Micro Persuasion

Bringing Editorial Calendars Into the Social Sphere

For years PR and advertising professionals have come to rely on the trusty editorial calendar. These are published and updated frequently by most trade magazines and some newsstand titles, newspapers and web sites.

You can find a bunch of "edcals" here, including PC Magazine, Variety, InformationWeek, Sports Illustrated for Kids, the Los Angeles Times (PDF) and American Lawyer. A few online media outlets have editorial calendars. CNET has a good one of their upcoming reviews.  Time.com has one too.

Editorial calendars break out some, but not all of the major feature articles an outlet plans to publish.  This helps PR professionals target their pitches to fit into these stories. However, it's really intended for media buyers so they can purchase ad space near very relevant articles. These are guides and the information changes frequently. Stories are dropped, others added. The information is usually part of a media kit. They tend to be sparse too.

There's a lot of room for innovation when it comes to editorial calendars. For starters, why shouldn't they be social? I would love to see someone take what Dell is doing over with Ideastorm and port that same crowdsourcing model to an edcal. This is another way to let readers have a direct say in what editors cover.

Bloggers, vloggers and podcasters don't have formal editorial calendars - nor do they need to. However, I am thinking that it would be helpful to those who a) receive a lot of PR pitches, b) allow advertisers to purchase space or c) both. This is a leadership opportunity for big blog ad networks like Federated Media, Gawker Media and Weblogs Inc to grab. Big media bloggers might want to consider it too.

In the interest of furthering this discussion (and structuring my life a little bit) I have published an editorial calendar for my blog. I am using Google Calendar here, but you can use any number of tools including 30Boxes, Outlook, iCal and Windows Calendar for Vista to do the same. You can also subscribe to it via RSS or view it on the web. It's also embedded it below. Right now I only have topics for this week listed. This is an experiment. Let's see where this goes. If it's a hit, I will continue it.

Note that the information in my edcal is sparse. I am not giving away my thesis or stealing my thunder. It's just a guide so you can see what's coming and provide ideas. Yes, it's a bit of a tease too. I admit. However, that's not the big idea here.

Hopefully this will make the PR pitches I receive more targeted and my posts more interesting. (I don't run ads on my blog so there's no need on that end). Pitch me via email with the word "edcal" in the subject or leave a comment below. You can comment on Google Calendars but I would rather it be here where everyone can easily react.

Further, I have appended/tagged all listings with the word "edcal." Now they are searchable from within Google Calendar. If you try this at home, use the same tag. That will create a giant searchable database!

Anyone else care to join me - at least for a week? Bueller? Bueller? Other ideas?

Become an Online Influencer by Modeling Tiger Woods

Photo by Craig Watson

If you're a golf fan then you know that this week is The Masters tournament, one of the four big majors in the sport.  I will be watching Tiger Woods closely. He's one of my biggest heroes. Not only does he have tremendous talent but he's driven to continually improve.

Recently, I picked up a great new book called Tiger Traits by Dr. Nate Booth. The premise is that you can learn a lot about success by studying arguably the greatest golfer who ever lived. However, as I dug into the nine secrets outlined in the book, I saw a lot of applicability for people who aspire to ascend in the Web 2.0 world.

Here's a closer look at the nine traits through a Web 2.0 lens. They are valuable not only for individuals, but also marketers who what to stay relevant in this chaotic environment as well as startups that are competing in a flat world where anyone can eat your lunch.

Identify and Develop Natural Talents

Tiger's talents for golf emerged early and is the stuff of legends. He started swinging a club at a very young age. If you want to become an online influencer (yes, corporate types too), you need to zero in on your talent. If you think about it, there are very few individuals who rise to prominence in more than one Web 2.0 galaxy. The more popular bloggers, for example, do not achieve the same level of success in say podcasting. The top diggers? Most of them write blogs you never heard of. Pick your spots and play to your strengths.

Create a Clear and Compelling Dream

What's your dream? Tiger's dream is to win more majors than Jack Nicklaus, who currently holds the record with 18 (Tiger has 10). My dream is that the chaos caused by new media will propel PR to become the lead marketing discipline. That's what drives me to blog. If you're creating content actively, make sure your passions come through.

