As of today, this viral vid has pulled down some serious views – 1.9MM as of noon.  We were talking about Kim last night as we were headed back from LA.  I’m wondering why she is so popular.  I seem to remember a certain tape hitting the market not too long ago, but come on – that can’t be it?  I hear she is getting $10k per tweet because she has 2,831,410 followers.  I would love to see the conversion metrics on that marketing expenditure.  

All that being said – she really knows how to eat a salad!

The American Dialect Society has named “Tweet” (noun, a short message sent via the Twitter.com service, and verb, the act of sending such a message) the word of the year for 2009, and “Google” the word of the decade (2000-2009).

Unfortunately, not everyone got the memo–I recently overheard someone telling their friend how much they enjoying “twitting”.

Check out the PDF here for all winners covering categories such as “Most Useful”, “Most Creative”, and “Most Unnecessary”.

Contagious Magazine, based out of England, just released their 2009 Most Contagious report. The free report includes the most contagious trends, campaigns, innovations, and technologies leveraged in the last year.

Click the link to download the PDF….worth the read, and your time: Most Contagious 2009

In December, new FTC regulations will begin in an attempt to govern what is said in blog / twitter land.  Historically, any blogger could talk about a product or service without any information pertaining to the relationship of the writer to the brand.  Is the writer really a brand fan or did they receive product for free?  Were they compensated to write on behalf of the brand?  Did you ever wonder why Paris Hilton tweets about every club she visits on the weekend?  How about why Kim Kardashian seems to post about products she “loves”.   What about the JT post below:

Does he really love that Callaway or was he paid by Callaway to tweet that message.  Honestly, I don’t really mind this type of marketing.  I am expecting celebrity endorsements when it comes to pushing products.  It has been a main stream marketing tactic forever.  Things get dicey when it comes to pharmaceutical marketing.  There are so many patient / caregiver blogs out there that discuss one pharmaceutical drug over another and I often wonder – what is the truth.  Why are these people REALLY blogging about the benefits of the drug?

While the FTC guidelines are a step in the right direction – they do have problems.  For one, the guidelines will be subject to interpretation – meaning the FTC will deal with violators on a case by case basis.  Not the best way to go as it leaves different implementation tactics open to debate.  Also, this only applies to bloggers / tweeters in the U.S.  By this point we know the word “community” means a “global community”.  There is no way to regulate those outside the U.S.

Our reco – play it safe while the new guidelines are launched.  If you are a blogger or a pay per tweeter – offer full disclosure.  By doing so, you have nothing to worry about.

And now you do.

via. Adverblog

I think we have known this for a while.  As more and more consumer become engaged in blogging, Twitter, Facebook,  etc., brands can ensure consumer engagement every day through a smart Social Marketing strategy. 

A recent study from eMarketer shows the strong involvement (both positive and negative) consumers now have in sharing opinions about a brand or service.  While it is natural to think that most people would avoid brand interaction while on a community site, the study shows that 52% are fine with the connection – actually seeking out the brand to “follow” or become a fan. 

Read the entire story here:  eMarketer Social Network Marketing Expands Sphere

With almost 10,000 views on Buzzfeed, this Venn diagram identified the character traits of any social networker . It is equally amusing as it is true.

The Tour De France is coming to its final days, and the winners are being separated from the losers. But, first!

A little background information on the race: For those who think the Tour is just a leisurely bike ride, think again. The Tour is divided into 21 stages and is 2,175 miles long. The course is made up of mountains and flat land, with the riders speeding along at   25mph to up to 68mph when going down mountains. Riders have been said to burn about 10,000 calories in one day. Whew!

Now, here is the latest news: It looks like Lance Armstrong will not be winning his 8th Tour de France this year. Stage 17 of the race finished yesterday and left Lance at an overall standing of fourth place. Instead, it seems that Alberto Contador of Spain will be taking the win, and Lance will need a lot of luck to be on the podium in Paris at all. This is Lance Armstrong’s 8th race after three years out of the Tour, and it seems possible that his absence is having an affect on his race. The crowd favorite this year is the 2007 winner and current leader, Alberto Contador. However, there is still a lot that could happen between now and July 26, the last day of the Tour.

You can follow the race live, or better yet on Twitter. Lance Armstrong has been keeping people updated with his Twitter account on race details, and he currently has over a million followers. – http://twitter.com/lancearmstronG

Do you love to tweet? Do you love LA? How about doing both at the same time for three days straight?! Virgin Atlantic’ s Australian division – V Australia airline is hosting a contest and is sending 3 people to LA for 3 days, but the catch is they have to tweet for every minute of the trip. Literally 4,320 minutes of tweeting. If you are able to complete this challenge, you can win a world trip ticket flying on V Australia and Virgin Atlantic.

The advertising behind this is genius, yet another great way to use Twitter to generate a buzz. You can bet that there will be millions following this crazy tweeting adventure!

For more details visit – www.4320la.com

It seems that even with all the press this campaign is receiving, very little people are following it on Twitter.  Maybe Twitter is still just an American thing after all.

Link to Twitter page – http://twitter.com/4320LA

I follow a very interesting collection of personalities and I must say, as a group they keep me entertained, informed and in the mix throughout every crazy day.  This Tweet from a good friend just made me laugh.  I had to share it!!