november 2007

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When you are a child the whole world seems larger than life. The shops you go to are huge, the cars you drive in are enormous and the schools playgrounds seem to go on forever. Coming back to visit these places as an adult they appear to have shrunken ... the spaces are smaller, claustrophobic even.

Public figures are different -- well, those who capture and hold our imaginations are. Evel Knievel was, for me, one person who retained a larger than life imaginary space as I grew up. Perhaps it was to do with his ground breaking efforts and stunts, or the link he somehow made in my mind with Fonzie's motorcycle stunt in Big Al's carpark, or even the Evel Knievel stunt bike toy that I loved until it fell to pieces. But it is more likely that, in Evel Knievel, we all saw the potential to become an everyday hero ... a real person capable of achieving close to the miraculous. May he rest in peace.

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We all love Fridays ... they mark the end of things -- the end of the working week, the end of a project and so on. Beyond Friday is a new world ... a luxurious place of martinis, beaches, picnics and warm winter fires. And in the spirit of preparation (for the end/the beginning), I am launching the "Friday Folly". Here, each Friday, I will seek to share one piece of advertising/marketing gone wrong (even if is it slightly wrong).

If you have something I should know about please let me know. But, in the meantime, enjoy this gem courtesy of Amelia Torode. What's so wrong I hear you say? Look closely.

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rockin job they have on offer.

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Edu-Tourist

We all continue to debate the merits of Web 2.0 and social media. Various pundits proclaim the end of Web 2.0 and the demise of blogging while others extol the virtues of digital conversation and the opportunities it presents for forms of social activism. But I firmly believe that we are still in the very early stages of understanding what the REAL opportunities are.

One of the companies who are really pushing the limits of exploration in this space is SAP (disclaimer -- this is where I work). Today, in what I think is a world first, the SAP communities announced that the community points recognition system is being transformed. Instead of printing and shipping shirts all around the world to "top contributors", SAP are aggregating the points collected and transforming these into a single, cumulative donation to Feed School Children (part of the UN's World Food Programme).

If the points accumulated next year reach the same proportion as 2007, then SAP will donate 100,000 Euro. If this can be improved by 20% (ie 20% more contributions to the forums, wikis and blogs), then SAP will increase this to 150,000 Euro -- and so on up to a maximum of 200,000 Euro.This is an exciting innovation that I would love to see adopted by other companies and brands.

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Emily. Would love to see you too.

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Erasmus T

It is a perennial debate and one which is not likely to fade any time soon -- blogging vs journalism. Darren Rowse picks up the theme this time the print publication (l'horror), Australian Marketing Magazine. The magazine asks Darren and Phil McLean from Fairfax to answer the question, "Will the growing popularity of digital user-generated content pose a threat to the traditional journalist?". I am sure you can guess which side each came down on.

However, I can see no "end" on either side. No end to blogs and blogging and no end of journalism. But there is a question around the economic viability of publishing in its current format -- and this is something that the "citizen journalists" have picked up on faster than the publishers -- at least in Australia. New initiatives such as Norg and Hunters Best demonstrate that there are gaps in the market that are simply not being served. And, certainly from my perspective, the social media "attempts" by mainstream media players thus far have been poorly conceived and driven by a protectionist spirit. I am still waiting for some of the innovation that Katie refers to.Not holding my breath for that one.

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When diggers on the goldfields discovered the precious metal, they would stand up and cry "Eureka!". And when I am so lucky as to happen across a fantastic blog, I do the same. Now, I may be late to this party, but Jen has a fantastic, provocative and insightful blog. Check it out, and be amazed. And yes, she is a local Sydneysider. And for a taste of what is to come ... check out one of her presentations on Second Life. Too good.

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phil_h

Very few of us know what it means to be an evangelist. Sure, we can believe in some cause, issue or even technology, but the challenges that the modern marketing evangelists have to overcome are relatively lightweight concerns -- lack of awareness, market inertia, apathetic employees. The real life evangelist, however, deals in a world of magnified challenges where the outcomes are counted in lives.

