Green's the theme for Twitter
Most Twitter users have undergone a cosmetic change to their user icon or avatar (mine is, too!). This was achieved by simply clicking a link that does all the work for you: click, your icon changes to green, and a tweet sends out that notifies others of your change. It’s easy to do, making it effortless to show support.
(A simple click shows support for Iran)
The inventor of this program said even he was shocked by how quickly all this took off, saying in a blog that:
“The funny thing is the 12 hours ago it was still in development, I gave the link to one person to see how the sites looks like and she clicked on the join link. 30 minutes later I saw 300 people already discovered it and 12 hours later over 20K people joined the cause and more are coming and coming.”
Perhaps the programmer best summed it up when he said, “I thought it will catch but didnt believe that SO fast. The web these days is truly amazing.”
This movement was created by a user on Twitter, who was part of a larger organization known as Help Iran Election. In Iran, the government has been trying to snuff out outside media sources so they can control information surrounding the election discrepancies. However, Twitter allowed millions of Iranians to connect with the world to talk about the struggle they are going through.
In fact, one huge story was about a teenager apparently named ‘Neda.’ If you so desire, you can do a quick YouTube search on her name and you will surely see her gruesome murder in the streets during a protest. It is both disturbing and poignant. Again, the Iranian government tried to deny this occurrence, but between Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Google, enough users found other ways of getting information out to the rest of the world. Neda’s death is now a symbolic call to arms, all stemmed from forwarded emails and tweets.
So, is this revolution being fueled by social networking? Not per se, but individuals who are trying to reach outside of their realm of influence are finding that trending topics and status updates may be the only way to make others realize what is truly going on. Obama is on TV right now speaking about all of this, so, like everyone else, stay tuned for the story on Iran.
My Top Ten
1 Mullen
From the moment I’ve heard about this place, I knew it was something special. Located in something of a castle in Wenham, MA, the corporate culture and attitude here is wonderfully progressive. Combined with their new marketing ecosystem, Mullen is in a strong position to progress the community as a whole. I have had the privilege of interviewing, but lost out sadly. Maybe one day!
2 Arnold WorldWide
“Mi case es su casa” says the website, aptly at that. Arnold tries to showcase their one-to-one skills by highlighting their own employees. A strong brand and a huge portfolio, Arnold is a premier player in the ad field.
3 Corporate Ink
Caught wind of this firm through a professor of mine, and I haven’t stopped visiting their website since. A smaller firm, their focus is clearly in the details. I was especially impressed to see that they want to keep growing, despite the economic news. Sadly, that isn’t as true for the bigger players in the field, so a huge kudos to CorporateInk!
4 US Government/ Barack Obama
When Obama won his race, I was proud to say that I was with him on his journey. Setting up Recovery.gov and issuing decrees to update technology, a dream of mine would be working Obama. Ahh, I can imagine the the speech-writing now...
5 Hill Holiday
There is a strong recognition that the tools that got the news world here is in disarray. Hill Holliday has changed their website to reflect less of a firm, and more of a blog. Hill Holiday has let staff go recently, so clearly a shuffle is leading to some new thoughts. Would be fun to be a part of.
6 Thomson Communications
I am currently interning here, and it has been a wonderful learning experience. I would love to work here full time as I’ve made great connections and admire my co-workers. What could be better then that?
7 Lois Paul & Partners
After seeing some case studies, Lois Paul has a steady hold on the market. With aggressive planning and aiming to thwart competitors, there is a bit more tenacity here. Hopefully, the corporate culture is more forgiving then their website!
8 Apple
Where to being? Steve Jobs will analyzed for many years for how he revamped his own brand, after being ousted of course. Lesson? Work hard for what you believe in. Apple has created a loyal customer base unlike anything in its market. Just call me a sucker for success. (Plus, I love my Mac!)
9 Chris Sicuranza
A bit corny perhaps, but ideally, I want to work for myself. I want to make my own hours and meet my own clients. I am well aware that I cannot presently do this as I have little experience, but maybe some corporate giant will see this, through some ads on here, and I’ll be all set! Gotta go, think I just saw a pig fly out my window...
10 YOU!
A funny political ‘ad’
That’s right - you! If you are reading this, you must have some interest in my services. What about some of the lesser known qualities about me? I make a killer PowerPoint (seriously), have done stand up comedy/sketch comedy/improv and have tried to describe my ordeals with kidney stones. I’ll tell you this: I’m anything but boring!