Hashtags and TV

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Twitter Hashtags are taking off and  becoming part of the TV watching experience. TV networks are now assigning hastags (#) for their shows. A hashtag creates a searchable topic or conversation on twitter. At the beginning of the CBS show How I Met Your Mother, for example, #HIMYM flashes on the screen. Any one that uses that hashtag in a tweet can add to or participate in a threaded discussion.

In addition to sharing what you are watching by using hashtags on twitter you can also check-in using GetGlue. GetGlue is an application and website that is getting some popularity. It is similar to FourSquare and allows you to check into movies, music, television, books, sports and more. You can share what you are reading, listening to or watching. GetGlue also gives you recommendations on other content it thinks you will enjoy based on your check-ins. The mobile app runs on iPhone, iPad, Andriod, Blackberry and other devices.

Our on-line and off-line lives are constantly getting closer to being one of the same.

What do you think?

Shazam!

Shazam is one of my favorite apps. It runs on iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Windows, Nokia and iPad.  It’s magic in your hand. It can detect pretty much any piece of music. Great for parties or when you hear that song  and don’t know what it is.

A few weeks ago I saw a Shazam logo in a commercial for the ABC show Grey’s Anatomy. I don’t like Grey’s Anatomy but had never seen Shazam use in a commercial so I paused my TV. Got my iphone and Shazam!

I was brought to a new screen with the option of watching  two Shazam exclusive sneak peak videos and the music video for the song featured in the commercial on YouTube. I could also purchase the song and season 7 on itunes.

What would an app like this be without sharing possibilities. You can share your discoveries on Twitter and Facebook directly through the Shazam app. No need to copy or paste anything. Very convenient

The exclusive content and sharing model is key and makes it worth using.  Do you Shazam?  Have you seen it in other commercials?

Photo (1) Shazam

Interactive Seat Maps

FBTicketmaster

Yesterday I talked about how Ticketmaster is using email to
leverage communication with their patrons. Facebook recently joined Ticketmaster and now makes it easier to communicate with your friends to find out where they are sitting with interactive seat maps. Interactive seat maps have been around since 2009 but the Facebook integration launched in August.   It will be interesting to see what type of events will use this new feature most. For a short tutorial go here. What do you think? Will you use it? Let me know in the comments below.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UVuDf6OpPbM]

Practical Communication

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Over the weekend I saw Roger Daltrey at The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. He performed The Who’s classic album Tommy in its entirety.  It was an awesome show and my seats could not have been better!

Ticketmaster and the Prudential Center both have a nice way of communicating before and after events. 5 days before the concert, I received an email reminder from Ticketmaster. 3 days before, I got an email from the Prudential Center, including some event and venue information along with public transit directions. This being my first trip to the Prudential Center it was nice to have basic travel information with links to the New Jersey Transit website. Two days after, I received another email from Ticketmaster asking for me to review the concert. Once reviews are posted, they can be shared across twitter, facebook, myspace, digg and del.icio.us.

This communication and feedback model can be beneficial for everyone. The customer gets to share their experience, getting to the venue can also be part of it. Roger or someone on his team has the option to read fan reviews and decided to change anything.  Ticketmaster now has more information that they can use internally and share with the venue to improve future events.

Communicating with customers is key. But listening is even more important. If we don’t listen and react then we are not doing our jobs.

Got a comment? I’d love to hear what you think, so comment below!

 

OK GO tags on

OK Go rose to popularity in 2007 with their music video for  Okgooooooo
Here it goes again.  It’s the one with the treadmills. They
are constantly thinking out of the box and doing their own
thing. Just watch their videos. They left EMI and formed their own label after EMI blocked embedding of their music videos on YouTube.

Everything they do is innovative. They take the fun spirit of their music videos on the road and it totally shows.
At every OK Go concert a  crowshot is taken and posted to their Facebook Fan Page.  The band asks everyone who attended to tag themselves. Not only are people tagging themselves, they are also adding to the comments section talking about their concert going experience and continuing the conversation.  This is a fun and interactive idea. OK Go is connecting with their fans.

People like to be part of something. We like to participate and OK Go makes it easy. Can a picture on the internet replace a concert t – shirt, a ticket stub or a memory? Probably not, but it sure will last a lot longer.

Picture taken from this blog.

True Fans

In the social media world there is often too much focus on numbers.  ROA
I have x number of fans or followers. I’ve reached 5,000 friends on Facebook. Please join my fan page. Social media is not a numbers game. It’s a conversation game.

I think that we have a habit of liking a brand page on Facebook or following someone new on Twitter and then we forget about it,choose to ignore it or are passive. I know I’ve been guilty of this.

Mashable.com reported on a new study this morning based on how consumers interact with Facebook.

  • 77% of consumers said they interact with brands on Facebook primarily through reading posts and updates from the brands.
  • 17% of respondents said they interact with brands by sharing experiences and news stories with others about the brand
  • 13% of respondents said they post updates about brands that they Like.
  • 56% of consumers said they are more likely to recommend a brand to a friend after becoming a fan on Facebook
  • 51% of consumers said they are more likely to buy a product since becoming a fan on Facebook
  • 78% of consumers who “Like” brands on Facebook said they “Like” fewer than ten brands
  • 76% of consumers said they have never “unliked” a brand on Facebook

Don’t focus on numbers. It is about the quality of your fans and followers opposed to the quantity. You want people that are engaged and interested in what you do and what you have to offer. Kevin Kelly says it best in his article 1,000 True Fans

Rock of Ages is a 1980’s themed Broadway jukebox musical.  The show has true fans. On a daily basis Rock of Ages interacts and engages with their fans on Facebook, asking questions ranging from 80’s trivia to questions about the show and some other stuff in between. There is not one post that doesn’t get some kind of response. They are tapping into their fans and listening to what they have to say. They are a good example of someone who is doing it right.

In the beginning, it may be challenging to tap into your audience. There may be some experimentation involved and that’s okay. If something doesn’t work, don’t get discouraged. You can always try something new tomorrow.

 

Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing is a great way to gather information, ideas or content from a community. Social media has taken crowdsourcing to a new level.

One of my favorite projects that used crowdsourcing is Chart Jackers. Chart Jackers followed 4 UK Youtubers who had a goal to create a #1 pop single on the UK charts. All the procedes went  to charity.

The lyrics, melody, musicians, and singers were all found through crowdsourcing.  It’s amazing to see what they were able to accomplish and it is a testament to how the internet and social media continues to change the way we create and communicate. I don’t want to give to much away. Watch the Chart Jackers compilation below.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5csWCO5STI&version=3]