Contagious ideas is spotting trends. By Jeremy DUMONT, french strategic planner : interactive communications. Join PSST (opinion and trends) www.PSST.fr

Google Wave developer preview at the Google I/O 2009 “Wave is what email would look like if it were invented today.”

Yesterday, during the Google I/O keynote, Google’s VP of Engineering, Vic Gundotra, laid out a grand vision for the direction Google sees the web heading towards with the move to the HTML 5 standard. While we’re not there yet, all the major browser players besides Microsoft are aligned and ready for the next phase, which will include such things as the ability to run 3D games and movies in the browser without additional plug-ins. But Google wants to take it one step further with a brand new method of communication for this new era. It’s called Google Wave.

Everyone uses email and instant messaging on the web now, but imagine if you could tie those two forms of communication together and add a load of functionality on top of it. At its most fundamental form, that’s essentially what Wave is. Developed by brothers Lars and Jens Rasmussen and Stephanie Hannon out of Google’s Sydney, Australia offices, Wave was born out of the idea that email and instant messaging, as successful as they still are, were both created a very long time ago. We now have a much more robust web full of content and brimming with a desire to share stuff. Or as Lars Rasumussen put it, “Wave is what email would look like if it were invented today.”

source : techcrunch.com

read more : here

posted by : François Pérennès

Unbuilt Buildings: 12 Awesome Future Architectural Designs

Bold, bio-inspired, vertical and sustainable: those are the traits that architecture of the future will share, if you go by the trends in current cutting-edge concept designs. While some of these architectural concepts will never become reality, others are already in progress or slated to begin construction soon. From a sparkling urban farm inspired by a dragonfly’s wing to a dystopian concept that embraces genetic engineering, here are 12 amazing designs that give us a peek into what the future may bring.

Songjiang Hotel: Paradise in a Water-Filled Quarry

(images via: Green Roofs)

The Songjiang Hotel by Atkins Design makes use of a beautiful water-filled quarry in the Songjiang district just outside Shanghai in China. This innovative design features a green roof, geothermal energy and underwater areas including a restaurant and guest rooms. The quarry provides an ideal setting for sports and leisure including swimming, water sports, rock climbing and bungee jumping. The Songjiang Hotel was originally slated to be completed by May 2009, but as of now it’s still just a concept.

Dragonfly, a Metabolic Farm for Urban Agriculture

(images via: Vincent Callebaut)

From Vincent Vallebaut, designer of the Lilypad concept, comes another stunning sustainable design that aims to meet the food, housing and energy challenges of the future. The Dragonfly is an urban farm concept for New York City’s Roosevelt Island, modeled after the wings of a dragonfly and designed to provide fresh, local food within an urban environment. Fruit, vegetables, grains, meat and dairy would be produced on the Dragonfly’s 132 floors and the entire structure would be powered by a combination of solar and wind power.

The Venus Project: Working Toward Sustainable Global Civilization

(images via: The Venus Project)

In order to survive global warming, the growing human population and other challenges in the upcoming centuries, some believe that we must start from scratch with a new model of human civilization that directs our technology and resources toward the positive, for the maximum benefit of the people and the planet. The Venus Project is a vision for a brand new world civilization and redesign of our entire culture. Circular cities with built-in farms and public transit, along with sea cities that can accommodate millions, are just part of this complex and visionary idea to take us “beyond politics, poverty and war”.

The Origami, Seamless Indoor/Outdoor Apartment Living

(images via: ArchDaily)

By making apartment buildings entirely vertical, we could enhance the livability of urban residences and provide lush green gardens for each apartment dweller to enjoy. The Origami by Kann Finch, designed for Meydan City in Dubai, would give each apartment an open quality that extends the internal living areas to extensive balconies with uplifting window walls. A patterned solid/glass screen gives the building visual interest from the outside and provides shade and privacy for the residents.

Dynamic, Wind-Powered Rotating Tower

Read More:             WebUrbanist

Posted by:              Andreea Hirica

Posted on:              Contagious Idea

7daysinmylife.com

Brands give guidance to innovation if they are rooted in a thorough understanding of the stakeholders of that brand. That’s why I’m more and more involved in researching these stakeholders in a way that leads to actionable, inspiring and authentic insights. In effect, this comes down to digging deep into the lives of both people inside the company working with the brand (designers, developers, marketeers, researchers, engineers) and people outside the company deriving value from the products and services the company/brand brings forth.

Contextmapping, as a designerly approach to research, leading to data that is richly visual and inspiring, suits our approach very well. Last week we attended the PhD defense of Froukje Sleeswijk Visser, the first PhD in this field. The day after, we attended a symposium on contextmapping with speakers Liz Sanders of Maketools, Jacob Buur of Spire, Denmark, Froukje and 10 recently graduated students who apply contextmapping in practice (one of which was my colleague Christa van Gessel).

One very specific way in which we apply contextmapping is through the use of an online research environment, called 7daysinmylife.com, which we developed for this specific purpose.

The environment allows users to keep an online diary of their daily activities over the course of 7 days, evolving around themes and questions set up to suit the specific research purpose. The environment also allows the research team (often designers and marketeers) to follow the diaries and comment on images and texts. We have succesfully applied the tool in projects for Mexx, Fatboy, Nlisis and Etna. We’ve been amazed with  how inspiring and activating these diaries are.  These diaries also provide the research team with a shared and lively set of data to work with, leading to a shared vision that really triggers the team’s creativity.

Read More:             brand driven innovation

Posted by:              Andreea Hirica
Posted on:              Contagious Ideas 

4 Ways Social Media is Changing the Non-Profit World

Beth Kanter, author of Beth’s Blog, is the 2009 Scholar in Residence at the Packard Foundation and was named one of Business Week’s “Voices of Innovation for Social Media.”

When I started my blog in 2003, only a handful of nonprofit techies were experimenting with the social media. As Marnie Webb from TechSoup Global recalls, “The throw away line was social media wasn’t for organizations but people who wanted to share what their cats ate for breakfast.”

