Filed under: Blogging, Branding, Business, Customers, Technology, Trends | Tags: Add new tag
For me, Social Media has a rebellious freedom that I find really attractive. Being part of the blogging world has given me an insight that has been pretty eye opening. Personal blogging aside [alot of ego involved there it seems] the more ‘technical’ big companies become [entering the blogosphere through smaller social media companies] the more I think the original rebellious freedom part dissipates….
It may be that as a consumer I am skeptical that this is another platform to gain access to my thoughts and manipulate their PR using a customer base. Lets be real here, the broader corporate market cannot even use the basic media tools very well [there will always be work for smaller companies like us] so how the hell will they effectively use a blog? Raw, direct communication [would you trust that? Comments can be removed etc...mmmm..not sure I do]
Sure I probably sound cynical, and I am sure that there are the odd few that have a good customer connection strategy that will make it work BUT is that really something that the majority are thinking or can do? I just don’t want to see a flood of crap from big corporates entering the blogosphere as consumers. Lets try keep blogging real!
Posted by: Candice
Filed under: Blogging, Branding, Business, Design, Technology | Tags: Funkthat, web, Website
WOW! We have been busy! Great for our small business but sad when we neglect our company blog! I have been blogging haphazardly on my personal blog about politics [so much 2 say there!].
We have been working [and reworking] our company website for way 2 long now! Just never seems right! SO we have finally decided to upload what we have, it will be complete in as much as your comments will be needed to almost finalise it! The reality it though, it will NEVER be complete.
So later this week we will take the plunge and push upload! Watch this space….Phase 2 will see a migration from this blog to our own….
Filed under: Design, Lifestyle, Technology, Trends | Tags: Design, mac, new
I am a slave to great design…and it is something that I have come to expect from Mac…
Check out this keyboard beauty…
Posted by: Candice
Filed under: Branding, Business, Customers, Design, Technology, Trends | Tags: Business, Funk that, New Year, SMME
The Funk that! team is look forward to a busy 2008….The start of the year sees a new ‘funkster’ joining our team.
Welcome to Suerel who joined our web team this week [we can finally get someone concentrating on our website!]. We are looking forward to your creative input and comments on this blog!
One of our core business goals is to make a real positive difference in any project/business we touch. This year in addition to our existing business, we will focusing on offering more creative support to small/medium businesses. Its going to be a gr8, exciting year!
Here’s wishing everyone a great start to the New Year. May 2008 be a cracker!
Posted by: Candice
Filed under: Blogging, Branding, Business, Customers, Technology, Trends | Tags: Brand Terrorists, Branding, freedom, web, Web 2.0
Sadly, a company I know recently experienced a small taste of negative Citizen journalism in the Web 2.0 world. I have always been pretty outspoken about being a Consumer Activist, but I think there is a big difference between activism [for a positive outcome] and Brand terrorism.
The definition of a terrorist is widely documented in our time. Brand terrorists are people that will go as far as stretching the truth [they often have hidden intentions] and want to hurt…. its more like sabotage. In the case of this company, blatantly untruthful inclusions were made in this terrorists ‘case’ to his minions. This is unlawful BUT fear drives company responses in cases like this, as anything you say could be taken entirely out of context and make the brand appear as if they are guilty, not to mention how many more potential terrorists could then mushroom up that would spiral more out of control. Most companies are unfortunately still not seeing how dangerous these people can be. They spend their time building a portfolio of negativity for your brand with the intention of ensuring they plant the correct seeds in the minds of their followers. Its about taking the corporates down…its about winning and its cheap to do. The only tools these people need are: a large network, a computer, a sharp tongue and a gripe.
So this begs the question is this right? I am ALL FOR freedom of speech, but this is a form of online ‘gossip’ based in most cases on shallow facts. Even if there is an element of truth to some of it, lying is something I cannot stand. Recounting your own personal experience is one thing, adding all the extra colourful ‘add-ons’ to keep your audience at any cost is quite another. Advertising on a site also does not help the situation, I believe some people use ‘gossip’ stories to make their site sticky and increase traffic, so this kind of thing can pay….
