First of all, kudos for not calling it “Peanutsize” (say “I’m posting  my Peanutsize on Facebook” out loud and tell me that’s not hilarious).

Also, mine didn’t go so well.

Long-Form Content Experiment

BuzzSumo did an extensive study of content types to see which kinds get more links and shares. As someone involved in SEO, I appreciate the distinction, and definitely pay attention. One finding, that long-form content (longer than 1,000 words) tends to get more links AND shares, caught my eye. It syncs with things I have been hearing the last year or so, that long-form content is more engaging and that people will share it because it’s substantive. Perhaps you can also assume that the people who do share it have done so more thoughtfully than they would in sharing or linking to, say, a cat photo.

That said, I wondered; if I put some fake long content, would people share it without reading it?  I published the verbal equivalent of two $100 bills wrapped around plain paper, thanks to a handy lorem ipsum generator. The results? As I write this, the post got about 5-6 times the normal share rate of one of my blog posts; it’s not a definitive finding, as I’m sure several people simply got the joke and passed it along, but I do wonder how many people share longer-form content without actually reading it.

Shocker: Another Hashtag Fail

This is obvious and inevitable, but I just wanted to mark it here so I remember it for reference. Yes, Donald Trump’s presidential campaign had a hashtag to ask him questions, and yes people trolled it. At this point, I’m not sure anymore that these things are such a terrible idea. Someone like Trump will have hecklers anywhere he goes, so trolls are pretty easy to ignore in this setting, and as easy to embrace. Is it any different from any other campaign event, whether he is an active or passive participant? Probably not. It’s time for any brand looking at hashtag campaigns to decide if they are worth it based on the potential return, rather than the predictable risk. One generally outweighs the other.

Universal New Yorker Cartoon Caption

Apparently, there are “universal New Yorker cartoon captions.” Apparently, there’s a new suggestion that you can apply to any New Yorker cartoon, because that’s a thing.

OK, fine, but these might be better.

On the other hand, we might as well just make fetch happen.

Groupon Layoffs

I saw this coming when I got a Groupon for Groupons. It usually is true for restaurants, so maybe that would have been as good a method as any to announce layoffs.

Long-Content Formats:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, ferri albucius contentiones sit te, minimum fierent ne duo. Tation corpora neglegentur no vel. Ut quo oportere salutatus iracundia. Dignissim neglegentur ei sea. Tollit doctus dolorum duo id, denique scripserit persequeris ne sit.

Saepe habemus eam an, ut nam erat ponderum liberavisse. Sea an quod nisl ferri, qui eu equidem percipit adipisci. Brute debitis legendos sea ei, mei an prompta vivendum. Duo at legere ocurreret, sea eu brute nullam accusamus, pro te assum nostrum. Eu his verear inermis splendide, quem maiorum suscipiantur sed no, est at legimus eleifend persecuti. Mei porro zril mediocrem ad, habeo animal sed at.

Duis justo ex per, vis feugiat efficiendi in. Per corpora postulant philosophia at. Pro ea dolor intellegebat, oblique inimicus contentiones ut quo, est wisi putant accusamus ut. Qui an tollit mollis lucilius, te vel unum lobortis suscipiantur. Vel ea reque laudem reprehendunt. In case probatus tacimates vel, usu id feugiat molestie assueverit, ut antiopam temporibus vix. Offendit moderatius sea ei.

Sea ex scaevola vivendum facilisi, eu cum elit admodum nostrum. Feugait pertinax an nam, liber intellegam te per. Commune principes abhorreant te vel, quis duis id mei, vix ex legere sanctus vulputate. Sit dicta labore consequat ea, cetero diceret facilisi vim ad.

In sea magna menandri, ea probatus platonem eam. Ei eam virtute pertinax, unum debet facete duo ea, ut per alia illud possim. Amet vivendum periculis his ex. Minim scaevola vel et, stet purto no vim. Quo lorem debet ei, id bonorum mentitum sit.

Cu ullum accusata mei, et doctus concludaturque sea, per sale neglegentur ut. Ne oporteat hendrerit has. Sea ad mentitum facilisi, pri oratio appellantur ut, apeirian tacimates rationibus vim te. Erant voluptua signiferumque sea et, vocibus erroribus sit ei. Eos zril urbanitas id, justo iudicabit his an.

Mei verear nonumes ancillae ne, quem purto no sea, vix eu possit alterum. Ei mea autem accusam mediocritatem, nam in hinc malis, nec in quod mundi aliquam. Quem quod blandit quo ea, tritani corpora accusata in ius. Id minim epicuri interesset mel, porro integre ad eum. Id nec facilis recusabo perpetua.

Error dicam praesent mea ad, movet simul nullam vix ei. Te vis dicit adversarium. Vix et oratio electram, est nullam mucius ex. Hinc petentium id pro, ad percipit mediocritatem pro. Ipsum simul quo ex.

Ea verterem aliquando vis, essent tincidunt mediocritatem ad usu. Has ea bonorum nominati deterruisset. Sit at viderer fastidii. Sint volutpat te sed, eam diam legimus contentiones ea, sea habeo omnium ad. At nam postea nostrum, eum in erant quodsi. Cum ut natum petentium.

Ut eruditi legimus torquatos est, augue audiam persius et sea. Mea utroque prodesset philosophia no. Aliquam omittam assueverit ad eos, at vide solet regione cum. Vel an nullam persius fabulas. Est cu ferri omnesque, vero corrumpit consetetur vix ut.

Why Long-Form? 

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, vel inermis consequuntur an, has nulla populo scriptorem te. Ea qui hinc antiopam. Te nostrud contentiones vel. Est ne solet signiferumque, vim ne velit nullam epicuri. Sed in mundi mollis recteque, natum possit fuisset eu qui. Ne vel volutpat principes, no quo etiam voluptatum deterruisset.

Dissentiet contentiones est ex. Et eam diam commune rationibus, natum regione ea vix, eos in audire apeirian. No sit dicunt facilis, tempor legimus eloquentiam qui id. Sed ad primis dignissim, ut pri dolorem facilisis. Vim dicat docendi sententiae id, ex est oblique omittantur.

Mea quod atqui dictas ad, stet meis pertinacia id mea. Diam omittantur sed ut, meis adhuc eleifend nec eu. Te per clita offendit senserit, usu ea solet moderatius delicatissimi. Ex mea volumus dignissim.

Natum ocurreret id eam, eum in option iisque legimus. Illum errem iracundia et sed, eam no harum gubergren. Forensibus accommodare ne usu, homero probatus ei per, in vis molestie moderatius. Saepe dissentias in vis, ut nam graecis denique omnesque. Ex altera corrumpit quaerendum qui.

Ei meis vocent tincidunt eos, ei sit clita delenit prodesset, elit option aperiri sed in. An dicunt gloriatur ius, postea suavitate an vim. Id eum verear sententiae, tale fierent mea ei, aeque noluisse cu duo. Ea modo quot impetus cum, sit ea causae detracto insolens, ex atomorum concludaturque mea. An malis discere verterem quo.

Salutandi erroribus mei eu. Ut eos autem incorrupte, per splendide scriptorem ad. Prima essent reprehendunt sit in, an duo omnis iusto. Per at debet dignissim splendide, eu mea ornatus postulant.

Has ei blandit delectus. Sint consul vocibus in vis. Elaboraret comprehensam nam et. Id tollit partiendo vel, putent fierent principes usu in. Ius nostrud scaevola tacimates eu, vim prima saperet et. Te his persius disputationi. Cu impedit percipit per, eu mea lobortis reprimique scriptorem.

Ea consetetur interpretaris eos, assum euripidis pertinacia ei sea, et legere nostrum eligendi eum. Falli impedit hendrerit in vis, ut has putent contentiones, vel probatus repudiare ex. Sed dico oporteat assueverit eu, no sed dicit viris. Cu volumus nominavi definitiones cum. Labore verterem et est. Ridens indoctum eos ne.

Errem electram ea pro, no mea solet affert sadipscing, usu id ornatus placerat. Iusto saepe ignota no vix, decore possit labores ei vim, eos meis noster et. In mel deserunt inimicus, his legendos imperdiet dissentias eu. Eu est nibh meis, in vim tantas animal molestie.

Ei scripta maluisset accusamus has, tamquam tacimates erroribus ei vim. Per semper alienum efficiendi ei. Sumo clita electram nam ad. Populo intellegam ei est, quo ex aperiri aliquid nusquam.

Alia reformidans ne vel, et nec nostrud eruditi constituam. Sea in enim laoreet dignissim. An usu duis imperdiet. Cum duis dicat in, nam ex ferri facilis necessitatibus. Te aeterno omnesque definitionem mel, nobis theophrastus no sea, diceret convenire duo cu.

Ex hinc facilisi vis, vis diceret omittam neglegentur ut. Mentitum quaerendum pri cu, vim no hinc gloriatur. Ipsum elitr tractatos ut sea, scripta quaeque duo at, pri eleifend salutatus repudiandae ad. His at docendi eleifend honestatis. Vix te virtute equidem explicari.

