Social Media

April 04, 2008

Blogging even when I have nothing to say...Wait! I do have something today.

Bigthoughts

I started feeling panicky last night realizing that I haven't updated this blog in several days.

In principle, I'm a stickler for setting a blog posting frequency schedule as I believe readers tend to rely on the blogger to deliver new information in a timely manner. And I do try to update this blog at least three times per week.

What really put me in panic mode is that I've had no inspiration for a topic that would actually add value to the greater conversation. A good while back I decided not to simply riff about the latest news - so many were already doing that it would be redundant at best - opting instead for original thought...which leaves me in a bit of a conundrum from time to time.

Apparently, there's a sort of "harmonic convergence" going on the blogosphere this week, as several bloggers are talking about this very thing. Following is a brief litany...

Continue reading "Blogging even when I have nothing to say...Wait! I do have something today." »

April 01, 2008

Grace Nikae: Classical pianist gets conversational media marketing

Wiggracenikae Reading Chris Brogan's blog is always time well spent, but his post about aspiring classical pianist Grace Nikae really caught my attention.

The post outlines her use of conversational media as a marketing tool and includes such things as a blog called Stretching Intervals, where she gives a behind-the-scenes look at life as a concert pianist. Chris also discusses her participation on social network sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, and the fact that she posts content to YouTube and Flickr as well.

With all that content, the piano keyboard is not the only one Grace spends a quantity of time on.

In reviewing her site, I noticed some things Chris failed to mention.

Continue reading "Grace Nikae: Classical pianist gets conversational media marketing" »

March 28, 2008

Join the Age of Conversation Bum Rush tomorrow at Amazon

Conversation_cover I've been selected, along with some 274 others, to participate in the sequel to the wildly successful The Age of Conversation, a book about emerging media and marketing, collectively written by more than 100 authors from around the world.

Todd Andrlik calls the sequel "the most massive authorship undertaking in history. We’re talking Guinness Book baby!" It's not often one gets to help make history. Needless to say I'm very honored to take part.

In a subsequent post, I'll explain the purpose of the sequel in further detail. For now, I want to mention that tomorrow, Saturday, March 29, is what's being called Age of Conversation Bum Rush.

The idea is to generate as many touch points around the web as possible so that it will be hard not to spot the Age of Conversation activity.

So, we need you to...

1. Buy the Book & send others to buy the book. This is the #1 call to action, because this is where we want to see the most impact. NOTE: Please buy 1 copy at a time because Amazon counts bulk orders once, and please use this affiliate link, which will help us in tracking sales. Remember, all the proceeds from the book sales and referrals will go to charity. 

2. Blog About It - Make sure you have a prominent link to the Amazon listing so that readers can easily purchase the book. (Remember to use the affiliate link above. All of these earnings will go to charity as well.)

3. Twitter Commentary - You can follow @Freshpeel, @DrewMcLellan, @servantofchaos for tweets on this tomorrow. Also, any tweets you do on the topic, please use code #AOC so that it can be picked up by Twemes.com.

4. Trackback or Comment on the post that Chris Wilson leaves on his Fresh Peel blog March 29, at 12am CST, so that everyone can follow the conversation and help promote exposure on social sites (Digg, StumbleUpon, Del.icio.us, etc.)

5. Digg the posts listed on Chris' site and send emails and shouts to friends requesting Diggs.

6. Stumble the posts listed & tell friends to do the same.

7. Bookmark your posts on Del.icio.us

8. Add your post to other social media outlets ( Technorati, Ma.gnolia, Furl, BlinkList, Newsvine, Facebook, etc.)

9. Send an email to your friends about the Bum Rush for AoC.

10. Keep talking - Get on ooVoo, iChat, Aim, or where ever you like to talk, and start talking.

March 26, 2008

Make your corporate Web site more relevant with social tools

corporate websites stink

It's been nearly a year since Forrester analyst Jeremiah Owyang penned his seminal post on the irrelevant corporate Web site in which he says, "[W]e’re tired of the corporate website and all its happy marketing speak, stock photos of smart looking dudes or minority women crowded around the computer raving about your product, the positive press release, the happy customer testimonials, the row of executive portraits, the donations your corporate made to disaster relief, the one-sided view never ends."

Jeremiah argues that, in this age of the participatory web, marketing has spread well beyond the corporate domain and into "social networks, rating sites, chat rooms, and even blogs."

