Archive for Fun

Twitter’s 140-character limit not enough? Try Woofer’s 1,400-character minimum

August 25th, 2009 • Fun, Publishing
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For anyone too garrulous for Twitter, please meet Twitter’s evil twin: the macroblogging site, Woofer.

While Twitter limits users to 140 characters per tweet, Woofer requires each post to have a minimum of 1,400 characters. Similar to Twitter, Woofer counts down the amount of characters you have inputted with a big number at the top right of the screen. But you’re not allowed to post anything until you hit 1,400, according to Network World.

While Woofer claims no affliation with Twitter, Woofer’s user interface is near identical to Twitter. Woofer challenges users to post a 1,400 minimum character requirement for public posts and see what people did with it. The site instructs users to “Be eloquent, use adverbs and DEA (don’t ever abbreviate).”

The farcical Web site is run by Join the Company, a small company in Washington, D.C., which specializes in launching “entertaining websites that change the way people use the Internet.”

For the most part, it appears “copy and paste” is the preferred method of Woofer users to reach 1,400 words. Some of the first woofs reached the minimum by reciting the opening paragraphs of Moby Dick, the Gettysburg Address and the Old Testament.

As of Tuesday morning, 1720 users had posted 2059 “woofs” –for a whopping total of 39,683,934 characters. If you’re wondering, that’s about 20,000 characters per woof.

Some of My Favorite Things: Musical Flash Mobs Brighten My Day

August 24th, 2009 • Fun, Industry News, Uncategorized
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Let’s face it: I’m tired of people being mean online.

I’m tired of the cynicism of Perez Hilton’s blog, the overexposure of pseudo-celebrities tweeting, and just the overall schadenfreude of the online culture. Now granted, I do admit that I snicker at the occasional YouTube video that features the celebrity flavor-of-the-month falling on her face, but sometimes I miss the cheesy innocence of how entertainment used to be (“The Cosby Show” anyone?). When did everyone get to be so mean?

At the risk of sounding really, really old, I miss the sweet innocence of the good old-fashioned musical. Yes, I like the predictable “boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl-through-a series-of-mishaps-and-misunderstandings, and boy-gets-girl” formula. Don’t waste my time with thinly-veiled political message musicals; I love the saccharine Rodgers and Hammerstein dreams-can-come-true musicals. I am a romantic at heart.

So that’s why I love the YouTube sensation “Break Out in Song.” Break Out in Song is a New York arts organization that unexpectedly performs musical theater selections in outdoor public spaces. By combining flash mobs and YouTube with some song and dance, Break Out in Song brings Broadway to the street and surprises random onlookers to a free show. Its guerilla-style performances show us what it might be like if everyone actually knew the words to songs… and the dance moves.

So, is someone going to strip away my social media “cool” card because I openly admit that I really like Break Out in Song’s impromptu bursts of musical happiness? Go ahead. I’m tired of online bullies who endlessly spew venom to entertain legions of anonymous online fans. I want to bring “nice” back to social media*. Social media should be about connecting with others, building up others instead of knocking them down, and sharing in a way that helps others. Because, quite honestly, these are a few of my favorite things.
*Granted, there are major exceptions, such as war, poverty, political and social inequities, etc, but bear with me because I’m only focusing on “entertainment” here. Those other important and serious issues should be addressed separately in a different forum.

What’s Your Social Media Mojo?

August 14th, 2009 • Fun, Industry News, Tools & Resources
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To launch their new home page, Yahoo! has created a fun word of mouth promotion called “Know Your Mojo” that uses Yahoo uses an algorithm to analyze your tweeting behavior. Once you’ve received the result, you can tweet your result, update your FB status and also receive ideas for new content to add to your personalized Yahoo! homepage.

Ranging from “Name Dropper” to “Wallflower,” the app makes conclusions about your tweeting behavior. So, what about my (lynneastep) social mojo? According to the result, my social mojo is “BFF”: “Your volume of @replies makes you everybody’s best bud.” Accurate? Well, I am pretty friendly if I do say so myself.

Though the “secret algorithm” is facetious (it’s about as scientific as a Cosmo quiz), it’s a fun way to spark word of mouth about their new homepage.

What is com.motion?

com.municate + com.mit + com.pel = com.motion

com.motion [kuh-moh-shuhn] is a full-service, integrated social media and word of mouth (WOM) agency. We use social media channels and traditional marketing tools to drive bottom-line results. com.motion helps businesses and brands amplify their marketing messages through the effective use of online communications channels in the U.S. and Canada.

To learn more about how we can help your brand or organization, contact us.

Leadership Team

Lynn Eastep
Senior Vice-President, com.motion North America

With more than 15 years of digital communications experience, I've delivered award-winning and sophisticated marketing solutions for Fortune 500 corporations, major government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and household-name consumer brands. I ensure the successful execution of digital and social media business strategies to build profitability and grow market share on behalf of our clients. I stay abreast of relevant new technologies in the Web 2.0/social media space in order to contribute a point of view while remaining focused on ROI to drive the right message to the right people at the right time.

I'm connected to the industry and trends, intuitive about people, a strategic thinker with intense curiosity, an eclectic user of information, and an engaging storyteller with strong interpersonal skills. I’m a team player who is passionate, curious, positive, and courageous. I have provided senior-level strategic counsel for clients such as Nestle, Bayer, AT&T and Visa.

eastep [at] causeacommotion.com


Ed Lee
Managing Director, com.motion Canada

I’ve been working in or around the social media revolution since 2005 and I am grateful to be exploring this new media landscape with com.motion’s clients. As managing director, my role is to guide our clients through the use of new technologies and to provide innovative ways to engage their stakeholders online. Shiny new Web 2.0 toys are great to play with but our recommendations are always strategic and focused on reaching the right people, with the right message across the right channels.

lee [at] causeacommotion.com

I was interviewed with Bob Pearson on BNN about the importance of social media for business. Watch the video here:


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