The MoPR Blog

I’m the first to admit, I have a tendency to get caught up in the elimination/game show type reality TV programs like So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef, Hell’s Kitchen, and my all time favorite, American Idol. Maybe it’s the cheerleader in me that loves to pick a team (or individual) and loudly root for them to the end. Or maybe it’s the thought of discovering something new and extremely cool (or talented) from a group of “anybodies.” Likely, I think it’s a combination of these two things, and the more I think about it, these are two of the reasons I got into the PR business – from the thrill of learning about a tech company that could be the next big thing, to the satisfaction of taking a company into the public spotlight and helping them to promote themselves to the world.

So, when I heard about a new TV show in the works that combines the reality TV show elimination format with the age old struggle by technology start-ups to get noticed and receive funding, you can bet I was interested.

The new TV show, in development in New Zealand will be called “Start Up” and will aim to bring audiences an insiders’ view of 10 start up companies, while taking one online start up from the formation of the company through to launch in Silicon Valley. Start up companies selected for the show will be put through a series of challenges over the course of three months.

The competition is limited to New Zealand online start ups, and applications are currently being accepted through June 20 here. The minimum entry requirements will be that companies have a product in development or beta phase, however they are willing to consider making an exception for someone that has an exceptional idea supported by market validation.

The program is produced by New Zealand-based Start-UP media along with the support of Telecom, Hewlett Packard & Domainz.

Read Write Web’s Richard MacManus will serve as one of the show’s judges, along with Tim Norton from PlanHQ and Rod Drury from Xero.

The show is set to air on Television New Zealand (TVNZ) which is the main network in New Zealand. No word yet on whether or not the show will be available for US viewers to watch on TV, but Start Up media did confirm (through the comments section of Read Write Web) that the show will be available to view online.

The team producing the show also commented on its efforts to really help the companies it selects to participate in the show. They said, “We’ve done a lot of work on the format to ensure that the program will not end up ‘Noise’. NZ is an extremely early stage online market, through the series we hope to encourage growth and investment into the local sector. We’re not in it to flame a whole bunch of aspiring online entrepreneurs but rather assist them in getting a world-class product to market.”

Good luck Kiwi start ups!

In a world dominated by text message voting, is it any surprise that Americans are considering it for the presidential nomination? Samsung posed the following question recently:

Are you willing to vote for the next president by way of SMS text message?

An astonishing 61 percent of Americans 18 and older said yes.

And as the age decreases, the number increases to a whopping 80 percent. But not to worry, these kids can’t vote…yet. Isn’t it interesting to think that in the coming years, when this percentage of text messagers is old enough to vote, they may actually have this option!

The idea of text message voting is alluring to Americans, especially those who don’t want to drive to the polls or spend $0.42 (and rising!) on a stamp. In a country that prides itself on laziness (come on now…we did invent the TV tray), it’s absolutely no surprise that we are opting for a text message vote.

I must admit, I think it’s a pretty fantastic idea. But that’s exactly what it is right now. A fantastic idea, derived from the fantasy that someday we will all be able to text our presidential vote while watching the latest episode of The Office.

ABC News aired a story recently on Americans cramming 31 hours into a 24 hour day. The simple conclusion: Americans want to multi-task and are growing increasingly impatient. We want it all. Now.

Yes, the faults are countless. How would you verify the voter is who they claim to be? How can you tell the age of the voter? How can we ensure the voter is registered and even a US citizen? Isn’t there the chance that a system could crash, that votes could be spoofed, or the system hacked? These are all problems. In fact, I’m sure one could argue there are far more cons than pros for this imaginative idea. However, it’s still fun to think about. And can you envision the voter turnout?

So, I guess the question is: Would you vote for president via a text message?

And no, you can’t text us the answer – yet.