I’m not sure how we got on their mailing list, but we got a postcard from Getty Images not too long ago, announcing the debut of a new brainstorming tool called Moodstream. From their materials:
“Whether you want images, footage or audio, or you just need a stream of fresh ideas, tweak the Moodstream sliders to bring a whole new creative palette straight to you.”
I’ve been playing with it here and there today, and I’ve gotta say, it’s very distracting – in a good way. It’s like watching a mashed-up slideshow of thousands of people’s photos and videos, in brief snippets, accompanied by 10-15 second snippets of music. And if you want to buy any of it for use in your business, it’s clickably simple.
I started by switching the Preset Wheel from settings like “Excite,” “Inspire,” and “Simplify” (be sure to click “Refresh Stream” button to get those changes to take effect – unlike me, who took about a minute to figure that one out). I didn’t play in depth with the Happy/Sad, Calm/Lively, Humorous/Serious, and other sliders, but the couple tweaks I made resulted in noticeable differences in what was presented visually and aurally.
Even for a non-designer type like me, this proved to be a very cool new tool – inspiration for content doesn’t just come from reading other people’s words, after all.
Time: 14 minutes, 30 seconds. Hey, it’s a big topic!
Featured Expert: Kevin Skarritt, Chief Nut, Acorn Creative
Summary: Widgets. Cute enough word, but for those of us who are technophobes, the brave new world of widgets can be daunting. Allen “Widget Neophyte” Voivod grills Kevin “Social Media Maestro” Skarritt on the particulars of widgets – what they are, why they matter to business owners, and how they can add to your bottom line.
Teaser Quip: “How can I [hit our business goals] through existing content or possibly new content or new ideas that could be served up via widgets?”
Idea path: WidgetWeb Expo in NYC >> What is a widget? >> “A portable snippet of code that can be placed in multiple locations within social networks” >> A little idea, program, portal, database, anything you want >> Examples small and large >> Also called “gadgets” >> 1000s produced daily >> Overstock.com’s widget banner/search box >> What’s a good widget strategy? >> Bad: “We need a widget ‘cuz it’s cool” >> Good: Increasing sales, web traffic, product exposure >> Product-based widget brainstorm: games, incentives, anything that increases awareness >> Facebook, MySpace, the desktop – where does the widget go? >> An analogy comparing websites, widgets and social networks to businesses and cities >> Taking a piece of your business to where the people are, and not making them come back to you, and still do business >> The community supports your business >> Widgets can easily be replicated, and go across domains >> How widgets differ from RSS feeds >> RSS feeds serve up content – text, video, images, audio >> Widgets can syndicate an entire database process >> Widgets can be free-standing, but RSS feeds always draw from a home base >> If 2007 was all about the mainstream recognition of social networks, 2008 is all about niche networks, and how they interact with each other through things like widgets
We’ve recently been passing emails back and forth with Dailey Pike, a marketing consultant (among other talents) who runs the Cedarlane Natural Foods social network and blogs for “Cedarlaneoholics,” the mavens of the Cedarlane brand. (Full story in Dailey’s comment.)
Inspired by our conversation, Dailey put together a 14-page ebook entitled “10,479 Free to Use Graphic Images,” and though I’m excited enough to spoil the surprise, I’m going to do the right thing, keep my mouth shut, and simply promise you it’s worth the look. (Yes, it’s free, but so are all 144 rack cards for every tourist attraction on display at our local grocery store. Some free things are worth more than others.)
Get Dailey’s breezy and highly useful ebook here, and if you need to get Adobe Reader first, get that here.
I’m not sure how we got on their mailing list, but we got a postcard from Getty Images not too long ago, announcing the debut of a new brainstorming tool called Moodstream. From their materials:
