Lorna Li | Green Marketing 2.0

This video seriously cracked my shit up!

Technorati Tags: hitler, burning man, bman

Lately I’ve taken to using Flock, the Social Web Browser, because it consolidates and simplifies my social web lifestyle. Today, Flock just got better.

For Earth Day 2008, Flock launched the Eco-Edition of the Flock browser that delivers the latest environmental and sustainable living content to eco-minded social media and web users. The Eco-Edition comes prepopulated with the best news, photos, videos, and feeds from leading eco-content partners on the Web,delivering fresh content from Grist, GroovyGreen, Treehugger, PlanetGreen, Sprig, Current and other top eco brands daily. Furthermore, Flock will donate 10% of the proceeds of the Eco-Edition browser at the end of 2008, and as a recognition of the power of community to create change, will allow users of the Eco-Edition to select the recipient of this donation.

The Flock Eco-Edition Browser, is available as a free software download for Mac, PC and Linux at www.flock.com/eco.

Why Use Flock?

If you are a social media news hound, blogger, Twitterer, are active on multiple social networks, and depend heavily social bookmarking to manage your favorite links, Flock will help you consolidate all your social web activities into a single dashboard.

• You can see updates from friend on Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter in the Flock people sidebar
• You can simultaneously favorite your urls to the Flock browser and to del.icio.us.
• You can post to multiple blogs from the same interface
• It does Technorati tags for you
• You can drag and drop Flickr images & YouTube videos into your blog
• Manage your favorite news feeds

Technorati Tags: flock eco-edition, flock social web browser, social media, web 2.0, blogging, microblogging, social bookmarking, lorna li

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Last week’s Net Tuesday in San Francisco featured Maryrose Dunton, the Head of User Experience at YouTube,, who spoke about YouTube’s Nonprofit Program.The YouTube Nonprofit Program, is an in-kind donation by YouTube to the nonprofit sector that’s worth about $20 million. Currently available to established 501(c)(3)s, YouTube offers participating nonprofits:

• A premium branded channel - some environmental nonprofits that have done a good job with this include Friends of the Earth and Defenders of Wildlife. The ability to upload videos of any length. Currently the limit on video length is 10 minutes.

• Rotation into the “Promoted Videos” section on YouTube’s homepage.
• Listing in the Nonprofit Channels and Nonprofit Video areas
• The ability to collect donations using Google Checkout (with no processing fee).
• The option to participate in the user partner program, which allows you to show partner ads on video - and share the ad revenue. However, there is currently no way to filter ads, which may not work for some organizations.

YouTube has 30 million visitors daily and over 100 million videos are viewed each day. By connecting nonprofits to the world’s largest online video community, the YouTube Nonprofit program will allow these organizations tap into a significant pool of potential small donors. While large nonprofits are able to receive 10-15% of donations from online fundraising, smaller organizations have the most difficulty establishing a web presence. By offering a dedicated channel on YouTube, YouTube’s Nonprofit Program hopes to empower smaller organizations to significantly expand their reach. Now its just the matter of these, often, short-staffed nonprofits finding the manpower to manage their YouTube presence.

YouTube Best Practices for Nonprofits

Maryrose recommended these tips to help nonprofits engage successfully with the YouTube community:

1. Keep it fresh, keep it short. Best not longer than 10 minutes

2. Be genuine, no public service announcements (PSAs)

3. Engage and interact with the community - have a dialogue, allow people to post video comments, be sure to respond to comments
4. Create a call to action

5. Invest in your channel - update content, make sure links and videos work

7. Do not fear comments, ratings, related videos - while you can moderate user engagement, do not disable the commenting or rating features as this tends to upset the community

New Plans for Nonprofits on YouTube

New developments coming down the pipeline include:

1. Extending the program to include international nonprofits.

2. Incorporating more calls to action that are important to nonprofits, petitions, signup forms.

3. Improving nonprofit discovery on YouTube’s website.

Technorati Tags: maryrose dunton, net tuesday, net2, youtube nonprofit program, youtube nonprofit channel, lorna li

Back in April, in my post Top 5 Reasons You Know You’re In a Tech Bubble I pondered the bub.blicio.us state of the Web 2.0 economy, and we were perhaps, ignoring the omens of technology bubble about to burst.

Reason #6

You see a Silicon Valley music video on YouTube about the Web 2.0 Bubble - and your friends are in it.

Technorati Tags: here comes another bubble, the richter scales, web 2.0, web 2.0 bubble, tech bubble

As environmental and student groups rally for Congress to adopt strong fuel efficiency and renewable electricity standards in 2007’s New Energy Bill, the Big Three Auto Makers in America - General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler - are spending millions to convince Congress and the public that 35 mpg by 2020 is simply not achievable.

Auto industry workers say, “Bollocks!”

A large group of auto workers and dealers have broken from the industry in order to support the 35 mpg by 2020 fuel efficiency standard. As members of the American auto industry who have designed, built and sold automobiles in this country for decades, they state that 35 mpg can be achieved, will create jobs, and can help the U.S. end its foreign oil addiction.