Select Teachers, Heroes, and Teammates Who Guide, Inspire, and Support

Woods has a cadre of people who guide him in his game, personal life as well as his business affairs. It's commonly known as Team Tiger. Create a personal "board of directors" who help guide you. Mine includes my co-workers, family and also online influencers like Ross Mayfield, Robert Scoble, Dave Winer and others.

Be Confident

Tiger Woods plays to win and he's confident that he always will, even if he's down by a lot. I'm not always the most confident guy in everything I do, but when I blog I am. Most people who are  opinion leaders online are extremely confident (sometimes too much so!). When you blog, podcast, digg, create online video, be proud of what you do. Stake your reputation on it and others will follow you.

Manufacture Magnificent Mental Models

If you want to succeed in any activity - be it personal or business - you need to be able to "find your zone" to win. Tiger is known for having incredible powers of concentration. This can be tough at times. There are lots of distractions and detractors. Still, if you figure out what to tune in and what to tune out, you will succeed. Skip the gossip. Unsubscribe from the blogs that do nothing but spew smoke. Frown on distractions.

Let Actions Do the Talking

Tiger wins and that's all we need to know that he is a leader. The same applies online. Focus on your craft and your expertise. Don't obsess over your stats or Technorati ranking. Know what you cover and what you don't. Then, stick to it, create good content, do so consistently and often and you will succeed. The cream rises to the top. You will become known if you let your actions do the talking, rather than trash talking. The same applies for brands.

Constantly Improve in Good Times

The minute you stop improving, you're dead. This is why if you're in PR or marketing, you have to be dabbling with new technology constantly. After all, your customers are. Further, if you're blogging, constantly look for ways to improve. Don't take anything for granted. The same applies in business too. Tiger overhauled his swing twice in his career, even though he was at the top of his game.

Be Likeable, Be Grateful, Give Back

This one is huge. Sometimes people who become "web famous" forget where they came from. Companies get arrogant too. Everyone started at the same point. You have to give back if you want to succeed. Scoble, for example, constantly links to new voices and he's a downright approachable guy who puts his phone number on his blog. Tiger Woods will probably become the first sports billionaire soon, but he always gives of his time and money. That's a valuable lesson for every individual and company.

Rocketboom Seeks Alternate Revenue Steams

Rocketboom, the pioneering video blog, although quite successful is realizing that advertising alone won't sustain its future growth. According to a Marketwatch report by Frank Barnako, Rocketboom's Andrew Baron is exploring other revenue streams, including potentially charging for shows. Further, he views the show as a loss leader that is driving demand for other services like consulting. Baron is producing John Edwards' video blog.

This isn't the last we'll see of this. The problem is there's an economic conundrum. Advertisers want eyeballs and millions of impressions. The startup sites - even the successful ones - can't deliver so they need to explore alternative streams. Video is hardest hit here because it's more expensive to operate.

I've said it before and I will say it again. If you're a Web 2.0 site counting on advertising as your sole source of revenue, don't do it. Advertising is very cyclical. Yes, your overhead is low, but you might be ahead of the curve. The marketer's way of thinking hasn't shifted yet.

So if Rocketboom is facing these issues and it's a big daddy, what about Podtech and Podshow? Could a shakeout be in the works? I hope not. Further, advertising spending is strong now. What's the fallback for these sites?

Strike the Phrase "Social Media" from the Lexicon

With the democratization of media we've come to rely on a bunch of terms that are now completely unnecessary. These include "social media," "user generated content" and - my favorite - "consumer generated media." Do any of these matter any more? I dislike all of these words and have stopped using them. Eric Hansen proposes we go with new media but that doesn't quite work either. The reason is it's ALL media. The lexicon will hopefully change.

The problem with all of these balkanized phrases is that they connote that the content created by digitally empowered individuals is somehow bush league. It's like we're a separate entity from the rest of the so-called "mainstream" journalists, filmmakers, photographers, etc. who do what we do and get paid more for it. We sit in a special dish like leftover meatloaf so we need a special name. If you use these phrases you're unintentionally perpetuating that myth.

I've been chronicling the changes in media over the last three years on my blog and been in awe of it even longer. In 2004, 2005 and into 2006, as "we" became more influential, the phrases were helpful as the world began to take notice. But now, it's different. We've arrived.

