A leaked internal memo from Yahoo! said the popular social bookmarking site Delicious was about to be "sunsetted" (gotta love that word!) Then an update said they were selling it, etc. etc. Bottom line: you need to copy and move your Delicious bookmarks before they disappear. I had many hundreds of annotated bookmarks that I stored on Delicious over the past six years. Here's how I rescued them:
I've migrated my Delicious files to the cloud on Diigo, thanks to great recommendations from Twitter buds Jason Hill and Tracy Sheridan. It's pronounced as Dee'go - an abbreviation for "Digest of Internet Information, Groups and Other stuff." There is a free and a paid version.
While it works a lot like Delicious - letting you put your bookmarks online, tag them, share them with followers, and follow the bookmarks saved by others - Diigo is a cloud-based personal and collaborative research tool on the one hand, and a knowledge-sharing community and social content site on the other. It's got browser add-ons, mobile apps, and - unlike other bookmarking services - it keeps and shows your your highlighted and annotated content whenever you return to the bookmarked content.
]]> All content copyright B.L. Ochman, Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, with the attribution: By B.L. Ochman, What's Next Blog, and a link to the postThe delicate relationship between management and marketing is a dance roughly akin to that between the fox and the hen, but with far less goodwill. To management, you're only as good as your last campaign.
So let's look at the twelve tenets of Social Media Marketing to see how you can up your success rate:
I. The public is the Lord thy God
Ultimately you can only succeed if your communications produce results, which shall be known as return on investment, by reaching the greater public. This can only be achieved only if your product doesn't suck and your communications are not only clear, but also interesting.
Verily, if you can become a useful source of information, your message may be heeded, or at least looked at ever so briefly.
II. Thou shalt covet all media
Today media is a collective term for the producers of content for mass and, yea, also for niche consumption. Thou must niche or be niched. Thy niches may include surly teenagers in fly-over states, as well as disgruntled consumers. To communicate with them successfully you must approach them from the right perspective.
Thou shalt not piss them off by ignoring or patronizing them, for if thou do, they shalt bite you on the ass.
If you pitch big-time media you need to have big-time story ideas. However, despair not because these days everyone with a web site, newsletter, blog, e-zine, Mail List or forum is a journalist.
III. Ignore not peer-to-peer media.
Become familiar with, and participate in, forums, mail lists and discussion groups that pertain to your segment. Provide information of value and your reputation will grow. Thou wilt not be sorry thou has done this extra work.
Electronic media, of all kinds, is virgin territory for the intrepid marketer. Useth video, podcasts, and blog advertising to communicate.
]]> IV. Thou shalt think globally and speak in tongues.Only market to countries where thy sales items, be they product, idea or event, affect their country and will be of particular interest to their readers. Bother to hire a qualified translator rather than relying on machine translations which can make you looketh like the village idiot.
Be careful to make your communication with simple words, avoiding idioms and complex sentence structures.
V. Thy communications must pass the "who cares?" test.
Abandon ye all communications which are long-winded, formulaic, boring as hell and laden amidst superlatives and marketing babble.
Write down your concept in one sentence. Then ask yourself, and answer honestly, "So what?" If it still sounds like a good idea, proceed to re-write it over and over until it has not one extra word.
VI. Thou shalt learn to create artful blog and forum comments
Yes, yes, yes, despite SEC requirements, bosses, shareholders and lawyers, thou shalt participate in the social media sphere. Write thou comments in a human, and not a godly voice.
Maketh thy comments in one-paragraph, in language appropriate to the publication, and explanatith what thou is saying clearly.
Dispense with excessive exaggeration. Providith contact details in your signature.
VII. Thou shalt not talk shit.
No one in any social medium will tolerate bluff or bluster. They dislike anyone who takes forever to make a point. They particularly don't like flacks or interviewees who try to make simple concepts unnecessarily complex by burdening them with excessive .technical jargon or MBA-speak like what you'd find in business classes and online MBA programs.
Clearly and transparently communicate facts and insight pertaining to your company, its strategy and its products and therefore appeareth intelligent.
VIII. Thou shalt not make someone else speak for thee.
Writeth thy own comments, blog posts, articles, and emails. Flog not. Do not think that nobody will know. Never, never let a lawyer write anything, as all they talk is useless double-speak.
IX. Thou shalt not refuse to comment when thy company is under fire.
Diggeth a hole and put in thy head only if thy care not that thy brand image will then turn to do do. "No comment" is a fine phrase for royalty, criminals and celebrities, but not so great for corporations who have a responsibility to shareholders, clients and consumers.
