Media Words

Fortune 100 Series... DreamWorks Animation

2009-06-13T18:47:00.009-04:00

Please welcome Frujen Bridgewater (@Frujen) as our guest Media Words writer. He too is a student embracing social media, your comments are welcomed.

DreamWorks Animation is a film production studio that specializes in computer animated films. DreamWorks has developed an international presence operating out of the US, London, England, and Toronto, Canada. They have dominated the box office with films such as Shrek, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda.

So I wondered if they have implemented social media into their marketing strategy? They have a large outreach program working through schools to inspire and discover the next generation of animation superstars which dates back to 2005. I got in touch with the folks at DreamWorks to ask them more about their Social Media strategy but no one knew who was responsible for it. In many ways that's ok, proof that the many DreamWorks groups out here have grown organically.

DreamWorks is currently promoting on their homepage that they are on Twitter. They can also be found on networks such as Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and YouTube, and it seems they are creating a stronger presence all over the web. I've been able to see that they use these social networking tools for recruiting employees, promoting the business, and most obviously for promoting their products. The are using Twitter and most recently tweeted about Shrek the Musical. Twitter is also where they dropped the news, they'll increase their film quota to producing a total of 5 new movies every other year and included a link to see what's on deck.

By using social networks such as Facebook to spread the news, DreamWorks is able to push its newest productions into the minds of their fan base. Perhaps even more importantly, they enable their fans to stay connected and continue to enjoy their favorite characters and films. In Facebook alone they have fan bases that break 600,000 members just in Shrek fan clubs alone. With this kind of representation it is no wonder that films such as Kung Fu Panda are grossing approximately 632,000,000 dollars worldwide. Also while promoting the sequels of their box hits to the public, they are introducing three new movies: How to Train Your Dragon, Oobermind, and The Guardians (the title isn't set in stone).

I can't help but imagine the connection and additional loyalty that could be harnessed if DreamWorks were listening to the voices in these social streams with more focus. The additional value they could bring into the business and to their customers has tremendous potential.

By: Frujen Bridgewater
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"Too Much Dust & Noise."

2009-06-12T07:59:00.002-04:00

Ok, so you've been on the fence awhile now. You've learned about how a blog can be a your hub; How LinkedIn can demonstrate thought leadership; How Facebook can enable friends and fans to build your brand; Twitter can deliver hyper-relevant conversation and search....but you're still feeling like there’s too much dust and noise?

Consider the follow KSL'ism - Social Media streams are like national weather forecasts.

First of all, we as human beings, are very adept at filtering information. We have a tremendous ability to withstand sensory input. We do it everyday. From traffic signals, to radio, and bill boards to bosses. We filter and catalogue information with high power processing and training - we've been trained to do this all our lives.

When you watch a national weather forecast, you don’t feel compelled to listen to every region, every state, capital city. Looking at this map you do not feel compelled to read every temperature throughout the nation. You tuned into the areas that are of relevance to you and let the rest go by.

You are not insulted by the other temperatures being displayed. No attitude toward the central states for being there. Social Media streams like Facebook Live Feed and Twitter Time Lines are much the same.

You do not have to see, comprehend and respond to every message, there will not be a test later :)

You can tune into the information that is relevant to you, absorb what value you find, and let the rest go by without regret or insult. Remember, like the national forecast, each piece of information, is important to someone.

Keep the faith. KSL

Fortune 100 Series... Whole Foods Market

2009-06-11T17:11:00.010-04:00

Please welcome Jenn Staretorp as a guest blogger on Media Words. Jenn is one of my Social Media students at Daniel Webster College this term and this is her first blog post (ever).
We welcome your comments and continued support of her social media experience.

Whole Foods Market - Fortune 100 Company #22

When one thinks of the word ‘organic’, technology is the farthest thing from one’s mind. One well-known company however, has taken their natural and organic food store from a small one-store location in Austin Texas, to a dominant web based presence: Whole Foods Market. Whole Foods Market can now be found chatting away with customers and fans on one of their two blogs (Whole Story and The CEO’s Blog) Twitter (@WholeFoods), Facebook, and sharing pictures on Flickr.

Giving Social Media a Try

Since WFM first delved into the social networking world in 2005 they have become known as one of the best social networking companies. Rated #1 on the Top 3 List: Brands Using Social Media by The Beacher Agency, and can now be found ranked at #32 (based on the number of followers) on Twitterholic.com. Although their progressive attitude towards social networking is commendable (especially since most companies are having a hard time understanding the value of social media), their record in using social media sites is not completely clean.

Failing Fast

In 2007, WFM was faced with a major social backlash from customers when it was found that CEO John Mackey misused the powers of social media when he trashed Wild Oats, a WFM competitor, onYahoo!’s stock market forum under the pen name ‘Rahodeb’. His postings had gone unnoticed until WFM began looking at acquiring the Wild Oats company, followed shortly by the Federal Trade Commission filing and administrative complaint against the merger containing the anonymous postings.

Coming Out On Top

It is safe to say that WFM learned their lesson (and were able to settle with the FTC) as they now employ a social media staff, whom probably monitor the CEO’s online posting activity now, and have become one of the top SM users. WFM now boasts a stunning 63 Twitter accounts (not including the general @WholeFoods) as well as over 84,000 fans on Facebook.

