Chatroullette is a hybrid of speed dating and hot or not (well pervert or not!), via video and IM chat, at least that’s my take on it. Watch Casey Neistat’s video study (above) to get an indepth view. Or, of course, play for yourself. In my 5 minute foray into this world I got seriously ‘nexted’, probably didn’t help that I was browsing with my shirt off (I had just woken up).. maybe there should be an etiquette guide: i.e. appropriate lighting, clothing and so forth. That said, the beauty of this, is the web at it’s most raw – warts, perverts and all!

First knowledge via Bri.

NEWSFLASH: a Chatrouletter just pointed their webcam at CNN and showed me the Hawaii Tsunami happening. Just checked Twitter and it’s going off… thoughts going out to those in danger.

A new friend in NYC just sent me the link to the Chalkbot created by Deeplocal for Nike and the 2009 Tour de France, the idea lives on the website ‘Wear Yellow’.

In short you can send a message of hope and inspiration to cancer survivors and suffers. The idea is brought to life by placing that message in front of Lance Armstrong as he rides. The message is printed on the road, photographed and then sent back to a gallery where the author can forward to friends.

A brilliant example of digital physical ideas.

The video explains it better than I do.

This visualisation could be better, I want to zoom in and out, explore countries and cities… but it does get the point across. Facebook is very well connected.

Personally I have a love hate relationship with the platform… but that’s inevitable with something that I joined almost four years ago, friended everyone in the first few months and then couldn’t be bothered to filter.

Well done Zuckerberg – world domination is yours – just keep opening up the platform and you’ll be fine !

They did it. The Internet Symphony is complete. Nice work by my mate Tom Uglow at Google in the UK – who’s at Carnegie Hall NYC right now. See my original post on the project here.

Via @art_s discovered Twitter Stream Graphs (screengrab), Twit Arcs and Twitter Spectrum. All provide data visualizations for twitter profiles and keywords – tools created by @JeffClark.

Since joining Twitter I’ve posted 696 times as @benhamin. It would seem that Fridays at 10am I have the most to say and 3pm I’m consistently blurting out 140 characters to who will ever listen.

It’s probably better to look at some serious Twitterers, rather than my poor excuse, so I felt that the lads from Bannerblog might be a good start. Top AU blog and all that.

Ashley aka 100ftzombie. 2,751 tweets so far. 10am Saturday is a hotspot, but Ash does most of his tweeting between 9 – 11pm. Work is for work and then the tweets coming flying out at night.

Ashadi Hopper. 1,170 tweets to date. Pretty consistent overall – but 10am is a strong time – after reading the news perhaps?

Who else, Gavin over at Servant of Chaos has tweeted a staggering 7,422+ times. Monday’s 11 – 3pm – what’s happening Gav?

I found them on flickr, there’s currently 78 visual thinking diagrams

… and David, thanks for the hard work and the fact that you share the way you think.

1. Jump aboard the social media train!!

2. Brilliant articulation of the digital media landscape

3. But I’m an expert!

4. Stairway to [brand] heaven

5. Big ideas vs. micro strategies

6. Please no one

7. Day in the life

8. Spin that wheel

9. Touch my points

10. Could be me, apart from the leather wrist band and night vision contacts

1. A new approach – since everyone claims to ‘do’ social, look for those seeking to develop new models for approaching it, not those seeking to map on their existing models.

That’s for sure. If your business model is designed to deliver project based work, bums on seats for set periods of time, then its difficult to build-in a social marketing capability. Not impossible of course. But you’ll need to look at different ways to finance that team, no-longer can the designer with an interest in blogging be tasked to ‘seed’ or stimulate dialogue around content, products or whatever. I think we can all see the pitfalls of that one… especially when work ramps up and they need to be the designer they’re paid to be. There’s also the intrinsic problem of campaigns concluding and the social engagement element (say the MySpace page, blog, Twitter feed) fundamentally letting its audience down – they just stop!

Social marketing is resource heavy, so resources have to be designed around it and the business model too. Think management consultant, publisher, journalist, strategist, understanding of [digital / physical] social etiquette, technologist and passion.

