Archive for the ‘Digital’ Category

Christmas in October

October 31st, 2011

by Kedzie Schotters

Is it just me, or has Halloween gotten a little out of hand?

Every television show has a special; every product has a horror-themed ad, and every celebrity is hosting or attending a spooky soiree (see Heidi Klum above).

Don’t get me wrong—I love watching Al Roker prance around as Superman just as much as the next person. But what makes us so obsessed with Halloween? It doesn’t have the food of Thanksgiving, or the presents of Christmas.

I guess it has to be the costumes. Crazy, gory, over-the-top costumes that no one in their right mind would wear on any other day of the year. And that’s exactly what makes Halloween so much fun to celebrate year after year. But lately, Halloween has had a little transformation of its own, from .

First there’s the advertising. Halloween is essentially an advertiser’s excuse to start talking about Christmas—the Holy Grail of holidays—in October. It kicks off the holiday season, and as such, everyone participates, regardless of how irrelevant it is for their brand. For example, Best Buy insists that this Halloween, what we really need is a new computer because how else are we going to create all of the horror films that so many of us have been working on lately? Though this commercial is obviously only relevant to some, the main goal is to get people thinking about Best Buy in preparation for holiday shopping.

Secondly, today’s costumes are becoming excessive, in both clever unfortunate ways. The evolution of costumes from pumpkins, princesses, and puppies to sexy pumpkins, sexy princesses, and sexy puppies is an acceptable reality for adults. But now, that line between children’s and adult’s costumes has blurred. Kids’ skirts are just as short, just as tight, and just as inappropriate. If at all possible, I’d like to avoid seeing a sexy Dora the Explorer this year.

But, there’s another selection of costumes this Halloween that I actually applaud. They stem from our constantly evolving technology and prove imagination and creativity aren’t quite dead. One clever man used 2 FaceTiming iPads to make it appear as though he had a hole in his stomach. This is creative and absolutely brilliant. But for us geeks who don’t happen to have two iPads lying around, the most popular costumes this year are characters from Angry Birds, the most in demand iPhone gaming app. These costumes prove that media, more than ever, is playing a role in Halloween and it’s going to continue to be this way.

All in all, Halloween will always be a time to celebrate, and I suppose wearing a ridiculous ensemble is just part of the process. So here’s to wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and Snooki-free Halloween. Tomorrow you’ll be inundated with recipes for Thanksgiving, all while trying to get Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” out of your head.

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Can You Hear Me Now? Good.

October 3rd, 2011

If you live or travel along Manhattan’s West Side, you have surely noticed a few extra bars on your cell phone in the subway stations. Last week, six subway stations in western Manhattan were outfitted with cell service, allowing T-mobile and AT&T customers to text, email, and call away. While many found it welcoming, many more are taking to Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, and other websites to rant about the newly extinct silence in the subways.

Constant complaints like, “It’s the end of an era!”, “How can they do this?”, and “Where will I go to escape the chatter?” have turned this technological development into a ridiculous event of catastrophic proportions. People even claim the subway was the only escape in New York from the blaring rings and constant electronic chimes (did something happen to Central Park?).

As a person who works in PR and likes to be available and connected throughout the day, these comments made me question how something so apparently positive could warrant so many unnecessarily negative responses. In a world accustomed to social media and constant connection, these complaints seemed unfitting and without merit. Communication keeps us linked, whether it be in an office, walking along the street, or waiting on a platform for a train. In today’s world, companies survive and thrive because their employees are always accessible. This is New York, and our connectivity has become an intrinsic part of our lifestyle. And for those fearful of Chatty Kathies, you can breathe a sigh of relief. We’re in the age of texting and emails– short and to the point. Few people will risk having their conversations cut short by the sounds of the incoming train.

Similarly, our time is valuable and timing is of the utmost importance in the world of social media. So if people can use their time being productive instead of feeling anxious about a late train, everyone is better off. You’ll have plenty of time to people watch and relax when the doors close and you zoom away, since service is limited to the platforms, not the tunnels.

With all of the positives, I still wonder why this service is experiencing such a harsh welcome. This new connectivity could decrease commuter stress, save innocent victims from violent crimes, and finally bring New York up to speed with cities like Boston and San Francisco who already have this technology.

Or, if you’re a doomsayer, it could plunge our world into a sinister chaos devoid of human interaction, tranquility, and meaning.

But you’ll have to let me know. I’m actually one of the lucky few who gets to walk to work, so I sort of avoid this whole subway issue.

So give me a call the next time you’re waiting for the A train. Or maybe just text me, because I’m not going to be able to hear a word you’re saying over those train screeches.

–Kedzie

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Are you Having Coffee With the Pope in the Morning or is the Pope Having Coffee with You?