Six years later, the landscape has changed. Organizations are flocking to the social web, although most in the last two years. Non-profit organizations that have embraced social media with a “listen, fail informatively, and evolve approach” are seeing results.

Social media is beginning to transform non-profits both in the way they work as well as their relationships with constituents.

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1. Deepening relationships and Engagement

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Over the past five years, The March of Dimes has used social media to nurture its online community, Share Your Story. It is one of the better examples of how non-profits can use social media to empower supporters without having to control it.

A few weeks ago, the March of Dimes supporters came out in droves for a networked memorial service for a toddler named Maddie. The community raised tens of thousands of dollars for the March of Dimes in Maddie’s memory as well as covering the funeral costs for the family. The organization did little to stage this event. The March of Dimes has embraced openness and inspired their stakeholders to feel empowered enough to take action on their own.

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2. Individuals & small groups are self-organizing around non-profit causes

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Social media is enabling individuals to create, join, and grow groups around issues they care about outside of the direct control of a non-profit. Whether flash activists or fundraising events like Twestival, activities like these are on the rise.

Social software design is also helping accelerate this trend. Look no further than the Facebook Causes Birthday application that encourages an individual who is a member of a Cause to use their birthday as an excuse to raise money for a non-profit organization. DonorsChoose recently launched a similar feature called “Birthday Give Back,” with Stephen Colbert leading the charge. And keep an eye out for more social apps with a conscience that will offer even more creative ways for supporters to self-organize and take action around causes.

As non-profits begin to engage their own communities in these online conversations, they are able to reach more people than ever before, and using less effort doing so. As Maddie Grant, a partner at SocialFish, observes, “We can all be change agents and that has to be good for the entire non-profit industry, as long as organizations adapt to this new way of being part of a two-way conversation and groundswell of social responsibility.”

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3. Facilitating collaboration and crowdsourcing

Read More:             Mashable
Posted by:              Andreea Hirica
Posted on:              Contagious Ideas 

In 10 Years, Your TV Will Only Get 20 Channels

While the last 10-15 years have been a race to fill up your cable box's TV guide with hundreds of channels -- most of which you've never watched -- the next 10-15 years will be a race to the bottom.

At least that's one of the visions we keep hearing from people at the intersection of television and the Web, who think that Internet distribution is going to shake up your TV experience the way it's already changed the way you get music and read news.

The idea: You'll get about 20 linear channels from cable -- a legacy broadcast network, a few big-brand cable networks like ESPN, maybe another live sports channel, some major lifestyle channels, and that's about it. The rest will be handled via video-on-demand or streamed over the Internet.

If that's what happens, the effects on the TV industry would be colossal.

Because this shift would be caused, to a great extent, by TV advertisers moving their money online, there would be a pretty big, new pool of money to pay for companies to be scrappier, online-focused production houses. But there's little chance that Internet advertising will ever be able to support the bloated production costs of most of today's cable shows -- at least on the scale they're happening today. So most channels and cable-riches-spoiled production companies would simply go out of business, replaced by more nimble upstarts. (That's what companies like Revision3 and Next New Networks are betting on.)

Meanwhile, cable providers like Comcast (CMCSA) would probably have fewer subscribers spending the same amount (or less) per month on cable TV, but they'd have much lower content costs. Right now, cable companies spend about 40% of your monthly bill on content. In a more on-demand world, where people only have to pay for what they watch -- not a bunch of channels they don't want -- that could be a little lower.

Broadband usage would go up as people watch more Internet video, suggesting that ISPs could charge more for Internet access. (Maybe even on a consumption-based billing model, but that'll be hard.) But probably at lower margins, as they have to keep adding capacity to their networks.

And a new winner: Someone will be the one that connects your TV to the Internet: Either the cable companies -- who have the advantage of a set-top box already in your living room, but the disadvantage of being slow pokes with terrible software and user interfaces -- or someone like Apple, Microsoft, Roku, or your TV manufacturer.

To be sure, this is just one hypothetical glimpse at the future. Maybe 400-channel digital cable will ride it out to infinity. But anyone in TV who's seen the music industry get gutted over the last 10 years can't be so sure about that.

Read More:             THE BUSINESS INSIDER

Posted by:              Andreea Hirica
Posted on:              Contagious Ideas 

Resonance, A Film about Design Strategy

Resonance from Continuum on Vimeo.

Check out this really slick film about design strategists, the methodology or tools they use, and how they identify the right ideas to go with. I can identify with this, as I always say these days it’s not “what can we make?”, but “what is the right thing to make?”.

This film was produced by the global innovation consultancy Continuum to share their strategic design process with the world. Nice work guys and thanks for sharing.

Enjoy!

Source:                   Design Sojourn

Posted by:              Andreea Hirica
Posted on:              Contagious Ideas 

The role of theory in ethnographically-informed design research

The use of ethnographical methods in design research here and there out of academic circles brings back the question of the role of “theory”, and its articulation with research methodologies and techniques. This is a recurring topic with clients, research colleagues and I’ve seen it popping on mailing lists such as anthrodesign.

Before jumping to the differentiation between theory and methodologies, it’s important to acknowledge that there is no just “one” ethnography. The use of this term, especially in business circles, is not fair. It’s as if it is was a general container to provide engineers/strategists/designers with a one-way solution for their problem at hand. An article such as “fieldwork and ethnography: a perspective from CSCW” by Harper et al. (to be found in the EPIC 2005 proceedings) gives an introduction to some of them.

