Thursday, November 29, 2007

66.3 million pairs of eyeballs

I feel that after having introduced the Viral Video Chart widget, we have to feature 'The Evolution of Dance'. Since April 2006, this video generated 66.3 million views on YouTube only. The video maintains the record for the 'All Time Most Viewed', 'Most Rated' and 'Most Discussed' video on the tube.

Just in case you're still with your mouth open, Judson Laipply did this, and he is now quite a popular guy. Top celebrities would love that size of an audience whilst big brands would pay hefty money for that.

Enough said. Here is the all time successful viral:



Enjoy and spread the news.

Daily Top Viral Videos on BLAB


As from now, you may check out the top 5 viral videos on this blog (middle coloumn). We hope you find the widget useful. The list is compiled by The Viral Video Chart, on which blabinteractive has been featured in the past. Any similar content ideas are welcome...just comment below!

mini-blab: what I would improve in the new di-ve

As a user (and not a 'wanna be interactive guru'), one thing which I would add to the new layout is a clearer distinction between one box and another. In particular, in the header, I would clearly separate any adjacent adverts. Buttons at the top could also distinguish themselves from the top banner advert(s).

The website layout fails to use all the width provided by wide screen resolution. Though this does not hinder the clear delivery of content, making layout width change according to window size and/or screen resolution, may be worth considering.

In my next post I plan to review the novelties I particularly like in the new layout...so don't think I'll end up on a negative note. Promise I will provide a more detailed review!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

new di-ve website is here


The new di-ve website has just got a new look. From the press release: "The makeover involves extending the news with a vast range of other information services, in text, audio, video and interactive modes "

I will go through the site later on this evening (too much sitting at the computer for the day). In the meantime you may check it out and comment on it on BLAB. It is definitely looks more complicated...see for yourself

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Pacman - Interactive has become human!


Making fun of Pacman, a classic interactive game! Added exactly 1 month ago, the video has 1.8 million views. Let's exceed 2 million views by end of November!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

my band has gone 'interactive'

Moving away from the geeky stuff, both me and Janice form part of a band called SALT which has been nominated for Best New Artist at the Malta Music Awards, and the Bay Music Awards. You may view the latest video message on Youtube, then to make it all more interactive, you may text 'SALT' to (+356) 5061 9803!

the new timesofmalta.com (part 2)

A new service on the new timesofmalta.com, currently being discussed by many during coffee breaks, is the new ePaper. In appearance, the ePaper looks like a PDF version of the print issue, but technically, the ePaper offers much more than that.


The highlight of the ePaper is its ability to translate news articles to audio allowing busy readers to listen to a news broadcast whilst posting a blab such as this one! The ePaper is being provided by NewspaperDirect, 'the world leader in multi-channel newspaper and magazine content distribution and monetization. The company has agreements with over 500 newspaper and magazine publishers from 73 countries around the globe to market, sell and/or print their publications worldwide.'

I am no expert but I believe Allied Newspapers’ approach of making news content available as much as possible enables it to fully monetize the content proposition.
On the other hand, I am not sure the ePaper will catch up. I believe additional functionality provided by the ePaper could have been included in the website directly.

The website contains most of the printed content (and more), it’s easier to handle, bookmark, link to blogs and simply browse through. The ePaper is slower, less interactive and priced in a complex manner. If Allied Newspapers want to offer additional functionality at a price, may i suggest a more sophisticated version of the website, offered to users who sign up against a monthly subscription.

It would be interesting to test the ePaper against the normal website on devices other than the normal computer screen, PDAs, for example. Would the above arguments still hold?

Finally, the new Times’ website includes audio visual ads. whilst the ePaper fails to translate the Vodafone advert to normal audio.

go back: the new timesofmalta.com (part1)

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

BLABinteractive features on the Viral Video Chart


Was off to sleep when I noticed that we were featured on the viral video chart. In fact, BLABinteractive was one of the 741 blog posts related to the Cadbury Gorilla Viral. I will definately be blogging about this site later on this week. In the meantime you may get to know How to Charge an iPod using electrolytes and an onion



Goodnight!

Monday, November 19, 2007

YahooMail is (still) under construction


The 'new' layout for YahooMail, which has been around for the past year, is still under construction. My attempt to edit my account details redirected me to the old mail layout. I am amazed...is Yahoo too busy to re-design a simple online form, just for the sake of consistency!?

Sunday, November 18, 2007

I work for Youtube!

