OK- So Here’s What’s Happening

OK, so here’s what’s happening:

We hear noises, and it sounds like a mouse, but I don’t want it to be a mouse. I want it to be the fridge, even though that would be much more expensive. Actually, it sounds like a mouse that has gained the ability to use tiny tools, like a saw or nail gun.

So the cat comes in, which is very good of him. It’s late, and he has a busy Monday lined up. But he hears the sound too, and knows it’s a mouse. I trust him with these things. So, there must be a mouse under or in the center cupboard where we store cooking implements (note: rinse the frying pan before use).

The cat (Whoopie, a name that strikes fear in the local rodents by the way) camps out near the furniture. He’s a great hunter, but I can’t help thinking I can be of assistance. My contribution? The cheese. I saw it work in a movie once.

I say to the cat, “The cheese is for the mouse. I’ll put it here, and when the mouse comes for the cheese…BAM! you hit him on the head.”

I know he won’t hit the mouse on the head, but I thought that sounded better.

The stakeout begins. I’m off to bed.

(Yeah, catblogging. One way to get unstuck)

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Is “Social Business” Just a Buzzword? Oh, I Hope Not

My “Buzzword Radar” is oversensitive, honed over years in the PR profession, where the temptation to go the lazy route “”leading provider of robust, scalable solutions” was often too great (or driven by inexperienced managers and less sensitive clients) to resist. This is a great example of a web site from the 1st Internet bubble that had many PR pros- and most all media hacks- nodding in agreement at the same time they were burying their foreheads in their palms.

I’m a fan of plain speaking, and most of the gibberish I lay out is in the spirit of absurdist wordplay.

When people in my industry started plastering the word “social business” everywhere they could over the last several years, my buzz-dar went nuts. What could that term possibly mean? Sure, it’s two simple words put together that could have a simple explanation, but my instinct was to run far away.

However, I saw that organizations and people I trusted were latching on to “social business,” so either it had gained a respectable definition or it was simply too late. Being a cynic and a pessimist, I chose the predictable path at first.

In the past week I attended two events that referenced “Social Business” heavily. The first was the annual Society for New Communications Research (SNCR) Symposium, in a room filled with people whose intelligence I respect. I expressed my differing feelings on Twitter and got more smart responses.

From Hillary Boucher, what I dubbed an “elevator pitch:”

@mpace101 @dough #socbiz =orgs applying 2.0 web tech & cultural/org'l changes to do better biz & meet the reality of connected global market

November 3, 2011 10:21 am via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@hillaryboucher

Hillary Boucher

From my friend Rachel Happe of The Community Roundtable:

@DougH @mpace101 @hillaryboucher my definition of social business is here: http://t.co/kRRIYJCM

November 3, 2011 1:19 pm via Seesmic DesktopReplyRetweetFavorite

@rhappe

Rachel Happe

Rachel’s longer definition lives here: http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/229401355/social-business-requires-socialized-processes

Lowe's Andrew Carusone at Social Media Club

Later, I attended the Social Media Club Boston chapter meeting where the subject was, you guessed it, “Social Business.” IBM, the host, has actually co-opted the term (defining a social business as one that has engagement, transparency and speed), meaning social business has either achieved legitimacy or been consigned to the big-time corporate buzzword dustbin.

It seems, for now, to be the former. One of the evening’s featured speakers, Andrew Carusone of Lowe’s, spoke with conviction about the company’s efforts to build a “social business” (not necessarily the phrase they use), from the inside out, and the successes they have had so far. I had the chance to speak with him beforehand, and wondered aloud whether “social business” is replacing “Enterprise 2.0″ as the catchphrase. I suspect that’s a matter of semantics, as the “experts” on Quora can’t seem to decide either. Carusone himself had been happy with “E20″ as late as last year  so the I’m guessing any distinctions will be steamrolled by those not inclined to nuance.

Is “Social Business” a meaningless buzzword? It seems I can’t dismiss it. Don’t any of you all go around ruining it for everyone else. I mean it.

