Things change constantly, so stepping back and looking at the whole picture and finding the deeper meaning is more important than what is on the surface. True wisdom is timeless and can help you regardless of the circumstance. You can learn, and should learn, about multiple topics – but true wisdom is still more important.
Participating is more important than consuming
Passivity is boring. Everything becomes more entertaining when you engage. Just by participating and writing you can learn and discover more.
You can only trust everyone
The only trustworthy piece of information is the kind you can get from everyone. Wisdom of crowds. Everyone is a media outlet which means there is more bias, more lies, and less accountability. Consuming information that only supports your point of view and biases is dangerous. Entertaining both sides of a debate will make you smarter.
All connections can be powerful
Linkedin, Facebook and countless other social tools can make all of your connections powerful ones. Pulling information and resources from them and getting connected to other people that you can help and that can help you are the massive benefits of social networking. And besides, what type of networking isn’t social?
Disconnection is essential
Just as connectedness is powerful, disconnecting is probably even more important. We can get so entrapped by shiny coolness of the internet that we forget about life, nature or whatever it is that you enjoy. If you have a panic attack from being disconnected for a few hours or days you have a serious problem. Stepping away from the internet can make the time you do spend on the internet even better.
Social Media is now just as standard as SMS in phones
Windows Phone 7 Series was released last week. What stands out the most, besides the fact that it is no longer a hideous unusable joke, is the tight social media integration. Building upon what we have seen with WebOS and Google Android, Windows Phone 7 Series tries to takes it to another level.
Whether you call it a Hub, in the case of Windows or Synergy, like with WebOS, pulling in contact information and status updates from the internet is now the norm and not the exception. Apparently a status update is just as important as an email address.
As an individual and a personal brand you are now an App
In the case of C.C. Chapman and Chad Ochocinco, who literally have an iPhone App, we are almost a that point because of the amount of information about us online. Android and Apple patents are pointing to a future where you will be able to create a home screen icon for a contact. From pictures you have uploaded to status updates, all of your online information is available in the comfort of your own phone. Scary? Human?
Interacting is now even more ‘human’ and real-time
This allows for rich, when-you-want type of communication. By that I mean you can figure out where someone is and what they are doing when you want, and you can let people know where you are and what you are doing, when you want. Communication went from whenever possible (letters, phone) to all the time and in real-time because we are always connected and available.
I was one of the many people who, after the iPad announcement, was left dazed, confused but mostly just disappointed.
I just didn’t get it.
A giant iPod touch with no camera, multi-tasking, usb, teleportation. What is the point? Between the power of laptops and the portability of mobile phones; where would the iPad fit in?
Then I showed it to one of my friends who doesn’t have a phone or laptop, yes, those people still exist, and he was sold immediately. He said he could get an iPad and just carry around a regular phone. There are many more just like him.
The iPad is not for people like me and that is why it is a genius creation.
The iPad is great because of everything is does not have. Anyone can pick it up and ‘just do!’
This product is for non-techies and a way for future Apple converts to get their feet wet without having to pay a big premium.
Then there are the people who need less computing power than a laptop offers, with as shallow a learning curve as possible. People who just want to access Facebook, send and receive instant messages and the occasional email, people who wish to share and publish photos.
These people still read printed publications, don’t care to multi-task, for them it just has to work. The lacking features that many are complaining about will come eventually but that is the way Apple has always done it; with incremental updates every year.
As Jason Fried would say: less is less, and less is better.
Apple is trying to make our interactions with technology more natural. Complex input devices like the keyboard and mouse come with a steep learning curves (read: buttonless mouse and trackpad), but there is no learning curve with our fingers. Touch is natural, human and the simplest form of interaction possible.
The opinions in the blogosphere represent a tiny portion of the web and an even smaller portion of society. We must remember the average person that is still intimidated by technology and converting these people is where the future lies. What Apple is trying to do well help bring the rest of the world into the future.
From the time they practically begged me to join them (or I begged them, whichever) I have been thinking about what my first post would be about.
When I finally got here, after fighting through the bitter Canadian winter, I realized that my own story of how I even ended up as an intern at fisheye is a testament to the power of social media.
After reading a recruitment ad offering an internship on Craigslist I knew that this opportunity was for me. My initial email was written with such passion; and that is what they liked about me and made them ask me to come in for an interview. I didn’t get the position at the time, I am still in school and couldn’t make the time commitment they needed.
What I did learn is this: If you don’t have the time to do it right, do you have the time to do it again?
I did not give up because I knew the power of connections and I really liked the people. So I followed them on a number of social networks and committed myself to learning more about social media, marketing and writing.
One thing I always knew, and that was recently reminded of, is that social media gives us the potential to make all connections powerful. We may only have 150 personal and deep connections but with the tools that are available to us, the amount of secondary connections is almost limitless. So one week I decided to reconnect with people I had met on my journeys on the internet.
