Archive for August, 2011
By Taylor Pepe
We all have “those” people who we no longer want to see anymore. There’s the ex, who since you’ve broken up, has dominated your Facebook wall with photos of her and Justin Timberlake canoodling court-side at the Lakers game. There’s the co-worker who continues to Tweet about his new office (have you seen my desk-pure marble with diamonds), and of course there’s Steve Williams who doesn’t want to see anything about his former employer. If only there was a way to never come across these people again, even accidentally, on the vast void that is the internet.
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to say adios to them. Presenting, the Ex-Blocker, a browser add-on for Firefox, Google Chrome, and Safari that lets you block the person of your choosing, now available online.
Are you losing friends because your nights out have turned into tearful karaoke outings? We’ve all been there (no we haven’t). Are you getting angry every time you’re out and you see a family taking a picture of a child, because you know it will end up on Facebook, and you’re reminded of that one co-worker that always posts photos of their family? Then this is a website designed just for you.
Here’s how it works, first you need to choose what browser your computer uses. Next, enter your sworn enemies name into the boxes. After that, you can add in their facebook, their twitter, and their personal blog, why not, you don’t really care what they bought at the mall. After all of the information is entered, every instance of their existence will be blocked from your browser indefinitely. It’ll be like they never existed, and your memories of them, fading into obscurity faster than Rebecca Black.
Did I mention it’s good for forgetting “celebrities” like her as well?
August 31st, 2011
By Brittany Falconer
If you know me personally, you can skip to the next paragraph. If not, finish this one: Hi, I’m Brittany. I love beer and location-based social media. If I found anything that married the two, I would consider marrying it.
One of the reasons why I was most excited about finally getting a smartphone – aside from no longer having to make excuses along the lines of “Sorry, my phone rides the short bus” – was all the applications and bookmarked mobile sites that would inevitably accompany it. I of course anticipated the usual suspects – Twitter, Foursquare, Angry Birds, Words with Friends – you know, all those little megabytes that have become all but staples of our livelihood. What thrilled me even more was the thought of perhaps the most magical, albeit less mainstream, mobile site to grace the lives of social beer-drinkers the digital world over: Untappd. Haven’t heard of it? Read on.
I first heard about Untappd via the Twittersphere many months ago. Being an avid consumer of beer, the prospect of being able to check into which one I was drinking sounded nothing short of incredible – especially when you go to as many beer fests as I do, and keeping track after the eighth sample can get tricky. Untappd lets you track what you’re drinking, where you’re drinking it, and what you think of it.
After that first glorious (sometimes not-so-glorious) sip, visit m.untappd.com and search for whatever it is you have in your hand. Find it – or add it – add your two cents, and check in. Simple, but that’s the beauty of it. Like many Bostonians, while I do have a few go-tos, I really love trying different brews, and I only have so much brain space dedicated to beer. Untappd is turning into my handy little Rolodex of draughts and bottles and making some recommendations at the same time based off my check-ins (although I haven’t tested that out yet – has anyone who can share their thoughts?). Like Foursquare, it also lets me keep tabs (pun unavoidable) on my beer-inclined friends to see what they’re drinking. Possibly even more fun, I earn badges (also like Foursquare) for my drinking habits, which serve no purpose other than bragging rights (and perhaps a VIP pass for an AA meeting).
Have you tried Untappd yet? Love it? Hate it? Let us know in the comments!
August 29th, 2011
By Taylor Pepe
This is my first post to the Racetalk blog. Look for more of my posts in the upcoming weeks! I would also like to thank Brittany and Jason for bringing me on.
I have an angelic voice. It’s been described as a hybrid between Barry Manilow and Enrique Iglesias. That being said, I’ve been known to belt out a ballad or two on my way to work in the morning. After all, something has to break up the commute.
More often than not however, a song finds a way to embed itself in my head, and not leave, no matter what I try. My science panel is all on vacation, so the reasoning as to why this happens will have to wait, but I have recently found a way to get the latest Katy Perry song out of my head.
Presenting Unhear it, a website that provides you with a random song to block out that annoying hook from the Lil’ Wayne song you’ve been singing all morning.
Think of this website as a music-demolition expert who’d you call in after you’ve gone from your commute, to the board room, to the snack shack in your office with Real McCoy’s early 90s club favorite “Another Night” playing on repeat in your head. (You’re welcome for reminding you of your glory days)
To avoid spending the rest of your day figuring out some sweet new glow stick dance moves, here’s what you do: go online, open Unhear it, and click play. The website will randomly pick a song for you to listen to, either in its entirety or just a few seconds (the opening to “Getting’ Jiggy with It” generally gets me ready to go). In no time you’ll be back to making those million dollar decisions your company hired you to make.
The website does come with the risk of replacing one overly annoying hook with another. Worth it? You bet. Anything beats Eifel 65.
August 26th, 2011
By Guest Author
This is a guest post by Sarah Willey. Follow her on Twitter @willey774.
Dirty tricks in politics are nothing new, but social media is taking it to another level. If you haven’t heard the latest saga, here you go.
A Twitter account named “CrazyKhazei” began making outrageous tweets mocking Democratic US Senate candidate Alan Khazei about a month ago. This week, a CrazyKhazei tweet appeared not on that Twitter account, but on the account of Eric Fehrnstrom, a senior adviser to both US Senator Scott Brown and presidential candidate Mitt Romney. They’re both Republicans if you didn’t know. It was clear that Fehrnstrom was the author of CrazyKhazei , and that he had mixed up which account he was posting to and consequently outed himself.