They recently challenged Ashton Kutcher (@Aplusk) to a “Tweet-Off” which, if accepted, could launch them into the social media record book with CNN. On the other hand, is there such a thing as too much social networking? Seeing as how multiple attempts to discuss WFM social media use was met with silence or a polite “Sorry but we can’t help you” one begins to wonder if they are reaching their limit.

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Ford Corporation and Social Media-Fiesta Movement

2009-06-07T17:55:00.016-04:00

Please welcome Linda Formichelli to Media Words.

Businesses are still wary of social media, and our clients often ask us for examples of companies that are making social media work for them. Our plan is to profile the social media strategies of Fortune 100 companies to give you the scoop on what they're doing internally and externally, and what the results have been. One that stood out to us was Ford: Their Ford Fiesta Movement makes use of the creative and communal nature of social media to create a buzz about their new subcompact car.

In 1976, Ford began manufacturing the subcompact Ford Fiesta in Germany. Sure, it went over well in Europe -- they sold more than 10 million autos there -- but would it fly in a country filled with the precursors to SUVs and Hummers?

When gas hit $4 per gallon, the answer became "yes." Ford, which plans to bring the car stateside in early 2010, set aside 100 test cars for the U.S. market and held a blue-sky meeting to decide on the best way to use the Fiestas. Hoping to attract a younger crowd, Ford decided on a social media campaign and held a contest to find 100 people to test drive the Fiesta for six months and to create a record of their travels on social media platforms like YouTube and Flickr as well as the Ford Fiesta Movement website.

Four Thousand Applications

To be chosen, hopefuls had to fill out an application demonstrating that they had a strong presence on social media and knew how to use it to generate buzz. Applicants were asked to create YouTube videos describing why they deserved to win and to solicit votes from their social media followers.

The result? More than 4,000 applications and 640,000 views by the contest deadline. Hopeful "agents" put their all into their applications; take this video by "MysteryGuitarMan" which, as of June 1, has had more than 133,000 views and 1,300 comments, and was "favorited" 810 times.

Five Million Impressions

"The movement works on two different fronts," says Sam de la Garza, Ford's small car marketing manager. "First, people are developing some fun and innovative content. Second, we need to learn more about how people are driving this car. Ford hasn't had a subcompact for 15 years, so we need to understand the customer again."

One month into the Ford Fiesta Movement, they've logged close to five million impressions on the various social media, there are around 300 videos uploaded to YouTube, and one agent has already driven 11,700 miles. Agents are sharing their experiences with the Ford Fiesta in creative ways; for example, agent Brad Nelson twittered, "Look even a knocked up woman can fit in the hatchback of the Fiesta!" Attached to that was a photo of a pregnant woman happily curled up in the hatchback of the car.

It's too early to tell what the ROI for Ford's social media campaign will be. "We'll have to wait until we get final awareness numbers and summer sales numbers," de la Garza explains. "But we're really encouraged for the first month." One thing that's for sure is that the campaign has generated buzz -- and it's an authentic buzz, as Ford does not control what their agents write on their social media accounts such as Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and blogs.

Lightning-Quick Internal Communication

While Ford doesn't use officially social media internally, de la Garza finds it useful for getting snapshots of what's going on in the business. "I've been able to communicate with some employees via Twitter faster than via any other means," he says. "For example, I first learned that our website went down through a tweet -- even before our digital people knew it. So I sent a tweet to our digital person, who handled it over the weekend." In another example, de la Garza tweeted that he was about to go into a metrics meeting, and an employee from another division read his tweet and sent him some recommendations. "Employees monitor what's going on on Twitter to stay involved in what the conversation is," de la Garza says.

Watch This Space

While it's not yet clear what the ROI for the Ford Fiesta Movement has been, we'll be checking in to update the status; keep an eye out on this blog to find out how the social media campaign is affecting Ford's awareness measurements and Fiesta test drives and sales.

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Read Linda's blogs, The Renegade Writer,
creative paw, or learn to write like her, by
signing up for instruction at Write for Magazines.

KSL'ism - Twitter is like a hammer.

2009-05-26T19:53:00.008-04:00

I'm teaching Social Media this summer and today in class we talked about Twitter. The students were not Twitter users, until today. I've found that many people have the same questions about tool.

Why does anyone care that I did laundry last night?

Why do I care that someone is making bread?

Who has time for this stuff? I can barely keep up with email and Facebook.

Does Twitter even matter?

To help them understand, I've developed another KSL'ism. (KSL'isms are what happens when I over simplify a situation and use an unlikely metaphor. Those of you who've worked with me are all too familiar. :o)

I explained that Twitter is like a hammer. One tool, with two very distinct purposes.

When you think of a hammer you probably think, like most people, that it's for driving nails. But a hammer has another job, the claw end of the hammer does significant work and shouldn't be overlooked. It can extract a nail driven deeply, with ease, exerting great leverage to pull it out of a tight binding.

Twitter is a tool much like that. Twitter is one way to drive your brand or push information. Every tweet, every link shared, every Re-Tweet, reflects and further defines your brand. But Twitter can be used to extract hyper-relevant pieces of information too. Information that might otherwise not have had the leverage, in the great online content world, to bubble up to a level of visibility that could be helpful. Without Twitter it would be very difficult to extract these pieces of information.

To demonstrate to class I typed into a Twitter search "Social Media" and "Business" or "Enterprise", selected only posts from within the past 24 hours, and only from people within 100 miles of Boston, people we could meet. Then we used google advance search to execute the query, without the location constraint b/c we can't do that easily there. Here's the results.

