Eco-Friendly Digital Marketing Internship

I started noticing the new Re-Connect feature on Facebook, that prompts users to reconnect with a friend that they haven’t spoken to in a while. Since Facebook doesn’t really “announce” new features, the recent addition didn’t strike me as a recent addition until after a couple days. Truthfully, I haven’t reconnected with anyone that has popped up, and none of my friends have ever mentioned doing it either. I’m curious to see how successful it has been?

Pete Cashmore recently posted some less than desirable scenarios that have been occurring because of the new application: “It’s recommending they reconnect with their (current) husband or wife. It’s even advising people to reconnect with friends who have died, causing obvious distress.”

Whether Mark Zuckerberg will correct the mishap is to be determined, but for now, I think we will all wait and see where this new accessory will venture to.

Not in a million years would I have fathomed receiving digital marketing advice from David Plouffe, President elect Barack Obama’s campaign manager, let alone be able to ask him questions.  Thanks to the incredible Digital Maketing World conference held by Marketing Profs on April 1st, 2009 I can actually say I have. 

A week ago if I was asked to attend a conference where David Plouffe was to be the guest speaker, despite my interest in it, I would have declined thinking it would be out of my budget to travel to the conference, pay for a hotel, and actually pay the fees to attend the varied events and seminars.  Today, my answer would be different. 

Marketing Profs Digital Marketing World virtual conference allowed everyone and anyone with an interest in digital marketing to attend a conference with some of the leaders in the Digital Marketing industry from the comfort of their own home at no cost.  Platform provider InXpo in conglomeration with Marketing Profs created an online conference that was far beyond any I have been to in person.  The conference included everything from an image of a beautiful convention centre where the conference was being held, to an auditorium where the speakers would present, an exhibit hall where companies could hold their booths, a resource center where you could download information provided by vendors and the event schedule, to a lounge where you could mix and mingle with others attending.

The conference also eliminated the need for vendors and participants to travel to the site.  It eliminated the need for vendors to create elaborate exhibits, print stacks of pamphlets and informational packages, as well as spend money on chotchkies and doodads to give away.  Making it one of the greenest conferences I have attended.

Other benefits to the online aspect included the fact that there was no line up in front of a booth for a chance to have a conversation with a vendor, there was no rush to get a seat at a seminar, or even the awkward conversation about the weather whilst trying to mingle with others around you. 

When you arrived at each booth a chat window would open where you could see all the conversations going on and join in, or ask for a one on one conversation.  There were several representatives at most booths so there was no waitin in line necessary.  Each booth also had ample information for you to look at with links to their websites, blogs, and so on.  Some vendors even went as far as to provide an opportunity to win prizes like an I-Pod or a book to those stopping by.

The auditorium held a scheduled set of speakers who provided visuals to go along with their live podcast as well as a question and answer session to which you could submit your questions via the live chat window, or via e-mail. 

It was an easy to use, entertaining, intriguing event with so much to offer.  Thankfully all the content and resources from the Marketing Profs Digital Marketing World virtual conference are still available for 90 days for anyone that missed out.

Deepti Dewan Chowdhry

In recent new, Jerry Yang, CEO of Yahoo,has just announced that he is stepping down. Yang said he would continue his duties until the board announced his successor. He also agreed to assist in the process for finding his replaceent. Finally, Yang said he would continue to work for Yahoo and return to his previous job as “chief Yahoo,” a corporate strategy role in addition to remaining on the board. Yang was in control of Yahoo for about a year and a half.

The decision is said to have been mutual between Yang and the board. Although the board was grateful to Jerry’s contributions over the past year and half, they are looking for someone to take the company to the next level.

Ross Sandler, analyst at RBS Capital Markets, saw this change as a positive decision from what he calls a “shareholders perspective.” He said Yang did little to restore confidence in any of Yahoo’s shareholders, employees or customers after botching the Microsoft deal. In February, Yang refused to accept Microsoft’s bid of $31 a share. He attempted to show some willingness to sell the company but at a much higher price Microsoft was not willing to pay. Due to this, Microsoft rescinded its offer in May.

Yang attempted to develop a plan to help Yahoo compete against Google. He made several cuts in the staff and planned to lay off at least 10% of its 15,000 employees. During the time that this was stated, Yahoo’s net income fell 64% and lowered its revenue projections for the year. Yang made an advertising deal with its rival Google. The deal was supposed to bring Yahoo $250-$450 million in additional cash flow for the first year. Under pressure from regulators over antitrust concersn Google backed out of the deal. Since this deal fell through, many analysts have stated that yahoo might be forced to consider a deal with Microsoft or a merger with AOL. Who know’s what is in store for Yahoo in the near future.

