Cocktail Hour: April 6, 2012

Hopefully you didn’t get hit too badly with any April Fools’ jokes. Or perhaps you were really excited about Google Maps now in 8-bit. Here’s a quick round-up of pranks from around the web from TechCrunch. Most importantly, there’s a pug wearing a monocle. Thanks, Internet! (But if we can get more Conashable, I’m totally okay with it.)

Check out some other great things from this week:

Just One More Game... Angry Birds, Farmville and Other Hyperaddictive ‘Stupid Games’ (New York Times): Why are we so addicted to games like Angry Birds? There’s no skill; there’s nothing complicated about flicking a bird to knock over some pigs. Ultimately, that’s why these games have become such a pervasive part of our culture: We subconsciously resort to them whenever we have a free moment (or maybe when we just don’t feel like paying attention...). A long read, but a good one. There’s even a “stupid game” embedded within the article, but just make sure you actually read it instead of just playing.

Why Talking About Your Outages and Issues Might MAKE You Money (Uservoice): Even if your service is an app or a social account, honesty and transparency are two qualities that transcend any medium. Getting appropriate feedback and providing timely updates and response are ways to ensure loyalty and customer satisfaction. But make sure to fix the problem!

Social Media, Collapsed Time, and Our Reactionary Culture (Inkling): We want it all and we want it now. First, let’s take a lesson in common sense and thinking through our decisions. Considering how fast we are able to connect with smartphones, strong consumer experiences (either positive or negative) can be uploaded almost instantly. The best takeaway? “Let’s try being the nice guys (or gals) for once. Let’s bring a little civility to our culture.”

The Six Pillars of Social Commerce: Understanding the Psychology of Engagement (Social Media Today): Social means people, and people have emotions. We tend to follow what we’re told, what people like ourselves are saying and what makes us special. Tapping into the psychology of why we do the things we do will ultimately help us manage our engagement and sales.

Buddy Media Brings Social Apps to Branded YouTube Channels (Social Times): Ever wanted to put more stuff on your YouTube channel? Of course you did. And even if you didn’t, Buddy Media’s “ProfileBuddy” now lets you. Do you think this will make brand experiences better or cause more headaches? What would you put on your channel in addition to video content?

What have you been reading and watching?