NEWS ITEMS 
Four Inspiring Examples of Digital Storytelling
2/1/2012
In 2011, Sundance Film Festival created The New Frontier Story Lab, an initiative created to foster the development of a new style of media production. As media began to depart from traditional, linear films intended for a passive audience, the launch represented an innovative new era in entertainment.
The New Frontier Story Lab helped many an interactive narrative come to life. Each of these productions features multiple points of entry across platforms and employs technologies such as facial recognition, augmented reality, geo-location, motion sensors, data visualization and the entire toolset of social and mobile platforms.
Photo obtained under a creative commons license - By Thyago - SORG|FX on Flickr
By Layla Revis as seen in Mashable Entertainment
Financing the Stuff of Dreams through Kickstarter
2/1/2012
I’ll admit it: I’m sometimes smugly entertained by the older generation’s reaction to the fads of the Web. “Facebook? Why on earth would I want other people to know about my private life?” “Twitter? Who’s got the time for that nonsense?”
Come on, people. Open your minds. You don’t have to participate, but at least let the youngsters have their fun.
And then I started hearing people rave about Kickstarter.com. I was mystified by its success — and alarmed that I didn’t get it. Was I suffering from Early-Onset Fuddy-Duddyism?
By David Pogue as seen in The New York Times
Road-Tested Marketing Moves Ripped From Lady Gaga
1/31/2012
On July 12, 2011, Lady Gaga's private jet touched down on Australian soil. She was in town to promote her new album. The only formal gig planned for her was a mini-concert at the Sydney Town Hall. The venue was renamed Monster Hall in honor of her fans, who she regularly refers to as "Little Monsters." Within hours of her arrival, she put out her first tweet: "Thinking of going out in Sydney tonight. How I wish we had a show. NEVERMIND, don't listen to me. Maybe I’ll just go for a walk in the pARQ." So, had Lady Gaga traveled 20 hours for just the one concert?
By Martin Lindstom as seen in Fast Company
Social Media Marketing
1/31/2012
With one of every five online minutes being spent on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, ad agencies and marketers are scrambling to get their brands into the social party. While some of us are pushing our way in by employing the same one-way mass tactics used in TV and print, others have swung too far the other way, blindly chasing likes and fan counts. Both approaches miss out on social media's true potential and they most often point to three all-too-common mistakes in thinking.
By Andrew Cherwenka as seen in The Huffington Post
McDonald's Twitter Mess
1/31/2012
Mark my words: When the time comes for the 2012 year-end lists, this story will be among the "Biggest Social Media Fails" for the year.
If you haven't already heard, McDonald's is the latest poster child for social media gone awry. What started out as a simple Twitter promotion campaign—and then evolved into an effort to encourage people to talk about their favorite McDonald's stories—turned into a case of "tweetjacking" of the worst kind.
By Hollis Thomases as seen in Inc.
Build a Killer Website
1/30/2012
I’m continually surprised by how many people call my design company with very firm ideas about what they want on their business website and yet, they haven’t thought through some of the most basic questions first. For this reason, our first question is always “Why do you need a site?,” not “What do you want on it?”
At bottom your website is a marketing tool. For many businesses, it’s the only source of business. If done right, it can be a major part of yours.
Here’s my quick-hit list of the top dos and don’ts before you get started.
By IIya Pozin as seen in Inc.
Can Google+ Help Your Business?
1/18/2012
Michael Dell, the famed entrepreneur who started Dell Computer, posted a message on the web. He asked what everyone thought about a new Android app that lets customers make purchases quickly and easily. The service he used? It’s called Google+. The fledgling social network has garnered a lot of press. There are millions of active users and several high-profile business owners are generating buzz. Small businesses have a prime opportunity right now to connect with customers, promote your brand, and even find venture capital funding on the service.
By John Brandon as seen in Inc.
U R What U Tweet
1/18/2012
If you take a look at the top 10 Twitter users you'll see a list of famous men and women, from Justin Bieber to Selena Gomez, who have used the popular platform to further expand their personal brands. Perhaps more interesting, however, is how everyday people are investing more time and energy into social networking for professional purposes.
