Getting Granular: The DigitalGrit Blog

For the Sake of Good Bloggers: Rubel Backs Out of Hogwash

Steve Rubel has withdrawn as a judge in DailyHogwash in response to Andy Beal's criticism (see our previous post on DailyHogwash):

Andy, you are so right. The Everyday Hogwash contest plays into “online lynch mob” meme that I have been trying to refute. I am going to back out as a judge. It's simply not consistent with how I feel about the overall balance of the blogosphere.

Fair enough. I admire Steve and Andy's convictions - and subscribe to them, as well. But I still think this is great use of blog marketing. I only wish they'd chosen a more positive topic for their entries!

For the Sake of Good Bloggers: Rubel Backs Out of Hogwash

Steve Rubel has withdrawn as a judge in DailyHogwash in response to Andy Beal's criticism (see our previous post on DailyHogwash):

Andy, you are so right. The Everyday Hogwash contest plays into “online lynch mob” meme that I have been trying to refute. I am going to back out as a judge. It's simply not consistent with how I feel about the overall balance of the blogosphere.

Fair enough. I admire Steve and Andy's convictions - and subscribe to them, as well. But I still think this is great use of blog marketing. I only wish they'd chosen a more positive topic for their entries!

SunRocket’s EverydayHogwash: Encouraging You to Bash Bad Companies on Your Blog… And Doing Some Kickass Blog Marketing While They’re At It. (Is That Wrong?)

*The volume is about to increase.*

SunRocket, a VoIP company targeting consumers, is hosting a contest, Everyday Hogwash. The site encourages bloggers to:

….kick back and have some therapeutic yuks at the millions of little ways companies stick it to us.

Check out these recent rants from everyday people about the Everyday Hogwash they’ve endured, and then why not contribute your own posting on your blog or website to our Hogpile? Your family, friends and co-workers will appreciate the calmer, saner you… and you might even win some cash if you catch the judges’ eyes. Our group laugh therapy continues through March 31.

That’s right. The funniest rants about companies on your s*@# list could win you $200 in the daily contest. ($5000 if you’re the big winner at the end of the comeptition).

It’s an interesting idea, and certainly gaining a lot of blog press for SunRocket. It seems bloggers are jumping at the chance to air their gripes. And with judges like uber-bloggers Steve Rubel and BusyMom, SunRocket’s hitting all the right notes in the blog marketing sphere. It’s a pretty brilliant campaign.

…though not everyone agrees that it’s the best thing for blogs. While judge Rubel calls the contest ” an exciting new conversational marketing campaign, MarketingPilgrim’s Andy Beal thinks it’s “terrible.”

Why do we want to encourage just the complainers? Why reinforce the negative image of bloggers? Surely the sponsor SunRocket could get the same publicity by encouraging both negative AND positive comments?

I think this reflects badly on SunRocket, so, ironically, consider this my entry to the contest.

And while I do think that this is a well planned, well executed campaign…I wonder if Beal isn’t a little bit right about the bad press. As Holly GoLightly famously said, “there are certain shades of limelight that do nothing for a girl’s complexion.”

Additionally, I think this campaign is better suited for a company like relevantNOISE than a telephone service. It might have been more appropriate to focus this campaign on something like “everyday adventures” or local gossip or something, rather than business-bashing.

Nonetheless…sure wish it had been my idea!!

//Post duplicated at relevantNOISe.com//

SunRocket’s EverydayHogwash: Encouraging You to Bash Bad Companies on Your Blog… And Doing Some Kickass Blog Marketing While They’re At It. (Is That Wrong?)

*The volume is about to increase.*

SunRocket, a VoIP company targeting consumers, is hosting a contest, Everyday Hogwash. The site encourages bloggers to:

….kick back and have some therapeutic yuks at the millions of little ways companies stick it to us.

Check out these recent rants from everyday people about the Everyday Hogwash they’ve endured, and then why not contribute your own posting on your blog or website to our Hogpile? Your family, friends and co-workers will appreciate the calmer, saner you… and you might even win some cash if you catch the judges’ eyes. Our group laugh therapy continues through March 31.

That’s right. The funniest rants about companies on your s*@# list could win you $200 in the daily contest. ($5000 if you’re the big winner at the end of the comeptition).

It’s an interesting idea, and certainly gaining a lot of blog press for SunRocket. It seems bloggers are jumping at the chance to air their gripes. And with judges like uber-bloggers Steve Rubel and BusyMom, SunRocket’s hitting all the right notes in the blog marketing sphere. It’s a pretty brilliant campaign.

