Winner Takes $1m

A new social networking site has launched today, offering users a $1m prize for posting the best clip. The site, Clipstar.com, is said to be a “democratic global talent contest” that combines the idea of social networking with the ambitions of any artist, hoping to be scouted by music and entertainment agents.

The site enables users to upload video clips of any performance in one of nine categories: singing, band or group, dance, music, comedy, acting, director or film, animation or “any other”. Users will vote (for free) for the best clip. Then, once every three months a winner from each category will be chosen and will win $10,000. At the end of the year, a “grand final” will be held, where the winner of each category will be automatically entered for the million-dollar prize.



Paul Barnes, Clipstar’s managing director, says, “Clipstar.com was created to ensure that undiscovered talent was found, recognized and shared with the world.”

Users will be forced to take part in the social networking experience, and engage in different relationships in order to be considered a competitor for the grand prize.

Brand new social networking sites are literally being launched every day. Creators of this particular site, however, have tried to organize a community that takes social networking to a whole different level. Competitors will need to seriously consider what they can do to get people to vote for their clip. Self-promotion will be a huge factor in determining the winners, and those who do it best will succeed. Winning the money is obviously the ultimate goal, but I have a feeling that for most of the competing artists, this site and contest is really about getting their name and their talent recognized.

This post is in response to an article found at http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/oct/30/web20.digitalmedia?gusrc=rss&feed=media

SpinVox Brings Mobility to Social Networking

Voice-to-Screen provider, SpinVox, has announced the launch of a new social networking site that will take advantage of developing voice technologies.


Bloggers and social networkers alike can create an account on SpinVox’s website to use these innovative voice capabilities. But, even better, SpinVox has made it possible to create one centralized page on their website to manage three other networking sites, Facebook, Jaiku and Twitter, where many already have an account. From this main page, they will be able to apply the voice technology to these other sites.

Users simply speak the text via mobile phone, and it will be posted directly to one, or all three of the services.

The implementation of this voice-posting technology means extended mobility for bloggers and socialites. It builds upon the concept launched earlier this year called “Spin-My-Blog”. It means staying connected to their personal space possible in most any situation. Any mobile user is now easily able to share updates and information with their online community at a moments’ notice, no matter where they are. No need to find an internet connection or even a keyboard.

"The use of social networks and micro-blogging sites has exploded in the past few years, but, so far, they've lacked true mobility and so are not achieving their full potential,” commented Christina Domecq, CEO and co-founder of SpinVox. “Whether you've just walked out of a concert or have discovered a great new place to eat, your voice can now be used in place of the keyboard to tell the world the news and capture your thoughts, emotions and experiences `in the moment` as and when they happen”.

SpinVox says that they expect to soon offer connections to other well-known social networking and micro-blogging sites.

This is huge news to social networkers and bloggers. Although most of us have internet capabilities on our cell phones already, and can even post to our online personal pages through text messaging, the introduction of this voice technology has opened numerous opportunities. I am predicting a serious increase in not only posts from previous users, but also an increase in new members to social networking and blogging sites. People no longer have to take time out of their day to sit down at a computer and work out their thoughts. When driving to work, making dinner or even while getting ready for bed at night, we are now able to literally speak our minds.

This post is in response to the article found at http://internetcommunications.tmcnet.com/topics/broadband-mobile/articles/13210-spinvox-breathes-voice-into-social-networks.htm

Red Sox Fans Get Their Own Online Community

Yes, Red Sox Nation finally has its own social networking site. It is called SawxHeads.com and was launched in July 2007 by a company called Boxcar Media. The site has recently been teeming with activity, with over 60,000 fans from more than a dozen countries.

The social networking site is yet another example of niche communities, where users belong to a network for a more specific, specialized need. In the case of SawxHeads.com, Boston Red Sox fans finally have a place where they can build their own dream team, have slugfest debates, trade and rumor information, and get popular on-the-road features for all the places to which team travels.



"Niche social networking sites are a natural outgrowth for passionate fan bases,” says Osmin Alvarez, president of Boxcar Media. “It allows them to have a more focused and personal experience than what is found on larger social networking sites”.

And, with such success stemming from SawxHeads.com, fans are asking for more niche social networking sites for other teams as well. Boxcar Media has just launched PatsHeads.com for fans of the New England Patriots and CeltsHeads.com for fans of the Boston Celtics. Alvarez says that because of their popularity, they have been given the opportunity to “launch hundreds of these niche sites in a short amount of time to support passionate fans of teams everywhere”.