Vis ad cibo brute, ius an semper vocent, eu ius sensibus voluptatibus. Graece inimicus eu pro, alterum accusam te vis. Mel eros quas te, his vulputate honestatis ex, ullum tamquam dissentiunt eu vix. Eu vide iracundia per, vix eu fugit definitiones. In pro feugait ancillae elaboraret. No pri detraxit volutpat, no alii esse nam.

At dolore mucius ius, nec alienum postulant consequuntur at. No eirmod dolores nec, an nec dolor indoctum. Dolorem legendos at mea, ius ea assentior forensibus. Verear civibus at eam. Ut homero integre has, eam te agam debitis assentior.

Simul vitae aliquam eam et. Ius te idque saperet iracundia, vim agam etiam ea. Vidit natum facilisis id sea, vix nulla prodesset an. An mei affert omittantur repudiandae, no duo cibo recusabo rationibus.

Id quas dolores eos, ius nisl munere et, cum enim fierent te. Ex eam diam facilisis maiestatis, vim cibo fastidii gubergren ei. Ad vix soluta numquam minimum, vix invidunt disputationi eu. Mei molestiae assentior expetendis eu, graece civibus eloquentiam sit no, ei sed erant necessitatibus. An albucius copiosae similique mel, vel ea putant vidisse iracundia. Duo ei diam atqui novum, eum nulla repudiandae in. Mel labitur lucilius pertinacia ad.

Pri choro quaestio suscipiantur an, id his patrioque voluptatum. Quo ut euismod inciderint. At vidit lorem dolorum has, ea nec volutpat maluisset consetetur, in assueverit complectitur ius. Ne his esse dicam appareat, iudico officiis probatus ne mei, et mea justo lorem definiebas. Vix fastidii facilisi te, enim blandit cu eam. No eum viris decore iracundia.

Te est simul option, cum ne duis nobis voluptatum. Fabulas ponderum conclusionemque te per, nominavi mediocritatem at sed. Ei eum autem libris, cu melius periculis his. Paulo quaestio vix in, mel eu quas veniam. Timeam scripta mea et, dicit cotidieque mei ne, ius eu mediocrem molestiae intellegam. Sed ut graece accusamus rationibus. Semper recusabo cum ea.

Pro brute prodesset liberavisse et. Sea detracto praesent disputando in, volumus adversarium in sed. Id nemore feugiat principes cum. Nec etiam scripserit et. Vix ut nusquam temporibus cotidieque, movet nemore vidisse eum te.

Qui ea discere nominavi copiosae, mel ut platonem liberavisse. Invenire vituperatoribus mel ei, sumo illud pro eu. Ne mel nominati atomorum, an est virtute adipisci. Idque soluta in eos, pri erant moderatius repudiandae in. Id sanctus ocurreret conceptam cum, vel eros nominavi periculis ad.

Ut ignota conceptam vel, molestiae interesset mel cu, vel quando petentium eu. Cu vim assueverit voluptatibus. Ex sea bonorum gubergren, eum vide copiosae definitiones no. Zril solet congue te nec, eu sed duis eruditi. An eros elit cum, semper delicatissimi vituperatoribus nec ei, eum ad oratio verear invenire.

Electram gloriatur usu ad, ex vis cetero iriure principes, nibh veniam sed cu. Ut vel wisi dicant delenit. Nec id falli possim partiendo. Accusata posidonium at ius, ea qui vitae delenit, ad est assum suavitate elaboraret. Duo torquatos adolescens interpretaris in, ex pericula consequat expetendis mel.

Qui diam assum verterem at. Stet affert salutatus usu cu, minim constituam vel id. Choro inimicus similique cu quo, ea eum aperiri.

Consumption Habits. 

Scripta nostrum erroribus per an, at habeo utinam nec, an eum primis euismod hendrerit. Vel an dicant fabellas, vel ne audire diceret appareat, id noster apeirian est. Est an cibo liber intellegat, vix eu erat populo. Ut his dico movet assentior, mel ad aeque facete, sea cu albucius scaevola. Sea tantas doming et.

Ex vero meis falli nec. Natum scaevola te qui. Iuvaret dissentiunt ullamcorper no mea, his vitae labores comprehensam et. Porro aeterno duo ei.

Per cu sonet salutandi moderatius. Mei ceteros assueverit ut. Suscipit corrumpit voluptaria ea per, similique mnesarchum eloquentiam quo id? Ei soleat eirmod tritani duo, et perpetua dignissim quaerendum nam. Sed ei civibus erroribus?

Sale imperdiet referrentur ei eos, sed nostro commodo interpretaris at, no eos graece splendide? Has duis meis ut? Esse scripta eloquentiam cum id, et mea persius omnesque. An nec oportere gloriatur, solet doctus sed no, id nisl hendrerit nam.

Nec scripta pertinax cu. Mel no agam brute vituperatoribus, cu mea vivendum deserunt concludaturque, eu eam ferri nostro recusabo? In scripta repudiare sed, per ex dicit sadipscing referrentur. Diam munere appareat at mei.

Posse docendi neglegentur id vix, sea no ignota nostrud, putant veritus temporibus cu vim. Cu ullum facer salutandi vim. Intellegam eloquentiam sed cu? Vis ne eius suavitate, possim delectus postulant has ne, his te decore singulis. Vis ei erant placerat referrentur.

Ex elit probo vis, veniam nullam propriae cu duo. Putant audire et ius, per ut nusquam detraxit inciderint. Ea novum democritum sea, duis malis intellegebat nec an, fuisset appellantur te eam! At quo habemus definitiones, has at hinc noster. Cum in simul erroribus vituperatoribus, mea te tota brute nullam. Et sonet feugiat persecuti cum! Cu duo falli soluta doctus.

Patrioque laboramus philosophia ea per, cu nemore everti imperdiet his! Cum harum aliquid no, eripuit salutatus ei ius, inimicus signiferumque at usu. Et est audiam impetus iracundia. Ius agam tantas vituperatoribus eu, nam commodo albucius assentior id, id vide autem falli has. Inani virtute ut quo. Sed stet esse sanctus an, nihil consectetuer conclusionemque vel ei. Alii dico disputando vis an, essent persius propriae vis eu, causae utroque laboramus vix no.

Vel omnes soluta maiorum ad! Sed cu viderer referrentur, sumo exerci expetenda ei qui, recteque elaboraret at his. Ea pro scripta sententiae voluptatum. Mollis reprimique in quo, mea inani vocent ne, utinam aliquip eam ad. Consul malorum senserit eu sed, ut eam accumsan torquatos, id sonet tincidunt reprimique pro. Libris pericula et usu.

Usu no quis vituperatoribus, eam ea doctus appetere referrentur? Duo et magna adolescens. Falli voluptua maluisset nam ea, ea per facete sapientem? Audire blandit at eum, ne idque altera interesset pro? Pro illud intellegebat te, falli nonumy sea in, qui ex vidisse elaboraret disputationi.

Nam te putant mandamus. Sit stet congue facilis id, modus legere ridens cum eu. Sit debitis nonumes in, scripta rationibus id nec. Cum agam deleniti suscipit ad, mel labore accumsan eu. At sed congue labores docendi.

Eum verterem electram et, sit eros falli ubique te. Vix viderer malorum et, cibo ludus ad pri. Dolorem offendit at ius. Et mel illud exerci primis, denique gloriatur liberavisse cu mea? Pericula ocurreret eam ne, sed ne alia nonumy malorum! At novum accusamus pro.

Percipit cotidieque est ut, eos tempor scripserit et. Ei veritus tacimates his, te ferri rebum audiam sit, animal prodesset concludaturque cu mei. In nullam gubergren eam. Omnis aeque aperiam mei cu, ius singulis scripserit id? At pri vero ullum. Maiorum voluptua duo eu.

Et pro suas quaeque fierent, no sed invidunt sapientem percipitur, vim persequeris necessitatibus an. An inani similique gloriatur pro, ex quem fierent usu. Quo sale putent utroque id, nam quas quodsi mollis ex? Ex eam sumo appetere convenire? Mei modus corpora comprehensam at, wisi docendi detraxit sit no. His ad omnes nonumes, mutat adversarium at vis, duis clita his ei. Cu nam verear intellegebat, eos ut inani saperet utroque.

Mentitum gloriatur vel ea, eam et eros salutatus? Pri iriure nostrum in! Nam regione intellegebat te, elit sanctus incorrupte usu id. Mel scripta delenit te.

Ad his labore accusam, pri numquam labores comprehensam ut, tantas pertinacia ne his? Et est duis volutpat. Commune suscipiantur his ut. Eu vocibus offendit nominati duo. Vis id summo volumus, te vis mundi euismod.

Ut minim fierent consequuntur eum, nam dolor utamur numquam id! Per clita epicuri fabellas et, eum elit facilis adipisci ea. At mei modus tacimates, eu posidonium reprimique intellegam per, patrioque definitionem duo no. Eu mel corpora elaboraret, prima laboramus et mea. Per ei everti platonem.

