The Curator's News Feed: March 9, 2012
Can The Onion be educational along with its biting satire? What does a mashup of Pinterest and TripAdvisor look like? And what happens when a member of the Curator team fails to submit a link to our weekly roundup? Find out in this week's recap of what we're all reading.
Gagosian Gallery holds worldwide exhibition of twenty-five years of spot paintings by Damien Hirst, Gagosian Gallery. This is an art exhibition I’d love to check out! I’ve had a particular fascination with the controversial and often outrageous artist, Damien Hirst, ever since he created the diamond encrusted skull several years ago and was at one point the highest selling artist in the world. Now his Spot Paintings exhibition is taking place at another one of my favorite iconic, art world institutions all at once across all of Gagosian Gallery’s eleven locations around the world. Along with the diamond-encrusted skull and his formaldehyde preserved animals (slightly disgusting in nature), Hirst’s latest spot painting contains 25,781 spots – each of a different color. Who knew there were so many colors! - Julia
Homemade Medicine. Having been sick this week, this is my new favorite site. Nuff said. - Dan
Pinterest Meets Trip Advisor: Wanderfly Launches New Travel Site, Mashable.com. The newly updated and awesome website, Wanderfly, allows users to make boards for cities they’ve been to or are interested in exploring. Within each of their city boards, they can add recommendations for specific venues or events. New content from the people who they are following is delivered in a Facebook-like feed and can easily be saved to their own boards. Talk about the ultimate in curated travel experiences. Pinterest meets Trip Advisor? Sign me up! – Megan
Apple driving more than innovation, The Onion. If you’re not taking a break from hard news and trend-tracking media to enjoy The Onion from time to time, you're missing out. The sliver of truth they slip in to the satire is what makes it both entertaining and insightful. During Wednesday’s iPad media blitz, they published an article titled: “This Article Generating Thousands Of Dollars In Ad Revenue Simply By Mentioning New iPad.” It’s funny because it’s a little bit true. As early adopters and wishful buyers flocked to news sources, tech websites and social media to follow the unveiling, traffic numbers soared and media consumers found new sources for news. The media coverage Apple received from this event was great for them, but it was also a great opportunity for media organizations to capture new readers. Even “tweeps” were trolling for new followers. My favorite one: “Requisite hashtags to get me tons of fake followers this hour: #Apple #iPad3 #iPadHD.” Just like The Onion article, it’s funny because it’s a little bit true. - Matthew
Whole Foods' Detroit Gamble, The Wall Street Journal. Yes, Whole Foods Market is one of our clients, but even without that I would find this piece on the company’s plans to open a store in the heart of urban Detroit fascinating. It details the decision to open a store in a food desert, based on a mix of psychographic research on consumer behavior, demographic data, business incentives and a little bit of a hunch. Turns out that stereotypical image of Detroit as an urban wasteland isn’t quite accurate – community gardens have flourished in abandoned lots, and the city’s Eastern Market, one of the oldest and largest farmers’ markets in the country attracts 40,000 shoppers weekly. There’s a hunger for produce and healthy food there as in so many other places, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the store partners with and integrates into the community over the next year. - Lisa
Online, a Distant Conflict Soars to Topic No. 1, The New York Times. Like me, you probably spotted KONY 2012 splashed across your Facebook friends’ timelines this week. Maybe you’re even one of the 50 million people who viewed the video in the past 4 days. Since KONY 2012 posted to YouTube on Monday, March 5, millions of Americans have been moved by this 27-minute video. Not surprisingly, there was a lightning-quick backlash that scrutinized the organization – from its strategy to financial statements. But no matter where you stand on the issue, there is simply no denying emotion the video captures, and how it this campaign demonstrates the amazing power of the collective social media community. - Ann Marie
Forbes, Hey Teacher (And Employer) Leave Those Facebook Passwords Alone, Forbes - The boundaries between private and public information are becoming increasingly blurred. According to a recent Forbes article, there is no legal protection for you if a potential employer requests to see your Facebook password and decides not to hire you based on the content that is found. This, of course, isn’t the norm and there is hope for changing policies around this. But, it’s just further proof that the social media industry is seeing where the platforms are more frequently being used for business purposes rather than personal enjoyment. So, how will you use Facebook in the future? - Annie
We have a rule in the Curator office that if you don’t submit a link, then I get to pick an embarrassing one for you. So here’s Scott’s link of the week: Snooki Pregnant: Star Confirms Baby Rumors, The Huffington Post.