360PR Blog

There is a little movie that has been getting a lot of buzz the past few weeks. Have you heard of it? The Social Network is about the life of 20-something billionaire Mark Zuckerberg and the founding of Facebook.com. The 360 team all headed to the theater last night to check it out – we loved it! And, we’re not the only ones. The movie has been #1 for the past couple weeks and is receiving Oscar nomination buzz.

Since seeing the movie, we’ve all been wondering how much truth is in the storyline? You see, the movie is based on Ben Mezrich’s book “The Accidental Billionaires” and on court documents filed in a series of lawsuits by Zuckerberg’s fellow students from Harvard. It is NOT endorsed by Facebook or Zuckerberg, who has been quoted saying that the story is largely fiction. The friends / classmates who sued Zuckerberg claiming that he stole their idea for the website may beg to differ.

Regardless of whose idea Facebook was, what is more important is simply that it was created. Facebook has changed the way millions of people communicate – 500 million, to be exact!

Speaking of Facebook, if you haven’t visited the 360PR Facebook Page, check out our page here.

Filed under: FaceBook, Social Media, Social Networking by EliciaBasoli - 3 Comments →

A dress made of meat, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, and a DJ spinning the hottest records of the year while wearing a giant, glowing head resembling Mickey Mouse’s noggin.  Only at the MTV Video Music Awards.

The annual awards ceremony isn’t just a celebration of the most notable music videos of the year prior, but a cultural phenomenon buzzed about as much for the night’s star-studded appearances and often outrageous performances as it is for the music. 

According to CNN.com’s The Marquee Blog and an MTV press release, Sunday night’s live airing of the awards pulled in the largest audience of any telecast on MTV since 2002.  Whether to see Lady Gaga’s sure-to-be outlandish wardrobe choices, or Kanye’s apology (if you can call it that) to Taylor Swift after last year’s infamous spotlight-stealing incident, a reported 11.4 million people tuned in to watch the drama unfold.  In addition to watching the show, people were also tweeting about it.  LOTS of people.  TechCrunch reported that over 1.5 million tweets referring to the show had been sent in the three hours after the broadcast began.  MTV helped drive the Twitter frenzy, implementing their own Twitter tracker (image above) into the show’s broadcast, aiming to make the awards a trending topic.

We can’t wait to see what next year’s awards hold.  If Ellen Degeneres has anything to do with it, it might include veggie bikinis.

Filed under: Digital PR, Internet, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking by SkyeMcIntyre - 1 Comment →

Founded in 2003, Skype offers a solution to astronomical phone bills resulting from long-distance calls.  It’s also pretty fun to use.  If you have a webcam, simply download the software, find other friends who Skype, and you’re video chatting in no time.  And did I mention it’s free?!

In addition to video calls (you can make free audio calls, too), you can also use Skype for sending files and instant messaging, making it a great tool for both personal and professional use.  Most recently, at this week’s CEA Lineshows, Skype unveiled Skypekit, allowing internet-connected devices and apps to use audio and video calls.  In other words, it won’t be long before you’re connecting with Skype on your BlackBerry, in your car, even on your watch.

In terms of its popularity, the numbers are pretty staggering.  Skype reports that at peak times, up to 23 million people are using the service.  It’s also responsible for 12% of international calling minutes. 

Even Oprah Skypes!

The verdict: RT.  In my opinion, Skype is one of the coolest services available on the net.

Filed under: Digital PR, Internet, Social Networking by SkyeMcIntyre - 3 Comments →

The little black dress has always been a classic addition to any woman’s wardrobe, but could you wear one for a whole year? Sheena Matheiken did.

Sheena set out on a one-year journey, the “Uniform Project,” last May to exercise sustainable fashion and raise money for children in India. Every day she reinvented her outfit with recycled and donated accessories, which were photo-documented and posted on the Uniform Project blog daily.

Through a very savvy use of social media, Sheena and the Uniform Project were able to raise $94,958 and send 263 children to school. Take a look at the video below featuring all 365 outfits!

Uniform Project Picture Book from The Uniform Project on Vimeo.

What are some other examples of people using social media to raise money for charity?

Filed under: Cause-Related, Charity, Digital PR, FaceBook, Internet, Social Media, Social Networking by Admin - 2 Comments →

Parents don’t let kids social network alone.

That’s the thinking behind Togetherville, a juvi-social network where the 10 and under set can hang out with their parents online and give social networking a whirl in a safe online neighborhood.

It’s free to join and parents create their child’s account through their own Facebook log-in. Parents can “play” with their kids online – hence the together in Togetherville – and can approve or reject friends that their children ask to bring into their neighborhood. Creator Mandeep Singh Dhillon told CNET.com that it’s all about creating accountability. He said, “Togetherville allows parents to create neighborhoods of the real people in their child’s life to be around their kid as they grow up online.”

Similar to Disney Digital Books, the site looks different for parents and children. And in this kiddie-size version of Facebook, your kids can comment on a status update using canned responses called “quips.” The site does let kids write their own free-form messages, but they must be approved by the parent before being sent. From the kids site, the games, videos and other activities are all pre-screened and no ads are allowed. From the parents site, you can send your kids notes and gifts, look at their activities and see what they’re creating. Kids also get passports that they can fill up with badges by playing games and watching videos on the site.

Let’s face it, kids under 13 are not allowed on Facebook, but they are joining anyway. And while there are some really nice things about Facebook, the perils aren’t worth the trouble that can happen if your young child isn’t supervised.

The question is whether parents will take the Togetherville step before letting their kids loose online. And, we’ll find out soon enough whether the Togetherville model even proves to be “safe enough.” Let’s also hope that Togetherville doesn’t turn into Addictedville and shut out important real-life experiences for young kids.

For now, it seems to me like a great solution for parents whose kids who are chomping at the bit to get online. It may just provide a valuable head start in teaching kids early on netiquette and the importance of safety and privacy on a social networking site. There is no denying, these sites are here to stay and will only evolve and grow.

So please share, would you use Togetherville with your child?

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Consumer Marketing, Digital Books, Digital PR, FaceBook, Marketing to Moms, Media and Press, PR Industry, Parenting, Social Media, Social Networking, Togetherville, Video Games, Virtual Worlds by Admin - 3 Comments →