In 2007 we have people like Rafat Ali and Michael Arrington who blog for a living and do nicely. We have startups like PodTech.net and vloggers like Robert Scoble that are recreating what Tech TV was unable to sustain. Are these individuals part of the "mainstream media" because they get paid to create full-time or are they part of the "social media" because they're more accessible? it all seems kinda silly, huh?

The fact is that everyone who is contributing to the dialogue - be it in video, text or photos - has earned the right to be called media. Let's can the compartmentalization and recognize once and for all the world has changed. We are all media - period.

You, the 2.0 Citizen, Is Time's Person of the Year

Well, it looks like we were off by two years. Compare the two images below. The one on the right was created by Hypergene back in 2004. The one on the left came out today. Eerily similar eh? We needed the two years. This is a shift that's bigger than blogging and citizen journalism.

 

Yes, "You" were named this year's "Person of the Year" for 2006 tonight by Time magazine. Citing the explosive growth and influence of user-generated Internet content such as blogs, video-file sharing sites and social networks and digital democracy, the magazine picked us this year Reuters reports.

"For seizing the reins of the global media, for founding and framing the new digital democracy, for working for nothing and beating the pros at their own game, Time's Person of the Year for 2006 is you," Lev Grossman wrote. 

More on Time's Web site: cover story, sidebar on 15 who matter, story on citizen journalists, the Web 2.0 boom, taxonomy and a Second Life piece. Let's give ourselves a big round of applause!!!

::Later: Josh Hallett has a different take saying the cover should read "Them" as in I don't know anyone who posts on YouTube. That's all them kids.

Edelman, Electric Sheep Launch Machinima Vlog

A few weeks ago I wrote about Edelman's first foray into Second Life. The second, a machinima video blog, debuted today. The Grid Review's goal is to deliver the best Second Life news. It's anchored by moo Money and Nylon Pinkney. It's open to submissions from all Second Life residents.

How TV Will Become the Ultimate Open Content Platform

Since the dawn of the medium in the 1950s, big media has had a stranglehold over what you watch on your TV. However, that's all about to change. A perfect storm is brewing. A-la-carte programming, branded entertainment and peer-created content are all coming to your TV in glorious high definition - all brought to you by the letters IPTV.

This is going to be one of the most important media trends over the next five years. The rapid pace of change will not only turn TV into an open content platform, but it will radically shift how advertising dollars are allocated and how the entire ad industry operates.

Despite the ever creeping presence of the Internet into every part of our digital lives, TV is still hanging on strong. According to a report published by Jupiter Resarch earlier this year, the two are neck and neck as measured in time spent - though the Net will eclipse TV soon. This will only accelerate the evolution of TV into an open content platform that more closely emulates the Net.

My own feeling is that both TV and the Internet will remain popular. One will not replace the other. From a pure viewing experience, big screen TVs clearly provide a more superior experience to watching video on a computer or a mobile device - particularly with the rise of HDTV. However, more and more TVs are going to connect to the Internet directly via specialized devices like Apple's ITV in addition to your cable or satellite box. With this, your TV open up to thousands of content creators, pro and amateur.

As we look ahead - say three years from now - TV viewing will become even more fragmented. But make no mistake, IPTV is going to make television even more relevant in our lives than it is today.

The open TV platform will comprise of four key sources of content: network programming via your cable/satellite provider, a-la-carte shows sold directly to you by networks/studios, branded entertainment developed by major marketers and consumer generated content piped in via RSS. Let's take a closer look at the prospects for each.

Network Programming - The TV networks, be they ABC, NBC, CBS, etc. or more specialized ones like ESPN and The Food Network, will continue to be a force in a more open, IPTV world. However, they will face increased competition from the very advertisers they covet as marketers produce their own programming and go direct. The nets will need to buddy up with advertisers to co-create branded entertainment programming to keep them in their fold.

A La Carte TV - Pay as you go TV platforms like Apple's iTunes and Microsoft's Xbox Live (an Edelman client) right now are experimental. Consumers like the option to time and place shift content and catch up on shows they forgot to DVR. However, a la carte TV will evolve dramatically in the months and years ahead. Studios will sell their shows to you without the networks. At the same time, the nets will use IPTV to test pilots - for free - in an effort to find the next big mega hit to put on the schedule.

