Online Audition Ends on a High Note

Two weeks ago, Sara wrote about the open casting call that Fox's "Glee" was holding on MySpace. She raised some good points about the potential reactions by both fans and professional actors alike.

And while her article ended on a note of uncertainty about the contest, the one thing that can't be argued is the success the online auditions have had since then.

The numbers don't lie, with over 85 million votes cast for the nearly 28,000 entries that were submitted throughout the month-long contest.

In fact, the online auditions were so popular that MySpace and "Glee" re-opened the auditions (which ended on Tuesday) for an additional 24 hours on Wednesday.

So even though fans of the show and professional performers will likely continue their debate about the validity of online open casting calls like this, the overwhelming reality is that more shows will probably try to emulate the huge success "Glee" was able to have.

Like at Your Own Risk

New York Senator Charles Schumer has started reaching out to the FTC to address the issues of privacy and social media.  As Facebook’s like feature seems to be plastered on any website worth reading, it might be time to rethink our love of the thumbs up.

Even though Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg stands by the changes he’s made on the megasite, questions still loom about how easy it is for the average user to understand the bottom line. In other words, do you really know what happens to your photo once it’s uploaded to Facebook? How about who all knows once you give a company the thumbs up?

As we continue to push the privacy boundaries with each new social media platform, when will users say enough is enough? Or do we need the government to step in and say it for us?

And most importantly, how far is too far?

Clash of the Titans

Having studied journalism in-depth throughout college, I've practically grown up reading articles from both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and both publications have become news media icons.

But for the last few months, the long-standing rivalry between these journalistic giants has really been heating up. And while some think that both newspapers should stop bickering and focus on surviving in an increasingly-paperless world, I believe this feud could actually help both sides stay afloat.

Back in late 2009, when the feud was simply a war of words, all newspapers (WSJ and NYT included) were sweating the massive industry-wide losses and questions about the future of newspapers as a viable business option.

This led to the WSJ and NYT to escalating their efforts to beat the other into submission, and the latest moves to expand social media integration could prove extremely valuable to both papers.

Both papers have taken big steps to one-up each other with their social media use, with competing Facebook pages and Twitter feeds. But the NYT upped the ante in February, when they partnered with Foursquare during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

And over the weekend, the WSJ retaliated with a Foursquare partnership of their own, allowing users to access restaurant reviews and earn 3 new badges through the popular location-based servce.

And although many critics say these social media developments are nothing more than a case of anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better, they are also making both publications stronger in the long run.

So could these battling heavyweights knock each other out in their fight to be on top? Of course, but there's also the chance that this clash of newspaper titans could force both sides to continue to evolve and innovate.

Cashing in on 3-D Hype

Question: how has 3-D technology taken off the way it has over the past couple years?

If you've ever watched Jaws 3-D or Friday the 13th Part III, you'd understand my confusion. Those cinematic disasters should have been the end for 3-D technology.

But despite those cheesy flicks, 3-D technology has not only made a comeback, but has seen rapid expansion as well. Over the past year or two we've seen everything from 3-D TV's to the Jonas Bros. and Kenny Chesney hitting the silver screen in 3-D.

Now it seems that even the Federal Government is jumping on the 3-D bandwagon with their recent release of new $100 bills that have a 3-D security ribbon.

That's right...the U.S. Treasury has gone Avatar on us.

But they didn't stop there, creating a new website called NewMoney.gov and even made a high-quality release video to help spread the word and build publicity.

So while the days of red-and-blue-tinted glasses are a thing of the past, for now 3-D will continue to be a technology that both companies and the government will bank on.

Double Click to Content: Results

Last week, I took it upon myself to explore the Double Click to Content phenomenon sweeping the nation.  Okay, maybe it isn’t that intense, but I did a quick survey to explore just how many people were affected, and how they felt it.

• 73% of those surveyed have had a “Double Click to Content” experience
   
• The most common used words to describe feelings towards the experience are annoying (35%), hate (28%), obnoxious (7%) and irritating (7%).

• Ninety-two percent of those who have experienced double click to content were directed to Facebook, compared with 28% directed to blogs and 7% directed to Twitter.

• Thirty-five percent of those who have experienced double click to content would not click through, while 50% were less likely to click through and 14% were just as likely to click through, regardless of the extra click involved.

After the conclusion of the survey, I was approached on Twitter about some differing opinions, specifically from a survey participant who had decided he didn’t mind double clicking to content as much as he originally voiced. However, that did spark discussion from fellow survey participants about their continued dislike of the process.

It’s interesting to note that 28% of those who have experienced double click to content noted they’ve been sent to a blog as the intermediate landing page. Is there a misperception about what the end content is? Do you view a blog as the end result or is it the now-deemed annoying landing page where readers need to click through the blog to get to the content?