Thursday, May 17, 2012

Last night I participated in presentation to the Social Media Club of Milwaukee about the social media history and philosophy of my full time employer, North Shore Bank.  During that discussion I mentioned Google+ as an avenue that we also participate in and a combination hush/light laughter fell over the room.  It may have been my delivery or the fact that 90% of the people in the room feel the same ways do about G+: “Eh.”.

While Google can lay claim to rapid growth in it’s early months, G+ subscriptions have slowed as of late.  Those I’ve asked about the topic express both joy and a bit of relief that the network hasn’t taken off as much as anticipated.  That combo stems from the realization that yet another network won’t need to be updated, monitored, and managed.  With the number of social networks available today, the addition of one more could put an online community manager over the edge.

Although my personal feelings toward Google+ may have cooled since it launched, a recent update has me turning my attention to it (yet) again.  An update to Hangouts called Google+ Hangouts On Air brings Ustream-like features to Google’s network and gives broadcasters the ability to embed live video in their own website or blog while simultaneously posting their YouTube channel and Google+ page.  After the live broadcast is done, the video is then archived and available as standard YouTube content.

On the surface, this isn’t a big enhancement, but with a little creative thinking (cute gimmicks aside), this has the possibility of being a huge platform for online content creators.  I have plans for utilizing Google+ Hangouts On Air with a few of my online properties, specifically RCNewb.com and am looking forward to seeing what this new tool set can provide.  If nothing else, it may breathe some new life and interest into Google+.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Who’s the darling of the social media world this year? Why that would be Pinterest, the community that allows people to share their styles, tastes, and likes with the world.  While it’s been unofficially branded as a network for women (with over 97% of Pinterest’s fans being female, it’s hard to argue that) I’ve found it to be a network of visual stimulation…for creativity.

One of the hardest aspects of the design business can be getting inspiration and the initial spark for a project.  For years I’ve spent time taking in many forms of inspiration in various environments.  Pinterest has opened up a whole new world or possibilities when it comes to gathering ideas.  No matter what you might be working on, from a design/layout project to finding new and creative workspaces or simply looking for an inspirational quote, you’ll find all of that (and more) with Pinterest.

I’ve even used it to create collections of design ideas to post.  You can even use it to catalog typography examples and other ideas for project concepts.  If you’re a creative professional, it’s worth your while to check it out.  You’ll also meet other people with similar inserests, which doesn’t hurt the creative process either.

Monday, February 13, 2012

This month I took a look at what I had written about and posted on my blog last year.  I was a bit surprised by a few items. First, I didn’t write as much as I thought I had (or wanted to).  Chalk that up to not enough time, too many projects, or some other excuse (because that’s what they are).  The other glaring omission from last year was the low number of social media-related posts.  Again, I could come up with reason upon reason (read: excuse upon excuse) as to why I didn’t more about every online marketers topic du jour, but it all boils down to one.  I thought people and businesses had it figured out.

I follow many brands and organizations through my social networks.  I do so for a variety of reasons and from different perspectives.  First-and-foremost, I like these companies and products.  I enjoy using whatever these companies produce and want to stay in the loop with what may be coming down the pipeline.  Second, I want to see how they maneuver and exist within these various online communities.  Do they engage? Are they responsive? Do they care?  While I do believe that people and organizations can use social networks in any way that they see fit, there are some basic, neighborly interactions that have become commonplace.  If you direct a comment to someone, it’s common courtesy to respond (unless the comment is meant to antagonize or troll).  

It’s amazing how many valid questions and comments can go unanswered or unnoticed by brands that have a presence online.  These aren’t small brands either.  They’re big, household names even (in some circles).  Yet questions and comments from their customers seem to go unnoticed.  If you’re in charge of a brand’s face online, you need to remember one crucial element of a successful social experience.  Be human.

This, above all else, is main key to success.  Listen, respond, interact, engage.  Be human.  This sounds like a broken record, and I know I’ve said and written this very message before.  I get it, I’m being repetitive.  The sad thing is, I need to be.  Here we are, years after social networking grabbed the hearts of marketers and brand managers everywhere and whispered sweet nothings of a blissful nirvana.  Social was the key to everything.  No, it WAS everything.  If only we remembered the rules.

Social media, at it’s core, is easy.  Be human, no matter how large a corporation you might be behind.  Just respond,learn, and make those interacting with you feel that they’ve been heard.  Trust and relationships are built from those things.  They are the cornerstones of any great relationship in either the physical or virtual world, yet some brand and community managers seem to have forgotten that.  Instead of using social networks to their fullest potential by building rapport and conversing with the people that buy their products and services, they’ve chosen to turn these channels into nothing more than a dumb pipe to spew out their latest announcements (and nothing more).

Again, I get that, if that’s what you’re intending to do, but please disclose that up front.  If you tout an account as being a “customer service” channel, the least you can do is comment back to someone that says good things about your product.  Chances are, there are other companies who produce similaror competing products, and are more than happy to interact and treat individuals as people.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

2012 has become the year of the personal project.  Along with a list of client projects, I’ve made an all-out effort to nurture a few random ideas that I’ve had rattling around in my head for the past…few years.

One of the projects I’m the most excited about is a new community-based site concept that I’ve had an on-again, off-again relationship with.  Wrestling with the basic questions of “will it work” and “will anyone use it” and the all-too-familiar “will anyone care” has been at the heart of my internal hesitation.  I was about to write this particular project off and had almost forgotten about it until I stumbled across a brand identity that I had started sketching.  The last revision date on these logo sketches was in 2009.  Almost three years this file sat on my computer, half-finished in both concept and reality.  I was ready to delete the files (and all other traces of this project) until something struck me.  The logo concepts weren’t that bad.

When a spark or even a faint glimmer of creativity hits, you need to grab onto it and carry it as far as you can, regardless of the outcome.  After rediscovering this site concept, I poured a fair amount of work back into it and dedicated myself to giving it life.

Without giving too much away, the concept of this project is simple; build a website that will act as a hub for connecting people with similar interests, share information, and discover new places.  On the surface, it sounds like a recipe for a social network.  The truth is, this will be built and thrive on social.  Using tools and networks that have been established and hold a decent user-base is an appealing prospect when you’re looking to make a community-driven site.  We don’t need another social network, we just need to fine-tune and focus those that we have. Hopefully, this project will do that.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Earlier this week I discovered an iOS app from the folks at Ford that allows you to customize a Ford Mustang any way you like (on the exterior).  I downloaded it to try it out, but am surprised at the amount of fun I’m having using it.

The Mustang Customizer app began it’s life as a website but has been adapted to work on the iPhone and iPad, as well as Android devices. 

Fresh from the lab.
As I mentioned, I’m having fun with this app, maybe too much fun.  You be the judge:

Social to the core.
Quick aside: I’m a fan of not only Ford’s vehicles, but also their approach to social networking.  This app and the Mustang Customizer site are no exception.  You can submit your creations in head-to-head battles with other rides and can share your experiences on the top social sites.  You can even embed your profile to show off your skills.