“Part of the trouble has to do with the fact that the word ethnography can be used somewhat capriciously for a whole range of purposes; as a label used by some for practices to be jealously defended; a label used to give renewed vigor, even fashionability for an old trade, fieldwork; and at other times a label used to defend pointless hanging around. What ethnography is, though it clearly has some kind of character, is not at all clear“

The paper basically shows that there are different distinction based on disciplinary assumptions about methods, theories and sensibilities. The authors picked up 4 texts (Cognitive Work Analysis by Vicente, Contextual Inquiry by Beyer and Holzblatt, Designing Collaborative Systems by Crabtree, and Marcus’ Ethnography through Thick and Thin) and show how they represent different viewpoints: a ‘cognitive science’ viewpoint; a ‘practical’ approach; an ethnomethodological perspective, and a postmodern alternative. They show how that each of them reflects different orientations and sensibilities and not only refer to which methods to choose and how to look at “data”. The paper also suggests to use the term “field work” instead than “ethnography” since the former is better suited to the activity carried out in design research.

Who are the protagonists at stake here? Let’s say that we can distinguish 3 components:

• Theories of science analyze the condition of production of knowledge from a philosophical viewpoint. Example: positivist view (authentic knowledge is that based on actual sense experience), more critical approach

. Then, there are finer-scaled theories that act as subset of the general theories of science: Chomsky’s Generative Grammar, Sperber’s relevance theory of human communication, Suchman’s Situated Action theory, Media theory about framing, etc.

• Methodologies describe the general ways about how to carry out research. Based on considerations emerging from theories, methodologies propose a set of methods. Example: qualitative analysis, quantitative analysis
• Methods that are general ways to study a class of phenomena, based on theoretical tools (how about how articulate data and theories) and techniques (recipes to acquire, transform, analyze data).

In the context of design research, the situation is a bit more specific given that it corresponds to (1) a qualitative and, generally, (2) an inductive model of research. It’s qualitative as it tries to uncover cases that can be selected according to whether they typify (or not), specific characteristics or contextual locations. It’s also generally inductive because general principles (yes, theories) can be developed from specific observations (as opposed to other forms of research which are based on hypothesis-testing). I tried to list the link between empirical research and theories in this context:

• Certain theories can frame the research and give an idea of what one is trying to achieve and look for. Or, as formulated by Harper et al.:”disciplinary ‘sensibilities’ may allow us to produce a set of broad, ‘sensitising’ or ‘illuminating’ concepts, starting points that can serve as reminders that some kinds of thing are often to be found whilst not diverting us from our equally powerful interest in what is uniquely ‘situated’ about what we are studying. In short, provide us with a ‘way of looking’“. What it means is that it allows to efficiently synthesize, interpret and sort out insights. In sum, it orients the research.
• The goal of this research is to generate a theory, Beyond describing and exploring the context at hand, it’s also to articulate principles or more general notions or rules, and understand a culture based on certain aspects. To some extent, building a theory can be a research goal.

Of course, this is a quick summary and there is more to it. This is all and good but people interested by design research may want to know more about what theories or theoretical spin they might want to employ. Ranging from Ethnomethodology to Interactionism or Grounded Theory and Activity Theory, there is plenty of possibilities here and I won’t enter into much details in this blogpost.

What is interesting is perhaps the discussion about which sort of theoretical twist are employed in “design research”. In HCI and CSCW, which have a strong ethnographically-informed design approach, it seems that ethnomethodology is very common and french ergonomics is all about Activity Theory (and modified versions). Other approach this without any reference to theories, such as Jan Chipchase’s work at Nokia Design which is fairly descriptive and exploratory. Again, as I stated above, there is no “one way” here, the important thing is to find the method the researcher is comfortable with in conjunction with he/she and the design team think is relevant for the time being. On my side, I do think that an approach such as “Grounded Theory” by Strauss and Corbin is pertinent and flexible enough for design research.

Source:                     Pasta&Vinegar

Posted by:              Andreea Hirica
Posted on:              Contagious Ideas 

What Role does Design Play within Your Organization?

Designers often wonder or whine about how their work is not recognized, accepted or even respected in their organization. What many designers don’t realize is how they or their designs are treated has to do with how the discipline of design is viewed within their organization. While most of the time I reference organizations that have in-house design teams, most of the topics of our discussion today can also apply to consultancies looking to service organizations that buy design services.

There are many levels of how Design is viewed or integrated within an organization. This is what I like to call “The Design Functionality Axis” as illustrated above. The Axis stretches from a low level Supplier relationship at the base of the triangle to a Strategic Design Leadership relationship.

In the next few paragraphs, I hope to explain in detail what it means for a company to operate at these different Design functional levels, what designers working at these levels can expect and some hints on what can be done to push the value of design in your organization up this axis.

A Supplier Relationship
This is the lowest relationship denominator and is no coincidence that it is at the bottom of the pyramid. In a Supplier relationship, design and designers are often put in an execution role. In other words, a design is treated a means to an end. It is often seen as being done “off the corner of the table” and in a few hours. Often very styling in nature, the majority of consulting and freelance work often operates at this level. With in-house designers, it is no different. Here a designer mostly works alone, does almost everything remotely creative, and has a hard time trying to convince his/her boss the value of design. Ironically such companies know that they need design, but do not have any enabling factors to take it past the superficial. Furthermore they make the mistake of hiring the cheapest designer or service they can find, often including designers fresh out of school.

A Supporting Role
It gets a little better here. Designers are seen as very tactical in nature. In other words, Design is seen as useful in articulating a required need. Here designers are found as part of and doing the bidding of established departments like R&D, Engineering or even Marketing. While much better than a supplier, a designer in a supporting role still suffers from working with down stream information, and have very little influence in the brief requirements. What is worst, is that designers will have to deal with departmental politics of diverging objectives, an awful design decision-making process, and many opportunities to rework designs due to changing requirements.

In a Functional Position
Often, strong designers with a great track record, or who have been in a company for a long time, will often evolve their contribution into a functional role. Here a young organization starts to mature in regard to their view of Design. Such functional roles are evident with a creation or the existence of a Design Department. Now on par with the other functional departments like R&D or Engineering, Design in a Functional role starts to really provide value to a company by having equal say in solutions. Even though you are now closer to the decision maker, you will still need to negotiate different environments to get things done, and have to live with recommendations as you may still have little say in decisions made.

