Archive for May, 2008
Jon Udell Explains FeedSync and How It Might Benefit You
Microsoft is up to some interesting stuff with their Mesh project. I’m genuinely interested in what this will mean for us, insofar as it leads to a people-centric web, instead of device-centric. I’m so glad it got covered in a blog post by Jon Udell.
Jon Udell is one of my favorite smart people in computing technology. His podcasts with IT Conversations are top shelf (if you’re in tech, the whole series is great, but Jon stands out and helps me suffer through missing Daniel Steinberg’s “Distributing the Future” podcast). But I digress.
This is tech talk, but Jon helps us think about it in plain English. Check it out, because it should influence your thoughts about social software, web presence, and the power of a people-centric web.
Read the full article here
BONUS round: read this piece by Om Malik about the new iPhone’s GPS features and how it enables location-based services (LBS). Mix and match from Jon’s piece and Om’s piece, and if I had venture money, I’d put a BOATLOAD down on something in between.
Five LinkedIn Tools I Need Right Now
Alright, Mario, listen up. I need the following five tools from LinkedIn, and I’m going to ask everyone in my community to chime in and tell you what they might need, too. Sure, you might not be able to get me these all by close of business Friday, but let’s see how much we can manage, okay?
A Cork Board
I need a LinkedIn cork board, where I can put sticky notes to remind me to write C.C.’s recommendation, and where I can put John Swords’ hiring need details. It’ll be where I remind myself to swap out my pic next time I have a moment. AND, I want to be able to allow friends to put sticky notes up there without seeing mine. (So, two boards.)
Groupings
I want private groupings within my address book. I don’t think alphabetically. Do you? I need LinkedIn to let me group my media friends together, my enterprise IT friends together, my friends who live around Philadelphia. And I want multiple groupings for the same contacts.
Commenting
What if I could add a layer of metadata to my entire LinkedIn profile? I might want to tell stories around the details, or layer in how many projects I used to do back in the old days. I got the idea by looking at the FriendFeed tools. In fact, what if the recommendation tools were a bit thinner. They’re not super difficult now, but it’d be amazing how many more “thumbs up” votes you’d get if that were a click versus a written recommendation. (Maybe layers of voting in that case?)
Visual Data
I need to SEE how people connect, and where they are the hub and where they are the node. Even if the other people don’t choose to expose all their contacts, I might get a sense of someone I need to reach being accessible in different ways, instead of you providing me just a link. It would also be instant “influencer” candy, especially if you could do things like show “velocity of connections” and “frequency of logins and updates” in a dashboard way, too.
Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that LinkedIn feels relatively static. This one dynamic would offer a sense of motion that wasn’t there before, and would provide me with data as to how FRESH someone’s efforts are.
An Open Platform
Oh, you mentioned that one back in June of 2007. I’d love to see this happen. Why? Because frankly, you’re sitting on some HUGE opportunities, and they can be monetized, and you could be generating revenue, and I would be willing to pay for features that you’ve not rolled out yet.
What’s Your Take?
As the need for better social network tools and more robust networks come about, I believe the “needs” I’ve listed above are only the starting point. What do you think? What’s your wish list for LinkedIn? Do you think I’m too far off base with my wishes?
And by the way, I really really really admire Mario Sundar and believe that LI owes him more than what they’re paying him, no matter what that number is.
Great Interview at SEOBook with Neil Patel
I don’t talk much about search engine stuff here at [chrisbrogan.com] because I’m not particularly wise in the ways of SEO. You want that? Go to Aaron Wall’s home. That’s where I found this interview with Neil Patel, a legend in social media marketing (says Wall, and I can’t disagree because I don’t know Neil). There are some great points in the interview, including lots of information on how Neil gets information to rise up from the clutter.
Whether or not you agree with the methods prescribed, you should be aware of how they all work, and what Neil’s doing to build his reputation as a successful social media marketer. I’m definitely reading Aaron’s blog and giving all this information some thought. You might, too.
Read the interview here.
Photo credit, Wendy Piersall
The Salad Bar Business
Congratulations! You’ve been made owner of the local grocery store’s salad bar. You’re 100% owner and responsible for the revenue generated from the bar. Salad is priced by the pound, so there’s a blend of items that cost less per pound at the bar than if you bought them packaged, but there are many more that cost much more. And let’s be honest: most everything for sale at the salad bar costs way more than if you buy it one row over at the grocery store. And yet, business is thriving.
You’re making decent revenue and the store is happy with what you’re doing, but they want more money for next year. Your customers are mostly happy, though they occasionally ask for something a little different than what’s out there.
What do you do NEXT?