It just so happens that the time I reconnected with on Andreas on Linkedin, fisheye were looking for a new intern, so we met up again and guess what, this time around they saw my brilliance and offered me a position.
So because of my story your task is to:
Reconnect with someone you may have not talked to for some time.
Find somebody new and connect with them.
Do you have any stories like mine? Share with us in the comments!
While reading a post on Kodak’s social media marketing efforts, by Mark Drapeau, I pondered some of the methodologies I’ve seen employed in rectifying bad comments and reviews and began wondering what, if any, general practices or procedures were guiding brands in defending their reputation in an open forum?
Defending your business and overall credibility with a response seems a valid first response, but this rash mentality can create far more commotion than any one comment. As the first comment in the Kodak article shows, rebuking a commentator for their opinion or review of your business comes across in a coldly polite and passive aggressive way, which is certainly not an appropriate way to treat a customer. Even if it just reads wrong, it tends to come across as snappish because of the ’saving of face’ involved in the defensive position.
I too am guilty of this sort of defense and had an experience with it just last week due to an article on BlogTO voting a nightclub I manage, Blondie’s, as one of the top-twelve new bars of 2009. As most posts on BlogTO degenerate into a swelling of obscenities and trolling, this article was no different. I readily leaped to the aid of my establishment and coworkers by commenting, all the while knowing I was engaged in a rather petty roundabout of squabbling. I felt ashamed I had to defend myself and my work to the anonymity of haters, but it seemed a necessary evil.
Looking back in a more thoughtful way, I realized my best course of action may have been to just riposte in a positive way, without paying attention to the negative exchange.
Another method I’ve seen employed to overcome negative reviews is to offer a promotion or discount in an attempt to mitigate any negative sentiment or to have the negative-reviewer retry their experience. This method, we’ll call it consume and overcome, may work in practice but may be construed as shady if used in a clandestine way. To proclaim, in an open forum, that you have met the criticisms with thoughtful decision making and believe you have overcome the ailing is truly noble, but many will have already made their minds up and not be willing to offer you a second chance.
An example I can offer of the consume and overcome approach would be a Christmas quibble I had with an Amazon vendor over their inability to provide me with a specified item on time and their lack of customer service. I responded in curt fashion by providing a poor review of the transaction and had an email in my inbox within 24 hours (now they listen!) offering me $20 or the item for almost a 30% markdown if I removed my negative comment.
Jumping at the offer was an easy first response, but I then considered that I was going back on my word to never shop from that vendor again and also, they don’t deserve to maintain their good image when they are clearly masking a greater problem.
There is a tremendous amount of insight being offered in these reviews and it is important to use it as a feedback channel in order to remedy any shortcomings your channels may be experiencing, but is there an established best practice when responding, or is it entirely individual, industry or business specific?
Considering the personality of a business and those involved is showcased in conversation across social media, is it important to be open to negativity? Or do we just do our best to broach the review with a delicate response without confrontation? Perhaps stirring the pot makes for some good exposure, but is it worth the backlash and subsequent refresher in conflict management?
Is it important to be there and aware, but not so much involved in the discussion?
Because we can all self-flagellate over being involved in social media and using it as a part of a mixed-bag approach, but managing your brand reputation while being human may make you express your responses improperly. Perhaps the quintessential tie-in is if it is adequately linking with your organizational goals?
Got any poor comment mismanagement stories? I’ve shared, so now it’s your turn.
Hello to all the Fisheye readers out there. Yesterday was my first day on the job as the new Redpath Acts of Sweetness Ambassador. And by that of course I mean that I am the lucky person who gets to give out free hot chocolate, cookies, cakes and anything else Redpath’s sugar can be used to make at events around the GTA, all while documenting it to share with the internet community.
Upon arrival yesterday I was immediately handed a MacBook and an iPhone – which is something I’ve always been curious about but never had the chance to experience until today as Rogers phone plans were never in my price range (in fact I never had a cell phone plan until Koodo arrived with their obnoxious advertisements and lovely no contract plans) – and a list of things to familiarize myself with. After playing around with the iPhone I can safely say I now understand why everyone is so crazy about them. Convenient doesn’t even begin to cover it. I think I’m in love with this palm sized piece of plastic. Sad? Maybe, but I’m a deprived college grad who was set free into a world of “recessionistas.”
My second day in this beautiful Kensington Market office is about to wrap up and I am curious to see what comes next. The agenda says trial runs in the vehicle, uniform shopping, Redpath Sugar Museum tour, and a trip to the Harbourfest Skating Party on Saturday. And that is just the first week – fisheye is a great place to be.