Branded Entertainment - A lot of branded entertainment programming lives online right now. However, as TVs get a direct pipeline to the Internet, advertisers will invest heavily to create their own programming and bypass media. The institution with the most to lose or gain here (depending on how you look at it) are the ad agencies. They will have to transform themselves into hip, content shops that perhaps steal refugees from the TV networks and studios.

Peer Created Content - As we've seen time and again, we love to watch people like us. This is not just all about YouTube. It dates back to Candid Camera and America's Funniest Home Videos. The trend is evergreen. However, RSS feeds are going to find their way onto your TV set either from your cable/satellite provider or via IP-connected devices like Apple's ITV, Xbox, Slingbox or TiVo. The user won't know that the RSS is even there. They will be able to browse through thousands of shows created by individuals and subscribe to them on their TVs. Many of these will be ad supported. Most will be free. Some that are more successful will require micro payments to view.

So to sum up, TV is going to be fine, thank you. But it will look nothing like it does today and it will be open to all of us.

Who Has Been Naughty or Nice in Web 2.0?

The following is also my column in this week's AdAge.

Big Media's Been Scrooge-Like While Long-Tailers Are Quite Generous

Some of us are good at being generous, but many of us only start thinking about giving in earnest when the Salvation Army bells hit the streets and the holiday season swoops in like a winter storm.

What I have observed over the past year is that the more influential long-tail creators -- be they bloggers, podcasters, video enthusiasts, mash-up artists -- are extremely giving year-round. Not only do they pump out lots of great content (often without asking anything in return), but they are also giving when it comes to links and their time. They make their content freely available in whatever formats their audience craves.

Rocketboom, one of my favorite video blogs, is a great example. Come rain or shine you can bank on a new video to appear in your iTunes inbox every day by 9 a.m. EST. Every video clip is professional and interesting, no matter the subject. Rocketboom is platform agnostic; it makes its content available in a myriad of formats -- everything from Quicktime to Windows Media and even the esoteric open-source Democracy player.

The media, however, tend to be greedy. Every single mainstream outlet syndicates headlines and summaries rather than publishing full-text RSS feeds -- even for paid subscribers. They often don't credit or link to bloggers who break stories first. And don't get me started on the nuisance of interruptions such as interstitial ads and video pre-rolls.

So what about the marketers? Are they naughty or nice? One of the big trends we've seen emerge over the past couple of years is that brands are increasingly bypassing media and going direct to audiences. For example, big marketers such as Budweiser are creating their own video and distributing it online for free. Every marketer now can be its own media company.

Although some marketers are more blatant than others, most are not nearly as greedy as the media. In fact, they're emulating the long-tail content creators with whom they are trying to bond. Sure the brand is always part of the message, but the generosity is there.

As consumers become more sophisticated, they're going to tune out interruption in favor of getting access to compelling content. They won't care who it comes from, as long as it entertains or informs. The media need to emulate the long tail and branded-entertainment content creators if they hope to thrive in the online world. The early signs are there. CBS is getting a great return from posting ad-free clips on YouTube. Hopefully we'll see the media become more generous in the coming year.

ABC News Signs Former Rocketboom Host

Amanda Congdon, formerly with Rocketboom, has struck a deal to video blog for ABC News. She's also developing a TV show for HBO. Amanda makes the announcement here. Earlier this year she signed with the Endeavor Talent Agency. She will continue to video blog on her own.

I hate to say it (OK, I lie - I do), but I was right. Talent like Amanda's doesn't grow on trees. Further, both ABC and HBO are wise to be partnering with her. Even better, I like how how the networks didn't sign Amanda to an exclusive deal and that they are letting her keep her existing video blog. By keeping one foot in the community and another on the big screen, the nets will get full mileage from Amanda. Why? She keeps her vlogger creds.

A Conversation with Mark Cuban

Photo by Staci Kramer

Every other day, a new digital term is born. Lately, HDNet co-founder and Chairman Mark Cuban has been re-purposing the old piece of skateboard vernacular, "vert ramp," to describe Long Tail content crossing into the mainstream. I caught up with Mark to talk about Long Tail content, why online video stats are a joke and, no surprise here, high def TV. (This is also an extended version of my AdAge column.)

