Dell + Twitter = $1,000,000.

Twitter has made Dell $1 million bucks in revenue. This is such major news for 2 main reasons.

1) It proves Social media can be "cash in hand" profitable
2) It begs us to examine the "How the hell they made this happen?"

I'm sure the article from Internet news will spark a gazillion emails from CEOs and MDs down to line level digital managers telling them to get their ass on twitter. Although those may not be the exact words, i'm sure some "leverage", "explore", "forefront", " maximize" was thrown in for good measure.

So is Twitter the new revenue stream for brands to take notice of? Will tweeting about your latest product promotions ( like Dell does) bring about a new spring of cash? The answer i feel lies in Dell's background. First off, lets not just look at "Dell + Twitter = $1,000,000". The equation goes much deeper as we examine some of Dell's social media position.

Dell has been conversing with its customers ever since Michael Dell took over back in 2007. The best thing he has done is to have made customer focus his only focus. ( It stuns me everytime someone in a meeting says we need to focus on several things) By thinking about what his customers want and hearing those comments enabled sites like Ideastorm and DirectoDell to take place. In the words of the man himself " "If we don't do that at Dell.com, it's going to be on CNET or somewhere," Michael Dell says. "I'd rather have that conversation in my living room than in somebody else's."

From redefining customer service to customer driven product innovation, Dell has over the last 2 years proven to be sincere about this shift in focus. As a result, their tweets are received by a multitude of followers that resulted in this million dollar revenue opportunity.

There is no shortcut to engagement and the equation certainly isn't as clear cut as it seems. If you are suddenly thinking about getting your 15% store discount on twitter. Stop. Go back to the chalkboard and look at the origins of the equation. Yes, you can make revenue from promo tweets but the pre cursor is your followers need to be your friends and top priority.

Song of the blog

Cheated on me by Gavin Degraw

Anytime, Anywhere, Anyhow?

I got myself a nifty Ipod touch last month and i am seriously addicted to all the apps you can download from the itunes store. What's impressing me on a daily basis however, is the internet browsing experience on this gadget. Hands up for all those people who have tried your phone's internet access and been really turned off by

1) The speed ( or lack of)
2) The design/layout
3) The speed

On the itouch however, with a wifi enabled safari browser, i found myself surfing web pages not unlike a netbook experience. This led me to realize the problem with mobile marketing isn't the device, it's the user experience. Remember i spoke about how i believe branding is formed by experiences. We have been fed the slogan "Anytime, anywhere" so many times over the last year, yet are we really consuming more mobile content anytime anwhere? NO.. and the reason is simply because "Anytime" and "Anywhere" is not "AnyHOW".

How we feel when we access those WAP pages and How we perceive communication over the mobile screen is just if not more important than anytime or anywhere. Whats the point of telling me its a buffet if the only thing on the table is boiled water and old bread.

Mobile phones are designed primarily to help us stay connected. We use calls, sms, mms etc to stay in touch. Social networks want us to be plugged into them 24/7. The natural affinity means social networks are learning to adapt from an online experience to generating good mobile ones. My experience with the facebook app on the ipod touch was absolutely spot on.

So, how about companies? Brands, services? If companies start embracing social media as a new way of conversation, then the mobile internet surely must be part of that plan.

Any comments or good mobile internet experiences to share?

Song of the day is by Lesley Roy ( she sings like she has a frog in her throat but its enjoyable)

"Unbeautiful" by Lesley Roy

Social media on the inside

I'm reading Peter Kim's social media predictions for 2009 and i would like to add my very own personal view on what i think should happen more in SMM.

"Companies will develop social media techniques as an in house productivity tool to drive business during this economic downturn" -Melvin Kee

David Carter wrote a great article about companies embracing social media during economic turmoil as a way of engaging outwardly with customers/consumers. I would like to propose while that may be true, social media can probably help companies inwardly just as much.

Pete Blackshaw said "Intimacy touches emotions, emotions power conversations" This is as true as the sun's rays and if you are in the business of a product or service, then your employees/staff are the touchpoints of these conversations. What exactly are these techniques that im talking about? Well consider these,

1) Employee profile pages where everyone in the firm can view/connect with any other employee.
2) Mirco blogging site for easy exchange of updates
3) Community driven and collaborative wikis for research and analysis and commentary
4) Easy, 1 step , direct channel for feedback on front line staff tips, comments and general talk back
5) Community pages for birthday greetings, group gift sharing, lunch discussions etc

Yes, some of you out there are thinking, "this sounds like an extremely tree hugging way of encouraging my staff to slack off on the job." I certainly don't discount the possibility of these tools being abused by a percentage of your office, however, consider that the workplace is essentially a social environment and humans are social creatures. Channeling interaction into productivity makes sense especially now that social media is so much a part of our lives.

Happy employees make passionate workers. Passion drives a relationship between employee and brand . Relationship suggests intimacy which hopefully translates into external meaningful business conversations borne right from the walls of your office space. After all, isn't it the inside that counts?

Song of the blog is "Little Tornado" by Aimee Mann. ( this is the best i could get on youtube)

C'mon J Co! Wake up a little!!

Remember how i talked about companies who treat communities as a a marketing fad and make zero use of social media? Welcome to the world of J Co.

Good Donuts, terrible coffee, horrible service. For those who have access to Krispy Kremes, consider yourselves kissed by the sugary dessert gods. I went down yesterday to a J Co takeaway joint to get myself some "why didn't i just go to starbucks" coffee and ended up wasting 20 mins of my lunch hour telling some counter dude it shouldn't take this long to percolate, heat up , swish and serve. And because, he was struggling with my latte, he turned to serve the lady (pretty) behind who had a much easier order of frozen yogurt. He actually just gave up.

So, what's a guy to do these days in this age of citizen journalism?

I went looking online for a J Co feedback channel. Surprisingly, i found their community site. Initial thoughts were "finally! something they're doing right."



But lo and behold, the community site had nothing that allowed me to feedback, compliment, complain or even interact with anyone from J Co.

A site like this where there is no brand presence or semblance of engagement from brand to customer is like saying " here, enjoy this lovely community space i have prepared for you to talk with fellow customers, i hope you have fun cause i won't. In fact, i won't ever come in. I have a webmaster to do that"

Again, to all brands and marketers out there, every brand needs to have a face, an identity, a personality. If you don't think your brand represents anything or anyone then it surely defeats any purpose of anyone showing up at all.

It was just in the last post that i blogged about corporate branding police. Obviously, now with this entry, J Co's google alert might be sounding off but was this necessary? Imagine this scenario,

1) I find the community site
2) I find a talkback section
3) I talk
4) J Co listens
5) I blog now and it's a MUCH better blog about how J Co gets it.

Comments? Anyone else had a J Co experience to shout about?

