Are you for real?

For the last couple of weeks, if you ever ran into me, you  would notice that I am usually fidgeting with iPhIone.   Either I must be checking my email, tweeting or simply "four-squaring". Four-squaring?  What is four-squaring?  Well I just coined the term on this blog entry.   If you ever hear the word "four-square" then you can attribute it to this blog entry.  According to "moi", four-squaring is a term that references to a person who is advertising his or her existence on the foursquare mobile app.  Foursquare lets you tell the world that you are in a specific store.  If you use the app alot then you end up earning foursquare badges..  Sounds alot fun right?  Actually I thought I was advertising my shopping trends and my daily routine to the world.  Vendors are now offering special coupons via foursquare to visit their stores.  It sounds like alot fun for the user...BUZZ! You are wrong!  It's sounds like $$$ for the vendor since it is another marketing channel and another data point to consider in their marketing strategy.  In closing I would say,

• 4^2 = $$$$$ for the vendors
• 4^2 = no privacy for the user + meaningless badges.

$ocial Media & Ma$$ Collaboration

Recently Komen Foundation did a 180 when it comes to funding Planned Parenthood.  An organization could be crippled to social pressures. This is the second big story compared to how Google, Wikipedia and other companies and individuals raised their concerns about SOPA.  Some of these individuals worked as contractors for the US government.  I personally did not object to SOPA and frankly I do see merits on how government should control piracy; nevertheless I am impressed by the power and gravitas of social technologies.  They can be used as steroids to gain rapid momentum on decisions on social issues.  There are blogs and social communities galore on issues like abortion, freedom of speech, gay marriage, small government, keeping corporations accountable.  This is a great that folks are exercising their right to express their opinions on various issues.  The reality is that these issues are so complex  and folks have such strong emotional reactions to them that in practicality these issues will remain in the US for a while.

The big question to ask is how folks can make money of these power technologies. I could write about the next big idea which needs seed funding and technologists to make the big idea happen but in reality no one will really know if this idea will take off.  It's like peanut butter slices.  Do you buy them? If so then please comment to this blog entry.  Unlike the next big idea, what I can write about is how we can use existing technologies to make money.  I am big fan of Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Four Square, Tumblr, and on and one.  What I have not seen is how businesses are successfully using all of these social technologies to sell their brand and simply market their products.  Online companies still use Adwords (Yes! Hail to the power of Google Gods [I say with sarcasm of course) and spend money on search engine optimization but they are struggling how to harness social computing.  At work, I worked on projects where social media and mass collaboration efforts are promoted however no one knows how these technologies will be used in my employer's enterprise.

The reality is that money can be made using social technologies in smart way.  If folks can persuade the masses on how SOPA is bad for you, your kids and you grandkids then I am sure we can use these technologies to sell a product smarter and more effectively.