In the end these terrorists are bullies that end up ruining things for those using the web platform/tools and are legitimately communicating to people/customers and clients. You can unfortunately not discount them and they are dangerous but we need once again to find the balance. This behaviour chips away at the web’s credibility…..eish it always takes just one…
Posted by: Candice
Filed under: Blogging, Life, Organic, Technology, Work/Life Balance | Tags: balance, Cyber hippy, freedom, freedom fighters, Technology
For a while now I have been grappling with a ‘secret’ contradiction… I have a problem with balancing my quest for freedom vs. my love of ‘most things’ technological.
I often preach that the internet is the one final frontier left for ‘freedom fighters’, BUT I keep thinking that at some point there may be an ‘up-swell’ of people that will reject the world of the computer/intenet/mobile to once again ‘find freedom and themselves’… On one side I get this [and I may even join the group.. if I can bring my laptop and iburst!]….NO really…..it would be cool to sometimes just go into total ‘switch off mode’ [eeekk!] and run away from the world and its noise.
The reality though, is that technology has become such a part of my life [I can just hear some of you saying.. sooo sad] and no matter how I try to reject it, I simply cant. I feel isolated, cut off and insular without it.. far from free…
So that got me thinking, will we ever get to the machines vs. humans [ala Matrix] stage? Are we pushing forward to fast and hard…forgetting [in part] what makes us human…personal interaction? Part of me wants to throw off my shoes and run carefree [wind in the hair etc etc] in a green meadow with grazing sheep, feeling the earth ooze beneath my feet.. I am a hippy at heart BUT the other part wants to create, surf, dig and interact with as much new technology as I can get my hands on… can I have it all?? Maybe I should call myself a cyber hippy?!
In the end I suppose its about finding my personal balance in a world of high speed and change.. not an easy one….
Posted by: Cyber Hippy [aka Candice]
Filed under: Blogging, Branding, Business, Customers, Technology | Tags: Business, Customers, Technology
An article in the Harvard Business Review got me thinking about the ‘relationships’ that companies are building with their customers. It has become hard to miss [most brands have though] how necessary it is for companies to create an environment of choice for customers. Lets face it, the days of being tied into contracts for long periods of time [and still getting appalling service] are numbered.
Holding customers to the fine print, profiting from their confusion, ignorance and poor decisions BUT worse of all… penalizing them for things, is really no longer sustainable. In this country cell phone companies and banks are the worse culprits.
This approach is obviously very profitable for companies, providing things like guaranteed projected sales and great cash flow [and a lot more] BUT those sadly don’t benefit the customer, as poor service delivery is rife.
Today’s customers are more informed and NO choice is really the worst thing you can ‘offer’ in this new economy… it will leave you with REAL brand terrorists. Add the new digital tools available to the anger…. and WOLA you have an anti-brand revolution.
We have entered a credibility economy now more than ever and lets just hope that the SA brands start to respond favourably… Well done to Virgin Mobile for their approach…the revolution begins……
Posted by: Candice
Filed under: Branding, News, Technology | Tags: Branding, Facebook, Microsoft, News, Technology
AHH!!! Need I say more??
I know this is going to sound awfully shallow BUT WHY COULD FACEBOOK [so cool] not sell to GOOGLE [so cool] and do a little brand matching? Selling a stake to MICROSOFT [so not cool] is kinda sad. This is clearly a clever move for the license hungry [so not in the free space company]- Microsoft that is – [could this be the beginning of a new approach?].
Just hope ‘the deal’ does not impact my daily Facebook life otherwise I am out! I suppose if I was Mark Zuckerberg at the age of 23 [having only spent 4 years building Facebook] I be wringing my hands with glee with all dat munnnny!
