The 'ME'dia Generation

In 2007 I had the opportunity to work with Geoff Livington on his book, “Now is Gone.” My focus at the time was Web 2.0’s impact on marketing and communications and how it was investing in the emergent social economy. Nowadays I’m focused on business transformation, but it’s interesting to see just how far ahead this book was at the time. The principles still stand…

I recently found an outlet with a healthy supply of the books so I bought everything they had in stock. I’d like to do a small experiment here if you don’t mind, something very simple yet productive.

Please Tweet out one company or organization that’s no longer with us today…something you miss and end the tweet with EndofBusiness.com .

For example, “I miss the Virgin Megastore in SF. TIme’s have changed! EndofBusiness.com”

As a thank you to the first 45 people who Tweet, I’ll follow up on Twitter with a request for your address to send you a copy of the book for free.

Thank you and see you on Twitter!

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How localization and contextualization increases brand engagement in important markets…

Integrating social media into a global marketing strategy presents unique challenges. With multitudes of countries, thousands of employees and language/cultural barriers, we’ll review how today’s Top Global Brands deploy their social strategy effectively

RSVP here

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Session Overview:

In a post OCCUPY world, businesses need to re-examine relationships with customers and employees to not only avert potential crises, but steer more positive engagement and experiences as part of everyday business. It starts with listening and learning and and culminates with engagement and adaptation. You understand this. But how do we make the case to our leadership organization?

How do we translate real world events and online behavior into tangible business meaning.

How do prove that there are consequences for missing these opportunities?

This is why your role is more important then ever before. Everything you know and everything you’re learning will help your business or organization mature, increase in relevance, and deliver more significant experiences. The end results are preference, increased loyalty and advocacy, and ultimately connectedness. It’s how you demonstrate the opportunity and the path forward that count for everything.

Learning Objectives:

• Translate listening into learning and insights
• Document the impact of disruptive technology on your business and your market opportunity
• Build an internal team for change…beyond a social media center of excellence
• Organize a holistic approach to meeting the needs of customers in emerging channels
• Deliver value to consumers to grow communities and foster advocacy

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I’m hoping you can join me for a booksigning and a toast in Chicago on 1/17. It’s a casual gathering of friends at the W Lakeshore in the Whiskey Sky lounge. If you have a book, bring it! If you’d like a book, I will have some on hand!

Where: W Lakeshore Chicago, Whiskey Sky

When: 1/17/12 at 7:00 p.m. - whenever

Other: Cash bar + cash books ;)

Please RSVP by commenting here. Also, if you would like a book, let me know. That way I can get an idea of how many to bring. The cost is $20.

See you Tuesday!!

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Proud to work with you Shannon! And, we’re just getting started.

For your birthday, here’s a memento from when we first met!

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Disqus released an interesting infographic about the state of blog comments. Wait…blog comments? How interesting could that possibly be? The answer is…very. I recently wrote about the State of the Blogosphere and as you can see, blogging is very much alive and clicking.

One of the most interesting debates in the blogosphere and social media in general has been the discussion of anonymity in commentary and whether or not it adds to or takes away from the value of the conversation. Now discuss adds a new dimension to the dialog by exploring the role of pseudonyms in online commentary. To be clear, a pseudonym is a ficticious name chose by the commenter. And, as you can see, they account for 61% of the overall comments while anonymous commenters total 35%. It’s very interesting to see that only 4% of all commentors use their real name.

Additionally, the average commenter using a pseudonym contributed 6.5 times more than anonymous commenters and 4.7 times more than commenters identifying with Facebook credentials.

Please take a look at the data below and share your thoughts!

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Order The End of Business as Usual today…

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At any moment, the world’s digital water cooler reveals what has everyone’s attention captivated for the moment. On January 9th, 2012, the Twitterati were focused on one thing…Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos. Indeed it was #TebowTime in more ways than one. Not only did the rising star help lead the Broncos to an impressive overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL playoffs, he helped set a new record for the most Tweets per second (TPS) in the history of Twitter.

When Tebow threw the pass in the first drive of OT that led to an 80-yard touchdown and ultimately the game, Twitter erupted at a rate of 9,420 TPS. Twitter officially announced the record earlier this morning.

