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Expert Not Found – Social Media is About Being a "Student" not a "Guru"

Published on May 11, 2012, by jmacofearth in social media.

Don't you just LOVE social media? I mean, what's not to love? People ask me, "You do this stuff for a living?" I grin.

Same day a client says, "Now I don't want my people sitting around all day, thinking up Tweets. I mean, what's Twitter all about? Do we need it?"

Let me get one thing clear. I AM NO EXPERT. And let me get another thing out in the open, NEITHER ARE YOU. [And I'm including the Brogans, Godins, Vaynerchuks, and Armanos of the world.]

[Whew!] That feels better.

So what are we, us social media workers, if not experts, gurus, savants, consultants, strategists? What do we call what we do? Facebook posting maniacs? Twitter Twitterologists?

I coined a term the other day that sort of stuck with me. I'm a social surgeon. I pick the places of entry, I help define the illness or enhancement. And then we go in. WE. While I "write" much of the strategy for a company, I don't "write" for the company. I don't post "on behalf of" a company. I don't even do PROMOTED TWEETS. While I'm no expert, I'm also not a promotional vehicle for my clients.

Non-disclaimer: If you see me posting it, it's my opinion. If you don't agree with me, ignore, unfollow, or in extreme-measures BLOCK. But if I post about LOVING a certain WordPress plug-in, you can be assured I was not paid to promote it. And when I tell you Go Daddy is SICK and should be ABANDONED, I'm not doing it for anyone buy myself. [And you should get your stuff off Go Daddy now, ask me why, or Google Go Daddy Hate.]

What I do write, is content strategies [ideas for what to write/post/tweet about]. What I do in social media is train teams on how to be "honest and effective," rather than salesy. What I hope to do in social media is promote the transparent use of social channels like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and LinkedIn. What I rail against is sexist advertising [Go Daddy], dubious uses of social media [pharma does not need to be on Facebook, for any reason], and really poor uses of Twitter [spam, MLM, Auto-Bot techniques].

And beyond that, I'm a student of the socialz. What Pinterest will become is anybody's guess. I don't think it's gonna be the force everyone is harping on about. And I don't think "Social Business" is a new concept, but rather a new marketing buzzword.

Oh, and I'm pretty self-centered. My ideas are my own. You don't have to wonder if my Tweets, posts or rants are paid-for by anyone else. And that's one of the reasons I've never "monetized" my blog.

I am soul driven, not advertising driven.

I have my opinions. I have an unapologetic voice. But I'm no expert. I'm a student. And most of all I try to be honest. And if I get it wrong, I either unpublish, or recant my dumbassness. And I've done a few posts I regret. And a few that I've unpublished, that I'm very proud of. ANYWAY…

Don't be an "expert." Be a "student." Even someone with a black belt in martial arts needs a master. Keep the beginner's mind in everything you do.

@jmacofearth (also seen on Google+: jmacofearth)
permalink: http://uber.la/2012/05/expert-not-found/

Other posts to help you kick ass in social media:

Most people don't really enjoy being mean; they do it because they can't help it. (from Graham's Hierarchy of Disagreement)

5 Comments.

New Social Business: Merely a Buzzword or Something Revolutionary?

Published on May 9, 2012, by jmacofearth in social media.

A long time ago we talked about building communities. "If you build it, they will come," was the concept, but it didn't really pan out. And then we started on social media. Suddenly it's all we were talking about. Social this, social media that, social media marketing and social media for business. In fact, if you listened to many of the marketing pundits you might think Social Media was a means all by itself.

Um, the problem is, that without revenue (sales) or cost savings (support) social media was just people talking, commenting, and giving LIKES on Facebook. And especially if you didn't have an e-commerce play (noting for sale on your website) the *value* of social media has been questioned. "What's the REAL ROI on Social Media?" became the rally cry of the business crowd.

Indeed, without some ROI social *media* is just media. There's only broadcast (posts) and exchange (comments). And any marketing person knows that without direct measurable action, the success of any campaign is doubtful. Why would the CFO believe you if you don't have the numbers to back it up.

You see, old school marketing sold us on ideas like, "For every $10 you spend on this campaign, you're going to sell $100 more of your product." And any excel spreadsheet user could do the analysis on those numbers once the campaign was underway. Are the sales going up accordingly?

