Keeping a finger on the pulse of Social Media.
Yesterday on Mashable there was an article posted about Pepsi’s latest foray in Marketing & Social Media. The article was entitled: Pepsi Vending Machine Lets You Gift Drinks to Friends Via Social Media.
The other day I had an in-depth conversation with Robert Caruso aka @fondalo regarding an idea for an amazing Social Media / Social Networking business that could prove lucrative and forward thinking. I blink for a moment and a major corporation / worldwide master of Social Networking has beaten me to the punch. Am I sullen for not receiving proper acknowledgment? Believe it or not; No. I actually feel vindicated that an idea that I had / predicted awhile ago is now happening. In fact to the contrary, it proves that my ideas and thought processes are perfectly in tuned to what is really happening out there in the Social Media stratosphere.
During the course of the conversation, Robert and I went back and forth about the pros and cons to such an idea and the overall cost, ROI, Social Media value, etc. What is interesting is that we both agreed that only a handful of companies on the planet would be able to currently acheive this concept; lo and behold yesterday Pepsi reveals their concept. This is an incredibly epic leap forward for not only businesses, but for Social Media in general.
The main similarity to what Pepsi is going to do and my overall idea is the use of Social Media at the point of sale. There are a whole slew of things that Pepsi didn’t even consider that would make this campaign so much more effective, that I will not reveal in this article for obvious reasons. (If Pepsi wants to hear my ideas…I’m certainly open to talk to them, but by no means am I going to just give that out.)
As as Social Media Consultant, I’m convinced that this seriously very tip of the iceberg of what is truly possible for small, medium and large businesses. In this rapidly changing environment of new forms of media and advertising, it behooves a business no matter how big or small to stay on top of what is happening around them.
Byte Back!
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The Social Media Bubble
I’m going to keep this short and sweet…
I hate to be the bearer of bad news to some out there, but we are in the middle of a gigantic Social Media bubble that is being filled with lots of hot air and empty money. Don’t believe me? Just look around and you’ll see it. For a long time now, I’ve been saying that many companies in the Social Media realm are WAY over valuated compared to their incoming revenue or purchased price. (i.e. – Facebook, Groupon, TweetDeck, IntoNow, etc.) Of course there is that little voice in my head that says, “It’s only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it.” That being said, reality has to kick in at some point.
I’m not going to get super technical with numbers and figures of this data compared to that data. I don’t claim to be a statistician and nor will I ever be. This is not a fear mongering based tactic to get you to see your stocks or investment in a company.
What this is, is an article about common sense. Just open your eyes and ears to current events in Social Media and their overall context. The dramatic rise in value in any industry compared to the industry as a whole should raise a yellow flag of caution. The prospect of a Social Media bubble bursting is not necessarily a bad thing, per se. Companies and emotions run high; everyone starts to drink the same fruit punch. Next thing you know everyone is sick. (We’ve all been there, right?) In the ebb and flow of any type of economy and/or business there will always moments of adjustment or correction. Think of it metaphorically as going to the chiropractor.
You know the old saying, “If it sounds to good to be true; it usually is.”
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Into_Now (iPhone App Review)
Into_Now, has to be one of the most incredible iPhone apps I have ever used. It works like magic. In a nutshell the application when activated will listen to your television and with seemingly 100% accuracy, tell you what you are watching. You then can let your fellow Into_Now friends, Twitter followers, and/or Facebook friends know what you are watching within seconds!
With an incredible algorithm of past and present airing logs of television shows, Into_Now dynamically changes how we use Social Media. I’m all about geosocial and other types of cool apps, however the nefarious and ironic side of Social Media is that it takes time to checkin to places or type a message. This makes you “THAT ANNOYING GUY WITH THE IPHONE”.
I have to say that with Into_Now, I’m no longer, “THAT GUY”. I can continue interacting with the people around me as I hold the iPhone close to the television. Social Media can be really amazing at times, and yet (sigh) can be the very thing that pulls people away from each other. How many times have you gone to a party or a bar and there are at least 5-10 people with their faces in their iPhone or other SmartPhone device? It’s annoying…and yes admittedly, I used to be one of those people.
Into_Now’s network of users creates a microcosm of like minded people that you can connect to, in less than a heartbeat! At the time of writing this post, I have 135 friends on their network! I’ve only been using the app for a few days now! That is incredible, no matter how you look at it! So many people like to connect because they know that I have something in common with with them, that they love or enjoy watching.
As a Social Media Consultant, I would highly recommend this app to local & national television advertisers to help analyze the real-time data and the impact within various demographics of particular television shows. The best part is that it’s FREE! Enjoy!
Kudos to Into_Now! Download it now! Into_Now
Byte Back!
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LinkedIn InMaps visualizes your network!
LinkedIn, the social network for business, has revealed an amazing new application feature from their Labs division, called InMaps. It illustrates your entire LinkedIn business network as a visual cloud.
I’m really impressed on the presentation and the implications of the new InMap for networking professionals and business owners alike. Amazingly, LinkedIn takes your connections and literally creates a web of lines and dots that contain the relationship and contact data of who you are connected to and to each other.
With this new technology, Social Media really is moving into the next phase, Social Visual Media. Everything is becoming visual: with visual phone calls, data, etc. It just seems logical and right to create something like this as another way of understanding relationships and business. As Human beings, we have this innate desire to be understood and feel connected to others. This will show you how you are connected to others. It’s up to you to figure out the context of the relationships and what that means to your business.
You’ll notice that there are groupings of color lines and dots. If/When you do your own InMap from LinkedIn, you can actually label and categorize these groups to help extrapolate how you are integrated into the business world. This is a fantastic concept that truly will change the way LinkedIn will be used and perceived by it’s users. I know as a Social Media Consultant that something like this will help me help my clients understand the true potential and power Social Media has. Kudos to you LinkedIn!
Check out this video put out from LinkedIn Labs and then try it out for yourself.
Byte Back!
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The Fruits of my Social Media labor.
Yesterday, January 20th, 2011 was the 2nd anniversary of putting down Bailey. It was a really rough day for me. No matter what I did, I kept thinking about that beautiful face and happy disposition. Just when I thought the day was going to be a complete downer…I received this incredible letter from one of my customers. This truly, truly, truly made my day and helped mitigate some of the pain of losing Bailey. The Haase Family have to be the sweetest people I have ever met. Ann & Jim are wonderful souls that openly welcomed me into their home a little more than a year ago. Their daughter, Annie-Brigitte, treated my little Murphy as if he was her own. Lovely humble people that lost an important part of their family: Ruby
I love transforming utter sadness to warm memories that fizzle and rejuvenate the soul.
This is why I love doing what I do.
Dear Andrew,
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. She sits on the mantel piece over the fireplace.
I can’t tell you how many times we’ve looked at her and are amazed at how real she looks even down to the little hairs above her ears. You are quite the artist. This is something we will cherish forever. She was very special to us and will always be special. Although the heart ache eases up, the emptiness is there.
We have since got another dog. Her name is “Beaner” she’s a mutt. Rescued her from Paws in Time. She was found on railroad tracks, starving, abused and sick with mange. She’s better now, wild and needs a lot of attention. We still miss Ruby.
Thanks again for your thoughtfulness.-
Till we see you again,
Love The Haases
Ann, Jim + Annie B.
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Keeping a finger on the pulse of Social Media.
The Social Media Bubble
Into_Now (iPhone App Review)
LinkedIn InMaps visualizes your network!
The Fruits of my Social Media labor.
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