Tweetie

To all my fellow Mac users I gots somethign to share with ya. On Monday my favorite iphone Twitter client, Tweetie, released it’s desktop client. As the the creator of Tweetie, atebits, tagline states this is some “suspiciously simple software.” Wonderfully intuitive and exceptionally powerful, gives you to the tools to pan for all the gold the Twitterverse has to offer. 

I encourage you all to check out the ad-supported version of the app, and if you dig it the mostest, spend the $19.95 and get the advert-free version.

Who’s a Democratic Workplace?

On April 14th, WorldBlu released the “The WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces 2009 ” 40 organizations,

including Seventh Generation, NixonMcInnes, and BzzAgent, made the list this year. The list contains an eclectic list of companies from a multitude of countries and various industries that all have moved away from the standard control and command model and taken up a democratic management structure.

Having had the opportunity to work with Traci Fenton and meet several of the leaders whose companies make up the list I can honestly say  this list is an amazing demonstration of the power of innovation.  The companies on this list have chosen to build there organizations around the principles of transparency and accountability, fully engaging their employees and creating a work environment where people are actually treated as…what for it…people!

I encourage you to check out the The WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces™ 2009, and spend a little time perusing the site to learn about this fantastic movement.

Who are you…who, who, who, who?

Who are you? Existentially it is a question that we ask our selves from the time cognitive thought starts kicking around our dome. Growing up as a small Bedouin in the plains of Iowa, I asked my grandfather this question and his answer was simultaneously confusing and stimulating; “We are an amalgamation of who we believe ourselves to be and the person people perceive as.” Sitting there in my sweet eighties shorts and cowboy boots, I thoughtfully nodded and wondered what the heck an “amalgamation” was.

What does this have to do with social media? Everything. Bedouin Interactive was founded with the purpose of helping companies harness the power of social media to, ‘bridge the gap between expectation and experience.”  What does that mean? It goes back to Grandpappa Bedouins’ definition of self; our expectations of our clients experience often fails to jib with their actual experience.  

Traditional marketing has relied on mountains of cash and the bullhorn of advertising to tell constituents who they should perceive them to be. Companies define themselves as “the Choice of a New Generation“,  ”the Fresh Maker“, the “Noid“, but the truth is they are defined by us and those definitions vary wildly. I define Pepsi as Not Coke, Mentos as the weird ass commercial company, and Domino’s as the cardboard pizza with sickening tomato sauce that my roommate orders after a night of drinking. The crux of the matter; our experiences inform our expectations and our expectations define our perceptions and those perceptions instruct our experiences.  

Steering clear of Early Modern philosophy, let’s take a look at a real world example from the branding whiz kids over at  GSD&M|IdeaCity. IdeaCity’s stated  purpose is “…to do whatever it takes to build our client’s business so they can fulfill their purpose.” Roy Spence, one of the founders of GSD&M, argues “Anybody who’s running a business has to seek out the higher calling of that business, its purpose.”  ”Purpose is about the difference you’re trying to make–in the marketplace, in the world. If everybody is selling the same thing, what’s the tie-breaker? It’s purpose.” Working with Southwest Airlines, GSD&M recognized in providing affordable air travel, the bargain carrier was giving people the power to travel about the country on their own terms. In the words of Ashley Andy of GSD&M, “Southwest was about freedom.” 

When defining what may feel undefinable you need to look beyond the use of catchphrases and do your best to honestly evaluate how your product or service impacts the lives of your users, clients, industry, society, etc. in other words it is about merging your perception of who you are with the rest experiential impact you have on the world around you.  Here’s where he world of social media comes into play. 