Which do you think did a better job of extracting actionable content?

Keep the faith. -KSL

Looking for work? Get Creative.

2009-05-15T16:16:00.006-04:00

Looking for work? You're not alone. So how can you stand out? My friend Marie asked me the other day if we (Aleuro) had any packaged services to help job seekers use social media to do just that, stand out. She wanted to create a video of herself, so potential employers could virtually "meet her" and experience her savvy and enthusiasm in a more compelling way than a resume. She felt video was important for her because she's "older" and wants employers to identify with her, not their (perhaps misconceived) perception of her age bracket.

Marie is on the right track. There are so many tools available to job seekers now that can help build their personal brand. Having a great personal brand is compelling for an employer because their own organization's brand equity increases by bringing you on board. Finding new ways to showcase yourself demonstrates initiative, enthusiasm, entrepreneurship, and a resourcefulness that any employer wants in their next hire.

Just this morning at the Social Media Breakfast in Concord NH, I met Lisa Landry of Print Savvy. We chatted about a New Hampshire Creative Club event coming up that I'd planned to attend. The event is a take on Iron Chef. Three creative groups will battle to see who can be the best. They will be given information about a product or service that they have never seen before and will have one hour to come up with a killer plan to promote the product. Cool right? Well what's really cool is that one group is comprised of industry vets who are looking for work, most of whom met online through LinkedIn. Most of this team's members have never even worked together. They decided that banding together to do what they do was a great way to get more visibility in the job market. Brilliant. As an employer seeing that kind of spunk and ambition is great thing. Here's an excerpt from the Creative Club Press Release.

"We think our team, newly dubbed The Marketing All Stars, perfectly illustrates the value of networking and the power of Social Media. Half of us met on LinkedIn!” says All Star Team Member Jeff Savastano. "It started as an idea to gain visibility in the job market and grew into the idea of throwing together a 'virtual' agency, for Iron Design Event. We all 'bought' what we read online and then 'hired' each other, when we finally met. This happened in a few short days, in between other things we're all working on,” explains Savastano. "Our team is proof of what creative people can do when properly motivated. We view this as a fun challenge which will showcase our abilities as marketers.”

So what if you don't know how to use Social Media yet? Or you're just not sure where to start? The best advice I can give you is to do what Marie did, ask someone for help. There are numerous free and low cost seminars on different tools - go to one - introduce yourself and look for someone who can mentor you. Go to YouTube and search for how-to video's. There are tons them just waiting to help you. If you're looking to take your social media presence and personal brand up a notch, then give us a call and we'll work with you to help you find your next big thing.

Keep the Faith.

KSL

PS follow the Social Media Breakfast conversations on Twitter and get to know some of the folks already using these tools.

Businesses using Social - Part 1

2009-04-10T17:11:00.010-04:00

I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise that so many businesses are still tip toeing around the social media space... but for me, I'm surprised everyday by just how many really smart business people are still afraid to broach the subject. And frankly, how many really smart people are disregarding the subject as "Twitter/Facebook fluff", deeming it irrelevant for their level of business. Its understandable to disregard something when its so overwhelming - remember Waltzing with Bears?. Just getting you're head around what it is and what it means is a big leap. Unless you're in MarComm or Social Tech the huge shifts in communications probably hasn't reached a recognizable threshold yet.

During a meeting last week I found myself answering a frequently asked question "So who (in business) is doing this (going social)?" The question's been qualified with "tell me only about best in class companies". Folks want examples and ROI which is completely understandable but if we're being honest, not completely practical or tangible in the ways we're used to.

The answer isn't simple because many organizations have been embarking on enterprise social media strategies that are not really visible to the public but that have had tremendous impact on their corporate culture, especially multinational organizations. Some of the effects have been great and many have had to learn from mistakes or struggle. But the idea that what we're talking about doesn't fit the traditional evaluation criteria is tough.

I've put together slideshares that can answer some of the basic questions but the rest require lengthy conversations to bridge the knowledge and understanding gap. The learning takes time and so the more that can happen up front and independently the better everyone is served. We need hyper-relevant material that we can provide to these very smart people so they can be learning on their own without feeling overwhelmed or being distracted by the "buzz stuff".

So I started thinking about writing a Fortune 100 blog. Researching and collecting what the Fortune 100 have done with social media, internally and externally. I know my clients' questions are not unique and I'm sure many other folks like me can put that kind of resource to good use in answering their customers' questions.

The catch is...its going to be a lot of work to collect all of this. That said, I've decided to keep it public so it can be shared for anyone else who can benefit from it and if you're in-the-know, have a blog or article on any of the Fortune 100 that is focused on their initiatives in social media, especially at an enterprise level, then please contribute here (feel free to post a link in the comments). I'll post as often as I can and will hopefully be able to act as a digital curator on the topic and produce a meaningful collection of business resources for us all.

Twitter Feed for Tweets containing Fortune 500 and Community or Social

Adventures in the Social Universe

2009-04-07T10:43:00.020-04:00

Discovering Ways for Nonprofits to Thrive Online

So, it's been about two months since I left my job at New Hampshire Public Radio as the Senior Director of Marketing and Development to join Aleuromedia and immerse myself in social media and online marketing. I'm absolutely loving working for myself, and having a blast meeting and talking with nonprofit professionals and business leaders looking to put social networking to use at their organizations. So much fun and so much more to learn!

