Data Are Worthless

If you own a company, manage a business, run a department or contribute to a team, you are intimately aware of the time constraints you face every day. You have deadlines and meetings, emails and projects as well as constant reminders of the bottom line. And what should you do about all this online stuff?

There are close to two billion of us online reading, digesting, publishing, sharing, tweeting and conversing. The amount of content published in a day is unrelenting and new spaces are being built constantly.

Our Insatiable Appetite

The choices can overwhelm you, the so-called experts can hound you and the decision remains how to improve the organization. And unless your company is called “campaign”, you need a strategy and long term solutions.

It’s not difficult to find someone who will lay claim to their vast knowledge of all things digital through blog webinars, Facebook symposiums and how-to LinkedIn seminars. Yet with a click of your mouse, you will be falling over self-proclaimed experts who can give you link bait and search juice for a handsome fee.

Under The Hood

Perhaps the not so sexy but valuable aspect of the social web that few talk about is research. Over and above any activity you partake through the myriad digital spaces, you can unearth rich useful information about your company, what people are saying about you, topics that are important to you and what your competitors are doing through regular digital audits.

With over 600 million daily search inquires on Twitter, someone seems to be digging around for information. And over a third of us online have presence on Facebook where we share more than 30 billion pieces of content every month.

And There's More

YouTube is the second largest search engine, next to parent company Google and fifth most visited website on the planet. It served more than 75 billion video streams to over 375 million unique visitors last year. And if you're looking for even more research, you can check out SlideShare which features hundreds of presentations in your industry. And there are hundreds of other spaces available.

The data are only worth something if you do something with it. The information needs to be gathered, analyzed and implemented. And constant research on the web can positively effect the bottom line. The decision is whether you want to do the work and put in the time.

Kneale Mann

image credit: cloudcentrics
original posted Feb 2011

The Information Super Saturated Highway

Check The Lane Before Merging

If you own a company, manage a business, run a department or contribute to a team, you are frightfully aware of the time constraints that face you every day. You have deadlines and meetings, emails and projects as well as constant reminders of the bottom line. And what should you do about all this online stuff?

There are close to two billion of us online reading, digesting, publishing, sharing, tweeting and conversing. The amount of content published in a day is unrelenting and new spaces are being built constantly.

Our Insatiable Appetite

The choices can overwhelm you, the so-called experts can hound you and the decision remains how to improve the organization. And unless your company is called “campaign”, you need a strategy and long term solutions.

It’s not difficult to find someone who will lay claim to their vast knowledge of all things digital through blog webinars, Facebook symposiums and how-to LinkedIn seminars. Black hat or white hat, the recent JC Penny story blew a hole through the SEO world. Yet with a click of your mouse, you will be falling over self-proclaimed experts who can give you link bait and search juice for a handsome fee.

Under The Hood

Perhaps the not so sexy but valuable aspect of the social web that few talk about is research. Over and above any activity you partake through the myriad digital spaces, you can unearth rich useful information about your company, what people are saying about you, topics that are important to you and what your competitors are doing through regular digital audits.

With over 600 million daily search inquires on Twitter, someone seems to be digging around for information. And over a third of us online have presence on Facebook where we share more than 30 billion pieces of content every month.

And There's More

YouTube is the second largest search engine, next to parent company Google and fifth most visited website on the planet. It served more than 75 billion video streams to over 375 million unique visitors last year. And if you're looking for even more research, you can check out SlideShare which features hundreds of presentations in your industry. And there are hundreds of other spaces available.

The information out there can be gathered, analyzed and implemented. And constant research of the social web can positively effect the bottom line.

Is that a valuable use of your resources?

kneale mann

image credit: istock

Information Super Gridlock

We are pummelled with shards of online content constantly. It's like downtown Cairo traffic.

I saw Henry Rollins a few years ago talking about his trip to Egypt and he said there are four lane highways with six lanes of traffic.

The chatter, garbage and noise begin to blur while our ability to decipher crap from non-crap is tougher every day.

Good or Bad?

Technorati monitors around 200 million blogs; there are opinion columns, online news sites, forums, chat rooms and social networking spaces that give us choice. And that's over and above all the news, sports, information and entertainment portals.

But these options have created a problem. We have too much choice and all the good stuff is mixed with the stuff we don’t want or care about. That's why we often visit the same sites everyday, we are frozen in indecision.

