My contract is up at GCI Canada today, so I’m heading to pastures new. It’s been great using social media to engage with people and companies, and I will continue to do that in my next role. I truly believe it’s a way of communicating that can be adapted to most industries.
All the best to my very talented GCI colleagues, and see you on Twitter!
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada (Twitter: johncarson)
Tragic events are unfolding in Mumbai and people — whether on scene or abroad — are tweeting about them at a rapid clip. I’ve seen blog reports that suggest Twitter is a source of journalism. I would agree with the statement that Twitter is a source of journalism, but I wouldn’t say that Twitter is journalism.
There’s no way to prove who is behind certain tweets, or “facts” on the microblogging platform. It’s a tip line, a place where people can post items very quickly to alert others of breaking news. It’s then up to the recipients to do their own checking around, consulting their own networks and contacts to try and verify some of the exaggerated claims. [For example, as I write this, a tweet just popped up: “Mossad bhind attacks! Y would muslim terrorists take refuge in Jew org and take hostages? Hostages r really attackers”]
Do I believe that? It doesn’t matter. Obviously the person who said that does, or wants people to. Could be a lie, could be propaganda, could be true. Who knows? It’s not journalism. It’s like the guy who stands in the street and shouts “the end is nigh for sinners!” That’s his opinion and he’s welcome to it.
I’m not really a fan of the term “citizen journalism.” It brings to mind an image of the man in the street writing about something that probably hasn’t been verified, but is happening now, and they are on the spot with a cellphone, digital camera and Wi-Fi connection. Possibly “citizen alerter” might be more accurate; someone who has told the world what he is seeing, and then hands if off to the trained reporter (and their resources) to investigate.
In any case, Twitter will grow from strength to strength in scenarios such as this where people want to get the word out quickly, “break the news” if you will, before the mainstream media outlets even fire up their chopper.
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada (Twitter: johncarson)
“Dire Straights” aren’t just a fantastic rock band from the ’80s (and the first band to ever be featured on MTV). They’re a poignant way to explain the current fiscal climate we see all around us. It can’t be argued that these are tough economic times. The fundamentals of our economy, to re-phrase the cliché, are not strong.
Media does, however, play a strong role in reminding us of this. Times are tough for them, too — the election is over, the parties have spoken and now they’re the ones holding the broom. So the question that I ask myself and that I hear others ask … well, others … would be this: Does the media help or hinder the situation? Are they stirring the pot of economic toil and trouble?
I believe so. As I’ve stated in the past, the age of information consumption is upon us. We strive to receive the latest updates on how shabbily our economy is failing and who our neighbours to the south are bailing out this time. In their reporting however, is the ever-prevalent reminder that things are not well. We have a right, no, a duty to panic. And tomorrow is no longer a fiscal certainty.
It’s this uncertainty that comprises a portion of the vicious cycle we as North Americans see ourselves on. Now am I calling for us all to turn off our televisions, stop reading the newspaper and take up horseshoes? No. But I believe we have to curb our enthusiasm — curb our consumption of the negative, or address it, understand that this is not new, that soundbytes of auto industry executives choosing to fly corporate rather than coach isn’t going to make or break my day, and move on positively; trust that we will pull ourselves up.
It may seem a little optimistic, but behavioural science teaches us that we sometimes exercise the practice of self-sabotage. Watching CNN in the morning can be the next best thing.
Therefore my application isn’t in distraction, but in recommending the media switch to quick, flashy pieces on solving the crisis rather than engraving it on our collective consciousness.
~ Sam Amsterdam, Account Coordinator, GCI Canada
Today Brian Solis, Stowe Boyd and Christopher Peri unveiled MicroPR, a service that Boyd explains “is intended to make things easier — and more concise — for bloggers, analysts, and journalists who are trying to collaborate and coordinate. We are harnessing Twitter as the premier microstreaming platform.” You can follow them here.
I applaud anyone taking traditional ways to communicate and translating them over to Twitter. This sounds very similar to HARO, who also has a Twitter presence.
[Update: I just had a coffee and mulled this over a bit more. Solis states: “If you want to refer to micropr on Twitter please use the hashtag, #micropr.” Does that mean the term is hijacked? What if my organization/URL was called micropr? Does that mean that if I choose to use #micropr as a reference for dealing with my members, then it’s already taken and I’m too late? What’s to stop someone using #dogs, #golf or #business as their reference terms when tagging tweets?]
