Like Tweets and most texts, bubbles are short, with a recording limit at one minute.  But Bubbly has added intimacy – users hear a favorite, well-known, or trusted voice instead of just reading a simple message, which, for celebrities, could have been written by an agent.

While the BBC is leading networks in using Bubbly to release breaking news, the Indian film industry is using Bubbly as a tool to build buzz – and brands.

Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor, Bollywood stars who appear together in the film “3 Idiots,” were using Bubbly to promote the film before its release.  Their bubbles soon had hundreds of thousands of followers, and built incredible anticipation over the movie.  The film swept India’s 2010 Star Screen and Filmfare Awards, and has grossed over $86 million – the highest profit in history for any Indian-made film.  It seems the film owes some of its box office success to Bubbly.  And so do its stars.

Bollywood stars aren’t free from Hollywood’s standards of youth and vitality to grab choice roles and maintain careers.  And what better way to appear young than to be among the first to popularize a new social media tool?  In a recent interview, the mid-40s Aamir Khan was asked how he stays young looking enough to play a 20-something college student in “3 Idiots.”  He answered that it’s essential to eat a balanced diet, drink lots of water, and get plenty of rest.  He could have added bubbling to the list.

The list of countries in which BubbleTalk has been launched is limited so far, and there aren’t immediate plans for a U.S. (or U.K.) launch.  So while there aren’t options here now for utilization, there is time to investigate how potential users respond to this new media and the potential impact on communication channels here.  Is enthusiasm for Twitter fading?  Nonprofits struggle with being both media savvy and able to implement new options usefully, could BubbleTalk be the righ solution?  Or is this mode of information dissemination not the right match?  One blogger notes, “ears are for music and for live communication, not for news that I scan more quickly with my eyes.”  Let us know your initial reaction to this emerging tool.

- Liz Arora

Another curiosity is the seemingly broad use of the word “brand” being used to compile the list.  In addition to Valentine’s Day (really!?) there is an eclectic mix of people (Alexander McQueen), products (Apple iPad) and annual events (Super Bowl). Should these topics really be compared to each other from a marketing perspective? Will tracking of such mixed topics really help Twitter’s future monetization? And more importantly will those Justin Bieber followers succeed in taking over the Twitterverse?

Share your thoughts on what trends and behaviors should be tracked on Twitter in the comments section.

Mrs. Obama is using the bully pulpit to raise awareness of the obesity issue and the epidemic’s impact on all aspects of society. As she pointed out during the launch of her awareness program on February 9, obesity is seen as a national security threat by military leaders and that, “Obesity is now one of the most common disqualifiers for military service. Additionally, economic experts tell us that we’re spending outrageous amounts of money treating obesity-related conditions like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. And public health experts tell us that the current generation could actually be on track to have a shorter life span than their parents.”

Mission: Readiness is also sounding the alarm about obesity. You can read more about how the organization is sharing its findings and call to action on the following blogs:

• • The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  • Larry King Live
  • The Caucus (New York Times)

Lipman Hearne is proud to serve as a consultant to Mission: Readiness, the nonprofit, bi-partisan organization led by senior retired military leaders ensuring continued American security and prosperity into the 21st century by calling for smart investments in the next generation of American children.  Mission: Readiness is the key group raising awareness of the impact of obesity on young people, the military and our national security.

- Adam Shapiro, Vice President Public Affairs

Who made him the moderator of what causes are worthy?  And how did education and healthcare – two of the sectors he appears to believe are over-funded – become somehow disassociated from “the poor, people of color” etc.?  In fact, a good education and decent health are closely associated with upward socioeconomic mobility – with a bachelor’s degree worth nearly $1 million more in lifelong earnings than a high school diploma.  So, gee, maybe those “stingier” wealthy donors who are giving to “universities and colleges (and) medical organizations” actually understand something about opportunity, responsibility, and impact of giving that Mr. Eisenberg doesn’t.

While his critique of foundation practices is not entirely unfounded – even those who work in the sector know that greater flexibility and efficiencies would help them do their work – his proposed solutions are as naïve and generalized as the freshman compositions I used to correct.  You can’t simultaneously “simplify reporting” and “improve accountability” – not, at least, without adding a lot of staff who would make it even more difficult to dispense more dollars.  And the concluding notion that big donors will buy newspapers so they can serve a watchdog function is laughable – unless, of course, he has convinced Rupert Murdoch to turn the Wall Street Journal into an organ crusading on behalf of those people whom Mr. Eisenberg seems to feel are being underserved by foundations and private philanthropists.