Last night @TimTebow lead the @Denver_Broncos to an overtime playoff win and a new sports Tweets per second record: 9420

— Twitter (@twitter) January 9, 2012

To put that number in perscpetive, the previous record was 8,868 TPS when Beyonce announced her pregnancy during the MTV Video Music Awards in 2011. The previous record was set earlier in the year at 7,196 TPS, which was set at the end of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. That same day, the Copa America quarterfinal between Paraguay and Brazil came close to beating it with 7,166 TPS.

Other Tweetable moments include Steve Jobs’ resignation from Apple, which hit 7,064 TPS. His untimely death inspired 6,049 TPS. The freak earthquake to rock the East Coast in August 2011 cause an aftershock of 5,449 TPS.

On New Years Eve 2010 in Japan, Twitter welcomed 2011 with 6,939 TPS. The Japanese earthquake and Tsunami in March produced 5,530 TPS. The death of Bin Laden sparked 5,106 TPS. And, the Royal Wedding reached a peak of 3,966 TPS.

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Order The End of Business as Usual today…

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Today Salesforce released a presentation that documents the permeation of social media into mainstream busines and culture.

To help put things in perspective, I offered this quote…”The rise of a connected society was inevitable. If we strip away the politics and struggle between the 1% and 99%, we’re left with human beings who are using new technology to express themselves, seek resolution, and earn attention. They’re creating an undercurrent of collective influence that demands consideration and action.”

Here’s the deck in its entirety.

<div style=”width:425px” id=”__ss_10773962”> <strong style=”display:block;margin:12px 0 4px”>Social Goes Mainstream: A Look Back at 2011</strong> <div style=”padding:5px 0 12px”> View more presentations from Salesforce.com </div> </div>

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Order The End of Business as Usual today…

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The Hollywood Reporter ran an interesting slide show featuring the “11 Worsst Twitter Gaffes of 2011.” To make it easier to see and appreciate, I included them with THR’s commentary here for your review.

1. Alec Baldwin: “theresalwaysunited Last flight with American. Where retired Catholic school gym teachers from the 1950′s find jobs as flight attendants.”

The 30 Rock star’s feud with American Airlines over his getting kicked off a flight for playing Words With Friends before takeoff was largely entertaining — until this rather low blow enraged the airline’s union employees.

2. Asthon Kutcher: “How do you fire Jo Pa? #insult #noclass as a hawkeye fan I find it in poor taste.”

Later claiming he wasn’t aware of the child-abuse allegations, Kutcher was the only one on twitter defending the Penn State football coach. The backlash prompted the actor to (temporarily) relinquish control of his account to his management.

3. Gilbert Gottfried: “I just split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, ‘They’ll be another one floating by any minute now.’”

In the wake of the devastating Japanese tsunami, the comedian’s joke did not sit well with longtime employer Aflac. The Insurance group fired Godfried as the voice of their spokesduck.

4. Anthony Weiner: [insert photo here]

Now painfully aware that you cannot DM a photo, Weiner no longer holds elected office.

5. Kurt Sutter: “why darabont got fired - weiner. he held AMC hostage, broke their bank, budgets were slashed, shit rolled down hill onto gilligan and frank”

The Sons of Anarchy (FX) showrunner blamed cable colleague Mad Men’s Matt Weiner, for the firing of Walking Dead showrunner Frank Darabont and Breaking Bad showrunner Vince Gilligan’s stalled contract negotiations. The ensuing drama prompted him to briefly abandon self-publishing.

6. Karine Vanasse: “Well, we received THE call, #PanAm is only coming back for one ore episode after Christmas. But up to the end, we’ll give it our all!”

Not that many weren’t expecting the demise of ABC freshman series Pan Am, but the series star broke the news before the network was ready to announce its hiatus.

7. Ice-T: “Bad joke… But alotta those wives would make m consider it.”

The actor’s reaction to Real Housewives of Beverly Hills husband Russell Armstrong’s suicide didn’t sit well with many.

8, Russell Crowe: “many Jewish friends, I love my Jewish friends, I love the apples and the honey and the funny little hats but stop cutting yr babies @eliroth.”

9. Charlie Sheen: “310-954-7277 Call me bro. C.”

10. James Franco: “Bruce, he let me down.”

11. Nicole Crowther: “K is PQ and Ka is PK”

What about you? Have any to add?

