Joey, quit. He quit with a marching band, on YouTube and to his employer’s great dismay, he cited that they, “treated me like sh*t.” After seeing this video for the first time, all I could do was shake my head and wonder if Joey realizes how his actions might be perceived for an entire generation that tires of the label videos and tirades like his give them. Millennials are in the fight of their lives to add-value to workplaces and tear off the labels of their cohorts.

They tell me,  I’m part of the “X” Generation.  About.com cites that we are, independent, resourceful and self-sufficient. In the workplace. I think we’ve lived through tremendous change and appreciate getting our hands dirty. But, not all generations are what they seem.

I watched my parents work very hard, with my father rising up the corporate ladder of a Fortune 500 company to a position with an Executive chair that he worked hard to claim. I also saw, firsthand the stress that came with long-hours, weekday travel and my dad’s ability to keep work and life separate. He won the war as there was always delicious food on the table, gifts on birthdays and enough hugs to keep me beaming. My work ethic comes from him, and my guilt over wanting to be the perfect parent comes from him as well. I’ve long-agreed with the Generation “X” examples, but I’m also aware of a booming generation of people my age moving home to their parents. All generations are multi-faceted. However, I’ve not seen a backlash against one generation like I’ve watched with the Millennial.  Often cited as “lazy” and “selfish,” this generation is going to have to start reclaiming their labels to win their PR war.

Joey is the 23 year old featured in the video above. He worked at the Renaissance Providence Hotel in Rhode Island for a few years and after unionizing his workplace, he decided to quit in a very immature, and ridiculous way. Joey is one of several million Millennials.

“I hated them, and they hated me,” DeFrancesco tells HuffPost, speaking of management at the Renaissance Providence Hotel, where he worked in room service. “It was this big drawn-out war we were having with management … I knew I had to get one last shot at them.”

Although Joey has gall, the rest of the Millennials I’ve spoken to are annoyed that he is giving their generation a bad name. In fact, most Millennials I’ve discussed generational divides with don’t want to be labeled as Joey comes across, “rash, rude, defamatory and selfish.”  Ouch. What I find so disturbing is not that some YouTube videos and Millennial blogs are living up to their labels, but that the positive and inspiring examples of the same generation, are often forgotten.

Sife.org is one of my favorite organizations, not only for their incredible purpose and passion, but for the face they are giving an often-slighted generation. The GOOD often goes unrecognized. While there are millions of “Joeys,” they are also millions of Millennials that encompass the spirit of “SIFE” students. Secretary Clinton recently spoke to SIFE students, commending them on their ability to create a better world.

The ultimate question remains, why do we glorify in temper-tantrums gone horribly, horribly, viral while we ignore such positive impacts by the same generation?  Joey’s fame will fade as his hits on YouTube do, however; other young adults are cultivating greatness across the globe. They are the ones who deserve the media attention.

“This child is a part of the generation that will someday rule the world. Physical magazines and newspapers will seem like sad, silly things to her. Only of use to doddering fools who remember a simpler time.” – Lance Ulanoff

Some of you may have read Mashable’s newest article about how old and tangible media, (books, newspapers, magazines,) are considered ‘broken‘ or vastly out of date to a new generation. Some of you may have even noticed that AT&T sponsored the post and that it was in fact a large, content-driven advertisement for its annual Mashable’s conference, with tickets in the $600 range. Lance reminises about the events that have lead up to this revolution, I reminisced about transparency. Could I actually have believed this was a solid case for new media instead of a very complex advertisement?

I was enticed to read the article from a tweet. The article was well-written and gave an account by decade of all the information leading up to the assumption that paper and ink, by their very nature were obsolete. It went on to state that this ‘revolution,’ (though it’s certainly happening,) has changed the landscape of media, forever. Lance showcased the greed behind magazines and advertising rates, citing that over 60% of the magazine itself, was advertisements and less than 40% was content. The author had me until he started using words like, “massacre,” and later, blaming bloggers and the evolution of real-time-media.

“Simultaneously, countless bloggers were setting up what might be called daily or hourly online newspapers where they opined on their topic of choice. These destinations probably hurt niche publications most. Those small, vertical magazines (think Cat Fancy) thrived on serving a target audience, but only once or twice a month. Blogs hit the topic hourly.” – Lance Ulanoff

Never once did I see actual criticism for the writing, and the poor content that has plagued newspapers and magazine over the past decade. If the quality remained in newspapers and print media, there would be fewer reasons to find information elsewhere.  Have we really become this lazy as a society that we no longer care where we get our news, as long as we get it first? When everyone has an opinion, it opens our minds. When everyone is convinced their writing and opinions are correct, it closes conversations. Additionally, when Mashable takes a stab at the industry of tangible media and claims it all might disappear, the self-serving aspect  of the article speaks loudest. One header actually read, “All Your Media Are Belong To Us.” We get it, Mashable.

Well-written, tangible media should always have a place in our society. There is something to be said of the accomplishment of turning a single page for me, or the feeling of not wanting to put a book down after being finished. The more we label print media as, “old,” the more we restrict the promise and importance of printed mediums for future generations. For Mashable to claim one is, “not needed,” or “extinct,” is the moment we discredit a still, very-viable method of receiving information. The solution is dramatically simple: Provide better content, in all mediums. Create advocates behind your words, photos, video because it is GOOD, not because it is new and fresh.

Printed pages from the internet don’t offer my office walls the same look as ripped pages from a magazine. To even start the article with the shocking video of a toddler unable to understand a book speaks more to the child’s parents than to our society as a whole. One recent statistic speaks volumes:

“Children are more likely to own a phone than a book.”  - DailyBuzzBlog

Kristina Bjoran commented on the misleading opening of the toddler and the article by stating this:

“What that video shows is a tiny person doing what she would do whether or not she’s seen an iPad before or not–developing her motor skills and the way she interfaces with the world. People are projecting intention into this little girl, and the video’s editing is very intentional.”

While I can’t argue at statistics and the way the world is moving, I can point out that this debate has happened in countless summits, board rooms and conferences over the past few years.  If we are intentionally raising a generation of children not aware that books exist, we are dooming ourselves into stupidity. Online media is ONE, singular tool that is available. The moment it becomes the only tool, is the moment we need to step back and wonder why we placed so much worth on the new and different and so little on what has brought us to this point. I read Wired magazine, (in print form,) along with my CES Quarterly. Why? Quality will always win. I’ll bet my keyboard on it.

girlmeetsgeek (c)

The pictures I love most, often focus the eye on a single element while the rest is quietly muted in the background. They speak to me in a way nothing else does. But blur online, can be a very different thing; damaging your brand what  you’ve worked so hard to create…

I ‘ve always been a staunch defender of the truth. Perhaps that’s why I’ve always veered on the side of too many footenotes, and too much linking to other sources. There are two things I want to be known for: Being a courageous leader and being a credible source. The rest, is cake.

I learned of  the most valuable secrets of life a few years back. I am not great on my own and therefore my business, or anyway I portray myself is not a one-woman machine. I am surmised of those who have inspired and influenced me. I speak openly of my love for my mentors and those I appreciate. I learned that simply bringing my whole self to the pot-luck of online, (my signature dish,) that I was 100% more credible, trustworthy and REAL. It’s why so often when I see the muddy waters of other’s choices online where I wonder why they haven’t discovered that their power isn’t in taking over someone else, but rather bringing that person with them. One of my greatest weaknesses is the almost-literal tattoo of my heart outside my body. I mean what I say and I say what I mean. This is why I am so passionate about doing RIGHT and CREDIBLE, online.

Why is it that as a writing community, some are so afraid to cite where they found a photo or inspiration? Look at August’s example of one of the largest plagiarizing fails I’ve ever seen.

The past few years, the writing community, (not only blogging, but all articles,) has seen a prolific rise in content-stealing. A quick google search brings up thousands of first-hand accounts and articles on people’s experiences. As a print journalist and a blogger, I was raised and schooled with the MLA/AP-Stylebook. We cite our sources, we cite them often and we back up our stories with legitimate information. Sadly, many bloggers do not view themselves as journalists and don’t adhere to rules of citing other’s work. For the past few months @MikeEllsworth, @RobertHeadley, @TheRedheadSaid and a few others have been engaging in the discussion, “Where does the citation buck stop when it comes to, ‘inspiration?” Social Media Chats were hosted by #SMManners which has continuously discussed the same issue. It’s not only happening by robotic scrapers of sites, but by those we know and to those we respect.

Lisa Hendrickson from @CallThatGirl recently posed the following question: “What do you all think of this? When someone copies your work, ideas and other other stuff, do you think it’s a compliment or a jerk thing to do? They say it should be taken as a compliment. I think it’s lazy and shows lack of creativity.”  Brittney Wilson from @TheNerdyNurse recently noticed someone made a similar name and blog, (close enough to her own for her to question what the motives might be.) Brittney has a killer brain and complete optimism, (two traits I adore about her.) Her response was simple, “Maybe I inspired them.”

