Archive for the ‘Strategy’ Category

I’m still kicking the tires on Google + but from what I’ve seen, it has the potential to be a real power building technology.

Power building for what you ask? How about for building brand awareness, building a voter base, changing the world, or shifting public perceptions.

Photo Credit: Pierofix on Flickr - License

Circles

I especially like the Circles concept. While advising clients on effective ways of using social media for their businesses, I often end up drawing concentric circle diagrams in response to the “who do I connect to” question.

I suggest clients start with the people they know and trust very well (such as employees, family, business partners) and put them in the center. Then in the next ring, they would put the people they trust and have done business with. The next ring would be people they have met locally during mixers, people in their same industry, potential customers, and possible referral sources. The last ring would be people they connect with online for the first time.

This last ring could end up with thousands of people. I wrote about how these networks can be activated in an earlier post.

Google + allows you to manage content per Circle without having to create separate accounts. On Twitter, the only way you can really separate content is by having different accounts. I have my main account (@jesseluna) then I have one that is blogging focused (@niceblog) and another that is focused on film (@cinemaluna). I could have used one account and tweet all the content from one place but I wanted to have more vertical presences with the latter two accounts. In other words, I wanted them to be super focused on the content areas.

The main idea with Circles is that we only want to share certain information with certain groups. We may want to do this for different reasons:

If you have a “Twitter followers” group and also a “Closest supporters” Circle, you probably have a lot more people in the former. Imagine how powerful your network would become if you moved over a lot of your Twitter Followers into your closer networks.

You don’t need thousands of people in your “Closest Supporters” group. Just as in the movie “300″, a strong army of 300 can change the world.

Power Building In Action

Chris Brogan is one of the top bloggers on the Web. He just put out a post entitled “The Google PLUS 50” with 50 things to think about in relation to Google +. Within a few hours of posting the article, it had already received 56 comments and 600 reactions.

Brogan could have written the standard “10 things” kind of post but 50 is a whopping number. With a post like this, he’s able to draw in his blog readers, Twitter followers, and his Facebook fans and get a strong foothold in the new social network.

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Adriel Hampton is active in the Gov2.0 world and is also known for live tweeting his run for Congress. Adriel was one of the first people in my Twitter stream that was actively hooking people up with Google + invites. He directed his Twitter and Facebook followers to “@” him their email addresses and also to request invites using his blog.

Would you be more likely to support a candidate who knew how to work the Social Web and took an early foothold in a new network? Um, Yes.

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As I was finishing up this post, I wanted it to be more gender balanced so I asked Twitter if there were any women out there taking an “early lead” on Google plus, especially community builders. One of my Twitter friends, Susie Wee (@susiewee) replied with a list of three people and one of the three provided a list of more women making an early impact on Google Plus.

Susie Wee – She didn’t list herself but she is a VP at Cisco. I met Susie a couple of years back at Shel Israel’s Twitterville book launch event in San Carlos.

Tatyana Kanzaveli – she is @glfceo on Twitter. She is an executive with Social CRM and an expert event planner. I also met her at the Twitterville event.

Susan Beebe – works in Global Social Media department at Dell. One look at her Google Plus posts and you know why Susie mentioned her. She engages and is helping to expand the platform. She is @susanbeebe on Twitter.

Trisha Liu – Trisha works for ArcSight, an HP company. The big brands are definitely finding their way to Google Plus!

Other women who were mentioned for expanding the platform with powerful and engaging content are Megan Murray, Robyn Miller, and Susan Scrupski.

Final thoughts on Google + power building
First of all, if you’re not on Google + yet and need an invite, feel free to tweet me (@jesseluna) your email address or post it below in the Comments.

Second, it’s not just about setting up the right circles, it’s about delivering content that engages your audience and resonates with them.

I’m looking forward to seeing and hearing about what you do with Google +.


Photo credit: Building – By DCMaster on Flickr – License

I avoided paying attention to QR codes. Some of my Twitter friends were obsessed with them and I hadn’t investigate them enough to see the full value. Now I do.

QR Codes are a great way to connect mobile devices to print, signage, clothing, and much much much more.

• > Jump to the “How to Add A QR Code To Your Blog Video

Best Uses

Some of the best uses of QR codes come from online companies that are part of the mobile application ecosystem.

The Appsgeyser mobile development site for Android apps uses QR Codes to prompt developers/users to download apps.

OpenAppMarket is a mini app store for HTML5 applications. You can get to the apps from the URL, by posting via phone, or by accessing the QR code.