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Order The End of Business as Usual today…

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My collegue Jeremiah Owyang sure ruffled some feathers with his post claiming that the Golden Age of tech blogging is over. Aside from being a mentor and a tireless analyst, he’s also a long-time blogger. His words over the years helped blaze the trail for blogging and ultimately the micromedia that he believes is contributing to the erosion of long-form social prose. In his article, he quotes good friends Loic Lemeur, Ben Metcalfe, Ben Parr, Francine Hardaway, and Dave McClure. Their perspective is always interesting. And, his post drew telling comments from some of the best known names in tech blogging including Pete Cashmore, founder of Mashable, and Dylan Tweney, executive editor at VentureBeat. To say that Owyang definitely hit a nerve is an under statement

I believe that in brevity there’s clarity. So, I’ll be brief…No, “The Golden Age” of tech blogging is not over. It’s (finally) growing up…as it should. Tech is more important than a locale. It’s more important than funding or personnel shifts. Its impact on culture, society, business, and human evolution is more profound than the pundits who usually cover it. Evolution is a good thing…and I believe tech blogging is merely undergoing a form of digital Darwinism of sorts.

I recently wrote about my thoughts on the state and future of blogs, which is of course far grander than the world of tech blogging. And as you can see, blogging is alive and clicking.

Yes, micromedia, video, and social transactions/actions are breaking through our digital levees and causing our social streams to flood. And, yes, Flipboard, Zite, and the like (get it?), are forcing our consumption patterns into rapid-fire actions and reactions. You have a choice. You are either a content creator, curator or consumer. You can be all of course. But, think about this beyond the mental equivalent of 140 characters…what do you really want to become know for…? The answer is different for each of us. But, content, context, and continuity are all I need to learn, make decisions and in turn inspire others.

I can assure you that the right voices will find the right platforms to escalate the genre and continue to influence all forms of media and those who create it. Watch what happens in 2012. It’s part survival of the fittest and survival of the fitting. I’ve got my on on some of the names you know as well as many that you don’t (but soon will).

If we assume that human beings can only process bytes instead of depth we are confined to competing merely for the moment. That is a game for the AOL’s of the world. What’s changing right here, right now is the players, not the game.

In fact, this is the time to compete for attention by not just feeding it forgettable snacks here and there, but enrapturing it through value, direction, and insight. Do the work no one else can make the time to do. There’s always a market for intelligence…it’s just a matter of which market you decide to pursue.

I believe the next Golden Age lies in syndicated context (yes it’s a play on words) and like a multidimensional chess board, compete for attention on several different fronts (playing their game, their way) while expanding reach in the process. There’s tremendous value in trusted content. The secret lies not in character count, but in perspective…seeing what others can’t and doing what others won’t. Just don’t lose sight of who you are and why you’re here. You’re part of the reason we’re here in the first place.

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Graphic: Christine Daniloff

According to a new report by MIT, Twitter’s growth in the U.S. is due in large part to media attention and traditional social networks based on geographic proximity and socioeconomic similarity.

Here’s a compelling video that charts the growth of Twitter since its founding in 2006.

Each circle represents a U.S. city containing Twitter users. As time goes on, circles grow in size as more users sign up in that location. When a location has reached a ‘critical mass’ of users, or 13.5 percent of all eventual users have signed up, the location turns red. The line being drawn across the center of the screen is a time series of the number of new users that signed up across the whole country in a given week.

Video: Jameson Toole

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Order The End of Business as Usual today…

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Inc. Magazine and 800-CEO-READ compile a monthly list of best-selling business books based on purchases by its corporate customers nationwide.

Here are the best sellers for November 2011…

2. “Find Your Next: Using the Business Genome to Find Your Company’s Next Competitive Edge” by Andrea Kates; McGraw-Hill, 304 pages ($30)

3. “Relationship Economics: Transform Your Most Valuable Business Contacts Into Personal and Professional Success” by David Nour; John Wiley & Sons, 303 pages ($19.95)

4. “The End of Business as Usual: Rewire the Way You Work to Succeed in the Consumer Revolution” by Brian Solis; John Wiley & Sons, 304 pages $24.95) Please read their blog post about the book

5. “Look at More: A Proven Approach to Innovation, Growth, and Change” by Andy Stefanovich; Jossey-Bass, 208 pages ($25.95)