As an enhancement to my posts, i will be adding some youtube music videos at the bottom so my old music blog readers can come back. ( nod to mr kim, Pepe and co)

For my new readers, this used to be a music blog but social media has kinda taken over, decided they need not be mutually exclusive even though there is little relevancy. Anyway, here is my late addition to today's post. A beautiful track taken of the Banquet OST. (btw, i love how there is no visual on the screen, just enhanced the music for me that much more.)

Brandtology? yes or no

I came across Walter's blog  where he spoke about a new company called Brandtology that is offering social media monitoring services that focus on PR and brand reputation analysis. This is their message "Brandtology offers the world's first 24x7 online managed brand and reputation services"

As much as i can gather, it's quite like hiring a spy to lurk around forums and social networks and identifying potential attacks to brands by users or highlighting certain key assessments that is sussed out from peer to peer conversations. In order to do this, they have a mix of technology and people who act as social media consultants who then help evaluate and report their findings. 

What do you think? First off, let's agree that eavesdropping is not a form of communication. Assuming you wanted to know more about what people thought about your brand, or to get relevant feedback and allow ranting to happen, wouldn't the logical option be to get involved in these communities personally? I have spoken before that the 1st step to building a connection with your onground community is to establish trust and to get involved. A 2 way process is critical to really understanding what people are saying. And since it's impossible to teleport yourself to every single touchpoint, the next logical step would be to create a productive condusive environment for this to happen. Look at starbucks with their superb talkback site, or Dell whom has a home for innovation to happen .

Most people complain because they want to be heard, if these people knew their complaints were being heard by the company whom is interested to know and resolve these issues. It makes sense that those complaints would be aired in this controlled setting.

Without knowing too much about Brandtology's measuring methodologies, i can't say too much about if their qualitative and quantitative indexes are worth their weight in salt. But i can say that employing people as 1st or 2nd level evaluation fences smells pretty funky. I mean , where's the yardstick if you take into account human bias, past experiences, tolerance levels, different intepretations etc etc. These all contribute to various opinions based on various personal experiences and i'm not sure thats a good standard measure tool to gauge brand influence or reputation.

On the positives, i actually think the service has a market and a demand. Most companies are scared to death of social media because of the openess and transparency the web brings to the table. Sending out spies is probably a safeguard so they can prevent any PR disasters. But here's my takeaway point, you reap what you sow. The web is a double edged sword but any company can turn it into a powerful tool to build engagement and really use conversations as a starting point to improve and grow. 

Let's look at the US, negating potential threats with offensive stealth and strategic measures didn't really help the republicans much did they? What's Barack Obama's stand on potential conflict resolution. In Iran's case,“economic engagement” and “security assurances" are tactics Obama wants to employ. In a nutshell, communicate. 

There are better ways to prevent a PR disaster than employing some branding police to do your dirty work for you. Here's a tip, put on your gloves and start opening up those channels. 

Thanks for the spam Mr Lim

-Social networking site Facebook has appointed iHub Media as its regional advertising sales representatives.

ihub Media will market the range of advertising products available through Facebook Ads and offer homepage and integrated ad units as well as video and skyscraper ads across Facebook pages.-

“Social networking will prove to be more than a cost-effective advertising option or a tool for small players to level the paying field. It will also be a critical element in every mainstream marketing programme that companies large and small cannot afford to ignore,” said Kyle Lim, CEO of iHub Media.

Seriously Mr Lim, social networking advertising will never be associated with "cost effective" as long as click tru rates for banner advertising stays as relevant as sunblock on a rainy day. We don't go on facebook to watch ads, we don't "somehow" ingest banner advertising while we update photos and post comments. As the CEO of an online ad interactive agency, i would expect Mr Lim to be slightly more intuitive in his insight of online advertising. Or is he?

Let's assume he is and like most profiteers, is merely raking in the middle man agency fee while local marketers scramble to get a piece of the facebook advertising action. Well then, no one really to blame then except to point the all mighty finger of ROI at these ill educated marketers who are creating this demand.

The beauty and potential of social advertising is the ability to profile and serve relevant ads. Now , the question therefore is "when are ads relevant?". I dont know about you, but it's been a looong time since i saw an ad and i went " oh my! oh relevant"

I believe that the above statement is true that advertisers will eventually understand how to use data to serve relevant advertising. But i also believe it wont be in the form of banner ads and skyscaper units. The next obstacle we need to overcome is to correctly redefine our tired mindsets on how advertising should look like.

If we are all correct to say communication and conversation and authenticity is the key to engagement of audience and potential customers, then "advertising" must happen in the midst of a 2 way process. When channels are truly open, authentic needs for superior services should become part and parcel of the communication strategy. Banner ads to me constitute as much relevancy as email spam. Marketers need to stop thinking about how to push advertising on facebook and think about what they are trying to accomplish with these adverts and if a social networking platform is the right place to do it.

Mr Lim i'm sure has an inkling to the actual click tru rates and conversion ratios that banner advertising offers. But he knows that many marketers don't and that's why i'm going to be spammed the next time i log on. Spam book..

This is home, a reminder of whats important.

Hi all, social media takes a break today in the aftermath of the violence that has hit home so hard over the last couple of days. Singaporeans can sometimes feel disconnected, as if we are cocooned in our sunny island where the realities of terror and death are somehow muted by distance and time.

No more. We have all been waking up to not just news, but reality. A reality of uncertain times that forces us to re look our priorities and perspectives. While we may ask all the questions to which there are no answers, we should ask ourselves the questions to which there are.
What are the things that we need to cherish more each day? And who are the people whom we need to connect with before complacency weakens our resolve to love.


For me, the answer is clear. Family & Home.

Here is a song from Switchfoot that i think is brilliant. What's important to you? Share with us your own resolves.

Review on startup Elevyn

Elevyn is a startup that i got to know whilst in startup camp KL. Interestingly enough, one its founders Devan turned out to be a old friend from Perth when we were studying together in 1997.
It's vision is :"A world of less poverty thru fair trade, because every buyer is a socially conscious one".

Elevyn is a social entrepreneur(s) startup that focuses on improving the lower economic class's standard of living through better commerce practices. You can read more about their business model from their website

In a nutshell, they search out rural entrepreneurs who sell home made wares or crafts to market their products on Elevyn's portal that acts as an international marketplace. Elevyn takes 5% profit whilst ensuring the majority of the profit returns to the actual maker of the product. They also allow any Elevyn member to setup your own online shop to participate in this exchange. (see their instructions and caveats here)

In a time where startups are looking for the quickest way to monetize an online brain wave, Elevyn represents a growing breed of social entrepreneurs who see monetization as a means to an end. Where the extra challenge lies for socially aware startups like Elevyn is that they don't just do CSR. Their entire sustainability is revolved around social responsibility. As such, they are wide open to ethical scrutiny such as

1. Transparency
2. Exploitation of the lower income gap
3. How much is too much?

Where does the line get drawn between revenue and profits? ( there is a difference and Elevyn has done an outstanding job so far in answering the above questions and i have the utmost confidence in their team's vision to carry them forward.)

