It’s a special year for search and social: they’re getting married. 

Well, maybe that’s not true. Maybe they’ve been shacked up for a while, but search engine optimisation and social media have never been so closely intertwined.

But first, some background.

Beginnings of the SEO industry

In the beginning, there was search. It’s easy to forget now how revolutionary it was to be able to search for – and usually find – any information we wanted.

However, it was possible to game the system to get your website ranked higher. This led to the SEO industry being born, and marketers were forced to trust SEO practitioners with a very important part of their brand – their online presence and visibility.

Database of Intentions

What search gave marketers was what John Batelle calls the “database of intentions” – previously marketers could only learn from responses to communications, or surveys. Now we could see what people were going to do in the future.

Batelle has a great summary of “database of intentions”, and how it has evolved over time. 

As you can see, what began with search evolved into social, and a fuller, richer picture of the customer emerged.

That’s great for business, but what about the consumers? Are they able to find what they need?

Give them what they need

That’s one of Google’s top priorities, so Google has been in an arms race with “black hat” SEO operators who try to game the system.

Arguably, Google is getting closer to its goal of simply delivering you, the user, what you’re looking for. And for content developers, that should also be simpler – no extra tricks or hacks required.

Google’s recent development called “Search Plus Your World” just made social a lot more important. This post explains the details, but in a nutshell, when you search, you’ll see:

• Public results (the type you’d see anyway)
• Private results (things from your own Google+ or Picasa accounts, or items that have been privately shared with you)
• Personalised results based on your search history
• Social results from Google+ – and only Google+

(There’s some controversy over this. Google says it can’t bring in results from Facebook or Twitter, but engineers from those companies are crying foul)

What does this mean? 

• Google+ is really important for getting seen in search results
• It’s harder to reach total strangers; instead, personal/social connections will play a much bigger role
• If in doubt, create content that a) tells a good story, b) gives people a reason to pass it on and share with others

Search Plus Your World is only available in some countries (not including New Zealand). If you’ve had a chance to use it, what’s your feedback? If you’re in the SEO business, what’s your view on the future of the SEO industry?

Alex via Compfight

I must have a face that says “tell me”. 

At least, that’s my suspicion. Every time I speak at a conference, I end up having a fascinating conversation with a social media skeptic. 

These conversations are usually very respectful and (I hope) mutually interesting, as I’m not the babbling digital evangelist people might expect me to be.

Instead, I’m genuinely interested in the concerns people have about embracing new technology. Some of those concerns are quite legitimate – even if it’s not an issue for me personally.

The latest objection to Facebook goes like this: When a dear friend from years ago adds me on Facebook, there’s the initial effusive hi, how are you. Then, nothing except the passive awareness of each other via your stream.

For me, that’s great! You can catch up without catching up, and there’s always a conversation point.

But for the person I spoke with, it was horrifying. “It’s like they’ve moved in over the road, kept the blinds open all the time, but never speak to me. I’d rather not see them at all.”

Anyone else feel like that? Are we leaving behind some crucial social norms in favour of the semi-voyeuristic, no-effort-required Facebook timeline? 

Looking forward to your views!

Marketing and HR should be best friends. Why? Because we’re both in the same job: persuading people to do what’s best for the company.

For marketing, the people don’t work for us; they pay us. We call them customers.

For HR, the people do work for us; we pay them. We call them staff.

But staff or customers, they’re still people.

Living in silos

Traditionally, marketing and HR have been in silos. Management consultants have been calling for the departmental walls to come down, but a more powerful force than consultants is the market itself.

The market – customers, staff, or just people – are using disruptive social technologies that knock down those organisational walls, because for the customer, there is no difference between marketing, sales, customer service or product development. 

Disruptive possibilities

So, how can marketing and HR work together? Here are some possibilities:

• Tell the same story. The story that captures employee’s hearts is the same one that will capture customers. Collaborate in telling it.
• Create a brand culture that tells the story more powerfully and authentically than a logo ever could*. Culture comes from rituals and habits that emphasise what’s important to a company – its rituals. (*NB still get a good logo! That’s also important)
• Have some common measurements of success, or at least make sure your key performance indicators are in sync with the company’s vision or overall direction.

