Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights Blog and Podcast - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image

The Ultimate Question For Digital Marketers

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:45:46 -0500

Here's the thing about Digital Marketing, New Media and Social Media: if you're only in it for yourself, not much great stuff can happen.

On a personal note, I've been hearing a lot of backchannel comments about people questioning why I do what I do and my motives behind it (be it the Blog, speaking, writing a book, newspaper columns, etc…). While it's nice that all of this work helps to build both my company (Twist Image) and my own personal brand, the real truth is that if we're not all learning, sharing and growing, there simply won't be much of an industry. The problem is that Digital Marketing and Social Media are both still, relatively, new. Most brands are uneducated and it's easy for the charlatans (the self-anointed gurus, experts and wizards) to sell a bill of goods that they can't deliver on.

There is a way to quickly identify if a Digital Marketing agency is legitimate.

The ultimate question to ask them is this:

"If you were me, what would you do with the marketing budget?"

If the answer back is, "shift everything you're doing to digital because the traditional channels and mass media are dead," that agency or consultant is probably not right for you. Many New Media and Digital Marketing shops think that everything begins and ends online. The truth is that it might, it might not or it might be a mixture of the two. A real Digital Marketing shop will take the time to better understand what you're doing, what's working, what is not working and how these digital platforms can either help you be more efficient and effective, or how they can add value to what is already working. I've said it before, I'll say it again:

Everything starts with the overall goals of the business and the strategy you pull out of it.

Everything is "with" not "instead of."

The other sign that your consultant or agency is more snake oil salesperson than anything else revolves around "horses." Do they actually have the skills and capacity to deliver a sound strategy deck that includes a technical and resource analysis of how the work is going to get done, how much it will cost and how long it will take? Do they actually have the horses to deliver on that project? There is way too much hyperbole online. "Consultants" pointing fingers and using metrics like how many people are following them on Twitter, or how many comments they get on their Blog as an indicator of how successful they can be for their clients.

It's a myth, but companies and brands are falling for it.

Just because an individual or company can grow their own personal community, it does not mean they have the skills, capabilities, resources and experience to create, engage and optimize a program for someone else. The two are mutually exclusive. As the industry grows and matures it will be increasingly easier to sort the wheat from the chaff, but until that time comes, be leery of those who do not have the infrastructure and experience to deliver on what is a pretty rudimentary first step to get your brand growing.

What are some of the other questions you should ask of your Digital Marketing partner?

Tags: blog brand business strategy consultant digital marketing hyperbole marketing budget mass media new media newspaper column online community optimization personal brand social media traditional media twitter

On Being Findable

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:07:13 -0500

If someone can't find you off of a simple search engine query, all is lost.

It doesn't matter if you're representing a brand/company. It doesn't matter if it's just you. It doesn't matter if you're a start-up entrepreneur, and it doesn't matter if you're a multinational company. If people can't find you online, you are invisible. The argument could be that you don't want to be found. The only reason to not want to be found is if you are doing something illegal. No matter how small or specific your niche. No matter if you sell to the mass public or if you're only doing B2B. It doesn't matter if your product sells for one dollar or twenty-million dollars. Be findable.

The amount of content being pushed out by your company and the website that you are driving them too is not working hard enough for you.

In the advertising world, there is a saying that we have to "let the creative do the work." Great creative really can convey much more than a strong brand message. It can tell a story. It can sell a story. Nobody is going to care about any of those stories if they can't find you. Which leads us to:

"Let your website do the work."

How many companies do you know that do not have a website? Agreed, it's laughable. Even if it's old and never-updated, most people do have some form of web presence (even if it is almost a decade old and simple brochureware). The truth is, if you have the space (and you should) and it's not really working for you, now is the time to turn the corner. Yes, this Blog posting could have been written five (ten!) years ago. The truth is, the majority of websites are not weaving their magic the way they should.

Shall we talk about usability, functionality, design, back-end technology or search engine optimization?

It's probably some or all of the above. Here are the six steps to start thinking about it differently right now:

Admit you have a problem.
Grab four people into a room and ask them what they would do about it. These could be employees, friends, your agency or hired guns.
Create a strategy that will have a twelve-month shelf-life. Make milestones for each week's goals. Every goal should be around how you're going to do something to make yourself more findable.
Figure out if Social Media can help you be more findable (hint: don't go here first, if you don't have a competent website to drive them to once they've engaged).
Execute, execute, execute. We've all seen countless organizations do numbers 1-4, but when it comes time to implement and do it, nothing gets done. Don't be one of those stats. You know that old Nike chestnut: "just do it."
Rinse and repeat. This is an iterative and ongoing process. It will take time and it will take even more time to always keep it moving forward.

If you really do love business you won't take this lightly.

The harsh reality is that more and more people are having their first brand interactions at the search box. As weird and strange as the search engine results may seem, they are fairly agnostic. They're simply looking for the most relevant results. Our jobs – day in and day out – is to make sure that we are findable.

How can we care about online social networks, Twitter, FriendFeed, lifestreaming and more when businesses – for the most part – have a hard time being found online?

Tags: b2b b2c blog brand branding business content corporate website design entrepreneur execution friendfeed functionality implementation lifestream nike online online strategy search engine search engine optimization seo social media technology twitter usability web website

SPOS #161 - Six Pixels Of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast - +1 (206) 666-6056 – President Obama Is A Social Media Guru

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:30:51 -0500

Welcome to episode #161 of Six Pixels Of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast. Yes, you read that right, President Obama is a Social Media Expert… well, ok, maybe not. But that's one of the questions we discuss on this episode (courtesy of a great email question from Joseph at Diamond Beer Brewing). Marshall also chimes in on last week's Media Hacks about whether or not Twitter can topple the Iranian government – or rather, how Twitter is being used in a different way to communicate and inform. Enjoy the conversation...

Here it is: Six Pixels Of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast - Episode #161 - Host: Mitch Joel.

Running time: 39:32.
Audio comment line - please send in a comment and add your voice to the audio community: +1 206-666-6056.
Please send in questions, comments, suggestions - mitch@twistimage.com.
Hello from Beautiful Montreal.
Subscribe over at iTunes.
Please visit and leave comments on the Blog - Six Pixels of Separation.
Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.
or you can connect on LinkedIn.
...or on twitter.
Facebook Group - Six Pixels of Separation Podcast Society.
In a perfect world, connect with me, directly, through Facebook.
Media Hacks #13 will be coming out next week and it features:
Chris Brogan – New Marketing Labs - Co-author of Trust Agents.
C.C. Chapman – Managing The Gray – Advance Guard.
Hugh McGuire – LibriVox – The Book Oven.
Christopher S. Penn – The Financial Aid Podcast – Marketing Over Coffee.
Julien Smith – In Over Your Head – Co-author of Trust Agents.
Six Pixels of Separation live in New York City.
Six Pixels of Separation the book is now available for pre-order.
Audio comment – Marshall from Austin, Texas.
Email question: Joseph Rodgers – Diamond Beer Brewing – Little Rock, Arkansas.
The debate on Free (the new book by Chris Anderson).
Six Points of Separation – Six Ways To Make Free Work:
1. Give value and the community gives back.
2. Use free to entice.
3. Make it free for a limited time.
4. Understand that your industry may already shifting there.
5. Make the product for sale that much more enticing.
6. Freemium.
Music:
David Usher – ‘Kill The Lights’.

Please join the conversation by sending in questions, feedback and ways to improve Six Pixels Of Separation. Please let me know what you think or leave an audio comment at: +1 206-666-6056.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels Of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast - Episode #161 - Host: Mitch Joel.

