Almost Savvy » Twitter

Social Media Stats – It’s Raining Content!

Irene Koehler — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:55:55 +0000

Does it ever feel that there is a non-stop downpour of Facebook posts, YouTube videos, Twitter tweets, LinkedIn connections and blog posts? Do you ever feel like you’re drowning in content?

If so and you spend any amount of time online, it isn’t just your imagination. The larger our networks of contacts, the more information we see pushed in our direction every time one of our friends shares a link to a news article, their latest blog post and a funny video of a cat dressed as Lady Gaga.

How frequently is new content added online, you may ask? It can take an awful lot of leg work and number crunching to figure that out. Luckily, Gary Hayes from Personalizemedia has put together a nifty tool which easily allows us to get a snapshot overview of the flow of uploaded content. Take a closer look and you’ll see that you can customize the data you see by selecting a timeframe and type of information (social media, mobile or games).

If you’re interested in digging deeper into the source data used here, you can find all the relevant links on Gary’s blog.

I’ll keep this blog post short because I just found out that I’ve got several hundred thousand YouTube videos to catch up on and that’s going to take some serious time.

Image courtesy of Tiago Ribeiro.

Words That Totally Make My Head Hurt

Irene Koehler — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:51:38 +0000

You know those words; the ones that make your skin crawl and set your teeth to grind mode when you see them? What’s up with those people anyway? Don’t they know how to spell? Did they nap all through elementary school?

I’m sure that people have always misspelled words since the dawn of written language. I imagine there were times when someone was meticulously documenting important information inside a cave and suddenly slapped themselves on the forehead once they realized they had drawn a bird instead of a horse. Where was spell-check when they needed it?

Now, we do have spell-check and it is embedded is most of the applications we use everyday – email, smartphones and social networking sites. Still, it seems that many of us take all those spelling and grammar rules as a gentle suggestion (kind of like when your mom says you should wear a jacket, but you know full well that only the nerdy kids listen to their moms and choose to ignore her).

We remember how to spell correctly, we just don’t always do it. My scientific/off-the-top-of-my-head analysis points to a number of possibilities: We don’t know we’re making a mistake and can’t be held responsible; we know we’re making a mistake and don’t care; we know we’re making a mistake, but think it’s cute/cool; we just copied someone else, so it’s their fault.

Possible contributing factors and personal observations:

We’re busy: Who has the time to re-read that email or tweet before sending it? Sure, there’s that red line underneath the word screaming out to alert us to the fact that the computer’s dictionary doesn’t recognize the word, but we’re not going to let the dictionary tell us what to write now, are we?

Fat thumbs: Give us the most user-friendly way to type on a phone and, still, we make mistakes. Doesn’t that footer Sent from my iphone excuse all virtual grammatical sins?

Contractions are really hard: When you want to shorten “you are,” the result is not “your.” Even when you spell it that way often, it’s still wrong. Stop it.

Words that sound alike are really hard: “Where are they?” “Their (or there) at the store.”

Character counts: When we’re using Twitter or SMS text messages, we are limited to a certain number of characters and this tends to lead to a lot of creativity. I get this, but I don’t get why I see these same abbreviations in emails or other communications.

Say what: I’ve heard people of all ages use text-speak in conversation. Trust me, it’s a special experience to hear LOL or WTF during a conversation. If we’re talking, I won’t charge you for the extra words, I promise. If you want to laugh, go ahead and laugh; restraining yourself to LOL really isn’t necessary.

I’m old: Is this just another one of my many “Get off my lawn” moments and I’m making much ado about nothing? Is this something that only those of us of a certain age allow to get under our skin?

Which words, abbreviations and acronyms do you see used online which really get your skin crawling? C ya l8r, thxbye.

Image courtesy of trpnblies7

I Don’t Care Where. You. Are. Right. Now.

