Regarding the Pope

So my 15th, 17th, and 19th Performances will not be online for various technical and talent malfunctions. But you know what, I owe you nothing, so be happy I've given you the gifts I have.

Feb. 20, 2010 Enjoy

Another Rubinton classic.

Here's one from a while back. I hope you enjoy.
BTW, I recorded my 15th performance on my phone, so that's not going online.

I do! There was a really long House Hunters marathon on, so I haven't posted in a while. I'll try to post some stuff to make up for it.

Much like the Americas in the late 1400s, social media is new and mysterious. So much so that its value has not had enough time to enter into common knowledge. If you look at some past examples, however, it is clear why social media is important.

People can say whatever they want about your brand

Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room.
-Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon

This is a common quote among social media practitioners because it is true. The age of authoritative ads telling people about their products is ending. Social media has given people a platform to tell others how they feel about a brand or product. (see: I Hate Dell)

People don't relate to corporations
For years, many brands have been faceless corporations. Companies like McDonalds use characters like Ronald McDonald to give their brand a face so that people can relate to it. Social media functions in the same way by giving your brand a voice so that they can talk directly to their consumers. (see: JetBlue)

People DON'T want your product

"If I tell my Facebook friends about your brand, it’s not because I like your brand, but rather because I like my friends." - Mike Arauz

They want the benefits that your product will give them. Social media allows you to sell them on a product, not just sell them the product. Interacting with the client when they're still contemplating a purchase or following up post-purchase shows them that there is more to your product than just the physical object. (see: Zappos)

People want to be part of the solution
Social media can be used much like a secret shopper: letting average people inform a company on how well they are doing. Customers want better service or products, and companies want happier customers. Twitterers and Facebookers would be glad to help out a company if it meant a better experience in the future. Plus, they'll do it without even knowing it, and they do it for free. (see: Customer Service)


People are in charge
You may have spent years building your company from scratch, putting in long hours, ignoring life at home, finally becoming a success, but guess what-It isn't your company any more. The people control their purchasing power, they control the media they consume, and they can control how others feel about you. Working with them helps you work with them, not for them or against them.

As the year draws to a close, so do many other things. It is the end of the decade, the end of the semester, and the end of of Chuck Norris jokes, hopefully. (Did you know that underneath his beard is a washed-up has-been?) It is time to reflect back on social media in the last few months.

I've covered a wide variety of topics on this blog. I've offered my exertise on a variety of subjects. If Frisbees wanted to enter the digital age, they "could set up a microblogging site called Frisbeer, where people could quickly share info on Frisb-ups. People could use the hashtag #frisbee to find people looking to play or discuss Frisbees." I've offered my fellow comedians some advise on how to promote themselves via this crazy media we call social. They need to remember that "it is...important to see that these comedians are real people.". It's not all fun and games around here, though. I've done some serious reviews of things like crowdsourcing and some major blogs. I've even had to expose the mistakes of some of my favorite companies, like Sony. For one of there viral marketing campaigns, "not only was the site and its contents fake, but so were many of the comments on the site as well as the Diggs promoting it." My Playstation doesn't seem to hold it against me, though, so I can sleep well at night. And Sony, if you're listening, I would love to help you use social media in a more effective way.

I know what you're thinking:

"Wow, this guy knows so much about social media, AND he's devilishly handsome."-Your mind

You're only half right. I've still got a lot to learn about social media, as does everyone. It is still growing, finding its audience. Sure, social media matters, but why? In a recent tweet, I attempted to answer this. It seems like so much of the discussion on social media is being done by social media practitioners. I'd love to hear people's thoughts on how it has affected them and where they think it will go. If you would like to talk, I can be reached numerous ways. You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or even by simply commenting here.

For my Emerson Social Media class, we were asked to compare and contrast Social Media/Blog superstars Chris Brogan and Ed Boches. They will probably get dozens of pings this week, so if either of you are reading this, that's why we are all writing about you. I've decided to spice up the comparison, though, by throwing the ultimate competitor into the ring...