Best Buy’s QR code labeled price tags. How many times do you go buy something then wish you had a computer so you could look things up? Happens to me all the time. I don’t carry my laptop around while shopping but I always have my smart phone.

Photo credit: Travelin’ Librarian on Flickrlicense

QR Code Scanners

I did a little Twitter crowdsourcing a couple of weeks ago and asked tweeps what their favorite QR Code readers were. I expected to hear crickets but QR Code lovers came out of the woodwork. These are some of the apps they mentioned.

1) Qrafter - Free: Not bad but the ads are pretty obvious and it has a couple of extra steps to actually get to the URL. The app had trouble recognizing some on screen codes that my favorite ones were able to read.

2) Microsoft Tag reader – Free: Had trouble recognizing tags. I stopped testing it after it missed a couple of tags.

3) AT&T Code Scanner – Winner! Free: This app is great and it’s the one I started using on a regular basis. I also used it to test out my Create Your Own Code application.

How To Add A QR Code To Your Blog

Related reading:

Who’s Really Scanning All Those QR Codes? [INFOGRAPHIC] on Mashable

The MyMic Facebook application lets you post audio updates to your Facebook profile or onto your friend’s Wall. You can post up to five seconds for free and there are paid options to post longer messages.

I ran into the application’s creator, LeaAnna Hernandez (@MyMicApp on Twitter), during a #LATISM Twitter chat. I had asked the Twittersphere if there were any Latino/Latina startup techies out there and LeaAnna “raised her hand.”

The application caught my eye because:

1. It is super easy to use. There’s a tutorial at the end of this post just in case you have questions.
   
2. Your friends don’t have to install anything to listen to your messages.
   
3. My Facebook friends started asking about it once I posted my first message. I love attention.
   

I also liked the recent press release where LeaAnna says,

“Sometimes we don’t want to be on camera. Maybe we’re having a bad hair day or the lighting isn’t the most flattering. With MyMic, none of that matters. Users, musicians, celebrities can easily record updates in their pajamas and no one would know the difference”.

I caught up with LeaAnna for an interview

JPL: Why did you select audio?

LH: I come from the radio industry…specializing in advertising. So i wanted to build an app that could marry radio with social. Businesses run commercials on radio stations. So I built the app for businesses to be able to run “social commercials” on Facebook.

JPL: I think I saw some stats that only one in a thousand YouTube users actually records and uploads a video. What do you think that ratio will look like for audio?

LH: I think that there are a lot of people that are camera shy and don’t want to be on camera. It literally is a production, having to get the right angle from the camera…nice lighting….good backdrop maybe.

With audio, it’s much easier and faster so I am inclined to think that it would be better but it’s still so new that only time will tell.

JPL: I tested the application and was able to post to my profile and to a friend’s Wall. Is there a way to post MyMic messages to the Facebook pages that I administer?

LH: In 2 weeks we are adding the feature to post recordings on Fan pages. I “like” your thinking.

JPL: Do you see businesses using MyMic the same way they use radio? Will they even start off using the same on air commercials?

LH: I think some brands will initially use their same radio ads. But others will get more creative.
For example, one advertiser I know is looking to create a promotion where they ask their friends to come up with a new slogan for the brand and record with MyMic. (This is another reason why the post on fan page functionality is important ). And they have an incentive attached to the promotion.

How does MyMic work?

MyMic is extremely easy to use. All you have to do is:

1) Go to the MyMic Application page on Facebook.

2) Click on the “Start Recording” button.

3) The little Adobe Flash Player Settings alert box will appear. Click on “Allow” to give the application permission to access your microphone.

4) Now you’re ready to record. To post a five second audio message for free, just click on the little red record button and leave your message.

5) Click on the “Publish” button and you’ll have the option to set a post Title and add a Message.

6) Decide if you want to post to your Facebook Profile by clicking on the “Save and Publish” button or post on a friend’s Wall by clicking on the “Send To A Friend” button.

Once you click on the “Save and Publish” button, you’ll get the “Post To Your Wall” dialog box.

From the “Post to Your Wall” dialog box you can decide who can see this post. You can choose to make it visible to Everyone, Friends and Networks, Friends of Friends, Friends Only, or Customize things.

Your Facebook friends can now listen to your recording without having to install any kind of application.

If you’d like to send the audio message to specific friend, you can select the “Send to a Friend” option when you publish. When you do this, you’ll be able to search and click to select the message recipient. This will post the message to their Wall. (The application does not allow you to post private messages at this time.)

