The Orange

Ok, so case in point…I’ve got nothing.  The video has a small cult following with a mediocre 400,000 views.  In the land of YouTube, that really does not count for much.  Take what you will from "The Orange", it is a story about an Orange that ruled the world.  What is the author getting at?  It could be a little of everything, but mostly I just thought it was a short but interesting story.  Who says a citrus fruit can’t rule the world!

Gummibär

Want a quick way to internet success?  How about making a video of a dancing gummy bear that gets translated into every major language and in total has seen over 100 Million views on YouTube.  Combine viral video with a website to sell Gummibar CDs and Assorted Merchandise.  Honestly…where do people come up with these ideas?  I think I need to get cracking on viral video ideas…they seem to pay off well!

Kiwi!

A somewhat sad, but cute video of a Kiwi bird that, against all odds, finally gets to fly.  At 22 Million views, its not too shabby and it was the Winner of the 2006 YouTube Awards in the "Most Adorable" category.

With that many views, you’ve probably seen at least one of these, but I figured everyone can use a little humor in their lives from time to time.  I hope you enjoy these.

Twitter – The Dark Truth?

Ok, So maybe this video shows the "darker side" of Twitter.  Either way it is a humorous look at true twitter addicts.  In case you didn’t watch the video and possibly have lived in a cave for the past 2 years or so, Twitter is a social network which allows you to post a 140 character update answering the simple question "What are you doing?"  It has been mentioned in everything from Wired Magazine to The New York Times and has been a godsend to people everywhere who are not dedicated enough to blog and want a quick and easy way to give their opinion on anything and everything.  Does everyone become a twitter addict?  No…although I must say I do give in on occasion and ‘tweet’ about random un-exceptional things…just as the video proclaims.  It is rather difficult NOT to.  I have that little blue bird smiling up at me on my app screen and who doesn’t want to give in and post something.  It is way too cute to ignore and when in doubt I can usually come up with something to say.

Twitter certainly has its valid uses as well.  For those that don’t abuse it with posts every five minutes, Twitter can be both a useful tool to stay in touch with family, friends, co-workers and just about anyone that wants to listen. Besides Twitter though, there is also the recent winner of Tech Crunch 50, Yammer. Yammer, like Twitter, allows you to share what you are working on and have it just be private within your organization’s Yammer network. Like Twitter though, it tends to fall in and out of use…depending on people’s moods. Still something worth looking into though.

So in conclusion?  Tweet to your hearts content if you want…but we really don’t need to know every time you get up and sit down in your chair.

Just like the first page of a diary sitting blank before you…a first blog post is equally intimidating. All that white space on your screen…ideas racing through your head like, What should I write about?, "Will anyone read this?", "Is Donald Trump’s hair real?", "What is the official definition of a muppet?", "Did Al Gore really invent the internet?", "Should I grab that last cookie sitting on the counter and procrastinate writing?", "Will my mind actually stop wandering?". Then suddenly, the realization comes…it doesn’t matter. The internet is a global market for consumers, hungry for anything and everything. I could technically write about the finer points of using solar power to bake cookies on a deserted island and someone would probably read it. I think that is what fascinates me the most about the internet…if you can think of it, you will most likely find half-a-million websites devoted to it.

Lets take the word ‘cookie’ to start with. This may seem unrelated, but its my stream of consciousness tonight. I like cookies and it is the first thing that popped in my head. If I google for ‘cookie’, I can expect to find results similar to the following:

• Cookie Recipies
• The Amazing cookie diet
• Sesame Street, The Cookie Monster
• Cookie Monster singing "Wierd Al Yankovich"-inspired Limp Bizkit covers
• The Cookie Monster, Family Guy
• Girl Scouts Kick off Cookie Season

The list goes on and on. From dancing hamsters and sneezing pandas to Chocolate Rain and Rick Roll, the internet brings us humor, drama, fact and (Rick Roll included) annoyance. However, with all this "social clutter" making Google ranking a competitive market, how exactly does a company keep their internet presence from falling into the Google Abyss (a.k.a page 3 of search results for your top keywords)?

SEO aside, try starting with a fresh look. A tired looking website certainly doesn’t cut it anymore. People are not just interested in knowing where you are and what you do. That is what a business card ‘was’ for (see vcard for your first upgrade into the digital age). Why settle for that bland website you look at in disgust every morning…wondering when you’ll do something about it. Isn’t it time? (cues audience to nod their head in agreement) You’re website can be so much more. Tell them (your target audience) what they want to know in a fun and interesting medium. While that "circa 1997" site of the past worked, people want to get to know the businesses they work with on a personal level. They really want to know WHO you are. Lets take a look at the internet timeline, according to Chris (thats me).

The Brief (Brief brief brief) History of the Internet:

• Arpanet (Military guy 1 says Hello World in Virginia, Military guy 2 receives transmission as Hlelo Wlrdo in California) – Success! (It was close enough!)
• Speculation period of Al Gore being the brainchild of the internet (Similar to being stuck in the Google Abyss…just 10 years earlier)
• Dial-up (Ah the wonders of the half hour page load)
• The Personal Home Page now in HTML 1.0 (Now is not the time to admit you STILL use the HTML blink and marquee tags on your site)
• Email (What? We don’t need e-stamps for our e-mail?)
• Chat rooms (Scary people saying scary things)
• Dancing Hampster (Think of it as the "Internet killing the Video star")
• eBay (The world’s most famous yardsale)
• (several years of insignificance, excluding the invention of Broadband internet)
• MySpace (Bored now)
• YouTube (Now everyone CAN have their 15 minutes of fame)
• Facebook, Twitter, Social Network Explosion (This is who I am and what I do…take it or leave it)

As you can see, this wasn’t exactly "The Cosmos" with Carl Sagan, but I think you get the idea.

Hmm, you may be asking, "So what’s his point?". Well…I guess I’ll cut to the chase. If social media is in and babies are practically being born with iPhones in their hand (not a scientific fact, but I hear Apple / AT&T are working on it)…throw a little caution to the wind and experiment. If you can’t beat the social media revolution…join it! Have us add a blog on your site, Flickr integration so you can post pictures of your last vacation, inform your clients of what your doing with an integrated twitter feed. Let them explore, consume, share and enjoy your content…instead of just being bored by it.

And worst case, even if people remember you for something like the Ninja Cat, the fact that they remember you at all is what makes the difference. Social media sells…give it a whirl today.