Category: Smart Bloggers

An Optimistic Project

Influence, Optimism, Smart Bloggers, Social Judgement, Social Media

Glass half full, half empty?If you read the news, watch the TV or listen to the radio, there are boundless experts offering their advice on the state of the world. Clearly we are in the grip of a global economic crisis inflicted on the many by the greed of a few. Yes, we should be concerned about potential pandemics such as pig flu. And no doubt, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq – not to mention the instability across central Africa, Israel, Fiji and a score of other nations – all make us feel a little less safe.

Yet despite the realities facing us all, there are individuals, small groups and even communities all working in their own way to transform situations. I am constantly astounded by the willingness, energy and commitment of people to do good things, to donate their skills, their abilities and their time for those that they love or who simply need help. And while our institutions continue to lag behind this progressive consensus, they too, are peopled by others “like us” – and will, at some point, have no choice but begin their own transformation. The question is just of timing.

Against this backdrop, I was invited by Ian Fitzpatrick to contribute to the Optimist Conspectus which is “a compendium of contemporary optimism, one perspective at a time”. You can read my view here, but there are many other brilliant perspectives, including Dirk Singer (read his blog too), Matt Moore (read his blog as well) and a host of others.

And I loved the grain of optimism in this from Nishad Ramachandran:

Coming from a nation that has more young people than old, more illiterates than literates, more needy than greedy you just got to believe that tomorrow will be better and that hope will ultimately triumph over gloom.

You can even add your perspective here. Or maybe that is being too
optimistic?!

Holy Cow, That’s Flash

FutureVisions, Innovation, Smart Bloggers

There was a time when I loved Flash. It was a darling. It made my life easy. It did things easily that I could only ever dream of. It wowed my boss, made my clients gasp and made me look like a hero.

But over the last couple of years my love affair has diminished.

In the hands of a skilled and creative programmer, Flash can again, amaze us. In this video, Mrinal Wadhwa shows how a bitmap can be “read” by a webcam and interpreted as a 3D object by Flash.

Now, imagine how this can transform our perception, use and behaviour. Think about the way that we live our lives in public – and our fascination with technology. Consider the products that we love and that make our accelerated lives more manageable – and then think about how virtual transformation like this could be applied to your offerings – to your digital products and services.

For me, this sort of work taps into our imagination – reminds me of what it is to be astounded (nb: it is the future of your brand). Something that is all too easily forgotten in a spoon-fed, digital world. Long live creativity in all its forms.

Via Craig Cmehill.

Learning from Successful Corporate Blogging

Blogging, Smart Bloggers, Social Media

In the consumer world, we look for innovation wherever it might be. It doesn’t matter that the latest mobile phone is only released and available in the US market – there will be Australians who bring one back, “crack” it for use here in Australia and then begin showing their friends.

We do the same thing for other consumer devices such as TiVos, video cameras (how many of those cool Flips have you seen?) and so on. We do the same with fashion (eg clothes or footwear).

But when it comes to business innovation, we seem to be much more conservative. As a result, despite the mainstreaming of social media, very few Australian corporations have yet to establish blogs – and even fewer have ventured into the social media wilderness beyond the blogosphere.

Yet, there are great examples and case studies emerging from overseas that demonstrate how social media can be applied to achieve business outcomes. One such example is Ford (whose efforts are being led by Scott Monty) – another is SAP (where I work).

Recently, the German American Business Association brought together a panel of business people who are using blogging and social media very successfully as part of their business strategy, including:

And in the best interests of the industry, the panel is sharing their insights and learnings. Enjoy!

Get Creative. I Dare You

Smart Bloggers, Social Media

It is rare that we have the opportunity to unleash our creativity without reserve. There are always clients or bosses or editors sitting somewhere, waiting for something. There is always a risk.

But what if these barriers were removed? What if a social media experiment opened the door for your unfettered creativity? I talk about this in a post today over at MarketingProfs – but to whet your appetite, flip through this presentation and think about whether you dare, really, to get creative.

View more presentations from The Kaiser.

Social Media: It’s Not About You, It’s About Your Customers

Smart Bloggers, Social Media

_MG_2383The last couple of weeks has seen some volatile debate on social media, on clubs, inclusion and exclusion. Under the surface of this debate lies the question of ownership and expertise – who qualifies as an expert, who has a voice and where the rules of engagement. I have even been mentioned in the discussion.