It starts with a coffee

Those are pretty big calls in most medium-to-large organisations. Creating (and living) a joint vision is not easy when there are politics, miscommunication and turf wars going on. But the first step may just be asking the “other side” whether that’s marketing or HR, for a coffee, and get to know what their world is like.

How else can marketing and HR get on? We welcome your ideas below.

I was recently chatting with my friend from Jiangxi province, China. KFC is big in China, and on a recent visit she saw why they are more successful than other restaurants.

It was a rainy day, and KFC had a dedicated waitress mopping the floor where people came in, and giving each patron small plastic bags to put their umbrella in. It showed not only efficiency and attention to detail, but more importantly … care. 

Sometimes our care is hard to account for, but in this case, a small amount of care – something any other restaruatn in town could have done – created very visible results. 

To some, it makes very obvious sense. For the others, who see only cost and not investment, what will change their mind?

At least, that’s one conclusion you could draw from YouTube’s “most viewed” stats. (to localise, change the “location” settings right at the bottom of the page)

Check out this NZ Herald story about who’s viewing what (featuring commentary from Simon). 

Interestingly, the 5th most viewed YouTube video is in Thai!

This suggests a) we’re a multicultural society, and b) because YouTube is blocked in China, we’re not really seeing the whole picture. Our Chinese community may well be watching videos on YouKu (the Chinese version of YouTube). 

And how many people in New Zealand are watching YouKu videos? We’d love to know! 

Chances are, Chinese social media is just as geographically widespread as western social media … we just don’t have the easily accessible statistics to know for sure. So a brand targeting the Chinese market is really targeting a global niche based on language, not just those within mainland China.

If you know about who’s using Chinese social media in countries outside China (for example, New Zealand) we’d love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us.

Meanwhile, here’s a remix of one of the most popular YouTube videos of all time. Because we like to keep it classy:

Even though it was just Simon getting “the chop”, the syENGAGE team was out in full force to show their support. You can see the photos on our Facebook page. 

And we weren’t alone! We are extremely grateful for support from:

• Bright Sparks Promotional Marketing for the t-shirts
• Ben from Woopa Design for the funky t-shirt design
• ..and The Schoolwear Centre for the screenprinting 

And a huge thanks to James Hancox for outstanding photography, and also being a key organiser of this event. You’re a legend, James! 

Even though Shave week is over, you can still sponsor us. Find more details here, and thanks in advance for your support!

How is the Internet Changing the Way You Think

From the scientifically dense to the socially enlightening, this book was a literal experience of the diversity of the virtual world. It is a collection of complementary, contradicting, entertaining and at times technically baffling opinion pieces. As noted in Kevin Kelly’s contribution,

“For every accepted piece of knowledge I find, there is within easy reach someone who challenges the fact. Every fact has its anti-fact.”

Like any eclectic collection there is something for everyone – the writing is littered with anecdotes, insights and moments of sheer delight.

For the latter, one need only start at the opening essay, where W.Daniel Hillis explains the common error between the internet as a network and the services that it enables. Targeting Tom Wolfe’s observation that all the internet does is speed up the retrieval and dissemination of information, the rest Wolfe proclaims is “Digibabble”, Hillis then makes the wonderfully memorable reference to the advent of electricity and how many only saw it as a purveyor of electric light. Noting that a few dreamers would have speculated that electricity would change the world with some curmudgeon stating that electricity is light and the rest is Electrobabble.

Then, apart from the rather dubious lament for the demise of the fax machine Brian Eno’s discourse on things he’s noticed is memorable: “I notice that the desire for community is sufficiently strong for millions of people to belong to entirely fictional communities, such as Second Life and World of Warcraft,” he writes. “I worry that this may be at the expense of First Life.”

In contrast other contributors are undisturbed by the possibility of a virtual future. “Large-scale communal games such as Second Life will become disconcertingly addictive to many ordinary people who understand little of what goes on in the engine room,” predicts the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. “And let’s not be snobbish about that. For many people around the world, ‘first life’ reality has few charms, and, even for those more fortunate, active participation in a virtual world is more intellectually stimulating than the life of a couch potato slumped in idle thrall to Big Brother.”

