Click. Connect. Communicate.

Happy Holidays from Click.Connect.Communicate.

by the C.C.C.Blog staff

From all of us here at Click.Connect.Communicate., we want to wish you happy holidays and prosperity for the new year. We're looking forward to bringing you our very best advice and insight in the realm of digital media and the changing online space.

We'll be taking the rest of the month off and back in the saddle on January 5. All the best!

Text Me from the Other Side

by Jimmy Marks

I was browsing the DigitalMedia Newsreel on the right hand column this morning and I saw a story: 

"Bury Me with my Cell Phone" from MSNBC

It turns out that more and more people are being buried with their cells, Blackberrys, iPhones, Game Boys, etc. Trust me, I get leaving things in caskets. When we buried my grandma, my mom added pictures of my grandpa and the grandkids to the casket. Mom also put in some old letters and, if I remember correctly, a little bible. 

These were the things that were important to my grandmother - God, family, and friendship. But I can't see anyone having the same emotional attachment to an LG enV2 (I only mention this phone because it's the phone I have...I like it, but still).

The article linked here goes on to talk about a man who was buried with his phone. His wife put his number on the tombstone and continues to pay his bill so people can leave him voicemails. 

Take a moment and think about that.

If you're like me, you came up with two conclusions: 

1) Mobile is becoming not just a tool, but a part of life. It's taken the place of some key communication methods and it has combined dozens of technologies that only a few years ago were disparate. Thus, we think we can't live without it...or die without it. 

2) Folks these days that are having trouble letting go of their grief are finding out they don't have to... technologically anyway.

Consider this a binding document: when I'm gone, don't put a phone anywhere near my coffin. Or at LEAST put it on silent so it doesn't bug me. 

Level Up! Video games are hitting a broader audience.

by Jimmy Marks

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I got another article from eMarketer, this time about video games. I love video games. Always have. Original Nintendo? That's me. Duck Hunt? You don't know from Duck Hunt. And I've pretty much followed the trends all the way forward. I can Wii with the best of them (pardon my French). 

But I'm not the only with an affinity for video games, according to this study. I did a little digging and found CNet's list of most sold video games (and this was just in August of this year): 

1. Grand Theft Auto IV--6,293,000 units sold
2. Super Smash Bros. Brawl--5,433,000 units sold
3. Mario Kart Wii--4,697,000 units sold
4. Wii Fit--3,604,000 units sold
5. Guitar Hero III--3,475,000 units sold

Boom or Bust: marketing to Baby Boomers a necessity

by Ron Daly

Baby Boomers are a funny thing. 

They're quickly losing focus in the marketing world, with more and more people lumping attention onto the generations they sired. At the same time, according to this article from eMarketer, Baby Boomers are making up around 30% of online users and are using the Internet more every year. 

A Drop In the Bucket (or, in this case, Kettle)

by Ron Daly 

I do my best not to get sappy around this time of year, but I was touched to read this story from CNN.com (click here to read) about the Salvation Army coming to the rescue of a couple in need. The story talks at length about their health care bills being the reason they couldn't make their house payment and about how after years of donating to the Salvation Army, the couple went there for help. 

It's nice to see that people are still willing to remember the spirit of giving, even if it's only a few cents. Cents, I might add, that turned into $118 Million last year.

But what really impressed me were the details of the Salvation Army's use of text messaging and Twitter to get people to donate. When you text the SA's "Online Red Kettle" on your cell phone, you get to donate via your phone bill. Following the SA's kettle on Twitter keeps you abreast of important information from the 143-year-old organization.