Some of you may remember a blog I wrote back in March about an iPhone app adidas originals were releasing, however most of you will not, so you can check that out here.

adidas made a very clear statement when in 1996 they segmented their brand into 3. adidas performance (sportswear) adidas style (expensive trendy clothing) and adidas originals (streetwear for the cool kids.)

adidas originals has really taken off in the past 2 years, due in part to a huge global marketing campaign of which the iPhone app was a part. adidas have since turned what was once a low volume shifting niche brand, into a global force which the original audience still see as a “their” brand despite it’s size and reach.

It now seems that Nike are looking to cash in on the action, by releasing an eerily similar app, which you can read about on New Media Age here, to celebrate the re-issue of one of their most iconic trainers. The application focuses on building an online community with user generated content aimed specifically at the hip hop/street wear/b-boy consumer.

Nike have always had certain lines of trainers that were aimed at a more street audience, however they have never made the move into rigidly segmenting their street-wear products under an over arching brand by renaming it like adidas did with originals.

This made me wonder how segmented branded communities online need to be. Will the fact that the community is labeled just “Nike” mean that the application (which is a guide to local clubs, clothes shops and graffiti) attracts people interested in running or golf out of confusion? The answer is probably not.

Branded communities, the ones that work at least, tend to seek out their audiences with the content they provide. The best communities will offer their audience content, which is of genuine interest to them, and hopefully over time this will filter out everyone but your target audience. This isn’t ideal if you are targeting 20 – 60 year old males who shave, but if you are trying to reach 15 – 30 year olds who are into street wear, urban culture and graffiti it is great.

Nike very much get the fact that branded communities should be about a concept, and don’t need to focus around a brand, as they have demonstrated with Nike+. Instead of trying to hard sell all the time, try building a community around something your audience has an interest in and finds genuinly useful. You’ll probably find that you gain a much more captive audience who are more willing to get involved in conversations with you.

The Qubites favrouite tweets from the past week

(Also do you like the awesome logo I made? Looks like something from “My first lesson in Microsoft Paint”…it will do for now I guess, if you can make me a better one please do! As you can see my design skills leave a lot to be desired. So help your good friend Glenn out and email him a better Twiday Logo)

@glennw‘s favourites

@willmcinnes: First time in a long time: I wrote a blog post on Feedback, Culture, Web stuff and the Individual. http://bit.ly/uCPkq

@ja2ke: Trailer for new Coen Bros film “A Serious Man” is pretty much the best http://is.gd/1UDpP

@warchildUK: Contrary to popular belief, none of our staff in Congo have even heard of Um-Bongo, let alone drink it.

@mrtomasz‘s favourites

@glennw Holy sh*t the pier is on fire! http://tinyurl.com/kkle5l

@maxwellinever Woop woop, it’s the sound of the police (community support officers) #classichiphopupdated

@abigvictory My OCD daughter forgot to set the DVR for the show about OCD and now she’s freaking out about freaking out about missing the show.

@monawalsh‘s favourites

(from various) For all Brightonians – there’s going to be a flypast today: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/... – #Brighton http://bit.ly/CfPTo

@qubemedia: Back in my day we didn’t have any of this internet thing (5 of the best) http://bit.ly/ElXYP

@nijay‘s favourites

@rapella: We iz dead. http://twitpic.com/c0j3o yo @Sweena

@leapfrogg: New blog post: How 24 Year Old Girls Consume Media http://bit.ly/bqemr

My absolute favourite #twago twicpic for the photo map so far…RT: @twago @joecoyne Found near the palace pier http://twitpic.com/c01qu

@thedailymash: NEW CRACKDOWN ON ORANGE PEOPLE http://bit.ly/JjoVY

@fionajane‘s favourites

@joecoyne need to chill? this is beautiful http://bit.ly/2m7JlV Nice way to end my day

@seelpod‘s favourites

@twhume perfect storm of worried, tired, f*cked off and feeling out of touch.

@special_noodles just got on the bus behind a woman who was mooing to herself #twago

After seeing the recent hack on twitter had been nothing more than a patient man with an understanding of the internet, I got to thinking about my own security.

