Archive for Social Media
October 26, 2009 at 8:56 am · Filed under more on me, Social Media
Nothing says Happy Birthday better than a Facebook account.
I woke last Friday to three or four dozen congratulatory notes to mark the occasion. It was wonderful to be remembered by friends, cousins, high school peers and more. Over the course of the day I got virtual slices of cake, e-cards and lots and lots of comments. My sister sent two talking dogs who spoke through a script she’d written. (The terrier said “Dana” with a soft a in both spots – much like “Tada”!) My brother in Alaska made a Skype video call with the kids and sent a pre-recorded video card sent via Flip Cards. In an extraordinary gesture my Aunt Liz in Princeton sent me a long, personalized email. It was wonderfully overwhelming!
Of course I am pleased but a part of me remembers pre-social media birthdays. I’m one of those people who have a box with all his correspondence. I developed a close friendship with the late John Hoover when he lived in San Francisco and I was in New York. We used to write eight or nine page letters back and forth. While I didn’t keep every birthday card I kept the ones that mattered.
Maybe that’s the next digital application – a virtual treasure chest where you can permanently keep all your neat stuff. I have photos on Flickr and updates on Facebook and three years worth of blog postings. But nowhere do I have a consolidation of my life on-line.
Many say this is where social media is heading – a borderless world where we have one experience versus multitudinous accounts. And in that space I can have my Alaska video and my aunt’s email – and even the phonic-challenged dog (I worry his pronunciation will improve in the next upgrade and I want to save his current voice). I can limit which audiences have access to which parts. Current work colleagues are all joined in Linked In but none are invited into Facebook.
It won’t replace the mantelpiece full of Hallmark cards or the ribbon-tied bundle of letters. (And I’m not sure how the next generation’s Demi Moore will get misty-eyed as she spends a night going over her dead husband’s correspondence. Will that be on a Kindle?)
But what a Facebook birthday lacks in ever-lasting quality it sure makes up for in quantity. I miss the paper cards and letters. But I love the overwhelming number of people who made my birthday one to remember – even if I can’t put them in a box to linger over later.
September 29, 2009 at 10:19 am · Filed under Australia, Social Media
Jim Croce knew what he was singing when he recorded “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” in 1973:
“You don’t tug on superman’s cape
You don’t spit into the wind
You don’t pull the mask off that old lone ranger
And you don’t mess around with Jim”
Today Kraft Foods is facing the music after playing with Australia’s national snack spread – Vegemite. Following a marketing campaign to name a new, lighter Vegemite variant the company announced the winner yesterday. iSnack 2.0 is the name selected for the new Vegemite. It appears the selection was made following a whiz-bang marketing meeting involving creative geniuses paid by the hour. In other words, consumers hate it.
Writers from far afield as London have deplored the choice, as “Word of Mouth” at The Guardian comments:
“But to consider calling the Vegemite cheese spread “iSnack 2.0″… yes, that’s right … can only be the biggest steaming honker of an egregious publicity stunt in recorded history.”
Call me “Ishtar” but I do believe there were bigger failures – but you’d have to reach back to Edsel and “New Coke” to find one worse (Great article on New Coke: “It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time“). Said Coke’s recalcitrant boss:
‘We did not understand the deep emotions of so many of our customers for Coca-Cola.’
— DONALD R. KEOUGH, Coca-Cola president (1985)
But that was so…1985. Back then we had to write ‘Letters to the Editor’ and mail complaints to Atlanta, Georgia. Maybe we opened a can in front of a grocer and let it run into the gutter – in front of local television news. Things moved slowly then.
Kraft came out with iSnack 2.0 on Sunday. Today is Tuesday. Already blogs are on fire with disappointment, and the company has been forced to defend its choice. Talk about good PR gone bad!
In today’s age of immediacy it doesn’t take long for creative types to rubbish the product on blogs, mass-email friends, Twitter on the name and post hate videos – like this one.
September 1, 2009 at 11:12 am · Filed under Social Media
The king is dead – long live the king.
