My dad, in case you weren’t already aware, is an incredibly interesting man who has taught me alot about life, but even more about Apple. Did you know that as a young child he used me as a guinea pig to test the original Mac ($2500 and 128k) because he wanted to write a piece of educational software? We chat about that, but we also talk about iPhones, Twitter, and some of the history behind the origins of the Apple brand (from his perspective as a software engineer at the time). If you can get past the shakiness of the video, you might really enjoy his perspective and learn a few things about why I love Apple products so much.

Ever wanted to look like an Elf and dance around in your own little elf music video? You could buy an elf costume and recruit your friends to film you dancing around town like a fool, or you could just ElfYourself in a holiday-themed OfficeMax social media marketing campaign. The end result is certainly hilarious—I laughed for an eternity —but what’s the payoff for OfficeMax?

What’s the Point?

Why did OfficeMax go to all the trouble of creating ElfYourself when the campaign itself doesn’t seem to be selling anything related to office supplies or targeting the enterprise office supply gatekeepers? Yes, you can buy and/or download the custom movie for $4.99 or buy mugs and other memorabilia with your elf-self, but I doubt that’s going to result in big holiday business for OfficeMax.

With all the social options made available to ElfYourself creators, is OfficeMax simply trying to increase brand awareness and make us laugh, combining positive brand associations with the viral nature of the web? That could be it, it’s certainly a lower cost, more personalized alternative than an ad buy on a large television network. It’s also positioned to be seen by a larger audience if the gimmicky social media marketing initiative wins the hearts and minds of the web savvy and attention-loving Me Generation.

As a participant in online memes, I love it. As a consumer and holiday shopper, I’m not sure what to think of the whole thing. It certainly seems to be the wrong type of word-of-mouth marketing for a company like OfficeMax. It’s not like I’m telling all my friends and readers that OfficeMax is the place to satisfy the office supply whore in you.

So I’m puzzled.

Maybe at the end of the day they just want want my email address so they can market to me later? What do you think? What does OfficeMax get out of this equation?

I do make one fine little dancing elf though.

Augmented reality (AR) is a field of computer research which deals with the combination of real-world and computer-generated data (virtual reality), where computer graphics objects are blended into real footage in real time.

A First Glimpse at What is to Come

In a recent piece I wrote for Mashable, I blogged about how to make the most out of Google Maps. In doing research for mobile tools, I found the first application that actually has me jealous of Android phones—Wikitude AR Travel Guide, an AR mobile app for Android.

It’s dead simple and yet oh so powerful. Phones with the Android OS can use their camera as a lens to see beyond the surface of the real-wold view. When you point your camera in any direction, you’ll see the actual view with a layer of Wikipedia location-based content specific to your view of the world. The video below demonstrates just how cool (and powerful) the app really is.

This is Going to be Huge

This is just the beginning for AR. As more AR-ready devices are released to the public, you’ll begin to see a whole new view of the world—virtual data in actual life. Just image having your camera, camera phone, video device, or AR enabled sunglasses (that would be kinda neat) combine the actual world with a custom view of your already established online presence. You could be walking around seeing your social graph as an added visual layer to the phsyical world you already know and love. At the very least, AR could solve the relativley new problem of never being able to remember someone’s Twitter name. Think SecondLife, but substitute your real physical world—a true merging of your online and offline identities. Exciting…and a tad scary.

Krispy Kreme - donut photo by Steve Wool on Flickr

There are so many noble reasons to exercise your right to vote, but just in case you need a little extra incentive here are a few more reasons to grab the “I Voted” badge of honor:

Free Krispy Kreme Donuts

On Election Day, Nov. 4, 2008, participating Krispy Kreme stores will offer one free star-shaped doughnut with red, white and blue sprinkles to each customer wearing an “I Voted” sticker.

Free Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

Ben & Jerry’s wants to celebrate democracy by giving you a FREE scoop of ice cream. Come to participating scoop shops on November 4th from 5-8pm, and you’ll get a free scoop of ice cream.

Free Starbucks Coffee (for Floridians)

Floridians have persevered through hanging chads, faulty touch screens and long lines, and for that, Starbucks is rewarding voters statewide on Election Day.  On Tuesday, November 4th, voters who wear an “I Voted” sticker or show their voter registration card in any company-owned Starbucks Florida location will receive a complimentary tall brewed coffee.

So go vote and reward yourself handsomely with these goodies when you do!

UPDATE

It turns out that the free coffee is for everyone. Yay!

For more freebies, check out this Guru of New blog post.

The Doing Needs to Come From You

Any audience or customer community you do have doesn’t care about what your team has to say (unless it’s their unique point of view in their words and voice), your latest press release, or your brand new ad spot (unless your Apple). Please do not treat your blog readers, Facebook friends, and Twitter followers like your own personal marketing channels—the message doesn’t matter here, you do.

You matter.

What you’re doing matters. Who you’re doing it with matters. It’s what human that matters and what other people can relate to. If you fake it, you will be found out and you will ruin any credibility or influence you may have had with your fans, brand advocates, or customer community.

Some Advice to Britney that You Can Take to Heart

Gary Vaynerchuk says it best in his video directed to Britney Spears and her team regarding the @therealbritney Twitter account. The best takeaways are to remember that social media should not be used merely as another outlet for your message or press releases. Social media should be used for learning, sharing, listening, and genuine conversation.