Do you find products that give you an even bigger margin of profit? (Croutons are $1.00 a box, but add weight to a salad.) Do you work simply from your community’s requests: “Sure, we can throw sushi in for the same price” (at a loss)? Do you do NOTHING and start to lose customers from lack of variety?
The salad bar business is not unlike a lot of other businesses, including the business of making content for people. On the one hand, you want to give your community what they demand. On the other, you have cost and profit requirements.
How do you manage the balance? What comes first in your mind? If you’re the salad bar owner (and you are!), what’s your next move?
Upcoming Speaking- A Busy Few Weeks
I was just going over my calendar and realized that I’ve got a fairly busy speaking schedule coming up shortly. In case you’re going to any of these events, and/or would like to meet and talk, I’ll post where I’ll be:
MarketingProfs Business to Business Forum 08 June 9th-10th in Boston. I’m speaking on the 9th at 1:45PM on lead generation.
Enterprise 2.0 Conference June 9th-12th in Boston. I’m speaking on the 11th at 8AM on social media in the enterprise, and on the 12th at 10:45AM on microblogging, both times with great people.
ITEC Indianapolis June 17th-18th in Indiana. I’m keynoting on the 17th, and I think I have a panel to moderate. There might also be a social media breakfast.
Podcasters Across Borders June 20-22nd (the weekend). I’m speaking at some point but don’t remember the details because mostly, I’m going to be a general member of the community. This will be my first time at PAB.
And then, I’ve got no conferences until PodCamp Boston3 in July, and I like it that way. : )
Will we meet up? I hope so.
IBM Builds LOTS of Social Apps
My friend Luke sent me this BusinessWeek article about enterprise social network tools. There’s lots here.
First, take away from this that the social network technologies you know about in the consumer space are being rebuilt inside the firewall for business. Why? Those apps are perfect for business, because they do a better job of communicating information the way humans figure it out.
Second, understand that there are people looking for more from their social applications than food fight and super fun wall. If you’re developing, consider what might make for good business applications.
Third, bear in mind that what you might be doing for fun and leisure right now on the social networks might give you an edge on using collaborative technologies in upcoming months. It might just be the thing you’re doing at work, and not just the thing you’re doing at home.
What do you think about all this?
The Importance of Risk
I was speaking with a really interesting CEO this morning after speaking at the North Shore Technology Council panel on social networks and their impact on business. This man turned companies around for a living. Complex work, if you think about it. One thing he said really struck me, and has resonated all morning.
There was a company he was once evaluating, and he mentioned that they had taken almost ZERO risk. My immediate thought was that he probably saw this as a good thing. Instead, he said, “If you don’t take risks, you can’t grow.” Wow! He knew MY answer, instead of what I thought he would say.
Risk is Important
Hours after that conversation, I spoke to a young professional who wanted to do something meaningful with his time and effort. I asked him whether he had a “lab” where he could test out potential ideas. At first, it sounded really foreign, but when I told him that most of what I’ve done in life came from trial and error, he started to see where I was going.
If you don’t try new things, you don’t discover new things. If you don’t fail, you don’t know what comes out of the failure. If you don’t risk your career, you won’t invent the job of the future.
Where are YOU Taking Risks?
The future is risky. Deciding to use social media to promote your business, augment your internal collaboration, or other uses is risky. It’s untested, or not very tested. It’s different than how people did things before. Convincing people that ads don’t work well when the folks selling ads have numbers is risky.
Where are your risks, business or personal? What are you doing to move over that crazy divide? How are you readying yourself for the inevitable fall on the face that comes with not being 100% certain? What’s your take?
Photo credit, Smiles are Free
Charity Auction- Fight Cancer and Buy Me Cheap
Jennifer Leggio is training for a marathon and working to help fight leukemia and lymphoma at the same time. She’s looking to raise $10,000, and she’s got a creative approach to doing it.
My cousin, Todd, died from Leukemia when I was a kid. I have weird/funny memories of him, including the fact my Mom made us Star Trek uniforms. I was Kirk, my brother Thom was Spock, and Todd was a red shirt. Turned out that life was pretty much that way for all three of us, as a side note.
More recently, on the plane to attend ITEC Detroit, I sat next to a young woman who graduated from nursing school to go work with kids with leukemia. I asked her why she picked that field. She said, because I survived. I’ll admit that I got a bit teary. I had no idea that kids could survive. Remember, I grew up when the survival rate was about 20%.
That’s why I’m supporting Jennifer’s charity auction.
Know who else is in?
