While I'm definitely no wine connoisseur, I do enjoy a glass of pinot noir or merlot every now and then. And I won't lie, one of the perks of working here at Axiom is the wine tasting parties we host each month.
My passion for wine was sparked a mere two years ago when I went to a tasting at a vineyard in Tennessee. I was hooked from there. And nowadays, that love has been crossing paths with my other (not so secret) passion for years: social media.
There's everything from podcast wine tasting courses to online wine dictionaries. Today, I ran across a story about a website that lets you search for or post wine tasting events. It also allows you to then rate the wines that you tasted.
I think it's a nice idea, because there's a lot of opportunity to be creative with wine tastings and it's great to see more and more sites taking advantage of it.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Good News For YouTube
In today's world, if it's newsworthy, it's on YouTube.
There have been videos posted by people at the forefront of any disaster or headline since the site was launched. Now, YouTube is taking steps to filter those headline-worthy videos into a news feed. The news feed can be found at Citizen Tube, YouTube's news and politics blog site. It will showcase videos by both amateur videographers and professional news outlets.
There is also an @citizentube Twitter feed updating the latest clips, essentially turning it into a Twitter news feed like the feeds for CNN or New York Times. It's a smart move considering the number of people who utilize Twitter solely for that purpose.
I definitely like the concept, but the success or failure of this new feature will be in its execution. If they can curate the videos that people will want to watch, Citizen Tube could really take off.
And while it could help legitimize YouTube as a news source, there's always the chance that it just won't be able to compete with people's desire to see cute animal videos or the next Justin Beiber.
There have been videos posted by people at the forefront of any disaster or headline since the site was launched. Now, YouTube is taking steps to filter those headline-worthy videos into a news feed. The news feed can be found at Citizen Tube, YouTube's news and politics blog site. It will showcase videos by both amateur videographers and professional news outlets.
There is also an @citizentube Twitter feed updating the latest clips, essentially turning it into a Twitter news feed like the feeds for CNN or New York Times. It's a smart move considering the number of people who utilize Twitter solely for that purpose.
I definitely like the concept, but the success or failure of this new feature will be in its execution. If they can curate the videos that people will want to watch, Citizen Tube could really take off.
And while it could help legitimize YouTube as a news source, there's always the chance that it just won't be able to compete with people's desire to see cute animal videos or the next Justin Beiber.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
A Losing Game?
The gaming industry and fans alike are on the edge of their seats, because today is the annual E3 conference, one of the biggest gaming expos in the world.
Even though I'd only consider myself a casual gamer, I am very interested to see what comes out of this year's E3. Not necessarily because of any particular game or console, but because this will be a crucial year for the entire gaming industry.
Think about how prevalent smartphones and multifunction mobile devices have become. GPS devices are becoming less popular because of apps like Google Maps, and gaming-only devices like the Nintendo DS are starting to fade with hundreds of games (many of which are free) for both iPhone and Android phones. Not to mention the popularity of games like Farmville and Mafia Wars on Facebook.
Gaming isn't what it used to be, back when it was an arms race between Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft to see who would release the next hit game or unveil a new console. Nowadays, independent developers are the ones dictating the direction the industry is heading.
There are rumors of Microsoft previewing controller-free gaming and Nintendo showing off a 3D hand-held console that doesn't require glasses, but we'll have to wait until after the conference to see if these latest innovations will gain any ground.
The nature of gaming has changed because of social media, and the industry is going to have to change along with it.
Even though I'd only consider myself a casual gamer, I am very interested to see what comes out of this year's E3. Not necessarily because of any particular game or console, but because this will be a crucial year for the entire gaming industry.
Think about how prevalent smartphones and multifunction mobile devices have become. GPS devices are becoming less popular because of apps like Google Maps, and gaming-only devices like the Nintendo DS are starting to fade with hundreds of games (many of which are free) for both iPhone and Android phones. Not to mention the popularity of games like Farmville and Mafia Wars on Facebook.
Gaming isn't what it used to be, back when it was an arms race between Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft to see who would release the next hit game or unveil a new console. Nowadays, independent developers are the ones dictating the direction the industry is heading.
There are rumors of Microsoft previewing controller-free gaming and Nintendo showing off a 3D hand-held console that doesn't require glasses, but we'll have to wait until after the conference to see if these latest innovations will gain any ground.