…though not everyone agrees that it’s the best thing for blogs. While judge Rubel calls the contest ” an exciting new conversational marketing campaign, MarketingPilgrim’s Andy Beal thinks it’s “terrible.”

Why do we want to encourage just the complainers? Why reinforce the negative image of bloggers? Surely the sponsor SunRocket could get the same publicity by encouraging both negative AND positive comments?

I think this reflects badly on SunRocket, so, ironically, consider this my entry to the contest.

And while I do think that this is a well planned, well executed campaign…I wonder if Beal isn’t a little bit right about the bad press. As Holly GoLightly famously said, “there are certain shades of limelight that do nothing for a girl’s complexion.”

Additionally, I think this campaign is better suited for a company like relevantNOISE than a telephone service. It might have been more appropriate to focus this campaign on something like “everyday adventures” or local gossip or something, rather than business-bashing.

Nonetheless…sure wish it had been my idea!!

//Post duplicated at relevantNOISe.com//

Google Updates: New Google Pack and Google Earth News

It's an exciting week at Google.  Google Earth for the PC is officially out of the Beta stage -- only to be followed by a new version for Mac. Early adopters are encouraged to download the newest version, and for those of you new to the technology, try it out. You'll be blown away by how incredibly cool it is.

In other Google news, the company launched Google Pack late last week. What, you may ask, is Google Pack? Apart from the company's most obvious attempt to go head-to-head with Microsoft...

...so we created the Google Pack -- a one-stop software package that helps you discover, install, and maintain a wide range of essential PC programs. It’s yours today – and it’s something we hope you find to be painless, easy, and even fun (if computer setup can ever be called that). And it’s free.

We worked with a number of technology companies to identify products that are the best of their type to create this suite. (We didn’t pay them, and they aren’t paying us.) For PC users running Windows XP, it downloads in minutes and installs in just a few clicks. There’s only one license agreement – and no wizards. And there’s a new tool called the Google Updater that keeps all the software in the Google Pack current. Even if you already have some of the software in the Pack, you can use the Google Updater to update and manage it.

And it even comes with a screensaver you can customize with your own photos. How cool is that?

Oh, yeah. And it's FREE. Score one for Google.

Google Updates: New Google Pack and Google Earth News

It's an exciting week at Google.  Google Earth for the PC is officially out of the Beta stage -- only to be followed by a new version for Mac. Early adopters are encouraged to download the newest version, and for those of you new to the technology, try it out. You'll be blown away by how incredibly cool it is.

In other Google news, the company launched Google Pack late last week. What, you may ask, is Google Pack? Apart from the company's most obvious attempt to go head-to-head with Microsoft...

...so we created the Google Pack -- a one-stop software package that helps you discover, install, and maintain a wide range of essential PC programs. It’s yours today – and it’s something we hope you find to be painless, easy, and even fun (if computer setup can ever be called that). And it’s free.

We worked with a number of technology companies to identify products that are the best of their type to create this suite. (We didn’t pay them, and they aren’t paying us.) For PC users running Windows XP, it downloads in minutes and installs in just a few clicks. There’s only one license agreement – and no wizards. And there’s a new tool called the Google Updater that keeps all the software in the Google Pack current. Even if you already have some of the software in the Pack, you can use the Google Updater to update and manage it.

And it even comes with a screensaver you can customize with your own photos. How cool is that?

Oh, yeah. And it's FREE. Score one for Google.

Yahoo's CES blog

As a PS to the recent post about the CES show, here's a link to Yahoo's fun CES blog.

Yahoo's CES blog

As a PS to the recent post about the CES show, here's a link to Yahoo's fun CES blog.

Belated holiday Gift: B2B Search Podcast

It's been a great year for the DigitalGrit blog, and rather than celebrate with a "best of" or "Year in Review" post, we thought we'd offer our favorit e, evergreen podcast. It's a long one, but you'll walk away with lots of use-today tips and tools for maximizing your B2B search marketing campaigns.

From us to you, with best wishes for a happy, prosperous 2006!

Check out the podcast.

Belated holiday Gift: B2B Search Podcast

It's been a great year for the DigitalGrit blog, and rather than celebrate with a "best of" or "Year in Review" post, we thought we'd offer our favorit e, evergreen podcast. It's a long one, but you'll walk away with lots of use-today tips and tools for maximizing your B2B search marketing campaigns.

From us to you, with best wishes for a happy, prosperous 2006!

Check out the podcast.