More companies are Listening well before they speak

Companies now see that they have to go where the people are, but in this media, you have to be aware of what you are saying, I suggest you Listen for several months before you even say hello. Eric Frazier from the Charlotte Observer

As social networks like Facebook and Twitter keep broadening their reach and influence, they’re taking socially savvy entrepreneurs and companies along for the ride.

Few examples have been as conspicuous in Charlotte as social media consultant Jason Keath and Social Fresh, the social networking conference he first put on in Charlotte a year ago. The one-day event, geared toward teaching corporate marketers how to navigate social networks, has proven so popular that it’s expanded to Tampa, Nashville, St. Louis and other cities.

It returned to Charlotte for its second year on Monday, with a daylong series of panel discussions and speakers at the University Hilton. Keath said it attracted 305 attendees – the most ever for the conference. “Charlotte is our home market,” he explained. “It’s our first repeat city, and so we’ve got a built-in audience.”

He structured this year’s conference to be less of a Social Media 101-type gathering and more of an opportunity for corporate social media types to learn how to push into more complex social media strategies and campaigns.

“We really want to improve the social media community,” he said during his opening remarks. “I want companies to take more chances… and to take more chances you really have to have confidence in what you’re doing.”

But, as fretful corporate executives everywhere realize, one rash Twitter or Facebook post can provoke the kind of backlash that takes weeks, months or even years to beat back. More and more companies are jumping onto social media “because that’s where all the people are,” but then they find themselves dealing with problems when the natives don’t always react in the ways companies hope or expect them to.

Bert Dumars of Newell Rubbermaid, the household products manufacturer, used Einstein Bros. bagels as an example. He said, in a presentation, that Einstein brought in 300,000 new Facebook fans in one week with a free bagel giveaway. But now, he said, many of the messages on the company’s Facebook page come from spammers, or from people who are simply asking for more coupons for free bagels.

“My biggest (piece of) advice when you’re starting out is don’t go too fast,” he said. “Growing fast does not equal growing well.”

Amber Naslund of the social media monitoring firm Radian 6 gave a keynote address in which she said the social web has revolutionized the way companies do business. Customers routinely shoot messages to companies via Facebook or Twitter, and increasingly, they expect immediate response. She called listening to those networks “answering the new telephone” that customers prefer using.

“While it is a challenge, there’s unprecedented opportunity,” she said. “And while it might sound a little dramatic, you’re witnessing history – business history.”

Big & mean but can they take down FourSquare

The long-rumored geolocation "check-in" feature at Facebook is slated to debut within weeks, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNET.

It’s going to take the form of an application programming interface (API) for third-party companies on the Facebook developer platform, integrating existing "check-in" start-ups more deeply into the massive social-networking service and in turn permitting location-aware data to become a part of existing platform applications.

Facebook declined to provide much detail. "We are working on location features and product integrations, which we’ll be launching in the coming months, and we’ll share more details when appropriate," spokesman Larry Yu told CNET.

Among developers, too, Facebook is still being tight-lipped regarding the exact nature of the service; the API work has not yet been finalized, though one source in the developer community said that engineers at Facebook "are building it out hard-core" at the moment. Another source hinted that the internal development deadline may be as early as next week, but that Facebook has not been clear about whether this will be reached on time or extended.

At least one start-up in the geolocation space was told by a Facebook insider that it might want to think about changing the language of a thumbs-up type of feature to "like," possibly preparing for integration of Facebook’s ubiquitous "like" buttons.

Sources say that Facebook has partnered with Localeze, the local-search company that powers Twitter’s "Places" directory–which lets Twitter users attach a location to their tweets if they are posting from a location-enabled device–to provide a business directory infrastructure for the forthcoming geolocation product.

"We cannot comment on any future deals, however can say that we anticipate having a few significant social announcements in the coming weeks/month," a Localeze representative told CNET via e-mail.

