The Problem with Print

I know that I have begun to sound like a broken record on this point, but here are some concrete numbers about the loss of ad pages in the Conde' Nast magazine empire. The total loss across all of the Conde' Nast titles is almost 32%, which translates into over 8,300 fewer ad pages for 2009. This is why the magazine chain has been dropping titles on what seems like a weekly basis.

PR and YouTube

Here are a couple of articles about, and examples of, corporations using YouTube.  The first from PC World outlines some basic uses of YouTube.  Here is a YouTube video that has been published by Software AG about Coca-Cola's use of their software; notice how other videos about Coca-Cola are listed in the right hand column.  In addition to these examples, Domino's Pizza has its own YouTube channel.

Corporate entertainment

Here are a couple of examples of companies creating their own online content. The first is L/Studio, which is an online porthole controlled by Lexus. The second is a series called Easy to Assemble, which is a webseries sponsored by Ikea.

Measures

Here are the blog measuring tools mentioned in lecture.

Blog Pulse
Alexa
Technorati
Digital Influence Group

Corporate blogging policies

Here are some blogging policies that have been instituted by corporations. You can see that these polices have informed the grading policy that I have for your blogs. I've posted Charlene Li's Wiki on corporate blogs, but I have also included some specific examples below:

Sun Microsystems

Cisco

And now it's Honda's turn

Yet another example of companies attempting to bribe blogs to post about their products.  This time Honda was trying to get blogs to posted about the new Honda Civic, and once again a blogger exposes the bribe.  In addition, this blogger decides to also expose other bloggers who seem to have taken the bribe.

No Privacy on Facebook

I found this story to be a little shocking.  Apparently some organizations are requiring people to give them complete access to their Facebook, and other social networking accounts.  These organizations include colleges, and as the story points out, this practice could have some negative implications.

The Power of Twitter

There is an interesting post on the blog Frugal Dad.   It contains a graphic that illustrates how customers have used Twitter to quickly mount campaigns against specific corporate practices.  The examples run the gamut from customers complaining about a misleading design for a can of Coke, to protests against GoDaddy's support of SOPA.

The Disney Blog

This is a very interesting blog, because it contains stories I wouldn't have imagined would appeal to fans of Disney. In other words, it has stories about the business end of the media, and while some of these stories might matter to Disney fans, it seems like the blogging equivalent of going "back-stage" at Disneyworld.

Hacking Netflix

This particular blog illustrates a topical blog created by an enthusiast. Pay particular attention to the types of stories it publishes, and the other types of blogs to which it links.

More Twitter Trouble; This Time Blockbuster

Back in April, Dish Network acquired Blockbuster which had declared bankruptcy.  Dish Network has been trying to revive the brand, maintaining a small number of the chain's rental stores, adding Blockbuster Express rental kiosks, and a new online streaming video service.  So far, so good.  In fact, foot traffic at the rental stores has increased since the acquisition.  But now there is some bad publicity on the horizon, and it has to do with the way the company has used Twitter.  It seems Ryan Davis of Giant Bomb was offered a "free 1-year subscription" if he would tweet that he was leaving Netflix for the Blockbuster streaming service.  Davis copied the solicitation, and now it's circulating on the tech blogs.

AOL Customer Service

I googled "AOL customer service" today (9/22/2011), this video no longer is listed first, but it is listed eight. Surprisingly still popular after all these years.  This is now the first listing and it just about as bad from a PR perspective.

Targeting Divorce

Here's another interesting article about tracking consumers' data.  This particular piece discusses how consumer behavior can change when people divorce.  It raises some interesting ethical questions about the use of this information.