The trouble is, many companies, including SMEs, have just such a site and nothing else. What are they to do? Is it possible to make the corporate site more relevant?

Continue reading "Make your corporate Web site more relevant with social tools" »

March 24, 2008

The changing blogosphere

Istock_000005411058xsmall

In his post, The Changeosphere, Robert Scoble asked the question, "If you are a blogger, or a blog reader are you seeing changes?" (see his post for context)

A change I've noticed more than any other is what appears to be a resurgent emphasis on blogging. For a time, it seemed as if blogging had become old hat and everyone's gaze was fixed upon MySpace, Facebook and other forms of social media.

Assuming my perception is correct, what's responsible for this revival of interest? Personally, I believe Blog World Expo had much to do with it. The conference/tradeshow seemed to serve as a lens refocusing everyone's attention on blogging.

Continue reading "The changing blogosphere" »

March 22, 2008

Istock_000003482962xsmall
For years I've had a love-hate relationship with my RSS feed readers (first Pluck, then Bloglines, now ). I love them because they bring me all that linky goodness, but hate them for the very same reason as it turns out.

Here's are the issues...

Volume
Though, from time to time, I parse through my list of feeds and delete as many as I can based on whether I'm actually reading them or not, I still find myself bogged down in a mire of content that's too wide in topic and too deep in commentary, opinion and analysis to ever extracate myself from.

Relevance
The main issue is trying to determine what information is most pertinent and which really demands my attention. It's often difficult to tell from the headline just what the content of the post contains. Truly, parsing through a feed reader is, to borrow a phrase from Lee Lefever, the "old, slow way. Boooo!"

March 20, 2008

The future of social networks: It's in the niches

Istock_000005519731xsmall

I'll never forget the day I attended Dr. Ralph Wilson's seminar on Internet marketing in Atlanta a few years ago. It consisted of a well-planned, logical progression of practical information on how to use the Internet as a marketing vehicle. In all the wealth of knowledge Dr. Wilson shared that day, one thing stood out, an illustration he used of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.

Dr. Wilson said that, if you looked closely at the wall, you would notice cracks between the blocks of stone that comprised it. He referred to them as "niches." He said the pilgrims would stuff these niches with slivers of paper, which were their prayers.

Dr. Wilson went on to recommend that we do the same thing in our marketing; rather than trying to scale the entirety of the wall, we should find an unfilled (or partially filled) niche and fill it. Brilliant!

I incorporated both the principle and his illustration into the book Realty Blogging, suggesting that blogs are good niche marketing penetration tools.

Continue reading "The future of social networks: It's in the niches" »

March 18, 2008

Social Networking: Build your own community

Current_issue I write a column for Practical Ecommerce magazine focused on social networking (pretty much anything social media related actually). They run the articles in their blog as well, the latest of which is up. Here's the opening paragraph:

There is not a day that goes by that I don't reflect on how to leverage social media, including social networks, for marketing purposes. I have tried a number of approaches, some of which have been successful and some of which have not. This month, I want to share an idea that I think has genuine potential. I call it "getting a table of your own." Read the rest here...

March 11, 2008

Interview with Connie Reece, Frozen Pea Fund's 'fairy godmother', part I

Every once in a while you meet someone with whom you immediately resonate. The Bible refers to it as "deep calling unto deep." Such was the case at barcamp Austin III when I met social media expert Connie Reece, the lady aptly considered the catalyst behind the wildly popular Frozen Pea Fund.

Connie was kind enough to sit for an interview to discuss several topics: FPF, Twitter and how its use impacted the campaign and social media in general.

I'm breaking the interview into three parts, which I'll roll out over the course of the next three days. While the audio is not great (there was a lot of background noise), what Connie has to say is meaningful and well worth taking a few minutes to listen to. I hope you will.

March 07, 2008

Twitter's manifold appeal

Think spending time on Twitter is a waste of precious minutes? (OK, hours) Think again. I think there is a solid business case that can be made for using it.

The other day my long-time friend and small business guru Anita Campbell asked me to explain appeal for an article she's writing on Web 2.0 tools. I was happy to oblige. Following is my long, windy response. 

Continue reading "Twitter's manifold appeal" »

« | »
My Photo

Site Sponsor

My FriendFeed

My Other Accounts

My Book, Realty Blogging











  • SPOKEN by PimpMyNews.com