Irene Koehler — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:59:51 +0000

Hey, you! Yeah, you standing in line at Starbucks using your phone to check-in while waiting to get your daily latte. We need to have a word.

We’ve been connected for awhile on Twitter and Facebook. I like you, really I do. I enjoy getting to know you better through our connection. I appreciate the information you’ve shared about your interests and news in your area of expertise. The great thing about using technology and social networking platforms is that we can easily connect, no matter where we happen to be. See, that’s the thing…I don’t need to know where you at this very moment. I don’t need to know that you’re at the market, at the gas station, at work or on the train. In fact, and don’t take this personally, unless you are someplace really cool or unusual, I probably don’t want to know.

If I wanted to know these things, we’d be connected on Foursquare so I could follow along as you cruise through town going to meetings and running errands. If I’ve made the decision to not connect there, why then am I seeing your check-ins in my Twitter stream – and my Facebook stream – and often both? And, to make matters worse, since you’re not sure which service is going to win the geolocation war (see here and here), you’re using them all. For each stop in your day, you check-in with Foursquare, Gowalla, Brightkite, Loopt, Whrrl and others. And it isn’t just you, there are more and more people doing this. I’m drowning in a sea of “I’m at Panera Bread (Free wifi FTW).” I can hardly wait for the Facebook geolocation feature to roll out soon (cue: sarcasm).

The results of my absolutely unscientific poll on Twitter and Facebook were unanimous. I asked people to raise their right hand if they liked seeing others’ check-ins in their social streams; left hand if they didn’t. Without exception, all I got were left hands. Just a sampling of the replies I received:

If you want to keep pushing out all of your check-ins to my social stream, that is certainly your prerogative. Just please understand that I, along with a growing number of like-minded folks, may end up unfollowing and unfriending you, or hiding your updates in our stream. It is disruptive because it makes it more difficult to see the content I really want to see and comes across as being all about you, without regard for those on the other end of your check-ins. Still, it is your choice. If it is worth it to you to tick off a bunch of your online friends to publicly proclaim that you just earned a GymRat badge on Foursquare and you’re comfortable with the privacy issues of announcing where you are at every given moment, then more power to you. If it works for you, your friends and audience to publish your check-ins to multiple sites, I hope you won’t take it personally if I’m not around to keep tabs on where you’re having lunch today.

And, finally, to those of who you insist on checking-in while you’re driving (and I mean driving, not being a passenger) – stop it, stop it, stop it. No badge, no mayorship, no virtual prize, no free sandwich is worth it. I don’t care that you’re at a red light or a toll booth. Stop it. Seriously, stop it! Please, stop it!

With all of these cool online tools, it is time we think about our friends first, ourselves second, lest we find ourselves with fewer friends caring what we have to say. Let’s remember to ask ourselves how each new application adds value to our network, in addition to simplifying our lives. Just because it’s hip and fun doesn’t make it the right thing to do.

Now, put down your phone and enjoy your latte. Carry on and enjoy your day…wherever it is that you’re headed.

Your turn. Right hand or your left hand?

Ready for Yet Another Social Platform? Here Comes Google Buzz

Irene Koehler — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:58:30 +0000

Are you ready for a new social platform? Here comes Google Buzz, which brings social elements right into you?Gmail inbox.

With so many of us using Gmail, this just might stick. It will be rolling out over the next week. You’ll be notified when it is live for your account.

As of now, it will integrate will services including Flickr, Picasa, YouTube, and Google Reader. You will be able to connect with Twitter, but only to pull in content, not to publish tweets (at least, not yet). Facebook is absent from the list.

As always, I’ll give it a try and get a feel of how it can work best for me. Right now, I retreat to Gmail to hunker down and get work done. If I have the ability to customize Buzz and turn on/off at will, then life will be much easier.

I see huge potential upside to Buzz. With the power of the enormously popular Google products and an already built-in user base, this could be a winner. More accessible than other networks, but less geeky and intimidating than Google Wave. Some have labeled this the “Twitter killer,” haven’t we heard that before about other new?platforms? We’ll have to wait and see.

