The Social Path

Four trends that will rattle retail this Christmas.

2009-11-02T16:44:52-06:00

Remember a few years back, when online shopping reached a tipping point and simply became a standard part of the American holiday experience? Well this year, there are even more digitally driven shifts in the works, and you can bet that shoppers and sellers alike are going to notice.

Here are four to watch:

1. Smart phones as the ultimate shopping tool

If you own a pickup truck, everyone wants you to help them move. If you own an iPhone, get ready to feel a similar dependence, because everyone will want you to help them shop.

Smart phones, especially Apple’s dominant device, will be worth their weight in saffron this Christmas. Last November, iPhone users were lacking two vital resources: practical shopping applications and mobile-friendly review sites.

This time around, the iPhone is a veritable treasure trove of easy-to-navigate review hubs and apps like RedLaser, a $1.99 download that lets you scan product barcodes in stores to see whether you could find a better price elsewhere.

Another easy trick is to use Google’s mobile app to search for a specific product, then click “Shopping results for…” in your search results. You’ll get a simple, scrolling list of online prices. Similarly, Amazon’s app can help you see what you’d pay on their site for an in-store item.

The downside of all these great tools? Only 17% or so of Americans are on smartphones, so if you’ve got one, get ready to be dragged on just about every shopping excursion this year.

2. Shopping directly from Facebook

Social networks, especially Facebook, have been huge assets for popular retailers. But they pose one major problem: Selling something to your fans almost always requires sending them away from Facebook, something users rarely want to do.

To overcome this hurdle, companies need a reliable and secure way to sell products directly through Facebook.

The smart folks over at Resource Interactive say they’ve created the solution: “Off the Wall,” a customizable tool that lets companies sell stuff right from your Facebook feed.

From Resource’s Oct. 30 press release:

How Off the Wall works: A brand posts an item for purchase as a status update to its Facebook page. In turn, fans can purchase the product directly from their live feed, news feed or the brand’s wall. They can also share this status update with their friends and its ecommerce functionality is maintained wherever it appears in Facebook.

Lots of startups claim to have found the holy grail that lets companies harvest big bucks directly through social media, but Resource is no small player. Their client roster includes DSW, Victoria’s Secret, L.L. Bean and many more.

So far, Resource is keeping mum about which of its clients will try out the Facebook sales tool in time for this holiday shopping season. If they’re smart, they all will.

3. Increased value of peer reviews

One interesting fact about social media is that once you start using it, recommendations have an even stronger impact on your buying habits.

Check out these two stats, both plucked from the excellent collection over at BazaarVoice:

• Online social network users were three times more likely to trust their peers' opinions over advertising when making purchase decisions. ("Social Networking Sites: Defining Advertising Opportunities in a Competitive Landscape," JupiterResearch, March 2007)
• Two thirds of UK social networkers (66%) are more likely to buy a product as a result of a recommendation, compared to 52 per cent of non-social networkers. (Royal Mail's Home Shopping Tracker Study, September 2007)

These stats are even more important in 2009 than when they were discovered two years ago. Why? Because this was the year that social media truly went mainstream, with millions of Americans from all walks of life finally adopting social media as a standard part of daily life.

More socially savvy shoppers this season means we’ll see an even bigger impact from consumer reviews — or I should say, we’ll see a bigger impact from retailers who find ways to better incorporate reviews into their shopping experience.

Some proof:

• One small e-retailer, AlpacaDirect.com, found that letting customers post reviews directly onto the site led to a 23% increase in sales on reviewed items.
• Customers who browse “Top Rated Products” pages spent 19% more per order on Bass Pro Shops’ site and 63% more per order from PETCO, according to data provided by the retailers.
• Another PETCO number: allowing shoppers to sort products within a category by customer rating led to a sales increase of 41% per shopper.

Obviously, any retailers who undervalue customer reviews this holiday season do so at their own peril.

