Grown Up Thinking

Last week I stumbled upon a new iPhone app called CauseWorld, which allows users to check in to places and receive Karma points. The points can then be donated to nine potential causes including Support A Classroom, Give Clean Water, and Donate A Book. The model is basically Foursquare with a charity tie-in, allowing users to gain badges while giving back to charity through small micro actions. The app is free and sponsored by Kraft Foods and Citi. There’s also a feed via Facebook Connect which allows you to publish your donations to your Facebook wall.

CauseWorld is a great example of brands connecting with causes and amplifying their message through social media. In December, Foursquare launched a cause campaign with CampInteractive sponsored by Pepsi that donated $0.04 for each check-in. While the program was a great way to bring CampInteractive’s cause into the mainstream and align Pepsi, the CauseWorld app takes it a step further by allowing consumers to choose what cause matters most to them, and amass ‘do-gooder’ badges.

Another solid example of brands aligning with causes to rally consumer participation across social media is the Chase Community Giving program, which just announced their winners (congrats to my peeps at Invisible Children, who won a $1 million donation). The program gained over two million Facebook fans, and aligned cause with 500,000 charities that participated for a chance to receive $25k, $100k, or $1 million grants. In total, Chase Community Giving handed out $5 million to a variety of worthy organizations.

The beauty of the program is it unlocked the potential of these charities’ reach through social voting, with top charities generating over 100k user votes and rallying their fans to support their cause in a central social space. Excellent use of tying together social media, cause, community and a brand under a single campaign.

In the wake of Haiti’s massive and devastating earthquake, we’re now bearing witness to the largest text-based fundraising campaign for disaster relief to date.

Countless compassionate individuals combined with the girth of our social media world have led to an outpouring of financial and emotional support for the people of Haiti. As of Thursday morning, the American Red Cross had collected nearly $3 million in donations through text messages.

Both the American Red Cross and the Yéle Haiti Foundation have set up “text to donate” services and have asked Twitter users to text a number to make a donation, which is then added to your cell phone bill. #Text, #Help Haiti and #Yele are currently among today’s top 10 trending topics on Twitter.

Text-based donations get aid swiftly to those in need- Yéle Haiti’s technology partners Mobile Giving and Give on the Go have even waived the typical two-week waiting period to deposit the donations. As a result, Yéle Haiti says they’ll have nutrition bars, candles, blankets and flashlights on the ground in Haiti this Friday. Many text-based donation services even let you sign up for tweets to see how their donations are being spent.

These past few days have truly been a testament to the power that technology and social media hold- and as a wise man once said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

To donate $10 to the American Red Cross’s earthquake relief efforts, text “Haiti” to 90099.

To donate $5 to Yéle Haiti, text “YELE” to 501501.

When I first downloaded Foursquare, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I mean, I’m already a Facebook and Twitter addict- how much more social media can a girl really need? Do my friends even care to know where I am at all times of the day? How often am I supposed to check in? Do I accept all friend requests or only people who I know? Do I really want complete strangers to know where I am?

After much thought, I came to the conclusion that everyone uses Foursquare for different purposes. Here are the five types of Foursquare users I have encountered:

The Cheater: Every Sunday night at 11:59pm EST the Foursquare leaderboard resets. Ever wake up on Monday morning and wonder how one of your friends already has 150 points? The truth is you probably need to get more honest friends, because this friend is a cheater.

The Hungry Tiger: Have any friends on Foursquare who check in at every single place they go- including every subway stop or convenience store? The friend may be classified as “The Hungry Tiger”, someone who can never get enough of Foursquare.

The Hot ‘n’ Cold: I have a few friends like this- those who can’t decide how they really feel about Foursquare. Sometimes they will check in and once they get a badge they quickly turn into The Hungry Tiger, but that rapidly slows down after about a week.

The Commitment-Phobe: This type of user (such as Melvin) has an account, but never uses it. Simple as that.