I've been thinking a lot about the things I want to explore with you in this blog... And when it comes right down to it, I want to discuss everything I'm learning as I become more and more obsessed with and excited about interactive media and the evolving online Universe.

Yes, obsessed and excited are strong words - but hey - I'm a superlative sort of person. I really do feel like an adventurer... learning and discovering new things each and every day. The really cool part is I see so many ways in which nonprofits can use the things I'm learning about to thrive, both online and off.

Twitter, Facebook, Yammer, Social Actions, delicious, Digg, Flickr, blogging... they all allow you and more importantly your constituents to tell your organization's story in incredibly dynamic and vibrant ways.

Think of my space within this blog as a travelogue through the social universe, exploring successful online communities and why they work, finding the best nonprofit social and online straetgies and tools, discussing how you can delve into this world efficiently, and have fun doing it at the same time.

What questions do you have? What worries you? What excites you? What confuses you? Let me know and if I don't have answers - you can bet I'll find them for you! I'm having the time of my life connecting nonprofits with the social universe... lucky me!

You can contact me here, on Twitter, through Facebook, through LinkedIn, or email me at tara@aleurosolutions.com.

I'd love to hear from you any time!

Off to distant online lands...
Tara Mahady
*********
TMahady

Multiple Brand Disorder...

2009-03-20T15:42:00.005-04:00

I was talking with a friend (we’ll call her Mary) recently and she really worried about what she perceived to be another friend’s (let’s say...Julie) faux pas on Facebook. Julie is a writer, and she posted a fairly revealing and intimate ‘break up’ post. Mary was worried that this would damage Julie’s reputation in some way and advised her not to continue to publish this sort of material.

I had a very different reaction.

“What does Julie write about?” I asked Mary.

“Oh, she writes all about relationships. Intensely,” she responded.

“So - what she wrote on Facebook was very much in line with who she is and what she writes?” I prompted.

“Yes.”

“So why shouldn’t she extend who she is online?” I asked. “I think it reinforces her brand.”

The idea of a personal brand has gone mainstream recently, but it dates back to 1997, and started to gain legs around 2005 with the inception of LinkedIn. But, 2007 is when we started to see articles about it in Fast Company and hear from ‘personal brand’ gurus like Chris Brogan. Now, people talking about online identity management are everywhere. There’s even a site - PersonalBrandingBlog.com.

The basic premise is this... personal branding is essentially all the ways you create a web presence for yourself online that distinguishes you from the maddening and ever growing crowd. This can be done intentionally or unintentionally. It can also be done by omission. If you aren’t participating online in this day and age, that also sends a very distinct message.

Online - you are what you publish. Your ‘brand’ is created by all the content you put out there... pictures, comments, links, etc. (Go to www.pipl.com and search on your name... see what comes up. This aggregated content gives you a snapshot of your ‘brand’). Your online personality evolves over time through the interactions you have with people via social networks, your avatar (the picture or animation you use in your profiles), the information you share, the groups you join, the causes you support, the people you follow and who follow you and anything else you send out into the online universe.

Your online brand should be worth something. The stronger and more dynamic it is - the more it’s worth. Marketers are used to thinking about brand equity - but there is such a thing as personal brand equity as well. If you fully embody your own personal brand, if you are someone online that others respect and follow, if your voice is heard in certain niches, or with certain groups of people, that has value to potential employers. Your successful online brand will elevate their brand (it could also kill it - so do keep that in mind). A strong personal brand can also position you very well to be your own boss. The idea of the valuable rolodex that a person brings to a for-profit or nonprofit business has expanded exponentially.

Your personality and your ‘brand’ are really the same thing, or at least I think they should be. Currently, our culture embraces openness, transparency, and authenticity. The people who have the strongest online personalities are those with acute self-awareness and the ability to just ‘be who they are.’ They love to share information, don’t hold back with their opinions about things, and are often passionate about it. Belief in your own voice is critical to personal branding success. So when you’re wondering if you should ‘share’ something be self-aware. Would you share it in a room full of casual acquaintances. Who are the people in your network? How much would you share with them if you were all at a big dinner table? Then, once you’ve figured that out, just be you.

Potential Consequence of Accidental Eavesdropping

2009-03-14T09:25:00.010-04:00

My heads spinning a little, the new Facebook feed has lent to some fantastic thoughts about the potential consequence of accidental eavesdropping. Yesterday a wall-to-wall conversation between two friends was brought to my attention in the Facebook stream. Something I would have previously not seen or thought about was now front and center in the middle of my screen.

Their conversation was about trading stock and who bought what, when, and other ideas about what to buy and why. It occurred to me at that moment 'what if they or other people were talking about things that I shouldn't know about?' (Enter images of Martha Stewart) I mean ImClone founder Sam Waksal, was arrested for informing friends and family to sell their stock, and attempting to sell his own. How many conversations on Facebook might equate to a similar to situation? What if I never meant to see it, but someone shared something they shouldn't have and now I know? Could I be trouble?

So I settle down and think that people "in-the-know" of that kind of insider information would surely be savvy enough to not post it on a social network and likely wouldn't even use email.

