CrowdFanatic's official Blog

CrowdFanatic episode @ CBC Dragons Den will be aired tomorrow Wednesday at 8PM

CrowdFanatic’s presentation at CBC Dragon’s Den will be aired tomorrow Wednesday Feb 8 at 8pm as part of episode 16.  According to CBC, one million Canadian are expected to watch the show :)

CrowdFanatic (www.CrowdFanatic.com), a Vancouver BC social media venture, is the first Direct Engagement Platform. A totally new genre of online services for groups to deliberately engage their rivals in order to win public debates, initiate direct dialogue with opponents and sway public opinion. It is the place for Conservatives to initiate a dialog with Liberals, for Patriots fans to confront the Giants  and for The Voice fans to directly engage American Idol supporters.

According to Yaron Bazaz, the founder of CrowdFanatic, today there is no social media platform that deliberately engages rival groups to  vie for their causes. Facebook doesn’t enable “group A vs. group B” interactions, and groups’ destination sites act like isolated islands with no bridges to other groups to echo their real world context.

Later this week the company will release the first beta version of it facebook application. They call the app the  ”Facebook group-connectivity layer”. According to Yaron Bazaz, the gamified application enables Facebook groups and pages to directly engage with each other. “By doing that we add to facebook a new  layer of functionality. Using the app, facebook groups and pages will be able to rally for their cause, recruit supporters,  win public debates and initiate direct dialogue with opponents.  We believe the impact of the group-connectivity layer at Facebook will be tremendous and will change the way brands and users rally for their cause” said Yaron.

The political and social demonstrations around the world emphasize the strong ties between social media and real world events. The need for a direct engagement platform and facebook application like CrowdFanatic has never been greater.

If you haven’t done it before check CrowdFanatic at : www.crowdfanatic.com

(Source: youtube.com)

CrowdFanatic - The First Online Confrontation Platform - Has Released a Beta

By Yaw Obiri-Yeboah, Online Community Manager

With the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals underway, CrowdFanatic - the first Online Confrontation Platform – has released the public beta of the site.  

The public beta of the platform was officially kicked off at The Expo Event in Sunnyvale, CA on Thursday. June 9^th, 2011. CrowdFanatic defines a new genre of online services that has never been seen before.  It’s an “Online Confrontation platform” - a social media battlefield for groups to deliberately confront their rivals in order to win online debates and take down their opponents. CrowdFanatic is the place for fans and social activists to support their group, oppose their rivals and sway public opinion to their side. 

 If there’s an explosive topic in the news you can be sure to see it on CrowdFanatic. With rival groups pitted against each other in direct confrontation fighting for their beliefs, expect to see a lot of fireworks whenever you come to the site.  CrowdFanatic promises to create the hottest social media environment on the net.

We’re bringing something new to the table in social media. Have you ever wanted to stand as a Democrat and take on a group of Republicans? Have you ever wanted to fight with a group of Yankees fans and tell off a group of Red Sox supporters over a social media battlefield? Now you have the opportunity to do that.  CrowdFanatic is that arena for you to stand tall as a group and confront your opposition. Do you want to be an opinion leader? CrowdFanatic is the perfect place to promote your group’s agenda and stand out from the crowd. All the tools that you need to be heard in online world are at your disposal on CrowdFanatic.

So what are you waiting for? Head over to CrowdFanatic experience the first online confrontation platform in the social media world. Remember you’re heading to an online battlefield, so strap on your helmet and fight side by side with your group and win the battle for public opinion!

To experience this arena first-hand join CrowdFanatic at: http://www.crowdfanatic.com

CrowdFanatic Hosts Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins

By Yaw Obiri-Yeboah, Online Community Manager

Tomorrow is D-Day for both the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins. When you think of Game 7 in sports you think of all-out war for the taste of glory. Tonight either the Boston Bruins or the Vancouver Canucks will experience the joy of victory and being able to lift the biggest prize in hockey, the Stanley Cup. The Boston Bruins are in the cup final for the first time since their 1990 defeat at the hands of Mark Messier and the Edmonton Oilers. For the Vancouver Canucks they have yet to win hockey’s Holy Grail (they did however win the Stanley Cup as the Vancouver Millionaires in 1915, the only Cup victory in their brief history). They have appeared in the Stanley Cup finals twice before in 1982 and in 1994 (losing in 4 and 7 games respectively). Will the third time be the charm for the Vancouver Canucks or will they be denied by the Boston Bruins?

