Facebook - coming to a big screen near you

If you were to take a guess as to the subject of a Sony/Aaron Sorkin collaboration you’d be forgiven for this it could be about the Iraq war, the Bush presidency perhaps even the life and times of Barack Obama. But, sadly, you’d be wrong. Sorkin has in fact signed-up to write the screenplay for Facebook – The movie.

As a first step, he’s even posted a note on Facebook: “I've just agreed to write a movie for Sony and producer Scott Rudin about how Facebook was invented. I figured a good first step in my preparation would be finding out what Facebook is, so I've started this page….. I honestly don't know how this works, which is why I'm here. If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer them as best I can. If anyone has any comments I'm glad to listen. And if anyone has any Facebook stories I think they might be helpful.”

There isn’t any more information about the movie on the group page, but there are already 38 discussion topics, 3,842 members and 432 wall posts. So, it’s being taken seriously.
MyTake – The Facebook story has all the elements of a blockbuster, expect the end. With the story the way it is, it’s sort of like The Empire Strikes back – we were all left hanging until Return of The Jedi put us out of our misery. But seriously, it’s another example of the social media world influencing the offline world to the extent that millions of dollars are about to be spent. The interesting thing here is whether or not they will use Facebook as part of the pre-release process – i.e. sharing information, clips and images. Taking it one step further, will any of the stories included in the discussion board I mention above be used in the actual film….questions, questions….

Wake up and smell the .blogspot, we've got an election to win

How important are bloggers? Very... at least the (US) Democrats think so. Well, that's not entirely fair, both sides of the US election are coming to the realisation that bloggers have a lot of power when it comes to spreading the campaign message.

At this year's convention, the democrats gave out 120 passes to bloggers with a whole host of extra bloggers sneaking in without passes. Not to be outdone, the Republicans will be giving around 200 bloggers the pat on the back to get the message out at their conference. For the bloggers at the Democratic convention, things get even better with a Blogger's Lounge at their disposal and even some floor passes thrown in for extra measure.

MyTake - Of course bloggers are important, anybody that doesn't think so, wake up and smell the .blogspot. The money that gets pumped into the election from both sides is phenomenal and there are a lot of smart people deciding where to spend that money. If they give the bloggers a lounge, floor passes and 120-200 passes, it's because they believe that these guys are pretty influencial. So.... Smart people think bloggers are so important that they'd spend US election campaign money to influence them. 'Nuff said.

The Digital Campfire at Outside Lands

At Microsoft, there is a lady by the name of Laura User and she has the job title “Digital innovation manager” and she gets to do some pretty cool stuff. The most recent being something called CrowdFire. The idea is basically this: integrate social networking and technology into a music concert, add the fans and stick the whole thing in a tent. What you get is a central place where concert goers can share photos and videos via social networks, see highlights of the concert, get to the front of the stage without actually being there thanks to live streaming. If that wasn’t enough, Rock God wannabes can try their hand at Rock Band!

Connecting the dots for you, the name CrowdFire comes from the concept of having a “digital campfire” built by the crowd in the middle of the concert. The results of this first effort at San Francisco’s Outside Lands music festival showed that around 100,000 concert goers decided to get involved with the resulting content streamed to TV screens around the concert an online

MyTake – What a great job to have, I think I have to add the word innovation to my job title. This kind of activity just goes to show that social networking is integrated into most of our lives, even areas that we wouldn’t have thought it would be. What was that quote from that movie…"If you build it they will come”…. Well, that’s pretty much what happened, people wanted the facilities and Microsoft gave it to them. I think we are going to be seeing more initiatives like this, but where next – live sport?

You the Ad Man

If there are those that still doubt the power and value of user-generated content, read on. Based on an Australian idea a website called Supevirals has been set up that encourages the average Joe to submit advertising ideas to some of the world biggest brands.

Sure, on the face of it you might think it’s just those ad boys being lazy (apologies my advertising cousin – I only jest) but it’s actually quite clever. Most brands out there have a number of enthusiasts that would jump at the chance to create something for their favourite brand, this idea taps into that passion.

The idea is now headed to the US with venture capitalists after US$3million to get both investors and advertisers on board. The end product is bound to be top notch as VioCorp are the guys providing the back-end technology, which means the user experience is going to be pain free – thus encouraging more people to take part.

