Did You Know 4.0?” has now been created for the Economist’s Media Convergence forum in October:

The original ‘Shift Happens‘ presentation by Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod, and Jeff Brenman was turned into a video and uploaded to YouTube in June 2007. The video was then remixed and became a serious YouTube hit called ‘Did You Know?‘ and attracted over 6.5m views.

Starting with a raft of digital marketing, web-build and film work for Graham Coxon, the time is nigh to launch a company: head, heart and feet first – curled up foetal position – into the crunch. We Are Humans.

I loved working on this project and to see it iteratively realised by my friends and colleagues at LBi is very exciting. Venturing off of the High Street and into the Social Networking space HMV have embraced the potential of social networking and online community to its fullest extent.

The getcloser proposition is simple and engaging: share your love of film and music and gain access to a wealth of deep, rich and compelling content and information.  This is fan/user contributed information -in the form of Connection-stories, trivia and personal experiences- or exclusive and historical supplier content and information.  Powerful filters and profilers will enable a user to discover a mass of wonderful -and relevant- content.

This Open Beta release sees the inclusion of the key feature set – Connection Tool, DNA profiler, Visual Shelf, Plug-Items Tool – with LBi steadily responding to users behaviour and refining and evolving the experience over time.  I’m looking forward to experiencing the offline-store and online experience integration. I might also find the mythical long-lost Syd Barrett track.

Google is experimenting with a new method of distributing original material on the Web.  The carefully guarded Family Guy project, titled Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy, will appear exclusively on the Internet. 

The innovative aspect is the distribution plan.  They will will syndicate the program using AdSense advertising systems to thousands of Web sites that are defined to be high traffic destinations for the Family Guy audience -typically blokes.  Instead of placing static ads on the page, Google will place a Cavalcade video clip.  Pre-rolls, supporting banner ads or simple ‘brought to you by’ endorsements will accompany the clips.

Even more interesting in respect of the Advertising/Content relationship is the animated commercials within the clips.  According to the New York Times:

For a more substantial fee, Mr. MacFarlane has been working with advertisers to animate original commercials that will run with “Cavalcade.” Google and Mr. MacFarlane would not reveal any of the advertisers, but the two said that several deals are among the largest ever landed by AdSense, which went into business in 2003.

Google calls the distribution service the Google Content Network.  This collaboration sees Google pushing ahead with their plans for original content distribution.  They’re more machine now than man.

The original Hoxton Twat will be pleased (Nathan Barley).  Until now most domain names have been restricted to a website’s country of origin, as in .uk (the United Kingdom) or .de (Germany), or names relating to commerce or institutions, like .org, .net and .gov.

According to The Inquirer the The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann), a non-profit governing body, is considering allowing owners to incorporate branding into URLs for the first time.  So you could expect to see lots of websites like coca.cola, apple.mac and benny.hill. There is sure to be some serious clashes of interest here.  Fantastic branding potential ahead.

A worthy winner of the Integrated Cannes award. A compelling treatment from Projector Inc.  This online (embedded-blog-widget and micro-site) and offline execution (in-store digital display) is beautifully executed.  It inherently epitomises the spirit of the Global Uniqlo brand.  Functional, unique, charming and quirky, simple and complex with the product firmly centred at the heart of the experience.  Wonderful.