That said, as the new girl here I hope I can bring to this blog something of value to you readers and not detract from the great writing Geoff already does. If you’re reading this you should probably follow Acts of Sweetness on Twitter and Flickr. Along with my work here at fisheye I also have a personal blog which you can read here and you can follow me on Twitter here. You can also email me directly at lisa@actsofsweetness.com.
Pepsi has decided to do what most marketers will be doing in the coming year: shifting their ad dollars from traditional to digital campaigns. This change is already apparent during this holiday season, as marketers looked to social networks and mobile markets to help stave of the flat holiday season that has been predicted.
The fact that Pepsi is moving away from a 23-year run in Super Bowl advertising to focus on their new marketing efforts shows a strong dedication and belief in the potency of these online marketing channels. Surprising, considering Pepsi was a major player in traditional advertising and celebrity endorsements, like Britney Spears, Pink and Beyonce. Emily Fredrix, of the Associated Press, noted that Pepsi “wouldn’t say how much it spent last year on Super Bowl ads, but it was one of the biggest advertisers, buying several minutes of commercial time. Ad time last year cost about $3 million for 30 seconds, on average.”
Pepsi recognizes that these Super Bowl ads can be very effective for marketing, but Pepsi is moving in a different direction and remains committed to transitioning their marketing efforts to a more community-centered online effort. This new effort has been dubbed the “Pepsi Refresh Project” and starting next year it will become synonymous with Pepsi.
The project is looking to inject $20 million into projects that people create in order to “refresh” their communities and the winners will be decided through a voting system (similar to the Aviva Community Fund). The site is expected to go live on January 13th so people can begin listing their projects and voting will commence on February 1st to determine which projects will receive money.
There is hope from Pepsi that not only will the effort fund thousands of projects but that other other businesses will offer money, too.
The “Pepsi Refresh Project” seems enviable enough and if Pepsi can gain additional bankroll through businesses offering sponsorships for these community events it would be a boon, but will the companies they hope to attract have an interest in sponsoring a property that they might not be able to effectively activate?
As for the campaign as a whole, if the only benefit gained is in consumer sentiment or perception of Pepsi, is it all that bad? Because even if the effort does not translate to an increase in sales, they are still showing a tremendous amount of commitment to social responsibility, as well as community sustainability, and it could still be considered a great campaign.
Time will tell if this is the new marketing model of excellence, or if everyone really does prefer Coke.
Word of mouth has long been praised by marketers for being the most personal in nature of communication between individuals and because product information communicated in this way has an added layer of credibility.
Since social media marketing is all about conversations, it is interesting to find an article on eMarketer that noted that ‘verbal’ word of mouth was more successful at creating online video viewing than online dialogue.
Search engines even played a larger part in online viewing than social media, and though this may be disheartening to digital marketers, so did television ads, stories and reviews on both the internet and television.
So while adoption and awareness of social media marketing continues to trend upwards, this is not the solution to all that ails you. It is of paramount importance to understand your audience and how and where they consume your product or service.
It will be interesting to see the future trends in Canada due to initiatives like Rogers on Demand Online, which will have an affect on the consumption and behavior of viewers, since many will now be watching television from their laptops and desktops, far from traditional television viewing habits.
As a reckless avenger of all things fun, I have pursued a job in the bar industry for many moons. This may seem to be a handshake with minimal repercussions, though I can assure you, it’s much closer to the fire than you would believe.
Through all the peculiarities of alcohol abuse and too-loud music, I have begun to wonder what it really is that makes a successful social media blueprint. Is there is a connection between the nightclub and the online entity businesses all crave; both of which hinge on the inescapable allure of social ease.
I can damn well assure you that there is nothing easy about either.
The mavens and mavericks of the social media world would have you believe in the infallibility of authenticity, communities and advocates.
The bartenders of the club world would have you believe your pockets are deep, you wordplay brilliant and your charm endless.
The irony is not as forward as you may believe; though showy defiance, tall-talk and lack of planning will get you hurt, in both regards.
I would love to extol all things social media, as they makes us more human, but all actions should be bound by virtue. The more people escape their real selves, be it through alcohol or a keyboard, the more annoying they become.
Good intentions don’t make the road wider, as life is not a simple foray. Assuming you can muster up an idyllic (online) presence through a few clicks, or beers, masks a real problem: you may be in the wrong place, hanging out with the wrong crowd, or just be straight-up awkward.
I have come to applaud the effort, but rue the course. Just because you hang out on Twitter, does not mean I want to follow you. Where is the value for me when you view me as a number of followers?
Keep pressing that bull-horn while I disdain your presence; you’re the one at the bar snapping your fingers and pointing at me while I’m obviously busy.
As valuable as these brand touch-points are, they do not excuse you from being a real person. Nor does a few drinks and a bad suit.
