Many of you know by now that my guilty pleasures are certain reality shows. This weekend I added one more to the list. How does it happen? Well, channel surfing has a lot to do with it. That and a good amount of curiosity, the kind that has you rubbernecking at a train wreck.

I don’t know what it is about watching other people’s stupidity or misery, but it’s like going to one of those old fashioned sideshows. Sometimes the stuff is really good. Once in a great while poignancy hits like shrapnel and it makes me think that my life is a cake walk compared to others.

Other times, watching the Rich and Beautiful whine about their lives just makes me want to rip the TV off the wall. Shows like The Real Housewives of (insert any upper class county here), or John and Kate – do not get me started on Kate – don’t stay on my GP (Guilty Pleasure) List for very long.

This weekend I spent some time watching Kirstie Alley’s Big Life. The jury is still out as to whether or not it’ll stay in the GP List. I’ve always liked Kirstie. I first saw her in Star Trek when she made her debut as Lt. Saavick. She made for a great Vulcan. Sadly, she was replaced in Star Trek II. “A Bunny’s Tale” is a favorite of mine, too. And so is that movie she did with Tim Allen. So the leap from films to a reality show wasn’t all that big. Besides, I could always change the channel.

Really? Really.

On an upcoming episode the show was going to talk about Kirstie’s “Twittervention”. Apparently she’s gotten addicted to Twitter. That’s what caught my attention to begin with. As one who has seen many an individual succumb to the addictions of social networking, I got sucked in and put the remote down.

This in turn led me to look up her Twitter name. Before I follow anyone, whether they follow me first or not, I check out their websites. Hey, could be potential business, you know?

She had a website. And a blog. And I subscribed.

Really?

Yes, really.

Again, curiosity.

…And Then Something Interesting Happened

As I was perusing my RSS Reader there was a post from her blog announcing “Phitter”. Phitter? What the hell is that?

There went the cat again chasing the curious bright shiny.

Phitter, I discovered, is a micro networking app like Twitter. In fact, it IS Twitter, but without the bird. And it’s for health and fitness only. Kirstie Alley’s brand of health and fitness.

And what brand is that, you ask? Well, if I had tons of money and could start my own health and fitness line on a product that actually WORKED, I’d probably do the same thing.

Disclaimer: I have not tried, nor have any intention of trying the product – I’ve given up on these things years ago. Unless of course, Kirstie is reading this right now and wants to try to convince me otherwise?

Health and fitness programs aside, this made me think; is this the next level of micro networking?

Twitter and Beyond

What if any one of us could create a Twitter app for our brand alone? Not entirely sure if we actually need another social networking app, just sayin’. But you have to admit, it’s a fresh idea and one I haven’t seen anyone else doing. I only wish I’d thought of it first.

So, when Peter M., a very good, long-time friend, posed the question “Really?” I was compelled to turn the answer into a post. Yes, Peter, really. And this is the reason why. The idea was so good it made me stop and think about it.

What do you all think? Will there be more micro-brand specific networks popping up? Are they already out there and I totally missed them? Do we need more social networking? Give it a think and let us know.

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