Sunday, March 2, 2003

Dr. Pepper Blogs for Raging Cow Dr. Pepper will use blogs to promote new drink by using a blog-related twist on viral marketing. Dr Pepper hopes to develop a "blogging network" to hype Raging Cow and "be part of the 'in the know' crowd." Doc Searls disagrees with the idea by saying, "In my view blogs are the antidote to viral marketing." [Blogroots] ...And yet, here we all are talking about it! 9:20:49 PM

Um, Dave, so Microsoft is claiming... Um, Dave, so Microsoft is claiming that FrontPage lets you build weblogs, huh? Well, here's how you figure out if Microsoft is pulling a marketing trick on you, or not: 1) Does it report to weblogs.com? If not, it's not a modern weblog tool. 2) Does it generate an RSS/XML file? If not, it's not a modern weblog tool. 3) Is it easy to post? (Does it have one button posting?) If not, it's not a modern weblog tool. 4) Does it support the Blogger API? The MetaWeblog API? If not, it's not a modern weblog tool. Microsoft named me one of the top five FrontPage users in 1995, and I'm not seeing any reason to abandon any of the modern weblog tools for FrontPage 11 (stuff like Radio UserLand, Moveable Type, Blogger, or Mike Amundsen's Erablog.net stuff). [The Scobleizer Weblog] Another case of marketing getting confused between a fad and a real trend. Weblogs and RSS feeds require real integration, not just re-purposed product descriptions. 8:45:58 PM

Netflix Signs Up One Millionth Customer This one is for Tony G. As much as customers love using Netflix, many people have been predicting their downfall. They're still a small company, and have now attracted competition from Wal-Mart and Blockbuster, among others. Most people still expect Netflix to end up as yet another dot com footnote, so you can practically hear the glee coming out of them as they announced that they've surpassed their one-millionth customer. They're hyping the fact that they've reached one million subscribers faster than AOL did. They're now hoping that this is one case where a first-mover advantage does help. They've got the brand, and now they're hoping the large number of subscribers will give them the clout to keep their costs low to remain profitable. Of course, when you're competing with Wal-Mart, that's a tough battle to win. They have more clout than anyone when it comes to keeping product costs down. [Techdirt] Only to see a little guy compete and win, I wish them luck! 7:43:35 PM