Robert Scoble has written an interesting and more detailed post about why he believes, after several failed attempts by Google to go social, Buzz just might succeed. TechCrunch has also published a post on why Buzz may gain traction in ways Wave has not yet been able to achieve. Both posts are great reads for those wanted more detail and analysis.

What do you think? Will you give it a try? Take a look at the high-level overview from Google and let me know your thoughts.

What is Your Favorite “Real-time” Tool?

Irene Koehler — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:10:00 +0000

The theme of LeWeb ’09 was “The Real-time Web,” but what exactly “is” real-time? And, at what point, do real-time tools stop being new toys which only truly-geeky people use and start becoming so embedded into our everyday lives that we don’t really think about them, but can’t imagine living without them?

While most of the conversation at LeWeb was fairly technical and focused on what’s ahead, such as exciting new applications and tech start-ups, I wondered what tools these uber-geeky folks are using day-to-day in their real lives which are simple enough for the rest of us non-geeks to use.

I invite you to hear from some of the attendees as they share a few of their favorite tools. Let me know in the comments which tool is your favorite and why you’re a fan.

LeWeb Bingo! Watch and Play Along!

Irene Koehler — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:06:43 +0000

Here in Paris, the excitement about LeWeb is palpable. While the actual conference will take place over the next two days, there are many pre-conference parties and activities today.? I’m thrilled to be here as one of the LeWeb Official Bloggers and looking forward to meeting many of my peers from around the world.

One peek at the agenda and it is easy to see that the conference is packed full of meaty content. For those of you who aren’t lucky enough to be here, you may watch the events below. If for any reason, the embedded videos don’t work, just go to the LeWeb homepage, I’m sure there will be an updated link, if needed.

Whether you are participating in person or via the web, I invite you to have a little fun with the content by playing LeWeb Bingo. If you’ve never played bingo, it works like this:

Print one or both Bingo “cards” and keep it with you as you listen to the presentations. (To print, click on the image once, then click on it again. You’ll get a nice, large image suitable for printing.)
As you hear one of the speakers use one of the terms listed somewhere on the Bingo card, place a large X in that square.
The center square is a “free” spot. It automatically counts as having an X.
When you have an entire row, column or diagonal filled with X’s, you have Bingo! (I only advise yelling the traditional “Bingo!” if you are watching remotely and are alone at home. Yelling at the conference is done at your own risk.)
If you really want to win it all, go for a “blackout” – which means you continue to play until all squares on your card have an X. (And, by “win it all”, I mean that you get absolutely nothing as there are no prizes at all. You may, however, feel free to wager with a friend to see who will achieve “blackout” first.)

Let the games – and the exciting presentations – begin!

Live streaming from the Main Stage at LeWeb:
Video chat rooms at Ustream

Live streaming from Salle 400 at LeWeb:
Live TV : Ustream

Moments and The Power of Not Laughing

Irene Koehler — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:50:53 +0000

I didn’t know what to expect. The guy was a complete stranger, yet here we were having a delightful and very natural conversation. We talked about our kids, observations about life and social media.

A few days prior to our meeting, I saw a tweet from this guy saying he’d be in the Bay Area and asking if anyone wanted to get together. Twitter, at that time (about two years ago), was a much more intimate place. While I didn’t know him at all, I went to his profile to read a few of his tweets. He seemed like a friendly person who had a passion for using social media to connect with others. I was relatively new to Twitter at the time and decided to take a chance. He and I had never interacted before, but what’s the worst that could happen? I replied to his tweet, half-expecting not to hear back from him. But, I did.

There are moments in each of our lives when the path isn’t clear. We can keep on doing what we’ve been doing and be just fine, or we can take a chance, challenge ourselves and try something new. I wouldn’t realize until later that this was one of those moments for me.