The World Wide Maze

Search Engine Optimizationists (it’s a word now, just made it up) say it’s all about rank, bloggers stomp their keyboards for free speech and we marketing/social media types talk about open source conversations and collaboration.

If you don’t reside in those worlds, you don’t care. You just want to be entertained, informed and get details on that new rider mower. And you may not want someone to tell you what to choose or think.

How do you navigate the deafening racket?

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credit: google

Social Media: What Are Ya?

What does Twitter do?
nothing, it's a website.

Social Media may only be about 15 years old but social networking or human networking is as old as creatures have lived on earth.

Tweet Bark Meow Tweet

This is not just a human thing, the animal kingdom is socially networked too. And with the advent of places like Barn Mice and ASN, animal lovers have their own dedicated social media sites as well.

More Friends = More Money?
there's no correlation.

Twitter has grown 1400% in the last 18 months, LinkedIn is exploding and there seems no end in sight, MySpace has over 250 million user pages, Facebook gets over 800,000 picture uploads a month and the list of other places people congregate online is virtually endless.

Technorati measures the performance of over 180 million blogs and monitoring companies offer you a chance to harness the conversation around your brand on the web. And to a growing number of people, online social networking is quickly becoming a preferred form of communication over even traditional email.

Who Has All The Answers?
no one, not even self-proclaimed "experts".

There are readers and feeds and analytics and optimization - all bells and whistles that can confuse you if you are still wondering "what is social media".

Companies that not only embrace but commit to the Internet are seeing its power first-hand. The key component is commitment. You can’t tweet once a week or read a couple of blogs and grasp the vast potential social media can bring to your life and career.

Social media = Online billboard?
absolutely not.

One thing is for sure, there is not one correct way to navigate all this stuff. You just have to find your own, whatever way works for you.

If you think you may be out of uniform or not connected as well as you should be, just pick one, any one and connect to that.

Grab your miner’s helmet, some patience, an open mind and start diggin'. You'll find your voice.

What says you?

@knealemann

image credit: ceoworld.biz | imdb.com

Your Comments Are Welcome

You can tell more about a person by what they say about others than you can by what others say about them.
Leo Aikman

There have been many posts lately that have addressed the issue of comments on blogs. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to make a comment - here or via email - on my musings! It’s great that someone reads this stuff then takes the time to contribute to the conversation. I appreciate anyone taking a few moments to read this stuff and make a comment.

One issue that has been brought up often is that if you want someone to contribute to your conversation, you must do your part and contribute to their conversation. Feel free to scroll down to my "connections" section and click on all the people I read on a daily basis.

What are your thoughts on that?

When you spend many years in media, you get used to producing content that goes into the ether to an unnamed listener-reader-viewer with virtually no feedback. Once in a while, you get a complaint email or call if you do something that irks someone but rarely do they even contact you – they usually just stop listening-watching-reading.

The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.
John E. Southard

It’s always been my perception that Canadians are especially bad with confrontation. We have half a mind to complain, but the other half doesn’t want to offend anyone. But it works in our favor when we travel because we are known around the world as a polite people. That's okay, right?

How are you, today?

We are built for interaction and confirmation. This isn’t a media or social media thing, it’s a human thing. In all my years doing behavioral and perceptual research, ranked in the top three responses were always things like; ‘respect in the workplace’, ‘acknowledgement of a job well done’, ‘being appreciated by the boss’ or ‘ability to advance'.

The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.
Oscar Wilde

We aren’t good at asking for feedback and awful at taking it. We do love feedback ...as long it’s positive, of course ;-)

What did you think of my presentation?

I asked a highly successful blogger whether his Technorati ranking was important to him and he couldn’t answer fast enough – yes! He explained that it’s not about a chart position but rather a measurement of how his information is resonating with readers. But the confirmation of a job well done is okay too.

To escape criticism - do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.
Elbert Hubbard

We seem to spend a great deal of time hiding the fact that we enjoy positive feedback. We spend even more time failing to take the opportunity to give someone the same. Paint me cynical but most people have barely enough time to feed their own ego and very little time left to feed yours.

How was your meal?

You won’t have to wait long today before you hear the phrase “I’m so busy” – perhaps you’ll be the one saying it. “My life is busy. I am alone in a wind tunnel of busyness fighting the faceless foe known as ‘work load’. No one else is busier. How important I am to be so busy.”

