Quick News: SixApart Buys Social Media Agency

Posted by Nathania Johnson

Blogging Software Firm SixApart Buys Social Media Agency Apperceptive

Why You Can No Longer Ignore Online Video

Posted by Nathania Johnson

I’m going to write something a little daring - almost shocking myself to make this statement. And here it goes:

More than blogs, Twitter and StumbleUpon - you can no longer afford to miss out on online video.

Whether you think social media is a bunch of hype or a valuable tool in your overall online marketing strategy, online video must take priority - at least for the time being. Here’s why.

1. We know last year online video was hot, but when the writers strike began, online videos filled the void. And they didn’t slow down, and it might not anytime soon.

Only a few episodes of returning shows will be produced and aired for the rest of the spring. Then summer follows, when school is out and reruns are rampant (again!).

2. 10 BILLION online videos were viewed in the month of February alone - and that’s just in the United States.

3. Google Maps is now letting companies embed YouTube videos in their search listings.

I personally am going to be exploring online video a lot more in the coming months. And I highly encourage you to do the same.

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Don’t Let Perfection Stand in the Way of a Good Social Media Campaign

Posted by Nathania Johnson

If you’ve been doing marketing, PR or advertising for a while, then you are likely used to making sure even the littlest details are taken care of down to a T.

But in social media, it’s actually perfection and not the little mistakes that can cost you.

For example, let’s talk about colors. Creative types that are used to more traditional agencies are likely to insist that the colors on a website or online video match EXACTLY to the official colors of a company’s logo.

But keep this in mind: everyone’s computer, laptop or mobile screen is calibrated differently. The shade of colors on your logo will look different from screen to screen.

So don’t let yourself get too caught up in spending gobs of time getting it just right. Social media is more about organic conversations and relationships, and less about corporate polish. Set yourself free and network away!

Conversations are Portable; Always Have Been, Always Will Be

Posted by Nathania Johnson

Lately, there’s been discussion about the portability of comments. Should comments be allowed on FriendFeed for example?

But comments are part of conversations, and conversations on blogs or any site have always been portable. People may discuss them in an email, meeting, IM or other blog. Now sites like FriendFeed and Twitter are facilitating off-site conversations.

This isn’t anything new. Newspapers have had conversations about brands, and there is a reason there is such a thing as “word of mouth marketing.” And consumers have always had private conversations with each other.

Attempting to control a conversation should never be the goal of any social media strategy. Participating and influencing are the real goals.

As for bloggers, yes the game is changing. And just like those in the Public Relations and Journalism industries, you too, will have to adapt.

In the meantime, check out these social sites. Be where the crowd gathers, and while there, do your thang!

The Difference Between Rock Stars and Rockers

Posted by Nathania Johnson

I read and hear a lot about “rock stars” of social media, blogging, or seo (search engine optimization). But I’m not easily impressed by rock stars. Instead, I have far more respect for rockers. What’s the difference?

• Rock stars are all about publicity. Rockers are all about their craft.
• Rock stars are on the cover of Rolling Stone. Rockers are on the cover of Guitar Player.
• Rock stars know Billboard charts, publicists, and the paparazzi by name. Rockers know chords, pedals, amps, strings, recording software, acoustics, etc.

For these reasons, I’ll trust a rocker over a rock star any day. And this translates to social media and online marketing as well. I’m not naming names, but I’ve read a bunch of the so-called “A-listers” and often thought that they’re out of touch or full of it. That may sound harsh. But the people who really know there stuff are generally not well known.

That’s not to say that a few rockers don’t reach stardom. Darren Rowse of Problogger is a good example of an A-lister that offers real value.

It’s just that sometimes the world of social media and seo is not unlike Hollywood. I see far too many magazine covers of pop stars and starlets who had a hit movie or a hit song once, but not much since. They’re only intriguing because they’re hot or do crazy things that get attention.