Posted in rant, social media | No Comments »

Social Media Top 5: Snap Judgments and Lack of Understanding

Photo by spemss on Flickr

I spoke on a few current social media topics on my monthly appearance on Media Bullseye Radio this week. I thought I would throw a few more thoughts out there. The overall theme seems to be that people judge too quickly and rely too deeply on things they don’t understand.

Snap Judgment: Chapstick on Facebook

Quick synopsis: Chapstick starts an ad campaign, some people object to the ad on the Facebook page, Chapstick deleted comments, making it worse, AdWeek calls it a “Social Media Death Spiral.”

What the hell is “Death Spiral” supposed to mean? A brand makes a mistake, people jump on them as of a single misstep will harm the company forever. I suspect something like this won’t even affect sales.

People need to count to 10 before denouncing a brand over a single mistake, especially without knowing the full background and giving the entire situation time to play out. Lots more mistakes are coming, and very few of these brands will suffer real consequences, provided the mistake doesn’t indicate a wider problem of product or company ethics (most likely this is a result of the company not empowering the social media program minders as part of the larger strategic team- but really? I don’t know). Also, many of these mistakes are dealt with or resolved in some sort of reasonable time period (and a lot of the time “reasonable time period” doesn’t mean what some social media folks pretend to know it means).

Lack of Understanding: Klout Changes Algorithm, World Ends (Again).

I was flummoxed by the reaction to Klout (“The Standard for Online Influence”) adjusting its algorithm (which it has done before) and, at the same time, affecting most everyone’s scores. The reactions (many in klout’s own blog post) revealed an ugly underworld of people desperately relying on Klout scores for business, grades, and other things that are too precious to leave in the hands of a mysterious third-party measurement.

Klout is useful in some ways, but relying on it as a sole measure of social media worth or to sell your services is– well, susceptible to the whims of whatever Klout decides to do with its mysterious algorithm.

Either/Both/Neither: Klout and Privacy?

Some friends have noted that people- some of them minors- with private Facebook accounts have shown up with Klout profiles. Is this because these people interacted publicly and Klout scraped that info to provide them with a profile? Seems likely, and it’s unclear if any terms of service or privacy laws were violated. It is, however, a reputation problem for bout Klout and Facebook, an indicator of the public nature of just about anything we post online, and brings up the question of whether it’s a violation to create accounts in absentia for people who have not (yet, presumably) joined a service? I know of no others that do this, though I suspect there may be some.

There ar elots of real issues out there in social media-land. Understanding them requires more patience than many of us are exhibiting, the wisdom to recognize the linits of tools that too many lack, and the ability to back off judgments and admit you don’t know all the facts.

Posted in social media, Social Media Top 5 | No Comments »

Social Media Top 5: The Ten Deadly Plagues of Google Plus (aka Growing Pains)

Google Plus an Afterthought?

I attended Exploring Social Media Boston last week (ok, Burlington is NOT Boston, but I hope the traveling speakers got a good tour of scenes where Paul Blart Mall Cop were shot). My thoughts on the overall event are here at the Voce Nation blog, but one thing that struck me…

With all the talk about tactics and strategy for social media, Google Plus, the hot shiny new social network, didn’t even get a mention until about 3:30 pm, an hour before the event closed (thanks, Laura Fitton, for ruining the perfect game).

One friend suggested that the lack of focus on tools was to blame for the lack of mentions. That’s fair– strategy before tools, we all say– but I also call BS on that, as Facebook, Twitter, and countless other platforms were mentioned throughout the day. Why would a bunch of social media’s smartest minds fail to mention Google Plus?

Because, when it comes to enacting social media programs, it’s not on our minds.

Yet.

I still contend that Google Plus will most likely matter. The search engine ties are too strong, Google too big, and the features (and potential features) too rich and simple to use. Facebook killer? It’s silly for anyone to say that, but I won’t say no either. I continue to preach patience.

Flickr Photo by Jonathan O'Donnell

As I pick up my own personal use of Google Plus, I am struck by the number of animated GIFs being posted. Animated GIFs? These are only thing more insipid than cat photos (being a cat owner, I’m a bit more forgiving of those). Not just a stream of animated GIFs, not a river– but a plague.