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada (Twitter: johncarson)
Eye-catching title eh? Jason Baer blogs today about Infiniti (Nissan Motors USA) and the saga of the missing rollover sensor. In a nutshell, the company omitted to put a sensor in the car, stuck a sticker on the window saying it had, realized its error, offered Baer $2,000 or to buy his car back from him. [That might fit in Twitter.]
Baer questions “is Infiniti just trying to buy me out of a potential class-action lawsuit?” He also wonders if it’s an elaborate social media experiment to build some buzz around the brand.
The latter seems a bit of a stretch, especially because Baer also heard from other customers who received the same letter.
This paragraph is interesting: “The chances that I would ever know or find out that the sensor was not included is just about nil. And even if I did find out, Infiniti could quite easily give me a free oil change and I’d be totally fine with it. But to proactively draw my attention to it, send me a FedEx, and buy my silence for two grand? Wow.”
I would question that motivation, and ask instead: What if Baer had unfortunately rolled his car over, was seriously injured because the lack of sensor meant some safety equipment wasn’t operated and then had discovered the sticker was falsely placed on the window. Wouldn’t that had led to a much larger lawsuit, making the $2,000 “payoff” seem like peanuts in comparison?
Infiniti can’t be criticized for pointing out an error in advance, making the customer aware of his options so he can make an informed choice. Imagine if the worst-case scenario had happened, and an injured party was blogging about it after someone got hurt?
Baer chose to blog about it, and I’ve added to that by commenting on his post. From what I can gather, it is a positive stance he is taking on Infiniti’s proactive gesture.
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada (Twitter: johncarson)
You can rely on the excellent, cynical, snarky and sometimes antagonistic The Drama 2.0 Show blog to delve into the underbelly of social media and ask those tough questions. Today’s theme is the ulterior motive of companies using social media to engage their customers.
To quote TD2.0S: “Words like ‘listening,’ ‘feedback,’ ‘community,’ ‘engagement’ and, of course, ‘conversation’ all mask the fact that somebody is trying to sell something. It may not be a product or service, but users are being sold. On a perception. On a corporate ideal. On a brand … The reality is that individuals don’t have ‘conversations’ with companies. Companies provide products and services. They provide support. Yes, many will ‘listen’ to your feedback and some do thrive on becoming a part of your lifestyle but make no mistake about it: a brand like Proctor & Gamble is not your ‘friend.’”
Sobering stuff. I love social media, think it works extremely well and see it as the future of PR — and business in general. Maybe I have my rose-coloured glasses on and hear birds tweeting over my shoulder? Rex Hammock is already talking about “expecting a major ‘bust’ in the prefix ’social-’ in a couple of years.”
More from TD2.0S: “Under law, it may be that a corporation shares many of the same rights as human beings but it is not a human being. It’s not going to buy you a beer. It’s not going to go be your wingman at a nightclub. It’s not going to be the best man at your wedding. It’s not going to hug you when you have a bad day. Social media proponents would have marketers believe just the opposite. They want marketers to become corporate Nosy Nellies, listening to every ‘conversation’ individuals have online in hopes that it can be turned into ‘an opportunity’ to have a ‘conversation’ (read: sell you something or influence your perception of them).”
Now, that puts me — and other social media advocates who work in PR — in a tricky situation. Part of my job is to help clients grasp the concept of social media, embrace it (only if it is right for them, sometimes it’s not) and, yes, listen to what people are saying about them. Let’s not beat around the bush … that is one of the goals. Monitor their reputation and brand perception online, wherever it may be. Money changes hands for that service.
But, if you can get past the “it’s not personal, it’s business” position that TD2.0S is taking and bear in mind that, yes, brands do want to make some money at the end of the day, isn’t it better for them to be listening and engaging with their customers at least a little, if not a lot? It’s a great step in the right direction.
Consumers are not stupid; they are seasoned receptors of marketing messages way before social media came on the scene. They’re used to it and can spot insincerity a mile off. Our role is to make the connection and initiate the latest way for “sellers” and “buyers” to talk to each other.
Then the rest is up to them.
