Archive for May, 2009

The Benefits of Being Different

I like people who innovate.  My friend Michael Houghton is one of those people.  He’s a thinker and artist, and has a genuine curiosity to find new application of familiar techniques. First a side note:   Michael is not paying me to write about him.  I feel like I have to say this light of all the debate over paid blog content.   There, it’s said. Back to art, innovation and application.  Michael, along with his former CCAD student Andy Spessard, has been working to take the concept of time-based photography and find ways to apply it to marketing and social media. Here’s what I mean. For me, this work is a purple cow.  Yes, it’s skillfully produced, artistic, attractive, and it tells a story, but what’s more important is that it’s different.  There are benefits to producing content that is different. We pay attention to content that is different.  And if we find content that is different enough, our natural tendency is to want to it show to all of our friends. When was the last time you shared some different content with your friends? More Posts

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Social Media ROI: Using Twitter and Facebook to Launch a Book

Lots of people are struggeling to find the ROI in Social Media.  It’s a hard thing to pin down because there are so many variables.  Heather and Jayson Waits are using LinkedI and Twitter to generate ROI for their Columbus-based flower shop.  My friend, Keith Lampe, just started using groups on LinkedIn to sell background screening software to private investigators. Cheryl Bassit has been using Twitter to help make media contacts to launch her new book.  It’s a creative and well-timed workbook, and her idea to use Facebook and Twitter to meet people to show it off to has been working. Here’s Cheryl’s story: This video clip is an example of a tangible return from Cheryl’s use of Twitter as a practical tool to develop relationships. Cheryl didn’t use a marketing agency or even spend any capital to get this publicity opportunity. She simply invested time and effort in creating a relationship. Chris Got His Camera Back The other day, Chris Brogan wrote a wonderful personal story that framed up the ROI in stories. In his post, he invests time and energy into developing some form of a relationship with a Boston cab driver he encountered. I like this story because it is an example of why using the ideas behind Altman & Taylor’s Social Penetration Theory is a good idea. Every layer of the relationship onion is important and will result in some degree of personal connection. But peeling away each layer also takes effort and some level of personal disclosure. My girlfriend Sarah once asked me if all the people I knew on all my social media networks were my real friends. I answered with “All of them are real friends. Just on a lot of different levels.” Maybe this is true and maybe is just a load [...]

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Existing Friends and Facebook's Deep Rooted Adoption

I dig reading Nick O’Neill’s stuff on All Facebook.  His blog great resource to stay on top of what’s happening in this growing digital global country of 225+ million users  (I say plus because by the time the numbers are published, Facebook has on-boarded even more users). In one of today’s posts, Nick draws some comparison between Facebook and the once popular Friendster – a network that died on the vine a few years back during the emergence of MySpace. Here’s an excerpt: The phrase “social network” has been tainted with failure and Mark Zuckerberg wants no part of that. Instead they prefer to call Facebook a “social utility”. The hope is that Facebook can continue to experience growth for years to come. With Facebook surpassing 225 million and on track to surpass 300 million this year, one has to wonder when Facebook’s reign will come to an end. Even more important than ongoing user growth is continued revenue growth. This is an interesting thought.  What elements create longevity in a social network (or “social utility” – sorry Mark) and moreover, how does that longevity lead to revenue?  Facebook undoubtedly has a stronghold on the social networking world right now. For instance, everywhere I go, my friends (the real life kind) are rehashing or continuing the dialog that has taken place at some point on Facebook.  Deep levels of adoption have been widespread.  As an example, can you even remember last time you received an email invitation to one of your friend’s birthday parties or local bar concerts or even a summer picnic? Zukenberg made a smart move in building and seeding a social community from the ground upon the premise geo-targeting.  By this, I mean that he focused on providing a platform where existing networks of friends who already [...]

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