Spearheading the movement are Adam Lee, president of Lee Auto Malls in Maine, Gary Muenzhuber, representing Autoworkers of Minnesota, Inc, Chicago-based Chuck Frank, owner of one of the nation’s largest Chevy dealerships and Kentucky-based Karen Bowen, a former Ford executive.

Adam Lee, third generation autodealer, makes this personal plea to the public to tell Congress that 35 mpg by 2020 is necessary for the survival of the auto industry.

“My family has been selling American made cars since 1936. My livelihood and the livelihood of over 350 employees who work for us depend upon the success of the automobile industry. Today that strength is severely compromised by the lack of fuel-efficient cars and trucks customers want to buy. …

Without a 35 mile-per-gallon mandate, I’m afraid, global warming and our dependence on foreign oil will continue to get much worse in the long run. And, in the short run, I’m afraid I’ll be stuck with a lot full of cars that no one wants to buy or even worse: This country will no longer have an American auto industry.”

Known as the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standard, the legislative move to raise mileage for cars and light trucks to an average of 35 mpg by 2020 was, in fact, passed by the U.S. Senate in June. This is the first Congressional increase in fuel efficiency in 30 years, and yet the auto industry is pushing a counter-proposal of 32 mpg by 2022.What’s the Difference Between 35 mpg by 2020 Vs. 32 mpg by 2022?A lot.

In their report titled Energy Bill Must Guarantee Real Oil Savings, the Union of Concerned Scientists calculated the difference between the 35 mpg by 2020 and 32 mpg by 2022. Here is what they found:

Barrels of Oil Saved Per Day:
- 500,000 Auto Lobby Proposal
- 1.2 Million Senate CAFE Compromise

Consumer Savings at the Pump:
- $11 Billion Auto Lobby Proposal
- $25 Billion Senate CAFE Compromise

Emissions Reductions
- 85mmt CO2 Auto Lobby Proposal
- 206 mmt CO2 Senate CAFE Compromise

As environmental organizations and student groups are lobbying for stronger legislation to deal with climate change and global warming, auto industry workers are lobbying for their livelihoods.

The math is simple.

As gas prices continue to rise, unless American auto manufacturers produce more efficient cars, they will continue to lose market share to international auto manufacturers. This will mean lots of downsizing down the road.

Rather than choose to innovate now, which will benefit both American consumers and the U.S. auto industry as a whole, the Auto Lobby would rather spend $ millions in a PR campaign that could sway the public and take this country a step backwards, all in a bid for maximum short-term profits.

As Adam Lee states, if fuel efficiency is not a long-term priority, in the short run, we may not have an auto industry.

Technorati Tags: 2007 energy bill, new energy bill, 35 mpg by 2020, 35mpgby2020, 32 mpg by 2022, Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standard, CAFE standard, auto lobby, fuel efficiency, adam lee, lorna li

At the urging of the nuclear power industry, a one-sentence provision buried deep in the Senate’s recently passed energy bill can essentially make builders of new nuclear plants eligible for tens of billions of dollars in government loan guarantees.

Under current law, the government is only allowed to guarantee a volume of loans authorized each year by Congress, which amounted to $4 billion in loan guarantees for clean energy projects in 2007. This new provision is a huge change that could significantly expand the nuclear industry (considered to be a clean energy industry), which already plans to build 28 new reactors at a cost of approximately $4-5 billion each.

Opponents of the provision say that the loan guarantees that could serve as a “virtual blank check from taxpayers” to help build more nuclear plants. A nuclear power provision of this magnitude mars an otherwise attractive bill that supports renewable energy and improved fuel efficiency. Should Congress even adopt the 35 mpg Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard and 15% Renewable Energy Standard, the nuclear provision would obliterate any environmental gains made by CAFE and RES.

Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and Graham Nash have launched a nuke-free petition drive and YouTube music video urging Congress not to approve federal loan guarantees for new nuclear power plants. Nearly thirty years ago, these three musicians were prominent in the anti-nuke movement, helping organize the “No Nukes” concerts at Madison Square Garden that stirred public opposition to nuclear power.So far, numerous environmental groups and dozens of artists, such as R.E.M., Ben Harper, Maroon 5, Pearl Jam, Patti Smith and Wynton Marsalis, have rallied alongside the trio. The rockers say they have collected more than 120,000 signatures to present to Congress.

Nuclear Power is Not A Solution for Global Warming

After decades of opposition from environmental groups and other organizations, the nuclear industry is enjoying growing political support as society has grown increasingly concerned about global warming and foreign oil dependence. Nuclear power is being touted as a viable energy alternative to greenhouse gas emitting fossil fuels. Under legislation enacted in 2005, nuclear power qualifies as a “clean technology” because it does not emit carbon gases that contribute to global warming.However, nuclear power is far from clean.