But then...I started to think about the speed at which information travels in these new platforms, specifically Facebook and Twitter. And about what kind of an effect that rapid information disbursement could have on the stock exchange. I mean who's to say some group couldn't just agree to buy company "X" stock one day - all within minutes of each other get the word out to buy,...and then sell six hours later after the price has jumped due to the high influx of interest. I imaged Bud Fox Tweeting "Blue Horse Shoe Loves Anacot Steel." and everyone in the Twitterspehere buying. At very least we have the makings of a great new version of Wall Street.

Don't Get Twitter? Learn by doing...

2009-03-10T10:13:00.005-04:00

At the same time as Twitter is going mainstream (okay - maybe not as mainstream as Facebook - but it still has a faster adoption rate than blogging did), I hear from people all the time that they just don't 'get' it.

So - let's break it down. Twitter is a ubiquitous micro-blogging application that allows people to publish messages of 140 characters or less - from their mobile phones or the web. Twitter currently has a worldwide audience of over 6 million unique visitors a month and provides unparalleled access to thought leaders and celebrities. Entrepreneurs are finding creative ways of using Twitter to drive traffic, and mainstream media outlets like CNN Breaking News @cnnbrk, The New York Times @nytimes, and the BBC @BBCClick have a wide reach with hundreds of thousands of followers.

Mostly, I hear that people just don't understand how to use this broadcasting system that is very different than Facebook. How do I create my own personal 'voice' on Twitter?

Julia Angwin of The Wall Street Journal wrote a great story on how to use Twitter. It's a great place to start if you're not familiar.

I personally love Twitter because I learn something new all the time. People provide information and links to things I never would have come across on my own. I'm introduced to people that I never would have met otherwise. And, I'm learning about whole new ways of raising money and networking in the social media environment. It's constant evolution.

I'm still working on finding (or re-discovering?) my own voice for Twitter... I'll write more about that process at a later date.

In the meanwhile, if you don't GET Twitter - just sign up and 'lurk' for a while... getting started is pretty easy - and the best way to learn is often by doing.

And you can follow me, Tara Mahady, on Twitter too!

Eavesdropping is fun but Facebook is better...

2009-03-05T14:16:00.016-05:00

I'm an eavesdropper. I listen in on conversations everywhere I go, often to the chagrin of whoever I happen to be out with (and probably those whose privacy I'm invading). I can't help it, I'm fascinated to hear little snippets of other people's lives.

Morning conversation overheard in a coffee shop: "My daughter is going to a basketball game tonight. Of course, I only know that because I read it on her status update."

Overheard conversation #2 at lunch: "Did you see on Linda's status update that she and the kids went to the Children's Museum? Sounds like Sasha had a meltdown, poor thing."

Final overheard conversation at a bookstore cafe: "I can't believe that Mike and Allison are going out! I found out on her Facebook status. I'm so happy for her!"

These days, I eavesdrop on these sorts of conversations, in which people's and daily activities are being widely reported and then commented upon - all thanks to networks like Facebook.

Then, just today, I went to my partner's new office and ran into her boss. She's a 'newbie' to the social networking world and a friend of mine on Facebook. She gave me a hug and the first words out of her mouth were "I feel like I know what's happening with you all the time now because of Facebook! I love it!"

Yesterday on my way to the other side of the state for a meeting, I called a colleague about a conference in which I'm participating. 'Hi Tara,' she greets me. 'On your way to Portsmouth are you?' She'd read my status update on Facebook.

The fastest growing demographic on Facebook is women 50+. And you know something has gone mainstream when Oprah has three questions about it on her Hot Topics page...

I love Facebook because it's even better than eavesdropping on people's conversations. You get to be part of peoples' lives and know what's happening with them from the mundane, to the bizarre, to the dramatic. And you can insert yourself into the conversation unlike when you're eavesdropping!

Over 175,000,000 people actively use Facebook now, and it's growing to the tune of 7,000 users per day. The company is making accommodations for celebrities and companies so they can act more like 'individuals' on Facebook rather than as static sites without the ability to interact in the same ways. Oprah Winfrey will be one of the first on board, as will be Britney Spears.

"Facebook is such a cool and easy way for me to connect with my fans while I'm on the road," said Britney Spears according to Facebook's press release. "I love that I can update my status, blog and post videos and photos all in one place."

As the Facebook frenzy reaches a feverish pitch, organizations are realizing that for many of them, this is where their audience is spending their time. (This and many other social networks, like Flickr, MySpace, LinkedIn, to name a few.) And, as the old marketing adage goes - you need to meet your audience where they are.

Organizations slapping up Facebook pages, signing up for LinkedIn, or beginning to blog. And they are literally slapping them up with no real strategy in mind, or understanding of how to leverage the evolving communities and their connections. Many are attempting to apply old school marketing practices in this new environment - and it just doesn't work.

If you're going to implement a Facebook page, you need to have a strategy for how to stay connected and remain relevant with your audience. People's attention spans aren't long... so, keeping people curious and engaged is key. (As in shorter blog posts for one thing!) As with anything - knowing what, when, why, and how you are going to proceed is the only way you'll succeed.

You can begin by paying attention to the way people interact through social networks. Sign up for Facebook if you haven't already. Check out Twitter, and Flickr, and LinkedIn. And don't immediately think about what YOU want to get out of it... just be part of it for a little while (existentially FB?). Spend some time eavesdropping before inserting yourself into the conversation... as happens when you are face to face, inserting yourself in the wrong way, at the wrong time, and with the wrong tone can turn people off for good.