But this does not lend any more weight to the debate in my mind on whether the notion of a social entrepreneur is inherently conflicting. The reason why many causes are non profit is to keep the profit line distinct and their agenda clean. When it's time to keep Elevyn afloat, will it come down to taking a larger profit %? Or will it be advising villagers to build cheaper and sell higher. Elevyn has a plan which Devan shared in KL where he outlined an expansion plan to earn by volume ( number of represented sellers). This tells me Elevyn did consider where the revenue would come from and that is a great start. ( They received a nice government grant for this idea. Good stuff!)

I wish Elevyn all the best ( i signed up as a member on monday) and Devan, if you're reading, are you still rocking out to Jimi?

What do you think about social entrepreneurship? Any good examples to share?

KL startup unconference review part 1

I went up as a Singaporean "invader" to attend start up camp KL over the weekend. I'm exhausted and back in the office but I'm really glad i went. I think it's imperative we as bloggers and social media contributors have a more global view of web 2.0's impact on each society. And since i don't have a global travel budget, i took a coach up with 2 friends to get a S.E.A 's perspective instead.

This post marks the first of a week long's review on specific start ups that presented in KL and observations i have noted down. But to kick things off, i want to blog about the differences i experienced in local unconferences and this unconference in KL. This provides a backdrop of perspective that hopefully will remain in your mind as i continue the series this week.

In my opinion, judging from the few unconferences i have had the opportunity to experience locally, Singaporean start ups generally are at a higher level of sophistication when it comes to revenue modeling and online business economics. Certain topics were presented in KL which honestly wouldn't go very far in terms of interest levels if presented in Singapore. (let me know if you disagree)

So, was it a waste of time?

The answer is a resounding NO. I found a refreshing sense of community. Real community within the KL participants. I experienced a frankness and openness about idea generation and sharing that went beyond criticism and evaluation. I stopped thinking like a "VC " (without the $$ of course) and started thinking like a team member. This is a stark contrast to the unconference in Singapore earlier this year where pitches were made to promote/announce and get share of voice versus feedback solicitation and community involvement.

Ask yourself, do you want to see a fellow start up succeed? If so, have you thought about sharing personal feedback with those particular start ups to encourage improvement? If so, have you done it? If not. Why?

I will be the first to put my hand up and say i'm guilty as charged. My kiasu nature compels me to analyze, critic and evaluate all from the comfort of my armchair. However, as my blog takes shape, i realize i should be sharing some of my ideas directly to these startups instead of using them as a content source to derive my own personal blog traffic.

This Kampung spirit i experienced in KL was worth far more than any killer app or startup pitch i could have hoped to discover. Are we here in Singapore truly a startup community or are we a community of startups?

I think we can do better and i'm gonna start doing my part by engaging the startups i have given constructive criticism ( see nuffnang post ) to at least give them my improvement food for thought.

What do you think about my opinion on our singaporean startup culture? Share with us your experiences and if you think i'm way off base.

Social Network Wars! Which side are you on?

Are you getting social network fatigue? This has been on my mind quite a lot recently when i analyzed the amount of effort and time i spend daily just trying to keep up with pokes and punches and updates and notifications etc. Customization sounds a lot like social networks telling us to "Have it your way" MY way . I am thinking about doing a more in depth piece on the impact of pervasive social media ( what do you think? Yes, do or No, don't bother) and this diagram popped out at me.


(taken from http://www.personalizemedia.com)

It's tremendously insightful and it summarizes the potential and fundamental difference of social media. It also made me suddenly very claustrophobic. I felt like a fly trapped in some social media web that i couldn't get out of. The fact that i'm blogging right now is pulling me deeper into this web. I needed some light relief and thankfully this video saved the day.



It's hilarious and i totally related to it. ( except for the 2nd life portion. Life is complicated enough without having to create a new one)

Meanwhile, i would like to take this moment to thank all the Ping.sg readers and my facebook friends who have given me such great support over this blog. Carry on reading and keep the comments and pongs coming. I hope to improve this as much as i can so any feedback as well is welcome

Tiger beer social network makes me thirsty

Remember the good ol tiger beer ads? "GIVE THAT MAN A TIGER" or "IT'S TIGER TIME!". It's been well replaced by some pretentious branding campaigns over recent times. From the ridiculous tv commercials like this one



to the really ridiculous ones like this ad where Jessica Alba asks for a tiger. Does anyone really believe Jessica Alba chooses Tiger beer as her lager of choice?



The beer market in Singapore has opened up in the last couple of years, from micro breweries to imported beer to brew your own beer kits. APB which owns, manufactures and sells a host of beers such as Tiger and Heineken to name a couple has really had to up it's game to keep the registers ringing. I suppose the upside of selling alcohol is the stuff sells during good times AND bad times. Sometimes more so in the latter case. Also, sending someone a virtual beer isn't exactly the same as experiencing your first cold beer running down your throat and waiting for that irreplaceable "aaahhh".

However, things look "good" with today's report on Just drinks.com stating

"Revenue for the 12 months ended 30 September rose by 12% to S$2bn, Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) said on Friday (14 November).

It attributed the growth to a strong performance from Heineken and Tiger beers, as well as its ability to adapt strategy in different regional markets"

Of course what this really means is these 2 brands have made most of their profits overseas in SEA markets like Vietnam etc. Locally, i don't need statistics to realise less Tiger is consumed at coffee shops, pubs and clubs. With a strong competition and frankly, poor marketing response from Tiger, could social marketing be an answer?

There are some alcohol social networking sites currently flourishing in this arena such as http://www.fubar.com/ ( over 50,000 members), http://chugd.com/, http://www.mustlovebeer.com/home.php etc. What these sites have all tried to accomplish is to provide an online home for the beer enthusiasts.

I doubt this will work in Singapore as for the majority here, drinking goes with pubbing/clubbing which goes with people watching which goes with supper which goes with good fun.
Wait a minute, let's look at this equation again from our perspective.

When i want to go out for a beer after work on a wed night, i need 2 things sorted out. I need to know "who" and "where". "Who" would include anyone from friends to friends of friends to friends of friends of friends. "Where" would be much more complex, Prices, convenience, "scenery" etc are all part of the decision making process.

There are many places we can source for the "where" although it's always the same few pubs listed and the promotions are rarely updated. Tiger beer has a large tap distribution network and they could consolidate the happy hour prices/promos of their partners. This would be useful for me to know where the promotions are at any given time.

Let's take it a couple of steps further and see if a tiger social network is useful. We could :

1)Setup Friday night drink groups and wait for friends and not so close friends to indicate interest. Thats the whole point of community yes? ( more is always messier which is a good thing)

2)Have a calendar function to remind you of pub events, celebrations etc. ( Tiger friendly of course)

3)Message the pub staff directly to arrange for reservations or make enquiries. (who wouldn't want to be pals with the owners/crew)

Ever lost a phone at a pub or got the wrong bill? The network would serve as a direct line to these pubs/clubs too.