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada (Twitter: johncarson)
Being a control freak on who I connect with (namely people I search out and manually click “follow” or “invite”), services such as Twollow are not my cup of tea. Snip from the developer’s blog: “Twollow lets you specify up to five different keywords which you can track and then automatically follow any Twitter user who uses those words.”
Someone followed me the other day; I visited their blog and saw a post about Twollow; so I tweeted them and asked if they “Twollowed” me; they said yes, and it was because they had used social media as a tracking term.
That’s cool, but if I had tweeted “… the mayor wanted to be more social, media were there to cover the event …” then would that “Twollower” (love all these new words!) have been disappointed in adding me, only to get no value and discard me, a fact only brought sadly home to me once I got my Qwitter alert.
I’m wary of using a service like this that might grow my Twitter network using quantity instead of quality.
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada (Twitter: johncarson)
Did you know that Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler filed suit against anonymous Blogspot bloggers who allegedy impersonated him and girlfriend Erin Brady? Me neither. But thanks to John Cass, I now have a fascinating resource of lawsuits involving blogs, a situation that will surely become a lucrative niche practice area as social media becomes more mainstream. There is also a database of cases related to social media.
I’m not interested in matters of law, per se, but am interested in seeing what people think they can get away with online, using social media and other tools, so this looks like an interesting reference point to get an overview of the legal aspect of all the 24/7 interactions swirling around us.
Cybersquatting (registering a domain name — usually linked to a company name — in the hopes of selling it at a profit) has been the subject of some contentious court battles in past years. How does that translate to Twitter and other social networks? I grabbed johncarson early, but now that more companies are embracing social media and setting up brand profiles, what’s to stop someone grabbing Coke, Pepsi and so on? (Haven’t checked, sure they’re already taken by legitimate company representatives.)
I could grab johnatcoke or johnatpepsi and pretend to tweet on behalf of that company. Social media “veterans” (of the last 12 months or so) would spot that in a heartbeat and set off the scam radar, but others might be duped. How many variations of misrepresentation are happening, or just around the corner? How far can we trust these identities?
This is a comment on a blog post this morning that puts some stuff in perspective: “Here in India many companies, let alone senior employees, have yet to establish an Internet presence. For small companies it’s understandable, but these are big multi-store organizations with no online presence at all (not even a page with phone numbers) so if you want info then you have to actually go to the store.” Source.
So, once all those organizations start to get online and establish their websites, blogs and Twitter accounts for branding purposes, there might be slim pickings. I remember someone tried (and then changed their mind) selling their Twitter account and all its followers a while back, citing it as a mini-business ready for the highest bidder. I think Twitter is too personal to be commoditized in this way.
Someone is holding socialmedialawyer.com at the moment; could be a good investment …
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada (Twitter: johncarson)
[I have no affiliation with LinkedIn.]
LinkedIn (LI) has always had a staid reputation since it launched in 2003, the year I joined it. Working for a tech publication back then, it was necessary to check out as many new start-ups as possible for story ideas and the people behind them. It was cool to see what was coming around the corner. “Social media” was just a very valuable domain name back then.
I remember critics saying LI was “boring” — after all, who wanted to join a site full of desperate people posting their resumes and looking for a job? That wasn’t the point. The success of LI stems from the accessibility factor; how else can you get “face time” with some top CEOs, gurus and other specialists, for free?
Here’s seven ways to increase your LI presence and use the service to its fullest:
1) Be an open networker. It’s great to link with people you know or have worked with, but if that’s the only reason you use LI then it just becomes a giant contact book. Request links from people in your field that you’d like to know. Do some research, source their e-mail and don’t forget to …
2) … write a personal invite note saying the reason you want to link to them. Don’t be lazy and use the default LI invite template. It shows a lack of respect: if you can’t be bothered to offer a mutually beneficial reason to be connected to that person in the 10 minutes it takes to write a personal note, what does that say about any future relationship? First impressions DO last.
3) Don’t lie about your work history, credentials or achievements. By the very nature of LI, it takes minutes to check those out with the network by asking for referrals and recommendations.