Tags: advance guard advertising blog blogging book oven cc chapman chris anderson chris brogan christopher s penn david usher diamond beer brewing digital marketing facebook facebook group financial aid podcast free hugh mcguire in over your head itunes joseph rodgers julien smith librivox managing the gray marketing marketing over coffee media hacks new marketing labs online social network podcast podcasting six pixels of separation social media marketing the long tail trust agents twist image twitter web 20 wired magazine

Marketing The Unmarketable

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:36:53 -0500

When really thinking about the many new tools and platforms that are available for Marketers to connect to consumers, we may have to embrace the idea that – in the end – we're trying to "market the unmarketable."

Nearly nine years ago I joined a company called Airborne Entertainment (the company is now called Airborne Mobile). My stint there only lasted a year, but one of my bosses at the time was Andy Nulman (the guy behind the infamous Just For Laughs comedy festival, Blogger & author of Pow! Right Between The Eyes and a close friend). The idea behind Airborne Mobile was to bring big brands to the small screen. It was everything from jokes to very simple games. This company had a vision that brands would need a solid strategy around being on (and in) mobile devices. It's amazing to think that back then the carriers didn't much care for data usage. Voice usage and consumer churn to other carriers was what was keeping them up at night.

Any ideas we had for marketing brands on mobile devices were practically ignored.

So, if the carriers weren't all that interested and brands were humouring us to see what the market was like, how did the company grow the way it did (the company went on to do quite well)? New technology and platforms were (and still continue to be) a long and hard struggle, but on my last day at Airborne Mobile, Nulman said something that stuck with me to this day:

"We are trying to market the unmarketable."

There are two challenges that new technology, platforms and content bring:

1. The industry it serves is not prepared or doesn't believe in it.

2. Consumers have no idea what it is for and claim they would never use it.

We've seen it countless times before, we're seeing it now and we're going to see it again.

People questioned why they would need a telephone, they questioned why they would need a computer, they questioned why they would need more than 500 songs on a music player, they said they would never watch video on a two-inch screen, and they questioned everything else that is now commonplace in our lives (I'm fairly certain there were those who questioned the need for indoor plumbing back in the day).

It's important to always remember that the minute something new comes out (and even when it's not so new), we're always going to be faced with "marketing the unmarketable."

Tags: airborne entertainment airborne mobile andy nulman brand consumers disruption just for laughs marketer marketing mobile new business model platform pow right between the eyes technology

Netbooks Power The Ultimate Road Warriors

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:58:38 -0500

In a world where my office is more often than not an aisle seat at 35,000 feet, I spend my days trying to do more with less.

Ultraportable laptops make sense for someone like me. But while they’re small, they lack the power and speed of standard laptops and desktop computers. And they can cost a whole lot more – sometimes even double the price of a regular laptop. Most business people are not willing to make the sacrifice.

So why bother?

For one thing, I get to lug around a lot less weight. For another, I’ve been through a slew of ultraportable laptops – from Toshiba and Sony to Lenovo and Dell – and all have managed to do what I’ve needed them to do (my current laptop is the Dell Latitude E4200). But as with all modern technology, no matter how often I back up the hard drive and archive my important information, I’m constantly haunted by the nagging fear that when I press the power button I’ll get the dreaded blue screen of death.

Imagine spending up to $4,500 for a hot-looking ultraportable, and once the seat belt light goes off, you fire it up… and nothing. It’s dead. Your documents, presentations and every other reason you boarded this flight in the first place are gone. Maybe you have a backup on a USB key. But what if you don’t? Hopefully, you weren’t waiting for the flight to get the actual work done. What if you could have a second laptop along for the trip that’s lighter and smaller? And that costs about $300? I’m not making this up.

Say hello to the netbook.

Although netbooks have been around since 2007, they are just now starting to get the attention of the business traveller. And they should. Netbooks are simple, small and stripped-down laptops that look like toys but can complete serious tasks. They may not be as powerful as the average ultraportable, but the screen and keyboard are much smaller.

And there are other practical reasons to own one.

Instead of worrying about purchasing an entirely new computer for travel, you can transfer the documents you need over to your netbook prior to your trip and use it as your travel computer. Regardless of what you have at home, having a “clean�? netbook enables you to avoid slowdowns, grief or embarrassment in front of potential clients or at security.

In the end, we’re all looking to do more with less, and with the new grade of netbook computing, it’s not only smart but economical to have one. Whether you use it as a backup or as your primary computing vehicle, you’ll be that much closer to becoming the ultimate road warrior.

The above posting is my monthly column for enRoute Magazine called, Ultraportable. I cross-post it here with all of the links and tags for your reading pleasure, but you can check out the original versions online here:

- enRoute Magazine - Little Mouse on the Prairie.

Tags: backup blue screen of death business business traveller computer dell dell latitude e4200 desktop computer enroute magazine hard rive laptop lenovo magazine netbook office road warrior sony spafax technology toshiba travel ultraportable laptop usb key

Six Podcasts You Should Listen To

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:49:32 -0500

In all of the fuss to rush to Twitter or fawn over some viral videos on YouTube, there's a subtle and ever-growing audio platform that seems to have lost some its lustre in terms of public excitement, but continues to grow in terms of loyal audience.

Podcasting continues to be one of the best ways to consume audio and video content. A good portion of this content is available free in places like iTunes, and it is staggering once you begin to deep-dive into the content just how rich, robust and fascinating the shows are.

Unlike streaming audio or video online or simply downloading an MP3 or WMV file onto your hard drive, the real power behind podcasting is in its subscription component. Without getting technical, podcasting is audio and video that is very similar to a blog in terms of how it is delivered to you. Once you subscribe (which is usually free - although there are some podcasts that charge a nominal fee), the minute the producer of the show publishes their content to the Web it is automatically delivered to your computer (in my case, this is done using Apple's iTunes). From there, you can sync it to your iPod and that's it: your choice of audio and video programming on your own schedule that you can pause, rewind, fast-forward or even delete.

Imagine being the program director of your own radio station, only you can also decide when the shows are "on the air." That's podcasting, and it will not only change the way you think about media, it will turn all of your downtime into a moment where you can learn, grow and expand or simply listen/watch some mindless entertainment. Podcasting truly is "as you like it."

Yes, you can get the latest in comedy and entertainment, sports and news and more. In fact, the true beauty of podcasting is how much more it is like narrowcasting vs. broadcasting. Interested in knitting? There's a podcast for that (multiple ones!). Interested in magic? Yup, there's more than a few for that subject matter, too. There are thousands of podcasts. Some are professionally produced by some of the more well-known mass-media outlets, while some are recorded on a Logitech headset with a microphone right into a laptop and edited using freeware like Audacity. Some are slick with high production values and others are more rugged and reminiscent of pirate radio.

There's something for everybody.

While many people listen to or watch podcasts on their laptops or desktops, make no mistake about it, as the iPhone and iPod continue to become an integral part of our day-to-day lives (in fact, the iPod is one of the best-selling consumer electronics devices in history), the portability of media is going to be an increasingly important component of how the mass public consumes media. So, instead of filtering the millions of blogs online or trying to make heads or tails of whether or not you should join FriendFeed, you can grab a handful of audio (or video) podcasts, sync them on to your iPod and head outside for the few months of summer we have in the city.