Now, where and why does Tiger fit into all this? If it's pub centric, why should Tiger take the initiative?

There are many small reasons why but here is 1 biggie i think looms above the rest. Retail strategy i believe is key to consumption. You drink what the tap stocks. People follow action, not the brand. Remember, branding is only as good as the behaviour that is defined by each consumer. If Tiger makes locations stocking and selling APB beer, this is good news for their retail strategy.

They could cut back on piss poor branding ads and focus on social networking to promote going out in groups, drinking at APB taps and posting drunk photos the next day. Now, does this sound like a network you would get involved in? I know at least 50 facebook minor "friends" i don't really know of the female persuasion that i wouldn't mind arranging a drinking session with. I'm sure you could too.

Think this could work? Drop me comments, and if you work in APB, call me. :p

Social Media isn't the "IN" thing

In my work, i get alot of opportunities to work with branding managers, PR agencies and Sales executives who want to know how social media can improve their bottomline. I usually spend anywhere between 30 to 90 mins frustrating myself over conversations such as these.

"Will my brand getting involved in social media generate sales leads?
or
"I want a social media plan that will allow me to change my brand's perception."

I find it extremely distasteful that traditional marketers ( well paid might i add) in this country and time are still so far off the mark when it comes to social media. Yes, of course ROI needs to be justified and yes, of course you expect to come out looking the better after a bout of social media engagement, but many marketers are still approaching the digital medium as a channel to manipulate and the audience as potential consumers they can influence.

When i mention that choosing to engage with their audience online means having to relinquish control over their brand , there is usually an uncomfortable 5 seconds of awkward silence round the table. I generally defend this by explaining engagement can only be monetized by listening and communicating. You won't improve retail sales by engaging your audience with a 1 way sales pitch. Getting seriously involved in social media is like opening Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, although you never know what you may get, it's important to know who is giving them and why.

When a brand decides to launch a PR campaign to position itself differently, the online channel is usually the first port of call as PR agencies expertly tout bloggers such as myself as "viral brand ambassadors". When im involved in such meetings, i usually start by saying this.

"Your client's brand will not be changed, impacted or perceived differently in any channel you choose unless you change the user experience or customer behaviour of that brand"

My marketing perspective has been totally rocked by "Branding only works on cattle" by Jonathan Salem and i agree 100% that branding is defined by experience and behaviour and not by celebrity endorsements or the ambiguous tv ad or even the funny viral youtube video. Most local highly paid PR marketers still think they somehow have the power to change the way you perceive a certain brand by putting subliminal messages in as many advertising touchpoints as possible. I believe that social media engagement will not only debunk most of these mythical perceptions but actually bring to light the REAL branding most consumers think the product or brand is to them

Take for example the case of say this local ad by AllsWell

It's funny , pretty good as a talking point and to most PR agencies, a "success". They will say "Look, even this blogger Melvin Kee is talking about it". :) Well,let's put this in perspective. Any of you rushed out to buy a bottle of AllsWell after this ad? I know i didn't. Have i bought a bottle recently? Yes. Why? Because i genuinely like the drink and it's accessible. These are my user experiences and therefore my branding definition of AllsWell. To me, they make unique local drinks that are generally refreshing, reasonably priced and easy to pick up. It has nothing to do with any"Love" connection or some market position of reaching out to heartland consumers as "the common man's drink".

Assuming the above 2 were real PR objectives and Allswell wanted to use social media to achieve those PR objectives, i would have said why not engage the local community to give out 5,000 bottles of Allswell to community projects such as an old folk's home or an orphanage or hospice? Spread the word through a viral channel and get an engaged audience to be real ambassadors by volunteering to distribute these bottles. You could take the experience and film it and spread it virally, you could ask for signups for this exercise through widgets that bloggers could carry on their blog ( i would!).

What would be the outcomes of such a campaign? As a blogger and consumer, i would experience Allswell being a forward thinking, community focused and socially responsible brand. Would this affect my next purchase? I imagine that my being involved in the exercise brings me closer to Allswell as a consumer. REAL engagement. Plus the cost of this exercise would pale in comparison to the above production and media spend on TV.

This is an example of how social media can help reposition a brand and hopefully impact the bottomline. But marketers don't want to hear this do they? The conversation is still about comparing traditional media's ROI versus the online channel. Until these people involved in branding or advertising stop looking at their brand as THEIR brand and users as "CON"sumers, social media will never be an answer.

Comments? Thoughts? Drop me a comment

Which web 2.0 Superhero are you?

Superhero pop culture has been the big thing over the last couple of years. Some of us are following "Heroes" and will remember with fondness the awesome script writing back in season 1 where for an hour a day, it was possible for anyone to have abilities. As we speak, Wolverine is in production, as is Iron man 2 etc etc.

It hit me last night whilst i was on msn appearing "invisible" that i was a superhero! The ability to be invisible and to travel amongst unsuspecting friends and strangers was exactly what i was doing.

Here are some superhero abilities and how web 2.o has allowed us all to be more than just "normal"

Teleportation: With Webinars and video conferenc calls, you can have a "live" band performance with John in England, Chow in China and Uzbike in Africa. We can now "teleport" ourselves to basically any IP address in the world


Mind Reading or Telepathy: Similar to professor Xavier's ability to read minds, predictive search techniques or "recommendation" services offered by software such as itunes, attempts to read what we are thinking or looking for and sometimes tells us what we want before we knew we wanted it! This growing evolution of the semantic web is a small scale variation of superhero ESP.


Super IQ : Not sure about a topic? Well, superhero/villain Brainiac would just rattle off the information or fact from his super brain. We can do the exact same thing now with any working connection to wikipedia or search engines! Need to calculate the square root of 156,000? Google just answered that for me in 5 seconds,

square root(156 000) = 394.968353

Meanwhile remember, with great web 2.0 , comes great responsibility.

I'm sure there are quite a few more superhero parallels we could draw, can you name a few?

Drop your comment..

Does Nuffnang make sense (cents)?

Nuffnang is a local blog community portal that serves as an advertising platform for bloggers like myself to monetize my blog through their fuss free CPM/CPC models. To date, they have over "40,000 bloggers" signed up from Singapore and Malaysia. This number is commendable and i must applaud their initiative in giving bloggers an avenue to make some form of revenue otherwise unseen. If you are not familiar with their model, read this first.

In summary, you can either earn through signing up for global cpc ads which pays upon click through. Or if you qualify to sit in their CPM band, you can be targetted to earn based on the number of ads you serve on your site. Most of you are probably using Nuffnang as i write as it really is the dominant ad serving network for local bloggers like myself.

But, how robust is this engine? And are the pricing/qualifying metrics correct? I will approach this from 2 points of view, the advertiser and the blogger. Let's look at the blogger's scenario first.

