Socially Adept

Social Media and Critical Mass

While conducting a search today on the utilization of Social Media for solving crimes, I stumbled across Mark Blevis's Blog.  Mark had a post about posting surveillance videos on YouTube, but his most recent post (from April 2007) is what really caught my eye as he states, "The time has come to achieve focus and pick your hang outs," in reference to Social Networking destinations.

Over the past few months, I've seen this comment coming up more in more on some popular blogs.  With the flood of services and products hitting the web, it's no surprise that many people are trying to manage the influx of connections, communication and relationships.  The question is, are these products too fragmented or not fragmented enough?

If I want to talk to a friend online, I use IM or Myspace.  If I am looking to make a business connection, I used Linked In - It's not for friends as many of them have unusual titles that don't fit with the network I am looking to build.  My blog is my personal platform - I speak my mind here, spout out some thoughts and ideas, and see if anything sticks (with one person or many).  I use Twitter when I'm in the mood, but don't feel that I need to tweet 24 times a day.  The list goes on and on.

Am I at my critical mass?  Maybe.  I Haven't even used my Pownce invite yet.  I downloaded Zune which was getting a lot of hype 6 months ago, but only visited once.  The list goes on and on. 

The space is extremely cyclical in its present state.  Early Adopters jump on new services in an effort to provide reviews and claim their space should the technology be the next topic of discussion.  If it fizzles, the feeding frenzy moves to the next potential target, while many others just wait to see what's in it for them.  Many people I know can't see the value in Twitter and make valid points to support their opinion.  Many people have latched on to Twitter so firmly that it has become their primary social media platform.  Me, I'm a middle of the road guy.  Twitter has value, but only a certain kind of value that can be utilized when appropriate.

I could go on and on for days about everything that is out there, but the real point of this rant is Critical Mass. 

Right now, because of the nature of the industry, we have two sides grasping at consumers.  The smaller niche offerings that essential fragment the average consumers online participation and the offerings looking to compile all of this information into one destination.  I don't think either side can win because obviously we need both.  The real decision comes down to how much the user wants to put out there and the level of adoption.  I'm too busy to be an every hour twitter, daily poster, weekly podcaster or vlogger...if that means my viewership is lower and my popularity minimal, so be it.  After all, it's the quality of the conversation not the quantity.

If you're at your critical mass, maybe narrowing your focusing isn't the way.  A simple adjustment of your participation may just be the trick.

ABC's i-Caught A Must See

As I type this, I am watching ABC's premier episode of i-Caught, a television show dedicated to telling the back story of some of our favorite viral videos.  So far, they have featured this incredible video called Battle at Kruger, the famous Thriller wedding dance and the other side of the viral phenomenon - the embarrassing disaster videos that have drastically ruined the lives of everyday people like this.

I love this show.  Instead of just trying to hijack the content currently viewed as popular online, they are taking the time to look into the back story of each video.  I enjoyed listening the the couple who danced to Thriller talk about how the video has affected their lives.  On the flip side, seeing the pain the wrong video can cause is essential and compelling.

This shows recognizes the power of Social Media and Consumer Generated Content (or whatever we are calling it this week) and effectively expands on the stories that people clearly care about based on the YouTube views.  They specifically detail how these videos came to live online and what caused the overwhelming success (metacafe, etc.).  Essentially, this show has the ability to introduce social media to an entirely new audience.  If it takes off, we may see the number of blogs and vlogs climb from what ABC stated during the show is currently 93 million.

The big question is, will ABC take the extra footage and make it available online for those who may have missed tonight's episode?  If I visit YouTube tomorrow and visit the "Battle of Kruger" video, will I see a branded clip from tonight's episode?  I hope so!  What better way to promote the show then post a response video to each of the existing videos they just exposed to a whole new audience?  I am sure each person featured would approve a response video from ABC.

At the time of this post (10:42PM ET) there are currently 7,861,609 views for the Battle of Kruger.  Let's see what that number is tomorrow and the next day.

On a side note, ABC is also using i-Caught to discuss how Myspace and social media are helping people solve crime.  People are actually putting photos of suspects online in an effort to catch murderers and thief's.  They asked the question, "Is this helping or hurting the case?"  Good question... thoughts?

Is YouTube Dying?

Probably not, but someone asked me recently what will come of YouTube with the increased competition in online video.  It seems that more and more frequently, my favorite channels on YouTube are driving me off the video behemoth to a smaller niche video site, so when this question came about, I actually paused and thought about it for awhile.

Video has been, and will continue to be, the "IT" conversation for marketers.  However, loading up mass amounts of content to the video giant seems a bit contradictory to what many people are saying.  "Reach Your Customers"...."Deliver content to those who care about your content"...."Speak to your customers."

Is YouTube just becoming an online CBS, NBC and FOX?  Or is it more of a DirectTV.... too many channels with nothing good on?  Will sites like Funny Or Die start a trend in aggregating similar content into multiple sites?  Maybe one day there will be FunnyTube and LoveTube (I think we need another name for that)...or DramaTube, SoapTube and BETube. 

