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March 26, 2010

Social media confirms that many companies have nothing to say

Social media confirms many companies have nothing to say Have you ever noticed how many business-related social media accounts have little, if any, postings or messages? You know the ones… they hastily ran out and setup a corporate Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blog account without a plan or clue as to what they were doing. Somewhere along the way they strayed from logic. It’s as if they’re proclaiming “hey we’re not only slackers, but we’re cutting edge slackers.”

These companies should consider buying a full page ad in a magazine, forgetting about it, and then letting the publisher print the issue with just their logo on the page and maybe a line that says “too lazy for anything more”. That’ll be a consistent branding message that integrates well with their social media campaign. After all, a holistic approach is good. It’s actually taking a page out of the Seinfeld series “it’s a show about nothing”. Instead, it’s a company that is shouting “we have nothing to say”.

The simple point here is neglected social media accounts can be detrimental to a company’s brand. You wouldn’t create a website with no content, would you? Social media should not be treated any different. Many companies seem to underestimate the value and scope of social media – assigning minimal resources to manage them. Companies that engage in social media need to map out their long-term strategy and approach. Moreover, they need to delegate responsibilities of monitoring and maintaining social media account activity. This shouldn’t be dumped into the hands of an intern or temp. This should be taken serious by someone that understands the platforms and knows how to interact with customers and prospects.

The good news is that there are companies to help guide businesses through the process of engaging in social media. As a starting point, waveSpawn has assembled a comprehensive white paper entitled Understanding social media ROI.

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March 3, 2010

Directing air traffic at JFK is so easy even a caveman can do it

Child directs JFK air traffic Apparently the “bring your son to work” day at the JFK air traffic control tower was taken a bit too literally a few days ago. While his son was on winter vacation, a father who works in one of the world’s busiest air traffic control centers, thought it would be entertaining to not only bring his son to work, but to encourage him to communicate directions. “Jet Blue 171, clear for takeoff,” the young boy said, according to one of the audio recordings from LiveATC.net. It’s a rather scary thought for anyone who regularly flies into or out of the airport. Even if the child was being coached by his father, it only takes a minor slip to create a disaster. As I learned of the report, I was expecting to hear “What’s your vector, Victor?” or “Roger, Roger”.

According to ABC News, “The FAA, which hasn’t released the names of the controllers involved, is not treating this as a joke. It is investigating the controller, as well as a supervising controller. Both have been relieved of their duties, the FAA said.”

In another exchange to a plane bound for Mexico, the child says “Adios, amigo.”

What’s your opinion… is this just innocent child’s play or something more serious? Is social media magnifying the impact of this event? Should Geico use this for their next ad?

February 25, 2010

Facebook, what about the tree of trust?

Now that both Google and Bing have access to Facebook status updates, should you be concerned about the privacy of your posts? Of course you should… you need to control how the information you share is being rebroadcast or accessed by others. You probably don’t want to see your private information randomly appearing in a stranger’s search results.

Remember the therapy scene in Old School, where the marriage counselor says: “This is a safe place, a place where we can feel free sharing our feelings… a nest in a tree of trust and understanding… we can say anything.” Then after the information is exposed (on major search engines, in your case), your reaction is going to be similar to Will Ferrell’s: “What? I thought we were in the trust tree, in the nest. Are we not?”

While it’s an interesting concept (indexing status updates on Facebook), it’s contradictory to the purpose of a closed circuit social network. Since Google currently only has access to the public Facebook Pages – which are vehicles for marketing rather than personal content, it doesn’t appear pose an immediate personal threat. Bing on the other hand, does have full access to this personal data, since Microsoft has an investment in Facebook and provides the site’s search functionality.

Fortunately there are methods to restrict search engine access to certain information. It’s highly recommended to take some time and review your Facebook > Account > Account Settings and Privacy Settings. There are many options to restrict all of your information including photos, posts, comments, etc to only friends. Take full control of your social media usage. Understand your options and use settings that you are comfortable with.

What are your thoughts on search engines displaying status updates? Is this a positive trend?