Vancouver Canucks fans have waited 17 years for another opportunity to win the Stanley Cup. Ever since their heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the New York Rangers in 1994, the Canucks fans have waited desperately for this opportunity. Years of disappointment have been the story for Canucks fans and they hope that this year things will be different. For the first time in team history Vancouver finished with the best record in the regular season with 117 points. They also led the league in goals for and goals against. It was an incredible year for the team, and they hope that this will FINALLY be the year that they get over the hump and lift the Stanley Cup on home ice in front of their adoring and exuberant fans.

The Boston Bruins have 5 Stanley Cup victories to their credit with their last Cup coming in the 1971-72 season. The Bruins have had to go through a longer drought of appearing in the Stanley Cup final than the Canucks. The Bruins have not been in the final since 1990, a span of 21 years. The excitement level in Boston is higher than ever with Boston Bruins coverage getting top billing and pushing aside the ever popular Boston Red Sox baseball team, who are constantly featured on the front pages of all sports publications in Boston. They have the same goal as the Canucks and they want to hoist the cup in game 7, much to the chagrin of the fans in Vancouver who are hoping for the same thing on later today. It’s hard to say what will happen once the puck drops for game 7 but someone is going to be lifting the Stanley Cup before the night is over and one set of fans will feel the joy of victory and the other set of fans will go to bed feeling disappointed.

Over on CrowdFanatic the war has been raging between the Canucks and Bruins fans over who will be lifting the Stanley Cup:

(The Arena Page featuring the ongoing battle between the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins)

With heated battles already occurring on the site, if you’re a fan of either team you should let your voice be heard and join the online battle between the Canucks and the Bruins. One of these teams will become Stanley Cup Champions after Game 7 has been completed so have your stake in the final battle of the 2010/2011 NHL season and head over to CrowdFanatic and support your team!

CrowdFanatic Present at the Silicon Valley New Technology Meetup

With the launch of the CrowdFanatic Open Beta, we will have a demo of the online confrontation platform at The Silicon Valley New Technology Meetup in Palo Alto, California. The conference hosts new web technologies (like CrowdFanatic) along with 200+ entrepreneurs, investors, bloggers and tech enthusiasts.  It will be a great opportunity to meet up with innovative web developers as well as show CrowdFanatic to a new audience of web-savvy innovators.

Be sure to follow the blog for more information about the conference and continue to fight for public opinion by heading over to the CrowdFanatic page site!

For more about the conference check out the site: http://www.meetup.com/svnewtech/events/17583475/

CrowdFanatic at CBC Studios for Dragon’s Den

CrowdFanatic Faces Off Against the Dragons of Dragon’s Den

By Yaw Obiri-Yeboah, Online Community Manager

May 11^th was CrowdFanatic’s date with the Dragons of Dragon’s Den. President and CEO Yaron Bazaz along with eight CrowdFanatic promoters were ready to take CBC Studios by storm. It was a busy two days for Yaron and crew as they spent their time preparing for CrowdFanatic’s presentation for the show.

We will have more information about the show in the coming weeks, but for now take a look at some of the photos of the cast with Yaron posing in some very cool CrowdFanatic memorabilia:

Microsoft versus Google: The Battleground is here on CrowdFanatic

Google vs. Microsoft – The Battle for Brand Supremacy Begins Here

By Yaw Obiri-Yeboah, Online Community Manager

Battles between corporations are seen everywhere. In the world of automobiles you have General Motors versus Toyota, CBS versus FOX for the battle of television ratings and Samsung versus Sony for electronics supremacy. Google is a company that has really stood out from the pack. With the world’s leading search engine, an emerging mobile operating system in Android, ownership of YouTube and now venturing into our televisions with Google TV the company has been on a major roll as of late. Microsoft has been performing well with the release of their Windows Phone, strong sales of their Xbox 360 peripheral Kinect (which became the fastest selling consumer electronic device of all time), their video game console the Xbox 360 continues to have year to year growth since the machine’s release in 2005 and Windows 7 continues to perform well in the market. Both companies have reason to be happy but in the world of consumer dollars both companies want to stand on top. Apple is currently sitting on top as the most valuable brand in the world having supplanted Google for the top position. Both Google and Microsoft aspire to be number one, however they will have to battle it out to decide which company is in a better place to take on Apple.