You can easily move between essays looking for your favourite commentators by name, discipline and profession. Like jumping through your online search results and hyperlinks to find snippets of interest and validation, digesting and reflecting the content then moving onto the next website.

The sense of randomness that this reviewer initially encountered when reading the text led to an insight that this book is best experienced the way you would review, aggregate and share information on the internet. Find the bits you enjoy, reflect on the essayist’s stance and share the memorable bits with those around you.

At worst you could be tagged an insightful geek or more positively you could spark a conversation. Conversations that Clay Shirky hopes will shift the internet from a socially obsessed narcissistic high school with a modicum of education to an Invisible College, the communicative backbone of real intellectual and civic change.

“Without a discipline of knowing what matters, we will merely amuse ourselves to death.” – Paul Saffo

How is the Internet Changing the Way You Think? is published by Atlantic Books.

Tonight I spent a few minutes on Close Up giving my thoughts on why this viral campaign has been so successful, and whether it will lead to any change. 

First up, what is Kony 2012? 

1. Ask Wikipedia
2. Check KnowYourMeme.com
3. In a nutshell, it’s a 30-minute video that’s going around the web. As I write this, there are 15 million views on the YouTube video; that’s not counting the other versions of the video circulating around the web. This video was only launched two days ago. 

It’s been a great success, and also attracted criticism. Interestingly, the critics’ complaints are the very reason the campaign has engaged people.

1. KONY 2012 is personal

In reality, this is a complex geopolitical issue with many shades of grey. But KONY 2012 pits one filmmaker/father, Jason Russell, against one war criminal, Joseph Kony. That’s something everyone can understand – and react to at an emotional level.

Takeaway: What is it about your message that is personal, emotional, and most importantly, true. (I don’t mean true to just mean factual, I mean emotionally honest)

2. KONY 2012 is relatable

Critics complained that Ugandans’ voices are not heard in KONY 2012, and instead relied mostly on the storytelling of an adorable blond American kid. That’s exactly what will engage American viewers (the primary audience) and help make the issue relevant to them.

Takeaway: Be relevant and relatable to your audience.

3. KONY 2012 is inspiring and challenging at the same time

Some of the footage shown in KONY 2012 is pretty gruesome and emotionally harrowing, but there’s also inspiring sights: crowds of American young people chanting “We will end the war”. It’s a one-two punch of challenge + encourage – this is the problem, here’s what you can do. It’s instant gratification – very uplifting and inspiring.

Takeaway: Use the one-two punch to wake your audience up to a need, and then tell them how they can make a difference. It’s all about them, not you. Kathy Sierra has some great stuff about this. 

4. KONY 2012 is part of a larger plan

If you watch all the way to the end, you’ll see this is part of a larger plan. On April 20th, 2012, Invisible Children are planning to plaster the major cities of the world with KONY 2012 posters and banners. They’re taking the online buzz offline, and they’re being very organised about it. Viral is sometimes accidental; generating value from viral is never accidental.

Takeaway: Plan! 

5. KONY 2012 is unexpected and mysterious

It’s not immediately obvious what KONY 2012 is about – it sounds like an election campaign, and it’s presented with such strong conviction that it forces the question, “WHO?”  

Takeaway: Don’t be afraid of a little mystery. Mystery mixed with confidence is a powerful attractant. 

6. KONY 2012 generated controversy but the organisation has responded quickly

A few key criticisms of KONY 2012 came out early on in the campaign, and Invisible Children has been quick to answer most of them convincingly on their blog. They’ve also had staff members engaging in conversation on Twitter and on YouTube.

Takeaway: Creating and distributing content is just the beginning – the real value and opportunity lies in the response and engagement afterwards.

KONY 2012 is a compelling cause that requires, and facilitates, action.

KONY 2012 is a campaign designed to provoke action, whether it’s the simplest kind of action (like, share, retweet), a little more commitment (donating), or something more serious (organising a mass rally in your city). On Close Up I mentioned the 90-9-1 rule, which I suspect will apply here.

Takeaway: Ensure that the 90% (consumers), 9% (editors) and 1% (creators) all have simple calls to action.

The second question being asked is, is this going to do any good?

