iGoogle rocks! Now you can pimp your iGoogle page with the help of some amazing artists from all over the world.
Unreal. Look at the names. Look at the work. What a great idea.
To see all the artists, visit the iGoogle Gallery
Get a celeb to paint your iGoogle
6 JunGoogle Maps feature mobile transit directions
6 JunSo Google just posted this video to advertise that Google Maps now feature mobile transit directions.
The video mentions the directions are available in 50 major cities and users can select train, bus, etc. I think when they said train, they’re referring to the subway. If that’s the case, Amtrak Regional and Acela should be get onboard. The directions could list how to get the station and all of the departure and arrival times.
This is huge! Right now mapquest is the 8th most visited site frequented by mobile users. And now that Google offers transit directions, they will probably make the top ten. Maybe even the top three.
So take a look at the video and the Google mobile page to learn more.
Do you use the web differerently on the weekend?
6 Jun
Seriously, do you? Well, according to this article on Business Week people do. People use their mobile devices a lot more on the weekends and as a result, they use the web differently than they do during the work week.
The top websites people visit with their mobile are:
1) Yahoo
2) eBay
3) ?
4) Weather
5) ?
6) ?
7) ?
8) Mapquest
9) Craigslist
What’s interesting is that while these sites are in the top 10 for mobile, many are way down on the list with traditional surfing (home pc).
Love Free Tunes?
6 Jun
If you’re looking for some free tunes, then you have to check out Jimmyr This dude indexed google and created a search function that finds every MP3 on the web. Brilliant!
Britain’s Got Some Serious Talent
5 JunI first noticed this kid, George Sampson, last year. Seriously, the passion that this kid possess is sick.
Those Crazy Japanese and Their Insane Pranks
5 JunThis clip of an insane Japanese prank had me laughing so hard, I was crying. This makes Punk’d look lame. If someone pulled this shit on me, I’d seriously piss on myself.
Adobe’s Interactive Installation Is Tricked Out
5 JunOMG! If I walked by this video installation, I would be playing with it for hours. It effin rocks! Talk about bringing the story of Adobe to life.
Don’t get me wrong. Microsites and rich-media banners have their place. But I’m not exactly sure why a lot of ideas stops there. For some reason, many people think interactive and the web are synonyms. But really, when you look closely, interactive has the word interact in it. People can interact with installations. Hell, people will pretty much interact with anything that’s cool. Take street dancers. If they’re good, you’ll stop and watch. So how come advertisers aren’t pushing ideas farther and making them really interactive?
ibeatyou
5 Junibeatyou.com is a great social site. I first noticed the site when I watched a YouTube video with Jessica Alba. She challenged some users to a staring contest. It got my attention and it made me curious.
ibeatyou.com is a great social site. I first noticed the site when I watched a YouTube video with Jessica Alba. She challenged some users to a staring contest. It got my attention and it made me curious. Once I played around on the site, I discovered you can challenge anyone to anything. Cutest kid in the universe. Craziest stranger in the background of a picture. Best Korean song. The sky’s the limit.
AKQA’s Lars Bastholm has something to say
4 JunEvery person who works in advertising should watch this.
It’s long and it was filmed a year ago. But it’s a fantastic interview.
Now that people are spending more time online, how come agencies don’t allocate their budgets more to interactive? Who do agencies spend $1,000,000 producing a television commercial and just $100,000 on a microsite? And the best part is the art card at the end of the spot; it tells viewers to go online to book. If the commercial is supposed to drive traffic online, shouldn’t the budget be distributed better?
Some ad people embrace interactive. Others, not so much. It’s these others that concern me. Back in the day, the ideas agencies created shaped our culture. Today, users are shaping our culture and affecting what we do as advertisers. Users are smart, creative, friendly, interesting, funny, talkative, and powerful. To not embrace the medium is to turn your back on users. And when you do that, you might as well call it a day.
This is a great example of telling a story to drive people to the web.
U.S. Air Force Uses Mobile Marketing
11 AprGSD&M is using mobile marketing to push their “Do Something Amazing” campaign for the U.S. Air Force. They’re promoting the campaign at events and sending messages to bluetooth-enabled products as well by sending some text messages. This sounds like an interesting idea, but I’m curious how successful it is. Especially since only a small percentage of people will be able to receive messages.
euphoria meets holy crap meets badass 
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