Additionally, a recent minor acquisition on Facebook’s part may turn out to be integral to its geolocation plans. Earlier this summer, Facebook acquired a second-tier "check-in" service called Hot Potato, which focused on letting members check into events rather than locations. That acquisition has closed with a final price tag of about $10 million, the lion’s share of it going to founder Justin Shaffer. Facebook’s interest in the New York-based Hot Potato, specifically Shaffer’s product management talent, goes back quite some time. Sources told CNET that Facebook had originally approached the start-up as early as March about a potential acquisition.

Shaffer did not respond to a request for comment.

The Hot Potato product will almost certainly be shut down, and Shaffer is relocating from New York to work in Facebook’s San Francisco Bay Area headquarters, sources said. One source said that Shaffer, who obviously was quite the expensive "hire" for Facebook, may have a crucial role in the forthcoming geolocation product. But multiple sources also hinted that, given Hot Potato’s focus on checking specifically into events, he may also be charged with revamping Facebook’s own event listing and invitations product. It’s possible that it could work both ways, and that Facebook Events would be one of the existing Facebook features into which geolocation would integrate first.

It’s been known for quite some time that Facebook wanted to capitalize on the growing phenomenon of geolocations and "check-ins," to the extent that onlookers were surprised when the social network didn’t announce a geolocation product at its F8 developer conference this spring. Start-ups like Foursquare, Loopt, and Gowalla were getting the press, not big players like Facebook or Google (whose Latitude location-sharing platform hasn’t become much of a sensation). Since then, Foursquare has begun to pull away from the competition and make inroads into bringing the check-in market from the early-adopter crowd to the mainstream, and Twitter’s geotagged tweets have been live for months now, too.

It should be noted that Facebook also expressed interest in outright acquiring Foursquare, as was well-reported amid the media frenzy over whether Foursquare would raise another round of funding or would sell to a prospective suitor–namely Facebook or Yahoo. (It opted for the venture funding in a round led by venture firm Andreessen Horowitz.) One source told CNET that Facebook offered Foursquare $120 million; Foursquare asked for about 25 percent more than that and Facebook walked away from the negotiations.

There are, of course, complications, which leave the geolocation- and local-services start-up community with plenty of questions about how much of their data they will have to share with Facebook if they tap into the new APIs. And additionally, Facebook’s tendency to garner bad press with regard to privacy may make some of them wary of getting involved.

But it’s likely that they will have little choice. Facebook is the biggest force in the social Web by far, and it’s about to be the biggest force in geolocation, too.

This post was updated at 3:29 p.m. PT with comment from Localeze.

Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos.

via Facebook’s Foursquare competitor is imminent | The Social – CNET News.

Stroking the SuperMe

You must be truthful, but accentuating the positive and leaving out the negative is what we all do daily anyway. So why would your social Profile be any different.

Georgina Laidlaw explains this very well in her article on Webworkerdaily.com Stroking the SuperMe: Targeting Brand and Product from a Social Perspective and takes it a step further into the corporate environment. Which hearkens back to what good old advertising was anyway. A message with words and images meant to persuade. Social Media isn’t as far away from advertising as we like to think. With Corporations getting into the game it’s just being repackaged.

The Social Aspect allows it to be commented on and will hopefully keep the message honest. See how many corporate sites you can find on Facebook that are genuinely different than their advertising!

Stroking the SuperMe: Targeting Brand and Product from a Social Perspective.

I’ve tried not to let my fears control my life. I take a rational approach and think it through. Think of the dangers involved. Think about all the things I’ve heard about someone getting hurt or killed doing what ever it is. And lastly I use the Google test. When my son was young he was afraid that a Shark would come out of the Toilet and bite him. Well I said “lets go look it up on Google and see if a Shark has indeed swam up the pipes of someones house and bitten there bum”. Well, we found no such luck and proceed back to the bathroom where I just happened to have on hand. One shot down the toilet and we were good.

It proves that most of our fears are unfounded, we get wrapped up in the “What Ifs”. I’m not saying your fears aren’t real, they are very real, but the odds of most of them happening are slim and none.