I think that these niche sites are a prime example of exclusiveness. All people have a sense of wanting to be a part of something that is special, distinctive, and restricted to allow participation of only certain people. It is this same principle that drives the sales of top designer and luxury brands and the success of exclusive clubs and organizations. In this case, the SawxHeads.com website is a private place where only Boston fans are welcome.

This post is in response to an article found at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/10/prweb563636.htm

Adweek Interactive Marketing Virtual Conference and Trade Show

I was given the opportunity to listen to three extremely important people in the internet world through a virtual conference that Adweek Media held. I listened to a lecture called "Embrace Social Networking And Extend Brand Awareness". It was a great learning experience, especially in relation to what my entire blog is about...social networking! Alan Schanzer, managing partner of MEC Interaction, Todd Wasserman, editor of BrandWeek and Barton Goldenberg, President of ISM Inc., all gave their insight on social networking, and a number of other topics surrounding it, such as its remarkabley fast growth, the future for these sites and how businesses have begun taking advantage of all that social networking has to offer.



Personally, I found one part in particular extremely interesting. I really liked listening Alan Schanzer on consumer opinions and how to utilize them. Social networking is such a great tool for collecting consumer insight on the most frequenctly discussed topics. Listening to what customers are saying not only helps marketers realize what people are talking about, but also the volume, sentiment, tonality, and reach of the discussions. This information can in turn help marketers promote their product or service more effectively, and help them understand what their consumers' wants and needs are.

I think that I found this part of the lecture so interesting because it is taking advantage of the tons and tons of great data and information that social networking sites help provide. It means that social networking is more than just a place for people to just post pictures and make friends. Businesses have finally started to realize that social networking is a tool that can be put to good use.

The Trend Will End by 2012

According to a recent report conducted by Datamonitor , growth in registration on social networking websites is expected to plateau to a more “realistic rate” by the year 2012 or earlier.

Research suggests that although profits will rise from $965 million to nearly $2.4 billion, growth in all regions will have already peaked by 2009 and will level out in the next three to five years.

Mike Stopforth, CEO of Cerebra, a social and mobile media company, says that, “Every technology innovation has an adoption curve of around seven years, and the social networking phenomenon is no different”.



The slowing of the social networking trend can be attributed to over saturation of the market. With more and more social networking sites entering the market, it is becoming harder for each site to stay independent. The explosive growth in social networking right now is due to the fact that many users have multiple memberships. With so many different sites, most people are still in the experimentation stages of usage. However, within a few years people are likely to adopt a single site and terminate the use of all others.

What does this mean for social networking sites? Specialization is key for success in the future. I think that users are going to start preferring sites that are uniquely specific to their interests and needs. Sites that are closely tailored to members’ career paths or personal hobbies, as well as sites that offer exclusive tools and applications, will be able to withstand the decrease in growth.

This post is in response to the article found at http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/internet/2007/0710191038.asp?S=Business&A=BUS&O=FPTOP

Social Networking for Profit

Social networking sites may be popular, but that doesn’t mean they are as profitable. In fact, social networking sites are seriously struggling to bring in any substantial amount of money. And, according to the Parks Associates’ Digital Media Habits II report, 72% of social network users said they would stop using the site if they were required to pay a monthly fee of only $2.

The alternative is quite obviously advertising, but research shows that almost 40% of users would stop visiting the site if it contained too many ads.

John Barrett, director of research at Parks Associates says, “To really succeed, social networking sites must consistently deliver to advertisers a desirable consumer demographic, preferably when they are about to make a purchase decision.”

I think the best option is to simply pick the right advertisers. Advertising is only an annoyance when people are not interested in the product or service being promoted. Therefore, advertising products that the heaviest users of social networking sites may have an interest in or are may be looking to buy won’t be as aggravating. For example, if research finds that the most frequent social networking users are college-aged people, advertising iPods, laptops, or sports related products would probably prove to be the best advertisements.

This post is in response to the article found at http://cga.ct.gov/2005/rpt/2005-R-0246.htm

eBay Socializes

Oddly enough, I briefly mentioned eBay in my last post. Some coincidence that eBay has just launched their latest service, eBay Neighborhoods, on Tuesday, to allow shoppers to socialize with a community of other users.