We the people of the United States of Facebook... What’s Your Moral Obligation?

2009-02-18T16:11:00.006-05:00

The hullabaloo over the recent change in Facebook’s Terms of Service (which today they returned to their previous TOS until they can come up with something better), has been fascinating and all - but something else has captured my imagination.

Just within the last twenty-four hours there’s been a shift in language around this online community that's expanding exponentially as I type. Twice there’s been reference made to the number of Facebook users - now over 175 million. That’s not news to most of us - but what is different is that the language has expanded from referencing an online community - to comparing Facebook to a country. A country people. The first reference was made yesterday in an article by Jessi Hempel for CNN Money.

The second was made by Mark Zuckerberg, the creator and CEO, of FB himself. On the Facebook blog page yesterday, Zuckerberg referenced the size of Facebook and the fact that if it were a country it would be the sixth most populated in the world. He upped the ante even more by claiming that the TOS needed to be something more: “Our terms aren't just a document that protect our rights; it's the governing document for how the service is used by everyone across the world. Given its importance, we need to make sure the terms reflect the principles and values of the people using the service.”

In the true spirit of the new world order in which crowdsourcing is king, Facebook posted a Facebook Bill of Rights (Now catch this - when I just did a Google Search on Bill of Rights the Facebook page rises organically to the top - the US Bill of Rights on Wikipedia is second in line.) and requested feedback and suggestions about how the document should evolve.

The scene is now set for my overactive imagination. I’ll play Angel with my runaway mind today - and Devil in a post tomorrow. The question - what is our obligation as citizens of Facebook?

175,000,000 users - and growing by leaps and bounds - that’s a lot of power folks. So, what are we going to do with it?

If we start thinking of this online international (70% of users are not in the U.S.) community as an online country with governing documents as sweeping as a Bill of Rights - what could that mean for the world? Why not write a full-on Facebook Constitution? (Of course, we have to keep in mind the countries and peoples who have the capacity to participate in this creation. Most 3rd world countries would be left out.)

So - just go with me here a minute... Imagine that Facebook becomes a young country of heavily engaged and participatory citizens who demand - as they are wont to do now - that they help define the founding documents and principles of the nation. Millions have an intimate role in crafting a Constitution in the Facebook fashion of communication. Millions decide what information can be shared and who owns what. Millions begin to define the culture of a country that exists in the online environment - and those millions decide how that culture permeates the offline world. These millions decide what rights are granted to certain groups of people. A multi-national perspective on these issues would result in one interesting Constitution... Could it be an opportunity to craft something even better than the U.S. Constitution? How would it influence the offline world and our daily lives?

So here it is: Is there a way to use Facebook beyond a social networking tool? As it evolves into a larger and larger international community, a country even, are there ways for civic-minded people who care about human rights to take control of the Facebook ‘government’ and influence the world for the better? We know Facebook is connecting millions of people with one another every day... so again I ask - what are we going to do with that power?

My Dad, a judge and constitutional scholar, used to say to me “Tara, you’re privileged and you’re smart. Because of that, you have a moral obligation to give back to society what society cannot give to itself.” (I understand the subtle arrogance in this statement, but the intention is good - believe me.)

What is our moral obligation when it comes to participating in a community of this magnitude? To keep up our 25 Random Things lists? To share silly albeit fun photos and watch all of our friends’ kids grow up? Can’t we find deeper inspiration? How can we put Facebook to use for a greater purpose?

If you had a hand in crafting a Constitution for such an enormously powerful population how would it read, and what rights would you grant your fellow citizens?

We the people of the United States of Facebook...

Tomorrow I’ll tackle what moral obligations Facebook as a company and Mark Zuckerberg as it’s leader might have? Would love your thoughts...

Splash into social media...

2009-02-09T14:16:00.016-05:00

You know how you have these voices in your head sometimes - waging war over what you should or shouldn’t do? Well, mine have been vacillating between "Jump!" and "Don't Jump!" for over three years.

Why? As the daughter of a political-junkie-turned-judge father I was bred for fundraising. Memories of my first house party reach back to when I was five years old. I remember passing out drinks and holding a candidate for U.S. Senate’s hand as he spun his pitch. I’ve been stuffing envelopes since earliest memory - either for my Mom’s run for school board, or for her latest favorite cause. My father’s mantra - ‘you have a moral obligation to give back to society what society cannot give to itself.’

I’ve lived by that code. I started working for a non-profit at eighteen and haven’t looked back. Twenty years of fundraising and marketing for some of the best organizations and brightest non-profit visionaries in New England provide me with a wealth of experience of which I’m proud. I’m passionate about mission-driven work and always will be...

But there’s always been this little voice... ‘Make something of your own.’ For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to ‘do my own thing’... have my own business. I’ve just been too afraid. What if my idea isn’t good enough? What if I’m not ready? Do I have enough knowledge? And, I knew that whatever I wanted to create for a business would have to be intimately tied to the non-profit sector. I just never knew where to start - and I didn’t know where the ‘sweet spot’ was.

That is, until my friend Kelley-Sue started AleuroMedia. A full-service interactive media marketing and development firm, Aleuro focuses on helping start-ups, established businesses, and non-profits leverage online and Web 2.0 tools to create and nurture community, strengthen constituent loyalty, and help make or raise more money. At the beginning Kelley hinted that I might have something to contribute to this venture, but I was too afraid. Afraid of the things all potential entrepreneurs are afraid of at one point or another. The people who evolve into entrepreneurs are the ones who put the fear behind them and forge ahead.

