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After reading an intriguing article in USA Today by Teddy Wayne about social media singlehandedly being the demise of authenticity, I felt inclined to comment.

This article brings up some valid points, however, since my profession is immersed in the social media space, I feel like it’s my duty to play a little devil’s advocate.

Wayne said that thanks to Facebook and Twitter, the internet is looking a little bit too much like Disneyland and that status updates have become less of a sneak peek into your friend’s life and more of a corny, airbrushed snapshot of your friend’s finest moods and moments. I understand that some friends may post status updates that are all rainbows and butterflies, but I’ve seen my share of irony, authenticity and sarcasm out there too.

Social media is all about expressing yourself and the great thing about it is, if you don’t like what someone is posting, you can delete them as a friend or block their status updates from your news feed.

Wayne also mentions the breast cancer awareness bra color postings that were popping up everywhere on Facebook a few weeks ago. I do agree that posting your bra color on Facebook isn’t going to help raise money for breast cancer and that making a donation or participating in a walk would be a much more sensible way to benefit the cause. I also agree that we should raise awareness for lesser known diseases too, but I’m never going to knock someone for fighting breast cancer and raising awareness. Although breast cancer is well known, it’s still killing people every day so I think we shouldn’t hesitate to talk about it through any medium we see fit.

All in all, I don’t think social media is ushering in the death of authenticity. If people are expressing their happiness (whether it is genuine or fabricated) or even posting their bra color to raise awareness for cancer, who are we to judge?

Wayne talks about the internet’s cloak of anonymity, and we both agree that the greatest thing about social media is that it lifted that veil. The enforcement of personal accountability is refreshing, as people will say cruel things when their name is not attached to their face and their real identity. And the fact that you can find your long lost best friend from grade school or your favorite professor from college on Facebook and not have to worry if it’s really them brings a smile to my face. Maybe the internet is a small world after all. 

So if social media is turning into Disneyland, I’ll be the first in line.

We know it can get overwhelming with all the apps swirling around in the mobile universe so we collaborated and came up with our top 10 favorites from practical to fun in no particular order. And the best part…they’re all free!

Kayak for iPhone   

• What is it? Kayak enables you to search for flights, hotels, car rentals and manage your trip and itinerary once you’ve booked it.
• Why we think it’s cool: The best thing about the Kayak is definitely the trend reporting. You tell it the flight you are contemplating on taking and it will show you what pricing has looked like over the past month and predictions for the future. If Kayak sees the price going down in 4 days, you can wait it out and get the best price. 

iLevel for iPhone 

• What is it?  iLevel functions as a digital level for all picture-aligning, table-building or any other leveling needs.
• Why we think it’s cool: We feel nerdy in the most awesome way when we are using our iPhones to hang pictures.

Writely for iPhone 

• What is it? The Writely online word processor lets you type and edit text documents on your phone.
• Why we think it’s cool: We’re commuters! If you take work on the train like some of us do, this app can eliminate annoying techniques you may have used in the past to bring your work with you. E-mailing yourself a Word file or uploading it to a personal storage device is a thing of the past. Instead, store your document within Writely and access it from any computer.

UrbanSpoon for iPhone

• What is it? UrbanSpoon will first find your location, then show you a slot-machine reel of restaurants. Simply shake your iPhone and the wheel will spin past surrounding neighborhoods and types of food until it randomly lands on something. Once it lands on a restaurant it provides pricing, phone numbers and reviews.
• Why we think it’s cool: It’s the most fun way to figure out where you are going to eat. UrbanSpoon solves the age old argument you may have between your friends, family or significant other when making the difficult decision of where to dine. Not to mention, it rescues you in those moments when you are hungry but can’t figure out what you are in the mood for. 

Google Maps for iPhone

• What is it?  The app knows where you are and will get you where you need to be. Click on ‘My Location’ and Google Maps will figure out your starting point for you so you don’t have to manually type it in. Google Maps is the simplest way to get driving directions or routes and schedules to travel via subway, bus, or on foot.
• Why we think it’s cool: Because paper maps aren’t. Google Maps is incredible solution for people like us who are constantly on the go and real-time traffic updates help you find the fastest route…how cool is that?

