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This new site, This Culture Pops, reviews pop culture events online with a daily feature, “What’s Everyone On About.”
Today, everyone is on about women laughing with salad and a homeless man with an amazing voice. Check it out here and be sure to subscribe for regular updates!
About 10 years ago when I had a gym membership, I was frustrated to see large scale ads in the change room. I was paying almost $100 a month (I know…) to use this upscale space for working out, and now I was forced to see illuminated advertising billboards? Since I was paying a premium price, shouldn’t I have been spared from the gym trying to make an extra buck?
It’s with this memory I look to the app store and acknowledge the increase number of ad-supported apps that are now available for download.
For free apps, it appears most people are willing to accept ads, such as lower thirds or sponsor pages. Some publishers, however, appear to be experimenting with advertising on slightly higher priced apps to either offset the cost of development or appease their internal sales teams. One random app I recently came across was from Real Simple magazine. Its $4.99 “No Time to Cook app was released on December 19 and looks great. However, of its 4 reviews on the iTunes app store, half complain about its use of advertising.
Commenter Jason Matte writes: “Are you kidding me? The unwritten rule in the app store is that if you pay for it, it should be ad free.”
Is that true? Is $5 considered a premium, ad-free price for an app? It costs about $25/year to subscribe to the Real Simple magazine, and that’s chock-full of advertising. So, what gives?
Some apps, rather than choosing the ad-based model, have offered a free app that sells premium content. Take, for example, Word Lens – an app that uses your phone’s camera to translate foreign languages into your mother tongue. The free app provides a mirror image of the words, which gives users a good testing ground before purchasing language packs for $5 that translate English to Spanish.
This model seems to make sense, considering most people would pay more than $5 for a travel book with local phrases. Yet some vocal commenters angrily gave the app one star for using this model, stating the mirror image doesn’t show how the app works.
Are complaints about these business models examples of angry troll behaviour, or are users only reacting because the business model is uncontrollably changing from what they were taught was the norm?
Here’s what I do now – Around midnight, I check my Groupon app on my iPhone for the latest deal, then move over to WagJag.com to see what they have to offer. In the morning, I move to DealFind, LivingSocial and finally a new site called from Red Flag Deals called DealoftheDay.
I’m sure there is a slew of other sites offering deals upon deals. And why not? Rumour has it Groupon turned down Google’s $6 billion buy-out offer. Of course, that news would trigger other entrepreneurs and eager businesses to launch their own daily deal sites while envisioning what they would do with a few billion.
But I might be suffering from coupon fatigue. The issue I find is many of these sites are offering the same thing over and over again. How many days of the week are dedicated to specials on botox injections, laser hair removal, photograph enlargements and 3-month gym memberships? A lot.
I recently used a Groupon for a local salon and asked the owner why she went with a deal-of-the-day site. She said her main goal was to attract new clientele to the salon, but when pressed if she’s experiencing a surge of new business from the promotion, she said it’s 90% current clients who discovered the deal so far. When Gap famously offered $25 for $50 worth of merch in August, some analysts claimed the retailer may have made $6 to $11 million, but since it’s a half price coupon, that it essentially also lost $6 to $11 million (a kind of glass-half-empty response). A recent Rice University study indicates 66% of Groupon promotions were profitable, but more than 40% of businesses wouldn’t use it again.
Many social couponing sites have a few kinks to work out before appealing to the Googles and the Facebooks. Some deal of the day sites didn’t update their deals over the December holidays (there’s too much competition to not be a daily offer in this business). Other sites have angered potential customers by offering cheap iPads that were never actually in stock for the masses. Recently, WagJag CEO, when responding in an interview to complaints from customers about poor customer service, narrowed it down to a small handful of users who didn’t know to check their junkmail. Groupon has its share of complaints as well – similarly with communication issues.
Rumour has it Four Square will be looking to partner with Groupon this year – which makes sense – check-in, get a coupon. More partnerships should happen this year as well – maybe not from Google, but maybe large-scale retailers. Think about it – Last week, Sears and Kmart in the States announced plans to launch an online Netflix competitor -which boggles my mind as it would seem the retailer went after the wrong competition – merging coupon sites with large retailers seems like a no-brainer.
Have we reached the max on coupon sites, or will there be a crash soon? How many vials of Botox must each city buy to keep these sites alive?
I often scroll down after reading a news story to see what comments people have, despite better judgement. There is a script you can run to remove the comments from some more famous Canadian news sites, but some online publishers such as World of Warcraft and the New York Times have taken to forcing those who comment to use their real names.
By removing the protective shield of a user name, the person tempted to spew angry and inappropriate comments will think twice before posting anything under their real name.
Ya, you’d think.
Where I work, I help out the marketing department with their social media campaigns. This includes guiding the coordinators through posting messages on Facebook. In this experience, having a user’s real name isn’t stopping “fans” from making unnecessarily angry, shocking and downright racist comments regarding the posts. In this environment, we not only see their names, but can easily click through to their profiles and learn all about them. They must know we now know everything about them and this is terribly wrong, right?
