Being able to measure influence or activity on Twitter is a really big problem.
Brands spend lots of money, in form of hours, interacting with people on Twitter. Of course, they like to have something to show for that investment so there is a need to measure that activity and determine some type of ROI.
I'm not going to get into the whole ROI of social media debate but I'm going to say this right now:
Measuring activity and influence on Twitter is hard because it's just like trying to measure how somebody works a room at a networking event.
I believe that it is best to use a combination of quantitative and qualitative data.
Here's why:
Looking at number of followers and or following can be misleading.
Klout score can be misleading.
Reach-type numbers can be misleading.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Why you need to support your local library
![[NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY]](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3156/2987740376_924d104928_m.jpg)
Image by George Eastman House via FlickrIn 2011, I hear people talking about books more than I can ever remember. Books in the iPad, audio books on Audible, books in the Kindle, but what I don't hear people talking about is the public library.
The reality is that your public library is much more than books but here are some reasons why you need to visit and support your public libraries.
It's convenient: Most libraries have a system that lets you reserve books online and have them delivered to your local branch. You get an email when the book is ready and all you have to do is go in and pick it up. At the library nearest to my apartment, I can even check books out without waiting in line. It takes only a few minutes.
It's cheap: Given the number of books that I read each year, if I was to buy them all, I'd probably be out close to $500. My library lets me read as many books as I can handle - for free.
It's digital: That's right, it's not just physical materials anymore. Chances are your local library has a digital collection of movies, ebooks and music that you can download.
I would also like to mention that your local library might also carry software. Computers for Communities, I non-profit that I volunteer with, recently donated 10 copies of Ubuntu to the Ottawa Public Library.
Visit your library and let me know what you think...
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
What I've been reading
Here's a few quick reviews of what I've been reading lately:
Gary Vaynerchuk "Crush It"
Scott Stratten's "UnMarketing"
I had to wait on this book at the library for about six months, so it was certainly a book I was looking forward to reading it once it came in.
If the title didn't give it away, this book is really all about relationship management. Like Joe Jaffe,Stratten is a firm believe that "retention is the new acquisition" and that your business needs to find a way to connect with consumers in a human way and then turn them into customers.
What's really great about this book is that Scott shares his own experiences, including the mistakes, and what he's learned. The book has lots of short chapters and is written a really no-nonsense way that I really enjoyed.
Worth your time, for sure.
Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson's "Rework"
Imagine a workplace where you don't have meetings, you don't waste your time writing documents that nobody ever reads and you are able to leave at 5pm. Welcome to the world of 37Signals and "Rework", and much of the book can be read at that link.
Cover of Rework
37Signals is known primarily for its work on Basecamp, a simple and easy to use project management program. Based on the experience with that product and many others, Jason and David have cataloged everything they have learned into this short, but awesome, book.
I am not entirely sure that everyone is ready for the knowledge that is contained in this book because many of the recommendations are fairly radical but it will certainly get you thinking about how you and your office works and ways you could be more productive.
Gary Vaynerchuk "Crush It"
Scott Stratten's "UnMarketing"
I had to wait on this book at the library for about six months, so it was certainly a book I was looking forward to reading it once it came in.
If the title didn't give it away, this book is really all about relationship management. Like Joe Jaffe,Stratten is a firm believe that "retention is the new acquisition" and that your business needs to find a way to connect with consumers in a human way and then turn them into customers.
What's really great about this book is that Scott shares his own experiences, including the mistakes, and what he's learned. The book has lots of short chapters and is written a really no-nonsense way that I really enjoyed.
Worth your time, for sure.
Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson's "Rework"
Imagine a workplace where you don't have meetings, you don't waste your time writing documents that nobody ever reads and you are able to leave at 5pm. Welcome to the world of 37Signals and "Rework", and much of the book can be read at that link.
Cover of Rework37Signals is known primarily for its work on Basecamp, a simple and easy to use project management program. Based on the experience with that product and many others, Jason and David have cataloged everything they have learned into this short, but awesome, book.
