Rate A Brand’s Social Responsibility

I recently attended the Los Angeles #140conf with Jeff Pulver and one of the speakers, Simon Mainwaring, discussed one of the “trends transforming the web.” Simon mentioned some mobile applications for smartphones and how they relate to business. The applications will allow consumers to scan barcodes of two or more similar products and check to see the ratings of the company’s social responsibility. This includes how the company treats employees and other pertinent information to a socially conscious consumer.

Here is the link to watch the video with Simon Mainwaring at the Los Angeles #140conf discussing tech trends that will impact business: http://simonmainwaring.com/twitter/140conf-la-meet-up-social-media-inspiring-social-change/

In Simon Mainwaring’s speech, the first company he mentioned was Barcoo. Here is a link for additional information: http://symbianworld.org/1466-barcoo-scan-products-and-get-further-information/

Here is the second company Simon mentioned: Brandkarma. “Brandkarma’s mission – ‘to help everyone make better brand choices and influence brand behavior for good’.” http://www.brandkarma.com/

Simon was kind enough to provide the following links for this post:

A mobile barcode application for iPhone or for non-iPhone users there is a text applications to check social responsibility of a brand/product.
http://www.goodguide.com/about/mobile

A website called Socialbrite…Social Tools for Social Change. I liked the post about “10 Mobile Apps for Social Good.”
http://www.socialbrite.org/2010/04/01/10-mobile-apps-for-social-good/

You can find Simon Mainwaring here: www.twitter.com/simonmainwaring

I really liked hearing about all the great options being developed for consumers. I know I care about the products I’m buying as well as the companies that are selling them to me.

An important note – I attended the LA #140conf but didn’t get a chance to meet Simon Mainwaring in person. I was lucky enough to get the information I needed for this post from Eric Greenspan’s Make It Work website. Then I got even luckier because Eric offered an introduction to Simon Mainwaring. Here is a picture of one thing Eric does (photo credit goes to me!) http://twitpic.com/1on1t5 and you can find more about him and his work at http://blog.makeitwork.com/ http://twitter.com/ericgreenspan http://www.twitter.com/makeitwork

Mingle Media TV

In March, my friend Isaac Feldman from Beverly Hills Porsche invited me to a driving event at the Hawthorne Airport. There I met a couple of women through Jay Huffschmidt. Michelle Naranja is a well-known automotive industry blogger and Jessica Gottlieb is one of the most famous mommy bloggers out there.

After the driving event, I kept in touch with these women via Twitter and I was eventually invited to a live internet broadcast on Mingle Media TV by Jessica Gottlieb. I was genuinely happy and surprised by how ingenious Mingle Media TV is. The concept is simple: watch a broadcast show and participate live with the show’s host via a chat room. Participants can also interact with each other and discuss what is going on or meet again through another application like Facebook or Twitter. I was so impressed with my experience with Jessica Gottlieb’s show on Mingle Media TV that I promptly did a speech at my Toastmasters club about the experience.

I find it refreshing that women (and mommies) are embracing new technologies & getting into spaces that were predominantly male. For example, The Webby Awards. “The Webby Awards is the Internet’s most respected symbol of success. The 13th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide.” I have been voting since 2008. Before, I nominated and voted for men. This time, I nominated and voted for “Jen and Barb Mom Life.” I’m thrilled that they won considering the odds!

How did I find “Jen and Barb?” Through a woman/mommy at the #140conf (Los Angeles) that Yahoo! and Make It Work hosted a few months ago. “The #140conf events provide a platform for the worldwide Twitter community to: listen, connect, share and engage with each other, while collectively exploring the effects of the emerging real-time internet on business.” Incidentally, Jessica Gottlieb spoke at the #140conf NYC 2 weeks ago and is one of the most technically savvy women I have ever met.

These women are going to events where I spend time, I’m learning about a lot of cool new things.

Jessica Gottlieb
@jessicagottlieb
www.jessicagottlieb.com
http://www.minglemediatv.com/AreYouMarketingToMewithJessicaGottlieb.html

Michelle Naranja
@missmotormouth
www.missmotormouth.com
http://www.minglemediatv.com/MissMotormouth.html

Jen and Barb Mom Life
@momlife
http://www.jenandbarbmomlife.com/
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/05/prweb3964684.htm

Jay Huffington
@bevhillsporsche
http://www.beverlyhillsporsche.com/

Stephanie Piche
@minglemediatv
http://www.minglemediatv.com/

Jeff Pulver
@jeffpulver
http://140conf.com/