Here are six great podcasts that will get you excited about business, technology and new media (in alphabetical order):

1. For Immediate Release - The Hobson & Holtz Report - is hosted by Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson. This twice-weekly podcast usually runs about an hour per episode and features conversations and news critique on the state of public relations, communications and technology. If you like FIR, you might also want to check out Inside PR, JaffeJuice, Managing the Gray, and Marketing Over Coffee.

2. Harvard Business IdeaCast - from the publishers of the Harvard Business Review, this podcast (which you can get in audio and video formats) features great commentary from the top thinkers on the topics of management and leadership.

3. On the Media - courtesy of the good folks at National Public Radio, On the Media points a critical eye on items in the news and in the public forum. It can be highly critical but always presents new ways of looking not just at the news, but at ourselves.

4. Spark - Nora Young from the CBC hosts this show about technology and culture. It boasts itself as an "online collaboration" as it includes the community's thoughts, comments and insights, which helps to drive and push the programming content.

5. TED Talks - usually reserved for the one thousand people invited to this exclusive annual conference that has been dubbed, "gymnastics for the brain," TED Talks features the now-famous 18-minute presentations from some of the world's smartest thinkers and brightest minds (you can get the as both audio or video).

6. This Week In Tech - Leo Laporte is best-known as host of multiple TV shows on TechTV (now G4TechTV). The likeable and passionate technology guy loves to break it all down, explaining technology and keeping it simple for the everyday person. This Week In Tech, is his star-studded show for geeks, nerds and closet techies. Laporte is always entertaining and consistently discusses new and emerging technologies (hardware, software and online) to keep you ahead of your peers and the curve.

So, take a dive down the rabbit-hole that is podcasting. You'll never watch or listen to traditional mass media the same way again.

Which Podcasts have helped you shape the way you think about business, technology and new media?

The above posting is my twice-monthly column for the Montreal Gazette and Vancouver Sun newspapers called, New Business - Six Pixels of Separation. I cross-post it here with all the links and tags for your reading pleasure, but you can check out the original versions online here:

- Montreal Gazette - Here's six podcasts you should listen to.
- Vancouver Sun - Podcasts can change the way you become informed.

Tags: apple audacity audio blog broadcasting canwest consumer electronic device content for immediate release friendfeed g4techtv harvard business ideacast harvard business review inside pr internet culture iphone ipod itunes jaffejuice leo laporte logitech managing the gray marketing over coffee mass media media montreal gazette mp3 narrowcasting national public radio neville hobson nora young npr on the media podcast podcasting portable media production value publishing rss shel holtz spark streaming audio subscription technology techtv ted ted talks this week in tech twit twitter vancouver sun video viral video wav youtube

The Idea Of Free Is Radical – So People Are Going To Freak Out

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:35:12 -0500

There are those who write books that explain where the world is at. There are those who write books about where the world is going. If you do the latter, you have to be prepared for the disbelievers and haters.

Chris Anderson is the editor of Wired Magazine who also had a stellar best-selling business book called, The Long Tail. As you'll note in this excellent interview with Anderson (Managing The Gray – Chris Anderson Interview), he is quick to admit that his books take ideas that are already "out there" and packages the content together with data, stories and more (to be honest, he is being more than a little humble. Being able to coin a term or point out a new way of doing things is never so easy or obvious). His latest book is called, Free - The Future of a Radical Price, in which Anderson discusses an interesting new business model where giving something away for free is actually good (and smart) for business. It's not entirely radical if you check out the many common examples we have been seeing in the past few years that validate his thesis (think about Suze Orman, who gave her entire book away as a free download in conjunction with an appearance on Oprah and still had a #1 best-selling book). He even pre-tested the concept with this cover story in Wired Magazine back in February 2008: Free! Why $0.00 Is The Future Of Business.

The idea of giving your stuff away for free will shock and dismay many business people and popular thinkers.

In the latest issue of The New Yorker, best-selling business book author and journalist, Malcolm Gladwell (he of Tipping Point, Blink and Outliers fame) takes exception to some of the concepts that Anderson published. You can read the full book review here: Priced To Sell – Is Free The Future? Anderson responds to Gladwell's criticism on his own Blog here: Dear Malcolm: Why so threatened?

This is what makes the Internet (and, more specifically, Blogs) so amazing. Almost instantaneous back and forth with additional comments from the community as well. It becomes one big and thoroughly engaging discussion, conversation and debate.

Even Seth Godin (another best-selling business book author – Purple Cow, Tribes, etc…) added his perspective here: Malcolm is wrong. Like all great debates, it's clear that there are (at least) three sides to this story, but Godin makes some very salient points: "Like all dying industries, the old perfect businesses will whine, criticize, demonize and most of all, lobby for relief. It won't work. The big reason is simple: In a world of free, everyone can play. This is huge. When there are thousands of people writing about something, many will be willing to do it for free (like poets) and some of them might even be really good (like some poets). There is no poetry shortage."

If Anderson, Gladwell and Godin are in the midst of this very fascinating debate, the least you can do is take a read-through of the links above, learn about the topic and – if you're interested – join the conversation.

Seth Godin even set-up a Squidoo lens to debate the topic right here: The FREE Debate.

Tags: author best-selling book blink blog business business book chris anderson conversation free internet interview malcolm gladwell managing the gray new yorker online debate oprah outliers publishing purple cow radical idea seth godin squidoo suze orman the long tail tipping point tribes wired magazine

Six Ways To Find Business Inspiration

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:02:52 -0500

Being creative is not easy. Being original is not easy. Reading books on how to be creative and how to be original is not something that many people do often enough (myself included).

There's also a huge difference in being creative for the sake of exploring some new unchartered personal territory (like taking a class in sculpting), but it's not so obvious what to do when it comes to being creative in business. Many of us have Blogs, Podcasts, Twitter accounts, Facebook profiles and more, but are often stumped with what – exactly – to create and publish. What is the secret sauce for people who consistently publish content? While some have tried, it's not something that is clearly definable (hence the term, "secret sauce"). That being said, there are some ways to look at things differently and inspire your more creative business side.

Here's how…

Six Ways To Find Business Inspiration:

Get A Clue(train) – If you have not read the book, The Cluetrain Manifesto (by Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls and David Weinberger), then that in and of itself should give you fodder for years to come. If you've dog-eared and post-it noted your book to death, then crack it open one more time to any random page, take a read and write out what you can do in your industry in relation to whatever topic you just consumed. Side note: Basic Books just released a special 10th Anniversary Edition hardcover edition with some new/additional content.
Follow The Ads – Every year there are multiple advertising industry trade magazines that highlight the "best of the year." The ads include everything from TV and radio to out-of-home and online advertising. You may think that the 30-second spot is dead, but these award winners are clever and inspiring. How well can you convey your story?
Never Eat Alone - Grab someone who inspires you and take them to lunch. You pay. Just enjoy the conversation and please don't have any set agenda or be thinking about how to create a deal. Just enjoy the conversation and company.
Listen And Learn – Head over to iTunes and subscribe to a Podcast that interests you. Listen to a few episodes and write out what you've learned on your Blog. If you don't have a Blog, ask someone who does have a Blog if they would be open to a guest post from you.
Learn about someone you hate - Read the biography of someone you never respected (in history or business). It might surprise you how they rose to power, what it meant to them and how it changed the world (for the better or for the worse). Sometimes we learn most by reading about people we would never want to act like. Learning what not to do is sometimes as important as learning what to do.
Read a comic book – Odds are the story won't exactly rock your world, but reflect on what goes into a single issue of a comic book: from the story and art to the pencilling and publishing. If you have seen the blockbuster movie, Iron Man, you have to be able to appreciate that someone came up with the concept for him in the early 1960s.