When you start treating people like people, they become people.
Paul Vitale

Give it a shot - take the time to compliment him on his presentation or on her promotion. There is no such thing as a selfless act, so enjoy how you feel when you make someone feel good. Perhaps next time you feel the urge to huffily mention “no one appreciates me around here” someone will rush to your rescue.

km

C’mon - I Don’t Have All Minute!

How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners, and instant cameras teach patience to its young? - Paul Sweeney

Are you impatient?

We are spoiled and we want it all now. Companies are searching for bailouts, our need to own stuff we can't afford has caused credit card debt to reach into the billions. And we can't seem to help ourselves.

Whenever I talk about social media to my non-geek friends their eyes begin to flutter, shaking ensues, there’s usually a panicked look in their face as they search for a reason to end the conversation. You may have experienced similar reactions.

Patience is a virtue not a business plan

If LinkedIn and Twitter are mentioned in the same sentence, paramedics may be required. Any mention of blogs or podcasts may as well be spoken in Japanese.

If I can hold their attention for a few moments longer, I can usually explain that it’s not about websites or software, it is about connectivity. If there is a “suit” in the room, I can usually prey on their need for a better bottom line.

But then what?

We all want instant results. We go to the gym twice and give up because the six-pack abs seem insurmountable, we toss a salad down our throats and call that health eating, we leave ourselves way little time to get there and expect every traffic light to turn in our favor.

We want it now and we’ll go to any lengths to avoid hard work. Instant rebates, no money down, exercise short-cuts, finance everything, the list goes on and on and on.

We have ourselves to blame

A buddy asked me yesterday “What does Twitter do?” My immediate response was “Nothing, it's a website”. He then quipped “I knew it! Why does everyone waste so much time on there?”

First of all, not everyone is on Twitter and it doesn’t do anything. I explained that it was about the connection and what the people do on Twitter.

My question to him was “What does ESPN do?” Along came a spirited explanation at which point I reminded him that the network doesn’t do anything – the people who work at the network are the ones doing stuff.

ESPN and Twitter are merely conduits.

Old school meets reality

A colleague has approached me to explain social media to one of their clients. This client represents a former politician who is trying to expand his reach and set himself up for a comeback. The tactic has been to focus on "mature voters" - the 45-60yr-old demographic.

If he wants to expand, he needs to reach new people and younger demos. I thought it was a pretty easy sell to explain how President Obama brought millions of younger voters to the polls through social media. However, this may take a bit more explaining.

now Now NOW

There is no shortage of data to explain human behavior and our lack of patience. There is increasing data to explain that social media is not some potion to cure all company ills.

Eating a piece of broccoli each day isn’t enough. Posting a few comments on Twitter isn’t either. No matter how much we jump up and down, popcorn still takes about three and a half minutes in the microwave.

How do you curb your impatience and need for instant results?

How do you teach others to have more patience?

km

How Does It Make You Feel?

We are inundated by information, pitches, news, content, blogs, offers, podcasts, emails, phone calls and the question remains: are we getting any further?

The blogosphere is fraught with economic news and predictions while we all try and stay focused. The 800lb gorilla is stomping on our collective skulls while we attempt to stay positive.

Help Wanted

We are looking at each other for guidance and answers but in the process forgetting that others are doing the same to us.

Some estimates say that we sift through thousands of images and pieces of content every day. We have become masters at weeding out what we don’t need and getting to what we do need.

Research Isn't Always The Answer

When I was buying my current car, I did my homework. I test drove 12 different vehicles, performed in depth price comparisons, examined options, pros and cons, and ended up buying the car that I wanted from the start. I had over thought it.

It wasn’t my homework that sold me; it was what my best friend said as we stood in the dealership parking lot one summer evening. He turned to me as we looked at three different models of the same car and said; “Dude, get the one that will make you smile”.

No Hoops | No Games

The best radio promotion I have ever been a part of was entitled “24 Hours In Vegas”. Unlike most radio contests, we did not ask listeners to wait for the sound of the clown horn or be placed on a waiting list or answer a skill testing question, we just gave away seats on our chartered plane all the time. I had 180 seats to fill and it was a blast. We kept our focus on how it feels to be told without notice that you are going to Las Vegas.

Winners received two plane tickets, that’s it. No hotel, no spending money, no rental car, no taxi chits, a plane ticket. We took off at 10am on Wednesday and left Vegas at 10am on Thursday. Listeners were left to fend for themselves and live large.

