I’m moving exclusively to Google Talk. Feel free to add devin.reams at gmail dot com. If I were to do the same analysis I did on MySpace ads on an AIM chat window you’d be as frustrated as I am with wasted space. Anyway, Garett has done more source-code investigating. Interesting indeed. I’m even more interested by the fact that nobody really told me about Yahoo’s voicemail capabilities.
I’ve had time to play with a new service called edgeio. Essentially, it’s a service that enables bloggers to post listings (job, help wanted, housing, etc.) to their blogs. Edgeio then crawls the blogs and finds the posts tagged ‘listing’ and will aggregate them. The service is free to use but will also provide publishers with additional paid services (to help increase exposure).
At first glance the website is a lot to try and navigate. I found myself not noticing some things that I should have. For instance when creating an account it was not very clear to me how to pick my location. I finally figured out that not only do I have to put in the zip code/city but I then have to click the corresponding city that pops up. I figured by putting in the zip I had done my part. This registration process took three times becuase the error message at the top didn’t stand out. I didn’t realize the captcha changed each time. Haha, I do know how to use the interweb, I swear.
The listings are pretty straight forward. If you click the thumbnail you can see that the listing basically pulls the text (‘I would like to sell…’) from the blog entry and any other information (price, location, tags). I had a few thoughts just looking at the listing though. For instance, when I ‘Subscribe’ what kind of information is going to be sent via RSS? I also thought that the ‘report spam’ button would be useful. But, I suspect (read: hope) edgeio will also have some mechanisms in place. I also like the fact that edgeio incorporates ‘Other Profiles’ like ebay and flickr.
Here is my sample listing which you can see to the right (the page where you manage the listing). Within a few seconds of adding my blog to my profile it had the listing added and a comfirmation email in my inbox. Managing listings are pretty straight forward. But, you can’t change any of the content through the edgeio website. From what I can tell all you’re able to do is change your tags, the listing status, and the price. I wasn’t able to determine whether or not an update to the blog means an update to the listing. I haven’t seen my update yet but they claim that once the blog is added it will routinely check up on it (every 24 hours). Luckily I can go to ‘My Edgeio’ and hit ‘Check for new posts’ under the appropriate blog. Interestingly enough my post was updated but I don’t see it on the page (it has the updates on the ‘Manage’ page, though). Update: It just took a little while…
Anyway, I feel this will have some interesting implications on how individual business is done online. No longer do we have to pay a buck to put something on ebay. This seems like craigslist meets web2.0 meets blogs. I’m interested to see what the paid services consist of. I guess my final thought is: will the blogosphere catch on? Personally, I think if I had anything of substance (services, jobs, stuff for sale) to add I would certainly use edgeio. It’d be silly not to.
[tags]tech, web2.0, edgeio, blogging, commerce, listing[/tags]
This week’s Carnival of Marketing is up over at Mike’s blog: Simplenomics. I happen to be featured but the other 6 are far more link-worthy than I am.
Scott Adams provides valuable advice for new graduates. Every one a gem. This one we’ve already learned in college though: Preparing a Powerpoint presentation will give you the sweet, sweet illusion of productivity.
Despite what most marketing consulting groups will tell you, marketing something to college students is not that easy. Sure, we have thousands of dollars in disposable income (for the most part). But, here’s the kicker: we don’t want to spend it on you…
…yet. It’s becuase today’s 18-24 year old still fits the ‘starving student’ model. Yes, some may have more of Daddy’s money to play with than others and that’s fine. There are also a number of students that work while maintaining little-to-no liabilities. I might fall under that category (and I might have just bought a 24″ LCD monitor). But I digress…
My point is, students look for value and they typically find it on a price tag. I can’t begin to explain how many friends will tell me “Wal-Mart is evil”. The second I tell them where I bought my $20 bookcase I’m pretty sure I can actually hear a paradigm shifting. They think to themselves “oh no…” because they just realized they can save their money when purchasing trivial things like a bookshelf. Sure, it may be essential, but as long as it shelves books they’re happy. Student’s like cheap.
