and that’s what it’s all about: blogs, comments, tweets and conversations

So…I’ve been a bit political lately (just a weeeeeee bit). And it’s brought me mad traffic and some nice commenting to boot. It’s fairly phenomenal that people who have spent days, months, years talking about other things are now talking, debating, writing, shouting about our political system, oh, and our futures, with such vigor. Think we’re hungry for change? There is a sense that we, the people, can actually make a difference – and that we have no choice but to try.

People are actually motivated to participate at a higher level and the internet is the perfect place to do it; it’s fast and it’s fluid – it’s a connector of people and ideas. We feel like we’re actually being heard – especially when people answer back – through comments, comment replies, Facebook, Twitter, etc…

On this blog, of the many great things that have happened as a result of the brouhaha, my favorite has been the commenting. When people are so moved (positively or negatively) by something they read that they just have to chime in, it’s, well, what we’re here for. I’ve learned much from listening to my readers – you are all so darn smart.

And as always, I’ve commented back because I don’t think that your efforts should go unanswered. I don’t want to be a one-sided blogger. Believe it or not, I’m here for the conversation. So, thank you to all that have commented – keep it coming.

As for Twitter, I’ve gotten new followers and watched older Twitter ‘relationships’ burst (in both directions)…but the conversations, the back and forth, are alive and well.

Another perk of the comments and the tweets? URLs. Everytime you comment or follow, you show me your website, which I then peruse with unfettered abandon…and I’ve found some great blogs to introduce you to:

1. The Cleaner Plate Club. Hormones in milk. Pesticides on produce. Feces on meat. Say what? I’m not a foodie, I’m rarely a cook, and I don’t have the time for slow food. Truth is, all I’m looking for is a decent meal – preferably one that my kids will eat, as well. So I begin my quest for a cleaner plate….Terrific writing, fab topic – check Ali out.

2. Punctuality Rules. A must for us writers who are more content than grammar (especially in these heated times!) Deb dishes the dirt on how to write, right, rite the rite, right, write way.

3. Green Your Decor. Jennae’s all about green interior design and doing good for the old planet. Also, she’s using the Thesis wordpress theme very, very well!

Hmmm…just noticed these are all women’s blogs. And I’m a woman…so that must mean that I will ignore all of Sarah Palin’s political ideals and just vote for her! Aw, geez, did I have to go there? Why yes, I did.

bridging the web 2.0 gap: when social networking means different things to different people

As you all know, I enjoy me some online social networking. I like my Facebook, my Twitter, my LinkedIn in particular. But, lately, I’m noticing this clash of the generations (or sensibilities, perhaps?).

Basically, people are using these networks for one of three reasons:

1.  business activities

2. personal activities

3. a mixture of the two

But what happens when these groups bump into each other?

Sometimes it’s okay. For instance,  I do love catching up with my high school friends on Facebook, and when I market my business and my blog there, they’re potential clients…it is a network, you know. And at least they all have jobs(ish) and understand that I’m making a living.

But then, my nieces friend me and they’re 13 and they put up ridiculous pictures of me from family gatherings. And my sister-in-law writes ‘stuff’ on my wall that I don’t want anyone else to see because she’s 23 and using Facebook in its original configuration – as an online yearbook of sorts for the college set.

None of this is a huge deal – I can delete and manage my page…but I find it fascinating to watch as Facebook grows and builds into something more professional and business networky than it once was. And, I’m enthralled by the friend numbers that the younger folk have – think of the network at their fingertips when they grow up and have something really important to share. Hmmm, guess I shouldn’t delete them as friends, they’re holding some prime real estate…oh, and I love them, they’re family after all.

is web 2.0 a pyramid scheme? and introducing my assistant

Is Web 2.0 a Pyramid Scheme?

I had a very interesting meeting with a talented Vineyard artist this week. And I was explaining life on the web and the concept of broadcasting to your network (Twitter, Facebook, other blogs, your blog) and how your network will tell their networks and on and on – viral, word of mouth, relationship marketing. He looked right at me and said, ‘So it’s kind of like a pyramid scheme.’ I nearly fell off my chair.