OpenBreak for Blackberry

• What is it?  OpenBreak allows you to post updates to Twitter, including a character countdown from 140 characters, one-click access to view friends timelines, replies, your favorites, your own timeline, and the public timeline. It enables you to post pictures Twitpic, yfrog and more, reply to tweets and mark tweets as favorites and even take a picture with an embedded camera.
• Why we think it’s cool: It’s just as efficient as using Twitter and it’s a great tool to ensure social media gurus like us don’t miss a thing…even when we’re on the go. 

Buzz’d

• What is it?  Buzz’d updates you on the most current hotspots in your city. The buzzdmeter ranks the most popular places of the moment based on real-time posts from Twitter and other social networks.
• Why we think it’s cool: You can rate places from your phone, earn deals, connect with friends and add links to your Twitter and Facebook. Technology married with fun!

Viigo for Blackberry

• What is it?  One click access to news, weather, entertainment, live sports scores and schedules, markets, stock portfolios, flight Schedules and status, movies, shopping, Twitter and more.
• Why we think it’s cool: Tell Viigo what you are most interested in and it will only show you news that pertains to your current taste. It’s perfect to use when you are stuck somewhere in line and bored. Plus, we’re all about keeping ourselves connected and informed.

Shazam for iPhone

• What is it? With Shazam you can discover and buy music tracks, share your Tags with friends on Twitter and Facebook and access the Shazam music charts to find out what’s hot.
• Why we think it’s cool: There’s nothing more annoying than hearing a song you love on the radio, making a mental note to remember to look it up when you get home, then forgetting the song by the time you’re home. Enter Shazam.

Slacker Radio for iPhone

• What is it? An alternative to Pandora that carries a larger catalog of songs.
• Why we think it’s cool: If offers a Premium account that provides you with unlimited song skips that sets it apart from competitors.

What are some of your favorite apps?

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post discussing a new trend in social media for the New Year: taking a break from, or even killing off, your social media presence. There were a few examples I gave about how certain celebrities and individuals were having a “social media cleanse” and not participating in social media for a brief period of time. There was also a service that I found that “killed” your social media self completely: the Web 2.0 Suicide Machine. The online service not only deletes all of your social networking profiles but permanently restricts you from joining them again. Since my last blog post discussing the Suicide Machine, there have been some recent developments involving the service; Facebook wants the service dead.

Recently a Network World blog (Buzzblog) posted a story on how Facebook has contacted the Web 2.0 Suicide Machine and informed them that their service breaches multiple terms-of-use violations. In a written letter to the Suicide Machine, Facebook stated:

It has come to Facebook’s attention that Moddr, through its Web site located at www.suicidemachine.org, is (1) soliciting Facebook user log-in information, (2) accessing Facebook accounts that belong to others, (3) scraping content from Facebook, (4) sending unauthorized commercial communications, (5) falsely asserting that Moddr has partnered with Facebook, and (6) infringing Facebook’s intellectual property rights on and through www.suicidemachine.org.

Web 2.0 Suicide Machine has decided to not list Facebook, or any other social networking sites, as “partners” but instead uses the term: “our target networks.” The Suicide Machine has decided to relaunch the service for Facebook and reject their cease and desist order. I’m sure Facebook isn’t thrilled by the Suicide Machine’s reaction to their letter… let the legal battle begin!

Who do you think will win this “David vs. Goliath” showdown?

We are now three weeks into the New Year and that means we get to look back, fondly or distantly, at 2009 and take stock. Again, social media skyrocketed and again Facebook led the way, more than doubling its U.S. audience from 54.5 million users in 2008 to 111.9 million last year. According to internet marketing company comScore, Facebook now accounts for 7% of all time spent online in the U.S. and it jumped up to the No. 4 ranked online property. Twitter was the fastest-growing social networking site, gaining 18.1 million unique visitors last year, up from 2.7 in 2008.

These changes may not be too surprising but what’s also changing is the way in which people are using social media, in particular those who use it for “quick conversations”, posting updates on Twitter and Facebook at least once a week. According to a Wall Street Journal blog, Forrester Research found that one third of web-using adults are these types of networkers, dubbed “conversationalists.” This burgeoning group is mostly women (56%) and isn’t just young people- 70% are 30 and older. The report also said that 70% of adults online are at least “spectators,” listening to podcasts, reading blogs, tweets and forums, though they may not actively participate.