I’m the type of person that if I notice a similarity, I ask around, gather opinions and then weigh the entire situation. I love a debate and I love being informed. When I noticed another well-known blogger had deceptively-similar posts to mine, (right down to keywords, phrases, touch points and sentence structure,) I spent a over month analyzing, collecting information and since I had already emailed the other site without response, I knew I had some difficult choices to make. Because it wasn’t a one time, or even two-time occurrence, I realized something deeper was going on. A month and a half ago, I received two emails and a DM asking if I had noticed what was going on. Some I responded to, other’s I played ‘dumb.’ When others started noticing, I knew it was time to really think about my brand and the damage that might be caused if I let it fester. Plus, although I didn’t have a relationship to the other blogger, we work closely in the same space. I had already emailed the same blogger months back without a response regarding what I noticed. I tried to be delicate but firm. Then when I noticed another striking similarity, I decided to comment on their blog, cite my blog and be as professional and kind as possible. I learned a valuable lesson: I needed to protect my content, even if it was a coincidence, I would be doing my brand a disservice to stay uninformed or without action.

The quote that stayed with  me most from the entire experience was, “You’re both moms! You’re bound to write some of the same stuff.”  If that logic is true, how do newspapers, magazines and other collateral function for the same population of readers?  Can you imagine using that logic elsewhere, like on print materials? And how on earth could this same blogger write the about the exact same life experiences, quotes, keywords and content only a month after mine? We are human and the more we have in common, the more our voices can sound similar, I knew I had to acknowledge that important point. What I noticed however, is that the blog moved from updates about children to blatant life experiences and quotes that mirrored mine. When one blogger notices or chooses to ignore another writer’s content and it’s similarities, it’s easy to feel disrespected or slighted. My journalism teacher once spoke, “A true writer credits. A shoddy and lazy writer steals.” That quote has remained with me to this day.

Since I am a technology writer,  I know first-hand the extreme levels online and offline media will go, making sure their content is original and reliable. When everyone is writing about a launch or product, similarities are bound to occur. Last year at CES2011, I saw in the press room with hundreds of people that all abide by the same code: Get the scoop, make it credible and publish it first. It’s our mantra. To succeed, the only thing missing is our original voice. That is the secret sauce to good media.

Luckily, @MikeEllsworth has a penchant for sourcing  and our favorite buzz word, “credibility,” as much as I do and we began another dialog. He’s a great sounding-board and intelligent-thinker. I even leaned on the #SMManners crew for their advice a few twitter chats ago. We were concerned at the amount of plagiarism that seemed to run amok in our community. Not only that, we noticed that ideas were not protected like quotations. For credibility’s sake, we looked into whether they should be. The ultimate question becomes, “Do we actually need to credit inspirational sources?” My answer is a resounding, YES.

Inspirational sources are those you’ve seen, or heard from that had a lasting impact. You may be inspired by a song, a phrase, another writer or other media entirely. Citing that source for your blog not only helps with keywords, but it allows you to continue to be genuine and heartfelt in your words. I speak nationally about remaining credible online and offline. In my presentations, I often tell my audience exactly how to get in touch with those that have inspired me; I am proud our relationship and the fact I can share their wisdom. Crediting another source, (even after publishing,) creates strong bonds with your writing network and shows credibility, grace and professionalism. It also proves you are a true writer first and your ego is second. Have you ever been in a room with someone who continuously chimes into every conversation or has a personal story for each thing you are saying? The ‘know it all,’ is often immediately internally ignored because their ego is clearly larger than their heart. We are always learning and growing, to try to prove ourselves otherwise is detrimental to ourselves and our readers.

The waters are grey and muddy in online media. We routinely see people’s RT’s posted without their name. Often, the original source might have been forgotten all-together. We are humans and it happens. If we err on the side of caution, thanking someone for the inspiration or acknowledging the similarity, (instead of making up an ill-conceived excuse,) it’s viewed better and the respect stays intact.

In his infinite wisdom, @MikeEllsworth shared with me his favorite way to protect his brand online. He stated his top 3 tips to protect your brand, online:

1.) Post your attribution policy right on your site, and right in the description of the free material. Include the request that those who use your work link back to your site.

2.) Make the download a PDF that does not allow cutting and pasting or printing. That will slow up the less-capable.

3.) Do a routine Google search of sites periodically to find your material and ask the site owners to link to you. That will increase your Page Rank, and make you more money. Turn that annoyance into an advantage.

Additionally, don’t forget about the benefits of CopyScape, a website dedicated to alerting you or helping you search to find YOUR content in other’s websites and Google Alerts, a service that notifys you of certain phrases or words that hit the web. By using free tools you can protect spam bots and other unethical entities from taking what is rightfully yours. Unfortunately, some copyright issues can occur closer to home. In 2008, I reached out to another blogger to let her know I was concerned about the way my words weren’t being attributed on their blog. I received an immediate apology and was credited, even complimented. It was an amazing experience. Sadly, a few months ago, I received no reply to what I had been noticing.

You’ll notice in my posts, the ‘blue‘ words are clickable, I’m a passionate linker.  In the world of blogging, it’s much less complicated to cite sources, inspiration or give credit to additional parties. Since I believe that by simply taking people with me and acknowledging their presence in my brand, business and writing I’ve become a better writer, a more successful business entity and ultimately more trustworthy in my public’s eye. The truth is: We don’t have to know the answer to everything, because that is what our community is for.

Bottom Line: Check Your Privacy Settings In The Upcoming Days…

Confused about the newest FB Updates?

Facebook has finally caught onto #hashtags and the power of keyword searching. They are connecting the world and caching our information in everything we do, including building a timeline from our join date on facebook until now, (segregated in photos/status updates, relationships.) All information will be accessible, but can be made private through NEW and DIFFERENT settings. If privacy was a concern before, it’s going to be a HUGE concern now. Understand what these changes do to your profile, don’t turn a blind eye.  Remember, they are a free platform, we do not pay to use their service therefore we are at their mercy. Although many of the changes are aesthetically-appealing and aren’t a shock to those following Facebook’s changes, the bottom line is: Be informed.  Know about the changes to protect your privacy online. It’s that simple.

Hey Big Spender….

Most people who follow the happenings in the technology world have had time to digest the news of Google’s 12.5 billion dollar acquisition of Motorola Mobility. The reaction, as you would expect, has ranged from joyous optimism for some, to leaving others looking for a short bit of rope and a rafter. While I claim to be pro Android (inherent in being pro competition), I don’t subscribe to the arguement of this sale harming the Android operating system in any way. Android manual-thumping purists lost that arguement at the point in time the first key stroke to customize Android 1.0 was struck. This purchase will only clearly define distribution of the pure “Google Experience” phones and the others that choose customization, ala TouchWiz by Samsung or Sense by HTC, for examples.

I’d love to give you the answer in big, bold neon lights, but we’ll not know for some time to come what the flies on the walls in Libertyville and Mountain View have seen in the not so distant past. This is where I go out on a limb and say it has nothing to do with patents, lawsuits, or Apple and say it comes down to what it’s always been about, making money. Licenses can be bought. How many places can you put a Home button on a touchscreen smartphone? And Apple isn’t coming at Google with velociraptors wearing jet packs and holding scissors (although VJS devices are rumored to exist in Cupertino).

Fringe benefits abound for Google, after shelling out the funds for Motorola’s mobile division. Enough so, that the Google legal team high-fived it all the way to their offices to call their respective families and tell them that they would be allowed home for the Holidays. This purchase is about infrastructure. Google wants to preserve and purvey “Google Experience” devices and Motorola Mobility has the infrastructure to do just that, quickly.

I’ve personally witnessed a investment group purchase a nationwide set of properties for 3.24 billion dollars, only to turn around and run the properties into the ground, while sucking every dollar out of them. The real goal was a company intranet system that was used for the other 100 billion plus in assets in their portfolio. I’m not saying that Google will take what they need and cast Motorola Mobility aside. I merely offer evidence of what companies will do to attain infrastructure that is ultimately costly and time expansive to develop and streamline. While Motorola has had to mount a fight to go through it’s own retooling to become a solvent player in the mobile tech arena again, they’ve maintained the capability to produce, market, and deliver products to points of sale in the global market space. Google has struggled to even bring sales to the virtual space.

Like I said before, time has a way of shedding light on secrets and intentions. However, Google will, within a short time frame, have the ability to bring multiple “Google Experience” devices to all major markets, with the added benefits of preserving the Android platform and staving off any patent legal issues (for the time being). Investing in your companies future by increasing revenue streams while preserving and protecting your company integrity is not a bad day at the office. In the long run, it truly does make perfect sense.

John Ashton Edgar is Executive Editor at ClassicBuzz.com. You can find him on twitter: @JohnAshtonEdgar

According to a recent YahooNews article: LinkedIn changed the privacy settings, again.  The headline, “LinkedIn opts 100 million users into sharing private information with advertisements,” is very reminiscent of recent Facebook debacles.