Eos at exerci labore, labores oportere vulputate an pro! Eam cu timeam incorrupte, ad delectus atomorum ius. In eos bonorum ancillae disputando, civibus euripidis intellegat mel eu! An qui wisi moderatius.

Est ne justo aeque consequuntur, cu elit soluta tacimates usu. Illum dolores ne qui, mea at congue nostro! Et qui altera volumus accusata. Usu in velit senserit.

Senserit argumentum ne sea, per at choro conceptam! Nisl explicari nec ea, utinam animal mnesarchum quo no. Ex nec autem aperiri, at ius urbanitas reformidans. Quem adhuc denique ex sed. Numquam placerat in pro, mea cetero dolorem placerat ut. Diam brute deterruisset vim an?

Et his nonumy antiopam, ne pri ignota vidisse! An usu tempor admodum docendi, facilis suavitate cu vel, an duo aperiam epicurei. Quod possit dissentias per ei, graece facilisi temporibus qui te? Vel vitae iracundia et. Duo stet laboramus ne?

Mei tollit postulant cu, eu mei vidisse noluisse. No discere tibique mei. Ne facer mediocrem moderatius vel? Mei munere volumus blandit ei, in mel integre intellegebat? Nam eu dictas mollis ocurreret?

An pri stet invenire deterruisset. Quo ut propriae omnesque iudicabit. Has propriae suscipit intellegat id? Virtute alienum eu eum, nec sanctus graecis comprehensam in, mei ei sale meis insolens! Usu assum phaedrum delicata eu?

Tation eruditi inermis mel id. Omnes contentiones definitiones cu mea, sit ad tantas eruditi! Pro falli periculis ad, solet volumus ad pri? Pro ut cibo accusata, eum cu assum nostrum atomorum.

Vel exerci assentior at, est eu nominavi hendrerit, nibh convenire no mea. Ea has erant ubique necessitatibus, cu.

Conclusion: My fear is that while people want to look smarter by sharing and linking to longer form content, they aren’t really reading things through. What are your thoughts?

Image Credit: Rebecca on Flickr

Dislike-sia

Is Facebook finally implementing the long-discussed Dislike Button? Of course not. It’s a silly idea that makes no sense, not to mention that Facebook has long said it wouldn’t do that.

That did not prevent people from breathlessly reporting that Facebook was doing just that after some comments by founder Mark Zuckerberg last week. Of course, it was bunk; Facebook is looking at ways for people to express empathy or sympathy when acknowledging someone’s bad news on Facebook- times when a “like” feels awkward or inappropriate). Apparently, simply commenting isn’t enough, which I suppose I can understand (or empathize with).

The real story here isn’t the button, but that people rush off to publish in this age of the continuous news cycle without considering to absorb the actual facts. There was some backlash straightening out the facts, but the damage continued through the weekend, for example the incorrect original reporting being the basis for a quiz question on NPR’s “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me.”

Reading is easy. Comprehension is hard.

So for now (and forever), haters will have to dislike Facebook content the way they know best – by trolling, bullying and creative hostility.

Signal for Facebook

Meanwhile, in news about products Facebook is actually introducing, the curation (my word) app Signal is being rolled out for media partners. Signal allows media partners to embed Facebook content in stories. I see it as some version of Storify, albeit limited to Facebook, but likely with some better tools for finding and collecting content.

The real news to me is that this product presents the possibility that Facebook is improving its search. If that is true and becomes available as improved search for all users, that would be a huge improvement; and Facebook will have to improve search if they want to become the de facto Web for people.

Strangers in my Facebook Feed

Small bother, but I had recently noticed more unfamiliar names in my Facebook feed. I wouldn’t think too much of it but a few other friends who are power Facebook users definitely noticed the same thing. I haven’t found any confirmation that Facebook has done some tweaks to the main feed to show more friends of friends or something like that, but I’m curious, if anyone knows more than I do.

Crystal- Meh? 

Not a Facebook item, but saw a recommendation for a service called Crystal that analyzes a person’s online social media and recommends how to interact with that person. Not sure of the algorithm or the accuracy, but here’s how you can talk to me, for what that’s worth:

One Last Time – I Repeat: Facebook is Not Introducing a Dislike Button

Please make it stop.

Photo Credit: Rauter25 on Flickr

Avatars-For-a-Cause, Now with Extra Lazy Added

In general, I am not a fan of monkeying with profile pics on social networks. Your avatar is the way people recognize you, especially as messages flash by in news streams or list columns. I try to change mine rarely, though have occasionally succumbed to temporary fits of slacktivism, adding rainbows to my photo to mark gay rights progress in the US Supreme Court, or being bullied to use a holiday avatar because it’s “fun” (spoiler: it’s not fun, it’s a pain but I did use a Christmas avatar once or twice to shut up my friends).

In general, my attitude is “don’t mess with my avatar,” an attitude I also extend to lunch and naps. That said, many people like to do it to show solidarity for causes, and I won’t judge them (much). It was interesting to note that one of the smaller pains in the temporary-avatar process has been removed, as Facebook now allows you to set temporary avatars that revert to the original after a predetermined time, so you don’t have to remember to change it back. Armchair activism has now evolved into La-Z-Boy activism, and I approve.

Facebook Mention

Facebook has been rolling out a new livestreaming app called Facebook Mention. My friend Amy Vernon got early access (she is far more important than I am) and posted about her initial experience here. Here is what is NOT important:

• Celebrities, Internet Famous, and verified accounts got access before you did. Deal with it, you loser/nobody. The hype fodder goes to the hypers.
• The features aren’t fully fleshed out or functioning. Here is where you get to insult the Celebrities, Internet Famous, and verified accounts by referring to them as “beta users.” HA! GUINEA PIGS, ENJOY YOUR INFERIOR NOT-READY PRODUCT! Amy details a few of the features in her article, and I am sure most will be addressed

Here is what IS important:

• Owning livestreaming is one piece of owning your life on the Internet. If Facebook can get this right, imagine the time we will spend on their platform consuming media, holding events,  and having discussions. We have already seen the hunger for a good “live chat” app, as people have run headlong to try Blab in apparent dissatisfaction with Google Hangouts. If it works- and more importantly, if they get people to use it- Facebook may have a win here.

Techmeme is Ten

Techmeme chief Gabe Rivera posted about the anniversary – on LinkedIn, natch – and I am reminded at how durable such a simple curation site can be if it simply does its job without being fancy, while still adapting to new times, new sources and new topics. As per Rivera’s article, Techmeme does not rely on clickbait- not that there’s anything wrong with that, but more info/fewer distractions is quite alright as well.

Conference Season Can Be Silly

I’m just wondering who thought it was a great idea to schedule Content Marketing World (a conference I would like to attend some day) and Inbound (which I have attended multiple times but regrettably missed this year) during the same week. I’m sure this isn’t the only case of two events targeting (at least to some extent) similar audiences occurring simultaneously, but maybe these folks should talk before next year. They could each double their take from freelance consultants and professional conference attendees.

I Still Get My News From Twitter

“Twitter is Dead” all you want, but when I am looking for information on what is happening now (as I write this, I was trying to figure out when the rain-delayed US Open Men’s final would start), that’s where I go. Not Facebook, not Google, not even the broadcast. Best search function wins.

My ears perked. I turned down the prospect of sleeping to watch CNN.

I don’t need to tell you my eyes were glued to that TV the rest of the morning. I channel surfed to gain different camera angles and unedited commentaries. I was addicted.

As the FBI investigated leads across the country, I remembered visiting those cities during a 24,000-mile roadtrip that ended a week earlier. Las Vegas, Phoenix, Sacramento, Boston. When the feds thought terrorists boarded a ferry from Nova Scotia to Maine a week before 9/11, I shuddered that they could have been on my ferry!

People bought American flags and patriotism ran amok.

I repeated that experience when I discovered the 9/11 Television News Archive.

The archive contains 3,000 hours of domestic and international news coverage from 20 channels over seven days beginning on September 11, 2001. It launched for the 10-year anniversary. It’s surreal.

I didn’t know if I should write something about 9/11. But, remembering the day is about the dreams we share and the tenderness of life.

Maybe we need videos like this one about a cardboard box to reflect about our mortality.

The Adventures of a Cardboard Box from Studiocanoe.

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Comments

• Truly a shocking day in the history of America by WP Themes
• Even though it happened so long ago I think it will never be ... by Ragnarok
• that video is nice. it does bring up some sad emotions for me. by mindrise
• Hi, Ari. The 9/11 event did not just change the world of the ... by Omnific_Design
• 9/11 is really a tragic event. When I saw it on CNN, it really ... by stephan

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This quote is the kind of quote that we need to say over and over to ourselves. It’s not a new idea to me and it shouldn’t be one to you. The honesty about our changing world is why I share ideas on my blog and why you share this post in your own way.

I’m fond of saying that cave paintings, created some 30,000 years ago, led to today’s versions of Flickr and YouTube. Sharing isn’t new but we use different systems today that we didn’t have yesterday.