It was Albert Einstein who said: "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand."

How do you get inspired when it comes to new thinking for business?

Tags: advertising albert einstein basic books biography blog business business book christopher locke cluetrain manifesto comic book content creativity david weinberger doc searls facebook history imagination inspiration iron man itunes never eat alone online advertising originality podcast publish reading rick levine secret sauce twitter

Giving Something A Fighting Chance

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:30:36 -0500

Blogging is dead. Twitter is dead. MySpace is dead. Podcasting is dead. Dead is dead.

Let's trot out the "fill-in-the-blank is dead" horse and beat it one last time, shall we? Whether we're dumping MySpace for Facebook, Twitter for FriendFeed, Habbo Hotel for Club Penguin, or everything for Lifestreaming, we should all be able to step-away from and recognize that the mass population does not have a fighting chance anymore. We're taking it away from them. Our constant and consistent infatuation with the latest (and greatest) shiny object in a world where these objects are being created and popularized on the fly is going to cause so much confusion that we may start seeing people recoil simply because they can't keep pace and they are (rightfully) confused.

Is this Digital Darwinism at its finest?

Some might rightfully argue that the speed of change and rapid developments in technology are only going to increase and those that can't keep up (or keep ahead) are going to be left behind. It's fair to say that when you're on the bleeding edge, but there is a more practical and rational opportunity here. Marketers might be best served in helping their clients and partners understand that it's not about which platform is the newest, but rather which platforms will drive the overall business strategy furthest.

For some, the latest and greatest does this.

But, for most, it doesn't. Yes, we now have the ability to lifestream brands out to the world. From short and long copy to images, audio and video, everything is easy to produce, quick to publish and simple to maintain, but it's not for everybody. Don't believe me? Check out the article, Forget Twitter; Your Best Marketing Tool Is the Humble Product Review, from Ad Age today:

"…marketers are learning to listen. And for all the ink spilled on the importance of Twitter and Facebook as feedback and customer-service channels, there's another social-media tool marketers are increasingly finding useful, not just as an online-shopping tool but as an internal, culturally changing consumer-criticism channel: the humble product review. The feedback is altering not just how the marketing department works but also how companies design their products and work with suppliers. And it's not limited to small, nimble players; companies using product reviews range from niche retailers such as Oriental Trading Co. to big, broad-based behemoths such as Walmart."

While the main crux of the article focuses on the power of peer reviews (a topic near and dear to my heart), it forces Marketers to realize that sometimes, it is the simple things that can take you furthest (asking for, publishing and responding to real people's feedback) and sometimes those things may not be the media darlings du jour.

To really take advantage of all of the new platforms and channels to communicate, we're going to have to get better at understanding what they truly are (and what they represent to our consumers) before jumping ship to whatever next just showed up in our Web browser. To do that, we have to let these platforms mature over time and prove themselves.

Are we there yet?

Maybe we need to give things more of a fighting chance?

Tags: ad age advertising age bleeding edge blog brand business strategy change club penguin communications consumers customer service digital darwinism feedback friendfeed habbo hotel lifestream marketer marketing myspace online shopping oriental trading co peer review platform podcast product review publish shiny object syndrome social media technology twitter walmart

Publisher's Weekly Offers Up The First Review Of Six Pixels Of Separation Book

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:14:01 -0500

Following is the first print review of my forthcoming book, Six Pixels of Separation, courtesy of Publisher's Weekly. The real "first" review was a video review done by Chris Brogan (over here: Don’t Trust My Review of Six Pixels of Separation).

Six Pixels of Separation - Everyone is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone Mitch Joel. Grand Central/Business Plus, $26.99 (273p) ISBN 978-0-446-54823-6

A digital marketing maven who parlayed a podcast into a thriving career, Joel extends the notion of human interconnectedness by six degrees to the virtual world. With abundant Internet social networking sites and mobile texting, “we are all intrinsically connected," he argues in this accessible primer to capitalizing on connections to increase brand awareness. New breeds of entrepreneurs are being created daily, he asserts, using free publishing tools available on the Internet to create brands and develop audiences on a scale that rivals the biggest firms in the world. Joel cites such success stories as Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library, who transformed his parents' New Jersey liquor store from a $4 million business to a $45 million one in five years by connecting to Facebook and Twitter and creating a video podcast to lure customers. More than a mere collection of inspirational case studies, the book offers practical advice, from choosing a catchy blog name to tips on Web presentation. Joel has created an eminently readable guide to harnessing the various tools available across the virtual landscape. (Sept.)

If you're interested in buying a book (or a thousand), you can pre-order it now (top left-corner of this Blog).

You can find the original review publisher over here: Publisher's Weekly – Six Pixels of Separation.

Tags: book review brand awareness business book business plus chris brogan digital marketing entrepreneur facebook gary vaynerchuk grand central publishing hachette book group internet mobile online social networking podcast publishers weekly publishing publishing industry twitter video podcast virtual world wine library

The Death Of Scarcity

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:27:44 -0500

Editors used to control the journalists and decided which words made it to which pages. Music companies used to control the musicians and decided which albums made it into the record stores. TV stations used to control the actors and decided who got to star in which programs.

From luxury items to concert tickets, everything we've really known (and been successful with) in the Marketing industry was (to some extent) based on the scarcity model. Whether it was 20% more or 40% off, it was always for a "limited time". So, here's another shift that we don't talk about enough: the new media channels are not about scarcity, they are about abundance. It's not about deciding who gets access to who, it's about everybody having access to everybody.

Can we truly understand value without the scarcity?

Whether we're talking about comic books or an old bottle wine, we tend to place a higher value on the things that we can only have less of. Don't believe me? Look at the environment. Pushing this idea out further, notice how the most modern of new media mavens get all excited when they are featured on national television or score a book deal. The reality is that everyone has a Blog or Twitter account (just like them), but if they can get their content into a place that others cannot, then it's that much more exciting.

Those calling for the death of traditional mass media, don't really understand what is going to happen.

We (as a collective society) know no other way. If you take away the scarcity, we truly have no idea how to value it. In fact, I'd argue that we don't value it. Personal anecdote: I await - with bated breath - the latest issue of Wired Magazine but have no issue deleting 180 news items from the Wired Blog as "mark as read". Why? Simply put, the magazine comes out only once a month, it is scarce when compared to the twenty-four hour onslaught of digital content through my RSS reader. Once someone curates and edits the content in print versus simply filling the digital void, the value of the content in the magazine "seems" scarcer than a model where the funnel needs to constantly be filled.

How are Marketers really going to Market and connect with consumers if what they're Marketing is no longer scarce (or perceived that way) or if the channels in which they're Marketing are no longer perceived as valuable because anybody and everybody can publish?

Tags: abundance blog broadcasting content digital content editor journalist magazine marketer marketing mass media music industry new media print publishing rss scarcity traditional media tv stations twitter value wired magazine

When Everything Fits In The Palm Of Your Hand

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 13:35:18 -0500

Does something become more popular if you make it easier to do?

There used to be this running joke about how easy it is to Podcast. Instead of a full recording studio with expensive mixing boards and microphones, you could now record audio programs with a basic computer set-up, cheap microphone, some free audio editing software (like Audacity) and a Blogging platform. The truth is, it takes a little more than that to create a great program and even though it is inexpensive, it's still time-consuming to make it work.

Podfading (when someone starts a Podcast but quickly stops recording new episodes) is a very real syndrome.