If that happens, and the Journal begins to sound progressive and concerned about the plight of the oppressed and neglected, I’ll humbly apologize.  In the meantime, you have to wonder what the Journal’s agenda is in publishing this set of recommendations – all of which chip away at the validity of organizations that often pursue a “collectivist” agenda that Journal editors would oppose.  Has Mr. Eisenberg knowingly or unwittingly delivered more ammunition into the hands of those who would like to see the whole sector crippled – regardless of the effect on the populations that those organizations, however imperfectly, serve?

- Robert Moore, Ph.D., Managing Partner

There’s often a long silence — the kind that makes presenters wince — and then someone raises a hand and asks, “How?” Not how to do it, not how to figure out what to say, but how can we possibly do that, too? In other words, how can we staff this?

That’s pretty much what happened during the Innovation session at the  Greater DC Care’s 2009 Business and Nonprofit Philanthropy Summit and Awards conference. The question came from a small nonprofit, and everyone in the room started nodding.

There isn’t a single, easy, comfortable answer. So, I offered three uncomfortable ones.

Once you’ve decided that channels such as blogs, Twitter, or Facebook really could be important components of your marketing, you may have to court that special staff member who has an incredible and personable voice and is willing to take on the extra responsibility. That staff member could be anyone, including the executive director. That’s the case for a small Chicago nonprofit called Sit, Stay, Read, which uses dogs to help kids learn to read. The executive director is very much the voice of the organization on Facebook and other tools. Mary Ellen Schneider’s style is so distinctive; you can literally hear her voice when you read her entries.

Or you may want to ask a volunteer with a similarly distinctive voice and a passion for the organization. This is controversial. Some fear that activating volunteers means a dangerous loss of control. Others, such as New Tactics in Human Rights, have forged ahead with multiple volunteer bloggers.

In higher ed and larger organizations, the answer may be an uncomfortable four-letter word: hire. Of course that’s tough to do in these economic times. As a result, the answer may be reallocating staff duties, so that real time is available to the person tasked with tracking and participating in online conversations, writing and recruiting others to write for blogs and other channels, and lending social media strategies to the communications mix.

But one thing is clear: a long, deadening silence probably isn’t the solution.

- Lee Reilly, Vice President, Interactive

Remarkable work is taking place at the Rosenstiel School – one of the signature research and education programs of the University of Miami. They are looking at climate change, coastal ecosystems, fisheries and aquaculture, hurricane prediction and tracking, and other “hot button” issues. And as we talked with the new Dean – Roni Avissar – and his colleagues about the role of social media in creating awareness of and understanding about the remarkable contributions that the School is making in these critical research areas, I had a flash of insight.

It struck me that the ocean contains a perfect metaphor for the complex environment of user-generated content and social media. It’s been described in the past as a rainbow or a flower or a garden – all useful descriptions but somehow incomplete. What the blogosphere and social networking sites resemble more than anything else is a coral reef – a remarkable and glorious construction made up of billions of individual units (polyps, in the case of the reef, and posts and comments in the case of the social network) that collect and fuse together into structures of remarkable size, complexity, diversity, and outright beauty. What is Wikipedia if not a vibrant, living, and growing “reef” of evolving content? What is Alltop if not a field guide to a constantly evolving ecosystem of ideas? And who hasn’t felt the need to take a deep breath before diving into the dense and fascinating world of social media?

Just take the plunge.

- Rob Moore, Ph.D., Managing Partner

I did evaluate all the submissions, though, and gave my recommendations to the committee.  And what struck me most about the proposals we reviewed – nearly 100 in all – was that more than a third of them focused around web 2.0, social media, and related topics.

The word “tweet” hasn’t been tossed around this much since the last Looney Tunes cartoon fest.  But for any smart marketer – as for Sylvester – the issue not just sighting that elusive prey, but figuring out how to wrap our claws around it.  Thufferin’ Thuccotash! 

