Regarding the Pope

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.

Before I start, I would just like to say that I love Emerson College. I am having the time of my life, and I look forward to practicing the secret Emerson handshake at business meetings and networking events. Already, I have had so many opportunities to do great things, like start performing stand-up. However, I, along with every other Emerson student I know, think our school's online presence "sucks."

Emerson has a terrific marketing program, but it is in danger of becoming outdated. Whether you think social media is a fad or not, it is successful, and if Emerson wants to get students jobs now, it needs to embrace social media. Sending students out into the job market unprepared will make Emerson look bad and eventually hurt enrollment.

It is easy to simply complain though, so I will try to help Emerson out.

No Centralized Presence

Emerson has a Twitter account with over 500 followers! However, it doesn't have a single tweet.



There is also an account for Alumni, another for Journalism, and yet another for Marketing Communication. I have no problem with multiple Twitter accounts, but they all seem so independent from each other. The existing Emerson College account should be a hub to direct current and potential students to these pages. The pages themselves are impressive, but no one really knows to check if @EmersonMarComm has an account. These are helpful tools, but only if they are put in people's hands.

Facebook?



While working on this post, I discovered that Emerson College has a Facebook page, and in fact it has quite a bit of content. That is pretty nice, but I have been here almost 2 and a half years, and I did not know about it. I have never been invited to the page, I have never heard students talk about the page, and I haven't found links to the page. Like the Twitter accounts, there are also pages for departments and specific projects, but they too will fly under the radar unless they are publicized.

Integration Frustration

On the Twitter pages, the websites lead back to Emerson's Web site.



The same is true for Facebook. Normally, this is a pretty good method. Companies should lead you back to them in some way. Social media can be very different though. It's all about communication and discussion now. Emerson should follow Boston University's example and have their Twitter lead to their Facebook. This allows the conversation to continue and seems more genuine. Emerson is not a corporation, it is a home to thousands of young adults. Not only should it let them play, but it should encourage them to do it.



Emerson has so many students who care about the school and would love to help out. Unofficially, Emerson has a great Social Media Presence. RAs start Facebook groups for their floors. Clubs and Organizations have their own pages and Twitters. Emerson Should tap into these students to help make the official presence higher. Emerson should have a Web site for students to upload and show off their films. Instead,this is how Emerson is represented on the Web:

For those who don't know, crowdsourcing is a collaborative effort, like Wikipedia, that allows people from all over to create something piece by piece to create something whole. It is sort of like a giant jigsaw puzzle, with each person controlling just one piece. Today it is somewhat of a buzz word in marketing, as companies are relying on Web 2.0 sites to help market their products for them, and in many cases it's working.

I recently found the website Cameesa, whose motto is "Crowdfunding Fashion." Cameesa makes users created t-shirts, much like Threadless, but instead of voting, Cameesa asks you to fund the shirts. It takes $500 to get a t-shirt made, so if you want a certain shirt, you put down anywhere from $10 to the full price in the hopes that it gets made. If not, you can use that money towards another shirt. This system makes sure that there is a market for each shirt before investing any money into its production. By eliminating overhead costs, it allows for the company to guarantee they turn a profit. Threadless measures votes, which may or may not turn into sales, but Cameesa basically takes pre-orders, so they know they will get their money.

This method could wisely be applied to comedians just starting out. Having a CD or a DVD is a great way to promote yourself and make some money, but it requires investing money without the guarantee of returns. By letting fans on your website, Twitter, Facebook, or any other site you want to use invest in your products and help pick out what bits and acts they want you to include, you can make the ideal product, as well as find out what your audience is interested in hearing about. This can help turn you from a starving comedian into a thriving comedian. Plus, if you are one of the first to do so, it will be newsworthy, and there is a good chance people will talk about your innovative methods, further raising your profile.

Imagine that the Frisbee was just being released. There would be a few early adopters, but it might take a little while for it to really catch on. The Frisbee barely works without two or more people using it, so it may be a hard sell. In today's world, it would be useful to build a network of Frisbee users around the world to help improve the experience and grow the brand.

At first, it might just start out with some Craigslist-type site. People with frisbees could post wanted ads like F4F, or even F4NF if they want someone without a Frisbee. This would help set up single Frisbee users with people curious about trying Frisbees.


It could develop into a social network of people sharing their experiences and interest in Frisbees with people all over the world on MyFrisb or Frisbook. People could post pictures of themselves and friends using Frisbees, comment on other Frisbee user's experiences, and just network to meet other Frisbee enthusiasts.


Eventually, Frisbee 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.

RT@UltimateFrizB Anyone in Boston wanna toss a Frisbee at 3? meet by Park st #frisbee #paranormalactivity

All of these methods would allow people who want to get the most out of their Frisbees to meet other people as enthusiastic as them. Also, it would allow people who do not have Frisbees to learn about them and consider buying their own. Besides, this doesn't even take into account the artists who would share their work customizing their Frisbees. Frisbees could have an internet of thei own, but for now, they would be smart using the tools already available to them.

The Viral Garden is a great source of social media inspiration. Written by Mack Collier, it is filled with a wealth of content designed to inform and enhance marketers. Besides having a great domain name, MoBlogsMoProblems.blogspot.com/, it is also a very handy tool to have on hand.

