Archive for 2012
By Ben Haber
Individuals enter the healthcare system not when they arrive at the ER or doctor’s office, but rather the moment they enter a malady into their Google search box. With the expectation for immediate information, the patient’s perceived knowledge begins to expand – however is this good, helpful or really just the tone for an emotional rollercoaster before they engage with a clinician?
Regardless if the individual is concerned about their own health or the welfare of a loved one, the process to illness discovery, treatment, therapy and recovery has begun. In our digital world, we can find what we think is the 360 degree point of view within minutes. Who has the responsibility to shepherd and help steer this process in a constructive and informational way?
Who:
Martha Hayward, leads patient and public engagement at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Rachel Bloom-Baglin, senior healthcare communications leader at Philips Healthcare
Dr. Danny Sands, healthcare speaker, executive, thought leader and physician at Beth Israel
Dianne Bourque, partner in the Health Law practice at Mintz Levin
When:
January 17th, 2013
8:00am – 9:30am ET
*Registration opens in the lobby of 53 State Street at 7:30am ET*
Breakfast will be provided for attendees
Where:
Racepoint Group
53 State Street, 4th Floor
Boston, Ma 02109
December 19th, 2012
By Ben Haber
Welcome to your Friday Flash—your insight into the ever-changing world of social.
December 7th, 2012
By Ben Haber
The fighting between Israel and Hamas isn’t just taking place on the ground anymore. It’s taking place on social media. In a way to inform and control messages, Twitter handles for the IDF and Hamas are providing real-time updates about attacks, damage and what they’ve been able to stop. An array of other social channels are also being used, including Instagram, which Israeli soldiers have been using to show a very personal side of war.
Social media has already changed our world in so many ways – but is it really making war more personal? Receiving direct information from the groups that are fighting is so strange – and gives us a combination of unfiltered information and a one-sided opinion on what’s taking place. It certainly difficult to look at a picture of soldiers (like the one below) and not humanize what’s going on.
Via Instagram
November 16th, 2012
By Ben Haber
This is the first in a new series for RaceTalk. In the Friday Flash, we’ll be summarizing what happened in the social media world. So, grab your coffee and muffin and enjoy this week’s installment.
November 9th, 2012
By Guest Author
This is a guest post by Marcus LaRobardiere.
On more than one occasion I’ve been called an old man, which is not entirely true- I’m only 23-years-old – but I do and always have had, a few habits/tendencies that beg to differ. For instance, on Saturday mornings, instead of watching cartoons like the rest of the kids my age, I was watching Flip Pallot, an avid fisherman and outdoorsman, fly fish the shallow waters of the Everglades and the Florida Keys.
As time went on, I began watching the likes of Anthony Bourdain and the other personalities on the Travel Channel. At that time, the channel was loaded with interesting shows about traveling, not like the subpar, 20LB ice cream sandwich toting shows it seems to be full of now. So you can’t imagine how excited I was to discover Uncommon Content’s Reserve Channel.
Reserve Channel gives unprecedented access to some of the more extraordinary people and places life has to offer. I discovered this gem when I saw a tweet from Jimmy Buffett, promoting his daughter’s new monthly travel series, “EX-PATS.” Upon further investigation I was hooked, and somewhere in between, Anthony Bourdain’s appearance on “On the Table w/ Eric Ripert” and seeing “EX-PATS”I couldn’t get enough but it dawned on me, this could be the coolest thing no one will ever see.
Despite the great content, I couldn’t help but think this was bound to fail. When a YouTube channel begins, it’s essentially starting at square one. Where cable networks and programs already have an established audience, Reserve would be starting with no one. Additionally, what credibility did they have? Their social network presence was small, I mean really small. One afternoon I gave them a #FF and much to my delight, it was retweeted. Despite the victory on Twitter, I knew to build their audience and credibility it would take a massive grassroots approach and they couldn’t be done through some Parrothead who follows Jimmy Buffett on Twitter.
By the time autumn was in full swing, they introduced three new shows that would pick up where the summer lineup left off. It would appear they knew something I didn’t. While YouTube can’t match the revenue stream or the ratings TV can, there are a few stats that point to a bright future. YouTube receives over 800 million unique users each month with 4 billion hours of video being watched monthly. In 2011, YouTube had more than 1 trillion views which are about 140 views for every person on Earth and with advances in sharing both on social and mobile networks those numbers are bound to grow.
Time will only tell whether or not various YouTube original’s like Reserve Channel will survive but scrolling through their different segments and shows I am seeing significant growth in views. I’m not willing to make any predictions on the success or growth of the channel because I don’t want to jinx anything – I’m superstitious like that – so for the time being, this old geezer will keep tuning in to satisfy an appetite.
November 2nd, 2012
By Guest Author
This is a guest post by Nate Towne. Follow him on Twitter at @Fancy_Lad.
You may be seeing a lot of buzz regarding Pheed, the new “Twitter Killer” that launched on October 1st – it looks and acts a lot like Twitter, but gives users (a.k.a. Pheeders) the option to share content for free or at a premium, either by applying a monthly subscription fee to their channel or setting up a pay-per-view live broadcast event. Users can charge anywhere from $1.99 to $34.99 per view, or $1.99 to $34.99 per month. The platform offers standard sharing features such as text, photos and videos, but also incorporates “stuff” (its word, not mine) like voice-notes, audio clips and live-broadcasting.
