Why I'd lose my regard for Lance Armstrong?

Across the world, brimming with confidence & the arrogance of youth, athletes start off with the belief they can be at the very top of the game. But in cycling they also contend with the extraordinary achievements of one Lance Armstrong aka the Lance Effect. An effect that flames many a young cyclist's dream when they start. And quickly burns most through the lure of doping.

Yes, professional cycling is a demanding sport. It's also the most tainted, with smart doping turning mules into thoroughbreds. And rushing fading champions onto a rapid downward spiral, whilst they vainly hold on to that ephemeral high of a podium finish.

But, time and again, sports reveals Great Champions. One such is cyclist David Millar, who's seen the highs and lows first-hand and now helping to save this tainted sport. I admire his courage to come clean, and being candid to say he didn't have the courage to give-in but choose to be caught through carefully planted evidence.

If you have 30 mts to spare, listen to this fascinating BBC interview:

For years Lance Armstrong and the USADA have been playing catch me if you can in public. On August 23rd, Lance Armstrong dropped his fight against doping charges citing the toll it's been taking on him and  his family. This to me is a sad development. The media has gone to town, but the only one who knows the truth is Lance Armstrong.

I still admire Lance for all that he's achieved under difficult circumstances, and he has my benefit of doubt. But if he's been too clever, he's done more damage to cycling and the lives of many a young cyclist than good. The day this is true, my respect for Lance will cease.

Responsibility for Fan Posts & Comments

The best know form of marketing is advocacy, when a converted recommends a brand to another - usually to someone they know personally.

Now fans apparently can't advocate brands on Australian brand pages, as it could be considered advertising. If they do, brands will be held responsible for content posted by fans. The ASB was ruling based on a complaint against a liquor brand.

Whilst the ruling clearly defeats the spirt of brands being on social, brands will find it impossible to fund the new levels of staffing for the requirements of community management. Even if they have the funds, next to impossible to find this volume of talent.

With the pre-moderation required, brands can also kiss goodbye to any sort of real time engagement. Besides the ruling also opens up the field for sneaky competitive trolls, out to derail each other.

Surely, this blanket ruling needs to be reviewed and contained soon.

Image Courtesy: Google Images

The Social Olympics, London 2012. #NOT

This Summer Olympics are being touted as the most Social Olympics ever. Faster, Higher, Stronger. Now designed for Likes, Comments, Shares.

Yes, the official Olympic channels are well set up:

There's charming content to drive conversations. More great stories of champions, underdogs, triumphs, heartbreaks, guts and glory will follow in the days to come. 

But actively policing & blocking 20 seconds of a shared highlight  that can spark conversations on your behalf? Come on IOC! 

If the IOC weren't so stifling with copyrights & sponsorships, the Summer Games had the opportunity to be truly participative. Perhaps, we have to wait until Rio.

Douglas Adams on how we think about technology

Way back in 1999, Douglas Adams penned this great piece on How to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Internet

It's a great way to view technology. Gist of which is:

1. Everything that's already in the world when you're born is just normal
2. Anything that gets invented between then and before you turn thirty is incredibly exciting and creative and with any luck you can make a career out of it
3. Anything that gets invented after you're thirty is against the natural order of things and the beginning of the end of civilisation as we know it until it's been around for about ten years when it gradually turns out to be alright really

Now apply this list to movies, rock music, word processors, TV, phones, the internet, mobile apps, multi-player games, smart phones and your age is bound to show.

If not physical, your mental age for sure *<):o)

Tom Cruise, his divorce, search & sentiment

This video is hilarious. Yes, people fall in and out and go nuts when in love.

And news just broke over the weekend, Tom & Katie divorced.
So how much of this sudden spike in search for this video this week is fueled by the cynic in people?  To the OTT PR act he put up on Oprah and otherwise for the world?

Judge for yourselves, with these recent comments:

Now, I'm not judging Tom Cruise, his PR antics or his private life. Just reporting with some simple, publicly available data.

Greatness by Neil French

Neil French, a creative legend and fantastic human being I once had the privilege of working in the same office with, on greatness:

Photography in the Instagram Age

About a 100 years ago, Eastman Kodak launched the Brownie Box for a pricely sum of $2 with ad copy that read:
"Any school boy or girl can make good pictures with the Brownie Camera." 
A tall claim, when photography was really cumbersome, complicated and costly.


While the Brownie's image quality was obviously dubious, through contests, photo clubs and prints for pennies, it gave birth to photography as a social activity. It's estimated nearly 1 in 3 Americans owned a Brownie at it's peak, and those who didn't couldn't avoid the ones who carried their 'Brownies' and were trading snaps for their scrap books. 


The key point was by transforming how people engaged with photography, Kodak transformed how they engaged with one another. Basically shared experiences no longer had to be experienced together.

Cut to a 100 years later, and Eastman Kodak, which pioneered the social sharing of pictures, cuts a sorry business story.

While Instagram, the one pioneering the digital Brownie movement in the midst of the battle of the megapixels, sensor sizes, interchangeable lenses and multi-functional compacts,  just had a  billion+ $s thrust at it. 
And as with the Eastman Kodak Brownie, image quality on Instagram is secondary to the social nexus it helps support.

A few reasons why Instagram already has close to 30 millions users, even though it's just launched outside of the iOS platforms:

1. In an age of information overload, pictures are the easiest way to convey and grasp information. Before you had to text, email or upload a photo from a phone camera. Instragram  made it intuitive, easy & seamless to both capture & share images.
2. The light level of profile data on Instragram lowers the barrier to interact with a wider community of photography enthusiasts. Not only is Instagram a social network by itself, you can also post to other networks.
3. But the real secret for Instagram's rapid adoption and success are the 17 or so pre-programmed filters which are cleverly designed to distract the eye from amateur compositional errors through exaggerations & flares. These clever filters make average shots look good and good shots stunning and noticeable. Filters also help add a layer of emotion & alter the mood of the pictures for a personal touch.  All of which make Instagrams good conversational starters & topics in today's socially connected world.

Despite it's current momentum and single focus, Instagram has it's glitches and it's users are wary of the recent Facebook takeover. Founder Systorm sees it as product in development and plans are being made for immediate future. 

The Eastman Kodak Brownie is being discussed a 100 years after the launch. How do you think we'd be talking of Instragram 10 years or even probably a year from now? Thoughts?