Over two years ago, Forrester blogger Josh Bernoff helped create a social media ladder which placed users on rungs based on the way they interacted with social media platforms. Creators – those who publish blogs, web pages, upload and write – occupied the top rung while spectators and inactives took up the bottom two rungs. Back then, Twitter was in its infancy and hardly the force to be reckoned with that it is today and conversationalists did not constitute a large segment of users. As tweets have flourished, Bernoff noticed that his original ladder omitted Twitter users. His new ladder puts conversationalists near the top of the ladder, illustrating just how influential in the social media world Twitter users can be today.

Here at LMGPR, our team members use social media in a number of ways. We have creators, conversationalists and spectators. What type of user are you?

The 2010 Olympics in Vancouver are less than a month away and NBC, which has purchased the rights to broadcast the games, will look to top its coverage of the 2008 Beijing Games, the most watched in Olympics history, with a record 835 hours of televised coverage. NBC Universal and the Vancouver Organizing Committee are taking advantage of the ever-increasing social media outlets by giving viewers more ways to follow and participate in the action on Twitter, Facebook and blogs.

The Organizing Committee’s Facebook page currently has over 300,000 fans and allows them to participate in discussions and post links, photos and videos from Youtube. Its Twitter page is routinely updated, in English and French, with Tweets on where the torch is (it’s currently on its way west out of Calgary) and gives tips on activities fans can to in Vancouver.

NBC’s Tweets and Blogs page takes a different approach, polling some of the athletes’ Twitter pages and posting their musings, Olympics-related and not. Check out this Tweet from U.S. skier Steven Nyman: “Worst run in a long long time today. Almost went into the hausberg fence (Not a good one to hit) not cool at all. Time for a nap!” On its Tweets page NBC has posted links to athletes’ websites, videos and blogs and sends updates on the Games.

Athletes’ blogs are some of the most widely-read blogs out there and Olympians are no exception. Snowboarder Shaun White, skier Bryon Friedman and figure skater Johnny Weir write their own widely-trafficked blogs and keep their fans updated. Athletes often offer great insight into their usually private lives via blogs as well as Tweets and can often be humorous and witty (See Johnny Weir’s Tweet: “Going to the opening of my movie at IFC theatre tonight. Come! Then going to see Gaga. Exciting day! “Show me your teeth.’

NBC’s blog page is full of great reads on athletes- bios, features, results- and mobile alerts are available for your phone. Blackberry and iphone applications will be available soon via NBCOlympics.com where users can receive live results, video and news. Also coming soon, NBC will feature mobile tv, providing 24/7 programming of Olympics broadcasts directly from your web-enabled phone, for a cost of course.

For those yearning for something a little more in-your-face from their Olympics viewing, Panasonic and ESPN have teamed up to offer high-definition 3D coverage. Panasonic announced that it has signed up the Olympic Speedskating team and will broadcast the action from Vancouver via “truly immersive, blur-free images.”

With so many ways to track the events this winter, it shouldn’t be too hard to catch that blistering slalom run or huge snowboarding air if you can’t watch it live. And if you’re planning on tracking athletes’ blogs and Tweets during the Games, you may discover something you can’t see on TV.

 So, are you going to follow?

Undoubtedly, the tragedy in Haiti is not to be taken lightly. So, it is refreshing to see social media taking an active and positive role in helping the people of Haiti. Nearly every social media outlet conceivable has provided its members with an opportunity to donate to the cause.

Twitter and Facebook have had massive success in helping the American Red Cross reach a record $22 million. Yesterday President Obama’s first and only Tweet (thus far) urged users to help Haiti. The top trending topics for Twitter over the past few days dealt mainly with donations. One of the main messages that social media users are circulating on these sites is “Text ‘Haiti’ with your cell phone to ‘90999’ and your cell phone account will be billed $10.00 for the text, which will be donated to the Red Cross through your phone company.” Text/SMS donations for the Haiti disaster have been record-setting.