I’ve been thinking about this ever since – rather obsessively and a bit defensively. I mean, it isn’t anything like a pyramid scheme. But there are some parallels. Right? For instance, if I imagine myself at the top of a, um, triangle, I reach out to my 5 networks below, then each of them reach out to their 5 networks, then each of them reach out to their 5 networks…it broadens as it goes. I see his point.

But the Web 2.0 marketing I do isn’t sleazy. Oops, did I just say that out loud? Me and my big mouth. But the way some people do it is sleazy – which may, in the end, lend itself to being scene as a pyramid scheme. Interesting, very interesting. Your thoughts?

And, now, after millions, hundreds, quite a few requests, I’m pleased to introduce…

My dog assistant. His name is Silas, he’s an American Field Lab, he’s 5 1/2 years old, he acts like he’s 5 1/2 months old. He believes truly and firmly that he is a lap dog…and that he rules the universe. He is the funniest dog I’ve ever met. And he insisted that I let him wear the Super Silas cape. His nickname is Merpikulis, though his best friend – my 2 year-old daughter, Sophie – calls him Siley and Merpikey.

He thinks he is a guru which explains why he’s on a yoga mat in this picture. I am delighted that he nearly knocks me over in a valiant and selfish way every morning in order to get past me, and then be first to get to the office. I love it when he lays his head on my feet and sleeps while I work.

His paws smell like Fritos and his head smells like an oatmeal cookie. His ears were put on crooked, so one lays back a bit, while the other has a tighter fold. His nose is pink – and my mom thinks that it isn’t sewn down all the way around. He has an over active tongue that earned him yet another nickname – Licky McSmooch.

He has an older canine sister named Baloula who is 1/2 golden, 1/2 lab and has 15 lbs on him. And he will go to any length to knock her out of the way if she is getting attention from any human. He also cleans her ears, eyes and face daily, gently and meticulously.

One of his super powers is that he can tiptoe. I kid you not that if he wants to get somewhere without us knowing (like upstairs when the vet arrives at our house – yes, we have a home visiting vet and it ROCKS), he can tiptoe without letting his nails touch the floor, without making a sound. It is amazing.

He is perfect.

web 2.0 is a two-way street

So, I have this friend…and this is how our conversations usually go:

Me: Hi! How are you?

Him: Great, things are really good. I just got a new client, the kids are growing fast, built a new playset in our backyard.

(pause)

Me: Sounds excellent. What did you do for the holidays?

Him: Oh, it was awesome – we went to the Bahamas. Jill’s parents rented a house for everyone, we stayed for 1o days.

(pause)

Me:  Wow! Fantastic. You said the kids are well? Little Oscar’s going into kindergarten just like my Sophie this year, right? Are you all ready for the big step?

Him: Yeah…we’ve been reading him books about school and walking the route to school, met his teachers. I think he’ll do great!

(Pause)

…and on and on…every single conversation.

Hopefully, you picked up on what’s missing here. These conversations are 100% one-sided. Never does he ask me about me or my life – even when I prod him a bit. And, honestly, I don’t have time for it. Not in my live social life and not online.

If you want to succeed in either arena, I suggest you join the conversation. Participate. Don’t be just a taker, ewww. It doesn’t feel good on the other side. It’s a big devaluing gust that no one wants.

Talk to your followers, friends, connections, other lenses, favorites – however you connect. Just a simple thanks, tell me who you are and what you do is a great way to start a conversation that can end up just about anywhere, but it’s usually somewhere good. You’re building your team, your network, your audience – plug in to them, they won’t forget. At least I never do.

web 2.0: the new dating game?

So, I’m guiding one of my clients down the road of Web 2.0 – and she turns to me and says, ‘This feels like dating 101.” And it’s true…but more specifically, I think, like dating 101 for a seasoned & divorced person.

Why? Because we already know how to do the basics – we can read & write, we can do the elevator speech, we can network, we can self-promote, we can buy, sell & trade. But the scenery has changed, so we have to learn how to apply all that we know to this new venue. Think of it this way, she worked it just fine at the drive-in and now I’m taking her to a rave.

