Value of Twitter...

Trying to get this thing going again. Seems I've been spending most of my time lately on Twitter. So have a lot of people. But Twitter seems to be running into a problem a lot of other Web 2.0 companies have faced for a while: When you offer a service/product for free, it's hard to make money off of it. It's very odd, because everyone sees the value in sites like Twitter or Facebook, but making money (aka, running a viable business) off of them is proving difficult. This is a subject that many others, including CenterNetworks blogger Allen Stern, have already explored, but wanted to throw my two cents into the discussion. 

I think Twitter's biggest asset is their search site. Through this function, brands now have instant access to consumer WOM, providing endless opportunity to reach out to current and potential customers. Of course this is an extremely valuable function of Twitter, and one on which they can capitalize. This also is a very helpful tool for users as well. For instance, on the day Call of Duty World at War released, I typed in "COD5" on Twitter's search site and perused the results for valuable consumer feedback, ultimately making the purchase based on user response. 

How Twitter goes about profiting off of this is up to them. They can go the Google route and start selling search terms. They can charge corporations a subscription fee while allowing common users to continue using the service for free. Regardless, Twitter is going to continue to be a viable tool for all who use it...now it's up to Twitter to figure out how to turn it into a cash cow. 

Me, baby. Me

The Public Relations Conondrum

Hello all-

It's been a long time, and I don't promise anymore blogs in the near future (hey, I have work to do), but wanted to give some thoughts on the current public relations landscape and where I think it's headed.

There is a major fundamental problem with PR, and that is the fact that 90% of the population has no idea what PR even is. Some people think we write press releases, some people think we are image consultants, but not a whole lot of the general public has a true in-depth knowledge, or appreciation, for what we do, and that makes the PR function of corporate marketing very exependable. So you have to ask yourself why people feel this way. And the answer is actually quite simple. We don't tell them.

Guessing what advertisers do is really easy: They make ads. Sure, there is a creative process behind it and there's a whole other layer the public doesn't readily see (hint:branding), but for the most part, they simply make ads. And when you see an ad, you know. It's in your face. But the same is not true for PR. The whole point of PR is to make some company, or executive, look really good/smart/funny/whatever without the public knowing a PR team is behind it all. That CEO byline you just read in your favorite trade pub? Probably written by a PR team. That random product you just saw on Good Morning America that the host is raving about? Probably set up by a PR team. The list goes on and on and on. But there's also a catch 22 about the whole situation. Part of our value is our "stealth." The term "PR" reeks of manipulation and control, and people wouldn't be too happy if they found out how much of their media is influenced by PR. So we must remain in the shadows...

But this also makes us expendable when it comes time to trim budgets and cut costs because very few people see the real value in a well-run PR program. Part of it is our fault. We should be asking for what I call "ripple effects:" If a big story just ran, how much of a spike in traffic does the clients site see? How many sales were generated from that story in the NYT? We need to do a better job of marketing our services to our clients, and that starts with getting some hard numbers that relate what the PR team does to how well the business does. As for the public...maybe it's better for now we don't let them in. There will be a time when everyone is 100% open with everyone and there will be no need for us to be so discreet about our affiliations. But for now, it'll be our litte secret.

Online Security and Analytics: The Downfall of Civilization

This blog post has been eating at my brain for a couple weeks now. Keep in mind, this is a worst-case scenario, but if John Battelle can throw out bold predictions of the future, why can't I?

We are facing a time in history like no other (at least in terms of media). The internet has opened a whole slew of opportunities and problems, both of which will come to a head to destroy planet Earth...seriously.

The online advertising realm is OBSESSED with audience metrics. How many page views did my advertisement receive? Click-throughs? How long? How quality? The list goes on and on. As online advertising continues to grow, so will the need for publishers to accurately count advertising impression. This drive will force companies to push the boundaries in online advertising measurement unti it happens.

The it is this. I was thinking to myself, "Logistics aside, what would be the best way to accurately track audience metrics?" Well, everyone would need to be easily (and uniquely) identifiable. Right now, websites track unique visitors by IP address. But what if 5 people are on the computer at a time? Or what if a family of 20 shares one computer, and thus one IP address? Then 20 people are counting as one unique visitor (by the way, I think tracking in terms of unique visitors is a terrible way to count impressions), thus horribly scewing impression numbers. The only logical answer would be to assign everyone their own personal IP address, like a SSN, that they will need to access the internet. No two people would be the same. Think of it as a digital fingerprint. The unique IP address would be stored by our government for your entire life. Everytime we access a site, that site's server would capture our IP address and delivered to advertisers (perhaps at a premium price?) so they know exactly who viewed their ad, how many times and when. Talk about the ultimate in consumer profiling. Advertisers could start to target consumers precisely based on the content they have accessed.