I’ve seen many an A-lister achieve similar status in online marketing. They did something cool once and it solidified them as a rock star in the industry. Now, everyone follows them whether or not what they’re producing now holds any value. It may not seem as shallow because that link bait post on “101 things you never knew you could do with [fill in the blank]” sure was a fascinating read. But if you don’t find yourself using anything you learn from a so-called A-lister, it might be worth considering why you spend so much time listening to them.

On the flip side, there’s a lot of social media rockers out there. They’re amazing people who are generous and passionate about what they do. They love the work and do it whether they’re rewarded with notoriety or not. Generally, there’s a healthy dose of the geek factor going on. And when you see that, you know you’re in the presence of rocker greatness. When that happens, pay attention. Take careful notes. If you really want that social media campaign to succeed, you’ll want to have the right gear and play the right notes. And the rockers will show you how it’s done.

The Power of Twitter in the Case of Emergency

Posted by Nathania Johnson

Last year, when the tragic shooting on the campus of Virginia Tech occurred, I thought that campuses should really embrace a tool like Twitter in order to keep students and staff abreast of crisis situations.

12 months later, Twitter is more than just fun - it’s on the verge of life-saving for some. In her post, How Twitter Saves Lives, Anne Jackson blogged about how people communicated the whereabouts of a tornado using Twitter.

This is tremendous stuff, people. When you’re in a basement, you’re probably not watching TV, which will only give you a radar’s assumption of where a tornado is.

Twitter offers real time, real information. If you read Anne’s post you’ll notice that the siren system didn’t completely work because power was lost. But Twitter was still able to be utilized.

I’m guessing some people couldn’t use their phones. If power was lost - it probably depended on how you were connecting to the internet via your phone, which depends on device, carrier, etc.

If anyone can offer up further insight into the tech vs. nature side of things, that would be greatly appreciated.

In the meantime, Twitter on - for fun and in crisis.

A Social Network for Your Mobile Phone

Posted by Nathania Johnson

Bluepulse is a social network for your mobile phone. You can create a group of friends and you all share the same inbox and outbox. It’s kind of like a group chat on your mobile phone.Recently, I read a blog post by someone who attended the South by Southwest interactive festival who said she wished she had been able to just follow Twitterers who were at the festival during the time she was there.

Bluepulse would have helped her do that. She could have invited her SXSW-attending Twitter followers to join a Bluepulse group and they could have made plans to meet up or chatted about the different seminars they were attended.

I could even see businesses or departments at large companies using a group chat like this. It could be great for trade shows or meeting deadlines. It could really streamline conversations and decrease redundancies.

The platform’s design looks clean and modern, which I really like too.

What do you think? Could you see yourself using a network like Bluepulse? Do you like the design?

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Ringside Releases Social Application Server

Posted by Nathania Johnson

Want a social network for your web site but don’t want to develop it from scratch? And by scratch, I mean raising the cows in order to get milk?

Well, you’re in luck.

Ringside has released what it dubs a “social application server” for companies who want to build a community around their brand.

They’re boasting that the application includes:

• Social Application Engine: think profiles, friends, groups, ratings, you know, the usual

• Social Intelligence: social analytics, baby!

• Facebook Compatibility:
integration is key with any online marketing strategy

• Federated Social Graphs:
uh, here’s the corporate speak: “Provides the ability to integrate a Ringside-based social graph with
other social networks, such as Facebook with full user authentication
and security, as well as appropriate use according to the Facebook
Terms of Service.”

• Extensible API and Tag Library:
more Facebook love - “Enables developers to extend Facebook’s API and Markup Language, as
well as define their own application-specific APIs and Tags in order to
handle custom behavior and improve website integration.”

• OpenSocial Compatibility and Interoperability:
oh right, there are other social networks out there: “Provides the ability to seamlessly work with other social networks such
as MySpace, Hi5, Orkut, and Bebo in a standard manner. This support is
planned for future versions of the Ringside Social Application Server.”

Check out the open source software at RingsideNetworks.com and RingsideNetworks.org.

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