Note: I wrote this as an interactive essay for my agency's "Industry News and Trends" monthly update. It originally went out as an e-mail and now lives on forever in this blog.
What Would the World Wide Web Do?
I am a self proclaimed expert, mainly because I’m a “millennial” … “Can someone give me a trophy for coming to work today?” Below is a recap, in blog form, of my presentation for work. Just a refresher: a blog is a “web log” and has been compared to a journal published for all to see on the web. Some blogs are very technical and researched, while others combine new information and opinion. Blogs have become so popular now that advertisers are sponsoring and public relations practitioners are pitching stories for popular “bloggers” to feature. Though we’ve covered some of these features in past “industry news and trends” presentations, this dives a bit deeper into the lifestyle an eJunkie can live. Some of the words are hyperlinked so if you click on them it will give you more information on that subject. The hyperlinks below are formatted like this: hyperlink.
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How much of your time during the day is spent connected? Whether it is through the internet on your computer, through the phone on your desk, through your cell phone in your pocket or through the radio blaring out "Sweet Caroline" - nowadays we constantly have access to the latest news, trends, gossip and basically anything else your heart desires. It makes me wonder, how did the world function without e-mail alerts and the little red lines telling me I've misspelled "pieces"? Often when I'm researching and I turn to the 'net to see where it will lead me I ask the question "what would the world wide web do?
Did you know the percentage of internet users in the world doesn't even begin to mirror the population? Only 16.9% of the world’s population uses the internet, (Internet World Stats, 2007. Note: that’s over one billion people), and there are over 6.5 billion people on Earth. So why are we—the internet using minority-- the businessmen, professionals and e-junkies of America-- unable to part with our @'s, .coms and URL errors?
For those of you still living in the dark ages, Apple broke the news that the new iPhone will debut this month. Hooray! On June 29, we’ll get another way for us to access our phone list, email, internet, text messages, mp3's, mpegs, etc. etc. etc. literally at our fingertips in an easier, user friendly way. Only for the small fee for $500 or more. Sheesh!
I do not need an iPhone. However some people will need one, or just really really want one. I do need the internet however. Yesterday was the perfect example! What would we do without our online access? FKM Agency in Texas celebrated their 25th anniversary by reverting to the technologies of the 80's for one day. For one day, the agency -- from top to bottom -- eschewed all modern conveniences and run their business using only technology that was available in 1980. This meant no faxes, no printers, no scanners, no cell phones, no Caller ID, no PCs, no Blackberries... and no email. They brought in type writers, calculators, and other technologies that I don't remember- mainly because I wasn't alive when they were used. The "Media Guy" (AdAge, May 2007) did a similar test this month, just backwards. He wanted to see how hard it would be without traditional forms of media and living only with the information found on the internet. It didn't take him long to realize you can pretty much do anything you want on the internet! The new term "Web 2.0" is changing the world by allowing consumer or viewers to actually have a chance to shape the conversation going on in media outlets. Even one of our local news broadcasters uses Instant Messenger live so you IM questions or tips and suggestions for on-air commentary.
You can watch TV on the web…
Go to almost any of the major TV network sites and watch your favorite shows, even with commercial breaks! You may have even walked in on me catching up on HEROES during a lunch break. You can also visit http://www.joost.com/, a new site that just went live (meaning it just started) to do the same, as this service is devoted entirely to recording television shows for later viewing. Speaking of recorded viewing, what is the impact of TiVo's and DVR's on our beloved commercial media spots? Well CBS and other major networks have started to implement the Live Plus Three rule (Stuart Elliot Advertising newsletter, May 17, 2007). This gives credit to DVR and recorded viewing up to three days from the original air time. While it doesn't seem like a major issue to the public, they don't know that some DVR use in cities exceeds 25%- which can skew network and advertiser research. The Live Plus Three rule allows broadcasters and advertisers to count viewers who watch a show live or within 72 hours of its original appearance.
You can get instant access to news on the web…
Yes, we already knew this. CNN, MSN, Fox news, and local news affiliates have been posting live news on the web for some time now. But the format has evolved. The new CNN site will post the time that each news story broke (32 minutes ago). But what if you aren't finding the news on CNN or MSN to be relevant to you? Solution: go to http://www.digg.com/. All you have to do is sign in and then read the news. Once you've read it you can "dig it" which marks it with relevancy. The stories with the highest number of "digs" go straight to the top. “Digg” is all about user powered content (Web 2.0 at its best!). Everything is submitted and voted on by the Digg community. Share, discover, bookmark, and promote stuff that's important to you!” That’s sweet.
You can make new friends on the web…
Moving to a new area? Looking for a date? Or just curious what the buzz is all about? Check out http://www.myspace.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/, the two major social networking sites, to connect with friends, meet people with similar interests or update your status to reflect EXACTLY what you're doing at each second. Creepy if you ask me. Some choose to update their status with "sleeping", "at work" or “sleeping at work” and it will actually tell users exactly what you say you’re doing and how long you've been doing this (Example: "Meggie Poo has been awesome for 3 days and 42 minutes"). Want something a little less invasive but just as voyeuristic? Check out http://twitter.com/. I still haven't found the purpose to this web site. You log in and just tell people what you are doing. It can be anonymous or you can put your full name. Either way- it's a hit.
Are you just looking to chat?
Well most of us in the office are familiar with AOL Instant Messenger. There are other outlets such as MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Google Chat, etc. that you can use as an alternative. This tool came in handy for me when I was in college because it was an easy, lazy way to send your friends- who now lived hours away- a message. But now we use it in the workplace. I've always found it helpful- but admit to yourself how much easier it was on Thursday to simply walk to your coworkers office and ask a question instead of typing it, waiting for the response, explaining what you meant, and then finally getting an answer that may work.
What else can you do on the web?
You can bank, connect, work, search for jobs, earn a degree, entertain, research, network, communicate, date and live a "second life". Second Life is a new online program designed to let users create an alternate online life. It is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by a total of 7,057,498 people from around the globe. They create a character and have Second Life money, events, friends, etc. LTD manages a few of the new aloft hotels and the aloft brand actually opened a hotel in Second Life.
A few things you can't do on the web….
exercise, experience, live!
What did we do at work when we didn't have access to phones or internet on Thursday?
I was interested in how this was working. We could still access Advantage (our marketing program), the shared folder drive, internal e-mail and phone buzzing, and our computer applications yet we felt paralyzed by this inconvenience. I walked around to see what people were doing and this is what I found:
At the beginning of the day, many people were catching up on filing & administrative work preparing for our internet to be fixed soon. There were many more internal meetings than usual. Not official ones, but actual contact regarding projects and details instead of an IM or an email. Some were organizing their new (or old) stations and making copies. Some were updating status and planning sheets as well as calendars. Some were freaking out- but that's normal :). The cool thing I noticed on Thursday was that all of us took part in more face-to-face communication than we usually do. For marketers we have mastered each form of communication, but it's nice to see that we still know how to get things done in the digital age.
Now, go enjoy the web and let's hope that it never leaves us again!
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