With these 4, easy steps, you can change your settings and secure your brand from being used without permission. Sign into LinkedIn and come back to this screen as I’ve put short-cuts in for you to opt-out of each of the settings. Ready?

Advertising: (These links are located under the “Settings” –> “Account” Tab):

• Social Advertising: Click HERE.  LinkedIn wants to sell your face and data for social advertising, without paying you. If you prefer to keep your personal brand to yourself, that link will opt you out of their new social advertising. LinkedIn explains it like this, “your name/photo may show up in related ads shown to LinkedIn members. By providing social context, we make it easy for our members to learn about products and services that the LinkedIn network is interacting with.”

• Enhanced Advertising: Click HERE. LinkedIn wants to sell your information to their partners. They state, “This collection of partner sites is called the LinkedIn Audience Network. Advertisements shown to you on the LinkedIn Audience Network are selected based on non-personally identifiable information from your LinkedIn profile.Advertisers are only allowed to target segments of LinkedIn members, based on categories such as Industry, Job Function, and Seniority. For example, advertisers may choose to target advertisements to LinkedIn members who work in the Textiles industry. If you work in the Textiles industry and visit a site on the LinkedIn Audience Network, you may be shown that advertisement instead of other advertisements that may be un-targeted and less relevant to you. LinkedIn will not share personally identifiable information to bring you these services.” You’ve now opted-out of that mouthful.

Data Sharing (This link is located under, “Settings” –> “Groups Companies and Applications” Tab):

• Turning off 3rd Party Data Sharing: Click HERE. If you like junk emails and offers, you can leave this checked. Otherwise, protect your inbox and information by opting out.

Research (These links are located under, “Settings” –> “Email Preferences” Tab):

• Invitation to participate in Research: Click HERE. Of course you’d love to help make LinkedIn better, but wouldn’t you like the option, first? They’ve been gracious enough to opt you IN, first. LinkedIn states, “LinkedIn periodically invites users to participate in market research studies. Users are identified based on non-personal information such as title, company size or region. Participation is 100% voluntary and personal information is not revealed.” To save yourself the hassle, opt out.

Please Remember: We don’t own the platform. Once we sign up, give it our information it OWNS us. We need to be aware of what we are giving away to be a part of a network. Check your settings frequently and make sure you know what you’re signing up for online, first.

Is this the future of SEO? Should websites be allowed to buy subdomains of other websites to sell or profit off of? Could this be a new form of hacking? Since the subdomains are listed as a part of the IP hosts of TodaysBigThing, I doubt hacking is the obvious answer. This could bring to light shady practices within the online marketing industry or just plain strange SEO behavior. All these websites are hosted on 1und1.de which simply means, there could be some sort of ‘deal’ going on. What do you think is going on here?

Not buying it? Watch this video….

What have people already made?

It’s not often I immediately go, “WOW,” and then, “WHOA…” Could 3-D printing inhibit huge copyright issues? What happens when anyone can print their own design? Is Shapeways liable for paying damages for lost sales? If nothing else, maybe this will finally give a boost to our own manufacturing instead of going overseas. I can’t wait until CES to see where this is all going. My only question is… what happens when a part for the 3-D printer breaks.

Want your own Micro 3-D Printer? This one is expected to significantly drop in price over the next year and will fit in your hand. Or, buy the ThingOMatic for a mere $1300.00. If that doesn’t get your geek heart going, nothing will. Viva La Futura!

“Brand loyalty is not about winning. It is about giving consumers the opportunity to feel open and converse with you about any issue.”

Remember a year ago when we discussed Energizer’s giveaway fail? Seems like more and more, companies are handing over important information to the public without realizing it. Retail giant, Gymboree sent out an email this evening that looked a little like this:

It looked fishy from the start. Someone said it looked like they were testing a new order system. In either case watch what happens when we scroll down to the bottom of the email….

A link appears at the very bottom. It's clickable. When it comes up personal information and an order is displayed. What we don't know is if there really is an Anne Berger who ordered these items or if it is a test. A Pipl.com and Google.com search shows 2 Anne Bergers in the area. The plot thickens…

I saved the link, but in case Anne was real, I didn’t want her exact order, address, gift recipient and CREDIT CARD information displayed on my website. If Anne isn’t real, this isn’t quite as serious. As the situation has blown up over the past 2 hours, one thing is clear: Gymboree has a lot of angry customers.

“The truth of social media is: If you sell to those using social media, the moment a sale or relationship goes south they have an opportunity to broadcast and tarnish your relationship online. It’s their right. What any company can do, is be proactive and transparent online. By proving you are willing apologize openly, the moment something occurs and having a plan in place to assist with angry commenters? You’ll have a way to successfully navigate a very difficult situation. Gymboree, did none of that until poked and prodded by angry customers.”

Was this situation handled well?  After an hour, nothing had been posted on any social platform. People were left to think that Anne’s information was just given away. What’s worse is that Gymboree hasn’t even responded to comments. In fact? When asked politely why an email came to my inbox, my comment was deleted from Gymboree’s Facebook page. The number one rule is: NEVER DELETE, ALWAYS APOLOGIZE. Since they are not allowing anyone to post about the incident on their wall, posters just started posting under other posts. I counted over 15 negative posts before the incident had even occurred criticizing Gymboree’s clothing quality, pricing and more. It should be stated my daughter’s wardrobe consists of Gymboree. I’m a fan when I can grab it on sale.

At just after 9pm, 249 comments were posted under Gymboree’s message just minutes earlier about the ‘snafu.’ They accepted responsibility, apologized and tried to contain the situation. Unfortunately. many posts spilled out just like this one:

Sadly, about 10% of the commenters resorted to asking for freebies. That in itself, is tragic.  This is my plea to companies: Always, Always have a plan in place to protect your brand.

Can this be saved? Absolutely. What needs to happen can be fixed in 3, easy, lessons.

• Always Protect and Serve. Customer information is priceless. It should be protected behind a diamond-encrusted titanium wall. Don’t abuse the trust of your consumers. Always have a plan in place if information is compromised or an error occurs. Stick to the plan and never compromise.

• Quick fixes are never easy. Focus on responding individually as much as you can. Customers don’t like being thrown in small spaces to talk to other angry customers. That will only escalate the situation and create other complaints. Facebook and Twitter pages are a breeding ground for the dissatisfied. If you want your customers to spend their dollars with you and treat you better than the competition, treat your customers as individuals. After trust is truly broken, it’s difficult to repair. Offer a well-written apology, followed up with a personal statement from leadership and a phone number or email you can interact with them on. Reaching out personally will create better dialog and a future advocate for your company. Never, ever, ignore the issue or simply post something on facebook and leave it.

• Bad press can keep going, (and going, and going.) People are STILL talking about the Energizer giveaway. Brands depend on loyalty. When a customer feels deceived they will internalize the broken relationship, often vocalize about their dissatisfaction and spend their dollars with the competition. True authenticity online and the willingness to be humble will retain customers and save your brand. I have a saying, “Brand loyalty is not about winning. It is about giving consumers the opportunity to feel open and converse with you about any issue.” If you have that, you have a brand that people will trust and engage with. It’s simple and true. Don’t focus on ‘winning’ their trust back, focus on LISTENING to their issues and crafting a thoughtful and humble response.

BranchOut

BranchOut boasts hidden job opportunities with top companies and over 20 million connections…

First and foremost, BranchOut has some powerful statements about their application and they want you to know their roots, backing and intention.  On their About Page they boast, “BranchOut was founded in July 2010 by CEO Rick Marini and a team with deep experience in social media, online recruiting, and Facebook applications. BranchOut is backed by some of the best investors and advisors in the world.”  ReadWriteWeb cited BranchOut as a break-out hit. Branch out certainly has the backing, but does their application incorporate 3 standards in development?

• Ease of Use: Even social media enthusiasts are now lazy. We want our programs to connect automatically via algorithm and we want it to import our information. What good is a program that has us retype our resume when LinkedIn holds our information? BranchOut understands the Ease Of Use mentality to a ‘T.’ I can either import my profile via LinkedIn or Monster.com and it uploads my already inputted information from the job descriptions and titles I have on my Facebook profile. What troubles me about 3rd party applications is that I have to disable my ‘https‘ connection.  With Facebook, the option to browse and use an ‘https‘ connection is a major factor for me. To utilize BranchOut, I have to disable my security. It’s understandable, as the application is a messenger for back and forth information, however: My security trumps what I need from Facebook. My rule is: If it needs to be unsecure, it is also unsecure and I really evaluate my decision to utilize the platform. In addition, it’s time for Facebook to re-think their ads to the right of everything. Not only are the ads distracting, they offer no real value to me as I scroll. (As a rule, I never click on a facebook ad. If I find something I like? I’ll go and type their information in Google. It saves the cost of a click!) One great thing BranchOut has going for it: Applying is a single click. I applied to a ‘Front End Development’ position at a Minneapolis company. I only had to click once for the recruiter or job poster to know I was interested in the position.  The best part? I could get an introduction, (for FREE,) and find someone in my network that would alert the poster I was interested in another single, click.  A large downside I see is that Google isn’t pulling results for people using BranchOut. I can’t type in someone’s name and instantaneously know if they are using the application. It seems too personal and one-dimensional to attract the job seekers it intends to. If BranchOut wants to be more successful, it should see about offering a tab on someone’s public profile so a recruiter could automatically click and see that the user is utilizing the tool.