4. Less shouting of obscenities

With online shopping and price comparison really running the show this year, I thought I’d end with one bit of good news for the brick-and-mortar set.

In a 2006 survey by RightNow Technologies, respondents were asked how they would react to a bad customer experience. 29% said they would swear, and 21% said they would shout.

This year, the same survey found that only 20% would cuss, and 14% would shout.

Is the world getting to be a more peaceful and tolerant place? Of course not. “Nowadays,” the survey findings report, “consumers are taking their anger and acting on it via word of mouth and social channels.

That’s right. They’re not yelling at the sales guy because they know it would be more productive to go blog about how much they hate you as a company. What a magical time of year!

Facebook photo credit: Scott Beale / Laughing Squid

Screaming photo credit: HeyThereSpaceman on Flickr

Photoshop on the iPhone: A pro and a casual user weigh in.

2009-10-26T16:26:11-05:00

When Adobe recently announced it was launching a Photoshop iPhone app — a free one, at that — millions of photo enthusiasts were both excited and skeptical. So we decided to put this hot new toy through the ringer with a two-part review.

First, we turn to Adweek Photo Editor Manuela Oprea, a woman who clearly knows her way around a camera. Then you'll get the skinny from me, Kammie Avant, Luckie's social media planner and run-of-the-mill, 20-something iPhone addict.

Manuela Oprea
Adweek Photo Editor

I hesitated before deciding to download the new Photoshop Mobile App. No, it wasn't the price; the app is free. Instead, I thought about the limited memory I have left on my 8GB iPhone and wondered if I really needed the app or if I would use it.

As a photographer, I use Photoshop on a daily basis, and I'm always astonished by the program's capabilities. So I was skeptical of the "mini-me" Mobile version and assumed that it would be clumsy or gimmicky.

To my surprise, I found the Photoshop Mobile App easy to use and useful. The basic functions, like cropping and exposure, came in handy, especially after snapping a photo on a overcast day. I also had fun with the sketch filter, though I could do without the jarring rainbow effects.

Overall, I was enjoying the experience and didn't regret the download until I tried to register, a process that's supposed to help you share the photos you've edited on your iPhone. After multiple attempts to create a Photoshop.com account and two different error messages, my frustration built up and I gave up. The App is still on my phone, for the time being.

Manuela's before-and-after shots from the Photoshop app:

After the jump, we get down to the details with my take:

Kammie Avant
Luckie Social Media Planner, iPhone addict

What's frustrating about Adobe's iPhone app is that it misses the mark with both of Photoshop's key users: casual photo editors and professional photographers. The app doesn't have enough "fun" editing options for your average person, and yet it's also lacking the powerful tools that serious shooters would want.

That said, it still brings a few useful things to the iPhone, so here's a list of the app's features, in descending order of usefulness:

1 Cropping: This is a genuinely useful tool, seeing as the iPhone still can’t zoom. To use, just select the crop icon, then choose the crop size by dragging your fingertip. Crop too much, though, and your image will get pretty pixelated pretty fast.

2. Exposure: Also very useful, since the iPhone has no flash. This tool isn't a miracle worker, but for a photo taken in dim lighting, it can really help bring out color and detail. Just select the icon with the color options, select exposure and drag your finger right to lighten, and left to darken for over exposed pictures. This can really help a lot to bring out details.

There are a few other editing tools under exposure including saturation, tint, and black and white. With the exception of turning your photo into a grayscale or giving it a romantic sepia tone, these really don’t seem that useful.

3. Sketch and Soft Focus: Generally fun for amateurs to mess with and add some edge to a picture. I find it particularly useful for that cropped photo that’s just a little too pixelated. Drag left to right to increase and decrease the level of effect.

4. Effects: There’s vibrant, frame, the ever popular “pop” selection for the Andy Warhol crowd, a rainbow, a white glow to give your child the angelic look you know he deserves and of course “warm vintage” for that delightful retro look.