Blogging and podcasting, for instance, are iterations of what a caveman might have said about the buffalo hunt, gathering eager children around him who oohed and aahed at every gesture and exclamation! Is an ooh about a hunt any different than a click to tweet?

Is an ooh about a buffalo hunt any different than a click to tweet?
Click To Tweet

While it’s important (if not part of your DNA) to share, it’s equally important to do it for a reason and not because you have nothing better to do. I wrote about this idea yesterday, about taking breaks and focusing your attention on what matters.

Phil Gerbyshak is someone who matters. Browsing my blog archive, I see references over the past eight years about Phil using Facebook to Phil using LinkedIn and using LinkedIn again to Phil using Wibiya. He’s a social media consultant, travels the country talking about how to sell your brand online, and, until earlier this week, we’d never met.

He’d contacted me a few days before arriving in Boston and we met for dinner to talk business and the casual side of life. We enjoyed our food and moreover we enjoyed the conversation that bypassed the “Hi my name is” and “What do you do?” chatter and focused on the stuff that mattered.

Because social media acts as a water cooler, it’s not always important for two people to meet in person to know each other. Meeting helps solidify a relationship but it’s unnecessary for the relationship to form. I look back over the years and can count off scores of people who I’d known (fairly well) online, typically through reciprocal blog commenting or social networking, and when we met in person it was like we’d known each other for years. Andy Krzmarzick, Jesse Stay, Erica Napoletano, Scott Monty, Gwynne Kostin, David Saranga, Geoff Livingston, Thom Singer, the list goes on.

Social media does not replace the water cooler or the diner. It’s merely a newer version, a different version, and, to some, a better version.

P.S. If you’d like to read the larger context of the above quote by Elizabeth Breese, here is a 2014 interview with Advertising Age in which she talks about opinion analysis and pattern finding.

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They conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment and proved that we are unable to divide our attention with more than two tasks at any given moment. Blame your frontopolar cortex for being incapable of multitasking.

Joshua Becker appreciates the finer things in life. Cell phone texting kills us, he says, and he doesn’t refer to motor vehicle deaths of teens texting while driving. No. Josh writes about the benefit of single tasking, specifically around experiencing life without a 24/7 tether to your mobile device.

We carry our phones throughout the house, pull it out while with friends, and refuse to walk anywhere without it. Talk about guilt by association.

Comment after comment, people wrote on Josh’s blog. I like Michael Michalowski’s comment the best:

…I grabbed my phone and texted someone. It is really an attention grabber, removing your focus from the present.

Your conversations become more meaningless, less special. You talk about anything unimportant and sometimes feel even annoyed by getting a message in the wrong moment. That’s not how I want to communicate with my friends.

I’m reminded of a former manager who left his cellphone in a locked office drawer every night. His rationale was the phone messages and emails would be there the next day; and in the interim, he wanted to enjoy family time.

I should add that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under age 2 be limited to media exposure. Independent play is always superior to staring at a glowing screen, they argue. The iPhone, iPad, and the TV could be detrimental to infant brain development.

If you’re still reading, consider moderating your mobile use. Rationalize that you can only conduct one or two tasks at the same time, never more.

When you’re ready to minimize your life, click the reboot button and live your life the way you were meant to live it. If that seems drastic, here’s a tip to start with 51 minutes. Ready?

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However, I sometimes wonder how helpful these lists are. For research, I took a list from a standard source (Social Media Today) and picked an influencer who unquestionably belongs on most marketing “best of” lists, Seth Godin. Here is how his entry looks on the Social Media Today list I found:

Curious about how others compile these lists, I cross-referenced his name with other “best of” compilations. To be honest, I came a way a little confused. Perhaps you can tell me what you think after seeing the examples I found. I suspect there are shenanigans afoot:

Huh?

LinkedIn’s mission is explicit to “connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.” I suppose productivity and success can occur when people already know each other but can’t that also happen from spontaneous and impromptu connections?

Numerous op-eds and best practices are out there about why you should befriend strangers and how to do it.

Then again, maybe I’m not being reprimanded for reaching out to strangers but because those strangers opted to mark a box that they didn’t know me. They could as easily ignored my request and I’d never have seen this pop-up warning. And — if so, that begs the question why THEY are on LinkedIn. To only connect with their Facebook friends?

The irony is I always personalize the invitation text if I know they don’t know me. That gives them an out. But they didn’t know me so the warning count piled up…

I’ll play by LinkedIn’s rules, though. First, I pledge to not invite people I don’t know (without connecting elsewhere in advance, such as a LinkedIn group or on Twitter). Second, I’ll contact LinkedIn to inquire if the warning count can be removed and reset. Third, if you and I are not connected there, click here and join my network.

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Image Credit: Surian Soosay on Flickr

McDonald’s to Burger King: Eat Whopper and Die!

This past week, Burger King, in a bid for attention, offered a truce to McDonald’s; for Peace Day, they said, why not do a joint burger and donate proceeds to charity? McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook didn’t take the bait, and replied in rather withering fashion, declining the offer.

The reaction? Some people seemed to thing McDonald’s blew it, or at least missed an opportunity. My reaction? McDonald’s is #1, and they have no obligation to participate in #2 Burger King’s cry for attention, however cynically wrapped in a good cause. Perhaps Easterbrook’s reply was a bit rude in tone, but on the other hand “Eat Whopper* and Die” (my words but he is welcome to them) is not an out-of-bounds response. Go give Wendy’s a shot, Burger King. No? I thought so.

I present Tom Brady doing his Burger King impression:

*I actually like Whoppers, not that it matters.

Social Media is DEAD!!!!!

OK, not really (and I hate the “X is dead” tropes), but I read with interest Josh Bernoff’s reaction to Augie Ray’s post on social media’s house being on fire and it needs to be rebuilt, or something. My first impression is that Bernoff is saying “Burn, baby burn,” while Ray sees some new unicorn farm springing up in its place (or something). What I do take away from this, on Bernoff’s side, are two things:

• That most brands are not worth talking about and should not use social media for that purpose (not a new notion but worth repeating) – by the way, I’m not so sure that Apple is still one of those companies that meets that criterion; and
• Compelling content is another good use of social media. Based on my work with Stone Temple Consulting, I wouldn’t limit that notion to social media, though I would love to see social have more of an impact on search results.

Social media dead? Should it be taken out of marketers’ hands? We know that most marketers are far too lazy to kill a vampire properly, with all that garlic and wooden stakes and probably some sort of prayer mumbo-jumbo. That’s a lot of work- so we’re stuck with vam- er, social media and the marketers who work in it. That’s not as bad a thing as the “dead” crowd would like to believe.

If anything, this content is fun for tech PR people who get to watch ex-Forrester analysts do battle with each other via blog. Keep it coming.

Instagram lets you post not-square images. Hurrah?

I have always considered Instagram to be the Internet’s answer to crappy photography – hence the neo-Polaroid trappings, the unnecessary-yet-necessary filters, and the emphasis on mobile over desktop ease-of-use. So, is Instagram’s recent announcement that it will tolerate non-square image formats a love note to photographers? Nah, it’s more likely a sop to movie studios and other commercial entities whose content is more Panavision than Ektachrome.

Not that that’s a bad thing…

There has been an awakening… #StarWars #TheForceAwakens

A video posted by Star Wars (@starwars) on Aug 27, 2015 at 10:00am PDT

Rules are Terrible Unless They’re Not

Speaking of Instagram: Hayley Bloomingdale has decided that she is the arbiter of what is right in Instagram etiquette.  I don’t much care for people setting rules that others must live by in social media- we all can do what we want. Besides, nobody can replace Kim Kardashian as my queen of vacuous debutantes who actually give decent social media advice.

That said, most of Bloomingdale’s rules are not bad ones, but the last one- no cats? I don’t think so.

Thus guy ate a whole can of food, then caught a bird and ate it. Waiting for him to turn back into Bruce Banner

A photo posted by Doug Haslam (@doughaslam) on Aug 22, 2015 at 2:32pm PDT

#5: One Last Thought

Whether you do PR, marketing or some other form of communications, measurement is key. If some “measurement guru” shoves advice in your face (or your browser), ask yourself one question: is this a bunch of basic math, or are there some practical takeaways I can use to improve my programs? The answer makes the difference between snake oil and delivering results. That is all.

Managing social media for a major consumer brand while running a popular networking group and teaching evening classes would make most go-getters to feel overwhelmed. But Newton, MA-native Melanie Cohn makes her demanding schedule look easy. We recently sat down with Melanie to discuss social media strategy, the Boston business community and her role at Dunkin’ Donuts.

HB Agency: What led you to your current role as Social Media Marketing Manager at Dunkin’ Donuts?

Melanie Cohn: I’ve always worked at an agency so there was a big part of me that was curious about the other side. When you’re on the agency side you can only know so much about a brand. From my experience I felt like I could never fully own a brand presence inside and out. I wanted to know what it was like to be ingrained in a brand and have a laser focus. I’ve had experience working with consumer brands so the combination of the two drew me to Dunkin’ Donuts.

HB: Can you tell me what it’s like running social media for the brand that “America runs on?”