Walking on the bridge showed me that. Luckily I was calm enough to film my self on the way back across. The way over was a little more shaky and my stomach was lifted up into my chest as if to get as far away from the ground as possible.

So, if you haven’t gotten into Social Media because you are afraid of Computers, Technology, just don’t understand it or whatever reason, we’ll walk you through it. Millions have gone before you so it can’t be that hard– right!

Breaking up is hard to do, especially in the age of the internet. How can you really avoid her when there’s Facebook, Twitter and all the rest of it? With the new Ex-Blocker plugin, that’s how.

The Ex-Blocker is a plugin for Firefox and Chrome that literally filters your ex out of the internet for you. Simply feed it their first and last names, their Twitter username, their Facebook profile info and their blog URL, and it takes care of the rest. Sure, photos can slip through the cracks, I’m sure. And you’ll have to set up an email filter yourself if you want to cut off contact completely.

But this might just stop you from seeing that picture of the one person who used to love you that would remind you that your time with them was the best days of your life that you will never, ever get back because you are stupid and selfish and fucked up badly in a way that is completely irreparable. And that would be, like, a total downer. [Ex-Blocker via Motherboard.tv]

Send an email to Adam Frucci, the author of this post, at adam@gizmodo.com.

iPhone 4 is better than Chocolate!

Ok, I could stand to loose a few pounds. But Steve Jobs, you did it again! You made another great phone. But with the antenna reception issues and the answer being “You’re holding it wrong!” There is another issue. Holding your iPhone 4 while on “FaceTime” application can make you fat!

While using the “FaceTime” app for the second time my friend Craig , who I’ve known for many years, said “Wow! Did you gain weight?”  I was like “Well maybe a little” but I am 6ft & 220lbs.  As I looked at him He looked great and my little picture looked terrible.

That’s when I realized that I was holding the iPhone well under my chin and looking down at it.  Naturally having a turtle neck my self it made me look like “Jabba the Hutt”.  So I lifted the phone up and looked directly into it and … much better.  Holding it above my face and looking up at arms length made me look even better (a trick used by people to make them look thin while taking their own profile shot).

As you can see by my Illustration the Camera on the iPhone 4 has a different field of view and will distort your face.  In my case making me look like Jabba.

So thank you Craig for alerting me to that (can’t wait to call you fat), and I’ll hold my iPhone higher from now on.  If you would like to have a FaceTime conversation on your new iPhone 4, then Call me! Curt @ (704) 962-5770 I’ll be happy to chat. Just make sure that you are on a WiFi connection, or it won’t work.

At&T has a 3G network, though fast, not fast enough.  Sprint has a 4G network and similar applications on the Android HTC do work on 4G.  The 4G wireless network is almost comparable to DSL & Cable (depending on many factors).   At&t are you Listening?

Another trick to make your double chin go away in photos is to press your tongue against the roof of your mouth.  Check it out in the mirror it really works.

Photoshop your Face...Sort of!

During a vigorous day connecting on social media a few months ago I met Elaine Greenberg owner of Ageless Remedies. She asked me what I thought about a Facebook FanPage  for her Medical Spa Business.  Her concerns arose from people not wanting to admit they had “Work Done”.

Most businesses have a two groups of clients.  It’s the 80/20 Rule: 80% of your revenue will come from 20% of your clients, the other 20% of revenue will come from the remaining 80%.  The trick is to convert customers to loyal repeat customers.  There are many ways to do this with loyalty programs, punch cards, referral programs, weekly specials, and on and on.

As most of you have learned by now, true social mediates are very loyal and very talkative.  So it’s a natural for them to promote your product or service and this is where it matters to Elaine and her company.   Ageless Remedies caters primarily to women who have procedures performed they generally don’t want anyone to know about. I rarely see a posting about the wonderful chemical peel or the removal of facial veins in any-one’s daily update.