In a time where the economic, social and political power of corporations has reached its zenith, Bernie Banton stood out as an individual willing and (barely) able to confront it. Despite suffering from asbestosis, mesothelioma and Asbestos-Related Pleural Disease, Bernie took on the might and legal wiles of James Hardy and the Australian legal system, working to secure the rights to compensation of thousands of workers affected by unsafe working conditions in the James Hardy factories.

At 1am, on Monday, Bernie died at home, in the presence of his family.

In many ways in the last decade, Bernie was the voice of a forgotten Australian consciousness reminding us all of our fundamental humanity and Australian spirit. It was a voice that we sorely needed and one that will be greatly missed.

Next Wednesday, a State Funeral will be held at Acer Arena in Homebush. May you rest in peace, Bernie. And thanks.

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Web fun courtesy of MagMyPic.

This post is from from my other blog here

warmers

The InterestingSouth conference last week was a great success. It was a fantastic mishmash of people and ideas ... and even a few presentations.

Gregg and I greeted the audience as they arrived at Bondi Pavillion, checking off their names and providing them with a random book, a conference program and a pen. It was interesting to see the reactions to the books (and there was a wide and eclectic variety available -- I wonder if Emily has anything left in her library) and the openness of the participants. The sponsor helped put everyone in the mood, with books from Remo, juices and smoothies from Nudie, water from Another Bloody Water, refreshments from Smirnoff, Cheese, delicious cheese from McIntosh and Bowman and ethical chocolate from Cocolo.

All up we had about 17 presentations -- but the night itself seemed to fly by. And while the presentation descriptions sounded "interesting", they were even moreso in the flesh. Unfortunately I missed a couple of the early presentations, trying to corral the late comers over by the top of the stairs -- but I did try and keep a Twitter-stream going through the night. I will use this, over the next few days, to put down some thoughts on each of the fantastic presentations -- but Matt Moore also has already covered some of these -- though not his own on zombies. And you can see Juan's on his blog. There is also a great Flickr stream by Piers over here.

Finally, more thanks to the sponsors -- the team from The Precinct helped out on the production side and Pure Profile will be hosting the videos and other materials very soon. Thanks also go to The Design Conspiracy and Digital Wranglers. And Lauren not only helped fold programs, she was the onstage tea hostess, she designed and organised the stage set AND presented FIRST.

Oh, and if you want to take a look at my presentation ... here it is on Slideshare. Three minutes of joy.

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Quiet Corners

A while back I got involved with a number of folks wanting to use their brains to help solve problems and support non-profit causes. This group, called Planning for Good, have organised themselves mainly through Facebook, but have recently started a blog.

The Facebook group has over 1000 members with 35 city groups established -- so there is certainly a lot of participation. We have answered two high profile briefs and there is a second on the way (in the next 48 hours).

The city groupings have turned out to be a great way of extending your online interest into offline activism (and it is a lot of fun to meet people face-to-face). If you are based in Sydney and would like to participate in Planning for Good, please JOIN our Facebook group. You can expect to meet Emily Reed, Tim Longhurst, Jax Weschler, Katie Chatfield, Samantha Heron and many others. Come one, come all.

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This post is from from my other blog here

We have all noticed that Technorati has been having some problems ... the pings are slow to update (if they update at all), inbound links don't seem to aggregate and changes in personal details are often lost in the ether. Imagine my suprise when I checked Technorati to find that Russell Davies has now taken over the ownership of all my favourite blogs. Now I know he is prolific, but really!

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faster than a rabbit and friendlier than a terrier?

Smarter than an egghead and fancier than a feather?

More caustic than a rapier

And sillier than a snake?

I found this via Twitter

Thanks to a mate.

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4mul8

I have always loved VWs. As a kid, some of my earliest memories are of driving around with my mum in her Beetle. There was stuffing coming out of the seats and it smelled like a cross between straw and stale beach holidays. But we loved it.

A few years ago I bought a VW Golf. It was great. Reliable. Fun to drive. And it kept going and going. At the time I lived a long way from my place of work and I was driving 110kms to the office each way. The Golf never missed a beat in four years. I would gladly have another.