Aside from the tools provided in the application, Photoshop Mobile not only saves your edited picture but also the original, making it incredibly easy to undo by providing back and forward buttons.

Additionally, you can create a free, online Photoshop account to upload your pictures from your phone and save valuable iPhone memory. Plus, there are many more editing options through the online library on your computer like red eye reduction, sharpen, and distort, which are all a lot more useful when you're messing around with pictures of friends:

All in all, I think this free app is worth downloading and giving a try, at least for the cropping and exposure tools, which help make up for the lack of zoom and flash. In case you're curious, here's the final result of my iPhone Photoshop endeavor:

Nine social media Halloween costume ideas.

2009-10-23T10:52:35-05:00

Struggling for a Halloween costume idea? Want to impress your friends with your subtle social media smarts? Sure, anyone can be a Facebook profile or YouTube video, but where's the innovation in that?

As a public service, The Social Path would like to offer a few ideas for your consideration:

1. Fail Whale

Step 1. Find a giant, smiling whale suit.

Step 2. Using durable wire, attach small fake birds over your head.

Step 3: Every time you walk into a party, turn out the lights.

2. The Social Media Demographic

Step 1: Be a female between the ages of 25-35.

Step 2: Confound the experts by only hanging out with people you already knew.

3. Naymz

Step 1: Spend all night telling strangers that they have unread messages in their inbox.

Step 2: Don’t get anywhere near me unless you want a punch in the neck.

4. Radian6

Step 1: Keep a careful tally of how many people are at the party.

Step 2: Get paid handsomely and adored for your skill.

Step 3: Enjoy listening to dozens of others complain, “Hey wait, I can count too! Why aren’t you paying me?!”

5. Orkut

Step 1: Get asked repeatedly “who are you again?”

Step 2: Remind them that you work for Google.

Step 3: Stop wasting your time and just tell everyone you’re huge in Brazil.

6. News Blogger

Step 1: Walk around showing people today’s newspaper and ranting your opinions on it.

Step 2: Spend the rest of your time talking about how newspapers are boring, worthless and dying.

7. Social Media Expert

Step 1: Talk nonstop about how many friends you have and offer tips on how YOU TOO can have so many friends.

Step 2: Sit around wondering why no one wants to talk to you.

8. MySpace

Step 1: Wear a revealing but heavily BeDazzled outfit.

Step 2: Frustrate the popular kids by playing music better than anyone else.

Step 3: Occasionally set off fireworks in people’s faces and scream Linkin Park lyrics out of nowhere.

9. LinkedIn

Step 1: Dress like your dad.

Step 2: Act like your dad.

Of course, if you try any of these, please be sure to send us the photos. We would really, really love to hear how it goes.

Photo credits: Thomas van Ardenne and Cayusa on Flickr.

Why is blogging such a boys club?

2009-10-20T16:37:45-05:00

If you spend any time looking at social media demographics, there’s one stat you see over and over: women dominate the space. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter — all are more popular with women than men.

So it was a bit jarring this week to see that 67% of bloggers are male, according to the newest installment of the Technorati State of the Blogosphere report.

Admittedly, this isn’t a new stat. In least year’s report, Technorati’s survey put the male blogger ratio at 66%. But compared to the other mainstream social media activities, it seems bizarrely guy-heavy.

What’s the deal? Why is blogging a boys club at a time when women are such a powerful force in creating social media content? I posed the question to some of the marketing industry’s top female bloggers. Check out their responses after the jump:

Shannon Paul
VeryOfficialBlog.com, @ShannonPaul on Twitter

With blogging, there is very much a “this is my point of view” mentality. Blogging definitely requires more assertiveness by putting yourself out there.
Twitter and Facebook and interactions on social networks generally feel safer. Quick interactions and conversations are not the same as standing on a soapbox. Even if bloggers don't approach their blog with a soapbox mentality, the fact that they're putting their perspective out there with a unique domain name, etc., requires a kind of courage I think a lot of women still lack. Because it's hard as hell sometimes to deal with the repercussions of transparency in your personal life and with others in the workplace.
I think that it requires a kind of social courage — a willingness to create discourse, stand your ground publicly. A lot of women are more comfortable operating behind the scenes.

