Design The Planet » Social Media

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Perryn — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:25:09 +0000

Not to say the original Gap logo was good, but it was iconic and well-recognized. Here at Design the Planet, we are not surprised that Gap ventured off to a new logo because their classic logo was getting a bit stale. We never thought they’d come up with something so generic and off-the-wall. (Actually, according to a comment on Brand Channel, the logo is a ripoff of threadneedle’s logo.)

As a designer & marketer, I love seeing rebrands. Some are very successful and others are not so much. At least Gap listened to their fans and brand community via social media and public mockery on TV, radio & print. Some advertising experts say this may have been a stunt to get media attention. Just this morning, the Today Show on NBC mentioned the brand going back to the classic logo then immediately asked why that was considered news.

Do you have a favorite brand that did a great rebrand or maybe another brand horror story? Do tell.

U-Tube?

Perryn — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:01:56 +0000

Earlier this week I received an email about a client asking me if he should post a commercial on U-Tube. This proceeded to tell him it is YouTube and that it wouldn’t hurt to have his commercial on the social media website and that it would actually make it easier for us to post the commercial on his website. (Actually a company called U-Tube that owns the domain www.Utube.com sued YouTube for inadvertent traffic causing U-Tube’s web hosting costs to skyrocket to thousands of dollars a month for the influx of bandwidth. Don’t hold me on it, but I believe U-Tube beat YouTube on this one.)

This reminded me of another conversation I had with a prospect back in August of 2008 when he said he wanted to blob on My Face. He was confused with what social media was and that one does not blog (not blob) on MySpace or Facebook. I explained to him the differences in the mediums and after learning more about him and his business, I suggested LinkedIn and blogging. I later blogged about the conversation and the basics of social media on our website. I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading it – There are No Blobs on Myface. (Just a warning, that the blog may be a bit dated now.)

Happy Birthday YouTube

Perryn — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:11:00 +0000

We would be remiss, if we did not say Happy Birthday to YouTube. The video giant is now 5 years old. It’s been a busy spring with Facebook hitting the 6 year mark in February. YouTube and Facebook are two of the major players in the Social Media/Web 2.0 movement along with LinkedIn and the nearly defunct MySpace. It is hard to remember a time when the web did not include YouTube. How did we show friends crazy videos, catch up on missed SNL (Saturday Night Live) skits, and waste time for hours and hours before this gentle giant.

Another Milestone in Social Media

Perryn — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:02:09 +0000

On the heels of Facebook turning 6 years old, LinkedIn hits another large benchmark. On February 11, LinkedIn announced their 60,000,000 member.

Not sure what that exactly means. It means more and more people are going to LinkedIn to find employment through via networking and more people are doing business through LinkedIn. This also shows rapid growth for LinkedIn. WebProNews.com stated that the website had announced 55 million members less than two months ago which translates to a 9 percent growth in two months!

Happy Birthday Facebook!

Perryn — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:45:42 +0000

It’s hard to believe that Facebook is just 6 years old. Where were we before anyone ever heard of Facebook or MySpace? (It’s okay, I hardly remember as well.)

I hope you enjoy Facebook and other possibly other social media avenues to reach out to old friends, disconnected family members and even your spouse, but if you’re a business owner, hopefully your connecting with your company’s brand community through it’s tools.

Developing a simple fan page on Facebook and providing news about your products and/or services is an easy way to keep your best customers & clients informed and help them spread your message to their friends and family. The main reason why people don’t talk about your company is because they have nothing pertinent to say or it’s hard. Give them something to talk about it and Facebook allows them to share it with their friends.

For many New Orleans brand names, there are already Facebook fan pages set up by your fans. I love talking to business owners that don’t even know they have a fan page for their business. That shows real fan devotion and imagine how your business will grow if you add fuel to their fire.