I know what you're thinking. "Jordan, this presents an immense security problem!" Exactly. Imagine having your SSN in the hands of every store you ever visited? Now that every server you access possesses your IP address, identity theft will skyrocket. Dirty server technicians will be selling IP addresses like Flaxseed oil for large sums of money to the highest bidder. Only it won't be like having your SSN stolen in real life. The internet is an endless landscape of faceless IP addresses. The government will have to eventually step in to curb the rampant cyber-crime, banning the internet from public use. This, of course, will cause an uprising among the general public. Rioting will break out in the streets, forcing military action. As a result, NATO will send in troops to protect the American people from their tyrannical government and prompt the US government to wage all-out nuclear war with the rest of the world. The nuclear fallout will be tremendous, ending all life on Earth in a matter of hours.

So you see, our need for accurate audience metrics must be stopped! Don't let the advertisers win! Arm yourselves! Destory Google's servers! Going back to the Stone Age is the only way to survive!

The Downfall of Sprite (or 7Up, or anything Lemon-Lime Flavored)

Wow, it's been a long time. My apologies to Jordan Tohline, whom I love very much, for not writing more often. He knows I have quality thoughts and is just dying to read them should I provide them. Onto the post!

I was just thinking the other day about foods/beverages I hate and foods/beverages I love. In my course of thinking, I realized I hated most foods consumed while I was sick. For example, if when I was 15 I ate some cherry ice cream, then vomited 1 hour later, I hated cherry ice cream from that moment forth (this is a true story...I ate, puked then rebuked cherry ice cream when I was in high school). So it goes without saying that I hate any and all citrus-flavored sodas. Why? They are the beverage of choice for sick kids everywhere. I always drank (and later puked) Sprite when I was sick. The logic behind this drink choice is baffling. Will Coke make you throw up more? Will Wild Cherry Vanilla Pepsi cause you to miss another day of school? Who knows, but I bet many scientists are studying this as we speak.

The same goes for chicken noodle soup and saltines. But not alcohol (funny how that works).

I promise I will post again tomorrow. The subject? How online security and analytics will become the downfall of civilization. Seriously.

One Shot, One Kill

Hello all (and by all I mean Jordan Tohline and maybe Brian),

I came to a conclusion this morning on the BART that will have profound influence on my life from here on out. I need to do some creative writing. Just for grins. So every once in a while you will find some creative writings on this blog instead of my ponderings on the world of tech.

Today I will narrate a scene from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. I love this game so much that I've decided to narrate the thoughts and actions of my character, Leftenant Price, as he snipes Russian Ultranationalist Imran Zakaev with a high power sniper rifle from the 4th floor of an abandoned apartment building after the Chernoble incident.

And...scene!

Deep Breath. Relax.

My spotter throws a few last minute pointers my way.

Captain McMillan: "Remeber what I taught you...be sure to adjust for variable humidity and wind speed. At this distance, you'll have to adjust for the coreolis affect."

There's Imran. Have to wait for confirmation and weapon's free.

Captain McMillan: "Easy lad, wait for the wind to die down. Take him down."

This isn't going to be easy. Imran's standing amongst a throng of armed military who will definately notice if the man standing a few feet from them should happen to get shot in the face. My heart skips a beat. Squeeze. The kickback from the 0.50 caliber pounds my shoulder. Zakaev's forehead explodes in a convincing manner, I go a big rubbery one. The captain brings me back to reality.

Captain McMillan: "Shit! They're onto us! Snipe that bird to buy us some more time!"

I adjust the scope for the shortened distance and shoot the chopper staring us down. It spirals to the vacant parking lot below us. A quick dash to a window behind us and we rappel down to the ground in a few seconds. I think my heart is about to explode out of my chest. I can't help but grasp the innevitable.

They will find us in a matter of minutes. It's 2 versus an army.

The captain and I race to a field scattered with broken down cars and covered with knee-high grass. Tangos are running towards us. I quickly duck behind a car to avoid detection.

Focus.

I reload and aim my sniper rifle at the nearest target, focusing on his noggin'.

Goodnight. Squeeze. Silence.

To Be Continued...

New Template

New template, and I'm pretty sure I hate it. I can't wait for Christmas break to start so I can start providing some quality blogs.