MC: It’s incredibly fun and challenging, which is what makes it so interesting! Everyday there’s something new to experiment with. Whether it’s an alpha ad product for our donuts, a new video format to launch a new product with or a social listening tool that’s popped into the market, the landscape’s constantly changing, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I thrive in a fast-paced atmosphere, and Dunkin’ moves quickly, which makes the job that much more exciting.

On the other hand, being such a beloved brand, there’s always eyes on every move we make in social. It’s really important to be diligent, strategic and thoughtful about what we put out on our channels and how we engage. Knowing conversation sparks around us quickly, we try to weigh every decision carefully while always keeping innovation and cultural relevance front and center.

At the end of the day though, the fun part always takes over – it is coffee and donuts – what’s not awesome about that?!

HB: So if I follow @DunkinDonuts, are all of those tweets coming from you? 

MC: Sometimes! We also have a team of community managers who work in different marketing functions that take shifts monitoring and engaging. As for the posts themselves, most of those come directly from me as the publisher and scheduler. Nothing goes out on our social channels before I take a look at it, as it’s important to make sure everything’s in line with our strategy and brand standards.

HB: Do you see any similarities or differences between your previous job at an agency and your current role?

MC: There are a lot of similarities actually. At an agency you’re viewed as the main consultant—an expert in your discipline. When you’re in-house, it’s the same thing but your clients are the other business units. I advise and provide recommendations on social strategy as well as educate our teams on trends and updates in digital world.

The main difference being in-house is that you work much more cross-functionally. You get to collaborate with Legal, PR, Brand team, Loyalty team, IT, CSR and many more departments. At an agency, you’re handing everything off to the client and you don’t really see what happens behind the scenes after your recommendation is made.

HB: In addition to your role at Dunkin’ Donuts, you launched Young Women in Digital two years ago. Can you tell us more about the organization?

MC: Young Women in Digital (YWD) is a networking group for women working in digital marketing, social media, public relations and more. We host bi-monthly events that vary from classes to speakers to panelists and pitch sessions for entrepreneurs. Our main goal is to foster connections between young professionals.

I launched YWD  because at the time my former company asked me to attend networking events and I felt like I wasn’t meeting people who I could relate to. So I thought about how great it would be to go to an event with people similar to me: young women who are emerging in the digital world. I shared the idea with fellow young professionals and they agreed so I pulled together a team and we hosted our first event! About 40 people attended and it spiraled from there. I believe a smart creator or marketer finds a niche or a gap and fills it. That’s what happened here. There was a need, and YWD filled the void. Every event has been bigger than the last and awareness has grown simply through word of mouth and social media. We now have more than 1,000 members!

HB: Did you find that Boston was a good place to launch YWD?

MC: Absolutely. Boston’s full of like-minded marketers who are looking to grow in their careers. The circles are smaller than say, NYC, which fosters a close knit community. Also, the environment is extremely supportive, not competitive. There’s something about Boston—probably its size, the helpful culture and the go-getters here—that makes it a good place to start something once you’ve identified a gap because people are seeking these types of organizations out.

HB: What do you teach at General Assembly?

MC: Right now I teach Instagram for Business once every few months. It’s for mid to high-level professionals with intermediate to advanced skills on Instagram who are looking to take their strategy to the next level. In the fall I’m going to start teaching a monthly class about working with influencers. This is becoming a much larger part of marketing strategies across various industries so we’re right on the cusp of a growing trend.

HB: What recommendations would you give to startups looking to utilize social media in their overall business strategy?

MC: It really depends on the company and its target audience. For YWD, our audience is marketers, who are primarily on Twitter, so that’s our best channel. But if you’re starting a company that has to do with design or art, Instagram may be a great place to showcase your work and generate leads, for example.

I love how Curalate, a social vendor, explains social strategy. They talk about how there are channels that are aspirational or celebratory. Aspirational channels include Tumblr and Pinterest, where people go to share items or lifestyles they want, or wish they had. Instagram is focused more on celebration, and in-the-moment experiences. You need to look at where your company fits into these consumer behaviors, and which part of the customer journey (aspiration or celebration) you can really own. Dunkin’, for example, is a very celebratory brand. People share us in the moment, and post-purchase. We strive to encourage that behavior and excitement, because as we all know, word of mouth is the best form of marketing.

Follow Melanie at @SocialMel and keep an eye out for upcoming YWD events on Twitter at @YWDBoston.

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Image Credit: Anne Worner on Flickr

Target

• What we all know – When a brand makes a controversial decision, the tendency is to stand behind the decision without spending time (and reputation capital) feeding the trolls who disagree with it online. Target recently decided to stop separating toy aisles into “girls” and “boys,” and predictably the mouth-breathing keyboard-peckers decided that was un-American or something and took to the Internet with their fair and balanced opinions. A prankster by the name of Even Melgaard took Target’s decision to ignore the haters out of their hands by setting up a fake account and textually abusing them, using Target’s logo to give the appearance of an “official” customer care channel. Most brands’ first reaction would be to go after the imposter with a cease-and-desist order to protect their trademark; however, the most talked-about reaction was Target’s humorous posting of a sale on troll dolls. Well played, we all applauded.
• What most of us didn’t talk about – Target’s lawyers are most definitely involved as far as this being a likely trademark violation. As funny as this guy is, I’d be shocked if they don’t ask (if they haven’t already) for Melgaard to stop using the logo. One of the US Patent and Trademark Office’s favorite sports is to force applicants to fiercely protect marks if they want to keep it, much the way the Caesars forced gladiators to fight to the death in Roman times. Expect “Ask ForHelp” to stop using the logo at some point once Target’s lawyers get back from the Hamptons.

Kentucky Fried Chicken

• What we all know – Kentucky Fried Chicken recently revived the “beloved” Colonel Sanders character. Darrell Hammond, well known as a mimic from “Saturday Night Live,” stepped right in and did a swell job. Apparently some people thought it was creepy (and others thought maybe bringing back a Southern white gentleman dressed like a plantation owner as a spokesperson was a little odd in the same year South Carolina finally decided to remove the Confederate Battle Flag) but to see what KFC did next, I guess the reasons were not that it was like bringing a dead guy back to life on TV like some kind of ad-zombie (who can forget Orville Reddenbocker’s chilling return from the dead?). Instead, they introduced ads featuring fellow SNL alumnus Norm MacDonald, best known for doing cannily inaccurate impressions of Burt Reynolds and making OJ Simpson jokes, to take over the impression. Did KFC listen to its customers and give them what they wanted? Well, they’re definitely listening.
• What I think – We are all being trolled, and I hope I’m right in thinking that. Norm MacDonald comes off as Norm MacDonald in a Colonel Sanders suit, and if they did that on purpose they are brilliant. Perhaps they will follow with other SNL alums taking their turns doing a poor impression. I’d watch that, if only to see if they’d cast Garrett Morris.

Cooties

• What we know – Probably not much: “Cooties” is a flick coming out in September about kids who turn into zombie-like beasts, and we know it will be good not only because Elijah Wood is in it (some of his role choices make me think of Wood as a Crispin Glover, except if people liked him), but because the film is a blender creation from people behind the “Saw” movies and “Glee” (which could have used a few more gory deaths in my opinion).
• What you don’t care about but I do – On seeing the trailer online, I blew it up on the TV screen for my family and promptly announced that seeing this movie once it comes out will be a family outing- something I posted on Twitter as well:
  

  Making a family date night for when @cootiesmovie opens. Yup.

  — Doug Haslam (@DougH) August 14, 2015

• That the writer (and one of the stars) of the movie as well as the director favorited, Retweeted me and followed me tickled me in a way Twitter used to in the old days. This is less the case of a big brand deigning to favor its Twitter followers with responses, but I felt it more a fan acknowledgment by some folks who are working hard to get this movie noticed. I hope Cooties gets some screens in Boston. Who wants to go?

Three is enough; this is getting long

• I’ll spare you thoughts on the Tinder/Vanity Fair slapfight (because they are not positive like the ones above) and the bonus topic of somebody trying to declare a new age of the “Engagement Scientist.“

Actually…

• That Engagement Scientist post used a horrible, stiff stock photo to illustrate its point. Don’t do that, man.

HB Agency: What’s life like at Tunheim?

Liz Tunheim Sheets: Tunheim is a communications consultancy. We have 20 full-time employees with at least that many of what we call ACEs – affiliated consultants and experts – and on any given day some semblance of our employees and ACEs are working in our office. When we renovated in 2013, we aimed to make our space open and modular so our talent can work however helps them be most productive. We also have a very open policy on remote working and continually remind staff that it is about getting work done and not whether they are present at their desk. That probably doesn’t work for everyone, but I think for our team it shows that leadership trusts staff to make good decisions and that not everyone gets work done the same way. I personally think it is a great thing about our culture because it really promotes getting the work done.

Tunheim is a very familial environment. It is a place where people feel empowered, trusted by their colleagues and generally like working and being together. Simple example: We built a large harvest table in our kitchen because our team likes to eat lunch together and we often do potlucks and happy hours here. After people leave, we hear that they miss the Tunheim “family.” It is why our Twitter handle is @TeamTunheim.

