Lifeblog

links for 2008-04-29

• PR 2.0: PR 2.0: Putting the Public Back in Public Relations
  via alexdc
  (tags: books media PR social SocialMedia marketing)

Plug: Design event coverage on Nokia Conversations

Just wanted to say that, even though I could not attend, Nokia Conversations is covering the Open Studio event in London today (29apr).

We have two writers there, posting things as the day progresses. We're also hoping to get some cool photos and footage to share with everyone.

So, if you're into Design, come check us out.

links for 2008-04-28

• The Man Who Invented Mars - The Boston Globe
  Percival Lowell
  (tags: space mars vision history inspiration cool astronomy)
• Michio Kushi, of Brookline, is credited for introducing health foods in the US - The Boston Globe
  (tags: inspiration history food boston science)

links for 2008-04-25

• Matthew Gilbert's TV-14 - Jump the shark - Boston.com
  "Here's the story of 14 shows and that dark moment when I realized they were heading into a tailspin."
  (tags: television jumptheshark failure media culture trends)

links for 2008-04-22

• Nokia Debuts Conversations with the Blogosphere | mobilejones
  We have lift off.
  (tags: news nokiaconversations SocialMedia)
• allAfrica.com: Africa: Rising Global Food Prices Worry World Bank
  (tags: africa business earth emergingmarkets environment food industry mobile people trend)
• Photoblog: And Paradise was Nice
  Amazing photographs with an N95
  (tags: photography photos n95 phone camera cool)
• Nokia Conversations
  (tags: SocialMedia conversations nokiaconversations nokia blog corporate 2008)
• Power Shirt Generates Electricity from Physical Motion : TreeHugger
  (tags: cool tech energy batteries device mobile mobility)
• The Press Release Page A New Approach
  "And therein lies one of my biggest gripes with focusing so much energy on the release format. There’s been too much fuss over the wrapper, not enough focus on the package."
  (tags: media press communications pr socialmedia interesting)

Just wanted to say that Nokia Conversations is live

It's been a long slog, but the site is now as tweaked as it can get, so we removed the password protection and we're off on a new journey.

As with any site, we'll be adding and removing things as folks give us feedback. And I know you all will have plenty to say.

I want to thank everyone involved and those who laid the ground work for me.

Now I need to get dinner ready.

Link: Nokia Conversations: Welcome to the conversation

ESPOO, Finland - Welcome to the Conversation. This one, though, is unlike any you'll have seen before. It's being written, presented and hosted by people in and around Nokia and pulls together all the conversations going on around the Nokia neighbourhood.

UPDATE: Oh, I meant to say that 21apr is the traditional day observed for the founding of Rome. And while Rome wasn't built in one day, it sure had to start somewhere, by Jupiter.

links for 2008-04-21

• Protests since the Boston Tea Party - Boston.com
  Very funny graphic of all the stuff dumped in the channel.
  (tags: funny boston protest politics history)

links for 2008-04-19

• Nalgene to nix BPA bottles due to consumer concern - Boston.com
  Better living thru chemistry? "Hard-plastic Nalgene water bottles made with bisphenol A will be pulled from stores over the next few months because of growing consumer concern over whether the chemical poses a health risk."
  (tags: chemistry news water safety health)

links for 2008-04-18

• Real People Don't Have Time for Social Media - ReadWriteWeb
  (tags: analysis applications collaboration community internet life networking networks tips time socialnetworks SocialNetworking SocialMedia social_software social people web Research SocialSoftware)
• Nokia, Connecting More People
  "Personally, I am really excited to see Nokia move ahead and establish themselves once more as the kings of consumer and blogger interaction."
  (tags: SocialMedia nokia marketing media phones industry technology)
• Dynamic Drive CSS Library - Practical CSS codes and examples
  (tags: css design library resources scripts tips tools webDesign layout)
• Museum 2.0: How Much Time Does Web 2.0 Take?
  (tags: article innovation internet management organization reference social web visualization socialsoftware socialnetworks SocialNetworking SocialMedia webdev museum)

Blood from stone: Don't focus on ad revenue from social networking services

Ok, so it's not a revelation when I say that you don't need to make money off your core service. Your core service drives the interaction with the customer, but the money can come from some other area.

But, be careful where you _think_ you can get the money.

I've never been a fan of ads as a mean to make money. At least not for someone who is just displaying the ads. The real money maker is the one who _sells_ the ads.

But, for most services, it's the best we got.

Bollocks.

I've never been satisfied with folks trying to build services that generate 'eyeballs' just to 'monetize' that traffic with ads. I've been even less enthused by social networking services that try to convert what is a personal interaction between the users of the service into a chance to score advertising views.

Online social networking services thrive because they are a form of social lubrication. They are a means to an end, but not the end. We're social grooming to _do_ things together - learn, invent, trade, strengthen trust.

Then make money by promoting the activity, not by having folks mill about. Yes, social network is the concentrator, but what the folks end up doing is where the money's at.

One good example is O'Reilly. Is it a social networking service? Sure is. Where do they make money? Selling info to the network, the info the network trades in when within the O'Reilly social network. For O'Reilly, it is the social network that differentiates them from just another publisher.

So, now I'm wondering about social networks overlaid on top of interest domains.

Social networks, such as Facebook, which do not have a focus for the _why_ people come together, might never gain the proper traction to make money beyond a few anemic ad clicks, or, like Facebook, will have to contrive sleazy ways to get money off the social network.

Someone like Facebook should optimize the service around the key reason folks use the service, rather than crate gimmicks to just keep folks around.

MySpace is at least trying to capitalize on Music and LinkedIn on business services. And there are a ton of examples, I am sure.

Just thinking out loud. These thoughts arose from noting that Google and Facebook are seemingly slowing down, and observing the interactions happening in my Twitstream. For some of you, I am sure this line of thinking is nothing new.

Comments?