For some, it seems like a good idea at the time but recording simply doesn't fit with their lifestyle, others were not seeing the mass numbers of people flocking to Podcasts (as they did with other platforms like Blogging and Twitter), and for others it was simply a matter of waiting until the technology advanced to the point where it was easier and more convenient. My guess is the latter is exactly what happened to Bryan Person (aka Bryper). In a sea of feeds, tweets and lifestreams, I thought Bryan had dropped Podcasting for a return to Blogging (and he's quite active on Twitter, etc…). On a recent episode of the For Immediate Release – The Hobson & Holtz Report audio Podcast, I learned that he has a new audio Podcast that he records (wait for it…) daily.

What changed in the world of audio technology to make it that much easier?

Bryan Person's new daily audio Podcast is called, The Daily Boo, named after the iPhone app he is using to create it with. AudioBoo is a free iPhone audio blogging app that allows anyone to record straight into their iPhone (this doesn't work on the iPod Touch because it does not have a microphone built-in) and then posts it on-the-fly to the Web. The Daily Boo episodes are usually under five minutes in length and while the AudioBoo site features hundreds (maybe thousands) of other Podcasts on the AudioBoo platform, The Daily Boo covers "our" space: online communications, media and technology. It's highly entertaining, fresh and gives you just the right amount of snackable new media content on a daily basis.

Podcasting, streaming live video, Blogging, Tweeting and almost anything (and everything) else you can do with a laptop can now be done with an iPhone (and some other mobile devices).

If you don't think this access, ease-of-us, mobility and speed of delivery is going to change everything you know about Marketing, Advertising and Communications, you've got another thing coming.

Final thought: When I think about how Bryan records The Daily Boo, it makes how I record Six Pixels of Separation and Media Hacks seem almost as old and antiquated as using a full-fledged studio is when compared with my current set-up. Yes, technology is moving that fast.

Tags: advertising apple audacity audio audio blog audio editing software audio program audio technology audioboo blog blogging platform bryan person bryper communications for immediate release iphone iphone app laptop live video stream marketing media media hacks mobile mobility new media online communications podcast podfade recording studio snackable content technology the daily boo twitter

On Twitter And Conversion

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:02:14 -0500

If you use Twitter solely for personal use, this Blog post is not for you. If you use Twitter for your business or your brands, there has to be some kind of conversion at the end of the day.

How's that going for you?

There does seem to be some kind of race to get as many people following you on Twitter, and an equal pace to ensure that you can stay involved and engaged in the myriad of conversations. From the looks of it, people with tens of thousands of followers seem to be quickly realizing how unscalable that model is and how much time it does take to keep on top of it all. I recently heard Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV (he has close to 600,000 followers on Twitter) say something to the effect of, "people ask me all of the time how I can spend so much time on Twitter Search and still grow my business? Since when does caring and responding to what people say about you not your business?"

There has to be some kind of breaking point.

Here's a potential scenario: someone with a Vaynerchuk-like following is constantly tweeting. The amount of content is staggering (great links, tons of info, references to other great people to follow on Twitter). There's so much content flow that the average follower who checks their Twitter stream only a couple of times per day just sees a sea of content. On the other hand, someone with a more modest following (says a couple of hundred followers) has a different type of relationship with their online community because they're only tweeting a handful of times per day, so those who are connected pay close attention to each and every tweet.

Which one do you think converts more and most effectively?

I keep going back and forth. On one hand, it must be easier to get more people to take action when you have a heavy user base. On the other hand, the mass amount of content being pumped out to sustain that huge following might make each post have less value (or significance) to the audience.

What do you think is the ideal formula to have great conversion using Twitter?

Tags: blog brand business content conversion gary vaynerchuk online community tweet twitter twitter search wine library tv

How Social Media Can Make History

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:27:12 -0500

Here are 17 minutes that just might help you understand the true power of everything we're experimenting with online, and give you a small glimpse into how technology is connecting us all.

Clay Shirky (author of the book, Here Comes Everybody) is one of the brightest thinkers (and speakers) on the topic of new media. Here, in this recently posted TED Talk, Shirky looks at "how Facebook, Twitter and TXTs help citizens in repressive regimes to report on real news, bypassing censors (however briefly). The end of top-down control of news is changing the nature of politics."

Clay Shirky - How Social Media Can Make History:

Tags: citizen journallism clay shirky facebook here comes everybody history new media online social network online video social media technology ted ted talks twitter

The Power Of Intent

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:04:50 -0500

The word "should" is more powerful than you might imagine. How do you think people should Blog, use Twitter or post videos on YouTube?

I'm just as guilty as the next person when it comes to "should"-ing all over people. We tend to make grand assumptions in hopes that people do things online the way "God intended them to be" – whatever that means. Does that mean that anything goes? Does that mean that there are no rules? Absolutely not, but – as the famous saying goes - "the inventor rarely knows what the invention is for." The fact still remains that if you're reading this Blog posting, you are clearly an early adopter. The majority of people do not understand what Twitter is for, so they use it how they know best (to follow Oprah or Ashton Kutcher - they're simply not interested in any form of conversation), at the same time, people like me mouth off that Twitter isn't really doing what it was "supposed to do" (see: Half Of Your Twitter Efforts Are Wasted - The Trouble Is We Don't Know Which Half).

Who says anything should be used in one specific way?

Let's take a closer look at Twitter to better understand the power of intent. If you're a company and you would like to notify those interested when you post a news item or add a product line, but you have zero interest in engaging in Twitter much beyond using it to simply broadcast those news items, who is to say that this is not the "right way" to use Twitter? If there are people interested and following those tweets (however big or small the group of followers may be) and as long as it is tightly tied to an overarching business strategy, why not use Twitter in a way in which many of us would think is counter-intuitive?

Your intent is not my intent.

It's beyond the concept of "live and let live" – all of these platforms, technologies, tools and channels offer a myriad of ways to connect and build community (or simply drive sales), and while there are many among us that are seasoned veterans mingling with those fresh out of school, you don't need a college degree or fifteen years in the business to understand what your consumers want and how to give it to them.

Intent is everything.

If broadcasting in a conversational channel works for you, who is anyone else to judge?

Tags: ashton kutcher blog broadcasting business strategy channels community early adopter intent online oprah platform technology tweet twitter youtube

Twitter Is Going To Kill RSS

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:30:07 -0500

Information overload. We're all dealing with it. We were dealing with it when there were only a handful of publishers and producers. Now, everyone is a publisher and producer.

We used to be able to count on our RSS readers to filter out the noise and ensure that only the content we, specifically, chose would make its way on to our radars, but – for the most part – we're all just too overwhelmed (see the post below: This Conversation Is A Blip). So much great content, so little time and not enough real filters and aggregators to really sort the wheat from the chaff.

Who can we count on?

We can count on humans (or each other). We trust our "friends" (however deep or shallow you want to go on that word). Try this little and simple experiment: ignore your news reader for one full day and only pay attention to what people on Twitter are talking about, sharing and linking to. Then, go back and compare. Did you miss any huge stories by not following your reader, or did you find more different and engaging pieces of content through Twitter that you would have never experienced had you only been focused on your own, self-initiated, feeds?

Amazing isn't it?

The trick to making this even more powerful is to follow and engage with the "right people" – those who really do share similar values to you and those who are really engaging (and engaged) on Twitter. Odds are, you have tons of news feeds but don't have the appetite or time to filter and aggregate. Imagine not having to subscribe to every episode of a particular Podcast, but instead being informed by your own peer group which episodes were worth checking out (and which ones to ditch)? How much would that change the way you engage with content?

What's going on here?

