A Comprehensive RSS Tools Reference List

Found this great post on Mashable. It's a comprehensive list of RSS tools, tips, hacks etc. Anyone have any other good reference links like this one on other new media tools and technologies?

RSS Article



Photo by Torchondo

Obama Online - the Future of Political Campaigns

Image by Getty Images via DaylifeLove him or hate him, Barak Obama has made history, and it wouldn't have happened without the internet and social media.

Obama's grassroots online fund raising pulled together over 1.5 million donors and outperformed the Clinton Democratic machine. His online supporters have created more than 30,000 events to support him. The campaign used wikis to organize precinct captains, created counter viral e-mail campaigns to offset anonymous smears questioning his faith and patriotism. They solicited letters from online supporters to help lobby undecided super delegates, and the campaign constantly updated it's YouTube page to contain the latest speeches and support videos, like the "yes we can" video produced by will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas after he was inspired by an Obama speech in New Hampshire.

A charismatic personality like Obama's lends itself to the online space, but much of the fervor has been spurred on by the power of social/viral content sharing. It's a new age in politics - the ones who learn how to do it right are the leaders of tomorrow.

What do you think? Could Barak Obama have won the Democratic nomination without the internet? Can McCain stop him without a powerful online counter punch?

Thanks to Sarah Lai Stirland, Wired Blog Network for great details for this post: http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/06/obama-propelled.html

Social Media Lunch and Learn

We just had a good presentation at the agency about social media and its application to our industry and client base. Lots of good information was shared and interesting some ideas tossed around. A few notables for your consideration...more than 44% of the population in the U.S. are using some form of social media at least monthly - Attention marketers... it is NOT just the kids.

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch was quoted in Wired Magazine as saying "To find something comparable, you have to go back 500 years to the printing press, the birthplace of mass media… Technology is shifting power away from the editors, the publishers, the establishment, the media elite. Now it’s the people who are taking control."

We recently had an interesting social media experience with our Bonus Zone program for our client Brunswick. Our opt-in coupon program propelled Parker Bohn III into the Motel 6 Rolls to Riches torunament where he took first prize and won $150,000. Many thanks to a bunch of loyal Brunswick bowlers for giving him the opportunity!

With the pace of change in this industry, we should be evaluating our new media IQ every quarter. Are we making the progress we should be?

BMW Accelerates with SEO and Online Marketing

Below is a link to an interesting article about the strategy BMW has taken for their new 1 Series. A few things really stand out to me. The first is that about 50% of the budget is going online. This is big. They are utilizing social media, PPC, SEO, banner placements and viral tactics to generate a buzz among the 30 and under crowd. I'll go on a limb and say that this will work for them. They are also using non-traditional placements within traditional media to stand out. It is the effort and follow through on doing something different that is worth noting. You don't have to be BMW or have a large and expensive ad agency to be dynamic in your thinking. If you are an agency person, challenge your clients, if you are a client, challenge your agency -If you want to get noticed, get out there and do something different.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/07/business/media/07adco.html?fta=y

Worthwhile Reading on Blogs

(original Post by Scott)

Hey LoSasso Team, I know many of you are hip to the social media world, but there are lots of opportunities for our clients and thus, our agency. We continuously look for new ways to reach their customers. Blogs are important ways to keep up with the key influencers in just about any industry. Here is a link to a worthwhile article on the subject.

http://www.boston.com/jobs/news/articles/2008/04/13/a_primer_on_blogging/

Enjoy.