Great work, inspiration, and helpful resources
TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design), a non-profit organization, passionately espouses that ideas have the power to “change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world”. This organization actively seeks “ideas worth spreading” and awards people for their efforts in this pursuit. This Tuesday TED turned their sights to the advertising community with the challenge to create an “ad worth spreading”. Thirty second to 5 minute video advertisements, submitted by January 10th, 2011, will be judged on their ability to “reinvent, inspire and engage audiences with a new definition of what video advertising can mean in the digital age, using TED.com as its platform.” Check out TED.com for more information on this enticing contest.
Just like every other aspect of our lives our TV’s are officially going “social”. With the development of Apple TV in 2006, GoogleTV introduced this year, and Samsung’s new dedication to letting developers create apps for their televisions, now is a good time to consider the vastness of this opportunity. Apps such as Twitter, YouTube, eBay, AccuWeather, and Pandora are already involved. Imagine having the ability to watch your favorite show on half the screen while simultaneously reading what everyone else is saying on Twitter, checking the local weather, and buying those cute shoes you just saw an advertisement for, it’s simply incredible. The TV presents new challenges and benefits for developers including the large screen size, the social setting in which we often enjoy TV, the opportunity for sound as a welcomed addition, and more. The internet is releasing televisions from its bondage as a device that pushes information at us to a connected, integrated, all-way communication portal; televisions and our current code of behavior for watching them is undergoing a serious revolution, are you ready?
Meshing is an emerging breed of business which champions the notion that ownership is not always required to receive the full benefit of use of many of the products that we encounter throughout our lives, therefore the group can benefit through sharing. Yes, that's right, kumbaya everybody, sharing. The Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing, authored by self-proclaimed "marketect" Lisa Ganksky, describes that "Mesh businesses leverage data and social networks to enable people to share goods and services efficiently and conveniently-to gain superior access to what they need without the burdens or expense of ownership." Some examples of successful mesh businesses include Hilton, Netflix, Zipcar, and thousands of others such as exboyfriend.com (it’s called ex-boyfriend but all ex jewelry is welcome). This business model is eco-friendly, technologically driven, and expanding rapidly.
