Ashamed
Yes, its been a been a while and yes I am very ashamed. The reason is as boring as ever, work. Work has been crazy but it has been very, very cool. We’re doing some work I’m really proud of for Dunfermline Building Society and some fantastic, jaw dropping work that Beth did for a pitch that I can’t talk about. Yet.
I’m also working on Cosmopolitan magazine of all things looking into the murky world of social media. I’ve been loving it, it is so interesting though I do have to agree with the most wise Steve Rubel that all media is media is media, social or otherwise. I like his style.
Social networks though, that’s an interesting place. We had a chat today at work, the first of many great debates, about social networks. It’s a selfish space, a place where people are nosy and all trying to find out about each other’s friends and acquaintances. It’s not a place that suits brand advertising unless it can help connect you. That’s the interesting part. How can brands connect you with people you care about? Do you want them to?
So. Social netorking. Lots and lots of places to do it. Who has the time to check all these feeds from Flickr, Facebook, Bebo, Digg, Mixx, Hi5, etc, etc, etc. It’s basically a hassle. I’ve been beta testing friendfeed for a while. It’s a website that brings all these strands together. I like it but I do feel that I’m getting overloaded with info and actually piling it all together is a real help but is too much. Also it doesn’t have an iPhone interface and one of the reasons that I’m blogging less is that my iPhone is really now where I spend most of my free knowledge time. I pick up tweets and do all of my RSS feeds from Google reader on the iPhone. It’s just easy.
The next debate at work is probably going to be about something on how advertising is dead. Online and offline. Is it?
Steelso :: Mar.31.2008 :: Clients, Creative, Equator :: 5 Comments »
Reading your blog, Stewart, never ceases to remind me of how ignorant I am in the high tech world. Just when I think I’ve come of age in this Exciting New World, I find I am in the dark more than ever. My cautious entry into Facebook has overwhelmed me - I am just learning that you don’t have to add an application, and when you do it always automatically sends it to your “friends”. Sheesh! I can’t keep up with all the information. My son had to show me how it works - talk about feeling ashamed (more like embarrassed)!
Anyway, I can commiserate with your not being able to blog as often as you’d like - my work keeps me busy too - both paid and unpaid (volunteer which I love). So….onward and upward as they say.
Cindy M.
Ohhh Cosmo. That sounds exciting
I hate social networks and I think my friends have also started using facebook less and less (bringing forward the idea that facebook is to socialising what masturbation is to sex, pardon the language).
Good luck with work though
Speak for yourself Andrea, personally I feel I’m using ‘facebook’ more and more now that I’m getting older. Plus the fact the macateer is out with those damn doctors all night doesn’t help either
Maybe I’m looking back through rose colored glasses, but I miss message boards. So much simpler. Blogging is okay, though. Especially Beecakes. All my friends hang out there pretty much anyway…
Mostly I read blogs on writing and popular culture, which fascinates me no end. Even when it gets a bit nutty… Maybe especially when it gets nutty. The sockpuppet thing both amuses and repulses me…
I agree with you, Pipkin…I would still take the message boards over anything like facebook or MySpace. For me, it’s mostly because the boards seemed more genuine. I got to know a lot of people through common interests. I let my posts reflect who I really am. On MySpace, I feel like I have made myself as generic as possible so as to not let anyone see who I am (maybe it’s because I’ve been harrassed by someone I’d rather have no contact with there). Completely opposite from the boards, it seems that social networking has become all artiface. It’s like trying to buy a friend on eBay…