I've decided that sometimes you just have to jump. Take the leap into a world that intuitively or otherwise, you know awaits your presence and participation (heed a calling so to speak). For me this manifested in my recent resignation from my full-time job as the Senior Director for Marketing and Development at New Hampshire Public Radio to 'do my own thing.' I’ve joined Kelley-Sue as a partner in Aleuro. Yes - now. Yes - in this economy.

What gives me the confidence to jump into an entrepreneurial endeavor today? I have a vision. I believe in the power of social networking to help non-profits and start-up businesses. And I believe that the time for organizations to truly embrace social media is now. To succeed you need a community of loyal supporters. Social media will support you in that work - especially in times like these. Now I combine my fundraising and marketing background with my passion for social media. It’s a primary focus that allows me to help you acquire new supporters, build loyalty with your current stakeholders, and ultimately raise more money for the work you do.

If you haven’t jumped into the ocean of social media yet - hold your nose and take my hand. The waves may be a bit choppy, but the water’s really just fine...

Getting to know Katie York

2009-01-16T12:28:00.005-05:00

Hey y'all, so I'm at Panera hanging out with Katie York. Great story here actually, we met through a business meeting I had with one of my clients (JitterGram) at an ad house (Griffin, York, & Krause). I met Travis York and we were bantering about socnet, he's a believer but not a doer apparently. He lends his socnet side to his wife Danielle who he told me is all over the MyFaceTube thing (my new word). So long story short (too late) I look up Danielle on Twitter and we have tons in common so we start talkin'. She talks to her sister-in-law Katie (see Katie at Panera is what started this) about JitterGram. Katie is now wrapped up and excited about mobile marketing so she'll be doing a guest blog spot for us on th JG site. Sweet right?

Maybe I'll even get her to post something about herself here...trying to get her to blog on her own...we'll see.

Great summary from Brogan's guest blogger

2008-12-07T18:28:00.005-05:00

I've been buried lately and so I apologize for the lack of Aleuro blog activity. It's exciting times at Aleuromedia. We've expanded our services from Visual Comm and Web work to include more business strategy and planning for start-ups and nonprofits.

I've had the great pleasure to work with Kristi Scarpone of Scarpone Associates teaching her class at UNH about Social Media for Nonprofits and Social Networking for professionals. You can see the slide shows on SlideShare.

I've been working all day and decided to check in on my Twitter feed a bit ago where I read a post from Chris Brogan's guest blogger, Teresa Wu. I loved it! Of course I commented.

If your at all interested in Gen-Y, or the effects of web 2.0 technologies you'll want to take five minutes and read it through.

Goodbye Sonya.

2008-10-26T18:13:00.003-04:00

8/27/2008

I'm am sorry to share the news that Sonya passed away this morning at 5:30 am. She was surrounded by her family, all of us will miss her greatly.

Sonya fought with every single ounce of life she could gather.

She has left behind her husband and four young children.

Thanks for the thoughts

2008-06-13T12:00:00.007-04:00

...for all of you who have read my post on Sonya, visited the ChipIn page or seen my notes on Facebook about her and have expressed your well wishes...thank you. I plan to head up and see Sonya very soon and I will pass along all of your good energy.

Thank you Deb Huffman for donating! You are a bright star, and you were the first to step up to the plate and put your money where your heart is.

You can read some of the story here or you can watch.
This aired on CBS last week.

It's pretty amazing what people can do, and it's wonderful for Son, Jeff and the kids to have their house! BUT there is so much more struggle ahead. I want these kids, who will grow up in Oldtown, Maine, (loving and hating its smallness at times) to know that they can further their education and dream big dreams even in small towns, even in the face of struggle.

Please help me start their scholarship fund, donate what you can today.

I need your help to help others

2008-05-13T22:30:00.003-04:00

This is personal. My younger cousin Sonya has four young children and she has late stage breast cancer.

I grew up hanging out at her childhood home on the lake in Maine during summer vacations. Down stairs you'd find us drinking Tab and singing to Kool & The Gang - (Joanna), Dexys Midnight Runners (Come on Eileen) and of course we did our share of Blondie and Rick Springfield among many others. We both were so going to famous one day. :o)

Sonya and I have another thing in common, both our moms have survived breast cancer. My Aunt Rita got to set the example by going first. Rita is about as strong as any woman I've ever known; she made her way through the challenge with little complaint and lots of humor. My Mom was diagnosed several years after her sister and followed the example well. Mom and Auntie have been cancer free for years now, so when I learned that Sonya was diagnosed I wasn't completely surprised. Cancer is not a stranger to us.

Sonya was diagnosed while her last child was still in diapers. She has been fighting breast cancer for the past few years now and she's just not catching any breaks. If motherhood wasn't hard enough, she's got to pack in as much mothering as she can into every moment because she has to. I'm a mom too, and I know she worries.

The local paper and TV news have run a story about her this past Mother's Day, some folks have come together to help her family get a home. Please take a moment to meet her and to hear her story. Then contribute to my fundraiser for Sonya - I have set a goal of $400,000.00 that I hope to attain in four rounds of fundraising. Ultimately that's 100K for each of her four kids - so that she and her husband wont have to worry about their education amongst all the other financial burdens they are facing. I want to/need to do this soon, so my goal date for the first round ($100K) is my birthday. For my birthday this year I want to fund four $25k scholarships and provide a little peace of mind, I hope that you will help.

