Hodson Blog

We knew it was just a matter of time and sure enough, it happened.

We've been steadily increasing our advertising presence on Facebook for the BaconMarathon top3Clicks application. Mike has been busy creating some killer ads that we're tracking metrics on like crazy. Running a new, particularly inspired ad campaign with "Dark Knight", we encountered the much sought-after "triple loop":

* User 'a' clicks on the "Dark Knight" Facebook ad and adds the top3Clicks application

* User 'a' invites User 'b' to try out the application via our "TellaFriend" link   

* User 'b' tries out the application and User 'c' seeing this in their News Feed, adds the application.

One ad, one cpc, 3 users: friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend.

We''ve been super busy over at the BaconMarathon Labs lately. Mike has put up the second of three posts, this time detailing our efforts to drive return visits to the app on Facebook.

Experimenting with Facebook ads has driven some quality traffic to Top3Clicks. We then turned our attention to driving repeat traffic via a concept we call "Igniters". Mike details one such implementation we did via YouTube.

Mike has put up the first of three posts on what we’ve been up to lately on Top3Clicks.

We have learned quite a bit in the last few weeks about viral ads, FOAF and the pros/cons of Facebook’s changes to attempt to make application authorization as simple as possible. Mike delves into a good bit of our experience increasing the number of Top3Clicks users via Facebook ads.

(cross-posted at the BaconMarathon blog)

If you are like me and a fan of The Only Band That Matters (The Clash), you might know that the surviving members just released a stellar live show that was recorded weeks before their demise.

Live At Shea Stadium was recorded on the Combat Rock tour when The Clash was opening for The Who. Overall, the band, sound quality and song selection is top notch.

I also picked up the latest DVD, Live Revolution Rock,

which features the band over several years in a number of venues -- *and* I also ordered the forthcoming book, "The Clash", written by the band.

I wasn't aware that Live At Shea Stadium was forthcoming, I actually learned about it via Top3Clicks, watching The Clash, which was really motivating. The latest feature (news feed integration) was written listening to the Shea Stadium gig and the DVD.

Mike has a new post up, describing the latest Top3Clicks release.

We've added some interesting aspects to the Facebook Newsfeed, adding merchandising and impulse shopping to the social graph.

Last Sunday (10/5/2008), we ran the Portland Marathon.

The vast majority of the course was the same as last year, with only a minor change crossing back over the river at mile 24. (Yes, the St. John’s Bridge kicked my butt again.)

Unlike last year however, it rained, starting around Mile 9 all the way through the finish! Unlike last year, I left my rain gear in the hotel as it wasn’t supposed to rain at race time (doh!). At the start, the temperature was 52 degrees (F), which meant short sleeve weather. Even with the rain, the temperature never dipped below 50 degrees.

My finish was 3 minutes slower than last year, however, given the fact that I missed the first 8 weeks (out of 16) of training due to “snapping hip syndrome” (I couldn’t even run on a treadmill until week 5), I was very satisfied with my finish. Like last year, the iPod was essential after Mile 20 (and I didn’t have to hide my headphones like I did at the Napa Valley Marathon)

Overall, here's how the run rates in my book:

Organization - Incredible. Very well organized and staffed. Grade: A

Course - Fairly scenic, a few "industrial" spots that could have been avoided. Grade: B+

Aid-stations - Well staffed and stocked, approximately every 2 miles. Numerous gummi-bear stops, along with neighborhood kids handing out jellybeans (Although the honey-based energy gel was nasty) Grade: A

Swag - Long sleeve, dri-fit shirt. Grade: A

Bonus: Dinner at the Bridgeport Brewery. Grade: A+

Mike has a new post up on the BaconMarathon Labs site, detailing the new features we took live last night.

The new Kings of Leon disc, Only By The Night, is available for streaming on Last.fm.

The disc will officially release tomorrow (already ordered my copy from Amazon). After a single listen, my review is a "thumbs-up"

When we ran the Napa Valley Marathon in March, we had to hide our headphones/iPods, lest they be taken away by race officials. Fortunately, the Portland Marathon has declared themselves to be “MP3 Player Friendly”.

When we run the Portland Marathon in a few weeks, I can let my iPod see the light of day and not spend the race worrying that someone will jump me on the course! (Now if I can just make it over the St. John’s Bridge intact…)

The NFL season begins tonight (9/4/2008) with the Giants taking on the Redskins.

What’s so special about that you ask? Well, unlike NBC with the Olympics, the NFL is streaming the entire game LIVE on the web (first time ever). This will be interesting to see how it unfolds – is there a solid revenue model behind streaming? If so, what does it mean for broadcasters/cable?