There’s an old Swedish saying about champagne: if you open a champagne bottle you’ll have to drink it all! Well, that’s not true anymore. At Skybar Royal Viking Hotel, the most central skybar in Stockholm, you can enjoy a single glass of champagne. The new concept called “Champagnetimmen” begins as soon as TV4’s program “Förkväll” turns off the light. If you are quick enough you might spot the hostesses Yvonne Ryding, Elisabeth Höglund and Carin da Silva.

The skybar has recently been renovated into a modern bar that offers a pleasant lounge atmosphere. Besides offering hotel guests and locals a place with a view, the skybar is an extension of Royal Viking Hotel’s own brand and, as such, should help the hotel to attract new guests. Of course, we have a finger in the pie when it comes to market Skybar.

The champagne in question is the champagne of the house Philipponnat – a champagne house on the banks of the river Marne, close to the Roman church Mareuil sur Aÿ. With of base of Pinot Noir grapes, this champagne is full-bodied, structured and fresh. A glass of this champagne is a perfect way to start a nice evening.

The spectacular view you get for free.

Last night, I went to the Gothenburg City Theater with my mum and some friends to watch Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. It turned out to be something of a cross dresser party. Almost all female roles were played by men and vice versa. And it was hilarious! Why? I guess we like seeing caricatures of ourselves. The pretty Olivia as a middle aged, beer bellied gentleman was insanely funny. OK, so cross dressing may appeal to some people, but it’s ultimately all about the element of surprise, timing and identifying the target group’s humor.

So this was IRL. But, why do we spread other people’s or companies’ stuff virally? And that, without even getting paid for it. I guess it’s mostly about our identity. We pass things on that make us seem funny, initiated or socially engaged. Or, we pass on stuff ‘cause we think we will actually win that iPod if we pollute 10 friends’ inboxes with advertising.

Top lists of all kinds, funny videos, sneak previews, music, anything that has to do with celebrities, games, challenges, interesting content, petitions for saving Tibetan monks, etc are things we choose to pass on to make ourselves look good in one way or the other.

And hey, listen, if you tell 10 friends about this post, I’ll sing karaoke with you!
/ylva.

The concept of social media is sometimes hard to explain. A lot of people have the misconception that it’s a marketing or campaign tool. And with secret product placing in blogs (was Blondinbella bought?), the way some companies and bloggers use social media, is admittedly confusing and sometimes doubtful.

So even though I’m against regulating the web, I actually think it’s a good idea that the US Federal Trade Commission wants to keep an eye on paid bloggers. Why? Because selling through social media channels is like crashing a party, like invading other people’s private space. Social media should instead be about creating relationships, sharing information. Or, as Rick said to Captain Renault in the classic movie Casablanca: “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

So, what’s giving social media a bad and distorted name? On one hand, you have companies making crazy attempts to get people’s attention on false pretences, such as a famous furniture company twittering with names and events from the Iranian election earlier this year or the cosmetic company blogging about their products pretending to be a young girl. On the other hand you have celebrity endorsement and paid bloggers.

Even though we’re not stupid, and that the lack of sincerity eventually will expose paid bloggers, I think the US Federal Trade Commission initiative to crack down on blogger payola  will give positive results. The new guidelines require bloggers to clearly disclose any “material connection” to an advertiser, including payments for an endorsement or free product. This will give a higher degree of transparency - AND CREDIBILITY - to the blogosphere, and I think it’s needed.

On behalf of the US Federal Trade Commission.
/ylva.