Guest post written by Ian Greenleigh, Social Media Manager at Bazaarvoice. Follow him on Twitter: @Be3D – This is not a commercial post, but solely the views of Mr. Greenleigh Imagine it is 1881, three years since the printing of the first phone book and the founding of the first telephone exchange company. You’re one of the fortunate few with access to a telephone. Some have been grumbling that the device is a mere novelty, a passing fad. Others predict…
The Interest Graph on Twitter is Alive: Studying Starbucks Top Followers
Social media is maturing as are the people embracing its most engaging tools and networks. Perhaps most notably, is the maturation of relationships and how we are expanding our horizons when it comes to connecting to one another. What started as the social graph, the network of people we knew and connected to in social networks, is now spawning new branches that resemble how we interact in real life. This is the era of the interest graph – the expansion…
The Information Democracy and Attention Economics
Minimalistic forms of self-expression masquerade as a new information economy. Instead, it’s a new information democracy that represents the greatest era for self-expression in history. What we say, however, defines the value of the social economy and our place in it. If we are defined by our actions and words, essentially the currencies we exchange, the question is, are we investing in our social capital or social arbitrage? Connect with Brian Solis on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook ___ If you’re looking…
Malcolm Gladwell, Your Slip is Showing
Solidarity Time is always limited, but in these historic times, I wished to add perspective in the hopes of moving this important conversation in a productive direction. Malcolm Gladwell continues his march toward dissension with his latest installment in the New Yorker about social media vs. social activism. Honestly, Gladwell is more than welcome to share his thoughts as it is a democratized information economy after all. I do find it alarming however, that he is wielding his influence through…
An Audience with an Audience of Audiences
From my book…The End of Business as Usual Several years ago, Mollie Sterling shared a picture of a classroom at her alma mater, The Missouri School of Journalism. The picture eventually went viral and in 2008, Apple used it in a press conference announcing a next generation Macbook event. In her post entitled “Look at them Apples,” Sterling featured the now famous picture with a statement that documented the rapid evolution in human computing and networking, “It does my heart…
Are you a content consumer or creator?
You’ll soon learn why I’m posting shorter, but more frequent posts…In the mean time, I wanted to share with you something I’ve been thinking quite a bit about these days. Think about the generation or two before us. A significant portion of free time was spent consuming media. From print to broadcast, everyday people simply digested information and content presented to them. But then, everything changed. We were gifted with the ability to share what we think, feel, and experience,…
Checking-in to the State of Foursquare
Last year at SXSW, Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley joined Frank Eliason (previously @comcastcares), Altimeter Group’s Jeremiah Owyang and me on stage to discuss the shifting landscape of social engagement. While I focused on the sociology of engagement and the impact it is having on culture and society, I also sought to balance the conversation by demonstrating the impact of digital actions and interaction between people and businesses. Whether intentional or not, Crowley and team unlocked the elusive gates that separated…
Rethinking the Future of Business Part 2: Building the Framework
In part one of Rethinking the Future of Business, we examined the state of social media in business. Once again, we take a look at a recent report published by Altimeter Group’s Jeremiah Owyang,”Career Path of the Corporate Social Media Strategist.” As part of a study on social media strategists and the divergent career paths that lie ahead, Owyang reviewed the social framework for socially renowned enterprise businesses as well as corresponding strategies and resources for 2011. The results says…
Rethinking the Future of Business Part 1: The State of Corporate Social Media
Whether you know it or not, the path that social media follows within the organization is in your hands. But as we’re learning, mastery of the latest social tools does not guarantee a place in the ranks of upper management let alone a place on the team period. The role of the social media champion is not timeless; in fact, the days of its designation are numbered. However, your role and the role of new media in your organization is…
The Time Has Come For Holistic Business Strategy
Guest post by Chris Heuer, Founder/Chairman Social Media Club What’s the biggest problem in business today? It’s not access to capital, though that is a real problem in that it inhibits growth in some places where it shouldn’t. No, it’s not command and control management hierarchies, despite the contribution they certainly make. It’s not the problem of “the other” that plagues broad swaths of our society, though that is a close second. I contend the biggest problem is that each…
