Design

Net users are becoming their own reputation managers

With everyone becoming a producer in the YouTube age, self-branding ("The Brand Called You") has evolved from a fancy to a necessity.

Andy Warhol's 15 minutes of fame have shrunk to 5 seconds of microfame, and in the contained public arena of social networks, amateur paparazzi--thanks to the viral nature of social media--have the power to grant celebrity status. That, in a nutshell, is the thesis of Clive Thompson's poignant piece for Wired on the rise of "microcelebrities."

As Facebook walls make personal communications open to the rest of your trusted network, even your … Read more

Designer Ettore Sottsass dies at 90

The design world lost a giant on Monday: Ettore Sottsass died at age 90. You may not be that familiar with his work, but I can bet you that he has influenced just about every designer who makes the stuff you buy today.

As is typical of Italian designers, where the fields of architecture and product design are not separated educationally or professionally, Sotssas worked across the domains of office products, ceramics, furniture, tableware, glass, sculpture, and interiors. He was one of the founders of the avant garde Milan-based design group Memphis, who's work still startles twenty years later. … Read more

The shrinking brand: marketing in a small world

Here's another trend for 2008: From micro-loans to micro-vacations, micro-celebrities to micro-trends, speed dating to speed cooking: the "long tail" world of consumers is becoming smaller and shorter. Products, services, and experiences are being deconstructed in easier-to-digest, easier-to-afford bits, allowing consumers to collect even more experiences, as often as possible, in an even shorter time frame. Shrinking attention spans have prompted the rise of what Wired Magazine calls "snack-size media," and the hyper-personalization of online communication has led to new formats (micro-blogs, widgets, feeds, texting, etc.) that challenge long-held marketing conventions.

The emerging "economy … Read more

doof: Converging gaming and social networking

Doof, says company spokesman Devang Chouhan, is all about "playing games and meeting people" -- in other words: fun. The UK-based "social gaming" start-up aims to mesh aspects of multi-layer online gaming with social networking, providing a highly personalized and visually rich user experience based on the Flex technology.

Liad Shababo, founder of doof, explains: "When we came up with the idea for doof we quickly realised there was nothing like it in the market, and there was a real hunger among social networkers for something new. We have spent months working to perfect the … Read more

New Mac owners: Start here!

So, you were one of the lucky people to receive a shiny new Mac for the holidays. We're all jealous! But if you're reading this, you've probably already spent some time getting set up and checking out all the cool features and programs that come with your Mac--and now you want more! Out of the box, your Mac is loaded with cool apps to get you started on stuff like uploading and organizing your digital images, creating a music library, making your own movies, and surfing the Web. (You're here, so it must have worked!)

While … Read more

The iPhone Vices: iPhone as a bartender and as a gateway drug...

It's been a while since there was something worthy to note in this iPhone blog. The iPhone continues to perform well, even the replacement one. Updates come and go. I discover new features here and there, people still blog about it. It's just a part of regular life. People on planes still ask to see it. You can call the airlines to complain while you're on a plane. You can check flight statuses. Also, I've seen more and more women who have iPhones now too. This shouldn't be too surprising, after all with a million … Read more

In between years: Trends and snippets

Soccer and innovation: I blogged about " what Ronaldinho and FC Barcelona can teach you about innovation" before "el cl?sico" on Sunday, and, well, there was a certain risk that my bold claim would backfire. Madrid slammed Barca in its own backyard 1-0, and while I'm flattered that my favorite Fox soccer analyst Bobby McMahon is linking to my post, his comment still stings a little...

Monarchy 2.0: Queen Elizabeth has launched a new channel on YouTube--the Royal Channel--that will broadcast her traditional Christmas address, at 7 a.m. PST Tuesday. According to … Read more

Trends 2008: The end of marketing?

Robert Stephens, founder and chief inspector of The Geek Squad, contends that " Marketing is a tax you pay for being unremarkable." Does marketing smell bad? Or is it perhaps even dead? There have been a number of articles recently that question the marketer's ability to make sense of his/her somewhat wishy-washy role. BusinessWeek reveled in the "short life of the CMO," and McKinsey Quarterly provided some stats that reveal how much today's marketing executives are grappling with the new social media environment, arguing that "many chief marketers still have narrowly defined roles … Read more

Best Mac software of 2007

The year 2007 might be one of the biggest years for Apple in recent memory. Certainly a lot of great products have been released over the years, but none had the anticipation or the media fervor as did the iPhone. The new iPod Touch, the release of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, and the funny Mac vs. PC ads we're seeing these days only added to the hype with more people starting to "Think different" than ever before. With Macworld just around the corner and promises of new Mac hardware on the horizon, the future of … Read more

Stellar gifts for software Scrooges

If you're not sure what to give this holiday season, consider software. The benefits are compelling--here's a chance to connect hobbyist users with top programs they'll love, but may not buy on their own. Sponsoring a download for a friend or family member does you a favor, too, by avoiding the dense, grasping crowds at the electronics store and easing your worry that a boxed product bought online may arrive too late. Did we mention all the resources you save by ditching factory-made packaging?

Now that you're thoroughly convinced software downloads are the way to go, … Read more