I am not entirely sure that everyone is ready for the knowledge that is contained in this book because many of the recommendations are fairly radical but it will certainly get you thinking about how you and your office works and ways you could be more productive.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Why everybody needs to see stand up comedy at least once
A few days ago, I finally made it out to a comedy night at Yuk Yuk's in Ottawa. I was with a few other friends to see Brian Alkerton and a bunch of other stand up comedians as part of "locals night".
I have always wanted to see a live stand up comedy show and I was really excited. Oddly enough, I found that I learned a few things that led me to realize that everyone needs to go to see a comedy night at least once. Here's why:
1) Everyone needs to laugh
Forget about the health benefits of laughing for a moment and realize that we often take ourselves way to seriously. Also, it's been a fairly heavy week with the earthquake in Japan and nuclear aftermath. It really felt good to get out and put everything else aside for a while and be swept up in the contagious laughter of a room full of people that have come together to have a good time. Laughing makes you feel like you're alive, and during times like theses, that's something to celebrate.
2) Getting over your fears
I can only imagine the courage it takes a comedian to get up on stage. In many cases, they are speaking about their own lives and letting us take a peak into their inner thoughts and anxieties. The act of exposing your inner-most self is never easy to do and I couldn't help but tell myself "If they muster the courage to do that, then you can surely summon the courage to tackle a few things that you are scared of". Watching comedians helps you realize that in order to push yourself forward, you need to take risks.
3) Always look on the bright side
There were a number of comics that spoke very openly (and often in an extremely humorous way) about their problems and/or shortcomings. In some cases, the source of their material was extremely heartbreaking. What was amazing was that these comics were able to see enough humor in the situation that they seemed to be able to turn it into something positive. We could all learn from this and stop letting the bad things in our lives hold us down or hold us back. Instead why not try to see the bright side and turn something negative into something positive.
4) Do something new
I believe that most people have a very narrow list of things to do in their spare time. They go to dinner, go for a walk, go to a movie and then go home. Everyone once and a while, find your local even listings and randomly pick something you wouldn't normally do and see what happens. You might learn something new, meet some cool people or have your thoughts expanded. Going to a comedy night certainly did this for me!
Have you ever been surprised by what you've learned from attending a random event?
Friday, March 11, 2011
I'm bored and I'm getting tired
Image via CrunchBaseThis post is going to sound really negative but I'm finding myself really bored and I'm tired of seeing some things over and over.
I'd say that I see them in social media or marketing but the truth is that everything is just one big pile these days and so I'd like to just call it life.
I'm tired of seeing:
People who claim to be "into" social media: If you have to make this claim, you're probably lying. I see people all the time who to try to sell themselves to others as bloggers who never blog. I can tell you never blog because I went to your blog and can see that you blog once in a blue moon. I ended up on your blog not because I googled you but because you linked to it somewhere next to where you claimed to be a blogger. Same goes for people who claim to be "into" Twitter who never tweet or who joined in the last six months. It's like saying I'm an expert sushi chef after I make my first dragon roll. Just because you say something, doesn't mean it's true. If you're really into something and really good at it, we can tell and we know it just by looking at you.
Blogging/tweeting recaps of events: I know that this is a great way to get visibility and that people who aren't at events can still learn but every single time there is an event, I have to see hundreds of tweets about the event and then hundreds of tweets that promote posts summarizing the event. Why not try to bring something different to the table and talk about something different. Riff on the topics or speakers. Tell me something I couldn't have learned from being there or something different from what other people are doing -which to be honest is just reporting. I know there are people who will argue me on this one but I just see the same "tactics" over and over again and the execution is starting to bore me.
101 Discussions: I can't stand going to events, reading content or listening to events that give you 101 level advice about a topic. Often we see the X things you need to know or the X reasons why you need to do Y type topics and they are driving me up the wall. It's 2011 and if you aren't doing some things in social media, marketing or communications, then you need to get your head checked, get a new job, retire or step aside because here's a little nugget for you "the pace of change is quickening and if you're still working on a Web2.0 strategy you're going to be miss Web3.0". I'll send you a postcard from Web 4.0, send me your address.