I began my career in the corporate world somewhere around the dawn of time, but had been developing an interest and some level of expertise in social media and reputation management for quite some time. It wasn’t an intentional shift, it naturally evolved over time. A friend, who knew of my growing interest and skills, invited me to speak to a local organization and share some tips. The presentation was well received and the requests for me to speak and coach others began to pour in. I had already been a huge LinkedIn user and advocate for years prior to this and, similarly, was frequently asked to help others learn how to best use the tool.

I have no tech background, unless you count the two weeks I spent in college with keypunch cards. I didn’t get my first email account until I was well into my career. I wouldn’t know code if it ran over me. The first time I posted an event to Eventbrite, it took me an entire day – one from-morning-til-night day. It was new to me; this was all new to me. I pushed myself. I was frustrated. I was having fun. I had forgotten what it was like to have fun.

When I coached others, I often used myself as an example. “If I can learn to do it, so can you. I will be here to help you.” I found that this “take it slow” approach resonated with smart and talented people who happened to be just a little bit behind me in the learning curve. Still, I was doing this as a side project along with my other work. Inside, I wondered where this might take me. Was I too old to have a voice or have something to contribute? Would I make a fool out of myself because of my lack of tech skills? These and other questions had been churning in my mind, yet I had never shared my vision or concerns aloud.

He teased me about my social life. That’s when I knew we had connected. I somehow trusted him and wanted to get his feedback. His expertise far exceeded my own. He’s far younger than I am. I knew he had a completely different point of view, which is exactly what I wanted.

As I talked about the voice and presence I hoped to have, I expected him to laugh at the thought of someone from a pre-interenet generation imagining that they had something of value to share. I had already rationalized in my head that it would be OK if he laughed. I was ready for it, but it never happened. He immediately smiled and told me there was a great need for someone like me. He even offered helpful suggestions for next steps.

Looking back, there is no doubt that this was a moment for me. A guy with no agenda other than to be supportive and kind allowed me to take a leap of faith, saying aloud what had only been inside. After spending the afternoon together at a sidewalk cafe, I left feeling confident and energized. He smiled, he nodded, he bought me juice. And, he didn’t laugh at me.

We seldom know when others are in the midst of such a moment. They may not know it themselves. As they share what is on their minds, I wonder… Am I fully listening? Am I connecting? Am I being supportive?

I will forever be grateful for that wonderful afternoon with the nice guy who felt comfortable enough to tease me and who didn’t laugh. Thank you, Chris Brogan, for treating all moments as if they are important.

Image courtesy of *clairity*

I’m Engaged! (4 Tales of Accidental Twitter Friends)

Irene Koehler — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:59:31 +0000

It’s true, I’m engaged. No, not that kind of engaged. I’m virtually engaged – listening to conversations and building relationships online.

As with other networking platforms, I use Twitter primarily for business purposes. Still, as we all know, even when we network and use social media for business, we don’t talk about business 100% of the time, right? (Cue: This is where you knowingly nod your head in agreement. If this is news to you, please stop and read this immediately; it’s for your own good.)

Along the way, I’ve met so many fabulous people. Many have become clients, partners and friends. Much about connecting on Twitter is serendipitous, if we are open to it. There certainly are many people I’ve come to know through traditional, strategic means. I truly cherish each connection and am honored to “hang out” with them every day.

Aside from the strategic alliances, I encourage you to be open to the unknown. Here are just four of my favorite Twitter stories of how I “accidentally” connected with someone new, all with a happy ending and a bright future.

Watching: Ships Passing in the Night ( Jim Connolly)

Over a year ago, I often saw this guy start tweeting just before I went to sleep and talk about ending his day just as I was getting going in the morning. I watched this for awhile and saw that he was in England, which explained the time difference. I began replying to his tweets at both ends of the day and, from there, we struck up quite a wonderful conversation.? Jim is a super-smart marketing mastermind and is also the brains behind The Tech News Blog and The Ideas Blog. Over the past year, we’ve become fantastic friends. He is always there whenever I need a friendly ear. To top it all off, he is hilarious and keeps me in stitches.