So, the important things to remember are these:

• You’ve still got the moves.
• Yes, you have to learn a new language with words like Squidoo, post, WordPress, comments, Google, Digg, blog and de.licio.us.
• Yes, you have to type it all in.
• No, no one cares what you’re wearing because they can’t see you…though a good picture will help.
• Still, now you have to put all of that fashion sense and primping into your blog & site design.
• Networking is networking (dating is dating), sometimes you have be forward and make the first move, other times you’ll play hard to get – you’ll know which is which and when is when.
• People are frequently attracted to ‘the someone’ that everyone else likes – so highlight your client list, your achievements, your traffic, your subscribers and how many people friended you on Facebook and follow you on Twitter, etc.

Total aside (though tangently related to the post above): Speaking of dating and new technology, I’ve been wanting to bring this up for awhile now: when I was in junior high, we used to call the boys that we had crushes on and hang up after they answered. I’ve got to know, what are girls doing these days? You can’t do that now…everyone has caller ID. My best guess is that they visit their crush’s MySpace page where they have more anonymity…ooh, and pictures. Okay, I guess there may be life after caller-ID…

real people, not Paris, using video and thriving on web 2.0

Here’s an example of someone, not Paris, succeeding online with video. Etsy just produced this mini-documentary of my friend Susan Gibbs and her revolutionary MV Fiber Farm which is the world’s first natural fiber CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). This past Sunday it was the featured video on YouTube‘s hompage – garnering  129,536 views as of this morning. Besides Susan’s amazing story, there is an exciting delivery in this tale…around the 1/2 way point of the vid.

Susan has grown the CSA almost entirely online (save the Martha’s Vineyard local farmer’s markets) – through her blog, website, store and online communities like Etsy. Some highlights from the first year:

• Sold three rounds of shares (2 falls, 1 spring – actually this fall’s shares are going like hotcakes right now if you’re interested!)
• Raised over $10,000 on her blog to help pay for an electric wheelchair for her uncle – in ONE week
• Doubled the size of the flock
• Featured in an article on the front page of the Wall Street Journal
• Spotlighted in Women’s World Magazine (which surprisingly has one of highest circulations of any magazine in the country)
• Promoted & supported by the awesome crew at Etsy who, amongst many other things, created the video
• Currently negotiating a book deal
• Built a strong and loyal community of knitters, crafters, weavers, spinners – and lamb and sheep lovers

Not bad, Susan, not bad at all. I wish I could say that I taught her everything she knows, but she is this brilliant and talented all by herself. Visit Susan and become part of the CSA at www.mvfiberfarm.com.

see what i mean? with web 2.0, anyone can spread a message

So, when I wrote that post yesterday about presidents (past and future) and Web 2.0, I typed and then deleted a line about the fact that even Paris Hilton and her mom, who denounced McCain’s ad comparing Obama to her daughter – that even they could have their voices heard by the masses because of Web 2.0. And, then Paris goes ahead and does this:

 Not only is it well-done and cheeky as hell, it has also been syndicated and spread across the internet and media world.  And, it didn’t have to be Paris. Anyone could have dressed up as Paris, produced the same video and it would have taken off.

Advice for the day: go video. Some people, I’m not mentioning any names, are..well…lackadaisical and would rather watch than read. If you can add humor, do it. Go for ‘man bites dog’…if you know what I mean.

Sidenote: I just read a wonderful article in the NY Times that supported many of the points I made yesterday…maybe I should turn this into a political blog? Naahhhhhh….

Tomorrow we’ll look at a real person, not Paris, who makes video work for their business…

Web 2.0 and our next president

Here’s what I know about our past and future presidents:

Too Little: George Bush (the 1st) didn’t like broccoli.

Too Much: Bill Clinton liked cigars.

Just Right: Barack Obama participates on Facebook.

This is officially our first Web 2.0 presidential race – things have grown exponentially in the last 8 years. Do we have more access to the candidates? It’s hard to say. I’m sure that this Facebook profile is authentic, but it’s also a selected show of what Obama and his team want us to see. But, isn’t that true for us all?

We no longer have to listen to the major TV networks or newspapers for candidate information – without choice, just because they are on CNN and all that we have. I have to take it back to the Groundswell. Political bloggers are hugely influential, and so are just regular old bloggers. They provide differing insights and views, and we now have the opportunity to find out about these bloggers and experts (who are they, what have they stood for in the past) – and then we can choose to listen to them, we can decide if they are worthy of the pulpit.