Posts range from news to tips to opinion pieces, but each is just as informative as the last. Social media is still new, so having someone like Collier to break it down for marketers is very helpful. For example, last month, Collier posted a piece explaining the importance of understanding why your company should even be on Twitter or Facebook before blindly joining in.

They assumed they had to be on these sites, and once they were there, had to scramble to figure out how being there was going to help their business.

Another great post of Collier's is about making interesting Powerpoint presentations. It is very informative, but part of what makes it so great is the level of humility that Collier brings to it by admitting how much he has grown as a presenter. He does not post as an authoritative figure, handing down decrees about Powerpoint, but instead as someone who has also had to learn the hard way and with a clear understanding of the benefits these changes can bring.

3 - Use quotes and key facts or stats to back up your points, and then use pictures with them. In the What Rockstars Can Teach You About Kicking Ass With Social Media presentation I gave at Social South recently, I wanted to add a quote from Sarah McLachlan. I could have gone with a cookie-cutter slide like this:

But instead I went with this:

See the difference? And here's another tip; notice that's a LONG quote. So I bolded the key words that I wanted to focus on, and didn't read the whole quote to the audience, just pointed out the two bolded phrases.

A recent favorite of mine was a post on blogs and their call to action. In marketing, the call to action is one of the most important features of any campaign, but beyond that, the call to action seems to just disappear. Sparked by a comment by @wilsonellis, this post explains how to add a call to action to any blog post. Often it is as simple as asking for comments, but other times you can ask people to subscribe, purchase, or even consider you for a job. It is a recent article (Tuesday Oct. 13), but looking back at Collier's older posts, he has been hyping his own consultations quite regularly, hopefully to great effect.

Collier is a very knowledgeable blogger, and seems like a genuinely nice guy as well. He has an eclectic knowledge of presentation and blogging expertise, so if you are a company in need of some help, reach out to Mack Collier. Just check his posts; he's given you plenty of incentive to work with him. Overall, The Viral Garden is a fun and informative blog filled with anecdotes, interviews, and tips that can really help companies and marketers. What do you think?

Becoming a professional comedian is hard, and like most things that are enjoyable, it can take a while to get right. Aside from being funny, promoting yourself is probably the most important thing to do to stop being an up-and-coming comedian and become a star. I don’t claim to be an expert, as you can tell by my lack of an entourage, but I have some tips that might help others looking to get big.

Promote
If you are serious about becoming a comedian, you’re probably going to have a few gigs planned every now and then. Reach out to your friends on Facebook and ask them to come out and see you. They can help build word of mouth, and hopefully they already like you, so you barely have to win them over.

ex. I’m gonna be doing some new material this Friday the 25th at 80 Boylston St. around 8pm. Please come on by.

Take Comedy Seriously
People tend to remember bad things far better than good things, so when you try to be funny, make sure you are funny. You’re typing things out, so hopefully you have time to stop and plan your jokes.

Groups
If you have, or want to have, a dedicated group of people who like going to your shows and following your career, start a Group that will allow you to message your followers and keep them updated.

Fan Page
Until you actually have followers, it might seem pretentious to start a Fan Page. If you happen to have enough of a following, or ego, these can be used like more professional Groups.

Profile Picture
Make your profile picture reflect your interest in comedy. Make it something intriguing even when small that will make people want to further investigate it. If you can have a picture of you performing, it can help attract random Facebook friends that don’t even know you perform.


Link
Hopefully by now you have a Twitter account. They’re great for posting small, simple jokes, or even just humorous observations. Let people on Facebook know about it. Post links to your Twitter, blog, youtube channel, etc whenever you can. Give people as many opportunities to find you funny as possible.

ex. www.twitter.com/d_rubes

Show Your Stuff
If you have any videos of performances, post them. This is probably the easiest way to disseminate your stand-up, skits, etc.


Be Genuine
Remember, you’re a comedian. Be funny and be likable. It’s great to promote yourself, but remember to be a respectable Facebook user as well. Don’t spam your friends, simply keep them informed.

Update
It is very important to stay relevant. Any time you have something to new, be it a gig, video, joke, whatever, tell people. Your fans will care, and if they don’t they probably weren’t very big fans. Remember to keep at it, and don’t give up.

This post is a response to http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/myspace_now_syncs_status_updates_with_twitter.php

If you have been near an electronic devise in the last few years, you have probably seen how social media is becoming a major part of life. You can tweet from your TV, phones have access to youtube, and my toaster has more friends that I do on Facebook.

Now MySpace, the former king of social networks, is syncing Twitter updates to be displayed on TheirSpace. What could once be seen as a competing service are now accepting the fact that they are complimentary services, and together they can better serve a user. If you look to the right of my blog, you will see that I have my tweets streaming. Twitter is the current wave of the future, and MySpace was smart to latch on.

I believe that in the future, all of our favorite communities will be connected with a nice interface allowing users to update everything at once. At this point, however, people will not spend all their time on social networking sites. People will no longer be addicted to Facebook or MySpace or whatever the next generation is. People will be tired of constantly interrupting their lives to explain what is going on in their lives. Celebrities will give up on Twitter, at least personally, and a large part of users will migrate away. Instead, social media will likely be an open-source search engine. Need some info on a friend? Look it up. Same with info. Someone will have written about it sometime.