A Face Lift of Sorts for Got Gabs!

Thanks Mashable for this tweet today: Google Gives Blogger a Dynamic New Look

Check out what Google has done to "Got Gabs!":

Don't like the way it's set up now? Try these 5 views instead:

Flipcard: available at http://gotgabs.blogspot.com/view/flipcard

Mosaic: available at http://gotgabs.blogspot.com/view/mosaic

Sidebar: available at http://gotgabs.blogspot.com/view/sidebar

Snapshot: available at http://gotgabs.blogspot.com/view/snapshot

Timeslide: available at http://gotgabs.blogspot.com/view/timeslide

Snapshot View:

Mosaic View:

Which one do you like best?

How SoMe is Killing Real Music

First of all, I’d like to apologize for providing yet another opportunity in your day to be exposed to the “FRIDAY” phenomenon.

Since February 10th, when ARK Music Factory inflicted the social world with Rebecca Black’s musical debut “Friday” on YouTube, we’ve been stuck with FRIIIDAAAAY FRIIIDAAAY playing as the inescapable soundtrack to our lives. And by “we,” I mean the 60,997,359 of us - as of today - that have watched her YouTube video describing the days of the week.

Black, 13 years old, has quickly found her 15 minutes of fame via social media. Unlike the arguably talented Justin Bieber, who was also discovered on YouTube, Black isthe one we love to hate. Or as a Charlie Sheen Twitter impersonatortweeted famously: “Rebecca Black, we don’t hate you because you’re famous. You’re famous because we hate you.” This can be evidenced by the 1,078,915 dislikes compared to 129,515 likes on her music video on YouTube.

Some of those likes come from people like Lady Gaga, who proclaimed, via Twitter, that Black is a “genius.” The majority of viewers, however, are part of the viral crowd flocking to what everyone is buzzing about, and leaving disappointed.

CelebrityCafe.com posed the question I’ve been asking, “Why is she a viral phenomenon?” Their answer: “Because everyone has an opinion. From ABC to MTV interviews, the young teen is now a viral sensation bigger than that of the daily Justin Bieber news cycle.”

Rebecca Black is striking gold (over $62,000 so far) because of our social media criticism; our likes, dislikes, tweets and retweets are making her Jay Leno-worthy; SoMe Sharing is making her a “thousandaire.” (YouTube grants artists 68% of the proceeds earned from advertising on the site to artists and iTunes is selling her single.)

If Black’s insta-fame isn’t a testament to the power of social media, I don’t know what is. For all marketers that aspire to make something truly viral, there’s a lesson hiding within this “fried egg” sounding “Friday” video.

Her only redeeming quality may be that she’s donating her profits to Japan relief and to her school. So, maybe we ignore the sad fact that social media may enable talentless fame, and consider this phenomenon more of a fundraiser…

Group Chat is for SXSWers

For those of us not at South by Southwest this year, we waited with bated breath for new blog posts to appear and secrets to be revealed from the geek-culturefest. For the last couple of years, following #sxsw on Twitter would have provided the ultimate insider access but this year, the overwhelming 20,000+ attendees inundated the thread with hundreds of tweets per minute, making it impossible for us eavesdroppers to learn anything vicariously through their tweets (seriously, check out the video!).

The overworked #sxsw hashtag proved to be the most unhelpful for attendees searching for events, parties and conversations at South By. But have no fear, at a tech-filled festival (or what one described as ”the new CES…sort of a mix of testing, launch, marketing, business development, boondoggle, socializing, etc.”), there is bound to be someone in the bunch to solve the communication saturation problem.

Did I say someone? I meant multiple companies. The theme at SXSW seemed to be mobile group messaging applications. These apps were popular among attendees who were able to use the platforms to navigate the thickly-scheduled waters in Austin. Eight apps loved by Advertising Age include:

1. GroupMe: I am already using this with my bi-coastal family. The app lets you chat, conference call and search the locations of members in groups of up to 25 people that you set up. The best part: it’s free and much easier to manage than a Facebookthread or event.
2. Beluga: Newly owned by Facebook, this app is the self-proclaimed BBM for iPhones and Droids, allowing for group messaging without texting fees.
3. Bump: This is the Facebook for cars — upload insurance info, receive AAA discounts and receive offers on the go. Register your plate today.
4. Whrrl: Like Foursquare meets MeetUp, this location-based app introduces you to people and activities you’ll love, acting as an “ecosystem of inspiration.” Whrrlers - as Whrrl users are called - can also gain “influence” and discounts with the app.
5. NeighborGoods: This local resource-sharing app brings the old “borrow a cup of sugar” routine into the modern mobile world. If you’re borrowing or taking more than a cup of sugar, monetary transactions can be made.
6. Chomp: Don’t trust Apple’s app suggestions? Just heart and un-heart apps with Chomp, in real time.
7. Crowdtap: Mr. Youth’s new gamified crowdsourcing application rewards consumers for playing guinea pig for marketers with parties, money and more.
8. Wantlet: Ad Age chose this as their underdog to watch (I wasn’t there, so who knows!). The application does seem like an up-and-comer, allowing consumers to post a “want” and get feedback and suggestions from friends. It’s only a matter of time before brands figure out how to become an active part of that conversation. If not, it makes for a great digital birthday list.

SXSW is over-saturated to some, its the party of the year for others, and for game-changers, it’s the launchpad for the future. Let’s see what type of event it turns out to be for these buzzed-about apps mentioned above. Until then, I’ll just keep dreaming about actually attending one day.