It was fairly common practice to hack a friends email account when I was at school and you don’t need any complicated tools, usually just knowledge of their mothers maiden name or birthplace was enough to get past the “secret question”. How difficult is it to find that information in this day and age?

I am not as addicted to Linkedin and Facebook as some people (Twitter is my vice) but if you can see my profile you can glimmer potentially useful information. If you can find a photo of me with one of my grandparents or see if my mother has a brother you could quite easily work out her maiden name.

So without much effort you could know my mother’s maiden name, my DoB and my email address as well as the city I live in.

For most people a combination of those things could be enough to answer a “secret question” and obtain or change a password.

In today’s age of always online and always open plenty of young people are recording everything they do online. In a few years time it probably won’t be much of a stretch for me to find out your “first pet’s name” or “mother’s birthplace”. Going more extreme than that I could probably build a portfolio about you, what music you like, who your friends are, where you live and when you are not at home.

Scaremongering aside it is important to think about your online security and what you keep online. If you have children, don’t now go and demand they delete any sensitive information or ban them from talking about their lives on Facebook. Instead educate them on why elements of privacy are important. There are simple steps that will not encroach on their usage of social networks.

Simple things like making sure “secret questions” are genuinely secret and that privacy settings are set so that only genuine friends can see private information. Don’t just add anyone who sends a friend request, message them back first and ask who they are.

Don’t feel you need to close the shutters on social networks, they are all about being social and sharing. Young people of today lead very open lives online and just need to be aware of what they are putting online and who can see it. The best way to calm any fears of safety of young people on line is to start using the networks they are using, gain an actual understanding of how the privacy settings work and how they communicate.

Glenn is a 22 year old social media-ite and a very recent “young person”

Our best social media stories and  5 other random things that may or may not be interesting.

5 of the best

Yes, Your Social Media Strategy Needs Design

Duct tape and bubble gum will only go so far. You need to approach your Social Media from a design point of view.

Three Instantly Effective Social Media Ideas

Here a three ideas that you could use to get started in social media. There are also some great examples of them in practice.

Social media: myth versus reality

Debunking some popular myths about Social Media. I don’t agree with all of the “myths” such as “Social media is about conversations,” but on the whole it is an interesting read.

Social web literacy and brands

iCrossing deliver a really good presentation on social media literacy! Have a read and a flick through.

What Social Media Can and Can’t Do for You

What can social media do for you?

5 of the rest

100 Things Your Kids May Never Know About

“Back in my day we had….” is a popular phrase of grand parents, so take a glimpse at what you will be ending the sentence with when you come of age.

iPhone App Tests Sobriety By Asking Users to “Walk the Line”

Can you walk the line? Here is an iPhone app to test when you are too drunk. If I was too drunk to walk in a straight line I doubt I would be able to find the app. Still, could be fun.

Drunk Yoga

Even the homeless of the world find time for relaxing exercise, what’s your excuse!?

555 KUBIK | facade projection

So this is what a house dreaming looks like!

How 31 Year Olds Consume Media

A funny tongue in cheek response to Morgans Stanleys recent report on how 15 year olds use media. Also check out how 24 year old girls consume media from our friends at Leapfrogg.

It’s crazy to think that I have been working at Qube for almost a year now. It seems like last week I went for an interview with Nigel and Andy and started babbling on about space camp (for reasons I still can’t fully explain.)

Well time does fly when you’re having fun, and in a month or so it will be someone elses turn to go through the inquisition, so to everyone who is applying for the Sussex Internship Programme, don’t worry, we won’t bite. Just make sure you’re brilliant every day and you will get on just fine.

But seriously, the scheme is a great way to get into the digital industries in Sussex (Glenn and I both got full time jobs out of it) and you learn loads of useful skills. You even get a lovely certificate tied up with a green ribbon at the end.

So if you think you want to work for Qube, or another digital media company in Sussex, take a look at the Sussex Internship programme here. You only have until Friday to apply, so hurry!

If you want any advice about the application process, we would be more than happy to help with any questions. So drop me or Glenn an email. And good luck!