Southwest Airlines defined their purpose as providing freedom of movement, but can social media help Southwest understand how the actual consumer experience? Conversations, my friend, conversations. “Nuts About Southwest”, the official blog of Southwest,  allows the Princely Pauper of the Sky to engage their audience in an exchange of ideas around their product and get actual feed back about how their customers feel about their product. Recently Southwest began service to Minneapolis/Saint Paul and in their blog posts about the move Southwest received a wide array of reactions. In the post ‘When Luv Come to Town’, Ebony Clark shared, “…most of all I am glad that I will not be subjected to long layovers, poor customer service and late flights that I had to endure during my other trips to MN.” While in Southwest Airlines begins service to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Patty chides the airline for chanting “…obnoxiously during a reception held by the Armed Forces Services Center at the Lindbergh Terminal at MSP on Monday.”  If you read the LUV post and then juxtapose that against Patty’s comment you see two very perceptions of the same event. In maintaing the Nuts blog Southwest is able to say, “Hey guys and gals here’s why we be the bees knees” and the consumer to say “Hey corporate dude here’s why I agree and/or disagree with your previous statement.” Its that back an’ forth that allows us to go beyond our preconceived notions and  deliver the best possible consumer experience.  

In the end what we are is an amalgamation of what the consumer perceives us to be and who we perceive ourselves to be. In striving to bridge the gap between expectation and experience, providing an accurate representation of who you and fulfilling the  needs of the world around you, you must first clearly establish what your purpose is.

The tools are there. The gurus who know how to use and interpret them—not so much.

B.L. Ochman’s concluding satement from, Debunking Six Social Media Myths, maybe a bit harsh and over stated but than again I normally would say the first social media myth: there’s something to debunk. Social media, a term that’s only been actively bandied about for the past year or so,  is a constantly evolving medium so to try an’ canonize definitions of what it is and isn’t is the height of a bragadocious bloggery. That being said Ochman makes some really great points.

So what are the myths? 

1. Social media is cheap, if not free
2. Anyone can do it
3. You can make a big splash in a short time
4. You can do it all in house
5. If you do something great people will find it
6. You can’t measure social media results

Now I’m not going to recap Ochman’s blog, beyond listing the above points, as I encourage everyone to go to Businessweek and read the post. When I read the above points I couldn’t  help but reminisce about all the clients I’ve had, which embodied at least one of the myths. During my initial conversations with potential clients, I always ask ‘How do you define social media’.  60 percent of the time, the say blogging, facebook and myspace, every time.   I believe this fixation on the wrenches in the social media toolbox, stems from the failure of ‘social media’ gurus go beyond the sheen of the latest shiny object, i.e. Twitter, and delve into what makes social media the logical progression in the evolution of corporate communication(that’ some sweet assonance…how you like me know eighth grade english)

As a consultant it is our responsibility to educate our clients on fluidity of communication, social media creates.  We need to show our clients the power of social media is rooted in philosophies which leverage the latest technologies, to place them in a position to capitalize on the opportunity to create the next generation of  customer/client communication platforms which in turn will allow them to deliver superior products, services and consumer experiences. The power of social media goes beyond marketing, it goes beyond getting Elfed  and increasing page views. In integrating social media tools and philosophies into a holistic business strategy companies can put themselves in a position to rise above the din of their competition and create a product that truly enriches the lives of the people using it.

And breathe…I’ve been holding that microrant in for awhile. The truth is we are just beginning to understand the true power of social media and the internet. A decade ago we thought a misplaced 1 was going to bring down the world and a decade before that Al Gore had yet to invent the internet. I’ve only been professionally involved with this whole social media thing for 5 years and in that time the the landscape has evolved in extraordinary ways and I’m willing to bet that in 5 more years, when Web 5.0 has been tradmarked by O’Reilly, we will have a whole new set of myths to debunk .

Can I interest you in a used blog…

In a recent survey by internet marketing company, HubSpot, it was revealed blogs rank as the most useful of all the wrenches in the social media tool box. 75% of those surveyed said blogging was useful, critical and/or important to their business.  

In this report respondents spent an average of 10% of their lead generation budget on blogging/social media which resulted in 8% of their leads. Now this is more impressive than the percentages would lead one to believe. Here’s why, corporate blogging audiences think you’re a liar.

Forrester VP, Josh Bernoff revealed in a post on the Groundswell blog, and commented here,  only 16% of online consumers who read corporate blogs say they trust them.  For the same reason we don’t a used car salesman when he hocks the latest features on the 1989 Chevy Caprice, we have a tendency to look skeptically on the CEO of Phlomax when he blogs on the wonderment of their wonder drug. 

Often times corporations use their blogging platforms as a pulpit to sell splendiferousness and fail to actually engage their audience in conversation. In failing to seize the opportunity to humanize their company and engage their audience corporations turn their blog into an advertising channel. By a show of hands who trusts advertisements…anyone? Bueller?