Leigh Householder
Advergirl.com, @Leighhouse on Twitter
I'm generally the voice of feminism in conversations like these. And certainly I'd like to decry some barrier or hurdle that's kept women from having a larger share of voice in the blogosphere. But, honestly, I'm just surprised.
Surely male voices dominate the A-list blogs (if we even call them that anymore). But if you had asked me to guess, I would have said women make up the vast majority of total bloggers. Women are more likely to share their lives and be emotionally rewarded by sharing recommendations.
I do wonder if they've simply migrated more quickly to Facebook and microblogging. I read in Harper's a few months ago that 94% of blogs haven't been updated in at least four months. Are men more likely to blog or simply more likely to still be blogging?

Cathy Taylor
Social Media Insider for Mediapost, Adverganza, @cpealet on Twitter
Even though blogging is a social medium, or can be, it is not as inherently social as social networks, which bring people together. Women like doing that. Men are probably more tactical about it, for instance, being on social networking for career purposes.
When you think about it, blogging is more of a publishing platform. It has social features, but isn't necessarily about building a network.
I'll say something a little controversial here: Men have time to blog. Most women don't. As a working mom of two, something becomes clear the deeper you get into mom-hood. For most of us, the majority of the parenting is mom's job, even if both parents are working, so who has time to blog?

Here’s my take, which perhaps falls most in line with Shannon’s summary: The male-blogging ratio is a baffling number, but only if you assume that blogging is most related to social networking (55% female) or journalism, a field whose recent graduating classes are typically two-thirds female.

But what if you compare it to politics? As a blogger, you’re voicing your opinions and putting yourself out there for public scrutiny.

That analogy makes bloggers seem downright balanced by comparison. Women make up just 17% of both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. At the state level, women on average make up 24% of legislatures.

Could the same social forces be holding women back from both blogging and public office? The analogy obviously has its weak spots, namely that politics is all about public acceptance. In other words, the percentage of women in office is largely a sign of how often Americans will elect a woman — not so much how often a woman will run for office. But blogging doesn't require any public acceptance. You just need the will or desire to do it.

So what do you think? Are bloggers more likely to be male because men feel more secure (or at least less vulnerable) in expressing opinions? Do guys just have more free time? Is it simply because so many of the early adopters were men from the tech industry? Or is it something else entirely? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Remembering Woodie Long, 1942-2009.

2009-10-13T15:33:52-05:00

To me, one of the most rewarding aspects of social media is its ability to shine a light on the often-overlooked corners of our world. In this vein, one of the projects I'm most proud of is the series of YouTube videos we created to feature Alabama's incredible artists and musicians.

Not to play favorites, but the person I always think of from that time is folk artist Woodie Long, who I'm sad to report died yesterday after a lengthy illness. He was 66.

After years as a house painter, Woodie accidentally discovered his ability relatively late in life while playing with his wife's art supplies. It's estimated he sold more than 10,000 paintings, often to celebrities ranging from Tommy Lee Jones to Bryant Gumbel.

Woodie might have been one of the most charming people I ever met. He had an innocent spirit but a strong confidence in his untrained talent. He also had an invaluable resource in his supportive wife, Dot, without whom he never could have had the freedom to devote his life to painting. My heart goes out to Dot and the rest of Woodie's family in this tough time.

In his memory, I've posted a few of our interview clips at the top and bottom of this post from The Year of Alabama Arts, in which Woodie was one of the state's featured artists (he split his time between southern Alabama and the Florida panhandle). I hope these clips at least give you a sense of what a fascinating person we all lost yesterday.

By the numbers: A look at the modern mom.