Apple as of May 10^th 2011 ended Google’s four year reign as the most valuable brand. According to an article in the Examiner by Horacio Araque, “Among the ten highest valued brands in this study, six are technology and Telecommunications companies as follows: Google in second place, IBM in third, Microsoft’s fifth, AT & T seventh and China Mobile in the ninth. Facebook has made the top one-hundred into thirty-fifth place, worth $19.1 billion. The Chinese search engine Baidu has climbed from forty-sixth to twenty-ninth place.” Despite success from their Android platform which has catapulted Android phones past Apple’s iPhone, Apple’s iPad business has been huge for the company. Google is still making inroads into the tablet market with companies like Samsung releasing their Galaxy Tab and Motorola with the Xoom, but so far Apple has a commanding leading in that market and along with the iPhone it has allowed for Apple to move past Google as the top brand. If Google can make further progress in the tablet market as they have with the Android phones then they could be in a better position to reclaim their top position.

Microsoft may be further back in the pack of top brands but don’t expect the company to settle with their current fifth place standing. They definitely want to get past their competitors and take top spot just like everyone else. With recent news of Microsoft acquiring Skype for 8.5 billion dollars, it shows just how far Microsoft is willing to go to win the battle for brand supremacy. With the acquisition of Skype, Microsoft as noted by ZDNet’s Mary-Jo Foley will create a new business decision with Skype’s current CEO Tony Bates has been named President of the new business division and will report directly to Steve Balmer, Microsoft’s CEO. The addition of Skype to work with existing programs such as Messenger, Xbox LIVE, Outlook and their Windows 7 phones will be very interesting to watch. The addition of Skype with the Windows phones could be the piece that could entice customers to check out Microsoft’s offerings. Right now Microsoft is far behind in the mobile phone market (granted they haven’t been in the market for that long in comparison to Google and Apple), however the company did record strong sales with the debut release of the Windows phones so if Skype functionality is introduced with their Windows phones it could drive up interest as there are over 135 million Skype users currently. Microsoft has a consumer base they can tap into and with their existing programs set in place; this acquisition can help vault Microsoft into a better competing position against Google and then eventually with Microsoft.

The battle for second place is not much of a battle right now with Microsoft in fifth place, but the acquisition of a company like Skype is exactly the type of ammunition Microsoft is going to need if they want to be the world’s most profitable brand. Google won’t settle for second place as they have existing technologies that can hopefully vault them back into the top position. This year as well as next year will be interesting when looking at Google and Microsoft. Both companies will show their hand and attempt to win the battle of brand supremacy towards their respective companies. In the end consumers will be the true winners as it will result in great technology and services for tech lovers everywhere.   

CrowdFanatic is the first Online Confrontation Platform - an arena for groups to confront rival groups in order to promote their cause and to win public debates. It is the place for technology fans to confront other tech fans, for consumers to engage other consumers and for Microsoft supporters to confront the supporters of Google. CrowdFanatic is poised to become the focal point for any major online debate and to create one of the hottest arenas on the internet. Stay tuned and visit our website for updates on our release. Be sure to also check out our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Real Madrid FC versus FC Barcelona: El Classico Lives on CrowdFanatic

Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona: Who will win the battle on CrowdFanatic?

By Yaw Obiri-Yeboah, Online Community Manager

It’s the greatest rivalry in the sport of soccer (football for everyone else). When a footie fan hears the worlds “El Classico” you think of Real Madrid FC and FC Barcelona. Their rivalry has a way of grabbing the attention of the entire world and their matches have always been some of the most exciting in the sport. For the 2010/2011 soccer season fans were treated to five “El Classico” matches and each encounter was filled with excitement and drama; you can’t ask for anything more than that as a sports fan.

Real Madrid is the most successful soccer team in the world. They have won the European Cup a total of nine times, more than any other club. Although the competition features teams from Europe, the European clubs are considered to be the best in the world hence the reason for the entire world recognizing Real Madrid as the most successful soccer team. Barcelona has had success in Europe as well having won the European cup three times; their two previous wins came in 2006 and 2009 under the new tournament name of UEFA Champions League. Real Madrid has won 73 trophies in all competitions in their history versus 70 for Barcelona. This season Real Madrid captured the Copa Del Rey, a tournament held by the Spanish Football Federation where every club team in Spain competes for the trophy. Barcelona as of May 9^th 2011 looks to be on their way to win the La Liga title, the Spanish league championship. The club is also in the championship final for the UEFA Champions League against English club team Manchester United.  Many people feel that right now Barcelona is the best professional club team in the world. Barcelona freelance writer Graham Hunter went as far as to say that this current Barcelona team might be the best team of all time.