Glenn is working very hard on some important statistics things right now, so your round up of Qube Media’s favourite tweets shall be compiled by me this week. I promise to do my best. So, here we go I guess…

@mrtomasz‘s favourites

@MrsPBoutique: Kagool rage. Get back in your bag you golden freak!

@abigvictory: When Facebook recommends your ex husband as a friend, it’s time to rethink this whole social media thing. Or use a fake name.

@nonlinearDog: Man, I have a serious case of the yawns. Hope I don’t have to be put to sleep. Get it?! Ha! I made that up myself! LOL! I know, morbid.

@glennw‘s favourites

@stephentotilo: Young gamer on subway asks friends: “Remember that crate?” Other kids can’t. Game developers, can’t you give kids better stuff to discuss

@rossbreadmore: Thief leaves hand-written thank-you note, complete with emoticon! http://bit.ly/aZVbZ

@infobunny: Wow! @Geeklawyer‘s account suspended! http://twitpic.com/agdpu Save @Geeklawyer!

@monawalsh‘s favourite

@timmisson: Skinny jeans look rubbish #everyoneelseiswrong

@nijay‘s favourites

@MarkClayson: The iPod, As We Know It, Is Dying http://ff.im/-5xnWf

@kaysexton: Why do I find this both amusing and disturbing? Pagan police … http://bit.ly/XYomr

@fionajane‘s favourite

@benkunz: Useful survey thank you! (Razorfish social media study http://tinyurl.com/nvgg3o)

I woke up the other morning, to Radio 4 as usual, to catch the end of a story about a nice sounding Canadian chap who had flown on United Airlines and had his guitar damaged in the process.

I didn’t hear the whole story, but heard a clip of a song that had apparently received 3.5m views on Youtube so far.

I came into work and found a few links on twitter to articles about the man (Dave Carroll), who had received such a bad customer service experience that he had written 3 songs about it, the most popular being “United breaks guitars.”

It made me think about the power of social media and how some enourmous brands just don’t see the value of it. Dave Carroll saw the value of it, his song has 3.5m hits on youtube, and he will probably launch a successful music career off the back of it.

Taylor, the guitar company who made the guitar that Dave was singing about, also saw the value of social media. They posted a video response to Dave’s stating their support for him and also offering other travelers advice on travelling with their guitars.

But unfortunately United had not realised the value of social media. How brilliant would it have been though if they had posted a video response song apologising to Dave? I personally think it would have turned a negative PR situation into a very positive one.

It’s easy to scoff at United airlines, but it is important to remember that is much more difficult to change culture when a company is so big. It’s easy to use social media when you’re a 4 person band, or even a 400 person hand made guitar manufacturer, but things are different when you have 50,000 members of staff.

That isn’t to say however that it can’t be done, and there are plenty of large companies doing it. If you think you should be doing it too, here are 5 important things to remember when changing your culture to encourage social media.

• Start sooner rather than later – Chances are social media isn’t going away. The sooner you start to incorporate it into your business, the sooner your culture will start to change and make it easier in the long run.

• Have a social media policy – Have a clearly defined policy of what social media you will use, and how your company will be represented on each platform. Will you have a company twitter account or multiple staff accounts? These are questions that need to be answered by you.

• Let your staff know where the line is – So you decided to unblock twitter and Facebook but now your staff spend all their time talking to their friends. Remind them that although you encourage the use of social networks during office hours, they still have other work.

• Encourage staff to get involved in conversations – If your staff are spending time on social networks anyway, encourage them to get involved in conversations about your company. Social media is about 2 way communication. So why not join in the conversation?

• Remember everyone can see you – Social media is about being open. Don’t give yourself positive reviews, don’t pretend to be an amazingly happy customer and don’t think you’re too clever to get caught out doing these things. You’re not.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hxX_Q5CnaA]

There is lots of news around today about Amazon’s purchase of Zappos for $928m, which was announced on YouTube Many seem astounded at this price tag but for me it finally demonstrates to the world how valuable an investment and commitment in social media really is.

