool at first, and possibly for hours.

5.Cell phones that can use a wireless Internet connection in addition to a cellular phone network are a more versatile reporting tool than a phone alone.

6.Still photos, transmitted by citizens on the ground, will tell more than most videos.

7.The right video will get so many views, your servers might crash (I’m not aware of this happening with any videos from Mumbai).

8.Live streaming video becomes a user magnet during a crisis. (CNN.com Live: 1.4 million views as of 11:30 a.m. EST today, according to Beet.tv.)

9.Your print reporters need to know how to dictate over the phone. If they can get a line to the newsroom, it might be necessary.

10.Your Web team must be prepared for this kind of crisis reporting.

FTC Attempts to Regulate Social Media!

A recent article by Tameka Kee of Forbes.com, states that the Federal Trade Commission is now "moving to regulate social-media advertising." Sounds necessary right? If it were only that simple...

The FTC is not only working on a plan of action to regulate social-media advertising, it already has some rather harsh ideas of what this plan should be. For example, companies would get sued for stating that a product is good, even if it's not and bloggers would no long be able to make money off of pay-per-review posts.

The most appalling of these proposed guidelines comes from this report: "Word-of-mouth marketing is not exempt from the laws of truthful advertising," Richard Cleland, the assistant director for the FTC’s division of advertising practices.

The point of the new model of communications is that "consumers" now have an open forum to express their opinions and ideas. They are now able tell advertisers and companies what they do and do not like about products and images. Although I do agree that there should be regulations on online advertising, it is archaic and oppressive to propose the guidelines discussed in this Forbes.com article.

Burger King's YouTube Campaign

"Google/YouTube created Burger King video campaign with Family Guy creator; 20M views; 65K comments. BK very happy with unique campaign," said author Newt Barrett on his March 23 tweet. This gave credibility to the Burger King advertising team to those of us young adults who absolutely love family guy!

Once I began my research on this unique campaign, I came across articles showing many Burger King collaborations. The company is taking full advantage of new media resources and its demographic. Another example of a Burger King collaboration can be found in the article "Burger King, Diddy partner for ad campaign, YouTube promotion" by Nation's Restaurant News on the blog "BNet."

This article discusses the partnership between Sean "Diddy" Combs (aka Puff Daddy) and Burger King to create a YouTube channel dedicated to Diddy's fans. In many music circles Diddy is known as the "King of Hip-Hop." Therefore, when he stated, "When two kings get together you know they gotta do it big," music fans everywhere could relate. (This original Diddy Burger King video can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLcPIolG_8E.) Burger King expects the partnership to be a "long-term relationship that is wide open in terms of Diddy's contributions as a Burger King brand ambassador," said Russ Klein, president of global marketing, strategy and innovation.

It seems that Burger King's advertising team has done an excellent job in reaching out to its American demographic of young adults and most critics would agree.

Then again, the advertising team created a facebook application to coincide with this campaign that in the opinion of John Boyle, was ineffective due to its' negativity. Although the Family Guy's basis on humor is negative, Boyle believes that not only does it effect friendships, which is the point of social networking, it goes against basic rules of the trade. "Why on earth would you create a viral marketing campaign centered on negativity? It’s the old comedy rule: Surprise the audience and stay positive. It’s always funnier," said Boyle.

Although Boyle is right that the surprise element of positivity is a great tactic, I do not agree that it is always funnier. If you watch the majority of routines done on Comedy Central and by up-and-coming comics, they are based on making fun of different areas of diversity. The most well-known comics and comical campaigns are based on negative comments that make negative stereotypes sound ignorant.

Burger King has done a great job in turning around its advertising tactics and its use of new media. Burger Kings YouTube channel can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/bk.