I was going to respond with a post of my own, but found that Greg Verdino sums up my view perfectly (it’s worth reading the whole post):

If you pay attention to what the marketing blogosphere buzzes about, you have probably noticed that a number of people have been debating what qualifies someone to be a social media 'expert.' Is it personal experience or a long list of client case studies?  Is it the title on your business card or some vague blurb in your Twitter bio?  Does simply being "born digital" (whatever that means) make you an expert?  Or given that today's social tools are so new and the rate of change so fast, does it even make sense to call anyone a social media expert?

I've been following the debate and gritting my teeth, holding back on adding my two cents.  But, generally speaking, my question is "who cares?"

Seriously.

Who cares what defines social media expertise? And why are we even devoting digital ink to answering that question?

The only think I would really add to this, is to remember that social media is not about you. It’s about your clients and their customers. It’s about finding win-win outcomes for products and services and the people who use and consume them. All the rest is insignificant.

Learn About Twitter for Free

Smart Bloggers, Social Media

Ruin EverythingIf you have heard about Twitter and wondered what the fuss is about, then this may be the perfect night out for you. The very clever and entertaining Mark Pollard is offering free Twitter tuition to a group of 30 people here in Sydney on April 23.

What to expect:
A 40-minute overview of Twitter – for personal use.
I’ll break the content down into these sections:

1. Why so many of us think it’s good
2. How to get started
3. How to find momentum and rhythm
4. How it can impact your real life
5. Tools to enjoy it with

How to RSVP: there are 30 places available
Please send an email to events  @  theleadingedge.com (remove spaces either side of the @) with your name and Twitter username (if you have one).

Monetising Conversation

Smart Bloggers, Social Media

As I have mentioned elsewhere, Twitter’s growth over the last few months has been astounding. But a quick glance at the history of search references to Twitter demonstrates exactly what is going on – exponential growth and adoption that, for the moment, eclipses competitor sites.

twitter-on-google-trends

And while this indicates good growth for Twitter, as Ronnie points out, Twitter has what Digg and other social sites don’t – a comprehensive real time search engine. At first, Twitter’s purchase of Summize appeared to be anti-competitive – after all, Summize were indexing and reporting on the Twitter-stream data better than Twitter could – so it made sense to purchase and close them down.

For months now there has been speculation around Twitter’s business model – but then a round of capital raising in February 2009 secured $35 million squashing the intense questioning. Clearly, venture capitalists would be party to business strategy discussions that you and I are not – but given current financial constraints on many companies, investing in so far unproven business models could be considered high risk.

Gary Vaynerchuck, however, takes the view that Twitter may, in fact, be following a highly successful business model – Google’s.

But how would you feel about this type of context-based advertising? Is this the first step towards a semantic web? And how would this work with the hundreds of applications that have flourished thanks to Twitter’s open API?

I certainly don’t have answers at the moment, but it is interesting to ponder. And while I never really thought that my words were worth millions – it seems that they are certainly valuable – to some like Google and Twitter more than others.

Social Media Hits the Fortune 1000

Blogging, Enterprise Social, Smart Bloggers, Social Media

Blog CouncilSome time ago a group of Fortune 1000 companies got together to understand, discuss and evaluate the impact of social media on their businesses. The Blog Council, operated by Andy Sernovitz’s Gas Pedal, has 45 big business members – including my own employer, SAP. And although I have no input to the Blog Council, there are clearly benefits for large businesses to collaborate, share best practices and work through the opportunities and challenges that social media presents for large businesses.

In yet another indication that social media is mainstreaming, the Blog Council has announced that Bob Pearson, former VP of Communities and Conversations at Dell, is joining the Blog Council as President. Bob’s work at Dell is often discussed as a model for the kind of transformation that businesses dream of – moving from Dell Hell to Web Darling – indeed, I use this story as a case study whenever I speak about social media. As Bob explains:

Social media represents a disruptive set of technologies and techniques that will transform a company’s business practices, improve conversational capabilities with customers and empower employees to learn and share their knowledge in real time.