February 19, 2010

Microsoft Office 2010 integrates social media

Microsoft has announced the availability of their Outlook Social Connector for LinkedIn. This is the first step in a long-term commitment from Microsoft to aggregate social media content into their widely used business email platform.

What we think users will appreciate is that the Outlook Social Connector doesn’t add another professional or social network into the mix. The Outlook Social Connector does offer busy people, who are already a part of one or several networks, convenience – not confusion.

Another release of this Outlook “extension” is scheduled for this spring and will contain Outlook integrations with Facebook, the leading social website, and MySpace. Google Buzz which was announced just last week is heading in the same direction. The race is on to see who can aggregate the most useful and relevant data into a convenient format within an email interface.

While it’s clear that aggregated information from disparate systems is beneficial, is your email inbox the best place for this?

February 17, 2010

Is the infrastructure for mobile social media big enough?

iPhone Ski Report There’s no doubt that people love their smart phones and the conveniences that they offer. With the combination of texting, voice, Internet access, cameras, video, and custom apps, you’ve got everything at your fingertips. With over 100 million Facebook users accessing the site though their mobile devices, it’s clear that this trend is growing rapidly. The question is now – how can the technical infrastructure, speed, and coverage for mobile devices improve?

Consumers are continually demanding faster phones and better ways of communicating. I already get frustrated when I click something from my iPhone and need to wait a minute for information to load. While the features, interface, and options are amazing, it seems to lag in certain technical categories. I still can’t even get cell reception at some local ski resorts in New York State. Why? I hear about these great trail and snow report apps, but I can’t even get access to them from the mountain. Is this AT&Ts network? Other times, I get notified of a voicemail message a day or more after it was left. Hello? How does that happen?

Performance needs to improve. As more and more traffic accumulates in the mobile space, how can these providers step-up their game? Is G4 our savior? Will Google bail us out?

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February 15, 2010

Homeland Security monitoring social media during the Olympics

Department of Homeland Security Seal ABC News recently posted an article “During the Olympics, The Feds Will Be Reading Your Tweets – And the Blotter… DHS Is Monitoring Social Media and Web Sites for Terror and Disaster Info”.

As the winter Olympics begin, the Department of Homeland Security has disclosed that it will be monitoring the comments and posts on websites and social media like Twitter for information on possible terror threats. Among the sites listed in a privacy impact statement filed Friday afternoon by DHS are the Drudge Report, the Huffington Post, Twitter, Google and this web site, the Blotter.

The National Operations Center of DHS will watch the web for information, according to the statement, to “provide situational awareness” in the event of natural disaster, an “act of terrorism, or other manmade disaster.”

“The Olympics are a potential target for such events,” said the statement. The statement did not list all web sites and social media that the NOC will monitor, but provided 31 examples, many of them, like the Blotter, sites that cover breaking news, security, or terror.

This really shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. I’m sure this is normal DHS activity on a daily basis. It’s only heightened during international events – such as the Olympics. While some of the comments on ABC refer to big brother and lack of privacy, others think it’s absurd that a terrorist would actually post their message on Drudge or other social media sources.

What do you think? Is social media monitoring just business as usual?

February 12, 2010

Can a Facebook group influence Brett Favre?

Brett Favre Billboard It’ll be interesting to see if social media mixed with traditional outdoor billboard advertising can influence the career of Brett Favre. There is a loyal and persistent group of fans on Facebook that are determined to bring Brett back to the Minnesota Vikings to play another year of football. The Facebook group has grown to about 128,000 fans… just a little shy of their goal of 4 million fans.

This group has also created their own website. They have raised enough funds to place a billboard in Brett’s hometown of Hattiesburg, MS. The sign reads “Hey No. 4, do Minnesota fans love you and want you back next year? You Brettcha!”

Let’s see how Brett reacts to this… if we’ve learned anything, it’s that Brett likes to change his mind. I can’t imagine he wants to retire on an interception throw to lose the playoff game to the New Orleans Saints. After all they were poised to win that game – and perhaps the Super Bowl?

Can social media play a small part in Brett’s decision to return to the NFL? Perhaps the more important question is should he return?

