Why Twitter is cooler than you think

I discovered Twitter about two years ago. The fledgling company was already making waves in the new social media pool. I entered into many discussions about the validity of their service.

-Communication in just 140 characters?
-Why do I need another way to tell the world my status?
-All my friends are already on Facebook!

Some of my friends wagered that Twitter would be dead in a year (by 2009), having fallen out of the nest without learning to fly.

I still defended Twitter, even though I had no interest in using the service myself. I saw the value in this service, even if they couldn't make any money.

My Twitter saga began nearly two months ago when I created an account as part of a project. I never intended to use the service continuously, or obtain much value from the Twitter community.

I was dead wrong.

Since my arrival on Twitter, I have interacted with individuals and even made some new friends.

-I have worked on a collaborative project with someone from LA
-I have found potential employers in San-Fran and Chicago
-I have interacted with employees of companies I might wish to work at someday
-I have received valuable information about travelling from someone in New Zealand
-I have helped others with their college search

All of the above and more are the result of actual conversations, I have also emailed and called many of these individuals.

Unlike "old school" social networking sites (Myspace, Facebook, etc.) Twitter is uninhibited by a creepiness factor inherent to other services. There is only one privacy control: Everyone can see everything, or they can't. Pretty simple.

I often feel completely comfortable reaching out to individuals around the world if I feel they can answer a question, or provide some value to my life.

I encourage everyone to give this game-changing service a try and see what you can get out of it.

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Who took the "Social" out of Media?

Social media used to be all fun and games, but suddenly everyone is looking at it very seriously. Some companies are using it to reach out in new ways, including marketing and employee screening.

Career counselors are warning us to check our privacy settings and clean up our profiles. While I do have privacy settings on my Facebook, doesn't this warning directly conflict with the mission of social media? If we censor ourselves in every medium, where can we truly express ourselves?

This leads to some serious questions:

-Should employers make hiring decisions based upon online content?

-Should employers be allowed to take punitive action against employees in response to online content?


This is a difficult issue which will rage on in the coming decade. I follow these guidelines when using social media:

1. Play fair, do not use your platform to bash other people or organizations. Do not hide behind your anonymity.

2. Keep it (somewhat) clean. Ask yourself "would I be embarrassed if my friends saw this?"

3. Don't take yourself so seriously. Social media was conceived as an informal (and fun) channel of communication.

While I have always believed in controlling personal information on the internet, the idea that a perspective employer may judge my character based upon my online content is unpleasant. While there are always extreme cases, I hope freedom of both information and expression will prevail.

Why Social Networking Campaigns are the Future

They seem to be springing up everywhere, but where did they come from?

When I think about social networking and its use in marketing campaigns, I think about the grassroots activist movements of the 1960s. These movements, often in the forms of protests, harnessed a collective sentiment in order to prove a point. Often these movements ended in riots and violence...but that is besides the point.

Modern social networking came about once people finally became convinced of the validity of the internet (no mom, its not a fad). Once people and organizations alike created their virtual presence, the concept of social media, networking, and campaigning became a reality.

Just as people carried their personae into the digital realm, the everyday functions of communication, marketing, advertising, and purchasing all became virtual functions. Aware that an advertising opportunity was at hand, companies began selling pixels and tracking things like "hits" and "click through" and "entry points".

Companies are catching on to the trends and hiring firms that can leverage their brand identity through sites like Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, and a variety of other online portals. When conducted properly, a social media campaign can be much less expensive than traditional media advertising. A company just needs to start the buzz, and then hope the users pick up the torch and generate excitement.

Just as with any form of advertising, it can pervade your life. Companies are OBSESSED with pushing their brands to the point where we see thousands of brands over the course of each day. While pop-up ads are more or less under control, marketers are sneaky and can often invade your "private" space with targeted sponsorships and banners.

Implications: As Lucas Conley points out in his book "Obsessive Branding Disorder," it may soon become impossible to discern the difference between a friendly recommendation and a paid advertisement...

Companies pay to generate word of mouth advertising, the same is true for social networking. Did Joe really enjoy the movie he saw last night, or did he get paid to post on his blog?

It is becoming more difficult to sniff out the frauds, and the internet is still a highly unregulated playing field. Wal-Mart has paid individuals to travel by RV cross country and stay in Wal-Mart parking lots. Of course their trip was documented and always had something nice to say about the big blue store... Eventually word got out that their entire trip was funded by Wal-Mart corporate and there was heavy backlash for deception and fraud. (Conley, 2008)

Disclosure seems to be the key deciding point as to the legality of a social campaign. If a company states up front that it is sponsoring the event, blog, twitter stream, there is much less negativity involved.

Disclosure: I have entered Groupon's Live Off Groupon Challenge, a social media campaign meant to generate buzz about their deal-a-day websites across the country. Their intentions concerning the contest are fully disclosed, and therefore acceptable by current standards. The contestant has not even been chosen, and there has already been copious amounts of media coverage, from bloggers, to twitter, to traditional TV. This company has thus far successfully extended its reach through the use of social media.

While I do expect future regulation in this industry, I expect it will arrive as the result of poor marketing choices. Until that day arrives, know what you are reading and seeing, and do your best to validate the source. You do not have to be paranoid, but avoid naivete.