So I can understand Leisa Reichhelt's interest in buying a VW Polo. Another great car. But Leisa's story is also about caution and about Internet scams. Take a look and see how she unravels a scammer's communications. See how the design cues of the website and the email correspondence inspired MISTRUST and fear. And see also how a little real world investigation saved a lot of money and heartache.

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Exaussie

Stories on archaeology always catch my attention. There is something that draws me in to tales of discovery ... it is the sense of wonder and the desire to be astounded.

So when I saw this article in today's Sydney Morning Herald, I was excited t learn more. The discovery of the cave where Romulus and Remus were suckled by a wolf is no small find. It is, afterall, the founding place of Rome. But I wanted more information and Australian news sites are notoriously stingy in linking through to additional sources of content that is not of their own making.

A couple of seconds later and Google had delivered me a spectacular number of links and pictures. But what suprised me most was this article by National Geographic reporting the same story. Only, this story was published in JANUARY!

To masquerade old news as a story of current interest quite simply astounds me. Do the editors at SMH think that we can't check? Do they think we won't? Surely, in the midst of an election, there is plenty of current (and important) newsworthy material available.

Just goes to show that many of the Australian publishing houses have yet to realise the significance of the changes that are overtaking their industry. Australia is no longer at the other end of the world ... and news shouldn't take six months to get here? Did it come by sailing ship? That would be so old world.

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EWURM

Well, the speaking topics are set, the organisation is in place and now we are just waiting for the people. That's right, this Thursday, November 22, 2007, from 6:00pm - 9:30pm, Bondi Pavilion Theatre will be hosting an unusual collection of speakers for InterestingSouth.

Emily from the Open Intelligence Agency has succeeded in attracting a variety of thought provoking, challenging and even humorous presenters covering topics that span the field of human endeavour.

• Beyond Body Language: new paradigms for listening and speaking, and for interpreting the richness of the human voice.Tim Noonan, Visionary Communications
• How to Make a Zombie. In three minutes, Matt will bring together B-movies, Dr Karl, the plasticity of human nature, & Crypropharmacology. There will be an opportunity to put theory into practice in a follow-on session Matt Moore, engineerswithoutfears.blogspot.com
• Open Arms and Open Homes: A discussion on reclaiming hope in humanity in the digital age, using social networking websites to create real world change. Juan Mann, (aka Free Hugs Man), www.freehugscampaign.org, www.juanmann.tv
• The Well-Tempered Personal Environment: Chucking social software at your local energy sources, giving you a personal energy profile, which can then be aggregated to your street, your mates, your neighbourhood, your region, your city etc.Dan Hill, www.cityofsound.com
• Smalltown Australia: For the last 2 and a half years I’ve been traveling through smalltown Australia capturing photographically what I believe to be a mostly overlooked perspective of our regional areas. I don’t believe that Australians have comfortably settled into their environment and from this I sense a yearning for place. Along with the Author Tim Winton I am creating a photographic book and exhibition of this topic.
• Martin Mischkulnig, www.martinmischkulnig.com
• On Dork-bot Sydney: a diverse range of people doing strange things with electricity, from home made enthusiasts, professionals and artists, that meet regularly to celebrate the wonders of electricityPia van Gelder, Dork-bot Sydney Overlord, dorkbotsyd.boztek.net
• What is this thing called Happiness? Dolly Parton once said “Smile – it increases your face value”. So, what is this thing called happiness? Who gets it? And why do you want it?Dr Adrienne Withall Primary Dementia Collaborative Research Centre
• Textile Design & Interpretive Dance (you’ll just have to see it) Melinda Lawrence
• Moose dancing: Combine -30C in the wilds of Alaska, two hearty huskies, a one-way ski trail and a lonely she-mooseJohn McWhorter, www.mytb.org/Hangzhou-Johnny
• What is Fairtrade and Why Should We Bother? Natasha Lewis, Chair of Fairtrade Assoc. Australia & NZ, Managing Director of Organic Trader, www.fairtrade.com.au, www.cocolo.com
• How To Not Feel Like A Twat When Looking at Modern Art: Based on the experience of an artist, who spends a helluva lot of time in galleries, pretending she knows what she’s talking about. Lauren Brown, sheseesred.blogspot.com
• Speaking the world into being: I’m a little obsessed by the way language creates the world we experience, and shapes our thinking and actions. Yet our relationship to language is like a fish to ...

