No shameless plugs here...

Genuine Interactive was selected as the winner in the Best Use of Video and Real Estate categories for the 2009 MITX Interactive Awards.

The Best Use of Video award was received for the creation of an innovative lead generation video site for 3DVIA. So, our developer friends actually build the site right before your eyes, because it's all about Speed Baby! The objective of the campaign was to generate awareness for the product launches and capture as many email addresses as possible. The goal was 200; we ended up with 1,200 along with unprecedented user engagement stats.

Working with Rattle Advertising, Genuine received the interactive award in the Real Estate category for Fenway Triangle. Making a convincing case for Fenway Triangle as well as raising awareness and generating interest and excitement, required knitting together myriad lifestyle amenities from cultural institutions and green space, to nightlife, restaurants and conveniences. Through extensive original photography and video the resulting site created a compelling real-world sense of place and a distinct personality for the area.

Congratulations to all the winners and more importantly to everyone that participated in the 14th Annual MITX Awards!

By now, most should have heard of the still developing story about two sophomoric – to say the least – Domino’s Pizza employees.

In summary, two employees posted a video to YouTube of themselves “improperly handling” food at a North Carolina Domino’s Pizza. The video titled “Disgusting Dominos People” was viewed more than a million times before being removed by the author as suggested by the notice, “due to a copyright claim by Kristy Hammonds” which appears above the video.

Unfortunately for Domino’s, and as many other will attest, when something gets released to the web, it’s nearly impossible to remove all traces if it has grown in popularity. Much of the media and user comments have sided with Domino’s in their handling of the situation due to a fairly quick yet cautious response as well as a formal Domino's apology video on YouTube by president, Patrick Doyle.

The interesting thing to note here is that world of social media is quite finicky in what makes the front page… As can be seen with this case, only one video of unsanitary food preparation really made the headlines, but there are actually four other videos of the same gross and immature behavior that have since surfaced.

Some may say Digg played a role – as the story appears 3rd and 11th for most popular in the last 7 and 30 days respectively – even though the video was first released elsewhere. Others may point to the Consumerist Sleuths who tracked down and identified the individuals and notified Domino’s corporate. All we know is this will have a negative effect in the short term but will fade in the long run just like this guy.

 This is a hilarious news report from 1981 about a "TelePaper" that can be uploaded to a rare machine known as a "home computer."  I was actually in this newscast as a 4 year old but didn't make it past the editing room floor.  In it, I predicted that in 10 years I would have the U.S. high score in Jungle Hunt, have a pet lion and a Knight Rider car bed.  I have failed 4 year old Chris on all counts.  Self, you need to reevaluate your life.

There is no doubt that the line between web and TV is blurring.  The world is learning that there is are fewer differences between their cable boxes and their web browsers.

Yesterday’s Presidential Inauguration set a new standard in web viewership.  The Facebook and CNN.com streams and videos of the Inauguration of President Obama generated close to 140,000,000 page views and 22,000,000 live video streams globally.  Consider that the Superbowl is viewed by about 90 million folks – and the 25% of a Superbowl audience for CNN online in video only is quite a windfall.  

Or at least it should be.

Content distributors like CNN, continue to grapple with how to properly monetize web traffic.  A certain "screen bias" exists in the hearts of media buyers who are unwilling to pay for ads on the laptop screen in favor for their longtime lover - the TV screen.  As the number tools people use to access video continues to grow (Computers, Iphones, TVs, blenders, dogs, cats and eventually cheese)  we’ll all be forced to think about the viewing experience more holistically.  So whether you’re a consumer sitting on a la-z-boy or your aleron office chair – you're still loved by brands and coveted by buyers.