If you’re a numbers person, here are the stats on Facebook:

Facebook has over 400 Million Global Users
Facebook has 100 Million U.S. Users
The average Facebook User Spends 55 Minutes Per Day
Real-time Search Is Important: Facebook is searchable by Google (without privacy controls)

12 Great Ways to Use Twitter to Your Advantage

Ryan — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:58:14 +0000

So, you’re ready for your very own Twitter account but still don’t grasp how it’s used? Maybe you’re one of the many ‘tweeples’ that already has a Twitter account, but can’t fathom what to write (tweet) about. Maybe your buddy/co-worker is giving you flak for having a Twitter account and you need some ammo to fight off his/her negative comments. Well, whatever the case, you’ve come to the right place.

Twitter is another social media outlet that let’s you communicate with others without all the extra applications to download, pictures to browse and tag, favorite music, books or tv shows to add, pages to keep up with and organize, or even ads to stare at… all for free! Twitter only allows you 140 characters to answer the question ‘What are you doing?’ Only 140 characters you ask? Below are 12 ways to use 140 characters to your advantage:

01. Networking: I used Twitter to find people attending an event I was about to take part in. I met lots of great people who I’d previously befriended on Twitter. I’ve also heard of people meeting (via Twitter) before an event to discuss sharing costs for hotel rooms, cabs, etc. Which brings me to my next point…

02. Get Conference/Event Updates: So you couldn’t make it to the latest conference for financial reasons, too much work, or whatever excuse? Hop on twitter and search for terms relating to the conference. If it’s the least bit techy of a conference, you will find tweets! #AEA #WordCampNOLA. My buddy even won a ticket worth $895 just for ‘re-tweeting’ a sentence!! Congrats @geoffthibeau

03. Communicating: Want to join in a conversation about a related industry? Twitter is just like talking on the phone… but with a stranger. Who says you can’t communicate with people you don’t already know?

04. Just Listening: You want real peoples views on a particular subject? Open up Twitter and search away. You can get as serious as religion and politics, or as casual as food and art – probably even simultaneously.

05. Just Jotting: Sure, it’s okay to talk about where you just ate (maybe even a review), that you’re going to the beach this weekend, or that your lawn needs to be cut – I’ve done it. Maybe you’re using Twitter as a mini-blog and that’s fine – just don’t be too mundane.

06. News: Whether it’s local or national, you can get news updates via Twitter in small enough chunks to entice a read (or not).

07. Being Resourceful: I use Twitter on many occasions before going to see a new movie. I’ll check the buzz of people who actually saw the movie (versus critics) and decide what I’m seeing that night. You could do this for restaurants too.

08. Buying/Selling Products/Services: Well it hasn’t sold yet (as of this writing), but we’re getting rid of a printer and I tweeted it on Twitter. Still hoping for a bite… Do you need a laser printer? I’ve seen mobile food units using Twitter to Tweet their location and menu specials as well.

09. Promotion (websites, blogs, folio updates): Twitter is a great way to promote your own blog, website or client updates. Don’t plug yourself too much though – you don’t want to look like a self-centered-tweeter.

10. Be a Resource: Maybe you can offer great info on a particular subject you’re passionate about? This is a great way to be a resource, help others in the process, and network even more.

11. Get Feedback: Surveys, Polls, Questions – if you have enough followers, you can get great feedback in a short amount of time.

12. Hire People: Have people spread the work via Twitter that you’re hiring a position. It’s easier than you think to find (via search.twitter.com). Someone can search for terms like ‘hire’, ‘job’, ‘graphic design’ within 50 miles of New Orleans and see who’s hiring!

So, how about you – how do you use Twitter? How would you like to use Twitter? What do you wish Twitter could do?

Ready to get started? Go sign up (for free) and get to Tweeting!

Some Say Twitter Isn't Popular

Perryn — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:17:22 +0000

Twitter over capacity because of growing popularity.

Design the Planet recently joined the Twitter ranks and started Tweeting (adding text about what we’re doing). We have read articles and talked extensively about the benefits of the service and the lack of actual usefullness the website service offers. One thing is for sure, Twitter is popular and surging in the number of users online each day. In fact, they recently had so many Tweets that they got overloaded and left this fun message on the right.

You can folllow Design the Planet on Twitter at:
http://twitter.com/designtheplanet