February 11, 2010

Making sense of Google Buzz

I’ve been an avid user of Gmail for the past six years. Yesterday I was reading all about Google Buzz and their attempt to succeed in the social media frenzy. Sure enough when I logged into my Gmail account, I saw the “Buzz” icon right below my inbox… so naturally I clicked on it. Wow, I already have several people following me and following several people. Apparently, I’m connected with everyone in my address book. Since Google Buzz integrates with Gmail without the need for users to sign up, Google instantly added 176 million users to their social network platform… not too shabby of a start.

It’s no secret that Google is anxious to compete in the social media space. While their social media platform Orkut has not reached the masses as Facebook has, this has not seemed to deter Google. Buzz seems to be a much more strategic way of penetrating the market.

While it’s intriguing to have built-in connectivity features in my email, I must admit it feels a little invasive. There comes a time when consumers want the convenience of aggregated information on a single platform. Who has time to login to dozens of different systems to manage their information, respond to questions, and provide updates? I’ve got login credentials for so many accounts – I can’t even keep track of them all. It would literally take me a few hours just to login to each of them for 5 minutes each on a daily basis.

In order to solve this issue, I think we’ll begin to see a convergence of the top players in this space. While some of the systems are already compatible, most users want a single stop destination. Think Facebook on steroids. The best features of the top platforms need to collaborate and partner to develop the ultimate social media networking destination.

What are your thoughts? Is there an easy solution to all of these disparate systems? Is Google Buzz the savior?

February 10, 2010

Olympic Committee limits social media activity

Lindsey Vonn Sports enthusiasts around the world are geared up for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, CA. This is the perfect venue for social media platforms to be involved – let athletes from all parts of the world stay in touch with their friends and family. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has implemented extremely strict social media guidelines for all athletes and participants to abide by. Athletes are not to post any type of videos, Olympic logos, or action photos.

The dissemination of moving images of the Games through any media, including display on the Internet, is a part of the IOC’s intellectual property rights. No sound or moving images (including sequences of still photographs which simulate moving images) of any Olympic events, including sporting action, Opening, Closing and Medal Ceremonies or other activities which occur within any zone which requires an Olympic identity and accreditation card (or ticket) for entry – e.g. competition and practice venues, Olympic Village, Main Press Centre – (“Accredited Zones”) may be made available, whether on a live or delayed basis, regardless of source.

Violation of these Guidelines by an Accredited Person may lead to the withdrawal of such person’s Olympic identity and accreditation card, as foreseen in the Olympic Charter. The IOC reserves the right to take any and all other measure(s) it deems fit with respect to infringements of these Guidelines, including taking legal action for monetary damages and imposing other sanctions.

These strict guidelines are forcing most athletes to refrain from participating in any type of social media. One of the potential stars of the 2010 Olympics, Lindsey Vonn, mentioned to her nearly 35,000 Twitter and Facebook followers that she would not be posting until after the games were over. Vonn wrote that “because of the Olympic rules (blackout period) I will not be able to post any updates from now until march 3rd. Sorry, it bums me out too!”

I’m surprised the IOC has not embraced social media – it would be the perfect opportunity to get more fans and visibility of the games. Let’s hope they change their policy for the 2010 Summer Games?

February 9, 2010

US Army Embraces Social Media

The US Army is going to great lengths to embrace and encourage the use of social media. “We do not want to be a closed institution” said LTG Benjamin C. Freakley – US Army Accessions Command. With that in mind, the Army has created online communities on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and MySpace. They currently have more than 250,000 friends and followers – and this number is growing daily.

“It’s really transforming the way we look at recruiting, advertising, and communicating” added LTC Brian Tribus. It’s allowing families to stay in touch during difficult and stressful times. They can share photos, instant messages, and web cams. It’s clear that this is a trend the Army continues to expand – especially as the technology further develops. There are a number of potential uses that will improve communication and morale among our soldiers.

Army Strong Stories is an innovative program which allows deployed soldiers “to share their unfiltered perspective on daily life in the military through blog entries, photos and video.” There is currently over 100 soldier bloggers participating in this program.

I think this is an incredibly functional and practical use of social media. I’m anxious to see other branches of the armed forces adopt these tools as well. I’ve added them to my blogroll and look forward to interacting with them.
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