Based on the CPC method ( since you have no entry control over the CPM method), you have no idea what the actual COST per click is until your cheque comes in the mail. This is an issue of transparency which is debatable as Nuffnang can choose not to disclose how much of the click they are earning from. But shouldn't we get to decide if the value of the click is worthy of the inventory we have?

For example, assuming advertiser A is paying 20 cents a click. Nuffnang may take 10 cents and pay you 10 cents per click. So if you know its 10 cents per click, you can decide if this is a worthwhile ad campaign to be a part of. Of course discretion is key but as with all ad networks, pricing should not be a 1 way process that is decided by advertiser and agency. Bloggers need to start thinking about the worth of their inventory space.

This brings me to my next point of inventory maximization, going back to my earlier example of Advertiser A's 10 cent per click campaign, assuming you have an excellent CTR based on this particular ad, (perhaps the ad speaks very strongly to your blog audience). Shouldn't you be rewarded with more ads thus giving you the opportunity to make more $$? This makes sense for Nuffnang and for you.

Random global ads serve as a very good measure of finding out whose blog is the most efficient use of the ad distribution, but then once Nuffnang susses out who's doing a good job based on ctr, then it makes more sense to serve this blogger more of the same. I'm not sure if Nuffnang already has this algorithm in place, if not, it's something to think about. Nuffnang will stand to gain as well as serving more effective CPC ads means they get to report better CTR to the advertisers.

Now, lets examine the nuffnang CPM method. I would like to suggest that evaluating a blog by unique visitors alone is an extremely crude way of determining a blog's relevance to a CPM campaign. CPM campaigns are mostly used for branding which is why eyeball traffic is the primary qualifier Nuffnang is using. However, from an advertiser's point of view, serving my branding ad to a site based on purely similar content and unique visitors is like standing in the middle of a crowded street shouting out to every passerby. Presence is NOT recognition.
Nuffnang needs to define their blogger bands much better. I suggest these inclusions

1) The number of people subscribed to this blog. This is an indication of audience loyalty. If i get 2000 unique visitors but these are all wayfarers, then the potential retention of the brand message isn't as high. If however, 500 of this 2000 come regularly then this tells the advertiser there is more engagement and involvement happening with this blog's audience.

2) Participation. This is also linked to point 1 but it can be measured by activity on the site such as comments, ratings, widget interaction. The interactive value of each eyeball is just as important as the number.

Also, back to pricing, if i were a blogger who qualified for a CPM band, i would certainly want to know what the price per ad unit is.

Lastly, i would like to say again that i think Nuffnang has done a good job so far and many bloggers have received money they would never have seen otherwise. However, like most things, it's always healthy to have the light shined on areas that can be improved and i hope my article has shed some illumination on this. Comments are welcome especially if i have made any factual errors on Nuffnang's operations.

Another great feel good pop song that radio will never play

Erin Mccarley is relatively unknown all the world over, this will probably change soon as this song is making steady rotation in the US midstream charts. It was featured on Grey's Anatomy and if this is an indication of the work, her album due in 2 months should be something to look out for.



I have a few friends who mentioned my 2 recent marketing posts have been somewhat negative and not particularly constructive so tomorrow when i talk about a new local startup that has caught my critical eye, i will try to be as constructive as possible. I promise. .... really.. .......hmmm.

Mediacorp is missing the point

So, i watch the occasional free to air television when i have some down time. I tuned to ch 5 last night to watch some meaningless tube and i saw some Mediacorp house ads. They were using the latest AC Nielsen results to brag about how much better they've been doing compared to their traditional rivals SPH. Let me state on record how absurd AC Nielsen, Synovate and the rest of these media index / research companies are. Most of their qualitative research comes from a "sample size" that somehow represents the rest of the entire population. Gee, i didn't know some sample dude out there representing me out right now, is thinking about how useless sample dudes are.

Take a radio survey for example, unless AC Nielsen is listening to every single person in a specified age group 24 hours 7 days a week over a period of time. How the hell do they suddenly stand up say "we have the answer to which radio station won in this age group and if you would like to know, here is the price".

Unless we are all living in some AC Nielsen bubble ala the Truman show, i don't think my radio activity is being monitored by some AC Nielsen monkey. So if you are in some a position of marketing influence, the next time AC Nielsen comes to present some "findings" to you, do yourself a favour and ask them this right at the end of the presentation : "I've listened to you and your colleague today and i have concluded you are both idiots. Now, assuming you are the sample size representation of your company, i have also concluded your entire company is full of idiots"

Anyway i digress terribly, back to Mediacorp. So, they have taken an aggressive stand against an old war horse to shout to the rest of the advertising dollar that they are somehow the better media of choice. Am i the only one who thinks Mediacorp is thinking like a MediaC**k? Helloo.. the real media you need to confront is the online media. We (collectively the upwardly mobile geeks) are spending more time watching shows via IPTV, we listen to music from live streaming and music portals, we read the news with live updates via digital readers or streamed video. We "discover" new topics by wikipediaing everything. So Mediacorp and SPH really need to redefine their market dynamics and realise they are both in the same position. I wont even consider Stomp or Razor TV or Mobtv initiatives that prove Mediacorp and SPH are embracing digital content delivery because the competitor is NOT the medium. Their increasing worry is globalization of the consumer and ease of access. Now that we have global options, we can choose not to endure lousy content no matter what the medium.

I would love to support what Ive said about increasing eyeballs glued to the monitors instead of the tv screens with some local media audience measurement stats but that would mean talking to Nielsen online to get the numbers and we all know who works for AC Nielsen. Idiots.

Plurk you twit.. or should it be Tweet you plurk!

Hello world..This is my first post as a social marketing observer. More about me i suppose in the future posts, no better way to know a person than through the passage of time.( and blogs)

Most of you on this humble blog site would recognize it as "that annoying music blog", well it still is; except now i want to annoy most of you further with my "outsights" on stuff that's happening in the world wide web of 2.0.

Plurk is a "free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send updates (otherwise known as plurks) through short messages or links, which can be up to 140 text characters in length.". Sounds alot like Twitter which sounds alot like a talkative friend whispering absolute garbage into your ear all day.

I haven't jumped on this micro blogging bandwagon as most see it as some license for non censored, unrepentant drivel to make your already boring day that much more meaningless with tweets that inspire one to watch their toenails grow.
What possible intelligent reply would you expect from me after you posted " just had a subway.. yumm".

I know i'm ruffling some twitter's plurks at this very moment but let's look at micro blogging in relation with the rest of the free world.
Yes, you can get opinions, answers, meet new friends ( this is debatable if you start questioning what qualifies someone from being a photo on your twitter wall to an actual friend) and importantly, connect with lots of like minded individuals.
But this is where micro blogging stops making sense.

The assumption that keeps twitters plurking is that there is "someone listening." And most often, there is. But WHO are these "someones" and why are they listening? In my brief fling with twitter and even shorter 1 nite stand with Plurk, i've come to the conclusion that aside from some purists, the majority of people involved in micro blogging are using it because they have to. If you are in web 2.0 at all and you don't own a twitter account, god help you with your virtual social standing. Guess who WONT be invited to the next plurk gathering. So, joining and using Twitter/Plurk/watever is really all about " Better to have and not need /use it than to be found out at the next unconference caught with your twitter pants down."