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Mazin melanie

I have been thinking over the experiment that John Moore at Brand Autopsy has been running. While he was away, John left a masked marketer at the helm -- Skyon, the master marketing pick-up artist. And while Skyons posts were great ... he kept his mask firmly intact.

So, here's what I am thinking. There must be some readers of this blog who would like to write some stuff. Maybe you just haven't had the time to put together your own blog. Maybe you don't want to ... or maybe you just haven't made it public yet.

What if you could post here ... say once a week for a month. That's right ... four posts over a month. You can choose your name/identity or you can come out of the shadows completely. Up to you. If you are interested, send me an email and let me know. I can only take one at the moment ... but if this works, I may do it again.Go on, what have you got to lose?

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men who are proud to wear the mark of the unshaven.

But we need your help. You see, any good team needs a sponsor, and so we are turning to you, kind folks, to support us in our most earnest of endeavours.

To sponsor me:

1. Visit the Movember website
2. Choose to donate or to sponsor
3. Enter my registration number : 158914
4. Begin to FEEL GOOD about doing good

To JOIN the team:

1. Visit the Movember website
2. Choose the Join a Team option
3. Use the Captain's registration number 158914
4. And my email address: servant [at] servantofchaos [dot] com
5. Begin to FEEL GOOD about participating

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It's fun being part of a social network. It can be great to participate in movie polls, in music quizzes and to attract others of like mind through widgets, games and discussion boards. But it is important to remember that EVERY single piece of data that you share contributes to your seen and unseen profile. That's right, your interaction, your engagement and your PREFERENCES are captured by the massive databases that power the sites that we love such as Facebook and Google.

Colin from Canuckflack shares this brilliant presentation that explains exactly what happens to your information. Now, it is fine to play and engage with these sites ... it is just important to do so in full knowledge of the mechanisms that SUBSIDIZE the "free" nature of the systems. Remember, there really is no such thing as a free lunch.

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Well, it has been a very big week. There have been lot of ideas filling my brain and, as always, there is plenty of work to do. All this means, of course, that my blog debt has been racking up. So while I normally dislike writing link-style posts, I really have no choice this week. Here goes:

• John Grant's new book, the Green Marketing Manifesto launched to rave reviews. Get your copy on Amazon.
• New friends on Facebook -- Maria Sokolova, Jasmin Tragas and Ariel Waldman (happy birthday, Ariel)
• Had a great time presenting on the Business of Web 2.0 at Macquarie Graduate School of Management
• Agreed with Mack Collier on the disappointing ham fist (or is it cold turkey?) AdAge has made of Todd And's Power 150
• Closed off the So, You Think You Can Market competition ... with Casey Degon coming up trumps
• Started working on the next Eat.Sleep.Blog with Sean and Paul (plus special guest) -- just need to wait for Kaltura to stop overwriting everything we do!
• Heard from an old friend, made a new one and connected with a new CSR cause
• Looking forward to InterestingSouth next week

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Sorry folks, I forgot to post this one ... thanks to Doug Meacham for reminding me of it!

It feels like Michael Wesch Week here at ServantOfChaos. First of all there was the Information R/evolution and then a post at MarketingProfs.

He also explains that he started producing the video on the fly, so the mistakes were included. As the piece evolved, he realised that the mistakes were an important element which then caused a shift in his own thinking. He need to "plan mistakes".

In another nod to the past, Michael also explains that Kevin Kelly's We Are the Web piece from Wired in 2005 -- perhaps this is also partly why Katie claims there are no such thing as IDEAS.

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I may have been slow to pick up on this video on Google's new Android platform, but it certainly makes for interesting viewing. Not only is the new mobile phone software available as open source, Google are actively encouraging developers to create new applications for the fledgling environment. That's right, they are setting aside $10 million for those developers who create unique, never before seen applications.

