Warring Tribes: When Playground Fights Go Public

Ike Pigott had the best analysis of a recent online spat between two consultants. What's not to love about any post that resurrects Spike the Bulldog and Chester the Terrier?I won't be so graceful. The brush-up between Kami Huyse and Peter Shankman is intriguing because it ends with two kids meeting up after school in the playground, encircled by their pre-pubescent friends, stomping their feet, clapping their hands,...

Trusting Companies: Consumers Look To Connect Online

Looking just beyond the drum beat of get social media or die, Siemens Enterprise Communications released a study that consumers are looking to connect with companies via social media platforms. Siemens is a provider of end-to-end enterprise communications, including voice, network infrastructure, and security solutions.Interestingly enough, Siemens says the study shows that both employees and consumers want more social...

Ranking Content Providers: Fresh Content Project, Second Quarter

For those who don't know (or maybe forgot), Copywrite, Ink. is running a year-long experiment called the Fresh Content Project, which puts popularity to the test. By eliminating the popularity equation from about 250 blogs, we pick a single standout post per day (with weekend posts spilling into Monday). There is no algorithm.In fact, we don't even tally daily picks until the end of each quarter. And, after kicking it...

Serving Oddballs: Fresh Content Project

Every now again, the only way to describe an entire week of fresh picks is to admit they're all off kilter. The first full week in July was much like that, with five posts that make us blink at the less celebrated outcomes of social media. Right. Sometimes social media does the unexpected. Numbers get twisted for effect and then still land on the front page of mainstream media. Media outlets create contests to make fun...

Fading Creativity: How To Reignite Yourself And Your Kids Too

Shortly after IBM released its poll of 1,500 CEOs who identified creativity as the no. 1 “leadership competency,” Newsweek published an article that was sure to disappoint. U.S. creativity scores are on the decline. According to the article, American teachers warn there’s no room in the curriculum for creativity classes. But scientists are quick to point out that art isn't the only path to creativity. The creative process...

Getting Swaggered: Old Spice And Minivans?

If social media buzz ruled the world, we'd all smell like Old Spice and drive minivans. And, without the benefit of the YouTube videos to back up the imagery of what we're supposed to relate to, it's a very frightening thought. Thank goodness some people are interested in seeing sales numbers before adopting the practice of flash-in-the-pan spots where companies poke fun at themselves. But do ads that draw more attention...