2009-10-09T16:10:02-05:00

We wanted to give a big thanks to everyone who came out to Luckie's Marketing to the Modern Mom seminar on Thursday at the Virginia Samford Theatre. We've gotten great feedback, especially about our speakers.

In the coming days, we'll be featuring some of the insights that came out of the event, and we wanted to start with our own David Stutts, VP and Director of Brand Planning here at Luckie. David got the event rolling by presenting data that explained how the three current generations of mothers — Baby Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y — use the internet differently and how it is shaping their parenting.

Here's a look:

Understanding the Modern Mom

View more documents from David Stutts.

Some other highlights of Marketing to the Modern Mom:

• Lindsay Lebresco, former social media manager of Graco Baby Products now with digital agency Converseon, explained how Graco became a leader in corporate social media with the simple philosophy of "We're parents too."

• Our panel of tell-all mom bloggers — Lotus Carroll, Anissa Mayhew and Mishelle Lane — gave a biting but constructive perspective on the many (often flawed) ways businesses are reaching out to bloggers.

• The day ended with a casual discussion of small-business strategies, featuring Alabama Baby & Child Publisher Cecelia Pearson, Jennifer West from the McWane Science Center and Lucas Pepke from the Virginia Samford Theatre. It was a great way to cap off the event, with lots of conversation between the panel and business representatives in the audience.

Throughout the day, the conversation was dynamic and productive, and we really have to thank our great presenters and guests for joining us to see how businesses can find a comfortable space at the intersection of social media and motherhood.

New FTC rules for bloggers will be as unenforced as they are unneccesary.

2009-10-09T13:45:09-05:00

There’s been lots of buzz this week about the Federal Trade Commission’s first-ever guidelines for bloggers — specifically those who endorse products.

Today, the FTC is clarifying that it won’t actually fine bloggers who fail to disclose whether they were compensated for coverage. (Though the business being written about could still be on the hook.) The announcement is good news for millions of Americans who write posts online, but it also raises the question: “What’s the point of all this?”

Here’s how FTC Assitant Director Richard Cleland explained the situation to the PRNewser blog:

"We have never brought a case against a consumer endorser and we've never brought a case against somebody simply for failure to disclose a material connection. Where we have brought cases, there are other issues involved, not only failing to disclose a material connection but also making other misrepresentations about a product, a serious product like a health product or something like that…
“If people think that the FTC is going to issue them a citation for $11,000 because they failed to disclose that they got a free box of Pampers, that's not true. That's not going to happen today, not ever."

So essentially, the FTC has implemented a sweeping new interpretation of the Federal Trade Act, one that theoretically regulates how any consumer can discuss a product or service that was given to them by a company.

Then they make the definition of paid coverage so vague and byzantine that you’ll likely never even know if the rules apply to you. Here’s a telling excerpt about free samples:

“For example, a blogger could receive merchandise from a marketer with a request to review it, but with no compensation paid other than the value of the product itself. In this situation, whether or not any positive statement the blogger posts would be deemed an ‘endorsement’ within the meaning of the Guides would depend on, among other things, the value of that product, and on whether the blogger routinely receives such requests.”

I know that legal interpretations have to remain flexible, but come on. If I’m sending a blogger a free box of snacks for a client, how will either of us know whether this 81-page set of guidelines applies to either of us? The only safe route for the blogger would be to write nothing or write something negative. Fantastic.

Couple this confusion with the fact that the FTC apparently won’t enforce these rules 99.9% of the time, and you have to wonder if this is anything except an overly broad limitation on a blogger's voice.

Don’t get me wrong. There are major parts of the new guidelines that I support with great vigor. The crackdown on blatantly deceptive ads with disclaimers like “results not typical” is long overdue.

And yes, blog readers deserve transparency. But bloggers also deserve privacy in their finances, and they shouldn’t feel compelled to disclose every aspect of their paying relationships with companies. People who clamor for such details are usually doing so out of nosiness or good-old-fashioned jealousy.