4) Make full use of the Question & Answer section, a very undervalued part of the site in my opinion. You can spend hundreds of dollars organizing focus groups or attending executive seminars. Ask a pertinent question on LI, seed it to your network (or open it up for general consumption) and you’d be amazed at the free advice that comes back, from top-notch people, usually in hours, or even minutes if it’s a hot topic. That’s a gold mine of expertise just waiting to be tapped into. And, it goes without saying, if you see a question that you can offer some specific insight into, then jump right in. You aren’t “giving away stuff for free” … on the contrary, eventually you might become a “Top Expert” or, at the very least, others will request connections with you based on your answers and request more info = instant professional relationship or new business.
5) Update your status on a regular basis. Similar to Facebook / Twitter, you can write a short sentence on what you’re up to. There were limited options at the start like “is working on …” or “is reading …” but now it’s more flexible and you can type in what you want. I have personally got some very useful approaches from adding updates such as “researching Canadian mompreneurs” or “sourcing experts in discount brokers” as part of my PR work.
6) Ask for recommendations. [Today’s post was actually inspired by this one, just wanted to elaborate a little on other LI tips.] No matter what people say, no matter how humble they are — everyone has an ego. It’s good to be praised for doing great work, hearing a “thank you” or seeing a client’s brand become successful because of what you did to help them. It validates your professional skills and justifies the fee you charge for that work. So, why is it taboo to ask for a recommendation? A few words from a client or former colleague is huge, leads to more business and establishes your credibility. LI is perfect for that, so use it!
7) Join a Group, or better still, start one and manage it. The great aspect of LI is that you can congregate with professionals with similar interests, businesses, skills and so on. The greater aspect is that you can also join Groups with people who have nothing in common with you, but whose alternate views or ways of doing business can open your eyes to ideas you would never think of. There’s a lot of social media groups I joined, one I manage and others — such as tech start-ups in Israel, for example — that offer a whole new perspective on business from another part of the world. (It is up to the discretion of the Group manager whether they accept your application or not. Again, write a personal note requesting membership, and state what you can bring to the table, it goes a long way.)
Follow those seven steps, respect your connections and LI will be an invaluable part of your social media strategy, without costing a penny.
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada (Twitter: johncarson)
This past weekend Motrin released a controversial commercial that a lot of mom bloggers found offensive — an issue they naturally took to Twitter. Suffice to say, it’s not been a good Monday for Motrin’s PR department.
People are commenting on how the company has screwed up by not doing its market research more thoroughly in the first place to anticipate such a huge — and possibly — long-lasting negative reaction to its product alignment with new moms. The bigger issue is why a lot of people didn’t realize this groundswell of protest was building at the weekend until it was too late to engage those bloggers? It seems that Motrin wasn’t monitoring them properly.
Companies will always make mistakes online (human beings run them after all) but it’s how they recover that will be the real social media trial by fire.
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada (Twitter: johncarson)
GCI Canada helps out Little Geeks, and they are holding a Silent Auction on Tuesday, November 18 at the Mill Street Brew Pub. Please come out and bid on some great items. Unfortunately, this has been postponed until a future date.
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada
[Here’s a campaign that GCI Canada is working on for its client, Dell Canada.]
Action! Did Star Wars or E.T. make more money? Who played the dropout in The Breakfast Club? Was The Terminator or Rain Man released first? Cut! That’s a wrap.
Ever wanted to Live Like a Movie Star? Play Dell’s movie trivia game and win one of four great prizes: A Beverley Hills shopping spree and celeb makeover; a High Rollers party weekend in Las Vegas; a ticket package for a Warner Bros. movie premiere in 2009; or a Richard Petty driving experience and DVD package.
http://flick.winwithdell.com/EN/
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada
This week there’s been a lot of buzz about certain sites and the way they handle privacy, ask for your details or send invites to your contacts without you knowing. It all boils down to when spam first started appearing in our inboxes — don’t give your user name and password to anyone or website that you don’t trust.
In fact, there are sites I really do trust, but would still never give them my Twitter or LinkedIn login details. Once they have it, you’ve lost control. And that’s not a good thing when personal brands are becoming so important in social media. Reputation is the new currency. Without the former, you won’t be getting any of the latter.