Althouh Jerry Yang seemed very dedicated to the Yahoo corporation, his ability to take Yahoo to the next level did not go as expected. Although he dissapointed the board, he is at least sticking to his company and continuing to support it despite his job situation. As Yang most recently stated, “i have always, and will always bleed purple(in reference to Yahoo’s corporate color).”

For those of us who were watching the election results last week on CNN, there was something new: ‘holograms’ were used to bring both reporter Jessica Yellin and rapper Will.i.am to the CNN press center in New York, although both were actually in Chicago at the time.

How did they do it? Sadly for Star Wars fans everywhere, the images were not true holograms – they were holographic images created using multiple high-definition cameras. It seemed as though Wolf Blitzer was able to conduct face-to-face interviews with Yellin and Will.i.am, and that their images were visible to those in the press center. In reality, the interviewees could only be seen on a monitor in the press room, and Blitzer use cues such as tape on the floor to know where to direct his questions.

Critics have remarked that the use of the holographic image technology was pointless in this situation, not really a hologram, and detracted from the ‘feel’ that comes from traditional on location interviews.

While the interviews did lack the scenery and background of the location due to the constraints of the technology, I don’t feel that CNN made a mistake here in choosing to debut it on that historic night. True, advantages of sending a reporter to a remote location are those background shots and sounds that can only be found there. However, CNN had plenty of other excellent footage from Chicago, and viewers were able to see what was going on without an interviewee standing in the way.

Additionally, I disagree with the idea that the technology makes sending a reporter pointless because of the lack of the background shots for viewers. Shouldn’t a reporter be able to relate what they’ve seen without having it right behind them? In this case, in which there wasn’t an action-packed car chase or a volcano erupting, I feel that it was actually very appropriate for CNN to focus on the interviewee and what they were saying.

There are some downsides to using the holographic image technology: as mentioned, ‘face-to-face’ remote interviews are still a few light years away, and the interviewee must stay in one spot during an interview. There is the risk of unethical use of the technology, in projecting realistic images onto shots without informing viewers. That being said, the upsides include more realistic remote interviews, without distractions.Is this the future of news media? If so, will Wolf start interviewing reporters in exotic locations from the comfort of his own home – two ‘holograms’ conversing in an empty press room?Not having participated in an interview like this myself, I can only guess that a lack of eye-contact and physical cues might detract from interviews. Either way, I’m looking forward to seeing more ‘holograms’ in the future.

As of yesterday, Research in Motion, creators of the BlackBerry released a new device that goes above and beyond your typical BlackBerry. The BlackBerry Bold is the newest BlackBerry model that runs on AT&T’s 3G network. The Bold is not a touch screen; however, it is the upgraded version of the BlackBerry 8800 series. These models are popular with companies because they are said to be easier to function. Blackberry’s are known for being a bit on the larger side in order to be more functional vs. being more stylish. Although BlackBerry’s are known for their functionality, the new BlackBerry Bold has a leather backing to it. For the creator’s of the BlackBerry, this is one step in the direction toward attempting to get the new BlackBerry noticed for its functionality and stylishness.

The BlackBerry Bold’s 2.66-inch screen is the largest yet on a BlackBerry.  Personally, I happened to be one of the few who saw this device right when it came out and before it was sold out of the East Lansing AT&T store. I must admit that although the screen was big, it was extremely bright and clear and the keyboard was very comfortable and easy to use. A full charge on this phone is said to last for four and half hours of talk time and about 13.5 days of standby. The Bold also has the fastest network of any BlackBerry out there. This allows you to access network capabilities faster than you would have on previous models. The keyboard is designed to make e-mailing, texting and web searching extremely easy. Research in Motion stated that each key has a subtle high point on it that is said to make typing more comfortable.  

Overall, the BlackBerry Bold is the newest and fastest selling BlackBerry out there. Due to the fact that it has just emerged into the market, it is a bit pricey. You can purchase the Bold for about $300 with a two year signing contract with AT&T. In comparison to the Iphone, however, that isn’t such a fabulous deal. The BlackBerry Bold gives you one gigabyte of memory, in comparison to the Iphone which gives you at least eight gigabytes of memory for $199. Basically it all depends on how you plan to use your phone and what your preferences are. If you have your heart set on a BlackBerry, the Bold is definitely the best one to go with.