A Partnership
This is probably one of the best places a designer can be in. In a partnership arrangement, a designer gets to be part of the decision-making process, as well as influence the business strategy of a company. With close partnerships, a designer has a lot of trust within an organization and his word has a lot of weight. It takes a designer with quite a lot of skill to be successful in this role as he has to frame complex design problems into a language the business can understand. It is not only about strategy, but designers in this situation, have not only established trust through good communication, but able to deliver the goods by seeing it through to the end. Here the design partnership will often have a strong team of designers that support its success.

Strong Design Leadership
Finally we end this post with the future of the function of Design within an organization, Design Leadership. With a strong partnership in place, the logical next step is for design to own the competence of design within an organization. Here the role of design is naturally very strategic, where design plays a part in high-level business discussions, or even the main driver leading key initiatives. Design does this by identifying potential opportunities and articulates solutions that are vital for a successful brand or business. It takes an organization with a very mature and strong understanding of the value of design to accept Design in a leadership role. Design has now gone beyond form, as it resides in the DNA of a company and integral to its daily operations.

Source:                     Design Sojourn 

Posted by:              Andreea Hirica
Posted on:              Contagious Ideas 

Paris Tweetup: Wed, 20th of May

I’m headed to Paris on Tuesday, leaving Amsterdam where I’ll be officially on vacation. While I’ll certainly take a break from work and heavy blogging, one of the things I’m passionate about (paid or not) is meeting folks in the social media space.

I’ve noticed that tweetups in the states and Asia are certainly quite popular, but these informal gatherings of the community of Twitter in Europe are slower to respond. I’d love to meet you in Paris on Wednesday, but I need your help.

I’m not sure where we should host it, obviously somewhere near a subway hub, and a place that can scale to a larger crowd if it becomes popular. It’s often at a restaurant or bar, but that’s not a requirement.

What will we do? Meeting folks in person that you’ve been communicating with online is a magic moment, nothing solidifies a relationship like in-person. Folks will naturally talk about their passions, online topics, and if you want, I’d love to talk about the future of the social web –my current focus.

If you’re planning to come, please leave your name and twitter ID in the comments below, and if someone can suggest a place (you can email me at jeremiah_owyang at yahoo.com) I’ll add the venue location to this post.

Paris Tweetup
Date: Wed, the 20th of May
Time: 7pm
Location: Update: LaCantine, they ask you to RSVP
Who’s coming: Leave a comment below
Agenda: LaCantine will provide some small snacks and drinks will be for sale. I’ll kick off a discussion about the “Future of the social web” but just to get us chatting. Then folks can split into smaller groups for dinner, as the evening progresses.
Tag: #paristweetup

Source:                       Web Strategist 

Posted by:                Craig Syms
Posted on:                Contagious Ideas 

Lynx Collaborates with Users

Since it launched over 25 years ago, Unilever’s male body spray, Axe/Lynx, has enjoyed such potent variants as Spice, Africa, Touch and Click. The latest in the huge portfolio of chick-hypnotising body sprays is Dark Temptation, a chocolate-scented variant which became the brand's fastest-selling new variant (see picture for the chocolatey chap who helped sales).

But Unilever has now turned to its customers to help develop its next variant, due to launch in 2010. Addressing a Market Research Society conference dedicated to youth research last week, Andrew Needham from research agency Face, shared the agency’s experience of working with a group of 16 young people on co-creating the next variant of Lynx.

The group, selected from Face's ‘Headbox’ online research community, came up with five potential names for the new fragrance, as well as designs for the can, press and digital ads.

Crowd-sourcing is becoming a huge trend for a multitude of brands. Last month, Campbell’s Soup threw down the gauntlet for customers to influence anything from new varieties of soup to marketing initiatives. Meanwhile, book publisher Random House in Australia invited fans of crime fiction to participate in a collaborative novel inspired by James Patterson to promote the Australian release of the author's new title AirBorne. Retail giant Borders helped spread the word out about the Chain Thriller.

We’re all for co-creation and crowd-sourcing and think it’s bang on brand for Axe/Lynx. But, it needs to be handled with care, managed very tightly, and isn’t necessarily the most appropriate route for all brands. What’s more, if it’s used too much, there’s the very real risk of consumer fatigue.

Read More:          Contagious Magazine

Posted by:              Andreea Hirica
Posted on:              Contagious Ideas 

Disposable Memory Project

Hi I'm Matthew Knight, you may remember me from projects such as TheVisualDictionary.net. I'm a Technical Creative Director, for the last six months, I've been working with the Endemol Digital team, and I'm about to join Wieden + Kennedy. My latest personal project is the Disposable Memory Project. We're leaving disposable cameras around the world in the hope that people will pick them up, take a few photos, pass them on, and eventually return them home so we can share their stories and images. We have over 75 cameras in 22 countries, three of which have returned.

Camera 76

Released on April 15, 2009 at ISO Design, Glasgow by Jon C. Returned on May 7, 2009 as an 'Internal Mail' camera.

Camera 73

Released on April 9, 2009 at Main Cafe, Frankfurt by Hanna R. Returned on April 18, 2009 by Nina R. staying in Germany.

Camera 38

Released on Jan 13, 2009 in a bar in London. Returned in April 2009 by Andrew G. via Cambodia.

Camera 47

Released on December 6, 2008 London to Nicky G. Returned in March 2009 by Linda G. via Cornwall, Thailand, Cambodia.

What are you hoping to achieve with this project?

The project came about as a 'slow movement' idea, inspired by sites like bookcrossing and dawdlr. We all take hundreds of digital photos constantly, but in truth, those images are more disposable that our cameras, as perhaps only one in ten makes the cut, or maybe they mean less because you're capturing every moment, instead of the important ones. I'm hoping that it makes people think a little about the photos they take and then 'dispose' of by giving the camera to someone who may never send the camera back. Or just a bunch of photos from total strangers. We accidentally managed to forget to release camera number 32 though - and there is currently a gap in the list of released cameras, so there is a special award for someone who suggests (and can make happen) the most unusual or remote camera drop. We're hoping for somewhere like the North Pole, although I'm not sure how many people wander around there looking for disposable cameras.