Which made me think: perhaps there are a series of plagues that Google Plus must endure before it matures; ten, maybe?

Perhaps this list is a clue- not exactly frogs, locusts, or death of first-borns, but perhaps more a set of growing pains (but nonetheless listed with the corresponding historic Plagues of Egypt):

1. Beta invites; the first stage that create a divide between the “ins” and “outs,” which Google managed to screw up in the process, denying entrance to those who had been promised access as a way of controlling the early traffic (Water)
2. Social Media “gurus” and whatnot declaring that Google + the next big thing before it has even publicly launched- to the extent that “Google + for Dummies” and “Google Plus for Business” are being written before all- or even many- of the real facts are in (Frogs)
3. Other gurus declaring Google Plus “dead” because they perceive a dip in traffic, whether that dip is real or not- again, before the product is really finished (Mosquitos)
4. Getting “circle” follows from people they have never met, from halfway around the world. Once Plus opened up to the public, people seemed to randomly follow anyone, willy nilly, confusing folks like me who know very few actual people in, say, India (Flies or Wild Animals)
5. Animated gifs (and cat photos) (Unhealable Boils)

1. Opening of business accounts; Yes, I know that’s a planned feature, but it also may be akin to the Plague of Locusts to some users. As a consultant to corporate social media programs, I am looking forward to what it may bring (Locusts)
2. Malignant virus or phishing attacks- that should be a no-brainer (Disease on Livestock)
3. Over-wrought discussions of Politics and religion, made worse by the invasion of mainstream news media outlets (Hail and Thunder)
4. A network outage – surely, that is not impossible? (Darkness)
5. Google will kill off useful and interesting products as they have in the past– will it be in the service of, or despite the success of, Plus? Google Buzz is already out the door (Death of the First-Born)

Posted in rant, social media, Social Media Top 5 | 1 Comment »

Go Ahead, Attack Each Other Online (from PodCamp Boston)

Podcamp Boston 6 is in the can- I can’t believe there have been 6 (the first occurring on the fall of 2006). As someone involved in each of these PodCamps in some form (I’m going to be like one of those old guys who has been to every SuperBowl) I have been fascinated watching the event mature from “Hey, let’s put on a (really big, with lots of people travelling to get here) show!” to a more consistent gathering of people who want to learn and converse about social media.

For my part, I decided to lead a session this year, “Culture Clash of Personal & Professional Brands, and Why It’s Necessary.” What I meant by that terribly convoluted title was that the public questioning and criticism among members of the social media community is a good thing, and discussed some of the things I make such back-and-forth valuable, such as the addition of constructive arguments coupled with the lack of intimidation against questioning someone who is popular, vs those things that aren’t, such as out and out trolling, the unexplained “Great Post!” comments, and ultra-defensiveness by those being “attacked” (and since one of my tenets is it’s ok to name names, tag Chris Brogan, you’re it).

What was awesome, is that at least one person came to the session thinking it would be more about mixing your personal and professional life online, said, so, and helped start a good discussion on that topic. Somehow, that tied in the spirit of my original topic. Bravo!

I don’t necessarily follow my own advice to the letter, but I lean toward all of us having frank and open discussions about what’s good and bad in what we are doing in our profession. So next time you see a practice or idea, say so publicly– same if you really like something. Just bring something to the table.

Now if we could only get social media d*****bags to stop posting photos of themselves speaking on their blogs. That is such obnoxious egotism. Look at that self-satisfied grin. Have at it in comments if you like.

(photo by Wayne Kurtzman on Flickr)

Posted in PodCamp, social media, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Social Media Lessons From Vacation

Yeah, right– you think there’s a “social media lesson” for everything? Get a life. Have fun once in a while. Hope those of you in the Northern Hemisphere had a chance to enjoy yourselves this summer.