That odd sentence puzzled me in childhood until I finally realized it was talking about two different people (one six feet under and the other newly-installed). And like a near-dead royal, the obituaries are already written for Facebook. (Did you know every newspaper keeps a draft obituary of most famous people so it can be quickly updated and printed?)
This week “The New York Times Magazine” included a feature article about the death of Facebook.
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold. Facebook, the online social grid, could not command loyalty forever. If you ask around, as I did, you’ll find quitters. One person shut down her account because she disliked how nosy it made her. Another thought the scene had turned desperate. A third feared stalkers. A fourth believed his privacy was compromised. A fifth disappeared without a word. (Source: VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN writing for The New York Times Magazine)
But – like Mark Twain’s famous quote – are the reports of death premature?
After all Facebook attracted 87.7 million unique visitors in the United States in July – and that’s just one country in one month.
True, the younger generation are fleeing. In all social media there’s a saying – “The kids leave when the parents arrive”. And now that 40 something’s are using Facebook to reconnect with the college class of 1985 it’s time for the kids to go. After all – 1985 is before they were born!
Facebook may be showing its age. The article in “The New York Times addresses a number of serious concerns, such as data ownership, privacy and marketing.
In bookstores now is the unauthorized story about the founding of Facebook. “The Accidental Billionaires” exposes the seamier side of stumbling into the world’s hottest social media site.
In time even Facebook will disappear. The Economist predicts an evolution away from sites with barriers. Why upload photos to Flickr then share them on Facebook before adding a video to YouTube? You should be able to manage all your on-line content in one place – and retain ownership. Maybe that’s what Facebook will morph into.
More likely a freshman in college somewhere is already developing this “must have” application. And while she may not be able to afford a Grande Frappuccino at Starbucks today, soon she’ll have riches beyond the market capitalization of Starbucks globally.
August 27, 2009 at 4:41 pm · Filed under Social Media
This week I meet with senior bankers in Sydney to review case studies of best practice in social media. Specifically they were interested in how other financial institutions were making use of Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and other engagement tools.
Thanks to Linked In, I was able to source a wide range of programs. Some are great - the “Change Everything” Forum run by Vancity in Canada is exceptional. Here you sign up with an agreement to change something - be it your hair colour or childhood poverty. You build a supportive community to help facilitate that change.
Capital One in America also has a great program called Slingshot. This is a network of small business owners and consumers. It allows consumers to shop local and support small businesses.
On Twitter my favourite is ING Direct. They have an irreverent, fresh tone that’s still aligned with their business:
We hear lingerie mannequins don’t qualify you for the Car Pool Lane. Anyone care to share some money & time saving transportation tips? (Source: ING Direct)
In the end I had to parse the numerous case studies and focus on the best. I am looking forward to presenting this tomorrow afternoon. Any input in advance would be most gratefully received!
Check it out on Slide Share.
August 26, 2009 at 11:19 am · Filed under Social Media
You know that dream where you’re in an important meeting and everyone else has clothes on? (Please, chime in with assent as I feel very vulnerable having just shared that with you.) Phew! Pleased to hear I’m not the sole neurotic in the on-line community.
In their ground-breaking blog and book on connecting via social media, authors Robert Scoble and Shel Israel describe blogging as “Naked Conversations“. They equate the open, transparent connection between bloggers and their readers as the equivalent to conversing naked. (Just this week Israel launched a new book – “Twitterville“).
The concept of “naked” extends across all aspects of social media. And yes, a company needs to open up when engaging in social media.
But recently I’ve had to take my own advice (gulp).
A company I have long admired has a need for someone with skills like mine for a role here in Sydney. And while I enjoy running my own business, I believe if a role interests you it makes sense to pursue the spot.
Yet I’ve also been an advocate of life on-line. WallyDownUndy has been running for two years. I have my high school and college friends, along with relatives and close friends, all on Facebook. I Tweet, Therefore I am (http://twitter.com/PercepCounsel). And I share all my presentations on SlideShare.