Okay, enough history, now the new buzz is Social Business. What? I'm sort of laughing at some of my higher-up colleagues. When the marketing guys came up with a new buzz name for the same old thing. Now it's Social Business. Not just media, not just social media for business, but true Social Business. Okay, let's dissect it for just a second.

One of my favorite social media badasses is David Armano, EVP, Global Innovation & Integration at Edelman Digital.. And it's his post that got me questioning all that I knew about social media to see if it measured up to Social Business. Let's look at Mr. Amano's latest post on Social Business.

Screen Shot 2012 05 09 at 8.23.42 AM New Social Business: Merely a Buzzword or Something Revolutionary?

click to read David's post

So looking purely at David's infographic, we have evolved into social media thus far, and the turning point is coming where we will start reaping the benefits of Social Business: Connected.; Adaptive; Intelligent.

Sounds good. But it doesn't really sound different.

Here's a quote, "Social business takes the foundation of social media and begins to build new economic models on top of it." Indeed that does sound like something different. But David might be talking about something else, some other TYPE of business when he uses Kickstarter as his example.

Here's another attempt at the definition: "Business models where new connections are formed to the benefit of both the business, customer and even employee and shareholders are a core tenet of "social business."

Um, that sounds EXACTLY like social media.

So if I have this right what Armano and Dachis darlings Peter Kim and Dion Hinchcliffe have in mind is simply removing "media" and "marketing" from the old phrase "Social Media Marketing for Business." Hmmm. Have we got us a new paradigm? I don't think so.

I too have a copy of Peter Kim and Dion Hinchcliffe's (Social Business by Design). I will take a quick read and let you know if I uncover any NEW structures to define Social Business.

Until then, I'm going to continue practicing Social Media Marketing for Business. I do admit, "Social Business" has an easier ring to it. And it's better for Twitter, cause we've only got 140 characters. But is it NEW and EVOLUTIONARY? What part, exactly?

Call me skeptical. Open minded, but a bit tired of the new phrase and craze model that's driven our social media hunters for so many years. Got Pinterest? Using it? For WHAT exactly? And how is that working out for you?

@jmacofearth (also seen on Google+: jmacofearth)
permalink: http://uber.la/2012/05/new-social-business/

Reference: Social Business, Where It's Been and Where It's Going – from David Armano's Logic + Emotion (a great resource for new social thought, one of my top feeds)

Other posts to help you kick ass in social media:

Most people don't really enjoy being mean; they do it because they can't help it. (from Graham's Hierarchy of Disagreement)

Tags: david armano, how do to social media, how to do social marketing, new social business, online marketing, online marketing resources, peter kim, small business, social business, social marketing, social marketing education, social media, social media marketing, social media marketing resources, the social marketing page

6 Comments.

Eight Alternative Photo (and Video) Apps for your iPhone Reviewed

Published on May 7, 2012, by jmacofearth in design & user experience, social media, social media marketing, tech reviews.

Why did Facebook buy Instagram? And how did Hipstamatic lose the first-strike advantage by being too good at simulating an old camera? And what about all these other photo apps? Can't we just use our regular camera and then use Instagram to mess it up once we've captured what we want?

Hipstamatic

In the beginning the iPhone had Hipstamatic. It was so cool. You picked a LENS and a FILM stock and took pictures through this funky old camera interface. And you came up with funky photos that were as unpredictable as they were beautiful. And there were plenty of misses. Sometimes just opening the app was a chore. And the alternative lenses and films would cost you some money. But I was fascinated by the first Hipstamatic prints people started posting on their Facebook pages. I was, for the first-time, jealous that I did not have an iPhone.

+++

Instagram

And then along came Instagram, and what they got down, unlike any of the others was the quick take options and the quick share options. You could take the photo from instagram if you wanted to, but you could just as easily open your boring photos and INSTA them. A bit limited in the retro-color-blurring functions, but Instagram certainly got something right. The account numbers started growing faster than any other photo service. And the magic sauce beyond the retro-izing was the SHARE function. Once set up, Instagram would blast your newly messed-up photo to Twitter, Facebook, and email. What else did you need, really? Well done. And so Facebook bought the uber.retro photo app for a BILLION dollars. WHAT? That's insane. (I wonder how much Hipstamatic is worth right now? Maybe Twitter should buy them. They need a revenue model, maybe you could order prints, or something.)

