Content Strategy for the Masses

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?

New things are being released everyday in an attempt to make us love the internet EVEN MORE (if that were even possible.) Here’s an overview of what’s being chatted about now so you can look smart in front of your colleagues:

- Google Instant: Before you even finish typing your search query, Google will provide the results. It’s predictive search without needing the return button.  It’s being rolled out now. If you have a site that is tracked by Google Analytics, you  might want to read and forward this post to the person in charge of its implementation on how to track Instant searches

- Apple Game Center: If you and your friends have Apple mobile products, such as iPod Touch, iPhone, etc, you can now turn some games in the “app store” into multiplayer challenges. The game plays are tracked with leaderboards and you can unlock achievements. You can also play against strangers in “auto match,” which will pair you up with someone else looking for a partner in a game. Apple suggests it’s a new social media tool for multiplayer gaming – sure. It’ll be interesting to see if all games currently in the Apple App store upgrade to be Game Center compatible, and if by doing so, they  make more money/achieve more downloads.

- Apple Ping: Another Apple product, this turns the iTunes app into a social device. Friends you follow get updates on what you’ve purchased, and there’s a Ping chart to show the top songs purchased by the people I know. It’s a way to recommend music without needing to talk to your friends. You can send 30 second clips of tunes you think your friends would like. Like Game Center, it’s main ROI will be more music downloads.

- Open Street Map: People around the world can build up content that should appear on a map. The world map is editable – meaning you can sign up and fix names of streets, redraw roads, add landmarks, a bike path, construction notices…  Remember when Wikipedia started? This type of collaboration tool, where everyone combines forces to create something, is really the base from which social media was built upon – and many have declared love for this site. I can’t wait to see how it develops.

So there you go – four things that have popped up in just the last few days.

In the past two months, I’ve made two trips to the States, which as a Canadian means loads of mobile phone data roaming charges. For someone addicted to the location service  Foursquare, this means I’m spending money to use the free service.

Why do I like Foursquare? It’s a social game that takes the conversation offline. I was a doubter at first, but then I became a mayor of a location, which is given to a user who “checks in” the most (plus a bunch of other secret algorithms only Foursquare understands). When I became mayor for the first time, I thought “cool,” but I wasn’t addicted to checking into everywhere I went.  And then someone took the mayoralship away from me. It struck a competitive chord in me. Soon I was challenging coworkers who could become mayor of the workplace, inadvertently stealing the mayorship from my bf at our fave restaurants… so much fun. I later learned it’s also a blast to earn hard-to-get badges.

On vacation, particularly in the States, Foursquare is an amazing recommendation engine. I check into a restaurant and then review the tips written usually by locals who suggest what to order from the menu, where to sit, and what to avoid. Thanks to Foursquare, I ate some amazing sushi, avoided another restaurant and felt like I was in “the know” in a strange land.

Data roaming charges, however, could affect my use of this service in cities outside of my own because of the high roaming fees. I suspect those without a 3G plan are in the same boat – even those who love services such as Facebook or Twitter. Say you’re in a new city on Twitter, your followers will give you advice on where to go – even if you ask for tips or not.

Starbucks’ free Wifi in all of its locations helped people like me get onto their social media where ever we end up. It’s also a fabulous marketing tool for the coffee chain as most people will tell their friends on Twitter or check in to Foursquare that they’re at Starbucks.

But what’s the solution to help location-based services blossom into this potential of tourism check-ins and become the recommendation engines they’re turning into? Should Twitter sponsor more wifi locations? Should locations that want to exploit the Foursquare marketing tool offer wifi? Thoughts?

Each month, I spent 2 minutes tops using the iPhone to speak to other people. The other 43, 220 minutes I spend using my iPhone as:

- my new book library. I installed Kobo and thanks to some regularly appearing coupons in my email, it’s my new book store. Books were getting annoying to move all the time, anyway. While it doesn’t have everything I’d like to read, I can only assume it will one day.

- my fitness guide. I use the Nike+ system with my shoes to know how far I’ve run and the speed, and it automatically updates my running progress on my Twitter acct (ask to follow for now!). I use RunKeeper Free to help calibrate my Nike+ system with its GPS tracking of my runs. I also use the Nike Training app when it’s a kajillion degrees below zero outside. And finally, I track my chocolate  consumption with Livestrong’s Daily Plate app.

- my notetaker and to do list. I have too many projects on the go, always, with more being added on a regular basis. I was a pen and paper gal when I needed to create to do lists (for the rewarded check mark upon completion) but so far the very popular Things app is helping keep me paperless and less encumbered during meetings. I’m not sure if it qualifies for my day to day work (where I often need to keep 48 things on the top of my head at any given moment) but it’s good to keep me focussed on one project at a time.

- my guitar tuner thanks to Guitar Toolkit and a fun music maker with Groove Maker and of course, autotunetastic I am T-Pain. I can also see song lyrics and locate who’s listening to the same tunes as me on TuneWiki

- my game console. Tons of games – what’s your fave?

- my weather guide

- my news guide

- etc etc etc

How do you use your iPhone outside of dialing up?

Monty Python’s YouTube channel has launched.

The intro video explains it all.. and tells a tale of how TV execs are changing their ways of thinking about free videos online – watch it, and then if you like it, buy it.