However,  women do share places that they’ve “heard of” that are good.  This is where a Facebook FanPage is an ideal platform for any company that has plenty of positive content to post. Many personal services can benefit; Spas, Plastic Surgery, Hair Restoration, Weight Loss, Smoking Cessation or any number of companies that help people improve their self image. Association with these type FanPages used to be thought of as a negative, however if your page is rich with content, then it is just a trusted information source.  And sure, some people will say “I thought she had some work done” but don’t we all notice that and just secretly wish we could change a few things about our selves?  My position on this is that it does more to promote your business than hurt it.  And for those who are hesitant – they will simply not friend (or like or share or what ever FB is calling it this week) your page — no harm done.

And the proof — Ageless Remedies Facebook Fanpage has 236 fans and rising.  They provide excellent content, get lots of followers posts, are able to show store hours, specials, and Facebook Only FanPage specials to encourage and track new customers.  The content is informative, exciting and trendy.  I recommend checking it out not only for it’s style and promotion, but they are a very good Spa and Elaine has posted her before and after pictures which truly show there miraculous capabilities.  ( Err…..Elaine, not sure if I owe you an apology or not) but she looks marvelous.

The word of mouth advertising that is generated through Social Media especially for products/services is so much more compelling than any paid advertising medium.  She has done a very fine job promoting her business and in these hard times is having one of her best years ever!

A little about Elaine:
I took to Elaine instantly because witty and charming New Yorker personality and her entrepreneurial spirit –  that binds all entrepreneurs together.   Charlotte is funny that way,  it attracts some of the best and brightest people from all over, but the New Yorkers stand out because of how they embrace the southern hospitality.  They seem to acclimate instantly.  She had great ideas and wasn’t afraid to try them.  Some failed and some worked, but it was her tenacity and resilience that shown so brightly.

We talked about all sorts of promotion ideas and  eventually settled on social media.  This is  my  “Shameless Plug” portion, but she commended me on my broad background in traditional media and quality of national accounts that I had worked on and saw the natural progression into social media.  Many professionals in social Media today have a very limited background.  What they see as powerful and important is simply advertising 101 to those with almost 30 years experience in the field.  And I’d have to agree with her, because communications meant to persuade are basically the same in any media.

So don’t be afraid to open up your business to Social Media and s FanPage is a great way to generate a loyal following even if you feel that it may be a touchy subject.  Face book even has 313 Fans on the Erectile Dysfunction page.  I guess things are looking up!

[slideshare id=2608372&doc=fancyfacebookfanpages-astepbystepguide-091129135837-phpapp02]

Nope! - No Video!

Every phone has a video camera, almost every computer has one as well, but why are we so camera-shy. Yes there is YouTube, and blogs and Video posts and Webinars and on and on, but why is the average person so hesitant to get on their web cam.

And as you may guess I’ve several ideas about why people shy away from the spotlight. it’s one thing to post a stupid video on YouTube, just to be intentionally funny. But Remember back to when you were a kid and someone handed you a microphone. Either one on a PA system, or on a tape recorder and told you “It’s on!” What was your first reaction. Remarkably most people make an intentional stupid noise or voice or whatever. The point being that they take the opportunity to look stupid intentionally. Thereby having an out if anyone might rate them as being “goofy”! The answer is that “I was trying to!” And that’s your alibi.

If you intended to be “weird” then you succeeded. However, who ever says anything intelligent or of worth? No one. Because we have a fear of failure.

That is one major reason that people do not use video chat casually, because they don’t want to be seen as trying their best to be “professional”, “normal” call it what you will. But they are afraid of looking bad to others.

That’s why it’s easier to act in character than to try to act in a normal role. because your character is just that, a character that you have made up, a “Caricature” of the character you portray.

So to bring it back around, most people just don’t like to video chat. Associates, friends, family, anyone. Oh, well there is the porn industry, but again, they are playing a role so they have a scapegoat. And they are ,in their minds, providing a service.

And the new pastime of “Chat Roulette” , which could actually be fun, but I would imagine it’s for the uninhibited. But to us normal folk who have always been told that the camera adds 20 lbs we are terrified.

