60% of Twitter Users Quit Within the First Month

Mashable has a post about the fact that 60% of Twitter users quit within the first month. They're getting their info from this Nielson report.

Here's how Twitter stacks up against Facebook and Myspace's retention rates:


A key fact that Mashable pointed out is that this study ONLY measures Twitter.com users. Many, many users don't go to twitter.com anymore. They use downloadable applications that use scripts to access the site. Tweetdeck is an example.

It's not surprising. I've seen a lot of people who just don't "get" Twitter. Why would I write updates all day? No one cares that I'm brushing my teeth right now! I don't care what you're watching on TV!

If you're not following interesting people, and if you're not engaging the people you're following/are following you, Twitter sucks. There's a definite learning curve before it stops being completely lame. But eventually you realize that it's useful for:

• Keeping up with the news.
• Getting links to blog posts from people whose opinion you care about.
• Getting hilarious tidbits.
• Finding out what other people are interested in.

I barely even check news websites anymore. If anything is really important, I can usually find about 10 links to the story in my Twitter feed. This takes time, however, because you have to follow people who will actually post links to stuff you care about, and not links to boring stuff that you have no interest in. It takes time and trimming, but once it's done, it's pretty sweet.

The more people you know who join Twitter, the better. But if the bubble explodes before people experience Twitter's potential, well, we'll have to wait for something else to come along.

Canadians Love Online Videos

Canadians watch more hours of videos on average than internet users in the U.S., U.K., Germany and France, says Bryan Segal, vice-president of sales for the market research company comScore Canada.

The question is, Who will cash in on Canada's love for online video?

McSweeney's Internet Tendency: Internet-Age Writing Syllabus

Somewhat related to a comment I made on a post of Erin's about real face-to-face contact vs. social media, I came across a related satirical article on McSweeney's today:

INTERNET-AGE
WRITING SYLLABUS AND
COURSE OVERVIEW

This isn't the funniest article I've seen in McSweeney's, but it's pretty good. This is my favourite part (because I want a Kindle oh so badly):

Week 4:
The Kindle Question

Is Amazon's wireless reading device the Segway of handheld gadgets? Should it be smaller, come with headphones, and play MP3s instead of display book text? Students will discuss.

My last favourite part of the article has to be the Lolcatz references. Boy oh boy, I really hope that Internet meme dies soon. But overall the article is an amusing little piece, worth reading if you have the time.

For the record, I don't think social networks are destroying our ability to communicate. But I also don't think "lol wuts up" is a very progressive linguistic leap for the human race.

The Power of People

As a marketing blog, we spend a lot of time talking about the latest and greatest marketing strategies and technologies. Twitter, viral videos, and Google are definitely among our favourites. As are social networking and new media in general.

But lets not forget about the simple power of a room full of people. And that power is what the Ottawa International Writer's Festival, running through to May 2, is all about.

Last Thursday I had the distinct pleasure of attending "The Big Idea" session the carbon shift, led by Canadian writers William Marsden and Thomas Homer-Dixon. The topic was at times very tense and distressing, and there was definitely something viral about the way the energy moved through the room.

In the end, however, I left feeling more alert and also more connected than I have in quite some time. I guess my point is this: that while webinars, tweets, and wall posts are all well and good (and, sometimes, the most effective way to communication), there is still something to be said for the energy that can only be created by bringing people together.

Social Media: A Simple Explanation

This is a video that explains how social media is changing the face of small, medium, and large business. It's explained in an easy to consume mouth full.

Enjoy!

Bales Are the New Billboards

I read somewhere recently that "cellphones are the new billboards." This may be true in some parts of the world, but in rural Alberta the bale of hay is giving cellphone ads a run for their money.

That's right. Bales of hay. Apparently, in the regions surrounding Calgary, it's actually bales that are the new billboards.

Shelagh McNally, chief of marketing at Big Rock Brewery, is the brain behind this growing phenomenon. The idea is simple: make the hay look like a giant can of Big Rock's Traditional Ale. The first "adver-bales" went up about a year ago, and now there are more than 90 beer bales dotting the province.

