Still Think Twitter is Small Potatoes?

Archive for September, 2008

Still Think Twitter is Small Potatoes?

Sep
2008

2.3 million people would disagree, according to a recent article put out by Mashable. Stats were obtained from Nielson Online, measuring August 2008 and indicate US users had a 422% increase over the same period the year prior. While other social media outlets experienced growth, this sure says something about the quick platform and micro-nature of things. Are you using Twitter as part of your marketing and customer service approach? Still think it’s a crazy kids toy? Companies like JetBlue, Starbucks, GM, and Southwest Airlines would certainly like their competition to believe that.

Have an opinion of your own? I’d love to hear about it, drop me an email.

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10 Tips to Keep You In Fighting Shape

Sep
2008

In reading about the US government’s bailout of the largest mortgage lenders in the country, it struck me how dependent we are as a country on the financial sector, so much so that we’ve now all effectively become mortgage lenders. Sadly, the government will use our tax dollars (you do know the government runs on our money, right?) to clean up this mess and others, all the while, small business owners around the country struggle under a burgeoning, bloated tax system and different requirements for insuring workers and keeping up with the laundry list of Federal holidays that keeps workers from even working. It’s remarkable to me how absent help for the small business sector actually is. I also wonder if people realize that it is the small business sector employing the majority of the American workforce?

Running a Small Business Can be Dicey.

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Follow or No Follow-What’s Your Take?

Sep
2008

Dave Taylor blogged today about what has obviously been nagging him a bit, or maybe others been nagging him because he does reciprocate 100% of the time on Twitter follows. It’s a blog you should check out and see how your answer lines up with others or with his.

Sometimes I find myself coaching people on the use of Twitter, but I am by no means an expert…I’m working on that part. What I learned early is that I could not possibly keep up or be interested in every single person that followed me. It would be silly to try and really, what would be the ultimate point? For me, the point of using it at all – the reason I get so sucked in sometimes – is because I want to gain knowledge, share ideas, and stir people to thinking about things that they might otherwise overlook or not know about. I also want to connect with people and friends, and help connect others. Sometimes my microposts are just silly, talking about coffee or hockey, but other times I like to think I’m helping someone find information or helping to inspire someone to take a step toward a goal they have personally or in their work. It is a community there for sure, but just like in the physical, palm-pressing one, I won’t be inclined to reach out to just anyone; I have my criteria. I am annoyed with spammers and people pimping who knows what – I think this violates the purpose, but I do always check their profile before deciding if they’re someone I want to follow, and this is a great part, I don’t have to follow them and can even block them if I choose to.

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50 Milliseconds…What did you say?

Sep
2008

In reading an article in one of my fav mags, Dynamic Graphics about a study done this study done by Dr. Gitte Lindgaard at Carleton University, Ontario, Canada, and it reminded me of that skit on SNL, “Subliminal Man”, that Kevin Nealon used to do. The study shows that people will decide in 50 milliseconds whether or not to stay your website — that’s LESS than a blink of an eye. Sad, isn’t it? We labor and sweat all the details, only to have a such a short timeframe available and POOF, our visitor is gone…or are they? How can we convince a visitor that what we have will help them, that within the confines of our website, they will find an answer to their problem? The question is probably better answered by restating the question: What would a visitor need to see or read immediately to consider staying?

In a nutshell, your site must be compelling, guest-centered, fresh, relevant, and a host of other adjectives. The point is to study before you think you need to have flashing animations and 4 pages all about you. Customers want to see themselves in your site. If you are working with a designer, make sure they understand the things that make a marketing piece and that they are able to bring that together in a way that creates ease of use and evocative messaging and imagery. Also, is it clear from this study and others that people exit sites very quickly if they look like are past an expiration date. Keep things updated, current, and if something changes, revise right away.

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A Tribute of Sorts

Sep
2008

Today there will be a lot of somber activities devoted to the casualties and horrific incidents surrounding 9/11/2001. Many know people that were impacted by this, but as a nation, we’ll never really shake the images or feelings of the event. In everyone’s lifetime, they are part of an event that is part of a historic “collective”. Where were you when the Space Shuttle crashed, where were you when President Kennedy was shot?

What I’d like to point out today is that while I feel it’s a beautiful, necessary thing to stop and pay homage, I’m embarrassed that in this election season, political candidates will use 9/11/2001 as a platform for why they would be a better choice, why they will truly protect us from harm. They’ll pull heart strings, cast fear, and paint a picture of security with them at the helm of this nation.

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Bullies Not Welcome

Sep
2008

When you are part of a group dynamic and one or two people of that group are antagonists, what’s the reaction of the rest of the group? Do the bullies win or do the rest of the people stand up and boot the bullies out? I know there are many scenarios, but I use this as an opportunity to put something out there for the bully in some of you.

Hear this: people don’t like to be pushed, bullied, ridiculed, mocked, or otherwise chastised in front of colleagues or customers. If this is part of your “managing style”, maybe you should consider working with computers instead of people. While brow-beating and embarrassing people might have worked in years gone by, the new world order shows that this is not the way to motivate or get the most out of people.

Winnie The Pooh

In Winnie the Pooh there is a line, ” If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” If you’re wondering why people leave your organization, consider what you’re doing and what ends up happening after you do “that thing” you’ve been doing. Is morale low, do people “clock watch”, and do you have higher turnover? (If the light bulb isn’t coming on, read on for something that might help.) Don’t be fooled; your treatment of people will impact the bottom line, bank on it.

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Thinking Outside the Bottle

Sep
2008

Every once in awhile, a company will depart from the pack and decide to do something a bit differently. If they’re the earlier adopter, certainly they will get some dissenters, but I would bet the competition looks at it a bit differently. Case in point: Oskar Blues in Lyons, Colorado has been making craft brews for some time. They’re one of the only micros that actually can some of their tasty beverages. Before you say, “eewww, won’t that taste like some of those other beers from Golden, Colorado?” No. I’ve tasted them and consider myself a rather knowledgeable beer drinker.

So what’s the biggy, canned beer has been around already, right? Sure it has, but this is the good stuff we’re talking about. What the folks at OB’s have figured out is people here like hiking, hut trips, playing softball, backpacking, etc., and they like to pack it in if they can. This allows people to do it a little easier. Apparently it’s the same in 22 other states, ‘cause they’re ordering like crazy.

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Archive for September, 2008