Transmedia

Transmedia, or cross-media, applies to almost all fiction produced on different platforms. Its own naming is still confusing but it seems "transmedia" pretty well encloses it all. Whether it's a TV show, a video-game, or even a comic. Storytellers and producers have found in the new technologies wider means of spreading their work and attract proper publicity.

TV's famous show Lost was a pioneer in the usage of transmedia. You could not only watch an episode on TV and just remain on your sofa. There was (still are) numerous forums, fanfiction sites, a video-game, homemade videos, several internet websites expanding part of the subculture inherent to the series and even "mobisodes" created as short scenes for mobiles. Don't forget about the books and Encyclopaedia. Lost success had a lot to deal with surrounding media. Part of it was created by the show as a marketing strategy but a good part of the credit goes to the fans too, who would create more media associated to the show.

It seems that, today, fiction work flies beyond its initial format. A book will likely have its own website before even being published, along with a fan page in some social media group as well as some dedicated forum.

We cannot just think in terms of theater movies, TV shows, books, video-games and other related stuff in separate ways. There is more evidence that it all starts to have ramifications in several advertising platforms.

For a lot more information on the subject, you may want to stop by at Transmedia Resources. They are doing an amazing job there at gathering all sort of information (wiki included) about that topic.

Also, visual information works well with this interesting webcast by Digital Book World:

Transmedia 101 for Publishers and Authors

View more presentations from Digital Book World

SEO idiots

In SEO.com's blog they first listed 7 SEO idiots profiles several months ago and was recently updated with 12 more SEO idiots. These are typified profiles of a profession which description and pictures (drawings) will surely make you laugh or at least spend a few funny minutes reading through it.

Charlie Sheen looks for an intern

If you are interested in social media maybe a celebrity can lend you a hand. Or the other way round. Internships.com is looking for whoever wants to downsize this actor's workload now that he reached more than 1 million followers on Twitter. Remember that he is also known for other less artistic side of him, though.We guess he has no time to keep his net profile properly updated. 

But, really, what's behind all that?

Possibilities head towards his publicists and their effort to clean Charlie's public image. Hence the marketing strategy. Actors have to maintain a good image to get work and be on the constant spotlight and Sheen's is not at his best nowadays. He was, nevertheless, the best paid TV actor until just recently. With time, patience and a good marketing campaign he may get back to the podium and therefore, his agency's percentages blossom again.

Internet is plugged undersea

So internet is not one of those satellite waves which transmit information from one computer to another. No, it works with cables. Undersea cables, to be more exact. Try this map out courtesy of The Next Web and you will see it for yourself:

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Got Lost?

Internet is a huge metropolis (and expanding!) with lots of neighborhoods, streets, and buildings. So it's always handy to have a map with a bunch of interesting places to visit.

Here you have a Social Media Map:

 and below you can find one about Search Marketing.

 
Maps have been created by Overdrive Interactive .

Home Office

Credit: Carlos Porto

As a result of a conversation, this issue lead to a list of pros and cons which may be helpful to detail.

Due to the inner nature of this kind of job, it would be suitable for those jobs related to an IT environment in which most of the times the only devices needed to perform it are reduced to a laptop and a phone. Visits to the office are really not so mandatory and there are no large files and plenty of paper around . 

Many more pros and cons can be deeper analyzed than the ones listed below. And as said before, home office practice cannot be applied to many jobs, only those with limited equipment, office oriented and usually, linked to the new technologies field.

Pros:

- the company decreases its investment on facilities. Less room, less lease. Plus other minor expenses.

- reduction in atmospheric pollution. A worker who does not have to commute means one less car in the highway.

- autonomy in the workplace (home). This worker can manage its time in an efficient fashion. As we will see later on, that this can be a tricky issue.

- a big step in terms of family and work life balance. 

Now,  the cons:

- lack of interpersonal relationship with co-workers, since there is no or not enough time spent in the office.
- absence of motivation coming from the worker himself. He can be at risk of getting bored, or in a low mood to excel at work.


- no supervision by management. Many of them prefer to track what they workers do in close supervision. This can only be possible by reuniting in a same place both workers and managers (office).

Women in social media

Credit: jscreationzs

There is a certain concern regarding the role of women in the new technologies sector. We are not referring to the IT specific field, which is mostly men-crowded, but more to their role in the social media and online marketing sectors. These ones are hugely integrating the use of new technologies.

Brian Solis brought out a very detailed insight of women's role in the social media field about a year and a half ago. Has the trend changed since then?. We don't know it for sure but the analyzed data in his study was well massively spread across bunches of blogs and website and it stands out as a good starting point to set up a basis and build up some conclusions.