From the monthly archives:

December 2009

How M&M Mars Stole Christmas

December 22, 2009
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Lately, I have been feeling very skeptical about the future of Twitter and the importance of Facebook for brands, but the story I just shared is a case where M&Ms and Mars have failed because they lack an effective and reliable online presence. Neither M&Ms nor Mars has a Twitter account.

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Bullies Bolster Media Bias

December 21, 2009
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Before the 2008 Presidential Election, I was an intern at a print magazine in Washington, DC. I never ate lunch with my editors and coworkers because lunch was loaded (I’m not talking about sandwiches oozing with mayonnaise). Instead, lunch was a half-hour long review of The New York Times at the company conference table. This review included unanimous praise about anything regarding Barack Obama.

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Storytelling Online and Georges-Pierre Seurat

December 16, 2009
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Bryan Macintyre’s “The internet is killing storytelling” was published by The Times over a month ago, but I haven’t yet forgotten it. Macintyre believes that the byte-sized information we consume online is ruining our interest in narratives, which are vital to the human experience. I do not agree.

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Abusing Power: Possible in the Arts?

December 14, 2009
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What’s so bad about power? Sometimes, what people deem an abuse of power is actually a daring move for the public’s good. Don’t blogs give everyone power? I mean, if someone’s opinion is valid enough, and readers respect a blogger’s opinions, that blogger has power.

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Media Money Makes More Money

December 11, 2009
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Despite the fact that a lot of media companies are currently suffering, a few are actually thriving and growing. Launched in July 2009 by Dan Abrams, Mediaite is a news and opinion blog with a media beat. The site boasts compelling media-related content and a Power Grid that ranks media’s top players.

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Call for a Social Networkers’ Code of Ethics

December 9, 2009
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Guess what, kids? Social media is your favorite grade school field trip, buddy system and yellow school bus included. Whatever you write or show on social networks not only reflects who YOU are but it represents a group of people who identifies with you. What you post affects other people and groups.

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Tedium in a New Medium

December 8, 2009
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I have a theory about some of the funniest, most compelling, and most intelligent content on the Internet: it’s produced and consumed by educated and funny people who are bored out of their minds at desk jobs. Why don’t you think anyone updates on the weekends? Let’s call this theory “Tedium in a New Medium”.

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Facebook Grows, and the World Shrinks

December 3, 2009
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Once upon a time, Facebook did not exist. I distinctly remember being a freshman in college and listening to my friend Dan, at the time a sophomore at Georgetown, try to explain Facebook. I was full of awe and wonder. I could access a website that would let me connect with friends at my school and other schools too?

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Improve Your Ability to Innovate

December 1, 2009
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In December’s Harvard Business Review, researchers identify five skills that separate true innovators from other smart people. What makes one person an innovator, able to trailblaze a path in the media jungle, and another person a wanderer, lost and seeking direction? Here, find descriptions of the skills and my practical advice.

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