So when I was asked to provide a CV (or résumé in America) I hesitated. A CV seemed so…2001. Instead I made sure my profile on LinkedIn was up-to-date, and I asked past colleagues and managers to provide references. In my discussion with senior professionals from the company yesterday, I was extremely relieved to hear one had reviewed me on LinkedIn.
It takes courage to live your life on-line and to provide your past in an open forum. Much like the dream, if you’re afraid when you dream of being naked it means you have something to hide. If you dream of being naked and no one else notices it means your fears are unfounded. Better yet – if you dream you’re naked and you’re quite proud of the fact it means you have nothing to hide:
“You have nothing to hide and are proud of who you are. The dream is about a new sense of honesty, openness, and a carefree nature.” (Source: DreamMoods.com)
Now if you’ll excuse me I must get back to that dream…
August 13, 2009 at 11:49 am · Filed under Social Media, Uncategorized
One day we’ll look back to these as the salad days of social media - the time of simple mistakes and youthful innocence.
Salad Days (n): A time of youth, innocence, and inexperience: “my salad days,/When I was green in judgment, cold in blood” (Shakespeare).
We’re taking our best friends and mixing them with social acquaintances. On Facebook I blend people who went to university with me and my close family members. On LinkedIn I have colleagues, clients, direct reports, bosses and business friends all sitting alongside each other.
Yet at times we forget who is in the salad.
I like the youth and bravado displayed in the first post. Who hasn’t complained about their boss? It’s one of our rights! Yet most of us are smart enough to wait until he or she is out of the room.
But once your boss is a friend on Facebook, there is no “out of the room”.
I also like the panache displayed by the man ”formerly known as boss”. He doesn’t mince words (nor did he mince around the office, apparently).
It takes a certain energy, confidence and commitment to live your life on-line. I have a company evaluating me for some work. I’ve only provided my profile on Linked In, my blog and my Tweets - along with the odd email or two.
Recommendation #1? Live as if you’re always on display…
August 4, 2009 at 1:16 pm · Filed under America, Australia, Social Media
Social media is changing the relationship between companies and consumers. In today’s fast-paced, on-line world it is a requirement for companies to actively monitor the numerous social media sites. In “The Wall Street Journal” journalist Sarah Needelman profiles a few, recent examples of companies listening on-line and replying rapidly. Ford was rumoured to be shutting down a fan site. Quick interjection by someone in the social media team saved the site - and it’s 10,000 fans.
Closer to home I wrote at Easter about a bad customer service experience at local department store David Jones. I was gobsmacked to receive a handwritten note of apology after I posted my story. That led to an updated entry on how David Jones won me back as a customer. If you can convert the disenfranchised you make then evangelical.
Last week I was asked for examples of companies that “get it” when it comes to social media. Any examples you can provide? And specifically - and banks doing a good job with the platform? Do advise!
July 31, 2009 at 11:55 am · Filed under Social Media
*But were afraid to ask your kids…
This is the title of a talk I gave this morning to 200+ people at Deloitte Australia. The room was divided between on-line enthusiasts and hardened nay-sayers all interested in learning more about social media. My talk (on SlideShare) was followed by practical examples of work underway at Deloitte.
Grab the deck here.
July 13, 2009 at 12:14 pm · Filed under Social Media
To some companies Facebook and Twitter are hard to understand. Should they be taken seriously?
Take this survey: http://tinyurl.com/openmike
May 6, 2009 at 5:33 pm · Filed under Social Media
Auto sales have tanked. Chrysler reported a 48% decline in April from the year prior. How do you plan a business around that? (”Let’s think out of the box people - how do we handle selling half the amount next year as we did this year?”)
But look beyond the (lack of) sales and you see which auto brands are hot - on-line. BuzzStudy is tracking the monthly commentary on-line for all the major brands (see the latest story here).
It’s interesting to note the USA firm in strongest financial health is top of the ranks. But where’s Lada?
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