Q) In your post you talk about properties jumping from the Long Tail to the Vert Ramp. What about the reverse? Are there media properties in your view that will slide down into the Long Tail?

MC: I think that TV networks that can't make the transition to high def will, and there will be more examples than people expect.

I think most blogs, vlogs , podcasts, broadband TV shows that sneak out of the Long Tail, my blog included, will have a tough time staying out and earning more than minimum wage for their efforts.

I think follow up acts are 100x harder online than in traditional media.

Q) It seems like a lot of people down the Tail who aspire to jump on to the Vert Ramp are looking to advertisers as their great savior. What's it going to take for advertisers to begin to make big investments in the Tail or will they stick to the head?

MC: They will work with aggregators. Those who host the Long Tailers will get paid, those who create for the Long Tail rarely will.

The big risk to all will be the inevitable saturation of ad inventory. For the reasons you mention, everyone wants their slice of the advertising pie. Right now there is more ad money than inventory. That will change quickly over the next 12 to 24 months. The advantage may go to the diversified salesforce that can bundle multiple platforms. TV, search, net video, VOD, mobile.

There is also a risk, particularly for online video that the inventory saturation precedes verified numbers. Right now the concept of 'views' is as much a joke as people buying hits in 1998. Content providers game those numbers by the minute.

It won't be long till competition for ad dollars will require real video numbers and that could impact the strength of the net video ad market, or worse, turn it into an unverifiable throw in when bundled with other media.

Q) How is HDnet helping people down the Long Tail jump on the vert ramp? Is there enough HD content in the Tail yet to warrant such an effort?

MC: We don't care where our sources of content come from. We just want great content. We don't buy pedigree, we buy great programming. To your question HD content in the tail, its close to non existent. But the cost of HD camcorders is falling rapidly and PC video editing is already cheap. So it will happen.

Q) What about the NBA? Has the Long Tail reached the NBA in terms of where it finds talent, how it markets itself? How about the Mavs?

MC: No question. We search the globe for kids who can play in the NBA.

In terms of marketing, we deal with aggregators . That said, we will deal with influencers. The bigger value is in the movie marketing business. To drive box office or DVD sales, creating unwired networks of bloggers that can influence influencers is something we are now working on.  We aggregate different groups of long tailers depending on what the movie content is.

Q) Finally, how should advertisers be adopting to the Long Tail? What's missing from the equation right now?

MC: Advertisers have to stop falling for hype and focus on what moves the meter that drives their business. I also think that advertisers need to start thinking in terms of dayparts. How people consume ads at work is different than when they happen to be surfing or playing online after checking their email, or while watching TV after dinner.

They also have to look forward rather than backwards. I'm obviously an HD bigot because of HDnet and HDnet movies. That said, does anyone really think that highdef is not going to happen? That 30mm people will buy HDTVs in 2007 and be happy to get ads in standard definition, or will they expect HD? That all those LCDs hanging on walls will be connected to computers anytime soon or show Internet video? They won't.

I think the living room is becoming the focus of family entertainment again. People are gathering around their brand new 40" plasma or LCD to watch shows and sports and movies in HD. Its an opportunity to get an advantage most advertisers are missing.

Rocketboom Inks Big Ad Deal, Plots Paid Version

Frank Barnako reports from Podcast Expo that Rocketboom has signed an ad deal worth $80,000 for a week on the program. No word yet who the sponsor is. Rocketbom creator Andrew Baron also raised the possibility of a paid-version.

As the World Turns from MTV to ITV

The following is also my AdAge.com column...

Apple CEO Steve Jobs was at the top of his game when he rolled out new iPods and more last week. The big news, by far, is a product that will debut early next year. Tentatively called ITV, the set-top box will stream movies and television shows purchased on your Windows PC or Mac to your big screen TV.

Whether Jobs succeeds in his quest to turn every TV into one powered by Apple is an open question. Lots of companies are moving head-first into the IPTV space. However, what is certain is that the TV business is going to make another sharp hairpin turn that wil make your TiVo look like a UHF in a few years. Here are three trends to watch.

