Big Brother, Facebook and Google are Always Watching

Open source software has been a big part of Web 2.0. Software that was once available for a price is now offered for free, in a variety of iterations to allow users to create their own tools. Google, not surprisingly has joined the party with Friend Connect:

An initiative to bring features commonly found on social networks to Web sites of all kinds. Google Friend Connect will enable Web sites to integrate social features such as blogging and feedback forms without having to write the code." - InternetNews.com

Sounds like a great idea.... However, it turns out that it redistributes user information from to other developers without users' knowledge. Now Facebook has suspended the partnership - D'oh!

All this finally leads to my thought process behind this post. With so many users publishing information online, pictures on Flickr, social network profiles, there will be such huge opportunity for PR to improve online reputation management. Just think of the possibilities for finding dirt on people - in 2020, looking up a CEO's blog from when he was in college on WayBackMachine.com.

Reality or Not?

There has been a lot of chatter recently about brands/agencies creating formulaic "viral" videos - yesterday it was Coors Light and Levis. Each video has a similar look at feel to it, both filmed with a hand-held camera, both have a grainy compression/filter. I'll admit they are a bit cheesy, especially when the guy from the Coors Light video calls out the brand and its "better wide-mouth can" (their selling point).

In general, the term "viral video" makes me a little queezy. Wikipedia have defined the term "viral marketing" as a strategy that "facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message voluntarily". The very fact that the word voluntarily is used should explain to marketers/advertisers there is no formula to this process. You cannot force web users to share content. At the end of the day if the content produced makes you laugh or the content is new and original people don't care what its promoting who created it and will share it with their friends.

The Nintendo Wii's April Fools video is a great example...