Unfortunately, in difficult situations it may be impossible for representatives to tell the media the whole truth. Try thee to be honest about which subjects thou wilt be able to talk frankly about and which you may find difficult to comment upon.
In accordance with the sixth tenet, it's better to give a concise response that is straight to the point, than one that is evasive, lengthy and obviously spun.
X. Concern thyself with thy overall marketing strategy.
Thy overall marketing strategy is an arduous process that requires constant vigilance. To be successful thou must practice true multi-channel marketing in which you synergize your advertising, PR, Internet and sponsorship efforts to project a unified image and allow personality to shine through the corporate shield.
XI. Give they brand to the consumer.
They will take very good care of it, for they will give it back to you in better shape than when they got it. Fear not letting thy consumer have input in your brand. But heed closely thy clueless ad agency so it does not chargeth thee a hefty fee when in fact the consumer creates thy ads.
XII. Remember: thou must keep holy the Internet.
The Internet has changed the nature of marketing irrevocably in two distinct regards. It has changed the way that companies communicate with the public and the media. Thy public often is thy media as well. Screw them not.
B.L. Ochman is a social media marketing strategist for S&P 500 companies including McGraw Hill, IBM, Cendant, and American Greetings. She publishes What's Next Blog, one of the top 10 marketing blogs in the world, and Ethics Crisis, where readers can confess their worst ethics transgressions and others can rate them on a scale of one to ten.
]]> All content copyright B.L. Ochman, Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, with the attribution: By B.L. Ochman, What's Next Blog, and a link to the postIn fact, the study finds, only 39% announce their mobile offering on their corporate websites.
The study, by global communications firm, Burson-Marsteller, and my employer, WPP-owned Proof Integrated Communications, notes that making web content easy to read and interactive via mobile allows companies to connect with the ever-increasing number of smartphone users any time, anywhere.
Why mobile offerings are hidden
That's why it's baffling that companies wouldn't be anxious to showcase their investments in mobile corporate websites, mobile apps, SMS/text messaging, mobile payment transaction capability, and QR Codes.
My guesses for the most likely reasons so many Fortune 50 companies aren't taking advantage of the business and marketing opportunities and the hipness/coolness factor of their early mobile adoption:
o corporate silos pitting IT against marketing (as in, "ok, we'll build it, but don't go shooting your mouth off about it until it's really mainstream)
o fear of the (perceived) risks of change (i.e., many pioneers got shot)
o fear of technology snafus
o fear of being different (or of not being different enough)
Specific findings
Specifically, the study found that 38 percent of the Fortune 50 companies have mobile-optimized websites and an even higher proportion (58 percent) of companies offer a mobile application on the iPhone, Android and/or Blackberry. Companies were most likely to develop applications for the iPhone (58%) followed by the Android (32%) and Blackberry (26%).
Other findings include:
• Twenty-two percent of Fortune 50 companies are communicating with stakeholders via SMS/text message.
• Forty-three percent of the Fortune 50 have mobile websites or applications that are enabled for mobile transactions such as shopping, updating account information, refilling prescriptions or transferring money.
• Twenty-two percent of the Fortune 50 are placing QR codes in magazines, on billboards, or at any convenient location to deliver relevant content to smartphone users. (QR codes are two-dimensional barcodes that are encrypted with information. Smartphone users who install a QR Code Reading application can scan the codes with mobile phones and in return receive any content ranging from photos, videos, and product data to applications and instructions.)
The research team looked at Fortune 50 corporations' optimized mobile website presence and application deployment on the Android, BlackBerry, iPhone and iPad. The team also examined the companies' communication of mobile activities and SMS programs, as well as the companies' use of QR codes.
The infographic accompanying the study was designed by Flowtown
]]> All content copyright B.L. Ochman, Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, with the attribution: By B.L. Ochman, What's Next Blog, and a link to the postHat Tip to Marshall Kirkpatrick
]]> All content copyright B.L. Ochman, Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, with the attribution: By B.L. Ochman, What's Next Blog, and a link to the postBen & Jerry's cheered me up - big-time- after some nasty oral surgery left me feeling like a hurting cowgirl this week. Then my website had a major issue, which led to some frustrating exchanges with my web host, MediaTemple. Tonight, they surprised and delighted me by sending me these beautiful flowers, and a lovely note.