Twitterank is the latest talking point. No point going into the pros and cons of these grading sites — you either love them or not — but the bigger question is, from a realistic viewpoint, would someone on Twitter have more credibility to you if they had a “rank” of 87.6 as compared to someone else with 56.2? For all we know, depending on the algorithm being used to work out that “score,” the higher-ranked person could be an idiot with a thousand spammers following him/her = sooo popular. Not.
Anyway, in the spirit of helping people out, today I’m pleased to announce the launch of EgoGrader Beta 1.1 (if you never got an Alpha invite, it means you weren’t popular enough, sorry). It’s easy. Just send us $50 and we’ll tell you how great you are. And, for the Pro version, throw in a bottle of whisky and we’ll tell you that you’re even greater than the last person who asked.
Hold on, phone’s ringing. “Hello? TechCrunch?”
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada
What a cool job title if it was real! (And maybe — unofficially — it was for Toshihiro Nishikado, circa 1978, the lucky developer of the game at Taito. Must have been great going to work on the world’s most popular video game at the time.)
So, job titles in this social media day and age. Chief Engagement Officer? Not new, but has a nice ring to it. Social Media Manager? Hmmm, not so good — no one in social media wants to feel like the conversation is being “managed” or “guided,” however subtle.
More specialists are being sought in this field as companies feel the urge to jump on board, listen to their communities and get involved. What is an apt title though? Social media will be here for a while, but if not, and there’s a new fad on the scene next year, who wants a job title that might be out of date in 12 months? Is it better to be specific when calling yourself a Social Media Specialist to ensure you are relevant for the here and now, or do you play safe and plan ahead, go a bit more generic, say Digital Media Specialist? [My current title was picked for me, full disclosure.]
In the past, everyone knew what the CEO, President, Vice President and intern did — the titles were in daily use, and everyone got used to the hierarchy. But now, there are more Conversation Analysts, Community Managers and Social Media Strategists around. Can people pick and choose their own, or will the market level out and we all agree on titles?
Be realistic, choose wisely … or you could be yesterday’s Senior Vice President of Space Invaders.
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada (Twitter: johncarson)
“I have arranged for you to get a priority account.”
That opening line always piques my interest. Like Mark Evans, I too got a SocialMinder invite from a trusted contact. But, the minute it asked me for my LinkedIn password … I clicked off and moved on. No way I’m plugging that into a third-party site.
Anyway, glad I didn’t. Evans wasn’t so lucky, as he explains here. B.L. Ochman is not a happy camper either.
For the record, one of my Twitter contacts posted this, so make up your own mind on whether to try it out or not: “The invite-a-friend page is VERY explicit that emails will be sent 2 the friends that U choose. U don’t have to send them.”
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada
The Fascination of the Internet Celebrity — Independent Marketing at its most Wacky, and a Hat Tip to the Next Big Thing
There’s nothing more inspiring than watching a man dressed in a TRON costume shake hands with Jimmy Kimmel on late night television. There, I’ve said it.
I am fascinated with Internet sensations and celebrate when they’re given the prime-time attention they deserve. My glee in watching Chris Crocker talk about his obsession with Britney Spears stems not just from my love of all things wacky, or my secret crush on Britney, but from a serious marketing perspective; these individuals have donned a costume or explored character traits using viral marketing and not only received attention but applause.
We live in a digital era, where demand far outperforms supply. As consumers, we simply can not input enough information, collective fingers weary from tapping the “refresh” button. Therefore, a pioneer of independent marketing may not have known the power he or she harnessed when they originally shot footage of their hamster turning around dramatically, and added cinema horror music.
They may not have been aware that speaking out in support of Ms. Spears could be their “big break,” and could lead to celebrity status, website advertisements and even (in the case of ObamaGirl) prime-time television appearances and endorsements.
Capitalizing on this phenomenon is Saturday Night Live alum Will Ferrell, who realized that his comedic alma mater’s short-clip format could now be utilized to entertain and capture our sometimes fleeting attention spans whenever we wanted through one free online hub. Ergo, we arrived at funnyordie.com in droves, and water cooler conversation has shifted from “did you watch Seinfeld or CSI Miami” to “have you watched The Landlord?”
The hat tip in this case goes to my favourite Internet celebrity, Brandon Hardesty. He has recently been featured on Jimmy Kimmel, but I was a fan long before his YouTube clips made their way to Late Night producers. Hardesty re-enacts classic scenes from movies, verbatim, with outstanding voice impressions, clever camera work, and his parent’s basement. I recommend his re-enactments of Clerks, Jurassic Park, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Enjoy, and please, share with others. I’ll be at the water cooler.