Unlike the promise of virtual worlds (remember Second Life?), Twitter is doing a whole lot more than showing us the value of content in 140 characters or less. It's showing us much more than how each and every one of us can report (and create) the news. Twitter is not just a technology or communications platform. Twitter is actually a great human-powered RSS machine. You can follow the smartest people out there and follow what's on their radar.

Does this mean that Twitter is going to kill RSS?

Tags: aggregation citizen journalism communications content conversation filter information overload link news reader platform podcast producer publisher rss rss reader second life technology twitter virtual world

This Conversation Is A Blip

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:58:50 -0500

At some point very soon, we're all going to have to reconcile the new reality that everything is in real-time and very few of us will ever look back to see what we missed.

Real-life scenario:

Email: "Mitch, I didn't know you were doing a public and free speaking event in New York City."

Me: "Yeah, I mentioned it on Twitter yesterday."

Email: "Oh, I was a away from my desk for a short while, I guess I must have missed it."

Are we really at the point where if something is really important we'll eventually see it, but we rarely do look back to see what we missed?

It all started with RSS and great applications like Google Reader. You would pull the information you wanted into one centralized location and only take a glance when something new popped up. Without realizing it, this technology began to shift how we receive and consume information. Now, with Twitter, things are changing again. Anecdotally, very few people I have connected with look to see what they missed on Twitter beyond a couple of hours or so. The logic? If it was truly important it would keep trending and still be in the conversation stream.

The half-life of content is shrinking.

At some point soon, we're going to have to make a serious decision: are we creating content for the power of search and to ensure that everything we think and publish is findable over the years, or is that dream about to die and we're on the verge of creating content in real-time - in short bursts - that are meant to live and die in the moment? It could be a hybrid of both, but being able to index and navigate through the mass amounts of text, audio, video and images seems more and more like a daunting task versus a powerful and easy resource.

Whatever the case may be, the power of content's value seems to be shrinking in terms of long-term worth and increasing in terms of "what's happening right now."

Tags: audio content conversation google reader images information publish real-time rss search engine optimization speaking event technology text trending topic twitter video

SPOS #160 - Six Pixels Of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast - +1 (206) 666-6056 – Media Hacks #12

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:46:07 -0500

Welcome to episode #160 of Six Pixels Of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast. It's also episode #12 of Media Hacks (things are just better by the dozen). On this episode is C.C. Chapman, Hugh McGuire and myself. We look at mobile and the changing face of how we connect and how we market. Enjoy the conversation...

Here it is: Six Pixels Of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast - Episode #160 - Host: Mitch Joel.

Running time: 39:19.
Audio comment line - please send in a comment and add your voice to the audio community: +1 206-666-6056.
Please send in questions, comments, suggestions - mitch@twistimage.com.
Hello from Beautiful Montreal.
Subscribe over at iTunes.
Please visit and leave comments on the Blog - Six Pixels of Separation.
Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.
or you can connect on LinkedIn.
...or on twitter.
Facebook Group - Six Pixels of Separation Podcast Society.
In a perfect world, connect with me, directly, through Facebook.
This is episode #12 of Media Hacks and it features:
C.C. Chapman – Managing The Gray – Advance Guard.
Hugh McGuire – LibriVox – The Book Oven.
Somewhere on their way to Podcasters Across Borders:
Chris Brogan – New Marketing Labs - Co-author of Trust Agents.
Christopher S. Penn – The Financial Aid Podcast – Marketing Over Coffee.
Julien Smith – In Over Your Head – Co-author of Trust Agents.
iPhone 3G S – is it a game charger or are we just happy to toss away semi-new technology?
Google Android and the changing face of mobile.
The Great Untethering.
Mobile devices will crossover.
Apple iTunes app store cracks one billion downloads.
Marketing Magazine – Mobile Marketing 2.0.
Facebook vanity URLs (or Facebook Username).
Facebook pasts MySpace in terms of traffic.
Is Twitter going to overthrow the Iranian Government?
Apparently there is life after Blogging and YouTube?
What are the Media Hacks going to read this summer?
Music:
The Shakes – 'Liberty Jones'.

Please join the conversation by sending in questions, feedback and ways to improve Six Pixels Of Separation. Please let me know what you think or leave an audio comment at: +1 206-666-6056.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels Of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast - Episode #160 - Host: Mitch Joel.

Tags: advance guard advertising app store apple blog blogging book oven cc chapman chris brogan christopher s penn digital marketing facebook facebook group facebook username financial aid podcast google google android hugh mcguire in over your head iphone 3gs itunes julien smith librivox managing the gray marketing marketing magazine marketing over coffee media hacks mobile mobile marketing 20 myspace new marketing labs online social network podcast podcasting six pixels of separation social media marketing the great untethering the shakes trust agents twist image twitter web 20 youtube

Half Of Your Twitter Efforts Are Wasted - The Trouble Is We Don't Know Which Half

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 07:38:08 -0500

As popular as Twitter is, we're starting to see some startling statistics about who is really using it, what they're using it for and what is going on behind the curtain.

Last week, HubSpot released a second version of their State of the Twittersphere report (which you can download here: State of the Twittersphere 2009). According to their report the statistics below were collected from their online tool Twitter Grader with information from over 4.5 million users.

Check this out:

79.79% failed to provide a homepage URL
75.86% of users have not entered a bio in their profile
68.68% have not specified a location
55.50% are not following anyone
54.88% have never tweeted
52.71% have no followers

At the bare minimum 70% of the people on Twitter won't tell you who they are, where they are located or how to connect to them. That doesn't sound very "social" at all.

On top of that, over half of those people don't follow anyone, have never tweeted and how no followers. So, what's the point? Are most of these "people" not really "people" and simply bots? Or, do the majority of people who sign up for Twitter have no idea what they're getting themselves into, what the point is or how to really use it?

What do you think is behind these stats?

(hat tip Chris Brogan)

Tags: chris brogan hubspot online social network report social media state of the twittersphere statistics tweet twitter twitter grader

Six Pixels Of Separation Live In New York City – Special Invitation (And It's Free)

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 07:33:19 -0500

My first book, Six Pixels of Separation – Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business To Everyone, hits the book (and e-book) shelves the first week of September 2009. In preparation for the launch, my publisher is putting together a very special event.

What was supposed to be a private pre-launch event for media and book industry professionals has now been opened up. Grand Central Publishing – Hachette Book Group has granted me a few free invitations for this event on July 8th, 2009 in New York City (full details and registration info is right here: Mitch Joel – Six Pixels of Separation Live). Beyond a really great networking event (where there will be a few very special guests and some cool giveaways), I'll also be doing my full (and newly updated) Six Pixels of Separation – How Marketing Connects In A Connected World keynote presentation.

Can you join us?

This wouldn't be much of an event without a really engaged crowd. Here's how the Business Plus Blog describes the event:

"What do companies such as Google, Starbucks, Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, and Hewlett-Packard all have in common? Mitch Joel. Over the past decade, Mitch has helped many of the world’s biggest brands understand how the new media landscape is changing everything we know about business. Now, you can see for yourself why these companies—and dozens more—love Mitch. In a special and intimate live event, Mitch will help you grow your business. More than just another presentation on Facebook, Twitter and the like, Mitch will change the way you think about marketing and communications for yourself and your business. He will also be discussing the groundbreaking concepts in his forthcoming book Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone."

Can you help me?

I'd like to extend this invitation far and wide (please share this Blog post link). If you live in the NYC area, please register and come on down. If you have friends, clients, potential clients or know of people at agencies or who work for brands who are looking for a better understanding of the new media landscape, can you please forward this on to them? In a perfect world, I'd like this to be a very intimate event with people really looking to expand their marketing horizons.