These are two shining examples, my dear readers, of Social Customer Relationship Management (Social CRM) in action - managing the social presence of a brand to develop positive engagement across all platforms.
The bottom line: Brands create customer evangelists by sounding and acting like human beings.
Like a lot of smart brands, MediaTemple is monitoring its brand on Twitter, and providing lightening-fast response 24/7 when customers say they have problems.
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link
MediaTemple has been my host, and the company I've recommended to clients, for several years. That's because you can always get a human on the phone.
While everyone I've encountered in tech support there has, over the years, been truly terrific, I got someone the other night who certainly wasn't. I had a mouth full of stitches and a head full of pain medication, and I was in no mood to spar with unresponsive tech support.
MediaTemple's Twitter team and Tech Support rapidly got out of the traditional marketing vs IT battleground - creating a consistent level of service across all levels of the company. And they solved my problem. Thanks guys!
2011: The year of Social CRM
Blame it on silos, or blame it on the slow speed of real change, but a lot of companies still have a hard time making their good intentions uniform.
My prediction for 2011 is that more companies will get the picture, and understand that really, truly, finally, now and forever, the days of the one-way corporate message are over.
Social media, social customer relationships, customers having a voice at every turn, are not new, not trends, not fads. They are facts. They are how companies need to do business now. C'mon in, the water's fine.
Thank you Ben & Jerry's & Media Temple! You Rock!
And thank you Ben & Jerry's and MediaTemple for demonstrating how it's done. I am honored, delighted, and happy to know you.
Lots of brands are on Twitter and Facebook, but only a few actually listen to or interact with people. Ben & Jerry's is not only paying attention, they're working 24/7 trying to make people happy.
That's the real-life, real-time embodiment of Social CRM - managing the social presence of a brand to develop positive engagement across all platforms.
A mouth full of stitches and visions of sugar plums
Earlier today, I became the recipient of a random act of kindness from @CherryGarcia, aka Jay, Ben & Jerry's Tweeter-in-chief.
The story begins on on the afternoon of Dec. 5th - yes, Sunday, with a Tweet exchange:
This afternoon, a few Direct Messages later, this arrived:
In case you can't read it, the hand-written letter says:
"We really do hope these help in some small way! Good luck with the surgery and have a speedy recovery,"What did that cost? Not much when you think about the kind of money brands spend with buckshot advertising and canned marketing messages.
All the best,
@cherrygarcia (Jay)
What's it worth? Well, I have a couple hundred thousand blog readers, and approximately 8,000 followers on Twitter, and I'm have a simple message for all of them:
Brands create evangelists through earned media by acting like human beings.
Update: And a problem that happened while I was writing this post adds MediaTemple to the list of expert Social CRM practitioners.
When my call to tech support got the kind of "who cares?" attitude so prevalent in customer service, I Tweeted my dissatisfaction to @MediaTemple. Minutes later, he Tweeted back an offer to help. I already was on an escalated call (hint: always ask to have your call escalated when someone doesn't appear to want to help you) that resolved the problem.
Did I end up happy with MediaTemple? Not really! Instead of taking nearly an hour, the issue might have taken 10-15 minutes to fix if the first guy had listened to what I said. I'm recovering from surgery; I am trying to rest. Bad timing for aggravating tech suppport.
Long story short: Ben & Jerry's customer service (and ice cream) rocks.
MediaTemple: it's great to be on Twitter, but the customer service attitude has to be consistent throughout the company. I wouldn't have been bitching to you on Twitter if the first person I spoke to had listened when I described the problem.
But thank you - it's good to know you're trying and I still think Media Temple is a great hosting company.
]]> All content copyright B.L. Ochman, Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, with the attribution: By B.L. Ochman, What's Next Blog, and a link to the postJames Cagney and Bob Hope at a Friar's Club Meeting circa 1954.
Bob Hope was 52 and James Cagney was 56.
A comment on the YouTube video says Cagney had a fractured leg in this scene but he danced anyway. Talk about a trooper....
Hat tip to Cathy McManus
]]> All content copyright B.L. Ochman, Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, with the attribution: By B.L. Ochman, What's Next Blog, and a link to the postDear Facebook: You've made a confusing mess with Community Pages.
If you want businesses to invest in creating Facebook Pages, and to make Facebook a strong part of their online marketing, you need to make the rules clear, and stop changing them every five minutes.
Dear Corporations: Bear with me: Community Pages are a complicated mess, but you need to claim yours right now - before Facebook changes its mind again.