Brian Bolan, an analyst with Jackson Securities said that eBay is "…really trying to get shopping to become a much more social experience. Users aren't spending the majority of their time on eBay anymore. You have to be in the space where people are, which is why you'll see more tools that will wrap around social networks."

eBay has been dealing with some tough truths recently. They have faced stagnant growth in active members and have seen a decline in the number of items listed for sale, all within the past year.

eBay says that the addition of this social network-like chat is to help make shopping on eBay easier. Users can set up profiles and invite friends to the site. This will not only enable members to buy things more easily, but they will be able to make safer transactions and feel more comfortable in selling or buying items.

But will eBay Neighborhoods really help eBay in gaining back their lost ground? It may help shoppers feel they can trust the site a little more easily because they will be able to talk to the seller. But we all know how easy it is to come across a seller that says one thing, and does another. If seller sounds friendly enough, shoppers can easily be lured into completing a transaction, and find that when the item hasn’t arrived after a week or two, the person they thought would never stiff them, is gone.

Simply put it in comparison with online predators. They sound innocent enough in the beginning. You become friendly, keep talking, and just when you’ve put some trust in that person, you find they aren’t who you thought they were.

At the same time though, I do see some positives. For those people who are actually ethical and use eBay appropriately, this could mean a serious increase in sales. It could also be the beginning of a way to build an honest reputation. I think that this can be considered a valiant effort on eBay’s part, but could potentially lead to further problems down the road.

This post is in response to the article found at http://money.cnn.com/2007/10/11/technology/ebay_neighborhoods.fortune/?postversion=2007101203

Specialization is Newest Addition to Social Networking

Zolve is the newest real estate social network, launched today, that allows real estate professionals to do all the things other social networking sites allow you to do, plus the ability to create and accept digital contracts for real estate transactions.

The site was created by Brian Wilson of Colorado Springs, CO. He has been a real estate broker since 2001 and says "I was thinking it would be really neat to build a transaction-based platform for real estate professionals". Wilson’s goal was to create a site specifically for professionals rather than consumers.

He claims “Zolve goes a step further in facilitating actual online contracts for real estate services among the members of the community. A series of pull-down menus allow members to specify the services they are seeking or offering, and to establish a level of compensation”.

Users set up a profile and then keep track of referrals, feedback, blog posts, invitations they have sent for others to join the network, and other communications. All users also belong to a “sphere of influence”; a network that other close members of their profession also belong to.



There are a few fees involved, but they seem like very minor drawbacks in comparison to the doors that this site opens for real estate professionals. Brian Wilson has found a way to not only open up channels of communication between real estate professionals around the globe, but has also come up with a safe way to help these people initiate business and close deals and contracts. It is a specialization of social networking. In essence, Zolve takes the best aspects of social networking and combines them with the business-like characteristics of ebay.com. It is creative, innovative, and a brilliant way to connect millions of people.

This post is in response to the article found at http://www.inman.com/inmannews.aspx?ID=64834

Zune Tunes In

Microsoft Corporation has announced their plan to release the all new Zune, a campaign to blend social networking with the sharing of digital music, next month.

Experts say that the idea is a good one, but the chances of Microsoft beating out Apple Inc.’s iPod and iTunes duo are slim to none. Chris Swenson of the NPD Group said, "Microsoft can't just do something a little bit different, they have to match the experience of iTunes, and find ways to surpass it. But they're not even close now to what Apple and iTunes have."

Three different Zune players, paired with a community site called Zune Social, will allow users to automatically share their current playlists with friends using what Microsoft is calling a Zune-to-Zune Social sync.

The online site will be dependent on user-made profiles called Zune cards that other Zune owners can view and play a short sample of posted songs, or buy that track off of the Zune MarketPlace online store.

Last year, Microsoft experimented with Zune and its application of wireless capabilities. The outcome was a failure because there weren’t enough people with the player to make any experimentation practical.

I think that Microsoft could have a potentially very successful product. Whereas Apple has combined the software and the player, Microsoft is adding a third element, where people will be able to share things with each other. I think the idea is great, but I’m not too sure how it will pan out. I’m curious to see how the music world and social networking world fuse together. As of right now they are very different, and I’m not sure that all social networkers will be interested in sharing music. They might see it as an elementary form of social netoworking and be turned off to participating. Microsoft needs to come up with a way to make help Zune be seen as the newest trend in the eyes of social networkers.



And, as Michael Gartenberg of JupiterResearch said, "Microsoft must find a way to grow the coolness of the Zune…This isn't a bad strategy, and at least it's found a way to differentiate from Apple."

By the end of the year, Microsoft hopes to be holding the No. 2 spot amongst its digital music rivals.

This post is in response to the article found at http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,138042-c,mp3players/article.html