Connecting: Networking in the Carpool Lane ( Cathryn Hrudicka)

When I decided to think about considering the possibility of perhaps attending my first TweetUp (note the conviction), I dutifully followed the event hashtag to get a sense of who would be there and what to expect. I am terribly introverted and, while I did very much want to give this a try, I had no difficulty in coming up with reasons not to go.

As I scanned the tweets, I saw one from a woman who shared that she’d be interested in going if she could get a ride with someone. I looked at her Twitter page, quickly recognized that she was bright and someone who placed a high priority on engaging with others.? I replied and, long story short, we managed to meet and ride to and from the TweetUp together. What a fabulous find Cathryn is! She has a wealth of knowledge about technology, social media, the performing and visual arts, non-profits and philanthropy. Who wouldn’t want to know her?

Listening: I Beg to Differ? (Tony Uphoff)

Are you “listening” to conversations on Twitter? Hands down, one of the most powerful features of Twitter is the ability to “eavesdrop” by searching for tweets using keywords or phrases of interest to you.

As part of my work helping people understand and start using social media, I do quite a bit of work with LinkedIn. I’m a huge advocate of the networking power of the site, though people are often unsure as to how to best leverage its features. I often have a search running on Twitter for people talking about LinkedIn and frequently offer assistance by answering their questions. One day, I noticed a tweet regarding the value of recommendations on LinkedIn. I replied and it immediately became apparent that the person tweeting and I had strong – and opposing – opinions on the topic.

Anytime I have the opportunity to connect with someone intelligent who is able to articulate a differing perspective is a huge learning opportunity for me; and this conversation was no different. Since these first tweets, I’ve come to know Tony as a savvy business leader (he’s the CEO of TechWeb) with keen insight into all things tech and media related (he blogs at Uphoff On Media). He is also one of the warmest, most genuine people I’ve been privileged to meet.

Meeting: Oh No, You Didn’t (Itamar Kestenbaum)

In addition to useful content, conferences provide wonderful networking opportunities. At BlogWorld in Las Vegas recently, I took every opportunity to introduce myself to someone new. One day at lunch, I plopped myself down next to someone I hadn’t yet met.

Itamar took one look at me and said, “I know you. You unfollowed me!” Yikes! Where the heck can a conversation go from there? Fortunately, we’re both very easy-going and had a good laugh about it.? We talked about the fact that I am an aggressive unfollower, especially when I receive automated DMs (direct messages). Itamar was not alone in initially thinking that setting up automated DMs was a good idea after seeing others doing it, however it is a big Twitter etiquette no-no!

Itamar, who blogs at Itamar Kenstenbaum, and I have since kept in touch. We both are huge social media fans and discover interesting bits of news in each other’s Twitter stream.

Each one of these stories is slightly off-of-center when it comes to how people usually (to the extent that anything is “usual” on Twitter) connect on Twitter. However we connect on Twitter and on other social networking sites, it’s all about engagement.

I’m engaged. Are you? Please share your stories of “accidental” connections.

Help Me Help You – When You Have Questions

Irene Koehler — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:34:28 +0000

The Context

If you are online using any sort of social media, you know that it has been a wild roller-coaster ride lately. The primary networking platforms which many of us use – Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn – have all undergone huge changes, seemingly at a breakneck pace. Some have been well communicated in advance, many weren’t. Some have been well-received, many have led to frustration. A few have worked well immediately upon launch, most seem full of bugs and perform inconsistently.

It’s no wonder that so many of you are frustrated and confused. You’ve been through it all. With an array of buttons to click here and there to manage privacy, sync updates with other sites, and manage spam – how is a person supposed to keep up? All this, in addition to having your account hacked. It can be a challenge. Not doubt about it.