And while this sounds a little jargonistic, there are some serious objectives underlying this announcement. Not only does this signal a rapid maturing of social media in the enterprise space, it also goes beyond the marketing cauldron – with Bob clearly targeting cross-line of business capabilities. It will be fascinating to see how Andy Sernovitz – author of Word of Mouth Marketing and CEO of the Blog Council – will team up to accelerate the adoption of social media in the enterprise. As Andy explains:

Social media is no longer experimental. It is essential for every company. Bob's practical experience will help our members implement effective social media programs.

I look forward to seeing this happen on a global stage – but hope this announcement also provides encouragement for Australian businesses considering a move into the social media pond.

100 Insights, One Book – Connect! By The Project 100

Books, Smart Bloggers

Sometime ago, Jeff Caswell invited me to participate in a collaborative writing project. Inspired by The Age of Conversation (1 and 2), the books that Drew McLellan and I spearheaded in 2007 and 2008, The Project 100 brings together 100 authors to discuss marketing in the social media era. Interestingly, the book includes written chapters as well as Twitter messages. I am particularly excited to be part of this project (especially because all I had to do was write a chapter!).

The Project 100…Countdown to Connect!

View more presentations from Nojacketreq.

The book, Connect! is now available for purchase for $19.95. All funds raised go to Susan G Komen for the Cure – and we are aiming to raise $5000 all up.

For a taste of what the book contains, Alan Wolk raises some serious questions about the validity of advertising in a connected world:

The amazing thing about social media is that it’s totally destroyed the power of ads to sell things to people. Because seriously, why would I bother listening to an ad when I can listen to the reviews and opinions of hundreds of my fellow consumers. Most of whom are interested in providing me with the real deal on whatever product or service they’re reviewing. Not in feeding me a clever pun or wacky visual.

My own chapter, “The New 30 Second Spot” suggests that we need to look anew at the “forgotten consumer, steadily tapping away on a keyboard, miming in front of a webcam and winning a motza in Texas Hold ’em poker.”

You can find out more about this great book, at the Project 100 website. And in the meantime, be sure to order a copy of this excellent, thought provoking book – and know that in doing so, you are supporting the fight against cancer.

Who Loves Your Blog?

Blogging, Community, Smart Bloggers

When I first started blogging I was obsessed with inbound links. I checked Technorati religiously – hoping someone, anyone, would link here. I waited for comments, emails, suggestions; and I checked Google Analytics for the smallest spike in traffic.

Now, those who don’t understand the rush that comes with receiving a comment (or writing one on someone else’s blog) may consider this slightly compulsive. But it is also fundamental human nature – we become the people we are simply due to those who show us or deny us, love. Of course, encouragement is a great motivator – and those who link to our blogs or write about us are more likely to draw our own attention. I am no different.

In addition to the dozens (or hundreds, really) of feeds that I read on a daily basis, I still regularly check the blogs that link here. I have a BackType profile which alerts me to mentions of my name or website address and I have a similar range of Google alerts established – and I try to respond either to the post that links to my writing, or at least to another article that tickles my curiosity. You see, if someone has taken the time to read my writing and think about it and then write/respond, then I feel an obligation to understand their perspective too.

B ca L ifornia o33 G

And over the last couple of years, I have been exposed to some fantastic blogs after being included in some list or other. This list of Planners, for example, has been maintained by Iqbal Mohammed for sometime – and is a great way of learning from (and linking to) some of the smartest minds in marketing/planning/advertising.

  1. russell davies
  2. Talent Imitates, Genius Steals
  3. adliterate
  4. Servant of Chaos
  5. Only Dead Fish
  6. Noah Brier
  7. Influxinsights
  8. The Hidden Persuader
  9. CrapHammer
  10. brand new
  11. Fallon Planning
  12. [ paul isakson ]
  13. nick burcher
  14. Get Shouty
  15. Herd – the hidden truth about who we are
  16. Adspace Pioneers
  17. Life Moves Pretty Fast
  18. Make Marketing History
  19. Social Hallucinations
  20. Interactive Marketing Trends

And while it is great to be included in lists such as the Marketing or Content Marketing lists on alltop.com, it feels much more important to be included in lists like Blaiq’s or Julian Cole’s compilation of Australian marketing blogs – for these require the care and attention of an individual and are not simply automated like some others. And in a world where attention is scarce, perhaps making a list is the blogging equivalent of love.