Anyways, sorry for the rant. I owe you a beer if we ever meet.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Marketers suck at marketing marketing
Great discussion between Mullen's Edward Boches and Twist Image's Mitch Joel on this week's Six Pixels podcast. If you aren't following Edward or reading his blog, you really should.
There's a great line where Mitch says "Marketers are really terrible at marketing marketing" and it's totally something that I agree with. (it's just after the 21 minute mark).
It's such a shame because marketing is such a dynamic field that can be both creative and analytical.
Here's why I think marketers suck at marketing marketing:
1) Because marketing is everything.
Marketing is such a wide field that it's hard to describe to people. It's not one specific thing, it's many things and each of those elements are so different that they have little in common. Looking at just online marketing, you have social, search, email, web, inbound and how many other tactics and each one in itself is meaty enough to sustain a whole ecosystem. While there are certain things that apply to all of them, each requires a fairly different set of skills and this makes it difficult describe to people.
2) Because it has a bad reputation.
Years of cold calls, link baiting, spam and crappy execution has given the field a bad name. Who grows up wanting to be a telemarketer anyway?
3) Because most marketers suck at it.
Marketers can't market the field of marketing because they are just shitty marketers, which is often why most marketers can't sell themselves. It always kills me to see marketing people who can't sell the most important product - themselves. You often find people in marketing (and this is mentioned in the podcast) who have no background or training in marketing. Sure it was a course they took in their MBA but then they fall into a marketing role and all of a sudden they are a "marketer".
4) Because it's hard
Marketing is hard stuff to do right. It's easy to do terribly but really hard to do right. The world around us moves so fast that if describe marketing as trying to hit a target in the middle of hurricane. Anyone can buy ad space and put up an ad but very few can make it convert. You have to be able to formulate a strategy based on research, experience and gut instinct and go for it. So when it comes to marketing marketing, we don't do a good job as marketers because frankly, it's hard to marketing marketing.
5) Because most people have no idea what it is
This relates to my first point but people can't sell marketing because they have no idea what it is (it's everything). I'm still convinced that most people confuse advertising and marketing. I once saw a group of students in an advertising class do a final presentation of a marketing strategy for TSN instead of doing an advertising strategy. They almost failed. That's a true story and you should ask me about it sometime because it's pretty funny.
Why do you think most marketers suck at marketing marketing? And how many times do you think you can use marketing is a sentence?
There's a great line where Mitch says "Marketers are really terrible at marketing marketing" and it's totally something that I agree with. (it's just after the 21 minute mark).
It's such a shame because marketing is such a dynamic field that can be both creative and analytical.
Here's why I think marketers suck at marketing marketing:
1) Because marketing is everything.
Marketing is such a wide field that it's hard to describe to people. It's not one specific thing, it's many things and each of those elements are so different that they have little in common. Looking at just online marketing, you have social, search, email, web, inbound and how many other tactics and each one in itself is meaty enough to sustain a whole ecosystem. While there are certain things that apply to all of them, each requires a fairly different set of skills and this makes it difficult describe to people.
2) Because it has a bad reputation.
Years of cold calls, link baiting, spam and crappy execution has given the field a bad name. Who grows up wanting to be a telemarketer anyway?
3) Because most marketers suck at it.
Marketers can't market the field of marketing because they are just shitty marketers, which is often why most marketers can't sell themselves. It always kills me to see marketing people who can't sell the most important product - themselves. You often find people in marketing (and this is mentioned in the podcast) who have no background or training in marketing. Sure it was a course they took in their MBA but then they fall into a marketing role and all of a sudden they are a "marketer".
4) Because it's hard
Marketing is hard stuff to do right. It's easy to do terribly but really hard to do right. The world around us moves so fast that if describe marketing as trying to hit a target in the middle of hurricane. Anyone can buy ad space and put up an ad but very few can make it convert. You have to be able to formulate a strategy based on research, experience and gut instinct and go for it. So when it comes to marketing marketing, we don't do a good job as marketers because frankly, it's hard to marketing marketing.