Most of us already spend way too much time glued to our mobile screens and laptop monitors. Lets use micro blogging wisely shall we? it's a great way to get traffic by tweeting updates, it's also fantastic as a broadcast tool for events, gatherings, its superb for asking for directions if you're in a foreign country. It's wonderful for group project live updates and WIP notes. But it is not a validation for you to tell the world how sleepy you are at 4pm in the afternoon!

Remember technology serves us. Not the other way around. If you're a web 2.0 junkie, get some help. And lastly, being a twit won't make you a "cooler geek" you plurk. Now, how do i convert this whole article in 140 characters?

Loving this band!

Great song.. fantastic album..quick post

Band: SafetySuit
Song: Someone like you

Vid is an acoustic version .. but its still excellent

What heroin music sounds like

MOTLEY CRUE IS COMING! I'm been spending some time last week listening to some old MC tunes and getting ready for their gig next month. Came across "Sixx:Am" on itunes, it's MC bassist Nikki Sixx's side project that released a brilliant old skool rock album called " The Heroin Diaries" based on true stories taken from his biogrpahy "The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star:.



This is a fanvid for the song "xmas in hell". It wasn't meant to be a single but last month, Sixx:Am released the EP with 3 rock instrumental mixes . All amazing... the voice is Nikki Sixx's and it's his narration and his voice and his story. Head down to borders to get the book and the songs on this album is awesome. This one in particular just makes my skin crawl.

The new M2M

Remember M2M? One blonde one Brunette, both really pretty? Karmina is a sister band exploding out from being featured on the new 90210's latest episode.



Blond or Brunette?

Rock song of the week!

Trapt is an under the radar band that's been around for about 6 years. Back in 2004 when i visited me mate in Boston, we took a long long bus ride to catch 3 bands i had never heard of. One of them was Finger Eleven who hit our mainstream radio last year with "Paralyze". The other was Trapt and they've been real quiet till now. They have just released their new album "Only through the pain" and this is the first single.

"Who's going home with you tonight" by Trapt



You like?

More girl on girl songs...

Alright, i promised the "Low Vs Diamond" album review and its coming but here's a really fun song i can't stop singing along to at the moment. The Black kids was this week's freebie on itunes and the song "I'm not gonna teach my boyfriend how to dance with you" is really catchy. I won't go into why the "Black Kids" aren't actually black or why the opening lyric goes "You are the girl that I've been dreaming of ever since I was a little girl " Readers will know i just covered Katy Perry's lesbo song and this is certainly not a trend i intend to continue.

The band pic!



And the song!



and the lyrics!

You are the girl that I've been dreaming of ever since I was a little girl
You are the girl that I've been dreaming of ever since I was a little girl

One,
I'm biting my tongue
Two,
He's kissin' on you
Three,
Oh, why can't you see?
One! Two! Three! Four!

The word's on the streets and it's on the news:
I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you.
He's got two left feet and he bites my moves.
I'm not gonna teach him how to dance, dance, dance, dance
The second I do, I know we're gonna be through.
I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you.
He don't suspect a thing. I wish he'd get a clue.
I'm not gonna teach him how to dance, dance, dance, dance

[x2]

One!
You're biting my tongue.
Two!
I'm kissin' on you.
Three!
Is he better than me?
One! Two! Three! Four!

The word's on the streets and it's on the news:
I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you.
He's got two left feet and he bites my moves.
I'm not gonna teach him how to dance, dance, dance, dance

The next big thing

10 years ago i was in a small record store in Perth called "2 steps records". They've since closed down but it was my favorite store for 4 years. I love and embrace digital freedom but traditional record stores all over the world have suffered for it. Anyway, i remember sitting in Dave's listening booth loving a little band called "Kara's flowers". They sounded then like a post Weezer college rock band with clever lyrics. I also loved all the Beatles references and obvious musical influences. Of course 4 years later, they discovered R&B and became the slightly bigger band we now know as "Maroon 5". It was also in "2 steps" that i discovered Stereophonics before they made radio.. back then Dave introduced me to them as one of the bands to look out for according to Q.

Fast forward to 2008, "2 steps records" has long been destroyed by piracy and the digital revolution but music lives on. Here is my next pick for "The next big thing". Say hello to "Low vs Diamond". I'm 6 songs into their debut album and I LOVE IT. Imagine The Strokes meet Hot Hot Heat meet genius.

Here is my self declared undiscovered rock single of the year.

Sorry they aren't big enough for me to grab a full music video but trust me...soon soon soon

Here is an acoustic live performance.

"Heart Attack" by Low vs Diamond.



And some studio work introducing themselves etc



The Strokes has been impressing me for a long time but they seem to work out terrific singles and really forgettable albums. Low vs Diamond's album is amazing.. i'll do the review this week but so far, i'm about 6 songs into it and i'm gushing all over my stereo. "Heart attack" is brilliant, so is "Sister B" and "Don't forget sister". That's 3/6 which is a 50% killer rate.. terrific. It has everything you are looking for in a song, the rock is mainstream enough for the world, they have big anthem solos, wonderful choruses, good vocals, nice harmonies, argh..

Gerald, thanks for the rock tips, will be checking them out after i finish with this band. Come back and let's cover heart attack. hahah

Random sexy pop girls attack!

GOOD NEWS! I found a very very good album, i don't have the time to do a review now but it will be up by friday. Trust me, its excellent. Phew...meanwhile guess what video is the NUMBER ONE video of the week in europe and america? Here it is! It's "Now you're gone" by Basshunter.. perfect bengser "Doom doom doom doom doom " music with really really sexy girls... nice....

song request of the week

First off, big shout out to Kim. I can't believe you have been coming here almost everyday and i got to say i'm starting to feel a little blogging pressure. You asked me to share Secondhand Serenade's chart topper and i will. Secondhand Serenade is actually the solo project of John Vesely who prefers to "let his music speak for itself". He is good looking fella with tattoos and the lip ring but trust me, this album is really all mush. The single "Fall for you" is doing really well over the world especially here and in the US. So Kim, thanks for being so supportive and here you go! ( sorry the album just isn't killer enough to make the review cut ..)



Oh Yes, i love the video! On TRL, John said he had tto watch 2 hours of audition tapes before making his mind up. The audition tapes were models in underwear tossing themselves on a bed and pretending to open windows and stuff. 2 hours???!!???? Geez.. what was he doing in those 2 hours??? He should change his title to "2 hourshand Serenade " HAHAHHAHAHA

Perfect wedding music!