McNally smartly put a U.S. patent on the idea (which uses lace-up plastic sheeting to surround the bale and give the beer can effect) and is now reaping the benefits. The adver-bales cost about $600 each, far cheaper than the traditional billboard. And they last forever.

Except in one instance. “Well, we had a cow eat one once,” Ms. McNally says. Hah!

People are really starting to 'think' about their Tweets

In what may be one of the thousand Twitter-related stories you'll read today, I've decided to give you one more (leave me alone, it's timely).

Adam Wilson, a doctoral student in biomedical engineering, has developed a way to post messages on Twitter using electrical impulses generated by thought. No fingers, no keyboards - just 'thought'.

This is possible through a fitted hat with electrodes that monitor brain activity, hooked up to a computer flashing letters on a screen. And 'voila' - your brain is now posting tweets online.

Why? The lab believes that this new development could be a lifeline for people with "locked-in syndrome". People whose brains function normally but who cannot speak or move because of injury or disease.

For the full story, check out:
Brain-Twitter project offers hope to paralyzed patients

25 "Must Know" Copywriting Tips

1. Your headline's job is to get someone to read the first sentence.

2. The job of the first sentence is to get someone to read the rest of your copy.

3. If you're writing for the net, make sure you have sub headlines, bolded text, links, etc., that are easy for the eye to "scan." Add in catchy subheadlines that will make someone stop scanning and get back to actually reading your copy.

4. User power words: Magical. Unbelievable. Raw. Revealing. Secret. (etc.)

5. Ask rhetorical questions.

6. Be very careful about where you're going to include your calls-for-action. (Also: Don't forget your calls-for-action.)

7. Write for the emotions. Love. Hate. Joy. Anger. Surprise. Anticipation.

8. Outline your features and benefits before writing your copy.

9. Write for your audience. Decide before hand what type of personas will actually be reading your copy.

10. Only write as much as you absolutely have to - no filler.

11. On a related note, (and this is from Stephen King) use this formula: second draft = first draft - 10%

12. Copyedit. Copyedit. Copyedit. Have someone else copyedit, too.

13. Use variance testing to figure out what headlines are working, and what headlines need to go.

14. Tell a compelling story.

15. Tell a compelling story that slowly builds up and reveals a secret.

16. People make decisions based on their want to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Consider this as you write.

17. If you come across an ad or a website with copy that really makes you stop (and want to buy their product) take a moment to consider what's good about it. Copy and paste the copy into a text editor and keep the for future reference.

18. Purchase The Elements of Style right now. (Unless you already own it, in which case: read it again.)

19. Write out as many headlines as it takes. 10. 20. 50. 100. 200. It's that important.

20. Don't "save your best for last." You want to hook the reader as soon as possible, because otherwise they'll stop reading before they ever get to the last parts of your copy.

21. Look at copy for similar products or services. If it's good, what's it doing right? If it's bad, what is it doing wrong?

22. Use numbers. "5 Reasons You Can Save Money Now," "15 Mistakes You MUST Avoid"

23. Speaking of numbers, use bulleted/numbered lists.

24. Assume you're reader has no imagination. It's YOUR job to turn your features into benefits. It's YOUR job to paint a picture and really get them excited to buy your product.

25. Write more. Practice. Now.

Ask Jeeves is back!...just not in North America

Do you remember one of the Internet's most recognizable faces?

I hope so, because the brand is back! (kind of).

Ask.com conducted a poll in the United Kingdom, and it turns out that after a 3-year hiatus, the lovable Jeeves is back by popular demand. This time he's in 3-D.

If you don't remember, Jeeves is the regal butler of Ask Jeeves fame, which was originally introduced in 1996 when the Internet was really gaining momentum.

Unfortunately, Jeeves is staying in the U.K. because Ask.com (the company that owns the Jeeves character), doesn't think that North American audiences can wrap their heads around the idea of a 'butler' anymore.

