BoomTown » comic

Ford's Social Media Guru Scott Monty: "Social Media Is the Cocaine of the Communications Industry"

Kara Swisher — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:53:31 +0000

Today, BoomTown got the best quote ever from Scott Monty, when I asked him over lunch about his comparison of social media tools to an illicit drug.

“Social media is the cocaine of the communications industry,” said Monty, who has been global digital and multimedia communications manager for Ford Motor Company (F) since mid-2008.

Riding that Twitter train, high on Facebook cocaine?

I got him to repeat it, during a keynote interview with him at Blog World Expo in Las Vegas.

While we had some sound problems–par for the course at conferences–Monty got the attention of the crowd with the metaphor, especially after he launched into a spot-on impression of comic Bill Cosby doing a famous bit about cocaine.

All joking aside, Monty did make what was a very good point about the sometimes explosive impact of social networking media compared to the traditional kind.

Monty channeled Cosby for me again for a video interview here, in which we talk about that and also about how big companies are dealing with social media.

Here’s the video:

[ See post to watch video ]

Are You a Betty or a Veronica?

Kara Swisher — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:31:24 +0000

Like a lot of fans of the “Archie” comic book series–yes, BoomTown is that old–I was irked when Riverdale’s endless teen goofball picked spoiled Veronica over sweet Betty in a recent issue in August.

Not because I like Betty more, but because it ended the long-running love triangle that has been going for almost 70 years.

But apparently, the story is not over, according to a piece this week in the New York Times, because the whole thing is part of a six-story arc, which includes Archie marrying both Veronica and Betty and having twins with each.

Well, not at the same time, so get your minds out of the gutter.

Using the trick of Archie going down different paths on Memory Lane, he first marries Veronica and has the kids in two issues. Then, going down a different path, he marries Betty in the November issue and has more kids in the next two issues.

Presumably, the last two will have the carrot-haired hero finally decide. Personally, I am voting for Jughead.

In any case, Archie Comic Publications actually has a nice digital site, where you can read comics online or even on an Apple (AAPL) iPhone.

And here are the competing covers:

Viral Video: Kathy Griffin Channels Kate Gosselin

Kara Swisher — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:17:15 +0000

BoomTown is a major fan of comic Kathy Griffin, so here’s a good one by her from last week, in which she mocks Kate and Jon Gosselin (neither of whom seems to need any help looking like fools).

Her “Kate Is Enough” video–which she did for “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on ABC–is very funny, mostly due to the brilliant casting of former Trekkie George Takei as Jon.

Here’s the video:

Political Video of the Day: Sarah Silverman's Great Schlep

Kara Swisher — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:35:04 +0000

Is there anything comic Sarah Silverman will not say?

Apparently not, from this aggressively pro-Sen. Barack Obama video that has become a huge hit on the Web and seen by many millions of viewers.

It’s called “The Great Schlep,” which is also a political advocacy organization she supports.

In it, the viciously funny Silverman plans to blame–I am not kidding–old Jewish grandparents if Democratic nominee Obama loses the Presidential election. And she advises a very clever kind of blackmail as a way to prevent it.

You have to experience her logic to understand–and please be aware that Silverman pulls no punches.

And, if Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin goes on “Saturday Night Live”–as is rumored–to impersonate Tina Fey, BoomTown will get it right up.

Here’s the video (and below it, the other huge hit online spoof video Silverman did about her–um–friendly relationship with actor Matt Damon):

The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.