The key is to discern not just what can we do – because the options are truly staggering – but what we must do.  Resources – both cash and time – are scarce.  So how do we determine which of the many social media opportunities we should invest in and which are just a passing fancy?  My answer, for now, is straight Machiavelli:  “I must see where my followers are going so I can lead them.”

In which formats are your target audiences engaged?  And is this all unadulterated UGC or are they receptive to – clicking or tagging or digging – a more “institutional” voice in their desired format?  Are they involved in serious exploration of content – as relates to critical decision-making – or are they surfing the ripples?

On a site I spent some time on recently – www.mynextcollege.com – “The Dean” balances comments between snarky and solid, all grounded by his signature “does it look like I work here?”  And then there are all the sites that are pure UGC – www.ratemyprofessors.com, www.collegeconfidential.com, www.studentsreview.com, www.myusearchblog.com, and their ilk – and the 900-pound gorillas of Facebook, Myspace, YouTube, Flickr, and (a baby gorilla) Ning.

Any “final” resolution now would be absurd to project; new platforms crop up almost daily.  There are some that are nearly the “price of admission” to be considered in the game at all – notably, the upland gorillas mentioned above.  But there are some things to keep in mind as you develop content for these venues:

•    Focus: Your audience will tell you.

•    Voice: All research shows that today’s prospective students are very aware of when they’re being “marketed.”  And the research also shows that they don’t necessarily mind being the target, if the outreach is funny, relevant, and fits their interests.

•    WOM and viral: The ultimate goal is to be so in the middle of the conversation that people digg you forward – as happened with the University of Minnesota with their “science of Watchmen” video on YouTube that got more than 1.5 million hits.  And was this successful because people wanted to know about the University of Minnesota? Of course not – it’s because they’re geeks for Watchmen.  Give them something that they’re interested in, and they’ll center it in the discourse.

•    ‘Tude: You gotta have ‘tude, dude.  Whether you’re talking with prospective or current students, alumni, or web wanderers, you have to put forward some sort of characteristic energy and stance that make people sit up and take notice, laugh, get mildly offended – or just notice you.

•    Integration: Your social media presence has to connect to everything else you’re doing – as in any brand communications initiative.  If you create a presence in social media, or establish a personality, you have to “pay off” that presence and personality in your website, direct marketing materials, publications, and the like.  Otherwise, you’re just confusing the market, and nobody can afford to do that.

So, I’m not tweeting yet – having been intimidated by the Chicago tweetmaster who has posted 20,000 times since the first of the year (once every six minutes, 18 hours a day, seven days a week) – but if you want me to I’ll start.  Just let me know and I’ll try to figure out what to say.  (Hey, it’s six minutes later and I don’t have any new thoughts!  Uh-oh…)

- Rob Moore, Managing Partner

In this brave and whirling new world, intriguing new things are happening. Here are two:

• Named one of the “2009 Hot Nonprofit Websites,” by the Non-Profit Times, Planet Cancer is a community for young adults with cancer. Among its many “hot” features: a fundraising widget that can be posted on personal pages in Facebook and other communities.

• Davidson College has integrated Twitter into their admissions process by publishing 140-character quotes from actual applications. While the response hasn’t yet reached Lance Armstrong (449,000 followers) or even Kogi BBQ-to-go standards (2,348 followers)—the idea reflects just kind of brand-sensitive thinking that a Twitter account deserves.

It’s tempting to rush in and duplicate these efforts. But it may be wiser to take a moment and hit pause instead. Why? Because any social media effort will benefit from an unblinking look at what your institution needs to do across all media. In fact, nonprofits are in danger of being oversold on social media, especially if they lack the foundational presence of a well-designed and updated institutional website.

With a clear-headed look at the full array of communication tools and opportunities, you’ll likely end up with a combo platter of effective tactics, including social media. With planning, you’ll avoid the generic student blogs, apologetic admissions blogs, dull Facebook Group pages, lazy Twitter accounts, and 1980s-style YouTube videos that tie up labor and threaten to undermine your intentions. (You might also end up retiring the labor-intensive, never-read press releases or the “Did You Know?” online features.) With planning, it’s also likely your office will change the way it works. After all, social media requires labor. Lots of smart, skilled, and brand-savvy labor. Lots of attentive and ongoing labor. That means lots of people or a realignment of work.

In the meantime, how’s that dizziness? And how is your office changing?

- Lee Reilly, Vice President, Interactive