Capital C

Digital Digs

Is Some of Nike’s Current Success Due to Its 'Running' Social Network?
Many companies have tried to build virtual communities centered around their brands—that according to comScore statistics. But for Nike, “It was never about how can we convert some percentage of users (to buy Nike shoes)”, according to Stefan Olander, global director of consumer connections. It was about creating a social network for dedicated runners . . .
Nike + Success

Private Social Network Aids Revenue Bump for New York Hotel
Guests of the Pod, which is in New York City, can now log onto the network, called PodCulture, in advance of their arrival and socialize with other hotel guests, planning shopping trips, nights on the town, casual dinners or even romantic encounters. The site is open only to incoming guests of the Pod, who are given usernames and passwords when they book their rooms.
Hooking Up in NYC
 
MINI Print Ad Drives Consumers Online
Rip a print ad out of a magazine. Hold it up in front of your computer’s web cam. Watch what happens.
Print Meets Online

Free Gift: Influence and How Things Really Spread
The last couple years has seen the marketing discipline obsess over the power of influencers. Mark Earls and Alex Bentley feel that’s misguided. Humans are herd animals and like to copy others. The article below contains a link to the full PDF article. Well worth a download.
Follow the Herd, Click Here*

* Some machines will see an alert box asking for a password. We have no idea why but if you click cancel, you can read and surf away.

2008 in Review: Mashable’s 20 Most Popular Stories
Mashable, the website dedicated to all things popular on the web, takes a look back through 2008 at the top 20 stories garnering the most views from their readers. Perhaps indicative of the influence that social media is having on mainstream culture, one of the more apparent trends in their list is how many of the top posts relate to current events.
Back to the Future

A Guide to The Contextual Web
It's the end of 2008 and everyone on the Web is hurting due to the economy. But we know that things will get better, because slow-downs eventually bury the old and give birth to new evolutionary ways of doing things. One of these evolutions started quietly in 2008. We are witnessing the rise of a new kind of web: contextual.
It's About to Get All Relevant Up in Here

Dragons Be Here

This is the warning early cartographers would apply to unknown parts of maps. They would do lovely drawings of the mythical creatures, as warnings to unknowing explorers.
Today, we need to find the dragons. There's really no choice. The territory that's well mapped is entirely barren for business and ideas. Fuck it. Chase the dragons. Be brave.

6 Billion Dollar Festering Sore

The North American automakers are demanding $6 billion dollars from the Canadian taxpayers.  Not so much a demand more like a shot gun to our head, as they want an answer tomorrow.
Show me a plan where they can build a sustainable competitive advantage building cars in Canada - and that includes getting their labour costs in line, and I would consider there ask in a competitive bid along side the many other sectors that need our support.
My bet is that my vote would be to invest in industries that we can build an advantage - harnessing our resources to create the most efficient and affordable power in the world - and with it attract the industries that depend on that type of energy.  It's how Alcan built itself into a world power. tc

Mobile Snacks

Addicted to 24 and missed the last episode but don’t want to get left out of the watercooler talk the next day? Media in Canada [link Media in Canada to http://www.mediaincanada.com/articles/mic/20081209/24.html ] reports that fans of the show can get a 2 minute recap of the show on their mobile phone. These “mobisodes” could be a breakthrough for mobile video. Few people want to watch full-length features on the tiny screens of their mobile device let alone 30 minute episodes. Snack-sized content such as this or sports highlights or a video preview of a nearby tourist attraction would work. Mobile content works best when it’s content at the “point of need”. If you’re sitting in transit on a long commute, a few of these mobile video ‘snacks’ might just be what you need to pass the time. - Jason Dojc

Roman Empire

Imagine an era where dreams and desires were  within arms reach of desire.  They indulged, they consumed, and with it their appetite grew for more of everything.  To out do each other with luxury, without any end ever in sight.
Will history show that our generation just lived our version of the Roman Empire?   Where we created planned obsolence by discarding the 'almost new' in favoyur of 'needing' a larger TV Screen, another car, a bigger house?
The economy is burning Nero, will another society emerge from the ashes?  One that values our planet, free and responsible trade, an equitable sharing of the wealth, maybe less of an appetite for the haves versus the have nots?