In early November, Facebook started allowing companies to claim their Facebook-created Community Pages - those reputation nightmares waiting to happen - MILLIONS of which have existed since April, 2010.
Didn't know your company had such a page? You're certainly not alone.
I'll betcha that Boeing doesn't know it has a Facebook Community Page, for example:
This is official Facebook page of the Fortune 50 Boeing Corporation. It has 35,943 likes, but only one post - "Boeing joined Facebook" (no date)Literally millions of companies, non-profits, causes, and groups have Facebook Community Pages, and I'd be willing to bet most have no idea these pages exist - let alone that anyone could add anything to them at any time. Or that the Community Pages come up first in search - ahead of the company's official Facebook page.This is Boeing's Facebook-created Community Page and it has 239 likes.
April Fool?
On April 1, in what many people took for an April Fool's joke, Facebook suggested that users create a "Community Page" when the page isn't for a company, brand, or public figure, as well as when they are not an official spokesperson for that organization.
That's actually could have been a pretty cool idea. But then Facebook went and created millions of these pages, often by laying claim to existing fan and group pages, without notice, or redress.
Clear as mud
Here are a few of the statements Facebook and the Facebook Blog have made about Community Pages:
"Community Pages are a new type of Facebook Page dedicated to a topic or experience that is owned collectively by the community connected to it. Just like official Pages for businesses, organizations and public figures, Community Pages let you connect with others who share similar interests and experiences.Huh?!Generate support for your favorite cause or topic by creating a Community Page. If it become very popular (attracting thousands of fans), it will be adopted and maintained by the Facebook community." Huh?
On each Community Page, you'll be able to learn more about a topic or an experience--whether it's cooking or learning a new language--and see what your friends and others in the Facebook community are saying about this topic. Community Pages are still in beta, but our long-term goal is to make them the best collection of shared knowledge on a topic. We're starting by showing Wikipedia information, but we're also looking for people who are passionate about any of these topics to sign up to contribute to the Page. We'll let you know when we're ready for your help."
And, if that wasn't murky enough, AllFacebook, said "Facebook Community Pages are for when the page isn't for a company, brand, or public figure, as well as when they are not an official spokesperson for that organization."
To further complicate the issue, Facebook decided to re-categorize some unofficial company pages, which were run by fans, as Community Pages. It gave no warning, it just took the pages over. Natch!
Many of those who did notice their Community Pages on Facebook, were not happy, as you can see here, here, and here.
Adding to the problem has been the fact that nobody could change the description or categories - or mistakes - made by Facebook in Community Pages, even if the content violated copyrights.
Claim your Community Page now. Before Facebook changes its mind.
A few weeks ago, the question "Is this your page?" was added to the Community Pages. In true Facebook fashion, it just kind of showed up, and, unless you're Nancy Drew, you probably didn't notice.
Says Facebook to those who apply to own their Community Page:
"Once you have submitted the request to merge the Community Page(s) to your authenticated Page, Facebook will review your request and verify that the merge request is for two similar entities. For example, the Community Page for Nike could merge with the authenticated Nike Page, but a merge request for Nike Basketball or Nike Shoes to merge to the general Nike Page would not be approved.If all this is still unclear, call Facebook. What's that? You mean a company with 500 million+ members has an unlisted phone number? C'mon! Get serious!Please keep in mind that the review process may take a few days, and that we may contact you if we need additional information. If we approve the request, anyone who has "Liked" the Community Page(s) will be combined and connected to your authenticated Page."
Does the world really need yet another corporate blog? Is it worth investing the time, money and effort into building and sustaining a corporate blog? Will anyone actually read your corporate blog? And will you make any money because of it? Yes, but...
If you truly want to share your company's intellectual ability and engage with customers, there's still no better medium than a corporate blog - IF you follow these guidelines:
1. Think long-term
Think about staying top of mind in the long term. A blog is not an instant solution to a marketing problem.
Let's say that people now come to your website to buy your products somewhere between two and four times a year.
A blog that is interesting, interactive, well-designed and professionally written can create daily readers who will have your company top of mind every day.
2. Create engaging content
When people do get to your blog, you need to be talking about what people want to hear, not just what you want to tell them. Simple as that sounds, heavy-handed selling or, worse yet, bland "don't offend anyone" writing are the major reasons that nobody reads most corporate blogs.
3. Make the blog look good
The vast majority of corporate blogs lack a compelling graphic identity. They're bland looking and they have bland content.