This is a screenshot of my main page. Just like LinkedIn, it offers endorsements, community status updates and jobs. It's a dashboard, much alike to LinkedIn. With the way it's laid out, (complete with ads to the right side,) it would be hard to follow once a user received a large feed.

• Value: Value isn’t tangible.  What I may undervalue someone else may not be able to live without.  For me, I have a solid Facebook profile and I utilize the space given to speak professionally about my business, past opportunities and who I am as a professional.  BranchOut enables me to get ‘endorsements,’ just like LinkedIn offers recommendations.  The endorsements I’ve seen on BranchOut tend to be a less professional calibur than LinkedIn, shorter and to the point.  Will it offer value if a company ONLY posts on BranchOut for it’s job? Sure. However, I can’t imagine most companies would ONLY use BranchOut to post their available opportunities. Just like social media itself, I think BranchOut offers a new alternative to LinkedIn, but it seems very one-sided.  I’m a little cynical: If Facebook is offering a new application where you can post your company’s open positions or look for jobs, they HAVE to be making money off it, (rightfully so.)  There are two ways to look at VALUE on BranchOut.  One is from a networking perspective and one is from a business perspective.  As a networker, it’s a free tool that basically allows you to place your LinkedIn profile on your Facebook. However, it’s not easy to find. BranchOut doesn’t have it’s own tab, nor can I pull up JUST my BranchOut from my own profile. I have to utilize it as an application.  If a hiring manager wants to find me on BranchOut, they might be unsuccessful. BranchOut has this to say about people searching for your profile: From a business perspective: The job postings feature seems silly.  They will offer me a job posting for free but it will just be visually-available to those in my network.  If I wanted to post a job, I’d have to decide to pay per job, ($49) or post ONLY to my network for free. The free option is great for small to mid-size businesses with a very low budget for talent acquisition, and the paid feature is low enough that it wouldn’t stir the pot. But how many people are truly using Facebook for their job search?

“While unlocking the power of your network, BranchOut creates a safe environment to utilize your network by only showing your name, profile picture, work history, and education. By only using this information, BranchOut eliminates the possibility of employers or recruiters seeing private pictures, posts or other information, thus keeping your private life on Facebook and your professional profile on BranchOut.” In short: Recruiters and hiring managers need to know your name to find you.

You have two choices when posting a job: You can post to BranchOut for free, (while only in your own network,) or pay $49 to advertise to all of Facebook. This feature might be great for hard to source positions.

• It Has To Be Pretty: The truth of any site/application or software is that if it isn’t visually appealing, even good programming may alienate consumers from using the product.  Is BranchOut appealing? Absolutely. Because of the functionality within Facebook, it achieves the goal of acting like a website within a website. In fact, it’s self-sufficient and even has it’s own privacy settings. The downside I see is that it’s housed ONLY in LinkedIn.  I did The jobs that came up when I did a search were minimal, but it was apparent recruiters were already on top of the technology.

I did a quick search with the Minneapolis zipcode, "55403." This is what it returned.

Conclusion and Caution: For those looking to utilize Facebook as a platform to find jobs, it might be a good tool to become acclimated with while still utilizing other platforms. Since profile and photo are available, (by default to everyone,) when you give the application permission; it’s important to remember to be professional online. The world is changing and Facebook is no longer the bar it once was. By having a solid and professional presence on all networking sites you can expect greater success. For recruiters and hiring managers, BranchOut offers a less-expensive option than other leading Facebook job posting applications.  I see BranchOut being another Application Tracking System that someone needs to monitor, but a faster process to apply for open positions.  Many years ago, we had different search engines for different jobs.  I see a flow backwards to creating industry-specific ways for job seekers to apply and creating more work for both posters and job seekers, themselves.

Overall Grade: B-

“Social media isn’t the end-all-be-all, but it offers marketers unparalleled opportunity to participate in relevant ways. It also provides a launchpad for other marketing tactics. Social media is not an island. It’s a high-power engine on the larger marketing ship.” – Matt Dickman

How do you quantify what Online Media to use where? LinkedIn is a handshake, Twitter is a hug and Facebook is a kiss. Want to know why? Read on for more…

As I teach Social Media more and more for B2B, I’ve noticed a growing trend of trying to define exactly what each platform is.  In 2009, I came up with the analogy, “LinkedIn is the Office, Twitter is the Watercooler and Facebook is the Bar.“ When defining what to use where, this saying helped my audience understand the difference of each and how to best leverage the connections.  However, there is one truth: What you bring to the table, determines your success.

In the last two years, the differences have become less and less now that professionalism has adapted to Facebook and LinkedIn has become more conversational.  The worlds are colliding at an alarming rate, and my old analogy-though once it was true, seems to be old thinking. Cultures are shifting, where we used to be entirely professional, people now take off their ties or suit coats. Where we used to be personal, I’ve seen an influx of professional.  In little amounts, we are all becoming more well-rounded and less scared of online platforms.

Which platform for which?  A great tip for knowing how to adapt to your audience is to look at how your audience is actually using the platform in which you are engaging their voice.  If you’re in B2B sales, you might favor LinkedIn over Facebook.  If you’re a small business owner that offers tangible items- cash and carry, you’ll recognize the benefits of building advocates on Facebook.  Knowing your marketing medium is JUST as important as knowing how to broadcast your message in the most effective way.

• LinkedIn is a handshake. It’s no longer being treated as a one-way conversation.  More individuals have recognized the benefits of answering questions and engaging others in their professional beliefs. Where a profile was only left up to be found, now the true value has been fully recognized. I now think of LinkedIn as business casual, professional in nature, but down-to-earth in speech. The handshake is reaching out and asking for you to know me and my business value better.  I consider LinkedIn to be a business lunch, my professionalism is at it’s best, but I’m not afraid to crack a joke or to order a sundae.

• Twitter is a hug. I listen to those I believe in, or that I want to gain knowledge from. Twitter has become less obligatory in merely following and more about taking those I enjoy following to coffee, or actually picking up the phone.  It’s not quite a handshake because it’s often more intimate.  Inspiration and wisdom are my top takeaways daily and I know that to be viewed as authentic, I have to bring my entire self- quirks and all.

• Facebook is a kiss on the cheek. I’m the person who tells my friends and family that I love them, often.  Facebook is my way to communicate my beliefs, love and desire to stay connected. I try and keep it as intimate as I can and I’ve taken out anyone that I wouldn’t fully endorse in person or in writing. When I surround myself with positive people, I find I’m more positive. Facebook offers me comfort from a hard day, or photos of my nieces. It’s almost like a home cooked meal.

I often trade, Social Media, for Online Media, now.  We all understand that it’s social and also, that it’s evolving. The main three platforms: Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are sedimentary. I’ve often been asked, “Do you think a competitor will come out and actually thrive in the market?” I always answer, “Absolutely, I hope so.” Without competition, we don’t evolve.  Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn have always been online- they just looked a little different.  Once they were an AOL chat room or a forum. In fact, we’ve seen glimpses of all three since the dawn of time. I tend to think of today’s online media as staples. We’ll always converse online, but how we get there is what is evolving most.

Everything is now integrating where traditionally there was competition, vehicles to the main three are now a PART of the main three. Since Twitter has bought Tweetdeck, we’ll see even more vehicles to the platform are now being integrated WITH the platform.  In truth: LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook are realizing their worth is not just in their site, they need to find the best DRIVERS to get the audience talking. Our social footprints will last longer than we realize and what we have forgotten is we truly are able to choose where we step. The online media doesn’t own us, we own our online media.

We now even have metrics that validate our online existence with Empire Avenue, Klout (and many more.) I believe my online relationships are merely another vehicle to meet those I value in person. For success we need a healthy combination of each platform.  The biggest success factor to any medium is simple: Be Yourself. Being authentic isn’t a buzzword, it’s now almost mandatory to having people advocate with you for what you believe. I’m online to help change the world, and I try to make my reason transparent.

It’s also important to note: That we are all individuals and although this is how I treat my online presence, it may not work for you. I think the importance lies in each of us bringing our signature DISH to the table and allowing others to taste who we are in the evolution of online media.  Find your recipe to success with a few tips in my article, “Humanize Your Voice Online.”