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Fast Camera

Another alternative photo app worth looking at is Fast Camera. This is specialty app that starts taking a rapid succession of photos the second it is running. Until you stop it. Then you can go back and edit for the shot you wanted. Much quicker than you can shoot the photos yourself. Don't miss the shot. Fire up Fast Camera and forget about it.

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Lens+

And Lens+ takes the Instagram model to a new high. Multiple effects and filters all available as you take the photo. So here are some extreme Retro filters.

And some colorful/creative filters.

Might be worth looking at if you are wanting to get a bit more extreme than Hipstamatic or Instagram.

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PIX

Pix is the most extreme image mangler. It allows you to combine filters and stack them.

+++ And a look a three video retro social apps +++

8mm

My favorite video mangling app is 8mm. It's of the Hipstamatic variety however, and might be leapfrogged by the other two. Here's what the 8mm point and shoot video interface looks like.

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Social Cam

The next cool Video app is Social Cam – a bit more on the sharing side. Are you ready for another social network to send stuff too? I'm not sure, but hey, you can follow Britney Spears. Ummm. Yeah.

The interface is clean and clear.

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Flixel

Finally a hybrid app called Flixel. It takes video and turns it into animated gifs. It's also a social sharing app, that creates some cool results.

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That's it. Next time you go to shoot that pic or video you might consider opening one of these alternative apps. They've got a lot going for them. Or you can just open Instagram (or one of these others) and add effects to the photo then.

Reference: Why did Facebook Buy Instagram for 1 Billion Dollars?

@jmacofearth (also seen on Google+: jmacofearth)
permalink: http://uber.la/2012/05/photo-apps/

Other posts to help you kick ass in social media:

Most people don't really enjoy being mean; they do it because they can't help it. (from Graham's Hierarchy of Disagreement)

Tags: 8mm app, alternative photo apps, alternative video apps, flixel, instagram, iphone photo app reviews, iphone photo apps, iphone photo filters, iphone video app reviews, iphone video apps, iphone video filters, photo apps, photo filters iphone, PIX, retro photo apps, retro video apps, social cam app, using hipstamatic, using instagram

4 Comments.

More of This and Less of That, Please – Thursday Morning Coffee

Published on May 6, 2012, by jmacofearth in about me, community building, google+, just for fun, social media, social media marketing, tools.

IDEA: Joining with others to influence and support positive action.

You get what you give. What you pay attention to, that is what you are. Positive or negative energy, your focus?

Let's get clear about something here: I have negative and positive intentions. I am the one who chooses what to give voice to. And I've done my share of complaining. Even if I don't think I'm whining, in some ways that's exactly what I'm doing. But that's not what I want. The negative energy, negative review, critical voice, is not what I want to be known for.

If my epitaph reads, "He was a smart asshole." I have failed. But sometimes that's what makes me chuckle. It's not actually the energy I want to surround myself with.

This is a new concept I'm wrestling with: How do we add more of the positive to our lives and less of the negative?

Let's get clear on when we are being negative and when we are being positive. And then the goal, in my case, would be to surround myself with the positive influencers in my life and decrease my time with the negatives. (See post Positrons and AntiBodies) This works in business as well as personal intentions.

So here's my idea. I'm opening up The Mac and Cheese Collective for new POSITIVE members. And here's what you will get with your inclusion and membership: NADA. Well, you will get good will, and positive interactions. There are no dues, there are no applications. Just let me know if you'd like to be included in my positive business network.

AND starting next week, we're going to start a Mac and Cheese THURSDAY MORNING COFFEE on Google+. We will connect with the first 8 (G+ limit) people who join our hangout for a simple three-step check-in:

1. Share what you are working on.
2. Ask for any assistance you need.
3. Offer additional insights into exciting new ideas or technologies that might benefit the group.

Circle me on Google+: jmacofearth

Born of the Agile Daily Standup, I am sure we can give and receive vast support to each other in a quick HANGOUT and CHECK-IN moment. If you would like to be notified of the Google Plus Hangout when it launches, please send a message to john.mcelhenney(at)gmail(dot)com.