I’ve worked with bloggers on both paid and unpaid projects, and I’ve always encouraged them to be open with readers. But how they manage their personal level of transparency is up to them. I think it would be offensive for me to tell them what to say on their blogs, much less for the government to do so.

To recap, the new FTC rules — at least in respect to bloggers who might want to connect with businesses — are intimidating, tremendously broad, nearly impossible to interpret and designed to go unenforced.

The intent is commendable, but the reality is a document that spends most of its time listing exceptions. Why? Because in this case, exceptions are actually the rule. Poorly disclosed or potentially misleading blog posts are simply not a major problem in the lives of American consumers. This is somewhat like passing a sprawling regulation on aluminum ladders just because Jackie Chan occasionally uses them as a weapon.

At a time when companies should be applauded for dealing directly with consumers and treating them with the same VIP status long accorded to journalists and celebrities, these guidelines are a baffling new obstacle and a back-handed attack on our First Amendment guarantee that “the Congress will make no law abridging the freedom of speech.”

Today's photo credit: AlbinoFlea on Flickr.

Don't miss: Marketing to the Modern Mom, Oct. 8

2009-09-17T12:34:28-05:00

I'm excited to announce this incredible (and limited-seating) event hosted here in Birmingham by my agency:

MARKETING TO THE MODERN MOM
A candid discussion about social media and motherhood.

If your organization is looking to connect with Web-savvy moms on their own turf, don’t miss this fun and informative event, hosted by Luckie & Company.

Event details:

8:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009
The Virginia Samford Theatre
Breakfast and lunch included
Tickets: $30
Buy online: ModernMom.eventbrite.com (Or just use the secure form at the bottom of this post.)
Seating is very limited and tickets will not be sold at the door, so don't wait!

About our presenters:

Lindsay Lebresco
Social Media Manager, Graco Children’s Products

Graco is a name that any American parent is sure to recognize, and Lindsay Lebresco has been central to the company’s emergence as one of the most respected brands in the social media realm. Her sincerity, openness and obvious love of parenting helped prove that corporate blogging doesn’t have to be dry and self-promotional. Today, hundreds of companies are looking to Graco as a role model of social media outreach done right.

Anissa Mayhew
Blogger at FreeAnissa.com and channel editor for BlogNosh.com

She’s one of the funniest women on the Web, but ironically, Anissa Mayhew’s life as a blogger began when her youngest daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. Anissa launched Hope4Peyton.org as a place to express the complex emotions her family was experiencing. Today, Peyton is happy and healthy, and Anissa is quickly becoming known as one of the most lively and opinionated moms on the Web.

Lotus Carroll
Blogger, SarcasticMom.com

When it comes to candid perspectives on parenthood and life in general, it’s hard to beat Lotus Carroll for unfi ltered creativity. In addition to sharing her personal stories and photography on SarcasticMom.com, Lotus also test-drives a wide range of new products and hosts related giveaways on SarcasticMomReviews.com.

Mishelle Lane
Blogger at SecretAgentMama.com and owner, Mishelle Lane Photography

Whenever the most influential online moms come together, you’re sure to find Mishelle Lane with camera in hand. Her incredible photography and smarts have made her an icon of the blogosphere. When she’s not blogging at SecretAgentMama.com or contributing to sites like Blissfully Domestic, Mishelle runs her own photography business and home-schools her four children. Obviously, she’s a woman who has mastered multitasking.

Cecilia Pearson
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Alabama Baby & Child magazine

A Birmingham native who's passionate about heralding the community's many resources, Cecilia Pearson is the publisher of Alabama Baby & Child magazine and creator of the tremendously popular Babypalooza events. now held across six cities. Her mission is to inform, educate, and connect new and growing families with the right resources for their journey.

David Stutts
VP / Director of Brand Planning, Luckie & Company

With each American generation, the definition of motherhood has changed dramatically. In his three-part series of white papers, “Rethinking Mom,” David Stutts has chronicled the cultural shift from the latchkey, double-income Boomer families to the hands-on and highly educated Gen Y Mommy Tsunami, which is just beginning to create the largest baby boom in U.S. history. David will share his findings and explain how businesses must adapt to the new meaning of “mom.”