People Are People

There were grown men crying, women screaming in disbelief, and the morning we took off we had a plane full of excited people. It wasn’t about ratings, or the radio station, it was about connection.

There were no complaints or whining about extras. The plane ride home was full of tired but excited people sharing stories of their adventure. New friendships were formed, some stayed up all night, some grabbed a hotel, two couples renewed their vows, and not one person missed Thursday’s flight.

It was a team of people sharing an experience.

It's Not About The Bottom Line

In a time when companies are making cuts and trying to find the message that will cut through, perhaps it's time to find out how your message or product or service will make them feel.

With radio promotions, it was important to stay within four main prize categories: money, trips, cars and things people don't have access to experience on their own. No one would turn away the first three, but it is the last one that will last a lifetime.

The iPod isn’t about high quality audio, it’s about freedom. TED2009 on right now is not just about smart people talking, it's about showing others they can dream and think big. Social media is not about collecting friends, it’s about sharing with others.

How do you make others feel?

km

The Evolution of Content

The three words I use a lot are: content, context and community. Words that roll off the tongue and sound kinda cute but they are – in my opinion – essential to most of the stuff we do, create, consumer and share.

We All Have A Voice
Technorati estimates there are about 150 million blogs in the world – that number is probably low. Anyone with a laptop and an internet connection has the ability to create content and discussion starters.

There are no interviews, no one will vet you, your resume will not be scrutinized, and you may gain a sizeable audience for what you have to say.

Toys Toys Toys
The Consumer Electronics Show is on right now in Las Vegas and while the throng gawk and point and touch and fiddle with all the coolest latest stuff, the challenge remains that we need stuff to put on all these toys.

Content comes in all shapes and sizes and sounds and tastes. It’s all too overwhelming for any of us to get a handle on what is available.

You Have To Be Good
A musician without good songs can have the nicest guitar on the market and it doesn’t matter. You can spend thousands on a Hi-Def plasma surround sound system but you still need quality content or all you have are more dust collectors.

The challenge is not content – it is quality content. Quantity is a word usually reserved for items that hold no emotional value and the lowest price will usually win the day. It’s okay to search for the best price on bathroom tissue but not when you are selecting a new cell phone.

Choice Is Everywhere
I would never suggest that we don’t have gobs of excellent choices available to us. Great music is being made, top-notch movies are being produced, bright minds are finding a space in the blogosphere and the world of podcasts, and the cable companies are providing a wide choice of shows.

And if you are in the area, you should check out Podcamp Toronto February 21 and 22nd.

While we continue to feed our seemingly endless appetite for the newest and shiniest gadgets, it’s important for us to spend an equal amount of time on the content that goes on these things.

What are your thoughts?

km

Passion and Self-Doubt

Last night, I was re-reading Chris Brogan’s free e-book on personal branding. I refer to it often and if you are feeling a bit lost or looking for next steps, I recommend you do the same. Download Chris’ book here.

In fifteen pages, Chris outlines some steps you can take to improve you, your career, and your brand. The sections that stood out for me were about self-doubt and passion.

I think many of us would have our PhD in both topics and this all stems from one important element – human behavior.

The Network is Social
We have created a network of connections that can blow our minds. I hope you're the same, but I have made contact with people I would never have met if it wasn’t for the social network, blogs and podcasts.

Chris talks about making something of our social media connections. It’s not enough to just collect them like trinkets as they do the same with us. Make a human connection. I sent Brogan an email last night and he returned it!

Passion
You may have experienced this issue. You have great desire and burn in your gut to do something but then self-doubt creeps in and the party is over. We are excellent at sabotaging our own dreams aren’t we?

Self-Doubt
Here’s a challenge. You have five minutes to find someone who will tell you “that won’t work”. Don’t hurt yourself, they’re everywhere. And too often, they are inside us already.

The World is a Stage
Chris says that you must have a great attitude every time you enter the social media world – and I agree! No one likes a grump. But have we created a platform where fears and dreams and passion and self-doubt are allowed to mingle?

We are a network, we are connected. We are not 6.7 billion humans cohabitating. We make mistakes, we lose stuff, we have silly ideas, we have doubts, and we have passion. Let’s celebrate that rather than pretending we have it all figured out.

Thanks Chris for always sharing!