Read more about the Internet's favourite know-it-all and his triumphant return:
The Butler Did It (At Least in the UK)

Spam Followers on Twitter

Now that there's software that will automatically follow people on twitter if they tweet certain keywords (and then unfollow them a few days later if they don't follow back), spammers on twitter are heating up.

As an experiment, I posted a tweet that had the phrases "make money online" and "internet marketing". Within 6 minutes I had 5 new followers.*

I'm starting to wonder if Twitter is going to find away to prevent this. Perhaps everytime you follow someone you're going to have to type in the characters from one of those images, like this one:


Getting a lot of people listening to your tweets and sending a small percentage of them to whatever links you post is just too good for people to pass up these days.

* Now 6 followers in 8 minutes

5 Things you should know about Social Media Marketing

Properly executing a Social Media Marketing Plan requires your FULL attention.

1. Social media never stops.
2. Social media requires a willingness and readiness to engage.
3. Your audience might not naturally pay attention.
4. Social media requires A LOT of planning.
5. Social media is everyone's responsibility.

If you think you can devote 'some' of your time to Social Media Marketing, you're wrong. A certain level of commitment is required to succeed at it.

Read Jenna Boller's insightful article about the:
5 Things You Need to Know About Social Media Marketing and PR

What? Twitter Is Bad for Small Businesses?

I couldn't agree less with this article from American Chronicle.

(Although in fairness to the author, I did chuckle at his opening line: "The only way Twitter could become more prevalent these days is if it were taken hostage by Somali Pirates, received a bailout or taken performance enhancing drugs.")

Good line. Shame it has to be followed by shoddy reasoning and a tenuous argument.

Google Labs Launches "Similar Images"

From the Official Google Blog, Google has been "hard at play" creating Similar Images. (They have also been "hard at play" doing a News Timeline, but that's for another post.)

Similar images looks at the similarity of the image itself, as opposed to keywords. Let's go through an example, because I think it's neat.

Here's one of the top results for "angry bear".

I clicked on the "Similar images" link, and here are some of the results I was shown:


So, that's pretty good. Google managed to figure out that the bear I'd clicked on, was, in fact, not a real bear. But it didn't come up with more guys in a bear suit - only a few teddy bears.

Still, it is useful. Here are some similar image results for "Ottawa" (the image farthest to the left if the one I clicked on for "similar images").


It's pretty fun to play around with, but not revolutionary.

Twitter: Oprah Approved.

On Friday, April 17 Oprah screamed at the world (in all caps):

"HI TWITTERS . THANK YOU FOR A WARM WELCOME. FEELING REALLY 21st CENTURY."

If Twitter needed another excuse to be in the mainstream news, they received it when Oprah gave them her endorsement on Friday morning.

Within about 15 minutes of her first tweet, Oprah had more than 76,000 followers, with a hundred more arriving by the minute. Four hours later, she had more than 125,000.

After showcasing the trendy social media tool on her show, with the help revolutionary communicator Ashton Kutcher (I can hear Marshall McLuhan cringing), more than 1.2 million new Twitter accounts have been created.

Get the full story by reading:
How Many New Twitter Users Post-Oprah? A Lot. Maybe Over A Million

Why Going 'Green' May Not Always Be a Good Thing

My all-time favourite ad guru, Jennifer Wells of The Globe and Mail, sang the praises of the new ad spot for Sun Chips and the world's first compostable chip bag. According Adhocracy, Wells' popular blog, she "absolutely loves this ad spot," and while I love Wells, I have to disagree with her on this one.

Wells sees this new creative for Sun Chips as an example of how to marketing can and should work "if green is your product's differentiation." But how 'green' can Sun Chips really claim to be?

I certainly don't believe that having a compostable chip bag is enough to merit a 'green' classification. What about all the carbon that goes into manufacturing, shipping and distribution? And where do the ingredients that go into making Sun Chips come from? Are they grown on sustainable farms? Probably not. More likely they are grown with the aid of pestidices and herbicides, and then shipped across the country in fuel-guzzling trucks.