MyTake – SuperSmart! I saw a quote recently from the CEO of P&G and it reads: “The power is with the consumer. Consumers are beginning, in a very real sense, to own our brands and participate in their creation.” I fully agree with that statement and I think that Supervirals is an online manifestation of that belief. I wonder what my first advertising idea will be for, something that I have a lot of Passion for …. James Squire’s, there’s a good one.

Kid clicks

As a father (and a bit or a worrier at times) of a two year old girl, my concerns for her are that of every other father – health, happiness, education and all the rest of it. But something that I have been thinking and talking about for a while, is how her generation is going to both use and interact with technology.

More often that not, I find myself I conversations with other parents about the importance of keeping up with technology, gaming, the web – you name it. Being a modern parent is tough… Most parents agree that it’s important to stay on top of all the above, but then there are some that don’t and seem to think that it's a ship that’ll pass in the night…cough…

New research from Nielsen Online revealing the top ten the most popular kids sites goes to show that even those of us that think we’re pretty clued-up could learn a thing or two. For example – ever heard of Stardoll.com? Well, it’s a site that was set up by a Finnish woman who wanted to teach kids how to knit dolls clothes, making its money by selling items of virtual clothing for about 50p each. Others in the top ten are more well-known, including ClubPenguin.com, Stardoll.com, Cartoonetwork.co.uk, Lego.com, Nick.com, Bebo.com, bbc.co.uk/schools, RuneScape.com, Frengo.com and FreeOnlineGames.com

MyTake – When I was a kid, my parents couldn’t keep up either. One week it was this type of trainers, this band and this football player…and the next week it’d all change. The worry is that when you add the ever-evolving tastes of kids with the fast-paced nature of the web you’ve got a hell of a job on your hands. Heck, I only just figured out that Diego is Dora’s cousin! Parents are going to have to be more aware of the likes of Nielsen in order to keep up with online tends concerning their kids.

Miss Sister 2008

Stories about religion and technology don’t come along very often, then right out of the blue, you get two at once. In an attempt to fight the age-old stereotype of the ugly-duckling nun, an Italian priest called Antonio Rungi has announced that he is organising an online beauty pageant for nuns.

Called “Miss Sister 2008”, the contest will be run through Rungi’s blog and will kick-off on 25 September. Would-be contestants need to log-on and fill out a profile form which includes info on them, their life and their work for the church. In addition, they’ll also be required to upload a photo of themselves. A quote used on CNN from the chap organising it reads: "We are not going to parade nuns in bathing suits…but being ugly is not a requirement for becoming a nun. External beauty is gift from God, and we mustn't hide it."

MyTake – Does anybody really know what nuns do anymore? That’s not me saying that nuns don’t do anything, it’s me raising the point that the nuns and Rungi have been thinking about and that probably spawned this idea. He’s going to get his fair share trouble for this, but he’ll also be highlighting to a wider audience the type of work that is being done by nuns around the world. By utilising the wider community on the net, he and the nuns are able to start and sustain a huge number of conversations all across the world – and after all, isn’t this the whole point? The irony is perhaps in his choice of platform, maybe there is a subtler point he’s trying to make…

iWorship

Recent cut-backs have seen many rural churches close with services cancelled. But in a small Australian town, morning worship has just taken a new twist. Thanks to the use of 3G technology, Glen Waverley Uniting Church is broadcasting its morning worship to a number of smaller rural churches, including one in the small town of Beeac.

Although religion is no stranger to the web and mobile technology, this kind of innovation among rural church communities is pretty rare. At the moment, there is no interaction between the churches due to bandwidth capacity, but they are targeting this as the next hurdle to overcome.

MyTake – I really, really wanted to say that God works in mysterious ways, damn it, I’ve said it! There’s no questioning the passion of these Church-goers, this is clearly a part of their lives that they believe in and are willing to fight for. The question I’d ask – where to next? Facebook, Myspace? Why not, it would be a very cost effective way for them to interact and share content.

Is Obama game?

The US elections, I just can’t get enough of them. I recently wrote about the Obama camp emailing supporters the name of his running mate as it was announced to the media, and at the weekend I read that supporters were also texted the name, asking them to “spread the word”.

I don’t know what the opposition are doing on the digital space, but it can’t be that much because we don’t hear about it. The Obama camp, on the other hand, is getting its message out there for all the read – see this article on the Washington Post’s website sent to me by my colleague Ed Hoover as an example.