The Star Performer: This user in my opinion is the ideal Foursquare user. They check in at the appropriate places, such as restaurants and bars, yet refrain from checking in while simply purchasing a pack of gum at the deli across the street.

Given Foursquare’s rapid popularity, users are bound to encounter at least one of the above types. Some people even believe Foursquare could become the next Twitter. Keep your eyes open, folks- this is one social networking bus you won’t want to miss.

When I graduated college, one of my main concerns was how I was going to be able to keep up with all of my friends and family. How would I ever find time in my super busy schedule to call or see all the people I used to have tons of time for? “Facebook Stalking” soon became the most resourceful way to keep tabs on the people in my life. Although e-stalking my friends was easy, I couldn’t help but wonder how social media sites would increase or decrease my social relationships with others in the real world. Why even pick up the phone to call a friend to ask how work is going, when you can see through their Facebook status that they just got promoted? Spend enough time online and before you know it you know everything about everyone, even those who you don’t know!

Some believe that an excess of social media can cause isolation from the real world, but a new study by Pew Internet and American Life Project suggests that social media users are just as social as those who are not frequent users. The study suggests that people who use social media to connect with others not only have a larger network of people to discuss with, but a more diverse network as well. The study claims social media users tend to be more involved in their communities, most likely because online networking raises awareness of events and opportunities they may not have heard about otherwise.

After reading the results of the study, I couldn’t agree more. Through Twitter and Facebook I have met a variety of amazing people from all different types of backgrounds. I guess it pays to be computer geek after all.

In a time where brands A, B and C are dipping their pen in the social media ink well, innovation is quickly becoming the key to online success for those who are willing to pave the way. Case-in-point: a new in-stream sales channel for Facebook that allows consumers to purchase their favorite products directly from their main feed. Dubbed “Off The Wall“, this new service brings products out of the catalog and lands them directly on Facebook- for all to see, share, comment, “Like”, and hopefully purchase. This also presents a new opportunity for companies to drive more traffic to their Facebook Fan Page by offering special promotions and discounts through Facebook as well as custom content for consumers.

This new service comes as no surprise, however, as Facebook continues its efforts to expand e-commerce on the site. “Off The Wall” satisfies consumers who are looking to brands and social networking sites to integrate their overall shopping experience. In addition to the existing ability to purchase Facebook Gifts, consumers will soon be able to use an online currency to buy and share music and other virtual products through Facebook.

One big step for social media, one giant plus for all of us.

McDonald’s Picadilly Circus

In a brilliant marketing strategy which integrates both on and offline tactics, McDonald’s Piccadilly Circus ad is the billboard of the moment. Tourists pose in front of the ad, which flashes various products that they can take pictures with to create funny souvenirs (think Leaning Tower of Pisa-ish). The pictures are then uploaded by users to Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, etc., as well as fan created pages. Surprisingly, McDonald’s comprehensive Facebook Page, has a small fan base and not as much interaction as you might expect. This simple, yet effective spin on traditional outdoor advertising is a sure-fire way to help develop that community of devoted burger lovers.

Many companies have long been trying to come up with a way to give people back relevant answers that truly solve the question being posed. Of course there are the search engines, some like (ask.com) even starting out trying to answer search queries posed as actual questions. Other services like Cha Cha have explored ways to use actual people to answer questions, in Cha Cha’s case, a network of paid reps.

The idea of getting an answer to any question  in a matter of minutes or even seconds has always been an dream and as Google has shown, there is certainly money to be had for efficiently answering people’s queries. Now, a startup may actually have found away to make this dream a reality. After recently discovering Aardvark, I may already qualify as an addict. I’ve asked 10 questions over the past few days, ranging from new restaurants in the East Village to the season’s best TV shows to where to find the best UX talent, and in almost all cases gotten extremely helpful answers back.

