“hi5 Introduces Virtual Gifts and Currency With International Flair”
By Matt Singley
December 10, 2008
Hello again,
All I could say when I read this article was “no way!” Technology is crazy, who knew about all of these cool new features. I’m talking about the new features hi5, a popular international social network has to offer, and Ill tells you a little bit about it:
• hi5 has recently made virtual gifts and currency available to its users
• these gifts offer a new way to spread cheer and excitement online and is especially great for the up coming holiday season
• As of yesterday, “ the site is offering an assortment of 36 virtual gifts that represent a cross-section of the world’s customs and cultures, as diverse as its user base”
• the virtual gifts made available on this site are much more unique than those of competing social networks
• hi5’s gifts target very specific occasions, for example “you can now buy a “Rosca” - a cake that Mexicans traditionally eat on January 6th to celebrate Three Kings’ Day - or a dreidel, which is a popular toy for children during the Jewish holiday Hanukkah.”
• An extra bonus of the virtual gifts is that each of them come “wrapped” this authentic touches makes the recipient feel like they are really opening the gift, it even includes the crinkle sound of the wrapping paper
• The price of these gifts is set at 80 coins, varying on where you live in the world and the current exchange rate
• In the United States one would be able to purchase 80 coins for one US dollar
Pretty inexpensive for a gift if you ask me and even though it’s virtual, it’s the thought that counts! Check out the hi5 website and send some virtual gifts to all your friends! Also, click here to read the full article.
Enjoy!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
“Dove gets digital”
“Dove gets digital”
By Emily Wexler
December 2008
Strategymag.com
• Dove has created a new Facebook application, wanting to send a messge, “You’re beautiful. Pass it on.”
• This application will be one of the first of this kind offered on the social newtork’s newly redesigned website
• The Dove brand building director, Sharon MacLeod feels that Facebook was the perfect place to spread the message
• launched on November 3rd, this application is a part of Dove’s “Pay Beauty Forward” campaign, which allows users to send e-flowers with thoughtful messages to their friends
• each time an e-flower is sent one dollar is donated to the Dove Self-Esteem Fund
• the campaign has already achieved gret success as about 8,000 e-flowers were sent within its first two weeks
• people can send e-flowers through both the Facebook application and the website paybeautyforward.ca.
• this is just one of Dove’s many initiatives, taking full advantage of the digital world
I was really interested in this article because I have seen this application on Facebook and thought it was a great idea. I think the reason that this specific application didn’t get lost in the clutter is because it is for such a good cause. As stated above, with each e-flower message sent, Dove donates 1 dollar to the Dove Self-Esteem Fund. At the risk soliciting, go check out the paybeautyforward website and send an e-flower, after all its free for you and it will make a difference!
By Emily Wexler
December 2008
Strategymag.com
• Dove has created a new Facebook application, wanting to send a messge, “You’re beautiful. Pass it on.”
• This application will be one of the first of this kind offered on the social newtork’s newly redesigned website
• The Dove brand building director, Sharon MacLeod feels that Facebook was the perfect place to spread the message
• launched on November 3rd, this application is a part of Dove’s “Pay Beauty Forward” campaign, which allows users to send e-flowers with thoughtful messages to their friends
• each time an e-flower is sent one dollar is donated to the Dove Self-Esteem Fund
• the campaign has already achieved gret success as about 8,000 e-flowers were sent within its first two weeks
• people can send e-flowers through both the Facebook application and the website paybeautyforward.ca.
• this is just one of Dove’s many initiatives, taking full advantage of the digital world
I was really interested in this article because I have seen this application on Facebook and thought it was a great idea. I think the reason that this specific application didn’t get lost in the clutter is because it is for such a good cause. As stated above, with each e-flower message sent, Dove donates 1 dollar to the Dove Self-Esteem Fund. At the risk soliciting, go check out the paybeautyforward website and send an e-flower, after all its free for you and it will make a difference!