Meet Sonya
The last quarter of the video on this link has an interview with Sonya.

Other ways to help
Check out Sonya's page on ChipIn.

There's absolutely NO reason for this

2008-02-06T15:59:00.000-05:00

I've come across this type of message a few times recently, from any number of different web sites. (This one is from a company touting themselves as the "Leader in Media and Marketing Relationship Management") It makes me nuts!!!

Ok, I'm using Safari. Fine. It's version 3, and it's more standards-compliant than that IE atrocity. So, I have no tolerance for your inability to support and test on it. Also, I've got Flash 9.0 r11, so there's no reason to complain about a missing plugin, either. Unless, of course, you're too lazy or not clever enough to write proper detection code.

Get it right, people. No person using the web should be subjected to this.

Serena software goes Mashup TV

2007-12-28T13:58:00.000-05:00

I was consulting on a project and needed to evaluate the Serena software solution for a company. These guys are going to be reaping the rewards of success. Their website design just nails the target market and the usability is dead on; see, try, and buy, talk about keeping it simple. And while great design and navigation are worth the effort, it's the video content that sends this one out of park! Serena has created a video collection they call Mashup TV. They have a sense of humor, because they know we (those who surf and buy and work online) do too. Watch the parody of the Product Manager and Engineering Director bashing it out about priorities and bandwith...

From Mashup TV you can watch Michael Parker's Chalk Talk. Michael is the product manager who belongs in front of all your prospects, listen to him explain what a Business Mashup is, and more importantly why you should care. This is a value proposition statement that might be lost among all the cluttered content of another internet day if he were not right there, talking to you, and white boarding with you

Serena has all the bases covered: video to communicate their strategic value proposition, video to develop a community of users, video testimonials that serve as a personable relatable reference that is just what your next client needs to get on board. Are you using video yet?

World Usability Day 2007 - Boston

2007-11-08T20:38:00.001-05:00

I spent most of the day today as a volunteer for the World Usability Day events in Boston. If you've never been to one of these, it's worth dropping in next year. There are a number of interactive exhibits (the museum visitors participate), and many of us practitioners from the region provide free, hour-long evaluations of web sites or software for local non-profit or charitable groups.

I made a short (12 second!) video of the setup.

Usability vs. revenue? Nope. Usability = revenue.

2007-10-29T21:40:00.000-04:00

Over at BeyondVC, Ed Sim wrote

It is this battle between usability (simple and clean) vs. revenue (balance between getting what you want vs. being cluttered) that is constantly fought behind the scenes.

It's interesting that there's a perception that making a site usable is separate from doing revenue generating activities (like adding banner ads or splash entry pages, as was pointed out at Forbes.com. Even more interesting was the idea that there exists in many companies a battle between the two.

I'm not really surprized. But, I do know that there are more and more "enlightened" sites out there. They understand that usability is directly tied to revenue. Usability goes up, revenue goes up. And the other way around. Adding a few banner ads might get you some small short term revenue gains, but if you upset your paying customers, they're gonna go somewhere else (unless of course, your site is devoted to banner-ad seeking customers). There might be a few web sites that people will continue to go to even when they're hard to use, but yours probably isn't one of them.

There's lots of good examples out there, like 37signals. Take a look. Then make sure that your usability effort isn't competing with your revenue.

PodCamp Boston 2007

2007-10-27T13:33:00.000-04:00

Engaging the audience with audio. It's big and it's picking up players everyday. By now you'll know that the Aleuromedia team has an enthusiasm and passion for video as a major communication medium. We believe that video has value in everything from internal corporate messages and corporate culture pieces, to relaying what might have traditionally been a white paper with greater detail and cognition, to dynamic product demos using video, flash and screencasting tools.

That said, our desire to bridge communication gaps and to increase the efficiency with which we share information endears us to audio tools. The goal is to communicate with each other the way we are most inclined to receive it.

Podcasts are great for sharing information because they are so efficient. We can relay lots of material, in small doses, and with great frequency using podcasts. Who could deny that it is faster and easier to tell someone your story than it is to document it? Bigger still, it is more relate able to hear someone share their story. The pace of their words, the inflection, the tenor and diction all have meaning we are already prepared to process and these keys provide us with so much more than our interpretation of the written word. Check out Chris Brogan's blog to hear what I mean.

Whatever you think Podcast are, prepare yourself to learn how much more energy they conduct, check out PodCamp Boston 2007.

Screencasts to social networks and fundraising.

2007-10-19T11:25:00.000-04:00

I LOVE the internet!

Kenny ran into this great article on the Non-Profit Times about screencasting. The author Beth Kantor did a great job of going "101" on the topic. It was very cool timing because I've been working with some non-profits and non-profit solution providers to give them insight about New Media and Social Networking. Helping these organization understand what social technologies can mean to fundraising, event, and constituent management, for example using Facebook to work a community based event, or using Inner Circle to connect and stay abreast of what your donors are doing.

Well I liked Beth writing enough that I went to her blog and found that she is infact managing a fundraising campaign for Leng Sopharath. Beth is using Facebook, flickr, ChipIn and her blog, among many other social technologies to coordinate and communicate her fundraising efforts and mission. Kudos Beth! The name of Beth's blog is "How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media", you should check it out.