Posted in social media | No Comments »

Social Media Top 5: Bad Headlines, More Google Plus Concerns and Hopes

A Bad Headline is Still Bad Journalism

When I was starting out in public relations, I helped a client, a games web site, get a nice article n the local paper. The article was indeed very positive, but the headline made a reference to gambling– something the client wanted to be very clear they were not- and it ruined the effect of the entire headline. That experience underlines the appreciation I have for the art of headline writing and the contempt I have for those who do it poorly.

This week, an even more poorly-written headline may have  had a worse effect- it likely spawned a number of false stories and a lot of bad information on Twitter and (fittingly) Facebook. The story? M.C. Siegler’s TechCrunch article “One Year Later, Facebook Killing Off Places…To Put Location Everywhere.” The problem? It was a great, informative article about how Facebook is changing its location feature, Places, to be more deeply ingrained in the service. Even the URL simply, helpfully reads “facebook_location_tagging.” In trying to grab attention, the headline led lots of people to assume that Places was being killed off– and that Foursquare had won the location-based services battle.

I don’t know if Siegler wrote the headline or an editor did, but what a colossally bad move.

Kudos to Brian Carter for being among the people to point out that no, Facebook is not killing Places.

Posted in social media, Social Media Top 5 | 1 Comment »

Pan-Mass Challenge 2011 – Done!

Two short weeks ago, I finished my fourth Pan-Mass Challenge. As always it is a great, well-run event, a 2-day ride to Provincetown to raise money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (you can still sponsor my ride here: http://bit.ly/2011pmc).

What was special about this year?

• The last year was a tough one for cancer in our families. Last September my father-in-law, John Perkins, passed away from cancer, and then on May 14, I lost my own father. I always held the PMC cause dear, but this year it was more than just a bike ride.
• Sponsors were as generous as ever, having donated more than $7,500 (so far) in support of my ride. More impressive, I had a record number of  sponsors this year, which means even more than the amount.
• I tried something different this year; I took on a “shirt sponsor,” Helmtops. They sent me this great jersey that I wore on Day 2, and along the route I stopped on occasion to hand out some helmtops (decorations for children’s helmets) when I saw a kid with a bike cheering us on. Special thanks to all sponsors, but I wanted to single out Helmtops out for making this effort, on top of their ongoing support of the many children’s PMC rides.

• More photos on Flickr:

• I also took video, as usual. This year I used a Contour HD Camera, which I found easier to use than the Flip and Kodak cameras I employed in previous years. In fact, the reason this post is two weeks after the event is that I wanted to find the time to edit down this tribute to the wonderful people who come out to cheer the riders all along the route- even on the Bourne Bridge at 5:30 am.

• In all, what a great event! We even managed to avoid the rain on Cape Cod on Day 2 (well, while we were riding at least). It’s great to have the long ride behind me, but the fight against cancer continues; if you have yet to sponsor my ride, we are collecting donations through October 1 at http://bit.ly/2011pmc- and again, Thank You!

Posted in Cycling, Pan-Mass Challenge | No Comments »

Personal Brands at Companies Solved; What Everyone Needs is a BJ

Periodically, I have mentioned “Personal Brand” on this blog. It’s a controversial term, partly because the idea of having a personal brand brings with it the danger of putting your ego in front of anything else of value you do. Of course it doesn’t have to be that bad, but I understand the concern. The person I most associate with the debate over personal brand is Geoff Livingston, who has written largely disparagingly about it in the past, though I have found in disagreeing with him that our differences are largely semantic. It takes a su of individuals to make the social web go around, just as any company is the sum of its individual employees.

As I was reading through Geoff’s latest book, “Welcome to the Fifth Estate,” there was a mention of Personal Brand again, along with the dilemmas it brings for corporate social media programs. How can a company let an individual voice the corporate social media channels? Can a person with a peculiarly individual voice truly represent the brand? Will there be clashes of egos? What if that person leaves after becoming so identified with the brand?

As I saw the mention go by, I suddenly thought of an “ism” I had long referred to when contemplating the passing of any torch. It, of course, is the “Trapper John/BJ” effect, referring to the characters from the television show M*A*S*H. The TV show, based on a popular movie, itself based on a notable novel, revolved around two central characters: Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John McIntyre. Fans of the movie could hardly imagine the show continuing without one of these stalwarts, right?

