Community and Stubborness: Original Xbox loses Live

Published
by
Matt
on Feb 5, 2010
in community and gaming
. Comments

Well, it’s official. As of April 15th, Microsoft will be discontinuing the online Xbox Live service for the original Xbox.

My first response: Really? People still play games on the first Xbox?

In a message on the official Xbox blog, Marc Whitten wrote:

There’s no greater example of the power of the Xbox LIVE community than the “Halo” franchise. “Halo 2” has had an amazing run on LIVE, with a dedicated community more than five years after launch and well into the next generation of consoles. It has fundamentally changed the way we play video games. And while it’s difficult to see that run come to an end, the “Halo” franchise continues to act as the benchmark for multiplayer gaming in this generation, with “Halo 3,” “Halo 3: ODST” and soon “Halo: Reach” on Xbox 360.

Now normally I wouldn’t have an issue of people clinging to an old game on and old system, but in this case, the limitations of the original Xbox are actually holding the Xbox360 back in terms of what it’s capable of doing online. Interesting to see that there really was a big active community still playing games that are over 5-6 years old.

Thanks for the good times original Xbox, but stop being an anchor. It’s time to move on.

And You Thought Wireframes Weren’t Awesome

Published
by
Matt
on Feb 4, 2010
in Web Sites and video
. Comments

I’m pretty sure there’s a low percentage of people that free-associate “wireframes” with “kick ass!”, but they probably haven’t seen this video yet.

How’s your mind? Blown?

6 Bloggers I Hope Write A Book and Why

Published
by
Matt
on Jan 7, 2010
in Blogging and Books
. Comments

Despite some really good digital marketing/social media books out recently from the likes of Mitch Joel, Chris Brogan/Julien Smith, Tamar Weinberg, (soon to be) Greg Verdino, etc., There are still a bunch of bloggers I’d like to see put something into print. Here’s my short list. Feel free to add yours in the comments.

David Armano (Twitter)
Why I Want It: A book from Armano would most likely lie somewhere between The Back of The Napkin and Blink in terms of synthesizing complex ideas into easy visuals, and presenting something to make you think, not just a how-to. Also, a cowboy hat-including collectors edition would likely be a possibility.
What It Probably Will Be Called: Logic + Emotion: (Insert Explanatory Subtitle)
What It Should Be Called: Of Bathroom Sign People and Cowboy Hats, A David Armano story.

Jason Falls (Twitter)
Why I Want It: Jason has a knack for explaining things in clear, but intuitive ways. A book from him would probably be the kind of book you give to your boss and say “Here’s a quick primer on social media. Yes we can run ads there. And stop calling it “Facespace”. Low on ass-kissery, high on ass-kickery.
What It Probably Will Be Called: Social Media Explorer: Discover the Tools and Tactics of the New Web
What It Should Be Called: Heh.

Whitney Hess (Twitter)
Why I Want It: I learn something legitimate from almost every post that Whitney writes, and I think her style would translate really well into the bound medium. She makes UX feel simultaneously elemental and complex, which is hard to do.
What It Probably Will Be Called: Pleasure and Pain
What It Should Be Called: Do Your Users Want To Punch The Internet?

Scott Monty (Twitter)
Why I Want It: Scott Monty has the rare experience of having been a big part of emerging channels agency Crayon, and then transitioning to heading up social media at a little company called Ford Motors. One of the most genuine people in the business, and hands down the best dressed.
What It Probably Will Be Called: The New Big Business: Social Media for the Large Organization
What It Should Be Called: Suit-Point-Oh: Style for the Social Media-minded Man.

Bill Green (Twitter)
Why I Want It: Equal parts snark and commentary, Bill gets enough content onto his Make The Logo Bigger blog to have his own monthly magazine. While some of the best stuff is video content, there’s plenty of advertising gold to go around.
What It Probably Will Be Called: Make The Logo Bigger.
What It Should Be Called: Why I Went To Law School

Alan Wolk (Twitter)
Why I Want It: In most of my reading, I’m more interested by higher level strategy and thought-process type stuff than I am in the how-to’s of tips and tactics. Alan Wolk does a good job of blending the digital and traditional worlds to figure out what the hell is going on in advertising.
What It Probably Will Be Called: …Honestly I couldn’t guess.
What It Should Be Called: Return of the Tangerine Toad.