Amidst all these factors, a compostable chip bag is merely a drop in the bucket. I suppose the marketing strategy for the new Sun Chips obliquely addresses this, stating that "this is our small step," but I still worry about the impact of claiming to be 'green' when really there are so many other factors that should go into such a classification.

Greenwashing, a term used to describe a company's spinning of their products and policies as environmentally friendly, is an ever-increasing problem in the ad world. It's easy to say your green (just make a decompostable chip bag, for example!) but how do we, as consumers, really know this is true?

There is currently no way to monitor or police the practice of greenwashing and, because of this, product claiming to do 'good' are in fact doing more harm that we realize. Consumers, myself included, may buy the new Sun Chips because we feel good about the packaging and we feel (as the commercial encourages) like we are doing our part.

But we would be wrong. And the consequences will undoubtedly come back to haunt us.

The Facebook ToS Group: A Lesson in Going Viral

When Facebook released their new Terms of Service, there was quite a backlash. A bunch of groups were created that were completely against them. One of these groups really went viral, and grew to be much larger than the other ones.

Why? What made one group succeed over the others?

Thankfully, the guy who made the group blogs on yojibee.com, and he has some answers to that question.

The main answer seems to be initial reach.

He didn't just use Facebook. He blogged about it. He tweeted. One idea that was really good was searching Twitter for anyone who had mentioned the new ToS. He then sent them a tweet telling them about the group. This is a good idea for two obvious reasons: 1) chances are that people on Twitter are also on Facebook and 2) people who mentioned the keyword would be very likely interested in the group.

Now, this wouldn't always work. The ToS issue was conducive to this because anyone who tweeted about it had to know about it, and in order to know about it you had to be pretty up-to-date on Facebook happenings. In short, people who tweeted about the Facebook ToS actually cared, and would respond to a tweet that mentioned something related to it. This wouldn't always work. For many things, you'd have to do multiple searches of more long tail keywords... which is still a good strategy.

Speaking of the Facebook ToS, you the vote page is up. Go vote now.

5 Ways to Boost Your Blog's Traffic

Thanks for reading! Because of you, our blog is more popular than ever. As a show of appreciation, here are some of our best tips to help increase your blog's traffic:

1. Comment on other blogs - It’s a fact. Commenting on other people’s blogs can significant help to increase traffic to your own blog. Say something controversial (or funny, or timely), and your chances off boosting traffic is even greater.

2. Twitter about your blog - Social media sites, especially Twitter, are the absolute best places to advertise in order get an instant boost of traffic to your blog. Visit TinyURL to help do it in 140 characters or less!

3. Respond to your comments - Don’t leave your blog commenter hanging. Pay it forward and make friends with your commenter. Who knows where a connection like that could lead?!

4. Be consistent – If the mantra of every aspiring musician is ‘practice, practice, practice’, then the blogger’s mantra must be ‘write, write, write'! As a blogger, you need to let your followers know you’re dedicated, and one weekly blog post just won’t cut it. Instead, aim for at least 3-5 solid posts every week.

5. Link out – Sometimes you have to give in order to get. Like this: I just love LaineyGossip! It may seem paradoxical, but linking out to other blogs and articles can actually bring people in. (Which leads to a bonus tip...your reward for reading this far: Starting off with a link to someone or something else is the perfect fix for writers block).

Happy blogging!

"15-minutes of fame"...and for once, it's deserved.

At 47-years old, Susan Boyle of Blackburn, Scotland, lives alone, doesn't have a job, and has never been kissed.

Four days after an appearance on "Britain's Got Talent," the Internet is absolutely captivated by this unlikely story and performance.

Over 5 million hits on YouTube in 3 days...and rising. This 15-minutes of fame will surely be equally as memorable as her soon-to-be first kiss.

• Watch the YouTube VIDEO

Read the stories:

1) Susan Boyle Restores My Faith in Humanity

2) Unlikely U.K. Singing Star Susan Boyle Takes YouTube by Storm

3) Frumpy 47-year-old stuns 'Idol' judge, catapults to sudden global celebrity

Birdhouse App Video Ad: A Notepad for Twitter

I heard about this through Wired Magazine's Twitter account.

