Is Britney Spears Socially Stupid?

Last week was an interesting one in the world of New Media. Two new high profile jobs were in the headlines. Anyone interested in Viral Marketing should be watching these very closely.

In Washington DC, President Obama unveiled his new DIRECTOR OF NEW MEDIA FOR THE WHITE HOUSE. Meanwhile, Britney Spears began her search for a 2.0 MEDIA MANAGER.

High profile positions like these can do nothing but legitimize the need for solid Social Media planning. The question is...can Britney Spears keep from screwing this up?

DIRECTOR OF NEW MEDIA FOR THE WHITE HOUSE

Early last week, within minutes after the inauguration, a brand new blog was introduced at http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/. As a result, we were more formally introduced to Obama's New Media mastermind...Macon Phillips:

As the week (and even the weekend) progressed, it became apparent that we are dealing with a different White House. So far, The White House Blog has been a pretty readable combination of press-release/policy information and some slightly more candid quotes from our latest President. There has also been an occasional (and refreshing) behind-the-scenes editorial:

"For incoming White House staff, the past few days have been a singularly thrilling -- and learning -- experience. Wide-eyed staffers roam the halls of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building with thick stacks of HR paperwork in hand, new phone numbers are being memorized -- and the line for coffee and club sandwiches is starting to grow as word spreads about the White House Mess. It's safe to say that working at the White House isn't something anyone can prepare for, but the career staff continue to work tirelessly to make the first few days as smooth as possible."

It will be very interesting as time goes on the see how much of this editorial aspect remains. Day-in-the-life, behind-the-curtain, insider glimpses of what it's like to be in the White House everyday...that's pretty engaging stuff. The amount of personalization and transparency used in future posts will surely determine whether this becomes a blog for the common man...or merely an unused tool for the press. I cheer for the common man. This type of "open" communication will go a long way in times like these.

BRITNEY SPEARS 2.0 MEDIA MANAGER

Also in the news last week, as if stealing directly from the Prez playbook, pop-tart Britney Spears posted a new job listing:

If anyone needs an online makeover right now, it's Ms. Spears. Building a better Britney through Social Media is a logical plan. The problem is that the above job posting only appeared (as far as I can tell) on a Harvard job board. Apparently Britney's people think there is a pedigree in Social Media. Bad move!

Consider the new DIRECTOR OF NEW MEDIA FOR THE WHITE HOUSE, Macon Phillips. It can be argued that this guy holds the top New Media job in the country right now. Currently, Phillips is the poster boy for Word-Of-Mouth Marketing. Interesting to note...Macon Phillips went to a university with a watchable basketball team:

HARVARD NEW MEDIA SPECIALIST

Oh, by the way. It looks like Harvard is also looking for a New Media Specialist. This posting is showing up on job boards all across the nation:

Funny...looks like Harvard isn't limiting their search for a New Media pro to just the Boston area.

That would be social stupidity.

"There Is Really Nothing New About Social Media..."

My good friend Todd Feldman just wrote a great blog post that I wanted to share. It's called Getting Real About Integrating Your Brand with Social Media.

First, a little about Todd. He and I worked together on the Emerging Channels team at circuitcity.com. More than just about anyone I know, Todd gets social media and how it can be used for e-commerce and marketing. He likes to say "Social Media should be viewed as a powerful ingredient that enables the connection of every department within your company with each other and then directly to your customer."

That would look a little like this:


...or perhaps we can think about it like this:

Social Media is a lot like Manhattan. It's an island. Not the lonely, inaccessible island the 48 survivors of Lost call home. On the contrary, Manhattan is booming with traffic and connected to land on all sides by a complex system of bridges. The folks in your company who are struggling to accept Social Media because they see it as an island...show 'em this map.

In his blog post, Todd wrote "Word-of Mouth Marketing is the oldest form of marketing, right?" He then came to a very insightful conclusion..."There really is nothing new about Social Media, except that now we have technology on our side." I couldn't agree more. The "new" part, I would argue, is the new importance in excepting the need for transparency.

Let's face it, big-business is borrowing social technologies from the general population. If we are going to have any real success in this field, we're going to have to spend some effort discovering what makes Social Networking work in the real world. Consider this, the most influential bloggers, tweeters, facebook friends, ect...they are the ones that allow themselves to be exposed online. They share with us their real experiences...and they are rewarded with our loyalty and trust.

How can you be more transparent in your viral branding? What can you share about your business that will create a bond of trust between you and your online followers? Discuss those questions in the comment section below. Maybe your answers will help us all.

Tech Sandwich: Episode 017 - The Best (& Worst) Of CES 2009.The Final Tech Sandwich Podcast.

(Note from the editor: For archival purposes (and in keeping with our DIY viral marketing philosophy), I'm reprinting a series of articles originally written for circuitcity.com.)

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It's called TECH SANDWICH (a tech news and gadget information PODcast by Circuit City.) Each Thursday, our crack team of Circuit City experts gather to inform, educate, entertain and interact. We discuss top tech information and explore the latest gadget rumors...and we always invite you to join in the discussion.
This week on TECH SANDWICH:
A review of CES 2009.

To Download TECH SANDWICH..."Right Click" and "Save As" HERE!

Try This Tool:WiFi Digital Camera

Last week at CES (Consumer Electronic Showcase in Las Vegas), Sony introduced "the world's first Wi-Fi digital camera with Web browser". The Cyber-shot DSC-G3 will allow you to take a picture or video and (if you have a Wi-Fi connection) upload it directly to the internet.

The photos/videos can be uploaded directly to Photobucket, Shutterfly, Picasa, YouTube, Dailymotion and more, meaning you could set up your blog to instantly post this photos within seconds of actually taking them. This could take your mobile blogging to a whole new level!

DIY Sighting On A Cold Sunday.

DIY is such an important part of internet success...success in everything for that matter.

I just saw a father working on the roof on his house with his young son...teaching him the DIY spirit.

Good job dad!

A New Year. A New...

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