Why is Ecademy aping Facebook?
Ecademy and Facebook: when the grown ups start behaving like the kids
Recently, Ecademy seems to have been adding Facebook-like functionality without much consultation with its membership.
These days you no longer need to have a meaningful connection with another Ecademist to add them to your network; you can simply invite them to connect. They click ‘yes’ and you’re connected - as easy as collecting Facebook friends.
The latest move is a ‘what colour’ are you personality profiling application that (if you take the questionnaire) splatters your personal profile with it’s findings, at the same time as advertising the application developer. This is currently being discussed here.
I can’t help thinking there’s a depressing parallel with what’s happening with Ecademy and the Ross / Brand furore currently going on at the BBC. In both cases it seems that the grown-ups feel like the only way to be popular is to behave like the kids.
It’s already happened in education (why I quit 4 years ago). It’s happening in our media and now it’s happening in business networking.
There’s nothing worse than seeing the BBC resorting to using a seedy 47 year old juvenile to appeal to its youth audience.
Ecademy’s greatest asset was its ‘maturity’ - a place where you were spared the ‘lad culture’ of business and could depend on people being - for the most part - grown up. Please, Ecademy, don’t go the same way as the BBC 
James Woudhuysen at Formation Zone’s ‘On Media’ event
James Woudhuysen’s keynote speech: The Challenge of New Media - listen here
We were podcasting from Formation Zone’s ‘On Media’ event at the University of Plymouth last week.
Keynote speaker was James Woudhuysen, Professor of Forecasting and Innovation at De Montford University.
Click . to listen to James’ keynote speech.
An extract from his CV sums it up his work and background:
James helps clients to master new trends in society and innovation, so as to implement major shifts in corporate strategy, marketing, branding and design. He frequently broadcasts about the future of the workplace on Radio 4’s You and Yours, and writes a regular column for IT Week (London) and Novo (Frankfurt). He is also on the editorial boards of New Design and the Journal of Consumer Behaviour.
More information on his website.
Formation Zone
Formation Zone is a dynamic initiative supporting new creative businesses with a wide range of resources, facilities and business expertise.
Located in the new Roland Levinsky building at the University of Plymouth Formation Zone also offers incubation offices to put start-ups at the heart of creative media in the area.
For more information please call Eleanor Butland on 01752 588954 or visit the Formation Zone website.
Eden Project podcast - Sam and Clare pay a visit to the “office”
If you’re the Eden Project and you want to podcast, this is addressed to you
Click . to listen to the podcast.
We think that you’re missing a trick. Audio podcasting is the perfect way to share the passion, experience, wisdom and personality of the people who combine to make the Eden Project happen.
It’s inexpensive, powerful, environmentally-friendly and it’s perfect for telling stories.
We love the Eden project. In fact, it’s our second office. And we’ve made contact with you a couple of times to initiate a conversation about how productive audio podcasting could be in your education and marketing strategies….sadly it seems to have fallen into that ‘it’s all very complicated isn’t it? I think we’re going to do something with it…’ category.
We think that’s a pity. Why? Because it’s not that difficult to get started.
Which is why we’re going down to the Eden Project today to podcast from the Biomes to show you just how easy it is - and how much fun, too.
Equipment needed? £200 mp3 recorder. Free editing software. Unlimited bandwidth audio file hosting £5 per month. Laptop to edit on, broadband connection for uploading. Er. That’s it.
Expertise needed? As a minimum, the ability to get a good recording and conduct and interview. We offer a range of approaches from ‘you record, we edit, post-produce and publish’ to ‘we train you to do it all’ - and a range of training / equipment packages to suit whichever approach you need.
If you’re not the Eden Project but you were looking for an Eden Project Podcast, hope you enjoy ours anyway!
If you’re the Eden Project and you’re interested, we still are 
CRM solutions Devon - Abazander Open CRM [promotion]
Looking for a complete CRM solution? Listen to how Abazander’s Open CRM can help your business
Abazander Open CRM is a simple, web-based customer relationship management system that offers all this functionality:
- Marketing campaign system
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- Calendar, tasks and reminders
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Click .to listen to Julie Cotgrave from Target Search and Selection explain how Abazander Open CRM makes such a difference to her business.
