Have you heard the Bing buzz yet? Launched last week with the tagline "the decision engine," Bing is Microsoft’s new search engine touting a new more organized layout for search results, tighter integration for verticals like shopping (including Bing cashback), travel (including the Farecast technology for predicting airfares and now hotel fares), health and maps.
Government Motors, too
Speaking of new products, GM also launched a new ad campaign last week.
GM's "reinvention" TV ad began airing after the automaker filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The 100-year-old automaker launch a multimedia ad campaign to tell the public that it's staying in business. Slickly produced, the TV ad ends with "The only chapter we're focused on is Chapter One." Government Motors, reinventing something besides the wheel? Truth in advertising?
Once again we see another example of the impact of microblogging's immediacy. Tommy Christopher reported on his blogsite "Daily dose" that Twitter slew a print dragon last week within hours.
"On Monday, Playboy magazine published a story on its website called '10 Conservative Women We Hate to Love.' In the body of the story, however, the writer explained that he wanted to 'hate (expletive) these women, and assigned each of them a 'Hate (expletive) Rating.' I found out about it via Twitter, when one of the women on the list, Amanda Carpenter, sent a tweet (a public message) about it. I contacted Amanda, and wrote a story about it. That story was quickly forwarded to thousands of Twitter users, along with urgings to boycott Playboy. The pressure mounted, and by late afternoon, Playboy had pulled the piece. Twitter flexed its muscle again when Politico took down a sanitized version of the list at the urging of many Twitter users."
Twitter tip:
Because the stream — the flow of twitter messages (tweets) that moves down your homepage — moves so quickly, it's hard to travel back upstream and find interesting messages. If you don't go on Twitter for a few days, how do you find the good stuff you missed? Here are a few suggestions.
Twitter tip:
Who likes a deadbeat? Unfollow Tweeps who have not posted Tweets recently.
Just log in through Twitter and see a list of Tweeps you're following who have not updated their status in days. The next page will display a list of Tweeple whose Tweets have grown stale. You can then "unfollow" the ones you want by leaving the check box checked. Uncheck the ones you want to keep.
Politics
Wikio, a ranking of political blogs, is based on links from other blogs. The latest rankings show The Huffington Post at top spot, with the liberal Think Progress and the conservative National Review's The Corner in second and third place. Got a political blog? Where does yours rank?
Niche networking
Here are some niche social networking sites you'll like:
Hey Sports Fans!
It's SportSymphony, a sports social network for all you amateur and recreational athletes. Members can upload and share sports video and images, it helps teams find members and members to find teams, it helps coordinators organize sporting events, and it enables recreational centers to promote and manage sports leagues.
Virb is an action word.
The word Virb might not make it into a crossword puzzle, but it is definitely an action word in this artistic network where you can contribute photo and video media portfolios. Virb members share their interests in a simple online format with musicians, photographers, designers, artists and bloggers.
Let's Meetup!
My local 912 Project group lets members know when there's an upcoming meeting to discuss "The 5000 Year Leap" via Meetup. From Bar-Hoppers in Atlanta to the Web Content Mavens in Washington D.C., Meetup has created a place where local groups of any kind can organize face-to-face "meetups." Easy to use and very effective.
It’s hard to believe it was Eons ago that we were the rising generation.
Talkin' about my generation... Are you a boomer? Then Eons is for you. It's an online community targeting the baby boomer generation. Here's what it offers: You can stay in touch with your friends and make new ones, join or start groups to fuel your passions and interests, or play games, build your brain, and have fun! It offers photo and video sharing, forums, and health and fitness information specifically targeting the needs of who else? Baby boomers.
LibraryThing
What's on your bookshelf? This is a site for book lovers. LibraryThing is an online book club that allows you to catalog your books while connecting with other readers based on similar book preferences. With a community of 700,000 book lovers, Library Thing is described by one user as "one of the Seven Wonders of the Web". Connects you to others who read what you do. Bookmark this one.
Yammer
Simply stated, this is Twitter for the workplace. Yammer is an intranet corporate social network and productivity tool that allows members to connect and share with people within their company or organization. Get the word out instantly with Yammer. It's a virtual watercooler.
Epernicus
Epernicus is a professional networking site for research scientists. It allows researchers all over the world to connect and expand their network to help make advancements in their research. Biotechnology, biochemistry, endocrinology, dermatology, infectious diseases, surgical oncology, are just a few of the sciences represented. The motto: "Where Science Meets."
Disaboom
Disaboom connects individuals living with disabilities or those caring for someone with disabilities. This support network offers articles, blogs, forums, and health information on a range of disabilities. This social network provides shared knowledge about SCI, cerebral palsy, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, and other disabilities. Whether you're an amputee, caregiver, disabled veteran, or interested in exploring adaptive sports, accessible travel, or any other disability-related topic, you are welcome.
CafeMom
Over a million moms have joined CafeMom, a social network for moms and moms-to-be. It is a support network connecting experienced and new moms offering advice, how-to articles, and anything that you may need to know about being a mom. A great resource whether you're about to become a mom, or the mother of "teen titan!"