Ok its 2am and i can't sleep. I know i just posted an amazing live performance but how do you stop genius! I watched another episode of "lipstick jungle" and this one song just kept hammering away at me. I had my "Ingrid Michelson" moment, the new Sarah Mclachlan, the song that i knew would be perfect for tv dramas, weddings and funerals. I had to discover the artiste! Say hello to Rie Sinclair, no spring chicken mind you but i have no idea how she slipped under the radar for so long. Her songs were created to make you cry. I believe she has a gift and tissue paper companies all over the world should send her christmas hampers.

Her songs are unbelievably vulnerable and touching, it's almost unmanly to be posting about her. Anyway, i don't want to contribute to trees burning so i won't go on. I've loaded 3 songs in the player and the only decent video i could find was a fanvid from "Memoirs of a geisha". Urgh.. it's saccharine sweet.. but trust me , all you engaged couples out there, throw out the buble and kick this baby on the speakers. Instant romance i tell ya, instant romance. Thank me when your first child comes out.

Live performance of the week!

Ok i've just watched back to back episodes of "Lipstick Jungle". The new Brooke Shields Sex in the city rip off and i'm feeling a little melancholic. Plus it's raining outside and i can smell the fresh scent of pavement cat pee coming up my 4th storey window. It's inevitable i would come across an absolute gem whilst killing father time slowly on the youtube.

LIVE if you remember , was a 90s post grunge band that brought us songs like "Lightning crashes" and this beautiful song called "Dance with you". This one song saved me from ripping my eyebrows out hair by hair and giving them each names whilst i was serving the nation 8 years ago. I would play this over and over again and karma transport myself to some other place. Typically somewhere sunny with alcohol and bikinis would come to mind around the time the lyrics come to " Where the goddess finally sleeps , In the lap of her lover. "
( Just to clear gender/sexual orientation confusion. i AM the lover and some swimsuit model is the goddess)

Anouk is an artiste i only recently discovered and her music is like some possessed demon waiting to jump inside your soul and eat you alive. I will be coming to one of her song reviews soon i think. But today, the star is the song. A collaboration between LIVE and Anouk performing my favorite LIVE song. Lyrics and song below. Enjoy.



Sitting on the beach
The island king of love
Deep in fijian seas
Deep in some blissful dream
Where the goddess finally sleeps
In the lap of her lover
Subdued in all her rage
And Im aglow with the taste of the demons driven out
And happily replaced with the presence of real love
The only one who saves

I wanna dance with you
I see a world where people live and die with grace
The karmic ocean dried up and leave no trace
I wanna dance with you
I see a sky full of the stars that change our minds
And lead us back to a world we would not face

The stillness in your eyes
Convinces me that i
I dont know a thing
And I been around the world and Ive tasted all the wines
A half a billion times came sickened to your shores
You show me what this life is for

I wanna dance with you
I see a world where people live and die with grace
The karmic ocean dried up and leave no trace
I wanna dance with you
I see a sky full of the stars that change our minds
And lead us back to a world we would not face

In this altered state
Full of so much pain and rage
You know we got to find a way to let it go

Sittin on the beach
The island king of love
Deep in fijian seas
Deep in the heart of it all where the goddess finally sleeps
After eons of war and lifetimes
She smilin and free, nothin left
But a cracking voice and a song, oh lord

I wanna dance with you
I see a world where people live and die with grace
The karmic ocean dried up and leave no trace
I wanna dance with you
I see a sky full of the stars that change our minds
And lead us back to a world we would not face
We would not face
We would not face
We would not face
We would not face
We would not face

Rap song of the week!

So i haven't added a song/album in about 4 days and there's good reason. This is a really really lean month for good stuff. I could do Jonas Brothers but they really really suck! ( sorry Mira!) And i backtracked on my third day release decision after giving it 4 spins in the car. Also, i was torn between Bullet for my Valentine and The black kids which to me were all ordinary. So , please give me more suggestions for album reviews cause i'm pretty dry at the moment.

Itunes is selling some really good -made for olympics- songs by artistes such as Chris Brown ( he's everywhere!), Goo goo dolls, Kate Voegele, Colbie Cailat etc and some of the songs are really good. Why can't our national songs sound like these instead of the usual crap we have to endure. I say we pay Timbaland a ton of $$$ and lets groove to "Count on me Singapore" 2009 remix. Complete with "uh oh" sounds and marching beats.
Anyway the chris brown one is loaded in the player and i like it, inspiring without being cheese heavy.

Today's video is T.I's "Whatever you like". T.I has been my favorite rapper for the past year and his last album counts in my best albums of 2007 list. "Big Things poppin" is the beast for when you need to get your rap on. This new song is coming off his new album not yet released but i think its fresh. He is the self proclaimed "King of the South" , put your baggy shirt on and bounce with this

Karen Carpenter is alive!!

What seperates the good singers from the REALLY good singers? I think confidence and vulnerability are 2 sides of the same talent coin and a singer who can balance them really stands out in a crowd of octave shrieking wannabes. Say hi to Georgia Wonder, a relatively unknown 2 piece outfit that is really impressing with their brilliant pop songs. This youtube video of their latest offering is really mesmerizing, kinda reminds me of Sinead o connor's "nothing compares to you" video of yesteryear. The singer is Stephanie Grant and somehow her voice really reminds me of Karen Carpenter. The song below and the song in the imeem player is not the same but listen to both. The song in the player really gives me the karen chills whilst this song below is just beautiful

"Girl you never knew" by Georgia Wonder




You ain't ever gonna love me
Ain't ever gonna hold me tight
Ain't ever gonna hold my hand and
help me count the stars at night

You ain't ever gonna need me
Ain't ever gonna call my name
Ain't ever gonna feel alone and
know that I'm the one to blame

'cos I'm the one who got away
The one who couldn't stay
The one you never knew
Was so in love with you
It's easier this way
To have a part to play
I'm always there for you
The girl you never knew

You ain't ever gonna leave me
Ain't ever gonna walk away
Ain't ever gonna keep me waiting
Hopin' you'll return some day

You ain't ever gonna hurt me
Ain't ever gonna make me cry
Ain't ever gonna tear my heart out
and never wanna say goodbye

'cos I'm the one who got away
The one who couldn't stay
The one you never knew
Was so in love with you
It's easier this way
To have a part to play
I'm always there for you
The girl you never knew

You don't know me at all
What makes me think you should
take me away from it all
just 'cos I think you could?
Well I don't need you
To tell me what I need
When all I need

Is not to need you
Not to need you
Need you
Need you


and just for fun.. a walk down memory lane

Sinead O Connor, Nothing Compares To You
Uploaded by popefucker

Random Sexy pop girl attack!

It's Hyorish!!!

Lee Hyo Ri is the comeback queen of K pop and she is an absolute sexy goddess...She is on the wrong side of 20 and disappeared from the k pop scene but is back with a new album and look. I'm not gonna review the album but i will review ms Lee.. she is 10/10!!!!! KAWAII!!!! ( wait, thats japanese)

Her picture




Her new MV "U Go girl" Be patient with it, trust me, around mid way point it gets really REALLY steamy!



and a live performance!