The latest news to come out about an election that is being increasingly fought online, is that activist group “Rock the Vote” has signed a deal with Microsoft to boost interest among young people in the US. Part of this tie-up (and the genius bit) is that they are working with the Xbox Live service to allow its users to take part in a number of polls. Starting on 25 August, Xbox Live users will be able to take part in polls and forums to have their say on their preferred candidates, with feedback and results passed on to the candidates

MyTake – Guess what, young people aren’t watching CNN for the latest campaign announcements. Good news, somebody’s figured that out. Great news, somebody is actually doing something about it! There’s obviously a revenue model in there somewhere – after all, that kind of data is going to be very valuable to both parties. Putting everything else aside, it seems that this election could be about to change the way elections are fought and won – it’s becoming less about spin and more about collaboration, listing and presence. What I mean by presence is actually going to where your audience is – after all, the old fashioned campaign trail is about going to see your audience and telling them your story in person. What's happening online is no different - the Obamas of this world are going online to get a presence in spaces and places where their audiences are. Bloody smart move.

Gold rush

In entertainment terms, the games industry is still a sprightly youngster, all wide-eyed and full of hope and excitement. But, perhaps a sign if its’ increasing maturity is the fact that almost 500,000 people in developing countries make money by developing “virtual goods” to sell to the more affluent players around the world. According to new research by Manchester University, those developing the “virtual goods” are earning up to $77 per month.

The practice known as gold-farming and is widely condemned by the games industry, but it’s becoming more common as gaming is becoming a more popular pastime. Recent stories about the price of "land" in online virtual worlds like Second Life also seem to back up the theory that online gaming has spawned a number of legitimate and not so legitimate money making schemes.

MyTake – Where there are eyeballs there’s an audience, and where there’s interaction, there’s a market. It’s clear that the games industry is a fertile market for companies of all shapes and sizes – hence Microsoft’s acquisition of Massive. The smaller, less legitimate players involved just goes to demonstrate the importance of the gaming industry and the influence it has on an audience. It’s funny, I was talking to a father of two yesterday about the need to understand technology (and gaming especially) in order to both protect and interact with our children – he completely agreed, even to the point that the modern day parent has to be respected both on and offline.

Frolicking with "frolleagues"

"Frolleague". Sounds like something out of Lord of the Rings doesn’t it? A “frolleague” is in fact a work colleague that you add as a friend within your social networking activities. The term is becoming so widespread that it’s being considered by the Oxford English Dictionary for inclusion in its next revision.

A recent survey by LinkedIn that canvassed UK users found that around one third of UK users felt they had to add a colleague to their social networking group. Despite this, the number of “frolleagues” being added to members social networking groups is on the increase. Funnily enough, the guys over at LinkedIn think that you should keep your professional and your personal contacts separate to “manage our online reputation as effectively as possible”. I wonder what the guys at Facebook would say...

MyTake – I love the new term, pure tabloid genius and it gives us all something to talk about at the water cooler. I think LinkedIn are wrong if they honestly believe that you should keep your contacts separate. I share contacts across both Facebook and LinkedIn and have many “frolleagues” on both – the whole point of social networking is about sharing, and that includes both our professional and personal thoughts, after all – aren’t all our thoughts personal?

More A-Grade gamers

I was in a pub at the weekend and they had an old school games machine that had the likes of PacMan and Space Invaders on it. Naturally I went and had a go, as did my mate that I would never have picked as a gamer, let alone someone that’s in to classic games. The embarrassing thing was that he was bloody awesome at it – way better than me – even though (as he confessed) it had been a long time since he played.

He is, of course, yet another victim of the “I’m too old to play video games” culture that has kept many adults away from a whole host of games consoles for decades. Which brings me to the point of this post –another attempt to get people to think about gaming in a different way.

New findings discussed at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association in Boston (the home of my favourite beer, Sam Adams) looked at the effect that playing video games has on people. We’ve already heard about the recovery of rehab patients using the Wii, or surgeons improving their hand-eve coordination, but according to psychologist Douglas Gentile of Iowa State University, games are “powerful educational tools and have many effects we might not have expected they could."