I like the way the application allows you to filter then select friends. As you type in letters, the little picture list below filters your friends. This is especially useful for people who have a ton of friends.

At this time, you’re only allowed to post to the Wall of one friend and there’s no option for tagging other people.

Final Thoughts

I like the simplicity of the MyMic app and already have a lot of ideas on how to use it for Facebook promotions. I think this will be a nice utility for companies, Facebook page admins, and heavy duty content creators. It will be interesting to see if removing the “bad hair day” factor, as it exists with video, will encourage “regular” Facebook users to take on a new medium. As LeaAnna says, “only time will tell.”

Ok, it’s time to test out MyMic Application then report back here to leave your feedback. Will MyMic catch on? Was it easy to use? Did your Facebook friends like it and ask about it? Come on back and share with the other readers!

I love sharing information, including technology trends, social media How To’s, breaking and local business news, and information on advocacy groups. On Twitter, I’ll share 5-10 items per day, sometimes in a rapid fire method. On Facebook I’ll “Like” or “Share” several posts a day. Multiply these activities by the number of Twitter and Facebook users and you have an unprecedented amount of sharing and re-sharing.

So why limit the scope of your message? Let it run wild!

Here are five tips to help you set your message free.

Give Your Email Legs

Ok, so you spent two weeks working with a team to create the perfect email message. Maybe you’re about to launch a new product, announce a new conference, drive donors to your non-profit site, or share your latest video creation.

There are three important items to add to your email deployment checklist:

1. Do you have an online version of your email with a link to that page on the email? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve received a juicy email that I want to share with the world and struggled or have been unable to find the online version. If I don’t have a link, I can can’t share it with my online network. What a missed opportunity.
   
   If you do have an online version, please think clearly before deciding to host that content on the email management tool’s site. Do you want to drive content to Constant Contact’s site or to your site, for example?
2. Do you have a Twitter or Facebook share feature on your email? This makes sharing one step easier. With the click of a button, your message can flow to two of the most supercharged sharing sites in the world.
3. Is it easy to forward the email to a friend? Some email messages have nifty “Forward to a Friend” features that make it easy to share content. I rarely use this feature but there are some people who like it, especially if it is from an authority site like a news agency or major publication. If the email is breaking news or highly relevant to your personal or business contacts then this could help your message take off.

This Kodak email has an online version and ways for users to subscribe to Facebook and Twitter. The email could be enhanced with actual tweet buttons that automatically format the Twitter and Facebook messages, so posting is only one click away.

Let’s look at this from a numbers perspective. If you send out your email message to your permission-based list of 10,000 contacts and you don’t add any sharing features, then your message is limited to the number of recipients plus the number of times your email is forwarded to other contacts. Let’s be generous and say that 100 of the emails were forwarded to contacts. That’s a reach of 10,100.

If you add a link to your online content and have a Facebook and Twitter share then the numbers shift. Your initial contacts receive the message and can then re-post the message to their followers via Twitter or Friends on Facebook. If I tweet about an item, the message is instantly available to over 8,400 followers! That’s almost double the reach from ONE contact. Factor in retweets and other people sharing and the reach can get to 100,000 very quickly.

From your Website to the World

1. Add a Tweet button and Facebook Share and/or Like feature to your Web pages and blog posts. Yes, this is the same tip as for your email messaging but it’s important to give your site/blog readers a way to share content with their networks Clear a path.
2. Do you have a compelling image on your web page or blog post? A good photo or graphic will catch a persons attention and make it more share worthy. On Facebook, the image will show up as a thumbnail picture. Your Facebook friends will be much more likely to Like the post and to re-share it.
   
   Note: if you don’t select a photo to go with your page/post and someone “Facebooks it” then they will either get a selection of random image options (icons from your sidebar or unrelated content) or they won’t have any option.

(Link to The Spice Spoon blog.)

Review

We just reviewed how to clear a path for your important messages. If your message is clear, relevant, and timely then these tips can help your message spread like wildfire.

Do you have any other design tips to help your messages spread?

Photo Credit: Vestman on Flickr – License

I’ve been on the job hunt since June 1, 2010, almost five months. In that time I’ve been very fortunate to have received support from my family, friends, and social network buddies.