~ Sam Amsterdam, Account Coordinator, GCI Canada
“Akoha, a developer of real-world social games, launched a private beta of its new social reality game at the TechCrunch50 conference in San Francisco. Using mobile, Web and real-world missions to create a new form of game play, Akoha answers the question: ‘What if playing a game could make the world a better place?’”
That intriguing news was back in September, so I signed up for a Starter Kit to check it out. It’s on its way, and I am looking forward to seeing how the company translates social media into the real world. Vint Falken explains in more detail about the premise, so might as well read it there.
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada
A long title, and a very detailed breakdown of who came out on top in the electoral social media campaign.
Can we link to it? Yes, we can.
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada
[From the start, this is not a post asking for free products, just wanted to get that out there first. It’s an opinion piece, my opinion alone, not my company’s or associates’ views.]
SuzeMuse blogged about how she tells all her friends about products she likes, and that word of mouth marketing can’t be forced. I played devil’s advocate and posted a comment; here’s the edited version: “You find a product (by yourself), you like it, and so you tell all your friends. Cool. So, on the flip side, if a company searches you out and says ‘try our product, and if you like it, tell all your friends,’ then there’s only one more step there that’s different — the fact that you didn’t ‘find’ the product you liked by yourself, but a company did (by making it, and promoting it onto you). Would you not tell all your friends just to be obstinate, admit defeat that you were marketed to? Even though you may really like the product?”
Social media is all about not being used by fickle companies or brands, jumping in to push their wares onto people, and then expecting them to spread the word. I get that. But, to be fair, if a company did aproach me and ask me to try a product THAT I ENDED UP ACTUALLY LIKING then would it be so wrong to tell my friends, “Hey guys, company X asked me to try their ice cream. You know what? It’s quite good actually.” It’s their money, not mine. Maybe they do have budget to blow with no ROI? It’s their risk.
Instead of autonomously discovering a product I liked, using my own resources and time, then liking it and telling people … the extra step of doing the legwork has been taken out of the equation, and someone else found it for me. Such a bad thing? I might hate it … might even tell my friends I hate it — that’s my decision to make, not the company who offered me the product to try.
If full disclosure is included from the start, with no expectations on either side, is it still taboo? Should companies be quivering at the sidelines of social media, afraid to be direct and respectful of participants, cut to the chase and ask them to try free stuff, blog it if it’s enjoyable, don’t if not? No harm, no foul.
I think it’s better to lay the cards on the table at the start in that kind of “relationship” rather than sneak around, dropping teasing hints here and there, making people wary. Or is that not joining the conversation, but rather dominating it?
[Update: Steve Hodson has an opinion too.]
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada
I’ve got to know Christie Adams pretty well since she was an attendee at Interactive Ontario’s last lunch event. She writes regular blog posts for PR in Canada, a lot of them about social media. Her latest one brings up the issue of how to represent a brand on Twitter, a question I coincidentally posed a short while before. People are dabbling, but as far as I can tell, there’s no general consensus either way.
There’s two ways of looking at this tricky subject:
(1) Use your personal Twitter account, but stress in each tweet that you are representing the brand. Also put some info in your bio about that aspect too. Pros: You have a group of people already following you who may be able to help you with the branding, if they feel inclined to do so. You won’t have to start from scratch building up that network. Cons: Your followers may feel used, or get confused as to whether there’s a hidden agenda behind your tweets.
(2) Set up a new averagejoeATcompany Twitter account solely for that purpose. Pros: You are blatantly and transparently stating that you work for/represent that brand, so can feel free to keep the tweets very focused on achieving that aim, without worrying that your followers will misrepresent your tweets. Also, if people pay attention to your Twitter name before following you, then it should be obvious who you tweet on behalf of, so followers — although there may be fewer — will be advocates, fans, clients, customers who love you and customers who hate you who want to vent. Cons: It takes time to build up a good, solid network to get some branding love, so if the client wants immediate results … then they should possibly not be looking at social media as an option. [Which is actually a pro, as those kinds of clients then won’t muddle it for people who do get it.]