Here’s an example of the tweets: “I want to thank my charity, Be the Change, for subsidizing my Senate campaign by paying me $10k a month. Wink.” And the bio of the account reads: “I’m a community organizer. I got crushed by Martha Coakley in the 2009 US Senate primary. I’m running because we need more Democrats in the MA delegation.”
Neither Ferhnstrom, Brown or Romney’s campaign responded to a request for comment on the Khazei campaign statement. Of course, it’s Khazei who is getting all of the attention now!!!
August 25th, 2011
By Brittany Falconer
It’s that time of year, again: where the SXSW Interactive 2012 PanelPicker is open for public voting! For those of you who are already versed in the innovative, educational treasure trove that is SXSW, I don’t think I need to expound any further. For the rest of you, read on:
“The 19th annual SXSW® Interactive Festival challenges you to envision the future of innovative technology. Featuring five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging media and scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders, SXSW Interactive offers an unbeatable line up of special programs showcasing the best new websites, digital projects, wireless applications, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer. From hands-on training to big-picture analysis, SXSW Interactive has become the place to preview of what is unfolding in the world of creative technology.” – SXSWi’s “About” page
One of the really cool parts about SXSW (you know, aside from all that exposure to cutting edge media and tech mentioned above) is the crowd-sourced component of the event’s sessions via the site’s PanelPicker. Last week, public voting opened for over 3600 very strong speaking proposals. Public voting will factor into the selection of a privileged 500 or so for the show itself. That’s right: YOU have a say in who makes it to the agenda. What better incentive to attend is there? Voting ends 11:59 p.m. CDT on Friday, September 2, so hurry up and add your two cents.
Of note, your friends at Racepoint Group and Digital Influence Group have thrown a couple hats into the ring. Check out the sessions below and if you like them, feel free to vote (and encourage your friends to do so, too).
Global Connection: Smartphones Need Green Servers
Speaker(s) from: ARM
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/8691
Drugs, Milk & Money: Social & Regulated Industries
Speaker(s) from: Digital Influence Group
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/9741
Facilitating Communication Between Devices
Speaker(s) from: Marvell
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/10251
Brands, Social Intelligence, Consumer Revolution
Speaker(s) from: Networked Insights
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/9598
2000 “Likes” Won’t Save Your Job: Real Social ROI
Speaker(s) from: Networked Insights
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/10548
Are you ready for Semantic Analysis?
Speaker(s) from: Networked Insights
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/10537
Brands with Benefits: Hooking up With Good Deals
Speaker(s) from: Aegis Media, BuyWithMe, Clovr Media, Modiv Media
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/11314
August 22nd, 2011
By Ben Haber
I must have said this 100 times, and I’m going to say it again. The total number of Twitter followers that you have isn’t the most important statistic. It’s who they are. Do they engage in conversation, reply to your tweets, and re-tweet your content.
Unfortunately, many people don’t understand this concept, Newt Gingrich included. According to some reports, a whopping 92 percent of Newt’s Twitter followers are fake (other reports say the number is closer to 80 percent). In either case, over 1 million of his followers are not real.
If you scroll down Newt’s list of followers, you’ll find that many of them don’t have profile pictures and are essentially inactive users, with less then 10 total tweets, and followers, such as the following handles:
Why does Newt have so many fake followers? Apparently, he decided to purchase followers – that’s why someone on his staff has told reporters. This is not a new concept, but it is certainly the most glaring example of it, and a good reminder that Twitter follower numbers can be very misleading.
August 4th, 2011
By Ben Haber
Everyone knows that the media industry has experienced widespread changes during the past few years. As a result of these changes (particularly the creation of a 24/7 real-time news cycle) many media outlets have changed the way they work with businesses and PR companies.
There have been a few outlets that have been the driving forces of these changes, most notably TechCrunch, which has done its best to make the embargo extinct. Unfortunately, TechCrunch often takes on the role of the the schoolyard bully, blasting the entire PR industry. That is why I want to take a moment to call your attention to Wade Roush, the chief corespondent at Xconomy.
I’ve worked with Wade many times in the past when he was located in the Boston area (he’s now in San Francisco) and each time he was an absolute pleasure to work with (I also did a Q&A with him for RaceTalk, which you can view here). After (what I believe to be) years of frustration around broken embargoes, Wade faced the music on May 6 and declared the embargo dead (for him). As TechCrunch did, Wade wrote a story about why he’s no longer going to work with embargoes. However, instead of attacking an entire industry while making this announcement, Wade provided reasoning, explanations and advice.
On July 29 Wade wrote another story related to PR, this time focused on how he decides which stories to write about. In this three page article, Wade explains the various ways that he finds story ideas, the types of articles that he wants to write and the best ways to approach him in order to maximize everyone’s time. Once again, the article was informative and respectful, and it was clear that Wade spent a great deal of time trying to educate and help the PR people that he currently works with and may work with in the future.
The purpose of this post is not only to share Wade’s tips and advice, so PR people can work well with him and other reporters and bloggers. I also want to take a moment and point out how Wade is a shining example of a great media person to work with. He is thoughtful, respectful, considerate, and most importantly, a great journalist.
August 2nd, 2011
