{"id":88,"date":"2012-12-10T14:56:00","date_gmt":"2012-12-10T14:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/?p=88"},"modified":"2020-12-17T14:57:20","modified_gmt":"2020-12-17T14:57:20","slug":"how-i-sold-my-soul-and-network-for-gimmicks-at-le-web","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/2012\/12\/10\/how-i-sold-my-soul-and-network-for-gimmicks-at-le-web\/","title":{"rendered":"How I Sold My Soul And Network For Gimmicks At Le Web"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ever thought about what it would take to turn yourself and your network into a marketing platform at a cool tech conference known as Le Web?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What freebie gadget should you receive in order to tweet about a product you know nothing about out to approximately 3000 people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Le Web answered those questions for me. I had this lunch with totally awesome people. We then started chatting about this subject. There were just so many things you could participate in or win at Le Web. The golden ticket was a tweet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve never really thought about what it would take for me to disturb my network with commercial messages. At Le Web, I thought, “I would totally do it for a FitBit or a new HP computer or a phone”. It turned out that this simple product was the reason I actually did send out a commercial tweet to my network. I wouldn’t have done it otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn’t think their product was awesome. Actually, I didn’t know anything about it. I wasn’t struck by their innovation or coolness, I simply needed this little fellow:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Not because I was trying to eat it, but because I wanted it for my kid. I instantly knew I have to have it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s the story:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was standing beside the Swedish Startup Session<\/a> show host, Annika Lidne. We were planning our next video when a guy approached us. He asked if we wanted one of these lighting bears for free. Being an official blogger at Le Web, you often get stuff for free. You always get the gimmick when the normal participants who can afford to go to Le Web get a flyer (I would totally give the gimmick to the participant. They are at the conference to shop while I’m simply there to write).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway, I totally wanted that little guy for free. My daughter even named him, he’s called Meep now. All I had to do was hold up a sign, have a picture taken, and tweet it to my network. Total access for them to all of my network in a single tweet. I decided to frame the tweet so no one would actually see it. I made it as unimportant as possible. But here it is anyway:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The guy didn’t even tell me what #lecloudpro is and I couldn’t care less anyway. The whole process was kind of embarrassing with the #lecloudpro guy looking over my shoulder to make sure I did send the tweet. The instant I tweeted the picture, I got two retweets probably from the #lecloudpro team. After talking to my friends over lunch, I started to think that I sold out. And I did. For a bear called Meep that my daughter treasures and have been taking to school for the last couple of days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, thinking about it, there were so many things going on at Le Web like this. “Tweet your opinion about our startup\/latest product and win one”. It makes me feel awkward because it’s not really about you anymore, it’s about your network. It’s about getting seen. It’s about being an advertising platform if you want to. I wouldn’t do it again. In the spur of the moment, I decided to give the bear a go because I wanted to find out what it would make me feel to sell my soul and network for gimmicks. It made me feel awful. I’m sorry guys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, would I do it again? Yes. For a Fitbit scale or a Fitbit One or a Withings scale or one of the other 100,000 web of things gimmicks that all are priced at 150 dollars. Not for a cute light bear though. Oh, and I will do it automatically if you’re doing something substantial, involving, and cool. I’m a sucker for that, you see.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ever thought about what it would take to turn yourself and your network into a marketing platform at a cool tech conference known as Le Web? What freebie gadget should you receive in order to tweet about a product you know nothing about out to approximately 3000 people? Le Web answered those questions for me. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[16,17],"class_list":["post-88","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business","tag-conferences","tag-events"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":86,"url":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/2012\/12\/05\/the-conference-guide-of-rocking-yourself-through-le-web-of-things\/","url_meta":{"origin":88,"position":0},"title":"The Conference Guide of Rocking Yourself Through Le Web (of Things)","author":"Henriette Weber","date":"December 5, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Every Le Web is different from the last one. Le Web, day one, 2012 is ending in a couple of hours, and a lot of awesome things are happening here. I've compiled a conference guide about my observations today. Read on and learn rockers! 1. Don't use too much of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sustainable Business"","block_context":{"text":"Sustainable Business","link":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/category\/business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":76,"url":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/2012\/11\/12\/what-is-going-to-be-new-at-le-web-of-things\/","url_meta":{"origin":88,"position":1},"title":"What Is Going To Be New at Le Web of things?","author":"Henriette Weber","date":"November 12, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The first week of December is something I look forward to every year. It is because it's spent at Le Web, in Paris. As an official blogger writing about the tricks and trends of the internet, business, and tomorrow. 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I think that's my problem too. twitter doesn't scale, not technically, and not as a mobile community either. solely on the web - it's great - but I want the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Creative Futures"","block_context":{"text":"Creative Futures","link":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/category\/creative-futures\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":546,"url":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/2011\/10\/04\/will-social-creativity-apps-kill-the-industry-of-ladies-magazines\/","url_meta":{"origin":88,"position":5},"title":"Will “social creativity” apps kill the industry of ladies magazines?","author":"Henriette Weber","date":"October 4, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday it happened.\u00a0I was standing in the kiosk on Snekkersten Station waiting for the train to get to the Toothless Tiger headquarters in Copenhagen. As usual, I start browsing the ladies' magazine aisle - looking if there was anything that could suit my need for instant inspiration. 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