2. Technology – everyone claims to have unique talent, to be ‘leading’, to have great clients, and real expertise. Technology, fortunately, can’t be faked, demonstrates genuine investment and expertise, and really can be proprietary and unique. So, which agency has developed/is developing their own technology to support their new approach?

We’re investing significantly in tech; both 3rd party apps and proprietary built. But the big thing is being able to use them well. For example clients and agencies have had access to Google Analytics (or similar), but many fail to fully leverage what the data is communicating… and it’s often post activity rather than optimising ongoing. Social monitoring and management tools are popping up everywhere and it’s hard to evaluate when the industry moves so fast… personally I think you need a mix of services. House tools for management and dashboard control, then outsourced for monitoring – as this area requires constant innovation and benefits a dedicated tech team that solely focus on developing the service.

3. Measurement – the true value of real engagement by brands in social media is really hard to measure. I’ll be dropping my bank as soon as I don’t need them anymore because of the way it treated me when I was a student – good social media strategy will have a similarly long-lasting effect. Nonetheless, some agencies are having a very credible stab at it. Just steer clear of the ones who claim it’s that simple.

Hear hear. Social marketing is not simple. But if you’ve got a great product, amazing customer service and you can do no wrong – its a lot easier. Know any companies like that?

The amount of queries we have for ‘seeding’ is embarrassing. “We’ve got an Ad… can you put it on some blogs, get people talking”… it’s a f%$*!g TVC, why does anyone want to talk about that? Its designed to interrupt not inspire dialogue!

We’re learning. Everyday. There isn’t a tried and tested route… but we’re inspired by the challenge and the chance to help brands and clients embrace the opportunity of listening to their audiences – rather than broadcasting at them.

4. Existing credentials – being good at something, in my view, is a transferable skill. Muhammad Ali liked to say that if he’d been a dustman (I’m translating of course), he’d have been the best dustman in the world. I believe him. So, is the agency now claiming to be brilliant at social media brilliant at what it already does?

Not sure about this. Sure passion, enthusiasm and a willing to learn will provide a bedrock for re-invention and new skills. But I feel that you’d need to have been on this ride for sometime.

I didn’t know that I was learning ‘social marketing’ skills by participating in IRC channels, forums and a group blog back in 1998. All I was doing was chatting with my mates, meeting like-minded people and expressing the things that inspired me. But along that way I learnt, first-hand, about SEO, trackbacks, Google adwords, statistics, online etiquette etc. Of course it helped that I’d chosen a career in new media – but that said – I learnt from doing it, not talking about it.

I’d recommend that brands looking for an agency with ‘social marketing’ capabilities – first look for evidence of social channels being used by its employees (particularly senior ones) – I think its important.

5. Case studies – trade journalists will tell you that finding people to talk about social media is not a problem. Finding people that have real projects to talk about is a good deal more difficult. What has the agency really done in this area?

We’ve got some. It’s early days, but the portfolio is building, work we want to talk about and some that we don’t. Forgive us – we’re a startup.

Julian just directed me to this great video on the Single Origin coffee shop in Surry Hills, by Scott Drummond (Scott, if there’s a better link, shout and I’ll change).

This little coffee shop is where I start my working day – everyday. Not only does the coffee get me going… but the energy of Gav, Nick, Carly and the others is infectious and sets you up for anything.

In late 2006, whilst at Host, I had the fun task of working on SingleOrigin.com.au… the site is brought to life with a hand drawn bean stalk that grows from a cup of coffee – and acts as the primary navigation. The site went live back in February 2007 and is still looking good. Mind you I think its time for an upgrade, at least for inclusions of content such as Scott’s video and other spontaneous expressions of Single Origin love…

Graffiti that miraculously appeared prior to the refurbishment over the holidays…

The Gav tribute shirt, modeled by Scott himself…

Note: Single Origin re-opens on Monday, 19th January. So I’ll see you there for smiles and yet more shenanigans in 2009.

Woke this morning to discover I’m being followed by ‘Lost in Bondi’, thought it might be a backpacker, but no its the beautiful looking ‘indie’ the cat – who is sadly lost. Tweet, blog, put up posters – spread the word. Let’s find ‘indie’.