The nature of gaming has changed because of social media, and the industry is going to have to change along with it.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Pet-Based Networks Go To The Groomers
There has been one over-arching lesson I've learned from my past studies of marketing, PR, journalism and broadcasting...
Know your niche.
It's a simple, yet powerful idea to keep in mind, and one that many people have accused social media powerhouses like Facebook of forgetting as it's made the highly-monitored changes that it has over the past few months.
Well, changes or no changes, social media is becoming more and more of a numbers game, and there's two smaller social networks that for the past 3 years has boasted the most important number: profit.
The pet-based social networks Dogster and Catster have both been profitable for the past couple of years, without making any major changes to either site.
The reason for their success?
Both networks know their niche and have stuck to it, offering lots of pictures (what pet owner doesn't love looking at pictures of other cats and dogs?) and petcare tips.
However, both sites, which are owned by the same company, have undergone complete overhauls.
And while the reaction to the visual redesign will vary from person to person, there are two keys to this overhaul that should be applauded.
First, Dogster and Catster saw that most visitors were coming to the sites for information and pictures rather than the social aspect, so there has been a greater emphasis placed on content.
Secondly, the sites have made some key partnerships with other sites like Petfinder.com, allowing Dogster and Catster users to search the adoptable animals from Dogster and Catster and share their favorites with other users.
Major website overhauls can be risky (just ask Facebook), but I really like what Dogster and Catster have done with their sites because they utilized strategic partnerships with long-term thinking.
More importantly, all of the changes from content to design were done with their audience in mind because they knew their niche.
Know your niche.
It's a simple, yet powerful idea to keep in mind, and one that many people have accused social media powerhouses like Facebook of forgetting as it's made the highly-monitored changes that it has over the past few months.
Well, changes or no changes, social media is becoming more and more of a numbers game, and there's two smaller social networks that for the past 3 years has boasted the most important number: profit.
The pet-based social networks Dogster and Catster have both been profitable for the past couple of years, without making any major changes to either site.
The reason for their success?
Both networks know their niche and have stuck to it, offering lots of pictures (what pet owner doesn't love looking at pictures of other cats and dogs?) and petcare tips.
However, both sites, which are owned by the same company, have undergone complete overhauls.
And while the reaction to the visual redesign will vary from person to person, there are two keys to this overhaul that should be applauded.
First, Dogster and Catster saw that most visitors were coming to the sites for information and pictures rather than the social aspect, so there has been a greater emphasis placed on content.
Secondly, the sites have made some key partnerships with other sites like Petfinder.com, allowing Dogster and Catster users to search the adoptable animals from Dogster and Catster and share their favorites with other users.
Major website overhauls can be risky (just ask Facebook), but I really like what Dogster and Catster have done with their sites because they utilized strategic partnerships with long-term thinking.
More importantly, all of the changes from content to design were done with their audience in mind because they knew their niche.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Can Social Media Save Soccer?
Tomorrow, the U.S. and England will face off in a much-anticipated soccer match in the 2010 World Cup.
And while the world is in a near-frenzy over this and all of the World Cup matches, the fact is that soccer hasn't achieved the same level of fandom here in the U.S. that it enjoys around the globe.
But the major difference between this year's World Cup and previous tournaments is that social media has never been as prevalent as it has been over the past few months, whether it's location-based services, mobile apps or the explosion of Twitter and Facebook use.
There's been a wave of new Soccer-themed social media tools and games, from mobile Droid apps that give the latest play-by-play of the matches to a huge increase in World Cup-related Twitter traffic.
And even though to me "football" will always be the sport about quarterbacks and helmets, I am interested to see if these new opportunities for fan engagement can help elevate the sport as a whole in a country dominated by touchdowns, hoops, and bases.
And while the world is in a near-frenzy over this and all of the World Cup matches, the fact is that soccer hasn't achieved the same level of fandom here in the U.S. that it enjoys around the globe.
But the major difference between this year's World Cup and previous tournaments is that social media has never been as prevalent as it has been over the past few months, whether it's location-based services, mobile apps or the explosion of Twitter and Facebook use.
There's been a wave of new Soccer-themed social media tools and games, from mobile Droid apps that give the latest play-by-play of the matches to a huge increase in World Cup-related Twitter traffic.
And even though to me "football" will always be the sport about quarterbacks and helmets, I am interested to see if these new opportunities for fan engagement can help elevate the sport as a whole in a country dominated by touchdowns, hoops, and bases.
Labels:
social media,
sports
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