Birdhouse is a new iPhone or Ipod Touch app to update your Twitter account. Techcrunch has said you don't need the app, but you should watch the video.

I agree that you should at least watch the video (I have not yet tested the app). With that said, here's the video:



This video also makes me really want an iPhone. Again. As soon as Canadian companies stop charging ridiculous amounts for wireless Internet service, I will so get one. (After I get a Kindle, of course.)

Sports and Fitness Marketing: Gatorade Sues Powerade

Adage has reported on the fact that Gatorade has sued Powerade for false advertising.

From Adage:

Powerade is seeking to set itself apart by touting its drink as containing four electrolytes -- sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium -- while Gatorade's formula contains just two electrolytes, sodium and potassium. Gatorade's suit takes issue with Powerade's positioning, noting the "miniscule" amounts of calcium and magnesium that are part of the new formulation. "There is no evidence that the minute quantities of magnesium and calcium present in Powerade Ion4 make it superior to Gatorade in any way," the complaint states.

See, this is the problem with fitness marketing. It's all silly and ridiculous. Power drinks, power bars, post workout drinks, etc... they're all focused on minute amounts of nutrients that don't really make a bit of difference to the human body. (In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan has an interesting take on our silly focus on nutrients.) Sometimes, to seem legitimate, an ad or product will cite a study from pubmed or something to back its claims up. But that doesn't mean anything because you can almost always find a conflicting study. You can scour the pubmed database for studies that prove just about anything, depending on what product you're trying to move.

I hope no one actually feels that they're going to be that much better at a given sport because they're drinking Powerade Ion4 instead of regular Powerade or Gatorade. Sports drinks have their place (they're good for some sports, but not others), but really, when you're choosing between them you're nitpicking.

What's a pity is that this stuff works. Products are created that don't have a hope in heck of ever working. And people buy them because of empty promises. It gives marketing a bad name, really. I think I'd find fitness marketing would be a pretty empty career choice.

They Call Him Dr. Love

Check out the new commercial for Dr. Pepper Cherry, featuring the none other than Gene Simmons. Dr. Love doesn't come cheap, so clearly the recession hasn't hurt the ad budget of Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.

Enjoy!

550% Increase in 55+ Female Facebook users in 6 months

"Parents are finally at the point where they realize this is not going away. They better figure out how to get on it and they'd better figure out how to use it," said Fogg-Phillips, who is a mother of eight in Las Vegas, Nevada. "It's a snowball effect. It's viral in a good sense."

There are now about 1.5 million female users older than 55 on the site -- roughly a 550 per cent increase over six months ago.

Read the full article: All in the Facebook family: older generation join social networks

Online News and Ads Go 'Hyperlocal'

Don't you love it when people make up new words? I'll know I've made it the day I make up a word and someone else blogs about it.

Today's new word (which, alas, I cannot take credit for) is 'hyperlocal.' And it's all over the front page of this morning's edition of The New York Times online.

Apparently, a number of online start-up companies are creating 'hyperlocal' news sites. The sites are so-called 'hyperlocal' because they let people zoom in on what is happening closest to them, such as an arrest a block away, the sale of a home down the street, or a review of a nearby restaurant.

Sites like EveryBlock and Placeblogger are rapidly growing in popularity, and operate by collecting links to articles and blogs and often supplementing them with data feeds from city governments, crime reports, restaurant inspections, and notices of road construction and film shoots.

The Times calls EveryBlock "one of the most ambitious hyperlocal sites." It is Backed by a $1.1 million grant from the Knight Foundation, it has created sites for 11 American cities, including New York, Seattle, Chicago and San Francisco.

And, most importantly for us marketing folk, hyperlocal sites such as EveryBlock are tapping into a hugely unexplored online ad market -- the millions of small businesses in North America that have never advertised outside the local Yellow Pages -- whose worth is expected to double to $32 billion by 2013.

Looks like going hyperlocal may also be hyper-lucrative!