Free Download Click Here: {Humanize Your Voice Online: The Recipe of WHO You Are Is What Matters Most.}

“Just remember, the same as a spectacular Vogue magazine, remember that no matter how close you follow the jumps: Continued on page whatever. No matter how careful you are, there’s going to be the sense you missed something, the collapsed feeling under your skin that you didn’t experience it all. There’s that fallen heart feeling that you rushed right through the moments where you should’ve been paying attention. Well, get used to that feeling. That’s how your whole life will feel some day. This is all practice. None of this matters. We’re just warming up.” -  Chuck Pahahnuik

I’ve spent most the last year trying to overcome my debilitating addiction to Angry Birds.  At bedtime nightly, as the covers raised to my chin, my cell phone found itself permanently glued to my hand and without notice, I was flinging innocent, feathered, creatures around the small, bright, screen.  Once an animal lover, I became one with my wanton lust to use these majestic fowl to knock over rocks and buildings.  It became out of hand when suddenly a few months ago the unthinkable happened. I beat angry birds.

I had never mastered ANY game, (unless you counted Oregon Trail in the sixth grade.)  My excitement was short lived when I googled “I beat angry birds,” and I entered a dark chapter of my life.  Apparently. there are extra levels if you don’t rush through the game as fast as you can.  As I looked back, I realized: I would have to go back and get three stars on EVERY level in order to unlock the special achievements.  My win seemed even less majestic when I googled further and found out grade schoolers had beat the game months earlier.  And then, wouldn’t you know that a 14-year old, programmed an even COOLER game that has taken the Iphone market by storm.  Feeling slightly less awesome, and only with a sliver of pride left, I reflected.

When handed a burned cd, I’m the woman who scans through all the songs first to revel and wonder what the person was thinking when they made the disk.  At a buffet? I love walking around the entire table first to plan my attack. I’ll routinely drive by 3-4 garage sales to mentally put them in order before I conquer.  But Angry Birds? Was pure gaming lust.  I was ravenous to mindlessly fling and break entire walls without having to plan more than what bird to use on which vertical structure.  Perhaps it was a release from the daily grind or an affirmation that something small could really do that much damage, but my gaming personality is distinctly different than my daily decisions.

How many of you have a different work outlook than home outlook, or vice versa.  Do you have an “Angry Birds,” of your own? I think it’s my differences that make me who I am, with individual and sometimes bizarre tastes.  Life is too short to plan everything. Sometimes, you just gotta fling.

First-of-its-kind HP comedy event powered by HP ePrint and directed by YOU

HP is broadcasting a first-of-its-a-kind, crowd-sourced LIVE comedy event on www.youtube.com/hpeprintlive on Friday, Jan. 21, hosted by comedian Rob Riggle and featuring actors from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (UCB Theatre). I think this is something that your readers would love to participate in, and have included more information below for you to share.

HP ePrint Live  will allow consumers participate in a live, online comedy event when they send in their ideas for skits via HP ePrint – viewers simply email their submission and the UCB cast will turn it into a performance. This is the first time consumers will be given the opportunity to inspire original content and simultaneously watch this content online through live streams.

Highlights Include :

—     The two-hour live show, which will begin at 3 p.m. EDT on Friday, Jan. 21.

—     Consumers are encouraged to email skit ideas in the form of pictures, poems, single words and drawings via ePrint toideas@hpeprintlive.com for a chance to watch their skit come to life. If their submission is selected, they will receive a link to their personal video via email. The skit will also be posted online at the HP ePrint Live YouTube channel and the HP for Home Facebook page.

—     If a consumer’s skit idea is not chosen on Jan. 21, they can send in additional suggestions through Jan. 26. Members of the UCB Theatre will continue to accept ePrint submissions for performance during the custom comedy short period. Ideas chosen will be posted online at the HP ePrint Live YouTube channel and HP for Home Facebook page, as well as emailed to the sender.  Each day will feature a different theme and setting, including the home (day 1), office (day 2), school (day 3), travel (day 4) and “anything goes” (day 5).

What’s New at Snapfish by HP?

· Cards – more than 3,000+ new designs from Snapfish Publisher designers (130+ designers to date)

· Mugs – New designs including templates like Batman and 3D Preview

· Paper Coterie journals, Kidlandia posters, Frecklebox puzzles – all thanks to our new Snapfish Publisher App developers

· Designer calendars – Available in 11”x16” and printed on recycled paper

· Fine Art Canvases - Feature gallery-quality printing canvas with frames available in three colors (black, chocolate and ash) and four sizes including square, rectangle and panoramic. The canvases are placed in a sleek, wooden box frame ready to hang when it arrives. They can also be used with renowned images from the LIFE archives, as Snapfish has announced a licensed content collaboration with LIFE, making LIFE the first major photography collection to collaborate with the online personal publishing service.

The talk of CES this year is tablets and migrating platform technology that is allowing consumers, professionals and trendsetters to be more connected than ever before.   Talk is just talk, until you look at the numbers.  After disappointing growth numbers in the past 2 years, Greg Shapiro, President and CEO of CEA is forecasting consumer electronic growth by 3.5% or, $186 billion dollars.   During a recent conference Shapiro announced, “You may conclude as I already have that at this CES, we have more innovation and cause for celebration than any event in our history.”  Unfortunately, from what I’ve seen, this just isn’t the case.

I’m going to dub this year’s CES, the “That Apple Convention,” which is unfortunate and completely characteristic of companies jumping on the monopoly of one concept.   Breaking down the IPad, or even the concepts of it’s basic form we see a sleek device that responds to touch and grows by applications, or user-guided downloads.  It’s always been a very large Ipod for me.  And I’ve always wondered, “what’s next?”  The IPhone, had it’s share of press as well, as an estimated* 99.9% of giveaways were related to apple products or IPhone Accessories.  It leaves one thinking, “where is the Android love?”

*Estimated with the amount of times I left something at the table or happily flashed my G2 phone.

I was convinced on Friday afternoon that CES was a gathering rogue Apple shareholders, peddling “innovative” products aimed to re-wet the palate of those who may have forgotten about Apple’s successes over the past 5 years.  In either case, the smaller and often unsung heroes of CES were not the ones being covered by national media or fountainheads of geekery.

With a solid two more days to go,  I need something dramatic.  More so than washing machines that ‘ping me‘ when my load is ready to go into the dryers, or a million different types of phone skins, covers and gizmos.  CNN covered it perfectly when their article stated, “It seems no gadget is too small or insignificant for an internet hookup.” Hopefully next year we can see Luv’s diapers with microchips inserted to let parents know when their child’s pants are wet so they can immediately change them.  Either we’ve gotten really, really, awesome or just incredibly, undeniably, lazy.

Yes, there are tablet computers.  In fact, BetaNews covered the “Seven Tablets You Should Know About.”  With everyone trying to mimic Apple’s success, the word, “Innovation,” hardly seems to even be worthy of it’s usage.  See how easy that was to cover tablets?  Now, I can move onto more pressing things, like the strippers.

Exhibitors, if you need a half-naked model to get people into your booth, you are doing technology WRONG.  Really, truly.   I apologize for my snarky tone: but I am entirely, throughly sick of retailers and marketing companies who actually thought it was a good idea to have someone bouncing on a stage while she displays IPhone covers above her hip.  One company in particular stood out for their blatant and frighteningly-disgusting sexism.

On*Star: “Oh Hers?” Campaign.  At bus stops around Las Vegas Blvd. signs reflect the On*Star logo and a short message to visit their booth on CES.  Really, On*Star, was something less degrading already taken? I’d like to talk to the 5th graders who thought this was actually worth blowing up, (no pun intended,) and plastering at every bus stop.  I realize that by posting this, I let those sexist, terrorists win, but… boobs are overshadowing GOOD, FUNCTIONAL, TECHNOLOGY.  Will no one think of the implications? …..  I’m hoping that the next 2 days leave my mouth firmly planted on the ground and my dreams delightfully inspired with those who are thinking out of the box of current trends.

]]> http://www.girlmeetsgeek.com/2011/01/07/ces-the-first-48-hours/feed/ 0 http://www.girlmeetsgeek.com/2010/12/17/social-media-cannibalism/ http://www.girlmeetsgeek.com/2010/12/17/social-media-cannibalism/#comments Sat, 18 Dec 2010 02:36:47 +0000 thegirl http://www.girlmeetsgeek.com/?p=1547

“Have the courage to say no.  Have the courage to face the truth.  Do the right thing because it’s right.  These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity.”   – W. Clement Stone

I listened to a presentation recently at a conference where I was lucky enough to hear Joe and Jason, from TalentAnarchy speak on, ‘letting your freak flag fly,’  After sitting in a zen-like state of brainbuzz, I realized an incredible truth:  When we do not fear for our future, our hearts and minds expand exponentially more than when we allow our fear to rule our motivation and decision.  If I could go back to any period in my life, I would go back to high school, look the crowd in the face and demand better of myself.  I worried too much about what others thought.  I was stuck in the noise.  I never rose above.  I promised myself I would never sacrifice my individuality, my fearlessness and my personality to fit in with a crowd again.  It’s taken me weeks to get the presentation out of my head and longer still to understand the feeling of awe behind their words.  I am continuously humbled to learn from those around me and to borrow a bit of their passion to propel my dreams forward.  I realized then, the emotion behind my un-named exuberance was, “gratefulness.”  And it is exactly one of the words that is missing from the culture of Social Networking, lately.