Now, what are your thoughts?

km

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Harold Whitman

Don't Be Shy - Share!

A few months ago, during a chat with a colleague, we got to talking about someone who we enjoy reading and listening to through their blog and podcast. I know this person, my colleague does not – so I asked him if he knew what this person did for a living. He was a bit stymied.

It got me thinking about the reasons why we blog and share and podcast and connect through the social network. Some do it to share wedding photos, some to share business wisdom in their particular industry or area of expertise.

There seems to be a reluctance to let the listener or reader peer into the host’s day job. It is vital to have a reference point for your thoughts and it is okay to open up once in a while.

Theories are cool but equally important are practical examples to show them in action. And it’s refreshing that some are beginning to let us in a little further through their blogs and podcasts to explain what they actually do.

We don't necessarily need to exchange our resumes, but it’s important to context what you’re talking or writing about with practical experience from your career.

Next year, we will need to share a lot more and try to find creative ways to work together, make a living, and expand ourselves.

Whether you blog, podcast or simply do things the old-fashioned way through human contact – it’s okay to share. That need will never diminish and that is the essence of integration.

km

John Weiss 'Sharing Lunch'

Why Social Networking Works

My life in the blogosphere began about eight months ago. I wondered what I would write about; I wondered if anyone would care. And I found out through reading experts on the subject that it wasn’t the point.

For some reason, the subject has bubbled to the surface again. People like Mitch Joel, CC Chapman and Seth Godin are writing about the benefits of writing a blog and immersing yourself in social media.

The bottom line: networking through blogs, podcasts, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Bebo, Last.fm, MySpace and the multitude of other social media sites is whatever you get out of it.

If you want to share recipes with friends, rant about government spending, share business tips, expand on your expertise, or simply stay in touch, it’s all okay. There are no set rules.

Don't worry about who will read or follow you. It’s important to share your honest voice. You must be cognizant of proper language (cursing won’t get you anywhere), and over time you will find your style.

My blogging life began with whatever came to the top of my head, but now I focus on my passions – media, integration, social networking, music, television, radio, and content.

I could write about golf, cooking, auto racing, or reading books but those are passions I prefer to enjoy rather than write about.

So if you have been thinking about starting a blog or a podcast, just do it. It’s free.

If you want to promote and share your thoughts with a wider audience, post your work on your various profiles to insure more people have the chance to know what you’re doing.

Let me know how it goes. Send me an email or a post here with a link to your blog.

In eight months, I have connected with hundreds of people I would never had met otherwise and reconnected with people I hadn’t seen or talked to in ages. We just want to connect and share. It’s really that simple. Abraham Maslow was right.

And most importantly - have fun!

km

We May Be Officially Overwhelmed

Have you felt it? There are too many thoughts rolling around your grey matter which causes you to be frozen?

All this talk about the economy, business, the new secret thing, the latest gadget, the coolest idea, the blogs, the news, the errands, may confuse not improve our lives.

It makes sense that some decide to minimize and make life simple. I asked a colleague years ago what he would do if his current career path met a snag. His response (at the time) seemed silly but with more thought made perfect sense. He said he’d either become the mayor of a small town or open up a fishing lodge. He’s still thriving in his current career, but I know now that he meant it then and still means it today.

Technorati lists about 130 million blogs, there are an estimated 8 billion websites and growing, online marketing is inching toward $130 Billion annually in North America, mergers and bailouts consume our consciousness, and there will be a new U.S. President elected tomorrow.

I open my Google Reader each morning to see several thousand new posts and I try to at least skim most of them. Our sound bite, have it now world has caused us to grasp new concepts in small pieces and move on to the next.

Eckhart Tolle talks about the importance of living in the NOW. It’s all we have. The past is our interpretation of what may or may have happened and the future will never arrive. That is simple, to the point, and correct.

One of my mentors once reminded me that if I’m faced with too many choices or things to do, it’s best to just pick one and do it. It matters not the order or order of importance. Acting is better than adding more stress through inaction.

In a world where we are bombarded with more ideas and information than we can possible digest, perhaps the only plan of action is to either grow a second brain to store the information or simply do something. The important stuff will rise to the top and for the most part the small stuff that has become the big stuff (in our brains) will go away.

Tolle suggests to stop the noise and ask yourself one simple question; Am I breathing? For that brief second, you won't think of anything else.

Then perhaps you may get the urge to open up a fishing lodge.

km