10 Tips for Picking Your Domain Name

The key to picking a domain name is to pick something memorable and keyword rich:

1. It should flow off the tongue as easily as your brand name.

2. It should be short and to the point.

3. It should be easy to spell.

4. If there is a hyphen, it should be in a darn obvious place (and even then - be wary about using hyphens).

5. If it's not your exact brand name (i.e., marketingbreakthroughs.com) then it should be related to what you do (say, ottawamarketingfirms.ca or something).

6. If possible, it should only have letter - no numbers, hyphens, or anything else.

7. It should have the most competitive keyword (or two) that you plan to go after.

8. If you're a local business, then one of the keywords can be your location (i.e., ottawadesktoppublishing.com). That way you don't have to worry too much about plugging "Ottawa" into the copy everywhere (meta tags and your address in the footer should be enough).

9. Be careful - with no spaces between words, sometimes a new and embarrassing word or phrase is formed. (Think "Experts Exchange" in domain name form)

10. Adding modifiers (like your location or "blog") can help you get something memorable that would otherwise be picked over. "Weddings.ca" is probably taken, but "torontoweddingsblog.ca" might be available.

Domain Name Resources

Courtesy of Sweetmantra, here are a few resources for picking a domain name. Just looking at the resource list will give you a few ideas about selecting a good one. The link to rhymezone, for example is a good idea. I would, however, be wary of rhymes or wacky spellings. If a domain has a witty rhyme that makes the user think of another word, it may very well be the other word that they remember!

I twitter because I'm...I'm.. oh, I forget why.

That's right! Even old people are on Twitter now.

Facebook and Twitter users have wrinkles, torn hamstrings, and many, many fillings. And increasingly, they're beginning to complain about chillblains, varicose veins, and the Social Security system.

Read more about the increasing shift in Social Media demographics:

Why Facebook and Twitter are aging gratefully

Billy Bob Thornton is viral

Is he really that much of a pompous arse? Probably.

Does he really think we'll remember him for his music, rather than his Oscar win? He probably thinks so.

Did Billy Bob Thornton (B.B.T. for short) really just make this week's most viral online content? Absolutely.

Only hours after Billy Bob Thornton appeared on CBC Radio yesterday morning did the National Post upload the most perfectly worded headline: Billy Bob Thornton makes an ass of himself on CBC.

In what started out as an excellent Joaquin Pheonix impression turned into a piece of online viral video gold. Transcripts, articles, videos, and audio clips will be uploaded and streamed all day today as people all around the world jump on the Billy Bob Thornton crazy train.

B.B.T. spent the duration of his 13-minute interview with CBC Radio's always professional host, Jian Ghomeshi, awkwardly answering questions and making his own band, The Boxmasters, appear very uncomfortable.

Neverthless, millions of people now know the name of the band... right? Whether he intentionally sacrificed his already tarnished celebrity persona, or he found an excellent way to get some viral exposure, one thing is for sure:

Billy Bob Thornton, you are an ass.

If you'd like to see why I've made such a claim, watch the video:
Billy Bob Thornton 'Blow Up' on Q TV

8 Twitter Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Unlike others on the Marketing Breakthroughs team, I was a late arrival to Twitter. As the new tweeter on the block, I am always on the lookout for interesting insights into the my new world, particularly how to avoid making rookie mistakes.

This morning I stumbled upon this neat article "The Secret Sauce of Twitter, 8 Lessons Learned From Being A Publisher On Twitter." A good piece for any company looking to use Twitter and other social network marketing tactics to woo consumers and deliver a message, this article not only discusses the common mistakes but also how to fix them. It's also perfect for those who, like myself, are looking to boost their social network marketing savvy.

Recession-Proof Your Business By... Hiring Dwight Schrute?!

According to Professor Katie Liljenquist of Brigham Young University, by adding a "socially distinct newcomer" like Dwight to your team, you can achieve added diversity and make your group-work more efficient (efficiency being especially significant in the midst of this recession). The Globe and Mail's Sarah Boesveld reports that mixing up the social dynamic of your office can help to deter groupthink and result in critical thinking and richer decisions.

