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December 10, 2008

Clever and Christmassy and... Creepy!

This morning, I received an e-mail from an old high school friend. It was a customized message from Santa to her daughter. This afternoon, I received one from another old high school friend, only this one was customized for MY daughter. It was a very sweet of her to do that and I'm sure that Jade will get a big kick out of it, especially the part about how Santa gets the reindeer to fly.

It's all part of something from Sympatico called "Portable North Pole". It's very clever, but there's something a little creepy about it, too. Don't take my word for it, though. Judge for yourself! You can watch it here.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

No, i found it creepy too...it worked better sending it to my adult friends...and much funnier :)

Hey Aaron..your 33 and you've eaten all your veggies this year :) Santa will bring you a special gift *wink*

I agree totally creepy....but i think children see things differently, and cold probably appreciate it more.

- another 'OLD' (I feel old) high school friend

Anonymous said...

What's creepy about it? I think it's a very cool use of technology.

Meandering Michael said...

Truly a very cool use of technology. But I still think there's still something a little creepy about it. Maybe the Santa...?

Janet said...

I think for me it's the Santa who's a bit creepy, the same way I always found Mr. Rogers creepy. Also, it concerns me a bit that this programs asks you to not only submit your child's name and photo, but your postal code, so your exact house can be located. I probably worry excessively about perverts on the web but when my kids were younger I was pretty careful about what I put out there about them.

Meandering Michael said...

It's true about how much information can be revealed through something as simple as a postal code. Fortunately, there's no need to enter your REAL postal code into this program since it really only needs the first letter to determine your province/territory.

Alexandre BĂ©rard (CEO UgroupMedia) said...

Hi Michael. Thanks for writing about Portable North Pole last December, even if you did find it 'creepy' (!). We're excited to be back again this year, in partnership with Sympatico and benefitting Unicef Canada. You'll see a few upgrades that I think you'll enjoy: adapted scenarios tailored specifically to kids under two, a map that shows the path Santa and his reindeer will take as they travel from the North Pole to your home in Whitehorse, and a fun version for your adult friends who have been naughty or nice. To your readers concerned about privacy, please know that you can, indeed, adapt your postal code if you prefer. We use it only to determine your city, so that Santa can point it out on his map. As well, please be assured that we respect user privacy and align ourselves with Sympatico's/Bell's strict policy : http://www.bell.ca/support/PrsCSrvGnl_Privacy.page?language=en We know half the pleasure of PNP is actually creating the videos, so we'll leave you the pleasure of sending Jade and her sister their own messages from Santa. All the best to you and your family for the holiday season.