If you're interested, all you have to do is sign-up right here: Mitch Joel – Six Pixels of Separation Live.

I hope to see and your colleagues in New York City.

Tags: agency book industry brand business book business plus communications event facebook free event google grand central publishing hachette book group hewlett-packard hp invitation keynote marketing marketing book media microsoft networking new york city nyc presentation procter and gamble publishing industry six pixels of separation starbucks twitter

Re-imagining The Business Conference

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:57:40 -0500

In August of last year, I wrote the Blog post, Changing Business Through The Unconference, that looked at a new kind of gathering in which individuals were connecting and collaborating online to create an event in the real-world that was self-organized by the attendees.

Over the past year, these types of events have continued to flourish. About two weeks ago, I participated in (and helped organize) an "unconference" called BookCamp that was held in Toronto to discuss the future of books, writing, publishing, and the book business in the digital age. With over 300 participants, the conversations were deep, intense and spilled over into the after-party.

In contrast, the standard conferences that we're all more familiar with have been taking a huge hit. It's not just life in a post-9/11 world, where travel is more complex and time-intensive, but the economy has definitely taken its toll. Companies are sending fewer people to attend. And even if they are considering taking part in a trade show with a booth, many companies are opting for less square footage and more humble booth design. Even the geographic location of these conferences has shifted to appeal to the changing landscape: At a recent event in Florida, a conference organizer confided that they shifted the location from a well-known resort to a local hotel because many of the participants complained that, even though they had the budget and would be willing to attend, just having this brand-name resort on their expense reports would send the wrong message to their employees, executives and shareholders.

Beyond the pain of travel and the crunch of the economy, this could well be one of the best times for the conference and trade show industry to re-invent itself.

Looking back (before looking forward), an industry trade show and conference held an important role in the overall growth of the industry it served. For many, this was the one time every year when companies could see the latest products and services available from their suppliers (and competitors). It provided a "town hall" to meet with potential customers, and a place to celebrate one another's successes. The addition of keynote addresses and concurrent learning tracks empowered and educated the attendees with the latest in terms of technology, strategy and tactics to grow their business.

But, somewhere along the way, many of these events have become stale and lacklustre.

Technology and the proliferation of the Internet have not helped. People are now connected, savvy and very up-to-speed on the changes in their industry. From e-newsletters to watching great speakers on YouTube, it's not easy to wow an audience anymore. Industry leaders are following blogs, people on Twitter, and even connecting through online social networks. It's not uncommon to see digital groups forming prior, during and after an event to stay connected and to continue the sharing.

The challenges may seem insurmountable, but within this shift lies tremendous opportunities.

As amazing as technology is, there is still nothing like meeting face-to-face and connecting while being away from both home and the office. Those who block off the time to attend these events and "press the flesh" are usually much more accessible and have the time to focus on some of the more social aspects of business (lunches, networking cocktails, dinner, golf, etc. - the types of things that technology can't replicate). Even watching a speaker live is a different experience than seeing them speak on YouTube. There's a reason why people who love U2 (or watching their videos) will still shell out the big bucks to see them in concert.

The truth is that conference organizers have to turn these yearly gatherings into something much more memorable.

The focus needs to be on the more "human" aspects of why people gather: To learn, to network, to celebrate, and to grow their business. As someone who gets paid to speak in front of these audiences, it's clear that the participants are much more informed than ever before. A truly successful conference is one that leverages the many online platforms to create connections before and after the event, while leveraging the actual event by providing unique, original content, along with a place for those professionals to also share their own, personal experiences.

Make no mistake about it, the annual convention and trade show of yesteryear is changing. The ones that are worth going to are the ones that have transformed from the annual event business professionals are expected to attend, to the types of events that you would not miss for the world - both the real and virtual worlds.

How do you feel about relevance and importance of attending a business conference in this day and age?

- Vancouver Sun - Re-imagining the business conference.
- Montreal Gazette – Real and virtual conventions go together.

Tags: blog book publishing bookcamp business business column business professional canwest conference content convention digital age e-newsletter economy event internet keynote address montreal gazette networking newspaper online platform online social network speaker technology trade show travel twitter u2 unconference vancouver sun virtual world youtube

Summer Reading List – Six Picks To Get You Thinking

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:00:13 -0500

Summer is here (ok, based on the weather, it's almost here). As things slow down and people shift into summer vacation mode, there are more than a handful of great business books to devour. Here is my summer reading list (in alphabetical order):

Brand New World - How Paupers, Pirates, and Oligarchs are Reshaping Business by Max Lenderman. Lenderman is back with his second business book. His first, Experience The Message, was excellent. I was privy to a galley copy of Brand New World and provided a testimonial for the back cover, but it was so rich that I plan on really diving into it again. Brand New World looks at branding in a globalized world and where the next hot brands might originate from.

Ignore Everybody - and 39 Other Keys to Creativity by Hugh MacLeod. MacLeod is best known in online circles as the guy who draws cartoons on the back of business cards and for his Blog, gapingvoid. Ignore Everybody is a peek inside the overly-creative mind of MacLeod, who seems to be on a tireless mission to follow his heart and inspiration… and he's wondering why you aren't doing the same.

Rules of Thumb - 52 Truths for Winning at Business Without Losing Your Self by Alan M. Webber. Chris Brogan ranted about this book (here: Rules of Thumb – Video Book Review) at around the same time it wound up on my desk. Webber was the co-founder of Fast Company and also ran Harvard Business Review. The book looks like it is packed solid with insights and info.

Trust Agents - Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. These are two of my favourite people in the world. Both of them are my co-hosts on Media Hacks and have years of experience building community and using online social networks to communicate and share. If someone was going to write a book about the value of trust and building relationships within the online channels, it had to be these guys. Although the book is not available yet, I already pre-ordered three copies (one for me and two for gifts). If you're not building trust online, then what are you doing?

Who's Got Your Back – The Breakthrough Program to Build Deep, Trusting Relationships That Create Success by Keith Ferrazzi. Every once in a while I still kick myself for not having written a book like Ferrazzi's first, Never Eat Alone. This is his second book that looks at how to take your networking skills to a higher level by looking at what makes a real relationship count, and how to build a team of people that will not only surround you but who can add value to your life (and business).

The Whuffie Factor - Using the Power of Social Networks to Build Your Business by Tara Hunt. Hunt has a very popular Blog titled, HorsePigCow, and has built a big name in the online circles for herself. I've known Tara since long before then (plus, we share the same literary agent) and have been holding off on reading her debut until now. The Whuffie Factor looks at the value and opportunity in building true social capital through the online channels and how that is going to change business going forward.

What business books do you plan on ploughing through over the next few summer months?

Tags: alan m webber brand new world branding business business book chris brogan creativity experience the message fast company gapingvoid harvard business review horsepigcow hugh macleod ignore everybody julien smith keith ferrazzi max lenderman media hacks networking never eat alone rules of thumb social capital summer reading tara hunt trust agents whos got your back whuffie factor

Learning From The Past

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:58:50 -0500

There's sometimes more to learn from quitting or being fired from a job than you probably realize.

Full disclosure: I've been fired from jobs and I've quit jobs. Along with my business partners at Twist Image, we employ close to eighty people over two offices. We have let people go and people have quit on us. Everything sucks. There's nothing good about being fired, and there's nothing good about firing somebody. It's never fun when someone quits on you, and even if you are the person quitting for something better, it's never the easiest thing to do (granted, there are exceptions to every rule).