Zappos is often touted as story of social media success but its not just their use of twitter or having a blog that drives their greatness, as Jeff Bezos puts it; its the “customer obsession and their unique culture” that drives his admiration (and now purchase) of this company.

Zappos’s social media success is not due to their technical brilliance or their broad social media presence, its because such tools are complemented, and facilitated, by their strong ‘social’ culture.  They get that social media is more than just a few new tools or tactics, its a complete approach to doing business that needs commitment right from the top.    A sociable culture puts emphasis on building strong long term relationships; having an open dialogue, listening to feedback, sharing this knowledge and innovating around insight.  The financial reward is loyal customers that love you and good old word of mouth. ‘Simples’.

Being a sociable brand is more than just having a social media presence, its about developing a sociable culture and this places ‘social media’ high on any companies strategic agenda.   I think we need to invest as much time and effort integrating social practices into an organisation and culture as we do to marketing campaigns.  The investment is worth it, it would seem – being a sociable brand can enhance your overall brand value and your bottom line.

As Seth Godin puts it, its these things “that matter” to businesses today.

Does it matter to you?

I went to a twitter event (“So what is this twitter thing anyway”) the other evening hosted by Rob Sheperd from Press Dispensary.

When I got there I must admit I was feeling a bit negative about the whole thing, partly because I didn’t think I could learn anything from it but mainly because I had a splitting headache thanks to my lovely wisdom teeth poking through my gums.

Anyway, as soon as I got in the room, my headache went away, and I got to listen to some really interesting points from people who wanted to use twitter for their businesses but just didn’t know how.

It was really refreshing to hear the comments and questions about using social media for marketing, from people who don’t work in social media marketing. It has made me think a great deal more about what client’s main fears are when they make the big leap into the social space, and this can only be a good thing.

I fear that social media people sometimes get too wrapped up in the bubble and only want to talk to other social media people, which isn’t really the point of what we do. Events like this go a great way to encouraging non techy people to get involved and give it a try, and I think the more people involved the better. Thanks Rob.

Our best social media stories and  5 other random things that may or may not be interesting.

5 of the best

The A-B-C’s of social media

A quick A to Z run down of important things you should know about social media.

Zappos is Powered by The Empowerment of Employees

Zappos is often  hailed as the king of social media in business. Here is some insight into how they operate and why they do what they do. Fascinating company with a brlliant philosophy.

No-cost marketing for hobbyist sites

If you are a small business or running a site for your hobby, paying for a big budget social media campaign isn’t really an option. This article gives some good advice on making your first steps into using social media, SEO and paid ads to help market your site.

Engagement DB report

A report on how social big businesses really are and how they are doing it. Completely free so check out the flashy graph and download the PDF.

Twitter do’s and don’ts for brands

There have been a few high profile twitter disasters recently so the FT have looked into the do’s and dont’s of brand activity on Twitter.

5 of the rest

Shidonni

Shidonni is a social network for kids. What is so impressive about it is how it allows their creativity to come to life! You create an animal with the simple in browser drawing tools and before you know it your little guy is running around. A few clicks later and he is eating food you have drawn for him and creating tiny offspring. There are plenty of other games for children to play on their own or with friends and they all make use of their customised creature. It is completly free to try so (as long as no one is looking) I heartedly recommend you give it a go. (Below is my creature Tyrone, he is a T-rex….ANYWAY!)

p.s Tom is genuinely angry that he cannot get this to work on his work computer so it must be good.

Kemp Folds

This has been making its way around the internet recently, a blog devoted to folded pictures of Ross Kemp for comedic effect. What more could you want from a blog!

Thief Compliments Victim in Hand-Written Note

This note has a lesson for us all! How courteous of him (or her, we aren’t sexist with our criminals)

Tacky Weddings

Some of the tackiest weddings ever devised! Needs to be seen to be believed. There is also a link on there to Passive Aggresive Notes which also contains funny .

World Without Criticism

Is social media creating a world where everything rises to the middle? My favourite quote is “In a world without critics, we’re missing the ‘because’.” It’s only 10 minutes long so i would recommend giving it a watch and keeping it in mind with your social media strategies.