Joseph Jaffe is one of the most sought after consultants, speakers and thought leaders on new marketing. He is president and “chief interuptor” at crayon, a strategic advisory group that helps companies “join the conversation” through the power of community, dialogue and partnership. He has spoken to audiences in North America, London, the Netherlands, Turkey and South Africa and to companies including Yahoo!, JWT, Modem Media, Conde Nast and iVillage. In 2007, Jaffe authored the book Join the Conversation: How to Engage Marketing-Weary Consumers with the Power of Community, Dialogue and Partnership.
Auction: Dinner and brainstorming session in the New York / Connecticut area valued at $10K. Bidding begins at $1K. Full details available on the Joseph Jaffe eBay auction site.
Geoff Livingston has worked as a marketing strategist in the Washington, DC region for 15 years. Dubbed a “local blogging guru” by the Washington Post, Geoff’s Buzz Bin blog is nationally recognized, and is the top ranked independent PR blog in the Washington, DC region. He successfully launched FortiusOne’s GeoCommons using an aggressive social media strategy, and marketed Godsmack lead singer Sully Erna’s bio using a diversified My Space and blogosphere campaign. Geoff’s book on new media Now is Gone was released last autumn by Bartleby Press.
Auction: Two-hour phone consulting / brainstorming session valued at $1K. Bidding begins at $100. Full details available on the Geoff Livingston eBay auction site.
Aaron Strout is vice president of social media at Mzinga, a Burlington, Massachusetts-based provider of online communities and social networks for businesses. In his role, Aaron focuses on blogging, podcasting, webinars, blogger relations, and evangelizing the benefits of social networks for business. In addition to his knowledge of the interactive and new media landscape, Aaron has more than 15 years of online marketing and advertising experience, with a strong background in integrated and online marketing.
Auction: Two-hour phone consulting / brainstorming session valued at $1K. Bidding begins at $100. Full details available on the Aaron Strout eBay auction site.
Greg Verdino is a recognized expert on business and marketing innovation, emerging technologies and Web 2.0. Equal parts marketer and futurist, Greg has made a career of identifying key trends and helping companies turn disruptive changes into a real, sustainable business and marketing advantages. He works as Chief Strategy Officer at crayon, a strategic advisory group that helps companies ‘join the conversation’ through the power of community, dialogue and partnership. He has been profiled in and quoted by a wide variety of business and news media including Advertising Age, Adweek, BusinessWeek, Forbes, Marketing News, New York Times, Newsday and the Wall Street Journal, as well as on television news outlets including CNBC and Fox News Channel.
Auction: A 60-minute keynote speech or 1/2 day workshop anywhere within the U.S. or Canada valued from $5K-$7.5K. Bidding begins at $700. Full details available on the Greg Verdino eBay auction site.
If you want the scoop, go here to see the creative approach“>charity auction for each of us.
How Mass Email Works
A few folks asked me about my recent email inviting them to subscribe to my newsletter. Some asked where the email addresses came from. Others called my invitation spam. Here’s my explanation so that I don’t have to tell the story more than once:
1.) I sent mail via the address you provided me by agreeing to link to me via LinkedIn.
2.) I sent an introduction to a service I thought you might want, because you’re in my circle of contacts and because for me, they’re one in the same (my passions about social media, and my contact list).
3.) I sent the introduction with a clear opt-out option so that you could choose to never receive emails from me in that format again (per the canned spam) law.
I use Blue Sky Factory for my email distributions because they have a high standard of what goes out from their platform. They are up front with how they deal with perceptions of spamming, so because I’ve followed their recommended methods for sending an introduction to such an email, I feel that I’ve done it “appropriately.”
Is every email you didn’t ask for spam? No. Is asking someone who considers themselves in my professional circle whether they want to also receive my newsletter spam? No.
There’s a huge difference between spam and “I didn’t want this.”
Or I think there is.
What’s your take? Let’s talk about it here.
Could Someone Explain Technorati
I’ll admit that I’m watching my Technorati number. Why? Because it’s one way that the web measures authority, and I’m interested in that for the book I’m working on with Julien Smith. So, when it does weird things (read: things I don’t understand), I get thrown. Today, I’m thrown again. Look at this:
05/18/08
Authority: 1,761
Rank: 1,122
05/23/08
Authority: 1,811
Rank: 1,043
05/25/08
Authority: 1,812
Rank: 1,043
05/27/08
Authority: 1,813
Rank: 1,874
***UPDATE***: as per Darren’s comment above it jumped back down. But why?
Authority: 1,817
Rank: 1,032
So, my blog rank just hopped 840 down. I just lost ground by 840 other blogs. Meanwhile, the authority is pretty much the same.
Does that mean over 800 people got their blog fairy wings ahead of me? How does that work?
Interestingly, Mitch Joel has his own questions about Technorati this morning.