There is a great deal of animosity between the two clubs as their rivalry has ties to the Spanish revolution between the Spanish nationalists represented by Real Madrid and the Catalans represented by Barcelona.  That political rift within the country has found its way onto the soccer pitch as both these clubs despise each other a great deal. Both sides have always produced incredible soccer that has captivated the world and it continues on with this generation. Real Madrid is currently led by 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo and FC Barcelona has Lionel Messi, the 2009 and 2010 World Player of the Year and regarded by many as the best soccer player in the world. With the two best players in the world leading their respective sides we are sure to see more spectacular games in the years to come. The rivalry continues to heat up as the soccer season is nearing its end. One thing is certain, expect more of the same drama for next year and for future years to come.

CrowdFanatic is the first Online Confrontation Platform - an arena for groups to confront rival groups in order to promote their cause and to win public debates. It is the place for sports fans to confront other sports fans, for soccer fans to engage other fans of the sport and for Real Madrid supporters to confront the supporters of FC Barcelona. CrowdFanatic is poised to become the focal point for any major online debate and to create one of the hottest arenas on the internet. Stay tuned and visit our website for updates on our release. Be sure to also check out our Facebook and Twitter pages.

PlayStation Network vs. Xbox LIVE: The Online Battlefield here on CrowdFanatic

PlayStation Network vs. Xbox LIVE: Can Sony become a viable competitor once again?

By Yaw Obiri-Yeboah, Online Community Manager

The battle for online gaming supremacy has been tumultuous between Sony and Microsoft. Both companies have been competing for control over the online space and their battles have often been very heated amongst members of the gaming community. Microsoft and their online service Xbox LIVE is seen as the industry standard that every company has to measure itself to. Sony with their PlayStation Network are the upstart service that is looking to compete with Microsoft and attempt to win over fans by providing content and services not available from the competition. In the wake of Sony’s online network being attacked by hackers, will Sony be in a position to continue their online confrontation with Microsoft or will Microsoft stand to gain an additional lead due to Sony’s error in the dealing with online hackers?

Xbox LIVE has been in existence since 2002. The service was part of the Microsoft’s first console called the Xbox (the precursor to their current console the Xbox 360) and it was the first online gaming platform that charged users to be able to play online ($59.99 for a one year subscription). The service since 2002 has been well received by fans for providing a smooth online gaming experience with minimal lag, access to your personal friends list and a number of popular titles to play on the service such as Halo. With the release of the Xbox 360 in November 2005, Microsoft made further improvements to their online service. With Xbox LIVE for the 360 you had cross-game voice chat which allowed for users to be playing two different games and still talk to each other online, you have Xbox LIVE parties where a group as many as eight users can all be talking at once playing the same game or different games, added digital content such as movies and TV shows and a host of other features that continue to add value to the service. Microsoft continues to add additional features such as social media plugins for both Facebook and Twitter allowing users to post status updates through their console. As the technology continues to mature Microsoft’s online service will grow alongside it. It will be interesting to see what new features Microsoft will incorporate next.

Sony introduced their online service called the PlayStation Network (or PSN for short) in 2006. Like Microsoft they provide online gaming through their console the PlayStation 3, with the difference being that Sony does not charge users for online play. Sony has provided an adequate service for their consumers but they don’t have the same amount of features as Microsoft’s service (no cross game voice chat or a similar feature to Xbox LIVE parties). Sony has a strong library titles available for their PlayStation online store to purchase PS3 games, PlayStation Portable (Sony’s portable gaming system), and their original system the PlayStation One.

On April 20^th, 2011 Sony took down their online gaming service due to being attacked by online hackers. A week later Sony notified consumers that their personal information was compromised, which included names, addresses, e-mail addresses as well as credit card particulars. Sony, in a mass e-mail, notified users the steps that Sony as a company has taken to investigate everything that has happened. Sony told consumers that the FBI, Homeland Security in the United States and other law enforcement agencies are involved with the investigation, and on May 1^st Sony held a press conference to apologize to consumers over the entire situation. The company has offered one month of their PlayStation Plus service to aggravated customers who had their personal information compromised. Sony is taking the required steps to win over the faith of their customers that they may have lost due to the entire network shutdown. Sony has a long road ahead of them as a number of Sony consumers have considered making the switch to Xbox 360 in light of Sony’s network getting compromised. It remains to be seen what exactly will occur next but it is clear that Sony has a lot of work to do.