On the other hand, our Twitter account rarely gets these types of angry comments. It’s a love fest on this forum – and strangely, this is the place where users rarely use their real name. Why the difference? On Twitter, we’re re-tweeting and engaging in conversation with the users whenever we can. On Facebook, we simply don’t have the resources in place to engage in these conversations.
It would be an interesting study to see why people get so angry when posting comments online, and determine if it’s the environment that’s encouraging this behaviour. Do you think we get more angry responses on Facebook because we’re not engaging in a conversation with them? Or does FB provide a better sounding board for everyone to see their comments?
Or… if the anonymous trick fails, should moderators evolve from removing offensive posts into spokespeople, challenging and ‘calling out’ those who are unnecessarily troll-like?
While I do enjoy Foursquare for its multitude of uses, from a social game to a cool app for instant tips from locals, I do understand why people roll their eyes at me when I insist on checking into a place. For those people, they don’t see a purpose to this app. Their iPhone probably has a weather app, maybe a to-do list and maybe a news feed: all solid, informative apps that turn their phone into a tool of function rather than a tool of fun.
Well, here’s an app that puts the fun in function. Yes, I just wrote that. Marco is technically a game of Marco Polo, except this time you access the app to find out where your friends are located. Say you’re waiting for your friend to arrive for dinner. You access the app and enter your friend’s name – it sends a text message (using your address book) that says “Marco! Show (the sendee) your location on a map” with a link. Click the link, and your friend is taken to the Marco website, where he/she taps a button to send an SMS “Polo” back. You don’t need to have the Marco app on his or her phone for this to work. From there, you receive the SMS “Polo,” which tells you how far away your friend is from arriving.
Similar apps already exist. The most popular one is Loopt, which has partnerships with most U.S. mobile carriers as a social mapping device, that also works as a loyalty service. Yet it isn’t yet available outside of the U.S.
Marco Polo is technically a game, sure – but the developers have created an app that can appeal to those users who dislike social gaming. And those who do like gaming can redefine their usage of this game at their own leisure.
I ordered my first huge item from the sales website Beyond the Rack a few weeks ago: a really great looking table and set of chairs plus an ultra-cool black lamp for a very decent price. I’ve ordered from this website before, clothing mostly, so I felt confident this delivery would be smooth. Beyond the Rack delivers to Canada, which is a fantastic bonus, and they’ve got amazing communication. Every week, I was emailed with updates on the delivery of these items.
Three weeks after ordering, the package came on Friday (two weeks ahead of schedule!). However, we received the lamp in the wrong colour and most importantly, the table and chairs were delivered damaged. Despite the “fragile” warnings on the box, the corners were smashed in – resulting in chipped and damaged furniture. It’s not Beyond the Rack’s fault the delivery method failed, and it’s unfortunate they seemingly weren’t aware the manufacturer of said furniture decided to protect the goods with just cardboard and tape (nary a piece of padding in sight).
So, on to returning the item. With past deliveries from BTR, I’d get an invoice along with clear instructions on returns. This time, however, nothing – I looked in each box for my invoice, but nothing could be found. I emailed the company to receive a form letter, instructing me to use the Fed Ex return documents. This package, however, was delivered by UPS – which I assume is the company’s Canadian courier.
Getting this response meant I was prepared for the worst – the last thing I wanted was a hassle. But maybe I’m too cynical.
When I reply to tell them I don’t have the return documents, I receive an email the next morning with the documents for me to print out and put on all of the boxes. All I need to do is call up Fed Ex and done. Super easy!
Remember when getting a delivery meant waiting forever for the delivery person to return? Or even when you get home from a shop and notice a defect, you still have to go all the way back out to the store to make a return? While it’s annoying the packages were delivered in bad shape and without necessary paperwork, BTR turned the situation that was honestly beyond their control around and made it easy on me, the customer.* I’d still take shopping online over mall shopping any day.
*Of course, if I don’t get a refund, I’ll be spewing vitriol. Stay tuned!
Here’s a list of fun, cool things I’ve seen on my mobile of late – I have no professional connection to any of these items. I’m simply a nerd for cool apps. And since there are, at last count, 1,200,405,454,774 apps (approximately) on the iTunes store, tell me your faves too:
ARTS
- DJ Shadow launched an app not too long ago that has some fantastic community features and his latest music. This is a great example of what a band or any brand can do to generate mobile excitement with fans. The app encourages fans to take pictures from his tour and post them, chat about upcoming or current concerts, make comments about his uploaded music and see where his fans are across the globe. The only problem I found with it – and it appears to be a bug- is that it doesn’t turn off its locative services when you close out of the app.
- I downloaded the Amazon Kindle app for my iPhone. While the store doesn’t yet have the selection of Kobo, I appreciate Amazon’s approach to its userface. For example, I found this neato feature whereby it shows you the dictionary definition of a word if you press down on it with your finger. And yes – this does mean I read books on my iPhone and no, it isn’t too small to read.
