Through a new API they have created and one line of JS, companies/business can geo-tag their pages. The end result is rather compelling from both an end-user perspective and from a social perspective.

As a test of the service go to http://fwix.com/ and test run a zip code to get s sense of their experience offering.

For brands this can mean a very compelling experience for its users whether the end product is sales or even training.

Fwix Twitter: @fwix
Original URL: http://goo.gl/jED1V

Some pundits say that while most of the blame is shifted to the slumping music business as a whole, the other % of blame is focused on the fact that WMG is publicly traded and held accountable to a board of stock holders. I would contend that the reason that WMG is held accountable to a board of directors is directly a result of the fact that they, like all of the other major labels were not quick enough to read the writing on the wall in the early 90′s and that this news is merely just desserts.

Now, before you jump to the position that I am happy to see this (I am) and that I am merely rubbing the nose in the proverbial doggie poo (why yes, yes I am)….let me remind you that the major’s had EVERY opportunity in the world to embrace change and adopt a visionary position waaaaaaay back when (the early 90′s) before the sands shifted and buried their petty belief that music fans will ALWAYS crave the physical objects (CD’s, etc) that the business produces, and furthermore, they will be HAPPY to pay what we charge them to get their Guns-n-Roses and other hoo ha.

Clearly, fans of music (and bands/artists/writers) wanted, and in the end demanded, ownership of how their content was distributed and sold. We had some bumps along the way (Napster, Limewire), some lawsuits (Metallica vs. Napster was classic) and some odd business models creep into the picture (Sony’s Press Play, Radiohead allowing people to charge what they wanted for ‘In Rainbows’) but the verdict was clear; the major label model was over and people wanted what they wanted, when they wanted it, how they wanted it. Then of course came the iPod and iTunes, MySpace, PureVolume, Reverb Nation, Pandora, Rdio and you get the picture.

Mind you, I’m not all “power to the people-ing” you here. I believe that everyone deserves a fair shake and there are SOME labels who are doing very well in the digital age. My point is that I can’t feel sorry for all of the major label failures. I’m not bummed that Sony Music (a former employer of mine mind you) has shrunk 50-70% of what it was even AFTER consolidation and acquiring BMG. I’m not bummed to hear that EMI is now being run by a financial conglomerate. And I certainly don’t care that WMG is bleeding money like a bullet ridden carcass. This news is the unfortunate truth of companies that refuse to admit they are wrong when they are, to not adopt a future facing stance and to ignore change. A phrase comes to mind that I use often in my professional life when poor planning/thinking results in a poor result. Garbage in, garbage out.

Bay Bridge

Waiting for BART

After a while though, the constant travel became a bit of a drag. I think primarily this was because in general, I prefer to be at home in the evenings than in some stuffy hotel room regardless of how amazing the bed is or the other amenities. I just flat out prefer my place. Sorry SF. No disrespect implied. By the time by visits would be wrapping up on any trip, I was ready to get back to Portland and the comforts of my home.

Aim here

Roof

And so, with that said, I found myself in San Francisco on business this week for 2 days. I was traveling with a co-worker who had NEVER been to San Francisco which left me completely aghast. “What? How is that possible? Really??! Why…Why, we must show you things!”. I suppose I shouldn’t have been shocked. I mean there are tons of cities in America that I haven’t seen too. But, I guess I figure any warm blooded American would find the chance to get to the Bay Area and walk the streets of San Francisco. But clearly that is an ill conceived assumption on my part. After all, I haven’t been to Casper, Wyoming…or, ummm….Duluth, Minnesota. But I digress.

SF @ night

In repose

Missile

Hallway

Recently I bumped into a gem of a video that someone posted to YouTube of Steve Jobs speaking to Apple in 1997. It’s remarkable for many reasons. Let’s take the facts of the time. Apple’s stock was worth around 4-6$ a share. The company was being utterly dominated in the personal computer space by Microsoft. There was a long standing debate that Windows OS was based loosely (or exactly, depends on what you believe) on Mac OS and the two companies were bitter rivals trading barbs on message boards and other channels. More importantly though, Apple had lost its ways in the years that Jobs had left to go onto other ventures (neXT, Pixar, etc).

When he returned to Apple in 97, he had a simple but profound statement to rally the Apple business….”Think Different”. His premise was based on consumers and Apple fans, identifying them as “the crazies who think they can change the world, are the one’s who do”. The campaign then followed with ingenious messages aligning popular visionaries with the new Apple brand (Remember those? Images of John Lennon, Einstein, Ghandi, etc aligned with the message of ‘Think Different’). More importantly, the campaign utilized these associations with almost 0 product association. By ignoring beauty shots and other product associations and utilizing the images of visionaries to convey the brand promise of “Think Different”, Apple created a new relationship for consumers with the brand beyond the obvious.

Here is the internal video of Jobs rallying the Marketing, Product and other Apple leadership in 97:

The campaign would go on to re-energize Apple and reorient the brand into a powerful iconic company that associated “Think Different” with it’s product line. And it definitely worked. It also helped that Apple backed up the words with products that were indeed revolutionary and iconic. Today, Apple’s stock is trading at over $240 a share. The company’s valuation is estimated at 15-20 billion dollars larger than that of Microsoft (that’s ‘billion’ by the way). They have introduced products that have defined the times. iPod, iPhone, and others have redefined how people interact with mediums and content.

More important to me though (separating my Apple fandom), is the lesson that “Think Different” provides to brands in this crowded and convoluted marketplace. As someone that is working on behalf of brands and helping to differentiate them, the “Think Different” campaign applies both spiritually and literally. Companies do need to think differently today, we know that. People are saturated with communications. They typically use their network to vet products and services more than they do any other medium. For me, when I find myself searching for a starting place or an avenue to drive some thinking down, I refer back to “Think Different” not so much as an approach, but proof that there are ways to communicate brand promise and product offerings in ways that might not seem so obvious. And because of that, I feel that “Think Different” applies to today.

A cotton fall sky

Yesterday the fine PNW citizens had their day in the proverbial sun to partake and participate in the democratic process by voting in the mid-term elections. While I’ll leave my personal views out of this dialog I’ll say that the issues at hand, the gravity of what this country is dealing with and the realization that saying the word “change” changes nothing, watching the leaves fall and turn bright shades of yellows, orange and red puts it all in perspective for me. Simply put, no matter what is going in life or in the world, time is marching onward and life is inevitable.

Gorgeous changing leaves

I’m encouraging my boy to take advantage of recognizing these inarguable facts but of course he’d rather focus on his Nintendo DS. No matter, now that I am healing and almost ready to get back into hiking….I plan on observing these scenic changes first hand in the coming weeks. I haven’t hiked through winter yet as a Portlandite but am seriously planning on doing just that all through this upcoming winter. Might even don the snow shoes for trek’s across white trails. We shall see. What do you think about the changes of the seasons?

Back at work, feeling groovy.

Holy sh*t! 2010 is almost over! What happened? Where did this year go? It was just summer and hot and beautiful out….now it’s fall? I feel like I woke up to find all the leaves falling and rain battering the ground. Because time seems to be flying, I’m wishing for new tools that enabled me to be outdoors yet connected to the work I need to do. Maybe I need to look into some kind of cybernetic transplant so that I can have a screen in front of my eyes that nobody sees yet enables me to also focus on the outdoors? Yeah, well, that ain’t happening and I’m not interested in becoming a robot. I am however missing the ability to get on the trail and hike. As soon as I get the high sign from my PT guy, I’m going to get back out on the trails and put in some quality nature time.

Living in the PNW provides many opportunities for being outside even in the crappy weather. What kinds of trails do I want to hike? Not sure yet but there are many places to check out and I plan to do that once I’m allowed.