The Neighbors Move In

In order to succeed, the Apple ITV device and others like it will have to go beyond just streaming mainstream media content like movies and TV shows. Video on Demand, DVRs and TiVo already handle much of this quite adeptly. As high-powered video equipment, ultra wideband bandwidth and online storage come down in price, these technologies are going to become a lot more accessible to prosumers.  This will open the TV to everyone and drive higher quality consumer generated content off Google Video and YouTube to your tube. In fact, Jobs said last week that ITV will be able to stream video podcasts to TVs when it ships.

A La Carte TV

Pretty much any television programming delivered over the Internet that you pay for comes ad free. As PCs and TVs get chummy, consumers may prefer to buy certain programming on an a la carte basis. For example, if you could care less about NFL football why should you have to pay for ESPN every month as part of your cable package? Instead you can just buy a game on the day of the big party and be done with it. This might mean that certain speicalized networks will begin to move to subscription models and even eschew advertising.

Network 23: The Ad Channel

In 1988 the cult sci-fi TV show Max Headroom portrayed a future dominated by corporate-controlled television networks. Maybe they were right. Advertising is a part of our life. As more Internet content finds its way on TVs and distribution costs will come down. Don't be surprised to see all kinds of new niche networks pop up that don't require advertising support. Could there be an all-Ad Channel one day? Let's hope so.

Four Must-Reads from the Times

The Times has not just one but four good stories today about social media.

First, comes news that MTV is gearing up to launch a metaverse extension to their Laguna Beach reality show. On Virtual Laguna Beach fans of the program can immerse their avatars in virtual versions of the show’s hangouts.

On a related note, Nickelodeon, MTV's sister network, has launched a social network called ParentsConnect.com. It plans to also include video blogs.

Another story details how the tourism industry is coping with bloggers who have incredible power to sway their brands. Some are doing a nice job of embracing citizen journalism.

Last but not least we have a profile of Dogster.com.

Spinach Needs a Blog

Hang out with me and you will learn in a hurry that I love salad. I eat a giant one every day (weekends too). Yup, it's always filled with spinach.

So, needless to say I am a little concerned about the whole spinach situation here in the US. I feel fine and have largely avoided spinach like the plague since the news broke last week. Still, I am curious how the spinach economy is using the Web as a PR channel around this critical issue.

My first stop on my little fact-finding mission was the Whole Foods Web site (I love their salad bar). To their credit, Whole Foods reacted quickly and pulled spinach from their stores this weekend. Unfortunately, their Web site has nothing on the spinach situation and the Whole Foods CEO's blog has been largely dormant since June.

Compare Whole Foods' silence, however, with Dole's approach. They have taken out Google ads on different terms related to the E. Coli outbreak. A search for spinach grower's association, for example, points to this press statement. Kudos to Dole for using the Web and spending their bucks to educate the public. (Also note how CNN has grabbed some Adwords too.)

It seems to me that a situation like this is the perfect time to roll a blog - provided that you plan for it ahead of time. In the past I offered some advice on how to go about this. In the future I bet we'll see real-time issue blogs or vlogs updating us minute-by-minute on situations like these. It will give the public a place to voice their concerns and ask questions.

Tags: spinach

Meet the New Influencers

Paul Gillin is a former veteran technology journalist who has been chronicling the tech industry for nearly 25 years now. He is writing a book called The New Influencers that will be published by Quill Driver Books in the spring of 2007. It chronicles how individuals armed with Web 2.0 tools such as social networks, blogs, podcasting and RSS are revolutionizing influence.

Paul has put the entire book up online in draft form. They offer a compelling overview of how Web 2.0 is revolutionizing marketing, PR and journalism. I highly recommend reading them.

Some of the highlights include: in-depth profiles of PodTech's Robert Scoble, Doug Kaye from IT Conversations and me, an entire chapter on the impact of social media on public relations and last but not least a great chapter on how little memes become big ones in a hurry.

Social Media Power Players

The Wall Street Journal profiles the Moguls of New Media. We're not talking about the entrepreneurs here who created galaxies like YouTube and the like, but the stars who populate them. 

Vlogs and Video Podcasts Come to the Sony PSP

Video blogs and podcasts now have another distribution channel - the Sony Playstation Portable. According to Podcasting News, all you need to do is update to the latest firmware. The update supports video clips attached to RSS feeds.