Who says open source doesn't pay?

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JayPanda

I don't really know why I am suddenly quoting The Clash, but I thought it was sort of appropriate.

You see, I am thinking about shifting blog platforms. It is not that I don't like Typepad, I do ... it has been great. But I have a lot of other sites, sideline projects and web hosting setups that I need to consolidate. And rather than have them all spread out ... and costing small but not insubstantial amounts, I am thinking that I should bring them all together in one place (yes, the wonders of virtual hosts and server technology will allow me to do so). At the moment I am thinking of MoveableType ... but I have had a lot of experience with WordPress as well and know it does a great job.

I am sure that many of you have been down this path before me ... so what are the risks? What are the problems? What have you learned in this sort of process and would you do it again?

And, in case you can't get that song out of your head, I have posted a live version over here.

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Casey Degon. Congratulations!

To recap ... in this competition gave marketers the chance to put forward their best ideas based on this Sara, the BargainQueen. The best idea in each round will be voted on by a wide, wide panel of marketing experts -- YOU. That's right, you got to decide on the best idea around theBargainQueen.com's Christmas promotion.

Thanks to all who voted ... now, I just look forward to how this will all play out! Roll-on Christmas.

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very same recently.

But when we think about Web 2.0 and its applicability to the education system, we often think about enabling systems -- about pushing education and content to students in an open and collaborative environment. And while this is great, it is very structured around learning. One of the clever Facebook strategies has been to enable students to systematise the LIFESTYLE aspect of studying. But what if this was applied in a new direction -- back onto the college/university itself. What about your teachers? Now you can even RATE your professors. If only this was around in my day! Via etcetera.

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Just finished giving a presentation to a group of MBA students at Macquarie Graduate School of Management (thanks to Dennis Price). It was the first time that I had the reason to think through the idea of the NEW B2C -- brand to community (thanks to Geoff Moore) -- using the Age of Conversation as a case study. Hope you enjoy it (PS I have speaker notes if you need them).

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Thanks to the following for their ideas which were woven together:

• Tim O’Reilly: http://www.oreilly.com
• David Armano:  http://darmano.typepad.com
• Drew McLellan: http://www.drewsmarketingminute.com
• Sean Howard: http://www.craphammer.ca
• Geoffrey Moore: http://geoffmoore.blogs.com

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Foxicat Now, I just could not resist this photo.Sounds like my kind of chilli sauce.Even if I do feel sorry for Jane.

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I have been in love with notebooks for years. I first started carrying one during my time at university -- not for lecture notes -- but for important things -- ideas and inspiration. You see, I loved writing and reading ... and I wanted to be able to capture great thoughts or snippets of quotes wherever I might find them. I spent a great deal of time in the library reading, in the bar and cafe watching, reading, writing (and even knitting), and my notebook became my constant companion. We were hardly ever apart. Really, it was a love affair of sorts.

Over the years, I experimented with types of notebook. There were the desk-style, leatherette varieties (with built-in calculator -- whatever that was for!), there was the moleskin, the handmade, the mass produced and the ringbound. There were a range of optional extras ... the brushed aluminium mini-brief case, the leather folder, the ballpoints, fountain pens, ratchet pencils, and everything in-between. Each of these artefacts drew me deeper into the world of words. Each sentence that I wrote confirmed my love.

After I had completed the first few notebooks and placed them on my shelf for reference, I realised that I was building a creative diary of my life. Almost like an autobiography of my own (often questionable) creativity. For these notebooks were pre-digital mashups -- a tangle of concepts, sources, research, quotes and action points. There were to do lists, recommendations and new connections made. Reading back over these now there is a sense of excitement and fresh innovation ... but also some staleness, some pretentious creativity feeding on its own cleverness.

But perhaps more important than the content written in these notebooks was the process and discipline that has served me so well ever since. You see, there is some tangible link between creativity and writing that we know or can sense, but can't quite define. When I read a brief, I will quickly write my response and leave it, coming back later to see whether my gut instinct was on target. More often than not, this initial reaction can be easily folded back into the overall response generated by my team -- and often to great effect. It seems to add a richness to the flavour of our response.

