Iggy Pintado, or @iggypintado, author of The Connection Generation, a man I have great respect for, was [...]]]> I finally got to meet the person behind @iconic88. While I don’t usually follow brands or tweeps on twitter who aren’t forthright with providing details about their personal identity, I made an exception in the case of following @iconic88.

Iggy Pintado, or @iggypintado, author of The Connection Generation, a man I have great respect for, was following and recommending @iconic88. So, trusting Iggy’s advice, I hit the follow button too and found that @iconic88’s tweets were usually positive and uplifting, sometimes informative and there were always a number of them to be found in the tweetstream whenever I logged on for my twitter-fix.

At the  recent A List Entrepreneurs function we had the chance to meet the mysterious @iconic88 as Iggy was doing the big reveal! I was really excited about being part of this event. The guest of honour was a genuine and warm hearted person, who was humble and optimistic and undeniably a good soul.

That said, I guess I just had far greater hopes for the event than I realized. It was great to be there for the big reveal, but I really thought there might be more substance to the evening’s discussions.

First off, I was surprised that in an event that was aimed at those who embrace social media (why else would you want to meet the unknown @iconic88). I just assumed that those who embraced social media would also embrace all the transparency and information sharing opportunities that come along with it, but we were told that we couldn’t take video (not that the dark lit room would have allowed it on your basic iPhone). I was genuinely surprised by the announcement asking us to refrain.

The discussions got underway, I was thinking I might learn something about creating a vibrant community on twitter, some real useful bits of information to apply to twitter strategy, some gems that I could employ or suggest to clients or associates.

Instead what I experienced was a very casual discussion between a couple of very nice, very sincere, very well meaning gentlemen. While it was all very pleasant and real, it also demonstrated a few of the things that, (pardon the language here) really piss me off about the discussions that happen around twitter.

I took offense to the warning from iconic88 to be wary of over-tweeting. While I agree over-tweeting is a bad thing, he was not the person to be offering this warning. According to his follow cost stats , his AVERAGE number of tweets per day falls around the 180 mark. Although over-tweeting is something he proclaims he doesn’t do, nor does he schedule his tweets. I want someone to tell me how an average of 180 tweets per day, yes that is 15 per hour, is NOT over tweeting.  And, if someone has a family, a job, a life, how does one find the time to maintain this kind of average?

Then, of course, the conversation went to where it always goes, it turned to the number of followers! Why does it always have to come back to the lowest common denominator — the number of followers? Folks it’s not about the sheer numbers! It’s really not hard to get numbers, but connecting with the right people can be a challenge, but it is the key to unlocking twitter’s real value.

It really is about the conversations! How does anyone profess to have conversations with 30,000+ people? There is so much value to be extracted from twitter usage that is not reliant on huge numbers, but on connecting with those who can offer a valuable exchange.  If you follow the right people, there’s undeniable value in that. So many people miss this in their discussions about twitter. So many of you think more is better, but as most of us travel along the path to reach our twitter goals, more often just means more “noise”.

My final challenge to the evening’s discussion was“ why, oh why, oh why do we keep focusing on the tactic? Why are we so hypnotized by the shiny object?

There were some great people there and I’m happy to have met many of them. I will continue to follow @iconic88 and @iggypintado and a few of the people in the video below, but I will also be sure to  ask them, why we can’t we elevate our discussion as to how  twitter as a tool (‘cause that’s all it is folks) can help us to meet our larger communications, marketing, education, personal development goals, strategies and objectives?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Question of the day:

What would make you follow someone with a high follow cost?

While his presentation style is undeniably understated, his observations and insights are powerful.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Question of the day:

In the last bit of the video he [...]]]> Robert Scoble, blogger and entrepreneur  discusses how ideas spread. The public session was part of the Stanford GSB marketing course, the Power of Social Technology.

While his presentation style is undeniably understated, his observations and insights are powerful.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Question of the day:

In the last bit of the video he refers to an intimate dinner conversation, if shared with the right four people, you could change the world.

Who would you like seated at your table?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here, Tony, uses the phrase social marketing, not social media. I think we’ve got some serious semantics at work here.