By Amber Mac as seen in Fast Company
Four Apps: A Closer Look
1/19/2012
In this post I want to discuss four apps worth examining that all try to get users to look at objects and use the tablet platform to extend that experience. And then maybe, there’ll be questions about apps creating virtual analogues of a physical experience.
The apps in question are:
1.The University of Virginia Art Museum's "UVaM" app,
2. MoMA's "Abstract Expressionism NY,"
3.The American Folk Art Museum's "Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts",
4.and a non-museum example, Pyrolia SA's "Road, Inc."
They run the gamut from pilot project to high-end, big budget custom developed project. What links them is that they all try to use the tablet platform to get you to do engage in a fundamental museum experience: looking closely at objects. And to a surprising extent, they all managed to get me to do it.
By Ed Rodly as seen in Thinking About Exhibits Blog
A Gumball For New Followers
1/19/2012
Whenever someone follows brand communications agency Uniform's Twitter account, a toy train inside a cuckoo clock shoves a gumball out the door onto a circuitous track. When the gumball comes to rest, it’s available for studio members to consume. After that’s all done, their Twitter account automatically @replies the new follower with a link to a video of the thing in action.
By Tim Maly as seen in Fast Company Design
Tumblr Is Headed For The Creative Community, Should Arts Organizations Follow?
1/18/2012
A vast repository of pop culture memes and internet humor, the blogging service Tumblr has grown significantly since its launch in 2007. With over 12 million blogs and with the recent raising of $30 million in funding, some see Tumblr's future as taking on blogging services like WordPress and Blogger.
The site's hallmarks are its streamlined posting dashboard and reblogging feature. Add on likes and short replies, and this gives the site a familiar feel to social networks like Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter.
By Thomas Hughes as seen in Technology in the Arts
11 Tips for Marketing Your Brand on LinkedIn
1/18/2012
With more than 135 million users, 59 percent of which are located outside of the United States, and with 75 of the Fortune 100 companies using the network for marketing and recruiting purposes, LinkedIn has become a critical platform for building, connecting with, and growing your personal and professional networks.
As the leading business social network, LinkedIn offers the chance to connect with professionals all around the world and from all industry backgrounds. But how do you convert networks into customers and ‘likes’ into sales?
By Ekaterina Walter as seen in The Next Web
What Were They Thinking?
1/5/2012
New product developers and marketers tend to be slaves to trends. And Pepsi was no different in the early '90s when it jumped on the clear trend. It was consumers' perception that clear meant healthy. It worked for one of their competitors with the introduction of Clearly Canadian, and it was working in other categories like personal care and laundry detergent, so why not for them?
Pepsi introduced Crystal Pepsi, a caffeine-free clear cola in 1992. Although initial sales were good, it quickly fizzled and was discontinued in 1993.
By Sandie Glass as seen in Fast Company
As New Composers Flourish, Where Will They Be Heard?
1/5/2012
We critics have long argued vehemently that if major musical institutions hope to be regarded as vital, modern institutions, they must keep their listeners (and performers) in touch with the ideas, trendy or otherwise, that excite the composers of their time. But truth be told, we are a little bipolar on that subject. Though we criticize the big organizations for fostering a museum culture, we actually value the museums they have become.
By Allan Kozinn as seen in The New York Times
Search and Social Media Marketing Predictions for 2012
1/5/2012
The year 2012 is finally here. 2011 was a breakout year for Web marketing developments, and as the geography of the field has rapidly evolved, those who have taken greatest advantage of these new innovations have reaped the most rewards.
2011 brought us Google+, Siri on the Apple iPhone, the Internet cloud, the Panda updates, and widespread changes across every major search engine and social platform. With all of these new technologies at our fingertips, the only thing that remains uncertain is what changes and challenges the New Year will bring. With that in mind, here’s our forecast for search engine and social media marketing in 2012.
By Alex Wall as seen in Business2Community