“Kraft Canada revamps teen bedrooms”
“Kraft Canada revamps teen bedrooms”
By Rakshande Italia
December 4th, 2008
• Through an online promotion, Kraft Canada has been remodelling Canadian teenager’s bedrooms
• teens are encouraged to submit a picture of their bedroom on Kraft’s new site, uniKD.com for an opportunity one of four $10, 000 room makeovers
• Entries are judged on the need of a makeover and the quality of the submission
• ten bedrooms will be chosen and then the winning four bedrooms will be determined through an online vote
• This new site was launched as an effort to connect with teenagers, Kraft wanted to send them the message of “we get you”
• the senior product manager of Kraft Canada, Valerie Lemant says that “the website wont have sales content built into it, rather the site was created as an online community where teens can discover their individuality through their tastes in fashion, music and spots- as well as how they experience Kraft Dinner
• Also, members of the website are able to collect points to win prizes through games, quizzes and by participating in the online contest
• The makeover contest was created to generate awareness and traffic to Kraft’s social teen site
• Lemant adds that "Teenagers today live out their lives online; it's where they hang out. We want uniKD.com to be their destination of choice"
• the competition deadline is December 31st, 2008
So, I checked out the site and it’s pretty cool. It says the bedroom makeover room contest is for teenagers. I did some investigating and it says must be at least 13 and there's no cut off age so it appears we are all good to enter! In order to enter in the contest you have to become a unikd member first, it’s a pretty simple sign up process. To check it out go to unikd.com.
By Rakshande Italia
December 4th, 2008
• Through an online promotion, Kraft Canada has been remodelling Canadian teenager’s bedrooms
• teens are encouraged to submit a picture of their bedroom on Kraft’s new site, uniKD.com for an opportunity one of four $10, 000 room makeovers
• Entries are judged on the need of a makeover and the quality of the submission
• ten bedrooms will be chosen and then the winning four bedrooms will be determined through an online vote
• This new site was launched as an effort to connect with teenagers, Kraft wanted to send them the message of “we get you”
• the senior product manager of Kraft Canada, Valerie Lemant says that “the website wont have sales content built into it, rather the site was created as an online community where teens can discover their individuality through their tastes in fashion, music and spots- as well as how they experience Kraft Dinner
• Also, members of the website are able to collect points to win prizes through games, quizzes and by participating in the online contest
• The makeover contest was created to generate awareness and traffic to Kraft’s social teen site
• Lemant adds that "Teenagers today live out their lives online; it's where they hang out. We want uniKD.com to be their destination of choice"
• the competition deadline is December 31st, 2008
So, I checked out the site and it’s pretty cool. It says the bedroom makeover room contest is for teenagers. I did some investigating and it says must be at least 13 and there's no cut off age so it appears we are all good to enter! In order to enter in the contest you have to become a unikd member first, it’s a pretty simple sign up process. To check it out go to unikd.com.
Monday, December 8, 2008
“2008 on the web: The 20 Key Elements”
By Sean P. Aune
December 6th, 2008
Source: Masable.com
Hey Friends,
I found this article pretty cool. It is a breakdown of the 20 most popular key technological events of 2008, some of the top 20 include:
• The internets role in the 2008 US Presidential election- with candidate Barack Obama’s online fundraising and weekly YouTube posts
• the continuous competition involving data portability- there is MySpace Data, Facebook Connect and Friend Connect, created by Google- these data portals fight to be the leader in sharing your personal information
• The expansion of application platforms- Facebook Applications, MySpace Applications and event the March launch of the Apple App Store
• The introduction of new services available from Citizen Journalism, such as CNN’s iReport and CBS EyeMobile which recently showed up on the iPhone- this allowed citizen journalism networkers to break stories in real time as they happened
• The effect that the economic downturn had on the Internet- this affects the companies that rely on the Internet as a sales or business medium. As economic declines are expected to worsen into the new year, venture capitalists will be sure to pull back on their funding to companies
• Streaming Television Shows- much of the latest take off in 2008 were thanks to Saturday Night Live Presidential election skits (ONE OF WHICH I POSTED ON MY BLOG- ITS HILARIOUS). Online viewership of television shows expanded so rapidly that the BBC extended the length of shows on iPlayer, BBC also offered to stream the shows and the same time they were being aired on regular television (AN ARTICLE ABOUT THIS DEVELOPMENT IS ON MY BLOG- CHECK THAT OUT)
• Lastly, is the Facebook Redesign- we are all familiar with this new development; remember receiving hundreds of those pesky invites to join the group protesting the ‘New Facebook’! On July 20th 2008, Facebook launched their user profile redesign in limited release and went worldwide with it in September. Those invitations to join the reversal to the old design came out only FIVE MINUTES after the new design was implemented. Yet, even with all the demands for reversal nothing has changed, it is clear now that the new design is here to stay friends so get used to it!