I agree that tactics should never be confused with strategy, but so often are! To all you self proclaimed [...]]]> Tony Chapman of Cap C shares his views in this video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here, Tony, uses the phrase social marketing, not social media. I think we’ve got some serious semantics at work here.

I agree that tactics should never be confused with strategy, but so often are! To all you self proclaimed social media experts , ad agency types who invest an hour on Facebook before you start hyping  its’ “game-changing” benefits to your clients, you digital dudes, dude-ettes and drive by “strategists” take note of this – a twitter profile, a Facebook fan page, or single blog does not constitute an effective marketing strategy. What you are recommending, is a flavour of the day, smoke and mirrors approach that hops on the latest shiny object band wagon and preys on client ignorance, then taints the experience for clients who have entrusted you with their business and ruining the name of real strategic marketers in the process. These are the professionals who will embrace a far broader approach and encourage dialogue around a truly strategic solution to the client’s specific marketing challenge.

Why can’t we get this concept of strategy first? It’s then, and only then, can we decide on the appropriate selection of  tactics to be used in an integrated approach to ensure you achieve that strategy. And, of course, social media tools may right for that mix.

Mitch Joel, a man, whose views I really respect on this topic, had this to say  in a recent blog post about “marketers’ missing the mark on twitter

Social media may lead you to developing new strategies, to assessing how you currently approach the marketing and communications challenge. And yes, they may in fact lead you down a path of massive change and take you to a place where you do new things in new ways, to create a new way of thinking, acting, doing and relating with your customers.

But, from where I sit, I don’t see social marketing or social media as strategies. They may be the conversation starters, the instigators, but strategy is still driving force that will guide the effective use of these new tools.

So, if your potential provider can’t talk strategy – don’t waste your breath. Find someone who can and let the social media dilettantes go “help” your competition.

Question of the day:

What are your thoughts on tactics versus strategy? Social media versus social marketing? Share your thoughts…

As stated in their history,

TED was born in 1984 out of the observation by Richard Saul Wurman of a powerful convergence between Technology, Entertainment and Design. The first [...]]]> What’s the consummate conference experience? TED of course.  TED has become synonymous with innovation, inspiration. It thrills and inspires audiences around the world to join in the conversation.

As stated in their history,

TED was born in 1984 out of the observation by Richard Saul Wurman of a powerful convergence between Technology, Entertainment and Design. The first TED included demos of the newly released Macintosh computer and Sony compact disc, while mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot demonstrated how to map coastlines with his newly discovered fractals and AI guru Marvin Minsky outlined his powerful new model of the mind.

This year’s conference is next week and its theme is what the world needs now… I know what you’re thinking, the song is running through my head too,but it’s more than love, sweet love. What the world needs now is …ideas, creativity and innovation. There’s too little of those things too!

I’ve never attended TED in person, but it is on my bucket list.  However, I have experienced it through the resulting podcasts, their online presence and others who share in its appeal. I’ve witnessed the magic of TED speakers who have moved me to action, brought me to tears or lead me to a greater understanding or appreciation of things, events or concepts. I hold this conference up as the yardstick for all conferences.

Pssst…all you in the conference business… there are lessons here to be learned here if you’d just invest the time to learn them.

Firstly, perhaps you can glean a little something from the winning TED recipe that includes:

• a basic premise and fundamental goal (to present “Ideas worth spreading”),
• the adherence to a consistent format from year to year and around the globe,
• a line-up of superior quality of speakers where the magic is in their diversity (perspectives from industries including; medicine, government, technology, philanthropy, media, science, music, marketing, just to name a few), and
• talks that are all, in one way or another, inspiring, innovative and revolutionary.

As a result, the demand to attend and to speak at TED is staggering. It has become annual global phenomenon. Why wouldn’t it? These “ideas worth spreading” ignite innovation, stir passion, inspire action and evolve the conversation to a higher level.

So, listen up all you conference organizers, regardless of what industries, geographies, or topics your conferences cover, you can borrow a page from TED.