I don't think diversity and cohesiveness are necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, the team here at MB is composed of individuals with unique backgrounds, plus we really are a cohesive, successful and social group. I think the key is having team members with the confidence to speak up and voice their ideas. Most importantly, if your staff cares about your company and achieving your collective goals, they won't allow complacency.

New Report Tackles Social Network Marketing

A new white paper, "Social Media Marketing Industry Report - How Marketers are Using Social Media to Grow Their Businesses," has just been released.

The concise 26-page report by Michael Selzner, founder of WhitePaperSource.com, addresses topics such as the 'Top 10 Social Media Questions Marketers Want Answered' and 'The Benefits of Social Media Marketing. Here is an interesting quote from the opening pages:

"If you're in charge of marketing your business, you'll want to closely examine what's on the following pages. My team turned over every rock, looking for the 'not so obvious' findings among this content-rich data.

We set out to uncover the 'who, what, where, when and why' of social media marketing with this report. Nearly 900 of your peers provided the kind of insight that previously has not existed"

Love how the marketing expert is marketing his report. It's not even a veiled attempt, but then again, why should it be? Regardless, it's certainly got my attention.

Stelzner ends off his introduction by reminding the reader that "the nature of social media is to 'share,' so if you find value here, please let your peers know about this report."

Done and done.

Facebook for Quebecois French

A French-language setting has been available on Facebook since last year, but many Canadian francophone users wanted a version that better reflected Quebec French.

French-Canadian platform uses terms familiar to Quebecers such as "CÉGEP" and "école secondaire" to refer to post-secondary college and high school.

Facebook created an application to allow users to submit translation suggestions for the site. More than 1,200 people offered their suggestions.

Read the full article on CBC.ca:
Facebook now available 'en bon quebecois'

Europe loves Social Networking too!

As if there was any doubt, it would appear that Europe is logging a lot of social networking hours. In many cases, more so than the U.S. and Canada.

“Socializing online is simply not going away,” says Debra Aho Williamson, eMarketer senior analyst, “in any part of the world.”

With social networking, the world is beginning to seem smaller and smaller.

Read the full article: Social Networks Growing Worldwide

Pixar continually defies Hollywood's "rules"

Up, the upcoming Pixar movie, is about a 78 year old man. There is no love interest. It ignores typical Hollywood formula. And it's probably going to be awesome and it's probably going to do great at the box office.

The New York Times has an interesting article on the subject titled, Pixar's Art Leaves Profit Watchers Edgy. It seems that after nine films, people still worry that because Pixar ignores Hollywood cliches and formula, its films won't make a profit. I suppose these experts are just ignoring the fact that their films are always pretty darn great and do pretty darn well.

I'm really glad Pixar exists so that at least one company out there can drive home the fact that the typical Hollywood formula is completely unnecessary. Films can be good, they can ignore the formula, and they can still make money.

I mean, I guess it sucks for Walmart that an action figure of a 78 year old man isn't as cool as a Transformer or something, but if movies can turn a respectable profit without having a huge following of toys... big deal.

I understand that Fast and Furious made a lot of money, even though it's a mindless remake of a mindless action movie. I get that and accept it. But I'm part of a market that will never go and see that movie, but I will go see movies like "Up" anything else that's good.

Truly good movies appeal to everyone. Action isn't my favourite genre, but I really enjoy Die Hard II. (It's one of the best Christmas movies of all time!) I don't enjoy "kid's movies," but I've enjoyed every Pixar movie I've seen (I think Cars may be the only one I've missed so far.)

Unfortunately, good movies are harder to make than formulaic movies. But when Pixar routinely is able to pump out great movies, I think it's time for the rest of Hollywood to sit back and trust them.

Techcrunch reports that Google may acquire Twitter

Just on the heals of my "Ideas for Twitter" post, I was alerted to an article on Techcrunch about the fact that Google may acquire Twitter.

From the article:

Here’s a heck of a rumor that we’ve sourced from two separate people close to the negotiations: Google is in late stage negotiations to acquire Twitter. We don’t know the price but can assume its well, well north of the $250 million valuation that they saw in their recent funding.

