Best of 11/17-11/20
November 30, 2009
A few weeks ago I experimented with a blog post recapping the day in social media “stuff”. I read several blogs each day, follow Twitter and more as well, so I often stumble upon interesting, inspiring and funny content.
I decided that it would be wise to compile the cool stuff I find over the course of each week and put it all into one meaty post.
So here it is, enjoy!
YouTube is falling apart?!?!
http://www.youtube.com/experiencere
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Best of Today 11/16 in Social Media
November 16, 2009
Local Yum:
Our favorite afternoon coffee and cookie stop, Blue Bottle, is now open until 5pm! Good, since we usually need that pick-me-up in the afternoon and the 2pm closing time was not really working for us…
Philosophical Yum:
Tech Yum:
Blog Viper Chill shares a helpful checklist for setting up a Wordpress blog.
Art Yum:
Found this over the weekend, but it still counts…
Martian landscapes, highly recommended when viewed while listening to entrancing music of your choice (we liked Radiohead):
Social Media Going Corporate
November 7, 2009
Well, it seems like the Mainstream Media are catching on to what we who work the social media have known for awhile. Businesses are getting on board with the realities of a Social Web.
The November 7, 2009 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle has an article “Social sites invade corporate culture” discussing how corporate attitudes about social media are shifting.
Written by Benny Evangelista, the article talks about Comcast’s big shift in attitude brought on by one employee’s using his own Twitter account to respond to customers tweeting about service issues. The employee, Frank Eliason, now heads a staff of 11 who monitor social networks, offering help to customers.
The article quotes Comcast’s CEO Brian Roberts who says that their Twitter strategy has helped change their corporate culture “from inside the organization, not just top down.”
Why isn’t it working? Social media is NOT a machine.
August 31, 2009
It seems like there are two types of people who misunderstand social media:
1) Individuals who don’t comprehend or believe in the benefit of social networks and would rather just ignore them;
2) Businesses who know they should have a presence online but can’t seem to do it right; they have all the right networks but nothing going on…
People who are not involved in social networking consistently misunderstand the point of communities like Twitter and Facebook. They ask, “What’s the point?” assuming that online interactions are impersonal and one-sided. If I tell them about social media marketing they instantly assume that businesses are using networks to advertise (which some do) and begin to doubt the integrity of social media relationships.
Businesses often set it all up but then can’t seem to foster any sort of engagement online. This blog post from the Brains of Fire blog talks about this very same phenomenon and caught my attention today. It’s about the importance of brands being human/real/genuine/soulful when interacting online.
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How Zazzle Creates Community
August 12, 2009
The Zazzle Mission: To Re-define Commerce. Powered by the World’s Imagination
Last week I spoke on the phone with Erik Pemberton and Patrick Briggs, the marketing team at Zazzle. (What is Zazzle? Find out more here). Beforehand I was online browsing through their social media presence, and what really impressed me was the level of activity on all of their networks; customers and employees engaging all over the place. Granted, they have three blogs, a Facebook page, a busy Twitter stream and more….links to all of which are aggregated on their community page.
I have been noticing that a few (wise) companies have added this as a feature to their websites; a place designated specifically for interaction and community. The Zazzle company is definitely a leader in community engagement, which is why I am excited to hear them speak at the HyperArts social media event this week (Aug 13th, 2009 at 6pm).
Inspiration from All That Jeff Bezos Knows
July 23, 2009
I watched this video today and was immediately inspired by the 4 keys to success in business as described by Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. He seems like a down-to-earth guy, and very intelligent.
He also speaks about the recent acquisition of Zappos by Amazon, two companies who both believe in developing a unique culture and putting the customer first.
From the video, these are the “only things” that Jeff Bezos claims to know:
1) Obsess over the customer, instead of competition (if you have to choose).
2) Invent (on behalf of your customers – it’s not their job!).
3) Think long term, since most ideas will not show ROI in the short term. This means you need to be willing to be misunderstood for your ideas, at first.
4) It’s always day 1. If you are always inventing and thinking long term, there should constantly be something new on the horizon. In other words, don’t get comfortable…
Twitter Business Example Series (Week 2)
July 13, 2009
**Update: follow this series using #TwitterBizEx hashtag.
This week’s series (which lasted two weeks since my vacation fell in the middle) had a local-food-and-drink-business theme. Most of my examples ended up being restaurants, and all seemed to be using Twitter in similar ways in hopes of pulling in new customers and developing a following of fans. Here is a list of the companies that I reviewed:
Mon 6.29: @numitea
(Numi Tea: http://www.numitea.com/)
Wed 7.1: @penelopeoakland and @grandlake
(Penelope Bar/Café: http://penelopeoakland.com/)
(Grand Lake Theatre: http://renaissancerialto.com/)
Thurs 7.2: @yoshisjazz
(Yoshi’s Sushi and Jazz Club: http://www.yoshis.com/)
Fri 7.3: @olivetojournal
(Oliveto Restaurant: http://www.oliveto.com/)
Wed 7.8: @vosrestaurant
(Vo’s Vietnamese: http://vosrestaurant.com/)
Thurs 7.9: @acoterestaurant
(A Cote: http://www.acoterestaurant.com/)
The Future is Here
June 30, 2009
Websites are changing.
Of course, the internet is always changing. Just like Facebook, Google, Apple…all of those big names that know how to stay ahead of the pack.
The most recent wave of change came along in the last five years or so, and our heads are still spinning. Those were the social networks. Now, its time for websites to move forward.
Those of us who already believe in the power of social media, and who use it every day, know what the next change will look like, and you can already see it happening here and here.
We want interactive. Interactive is so much more than flash.
Twitter Business Example Series (Week 1)
June 26, 2009
Why does it matter how other businesses are using social media?
By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is the most bitter. -Confucius
I was inspired to do some research, observing how small businesses use Twitter and other social networks, after hearing too many examples and case studies of how big companies with recognizable names are leveraging their large existing consumer audiences to grow fan bases on social networks.
What about the little guys? Using examples of brands like Victoria’s Secret, Dell, and Patagonia, when pitching (or defending) social media marketing can’t possibly be relevant to the majority of businesses who are trying to decide if this new marketing paradigm is worth the time, energy, and, of course, the money.
**Update: You can now follow this Twitter Business Example Series on Twitter by searching for the #TwitterBizEx hashtag!
Social Media (sometimes you just have to laugh)
June 5, 2009
We all fall victim to the habit of taking ourselves and our jobs too seriously. For those of us who work in the young and mysterious realm of social media…be it marketing, consulting, specializing, advising, whatever you want to call it! Sometimes, one of the best ways to avoid losing sight of the bigger picture is to stop and laugh at the whole thing.
I have found some hilarious videos in the past few months, mostly via Twitter, parodying various social media networks, marketing and more. I thought I would share our favorites all in one blog post for fun. You can find all of these and many more on the HyperArts YouTube channel as well.