What does this have to do with social media or Web 2.0? My first post for this blog was actually written in a notebook and many of the ideas that I write about come directly from the same place. Often, if I can't quite figure out a post I will sketch out the linkage between ideas in my notebook before starting to write a post. While it doesn't work for everyone, it certainly does for me. And it is a wonderful discipline for any writer to employ. And if you want to give the notebook driven approach to creativity a try, The Staufenbergers have a great offer at the moment. There are TWO and only two beautiful handmade notebooks waiting ...

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I have written about the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative before ... and you may remember that for a SHORT TIME ONLY, the cool OLPC is available for purchase in North America.

That's right, as of yesterday, the XO Giving site allows you to purchase two of these cool laptops for $400 ... one being donated to a child in a developing nation, the second being sent to YOUR child at home. The offer is open for 15 days!

But, listen, if you are a school buyer and you want to purchase new PCs for your kids next year, consider the OLPC and have double the impact on the lives of children -- locally and globally. Now, that's really a great idea!

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2008 Personal Brand Awards.

Never before has the web been such a friendly place.   Web 2.0 has opened a gateway for individuals to come together, in unison and speak to each other using platforms such as blogs, Facebook and even Google talk.  Those that used to be introverted, now have a safe place to express themselves and their point of view.  They even have the privilege of networking with others who share similar insight, demographic or geographic. 

Personal branding has paved the way for people to gain confidence in themselves and their abilities to deliver value, whether by expertise or content.  Why take a job that you aren’t interested in and doesn’t fit who you are as a person?  There’s no point, especially when you have tools ready and available to you to convey your passions, goals and subject matter knowledge. 

A lot of this new direction comes from people’s comfort and freedom to express their appearance, competencies and personality.  Personality can be clearly communicated through podcasting, either using YouTube, Google Video or hosting it on your own website.  Either way, you can attract others to your brand by displaying the person behind the brand.  The great part about the web now is that everyone has a voice, but still not everyone is treated equally.  Those that have superior brand names, will get their email read faster, their articles published quicker and larger scale opportunities.

The good news is that anyone can achieve success by developing their brand.  The bad news is that if you fail to bask in the greatness of web 2.0, you will lose your personal freedom and the ability to connect and reach hundreds of millions of people around the world.  Whether you are 18 or 56, or black or white, you can all be a part of this growing community and develop your skills to match new job requirements that are spawning as we speak.  Step out of your comfort zone and into a world where you can be recognized for YOU!

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Welcome to the FINAL of So, You Think You Can Market? in support of TheBargainQueen.com.

!

To recap ... in this competition marketers will put forward their best ideas based on this Sara. The entries will be published here ... and the best idea in each round will be voted on by a wide, wide panel of marketing experts -- YOU. That's right, you get to decide on which idea proceeds to the next round ... and which idea, ultimately, will be worked up in time for a Christmas promotion.

So, the finalist's ideas are:

1.   Half of the sales will go towards charity, the other half towards helping the marketing budget. When men click on the gifts, they are redirected to The Bargain Queen web site were they can find out more. If they choose to by the gift and send it to a friend, their friend will not only be sent the graphic and the link from which they can view, but they will also be entered into a drawing to receive that particular article of clothing for free.
2. - Empower the Current ReadersThe fundamental issue here is that The Bargain Queen is a site for women. One look at it and a guy like me starts to get nervous. I can start clicking around, but even if I do find something she may like, how can I be sure? I never really know if she likes something I gave her in the first place. So, with this particular site, I think men become the secondary target. It's just too obvious from the beginning that this is a women's site, so we really have to be the site that offers an insight into his specific wife/girlfriend the best, not just women in general.So, I'd start by making it easy for readers to send suggestions to their husbands/boyfriends. Each post should have a "send to him" button where a woman can anonymously hint that this may be a good giftfor her. Secondly, I'd build a widget for these readers to drop their favorite selections from the site into. She ...