They have tiny pictures or they rely on cheesy clip art. Or, worse yet, they're all type. There's no excuse for that when there are sites like iStockphoto with images for as little as $1.
4. Invest in good writing
Most people would rather have root canal than write several blog posts a day. And most people don't have the skill, talent, experience, or training to write well on a constant basis.
5. Keep the blog writing in-house.
If you don't have staff members who want to write for your blog on a regular basis, and who will enjoy researching, writing, editing and interacting with readers, don't start a corporate blog.
The easy answer is to have a professional writer or editor on your corporate blog. If that means you need to hire a social media manager, do it.
6. Keep posts short
Posts that are more than 300 words are unlikely to be read - unless they consist of short sentences and paragraphs; bulleted points; subheads and plenty of white space. Who has time to read 1000-word+ posts on your blog?
if you need more than 300 words in a blog post you probably should split it into a series of posts.
7. Love your readers
- Give link love to people who comment on your blog by linking to their websites and blogs, following them on Twitter
- Try to surprise and delight your readers
- Give readers the opportunity to create content. People love to send stories and photos and videos to blogs they like. Incentiveize them.
Promote your blog
No matter how great your blog, you'll need to drive traffic to it. That means including a link in the navigation of your homepage, Facebook page, Twitter bio, LinkedIn profile.
Include the url on all letterhead, business cards, advertising and promotional material.
Blog readers are there by choice. You can't force anyone to read a blog.
The bottom line
Is all this going to be cheap? No! A good corporate blog costs money and time. Time to write, promote and most of all, time to build an audience over time.
Blogging Don'ts
- expect instant results. Building a reputation for blogging has a cumulative effect based on continuously producing content people will want to read, not just what you want to tell them
- try to blatantly sell products
- try to create a blog without a budget. Blog design needs to align with your corporate identity and needs to have features that make it easy to read, comment on, and share.
ABOVE ALL: Do not think of a blog as a substitute for an integrated marketing campaign
Cartoon: Hugh Macleod
]]> All content copyright B.L. Ochman, Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, with the attribution: By B.L. Ochman, What's Next Blog, and a link to the postBy B.L. Ochman
Only 11% of teens email each day, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg told a Nielsen's Consumer 360 conference in June. "Email is probably going away," she said.
Pundit pontification about a possible new Facebook email service is increasing at a frantic pace, yet Facebook is not responding. Facebook is playing it cool, and taking a page from Apple's marketing playbook, by refusing to confirm rumors until its official event.
In the meantime, AOL actually launched a new email service. Talk about ill-timed announcements!
I personally don't care one way or another if Facebook launches email. I'm drowning in freaking email. I don't need another email account. And since teenagers and millennials text more than they email, I can't imagine that Facebook (or anyone else) really sees email as a growth business.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks pundits ruminating on Facebook email are just trying to build some traffic to their blog. Now that's something I'm happy to join in on. :>)
But I do care that rumors can move markets and that Google stock is down more than 2%. I own three shares of Google and I like it to do up, not down. :>)
It's not the first time blog reports moved markets, and it won't be the last.
Cartoon by Hugh Macleod
"Maybe you don't think anyone in Haiti will ever see YouTube, but I'd say you might be wrong" says Dr. Jan Gurley, who's been helping in Haiti since the earthquake. "People there have cell phones, and texts, and everyone has an email address. Aid workers have smart phones that can show videos, and people there, just like here, love to gather 'round and watch the tiny screen."
Dr Gurley has made this wordless video about how to make life-saving oral rehydration therapy (ORT) solutions for cholera victims. The simple sugar and salt solution is an alternative to medical rehydration therapy, which may not be available fast enough or in sufficient quantity.
Cholera can kill in as little as three hours when diarrhea totally depletes the body of fluid. The video demonstrates how to make a simple life-saving sugar and salt-based solution that rehydrates the body - and saves lives - using only things that a person living under a sheet in a tent city would have.
Upon return from her most recent trip to Haiti, Dr Hurley realized there was almost no videos on YouTube about ORT, so she and her friends decided to demonstrate how easily it can be done.
"...you may feel the urge to turn off the news from Haiti," Dr Gurley says "...because there's nothing you feel like you can do to make a difference." But she says getting wider circulation for this video can help save lives.
The remarkable impact of the Internet and smart phones on world events
What I find even more remarkable than how fast this video is spreading through Twitter and the blogosphere is how technology is changing communication even in the most horrific circumstances of disasters.