And, we do have more access to the candidates and the campaign. When Obama delivered his speech in Berlin, I was in my car and only caught snippets on NPR’s wrap-up, but I knew that when I got home, I would find the video of the entire speech online. Not only is it on his website, his Facebook profile, his MySpace page, plastered all over the blogosphere, on YouTube and beyond; it was also waiting for me in my email inbox.  It had been emailed to me….and I like to think that Barack sent it himself.

Of course, he didn’t, and I understand because I’m almost too busy to send emails.  But, he’s participating – as himself and with his team – talking, listening, sharing…and that is good.

Barack Obama’s Facebook Profile

Detailed Info

Contact Info

how to craft your marketing message

Whether you’re creating your website, blog, ads or a print brochure, you have to decide on a message, a personality, an identity for your business or company. And, this will be communicated to your audience via your design and the WORDS you choose. Here are some things to think about as you begin to formulate your message (or reformulate for those of you in a makeover situation) and the feeling you would like to evoke:

1. Writing and Design must be united. Imagine a site where the words sound like they were penned by the Queen, while the design looks like it was composed by Austin Powers. OY. If it’s possible, find a writer and a designer that have a solid relationship and thrive on working together on projects. The words must support the design. The design must support the words.

2. Ask yourself some serious questions. What makes you different from everyone else in your industry? What is your background and how does it influence your work? How do you want people to feel when they see and read your marketing materials? A good copywriter and a good designer will ask you these questions…and many more.

3. What does your audience want? Don’t make it all about you – because it isn’t. Your clients/customers are the most important factor in this equation. Listen to them by reading blogs and/or joining online communities that discuss your company, product, service or industry. People are talking, so find out what they’re saying.

4. Make it personal. People identify with brands that don’t feel like gimmicks. If you haven’t noticed this lately, many companies are putting the personal spin on their brand – either by telling personal stories (Visa), making their CEO’s real people (Dave from Wendy’s), giving their company a relatable, familiar spokesperson (the Verizon guy) or even making their product into a real person (Mac vs. PC ads).

5. Be true, be you. There may be many CPA’s but there is only one you. Show your personality, reveal yourself and you will attract people. You will also repel people, but I think this is a good thing as it filters out those that won’t appreciate you ahead of time.

6. Test it out. The internet has made it possible to test products, messages, etc. online for relatively low costs via ad words, social bookmarking & networking sites and blogs. Use these tools to market effectively.

P.S. I love my Mac.

why we are so important: The Groundswell

One of my favorite bloggers, Ron Miller, who I unabashedly write about from time to time, has written another stunning post that happens to align directly with my current goings-on. His post illustrates one of the things that I love about Web 2.0: you just never know where the day or your interactions will take you. Ron was interviewing Brent Leary, a partner at CRM Essentials, about something completely different, and Brent mentioned that if your vendors aren’t supporting you the way they should be, you can just go to Twitter for help…help from the people, all of us regular Joes and Jolenes.

I just so happen to be reading a fantastic book by the likes of Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff called Groundswell: Winning in a World Tranformed by Social Technologies. It’s a bestseller, a must-read and a must-understand kind of book. And, it speaks to Brent’s comment above precisely.

The ‘groundswell’ is us – you and me, the people who are on social networking sites like Facebook, YouTube and MySpace; the people who use digg, de.licio.us and hugg; people talking on forums, in chatgroups, and on listserves; bloggers; blog readers; websurfers….people on Twitter who are ready to provide guidance.

We are beyond powerful. Through our online communication, our listening, our sharing, our reading, our participation, we have figured out ways to work around big companies. Not only do we not need them so much (are they here for us anyway?), but we can tell them about how to improve their product, services, company. Companies/people can be smacked down by the groundswell, ie. when they try to fight it by trying to get something taken off-line which creates an instant fervor to spread the item far and wide, or they can find incredible success by listening to the groundswell and participating themselves – ultimately by respecting the groundswell, ie. all of us.

I could talk about Groundswell all day long, but I won’t! Go read it…especially if:

• You think this Web 2.0 stuff is going to kill you, meanwhile, you have no idea what it is or even if it’s a good idea.
• You know this Web2.0 stuff is critical for your business, but you have no idea how to do it or you think you know exactly how to do it.
• You are a writer, designer, marketer, etc…and want to serve your clients in the best way possible.