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TwitterWhat better way to kick off the holiday season than to celebrate with the Social Media Club of Southwest Florida? Read the rest of this entry »
Irony in public
November 5th, 2009 
lance4hire Just have to laugh that I posted up Chris Brogan’s “How to Blog Almost Every Day,” like, Oct. 10 and I haven’t put up anything since then.
Anyhoo, it’s a good idea to post fresh content as often as possible. “Google loves fresh content” isn’t just a funny saying, it’s the law.
I would posit another law that if you have whimsical keyword combinations tucked away in the archives, it can keep your stats from bombing altogether. The #1 search words people get to my blog with are “guerilla resume.” It’s interesting, but I’m sure those folks are disappointed when they get to my “old fashioned restaurant menu,” which is another popular search set. I also feel pretty bad for anyone looking for any type of “steamy hot tub action.” But if they’re searching “bad jokes” they might just be in the right place.
I hope everyone is doing great, saving up for the holidays (Hmmph!) and whatnot. Cheers!
How to blog almost every day
October 10th, 2009 lance4hire From ChrisBrogan community and social media
by Chris Brogan
I put up a blog post (almost) every day, and sometimes, I put up more than one a day. On top of this, I write for clients, write for other projects, work on books, and other things. Some of you don’t have all these other writing commitments, but still want some ideas on getting more writing out the door. Here are some thoughts into my process that I hope will give you a framework for writing a blog post (almost) every day. Read the rest of this entry »
FTC’s new rules for bloggers – preposterous?
October 8th, 2009 lance4hire Disclosure may simply be good social media practice
Jack Shafer has a problem. In his post earlier this week for Slate, Shafer takes issue with the FTC’s new disclosure rules for bloggers, calling them “preposterous.” Simply stated, if a blogger is writing about a product or service he or she has received free of charge, that arrangement now needs to be clearly identified to the audience. The presumption, of course, is that a blogger’s review could possibly be swayed by the free schwag.
In editorial circles, it’s called payola. And in ethical editorial circles, it’s not tolerated. So why does Shafer have a problem? Read the rest of this entry »
Fear and loathing in social media
October 7th, 2009 lance4hire From The Social Media Marketing Blog
by Scott Monty, Ford Motor Corp.
You would think at this point that we’d be up to curiosity or even playful experimentation.
But it seems that, according to the e-tailing group and PowerReviews‘ survey earlier this month that brands are still hesitant to entirely give over to the power of social media for fear of (what else?) loss of control of their brand and concerns about their competence. A secondary fear is that consumers might find social sites more engaging than the brands’ sites, and therefore stop visiting the brands’ sites.
I may be oversimplifying this a bit, but if I were at a brand that was concerned customers might leave my site for a better site I might, oh, I don’t know…maybe BUILD A MORE ENGAGING SITE?!?!?!
How Social Media is Upending the Enterprise
October 2nd, 2009 lance4hire From Fast Company
By David Pakman, Venrock
For decades, companies have defined the channels their customers must use to contact them. But phrases like, “We are available by phone weekdays from 9am until 4pm Eastern Standard Time,” and “We will attempt to answer the emails we receive within 48 hours, but times vary based on incoming volume” are quickly becoming a thing of the past. The long-held notion that companies control the conversation is being challenged by social media.
In a world where any customer can, in seconds, tweet or post to Facebook a pithy product review or share an experience they had with a brand, companies are forced to entirely rethink how they interact with their customers. Step one, probably the hardest step, is realizing they are no longer in control. Read the rest of this entry »
Listening Lessons
October 1st, 2009 lance4hire From ElaineGantzWright’s blog
by Elaine Gantz Wright
“To listen well is as powerful a means of influence as to talk well, and is as essential to all true conversation.”
-Chinese Proverb
I attended a meeting of social media aficionados last week—the Dallas Social Media Club. It was a vibrant group of new-media-savvy folks with cutting-edge interests and razor-sharp wits. I loved the energy in the room and the combination of slightly smug awareness and wide-eyed curiosity about what might replace Twitter as the next techno-networking phenomenon. Officially, “the Social Media Club Dallas focuses on social media practitioners in corporate, agency, and PR roles—primarily interested in how the medium to large enterprises are leveraging social media to reach, engage, and most important, drive revenue.”
Interestingly, but not surprisingly, Thursday evening’s confab consisted primarily of “vendor” types—as the speaker, Chris Vary, VP of Weber Shandwick’s Digital Division, noted when he conducted a quick poll of the room. I think this strongly indicates that the social media charge is still led by the practitioner-evangelists, and that most businesses, small to large to small (including nonprofits), have still not seen the proverbial light. On a practical level, they have not figured out how to integrate it into everyday operations. Read the rest of this entry »
Is Social Media the New Furby?
September 28th, 2009 lance4hire 
It was 1998. And Furby was going to save Christmas.
Early that year, the Dow soared to 9000 for the first time. But by June, an economic crisis that had ravaged world markets seemed to have the U.S. in its sights. We needed an antidote to the so-called “Asian flu” – or at least a distraction.
Just in time for the uncertain holiday season came Furby – a talking animatronic hair-ball that seemed a cross between an owl and a dust bunny. As often happens during difficult times, hysteria overtook reason. The Furby was slated to become the Cabbage Patch Kid of the 90s. That could mean only one thing: scalping. Read the rest of this entry »
Creative Social Media On The Cheap
September 28th, 2009 lance4hire From Chalkboarder
September 28, 2009
Think Like A Musician
Joe Iadanza, Musician
Musicians amaze me. A lot like a good chef, they are consumed with creating wonderful things. On the flip side, they need to expand and massage their fans, satisfy them and bring in revenue. The similarities are unique; a restaurant also needs to expand and massage its customers, satisfy them and bring in revenue.
With only 10% of affordable fine-dining restaurants using social media, I thought an introduction to how musicians have completely embraced this new communication world would be of benefit.
Let’s look at how a New England based musician is growing his fan base and supporting his family, predominantly by using social media. Read the rest of this entry »
Who are you?
Hey, leave a comment on my blog. If you like a post, or disagree with it, click on its title. This brings up the entire post, and enables you to comment. I’d like to know who’s been sneaking around in here. Show yourself!
Also, let me know if you’d like to be a guest blogger! That might be fun. There’s always room for more in the tub. Just bring your own ducky.