We all wanted a Video phone 20 years ago, and now that we have them, do the Grand kids talk to the grand parents….mine don’t and both have the capability. But neither have the time or find some way to avoid it. You can pick up the phone looking anyway you want and with a slight grimace you can put on a happy face (in your voice) even if you have strep and 102 temp. But some calls on a video phone and immediately your chat goes to “away” like that isn’t just a total diss!

I’ve a few friends that will chat any time, they are guys and I’ve known them for years. One hit me on Ichat and was leaning into his camera real close. (Unusual for this VP of almost every Large internet company I could name) And Giddy! Turns out he was on Ichat on an Airbus flight from LA that had inflight WiFi. He was smiling and whispering, I said “speak up” and he Shooshed me — then held his laptop up so I could see the 50 rows of people behind him on a Wide body plane with isles R&L. I saw a few people look up, one waved and then he brought it back down and we talked about the speed and clarity.

But for the most part I think most of us would rather not be on stage at the whim of anyone with a mouse who clicks on us. I my self don’t mind. If you want to video chat then add me to your iChat or AIM using curtrbuthman@me.com. Although you might have to email me and let me know you want to chat because I don’t keep it open as often as I should, unless I want to reach out or am working on a project and collaborating with someone.

And speaking of that, why is that so difficult and or expensive. In Ichat you can talk, text and share your screen, even let the other person drive from their desk on your screen. It’s great for working on projects or showing someone how to do something on-screen and the voice works the entire time. But being able to go cross-platform requires an advanced IEEE degree. Yes I can do it, but I won’t go into what that takes here.

I’d like to hear why you don’t (or why you do) embrace video chat/interactivity.

I’ve had three people in the last week tell me that they just don’t “get twitter”.

And honestly, I didn’t either for about the first year. I was following my friends, and watched their antics, but somehow felt empty. Like why do I hear all sorts of buzzing about this?

Well it wasn’t until someone showed me a few use full tools and strategies that I “Got it”! Now I use Twitter for many things.

First lets define what it is. Twitter is micro blogging. Just 140 characters at a time, which has cause me to compress ideas very carefully so that I get the complete message in there with out someone just reading that one post and having no idea what I’m saying.

First off, I never go to my twitter page. Since I set it up and created a background, I’ve hardly been there. That’s because it just shows the last 15 or so people I’ve followed and not much else. it’s a snapshot of the last-minute.

So I found TweetDeck. with this nifty app that works on both PC & mac (&iPhone) you can sort out exactly what you are looking for. You have your Favorites, Direct Messages, Mentions and as many search terms as you want.

Now you say, “Gee Curt that is some really cool stuff — but I’m still not getting it.” Well suppose you are in the Direct Marketing business. You’re a consultant and you help companies put together their advertising campaigns. Here is another useful online tool called search.twitter.com.

You start by doing a little prospecting. Enter some key words until you start to find something that looks interesting. I searched Direct Marketing and found several pages of people around the world with a mention of Direct Marketing.

So I got to the advanced feature and look up the same words “Direct Marketing” but this time I give it a location (Charlotte, NC) and a 50 mile radius. I also add in a time frame to include the last week.. In addition I’m able to choose an attitude, Positive, negative or asking a question. I chose the later 2.

I find “TaraMonique” who is a Business Mentor, cellphone junkie and avid internet marketer. I notice she has 1,934 followers and she is following 1,509. So I decide to follow her, and then I can see the folks who are following her.

Now you have a platform to go on. Personally I look for faces, not logos, I then read their short profile and dismiss those who do not fit my target. But I do within 30 minutes find 8 people who look notable. and I add them to a “Watch” list in tweet deck, just to make sure that they are active and have relevant things to say.

After you find someone of interest, then Google them, see if they show up in other places. Yes if feels like stalking, but you are trying to find out as much as you can. And if they have a linked in account, then you have hit pay-dirt, because running down the side of their profile is a list of people who viewed not only his profile, but others. and that is where you can expand that search.

There are many ways to use twitter and that is only one. I’ll be writing more about some of the useful tools. and there are plenty.