GAMES
- Cut the Rope is the new Angry Birds. Over 2000 5-star reviews in the app store and it’s now #1 in Canada.
- Singing Fingers lets you “finger paint with sound” and it comes from the MIT Media Lab. Drag your finger across the blank screen to create a colourful line, while also creating a sound. Play back this sound, create more sounds, harmonize with other parts of your drawing… it’s amazing. This site explains it all.
LIFE
- Seth Godin’s app might make me look bad because he manages to update it everyday, but I can’t help but appreciate it for its simplicity AND the fact he manages to bestow something interesting each time I open it. I’m far too cynical for inspirational talk from “gurus,” but Godin somehow latches on to my brain and helps me rethink common approaches to everyday work.
- While I love the internet and my digital life, I cannot for the life of me use a calendar/to-do list online. I need to write my tasks in a Moleskine calendar or it’s too easy for me to click “dismiss.” Teux Deux, however, is the only app I’ve used that could potentially replace the pen and paper. It’s simple to use and clean.
Alright – tell me – what apps am I missing out on?
Clothier GAP changed its logo this week to much hulabuloo. Companies do this all the time, but this shift created a social media firestorm, mainly from people who seriously and loudly dislike
d the new look.
My favourite response has to be the parodies. One from Crap Logo, where you can Gap Logo yourself. Their Twitter account boastfully says they’re going to milk this for all its worth because it’ll be a memory after this weekend. The other from Gap Logo Twitter, with the tagline: I have feelings too, jerks.
Gap’s response? While they say they still like their redesigned logo, they’re using social media to say “Oh yeah? Why don’t YOU come up with something better?” Their Facebook page calls out to the public to create a new design, which according to Fast Company’s Co Design will be used as part of the Holiday advertising campaign. Information about their crowd sourcing project will be revealed in a few days. Fast Company also has a great article on what happens when companies crowd source their design for the better, and when it raises the ire of professional designers.
I’m personally pleased to see sans-serif, and surprised by the passion everyone put into a logo… for The Gap. Then again, this same thing happened a year ago to Tropicana.
Was The Gap correct in its response on social media? If you ran a company where everyone hated the logo, what role would you allow social media to take? Would you immediately respond and hint at changing the logo (to possibly thousands of dollars wasted) or wait for the social maelstrom to die down?
UPDATE: So, it turns out The Gap felt social media was right and they were wrong. The company ditched its plans to ask its fans to create a new logo and instead, returned to the classic, serif-font look.
Today, a start-up company in Toronto called Fab Find decided to hold a sale for $10 iPads. It was an interesting way for the company to stand out amongst its many online coupon competitors such as Groupon. Unfortunately, this may have backfired.
Fab Find says 10 iPads were up for sale for $10, but talk on the very active Facebook group page suggests that number might be lower – in the single digits. And those who did secure the $10 iPads aren’t owning up to their purchases – save for two: both from local media companies. The fact that few who wanted to could buy their $10 iPad while those who did appear to be from the ‘inside’ is a PR nightmare.
On top of that, the site kept breaking… or did it? Some Twitter comments suggested the site downtime was also part of the stunt as their staging server was working. Others are now contacting their server hosting company asking why there was downtime, making that company answer this PR game as well. Additionally, and for me most importantly, some people claimed to have entered in their credit card information only to be told the product was now sold out, raising sincere ethical questions.
Lots of people are claiming this stunt was a scam and as we all know, the loudest people on social media are those who complain. Between threats of sending this to the Better Business Bureau and claims of never shopping with them ever agin, FabFind.com is doing its best to respond – on Facebook and its Twitter account.
The fact is – I never heard about Fab Find until this sale… and their office is literally down the street from me. They’ll release their analytics tomorrow, but guaranteed they saw more traffic this morning than they have in the last month, at least. Anger about missing out on a $10 iPad may go away, but it’s their actions over the next few days that will speak to the long term success of this start-up. In fact, many of those people who are angrily leaving messages on their social media walls suggest there is wiggle room for Fab Find to make up for “misleading” their customers.
One great suggestion on Twitter – those who wished to buy an iPad for $10 may want to instead donate it to charity.
Google TV launched a website today to explain how it will work for Americans. Your television set will have a landing page, you’ll be able to access apps and website content simultaneously with your TV watching. Not to be a negative nelly, but I’m not sure how this is different than watching televison with a laptop, other than now your entire family gets to be annoyed while you keep minimizing the TV programming to look up that actress’ name and movie credits on IMDB. I’m not clear why the personal experience of ‘surfing’ should now be an event shared with the entire family.
Sony seems to think it’ll work – they’re creating TV sets to accomodate GoogleTV’s business model- but I wonder if this attempt to bring the computer experience to the television screen is misguided because, well, the computer works already. If I’m watching a TV show and want some more information, I go onto my laptop to get it. Mobile phones, iPads and other tablet devices make this task even easier.
What am I missing? Are you excited by Google TV?
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