Want to know more? Speak to Rick Timmis at Abazander! on 0844 669 7163
Is blogging dead?
Blogging is dead says Radio 4’s ‘Today Show’, Twitter’s the next thing.. yawn
According to the techies cited on the Today Show, it is. Why? Because the web is now stuffed full with faceless, automatically generated crap. I totally agree with that bit, though I disagree that blogging is dead.
Interestingly, blogging was discussed only from that egotistical point of view; all ‘me’ telling ‘my’ (hundreds of) friends what ‘I’m’ doing now. As far as I’m concerned, from that ego point of view, blogging never got born in the first place.
What nobody talked about in any depth was what blogging actually IS: a publishing platform you can use to create and reach an specific audience (if what you say has some use, interest or other value). Nothing about business, education or politics
Poor old John Humphries didn’t know what blogging was - or Twitter for that matter. Luckily he was helped out by his guests, a couple of thirty-somethings. You know that ultra-cool kind who embrace everything. Unlike teenagers who, like, just embrace the latest thing.
So is blogging dead?
Blogs-as-diaries were dead from the outset as far as I’m concerned. And blogs that exist just as gobbledegook loaded with AdSense Google ads should be.
What is online reputation management?
Interview with online reputation management guide, Sam Deeks
What is Online Reputation Management?
Sam: It’s making sure that you know what people are saying about you online, giving people the chance to say good things about you - and being able to respond quickly and effectively when somebody says something bad about you or your business.
Does everyone with a business need to consider ORM these days?
Sam: They do. In the online world, what you say about yourself is propaganda. What other people say about you is the truth. And the first thing most people do when they want to find out about you these days is go to Google.
They look at the first couple of pages of results to see what people are saying about you on review sites, in discussion forums and in blogs - sites that increasingly rank alongside or even higher than your own website in the search results.
A single negative review can put off prospects from buying. Just think how you react when you’re looking to book your holiday hotel and you find a really bad review on TripAdvisor.
Fish spillage - I claim this term, Googly-speaking
“Fish spillage” - It’s an in-joke, please humour me
A couple of years ago there was a headline outside a Plymouth newsagents that read “Extra: Fish Spillage”.
Made me smile. A great combination of words.
Imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to find another fish spillage story from China on BBC news this morning.
Not such good news for the spilled fish, though, watching them flapping helplessly across the road in their death throes.
Fish spillage. Fish spillage. Fish spillage. I like the sound of that.
Make your own record player
Scratching from the late 1950s
I found a 1958 Italian ‘animal alphabet’ book yesterday in the Market with a record in the back cover. I couldn’t resist, so £1 exchanged hands and I scurried home to get to work building a record player.
Making a record player is one of the more curious skill sets I acquired from a childhood without TV.
Here’s Elliot passing an enthralled two minutes, er… ’scratching’ away with the device to create a few squawky little Italian phrases.
All you need is a pen top, a needle, some cardboard and a record. That’s a round thing with grooves in it that makes sounds, kids.
Quality sound reproduction .to don’t you think?
Audio case studies recording session
A fun day recording case studies with a charity client from London
Monday this week saw us in a studio with Jonathan Werren from Elizabeth Finn Care recording some historical podcasts and an audio ‘case study’.
Case studies are an excellent way to create trust and confidence in what you offer. And we’re finding that audio case studies are better still - because they’re your happy customers speaking in their own words directly to your prospects.
Not only are audio case studies powerful testimonials, they’re also brilliant for explaining to prospects how your products and services work - and demonstrating how they benefit your customers.
Between 4 and 6 minutes long, ‘mu:kaumedia audio case studies take up no space at all on your website - just a link. A link that can be put in emails, web sites, documents, forum signatures, blog posts… you name it.
Audio editing fun
Why is audio editing fun? Because you can do this.
Here’s a little clip of a ‘before and after’ from a recent client recording.
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