What’s best is Aardvark is completely crowdsourced and not just by random people. Aardvark uses Facebook Connect to tap into your network and their respective networks to find the best people to answer each question based on their interests, subjects they have added and questions they previously answered. Right in the heart of where social networking, search and crowdsourcing all meet, Aaardvark just might have hit the next gold mine.

5 Things We’re Loving Right Now:

1. GetGlue.com: Personal recommendations + Foursquare-ish gaming for all your bookish, audiophile, movie dork obsessions.

2. Shmotter.com: Like Polyvore, but better. More social functionality.

3. All Together Now stop motion animation: Better’n Bud, but obviously a tip of the hat to a great commercial.

4. Laika: dynamic, interactive type for all ya design geeks (that means you, Mr. Helvetica).

5. Sweatshoppe Video Painting: public art spectacle that simply MUST be used by a brand. For serious.

In our recent tech history, there have been countless examples of emergent technologies being introduced to the marketplace before their time with a resounding flop, only to be resurrected a few short years later. A few worth mentioning:

* In 1996, CompuServe launched its WOW! initiative as the first major consumer Internet service that reached critical mass. It had a clear first-mover advantage in a space on the verge of exploding. However, technology issues and questionable marketing moves led to Compuserve’s demise at the hands of AOL, who later purchased the Compuserve business. AOL would go on to create a company that was worth nearly $15 Billion by the time it was purchased by Time Warner in 2001.

* In 1997, a web service was launched called SixDegrees.com which I regard as the first social networking site ever created. It was based around the premise of six degrees of separation (insert Kevin Bacon jokes here). At its peak, SixDegrees maintained a user base of over one million people. It was purchased by YouthStream Media in 2000 for $125 Million (the same year YouthStream also purchased The Magma Group, the first company I founded,  for infinitely less!). Ultimately, SixDegrees failed because the web had yet to be fully integrated into social lifestyles of the Gen Y audience they were targeting. It took an additional failure of Friendster (and, in some ways, MySpace) before Facebook was introduced, a business now valued by some at over $10 Billion.

* In 2000 DodgeBall was founded as a way of making social networking physical  by connecting people based on their actual geographic locations. In 2005, Dodgeball was acquired by Google, where it floundered in irrelevance juxtaposed against their behemoth search business. Ultimately, it was shut down. In 2009, Dodgeball founder Dennis Crowley created FourSquare which was seen by many as the breakout technology application at the SXSW conference and now looks like a candidate for the next big thing in the social media landscape.

Many blockbuster tech-based products services have been borne at the expense of the original brave pioneers whom broke new ground with the dreams of a first-mover advantage. The lesson here? Sometimes it’s good to take a step back, see what happens to others and wait for the right time to enter a marketplace. Sometimes the early bird gets the stale worm.

What failing business model now in the marketplace has the making of success in 3 to 5 years?

You can almost hear the sound of rubber balls bouncing around the walls of Mr Youth these days, as the epic battle to reign supreme in all things #Foursquare has swept the agency. Our resident mayor recently explained the craze in an earlier post, but developments over the weekend have added a new dimension to the biggest game on the social media scene today.

I was gleefully surprised to receive an email from Foursquare notifying me that I had been upgraded to “Superuser” status based on my, well, super (over)use of the service. While the lack of a VIP card, limited edition sunglasses and other self-identifying accoutrement is slightly disheartening, I was informed that I have the ability to make  edits to the game’s venue database, like de-duplicating venues and matching venues with twitter accounts. The more I exercise my Superuser status the more abilities I’ll unlock.

Foursquare is really hitting the mark when it comes to tapping into its enthusiastic fanbase to drive and improve the game. By inviting users into the fold and allowing them to affect elements of the service, they’re fostering deeper loyalties and creating layers of exclusivity that encourage would-be-Superusers to increase their usage of the game to reach the great heights of Superuser status. Lucky me. Question is…how do I translate this into a Halloween costume?

Where my other Superuser peeps at? Holler below in the comment section.