Showing posts with label follow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label follow. Show all posts

Thursday, 20 September 2012

Power to the People!

             Welcome ladies and gents, I hope you enjoy where I’m going with this one. I feel that the internet has changed the world, for the better! More than any other time in history, we the people are able to right the wrongs and change people’s lives via the global online community. A great example and probably something you've heard about was the woman in the United States, a bus monitor. Karen Klein was accosted by several youths on a bus, this was all recorded on video by 8th grade kids.

           As sad as that scene was, there came something out of it, a random act of global kindness. This video made its rounds all over the world via social media, eventually ending up on the front page of the internet, also known as Reddit.com . From here a Toronto man, Max Sidorov, caught wind of this and decided he was going to send Karen on a vacation. What came to follow was one of the most positive and selfless acts by humanity. Not only was there a fund started for her, but it ended up exceeding $700’000 so that Karen could not only take some time off, but retire out right! Random people, not knowing this woman, came to set what was wrong - right.


            The power of the people is even more present in the example of how the internet created the Tesla Museum (now soon to be). There was an article that popped up on Reddit, posted by the creator of the wildly popular blog The OatmealMatthew Inman, created a list of all Nikola Tesla's inventions and contributions to humanity. Most are oblivious to what he created, as there is no museum to honour his accomplishments. So, here's where it gets good, the land where Tesla's lab was, known as Wardenclyffe, had been put up for sale and set to be demo'd. Seeing this travesty, Mr.Inman then put together 1 blog post called 'Let's Build A Goddamn Tesla Museum', honestly check it out. The goal was to raise $850'000 to split the cost with the state of New York.

 Put it this way, there were enough anonymous donations to not only buy the land outright, but pay for the costs of the building, see here. The power of online community not only brings people together, but helps to sift out those truly in need. Never have we, as a society, been able to harvest this much social momentum as individuals. The medium of information has shifted, transparency and whuffie (subtle, I know) rule all. The more open we are with helping others, the stronger we become as a society. Peace, love and boom goes the dynamite!


-DP




Monday, 3 October 2011

#WantAnR8?

I recently fell in love with Twitter. I've always been in love with cars. So, when I went on my search for accounts to follow on Twitter, I naturally searched car companies that interested me. Mercedes, BMW, Mini, and Audi were among the accounts whose "follow" buttons got clicked.

One day when I looked at what was trending in Toronto, I noticed
a hashtag that read #WantAnR8. I was curious so, I clicked.

What is it?

#WantAnR8 is a campaign by Audi that asks followers to tweet @Audi why they would "WantAnR8" and they then choose some lucky winners! The winners don't win the V10 R8 forever, only for a weekend, but it's just long enough for them to fall in love with it and maybe go out and buy one for themselves.

Lucky Winners

It all started with Julie McCoy who tweeted Audi everyday about how much she wanted an R8. They eventually replied to her telling her that they would be dropping off an R8 to her house for the weekend. She is now the "poster-woman" for the #WantAnR8 campaign.

Another recent winner, Dan Gross, who works in advertising tweeted this to Audi.


It seems that being clever would win you a weekend with your dream car in the case of Mr. Gross. Julie McCoy took the approach of persistence and pure love of the car.

How to win?

Although I'm not positive how Audi chooses their winners, through some careful examination I have found some tips to help you:

  • Attach a video to your tweet.
  • Tweet often!
  • Be clever and genuine!
  • And make sure you have a license to drive the R8 in case you are chosen.

Where to find #WantAnR8?

#WantAnR8 is not only flooding the internet. The Petit Le Mans race in Atlanta, Georgia that covers 1000 miles (1600 kms) had signs for Audi with the hashtag on either side. People who tweeted at the race were eligible to win on that day. Audi's Facebook page is another place where you can connect with people with their eyes on the prize.



Audi PR

The #WantAnR8 campaign is reflecting excellently on Audi's PR! They have used social media to promote not only their R8, but the lifestyle to accompany it. Their "Good PR" move has created a huge community of car lovers within all means of social media.