Today marks the debut of the second episode of (R)evolution, a new series that connects you to the people, trends, and ideas defining the future of business, marketing, and media. Please welcome author, TV personality, TechCrunch blogger, and business journalist Sarah Lacy… Living in Silicon Valley, tech startups and industry giants serve as common fixtures, much in the same way movie studios and production companies adorn Hollywood. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are on the minds and in the conversations of…
The New and Improved Twitter
On Monday, I received a short and simple message from the Twitter team, “You are invited to attend a special event at Twitter HQ tomorrow afternoon, RSVP Yes or No.” I had just finalized my travel from San Francisco to New York and thought for a moment, that it might be worth reconsidering. The message could only mean one thing, Twitter was going to announce something new and given that they don’t usually host live conferences for just any new…
Women Who (Do) Tech: Moving Forward, Seizing the Future
by Cathy Brooks (@CathyBrooks, CathyBrooks.com) This is not another post about the “issue” of why there are fewer women in business and technology. This is a post about doing something about it. You would think based on coverage, like this article last April in the New York Times and this more recent post in the Wall Street Journal that women had made little to no progress in Silicon Valley. Hogwash. To be fair, if we’re talking raw numbers women are…
The Rise of Social Commerce
500 million Facebook denizens are plotting their social graphs. 145 million Twitter users Tweet and ReTweet. 3 million people are checking-in on FourSquare. Brands are flocking to social networks, some with strategies and others simply experimenting with community building. What’s clear is that the 3F’s (friends, fans, and followers) are not created equal. Those brands who examine the composition of their existing community will find that many are simply seeking access to exclusive specials and content. According to a recent…
(R)evolution Episode One: Empowering Your Employees and Customers with Josh Bernoff
Welcome to the premier episode of (R)evolution, a new series that connects you to the people, trends, and ideas defining the future of business, marketing, and media. In show number one, Forrester’s Josh Bernoff discusses his new book Empowered, co-authored with Ted Schadler. An old proverb declares, “may you live in interesting times.” Indeed we do. The markets that define the business landscape for brands, organizations, and local businesses are democratizing. At the same time, the dynamics of influence, who…
Social Media: It’s All Part of a Master Plan…or Is It?
Twitter presence…CHECK Facebook Brand Page…CHECK YouTube Channel…CHECK Socialized Business Strategy…TBD While showing up to the party represents a noteworthy effort, a bona fide social media strategy this checklist does not make. Creating presences, listening to conversations tied to keywords and superfluously responding to updates and questions creates a facade of engagement that is at best trivial. And, quite frankly, without a true investment of intention, attention and conviction (I.I.A.C.), we minimize the opportunity before us as well as the thoughts,…
Connecting the Dots: Socializing Touchpoints
We are now down to the second-to-last video where Chris Beck, founder of 26dottwo (@26dottwo) and I examine the state and future of social media. In this segment, we outline the importance of connecting offline and online experiences. Brands must now introduce a connected series of touchpoints between traditional and new media programs to define paths and bring desired outcomes to life. However, to connect the brand strategy to the individual requires a personal approach that starts with the “First…
Social “Me”dia and the Evolving Twitter Egosystem
There’s a saying, “technology changes, people don’t.” Yet, when we consider the impact of technology on our daily lives, some very interesting observations surface… A pen now feels awkward to hold and as such, our penmanship is deteriorating. It’s now common to sit at a dinner table with family and friends where some are actively communicating with others, listening to music or gaming via mobile devices. We are redefining the perception, boundaries and thresholds for privacy as we once knew…
Video: Bringing a Brand to Life in Social Media
We’re approaching the last bits in this series of conversations where Chris Beck, founder of 26dottwo (@26dottwo) and I examine the state and future of social media. In this installment we review the various aspects and formalities of bringing a brand alive, truly alive in social media. Everything begins with establishing the rules of engagement in order to define the boundaries, context, and objectives for conversations. Guidelines such as “don’t be stupid,” “use common sense,” “stay positive,” are not the…
REPORT: Facebook and the New Age of Privacy
It’s said that opposites attract. However, in social media, it’s quite the opposite. The idea of privacy and publicity are in fact at odds with one another. And at the heart of the matter, one social network is caught in the crossfire of sharing information and TMI (too much information). The line that separates privacy and openness remains undefined as it continues to shift as individuals learn important life lessons about the benefits and risks of living in public. As…
