Mediaboss Marketing

The savvy Internet reader knows that you can't believe everything you read online, but on April Fools' Day we suggest that you not believe anything you read online.

Internet hoax time is just around the corner, and as our inbox continues to fill up with jaw-dropping press releases "strictly embargoed for April 1," we thought we'd put together a list of some Internet hoaxes past -- just to whet your appetite for what's to come.

1. Tacocopter: Tacocopter took the Internet by storm in late March, when a faux Silicon Valley start-up put up a website outlining a plan to deliver tacos via remote-control flying drone robots. Sound too good to be true? Well, it is. While founder Star Simpson said she wouldn't call her website a joke, Federal Aviation Administrationregulations prevent the use of unmanned aircraft for commercial services. Bonus points for faking us out beforeApril Fools' Day.

2. Gmail Paper: On April 1 2007, Google announced Gmail Paper -- a new service that would allow Gmail users to request a physical copy of any email message directly from Google. "Everyone loves Gmail. But not everyone loves email or the digital era," Google wrote. "Whatever happened to stamps, filing cabinets and the mailman? Well you asked for it, and it's here." Although of course, it wasn't. After a bit of clicking a user got to a page where Google copped to the joke. "As you may have guessed, Gmail Paper is not a real product or feature of Gmail. No, we don't plan on sending you boxes and boxes of your email in hard copy form." Wait, really?

3. Think Geek's iCade: The folks at the online super store Think Geek take April Fools' Day very seriously, writing several faux descriptions of products that are only slightly more ridiculous that the products they normally sell. In 2010 they came up with the wacky idea for the iCade an iPad cabinet that would allow you to play Atari games on your iPad with joystick and buttons built right in. But this idea had legs, and now you can buy an iCade for real on Think Geek's website for $99.99.

4.The IE IQ hoax: For one brief, glorious moment, tech reporters thought it just mightbe possible that people who used the Internet Explorer browser were actually dumber than those who used other browsers. A company called Aptiquant put out a study that seemed to prove it. The story spread like wildfire, until it was revealed to be ahoax. When the truth came out, the guy behind it all had this to say: "It was just a joke, and I didnt really mean to insult anybody." (Not technically an April Fools' Day joke, but way too good to leave out.)

5. World of Warcraft introduces Crabby, the dungeon helper: On April 1, 2011, Blizzard, the maker of World of Warcraft, introduced Crabby, a giant holographic crab that hangs out at the bottom right-hand region of your screen and helps provide advice and helpful tips as you make your way through Azeroth's dungeons. He's so awesome, and fake.

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Excerpt from:
April Fools' Day: Five great Internet hoaxes

30-03-2012 02:30 Social Marketing is the design, implementation and control of marketing activity intended to promote social causes or ideas within a target group in a society; a form of non-profit marketing. - created at

See original here:
Social marketing - defined - Video

Salem, MA (PRWEB) March 30, 2012

As we enter the second quarter of 2012, many companies have resolved to finally take the leap into social media marketing. According to Amy Grishman, CEO of Social Focus Marketing, "Social media provides smaller companies with the opportunities to market themselves in the same way major, global brands do. However, for small businesses with limited staff, the task may seem especially daunting as many questions undoubtedly loom. Where should we start? How do we start? How are Facebook and Twitter going to help my business? Who will take on the responsibility?" Here are five tips Grishman says will help any company get started:

1.Recognize the benefits and define goals. All too often CEOs and campaign managers are only concerned with how social media marketing will translate into revenue and ignore the other benefits. Often overlooked is the opportunity to connect with current customers and clientele, raise brand awareness and improve brand reputation, acquire feedback, crowd source new ideas and products, and the list goes on.

2.Join the following five networks: Facebook, Twitter, Google +, LinkedIn, and YouTube. It will only take a couple of minutes per network to sign up, and each is designed with step-by-step instructions to make the process as seamless as possible for even the most novice user. Companies skeptical about joining YouTube should consider that, according to Nielsen, 90% of all web traffic will be video by 2014. Taking advantage of the vast pools of Internet users who frequent these networks is essential, and companies should secure their names on these platforms.

3.Measure results. Although there are many platforms through which to track social media data, Google Analytics will provide a panoramic view of an overall marketing strategy. This powerful tracking software is free and will diligently monitor website activity, visits from social media profiles as well as other websites, visitor demographics and much more. This data offers insight into customers' activity, and measures the overall health of a marketing campaign, allowing a small business to rapidly respond to changes in consumer behavior, and to adjust their marketing strategies accordingly.

4.Companies should add social media links to their websites, blogs, email signatures, and business cards. Adding social media links in all the aforementioned places will help grow fan base in an unobtrusive and organic way. Once profiles are active, companies should spread the word to give their profiles an initial fan boost; letting their personal and professional networks know.