I'm just rambling now...but then again, isn't that what blogs are for?  Keep shining, Keep smiling...knowing you can always count on me (10 points to the first person who comments on the reference)

MTV Relying on CGM to Save Network

Last night's MTV Movie Awards was just another glimpse of how MTV has completely turned to Consumer Generated Media to help boost ratings.  After last years Music Awards where one "lucky" winner got to sing with Justin Timberlake, last nights Movie Awards showcased User Submitted Movie Spoofs, Vote on Lauren's outfit (from Laguna Beach Fame), and a few other features that received prominent exposure during the show.

Over the last few weeks (sorry for not posting during that time) we have been working diligently on producing some forthcoming videos for a new social media product (stay tuned) and also created one of the aforementioned video spoofs for the MTV Contest.  Unfortunately, we did not win a finalist spot and didn't attend the show.

The interesting thing about this contest was that some of these films looked like they spent a pretty penny on execution, and I am not the only one who thought so.  People were buzzing about how professional these spoofs looked and that they didn't really encapsulate Consumer Generated Media.  Sure, we are a Social Media Marketing and Advertising agency and we submitted our own spoof, but we shot ours for less than $200 in an effort to not discourage actual consumers from participating.  Who wants to go up against a Juggernaut that spent $20k on a movie spoof?

Anyway, MTV made it a point during the show last night to mention how much was spent on each spoof.  One of the finalists, a spoof on 300, featured a cast of 30-50 and was shot inside an airplane.  According to MTV, the person who submitted the film spent $600.  Is it possible?  absolutely.  Probable?  Not likely.  However, if you are passionate and know the right people, anything can be done for $600.

The question is, does the involvement of professionals in CGM contests defeat the purpose?  I don't necessarily think it does, but should advertisers and marketers tone down their talent to blend in, or use the full scale of their arsenal to attract eyeballs? 

To date, there has been some terrific viral videos for Sneaux Shoes and Ray Ban that have shown extreme talent, but not appeared over produced.  Maybe the appropriate question is, should professionals looking to submit video focus more on execution and script then visual effects?  Based on the success of YouTube, it would be hard to say otherwise.  After all, if a 16 year old girl talking to a camera can attract 10 million viewers, maybe content is King again...or there are more dirty old men out there than anyone ever imagined.

Brand Advocates Don't Invite Anyone to Contact Them

Based on my previous posts, it's safe to say that I wouldn't mind being contacted by Under Armour.  I'd love to know what they are thinking of next.  Maybe getting into the sneaker market?  Anyway, just because I talk about Under Armour, doesn't mean that I want to be contacted by the warehouse e-commerce sites that sell Under Armour.

The other day, I received a communication from an online retailer that basically supplied a link to a store where I could buy Under Armour products.  Well, I already know where to go to buy Under Armour... and it's not your online store. 

Now, if they wanted to appropriately contact a blogger who is a brand advocate, they might think about seeing if I mentioned their online retail location.  Of course, I never have. 

Even still, maybe I've mentioned previously that I am a big online shopper.  I could understand that... I talk about Under Armour and I mention that I shop online all the time.  Unfortunately, I've never mentioned my online shopping habits. 

Lastly, they could have tried to locate something in one of my previous posts that let me know that they knew who I was and understood the editorial nature of this blog.  Unfortunately, the message they sent didn't even make sense to me.  I'd say it was generic, but it wasn't even that... it was random.

Anyway, I've made a promise never to call out an organization directly for failed outreach attempts, only because the concept is so new to most organizations and everyone deserves a free pass.  Let this be a lesson to any organization or agency looking to conduct blogger outreach... it doesn't take much to get my attention.  I don't receive hundreds of emails a day as a result of this blog, so when I do... I read through it and care about the conversation that takes place.  After all, that is the point of social media... starting a conversation.

Wanna Chat? “I’m here For Everyone” on YouTube

Gone are the days when people used to fear posting their photos online or chatting with strangers in chat rooms. The rise of YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter (to name a few) has broken the barriers to sharing personal information online. Now, some people are even encouraging connections offline…on their cell phone. Ryan Fitzgerald, a 20 year old unemployed Massachusetts native, recently posted his cell phone number via a :49 second YouTube video on April 20. Three days later, the video has spawned 110,000 views, 361 comments and 5,000 phone calls and text messages.

This isn’t the first time that someone has shared their cell phone number via YouTube, but Ryan is the first to commit to receiving 100,000 calls. He genuinely wants to speak with anyone, anywhere. His video has even prompted some to step up and defend his actions.

As usual, traditional media has picked up on the buzz around this video. The Boston Globe even spoke with a Criminologist at Northeastern University to discuss just how dangerous this experiment can be. “But the question is, why take a risk like that when there are so many other ways that are far less dangerous to be altruistic, to be generous, to be helpful to other people." So, feel free to check out Ryan on YouTube and view his response video where he addresses his naysayer’s directly.

Cross posted at Digital Influence Group's Blog.