6. “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful” by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter; Hyperion Books, 236 pages ($24.99)

7. “Trusted Advisor Fieldbook: A Comprehensive Toolkit for Leading with Trust” by Charles H. Green and Andrea P. Howe; John Wiley & Sons, 270 pages ($27.95)

8. “Conversations That Win the Complex Sale: Using Power Messaging to Create More Opportunities, Differentiate Your Solutions, and Close More Deals” by Erik Peterson and Timothy Riesterer; McGraw-Hill, 272 pages ($30)

9. “How Remarkable Women Lead: The Breakthrough Model for Work and Life” by Joanna Barsh and Susie Cranston; Crown, 384 pages ($15)

10. “From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership” by Harry M. Jansen Kraemer; Jossey-Bass, 224 pages ($27.95)

11. “What to Ask the Person in the Mirror: Critical Questions for Becoming a More Effective Leader and Reaching Your Potential” by Robert Steven Kaplan; Harvard Business Press, 288 pages ($26.95)

12. “Strengths Finder 2.0” by Tom Rath; Gallup Press, 175 pages ($22.95)

13. “Shift: The Transformation of Today’s Marketers Into Tomorrow’s Growth Leaders” by Scott M. Davis; Jossey-Bass, 272 pages ($34.95)

14. “Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter” by Elizabeth Wiseman and Greg McKeown; HarperBusiness, 288 pages ($25.99)

15. “Brains on Fire: Igniting Powerful, Sustainable, Word of Mouth Movements” by Robbin Phillips, Greg Cordell, Geno Church and Spike Jones; John Wiley & Sons, 184 pages ($24.95)

16. “Practically Radical: Not-So-Crazy Ways to Transform Your Company, Shake Up Your Industry, and Challenge Yourself” by William C. Taylor; William Morrow, 320 pages ($27.99)

17. “The M-Factor: How the Millennial Generation Is Rocking the Workplace” by Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman; Harper Business, 320 pages ($26.99)

18. “Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy” by Steve Stoute; Gotham, 320 pages ($26)

19. “How to Market to People Not Like You: ‘Know It or Blow It’ Rules for Reaching Diverse Customers” by Kelly McDonald; John Wiley & Sons, 218 pages ($24.95)

20. “Curse of the Mogul: What’s Wrong with the World’s Leading Media Companies” by Jonathan A. Knee, Bruce C. Greenwald and Ava Seave; Portfolio, 320 pages ($17)

21. “Love Leadership” by John Hope Bryant and Bill George; Jossey-Bass, 203 pages ($27.95)

22. “It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand for: Why Every Extraordinary Business Is Driven by Purpose” by Roy M. Spence Jr.; Portfolio, 336 pages ($16)

23. “The Go-Giver: A Little Story about a Powerful Business Idea” by Bob Burg and John David Mann; Portfolio, 144 pages ($21.95)

24. “Ultimate Question 2.0: How Net Promoter Companies Thrive in a Customer-Driven World” by Fred Reichheld; Harvard Business Press, 304 pages ($27.95)

25. “Zappos Experience: 5 Principles to Inspire, Engage, and Wow” by Joseph Michelli; McGraw-Hill, 256 pages ($25)

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Order The End of Business as Usual today…

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Order The End of Business as Usual today…

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I’m joining Genesys/Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise for an exclusive event on 1/17/12 in Chicago and you’re invited. The focus for the conversation will center on how to effectively compete in this new era of digital Darwinism while earning the support of online champions - your customers and employees.

Specifically, you will learn:

• How to set up and use social media as a channel in your organization
• How to utilize social media to provide both reactive and proactive customer support
• How to build customer loyalty that increases profitably with dynamic customer engagement
• The best practices and approach one company used to deploy social media as a customer engagement channel

Agenda

3:00 – 3:15 Registrations
3:15 – 3:30 Welcome and Introductions
3:30 – 4:15 Brian Solis, Principal Analyst at Altimeter Group
4:15 – 5:00 Interactive Session & Demo
5:00 – 6:00 Cocktail Reception & Meet-n-Greet Book signing

Register now!

Date: Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Time: 3:00pm

Location: The W Hotel Lake Shore 644 North Lake Shore Drive Chicago, Illinois 60611-3017

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