According to Michele Boyd, legislative director of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen:

“None of these so-called ‘advanced’ nuclear reactors deal with the fundamental flaws of nuclear power, such as dangerous radioactive waste, vulnerabilities to air attack and excessive cost,” said Ms. Boyd, whose staff began investigating the provision shortly after the Senate passed the bill last month.

Support a Strong, Clean, Nuke-Free Energy Bill

Nuclear power generates a lot of bang for the buck now, but its byproduct, radioactive waste, creates huge environmental risks that future generations will be forced to face.

Here’s what you can do to let Congress know you favor an energy bill that truly supports environmental sustainability.

• Lobby Congress by signing the 2007 Energy Bill Petition for Strong Fuel Efficiency and Renewable Energy
• Sign the Nuke Free Energy Bill Petition

Technorati Tags: new energy bill, 2007 energy bill, nuclear provision, nuclear subsidy, nuclear loan gaurantee, CAFE, corporate average fuel economy, renewable electricity standard, renewable energy, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, YouTube

The social media news release, also known as SMR, is a next-generation news release that integrates traditional and emerging forms of communications. SMRs incorporate social media features such as hyperlinks, social bookmarking, multimedia, comment and trackbacks.

Social media news releases are a powerful way to generate enormous buzz and create engaging dialogue among journalists, bloggers and other readers across the participatory web about your company and products.

Furthermore, SMRs offer all kinds of SEO benefits through viral linking.

This video from webitpr give a fantastic overview of the social media news release.

Technorati Tags: social media news release, social media release, social media press release, smr, smpr, smnr, search engine optimization, seo, social media optimization, social media marketing, lorna li

Burning Man’s Green Man theme for 2007 inspired environmental art that was far more symbolic than sustainable. For example, the Crude Awaking installation was blown up in a giant mushroom cloud in order to ‘dramatize the worshipful relationship and dependence modern man has toward oil’. I can only imagine the amount of fuel it took to haul, install, and blow up a 99 foot oil derrick.

A favorite installation of mine was the wondrous Big Rig Jig by Mike Ross, which featured 2 oil tanker trucks in perfect acro-yogic balance.

The highly interactive swinging monkeys installation was another favorite of mine.

A troupe of child-sized monkeys were suspended from a merry-go-round wheel, at the base of which a set of congo drums was placed, inviting visitors to beat upon them in reckless abandon. Surrounding the merry-go-round was a ring of bikes. With several people rapidly peddling, the wheel begins to spin, and rapidly flashing strobe lights create the illusion that the monkeys are swinging overhead from bar to bar.

Of the art cars I saw this year, 2 are dear to my heart.

Photo courtesy of Duane Flatmo

Duane Flatmo’s latest Kinetic Sculpture, the pedal-powered Armored Carp, is made entirely of welded baking pans and other pieces of scrap metal also shoots flames.

The solar-powered Daisy (owned by the Cunninhams and friends) was an oversized tricycle with sails and a horn that sounded like a loud, drawn-out cow-fart provided an afternoon of entertainment and photo opps.

Elena Cunningham

John Cunningham

To see more Burning Man photography, visit my Green Man 2007 Set on Flickr.

Technorati Tags: burning man 2007, green man 2007, eco-art, crude awakening, big rig jig, mike ross, daisy, elena cunningham, john cunningham, duane flatmo, armored carp, kinetic sculpture, lorna li

Xin Sarith Azuma Phan Wuku is the Ninja for Hire. In an effort to break into feature films, he created a video highlighting his martial arts skills. He swiftly became a legend of viral video, gathering over 4 million hits on YouTube.What I love about Xin is not only his physical prowess, but his clear determination to break into the movie industry - cheaply, on YouTube. Xin Sarith Azuma Phan Wuku, Ninja for Hire, is an impeccable warrior.

Before the days of Web 2.0., breaking into pictures was hard for your average Joe. With the social media revolution, talented guys like Xin have and deserve a chance to be discovered.

Social media has made it possible for web savvy, self promoting individuals with a penchant for working the participatory web to rocket from anonymity to stardom.

Take the example of Tila Nyguyen, a.k.a. Tila Tequila - queen of MySpace. Tila has over 1.5 million MySpace fans and Tila’s MySpace profile has been viewed over 50 million times.

According to Time Magazine, “Nguyen clearly grasps the logic of Web 2.0 in a way that would make many CEOs weep. She sells Tila posters, calendars, a clothing line of hoodies and shirts. She has been on the cover of British Maxim. She has a single due to be released online. She has a cameo in next summer’s Adam Sandler movie. She has four managers, a publicist and a part-time assistant. It’s hard to know how to read the rise of Tila Tequila. Does she represent the triumph of a new democratic starmaking medium or its crass exploitation for maximum personal gain? It’s not clear that even Tila knows.

But she knows why it works. “There’s a million hot naked chicks on the Internet,” she says. “There’s a difference between those girls and me. Those chicks don’t talk back to you.”"

Sources:

Time Magazine Article on Tila Tequila

Technorati Tags: social media, social media optimization, smo, personal branding, web 2.0, lorna li