communication. community. cognition.
Marketing
Clout is in the Eye of the Beholder
Oct 28th
Clout is an important thing to have.
Klout can be a fun thing to have.
Clout is the ability to influence, and get things done.
Klout purports to be a measure of your online influence.
Presumably, the more Clout you have in real life, the more Klout you’ll have online. And just like in real life, it turns out that we’re all influential in different things.
(Post now updated to include video)
On Jobs
Oct 6th
The following my piece from a larger compilation of thoughts by the authors at Social Media Explorer.
The History of Steve Jobs will forever be clouded by the Mystery of Steve Jobs.
He will go down as an irreplaceable force of creative vision, and years from now, people will still be wondering what would have happened if he’d just been given a few more years. In doing so, they will miss the truth about the man.
- His professional achievements were a product of his desire to finish. He knew his health better than anyone, and has known for years that his days were few. He ought to be celebrated for maximizing that time, and bringing so many projects to completion.
- His “secret sauce” is not unique. His Mystique was. Steve Jobs the Persona was bulletproof and undefeated, capable of turning imagination into reality like no one since Walt Disney. Steve Jobs the man was just like everyone else, with one exception: a gift for self-actualization — being able to squeeze the most out of the available resources, and not stopping until the cup was filled to overflowing. He made a lot of money through the merchandising of products and services, but what he really sold was The Illusion of Completeness. You bought from Apple because of your belief in him that nothing more could be done, that each parcel was a pinnacle. And next year, with cheaper parts and faster processors, that pinnacle was moving higher and you weren’t Complete until you had upgraded as well.
The biggest irony of his passing is the true vulnerability of Apple. The better he did at inculcating the above qualities in the rest of Apple culture, the more people there looked up to him. Which makes his passing even more acute in perception than it is in reality. “Apple” will be just fine, but it will never be Jobs’ Apple again. (Another pitfall of Personal Branding.)”
TV Catching Up to Me?
May 19th
About a year and a half ago, I put forward the novel idea that cable and satellite providers needed to step up their offerings. Shows are increasingly becoming commodities, and there are other ways to access them, in whole or just the good parts.
Now, it looks like DirecTV is taking that first step. A new feature will link the DVR to Facebook and Twitter accounts, allowing you to share what you are watching and recording with your circle of friends.
Not quite the same as uploading clips, social sharing, and the resulting ad revenue generation. But it is a start.
(Given the number of social services starting the develop around the fringe of the viewing experience, like IntoNow and GetGlue, the window for that first step is rapidly closing.)
Expect to see even more convergence.
Milestones and Slime Trails
Dec 27th
A snail climbs up the inside of a well at a pace of three inches a day, but when it sleeps at night it slides down two inches. How many days will it take to reach the top of a four-foot wall?
Listen to: Milestones and Slime Trails
Here I am, almost four years after joining Twitter, on the precipice of 6,000 followers… More >
Are We Out of Ideas?
Dec 9th
Have we gone as far as we can?
I like Zappos. Great company, great service, and innovative in its business model.
But how much of its innovation is proof of Social Media Manifest Destiny, and how much is peculiar to the personality of founder Tony Hsieh?
Mad Libs Rhetoric
Dec 8th
Tell me what you think about this:
Septic tank cleaning has really taken off in the past few years because companies are seeing value in becoming closer to their sustainability and self-reliance.
Companies are looking for feedback, ideas, and to provide support to their septic tanks in order to increase loyalty and satisfaction, as well as attract new customers. Read Waste Web listed “solid waste management” as one of the top trends for 2010, and it’s not a surprise.
Back in 2007, I assumed one of the first waste management roles in a Fortune 500 company, right after DELL hired professional waste managers to rebuild their tarnished brand after the famous “Lost in Austin” incident.
As a septic engineer, it was essential that I played several roles, including being a recruiter of new members (marketing the facilities), keeping the content fresh and creative, and moderating.
There are several septic engineers that have done an excellent job growing and retaining their business, and turning them into evangelists. Ike Pigott and Geoff Livingston are examples of successful community managers, who used their personal brand to support their clients.
Divergence? Surely You Can’t Be Serious
Dec 2nd
I am serious, and stop calling me Shirley.
That line became a part of the culture a generation ago, and some might argue it was popular enough to still be recognized before the recent death of Leslie Nielsen. What you may not know is how much of a landmark that line (and the genre of humor around it) truly had become.