What if you’re not in the “cheap” business though? How do you market yourself to these same individuals? Free stuff. It’s so simple, really. You attract people by providing the most value for the least money. Say you hand out slices of pizza all day at the student union. From my perspective I see the following: Value: $3, Cost: $0. Let’s do some math:
3 / 0 = Error
Handing out your $3 slices of pizza is so valuable that modern mathmatics can’t even compute it! I’ll let you ponder that for a moment…
Seriously, we’re smart people. We notice little gestures like this. The majority of us are loyal to those who treat us well. Coupons are great but we’re not going to go looking for them. You have to hand me the 20% off discount as I’m looking to buy something. Dell has mastered this art and, well, you know the rest of the story. But, keep in mind: if you hurt us, we’ll be sure to let people know…
In fact, we’ll let them know pretty freaking fast. Facebook, MySpace, AIM, GIM cellphones and blogs keep us connected to our friends even when we’re asleep. Friends trust each other, too. Why else would Dave Balter be making so much money?
Our constant connections coupled with high levels of trust result in powerful word of mouth marketing. Students are busy. It’s easier to have a friend-who’s done the research-to let us know what he found. With that said: your first impression may end up being three, four, or a hundred.
Let’s review:
So, no, it’s not as easy as putting an ad in a college paper. It’s certainly not going to help you if you mail us some crap (email, facebook messages, direct mail). What’s the best thing you could possibly do? Host an event.
It’s as simple as a party. Show me a good time and I’ll show you my wallet. Talk to me as if I’m a real person, I’ll tell you the truth. Show me a movie for free and I’ll have money to spend on your concessions. Give me great prizes to win and I’ll pay attention. But, the second you abuse any information I give you… we’re through.
[tags]college, marketing, students, word of mouth[/tags]
Here’s an interesting report concluding that Cheney’s shot was between 15 and 18 feet, not the reported 90. My only question is: why would they lie? What difference does the distance make? Either way, as Jon Stewart so eloquently put it, the Vice President shot a 78-year old man in the face.
NBC sucks. The worst thing they could have done is send YouTube a C&D letter. Viral marketing can be defined as: Marketing phenomenon that facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message. Without that marketing it wouldn’t have become popular. Which meant it wouldn’t be on iTunes. Does anyone else realize the material from Lonely Island (the guys who came up with it) was created under a Creative Commons license? I thought that was what made them so neat in the first place. NBC, you used to be cool…
Katamari Damacy is a great game. The concept -rolling up everything in the world into a ball- is unmatched. I’m so glad to see someone has made a flash game based on it. What a great way to start Friday.
I was doing some quality thinking in the shower (my best ideas originate while soaking in hot water). I was reflecting on my blogging experience. Why do I do it? Why do other people do it? Is there an easy way to explain it? I think I figured out the answer to most of these questions. It’s really quite simple. I submit to you the underlying principles of blogging which I like to call The Ease (E’s) of Blogging:
Blogging is as simple as the aforementioned activities. For example, Robert Scoble is great at doing all of the above: he blogs as an evangelist (earning his paycheck); Robert educates his readers about Microsoft and technology; in addition he uses his blog to express his opinions which quickly lead to engaging conversations.
Blogs like Engadget are dedicated to educating and entertaining their readers.
People like Bryan Veloso are great at entertaining readers.
Individuals like Paul Stamatiou are great at educating readers with both news and tutorial-style posts.
Other personal bloggers, such as myself, frequently emote (MySpace sucks, Yahoo has no clue, etc) and try to engage their readers. I don’t try to earn a living like some educators (Darren Rowse) but I do try to earn respect and recognition. I’m also trying to earn the companionship and readership of some of the brightest people on the internet.
The Ease of Blogging explains why you see thousands of new blogs every day with thousands of posts every second, it’s just so easy…
…but what seperates the best bloggers from the rest? We’re all doing the same things aren’t we?
[tags]blogging, blogs, bloggers[/tags]
I did nothing Valentines-y yesterday. It seems like the biggest non-holiday ever celebrated. Why just one day to dedicate to a sweetheart? Make every day special! Anyway, a friend of mine sent me this, in which I participated:
Horizons Day began as the vision of two high school friends who sought not to retaliate against Feb. 14, but instead to take that day to reflect inwardly, to indulge and celebrate the individual, and to embrace the love of those you choose to keep close around you. In an era wherein awkward encounters have replaced bad hair days, and Facebook has replaced and redefined human to human contact, we could all use a little day to indulge and to broaden our horizons. Thus the second function of Horizons Day. It is a celebration of media, of communication; that information alone can enrich our lives and sharing it is as easy as dropping a name. Finding a new favorite band, a new favorite brand of soap, a spunky insightful news source, a life-altering book, all presents to pass on from your personal vault and to receive in return. All in an attempt to grow just a little more on this day, to have optimism and happiness instilled in you, even a little bit, even just today.
This 3am entry was brought to you by: biphasic sleeping.
[tags]valentine’s day, horizons day, love, personal[/tags]