I find it so interesting that we are now fully immersed in an age of personalization. I’ve had many long conversations with friends about “the tech future” and how success seems to rest upon a company’s ability to offer customized and personalized services for each client. The age of personalization is great: Personal Video Recorders that design a program schedule based only on shows you like to watch, iTunes playlists smart enough to earn that “genius” title, and endless social media sites that provide an opportunity to establish an online space that is really just.for.you. So then, can I ask, why are my cell phone options so limited?

Yes, there are many, many more features in most cell phones than most of us really need. However, wouldn’t it be REALLY cool if there was a service that allowed you to completely design your own mobile device? Don’t want a phone that has a camera and MP3 player? Don’t add those options! Really want a pink phone with indigo lining and a full QWERTY keyboard? Not a problem! Craving a design that looks nothing like the one your rival just purchased? You see where I’m headed….

Picture this: A flash program that lets you add elements (like building an avatar), select colours and features, then forward your design to your carrier of choice, where that service provider will then send your completely customized phone to the address you’ve selected.

And just like that, I’ve created a true myPhone.

What would YOUR customized mobile device look like?

Media Cool Tools, Dreaming, Media

There have been so many positive reactions to President-Elect Obama’s win on Tuesday.  I certainly have felt the energized buzz all day Wednesday, starting with the kind Starbucks man who sang my change out to me “Here is your THREE SEVVEENNTTTY FIVVVVVVVEE!”.  While reflecting about the success of Obama’s campaign, there have been quite a few who have highlighted the internet as a driving force behind the high voter turnout, and to the historic win.

I’m wondering though, did Obama mobilize youth using the internet, or did we all spread the message of hope and change through our preferred medium?  I think it was a combination of a well executed online plan, and a strong leader who inspired youth to carry a message. Part of the brilliance of using the internet as a major election medium is that it empowers audiences to seek out their own information in order to make an informed decision. The web allows us to select the videos, websites, twitter feeds, and message boards that appeal to us, then dissect the message and go from there. If you’re not sure about the information you read on someone’s Facebook wall, you could easily browse Twitter’s election feed, check out Obama’s page, or of course, watch some of the infamous YouTube videos.  I don’t think it was any one online tool that helped define this election as the “internet election”, but instead it was the examples of so many tools used authentically.

It is worth taking note of how successfully Obama used the internet during his 2008 presidential campaign. He didn’t just have an online presence, but he has an online presence that made sense.  How great is it that within 48 hours of being elected president, he launched a new site; yet another example of Obama keeping up with the pace of the 24/7 news world. This is finally an election that promotes conversation – in the same way social media encourages community discussion.  We can come together, in whatever online / mobile form we chose, and we can participate / be informed.  As I read on Twitter today, “the 21st’ Century started on November 4th 2008 at 11pm”: we finally are in the digital age, and we (The U.S directly and the global “we” that feels the effects of Obama’s leadership) have a leader that gets it.

It’s also important to remember my favorite words from Shel Holtz: “It’s not about the tool - it’s about the conversation”. The conversation that happened online was powerful enough to win and election and change history. There were some great examples of internet election produced by celebrities and “regular Joe citizens” who used the mass medium to carry their message. The ubiquity of Obama’s messages online, and the humor in a lot of the online tools, also helped to define this election.  Yes, Obama had advisors prepared with the latest applications and social media communication methods, but we also used the tool to influence our peers, which is something the TV or Radio election eras did not provide for us.

Although my non-American status prevented me from voting, it didn’t stop me from paying very close attention to the Web 2.0 election tools. Some of my favorite Web 2.Obama examples were:

YouTube videos:

• Yes We Can
• I’ve Got a Crush…On Obama
  

The Great Schlep
Twitter
iGoogle Homepage

Media, Web 2.0 Change, Obama, Web 2.0, YouTube

Twitter is not pointless. I’ve said it, I’ve argued for and against it, and now I’d like to take a side. Here’s why; I recognize the over-saturation of social media applications in the online environment, and the surmounting concern that we’re facing another dotcom bust. While that argument is one for another time and place, I do believe that there are certain applications that have the ability to change societal communications, and twitter is currently at the top of my list. This is not news. Those “in the know” with twitter are, for the most part, already familiar with its power and its addictive nature. While critics will argue that we shouldn’t care about the day-to-day, minute-by-minute updates from a stranger on the other side of the continent (or next door for that matter), I believe that not only do we care, but we also should. We are interested. Like other successful social media sites, the service is only as effective as its users; twitter will only grow and continue to remain popular so long as there are users around to tweet. But it’s the mix of casual insignificant tweets (read: I’m cooking up steak and corn on the cob tonight) with powerful timely events (read: Watching the flood waters rise higher as the rain falls harder) make this tool easy to consume, easy to participate, and highly entertaining.

I’ve heard many who go on, and on, about twitter as a complete waste of electronic space. While some of those arguments have merit, I’ll argue against them for the purpose of getting my “I <3 twitter” point across!

Argument: This technology has been around for a long time – twitter is nothing new. It’s no different than an RSS feed, email list, or news website

Twitter has integrated with mobile devices allowing input and output to happen outside of a browser or a computer. The number of clicks to obtain the information is very small – in fact, if you install an open-source third-party application such as twitteriffic or twitterberry, you barely need to click at all. It may be that the idea of quick, short text-based updates has been around since the internet was simply message boards, but in my experience with popular technologies, twitter is different. Twitter is about connecting – it’s a social media tool intended to build relationships and foster communication. RSS feeds are not intended to start any real conversation – RSS feeds is a one-way communication feed. At the bare minimum, all you need a browser and enough knowledge to fill out the web forms for creating an account. If you’d like to get more advanced, the open-source nature of the service allows you to develop your own twitter-reader, which you could install on your mobile device if you were so inclined. You can add pictures via services like TwitPic and URL’s using TinyURL, which make it more interesting than an email inbox or an RSS reader. And although minor, each tweet is accompanied by an avatar from the author, which makes the post more personal.

Read more…

Uncategorized Twitter, Web 2.0