My thoughts (not the official opinion of syENGAGE):

•  Most of the criticisms seem to divide into:
• It’s too simplified. It’s precisely because KONY 2012 is oversimplified that more people will engage with it. See above. 
• It’s dodgy. Invisible Children are advocating supporting the Uganda Government Military, which itself has a bloody record. IC have answered this pretty well on their blog – the Ugandan army is the nearest, best-organised body to carry out a capture programme.
• It’s a moneymaking scheme (and/or they spend too much money on filmmaking and travel). It’s hard to take this criticism seriously. Filmmaking and storytelling is part of IC’s core business, alongside direct involvement on the ground in Uganda. It’s not an additional expense. The storytelling is an integral part of their mission; if the story wasn’t so well-told, it wouldn’t have garnered this response. 
• It’s short term. It’s just a flash-in-the-pan that won’t make any real change. See above; there’s actually a plan to take this beyond a single viral video. 

Want to find out more about KONY 2012? Try these:

• Official campaign site
• Thoughtful analysis
• Snarky criticism
• Snarky and thoughtful criticism
• Thoughtful Enthusiasm from our good friend Amar Trivedi
• Very interesting and thoughtful criticism from someone who lives and breathes this kind of thing

Marie Young and Sina Wendt-Moore, President of P.A.C.I.F.I.C.A Auckland Branch

It’s amazing to think that just a few short decades ago, my mother’s generation came from the middle of the Pacific, to the heart of the industrial western world.

Now, the women of the Pacific are taking leadership roles in our society. I am humbled to be considered an emerging leader and invited to speak at the 36th AGM of P.A.C.I.F.I.C.A.

It was a pleasure to meet some of the veterans and also up-and-coming Pacific women leaders, like

• Judge Ida Malosi, New Zealand’s first female Pacific judge,
• Sandra Kailahi, a pioneer and leader in NZ Pacific broadcasting,
• Author (and tweeter) Lani Wendt-Young,
• and the singer who’s taking the pop world by storm, (and my former Sunday School student) Ria.

L-R Lani Wendt-Young, Anapela Polataivao, Stella Muller, Emma Tavola, Marie Young

A lot of people were interested in the field I work in (Social media). Traditionally it’s considered a technology field, and therefore (often unspoken) the domain of white males. I think this isn’t quite right.

Minister of Pacific Island Affairs, Hon Hekia Parata, and other guests at the P.A.C.I.F.I.C.A AGM

As Professor Damon Salesa once observed, the Pacific is all about connections. It was the ocean that connected us generations ago, when our ancestors skilfully navigated canoes between islands. And today it’s the internet connecting us around the world.

And as it was then, so it is today – the women are the ones doing most of the connecting. The figures bear this out – the World Internet Project consistently shows Maori and Pacific people as the second most socially networked online, and women leading in contacting friends and family more frequently than men. So if our Pacific women could make such huge strides in only one generation, just imagine what we can achieve in the next.

I’ll leave you with the words of Judge Ida Malosi, the hallmark of a Pacific woman are her dignity and humility, and her culture is an anchor, not a weight. Those words are true encouragement to anyone balancing a traditional culture and the modern world.

You can find out more about P.A.C.i.F.I.C.A at their website.

I wasn’t able to attend all the sessions, which is a real pity because we had some amazing speakers. However I was able to hear and see Kirsten Nevill-Manning, the (New Zealand-born!) global HR director at Facebook. Her thoughts on the new way to recruit and retain talent, and build a strong culture across borders really resonated with the approach we’re building at syENGAGE. (We’ve also developed our own service offering around people and culture).

 One of the things that particularly excited me was Facebook’s engineering bootcamp, which appears to be a truly engaging way to introduce employees to the workplace. In other words, drop them in the deep end, with good guidance and leadership. 

I also got some very nice feedback from my presentation on Thursday, and a lot of requests for my presentation notes. I’ve decided to embed them here. It’s designed to go with my spoken presentation, but may be helpful for the casual browser as well. (Hint: as well as using the back and forth keys, you can use your mouse to zoom in and out anywhere on the presentation)

If you were at EO University, what was your highlight? Let us know in the comments.