Social Media Journal
B2B Brands Should Give App.net a Try (for Free)
Last August I signed up for App.net, the social network created by former iMeem CEO and serial entrepreneur Dalton Caldwell and a bunch of other really talented people.
Within a few minutes of using it I discovered a great community of brilliant, tech-focused minds who congregated on the site to connect about building.
Soon after joining the site’s first wave, I saw the community start to evolve with hackdays, community contributed projects designed to build the network, and I found myself learning a lot about how the internet is built.
Amazing Customer Service
As I move from the journalism world into a membership and non-profit focus, I suddenly look at experiences with brands a little differently. I was fortunate to work with Brooks Running as it launched its PureFlow2 shoes. They sent me a pair and simply asked me to share what I thought about them on social media if I wanted to. And to be honest, I wanted to. They’re great shoes for me as I continue to run a couple of times a week and a few races a year.
Top Ten Reasons to Connect with Someone You Do Not Know.
How eBay is Unlocking The Customer Journey
During the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA) Member Insights Exchange, one of the breakout sessions was a presentation by Brian Bolten, Vice President/Director, Engagement Strategy of True Action, an Ebay company. The focus: how to create personalized journeys by understanding customers’ behavior more. In this session we learned a lot about how eBay is unlocking the customer journey.
Do something grand, nice, and selfless every week
During the Boston Marathon crisis, the Chicago Tribune sent pizzas to the Boston Globe. A note said:
“We can only imagine what an exhausting and heartbreaking week it’s been for you and your city. But do know your newsroom colleagues here in Chicago and across the country stand in awe of your tenacious coverage. You make us all proud as journalists.”
I challenge you to do something simple and awesome every week. Something that helps pick up someone who needs it.
(I guess this is what they mean by Random Acts of Kindness.)
Big Data is the Next Gold Mine
title="Clouds by mnsc, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mnsc/2768391365/">
class="alignright" alt="Clouds" src="http://sazbean.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/2768391365_1bab748eb2_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" />Cloud services and software as a service are flourishing. IT departments are freed from having to support hardware and software infrastructure, and users get the latest software updates. But the backend of these types of services is the data that they are able to collect. By being able to view a spectrum of users across many different industries and uses, many companies are able to collect valuable marketing data that is not directly related to the services they are providing. The use of this data may be helpful for individuals as companies are able to leverage it to make a better match between want and need. The value of this information to marketers is clear.
Cocoworking: An alternative workplace for freelancers
In the era of hyper-connectivity, not only are we able to easily communicate with people from across the globe and have all kinds of information readily available at any time, but also, our jobs and professional careers have been transformed. This transformation, along with the economic recession, have played a significant role in the career planning and in many cases have changed our work habits from employee to freelancer.
Even if many of us think it would be absolutely fantastic to work from home as freelancers, in reality working from home can be tedious task, resulting in lack of focus and having a negative impact on productivity. Not to mention, it can take a toll on our personal lives with no separation between office and home.
Cocoworking: An alternative workplace for freelancers
In the era of hyper-connectivity, not only are we able to easily communicate with people from across the globe and have all kinds of information readily available at any time, but also, our jobs and professional careers have been transformed. This transformation, along with the economic recession, have played a significant role in the career planning and in many cases have changed our work habits from employee to freelancer.
Even if many of us think it would be absolutely fantastic to work from home as freelancers, in reality working from home can be tedious task, resulting in lack of focus and having a negative impact on productivity. Not to mention, it can take a toll on our personal lives with no separation between office and home.
Balancing Act: Features, Budgets & Timelines at Web Standards Sherpa
As of today I am an author over at Web Standards Sherpa. I wrote an article discussing the process of juggling a no-budget, tight-timeframe web site for Buffalo Soccer Club while still trying to adhere to best practices. The article is titled "Balancing Act: Features, Budgets & Timelines."
I get a chance to talk about responsive design and even rant just a little bit about print styles (the article itself prints well, too). The article also has the nifty ReadSpeaker feature which means that the page can read the article aloud to you in a voice that is entirely unlike mine (at least it's a male voice by default).