The take-home on this delightful post is that the weakness of (online) interactions comes from the inability to be yourself. I don’t want to be friends with your logo, or in the bar sense, your low-cut top. You should shine through, otherwise, you mine as well leave your dancing shoes at home.
While we are use to seeing the PC belittled in ads, Verizon is now taking aim at the iPhone, in a new campaign for their branded version of Android-based smart phones. The aptly named Droid is quick to highlight the many shortcomings of the iPhone and then churns out some nice typography through a science-fiction, space grinder; yet it leaves so much to be desired.
This ambivalent piece is erratic and memorable, though it fails to induce that “must-have, call in sick, overnight line-up” type behavior by not showing us the product line. Thankfully there has been a leaked preview of the unreleased and unofficially announced Verizon Android phone with Google’s Android 2.0.
The phone has some serious nerd lust creating potential and will have the internet, and Apple fans, going nuts when the site finally goes live on Friday. While we wait, there is time to ponder the Great White North’s chance of seeing an Android phone here in the near future.
With the impending cessation of the Rogers exclusivity deal with the iPhone at the end of the month, it would probably be wiser for the Canadian telecom’s to just put focus on the iPhone instead of trying to dedicate their brands to a new and unproven product. Telus has already announced a price match for the iPhone and will begin selling by November 5th, though there is no word on rate plans. Bell has also announced that it will also start selling the iPhone in November, but hasn’t announced a date or pricing.
Much of my interest in smart phones is based around the launch of Android based phones due to the sliding keyboard, improved camera, lack of yellow-tape covered app store, capacity expandability and screen size; though I am probably in the minority. While I do like the Droid ads, I think Canadians may have some time to wait before we see a viable alternative to the iPhone. At least it will keep the Canadian cult of Mac from going into a frenzy, for now.
The backdraft of comment control
While reading a post on Kodak’s social media marketing efforts, by Mark Drapeau, I pondered some of the methodologies I’ve seen employed in rectifying bad comments and reviews and began wondering what, if any, general practices or procedures were guiding brands in defending their reputation in an open forum?
Defending your business and overall credibility with a response seems a valid first response, but this rash mentality can create far more commotion than any one comment. As the first comment in the Kodak article shows, rebuking a commentator for their opinion or review of your business comes across in a coldly polite and passive aggressive way, which is certainly not an appropriate way to treat a customer. Even if it just reads wrong, it tends to come across as snappish because of the ’saving of face’ involved in the defensive position.
I too am guilty of this sort of defense and had an experience with it just last week due to an article on BlogTO voting a nightclub I manage, Blondie’s, as one of the top-twelve new bars of 2009. As most posts on BlogTO degenerate into a swelling of obscenities and trolling, this article was no different. I readily leaped to the aid of my establishment and coworkers by commenting, all the while knowing I was engaged in a rather petty roundabout of squabbling. I felt ashamed I had to defend myself and my work to the anonymity of haters, but it seemed a necessary evil.
Looking back in a more thoughtful way, I realized my best course of action may have been to just riposte in a positive way, without paying attention to the negative exchange.
Another method I’ve seen employed to overcome negative reviews is to offer a promotion or discount in an attempt to mitigate any negative sentiment or to have the negative-reviewer retry their experience. This method, we’ll call it consume and overcome, may work in practice but may be construed as shady if used in a clandestine way. To proclaim, in an open forum, that you have met the criticisms with thoughtful decision making and believe you have overcome the ailing is truly noble, but many will have already made their minds up and not be willing to offer you a second chance.
An example I can offer of the consume and overcome approach would be a Christmas quibble I had with an Amazon vendor over their inability to provide me with a specified item on time and their lack of customer service. I responded in curt fashion by providing a poor review of the transaction and had an email in my inbox within 24 hours (now they listen!) offering me $20 or the item for almost a 30% markdown if I removed my negative comment.
Jumping at the offer was an easy first response, but I then considered that I was going back on my word to never shop from that vendor again and also, they don’t deserve to maintain their good image when they are clearly masking a greater problem.
There is a tremendous amount of insight being offered in these reviews and it is important to use it as a feedback channel in order to remedy any shortcomings your channels may be experiencing, but is there an established best practice when responding, or is it entirely individual, industry or business specific?
Considering the personality of a business and those involved is showcased in conversation across social media, is it important to be open to negativity? Or do we just do our best to broach the review with a delicate response without confrontation? Perhaps stirring the pot makes for some good exposure, but is it worth the backlash and subsequent refresher in conflict management?
Is it important to be there and aware, but not so much involved in the discussion?
Because we can all self-flagellate over being involved in social media and using it as a part of a mixed-bag approach, but managing your brand reputation while being human may make you express your responses improperly. Perhaps the quintessential tie-in is if it is adequately linking with your organizational goals?
Got any poor comment mismanagement stories? I’ve shared, so now it’s your turn.