Recommending Blogs to Clients

A client asked me today to provide some blogs that I think would be valuable in helping understand the Web 2.0 space.  As they are new to Social Media, I spent some time thinking about who I should recommend.  They were well aware of some of the bigger names, but there were some people I thought would add value to any client looking to further understand the space.

So, below are the recommendations I made.

JaffeJuice

Church Of The Customer

Marketing & Strategy Innovation Blog

Read/Write Web

Beyond Madison Avenue

HeeHaw Marketing (Because of Paul's recent post)

Of course, there are many more out there that I read, but I thought this was a good group to start with.  So, to the 6 above, you're welcome for the additional traffic and keep up the good work.  It's one thing to be recognized by peers and read by those in the know, but being recommended to clients as a place to learn and experience should make you proud.

The Currency of Blog Links - What Would You Pay? (Part 2)

Picking up where we left off yesterday, what is a link on an A-Listers blog worth to you?  I've spent a lot of time thinking about this and trying to come up with a method for understanding the value of being linked to by well established bloggers. 

In my previous post, I mentioned that Jaffe and Rubel average about 15,500 visitors a month between them (according to Compete... would love to know the real numbers if anyone has them).  For kicks, let's add some other MVB Contestants:

Mark Cuban: 18,000 visitors per month (remember...this is probably higher)

GapingVoid:34,000 visitors per month

So, the total visitors for just four of the 32 participating blogs is 67,500.  Not bad.  Now, if they are anywhere near as popular as Socially Adept (strong sarcasm there) then they probably see about a 50% rate of visitors clicking posted links.  Essentially, the winner of this contest would have 67,500 people see their name and 33,750 people actually click through to their site.  Remember, this is only 4 of the 32 contestants.

If we were to assume that all 32 contestants had relatively similar success, than the number may actually be around 270,000 people actually viewing your blog.  Here's the great part about this though... those 270,000 people actually are interested in your topic!  They aren't just being pushed an ad on a page where there is competing content.

What's the cost then?  In order to get a 270,000 click through rate on a banner ad (or similar) which normally receives about a 4% click through rate, you'd need to purchase 6,750,000 impressions.  Anyone want to take a guess at the cost?

Anyway, I won't get into too much detail and I am sure many people will point out the flaws in my concept, but it is interesting to think about.  Does anyone else have any ideas?  I'd love to hear additional thoughts about this process.  I'll follow up with more details on this in a Part 3.

Can an 18 Year Old Launch a Social Network...without a Bomb Scare?

Sofia Loginova, an 18 year old from Quincy, MA launched a Social Network called B4class.com.  Right on the home page is a smiling photo of Sofia who most certainly will generate some attention of her own, but today's news focuses on a prank that may have been set up to generate a buzz about B4class. 

According to Boston.com, four suspicious backpacks were left in Newton North High School (in my town) filled with newspaper and adorned with the B4class logo.  Being as this is only a few weeks after this fiasco, you can imagine how some Bostonians reacted to this little stunt inside the school.

The interesting part of this story is that Sofia has managed to give away 2,000 of her logo'd backpacks (allowances must have gone up since I was a kid) and secured over 500 new users.  According to the article, Sofia is not using any outside marketing help and is relying on Word of Mouth to generate awareness (you're welcome, Sofia) but I have to think that this kid is getting some help from someone.

As Sofia is not a student at Newton North, I wonder who thought to leave 4 of the bags there?  Until then, she had been handing them out in Boston's Faneuil Hall.  It will be interesting to see how this story plays out, but the evacuation of an upper class high school outside of Boston should get the name B4class.com on the evening news... for everyone to hear!

Choose Your Agency Like You Would Choose a Doctor

Lee Odden, over at TopRankBlog, has a great post today about Getting Social Media Marketing Straight which is a must read for any biog brand looking at entering the Social Media space.  There is clearly some disconnect in understanding the community and it is important to understand the space when considering a consultant or an agency to work with your brand within the Social Media community.

I liken selecting an agency or consultant to selecting a Doctor.  Every big brand needs a Primary Care Physician (Traditional Advertising Agency, PR Agency) to help them bring their message to the consumer.  On occasion, you'll need to visit a specialist like a dermatologist to help you with a specific problem (Interactive Agency).  However, once the problem has been identified, both your Primary Care Physician (Advertising/PR Agency) and your specialist (Interactive Agency) will suggest that you meet with a Surgeon who specializes in your specific problem (Social Media Marketing Agency).

The current problem is, that you PCP and Dermatologist aren't recommending that you seek the help of a specialist.  Instead, they are telling you that they can help you with the problem.  The result is a huge scar on your brand like this one for Uncle Ben's that BL Ochman astutely points out.

Additionally, your PCP will tell you that they know the best people in the business, but in reality, they are pushing you to their partners instead of helping you get in front of the best people.  A Social Media Marketing Agency knows where the best people congregate and helps you join the conversation and make your own selection on who is the best for your brand.

There's more to come on this later...but food for thought when sending out an RFP.