These are just some of the 20 most popular key technological events that occurred over 2008. Check out this link to read the rest of the article. These new developments are crazy and affect all of us, especially as media students. New technological advances will be able to assist us when we enter the workforce and learning about it now will give us the advantage. There are so many new mediums to explore so read this and enjoy!
December 6th, 2008
Source: Masable.com
Hey Friends,
I found this article pretty cool. It is a breakdown of the 20 most popular key technological events of 2008, some of the top 20 include:
• The internets role in the 2008 US Presidential election- with candidate Barack Obama’s online fundraising and weekly YouTube posts
• the continuous competition involving data portability- there is MySpace Data, Facebook Connect and Friend Connect, created by Google- these data portals fight to be the leader in sharing your personal information
• The expansion of application platforms- Facebook Applications, MySpace Applications and event the March launch of the Apple App Store
• The introduction of new services available from Citizen Journalism, such as CNN’s iReport and CBS EyeMobile which recently showed up on the iPhone- this allowed citizen journalism networkers to break stories in real time as they happened
• The effect that the economic downturn had on the Internet- this affects the companies that rely on the Internet as a sales or business medium. As economic declines are expected to worsen into the new year, venture capitalists will be sure to pull back on their funding to companies
• Streaming Television Shows- much of the latest take off in 2008 were thanks to Saturday Night Live Presidential election skits (ONE OF WHICH I POSTED ON MY BLOG- ITS HILARIOUS). Online viewership of television shows expanded so rapidly that the BBC extended the length of shows on iPlayer, BBC also offered to stream the shows and the same time they were being aired on regular television (AN ARTICLE ABOUT THIS DEVELOPMENT IS ON MY BLOG- CHECK THAT OUT)
• Lastly, is the Facebook Redesign- we are all familiar with this new development; remember receiving hundreds of those pesky invites to join the group protesting the ‘New Facebook’! On July 20th 2008, Facebook launched their user profile redesign in limited release and went worldwide with it in September. Those invitations to join the reversal to the old design came out only FIVE MINUTES after the new design was implemented. Yet, even with all the demands for reversal nothing has changed, it is clear now that the new design is here to stay friends so get used to it!
These are just some of the 20 most popular key technological events that occurred over 2008. Check out this link to read the rest of the article. These new developments are crazy and affect all of us, especially as media students. New technological advances will be able to assist us when we enter the workforce and learning about it now will give us the advantage. There are so many new mediums to explore so read this and enjoy!
“Ad slump brings Rogers layoffs”
Hey Guys,
This article ties into the last one I posted about the recent job cuts within the media industry resulting from the economic recession. Here’s a brief summary of the article click the link below to read the full story, enjoy!
“Ad slump brings Rogers layoffs”
Marketing Magazine
December 3rd, 2008
• Rogers Media announces staff cuts due to advertising sales drops and the poor direction that the economy is heading
• Rogers Media includes a number of TV, radio and magazine properties like Marketing Magazine, Maclean’s and Chatelaine to name a few
• Rogers Publishing president and CEO Brian Segal explains that “Conditions in the media industry—in Canada and globally—have been challenging due to the U.S. financial crisis, which has produced sharp decreases in advertising spending,”
• these negative changes are expected to continue throughout the new year of 2009
• Suneel Khanna, Rogers Media spokesman offers that although there were many cuts made, the layoffs were not as heavy compared to some of the other media companies
• the company feels that these changes will result in greater operating efficiencies, along with allowing them to maximize opportunities when the advertising market bounces back
• these cut backs were instituted in order to save significant costs and to employ the companies resources more efficiently
• The recent economic down turn has caused advertising budgets to be tightened, this has had a direct effect on the media companies which is why Rogers, just as its competitor CTVglobemedia had to make serious job cuts in an effort to stay in business
• Further, these Rogers layoffs were announced on the same day that the company founder and CEO Ted Rogers passed away from congestive heart disease
This article ties into the last one I posted about the recent job cuts within the media industry resulting from the economic recession. Here’s a brief summary of the article click the link below to read the full story, enjoy!