With a browser, the most popular search engine, and Twitter (whose search is getting more and more popular) Google is clearly trying to be THE portal to the Internet.

Ideas for Tweets: Things you can post on Twitter

Thanks to Erin and Elise for their ideas in the creation of this post!

Ideas for Twitter / Things to Post on Twitter

• What you had for breakfast

• A blog post you wrote (plus link)

• That million dollar idea you thought of in the shower (you know, like a keyboard with a clock on it that ALSO plays mp3 AND shocks you every time you make an obvious typo)

• What you're currently reading (plus link)

• A request at 3 a.m. to see whom amongst your followers wants to go grab some late night snacks at Denny's

• A link to a neat-o new blog you found

• An interesting statistic

• A picture of you and Shaq twittering together

• A funny and/or serious quote

• A haiku (or a W.C.W.-style imagist poem)

• An SEO tip of the day

• Links to the dozen or so Firefox extensions you're currently running

• A request for more Twitter ideas

• Ideas to spark conversation and make elevator rides less awkward

• An inside joke only your significant other will understand

• An update when if you're running late
  

• The movie you saw last night (plus link)

• The best commercial you've seen lately (plus link)

• Your weekend plans

• A weather update

• What the guy next to you on the bus said to you this morning

• Your mantra for the day

• A tweet about twitter

• Your pet peeve of the moment

• A birthday shout out

• Your deepest, darkest secret

• The newest yoga pose you've mastered

• What you did for your morning workout

• Whether it's a coffee or tea day

• A particularly funny item of news/gossip

• A quotable from your day (i.e. "Mike's a secret farmer"*)

*I am not a secret farmer.

Koodo's Brand Refresher, Just in Time for Spring

It's been one year exactly (give or take a few days) since Telus Corp. launched its discount brand Koodo Mobile. Hitting the public with retro 80's exercise-inspired commercials (complete with headbands, leg warmers and lots of spandex), Kudoo took off by offering consumers "fat-free" wireless for less. A year later, Kodoo is "brand refreshing", replacing their fitness-esque branding with something a little more recession savvy, perhaps in an effort to combat Virgin Mobile's recent "Screw your Recession" campaign.



Three new commercials have begun to air. This one, about a "fee-ectemy", contains many elements that consumers (myself included) have come to associate with the Koodo brand -- a penchant for neon and interesting looking individuals, for starters -- but swaps the workout gear with wordplay. Clearly the target market is still the same, as is the concept, and the differences are subtle. I guess this is what "brand refreshing" is all about.

A relatively new concept to me, brand refreshing (I am now officially dropping the quotation marks) is a marketing strategy that seems to be gaining a lot of press lately, as more and more brands (another recent example being Pepsi) opt to refresh rather than redo.

For more interesting insights into brand refreshing, check out Adhocracy, one of my favourite marketing and advertising blogs.

We have a new favicon! Favicons in Google sponsored links!

We have a new favicon on our blog:

It's good timing too, because Google is dabbling in Adwords favicons (not that we use Adwords for our blog or our main site). Right now the favicons that show up in the sponsored links are only showing up in various European results.

However, by giving room for companies to basically include their logo in what used to a purely text-based ad, this change sure does play to the fact that Google is, increasingly, favoring brands in the search results.

Upside Down YouTube (!?)

This Matt Cutts YouTube video is pretty neat.

Matt Cutts tweeted a link to one of his many videos... except this one is upside down.

I actually haven't quite figured out why this exists. It's not on the YouTube main page or other videos, so I don't THINK it's an April Fool's joke.

Boy, I wish I was a higher up at Google and I could just prank the Internet on a whim.

Twitter Traffic up 1,382% in One Year

Reports from Neilsen Media Research announced in March that Twitter, the social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users' updates, has seen a U.S. user growth of 1,382% between February 2008 and February 2009.

Read which other social media tools are making an impact in Caroline McCarthy's "The Social" article: Neilsen: Twitter's growing really, really, really, really, really fast