What have you received back so far?

As of the first anniversary of the project, we've received three cameras back, the images are all on the site, and we know of fifteenother cameras' locations. The images we have back are wonderful. The first camera toured around the Western US. The second camera spent its days in the Netherlands, and the third camera travelled from Cornwall to Thailand, Cambodia and back. We've also received lots of people who want to create their own camera drops. The project itself has only released around 30 cameras, but the other 45 have been created by the community.

Are you worried that you might receive several thousand photos of testicles?

A little - we had to explain the project to the photography lab where we develop the films. If we do, we could always spin the project off and create an exhibition around that topic alone. It would be an interesting if not stomach churning concept. We haven't had to censor any images yet - and I have faith in the community to create interesting images. I'm more worried that the cameras get forgotten or not used. One of our cameras managed to travel over 20,000 miles without any pictures being taken.

How important do you think it is that people continue to invest their time and energy in this kind of side project? Will the world of advertising be a better place?

Personally, I'd go mental if i didn't have side projects like this. It creates a bit of a vent, and the energy behind these sort of projects aren't commercial, but purely for the sake of the idea, the journey or the result, which is always important. I think commercial projects could learn a great deal from the objectives and criteria for success of non commerical activity like this. I'm also loving doing work in the real world, analogue over digital. I spend all of my day online for work, so my side projects quite often have a strong offline element.

http://disposablememoryproject.org/


Source:                   Contagious Magazine

Posted by:              Craig Syms
Posted on:              Contagious Ideas          

New York Times Reporters & Twitter: An Ethnography

I have always been intrigued by the issue of journalists’ transparency, especially when it comes to social media. Being a journalism student, I feel like it’s unethical to ask journalists to hide political affiliations and opinions just to ensure neutrality.


It makes me feel like by becoming a journalist, you have to agree to have the right of free expression taken away. I feel like it’s wrong to force journalists to keep part of themselves secret. That’s why I’m a big supporter of journalists being transparent. I would rather know what potential biases a reporter has so I can take them into account while reading his or her article. Because of this issue, I decided to study Twitter for my online community. More specifically I looked at how New York Times reporters use Twitter. I wanted to find out if they use it for social or professional purposes and if they were using the site to its fullest potential. I also looked at how transparency affects what reporters tweet.

Before I started researching, I was very against journalists using social media, with the exception of professional sites, such as LinkedIn. Even though I think journalists should be transparent, that’s not the norm for our society. I thought that reporters using social media would only lead to situations in which journalists would divulge too much information and be reprimanded professionally or lose credibility from the public. However, now I see that if used in the right way, social media can be a phenomenal resource for reporters and can serve as a means to help journalists produce higher quality pieces.

Twitter Potential & The New York Times
The social media Web site Twitter is a micro-blog that asks users to answer the question “what are you doing?” in under 140 characters. While the site allows users to post anything on their mind, it is much more than what someone ate for breakfast or where they went out last night. Since its creation in 2006, Twitter has done amazing things for journalism. According to Alana Taylor, author of PBS’s MediaShift blog, Twitter allows journalists to transform with the new digital age and develop an innovative system of reporting.

“In the past, journalists were confined to their words and research methods, all dictated by traditional routines. Now they can create new strategies, use different tools, brand themselves differently, and propose new ideas. Twitter has given them hope and direction to do this because it has given them a public forum in which to loudly speak their ideas. Twitter is hope for the future. It is promise of change. Twitter is journalism’s Obama.”

In 2008, Twitter became a source of breaking news for major events, such as the Hudson River plane crash and the massacre in Mumbai (Posetti, 2009). It’s a great tool for both professional and citizen journalists, and really for anyone in the media industry. Twitter is not only an outlet to inform others of important events and interesting articles, it is a resource to find sources and information and to connect with readers. Twitter is a space that allows users to connect with complete strangers more so than any other social media site. According to NYT Media Reporter Brian Stelter, he uses Twitter to read news, share stories, find sources and story ideas, ask readers questions and keep in touch with friends, while he uses sites like Facebook for interaction with “real-world friends” (Brian Stelter, Personal Communication, May 4, 2009).

From what I have observed, NYT journalists mostly use Twitter to promote their articles. The NYT itself has a Twitter account. Through this account, Twitter is almost an alternative to an RSS feed, with tweets of headlines and article links coming shortly after the article is posted to the NYT’s Web site. Reporters and editors use their individual Twitter accounts to share interesting news articles, or more often to promote their own pieces. NYT’s Investigative Reporter Don Van Natta Jr tweets: “A must-read: Raising Bill Gates in the WSJ. The importance of "the water incident." http://bit.ly/Owdhe” (Stelter, 2009). NYT City Room Editor Patrick LaForge promotes the “Talk to the Newsroom” blogs the city room puts together. “We added four more @CityRoom answers last night to Talk to the Newsroom about blog news decisions, tone, etc. http://bit.ly/3Mqti” (LaForge, 2009).

One of the biggest potentials I see for social media is the way reporters can take advantage of it to find sources. Through Twitter, journalists can publicize the specifications of the source they are looking for as opposed to making phone calls to friends, family or acquaintances to find a source that may not quite fit what they need. Sewell Chan, NYT city room bureau chief and reporter, used Twitter to find witnesses after an incident on April 30th. “Seeking any eyewitnesses to Lower Manhattan building collapse http://bit.ly/vnPw2” (Chan, 2009).

Twitter will also allow journalists to cover niche topics better because they will be able to find relevant sources and information by using keywords and hashtags, which organize search results. Because of the vastness of the Internet and the segregation that occurs in online communities, reporters can research niche topics very easily. Along with niche topics, reporters can use their Twitters as a medium for their beats. Stelter frequently posts articles and information related to his beat: media. This can be useful for readers who are interested in a specific topic. Instead of seeking out articles, they can follow a beat reporter, again similar to an RSS feed.