Here is the Predator in his LinkedIn profile picture

Round 1
Target Audience
Boches and Brogan write to similar audiences. They both appeal to everyone from individuals trying to learn about marketing and huge companies that want to improve themselves in inexpensive ways. The two differ mostly in content. While Boches writes about trends, events, news and his opinions on social media, Brogan often does the same thing, but gives detailed instructions on how to one's improve social media presence. Boches is equally informative, but the lessons are learned from reading the stories of his posts, not through straight-up lessons, though he does do this from time-to-time. That isn't to say that Brogan is dumbing his blog down. His pieces are incredibly well written and feature information that many would pay large sums of money for. Basically, both blogs are informative, speak to people in marketing and/or social media, and are full of great information. People should try out both blogs, and whoever's opinion they most agree with should be their blog of choice. Of course, they could always read two blogs and get a balanced view. They have the technology to do that now.
The Predator could learn a lot from these two. His online presence is seriously hurt. He does not own his name as a Web site, he hardly blogs, and when he does, it is not in English, except when he includes audio clips of his victims. When it comes to Target Audience, it is like he doesn't even care. There seems to be more emphasis on actual targets.

This round goes to Brogan and Boches.



Round 2
Interesting Points

Boches had a recent post that wisely talked about social media as a tool, not a medium. I know this isn't an original idea, but the way he described it seemed to be a perfect way o explain it. Too often, I feel like companies simply use social media because they are supposed to. Social media has uses, and the post explains exactly what companies may be looking for, and why it would benefit them to use social media.
Brogan also wants companies to be smarter with their social media. He wrote that social media should not be one person's job, but rather a product of an entire staff or company. When everyone is on the same page, the results are much stronger.
The Predator also has some interesting points. Mostly, I agree with his views on respecting others. If you help him, he will help you, and he shows this by burning a symbol into you with acid.

Best Friends Forever

Round 3
Controversial Views
Boches wrote a recent piece that describes print ads as old. I understand what he is trying to say, but I feel like many times, social media mavens tend to see new media as the only worth-while media. Fewer people read magazines, but print media is not dead. The example he uses is a competition to make Detroit look hip by making a good print ad, but Boches sees this as counter-intuitive. I feel that depending on the creativity of the ad, it can be just as powerful as any other ad.
One of Brogan's articles that I take issue with is about how much time should be spent on social media and how it should be divided. He clearly states that it his his view on it, and it is for business, but that won't stop me from nit-picking! He clearly defends his opinion, but I feel that, seeing as social media is about interactions, it should vary depending on the conversations. Besides, if you want to interact, ask your followers what they want more or less of. One of the issues that social media is supposed to address is the authoritative tone of traditional media. There should not be a defined schedule for interacting, it should be natural.
My issue with the Predator is his distorted views on pride. We've all seen is trophy collection, he has far more skulls than I will ever have. So why, even though we all acknowledge that he is a great hunter, he feels the need to nuke himself and the surroundings if he is defeated. I think that is a little extreme, but who am I to question our cultural differences.

In conclusion, both Ed Boches and Chris Brogan are excellent bloggers with terrific insights to the world of online media, but are lousy hunters that would never hold their own in a battle with a Xenomorph. They seem like nice people, and I hope that they never have to fight off these alien beasts alone. Perhaps if they crowdsource, they will be able to take one down. I'd love to see them blog about that experience

Videos on the internet are everywhere. Youtube is a great site to host them so that the videos can be seen and shared. However, it works best as a tool and not a channel. Funny or Die, on the other hand, is great as a hub for comedic videos on the internet.
Youtube has millions of great clips like the Mega Man rap below, but is cluttered with emo kids making videos of themselves being emo.


FOD has a dedicated focus, comedy, that allows all the videos to stay on message, which makes the comments much more relevant and engaging. It also has exclusive videos, often featuring celebrities. Almost everything on FOD has the potential to go viral, whereas Youtube has a very small percentage of unique content that's even worth watching.

Considering how useful Youtube is for creating popular videos, it is strange how little emphasis they put on sharing their videos. Under the video info, there are links to embed the clip and the URL. The links to directly share the videos are placed in a grey box below the video. Expanding the box brings up more bland links in a larger grey box. It is boring and allows the sharing feature to be easily overlooked.

FOD makes their buttons much more visible and exciting. First off, all the sharing tools are together, including the embedding, e-mailing, and social media tools. Plus, everything pops against the black background.

FOD is much newer, and it shows. Youtube should seriously invest in a make-over. Considering they are owned by Google, it is very odd that they would not fit with the rest of the family.

Target has found a great way to turn their social media presence into a clear system to bring in revenue. Using Twitter, Target has set up a page for daily deals. It allows followers to find out about exclusive deals and links directly to them.

These quick, micro sales are perfect for social media. They require zero advertising and can be constantly updated.