I don’t believe in riding waves.  I don’t believe in shutting my mouth to look better, or feel better, or be a silent flag-waver in the back of a parade that someone else is leading.  I believe in creating momentum, disturbing the peace and being a thoughtful tornado, the kind that knows the doors need to get blown open, and does so, with minimal damage.  After speaking with the insightful, (and all too intelligent for her age, Diane Kulseth,) we found a perfect term and then, I noodled on it’s implications for days, before I wrote this post.

Social. Media. Cannibalism.

Hard to say, harder to type, but very easy to explain.  Marketing has lost it’s edge while self-preservation is on the rise like never before. We’re creating campaigns and speaking about buzz words like, “authenticity,” but we are tearing others in our industry apart.  We’ve segregated, and joined into cliches and gangs while we start our own ‘groups.’  We’ve become so segregated with our labels, “Blogger. Social Media Marketer.” That we have literally lost the fine art of what brought us together to begin with: Humility and Grace. In the past 2 weeks, I have heard almost a dozen stories of local marketers’ ploys to get each other’s contracts, some even going as far to call into people’s workplaces.  Suddenly, some are developing their own, ‘rival’ get togethers,

Mitchell Hislop, has one of the best minds in web and media development.  His words spoke to me directly:

“I have heard the stories about social marketing cannibalization, although being at an agency, it hasn’t really happened to us. Personally, I think its a stupid practice. The gains to your bottom line do not outweigh the hit that your reputation will take when it leaks that you are playing the game like this. There is no need for us to all compete as cutthroat as this – there is more than enough work out there, and it is not a zero-sum game.  Think about it. How many businesses are there in the cities? How many need digital help?  Then, why the hell are you trying to steal a coffeeshop from someone who could be an ally in all of this?  Sometimes, my favorite things are working with people who should be my competitor. It keeps me sharp, focused, and frankly, I enjoy learning from them.  If you hear about someone trying to outright steal business, take note. Make sure you stay away from that person. There are a lot of great people in interactive around the Twin Cities, and there is no reason to associate with those that feel stealing a contract is better than earning one.  There is a huge caveat here, though. Sometimes, companies approach us when their current agency is not cutting it. In this case, thats a good thing – however, if we were to go on the offensive, and try to actively steal business, that is a whole other story.”

Animals eat their young because they fear competition.  Those that practice this behavior, which is classified as, “infanticide,” often perceive themselves to be the strongest and largest.  I spoke last year at Imation headquarters for Social Media Breakfast.  I begged us to look around the room and encourage each other and inspire each other to demand more from ourselves.  Networking meant taking the recent grad out to coffee and listening to her energetic wisdom and it meant acknowledging forethinkers in your own industry.  What I have seen since, has been a sorry misrepresentation of selfishness, greed and rivalry.  Jealousy, anger and negativity will not overcome any personal or business problem.  The only keys to open the doors in which you want to walk through are: humility, grace and emotional intelligence.  Your follower counts will not matter if people can see through you.

Diane Kulseth, one of my favorite people to bounce ideas off of commented:

“I’ve lived in social media for over 7 years now. And my experience in curating social media strategy and executing upon that strategy has existed just about as long, if not longer than those same people. Yet, because of the title of student, there have been many who seem to feel that my experience somehow lacks compared to theirs. It does not matter that I have worked with this medium longer than they have, or that I contribute to the discussion of social media relevance in my school as a marketing major, as long as the title of “student” is attached to my name, my credentials must therefore be lower, and my work, subpar to those who are “experts”.  It’s disheartening for someone wanting to break into the industry when I see professionals trying to take over the work I’ve spent my precious time developing and getting results for, just because people say “oh we have a student from St. Thomas assisting us with that” when people ask about their social media strategy. It’s not an industry I want to be in if people hold little regard for the efforts of each other. We do a wonderful job about lauding ourselves and our efforts through a variety of lists, but actions speak louder than words in this sphere. It’s time to start showing respect to the people behind the social media efforts and respect their work. Give them advice if you feel they would appreciate it, but don’t try to take their work. The economy is rough as it is, without trying to jeopardize someone’s side or main source of income.”

Is this the message and outlook we want to present to our future graduates?  That they are somehow less because their credentials do not match yours?  Social Networking tools, such as Twitter, Facebook and others, will fade then evolve into something else entirely.  If we are too busy becoming, “experts” at the tools and not “experts” at creating and establishing meaningful relationships, we are the ones who are going to be truly missing out.Some social media, “marketers” have become ambulance chasers.  Calling each other’s clients, or looking to ‘steal’ sales.  I appreciate and applaud a country in which consumers have the choice to choose the best solution.  I shake my head at the transparency that some will go to land another contract, or destroy their INTEGRITY Resume, (the one that truly matters,) by thinking that adding another name while losing their soul for it will win in the long term.  Real professionals recognize the difference between using others and bringing out the BEST in others. Those that do the latter are the ones that create differences, while the first might only be lucky enough to create monetary wealth.  Which one matters more to you?

Maybe it’s me.  Maybe my desire to create something more and to nurture the ideals in the stages of infancy has me too ideological and not sensible.  But I do know one thing.  I didn’t get to coach at Keith Ferrazzi’s RMA, or Master’s Forum, by keeping my mouth shut.  I got there by being fearless and grateful.  I have been unabashedly blessed by the wisdom of others and the inspiration around me.  I’ll be damned if I see a bright future for our industry be killed for a lack of creativity and humility.  It’s time someone said it.

Bring. It. On.

I’m someone who can’t stay silent.  Indifference is a choice I don’t tolerate in myself or in other, good, people I see.

I’m going to tell you a Universal Truth:  the moment something is viewed as a popularity contest, it heightens the want to be part of the in crowd.  But it also does something else; it creates a group that rises above the noise of popularity and lives their daily lives.  Those people, are the ones who make the difference. We learned this from high school and we’re learning it now.  There are times to congratulate each other on peer recommendations and times to use the recognition for GOOD.  That’s Universal Truth number one.

Number Two is that  if we are hit by a bus, meteor, or heart attack no one is going to stand by our grave site and weep because the Social Media world lost a Grade A Influencer.  In fact, your statistics, reach and audience will not matter.  The awards you’ve received and buttons for your blog will be forgotten.  The only thing that people will remember was how approachable, kind and human you were, before you died.  That’s the truth.

I went to my high school reunion a few months back.  Strangely, the ‘in crowd‘ was unable to make it.  We had a few people who flirted with legendary fame, but the girls and boys who ruled the halls weren’t present and everyone conversed.  No one missed them. In fact, we remarked how wonderful it was just to talk without people constantly telling us how ‘cool‘ they were.  How loudly does that speak to you?  In the end, all that matters is how we truly lived our lives.  Success is simple, when you really think about what’s important.

So Stop.  Really.  It’s time. The self-congratulations and the pats on the back daily need to cease.  The lists explaining the Social Media Leaders in our area only make us look stupider.   Other cities?  Laugh at us.  I was on a phone call recently with someone that claimed, “If my city’s Social Media scene was anything like yours, I would not be involved. It’s elitist and immature.”  I agreed.

The little conversations back and forth about ‘how fantastic it is to be included,’ and how accurate the analytics were that made the decision don’t matter because most of us, are over high school.  Those that market daily and live a life of Social Media know that it’s ONE tool.  You might be big on Twitter, but can you actually write, decently?  You might have captured 4k followers, but have you actually reached out to someone who needed your help, or were you too, darn, busy being, ‘big‘ to stoop down and realize: Your followers made you who you are, rockstar.

Imagine, YOU, Social Media Winners, without a following and without that special badge that claims you’re on the top of the Dean’s List of Social Media Douchebaggery.  Imagine YOU, without THAT.  Who are you?  Are you even someone worth following?  Is list placement really that important to you that you make groups that tell me who got the most votes, and who hasn’t made the list.  Stop the BURN BOOK.  Stop the pretentiousness.  Just, Stop.

Want me to truly believe you’re great, analytics aside?  Thank the list publisher, actually try to act humble and move the heck on.  Stop making “Social Media Smarties,” websites that are a good ole boys and girls network for moments of Social Media stardom.  You want attention and a true following of good people?  Volunteer.  You want to TRULY cultivate relationships that don’t happen once a month on revolving Fridays at #SMBMSP?  Call people on the phone instead of these faux relationships that happen in 140 characters.  If you want respect, it’s time to start being humble again.

This is your wake up call.  A call to action.  If you want to be big, prove it.  If you want to make a difference, do it.  The Time Is Now.

I mean… REALLY?

Meet The New Twitter.

You will now find @mentions, retweets, searches, and lists just above your timeline – creating a single, streamlined view on the left of the screen. On the right, you can see the features you’re familiar with, including whom you recently followed and who recently followed you, favorites, and Trending Topics. (Twitter.com)

After you’re done dancing a jig to the music, take a gander at what it all really means…

In layman’s terms?