Terrific album... whether you're buddhist or not

Songs for Tibet

I was supposed to either review NAS or Third day but i chanced upon this week's new releases on itunes and immediately gravitated toward "Songs for Tibet". The likes of Imogen Heap, John Mayer, Dave Matthews, Joan Armatrading etc doing an acoustic/stripped down version of songs for a charity album really popped out at me. Was it a convenient repack of old songs or was it something actually worth listening to? I am glad to report that the album is EXCELLENT. From the very first song, Imogen heap makes her incredible "Hide and Seek" even more ethereal and dreamlike with Tibetan sounding instruments floating behind the melodies. Closing your eyes, you can almost smell the llamas. Intrigued, i skipped Sting ( Sting is so overrated) and went to Alanis's "versions of violence". If you have yet to listen to her new album, this one song is a must try. The version she recorded for this album according to itunes was performed in a pre concert dressing room showcase. It really sounds super organic with an excellent vocal delivery. The original is kinda electro rock but here, this version really highlights the chorus and brings attention to Alanis's lyrical phrasing which is always a delight.

Time for a song break. Enjoy Imgoen's live performance of the song recorded some time ago.



Alright, now we return to more amazing material. John Mayer and Moby immediately follow Alanis with terrific versions of their hit material. I'm especially impressed with Moby who does a stripped version of "We are all made of stars". Slowing down the tempo and re arranging the instrumentation, the song sounds like it belongs on some MTV unplugged 2008. At this point, i must admit i cringed at the next 10 artistes whom i assumed were the "fillers" . I mean it's pretty hard to get excited by the likes of Rush, Joan Armatrading, Ben harper, Teitur etc etc. But this is where i was totally blown away. I actually spent more than an hour listening and re listening to the back 10 songs by artistes i had never given a chance.

Who is Jonatha Brooke? Who is Rupert Hine? I have no idea but I'm gonna find out! Jonatha Brooke's song "Madonna on the curb" is so enchanting and absorbing i hit replay 3 times. When Joan Armatrading sings " In these times, everyone needs love, in these times do you pray to God...Compassion is the fire that burns the hurt ,the pain, the soul" Makes me want to stop by the next busker and drop him 50 cents. here is her music video for the song , do yourself a favour and just soak in the chorus. Classy lady, classy song


The goodies just keep rolling on and i was captivated by Rush's instrumental piece "Hope". I have very very shallow knowledge of Rush and Alex Lifeson is more appealing to me as the guitarist than the band itself but this song is so beautiful i am tempted to go retro and give this old rock band a 2nd listen. ( the song is uploaded in the imeem player, listen to it) There is no lousy song on this entire release and i think the covers/songs really do justice to the overall theme. I believe part proceeds will be going to Tibet in their peace initiatives and whether that means the dalai lama gets a new LV robe is another matter. I'm just ignoring the charity element and focusing on the good tunes. Before i get lynched by rabid Buddhists, let me defend renegade good turned bad monks all over the world by saying this. You take away a man's god given right to meat ...sex... and hair. Clothe him in a dress and poke holes in his head... wait did i mention no sex and no hair? Yes. Well dear readers, what the hell did anyone expect these guys to do except to go a bit looney?? Ditto for priests too..

Let me leave ya with Dave Matthew's brilliant "Where are you going". The version on this album is a "live" performance and it's really fantastic.

Live performance of the week!

Ok! It's alright with me is a brilliant pop song performed by Eric Hutchinson. He is one of those youtube/internet sensations much like marie digby. Perez Hilton first brought Eric to the mainstream 1 year ago predicting big things for the then unknown myspace artiste. Enter 2008, Eric has a label, a repacked album and his very cool songwriting. Check out this song , i can't help but get happier when i hear this , it's so .... bouncy!



Sorry my album of the week review is late, i should have it up by end day tomorrow. I'm deciding between NAS and the new third day album. Guess you'll find out tomorrow.

Monday's angry song of the week!

It's monday, i don't like mondays and here is how i'm telling the world. System of a down is one of my favorite bands to listen to when i'm driving alone and i can blast the stereo till my eyes start to water. Scars on broadway is a mini System of a down spin off comprising of co frontman Daron Malakian and John Dolmayan. Daron is the guy who sings the crazy operatic high pitched stuff on SOAD and since he wrote most of the songs on this new effort, the single is not surprisingly melodious. Fans might recall co frontman and super ugly Serj Tankian also released a solo effort last year and i think all over the world , we're just waiting for them to get back together. Meanwhile, check out this song and look out for the full album review.

Scars on broadway "They Say"



The quality is not great so listen to it on the imeem player if you want a better version.

Lazy sunday song of the week!

I was catching up on my monthly dose of letterman when i chanced across this indie band called "Grizzly Bear" The song they performed is "2 weeks" and it is absolutely haunting! I went to check them out on myspace etc and i am totally in indie love. The guys look like they stepped out of nerd cafe and the lead singer looks like Gonzo from the muppets but isn't the song gorgeous? Perfect for a lazy sunday brunch!

Party song of the weekend!

Hip hop is now all about soulja boy, lo rida and lots of East coast hard hitting tunes. Think the new David Banner album, NAS etc. Here comes a fresh change which reminds me of the old west side easy bounce, where did all these rappers go? Anyway , enjoy "Buzzin" , i think its a great song to groove to without getting all angsty. The rapper is called Shwayze which i think is really confusing. I couldnt find too much information about him so we'll have to wait till this song gets bigger or till Jay Z sues him for ripping off his "Z".

His wife has killer boobs and he sings. Perfect

Acoustic Album of the week!



Ok who is Josh Kelley? He is " the guy who married the Greys anatomy actress.... which one? the one with the boobs. "
And before he got married to boobalicious Katherine Heigl, he was actually one of my favorite vocalists/singer songwriters. I still think he has better tone than John Mayer and a very good head for bluesy melodies. Oh yes, this is the woman he gets to play doctor and patient with every day.





So Itunes announced his new acoustic effort is out this week and i for one am really happy. He hasn't released a whole lot of covers or acoustic version so to get your hands on a 10 song introduction to his work makes sense. It starts out with my favorite song from his most recent album released this year, "2 cups of coffee" (added in the imeem player) and quicky races through some of his best material over 3 albums and about 8 years. The thing with Josh is he is very very consistent. You wont hardly find a bad song on his album but you also wont really smell the single either. Some of his most memorable work is missing on this release in favour of more commercially played tracks and that is a tad disappointing for fans all over the world.

His most outstanding quality is his vocal tone and below is a clip of him singing dry with a guitar in hand performing "Tidal Wave". Very yummy. He wrote a few songs like this on his 2003 release "For the ride home" such as "Amen" and "Angels" where it's just him and a piano / guitar and his rich layered tone is mesmerizing. Unfortunately, he will probably go down in history as " the guy who married the greys anatomy actress. which one? the one with the boobs. "