“Ad slump brings Rogers layoffs”
Marketing Magazine
December 3rd, 2008
• Rogers Media announces staff cuts due to advertising sales drops and the poor direction that the economy is heading
• Rogers Media includes a number of TV, radio and magazine properties like Marketing Magazine, Maclean’s and Chatelaine to name a few
• Rogers Publishing president and CEO Brian Segal explains that “Conditions in the media industry—in Canada and globally—have been challenging due to the U.S. financial crisis, which has produced sharp decreases in advertising spending,”
• these negative changes are expected to continue throughout the new year of 2009
• Suneel Khanna, Rogers Media spokesman offers that although there were many cuts made, the layoffs were not as heavy compared to some of the other media companies
• the company feels that these changes will result in greater operating efficiencies, along with allowing them to maximize opportunities when the advertising market bounces back
• these cut backs were instituted in order to save significant costs and to employ the companies resources more efficiently
• The recent economic down turn has caused advertising budgets to be tightened, this has had a direct effect on the media companies which is why Rogers, just as its competitor CTVglobemedia had to make serious job cuts in an effort to stay in business
• Further, these Rogers layoffs were announced on the same day that the company founder and CEO Ted Rogers passed away from congestive heart disease
Thursday, November 20, 2008
"Ax hovers over CTV"
Hey Guys,
Read this article summary I wrote it talks about the current economic instability. What is going on right now is pretty crazy and it is affecting the media industry which will ultimately affect all of us so read below to keep informed!
"Ax hovers over CTV"
This article, “Ax hovers over CTV,” found on mediaincanada.com is about the current economic crisis and how it is largely affecting the Canadian media industry, as well as many others.
Early this week CTV employees received internal memos from Ivan Fecan, the CEO of CTVglobemedia explaining that changes were to be set in place in an effort to decrease company costs. The memo was informing employees of the midweek meeting that was being arranged in order to discuss necessary strategic planning for the network due to the current uncertainty and instability within the industry. The downsizing of staff members is not unique to this media company, as last Friday Canwest Global Communications, CTV’s competition declared the loss of 560 jobs from their company. Fecan claims that at this point, CTV plans to make dramatic cuts in travel and entertainment spending and plans to put a hold on any new hiring before they let go of existing jobs.
Yet, as much as CTV would like to avoid job cuts as much as possible, the layoff seems inevitable with today’s economy. Using a diplomatic effort to weed out the less productive and more invaluable employees to the company, Fecan has put in requests that the heads of each department identity the top efficient workers. Employees who aren’t seen as valuable by their department head, or who just don’t measure up will have to be let go as it is apparent that CTV can only afford to keep the best at this time. In an effort to settle employees’ nerves, Fecan further stated that areas with strong revenue or competition may actually receive additional resources rather than cutting them. Still, new projects and up and coming ones are being put to a stop or delayed until further notice.
“There is never a right or easy time to let go of employees but these measures are necessary as the difficult times are just approaching for the Canadian broadcast industry.” Unfortunately, these measures are not just going to affect CTV, it will create a domino effect and other companies that rely on the network, such as indie producers of which depend on broadcasters for commissions will be largely impacted by the networks changes. The fragile state of the economy will highly influence levels advertising considering the fact that companies are reluctant to invest in major financial projects in an unstable economy. The recent examples of reluctance to invest in advertising are apparent with the present situation of car and financial companies which have experienced considerable decreases in consumer spending. Further, the ripple effect is evident when it comes to the media industry as job cuts or various decreases in all levels of media will impact all of the others that are associated with it in one way or another.
Visit the link to access the full article:
Read this article summary I wrote it talks about the current economic instability. What is going on right now is pretty crazy and it is affecting the media industry which will ultimately affect all of us so read below to keep informed!
"Ax hovers over CTV"
This article, “Ax hovers over CTV,” found on mediaincanada.com is about the current economic crisis and how it is largely affecting the Canadian media industry, as well as many others.
