Tag Archives: technology

Social Media – a Record of Visceral Reactions During Human Tragedy.

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Boston tweets and posts Sprout Social 2013-04-16

Just how valuable is Social Media in tragic times?

In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings yesterday, April 15th, 2013 – Patriot’s Day, Social Media reminds us of how much we how important it is to maintain our human connection – especially in times of tragedy. As most online discussion focuses on the use of Social Media for business marketing, it’s important to recognize this quality of social media.

If I hadn’t had my Facebook account open on my laptop while working in other windows, I wouldn’t have noticed a friend’s notification about the 2 bomb explosions. She is a runner and a police officer, and was keen on the event and therefore a reliable source.

Yes, I went to my television to see the live coverage, but I had my laptop with me as I wanted to continue learning more from any social media updates while still working.

I knew that at least some of my social media friends, followers and connections might have loved ones or someone they knew participating or attending the marathon, or, actually living in Boston. So I also opened my Sprout Social management tool so that I could follow Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook all on one page.

It’s about getting closer to the reality

Reading the tweets, posts, and updates is not just informative, but it reveals the visceral reaction of anyone who has any connection to the incident and the reactions of anyone worldwide who is “listening” on these platforms.

The live TV gave the visuals and the reporters updates, but my social media accounts gave me the heart and soul of America and the world on the most human level possible. And that is what we need most in these fragile times…

Please leave your comments:

Did you track your social media accounts during this horrific incident?

What value was it to you vs. traditional reporting avenues?

Did social media offer comfort because of the direct connection to the event?

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40 Years since the 1st Cell Phone Call – a Retrospective

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Picturephone

Picturephones never made it…

Mashable posted this morning about today making 40 years since the first cell phone call. I had to stop and calculate how young I was at the time…

Ok – so I was in high school

…and we were happy enough having a phone extension in the bedroom (for you Gen x & Yers, an extension was the teen’s only way to get out of the hall to have a private conversation!) Back then, our parents were panicking that they couldn’t hear all of our conversations anymore. We teens were always worried someone would pick up the other line and listen. Nothing compared to today’s worries over teens and the internet!

So who cared?

I don’t recall knowing anything about this new cellular technology. But then, that is how it was with most inventions in that era. New inventions splashed on the evening news and then disappeared. You learned it was best to not to get too excited because many of these earth changing discoveries tended never to get to the masses due to the huge expense of production.

A great example was Jetson’s style visual communication that featured in the Ma Bell “Future” section of the State Fair (above image) year after year. It was a big flop. Of course, now, the internet has taken over that function with Skype and other internet options. Oddly, visual communication finally surfaced without the use of telephones.

Marketing Potential?

So in light of the simplistic perception we all had about the power of visual communication back then, the only advantage we saw to Picturephones was the ability to see who was on the other end of the line. And we weren’t always sure that we wanted to BE seen! The first concern was whether there was an OFF button!

Never was there any discussion as to the marketing possibilities that would come with portable visual capabilities. After all, this was the era of newspapers, magazines, billboards and only 3 TV networks.

Similar to the beginnings of Social Media, it was just about communication and that’s all. Now, the primary discussion is all in Market-speak.

As with all inventions, you never really know what ultimate usage will evolve, but one thing you can be sure of, someone in marketing will always be asking:

How can we use this to reach our consumer? ;)

New Facebook News Feed Features – An Admission of Guilt or a Conquest for Users?

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They have come a Loooong way! facebook (Photo credit: sitmonkeysupreme)

So, Facebook has finally come around…

We may think that Facebook doesn’t notice when we aren’t happy, but seriously? They notice. Especially since their attempt to monetize through their Edgerank algorithms is simply not working.

Sometimes you have to be hit over the head a few times before you realize the customer is right (most of the time).

So, FINALLY, Facebook is rolling out a new News Feed over the coming weeks with the following features. And for the full article (from Facebook themselves – shock!), click this link: http://newsroom.fb.com/News/581/A-New-Look-for-News-Feed

What we all really wanted all along and Facebook will be implementing:

  • All Friends – a feed that shows you everything your friends are sharing
  • Photos – a feed with nothing but photos from your friends and the Pages you like
  • Music – a feed with posts about the music you listen to
  • Following – a feed with the latest news from the Pages you like and the people you follow.

YAY! Just like Christmas for us Facebook junkies!

The point is that your consumer does often know what they want. And they are the ones using the product, so WHY NOT LISTEN?

From Skadeedle [Infographic]: Email Marketing Etiquette Dos & Don’ts

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Email Marketers! You can’t afford NOT to address each point on the infographic below! Don’t risk an “Opt-out” or an unsubscribe because you overlooked what you might think of as a minor detail. Skadeedle is my favorite new Small Business marketing source. Here’s a fantastic Infographic they created that hits every nail on the head when it comes to what email marketers often overlook. Every single point on both the dos and don’ts are often dismissed or overlooked.

Perhaps #6 Do is the most underused: Include alt text (for those who don’t render images). This has become more important than ever with SmartPhone use on the exponential increase for opening email.

For better results in your email marketing – PRINT THIS OUT and keep it handy for every time you send an email to market your business!

Email Marketing Etiquette Dos & Don’ts [Infographic] - An Infographic from Skadeedle

Embedded from Skadeedle

More on Email Marketing in 2013… Mobile Email Opens at 41% and Rising.

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THIS – is huge…

Mobile Email Opens Now 41% & On Pace To Surpass PC By End Of 2013

What does this mean to you as a Small Business owner or Non-Profit trying to market your business via email? If you are sending emails without checking the text version, your email messaging is becoming more and more likely to NOT be seen…

Make sure you view the text version of your emails before you send them out! If you are the kind who likes to create a “fit to block”  image that includes your messaging, mobile email recipients may miss it. On the go, glancing at emails, they are not always inclined to click the “display or show images” link, or the “click to view online.”

Yes, you can still use those large images, but you must also include the same messaging as text.

Always, Always, Always view your email in both the HTML and Text versions before you hit send! You must see what the recipient will see with and without images. Don’t risk your message not getting through!

AND always create alternate text for that image!!

Can you tell I think this is critical!!!!??!!