26 March 2008


I have a confession to make: I am a digital geek who did not get hooked by the social networking craze in the last two years.

Then a funny thing happened. I got an invite to join a network, which I had a profile on (albeit inactive). And for whatever reason, decided to explore. And then the coolest thing happened: I found people. Important people. People I should never have lost track of. One thing lead to another and the next thing I knew, I was downloading apps, sending challenges to friends and finding out what kind of superpower I most like.

It is official: I am now hooked, lined and sinkered by Facebook.

Not only is it organizing my contacts, it tells me when my favorite band is in town, who has new photos posted, what books are on my to-read shelf, and what my friends have been doing to procrastinate.

With new apps being added all the time—from fun to functional—Facebook is also a creative marketer’s dream. One of the newest trends is the viral charitable app: “Send to 15 friends, save a family/tree/dog.” With a quick click, the user has done a good deed, and an initiative has gotten some face time.

REM even launched their new album this week via the I Like app on Facebook – one week before it hits stores. Complete with a video introduction by Michael Stipe, the launch gives more credence (and speed) to the evolving music business model which cuts out the middle man.

Time will tell what makes an app truly successful – Facebook, as with any pop culture phenom, runs the risk of becoming too cluttered with them (it already suffers from usability issues). However, there’s no question that these little apps have some serious marketing punch. Seeing which messages rise to the top and have sticking power will soon inform a whole new genre of creative marketing development.

20 March 2008



What I love about the web: I learn. I am inspired.