As the professional world continues to embrace blogging, especially Small Businesses which generate almost 15% of  leads from this medium, it is important to develop a rock solid blogging strategy. Why do you want to blog (hint: because everybody else is, is not an acceptable answer)? What are you blogging about (hint: blogging only about your product = used car salesman)? Who is the best person to represent the company in the blogosphere (hint: it is NOT an Bobby the Intern)?

Remember the best blogs are built around a shared point of interest, so look at your company, product,  partners, consumers, etc. and strive to develop a blogging strategy that touches upon all of those influences that impact your company and your audience.

@tracifenton, an awesome tweeter

Traci Fenton of WorldBlu, Inc. is a great example of a CEO leveraging social media to engage her audience. Right now Traci is at TED Palm Springs provindg a live feed of her impressions of the conference and the speakers. Take her comments on speaker and former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates

• 30% of students in US never graduate from high school, 50% of minority students don’t – via Bill Gates #TED about 1 hour ago from web
• Bill Gates – Past performance, not years teaching or MA education makes great teachers, we must study that to improve education in US #TED about 1 hour ago from web

Many who follow TED know, it’s not just about the speakers, but the community of people who attend the event. It’s a special brand of individual that is willing to dedicate the time and put forth the financial commitment to attend an event purely dedicated to the promulgation of ideas. Traci does a good job of tweeting the vibe of the TED PS audience as well:

• An indication of how cool people are here at TED@PalmSprings – I am sitting next to the guy who did the music for this year’s Super Bowl.about 2 hours ago from web

Too often Twitterers, myself included, unintentionally spam their followers with tweets that really aren’t about informing them or engaging them in a conversation but act as some cathartic release. There is nothing wrong with tweeting your daily goings ons, I’m sure someone cares where you ate for lunch, but when using Twitter for professional purposes it’s best to stick to topic, and strive to use twitter to create conversations with your followers.

p.s. check out Traci’s interview with Yahoo HotJobs.

How do you define social media?…

I’ve been actively involved in the world of social media since 2003 as an entrepreneur and consultant, and it seems to me we often lose sight of what social media is really about, human interaction. Blogs, Wikis, Tweets, Mashups, Widgets, Rich Internet Applications, so on and so on, are awesome. I mean I flex my nerdosity  every time  I see a kick heiny  web app as much as the next Sleek-Geek, but it’s like getting super jazzed about a new shovel…a really awesome and shiny shovel, but a shovel none the less.

Like any tool they allow you to create something beyond their intrinsic value. Facebook and MySpace allow you to reconnect, and maintain those connections, with long-lost friends. Blogging allows give you the opportunity to engage in conversations outside of geographical and timagraphical boundaries. Twitter, the web app de jour,  can keep all on your friends and family up to date on real time decisions about the conflict between having Chipotle or Panchero’s for dinner. Like any tool, social media applications need to be used with a comprehensive strategy  built around user engagement that takes into account the audience you’re trying to reach and the conversation that you are hoping to have.

 

Social media lads and lasses, your time is now

As the United States of America ushered in a new era of leadership, and as an aging generation saw the labors of their youth come to fruition, a generation on the ascent tweeted, facebooked, streamed, and dugg every second of it. 

During President Obama’s inauguration Twitter saw 5x the normal tweets-per-second and about 4x the average tweets-per-minute (graph). Facebook enjoyed an average of over 4,000 status updates per hour Tuesday morning, peaking at 8,500 updates every minute during President Obama’s inaugural speech. The President’s speech set a new record for simultaneous streaming-video with 7.7 million video streams, according to content delivery network Akamai Technologies, which provides the NYTimes.com, Ustream, Viacom, WSJ.com, and other leading networks with support for live streaming.

The truth is all of these technologies are still in the early stages of their life-cycle, andas they continue to mature  we will find new and innovative ways to leverage them, ushering in a new age of citizen participation in government and a sense of togetherness that hasn’t been felt in generations.

I am grateful Bedouin|Interactive has the opportunity to be apart of this great transformation I and am inspired to have a leader like President Barack Obama.