Not only is Pheed is going for that premium-content-gotta-have-it feel, it’s also positioning itself as the edgy new social startup, featuring the backside of what looks like Adam Levine’s head from Maroon 5 on its homepage. (But sadly, it is not.) This in itself should scare many older, more conservative users away right off the bat, leaving us fresh young things with that MySpace experience we’ve been missing since that platform bombed many moons ago. (Though Justin Timberlake is doing his darnedest to revive it. Maybe. The jury’s still out on that one.)
So who cares about Pheed? Well, if you’re a celebrity trying to cash in on premium content, you just might – the site seems to be a magnet for hip hop moguls and mogulettes. Same if you’re an Instant YouTube Star like these guys – you might want to start up your own pheed feed to try to monetize your videos. Some brands, like record labels and other content-and-taste makers could also benefit. Case in point it looks like everyone’s trying to figure out the value; the “big names” of celebrity content producers like Slash and Chris Brown are on Pheed, but have activity levels just south of minimal. BUT, and here’s the big but, they’ll only stay on Pheed if YOU go there and start buying.
Otherwise you might as well just Pheed your time into the ol’ toilet because you just wasted precious resources on the next big social thing that never happened. Wouldn’t be the first time, won’t be the last.
But you’re probably here for deeper insights, so here goes:
PROS:
- You can make money – if Pheed attracts users who will open their wallets to digital content.
- Pheed has more bells and whistles than Twitter.
- You can position yourself as cooler-than-cool by eschewing Twitter for this new social channel, being the first on your block to start a Pheed.
- You can easily share Pheed content on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
- Like any social network, you can gain insights into things.
- The content is entertaining, though dubious.
- Pheeds are rated for content and measured for level of activity, meaning users know what they’re getting into before they sign up for a pheed.
CONS:
- It’s an unknown and could become a big time suck if nobody is there to help you monetize your content.
- Pheed is a ghost town compared to Twitter. Only 1 million users on Pheed vs. more than 500 million on Twitter.
- There’s no ability to easily share content with Instagram or Tumblr – for now.
- The content is dubious, though entertaining.
- Not primetime ready for main stream brands.
- Like any social network, you can gain insight into things. Mostly Paris Hilton’s things. *shudder*
Only time will tell if Pheed will get off the ground. With quality content producers including Big Sean, who has produced nothing, Spammers (that didn’t take long), and paparazzi’s putting up premium channels so they can get paid more for stalking your favorite celebs, you can count me out for now. When the Muppets start a Pheed, then I’ll consider joining. (I’d best not hold my breath.)
October 31st, 2012
By Ben Haber
Provided by: Open-Site.org
October 31st, 2012
By asnyder
Racepoint Group is very excited to present to you a very special episode of RPG Live, where a group of Racepoint Group employees discuss the latest culturally relevant issues and trends we’re seeing in the news and pop culture, hosted by our own Evan Siff. This week’s guests include Marcus LaRobardiere, Taylor Pepe and a very special visitor from our Hong Kong office, Charlotte Ingram! Please have a listen as we discuss the most important issues of the day, such as:
1. Luxury
How are luxury brands connecting with consumers in East Asia? Is it different in US? How is luxury itself defined, nowadays?
2. Gangnam Style
Have you participated in any Gangnam Style flash mobs yet? How did this guy go from zero to hero via social media?
3. Points of interest in Boston for visitors
What does Charlotte recommend for travelers visiting Boston?
Evan:
@stairway2evan
Marcus:
@marcusdl
Taylor:
@taypeps
Charlotte:
@ingramcharlotte
September 27th, 2012
By asnyder
Racepoint Group is very excited to present to you another episode of RPG Live, where a group of Racepoint Group employees discuss the latest culturally relevant issues and trends we’re seeing in the news and pop culture, hosted by our own Evan Siff. This week’s guests include Marcus LaRobardiere, Liz Ianotti and Anne Potts. Please have a listen as we discuss:
1. iPhone5
Are the new features enough for it to live up to all the hype?
2. Spotify TV
Just another rumor or is Spotify making deals with HBO in Scandinavia? Would you use Spotify TV if it were available?
3. End of Summer, Beginning of Autumn
What are you looking forward to most this Fall?
Please feel free to give us a shout out with questions or comments via Twitter!
Evan:
@stairway2evan
Marcus:
@marcusdl
Liz:
@liziannotti
Anne:
@atmpotts
September 14th, 2012
By Ben Haber
Old Spice is at it again, with another brilliant video campaign. This time, instead of personalizing YouTube videos, they’ve made “muscle music video” in which former NFL player and actor, Terry Crews, makes instruments play by flexing his muscles. The cool part of this campaign comes after the video is over, when viewers take control. By simply pressing keys on a keyboard, users can control which muscles he flexes, and therefore which sounds are made. Additionally, users can create and share their own muscle music videos with just one click.
Check out the video above and then try creating your own music music video.
August 29th, 2012
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