People who are living in such desperate situations that they refuse to evacuate refugee camps even in the face of hurricanes, floods and illness still have access to the Internet. And it can save lives.
What does that say about corporations who block employee access to the Internet? Just saying....
via: BoingBoing
]]> All content copyright B.L. Ochman, Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, with the attribution: By B.L. Ochman, What's Next Blog, and a link to the postMSNBC's suspension of Keith Olbermann is another nail in the coffin of traditional media.
We live in the age of opinion, where anyone with a computer can make his/her partisan views heard. When what a person says resonates with enough people, the person develops a following. If not, he/she does monologues.
By continuing the ruse that journalism is objective, MSNBC is ignoring the reality of the Internet Age - we want to hear from people who are honest, transparent, and opinionated. That way, we know how to interpret what they are telling us.
Keith Olbermann has become a major force of liberalism on MSNBC and I, for one, am happy that I know where he stands. Don't ask me to believe that you can't detect a different editorial slant in the NY Times and FOX, or the Wall St Journal and the MSNBC.
Just as I know David Brooks will take a quasi-conservative view in the NY Times, and I can count on right wing opinions from the Wall St Journal, (now that their lone liberal voice, Thomas Frank, is gone,) I knew I could count on Olbermann for a liberal slant. That's why I watched him.
As someone who gets interviewed a lot, and as someone with a degree in journalism who interviews a lot of people, I can tell you that nine out of 10 times, a journalist interviews you for an hour and then uses the line that fits the point he/she was trying to make with their story.
People formerly known as the gatekeepers are de-throned
Feeling he was misquoted in the Dallas Morning News, Mark Cuban called foul on the reporter in 2008 by publishing the interview transcripts. Many public figures, formerly known as the interview subjects, have been doing the same ever since, changing the balance of power permanently.
Some traditional journalists, like Steve Baker when he was a Businessweek, began publishing their notes along with their stories so people could see how they came to the conclusions they drew. "If anyone wants to read the notes from this interview, [download the file] have at them. And if you find stories or angles there that I should have stressed, let me know."
The publishing of transcripts, e-mail messages and conversations - by journalists and subjects alike - and the ability to search Google and other engines for sources, has empowered those whom blogger and NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen, calls ''the people formerly known as the audience.''
Most of us listen to and read only those with whose opinions we agree these days, although that practice helps nobody. But right or wrong, holding journalists to the old-fashioned ideal of objectivity, which was always an illusion, is a waste of time.
]]> All content copyright B.L. Ochman, Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, with the attribution: By B.L. Ochman, What's Next Blog, and a link to the postThis isn't about Internet marketing. It's about joy, and love, and the triumph of the human spirit. It's also about what goes viral, and why.
This the Official Trailer for the soon-to-be-released documentary about the incredibly inspiring Alice Herz-Sommer, the oldest Holocaust survivor in the world. She will be 107 on November 26th, and she continues to lead a remarkably active life, filled with music. her studies, her friends and her family who visit daily.
The documentary's trailer is heading toward one million YouTube views as it's sent from friend to friend. It came to me via three friends in the past two days, each saying "Watch for the whole 12 minutes, it's worth the time!"
"Every day," she says, as her 107th birthday approaches, "is beautiful." She describes how music was the only thing that allowed her and her fellow concentration camp prisoners to have hope. Despite having lost her family in the holocaust, her faith and inspiration is the most clear when she says "I was always laughing, even there I was laughing."
And she says, even after surviving the camps, where she was imprisoned with her young son, "I never hate, and I will never hate," she says. "Hatred brings only hatred."
Watching this trailer will give you 12 minutes I guarantee you will never forget, and will lift your spirits for a long time to come.
Alice will celebrate her 107th birthday this month. God bless you Alice. I wish I could be there to celebrate with you.
The video about Alice is not only a tribute to one of the most beautiful people on the planet, it's also an example of what people want to share: something different, upbeat, and new; something that doesn't hit you over the head with a message, but makes it in a memorable way.
Of course when you look at Fred vs the Annoying Orange, and realize it's heading toward 10 million views, you realize how hard it is to plan something viral!
If you want to see the finished film about Alice Herz-Sommer early next year please email: dancingunderthegallows@gmail.com
Bonus Links:
Alice's Facebook Page;
Wikipedia;
2006 Guardian Interview
Additional interviews and articles about Alice Herz-Sommer