5) Because most people have no idea what it is
This relates to my first point but people can't sell marketing because they have no idea what it is (it's everything). I'm still convinced that most people confuse advertising and marketing. I once saw a group of students in an advertising class do a final presentation of a marketing strategy for TSN instead of doing an advertising strategy. They almost failed. That's a true story and you should ask me about it sometime because it's pretty funny.
Why do you think most marketers suck at marketing marketing? And how many times do you think you can use marketing is a sentence?
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
A Peak Experience at Jay Peak
Jay Peak is one of those places that anyone who has ever skied on the East Coast knows about. Its legend is made up of deep snow (a rarity in the East) and top quality glades skiing.
I have been lucky enough to ski lots of great mountains over the years and I was surprised that I had never made the trek to Jay. Afterall, it is only about 4.5 hours from Ottawa. Needless to say, I was overjoyed when my girlfriend booked a long weekend there for us as a Christmas present.
If you asked me to describe Jay Peak to somebody who had never skied there, I would say that Jay Peak is a place with one foot in the past and the other in the future. This is a good thing. The skiing is challenging, the lift lines aren't too long and the crowds on the hills are minimal. There isn't much by way of swanky lodges but I don't think you go to Jay to have a fancy lunch. You go there to ski the deep snow and we certainly weren't disappointed.
There isn't much by way of a village at the base of the mountain. It could be hard for somebody who is used to the McVillages of Intrawest to imagine but it gives the place a unique character. There is the newly opened Tram Haus Lodge, where we were staying, some condos at little farther up the mountain and a construction site that will be home to the new conference centre and water park (set to open in 2012). The town of Jay is about 10 or 15 minutes away and there isn't much there but a place for some gas and some groceries.
Let me summarize my trip by talking about a few of the amazing experiences I had there:
Amazing Staff
Every single member of the Jay Peak staff we interacted with was amazing. Everyone was super friendly and helpful. It was pretty easy to tell right away that everyone was there to make sure we had a great time. One of the coolest experiences was taking the tram up one day with Bill Stenger, who led a group of investors to buy the resort in 2008. Bill was super-friendly and took some time to share some tips on finding great snow with me.
Great Snow
If I am going to travel for skiing, I like travel for deep snow. My reasoning is simple: if I wanted to ski groomed runs,I could do that at Camp Fortune, which is 15 minutes from Ottawa. We were lucky to get about 6 inches of snow or more each day so there was plenty of fresh snow to go around. This picture proves that.Technology
Sounds weird but I appreciated the fact that the Tram Haus had free wifi everywhere. I hate that hotels try and charge up to $15 for access when it should be complimentary. I also loved the new RFID system that makes your room key the same as you ski pass. You can use it to get into your locker to get your skis so you never even have to take it out of your pocket. I should also mention that Jay has a great website but they tend to underestimate the amount of show they get (which is good) and overestimate how warm it is going to be.
If you like to ski, you need to go to Jay Peak
It is obvious that Jay Peak is in the middle of a massive upgrade. The new conference centre and water park will certainly help the mountain attract the corporate and family business that it needs to push forward. But don't let this fool you. Jay Peak is a skiers mountain and the locals are passionate. That's why their tagline is "Raised Jay". For people who like to ski, Jay Peak is a must-visit because when it comes to the skiing, it delivers.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
iPhone to Android: What I learned
Image via WikipediaThe decision to switch was brought on by the fact that I needed to replace my iPhone. I need a device that can function as my primary content creation device in terms of camera and video, manage my podcast subscriptions, hold and play lots of music and handle lots of social networking applications like Twitter, Foursquare and Facebook.
A few years ago, I had an HTC Touch Diamond that was running the horror that was Microsoft Mobile Windows 6.5, or whatever it was called. At the time, the phone was somewhat marketed as an iPhone competitor but I have to say that it was terrible. I barely ever used Windows Mobile Office and it was confusing as to what was MSFT or HTC and what was Windows and what was the phone. Essentially the integration with HTC's Sense UI and Windows Mobile was terrible. Then Telus had a navigation application that didn't even work.