Well, actor Wayne Rogers, who played Trapper John, left after three seasons (the TV series ran for eleven years). Trapper’s replacement? B.J. Hunnicutt. While B.J. was hardly the same character, he filled the same role, brought his own traits to it, and the show continued seamlessly, continuing to thrive. Not only that, but other major characters were replaced as well: Col. Henry Blake left at the same time to be replaced by Col Potter, and M*A*S*H patsy Major Frank Burns eventually departed as well, in a similar manner to that in the film, to be replaced as a foil for Hawkeye and BJ by Major Charles Winchester.

Too many details (Hey, I was a big fan), but the point is: the entity remained whole, even with some very identifiable – and seeming irreplacable- individual parts changing.

As for social media in corporations, the worry that a standout personality will risk crippling social media efforts when that person leaves should not be a worry at all. A company just needs a succession plan, and then someone to be the successor.

Every company needs a B.J.

Posted in social media | 5 Comments »

Social Media Top 5: Gawn Fishun’ (Google Plus) and Social Media Whores

“I’ve Moved to Google +”

I know I keep thinking I’m going to stop posting about Google +, but this annoys me a lot; people announcing they have left Facebook for Google Plus. I didn’t know it was a choice, and the market will lead individuals, not the other way around, no matter how popular the individuals.

If I see this image as a Facebook avatar, what am I supposed to do? If your hope is that I will drop everything and go to Google Plus, you are mistaken. That’s extra clicks, man! Entice me to come over somehow, ask me to try it out and add it to my social media daily flow, but don’t tell me to change just for you, especially when I’m already on Facebook.

Either you’re on Facebook or you’re not. Why even bother letting people know? Abandoning Facebook should mean you are gone altogether, shouldn’t it? As a social media professional, I can’t condone pulling up stakes when the new shiny social network comes along. However, I have been seeing a bunch of these images for avatars lately– so I’m on Facebook, I need to go to Google Plus to engage with you? How about I stay on Facebook and ignore you while you play on your (for now) deserted island? I, of course, play around on Google Plus – it’s my job to know how it works.

As for the avatar, why not just put up a “Gawn fishun’” sign?

On the Other Hand, I Found the Perfect Killer App for Google Plus…

…Cat Pictures! The integration with Google’s Android* operating system means I can share my mobile photos on Google Plus without doing any work– all photos appear in my online account automatically, and I choose, click and share. Cat pictures, here we come! Now, once people actually get on to Plus and start using it, it’ll be really cool.

(*Now I know how it felt to be one of those arrogent Apple fanboy jerks, smugly showing off their proprietary iPhone features to the unwashed. Don’t worry, Macolytes, Google will figure out the iPhone integration. Someday.)

See? Cat pictures like this I posted to Google Plus with one click:

And grasshopper pictures too!

Who ReTweeted Me

I don’t write about every little tool out there, and there are many free tools as useful and worthy as Hubspot’s Who ReTweeted Me. It’s handy as a quick analysis of links you share on Twitter– who ReTweeted them, how many followers they have, etc. I’ve been fooling around with it.

The part that’s making many of us giggle, though, is the URL: www.whoretweetedme.com (look closely if you’re not laughing- or appalled- yet). I suspect Hubspot did this on purpose as a secret research experiment to gauge the maturity level of social media marketers. I think the results of such a study would be damning.

New Candidate for Worst Infographic Ever

I have whined in this blog before about terrible infographics– ones that make us scroll down the page (why?) try to convey too much information at once (why?!?) and pack in so many visual elements that they induce migraines and seizures (WHY?!!?!??!). An idle web search turned up what may be the worst of them all (though I’m not sure the site that posted it thought it was so bad– why?). Who on earth thought this was helpful? And can anyone tell me what this infographic is supposed to impart? I passed out a quarter of the way through…

Since You Made it This Far, #5 is Easy:

Another Google Plus photo: (single) rainbow! From my son’s baseball game:

Posted in Social Media Top 5 | 2 Comments »