Job searching can be an energy-draining and demoralizing process. Dozens of resumes and cover letters are sent out, screening calls happen, interviews happen, and zippo. Despite coming up empty, I’ve managed to stay sane by following these five rules:

1. Say Yes!
2. Exercise
3. Eat well
4. Network like it’s going out of style
5. Be Grateful

Say Yes!

Life isn’t a movie but I love the film Yes Man with Jim Carrey. If you haven’t seen the film, the Jim Carrey character meets a personal development guru and he is bound to say “Yes” to everything that comes into his life – or really bad things happen.

I’ve taken the same Yes Man approach to opportunities and it has taken me on some interesting paths. For example, rocker Dave Navarro (@davenavarro6767 on Twitter) posted a tweet asking if anyone was interested in free tickets to see him perform at the Staples Center for an E3 event. It was 6:30am on a Sunday and I tweeted him back. A couple of days later, I was watching Dave and Jane’s Addiction, Eminem, Rihanna, Usher, Will.i.am, and N.E.R.D. perform a few feet away. It’s really difficult to feel down when you have amazing experiences like this.

There was also a certain amount of serendipity at play as I had a scheduled job interview the very next day at the LA Convention Center, only a hundred yards away.

Exercise

Rejection is physically draining so doing exercise is great way to counteract the negative juju and keep the engine going. I take my Lab, Ivory, for a 30-minute walk every morning. This gets me out of bed, starts off my morning routine, and serves as a solid victory that I can build upon. Walking and spending time with Ivory is also very grounding. I give myself permission to enjoy the time and be present.

I’ve considered taking up more intense sports but the closest I’ve gotten is doing more gardening. The tomato plants are doing nicely, thank you.

Eat Well

I’m a stress eater. When the negative boo birds start chirping my impulse is to go straight for the cookies. About a year ago, I decided to give my body a break from red meat, all soda, cookies, and greasy food. By replacing those foods with healthier ones, I dropped 30 pounds in three months and found that I had a lot more energy.

I really needed that extra energy boost after being laid off. It would have been super easy to have given up on the healthy eating but I’ve mostly stuck with it and kept off most of the weight.

Foods that have helped me release the weight and boost my energy:

• Oatmeal
• Trail Mix of unsalted mixed nuts and berries. I add these to my morning oatmeal with soy milk.
• Salmon fillets. Costco has great deals on them. I grill them with a chili powder, chili pepper flakes, paprika, and olive oil rub.
• Chicken salads. You can actually get pretty decent chicken salads at most major fast food places. I go for a balsamic vinegar dressing on the side.
• Turkey burgers. I love hamburgers but I’ve cut way back on red meat. A turkey burger with moderate dressing on a whole grain bun is still delicious.

Network like it’s going out of style

Job searching can drag you into a pit if despair, if you let it. The best way to do that is to isolate yourself.

I’ve been networking my ass off for the past five months. I’m a people person so I get energy being around other people. I’ve been attending networking events even if I have to drive two hours into LA. Networking surrounds me with creative, energetic, entrepreneurial, cool people, and new learning experiences. I’ve also received a lot of job leads, offers to review my job search strategy, and partnering opportunities.

In addition to saying “yes” to the purely fun stuff, I’ve also said yet to volunteer opportunities. This includes helping to plan a CAUSE fundraiser where we raised over $80K. It was great connecting with community resources and I made a lot of contacts that led to job interviews. Volunteering is a great way to tap into new networks.

Volunteering is also great because it puts you in the “work zone.” It was interesting seeing this season’s The Apprentice opener which includes laid off and underemployed participants. In the first episode, participants were totally rusty at working together and project management. Several of them commented on that. Volunteering will help you stay sharp. Right now I’m knocking on doors to help Get Out The Vote, co-producing a Latinos In Social Media (LATISM) conference, and managing online sites for two Stanford Alumni groups. Are these activities helping to keep me energized? Yes. Will they lead to a job, we’ll see.

Be Grateful

Being unemployed sucks. If that’s all that’s on your mind then it will drag you into its negative vortex. Focusing on the people and things in my life that matter has helped me stay hopeful and positive.

If you’ve read this far then I suspect you may be in a similar situation. Let me know if I can help in any way and best of luck to you.

Raul Porto is CEO of Porto’s Bakery, the largest retail bakery in the United States. Porto rarely does public speaking engagements so it was a treat to hear his presentation at the Latino Entrepreneur + Social Media Forum.

After listening to Porto, you definitely get the sense that he loves what he does. He talks about growing a business using instinct, observation, and some more “traditional” techniques.