We live by and promote a talent philosophy we call “Collective Best.” Led by Kathy Tunheim and her many years of experience as a Honeywell executive, we don’t feel the need to own all our talent, but we want access to the right talent when their expertise is essential to our client needs. This is part of why we joined IPREX. We always want our clients to feel like Tunheim delivered on their needs.

HB: Can you tell me a little more about your role at the agency?

LTS: My role has shifted since I joined Tunheim in 2012. I was brought to Tunheim to lead and build out our digital and social offering. At first that meant I was solely focused on digital and social work, but client needs have shifted and we really believe clients should have an integrated communications approach so our digital and social media work is usually integrated with our other service offerings. Not always, but that is the advice we bring to our clients. Our digital team—three of us—is typically pulled in when there is any digital implication to consider. We do a lot of the work in-house because we have a strong talent bench in the space, but we often partner with other firms or freelancers when additional expertise or skills will amplify our product. 

HB: Who is Tunheim’s target client? What kind of organizations do you work with?

LTS: We work with all kinds of clients. We’ve moved away from industry focuses because our value proposition is really more impactful in what the client is facing. The world is changing faster than fast and Tunheim helps its clients rethink. Whether the client is navigating complex change, wanting to take responsibility for being understood by its stakeholders or earn the reputation it deserves, we partner with our clients to bring the insight and strategy they need to make impactful decisions for their business. We know clients make good decisions when they have the right information and so we aim to give critical and honest advice. We still do a lot of execution – content creation, media relations, social media relations, etc. – for our clients, but how projects start has shifted in the last few years.

We work with a lot of corporations and foundations/non-profits. We do also have a large public affairs team and have built a strong specialty navigating the complex intersection of public policy, stakeholders, media and decision-makers, including coalition building.

HB: Talk about your transition from a “traditional communications agency” to a strategic consulting firm. How has your business changed since the transition?

LTS: Tunheim began as a communications consultancy 25 years ago. Our work has shifted over the years based on client needs, but we’ve organically seen the work we’re doing shift back to consulting. Clients come to Tunheim for all kinds of communications help, but when we’re honest about our core capabilities, we know our team has the experience and expertise to help our clients rethink and solve business problems.

With this shift we’ve moved toward more large projects and less retainers. We’ve collapsed our hierarchy and adjusted our roles and responsibilities to create less hierarchy and more autonomy for our team.

We also no longer have managers but rather coaches, which is intended to empower employees to make decisions and increase their ability to think critically.

In 2014 we re-worked our roles and responsibilities to have only two levels for full-time staff: Consultant and senior consultant. There are a few people with additional responsibilities, like Kathy Tunheim (CEO + Principal), Pat Milan (Chief Creative Officer, sometimes called our Chief Destruction Officer) and Lindsay Treichel (Chief Transformation Officer). The level change has taken some getting used to I think but represents a change in how we approach our work. No longer do we see ourselves as an agency to execute client projects, but rather as consultants who help our client rethink and solve problems.

HB: One of your offerings is sports marketing which I don’t think many IPREX partners offer. Can you talk more about that service and what makes it unique?

LTS: We have a long, long history in this space and in a lot of different ways. We’ve worked in a lot of sports from racing to baseball to soccer to stadiums to football – you name it, someone on our team has worked on it. The type of work ranges too from business consulting to publicity to sponsorship activation, to grassroots campaigns for stadium support to what we’re doing a lot of right now which is bid management. Minnesota has a few beautiful, new stadiums, including the new U.S. Bank Stadium, which is currently still under construction. We’ve partnered with the bid committees here to bring the bids to life for the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four and College Football Championships, mostly led by one of our ACEs who has incredible experience in the space. And we just announced that we’ve been selected by Copper Peak to help the U.S. secure international ski competitions.

HB: Can you tell us a little more about the ACE Program?

LTS: Back to the “collective best” model mentioned above, we enacted ACEs early on so we could have access to the best talent all the time – many times really specialized or experienced talent that we don’t have projects for all the time but who bring a unique point of view to the work we do for clients. We have quite a few ACEs who are highly respected, have their own consulting practices and who are proud to be part of the greater Tunheim team. We also have ACEs who bring our team skills that we need, but they get the flexibility to work on projects outside our walls, too. It is a win-win. Our roster of past ACEs is really impressive and it connects Tunheim to another sphere of talent that we can access for our clients.

HB: In honor of this series, what’s your go-to beverage in the evening as you’re wrapping up the day in the office and mingling with colleagues?

LTS: Definitely wine. We have four seasons here so my go-to choice changes based on our weather, but my current go-to are dry French rosés.

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Comparing three Saturdays according to different metrics on Google Analytics, is my mission successful (so far)?

Number of Sessions

August 1: 14
August 8: 36
August 15: 17

This tells me that people view blog posts on their own schedule and whether the post title sparks their interest to visit sooner. I also assume numbers cycle up as others share my posts. Being the summer, I wonder if these numbers would change next month.

Pages per Session

August 1: 1.07
August 8: 1.33
August 15: 1.76

This tells me that as new people discover my site they are clicking around more, such as learning about me or visiting the archive.

Bounce Rate

August 1: 92.86%
August 8: 80.56%
August 15: 58.82%

This gradual decrease is a positive indicator of people not exiting from pages they entered. In time, I’d like to run A/B tests to determine if certain subjects of content motivate one action over another.

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Photo Credit: Maureen Barlin on Flickr

1. “LOL” – According to Facebook, people are not using “LOL” as much to express laughter. Apparently, “haha” is more popular. I understand the emergence of emoji’s as more and more of these nasty critters are a click or so away from making you look hip in front of your friends. I have a hard time understanding why four characters trumps three in this age of brevity and autocorrect; why not the simple “heh?” – perhaps too understated. Also, the Facebook was based on a week’s worth of posts, so simmer down, people. 

2. “Real-Time Marketing” – This one’s not dead because the “real-time marketing” ghost that people have been chasing ever since Oreo’s heavily-planned moment of serendipity happened was never really alive. You either have a marketing or PR team in place that can act quickly to news events, or you don’t. That notion didn’t suddenly become evident at the 2013 Super Bowl (unless you were an attention-seeking social media blogger, then it was the Greatest Thing Ever That Never Happened Before). If you want to give up on “newsjacking” because it’s too hard because you can’t keep up with millions of Tweets, you’re thinking about it incorrectly anyway- find your niche and show up to your audience- not the world. Take advantage of news or don’t, no in-between. Nothing died, nothing to see here. Meanwhile, I will continue to walk out of any conference speech or panel that lazily brings up “Oreo at the Superbowl.”

3. Google Plus – This one is harder for me, as I have long been a skeptic of those who would put Google Plus  alongside Facebook as a viable competitor in social networking. I was never a G+ hater so much as an eyebrow-wagger at those who declared it the Greatest Thing Ever, even touting tutorials on G+ business pages before such things actually existed. So long as Facebook had everyone on the planet, that was never a worthy or realistic goal, or a realistic way to consider it. Google’s habit of pulling the plug on services that a small number of fierce fans love, in the interest of re-allocating resources and focus, has also been a factor in the frustrations many have over G+. Anger over the recent a changes to Google Plus was fed by those recollections, I suspect. But saying Google Plus is dead because they are re-focusing the product (I tend to agree with my colleague Mark Traphagen’s assessment) is not close to true. You may not use G+, you may not like what it was or what it might be, but it is still here and it is what it is.

Bonus plug: my employer, Stone Temple Consulting, recently released a study on what gets engagement on Google Plus– I’m biased, but I think it is good fodder for those who don’t mind the fact that G+ is “dead.”)

Image Credit: Tom Simpson on Flickr

4, Music – Well, maybe music is actually dead. Sinead O’Connor said so. Perhaps she’s upset she never managed to kill it herself, though I suspect music will live past a mass-media entity like Rolling Stone featuring the not-as-dumb-as-we-want-her-to-be Kim Kardashian on the cover.

5. One More – If you want to declare something dead,  I recommend a safer, unassailable bet. Of course, saying that nearly guarantees that Columbia House will return in some form.

Final Word: On the futility of anger: A self-proclaimed optimist says that the next time he sees one of those pessimists, he’s going to take his half-full glass and pour it over his head. His friend replies, “But then your glass would be empty.”  My glass is empty, and the fridge is full of beer. Drink up, folks.

Bonus: I’m not using an image from the Monty Python and the Holy Grail “Not Dead Yet” sketch to illustrate this post. You’re welcome.

Here are 6 real examples of emails that suck:

The 6th reason your email sucks:

You never researched nor read my blog.

I wanted to make sure my topic fits with your theme. I have two guest posts that I would like to have published. One is about how to plan for retirement in your 20s. The second post is about odd things that need to be transported.

The 5th reason your email sucks:

You confuse guest blogging with article marketing.

