"I've got a fever...

and the only prescription is some more cowbell..."

Check out this entertaining site. You can upload any mp3 and then insert all the cowbell you can handle into it.

Ever wonder what The Ting Tings would sound like with cowbell? Of course you do. Check it out below.

	Make your own at MoreCowbell.dj

New Facebook Today

My first reaction to the "New Facebook" compared to the "Old Facebook": Meh. Nothing too special. Everything seems clumped into one pile in profiles now.

But, today marks the official release of the New Facebook. Users will be forced to switch over to the new Facebook by the end of the week.

After browsing around on the new Facebook, I'll admit that I enjoy it. I was a skeptic, but the new features won me over.

The feature that I love the most is the homepage. The different tabs make things a lot easier and clear up some of the clutter.


The tabs on the home page almost remind me of scrolling through different RSS feeds. I'm sure plenty of people will hate the new facebook, just as they hated the mini-feed. This is a step forward for Facebook. I'm going to embrace it.

Perfect Pitch: Hors d'oeuvres vs. Entrees

Yesterday's pitch seminar brought to you by co-mastermind of the Bad Pitch Blog Kevin Dugan and GeekFactory PR stud Peter Shankman touched on the topic of food portions. I have to say that hors d'oeuvres are a lot less filling than entrees, but in the case of pitching a reporter, they are just right.

Both Shankman and Dugan quipped about the number of PR professionals who simply don't get the fact that less is much, much more when it comes to phone calls, e-mails or blog responses. Particularly, they are referring to creating that initial contact with the reporter you so vehemently researched and targeted-- to reach your ultimate objective: build a relationship.

If you happened to miss yesterday's one hour help guide, here's the scoop:

• Build a list of your top 10 reporters and learn about them. That means read their bylines, tweet with them on Twitter, penetrate their blogs by comment

• Don't pitch until you damn well know it's interesting and helpful to their routine assignments

• Underpromise and overdeliver. Have the information, the interview sources ready and surprise them with an additional help tool they did not think of

• Those reporters you have targeted on your top 10 list will not necessarily be pitched on behalf of your client; rather, act as a source to tip reporters off to anything newsworthy

• Don't do fake or vague familiarity, such as telling the reporter you see they do a story on such and such... and then lead in with something completely off topic from the introduction. For example, "Hi Barbara, I saw that you recently did a story on how companies are using Twitter to increase hits on a microsite. Good work on that article! Anyway, I'm reaching out to you on behalf of my client that specializes in hair care products..." (Okay, that may be a stretch but you'd be surprised by the many flacks who still use this style).

• Lastly, don't be cutesy in e-mail subject lines. (A question I posed, was answered over the airwaves with a blunt "no").

On a completely other topic, has anyone had Assiette escargot?

It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Today near Geneva, Switzerland, the world's largest particle accelerator was successfully tested. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which is 17 miles long and cost about $5 billion, is being used to accelerate and collide particles together to study what the Big Bang would have been like.

Many are concerned about the negative effects of the science project. Scientists have suggested that the testing will create small black holes near the site; some say it spells doom and others say it will be no big deal. While the first tests have been successful, scientists say that it will take a few weeks to get the particles up to full speed. During the next few weeks, in case you are wondering if Europe has been sucked into a black hole, be sure to use the internet to your advantage. It has never been easier to get news updates as they happen; we can now receive news updates before CNN whether it is through Twitter, blogs, or other online communities.

Here is the best way to find out if we are still okay: Has The LHC Destroyed The Earth?

Modlife: The next MySpace for music?

The number one site for musicians and bands to promote themselves has to be MySpace. With over 100 million members, it is easy to see why it would be attractive: easy set-up, streaming music, large network of music fans, and ability to give instant blog updates.

But the MySpace brand is becoming tainted. It is spam heaven and is constantly mocked as a site for child predators. While it offers free promotion, the features are somewhat bland and don't offer bands a way to monetize their efforts.

Modlife is a revolutionary website for musicians.

It launched November 1st of 2007 with the online release of Angels & Airwaves album "I-Empire." Currently, the site boasts an impressive amount of features:

- Podcasting (Modcasts)
- Live chats/video chats with the bands (Modblast) and (Modcam)
- Tour videos
- Meet and Greet opportunities
- Streaming Music
- Video blogs
- News updates
- And a few other features

Below is a screenshot of the homepage.



How does it work?

The catch is that the content isn't free. The band that started Modlife.com (Angels & Airwaves) charge $6.99 a month for a subscription to their site. While this doesn't please some people, if a band you truly enjoy is on Modlife, the $6.99 is well worth it (it is 2 drinks at Starbucks a month).

I've been a member since the day the website launched and have had the privilege of: meeting AVA twice, enjoying daily content (either blog/videos/podcasts/video chats), and have watched Tom DeLonge take requests via "Modcam" and sing songs with his acoustic guitar.

Screen shot of blog below



The future of Modlife:

While only a few bands exist on Modlife at the moment, future plans are underway. According to blogs and Modcams, eventually Modlife will be open to the public. This means that anyone will be able to create a page and charge whatever they want for a subscription.

For the DIY bands, Modlife has to be very appealing. You have all the outlets for distribution right in front of you, condensed into one site. You control the content and set the prices; very appealing to bands.

While the launch of Modlife has been slow, keep in mind that all great brands and campaigns have had slow starts (Microsoft, Wal-Mart, Red Bull, etc.). The brands and campaigns that have been the most successful have taken off like an airplane, not a big bang (idea taken from Laura Ries).

Screenshot of Modblast below




Check out Modlife.com. At the moment, there is no other site like it.

Tom DeLonges introduction to Modlife: