Chris Hooley’s -ThinkBait-

For y’all who didn’t know, NextStudent is having a web design contest worth $2,000 for the winner. I was thinking… (which hurt a little but I digress) this project is actually pretty web 2.0-ish. Think about it… Here’s some neat buzzwords and how the relate to NextStudent’s current web design project:

• U.G.C. - User Generated Content: Dude, the DESIGN for our company’s new makeover will be generated by the PEOPLE! That’s soooo social!
• Social Voting: The PUBLIC can VOTE on the design they want to see as the new face of NextStudent
• Blog: The NextStudent Redesign Contest Website is actually “just another wordpress weblog!” (that’s a play on words for the default blog description in WP, in case ya didn’t know)
• S.M.O. - Social Media Optimization: The winner of the contest with get a link on NextStudent.com, but more importantly all accepted design submissions can get a link on the design site itself and on my blog and a few other mentions. Blog links are sooo what S.M.O. is about!
• Networking: Everybody who participates is AUTOMATICALLY my best friend. Unless you hate me in which case you don’t have to actually be my friend. Ok that aint much of a prize but who cares I wanted to put it in there.
• Money: Ok not exactly 2.0, money is pretty old school but you can still make a bunch of it ($2,000) if you win the contest!
• Awesome: Hell yeah it is. And you ah too.

So hey do me a favor eh, tell some people about this contest. Especially if you think they’ll participate OR talk about it (especailly if they talk about it on their blogs and stuff, that’s always awesome)

w0rd.

Since I learned to be an early adopter three days ago, I have been scouring the web for the next new thing. 

I didn’t find it. 

Instead, I decided to jump on the coat tails of Rand Fishkin (FYI- the guy is a bad ass SEO) with his feverish promotion of new social media platforms and web 2.0 in general.  I forgot how fun the web can be!  I have been so busy managing ad campaigns and team building, I almost lost sight of what got me there.  Playing on the web.  All the time.  For way too long. 

Hearing presenters speaking and reading blogs about about tagging, blogging, RSS feeding, and all that jazz is one thing.  Experiencing these technologies first hand is quite another.  As a long time Google whore, I don’t think I have been giving Yahoo! the credit they deserve lately.  They have been quite the front runner with picking up and developing the next waves of web media.  Yahoo! looks clearly ahead of the curve as far as social web platforms go.

I have been recently raving about Flickr… now I am HOOKED on del.icio.us too.  Both Yahoo! properties.  Both awesome.  Both made a strong positive impact to how I use the web.  I might never use my favorites tab in a web browser again!

Thanks Rand.  You have officially opened my eyes on at least 50 addictive ways I can spend time away from my typical job duties, and play on the web instead.  I may have to run up on you like a crazy fan and sumo you at the next WebMasterRadio.fm party.