David Griner
Social Media Strategist, Luckie & Company

Every day, marketers are besieging influential online moms across the country in hopes of getting some buzz in the blogosphere. The results are often disappointing and sometimes even disastrous. But David Griner has helped Luckie clients such as Little Debbie connect with modern moms in an earnest, long-term way that’s built on mutual respect. He’ll discuss the many ways businesses are reaching out to today’s moms and share some tips on making it a great experience for everyone involved.

Hope to see you there! Again, the place to buy tickets is ModernMom.eventbrite.com, or just use the secure form below. Questions? E-mail David Griner.

Live the dream: Luckie is hiring a social media planner.

2009-09-01T17:15:10-05:00

UPDATE: The position's been filled, and it wasn't an easy choice. Thanks to all our great applicants. Updates to come on our new hire. -DG

Yep, you heard right, an awesome social media marketing position is up for grabs here at Luckie & Company. Upside: Great job at a great company doing great things in social media. Downside: You'd report to me.

But if you think you (or an awesomely talented person you know) could endure my benevolent tyranny, check out the job description below and get a résumé in pronto. While not quite entry-level, this position might be a good fit for someone who's had a few years of real-world experience out of college.

Job Opening: Social Media Planner
If you’ve got a passion for social media, a proven knack for organizing big projects and strong writing skills, you could be the new Social Media Planner for Birmingham-based marketing agency Luckie & Company.

You’ll need to be fast, flexible and accurate as you manage everything from launching corporate blogs and Twitter feeds to coordinating national blogger-outreach campaigns. Whether you come from an advertising, PR, interactive or journalistic background, you’ll end up doing all of the above, so we’re looking for someone with a solid track record of taking initiative and getting results. This position reports to the Social Media Strategist and requires that you work full-time at the Luckie headquarters in Birmingham.

Requirements:

3+ years of relevant experience in online marketing, PR or journalism.
Bachelor’s degree in journalism, PR or a related field
Clear examples of work for clients in the social media space
Proven experience with blogging, Twitter, Facebook and video sharing
Excellent grammar, spelling and attention to detail
Provide links to your public blogs and Twitter feeds
Must complete criminal background check

Must be experienced with business use of:

Facebook
Twitter
WordPress
YouTube
Flickr
Adobe Photoshop
Microsoft Excel
Google Documents

Ideal candidate will also be experienced with:

TypePad
SquareSpace
Microsoft PowerPoint
Radian6 or similar social analytics tools
Web traffic analytics tools

To apply, e-mail a resume, cover letter, electronic samples and relevant links to our HR manager, Melissa Wheeler, at Melissa dot Wheeler at Luckie dot Com. PLEASE NOTE: We will not consider any résumés without clearly noted experience in professional social media.

Please help spread the word about this great opportunity. If you have questions about the job, please direct them to Melissa.

Obviously, I'll keep you all posted when our new addition arrives at Luckie HQ.

Everything you need to know about social media.

2009-09-01T11:49:07-05:00

Here's yet another new presentation for you to peruse. I was asked to tackle the daunting topic of "Everything you need to know about social media" at the Alabama Governor's Conference on Tourism yesterday. Hopefully, I did it justice:

Everything You Need To Know About Social Media

View more documents from David Griner.

With such a huge topic, I decided to focus on the mainstreaming of social media. As you'll see in several of the slides above, the growth of social networks and social media activities has slowed considerably in the past year, a sure sign that social media is becoming more and more a standard part of daily life. Even Twitter has finally started to plateau.

Big thanks to the Alabama Tourism Department, one of Luckie's fantastic clients, for inviting me down to speak on such an important issue. The feedback was incredible, and it was great to see so many people interested in taking a big-picture look at these trends.