Technorati Tags: PSP

Quigley Pharma Launches Vlog Starring Baseball Great

Over the past several days I have been entrenched in a lot of discussions about how pharmaceuticals can participate in the conversation. This is the most regulated industry of them all and - on the surface - there appears to be more risk in joining than not.

The biggest concern among pharmas is in how to handle adverse events. (Pharmaceuticals are required to report to the FDA if they hear about unusual circumstances.) There's been a lot of debate on this topic, all of which are summarized in this excellent whitepaper from ePharmeceuitcals (PDF).

To date, the FDA has been largely silent. They have not published any guidance on blogs. Still, this is not stopping pharmas from pushing the boundaries.

GlaxoSmithKline was the first to experiment. They launched a blog for their labs in France. Pfizer too has dabbled with Health Politics, a blog that is supported by their Medical Humanities Initiative. There have been lots of experiments in podcasting too. Both Pfizer and J&J have podcasts. (All of these above firms are Edelman clients).

Quigley Pharmaceuticals - which I am not affiliated with - is breaking new ground today with a new vlog hosted by former baseball great Rollie Fingers. The video blog - an effort to promote PainGoes, an over-the-counter pain reliever - focuses on sports, but stays on brand by talking about treatments for aches and pains. I like that the vlog doesn't just talk about the pain reliever. They found a higher holy calling (baseball) that will help them connect with consumers.

You'll note that the vlog lacks comments. Normally I would frown on this, but given the restrictions regarding adverse events, I understand why they have comments turned off for now. Hopefully they will find a way to turn them back on at some point or add trackbacks. This would be ideal. Otherwise, the vlog is not truly a conversation. It's a one-way message ... at least for now.

Technorati Tags: Pharma

Google Video Adds in-Stream Permalinks

Google Video in a move that ups YouTube has added a way for anyone to link to a specific part of a video. All you need to do is append the time in this format (#1m35s) to the video URL.

This is a significant advancement for video sharing and multimedia overall. I would love to see this ported over to podcasts and perhaps formalized under some standard that the mainstream media and individuals are able to adopt without going through Google. Add some metdata around these URLs and I would imagine it will become easier to search/tag audio and video content. This would get even more interesting if feeds begin linking to individual segments and not just an entire piece of multimedia content.

The Boom Heard Round Hollywood

The following is also my column for AdAge.com.

When Amanda Congdon unceremoniously told the world July 5 she was leaving the popular Rocketboom video blog, it set off a frenzy the likes of which we've never seen in the social media universe. You would have thought that Teri Hatcher was announcing her departure from "Desperate Housewives."

Between July 5 and July 14 (when I am writing this column), Ms. Congdon's exit from Rocketboom generated a staggering 129 news articles plus personal appearances on several major TV news programs, including CNN's "Reliable Sources." Of course, this event was even more magnified in the blogosphere, where it generated some 2,000-plus conversations.

Since she announced her split with Rocketboom, Ms. Congdon has been coy about her future. She did confirm in an e-mail, however, that she signed with the Endeavor talent agency in May. Meanwhile, Rocketboom wasted no time in replacing their star with Joanne Colan, who at one time was with MTV Europe. Ms. Colan will surely see a boost from this smart career move.

Ms. Congdon's departure from Rocketboom and her move to Endeavor will go down as the shot heard round the entertainment world. She is poised to become the first personality to parlay her tremendous online fame into mega-celebrity in the offline world. I'm sure her phone is ringing off the hook and it won't be long before we see her pitching products on TV.

The fallout from this episode doesn't end with Amanda Congdon. In the next six to 12 months we will see many talented writers, video bloggers and podcasters get plucked from their internet perches by the big talent agencies. These online celebs will be called on to help create or appear in movies, TV programs and, yes, commercials.

The implications of this? The talent marketplace is about to get flattened like a pancake. It won't take long before the agencies recognize that there's an incredible pool of untapped talent they can secure on the cheap -- right from their desktops. If they can identify the stars who will transcend the online world, they can resell their services at a higher premium to studios and advertisers eager to put credible people in front of the cameras.

While talent like Ms. Congdon's doesn't grow on trees, you can bet that a widespread hunt for talent is under way in the social media world and that the entertainment industry will never be the same.

Tags: rocketboom, amandacongdon