Microsoft has never had a situation like the one Sony is currently facing. Although Xbox LIVE has yet to be hacked to the degree of the PlayStation Network, that doesn’t mean that Microsoft isn’t susceptible to a similar type of attack. What led to all of this happening was Sony angering the hacker community over the treatment of hacker George Hotz, the hacker responsible for successfully penetrating Sony’s PlayStation 3 console. Many felt that Microsoft would have handled the situation differently and that Sony, although having the right to protect their intellectual property, did a poor job dealing with the entire situation. Sony users are waiting impatiently for the PlayStation Network to come back on, but Sony is going to have to prove to their supporters that they will have a secure online service for their customers and that their information will be protected.  It will take a great of deal of work from Sony to restore customer confidence but in their continued war of online supremacy with Microsoft what they do now going forward will be incredibly important.

CrowdFanatic is the first Online Confrontation Platform - an arena for groups to confront rival groups in order to promote their cause and to win public debates. It is the place for gamers to confront other gamers, for PlayStation fans to engage Xbox fans and for PSN supporters to confront the supporters of Xbox LIVE. CrowdFanatic is poised to become the focal point for any major online debate and to create one of the hottest arenas on the internet. Stay tuned and visit our website for updates on our release. Be sure to also check out our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Social Media and Canadian Politics - Election Day Update

Who’s Winning the Social Media Battleground?

By Yaw Obiri-Yeboah, Online Community Manager

Today is D-Day for Canadian politicians. Millions across Canada will head to the polls and have their say as to who will be leading Canada. Yaron Bazaz in his prior blog piece examined the use of social media amongst the political parties and how it has become a new political battleground. With the convergence of technology permeating into our everyday existence, battlegrounds are being waged everywhere. With the emergence of social media, politicians in Canada are going to have to become more adaptable to new platforms that emerge. With today’s election let’s see where things currently stand in the social media battleground amongst the parties competing for power in Canada.

Current Social Media Numbers for Canadian Parties for Election 2011:

Facebook:

Conservative Party: 17,922 likes

Liberal Party: 17,292 likes

NDP: 1,278 likes (the NDP doesn’t have an official Facebook page)

Bloc Quebecois: 373 likes (the party doesn’t have an official Facebook page)

Green Party of Canada: 11,906 likes

Twitter:

Conservative Party: No official Twitter page for the party

Liberal Party: 11,232 followers (No official Twitter page)

NDP: No official Twitter page

Bloc Quebecois: 2,895 followers

Green Party: 9,923 followers

The next set of numbers will look at the party leaders specifically and what their current numbers are on both Facebook and Twitter:

Facebook:

Stephen Harper: 54,444 likes

Jack Layton: 65,648 likes

Michael Ignatieff: 70,198 likes

Elizabeth May: 10,927 likes

Gilles Duceppe: 8,457 likes

Twitter:

Stephen Harper: 133,662 followers

Michael Ignatieff: 97,631 followers

Jack Layton: 94,376 followers

Gilles Duceppe: 57,365 followers

Elizabeth May: 23,634 followers

Judging from the numbers seen on the respective Facebook and Twitter pages, Canadian political parties have barely scratched the surface using social media to further their public policy. Just as a quick comparison, take a look at the social media numbers from political parties in the United States:

United States Political Parties:

Facebook:

Democrats: 227,127 likes

Republicans: 208,415 likes

Democrats: 36,602 followers

Republicans: No official Twitter page

Barack Obama on Social Media feeds:

Facebook: 19,775,285 likes

Twitter: 7,713,441 followers

Looking at the United States as an example, it is clear that Canadian political parties and politicians have a long way to go towards integrating social media into their political policies. Although the United States has a larger population than Canada, Canadians use the internet more than any nation in the world. What that states is that political parties in Canada are not doing enough to appeal to the internet generation existing in Canada. This election is the first big step for political parties to really integrate social media into their public policy; the next step to further this growth is having a leader that really appeals to the Canadian populace. Barack Obama has successfully used social media to further his public policy and it has resulted in a huge number of followers on both Facebook and Twitter. Just taking his Twitter feed as an example, Barack Obama has more Twitter followers than all of the social media feed numbers of Canadian politicians and parties combined (7,713,441 followers on twitter versus 689,163 followers on all Canadian political party and politician social media feeds).

CrowdFanatic is a revolutionary social media platform poised to become the online confrontation battlefield. It’s the arena for political parties and other entities to wage war against their rivals and to shift public opinion to their side. Launch – Spring 2011. Stay tuned and visit our website for updates on our release. Be sure to also check out our Facebook and Twitter pages.