In a recession, everything is magnified.

Sure, there are industries and sectors that are recession proof and within these crazy times, there are countless new opportunities to pursue. That all being said, it's certainly not the best time to be fired and it's probably not ideal to up and quit your day job either. The goal of this is to figure out how to get more out your work (or current employment).

One trick is to look back.

There's an old saying that being fired is sometimes the best thing that can happen to a person. The idea that it simply wasn't a good fit and that the individual can move on to do something more suitable. When I think back to the instances where I was fired (and even the ones where I quit) they all gave me one, fundamental, message: I never want to be in that scenario again. There are instances when this means that I would never run my business in a way I was previously exposed to, or instances where I would never want to treat individuals the way I have seen others treated. There are even moments that have helped me restructure my thoughts around business ethics and philosophy. Simply put: the "standard operating procedure" of some businesses clearly needed to change, adapt or die. With a business of my own, I can test those theories. I can do the things I was not allowed to do. I can try to do things differently (whatever that means).

Learning from mistakes.

Maybe it wasn't your fault at all. Maybe you were the scapegoat. Maybe you were just a line item in some bigger budget. Whatever the scenario, the most empowering thing you can do is not rely on any other individual or company for your monetary and professional achievement. This means taking control of your life (in as much as you possibly can). One of the most amazing aspects of the new media platforms is that newbies and hardened professionals all have an active and equal voice. Their rise in popularity is based (for the most part) on their own personal interactions. We've seen interns develop a voice and online community that the CEO can't achieve. There's a lesson here: new media allows for all voices to be heard. It also allows for people who have unique voices to be noticed. When both of those elements come together, we're going to see a change and shift in the workplace.

My hopes are that if you have been fired or are thinking about quitting your current gig, that you take all of your past experiences and your newfound ability to connect your thoughts to the world and make your next evolution one that can (possibly) change the world.

Tags: business change change the world company employment ethics fired hr human resources industry new media online community personal achievement philosophy quitting recession standard operating procedure work workplace

The Slippery Slope Of Being Provocative

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:22:52 -0500

The only way to get attention is to do something that will get you attention (duh).

Apathy sucks. It's the way of the world. As a former music journalist, I had the opportunity to interview Gene Simmons from the rock band KISS (yes, he of Gene Simmons Family Jewels reality TV) more than a few times over the years. I once asked him how he resolves the artistic side of being a musician with his obvious passion for all things money. He uttered, "I'm pissed at a nickel because it isn't a dime." Simmons makes no qualms about the fact that KISS is as much of a brand as it is a band. He also once mentioned to me that apathy does suck. He liked the idea that people either loved Kiss with all of their heart and soul or hated them with all of their guts.

Gene Simmons has put in the time, proven the naysayers wrong and managed to build up a big enough war chest of wealth where even if you don't agree with him, he'll still go to bed and wake up with a smile on his face. Can you say the same thing?

Twitter does one thing amazingly great: it allows anyone who has any kind of thought in their head to publish it to the world. It's an amazing thing and a dangerous thing. Most of us (including yours truly) still have years of professional work ahead of us to really get to the point in our lives where it doesn't matter what anyone thinks about us. We need to manage our personal brands, our corporate brands and the channels in which we publish our thoughts a whole lot better. It's easy to Blog about a bad customer service moment. It's easy to tweet a mouthful of bad words because your client got up on the wrong side of the bed and is taking it out on you. It's easy to be provocative just to get a reaction.

Just because it's easy, it doesn't mean you should do it.

Be aware of everything you are publishing to the world. Be aware of the words you choose and how your employees, clients and potential clients might perceive them. Lately, I've seen many marketing and communication professionals dismiss this. They're looking to grab attention by being provocative, and while being provocative in these channels is an acceptable part of how you build audience and community, it is probably not the best long-term plan in terms of growing your business, client base and overall validation as to why someone would want to work with you in the long-term.

Being provocative could also be the exact reason why someone does want to work with you. It may be worth it to really take some time to figure out and define your "voice" and what, exactly, you're trying to accomplish by taking part in these online social channels in the first place (back to understanding the overall strategy before digging into the tactics).

The sad fact is that most people don't even see how much damage they might be doing to their professional careers.

Tags: apathy attention blog brand business business development communications community customer service gene simmons gene simmons family jewels kiss marketing music journalism online social network personal brand provocative publish reality tv reputation management strategy tactic tweet twitter

SPOS #159 - Six Pixels Of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast - +1 (206) 666-6056 – Digital Marketing All-Star Roundtable

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:36:16 -0500

Welcome to episode #159 of Six Pixels Of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast. This is a very special episode. I was asked to be the Guest Editor for the June 15th, 2009 issue of Marketing Magazine (titled Brave New World). The magazine's cover story is a roundtable discussion I conducted on the future of Digital Marketing featuring: Seth Godin, Charlene Li, Shelly Palmer and David Weinberger titled, Talkin' About A Revolution. The entire audio conversation is available for you right here in this episode. It's fascinating, heated and full of energy. Enjoy the conversation...

Here it is: Six Pixels Of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast - Episode #159 - Host: Mitch Joel.

Running time: 58:59.
Audio comment line - please send in a comment and add your voice to the audio community: +1 206-666-6056.
Please send in questions, comments, suggestions - mitch@twistimage.com.
Hello from Beautiful Montreal.
Subscribe over at iTunes.
Please visit and leave comments on the Blog - Six Pixels of Separation.
Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.
or you can connect on LinkedIn.
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Facebook Group - Six Pixels of Separation Podcast Society.
In a perfect world, connect with me, directly, through Facebook.
New episode of Media Hacks is happening next week:
Chris Brogan – New Marketing Labs - Co-author of Trust Agents.
C.C. Chapman – Managing The Gray – Advance Guard.
Hugh McGuire – LibriVox – The Book Oven.
Christopher S. Penn – The Financial Aid Podcast – Marketing Over Coffee.
Julien Smith – In Over Your Head – Co-author of Trust Agents.
Marketing Magazine – Digital Marketing Issue - June 15th, 2009.
Digital Marketing All-Star Roundtable featuring:
Seth Godin – best-selling author of great books like Purple Cow, Tribes and many more. He's also the guy behind Squidoo.
Charlene Li – best selling co-author of Groundswell and principal over at the Altimeter.
Shelly Palmer – MediaBytes and author of Television Disrupted.
David Weinberger – co-author of The Cluetrain Manifesto and author of Everything Is Miscellaneous and Small Pieces Loosely Joined.
You can read the article here: Talkin' About A Revolution.
Mobile Marketing 2.0 – June 18th, 2009 – Toronto, Ontario,
Music:
David Usher – ‘Kill The Lights’.

Please join the conversation by sending in questions, feedback and ways to improve Six Pixels Of Separation. Please let me know what you think or leave an audio comment at: +1 206-666-6056.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels Of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast - Episode #159 - Host: Mitch Joel.

Tags: advance guard advertising altimeter blog blogging book oven brave new world cc chapman charlene li chris brogan christopher s penn cluetrain manifesto david usher david weinberger digital marketing everything is miscellaneous facebook facebook group financial aid podcast groundswell hugh mcguire in over your head itunes julien smith librivox managing the gray marketing marketing magazine marketing over coffee media hacks mediabytes mobile marketing new marketing labs online social network podcast podcasting purple cow seth godin shelly palmer six pixels of separation small pieces loosely joined social media marketing squidoo television disrupted tribes trust agents twist image twitter web 20