So, which side of the fence am I on? Still deciding, but leaning towards the “keep your own account and be transparent” option. Who knows? Tomorrow is another day. This kind of debate changes all the time.
As an aside, I did get an interesting response by e-mail from someone who I greatly respect, but will keep anon: “Tricky one. Hmmm. I guess it depends who you are. If you’ve already got 5,000 followers, probably stay you. Remember, your ID in Twitter is how people find you, so if you built up JohnATBrand and then quit, you’re JohnATstartingoverkindascrewed. : )”
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada
Yes, it sounds like a cute name for Paris Hilton’s latest accessory dog, but Twuffer is a service that lets you set up tweets to be sent at some time in the future. I dread to think of embargoed (still around?) press release tweets being loaded in like a shotgun to be scattered at 9 a.m. in the morning.
Or, maybe I could tweet that “hmmm, sales presentation is looking good, guy knows his stuff” knowing full well that I’m at home catching up on True Blood episodes.
I’m also curious about the privacy policy of how they use your Twitter username and password. I sent a tweet asking that question — the old-fashioned manual way of writing it and pressing Update – and will see what the response is.
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada
How did a Dutch company get a coffee shop’s freeloading students to actually buy stuff, instead of sitting around for hours sucking up the free WiFi? Brilliantly simple: they just renamed the signal. If this is not push advertising then I don’t know what is! (But feel free to let me know …)
Hat tip: AgencySpy.
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist, GCI Canada
The Protocol for Humour as Strategy
We all appreciate a good laugh, and on Saturday night, we did.
Through economic storms and squalls, riding his own political tower of terror, John McCain stepped up to the commemorative plate and knocked it out of the park. His timely address to the nation via the most-watched vehicle for political news, Saturday Night Live, was sharp, witty, ghost-written, but poignant. And as we await the countdown to today’s vote results in the U.S., one can reflect back upon McCain’s jests last Saturday and ask a bigger question: when is incorporating humour beneficial to strategic operations? Does a gecko or caveman acting like a cosmopolitan emit a bigger response than the dramatization of a real-life crisis? Who really laughs last?
Witnessing a graphic car accident on television and then seeing a logo for car insurance slowly appear on the screen to the sound of horns blaring should evoke emotions of emergency, necessity and panic aversion. However, more often than not, those commercials almost seem to blend in with each other, and I, as an example, grow tired of the endless parade of worry. I’m mildly concerned about the last time I had the oil checked, and I don’t even own a car! Focus group studies have proven that messages aren’t lost if placed in humour, and in fact, can be more effective because they’re enjoyed.
The chain of events is rather well-documented: being humorous leads to being popular; being popular (and being on television) can lead to becoming a celebrity; behavioural science indicates that celebrities play a much larger role in populous decision-making than previously imagined. Therefore make no mistake — the Geico Caveman, the Gecko sophisticate and yes, John McCain, are celebrities, and even role models. It is therefore clear that those who correlate laughter provided by these celebrities with enjoyment, and enjoyment with approval, might let their message linger in their minds.
These normative values are similar to loving what you do rather than not. When you enjoy what you do, like I do, you want to be involved and immersed, you take in messages and burn the midnight oil because it doesn’t get any better. When you don’t, effort and afterthought don’t come easily, a reason “warning” commercials, save for sharp tempo-driven ones such as the famous “this is your brain on drugs” ad, are usually skipped over.
Therefore I appreciate the effect comedic relief can bring to a campaign or to car insurance, and I’m fairly sure they know I do, too. I, like many, will send these humorous clips straight to YouTube, where they achieve ever-lasting notoriety and forever remain in the public eye, a factor of great corporate and indeed political value. In an era of downloading and Web-sharing, watching content through comedy like John McCain on SNL or the latest new commercial from Coke Zero is, shall I say, refreshing.
~ Sam Amsterdam, Account Coordinator, GCI Canada
You probably have a load of RSS feeds to get through every day in the task of keeping up and not missing out on anything. There’s an easy way to convert them into a PDF that you can read on the subway, plane or chauffeured limo (like me).
It’s called Tabbloid, it’s free, and (after a quick peek at the Whois) I think this is the guy behind it.
~ John Carson, Senior Digital Media Specialist