The social media response to this emergency is even more fascinating as an information and news outlet. Aside from helping to raise money for the disaster, social media is also generating greater awareness. Twitter has been recognized by the Nielsen Company, as one of the major sources of information about the disaster. Similarly, YouTube users are sharing some of the only video footage obtainable.

The Haiti disaster relief efforts put forth by social media sites and their users have shown us that social media has the potential to bring people together; not only for fun, but also when it matters most.

To learn more about the Haitian Earthquake on Facebook, click here.

To find out more about the American Red Cross SMS Campaign, and learn how to donate, please click here to visit the American Red Cross website.  

To donate online to the Haiti Relief and Development fund, please click here.

Remember our second post in our Sunnyvale Series we made back in October… about the never-ending construction of historic Murphy Avenue in downtown Sunnyvale? We have an update: construction is still going on. I know, not too exciting of an update, but there has been vast improvement in the progress of upgrading downtown Sunnyvale and we have pictures to prove it!

They did not implement either of our two suggestions of 1) creating a giant pool of water for gondola rides from one end of the block to the other or 2) installing grass and picnic benches under the shade of the trees, but the work they have done does look nice. We are excited for the progress and will be even more excited when they finally finish. Check out the pictures below from the view of our lovely Sunnyvale office.

Even with the construction, the one thing Murphy Avenue does have is great restaurants so come on down and join us!

Our client Filtrbox, a social media monitoring (SMM) innovator, has been acquired by Jive Software, a company that combines social networking software, collaboration software, and community software into the first solution to effectively manage employees, customers, and partners on a unified platform. Filtrbox is a Web-based service that monitors millions of online sources and delivers critical market intelligence based on user specified business logic. The Loughlin/Michaels Group has been an avid user of Filtrbox and believes the tool is ideal for anyone wanting to gain a competitive advantage in monitoring news, trends and competitors.

The acquisition of Filtrbox enables Jive to broaden the reach of their top-rated Social Business Software with a highly complementary technology. They will integrate Filtrbox technology into their Jive Market Engagement solution, which is the first solution to combine social media monitoring with the power of collaborative Social Business Software to implement a unified social media engagement strategy.

LMGPR applauds founders Ari Newman, Tom Chikoore, Patrick Cameron and the rest of the Filtrbox team on this huge milestone. We are also throwing a bone to Mayhem for being a great resident mascot

To test drive Filtrbox click here.

To view additional information about the acquisition, click here.

I know what you’re thinking, “everyone uses social media daily, how on Earth could social media stop in 2010?!” Well we know social media is an important tool used daily for professional and personal use. It has become a common source for social interaction in our society; however, some people have become overwhelmed by social media. So overwhelmed in fact, they are taking a hiatus from all of their social network sites. The best known example of a social media “cleanse” is with John Mayer, one of the most social media savvy celebrities in the world.

TechCrunch reported that John Mayer was asking his fans and followers (he has 2.8 million followers on Twitter alone) to participate in a “One Week Digital Cleanse.” The reason behind his detox from social media: “to ring in the new year with a slightly less chaotic mental state.” John Mayer believes that all of our interactions with our friends and family across these different forms of social media are causing our minds to become fragmented and scattered. He isn’t giving up his email or cell phone, so he is still communicating with people, but instead of getting small pieces of information through multiple resources, he’s communicating directly and greater detail.

Another service helping with this new social media cleansing trend is Web 2.0 Suicide Machine, an online service that not only deletes all of your social networking profiles but permanently restricts you from joining them again. TechCrunch broke down how the service works; it completely deletes your online presence and is absolutely irreversible. An example of how the service works is on Facebook it removes all your friends one by one, removes your groups and joins you to its own “Social Network Suiciders,” and lets you leave some last words. It removes all of your images and will not allow you to sign back into Facebook to reclaim your account. It means exactly what it says, this is social media suicide, not taking a break like John Mayer and coming back to your social networking. Drastic but effective.

So what’s with this trend in social media detoxing and deleting? Social media has been evolving into more than social networking; it has become a lifestyle. Some people have had their lives taken over by social media and now it’s time for a little break.

Will you be taking a break from social media in 2010?