MyTake – Surprise, surprise, yet another academic that thinks gaming is a good thing. We have to get over our pre-conceptions about gaming and jump-in. I went to a conference a while back where someone described Facebook as a giant game and I reckon they’re right, the only difference between this and gaming on a console is the negative connotations placed on console gaming by technophobes that refuse to embrace new technology (and probably think that the internet is a bad thing). Jump-in, experience it because in the next two years gaming, social networking, TV, entertainment is all going to be the same thing.

Keen as a Bean

1905 was the year of the Russian revolution and also saw the premier of the Scarlet Pimpernel at the New Theatre in London. But, more importantly for the purposes of this post, it was the year that Ivy Bean was born.

Now, you’d be forgiven for not knowing who Ivy Bean is, but she may just be the next friend you make as the 102 year old has just joined Facebook, making her the oldest person to join the social network. The social Nanna heard the staff in her care home talking about Facebook and decided to give it ago. Although she’s only got a handful of friends at the moment, I’ll bet she’ll have a lot more after her story has been spreading over the net.

MyTake – I don’t think anyone has an excuse for not getting involved with a social network when the likes of Ivy are taking the plunge. This is lady that was born in an era when the computer wasn’t even a pipe dream and she’s still keen to have a go. As more and more of us jump online and start talking to each other, it can’t be long before the boundaries of gender, race, religion and age become completely irrelevant. Keep on Facebookin’ Ivy!

You've got mail

For me, Barack Obama represents change on a number of different fronts, but it’s his latest move in the online space that's interesting me. According to an email sent from the senator's campaign manager to Obama’s supporters, the name of the senator’s running mate will be emailed to all those subscribing to the email service, letting them “be the first to know”.

Who knows exactly what “be the first to know” means, but if taken literally, the announcement of one of the biggest pieces of news in one of the most eagerly anticipated elections could be floating round cyberspace before it hits the print or broadcast media – what a thought. This type of thing usually never happens when it comes to such big campaigns, but it demonstrates the forward-thinking nature of the team behind it. They are understanding the power of the medium and using it.

MyTake – I doubt that they will announce such a huge piece of news via email then wait for the rest of the media to find out. I think that they will have a number of well timed embargoes in place for media to run the story as the emails are sent out, if not before. But, what a great move by team Obama. It’s certainly going to get the numbers on that email service up to dizzy heights and create a groundswell of online noise. What was the email address?

Will you....Google me?

Asking the love of your life to marry you is not an easy task, having done it myself and heard stories from others, a lot of planning and effort goes into a fairly simple question. I must admit, I’ve heard about some highly original ways to ask for your loved one’s hand in marriage, but this beats them all. A US-based software engineer used Google Street view to get his proposal over to his better-half.

Apparently having already attempting it once, this Romeo of software engineering decided to step it up a gear and get creative. So, when his girlfriend (who happens to work at Google) told him that the street view cars would be retaking some pictures near where he worked, he saw his moment and took it – see the picture above, or the original here.

There have been a number of these types of things done during the development of street view, called "Easter Eggs", people find out when and where the cameras are going to be and put on a bit of a show – whether that’s a wedding proposal, a fake fight or something else equally as crazy. Could this be the start of another net-based cultural phenomenon, another meme? Probably.

MyTake – Bravo my man, above and behind, if she hasn’t said yes then she’s crazy! I think that we are going to see more and more “Easter Eggs” as Google street view becomes more widespread – it could even turn into some kind of sport. The other aspect to consider here is the marketing opportunities – we could see a whole host of stunts aimed at promoting a variety of forward thinking brands hat are willing to take a chance.

Six appeal

Doesn’t this have something to do with Kevin Bacon? Maybe not. A new study by the boys and gals at Microsoft that took at look at over 30 billion instant messages sent in one month during 2006 seems to back up the theory that it takes only six steps to link everyone.

The study found that on average any two people can be linked by seven or less friends. The six theory had been dismissed in recent years as nothing more than an urban myth, but this new research gives it fresh life – could it be so?

MyTake: Ever heard the saying it’s not what you know, it’s who you know? Well, that could be more relevant than you think. The world is increasingly becoming a more connected place with more and more of us jumping online and talking to each other. With such a huge “lab” in which to test the theory, I think the guys at Microsoft might just be on the money with this one.

Back from Europe and brown

Well, I'm back. Sorry for not posting for ages, but I've been on a month long vacation back to Europe where I managed to pick-up a rather swanky looking tan. But now I'm back and will be back to my usual posting action soon.

Stay tuned