And let's get on with doing good and supporting each other on the POSITIVE side of things.

@jmacofearth (also seen on Google+: jmacofearth)
permalink: http://uber.la/2012/05/thursday-coffee/

Other posts to help you kick ass in social media:

Most people don't really enjoy being mean; they do it because they can't help it. (from Graham's Hierarchy of Disagreement)

Tags: aligning positive forces, how can I support you, less negative, mac and cheese collective, more positive, positive business network., positive energy, positive focus, promoting the positive, simple check-ins, stand up, stand-up meeting, the mac and cheese collective, virtual coffee, virtual coffee chat, virtual stand up meeting

10 Comments.

An Arch Nemesis: Why It Might Be Good To Be Blocked and Hated by a Few People

Published on May 3, 2012, by jmacofearth in apple, dell, just for fun, social media, social media marketing, trust & reputation.

"I think it might be good to have an arch nemesis or two. Keeps me on my toes and them on pins and needles. Muwaahaahaa!" (grin)

A group of friends I had lunch with recently came to an interesting conclusion. "Having an arch nemesis online may help you be more creative." Someone you are always out to pawn, school, and prove wrong. What gets you up in the morning, boredom or a challenge?

An arch nemesis can propel you out of your safe zone. If you are bored with your own subject matter, or don't know what to write about, you can picture the face of your arch nemesis and then blast out with a new and more vital post.

Of course this could easily get out of hand. You don't want to troll or attack anyone on the web. That's bad form. Nobody sets out to be a troll. (Okay, maybe some people do.) But in the keeping with the spirit of good natured rivalries, your nemesis and you should remain in the higher levels of Graham's Hierarchy of Disagreement if you can. When things degrade to name calling or attacks you know the usefulness of your sparing partner has come to an end.

With this spirit in mind, I am calling out a friend and inspired creative to step up to the plate, and out of the cloak and safety of Facebook friendship and fight like a true rival. You can to this with a person. Or you can have it out with a large corporate nemesis. My current corporate pawns are Microsoft, Dell, and Intel. Hmm. A triumvirate of sorts. The league of mediocrity. And I rail, taunt, and bully. But I'm doing it in the spirit of battle or conquest, not with actual harm in mind.

Yadda yadda, Apple is great, Apple is strong, Apple can do no wrong. << BORING. But toss in a few and let me show you Dell's MacBook AIR Killer or Microsoft's Retail Store… And, well, you get the picture. The stark contrast can point out the extreme differences in culture and company, and perhaps provide a platform for me to make a point. If there's no point, then I *might* be trolling. I don't mean to, but I'm sure it happens from time to time.

I will let my old arch nemesis rest in peace, he has not risen to the occasion since 2009 when our numbers jumped and our pointed words flew. Alas, he's left the playing field. He's back to mediocrity. He's sort of boring. He needs a good flap, I think to get him sharpened again. But let's just forget about him. Done.

If you aren't being unfollowed by some people some times you might be taking the easy road, the boring road, the uninspired road. And if you aren't blocked by a few journalists and rock stars, who have given up and cried uncle, you might as well hang it up right now.

Writing is about style AND substance. This blog is about online marketing strategy and social media AND an attitude. There are thousands of social media websites, blogs, writers. And I admit, I'm an acquired taste. And if you don't like it… Well fire an articulate cannon ball into my comments and lets see what develops. I need a new rival. I need a challenger. I need to improve my repartee.

I'm tired of looking in the mirror of my writing and seeing only me. LET'S GET TO IT!

@jmacofearth (also seen on Google+: jmacofearth)
permalink: http://uber.la/2012/05/arch-nemesis/

Other posts to help you kick ass in social media:

Most people don't really enjoy being mean; they do it because they can't help it. (from Graham's Hierarchy of Disagreement)

Tags: apple, arch nemesis, arch rival, bored, dell, heated debate, I bully, i rail, I rant, I taunt, in the spirit of battle, intel, microsoft, nemesis, nobody sets out to be a troll, not with harm in mind, rival, step up to the plate, troll

11 Comments.

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