Through Twitter, journalists can quickly crowdsource information and get an idea of readers’ opinions. The amount of people journalists can reach through the Internet and social media is going to do amazing things for their ability to cover a story deeply and accurately, raising the quality of their reporting. With the scare over the swine flu pandemic LaForge asks followers, “Riding the subway less? Stocking up on Purell? How has #swineflu changed your habits? Answer here: http://bit.ly/TSPVS Please RT” (LaForge, 2009). Through this simple tweet, LaForge can get an idea of the behavioral effects of the pandemic without having to interview numerous citizens.

Apart from using social media for reporting purposes, Twitter provides an effective means to connect with the community. Before starting my research, I never thought of the potential Twitter had to connect readers with journalists, but it is a very valuable use of social media. The most obvious way journalists can connect to the community and still benefit their reporting is to use the community for story ideas. It’s basically the modern version of a tip line. Community members can contact journalists directly about issues or concerns instead of e-mailing an idea to the paper. Editors can also use Twitter to find bloggers or citizen journalists and bring their work into the paper. LaForge did this for the city room’s blog, “Hey NYC bloggers, anything cooking that needs a City Room link? We'll give you a shout out” (LaForge, 2009). This not only provides the paper with free news, it gives readers the sense that the paper cares about them and wants to help them get exposure.

Most importantly, as journalists connect to community members through social media, it will create a greater trust of reporters. “By being open and being transparent we have the opportunity to build trust with our readers,” said Mary Schumacher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s art and architecture critic (Schumacher, 2008). By learning about journalists through their tweets, the community will feel like they know reporters more personally and they will trust them more. Twitter helps readers connect with news reporters in particular because they have the opportunity to see the personality that they can’t show in their articles. They can add witty comments like Saul Hansell, NYT Bits blog editor, “#moonalice plan to save NY Times? Free bagel with each paper” or “I sneezed on the train in to Grand Central this morning -- and my entire train car froze in horror” from NYT Columnist Nicholas Kristof (Kristof, 2009). While these tweets aren’t newsworthy, they allow followers to get a sense of the personality behind the name.

Something that initially surprised me when studying NYT reporters was that they actually use Twitter to have conversations with readers. While in the past readers may have been able to contact reporters on more distant terms, now the community is able to talk with reporters in a casual, social way, creating a deeper connection. LaForge brought up this question to followers, “What's the best #Twitter app for iPhone? Seeking more features than Twitterific, Twinkle. Any of them have an easy retweet button?” (LaForge, 2009). He then responded with, “Followers' consensus re best iPhone app: Twitterfon or Tweetie. The first is free, uses standard RT syntax, so I'll try it first. Thanks all” (LaForge, 2009). Stelter embraces communication with readers, “Hello to 8000th follower, @apiary15, & to those who found me via NYMag. My feed's a mix of TV & media news/links/personal life. Q's welcome.” When I was trying to contact reporters, he was the only one to respond. Not only do journalists have conversations with readers, but they also tweet with other reporters. While typically, they would point out something another reporter would find interesting, Jim Schachter, NYT digital initiatives editor said to another reporter, “@thewrap Sharon: your reporting on this is lousy. I'm disappointed” (Schachter, 2009). Twitter can be a means for journalists to hold other journalists accountable for their writing and to give them feedback and tips for stories.

By following reporters’ Twitters, you can get perspective on the industry and insight into the reporting process. Kristof tweeted of the difficulty of reporting on a major outbreak: “Covering a potential pandemic is a tightrope walk. You must encourage concern but not panic, informing but not terrifying” (Kristof, 2009). LaForge gives readers insight into the editing process, “How we edit NYT's City Room blog. http://bit.ly/3Mqti” (LaForge, 2009), while Kristof shows the writing process, “Just finished Sunday's column, as our deadlines are Friday evenings. It's torture -- my topic, I mean, not the writing” (Kristof, 2009). Although readers may have previously questioned the way stories were covered, by learning the process they will understand why things are done the way they are.

While NYT reporters are doing some things right on Twitter, they could use some lessons. For instance,

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Posted by:                Craig Syms
Posted on:                Contagious Ideas  

Using Explosives to Create Art

Rosemarie Fiore’s Firework Drawings.

May 13, 2009

For her series Pyrotechnics New York artist Rosemarie Fiore created her ‘firework drawings’ by exploding and containing live fireworks. Fiore creates her unique, vibrant artworks by lighting and throwing fireworks onto a smooth cement floor, discharging colour over large-size paper canvases. To retain some control over the paint distribution Fiore uses cardboard cylinders and tin cans to contain the fireworks, and sometimes ties the fireworks to a large stick.

Source:                       PSFK

Posted by:                Craig Syms
Posted on:                Contagious Ideas 

10 Trends That The Recession Will Bring in 2009

We live in the times of continous rash. And its getting faster and faster every month, even every week lately. This trend started around 1965 and technology development in late 90' became a real driving socio-cultural macro trend - due to Cheryl Swanson's article on WARC.

This trend affects all levels of western culture and is rapidly infiltrating the developing world.
How can we measure it?
Twenty years ago, the annual US spend on food and beverages was $614 billion; $2 billion was spent on computers - a ratio of 300 to one. Today, that spending ratio is at parity. We spend as much on technology as we do on our nutritional needs and our lives have been radically transformed.

We find ourselves living at the 'speed of technology', ever more productive and connected, but also disconnecting from our biological rhythms. While we have managed to adapt to 'living fast' over the past decade, we generally feel depleted.

Most consumers have been operating in recession mode since well before the R-word was made official last December. They felt the pain of rising housing, gas and food prices and job losses. They reduced their use of gas and electricity (67%), cutback on out-of-home entertainment (56%), spent less on apparel (55%) and left their cars at home more (54%). After covering essential expenses, Americans are now saving whatever is left.
 
These behaviours are seeding key trends that should play a significant role in marketing plans for 2009.