Apple’s done it again.  The new integration of technology in Twitter functions the same as Twitter For IPad.  (Except it’s on steroids…and Hootesuite has been doing it for over a year.)  Everyone is chasing after fruit. So, in all reality Twitter is finally catching up to it’s clients.  Evan Williams stated when asked if the IPad application had any bearing on the main twitter application, “They were in parallel development, but this was started first. The reason they’re similar looking is because it’s basically the same idea. It’s about the same idea of consumption. There is shared thinking there.”

What does that mean, exactly? Changes Include:

Twitter has partnered with over 16 service providers, (“YouTube, Vimeo, UStream, TwitPic, Flickr, other assorted partners.  We have an agreement to display their content on our site.  It’s still hosted with them,” claims the TechCrunch Article.

Your profile page will now truly be about your identity. Bigger profile picture and more space to speak to who you really are.

This is about getting MORE out of the twitter.com client in LESS time.  Twitter’s main focus is accessibility and ease-of-use for it’s clients.  The hope is that by simplifying Twitter search and allowing profiles to be more pronounced that it will encourage others to join and broadcast their message.  Twitter will be acting like filing folders, when clicked: A profile will ‘pop’ to the right and offer key statistics about the user.

Twitter’s 2010 Takeaways, (courtesy of @TechCrunch.)

16% of new users are starting on mobile. There are on average 370,000 new sign ups a day overall.

Since the beginning of the year Twitter users on mobile are up 250%. Mobile is critical for the future.

More people log on to Twitter.com on a monthly basis than almost all the other Twitter clients combined.

Twitter is seeing 90 million tweets daily, of which 25% contain links.

So?

Twitter is rolling out the changes to all accounts as we speak.  @Ev and @Biz claimed all changes would happen within a couple-week’s time frame.  Some users are able to see the profile changes immediately, others will have to wait their turn.  New users might cringe at the expansion, but seasoned users of Twitter clients might be drawn back to the name infrastructure.  Only time will tell.

Now… if only they could make the #FailWhale less… #Fail.

Bad press keeps going… and going… and going….

I’m the woman who will stand in line 10 minutes for a free sample.  Once, I waited outside in the freezing cold Minnesota Winter, (for four hours no less,) to get my hands on the latest Santa Bear to finish my mother’s collection.  I don’t mind waiting and if the waiting is filled with great conversation in the line, I’m downright happy.   Social Media, brings out something different in me.

Perhaps it’s that I’m conditioned to believe that this magic box in which I type on, is here only to benefit exactly what I want, when I want it.  If a page loads extra slow, I catch myself rolling my eyes.  If something crashes, an occasional computer put-down will be uttered from my lips.  In fact, I no longer wait in line, come to think of it.  Early Christmas shopping?  Who has time for lines, the past 2 years, I’ve just ordered everything… online.  I’ve become a beast for the quick, easy and fruitful.

Perhaps this is why when Energizer did a recent promotion on their facebook page I jumped at the chance of free batteries: http://www.facebook.com/Energizer?ref=ts

If you click on their facebook wall, you’ll see the backlash of what should have been a very, very successful giveaway.  It all all the elements:  Free,  Fans,  The Like Button and a huge flood of WOM Marketing.  Let’s break down exactly what went wrong, and how Energizer might be able to save this one.

Short Term Giveaway

Because the items were free, the giveaway started at 8am, East Coast time, (6am central,) and by the time it reached 8am on the West Coast, the batteries were all gone.  In less than a four-hour span, a plethora of angry comments were posted in discussions and on the wall.  One read:  ”Way to have a contest that’s only good for people on the east coast – here in OR it’s 8am and it’s over??!!!“

To properly allow WOM marketing to take it’s full effect, Energizer might have offered an entirely different giveaway to begin with.  Most didn’t follow contest rules and actually ‘Like’ the giveaway as another wall poster mused, “Said 30,000 free coupons available and had to hit LIKE, so how could they be gone, you only have 261 likes on the coupons link.”  This is a recipe for disaster, isn’t it?  Next time, Energizer may think about having a lottery, or creating a discussion around the free product to giveaway.  If they lead with positive comments, the entire tone will be different.

Long Wait Times

A few people commented that they waited over 30-40 minutes and had to keep refreshing the button to receive their coupon.  Most were waiting and didn’t receive anything.  One poster remarked, “When thousands of people are submitting the same form on the same site, some are going to freeze. There will be other freebies. I try to be thankful for those I get and happy for those who get ones I don’t. ”  Unfortunately, most people on facebook were not so level-headed.  A few more commentors were not so kind in their remarks, “mine was validating for over 30 minutes.. its a damn scam,” read one near the top.

Sometimes, the system can’t handle all the requests, as we’ve seen with the recent debacle of Twitter crashes.  To alleviate a potentially tragic hardware or software snafu, I’ve always wondered why more companies don’t spread out the contest via different social networking platforms.  It not only spreads out comments and reaches more people, but the company isn’t relying solely on one platform to house all the inquiries.

Bait and Switch?

Probably the largest reason for the backlash was the energizer did not keep up with the demands of it’s public.  After they knew the coupon was sold out, they still willingly advertised that the promotion was happening, collected sensitive personal information and gave a $1.00 off coupon, instead.  This is where most of the angry posts came from, including a post of mine that read, “If the giveaway has ended, you should have stated that BEFORE you took our personal information.”  Energizer actually replied to me, saying, “Hi Kate, if we received your information, then you will receive the coupon for the free batteries. If you didn’t make it in time, then you should have received a coupon for $1 off.”  I was one of the lucky few who was responded to.  And one of the unlucky few who sold her personal information for a one, dollar.

This is mainly a lesson to me.  How much is my personal information worth.  Is it really worth, a free battery pack?  I know it’s worth more than a dollar, though lists normally buy emails, names and addresses for pennies.  In all reality, I sold myself out.  Perhaps one commenter said it best, “For a free battery pack i would decide to give you my personal information. For a $1 off coupon I would pass. Please give others the option first and please delete my information that you excracted dishonestly from me. many thanks“

Mistakes Happen.  How do we fix it?

In most respects, Energizer is responding to comments, is actively involved in engaging consumers and as a company, offered another coupon since the main promotion sold out so quickly.  An immediate open letter to fans might be warrantied, apologizing for the short window, Facebook software failures and ultimately a public that conceives that this was no more than a ‘Bait and Switch,” promotion.  The moment that phrase is uttered, I’d have PR ready to go with open communication.  Facebook might also want to think about opening up a forum under discussions on how to make it BETTER for next time.  Let the fans pick the promotion and OWN what happens next.  It’s truly a win/win from an engagement standpoint, and when the public feels part of the solution instead of a victim of the problem, great things happen.

Brands depend on consumer loyalty.  When a customer feels deceived, their view of the brand may be forever tarnished.  I have a saying, “It’s not about winning anyone back, it’s about allowing them to feel open enough to CONVERSE with you about the issue.”  We feel better after we complain.  Why is that? In a recent post, the author of, “The Language of Emotions,” speaks about Conscious Complaining and how letting out our negative energy can actually HELP us.  In all reality, should we be so worked up about a Facebook promotion?  Probably not. I, however, am a firm believer in really looking deep into why we react, and how.  Read more about The Language of Emotions, here.

The main job of PR, and Social Media engagement is to LISTEN. Sounds like Energizer is getting a tough lesson in how much the public demands and how to craft a giveaway differently for future success.  For me?  I’ve learned the benefit of one-dollar.  It’s certainly not worth my personal information and it’s not worth much emotion.  It is however, one, gloriously-cheap business lesson to share, showcase and remind companies of.

Chris and Mary Lower weighed in from Sterling Cross Communications .   Follow them online at @SterlingCrossPR

“This is a traditional campaign utilizing web tools and would have even crashed a website.  Facebook has policies against these promotions because of platform crashes and it cannot handle the infrastructure.  Their wall is open to comments, which are not just from themselves.  They are instantly opening a headache with online reputation issues.  Energizer should have set this up to a micro-site and should have been ready for the bandwidth of potential hits and attempt to honor rain checks or other offers.  Store managers will go the extra distance and extend it, this is standard operating procedure.  There’s a huge difference between listening to the consumers and actually DOING something about what they are saying.  Are we actively taking steps to perform GOOD customer service?  Listening does no good if companies are not acting upon what they’ve learned.  If a community is unhappy, the mindset needs to be changed.”

Remember when people thought Twitter was all about followers?  Like a cold-calling campaign in where 1 of 100 calls might result in a sale, people thought with clever campaigns to gain followers, they could increase, or boost their profile on Twitter.  Remember the backlash?  For months, we were plagued with, “Gain more than 10k followers daily, I’ll show you how!”  For those not accustomed to human interaction and true marketing, they thought the power was in the followers, and boy- were they wrong.