What’s Happening Now

I’ve forged relationships with many of you. I cherish each one of those relationships and deeply appreciate your trust. What has happened, though, is that every day I receive emails, DMs (private tweets) or other requests for help. Since these are all out of the public view, I’m sure you don’t realize how much of my time is spent answering questions.

I have three concerns about this:

I have to be perfectly candid and acknowledge that it takes a huge amount of time to manage each interaction, as most involve several back and forth messages. While I enjoy doing this and want you to continue to ask for help, I have to be practical also.
Chances are very high that if you have the problem or question, you are not the only one who would like to know the solution. Since these interactions are private, no one else gets the benefit of hearing the advice or solution.
I don’t always know the answer. But, we’ve got some brilliant folks in our community who may know the answer or have advice to share.

.

My Request and Solution

Whenever possible, I invite you to post your question to the AlmostSavvy Facebook fan page. This addresses all three issues above. Trust me, you aren’t the only one with that question. And, if you have an answer or suggestion for someone else’s question, by all means, add your input – please!

Most importantly, keep those questions coming. This just gives us a home for the interaction to take place within our community.

If you haven’t already joined AlmostSavvy on Facebook, doing so only requires visiting the page and clicking the “Become A Fan” button at the top of the page. If you are reading this on my blog, just click the button (top, right – under my picture) and you’re in! Of course, you’ll need to have already set up a Facebook account, but with well over 300 million people on Facebook, it could be just the place for you to (re)connect with your favorite people.

Your Thoughts

How does this sound to you?

Creating Evangelists: Social Media the Cirque du Soleil Way

Irene Koehler — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:47:19 +0000

As part of Cirque du Soleil‘s social media strategy, a number of bloggers attending BlogWorld in Las Vegas were invited to attend one of their fabulous shows. With six completely different Cirque shows in Las Vegas, choosing just one proved a daunting task, but I eventually selected LOVE.

It is hard to imagine any theatrical experience topping the feast for the senses that is LOVE, Cirque’s tribute to The Beatles. It is a high energy show in which cast members defy gravity and the line between performance space and audience members is blurred. It’s as if LOVE? dug deep into my imagination and re-created it all on stage, while making it all much cooler and more psychedelic in the process.

A key part of a successful social media business strategy is identifying those with influence and an interest in your brand, and then finding a way to engage them turning them into fans and evangelists. This strategy was definitely in play here. Results: Did I attend LOVE because I was offered a ticket? Yes, absolutely. Am I now a huge Cirque fan because I was offered a ticket? Absolutely not. It was 100% positively fantastical and fabulous. Will I continue to tell folks heading to Vegas that they should find a way to see LOVE? You bet.

Again, an example of marketing at its finest – create interest up front and then blow their socks off by delivering beyond expectations. A finely-tuned marketing and social media strategy which creates a level of buzz, but isn’t matched by the actual experience or product in real life will do nothing other than create a group of disappointed, and likely vocal, customers.

To learn more about how Cirque du Soleil is using social media, I spoke with Cirque Social Media Manager, Jessica Berlin.

Have you seen examples of brands using social media well or others missing the mark? Please add your thoughts.

Almost Savvy » Twitter

Social Media Stats – It’s Raining Content!

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Words That Totally Make My Head Hurt

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I Don’t Care Where. You. Are. Right. Now.

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Ready for Yet Another Social Platform? Here Comes Google Buzz

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What is Your Favorite “Real-time” Tool?

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LeWeb Bingo! Watch and Play Along!

Let the games – and the exciting presentations – begin!

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Moments and The Power of Not Laughing

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I’m Engaged! (4 Tales of Accidental Twitter Friends)

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Help Me Help You – When You Have Questions

The Context

What’s Happening Now

.

My Request and Solution

Your Thoughts

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Creating Evangelists: Social Media the Cirque du Soleil Way

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