July 5th, 2011
The era of social media has changed the way we connect with each other. The creation of blogs and YouTube videos has become a means of self-expression, our own virtual diaries that anyone we wish can access and gain intimate insight to our thoughts and personalities. We stay informed on each other’s lives through status updates and find out about engagements and marriages when someone changes their relationship status on Facebook. Companies are able to reach out and establish business relationships that used to take years to build, in less than 140 characters. We can catch a glimpse into the lives of our favorite celebrities, conversing with them and making recreational stalking a thing of the past. Perhaps social media’s most telling accomplishment, however, is bringing deeply rooted tradition, into the 21st century, infusing institutions such as political debates, the Olympics, and even the Vatican with a healthy dose of modernity.

 

Republican Presidential Debate: “A Republican U.S. presidential debate is set to hit the Twitterverse on July 20.” For the first time ever, candidates will be able to debate over Twitter, not just tweet their stance but argue and defend it as well. The new debate platform created by consulting company 140 Dev, LLC will display tweets by the moderator, debaters and members of the public in separate streams allowing for the public to participate like never before. The creators of the technology are hoping that this will lead to Twitter town halls and even a Twitter talk show in the future.

 

The 2012 Olympic games: Just last week the Olympic Committee gave the go ahead for athletes to tweet from London next summer. There are, of course, stipulations to help preserve the integrity of the games. For example, tweeters have been told to avoid swearing or using other vulgar language and should report from their point of views, not those of journalists or reporters. Unlike at the Beijing games, photos can now be uploaded onto social media platforms. We will no longer have to wait for the live interviews with our favorite athletes but will be able to be with them in the lockers rooms, rejoice in their victories and mourn with them in their losses, experience the nervous jitters and the excitement, and be able to congratulate them personally when they win gold.

 

The Pope: The Vatican has had a Twitter account for some time but Tuesday, June 28th marked the first tweet by the Pope himself (see the video). On that date, the Vatican announced a new site, which will be providing news and updates of the Church, the Vatican and the Pope as well as opinion surrounding them, in one place for the first time ever. The site is also being used to promote better communication, not just with the outside world, but internally as well. In honor of the new site, Pope Benedict XVI sent his first tweet using an iPad announcing News. va: “Dear Friends, I just launched News.va Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI.”

 

Social media is making the world smaller, bridging gaps and blurring boundaries, making what was once clearly black and white, a nice shade of gray. The question no longer remains, how do little people like ourselves reach our idols and be heard, rather it has become, have we finally reached their level? Or have they reached ours, Are you Having Coffee With the Pope in the Morning or is the Pope HavingCoffee with You?

– Erin

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#FBPlacesRulz versus #FBPlacesFail

September 3rd, 2010

Social media is everywhere around us, and recent studies show that Americans are spending a large percentage of their computer time utilizing social networking. With the growing popularity of social media, users have become accustomed to certain tools and features. From Twitter to YouTube, and even MySpace change is not always a good thing.  Adjusting the platform to the taste of it’s loyal users could be a nearly impossible task. Some ideas sore in popularity, while others epically fail, what do you think about Facebook places?

Facebook launched its location-based feature on August 19th, and so far I still don’t know a single soul who’s used it.

Given the nature of Facebook and keeping in mind past brouhahas about changes in the social networking service, I thought  Gawker.com’s first reaction was the most appropriate – “The First Thing You Should Do With Facebook Places: Don’t Let Other People Tag You”.  I’m not saying FB is evil, but just that when they launch new features it makes sense to get a quick handle on how to control information about you.

Like many others, I rushed to shut off what I thought would become a flood of pernicious reports linking me to various unsavory New York establishments at inappropriate hours of the night (all of which would be truthful of course, just not fit for my mother to see, and she joined a couple months ago.  We’re friends).

Instead, though, I haven’t seen a single trickle.  It seems as though everyone has adopted a similar view on the subject: “I might be willing to do this thing you suggest, Facebook, but first I’ll need to see if anyone else has taken you up on it.”  Either that or a slightly less engaged reaction like “Facebook Places?” or “Face Book… ???”  Regardless, I’m just not seeing people using the service.

I’ve posted a few inquiries on my ‘book page, and didn’t get anyone who fessed up to using the service, or even had anything positive to say.  Most of the friends who responded listed that their main objection was that they felt it to be too intrusive.  I can see where they’re coming from – location-based social media services definitely feel strange when you start using them.

Being an inveterate fan of Foursquare, though, the reasons I’m not switching over are different.  I like Foursquare – I’ve got a nice closed community of friends who I’m interested to see where they’re hanging out, and to whom I’m interested in bragging about my exploits about time.