20/12/2008, UPDATE: Indie has been found… !!!!

The story, which we wrote together, was born from our combined love of Mad Men and initial investigation I’d made into the Twitter channel that compliments the show (I first wrote about it here). It was great to take something from this blog and grow it to an article for the mag, we even managed to get a few words from January Jones on the topic of her character, Betty Draper, coming to life on Twitter via fans.

The Lives of Others
Well-written characters leave viewers wanting more. And whilst the clever social media strategies behind AMC and Lionsgate hit Mad Men are giving them just that, even they can’t keep up with the user-generated fervour, as Ben Cooper and Rachael Turk discover.

Hit US series Mad Men has created a stir within the sanctioned space of television – both within the show itself and its extended TV life in the likes of the skit ‘Don Draper’s Guide to Picking Up Women’ (viewable in US only) that aired on Saturday Night Live in late October. But online is another world again. All the main characters of the series – Don Draper, Joan, Paul, Pete, Peggy and Sal – exist in the world of social media, short-message service Twitter. On this platform, characters interact and converse in character, with one another and with direct messages from other users. This both extends the story and builds the audience.

The use of Twitter is not in itself new: in online promotion of its series Drive, Fox last year created a Twitterer out of actor Nathan Fillion (Desperate Housewives) – except that it was, in fact, director Greg Yaitanes making the posts, using a Drive publicity photo of Fillion as an avatar. The Wall Street Journal has reported that NBC, CBS, ABC Family and MTV are among several networks playing with the marketing possibilities of Twitter.

Mad Men took a more proactive approach. When a user “tweets” about the series, he might be surprised to find Betty Draper suddenly following him on the platform [though he’s not the only one: she’s following over 6,000 8,540 people with almost as many following her, and has written almost 1,500 updates]. Though being proactive on Twitter isn’t hard – by using Twitter Search to query keywords about a particular topic or subject, the conversations and authors can be easily identified. Mad Men targeted individuals in advertising and marketing and instances of the show being mentioned to build intrigue and engagement.

One blogger, mediaphyter, criticises the fact that Man Men Twitter profiles link directly to the show website of cable network AMC TV instead of continuing the alter reality by going to a Sterling Cooper agency website. However, in our case, the Betty Draper who is currently following does have a LinkedIn profile – confused?

The reason for this becomes apparent when, a day after the first contact is made by the online Betty Draper, another Betty Draper starts following. The first was, in fact, an imposter, a clone. Some users – in their enthusiasm for the show have created their own (and in this case, quicker and more comprehensive) profiles, so much so that they’re doing a better job than the AMC marketing initiative. At last count there were over 75 dedicated profiles acting out and talking about Mad Men. Thus unfolds a parallel, white picket-fence universe. Not to mention a lot of free advertising. It is, at the same time, a relinquishing of control. AMC didn’t take to kindly to Mad Men clones and took the legal high ground, requesting that Twitter remove the profiles. As might be imagined, the web went into a not unwarranted frenzy. Yet within a matter of days it seems that AMC relaxed its stance and the profiles were reactivated.

It’s understandable that AMC wanted to protect the shows assets but by stepping into a social media channel such as Twitter they were naïve to expect the community to abide by their rules. AMC’s online character extensions were smart, even if they didn’t realise it, in the sense that they were so well thought through that, in order to be convincing, clones needed to behave equally as well. The creators of Mad Men bravely stepped into a community of frenzied conversation, stumbled a bit, but ultimately helped enhance the integrity of their characters in a parallel yet complimentary new channel.

Whether you “get” Twitter or not, what matters is that people are talking – about you, your work or something that relates to it. And by taking the time to listen you may find you have something to contribute. As for the “real” Betty Draper, lead actor January Jones says,

“I don’t find out what Betty does until I receive the script a day or two before each shoot, so if someone’s out there planning her day without me maybe they can share their wisdom!”

Of course the whole concept is anachronistic – the series being set in the ‘60s – but the very current desire of fans to interact with these superbly written characters and exist in their world allows the series creators this licence. And if Betty Draper had Twitter back then, we can imagine she and her friends might well have been using it instead of walking to the back fence.