First off, define your purpose, test your ingredients, aim high and develop the winning recipe that will accomplish it.  There are a plethora of goals that you’ll want it to achieve  with your conference (from gaining visibility, facilitating member networking, providing value to the membership, recognizing and advancing the profession, to, yes, MAKING MONEY!) so spend time defining them. Set clear objectives. And do this in SMART terms.

And, if MAKING MONEY is a priority, why not take another lesson from TED. In addition to creating a fabulous conference experience, why not add your own version of the latest TED offering of  The Associate Membership Program.

They are offering a discounted conference fee for those who can’t actually make it to the conference, but want to share the experience of TED as it unfolds with a group of associates, family, or friends of their choosing.

It has always been my belief that there are tremendous untapped revenue streams that can be easily applied to conferences of all topics, geographies and sizes, with a little pre-planning and vision, some tech-savvy support and sound strategic marketing (ahem, here’s the shameless plug).

Why, when so many of  you conference organizers are clamoring to get butts in seats and create decent revenue streams from these events they spend months (and sometimes years) planning, you aren’t also embracing innovative ways of extending the conference conversation, is beyond my bottom line focused comprehension.

One thing I think the world needs now is flexibility that will open us up to consider other options for accomplishing our goals, to broaden our vision and our minds and lead us into doing new things in new ways. I guess that’s why I think that what the world needs now….is also… TED.

Questions of the day

Have you attended TED? Viewed a TEDTalk? What are your favourites? How did the experience change you?

What Matters Now is the latest free  e-book from Seth Godin and friends -it’s provocative, insightful, inspiring and just plain powerful!

Download it, read it, live it….just trust me on this…this IS what matters now.

“We’re building a cluster of solo players out [...]]]> Chris Brogan’s recent post Social Media Needs to Become a Team Sport makes some valid points. In essence, he says that social media is full of a bunch of solo players, rather than teams of people working together to achieve (or, in his analogy, score) a common goal.

“We’re building a cluster of solo players out there on the field when what is necessary is a team methodology with all kinds of touchpoints, system connectors, and deeper communications/strategy channels,” he writes.

Many companies who have adopted the use of social media tools (applause here for this in itself is a huge step) are entrusting  the success of  their  efforts to only a few company representatives – often the responsibility lies with only one or two people within the organization (and even more often, this person’s position  is far removed from senior level strategic decision making and many are also new to the organizations they represent).

How ironic that social media tools are being trusted to so very few people.

I would love to see companies embrace the power of social media by first seeking to really understand it – to embrace the opportunity to offer education to  employees around these new tools that have become embedded in our culture , to teach employees of all levels and within various functional areas how Facebook works and how to tweet important news, how to find and upload videos on YouTube regardless of whether or not they will actually use these skills in their day to day jobs. I don’t have to be an accountant to get value from understanding balance sheets and income statements, but I make better  bottom line decisions becauseI understand the basics of how what I do affects the bottom line, and the same holds true here.

Imagine if companies sought to understand what twitter, Nings, Facebook, YouTube, wikis, etc can actually do, AND how, once they have become familiar with their capabilities, these tools  can  be used and integrated to accomplish the organization’s goals from various departmental, and management level perspectives. For HR and PR will have very different needs, views, concerns and ideas of how social media might be used to achieve their goals, as will the Systems Developer when compared with the CFO.

What benefits would we see from organizations that take advantage of the opportunity to use teaching social media as the springboard for greater internal dialogue between departments and use it as the galvanizing force for ongoing communication and in breaking down functional barriers? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we saw decisions about how best to leverage social media be the thing that brings together departments like Sales, Marketing, IT, Communications, PR and HR.
We might be skipping in the streets if the same organization demonstrated an integrated approach in their selection of chosen tools AND in the creation of the messaging that was then used by an integrated team of employees representing various functions, management levels, geographies, viewpoints, etc.

Yes, I agree with Chris Brogan and think there needs to be a team approach to social media adoption. Maybe this is the strategy that will drive corporate adoption rates.

Maybe this is the only way we’ll truly see a lasting increase in corporate “socialarity”.

Questions of the day.

Do you know an organization that is doing great things with social media? increasing their “socialarity”? one that is educating employees around these tools? using social media to help increase interdepartmental communications or break down functional barriers?