A New Spin On "Six Seconds of Fame"

There has been a lot of movement lately in the short-video sharing space.  Whether it is Vine or Instagram, people love it.  But what about making a living from it?  Or how about using it to gain a life of fame and fortune?

Well, get this, Gary Vaynerchuk, a legendary brand consultant and author, is starting a talent agency specifically for stars of Vine.  Yes, those who have garnered large followings for their 6-second videos will now have a new avenue to achieve fame.  The agency, reported to be called "Grape Story" will capitalize on the skill set needed to create compelling and popular stories in mere seconds.  

And this new set of digital starts already has a company looking to hire them!  Apparently, Virgin Mobile is looking to contract the clients of Grape Story for new partnerships.  And according to Vaynerchuk, this could mean big bucks.  He thinks an average of 20 videos a year could make someone a great living.  Wow.  Living off of work that takes you a total of 2 MINUTES seems crazy.  What do you think about this new kind of fame?  

Poor Miss Utah!

I would bet that there have been more tweets about Utah in the past 24 hours than ever.  Usually known for Salt Lake City or great skiing, the state has erupted on social media sites for a new reason: Miss USA pageant answers.

 

That's right.  Last night, during the Miss USA pageant (I still love watching these!), there was a new botched response in the traditional Q&A session.

 

I say "new" because many of you might remember last year's cringe-worthy answer from Miss Teen South Carolina, Caitlin Upton.  Well, this year, she has transferred the crown of "Most Incoherent Answer" to Miss Utah, Marissa Powell.

Judge NeNe Leakes questioned Marissa about income inequality, asking “A recent report shows that in 40 percent of American families with children, women are the primary earners, yet they continue to earn less than men. What does it say about society?”

 

Good question, right!?  But that's when Miss Utah's eyes began to glaze over and she just started... just saying words... poor thing.  Among long pauses and "um"s, quips included: "the men are … um … seen as the leaders of this" and "we need to see how to … create education better".

 

Yeah, there was no real answer.

 

And, of course, Twitter noticed.  The pageant has brought about increase Twitter usage by hosting a "tweet for your favorite contestant competition" earlier in the evening.  But trending topics ended up with Miss Utah's botched answer at the top of the list.

 

It didn't turn out all bad for our poor Marissa Powell, though.  She ended up coming in fourth place, just behind Miss Connecticut (the winner), Miss Alabama, and Miss Illinois.

 

Did you watch last night?  Do you think the judges were too gracious with the scoring, or did Miss Utah deserve the crown?

Myspace's 9 Lives

Myspace is like a cat with 9 lives.

Doesn't it seem like it KEEPS "relaunching"?  Didn't this just happen earlier this year?  Is it déjà vu?  Are we in the movie Groundhog Day!?

Yet, I put away my apparent cynicism for a moment and open my mind to the possibility that maybe, just maybe, this time is different for Myspace.  The once front-runner of social media networks, MySpace (notice the previously capitalized S in space, that they have now done away with) lost basically all its users to Facebook and has been trying to reinvent itself since. 

But new owners Tim and Chris Vanderhook seem to realize that you need to do a lot more than change the capitalization of an "S" to reinvent yourself and shake the "failed social network" stigma.  The new Myspace is embarking on additional paths for this relaunch.  Remaining true to its original shift from 2012 to a music-discovery service, Myspace is keeping the hip social-music aspect, but building on it.  The most promising new feature seems to be My Radio, a service similar to Pandora or iTunes Radio, but that relies on crowd sourcing for the stations rather than user-customized algorithms.  So, what does that mean?  Basically that every user, spanning from me, to a cool new band, to Justin Timberlake, will have their own station- turning us into mini-DJ's promoted by the site itself.  This seems to be a unique differentiator, but what isn't clear is how users will respond.  Only time will tell.

Additional features on the new Myspace range from necessary standards (like its mobile device apps) to some more random offerings (like a user-friendly GIF maker). 

You'll soon see commercials for the new Myspace that feature a bunch of hip looking twenty-somethings dancing and running around to an upbeat music.  Doesn't seem like anything we haven't seen before, but the company is putting $20 million into this ad campaign reaching broadcast, radio and digital platforms. 

But, you know what?  I am typically one to root for an underdog.  And even given its former glory, that is really what Myspace has become. 

Will you try the new Myspace?  Do you think Myspace has a chance this time?  Share your thoughts below.

Death By Twitter: Taco Edition

Our Death By Twitter sagas have been at a standstill lately. But now we are back with a really unappetizing one.

Earlier this week, an unwise series of events led to this picture being posted on Taco Bell's official Facebook page. Wow. Talk about bad decisions! Let's review the elements of this bad decision:

- Licking tall stack of taco shells

- While wearing uniform

- With visible face

- Posting to Internet

- More specifically, on the official page of your employer

 This Death by Twitter is one that has a very obvious outcome. At least on initial review. The employee pictured -- and the employee who posted the picture -- were fired this week after the nasty pic and story went viral. Less obvious, though, are the strange twists to this tale that have been uncovered since then.

Turns out, the picture was in response to an internal competition from Taco Bell for employees to "submit photos of themselves enjoying their first bite of a new product". The taco shells were being thrown out and the employee was apparently attempting to show his love for the taste of Taco Bell.

Okay, the photo is still pretty gross... but at least these facts put it in context. Right?? The lesson for everyone here is that while the corporate reaction was quick to fire the offending employees, they were slow to reveal the somewhat redeeming circumstances of the photo as a response to an internal contest. These factors were revealed days after the picture went viral, so most people who saw the offending picture don't even know. They just walked away thinking about Taco Bell with a bad taste in their mouth. No pun intended

Are you as grossed out as I am? Do you think the employees should have been fired?