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By Vegasbab, December 16, 2008 10:57 pm

I needed some stupid, fun tonight. I think the below also goes for RFP writing

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By Vegasbab, December 15, 2008 11:17 pm

One hundred and forty characters was not enough for the irony of this article about Dell generating $1 million in revenue from twitter. The link flew like wildfire. In fact, if you check Twitter Search there’s pages upon pages of people who circulated the link.

My favorite part? Not a SINGLE person mentioned (or complained) that @DellOutlet only tweets deals. They also didn’t mention the following twitter faux pas, that are apparently SOOOO horrible:

1. @DellOutlet only follows 16 (all Dell accounts by the way… so technically, ZERO)
2. They very rarely reply to others. When they do, there’s always a suggestion to sign up for email offers
3. They do not participate in the conversation
4. Did I mention they only tweet advertisements?

According to this silly article, brands don’t belong on Twitter. Personally, I like this counter-post much better. Brands DO belong on twitter. Like I’ve said before, they DO provide value to the people who CHOOSE to follow them. No one is forcing you to follow anyone else. AND, unless you’re following them, you will never see their tweets in your twitter stream. Get over yourself and PLAY NICE.

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By Vegasbab, December 15, 2008 8:25 pm

Recently, I downloaded Tweetdeck. Of course, I love it and hate it. But, one of my favorite features is “TwitScoop”. TwitScoop allows you to see the trending topics of the moment. I’ve been checking this and the usual listing that’s on Twitter Search for about a week.

The trend? Nine times out of ten one of the major trending topics involves a TV show or something that’s on TV at that minute. If you follow those topics to view the tweets about them, they’re all status updates that include limited, if any, @ replies.

I find this interesting on several levels:

1. TV is clearly a huge, mainstream medium. It’s not dead and it’s still a good way to reach the masses.
2. For all the talk about “being too busy” to watch TV, those that are “experts” and “bleeding edge” people are still, yep you guessed it, watching TV!
3. Twitter is a social medium. Discussing a TV show is a pretty easy way to connect. Yet, few people seem to be connecting over their TV tweets.

Conclusion?

1. With social media and the ability to “hide”, small talk is no longer needed.
2. A lot of people still watch TV. On an actual TV. At the actual time that the show airs… aka people don’t use their DVR as much as reports would lead you to believe. Aka people still watch commercials.

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By Vegasbab, December 15, 2008 8:13 pm

I’ve always loved the quote:

Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer, but wish we didn’t.

If you think about it, it is incredibly true. If it’s an easy question, there’s no need to consult anyone. If it’s a tough question, but easy answer, again, no need for consultation. But, it’s when, in your gut, you know the answer, but don’t like it… well, that’s when you ask for advice.

Other times, answers to your questions come with others’ silences. Sometimes, silence is the best answer you’ll ever receive.

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By Vegasbab, December 14, 2008 4:11 pm

People are funny, fickle creatures. Here’s just a few examples:

• - People say that UGC is, “dead and dumb”. Then, Pepsi gets blasted for coming out with a new logo that wasn’t created by UGC.
• - People scream for honesty and authenticity. Business models like Buzz Logic and PayPerPost (aka Izea) appear so brands can be honest about paying bloggers for reviews. People still get angry.
• - People want brands to join in the Social Media games, then get mad at them for promoting their brand, not using social media the “right way” or reaching out to “influencers” to help.
• - People sit here and whine about Chris Brogran’s sponsored post for Kmart, but don’t find issue with Razorfish’s announcement to patent a social media measurement?

The need/want to monetize social media will NEVER go away. If a brand is going to spend money, especially in these times, there needs to be some sort of ROI. More importantly, the majority of social media “experts” are self-employed. They either need incremental cash sources (i.e. Affiliate marketing, Google AdSense) or a way to prove to their clients that social media is valuable and “safe”. Therefore, you have two options:

1. Quit bitching. If you really dislike what a company’s doing, offer CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Be nice about it. Teach them various ways to use the medium or offer suggestions on other ways to approach social media.
2. Make up your mind. Don’t tell a brand you don’t like x and when they do c (aka the opposite of x) still get mad at them. Are you really confused as to why that’s frustrating?

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By Vegasbab, December 12, 2008 12:55 am

I won’t go into why, but today my final straw was reached. It takes A LOT for me to reach my final straw. In fact, I can only recall one other time…

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By Vegasbab, December 10, 2008 11:01 pm

No words needed. Click the picture for a larger image or buy one here. Enjoy the laugh!

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By Vegasbab, December 7, 2008 11:37 pm

I’m sick of the whining. I’m sick of people saying you can’t measure social media and that there’s no way to measure “true” ROI.

And, to an extent they are right. The “real” value of social media is difficult to measure. But, if you want to put a hard dollar to your efforts, you can. I know, it’s soooo wrong. But, get over it. If your CMO needs to see a dollar value before putting money to it, well, give ‘em what they want:

• - encode Atlas tags in all your tiny url’s
• - encode Omniture (or whatever web analytics tool your using) code into tiny url’s
• - generate unique landing pages and/or promotion codes

Gasp! That was hard to come up with. I know, we’re so horrible for trying to put a dollar sign to social media. But, most people have no clue or they just don’t care. Plus, if your promo code or landing page gets picked up or passed around (i.e. the person didn’t exactly come from the site you originally posted on), well… that STILL falls under the umbrella of Word of Mouth / Social Media Marketing.

Grow some balls. Stop whining and decide what you’re using social media for – marketing or customer communications – and do it.

Rule #76: No excuses.

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By Vegasbab, December 7, 2008 1:14 pm

I love the below quote. It’s actually been sitting in my drafts for over a month, waiting for the perfect example for it to accompany. But, I’m impatient and tired of waiting, so…

The future is here, it’s just not widely distributed yet.            – William Gibson

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By Vegasbab, December 6, 2008 6:46 pm

I’m not a fan of the first two weeks of December. To say they are rough would be an understatement. Every year, I work at. I think, I hope and convince myself it will be different, but not yet.

December 9 marks five years. I can’t believe it’s been that long. I certainly can’t imagine what life would be like if that day never happened. That day turned my whole world upside down.

While the pain is always more promoninent in the week leading up to the day, it’s a moment I’ve thought about every day for the last 1,825 days. People say, “Time heals all wounds.” And yes, these days, I don’t always shed a tear at the thought. But sometimes, I replay the day and ask, “What if?”. The sound of an ambulance still leaves me shaking. And the smell of lavendar is still avoided.

Don’t get me wrong, I will never wish to take back a single moment to alleviate the pain… those nine months are worth a lifetime of it. But, after all these years, I’m eternally gratefully to the Back Alley Friends who remember to reach out and hold on just a little tighter than usual.

In loving memory… today and always.