My Top 7 Posts For 2010

Published
by
Matt
on Jan 4, 2010
in ANM and New Marketing
. Comments

Well ANM readers, I’ve done it. I’ve gazed into my patented ANM Brand Crystal-Ball-o-Matic-atron and have divined my most popular posts of the UPCOMING YEAR! Read on if you like having your mind blown.

1) Something about Twitter.

2) Something about “Social Media Gurus”

3) Something about something we all think might be better than Twitter but fades really fast.

4) Something Google, Apple, or Microsoft.

5) Something bitching about social media.

6) Something really cool we don’t even know about yet!

7) Something that includes a list with a bunch of stuff we all already know but it makes for great link-bait.

Why The Nook Misses The Point

Published
by
Matt
on Dec 17, 2009
in Analysis and Products
. Comments

barnes-n-noble-nook-ebook-reader

A lot has been said about Barnes and Noble’s new eBook reader, nook. It’s got a lot of innovative features, and it looks to be the first legitimate contender to the Amazon Kindle, the current king of the castle.

One feature that’s been getting a lot of press is the “LendMe” function which allows you to take a book you have purchased and “lend” it to a friend (with a nook) for a limited period of time. Just like a real book, when you lend something out, it gets removed from you library.

At first it seems like a pretty solid feature, but when you think about it, it misses the point. B&N is banking on the fact that people have this established behavior of lending books, and that when you lend a book you no longer have it in your possession. However, this behavior also operates on the notion of physical scarcity (i.e. “This is my singular copy, you may take it from me”). With digital distribution, there is no scarcity. Due to the nature of the medium, just because I have one, doesn’t mean you can’t. We can both have it at the same time because it exists in 1’s and 0’s not covers and pages.

I know this idea goes contrary to their business model, but one has to think that if a company continues to build business models on outdated ideas and concepts, they’re backing themselves into a corner already.

Target Masters The Double Message

Published
by
Matt
on Dec 16, 2009
in Advertising and Analysis
. Comments

I really like how Target is taking a play out of Disney and Dreamworks’ book here. And that play is the “something for everyone” humor. Just like the way that Disney and Dreamworks sneak in jokes written for the parents in kids movies, Target has managed to craft an ad speaking directly to parents, while still not cluing kids in on anything.

Plus it’s pretty funny to too.

The Importance of Does versus Says

Published
by
Matt
on Dec 14, 2009
in Advertising and Digital Marketing
. Comments

More great stuff from Sir Alan Wolk today (knighthood mine) in the form of these two really good charts.

Take a quick look, and then we’ll talk.


I think the biggest thing here is the move from passive to active. With ads (typically) we are passive recipients of a neatly packaged “moment” designed to elicit some sort of emotional response or purchase intent. With websites, and most digital instances, we’re being given the opportunity to experience something, and how we do so is entirely of our own choosing.

You’ve probably heard that the medium is the message. I think that’s only half right.

Maybe the experience is the message.

Twitter As Information Network

Published
by
Matt
on Dec 3, 2009
in twitter
. Comments

First off, yes, I am alive. New jobs will do that.

Earlier today, the ever-wise CK noted that Twitter considers itself an “information network”, and that she agrees with that idea, in the grand sense. She also mentioned that many of us primarily use Twitter as a social tool, which is probably true too.

I agree with CK on both points actually. While Twitter may have grown into a legitimate information network (I get most of my news first from my TweetDeck), its growth has been spurred by the fuel of social interaction. Sort of a “Come for the conversation, stay for the news” type of situation. I think that as Twitter continues to evolve, it will be sharpened as a distributed information source, but it will retain it’s social foundation. Because, really, without it, what’s the big deal?

What say you, internets?