1. IN A GOOD CAUSE

'Causism' - making a mark through the support of important causes, whether the discovery of resources, research to vanquish disease or planetary recovery - will replace 'consumerism'. People of all ages, genders and backgrounds will reconsider their place in the world - their purpose, contribution and legacy.

There are various brand implications. 'Cause marketing' will move from niche status to a more central place in brand communications. Sustainability will no longer be an option as cause affiliations become prominent for the next few years. Cause marketing, which has been primarily female-focused, will evolve to include men, children and teenagers.
Noteworthy examples include: Starbucks (Affinity card), Gap/Amex (Red campaign), Nike (LiveStrong), Campbell's and Revlon (breast cancer awareness).

2. FANTASY AS FUEL
Our fast lives are forcing redefinition of personal and collective tempos, so fantasy - spontaneity, creativity and daydreaming - becomes an antidote to technology. The ability to imagine liberates our creativity and leads to optimism. In the long term, fantasy and imagination will lead to new discoveries and collective problem-solving. Fantasy will ultimately provide the cornerstone to a restored economy as new businesses are reimagined, enabling us to live non-toxically.

Brands that liberate our imaginations and reconnect us with our creativity underscore this trend. One key example is Disney's positioning to adults. Through its ad campaigns using photos by Annie Liebovitz of celebrities in Disney style scenarios, it aims to liberate the "kid who wonders" inside of us.

3. ART AND THE CREATIVE SPIRIT
A renewed respect for art is helping to unleash our creative spirit by providing new ways to connect beyond social networking sites, texting, email and emerging 'fast' connections. Artists push issues that challenge and enlighten; creativity suggests possible solutions and scenarios.Artists are showing us how to reclaim our 'stuff' in compelling ways.
For example:

Sonic fabric: Alyce Santoro's voice- and music-filled fabric is made from reclaimed cassette tapes.

Sculpture made from newspapers, cardboard, plastic and cans by artist Steven Siegel.

Some brand examples include:

Designers becoming the artists of business, creating success through 'applied art' - as seen in the success of Karim Rashid's Kurv, Kone and Kruz vacuum cleaners for Dirt Devil.

4. HOME AS HAVEN
The harsh realities of the economic downturn are creating a collective need to refocus on things that really matter, rather than 'stuff', and on connections with family and friends. The doorway of the home marks the way to familiarity, comfort, joy and connection. Home becomes a heavenly haven through transformational elements that let rooms serve multiple functions. Much like an iPhone - which is a phone, camera, mini-computer, GPS and game player - rooms require multi-functional flexibility as we stay home more.

The implications for brands are significant. As budgets tighten, the design ethic going forward will be 'flexible reinvention'. A living room is for cocktails, but also a place where the family gathers for movies, games and reading; seating and tables must be reconfigurable. Bedrooms and dining rooms serve their primary purpose, plus other functions, such as home office. Watch for:

Low stools and benches that serve both as seating and tables.

Lamps with several settings and adjustable arms for different needs.

Sofas that reconfigure, breaking into chairs, daybeds, loungers or sleepers.

Room screens that instantly transform one space into another.

5. SCIENCE AND DISCOVERY
A renewed respect for science is burgeoning, based on a collective need to understand how to perpetuate and expand our place in the universe. While we explore inner space and map the human genome for life-saving tools, we are expanding to outer space to discover new resources. What was once science fiction is now just around the corner:

Harvesting hydrogen from Mars to convert into water.

The private sector is leading science expansion, which is fast becoming 'cool' in mainstream culture. Some evidence includes: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg promising $100 million to fund stem cell research.

Brands need to think beyond quarterly financials to focus on the big picture, by exploring alternative life forces that will propel us into the future. Why shouldn't Aquafina lead the search for off-world water sources?

More tangible examples include:


6. OPTIMISM AND VITALITY: 2D TO 3D
We have spent a decade being over-scheduled, staring at computer screens, tickling Blackberries and isolated by headsets. Initially, technology made escape seem desirable, but now we aspire to engage in genuine, three-dimensional experiences, versus two-dimensional, virtual lives. There is a desire for memorable, life-affirming experiences - to live 'full-out'. Businesses need to heed these implications.

Baby boomers want to 'live younger, longer', yet we see evidence of this trend across all age-groups. Everyone wants to be their best self and have the energy to engage in life through high-impact sensory experiences.

Five years into the blogosphere (which has lost its grass-roots appeal to megablogs) and the rise of 'fast networking' sites (Twitter, Facebook), people want to disconnect and spend time with others. Some brand examples include Ford Mustang (a high-impact, sensorial experience) and Liptons Tea (a healthy vitality drink).

7. Culture of mobility
Our fast, portable, global lifestyles are creating a culture of 'modern nomads', who metaphorically pitch their tents anywhere as long as they have their gear: mobile phone, laptop, grooming products and change of clothes.

To thrive, our gear requires multi-functionality, must be almost weightless, while our environments need to be free-flowing and without obstruction, allowing us to navigate unimpeded.mobile, portable, convenient, free-flowing, light, airy, weightless, global and multi-functional.

The marketing implications cross the spectrum. Interior designers such as Philippe Starck, Karim Rashid and Marc Newsom, and architects such as Rem Koolhaas, Richard Meier and Frank Gehry, understand that we need to create a modern global landscape as free from impediments and 'stuff' as possible.

Brand examples are fast emerging, such as the iPhone - not just a phone, but a streamlined mini-computer that fits in your pocket; and EZ-Pass, which does away with the need to stop to pay tolls on US highways.

8. Authenticity
It has been the socio-cultural driver for the past five years and shows no sign of abating. It intersects with several aspects of the culture, from the 'local' food movement to craftsmanship and heritage brands. Authenticity reflects our desire for the 'real' - no hype, no spin and no gimmicks. When money is tight, people want to believe in the integrity of the brands they buy, even if they pay more and buy less 'stuff'.

