The Mumbo: Open Graph in Action

I know, I know. I'm slacking again. There's a lot going on, TBA soon.

In the meantime, I'd like to make some comments about Open Graph now that I've seen it in action. (It's the least I can do since I told you to "stay tuned.")

Recently I read an article (thanks, Lisa Trosien) about gen y facebook users getting annoyed by their lack of privacy. (Ironically this article was posted on facebook.) My first thought was, "duh." C'mon, gen y, you knew it wasn't private, didn't you? My second thought was, "Angry or not, gen y will not ditch fb." Why? It's way too engrained in their lives. I am pretty attached to facebook myself, but I could probably live without it. Younger generations, on the other hand, have grown up with it. Asking them to give up social media is like asking me to give up my phone. How in the world do you keep in touch with anyone? Know what's going on? Get invited anywhere? Everyone has seen the movie with the poignant scene of the phone-a-holic dramatically throwing their phone into the water. But I have never seen anyone actually do that. Nor have I tried to call someone who didn't answer because they had tossed their phone off a cliff. Same goes for social media. It may become a necessary evil, but it's not going anywhere.

Now that open graph has been implemented, this is even truer. Social media is getting more engrained in everything. I actually like seeing which of my friends like Pearl Jam when I'm on Pandora, and which of my friends like "The Office" when I'm on abc.com. The more social the Internet becomes, the more attached users will be to social media. And I, for one, think this internet thing is here to stay. (Thanks, Al Gore. And sorry about you and Tipper. Really didn't see that one coming.)

Off to work on top secret stuff. Catch ya later.

The Jumbo: facebook takes over the world

1. Four senators address Zuckerberg and Facebook about privacy. Funny thing - I think a lot of politicians agree with the "ask forgiveness not permission" motto.

2. Facebook edges Google out as the "Web's most important company." Facebook had already edged out Google in terms of traffic (at least for a week). Open Graph puts it in a whole new league.

3. Social media has a postive effect on advertising. Study shows significant correlation between ad recall, awareness, and purchase intent with social media advocacy.

The Mumbo: Facebook Takes Over the World

Ok, it may seem a little dramatic to announce that facebook is taking over the world. (Not like it's the first time I've been accused of being dramatic.) But it's not so far from the truth. They are taking over the Internet.

I hope that by now (especially if you are an Ad:Tech or AIM attendee), you have heard about Open Graph. Facebook announced Open Graph at f8, the facebook conference for developers.

From the User's perspective:
In a nutshell, Open Graph allows facebook users to "like" across the Internet, not just within the facebook environment. This action may update your facebook profile (ie, "liking" movies on IMDB will add them to your "Favorite Movies" on fb). You can also chat about items on other sites. There is a legitimate concern about privacy now that fb is connected to the rest of the world. (Oh BTW, data can now be cached for more than 24 hours.)

From the Developer's perspective:
Facebook created specs for meta tags that can be added to sites to integrate the content with facebook, allowing users to "like" the content and create a social experience.

Facebook is launching with 30 partners, including CNN, ESPN, Pandora, and IMDB.

This is huge, people. Stay tuned.

The Jumbo: My Favorite Media Word: "Integration"

1. Social and email sittin' in a tree. . .
A survey by StrongMail suggests that 2010 is the year for social media to take the plunge and get hitched to email, and the result will hopefully be better insight into ROI.

2. Consumers surf the channels while they surf the net
Recent studies show that roughly a third of the target market we most serve search online while they're watching T.V. to get more information about what they're watching.

3. Calvin Klein's "x-rated" integrated ad campaign
Calvin Klein recently released a unique ad campaign with GQ magazine. Consumers can use the ad in the magazine in conjunction with an racy online ad for an "augmented reality" experience. Isn't it nice when it all comes together?

The Mumbo: What Marketers Can Learn from Tiger

I recently heard a commentary on NPR about the difference in the way the media and the public treat athletes versus other celebrities. The contention was that we expect athletes to be moral pillars in spite of all historical evidence to the contrary. I told my husband and he had a different take. "You know what it all comes down to?" he said. "If you tell the truth, it's boring."

I've been married long enough that I am stingy with the two golden words "You're right," but this time I threw them out with abandon. Suddenly all of the stories came flooding back to me. Do you remember when Hugh Grant got caught with a prostitute? You may not, because he immediately went on a talk show, dressed humbly, acting modestly, and repentant. Did you know about the married California senator who was caught drunk with a guy he picked up at a gay bar? Maybe not, because he immediately held a press conference and came clean. The media and the public were bored with these stories almost as soon as they came out. On the other hand, I am guessing that you are familiar with the name Larry Craig.

Why do we treat some naughty celebrities differently than others? Spin control. It's the PR term for the life lesson I teach my kids: If you mess up, take responsibility, apologize, and fix it. Then it's no big deal. If you don't, well, you're in trouble.

So how does this apply to marketing (get to the point!)? Social media offers your customers a way to talk about you, which is fantastic when they have good things to say, but daunting when they have something negative to say. Unless you view it as an opportunity. Take responsibility, apologize, fix it. Then it's no big deal. It will even put you in better light than if it never came up at all. Don't be a Tiger. Be a Hugh.

The Jumbo: Is Social Media Getting Creepy?

1. Foursquare corners a new form of social media
Foursquare (debuted at last year's SXSW) is the newest beauty on the social marketing scene. It allows you to "check in" at your location so that friends can find you and join you, connecting online social networking to offline social networking. It also allows marketers a very targeted audience.

2. Social media in the bedroom
Almost half of social media users check in at night or as soon as they wake up, and nearly a quarter check in if they wake up in the middle of the night. They also check when they're going to the bathroom and even when they are getting, um, intimate.

3. And the startup bus winners are. . .
My crazy aussie friend packed a bunch of people on a bus from San Francisco to Austin and charged them with starting up new businesses on the way. The results were social, altruistic, and maybe a bit creepy.