I eventually upgraded to my iPhone 3GS and was instantly in love. Everything worked and the mobile browsing experience was amazing. My fat fingers could type and select content through the browser and although I am not a fan of the "closed" Apple experience, I appreciated that apps and podcasts were easy to find and sync.
The experience of deciding between iPhone and Android was a tough one and I learned three important things:
1) Bad first experience are hard to overcome: sounds obvious but my previous experience which I have since learned were largely due to Windows Mobile 6.5 being a joke, really soured me on HTC. I know that they have started building great phones but I was really hesitant to go back down the HTC road.
2) Apple is winning the "ease of app" war: I like to keep my eyes and ears open to what is happening in mobile and I still found that my impressions of Android were tainted by the perception that whole application ecosystem was divided and not as convenient as iPhone. The reality is that there is an easy to use app "Market" and even better, people can email me apps and they are added to my phone in a matter of minutes. The Android app experience isn't much worse in reality but the perception is that it is.
Anyways, I'm loving my phone so far and will keep you updated on how things progress.
Friday, February 11, 2011
How to Design a Kick @ss SmarComm Event
For the past few years, I've been going professional development/networking to the tune of at least 5 a month. And that's a conservative estimate. I am able to do this largely because I am not, married and don't have kids (yet) but also because Ottawa has offered me so many great opportunities to learn and meet new people. I do my best to maintain a list of events I go to here.
During this time, I have attended large events and small ones. I have attended loosely organized events and events that were clearly pimpfests for somebody selling a product or service. Based on my experiences, I have learned a few things that I believe are key in designing a kick ass Smarcomm event. ("smarcomm" represents the convergence of social media, marketing and commincations).
1) Think outside the box: try and figure out a way that you can go outside the traditional presentation and questions format with the speaker giving their 15 minutes and the audience asking questions. There are so many different twists like having a presentation of different case studies, panel discussions and "speed dating"type formats that can be used.
2) Keep it small: Lately, I have found myself preferring smaller events to larger ones. A recent Community Managers Meetup here in Ottawa only had 5 of us show up and it was great to sit around and chat freely about what we're up to and where things are going. I have come to realized that events are often about the number of butts you put in seats but for the reasons I outline in #3, I am finding smaller events are helping me push my knowledge boundaries much more than large ones.
3) Go past Smarcomm 101: By now, we've all read "Trust Agents" (if you haven't, go get it right now) and we understand the reasons why we need to thinking about the "new reality". Some may not agree but frankly, if you're still not getting in early 2011, you probably never while I'd have to wonder where you've been for the past 5 to 10 years. Personally, I think the big events tend to stick to the 101 stuff and the smaller events give me the opportunity to push into specifics and get guidance on "what now?".
4) Keep it informal: You can be professional and be informal at the same time. I think an event where there is an eye kept on the time and the flow of the event is a must but that doesn't mean that you have to be a robot. Hold your event in a cool restaurant or a neat bar that encourages people to relax while learning. I usually go to events at night and after hammering it out at the office all day, it's nice to combine an after work beer with the opportunity to meet new people and learn new things.
5) Twitter: Frankly, this is Smarcomm 101 itself but if you're doing anything local in this space, you gotta beat it up on Twitter. Get the hashtag going, build awareness and encourage people to connect on Twitter before, after and during the event. I don't see enough people trying to get feedback on their events so they can make them better... why not use Twitter for this? I can't tell you how often I find out from people that they didn't find out about something until the last minute because they saw it on Twitter... which tells me that is how people find out about events in this space so don't wait until the last minute to get it going.
I'm sure some people might see things differently and that's fine. I still go to all kinds of events but I am finding more and more that that I am enjoying the events that really do the above 5 things.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Video: What I'm Into These Days
Figured it was time I got back into putting up some video. Here it goes:
Items discussed in this post:
McCann's Irish Oatmeal. Facebook page
Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps. Website.
Lizano Salsa. Website
.
Items discussed in this post:
McCann's Irish Oatmeal. Facebook page
Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps. Website.
Lizano Salsa. Website
.
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