Open The Dialogue

Maybe it’s because USA just won (by an amazing goal at the very end of the second half), but I’ve been all over the World Cup this past week.  From New Zealand’s amazing tie with Italy to USA winning Group C, you just can’t beat that.

Nike got tons of coverage and attention for creating the most viral video ever on YouTube (if by some chance you still haven’t seen it – check it out here), but I’m also loving the digital installation that they’ve created in South Africa.

Basically, Nike has created a huge LED display in Johannesburg, and Chalkbot style, is letting fans from around the world use social networks like Facebook to send messages for potential posting.

You can tweet your message to #NikeFuture for a chance for your message to be on of the 100/night that are broadcasted across the display.  Go for it.  And go #USA!

Restaurant Chain Serving up Social Media

Most brands are navigating their way through the social media space and learning how to use social media as a marketing tool. This summer, a New York City restaurant chain is turning the strategy around and creating a restaurant around a social media strategy. Not only will customers be able to order using iPads and place orders at home, they will also be able to name their creation and post it on Facebook or Twitter. They will also utilizing Foursquare and additional social media tools.

The HTC Not-So-Incredible?

The HTC Incredible droid is selling like mad but there may be a bug that compromises the device’s security. The Incredible stores screenshots of the contents of your web browser occasionally – which is not abnormal for these types of devices. The security concerns are that these JPEG files are very difficult to get rid of – even after a full factory reset.

Get Mashed with Mashable’s SummerMash Tour 2010

Mashable has announced their U.S. SummerMash 2010 Tour dates and stops. The tour will be stopping in Seattle, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Chicago and New York City. These stops will include networking, sponsor introductions, music, drinks and appetizers. Tickets are limited to between 300 to 600 attendees.

Now Possible to “Facebook-Like” Things in Everyday Life

Facebook enthusiasts everywhere, rejoice! It’s now possible to take the digital idea of “liking” something on Facebook and apply it to the real world – with a fun new rubber stamp! The rubber stamp, which was created as a concept, may soon be going into full-scale production.

Apple Says “I Do” to Tiffany & Co

A leader in the luxury world, Tiffany & Co has joined forces with Apple to help make it easier for lazy and commitment-phobic men everywhere to pop the question. Their new application includes a sizer which helps determine ring size and allows users to browse different options such as carat size, design, metal, shape and setting and then view them in a true-to-size scale. These creations can also be sent via email, text, Facebook or Twitter.

At last night’s Feast on Good Event, hosted at the very cool MEET at the Apartment, I had the opportunity to listen to a collection of great speakers address the concept of innovative social change through the lens of digital.

During the beautiful presentation by Nathan, of Crush + Lovely, he challenged the audience to imagine an internet that was personalized just for you.   Does it look similar to the one now? What would you change?  He challenged us to move away from the standard cheers of big, fast and open and think about an internet that is instead small, slow and closed.  Small  in a way that is highly personal, slow as in thoughtful and meaningful, and closed in a way that enables more value-driven interactions that challenge the traditional social graph.

Fitting nicely within this concept, although maybe a bit differently than he originally intended, is one of the platforms presented during these talks:

Catchafire, is an organization that is working to enhance (and save) the volunteer experience by helping non-profits scope much-needed work and access skilled volunteers.  By charging non-profits a small fee to participate, Catchafire slows down the process and helps these groups think about what will truly be valuable.  Rachael, the founder of Catchafire, spent her talk discussing the hidden dangers of “free” for non-profits.  Free stuff, free bodies, free services – these things often have unintended costs (staff time for management, organization, maintenance of Free) and can distract non-profits from their primary goals and needs.   Using a process that is a bit more tailored, a bit more methodical, Catchafire is able to help non-profits connect with a tailored group of volunteers who can serve specific purposes.

In a similar vein, by using LinkedIn profiles, the organization easily identifies volunteers’ skill sets and offers up personally tailored opportunities.  This makes the volunteer experience more meaningful, as volunteers are doing projects that they find interesting and that fit their skills.  This thoughtful approach ensures a more positive volunteer experience – hopefully encouraging more participation in the future.

The platform interrupts typical behavior (both on the volunteer and non-profit side), provides personalized content, and fosters off-line connection.  I know that I, for one, am looking forward to volunteering through them.

As rumored, Steve Jobs unveiled the newest generation of the iPhone during his keynote at Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference today. The new phone, which has dropped “phone” from its name and is now referred to as iOS 4, will be available for pre-order on 6/21 and in stores on 6/24.

The controversial Gizmodo leak in April got it right in terms of its design. The iOS 4 will include glass on the front and back for a more scratch (and fingerprint) resistant surface and stainless steel around the newly squared sides. Apple’s new phone is thinner than its predecessors, features two camera lenses and an LED flash, as well as 326 pixels per inch and a 3 axis gyroscope to help with tracking on its GPS sensor. The new phone will have HD video recording capabilities (720p quality) and users will be able to edit video on the phone.

What does this all mean?

Apple is hoping that it means they have changed the playing field again. And I, an Apple-obsessed user, agree that it will change the way we communicate forever because it will up the ante on our expectations of what we think our phones should be capable of. Soon we won’t be calling them “smartphones,” they’ll all be just phones as consumer expectations continue to dictate the course of technology.

All of these specs (available in their entirety here) and highly technological language shake out to a much better battery life (think: 7 hours of talk time, 6 hours of 3G web browsing and 10 hours of WiFi browsing, as well as 10 hours of video, 40 hours of music, and 300 hours of standby); video chatting; multitasking and folder organized applications; better telephone connection; faster internet; insanely clear and crisp images, and better GPS. Oh, and voice control. And photo and video geotagging.

Come June 24th, we’ll be able to geotag our pictures (can we say Foursquare integration in the near future?) on Twitter and our videos on Facebook. We’ll be able to video chat with our friends in Ohio for some quality face time and then show the same friends what we’re seeing around us – while still chatting. The new phone will undoubtedly give rise to a new generation of social networking platforms as well as push our stand-by favorites (Twitter and Facebook, we heart you) to come up with new functions to integrate with the ever changing mobile technology landscape.

Endgadget has a great slideshow of Steve Jobs’ keynote with pictures of the iOS 4’s new features (of which there are 1,500 in total), as well as clips from the promotional videos.

Zuckerberg’s “Nixon Moment”

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg sat down with All Thing’s Digital’s Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher to discuss the buzz surrounding the recent Facebook privacy settings changes. This site includes the video where Zuckerberg appears to be under immense pressure and it’s showing with his demeanor.

B2B is the Newest Frontier for Social Media

While many B2B companies have been a bit slow to the social media game, they’re starting to pick up on the discipline and the industry is now expected to explode with new B2B opportunities by 2014.

Lego Is Clicking Together Well With Social Media

Lego gambled on digital and social media in 2009 and the result was viral. Lego successfully leveraged their brand to garner nearly 2 million views of their film “Click.”

Questions Every Social Media Firm Needs to Know

This comprehensive list of social media questions covers everything from monitoring practices to reputation management and questions on values. This list is a must-read for any brand looking to hire someone for social media.