RemainComm

Twitter Before the Internet...Honest!

Phil Wilson — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0500

This early version of Twitter...or the Notificator, as it was known then...proves that there have always been great ideas. They may just need to wait for the right medium...to be invented.

This glimpse of Twitter in 1935, really a precursor to Social Media in general, comes to us via Boing Boing.

Changing the World: Behind Obama's Ineractive Design

Phil Wilson — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:11:37 -0500

I had the chance to take in this presentation by Scott Taylor (SimpleScott) last week compliments of the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association (MIMA). Scott's storytelling and insight were fascinating and shed a great deal of light on the thinking that went into one of the world's first...and most successful...use of interactive media in a political campaign.

If you're interested I posted a more complete recap of the event at Minnov8. It was also reposted at MinnPost. It doesn't matter what you plan on doing with Social and Interactive Marketing...there are valuable lessons to learn from Scott.

Vanity Inaction

Phil Wilson — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 12:51:12 -0500

So, I woke up all stressed this morning...I had fallen asleep and not been at the computer at 11:01pm (CDT) to get secure my name as my URL on Facebook. Wow, talk about Social Media guilt. As involved as I am in Social Media this is a big deal...or is it?

Since my PhiWilson and Phil.Wilson were already gone, I set about finding the next best thing...next best being the problem. No matter which one I checked on I was not satisfied. PhilBWilson? Nope, I never use the initial. Phil.Wilson.us? Nah, sounds too URLy. meet.PhilWilson? Not bad but maybe a bit too George Jetson. Most of them just didn't sit with me and many were just way to cutesy. Logically, I knew that the full name was key. Creatively, I knew I wanted to stand out.

About three hours into the search it hit me. What an incredible waste of time. I had locked on to something that in the long run was so incredibly trivial. You see, my Facebook page is the way I keep in touch with friends. It's not really how I try to "further my brand" on line. Facebook is more personal.

Search wise, since I'm known as Phil Wilson on Facebook, I'm going to show up that way in search. If someone wants to find me on Facebook via my consulting, RemainComm, I show up on FB search that way and at the top of the page in Google search. Localtone Radio, a startup I'm part of? I show up third in FB search...behind our Facebook page and it's creator and my partner Justin Grammens. That's cool by me.

Any way the point is this. There are a bunch of Phil Wilsons in the world...many of them on Facebook. My vanity URL will not change that. My best bet is to try and use a word or words that might possibly help someone find me on Facebook. Something that will further my connectivity on the Social Web.

So what did I end up with? Well, a friend of mine, Meg Canada, upon meeting my family for the first time once said to my daughter, "We know your Dad as Philson." @philson is my Twitter name and I use it for alot of account names accross the web. Why not use this Facebook thing as a way to tie Phil Wilson to that web persona Philson? Of course nothing is easy, and since "philson" was already taken (Yeah, there's alot of philsons out there too.), I added a little "aka". So the Facebook URL is http://www.facebook.com/aka.philson.

Is it the perfect "brand extension"? Maybe not, but it does accomplish something. And, more importantly, it gets the whole anguish of choosing a name behind me.

Now is there any way to get that three hours back?

Audience vs. Community: Which Way Are Your Chairs Pointing?

Phil Wilson — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:42:11 -0500

One of Social Media's most prolific writers, Chris Brogan, posted a very interesting article today on Audience vs. Community. The distinction of the two continues to confound many. From PR firms,to agencies, to businesses to your Mom and Dad, are still trying to figure out the difference. And though Chris speaks from the standpoint of social media, that difference has been with us for years! He sums it up quite eloquently with this sentence:

The only difference between an audience and a community is which direction the chairs are pointing.

No longer are the chairs all neatly arranged in a row all facing a stage, on which stands a speaker. Nope, this new form of media has allowed those "butts in seats" to stand up and rearrange those chairs and talk with each other...while the speaker continues to talk from the stage. And that's the issue we have faced for years as we address our audience or customer.Are we talking at them or with them?

This is not a new concept by any means. Humans would rather be social. Which would you rather do, play solitaire or poker? Go to a party or sit at home and drink? (If it's the later, you may need to make a call or two.) Dine alone or have a barbecue? You get the idea. It's the advent of better social communication, especially through internet technology and our always connected culture, that has brought it to the forefront for businesses, brands and people.

As Brogan points out, the importance of community to a successful music career has always been paramount. The fan is the thing! His analogy, "Think Britney Spears vs the Grateful Dead." Fans, talking to other fans and together converting new fans, kept an entire legion of music consumers on the road for years...some even after the band stopped touring. Harley-Davidson has done the same, so much so that they were able to keep their community together through a period when the product turned to crap. Their "community" helped them survive, demanded a better product, and because HD listened, grew even bigger.

So which way are your chairs facing? Are you still standing on he stage talking at the audience or are you walking around the community and participating in the conversation...which is mostly about you? you? Most importantly are you listening to what they say to each other as well as what they say to you.

Amber Naslund points out in her comment to Brogan's piece, "...you cannot *create* a community. It creates itself." It should also be noted that community can fold up it's chairs (destroy itself), or worse, throw the chairs at you (turn against you).

Hear It From a Judge

Phil Wilson — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:38:06 -0500

Best Buy CMO, Barry Judge shares his thoughts on the importance of listening in this video. Pay special attention to his comments on how marketing through this medium is different from the more "simple" traditional media. "You don't get to tell customers what they get to think anymore."