9. Time-honoured brands
The brand implications are paramount. Heritage brands are hailed by all generations as authentic because they have stood the test of time. Leveraging this historical pedigree in a modern, relevant context is the key.

Brand examples include the Coca-Cola Designer Series, which leverages the visual equities of the classic brand in a new context by being distributed at select clubs and lounges around the world. The iconic bottle shape has become a 'canvas' for contemporary artists. Burberry, mean-while, leverages its iconic plaid and logo across a rejuvenated, relevant product line. Levi's employs artist Damien Hirst to leverage the equities of this heritage brand with a controversial artist for a limited line of T-shirts and jeans. Shaving brand Gillette is passed on from one generation to the next, thanks to its longevity and record of innovation.

10. Budget

Read More:                Shaping Tomorrow

Credit Photo:            Corbis
Posted by:                Andreea Hirica
Posted on:                Contagious Ideas 

How Personality Can Predict Media Usage

Mindset Study Finds That Certain Characteristics May Provide More Info Than Standard Demographics

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Forget using focus groups and demographic data to find out what media your target audience uses. Go with a personality test instead.

According to data from psychographic-research company Mindset Media, personality is often a more effective prediction tool for media usage than age, gender and income.

Sarah Welch

"We had a hunch that people's personalities played into the kind of media they consumed," said Sarah Welch, Mindset Media co-founder and chief operating officer. "Demographics have long been thought to be [the indicator for] media consumption. Young people use the web and watch TV, for instance. But there are so many different effective ways to reach people ... using whatever psychographic your target segment has."

The study did include demographics, and those overall findings reinforce common notions such as younger people consume more new media, like the internet; older generations prefer print; high earners are most likely to read a newspaper daily; and women read magazines more than men.

However, Mindset execs said the real discoveries are the findings based on personality. For instance, people who have a lot of "bravado" -- who prefer to leap before they look -- are 50% more likely than the average person to be heavy consumers of all media. The same is true for people who rank low in "compliance" -- those who chafe at rules and may be sarcastic. They are 60% more likely than the average person to be high consumers of all media.

Mindset Media works with 21 "standard elements" of personality it's come up with, including leadership, openness, perfectionism and dynamism. Survey respondents are ranked in those attributes on a one-to-five scale. Leadership ones, for example, are follow-the-crowd types, while leadership fives blaze trails.

Mindset surveyed more than 5,000 respondents via Nielsen's Online Panel in late 2008 and plotted their media proclivities along with those personality traits.

And while the personality findings alone are interesting, the added value for marketers lies in combining those preferences with traditional demographic data, as well as other habits and tendencies. Taking all that information into account can sharpen a media buy, narrow down possible product extensions or just offer a better read on core audiences' attitudes and behavior.

Below is what Mindset found, in categories broken down by media.

If you do the following, which medium are you likely to consume?

Drive a hybrid car

INTERNET

The interesting thing about the internet is it's starting to look more like TV. That is, the internet is almost more of a mass medium than TV.

"What we're seeing is that almost everyone is using the web in some way. So in the aggregate, it's a bit more vanilla than it used to be, because it's so integral to everyday life," Mr. Durant said. "And more and more people are reducing their TV watching, so TV is actually less vanilla than it used to be."

Top web users rank high in openness, and to a smaller degree, those who rank high in bravado are top users, too. Those highly open people who favor the web are 153% more likely to always buy organic products and 104% more likely to drive a hybrid car.

Low-level consumers of the internet tend to rank high in dogmatism, and are described as socially conservative people who tend to look to a religious or moral authority for guidance. "People who are more liberal are more likely to have the internet as the most consumed media," Ms. Welch said.

Eat organic cereal

NEWSPAPERS

Finally, some good news for newspapers: Optimists are on your side. Optimists spend more time with newspapers than any other medium, and they probably recycle it, too. They're 51% more likely to go out of their way to purchase recycled goods, 34% more likely to drive a luxury car and 30% more likely to have bought four or more PCs in the past two years.

Dynamic people rank as the largest group of newspaper readers, followed by leaders.

"Essentially what you're seeing here is what TV doesn't have, newspapers do," said John Durant, Mindset manager-product development. Bravado fives, who can be stubborn and show a willingness to be sharp-tongued, are the least likely to read newspapers.

The strong-leadership group, described as people with strong decision-making skills and a preference to include everyone, read newspapers and also are 68% more likely to always purchase organic breakfast cereals and 61% more likely to buy three or more pairs of sneakers every year.

Have a large music collection

MAGAZINES

Magazines do tend to follow a bit in the footsteps of newspapers, with dynamic people again ranking as the largest group of readers. However, the second-biggest group of magazine readers is people who are very open.

Those open people, those who are willing to explore and are comfortable with emotions, are also more likely to try new foods, go out to the movies and own large music collections, Mr. Durant said.

People who rank low in diligence, or those who aren't goal oriented or self-motivated, also rank low in magazine readership. Introverts also were found to shy away from print in the study. Introverts are 56% less likely to vote in presidential elections and 34% less likely to own a car.

Watch movies

TV

Dynamic people don't watch TV. Neither do people who rank high in openness and leadership. Dynamic people, described as always on the go with a hectic lifestyle, are 50% more likely to watch less TV than the average person and are 59% more likely than the average person to watch less than an hour of TV daily.

Dynamic people are also 45% more likely to buy movie tickets online and 26% more likely to describe themselves as Mac people. "The lesson here is that if your core target is really dynamic, open and assertive, TV may not be the best place to reach them," Ms. Welch said.

So who does watch TV? People with low dynamism are 53% more likely to watch more TV, as are those who rank on the low end for openness and leadership. Those who rank high in bravado or are risk takers also rank high for TV watching. Why? Ms. Welch hypothesized, "Bravado fives are [people] who [don't] plan, so it's easy to see how [they] can end up sitting on the couch watching TV for an unplanned amount of time."

Click from show to show

RADIO

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Posted by:                Andreea Hirica
Posted on:                Contagious Ideas