5.Outsource, if needed. Finally, it is important to keep fans actively engaged. Allowing accounts to languish will be more detrimental than not having accounts at all. If a small business cannot find time to log into their profiles more than a couple times per week to post updates, communicate with fans, answer questions, etc., it may be time to consider outsourcing social media management to an Internet marketing firm. For a fixed fee every month, one can hire a social media management team adept at engaging audiences and promoting brands effectively (most often this is much more cost effective than hiring an additional staff member). This team will represent a small business and provide sales, marketing, client/customer service, and PR all in one.

Social media is an organic and essential part of business today. Long gone are the days when people would see their local shop owners daily and stop by for a chat, but as the world has grown bigger, it has also grown smaller again through the connectedness of social media. Customers will be stopping by for a chat virtually, possibly from thousands of miles away, and they are talking about a product or service to someone else possibly thousands of miles away in the other direction. Small businesses cant afford to miss this opportunity!

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Social Focus Marketing Shares Five Steps to Help Smaller Businesses Build Their Social Media Presence

By George Winslow -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/30/2012 6:00:35 PM An extensive new analysis of the Trayvon Martin shooting shows that the coverage of the case on social media has "varied greatly" from the way it has been approached by blogs and the more mainstream cable TV and talk radio sectors, according to the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ).

The PEJ study found that "on Twitter, the conversation has focused on sympathy for the slain teenager and expressions of outrage at the killing" while blogs emphasized "the role of race in the highly charged case" and the cable news and talk radio "focused on two politically oriented issues-gun control laws and the Florida Stand Your Ground statute" in coverage studied between March 17-28th.

The full report can be found here.

The PEJ analysis found that the largest category of coverage on Twitter -- accounting for 21% of the conversation -- focused on outrage at George Zimmerman, who shot the teen, and calls for justice. In contrast, gun control and the Florida legislation accounted for the largest share (17%) of the coverage on talk radio and race was the top topic among blogs, accounting for 15% of the coverage.

"In social media support for Trayvon and outrage at the killing far outweighed any sense that Zimmerman might have been justified in his actions," the PEJ survey concluded. "On cable and talk radio, suspicion of Trayvon Martin was virtually equal to doubts about George Zimmerman."

The study also noted that the shooting was the first story in 2012 to surpass coverage of the presidential election in mainstream media, with the Trayvon Martin shooting accounting for 19% of the newshole between March 19 and 27, followed by the presidential election (14%), the health care debate (11%), Afghanistan (7%) and the economy (6%).

Among the cable news nets, MSNBC devoted the most time to the story, where it accounted for 49% of the coverage during the time slots studied by PEJ, followed by CNN (40%) and Fox News (15%).

MSNBC also devoted the most attention to the gun control issue. In contrast, "questions about Trayvon Martin and the defense of Zimmerman garnered the most attention" on Fox News, the study noted.

The study also documents how coverage spiked after the release of the 911 tapes and provides a detailed breakdown of how different media covered different aspects of the case between blogs, twitter and the cable TV/talk radio sector.

Not surprisingly it found significant differences between liberal and conservative hosts on talk radio and cable news.

See the article here:
PEJ: Coverage of Trayvon Martin Case Varies "Greatly"

Did Sirius XM Radio Inc. make a Faustian bargain when it decided to accept $530 million from Liberty Media Corp.to stave off bankruptcy in early 2009?

The New York-based satellite radio companyfiled a petition late Friday afternoon with theFederal Communications Commission, urging that the agency deny a request by Liberty Media Corp. that soughtto transfer several of SiriusXM's operating licenses to Liberty's control. Liberty owns 40% of SiriusXM and occupies fiveof its 13board seats.

Liberty's request, filedMarch 20,include SiriusXM'searth station licensesanditsterrestrial repeaterlicense. The FCC requires SiriusXM to have all three licenses to operate.

But SiriusXM fought back, arguing in a 24-page petition that Liberty failed to get proper signatures from the companys board for its transfer request.

This is the equivalent of trying to cash an unsigned check and explaining the lack of a signature by saying nothing more than the account holder refused to sign it, SiriusXM's attorneys wrote.

Liberty Media's intent, and the intent ofChairman John Malone, is unclear.The company did not state a reason for seeking control of those licenses and messages to Liberty Media's spokeswoman were not immediately returned.

At issue is whether Liberty's 40% stake in SiriusXM allows Malone to assume ownership of the satellite radio company, which last year earned a $427-million profit on more than $3 billion in revenue.

What's clear is that SiriusXM's last-minute arrangement with Libertyaverted financial disaster, allowing the New York satellite radio company to make a $172-million payment on its high-interest loans justdays before it was due in February 2009. The transaction also gave Liberty Media fiveof 13 seats on the company's board.

The deal also barred Liberty Media from trying to take over SiriusXM by acquiring 39.9% or more of SiriusXM's stock. That provision expired March 6.

Go here to read the rest:
SiriusXM fights Liberty Media takeover move