Hey there,

We have been reading the articles on your website and are very impressed with the quality of your information. We have a team of copywriters who specialize in writing articles on various topics and would like to write an original article for you to use on your website.

The 4th reason your email sucks:

You are the same as the 6th reason. What has a cost here?

I came across your site, Ariherzog.com, and would like to offer you free content.

The 3rd reason your email sucks:

You are the same as the 4th reason.

I read some of your content and really found them interesting and informative. So I was just wondering if I can also do something for your site, maybe writing an article for your site FREE of cost as a guest writer.

The 2nd reason your email sucks:

You don’t even introduce yourself, and your article is off-topic.

I have attached an article for guest posting please review it. Waiting for response.

And, the number one reason your email sucks:

[insert drum roll sounds here]

I was wondering if you accept guest postings?

I used to have a page with guest posting guidelines. I don’t anymore. But I will still publish guest posts. I don’t care if you make a living as a content marketer or a search engine optimizer but try to personalize your email to me. Accept the fact there is a difference between guest blogging and article marketing, as Ann Smarty elaborates in this table:

Michael Dolen is among a slate of guest bloggers for me. He wrote a great 2-part series about the online successes and failures of the credit card industry. His email?

Hi Ari,

It’s interesting that your focus is on emerging media, because I own/operate a very popular forum and blog; CreditCardForum.com. On behalf of my site I do quite a bit of guest posting and take pride in the fact that I don’t write the cookie-cutter and bare minimum “guest posts” that a lot of people churn out these days, ha. Is there any particular topic you would like to see me cover? I reviewed your archives showing the last 100 articles and here are a few ideas that popped into my head from looking at those…

[Mike shared three sample titles and related content.]

Would you like me to write up one of these? Or something else? Just let me know what’s best for you.

By the way, congrats on being elected to Newburyport’s city council! Even though I live some two-thousand miles away on the other coast, just want to say I dig local politicians… I feel they’re the only politicians who actually get stuff done

Thanks,
Mike

Show me you are a person and I’ll be your best friend. But the moment your email seeking guest blogging opportunities turns into a spamfest of SEO qualifications, pluralized pronouns, and irrelevant content, you make it painstakingly clear you never visited my blog, shared a post, or would ever think of talking about your passion to my readers.

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Comments

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Upstate New Yorker Janet Aronica graduated college during the height of the recession and found herself moving to Boston for a social media marketing internship.

“The people were so helpful. I felt like I had a much greater chance of success finding my first job in Boston than anywhere else even though the economy sucked. So I moved.”

After six years in various marketing roles, Janet is using what she’s learned from her past jobs to become an entrepreneur launching her first fashion startup, Cube Riot. The company’s blazer line will debut this fall, but Janet’s aspirations for the company go well beyond its finely-crafted apparel. She’s also on a mission to produce quality content for the modern career woman. Cube Riot is as much about creating a community to inspire women at work as it is about clothes.

We asked Janet about her inspiration behind Cube Riot and her experience launching a startup in Boston. Here’s what she had to share.

HB: How did you first get the idea to start Cube Riot?

JA: It comes from personal experiences and talking about those experiences with others and realizing they were feeling a similar way.

For me, it was when I was working on a re-branding project at another startup that I started to think about how to step up my game at work. I considered all aspects of that. How do I package my ideas better? How do I sound more credible? How do I dress like a grownup? I was a hot mess in all of these areas and really confused.

I started reading a bunch of stuff on career tips and fashion advice. When I did that, I didn’t find A) A good resource for career advice that spoke about this stuff in a tangible way and B) An awesome and fun brand for professional women.

Currently, shopping for clothes for work is just about as much fun as doing your taxes. I think it can be more fun. After seeing that white space in the marketplace I couldn’t help but go for it.

HB: You began marketing Cube Riot months ago before you had a product. How has that benefited the company leading up to the official launch?

JA: Marketing and writing has helped us perfect the messaging, build a community, and learn more about what our audience likes and doesn’t like.

For instance, there are many controversial topics when it comes to women in the workplace. To be useful to our audience I want to be involved in those discussions to some degree, but we also have to know when to sit things out and shut up. That stuff is important when you’re building a brand.

HB: You’re not just designing blazers, you’re using Cube Riot as a platform to share your knowledge and past experience with other young professional women. Why is this important to you?

JA: Going back to why I started the company, the career tips and the apparel always went hand-in-hand for me. I think the career advice makes the blazer more meaningful. It’s not just that it’s a cute blazer. It’s how great you feel, what you have the courage to say, and how you act when you have the Cube Riot blazer on. For the Cube Riot woman, that confidence will not just come from visual marketing channels like Instagram and being associated with that stuff, but it will also come from the knowledge gleaned from the content.

HB: What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve encountered trying to launch a startup? Any challenges specific to launching out of Boston?

JA: The biggest challenge is learning the apparel industry. That’s tough no matter where you live. Getting factories to take a chance on me, building those relationships with fabric and trim suppliers… not knowing what I don’t know…that’s all been new and exciting, but it’s also sometimes frustrating.

On a positive note, I love a challenge. I’m obsessed with the process. I love connecting the dots. It gets me excited.

Also, I’ve had McGarry & Sons, my product team, with me throughout all of this and they really took me under their wing. I’m so glad I worked with them because they certainly prevented me from making some very costly mistakes.

After discovering McGarry & Sons we then found great factories in Massachusetts. I’ve been able to find good marketing, graphic design, and photography talent both here and remotely.

I think Boston has a lot of resources to build an apparel brand if you’re willing to network and put the pieces together. I think sometimes the fact that there’s less noise here than other places can be an advantage, too, because it forces you to focus on the consumer and what the opportunities are in the marketplace.

HB: While you work on getting Cube Riot off the ground, you’re also working as a marketing consultant. Any advice to others that are trying to juggle full-time work with starting a business?

JA: I’m grateful to get to do consulting. I’m insanely lucky. But I’m going to keep it real: It’s hard to balance both. Bootstrapping is hard. Starting a business is hard.

I’m definitely no beacon of work/life balance, and I’m still figuring this out. But here’s what I’m learning…

• Running is amazing! I always knew this but I appreciate it even more now.

• It can be calming to create a routine even if you don’t think you’re a routine type of person.

• When in doubt about what to say, cutting to the chase usually works out long term.

• Recognize when decisions are low-impact and/or if they can be easily reversed because that’ll help you decide things faster and get more done.

• You’re gonna be stressed. You just are. But don’t be a jerk to your friends and your family. But if you are, say you’re sorry. They love you. The real ones will get it.

• And find founder friends to talk to!

HB: In your opinion, what makes Boston’s business scene unique? What’s happening here that can’t be replicated anywhere else?

JA: The community and the people are magic. Even though our B2C startup scene is still growing, people have a lot of 2nd and 3rd degree connections that I need in the retail and apparel world and the Boston scene has been pretty open about giving introductions. From what I hear, that helpfulness is very unique to Boston.

I’ve had so many conversations where people straight up asked, “How can I help you?” or “Who do you want to meet at this event?” That’s huge.

Connect with Janet on Twitter and make sure you check out Cube Riot (launching soon)!  

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They tweet and facebook and, while they do respond to inquiries, I wanted a more immediate response. Enter Live Chat! I inputted my name and email address — and typed back and forth with a customer support representative. Quick. And, she had a personality!

The takeaway is while social media is important for multiple reasons (customer support, product news, personnel changes, etc.), nothing trumps the personal connection from meeting in person to talking on the phone to typing on the computer.

And, have a sense of humor. Nobody likes talking to robots.

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I’d been working in my first post-college job as a corporate webmaster when I wanted to work with newer technology; and discovered PeopleSoft, a technology company manufacturing a product line of enterprise reporting software. At the time, its primary competitors were SAP and Oracle (which later bought it).

I don’t remember how I found the company. LinkedIn wasn’t yet around but Monster.com was two years old so maybe it was there.

I applied to be an associate consultant. I had two phone interviews with their home office in the San Francisco bay area before being emailed an offer letter. I accepted and they relocated me across the country, placed me in corporate housing, gave me a BlackBerry, and similar standards that other dot-com corporations were dishing out in the years before ping pong tables and snack rooms.

It was a short-lived job — but my point is I was hired after two phone interviews. Nobody hires like that anymore. I miss those simpler times.

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January saw 923 visitors and a 7% bounce rate.

Bounce rate is a key metric to determine website health. It measures the percentage of people who visit your website and leave without clicking other pages on your website. In other words, 93% of you visited more than one blog page at the beginning of the year but only 23% of you clicked around last month.

My challenge for August is to decrease the bounce rate to the single digits. This can happen with more frequent posting, more trending topics, and more internal links to inspire more clickability.

Here’s to blogging!

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This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Technology can be an incredible source of information, education and safety. But, its positive impact quickly blurs into the negative when we see children neglecting their social skills and the world around them for a 9-inch screen.

I share these thoughts and observations as someone who does not have children nor nieces and nephews. I share these thoughts as someone who is predominantly writing out of concern. What will the world be like when I have children some day? Will their pacifier be a mini-tablet? Will they speak directly to our in-home robot and not understand the differences between machine and personal connection?