One main reason I’m not excited to pull the geo-location stuff into my Facebook life is that Facebook really IS my whole life – it’s pretty much everyone I’ve been friendly with since I got on the service in college, and now even family (see: Mom).  These add up to hundreds of people I don’t want to have to sort into to “share my location” and “don’t share my location” subgroups.  Annoying!

Finally, Facebook just hasn’t made the case to me as to why I should use Places.  Whereas Foursquare is an exciting, young, fresh new thing to try (have you used weeplaces to get a visualization of your checkins?  So cool!), Places feels like something FB is trying to make me do.  “You WILL integrate The Facebook into every aspect of your life, users!”  Zuckerberg’s getting a little too pushy for my taste.

-Topher
So what do you think?  Let us know on our Twitter account http://www.twitter.com/publicnyc @publicnyc).  If you totally <3 FB Places, we’d love to hear why (#FBPlacesRulz).  If you think it’s the new Google Wave, direct your hate our way too (#FBPlacesFail).

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iPad’s Unseen Benefits: Thwarting Illegal Gambling Rings and Embracing a “Larger” Market

August 25th, 2010

So unless you have been sleeping under a rock, you are (A) familiar with the iPad (B) Know someone that suffers from separation anxiety when they don’t have their iPad (C) Or have had the opportunity to use the device first hand. However, not all of the functions are explicit and users are finding more and more creative ways to manipulate the tablet for their own desired use.

So the iPad has a new market to cater to – the jumbo size population. The Japan Sumo Association (JSA) has announced  it will distribute iPads to wrestlers whose fingers are too large to use standard size keys on cell phones. At least now they can finally upgrade from pagers.

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What makes this even more hilarious is the JSA is looking to increase communication between the sumo leaders of training stables as a means to crack down on illegal gambling on baseball games. In Japan they are taking this problem very seriously, and giving everyone iPads is obviously the most logical solution. Of course it’s the fat-finger issue that’s facilitating all the illegal gambling in sumo stables. Maybe the SEC should just make everyone download the   Business Ethics Business Guide iPhone app instead of doing a regulatory overhaul.

Just the image of a massive sumo wrestler struggling to press the keys to write an alert email on his blackberry that bets are going down for the Yomiuri vs. Seibu baseball game is beyond comical.

Now news articles are posting consumer complaints that their fingers are too large to type on cell phone keypads. Is the iPad the answer to the Big & Tall population’s telecommunication dilemma? Maybe Apple will come out with the iPhone Nano for the more pint size population.


Maybe they can market it to TLC’s “Little People, Big World”.

Of course, it is more likely the iPad’s suitability for those with plus-size digits is a happy coincidence that may truly help a lot of frustrated texters out there. And don’t get me wrong, I have tiny fingers and still have trouble punching the right keys on an iPhone or Blackberry. But, I have to think – when rotary dials came out did people complain when their fingers were too robust to squeeze into the digit hole?

-Amelia

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Apple’s iPhone 4 Gets No Love

July 15th, 2010

Widespread complaints due to antenna issues has runied the launch party for one of Apple’s most highly anticipated products. How will the Apple camp do conducting damage control, something that brand has seldomly dealt with in the past.

Apple and iPhone 4 Not Getting Any Love

While Apple’s successes over the last several years are unmatched by any of its competitors; the latest ‘iPhone 4 antenna debacle’ could allow for others to gain ground on the technology giant, that is Apple. Yesterday evening, Apple announced that they will be having a press conference tomorrow morning addressing the recent complaints. However, just when Apple thought they could control the backlash of the troubled iPhone 4, consumer reports surfaced with video attachments revealing the problems plaguing the mobile device. This ultimately led to consumer reports refusing to recommend the iPhone 4. Later that same week, sources at Bloomberg and a partner company claim they expressed their concerns over the design of Apple’s new phone in the initial design stages in 2009.

As the complaints continue to surface, the media has had a field day. Apple rose to popularity by delivering innovative and flawlessly operating products. Now Apple is receiving their first blemish on their long track record of excellence, and will have one of the most important press conferences in the company’s history. Rumors have suggested that Apple is considering a recall, which would be catastrophic for several reasons. First, the announcement would discourage potential consumers from buying not only the phone, but any new Apple products. Second, it would be extremely difficult to execute a recall for such a popular phone smoothly, the company would almost be setting itself up for failure. Third, the glitch isn’t as troubling as the media has made it out to be. Since Apple’s record is impeccable, of course anything that doesn’t go according to plan will be ‘front page worthy’.

Tomorrow it will be interesting to see how Apple deals with real adversity. The company will not go bankrupt as a result of the iphone 4’s woes, but the way Apple conducts itself will give insight to how the company will deal with crisis in the future.

-Aaron

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