Social Media, Ink

Why Social Media is So Damn Hard

Recently I was talking with a CEO of a small B2B tech company about his approach to social media. The question on the table was, “what are you trying to accomplish?” He assured me that growing the “n” is the only thing that matters (where “n” = the number of users, likes, etc). Many companies [...]

Big Questions for Social Media Giants

I need your help! I am leading a panel discussion at Technology Services World next month on the intersection of social media and technology services. I’ll be talking with a seasoned crew of corporate social media strategists, including Toby Richards, General Manager of Community & Online Support at Microsoft; Lois Marie Townsend, Global Manager of Social [...]

A Definitive Set of Social Media Metrics?

I wish there was a magic pill that provided a definitive set of social media metrics for every company, regardless of business goal. Unfortunately, that pill doesn’t exist. Companies that are successfully justifying their investments in social media are utilizing metrics programs that are unique to their business and their business goals. They are often [...]

10 Social Media Case Studies from Across the Tech Industry [March 2012]

Each and every month, I will be publishing an aggregated list of “mini” case studies on innovative social media practices, including video presentations, slides, articles and blog posts from across the industry. That’s the plan, anyway. Here goes with the first list of 10 — please let me know how I did, what I missed, [...]

New Social Media Research & Resources from TSIA

I want to point TSIA members and the community-at-large to several new resources the Association has available for services-specific social media research and collaboration. Peruse the list below and you’ll find some of the latest and greatest TSIA social media content and activities that are available to you right now. [New Report] “The New Realities [...]

Bright, Shiny Objects:  8 New Social Media Tools

When it comes to considering trendy social media tools for the enterprise, I typically urge caution. For example, in the post “Is Google+ Good for Customer Service?”, I encourage companies to considering laying a solid foundation for their social media programs before jumping on yet another social media bandwagon. That said, I also think it’s [...]

Social Media for Services: Growth and Challenges Ahead [New Report]

The results from TSIA’s 2011 – 2012 social media for technology services survey are in, and some readers may be surprised—even shocked—by the results. [02.09.12 Update: Full report available here for TSIA members. Let me know if you need help logging in to the website!] We surveyed over 700 service industry practitioners on their use [...]

Data is Great, But I Want Case Studies at TSW!

Technology Services World (TSW) Silicon Valley is right around the corner, which means that, once again, the best and brightest service practitioners from across the globe will convene under one roof to discuss what’s working—and not working—in their services businesses. Now that the online agenda is nearly complete, I want to highlight a few sessions [...]

Perspectives on Social Media & Services in 2012

There’s no shortage of blogs and articles predicting what 2012 has in store for social media. Search on “social media predictions for 2012″ and you’ll receive upwards of 145,000 results! However, 99.999% of these results are specific to marketing, the outlook for Google+, whether Klout can be trusted, and so on. Search on “social media [...]

Does LinkedIn Know Us Better Than We Think?

Part of LinkedIn’s strategy to create a highly-networked social destination means providing users with features that make it extremely easy to connect with peers and colleagues. That’s where the smart–and very mysterious–”People You May Know” feature comes into play. For the past several years, users of the social network have been mystified by the “secret [...]