Today I was overcome by these thoughts and emotions after watching a powerful advertisement that depicts childhood fun—or past times—for three different generations. I encourage you to watch it:

Shortly after watching the video I reminded myself that there are incredible people and organizations working to encourage and nurture a connection to nature. Nonprofits like CitySprouts that helps build sustainable schoolyard gardens in schools throughout Cambridge and Boston. The gardens inspire a deep, hands-on connection to agriculture, the food cycle and the natural environment. CitySprouts is making an enormous impact on the lives of children who often do not have dirt to dig in or gardens to grow their own vegetables. Many of these children grow up in the city and wouldn’t have the need to use a pitchfork or learn about the composting process.

Yesterday a handful of HBers had the privilege to see one of these gardens and sample the food that 5th-8th graders have been growing throughout the summer at the Tobin School in Cambridge. Let me tell you: it was the freshest, most delicious salsa I’ve ever tasted. Even better was the incredible teamwork, passion, commitment, knowledge, showmanship and pride that the students displayed as they guided us through their garden.

Organizations like CitySprouts give me hope for the future. While I deeply appreciate technology and the positive effect it can have on children, there are few things more powerful in the world than teaching future generations how to properly protect our environment and empower them to leave the world in a better state.

For more information about CitySprouts, please visit www.citysprouts.org.

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Yesterday we wrote about how the conversation around B2C in Boston is evolving. These conversations are being led by many influential people in our community who believe Boston has the ingredients to build great consumer companies, not just B2B.

We recently asked C.C. Chapman, co-author of Content Rules and Amazing Things Will Happen, and seasoned marketer who has worked with brands like Nike, HBO and other household names, what he thinks about Boston’s business scene.

Here’s what he had to say.

HB: You’ve spent your career turning passive consumers into engaged activists. Some people would argue that Boston has a “relative indifference” to marketing itself. What’s your take? Is this a good or bad thing?

CC: New Englanders as a whole are definitely not into being marketed to. I grew up in New Hampshire and know how little tolerance there can be for that.

This isn’t just a New England thing though and today thanks to everyone being on the Internet, everyone is a bit more skeptical. We can skip all ads on television and are one click away from any that pop up in our face online. This is a good thing because it forces companies to be more creative, have a heart and find a common ground with the consumers they want to reach rather than just shouting BUY ME at them all the time.

When our book Content Rules hit shelves in 2010, it was one of the first books ever published on content marketing. In it we talk about how companies need to speak human and advised to share or solve, don’t shill. It is a bit sad that five years later I’m still giving this advice to almost every client I talk to. People today are choosing the brands they buy from like they choose their friends. They want to feel a sense of shared values and a connection that goes beyond the purchase.

HB: You travel frequently. Is there another startup-focused city you’ve visited doing something new and interesting that you think Boston could benefit from?

CC: Fargo, North Dakota instantly comes to mind.

What they’ve done is really built a community where the entrepreneurs, artists and city all come together for the common good. There is very little of an Us versus Them mentality and they are thriving because of it.

HB: You spent the last year as an adjunct professor at Bentley University, your alma mater. How do you think local universities like Bentley are preparing students for their careers?

CC: I think many local universities are doing a great job. One thing that Bentley does and why I chose it for my undergrad degree was that every student has to take a group of liberal arts AND business courses no matter what their degree is. This insures that all graduates come out with a well rounded understanding of the business environment they are entering. While I never wanted to be an accountant, having those classes under my belt helped me understand budgets and balance sheets in a way that many other computer majors might not.

What does worry me though is that not enough higher education institutions are updating and evolving to make sure the students are learning the latest and greatest.

At the end of my first semester teaching I had numerous students tell me how much they loved me sharing current event stories with them. Because it was a marketing class, I started each night talking about the campaigns that were making waves and new technologies that companies needed to pay attention to. If Professors are only teaching out of books and not teaching practical applications then students will not be as prepared as they should be.

HB: How can Boston, especially Boston-area universities, prevent the brain drain and figure out how to keep entrepreneurs here post-grad?

CC: I’m not sure we have that problem. While I don’t have any studies to look at, I think we see a lot of students stick around.

Then again, when you have so many colleges and universities and so many students graduating from around the world you are going to have some.

We need to make it as friendly as possible for students to open and start new businesses. We need more spaces where they can afford to start a business. Incubators and shared workspaces are finally starting to arrive and this will help greatly.

HB: In your opinion, what makes Boston’s business scene unique?

CC: Boston hates to lose. We celebrate victories of all sizes. This is what makes it great!

Read C.C.’s blog for more about his approach to marketing, causes he cares about and his travels.

Check back in a few weeks for an interview with an entrepreneur as she gears up for the official launch of her consumer startup.

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How do I know? In grade school, my participation grades consistently tanked, despite maintaining straight As. Small talk drains me. I thoroughly enjoy spending time by myself. Oh, and a stack of personality tests tells me so.

Living in a country that is obsessed with extroversion presents a few challenges, including some that arise in the workplace.

Introverts live in their heads. I spend a lot of time observing, thinking and analyzing, and not a whole lot of time talking. Of course I want to contribute, but my silence is often interpreted as indifference. So how can an introvert thrive in the office? Well, being self-aware about it is a good start (case in point: this blog).

Tip #1: Develop relevant questions and ideas before a meeting. I’m the all-time worst respondent when it comes to spontaneous questions that require thoughtful answers. Anyone who has ever been in a marketing class with me can vouch for that. I need time to analyze situations in my head before speaking. Anticipating discussion points and writing down ideas or questions before a meeting is incredibly helpful.

Tip #2: Make your workspace work for you. I understand that open office spaces are all the rage right now, but they’re cramping introverts’ style. Look for areas in or around your office where you can spend some time working quietly and without distractions.

Tip #3: Network in small group settings. I recently attended a PR awards show with fellow HBers. Before I left for the event, my intention was to network and meet a few new people during the reception before the show. And then I got there and my mature, pre-professional intentions went right out the window. There were 200 PR professionals chit-chatting away over cocktails and appetizers. For an introvert, it was a standard case of what psychologists like to refer to as overstimulation. Find smaller events that aren’t so overwhelming and are focused on networking rather than small talk. Big award ceremony? Maybe not. Connecting over coffee? More like it.

Tip #4: Set an intention to have several social interactions with coworkers or industry professionals every work day. Building up your relationships is important in the workplace, especially when the time comes for you to work on a team with your peers. Show them that you’re interested in more than just climbing the career ladder by engaging them in conversations that go beyond shop talk.

Tip #5: Set aside time after work or on weekends to recharge. Don’t wait until you’re burned out to find time for yourself. By scheduling in weekly time to yourself, you’ll remember to do it, feel less stressed and be more productive at work.

Tip #6: Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Avoiding every situation that might push you out of your introverted limits would make for a rather uneventful and unprogressive career path. Catering to an introverted personality doesn’t mean letting yourself off the hook every time you’re faced with a situation you’d rather avoid. Be ok with failure and never stop pushing yourself.

Tip #6: Read Susan Cain’s book “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking.” Or at the very least, watch her TED talk. I always felt quite inadequate compared to my extroverted counterparts until I read her book. She points out introverts’ skills that are often overlooked or underutilized and this made me realize that what I thought were some of my flaws were actually some of my strengths. Cain ultimately makes a case for why introverts are just important as extroverts to society. It’s worth the read.

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If you’ve read our previous HUBgrown posts or if you’re following our tumblr page, you may have noticed a trend—much of the content thus far has focused on Boston’s B2B tech scene. That is in large part because it’s the way I have approached this series, but that’s about to change. Why? Because the conversation around Boston and B2C is evolving, as it should be.

NextView Ventures’ Rob Go summarized the resurgence of consumer tech in Boston and how we, as a city, have the ingredients to build great consumer companies if we get past some of the cultural barriers. (Read his thoughts in more detail here…seriously, you need to right now.)

Back to HUBgrown, we saw glimpses of Boston’s consumer power come into play in our last post featuring Devin Bramhall. That’s just the beginning.

Our next post will feature C.C. Chapman. C.C. describes himself as a New England-raised storyteller, explorer and humanitarian. He is the co-author of the International bestseller Content Rules and is also the author of Amazing Things Will Happen. He travels the world speaking in front of audiences and encouraging them to do more to improve the world and teaching them how to understand and use content marketing better. Over the years of his career he has worked with a variety of clients including Nike, HBO, American Eagle Outfitters, ONE, Verizon FiOS and The Coca-Cola Company.

When I asked C.C., someone with years of consumer marketing experience, what it’s like living in a very tech, B2B-centric place, he (in a very polite way) asked me where I’m getting my information from:

“I’ve never thought of Boston as being B2B centric at all. There has always been a highly charged startup scene in and around Boston and yet we rarely get the attention that is deserved.”

He told me how he reads about new startups every day and, more often than not, most of them are consumer focused.

We plan on bringing you more of those stories in the near future, and more from C.C. in our next HUBgrown profile tomorrow.

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