The power of Twitter, is in your voice; the human thoughts that blurt themselves out from your fingertips before you have time to rethink if you want everyone to know that your preschooler just climbed to the top of the dresser and sang a song from Annie at the top of her lungs.  (I gave her a cookie, it was majestic.)  For the love of Social Media: If Twitter isn’t about the followers, it’s certainly not about “Top Tweets,” either.  I already am seeing articles about how to get your tweet on the front page.  In all reality: Who spends time on the FRONT PAGE of Twitter before they login?  I log in to communicate immediately with the people I care about- not people who are unattached and hanging at the front gate. 

Want to succeed in Social Media?  Remember your human element: the voice beneath your fingertips that tells the world WHO you are, not what you’re selling.  Witty comments can land you a few followers, but why not take those followers and develop true relationships.  Tweetups, charity events and simply asking for coffee is a great way to bring a follower to the next level.  It’s time to recognize that Social Media isn’t a popularity contest, it’s a RELATIONSHIP-BUILDER capable of giving you incredible people to call at 10pm or 8am and relationships that extend far greater than a computer screen.

Brian Ward lost his job on a Friday afternoon. Eleven days later he had a new one. With nearly 1 in 10 people out of work and the typical job search lasting 12 weeks, how did the Cleveland-based software architect pull it off? In a phrase: online social networking….    -Time Magazine
 
I recently led a class and facilitated about job-search-strategies for the chronically and long-term unemployed. The room was bursting with discussion, passion and a vibrant energy. That is, until people started noticing that LinkedIn and Twitter were the next screen shots. It was almost as though I committed a violent online act.
 
There the logos were, and about 70% of my (40+ aged,) job seekers slumped with their heads down and completely closed themselves off. I tried to explain it like the following.
 
We are all in a huge, swimming pool. Most job seekers are getting to the point where they are sick of being wet, sick of floating and their arms are aching from treading water. A couple people have given up and are floating in the deep end- tummies down and absolutely exhausted from the mental and physical stress of the hunt. The first thing I want you to do? Is put your feet down. It’s not as deep as you think. When your feet touch the bottom, there’s no need to overuse muscles from paddling or trying to stay afloat. Asses the water. Social Media: Is a way to put your foot down, or mark your job search. Job seekers are still struggling, but they now have way to showcase their key accomplishments online- in a not-so-routine way. With your feet firmly planted at the bottom of the pool, you’re able to walk in small steps, making more progress than those who are just merely floating and waiting for someone to pull them out.
 
Social Media: Is not a lifesaver and it’s certainly not the ‘be all and end all’ of the career search spectrum, but it is- a way for you to stand strongly on your own and commend attention.
 
Honest to God: A job seeker in a recent class mentioned that Twitter and LinkedIn were just another violation of her privacy and that it would take a miracle to get her online and viewable in these interfaces. She had  been unemployed, (and still very bitter,) for quite a while. I didn’t know whether to just hug her and listen, (we all have our fears and pain that we carry,) or tell her: You’re better than this. Don’t hide behind your fear and miss a fantastic opportunity. I showed her the importance of showcasing her value in a way that was fresh and different. She only came around when I showed her specific examples, and asked her, “It’s easier floating isn’t it? You don’t know if the bottom is even there until you try, right?” She’s attending a special Social Media class next week. I’m sure she’ll be the one asking all the questions that I’m happy to answer.
 
Who really ‘get’s Twitter, anyway? You have the ‘social media guru’s’ who claim that twitter is the mostincrediblethingever that has ever hit the interwebs. You have the middle aged women who don’t want to understand and just shift uncomfortably in their seats over the thought of ‘tweeting’ anything about their life. And lastly: You have the job counselors who are calling it a waste of time. It’s the latter that makes me the angriest. I did the stupid thing: I started spouting numbers like it was no one’s business, (like a salesgirl on acid.) That didn’t work- so I spoke passionately about the value of everything at the job seeker’s fingertips, (to which my counterpart snorted.)
 
“I wouldn’t be anywhere in the whole mobile community if I wasn’t using Twitter. I received my opportunity because my future employer saw I was ‘tweeting’ about Android.” -Breon Nagy
 
The number one thing I hear about Twitter is: Who the hell cares what I ate for breakfast? And in all honesty: I care. Not because I have far too much time on my hands, or because I’m secretly a loser- it’s because if you are tweeting the value in something: I might want to know. (That’s how news started: This is oral history in our fingertips.) If you are a job seeker and you tweet: “Find me a job.” I won’t bite. There’s no value statement there- no reason for me to be connected to you besides answering your self-serving question. However, if you tweet, “Local Architect looking-  10+years experience. Check out my Linked In Here, or DM.” I might, check out your linked in. Because… you gave me a reason to.
 
Can you really ‘sell’ yourself in 140 characters or less? (If you can, please email me so that we can take over the world and help HR people conduct strategies to save time and money worldwide.) There’s no formula on how to get a job in 140 characters or less- but there is a formula to help you gain exposure within your community and that will lead to a job- simply by doing the following: Using Twitter and tweeting regularly about news in your field, expertise or job isms to help you build your network and NETWORTH.
 
Twitter is a pointer: It’s not the destination, but rather a way to get there.
 
We are only as valuable as we believe ourselves to be. Time to put those feet down and walk to your destination.
 

Not only have I seen the Microsoft I’ve come to loathe over these past 15 years pummel farther and farther down the rabbit hole of forced ‘Innovation,’ I’ve seen it completely abandon hope of retaining the market it once had. It’s a lazy ballet dancer at an audition for Juliard’s prestigious dancing school- relying solely on a name and a few good steps. The passion, is gone.

Microsoft is General Motors. They are hiding behind their ‘name’ and indulging themselves in the belief that the name holds the true value instead of the action they take with their brand. Our names and pasts mean nothing if we want to be relevant in our fields. If we want to retire- content at what we accomplished? Then by all means we belong at the sideline. If we value our consumer and where we are going? We look before we leap. We see each ray of light as it shines into the prism and not merely blind ourselves with the beauty of the rainbow before us. The moment we stop striving for greatness? Is the moment the window opens to the brands that will eventually overcome us.

Case in point: VISTA. Not only did they release Vista with known bugs, and had to have an immediate service pack issued, we were all warned against installing Vista within the first year for the non-functionality of our PCs. Basically: Vista was a grenade to an otherwise content mash-up of computer-filled vanilla ice cream. (No nuts, not much flavor, but on a hot day? Near perfection.) Now Vista’s ‘ICON FRIENDLY! PRETTY’ applications, (Word, etc,) threaten my sanity with all the shortcuts that are nothing even -close- to shortcuts. They spent years getting a barely computer savvy crowd ignorantly comfortable with layouts and shortcuts to only switch it up and call it progress. Now there are more companies having to re-train their workers because of simple ‘Vista Icon Shortcuts,’ than the companies who stuck with what worked. And honestly: Does the average consumer want to replace their OS every 2 years? The people that want to switch with new technology? Are not usually, (excluding business,) Microsoft people. They are the MacPro people, the iPhone junkies- the techies that don’t need the picturesque icons or a ridiculous search engine name, “Bing!” to satisfy their cravings for metal and speed.

What. The. Fark. Is. BING. (Can anyone please address the idiocy that Microsoft is actually MARKETING a search engine that thinks for you, ‘A La’ Big Government?) The beauty of the Internet is our ability to Google and pick from the best. Yes, each search engine will pick the appropriate, but flat out marketing that Microsoft is suddenly revolutionary for the fact that it’s taken the brain out of the fingers on the keyboard? (Especially in a time of great ‘big brother’ distrust?) -Epic, Epic Fail, Kiddos. Do me a favor: Visit (www.bing.com) Does it not look like you’re going to the templated website of a small company with a minimal design skills? A stock photo background with extremely difficult print to read? (Small, White, Awful.) What does Bing do well? You get instant video. (It’s picturesque icons- only in video form. Pretty to the brainless- idiotic to those that actually CARE about technology.) Try asking Bing a question: Giggle at it’s ‘brainpower.’

We settled for General Motor’s flatulence labeled as cars for the mirror fact that it was an ‘Industry Standard.’ The best part about Technology? There is no, nor- should be no INDUSTRY STANDARD. If we are doing it correctly? We’re always moving at an angle and not just forwards. There’s too much left to explore, to offer and to excel at. Microsoft is merely trifecta-ing the fail.

Will we end up bailing out Bill Gate’s dying brand (and Ballmer’s pisspoor leadership,) with it’s kitschy, short-term fragmented thoughts as ‘applications?’

Why is Google making it? -Simplicity. Why are Smartcars, or newer brands doing great? Innovation. If you market your product to the ignorant, (the few that are happy with the ‘upfront glitz’ of having color and stock photos at their fingertips instead of reliable and easy to navigate choices? You fail. Actually, you fail over and over again.

I’m going to start calling “Bing!” (Bling.) It’s rhinestone’s masquerading as diamonds in an already shining world. Why they chose this project just to ‘one-up’ their playground nemesis, (Google,) is beyond me. Childhood pranks, at best.