Linkspotting is comprised of the most talked about and interesting stories on the Web picked by members of Ketchum’s Social Media and Digital Teams around the world. Twice a month, we sort through all of the links we’ve shared internally and then share the top links with you in this post. Enjoy!
50 Great Websites from Time
Selected by Jordan Drake
As if I didn’t have enough websites chipping away at my time, Time recently released their annual “50 Best Websites” list, and it’s fantastic. There are a few sites in here I already knew about, but also many that are new to me, and that fall in that category of, “how did I not know about this already!?” If you’re ever in a creative slump, particularly for digital/social media activations for a client, take a glance down a row of these 50 great sites. It might be a great way to generate some new ideas.
Let’s Unmask the Great and Powerful Oz of Technology
Selected by Jeff Lewonczyk
Tech pioneer and author Jaron Lanier has made a career out of questioning the direction our technology is taking us, warning that the spread of social media has the potential to stifle creativity and innovation by locking us into inflexible patterns. In this video for Big Think, Lanier argues that the most important part of our Big Data-driven society is the people whose information makes it possible. We need to prioritize people over machines by taking responsibility for understanding the systems we’re a part of – which will, in turn, point the way to new opportunities for economic and cultural growth.
For those of us in communications and PR, this thinking justifies what we’ve known all along – that technology shouldn’t be an excuse to homogenize our interactions, but, instead, to humanize them. The future belongs to companies – and communicators – who can understand the system well enough to find new ways to empower consumers.
The Latest Evolution for TV: Pinterest?
Selected by Elena Weinstein
We’ve already seen the way tech and social media behemoths like Apple, Google, Facebook and Twitter are angling to insert themselves into media beyond your computer screen and become not only platforms for content but also content providers. A Fast Company article is speculating that Pinterest, along with other startups, might be next to try to penetrate your living room.
Pinterest has recently been in discussions with various TV Networks including MTV, VH1 and Bravo. While these meetings are only preliminary explorations of potential partnerships, they signify Pinterest’s vested interest in brands and media. TV brands have begun playing a pivotal role in growing social platforms, and will conceivably become intertwined with Pinterest as well. However, the form this will take remains to be seen, so, as PR professionals, we want to stay ahead of the curve by foretelling content, brand and platform integration opportunities. Perhaps we will soon be virtually pinning amenities we covet from the women of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in real time…