Early this week CTV employees received internal memos from Ivan Fecan, the CEO of CTVglobemedia explaining that changes were to be set in place in an effort to decrease company costs. The memo was informing employees of the midweek meeting that was being arranged in order to discuss necessary strategic planning for the network due to the current uncertainty and instability within the industry. The downsizing of staff members is not unique to this media company, as last Friday Canwest Global Communications, CTV’s competition declared the loss of 560 jobs from their company. Fecan claims that at this point, CTV plans to make dramatic cuts in travel and entertainment spending and plans to put a hold on any new hiring before they let go of existing jobs.
Yet, as much as CTV would like to avoid job cuts as much as possible, the layoff seems inevitable with today’s economy. Using a diplomatic effort to weed out the less productive and more invaluable employees to the company, Fecan has put in requests that the heads of each department identity the top efficient workers. Employees who aren’t seen as valuable by their department head, or who just don’t measure up will have to be let go as it is apparent that CTV can only afford to keep the best at this time. In an effort to settle employees’ nerves, Fecan further stated that areas with strong revenue or competition may actually receive additional resources rather than cutting them. Still, new projects and up and coming ones are being put to a stop or delayed until further notice.
“There is never a right or easy time to let go of employees but these measures are necessary as the difficult times are just approaching for the Canadian broadcast industry.” Unfortunately, these measures are not just going to affect CTV, it will create a domino effect and other companies that rely on the network, such as indie producers of which depend on broadcasters for commissions will be largely impacted by the networks changes. The fragile state of the economy will highly influence levels advertising considering the fact that companies are reluctant to invest in major financial projects in an unstable economy. The recent examples of reluctance to invest in advertising are apparent with the present situation of car and financial companies which have experienced considerable decreases in consumer spending. Further, the ripple effect is evident when it comes to the media industry as job cuts or various decreases in all levels of media will impact all of the others that are associated with it in one way or another.
Visit the link to access the full article:
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
“CHRONICLE TELEGRAPH PUTS ARCHIVE ON GOOGLE”
“CHRONICLE TELEGRAPH PUTS ARCHIVE ON GOOGLE”
November 10, 2008
By Brian Dunn
from Marketingmag.com
• As the title of the article says, North Americas oldest newspaper, The Quebec Chronicle Telegraph has made archives of their paper available to access online using the Google search engine
• The Chronicle Telegraph made the decision to become interactive with the hope that the change will increase circulation and generate extra revenue
• Pierre Little, the publisher and part owner of the newspaper which began publishing June 21, 1764 said that “We decided to partner with Google because we have huge untapped archives that date back almost 250 years”
• The newspaper is looking to enhance all of their assets
• It was Google who approached Pierre Little about the partnership claiming that “they recognized we had the oldest newspaper archives in North America which they are converting from microfilm to a text database.”
• The newspapers articles will be accessible through google.com/archivesearch, this new visibility through Google will surely attract new readers
• This is a huge project for Google to take on as the publication has well over 900,000 archives which will need to be scanned
• This agreement with Google is the first of its kind in Canada, which follows similar agreements the search engine has with other publications
To learn more about this new partnership initiative you can access the full article by clicking this link:
November 10, 2008
By Brian Dunn
from Marketingmag.com
• As the title of the article says, North Americas oldest newspaper, The Quebec Chronicle Telegraph has made archives of their paper available to access online using the Google search engine
• The Chronicle Telegraph made the decision to become interactive with the hope that the change will increase circulation and generate extra revenue
• Pierre Little, the publisher and part owner of the newspaper which began publishing June 21, 1764 said that “We decided to partner with Google because we have huge untapped archives that date back almost 250 years”
• The newspaper is looking to enhance all of their assets
• It was Google who approached Pierre Little about the partnership claiming that “they recognized we had the oldest newspaper archives in North America which they are converting from microfilm to a text database.”
• The newspapers articles will be accessible through google.com/archivesearch, this new visibility through Google will surely attract new readers
• This is a huge project for Google to take on as the publication has well over 900,000 archives which will need to be scanned
• This agreement with Google is the first of its kind in Canada, which follows similar agreements the search engine has with other publications
To learn more about this new partnership initiative you can access the full article by clicking this link:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