3,632,722(and still counting); That's the number of times the latest Cadbury viral advert was viewed in the past 2 months.

It is funny how we're still amazed by the power of viral advertising. If you think about it, it just makes sense: I am engaged in a fun video (where the product is secondary) and so I tell my friends about it.

When media struggles for consumer attention, the consumer decides what works and what doesn't in the advertising market. YouTube has given us a more powerful medium where we can choose our 'lovemarks' and BLAB about them.

It is only because of this sharing that YouTube is so popular. Once we stop working for YouTube, YouTube has to close down! Until then, check out one of my 'lovemarks' at this link

Saturday, November 17, 2007

HotCouture does it again!


For the second consecutive year, HotCouture has teamed up with a local radio station to choose its campaign model. Last year HotCouture had chosen Eleanor, winner of Bay Radio's Dream Job competition. This year, it was XFM's Virtual Rockstar winner Ann de Gaetano (a.k.a. Slur) who featured in the campaign.

The concept of using 'success stories' such as Elinor and Ann de Gaetano goes in line with "You too can be a star", HotCouture's slogan. The whole thing provides a nice story which the girls may talk about and connect with!

Photographer Alexandra Pace and her team were behind this year's photoshoot, the making of which may be seen on her latest blog post. Final product also featured in Pink Magazine today.

the new timesofmalta.com: (part 1)


Online readers should have realized that timesofmalta.com has been given a new layout and feel. The layout uses more grey and more coloumns, which for some may be too much to handle visually.

From an advertising perspective it's interesting that the website now includes audio-visual video-adverts, apart from the usual display banners. I believe that these kind of online adverts are a first locally (excluding the flash animations or youtube embedded videos used on some other websites).

From an interactive perspective, i feel that the new layout could have been introduced in a more subtle manner. Some of the website sections have been removed and new ones were added.

Amongst the new sections there is the blogs section. The section currently links to 3 blogs. I hope that more blogs will be added at a later stage...we would be interested to BLAB on the timesofmalta webspace!

Another new section is the Media section which features Video Stories and Video downloads. Finally, for all Sudoku freaks, an online Sudoku provided by WebSudoku.com

Friday, November 16, 2007

Google doesn't do magic (yet)

You may have realized that Gmail has some modified features. Some of the features which I managed to identify include:
(1) Reply box at the end of each email conversation
(2) Simpler profile window when you scroll pointer on (chat) contacts

My friend Matthew also suggested the following:
(3) Updated contacts manager, including a search as you type.
(4) Pre-fetched messages to load them faster
(5) Filter messages under “more actions” (auto mark them, add labels, etc)

Matt says, "the changes are extremely subtle. Most people won’t immediately notice them, but that might be a good thing as new stuff doesn’t have to be intrusive…" . Matthew has just finished his thesis on Usability of online websites, and I am so eager to have a look at it.

So what about the magic? Well, many think that the Google guys get it right at the first try. The truth: Google continuously analyses user behaviour and improves accordingly.

A popular example is the DELETE button which initially did not exist on Gmail. Google wanted to put forward the concept of infinite storage and so who needs to delete any emails anyway? It turned out that users were just looking for the DELETE button...and so Google introduced this.

So...is Google interested in creating the best interactive experience to get the best audience?:YES

...Is Google into magic?:NO

Conclusion: Interactivity demands analysis of customer behaviour

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Couch Potato (2007 Edition)


I am not sitting on a couch and not watching TV yet it is Sunday (a free day) and I have been in front of my computer screen since 10.30am. Excluding lunch (1hr or so) and ad-hoc walks around the house, that makes a bit more than 4hrs and more than 32 different sites (not to mention the web-pages, 2 pod casts, some previous downloads).

According to Wikipedia a couch potato is "a person who spends most of his or her free time sitting or lying on a couch". 2 lines down the definition states: "Generally speaking, the term refers to a lifestyle in which children or adults don't get enough physical activity"...

Am I becoming the (interactive) couch potato?! I think I'd have to resume posting my next BLAB about The New Gmail Features later on this evening. Until then, I will switching off this machine and moving on the lengthy strolls around the house (already started jogging on the spot!)

Saturday, November 10, 2007

The real interactive


I am currently watching ira play live and the crowd going wild. This has nothing to do with digital but it is definitely interactive. If only we aspiring marketing gurus could replicate this kind of interactive experience and sense of belonging that music artists provide, we would definitely get to the lovemark stage(scroll down for previous post about kevin roberts) goodnight dear reader!