And Pete Campbell would almost certainly have a LinkedIn profile.

At the heart of the idea is a musical audition via recorded video submitted to YouTube. Classical musicians play to a specially composed piece of music by Tan Dun, (known for the soundtracks for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero). Here’s an interview about the piece.

To participate in the ‘virtual performance’ musicians simply choose the instrument they want to play, this reveals sheet music (pdf) and a video of Tan Dun conducting. Musicians then record their performance and submit – currently unsure of the magic that happens at the YouTube end.. but would hazard a guess at a ‘massive’ mashup bringing all of the instruments together for Tan Dan’s orchestral vision. To be up for a chance to play in NYC a separate piece of music (list to choose from) and video is required for audition.

It’s a sound strategy that builds content around common interest, talent and idea. What better way to bring credibility than get a notable composer to inspire this talented audience. I look forward to seeing the results… and how its actually executed.

My reason is that when I posted a Tweet on the fact that I was enjoying series one, within 24hrs Betty Draper started following me – soon after Ken Cosgrove and my intrigue got the better of me.

I especially like the fact that the Mad Men characters remain in character on Twitter and truly interact with those that engage them. What’s an even smarter move is the fact that characters talk to one another and give another layer to the shows plot.

One thing to remember is that when screenwriters develop characters for TV or film there is always a solid backstory. They’ll know the school the character went to, trauma they’ve had in their lives, successes etc. But it usually doesn’t get explored in the final show or film. What’s great about using Twitter in this context is that we get to explore that backstory (in part) and go deeper into the relationships and happenings around the show getting to know the characters more.

What’s fascinating is the fact that the real characters have also inspired clones and fan profiles on Twitter. The Betty Draper that followed me was a clone not the real one (who started following me 48hrs later). People have literally got into character – mimicking what a 60′s house wife or ad executive would be like.

Whilst exploring I found this comprehensive spreadsheet which counts the number of followers for Mad Men characters, character clones and fan profiles on Twitter (many thanks to @RobinG2 for taking the time).

Adding up the accumulated ‘followers’ you get to a figure of 57,619. Now I know their not unique, and no doubt fans of the show will follow multiple characters – but that’s one hell of a ‘social footprint’. People that love the show enough to follow a character, create a character clone or set up a fan profile is significant.

Below is a grab from @RobinG2 spreadsheet showing the evolution of followers over the course of the show. Click to enlarge.

This morning I awoke to a message that ‘oneConnect’ in now following me on Twitter.

Weird coincidence?
Possibly. Although it looks like the people people being followed are Australian, and no doubt iPhone users – I know you can identify location, but can you isolate people who post through an iPhone?

I hate Twitter spam. But if this is a strategy to let me know the app is being launched here I’m quite open to it. However, they need to say something rather than the inane first comment below;

If anyone knows any more about this… I’d love to hear.

I’ve used the service for research but had yet to share anything. Within an hour I’d received an email from the SlideShare team saying that my pres was to be featured on their homepage. I was thrilled. Is this normal (I thought) so I popped the question to the Twitterverse… Katie Chatfield was kind enough to respond. She’d had the same experience.

That said the benefits of being on the homepage have been great. Within a day I’ve had 90 views and one comment. Eight new people have started to follow me on Twitter (no its not spam). Rod Rakic even ‘retweeted’ the presentation to David Armano and introduced me to the term ‘grokking this’ (wiki definition here).

What has been the most exciting of all is sharing my thoughts and interpretations with a wider audience. Not that I’m a stranger to this, but it resonates when you’re in a new channel, with a new set of eyeballs and opinions.

Back in the real world, one of the participants of the training session had this to say (via email);

I attended the B&T Digital Bootcamp the day before, and this workshop blew it out of the water – particularly in two main areas: knowledge of industry and trends, and practical ways to harness this for planners/advertisers.

Again a big thank you to Melanie Sweet and Gabi Scott from Google, and Jenifer Wilson from Lean Forward. For making the session complete.