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When I grow up

Posted on by Brian Lee

Monster.com created some really funny videos under the theme, “When I Grow Up,” followed by a particular profession. This video has begun to circulate amongst the advertising/PR community in town, and everyone I know that watched it thought it was hilarious (like I did).

It’s funny because it pokes fun at the long hours, the personalities, the terminology and the awards of our profession. Have I encountered some of the people or situations mentioned in the video? You bet.

Obviously, there are two sides to every coin. The video purposely doesn’t mention the comraderie with your colleagues and clients, the triumphant feeling of achieving success in your project or campaign, the fast-paced work environment, the no-two-days-are-alike theme and the continuing education you need to stay abreast of all the new trends and technology of the industry. I think those elements really make the advertising/PR world fun, not funny.

No place for MySpace

Posted on by Brian Lee

Back in 2004ish, I remember joining MySpace to see what all the fuss was about (I wasn’t yet on Facebook because it was meant for students only at the time). A lot of my friends were on MySpace, and it was a nice way to share photos and write comments on each other’s pages.

However, I soon began to dislike the service, especially after signing up for Facebook. MySpace’s user-view was cluttered, as I preferred viewing your page as others see it, like on Facebook; I got a lot of spam; and eventually MySpace just stole all the features of Facebook, e.g. feeds, tagging, etc., making it lose its uniqueness.

That’s why it doesn’t surprise me that MySpace is in a lot of trouble financially, as reported in today’s New York Times. I’ve always described MySpace as hanging out at a virtual bar; for example, you can meet new people (a bit better than you can on Facebook) and you can listen to some music (bands can set up decent pages pretty easily, plus other artists’ songs are available for free).

But that’s about it. I can’t imagine a scenario in which I would recommend setting up a MySpace account for a client, other than a band. See, bands can upload their songs, post their tour dates and interact with their fans. Even still, I would probably lean toward using Bandcamp instead.

Did you have/do you still have a MySpace account? I just have one to squat on a particular URL.

iPhone still not for businesses

Posted on by Brian Lee

Verizon is finally selling the iPhone beginning this month. While many frustrated subscribers to AT&T’s much maligned 3G coverage can’t wait to switch carriers, I don’t believe many businesses will care. That’s because I’ve always viewed the iPhone as a entertainment device, not a business device.

Think about it: how many people do you know who have cell phones from their job have a Blackberry? For me, it’s nearly everyone. Despite the ridiculous extra data service fee that Blackberry charges for using their network, it’s still the most popular business device in the United States and UK, according to the Telegraph.

Meanwhile, what are people using their iPhones for? Playing games, checking Facebook, watching videos … generally, killing time. Plus, it’s not easy to type professional e-mails (e.g. correct grammar, capitalization, punctuation, etc.) quickly using a touch keyboard.

Same goes with Apple’s iPad. This excerpt from a Wall Street Journal article on LG’s tablet device says it all: “The first LG tablet, which will run on Google Inc.’s Android software, will set itself apart from Apple Inc.’s iPad by focusing on the ability to create content, rather than simply display it, Mr. Ma said in an interview. Mr. Ma said that the iPad is a great device, but he doesn’t do much work on it.”