Ex-Gleek Critiques

As an ex-show choir member, Fox’s “Glee” holds a special place in my TV heart. However, “Glee” complicated our relationship on March 30 when it announced its MySpace open casting call to “fill new high school student roles.”

With an increasing number of contest talent shows like “So You Think You Can Dance” or “Next Top Model,” there is no denying these types of casting calls are popular. But what’s the value of these casting calls among professional performers? I spoke with two of my friends, who also happen to be professional actors, on the issue.

Minnesota-based actress Elizabeth Grullon recently appeared in Mixed Blood Theater’s “Somebody, Nobody” and performed with the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Elizabeth mirrors my social media enthusiasm for the online auditions.

“I am not hesitant at all to do a video audition for something I am interested in being a part of. The heavy promotion makes me more likely to audition simply because I know about it and I know it is legit.”

Even though she sees the value in these auditions, she feels the her performance is skewed due to poor user-generated video production. The collective spirit of these types of auditions is exciting and you hope that people receive recognition that normally wouldn’t.

Sam Prince is a working Broadway actor who recently appeared in “Robin & the 7 Hoods” and “The Happy Elf.” Sam reflects the performer in me, and views the auditions with major skepticism, considering them part of the “quick fame propaganda.”

“You don’t really know who’s viewing these submissions and what level of professionalism they’re really looking for ... Since I am professional, I have a team of about six agents behind me, submitting me for jobs, dealing with contracts, etc. ... I view it more as viral marketing campaign if anything.”

Sam’s doubts are echoed by the Terms of Submission page for the contest, which never specifically defines the role or the pay, and includes a potentially dangerous promise that you will not have other contractual obligations. This will discourage many professional actors from even submitting.

Social media-based campaigns that include these open casting calls are exciting tactics, but it’s important to remember the experience and concerns of the participants. Social media has pushed public relations to be more transparent, the campaigns should reflect that trend. Be clear on what you are promising the lucky winner, and define the submission evaluation process in lemans terms, not only in legal speak.

“Glee,” it’s a speed bump in our relationship but I still love you, my heart will go on.

Double Click to Content

Since I spend the vast majority of my day connecting with people on social media sites, I wanted to take some time and discuss a new marketing trend I’m seeing as the competition to “show the numbers” gets more intense. 

Of course I’m talking about double click to content. Not sure what that is? We here at Axiom thought it was an appropriate name for what others are doing in attempts to create a cohesive online presence—even if that means being totally repetitive.

Sample Double Click to Content:

Garden Apps in Full Bloom

Now that spring is finally here, gardeners around the country are looking forward to spending their days planting, weeding and tending their favorite flowers, fruits or vegetables.

And instead of picking up shovels or spades, some gardeners will start by reaching for their smartphones.

That's because there are actually a ton of smartphone apps out there that are geared specifically for gardeners, including things like growing requirements, planting and bloom times.

For instance, the Garden Pilot app for the iPhone has over 14,000 plants in its directories, covering plant diseases, fertilizers and chemicals, organic gardening and eco-friendly ideas, and shows which plants are available for purchase at local app-participating retailers.

The iPhone also has the Gardens app, which is a collection of short, informative videos about different gardening topics. There's even a Bugs & Insects app that provides info on 900 different pests.

But Apple doesn't have the garden app market cornered, because there are several Android apps for green thumbs out there, including Botanica, which pairs plants with hardiness zones, provides space for photos and journal entries, and issues alerts telling you when it's time to water.

But what I'm wondering is, how many of you actually garden with your phones on you enough to take advantage of these apps? And would you actually consult apps like these?

Opening the Floodgates

Technologically speaking, we live in a copycat world. If a company has even a small amount of commercial success with a new device, you can be sure its competitors will follow suit and ride the wave of momentum.

And over the past few weeks, it's been a wave of iPad news soaking into almost every blog and media outlet.

But now that it's been a week since Apple's tablet has launched and the waters have settled slightly, it seems like the tide may start to turn in this budding tablet market over the coming months.

That's because there's a steady stream of new tablet releases expected to launch in the next year, and each one is looking to offer its own unique spin on the tablet device (The HP Slate with its 2 cameras and USB ports or the Microsoft Courier, which has 2 screens and folds in half).

The list of companies that have tablets in the works is long one, including Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Nokia, Asus, Compal, Notion Ink, MSI, Quanta and ICD.

The latest news is that Google is testing the tablet waters as well and confirmed it's partnering with HTC to develop an Android-based tablet device, but hasn't even released so much as name yet.

Regardless, what is abundantly clear is that companies across the board obviously feel that the tablet market is a strong one with a lot of potential, and that should lead to more innovation and design.

And whether you love the iPad or hate it, it's hard to argue that it hasn't opened the floodgates for more and more tablets in the future.

Facebook Gets the South Park Treatment

You know you've achieved iconic pop culture status when you've been mentioned, or ripped apart, by the foul-mouthed kids on South Park.

Well, this week the creators of South Park finally got around to aiming their satirical sights on Facebook in their newest episode "You Have 0 Friends" that aired on Wednesday.



The mocking of the Internet's most popular social network was hilariously perfect, covering everything from stressing over Farmville to "poking" family members. They even squeezed in some references to ChatRoulette (which has upwards of 1 million visitors now) and Tron (which has sequel coming to theaters later this year).

So did the episode raise any groundbreaking issues about Facebook? Not really, in fact the only question is why they waiting so long to slam the website that's dominated our lives for years now.

Regardless, it was well worth the wait, because sometimes it's nice just to sit back and laugh at ourselves for our social media obsessions.