Friday, November 09, 2007

Too many posts: Facebook's New Ad System

Facebook has launched a new ad. proposition which basically revolves around Word-of-mouth advertising. The new system allows users to blab about their latest purchases.

I have been reading about the new ad. model since it's launch on Nov. 6th but this article made me write some comments about it. As stated in the article, Facebook gives an identity to the person recommending the product, giving added value to the product reviews and recommendations that we're so used to.

Some marketers are skeptic about the new ad. model because they can't imagine users actually taking the initiative and speaking about their product. Since I have discovered Kevin Roberts I have to quote the guy. Roberts believes in LoveMarks, products which we love and are loyal to even beyond reason (Classic example: Ipod). Various organizations define loyalty as the moment when the customer becomes a brand evangelist and recommends the product. Everyone has his/her list of lovemarks. I have drawn my list:

TomPeters.com: The guy is so excited about his job
Google (& Blogger): Makes things simple and available for everyone
My SonyEricsson K8510: It is not the perfect mobile device but the good camera features make me speak about it
Tronky: Everyday breakfast, can't do without
Gomonews: Edgy wireless news at the right time
Adage.com: The big picture about advertising
Alicia Keys-Unplugged: My colleagues at the office have heard the album (even though I usually plug in earphones)

Disclaimer: Karl may have gone out of point with the above Lovemarks list but he hasn't read the book yet.

I will definitely recommend the above services/products on my facebook profile!

Kevin Roberts - A late welcome



I must admit that I am late, very late. I have discovered another marketing guru and promise to get to know more about him, his company and most importantly, his books, in the near future. Kevin Roberts needs no introduction from us at BLAB but deserves respect and attention! He is the "CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi, one of the world's leading creative organizations, employing over 7000 people in 83 countries"

Most importantly, Kevin Roberts is the author of LoveMarks and The LoveMarks Effect, both of which I hope to be able to read soon.

More about Kevin Roberts and Saatchi & Saatchi (an Ideas Company) here

"the web is better when it's Google" - Google OpenSocial (part 2)

This BLAB promises to be a very, very subjective one and backed by little factual insights, but I have some issues with Google...and the OpenSocial business.

Google is in my top list of organisation who understand interactive and inspire 'aspiring marketing gurus' like me (not that Google really cares about this ranking). Google revolutionized Search but most of all, Google observes me all the time. This it does to deliver great experiences and better services but somewhere in all this there is financial return and I often feel that this may come at the expense of my privacy (and I am not the only one)

OpenSocial promises great experiences to us Hi5 and MySpace users, but it also promises Google more analytics about which widgets I use, when I use them, where I use them, etc.

True, "the web is better when it's social" but does Google really care? Is it more a case of "the web is better when it's Google!"

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Kylie goes for Social Networking


Kylie Minogue and Parlophone, the singer's record label, have just launched KylieConnect.com. KylieConnect.com is the first Social Networking Site dedicated to an artist's current and prospective fans. The site allows fans to setup their own profile and the good news is that the site may also be accessed over mobile. Haven't checked the site fully but the interactive idea definitely deserves a BLAB.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Google just can't help it...Google OpenSocial! (Part1)

Google has to have a share of the attention being drawn upon Social Networking Sites (SNS) such as Facebook. True, Google has Orkut, its own SNS, but that is not enough!

Google has over this past week launched Google OpenSocial which is an easy to use API based on Java and HTML allowing the development of third-party applications for sites such as Hi5 and LinkedIn. The good news (for Google) is that MySpace is also adopting Google OpenSocial, allowing the serving of third-party applications to its 200 million accounts.

Google OpenSocial is also good news for third-party developers such as Slide which were also present at the OpenSocial Campfire. Slide is basically a widget network serving widgets to 134 million unique viewers a month.

Below is my (very) simple Slide widget featuring a number of companies involved in the OpenSocial project.


Marketers and big brands may advertise and get their brands across using widget networks such as Slide's. Marketers will definitely seek to make good use of this extended network of widgets and applications, yet what about lonely $15 billion worth Facebook which managed to get a mention on today's Sunday Times of Malta and is currently the hot topic on the most popular marketing blogs and websites (the latter being far more important to 24 yr. old CEO Mark Elliot Zuckerberg)?

OpenSocial is definitely more attractive than Facebook's FBML (Facebook MarkUp Language), a mark-up language used to develop widgets but which restricts these applications to run only on Facebook. Should Facebook join the crowd?