READ ‘EM AND WEEP

It’s funny what you can come across when browsing for something completely different, but then again, it shows what a good blog article title can do…

BLOGGERS BUSTED BY COURTS

The article on legalzoom.com (here’s the link), discusses the 2009 case of Liskula Cohen, a model, who was called some rather unpleasant things in several anonymous blog posts. She decided to sue. Since the poster was unknown, her attorney’s had to go after Google, owners of Blogger.com where the comments were made.

The case made it to the New York Supreme court where it was decided that the comments had been defamatory and Cohen had rights to claim compensation. More specifically, they quoted a similar Virginia case and stated that anyone suffering "damages" as a result of "tortious or other actionable communications on the Internet" should be able to "seek appropriate redress by preventing the wrongdoers from hiding behind an illusory shield of purported First Amendment rights."
Back in 1995, the US Supreme Court had ruled the opposite, citing that the First Amendment guarantees protection, is vital to any democracy and "Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority".

A quick Google search for “bloggers sued” brings up a host of results (add 2009 to the search for more current stories) from here and abroad. It that there isn’t a part of the world that doesn’t have a blog-related lawsuit in progress somewhere.

So, what does it all mean?

Well, other than I shouldn’t be so easily sidetracked, it goes to show that "anonymous" isn’t necessarily so. Of course, many of us already know that once we step foot into the Internet world, we’re about as anonymous as a polar bear at a penguin convention. Yet, that aside, it also goes to show that what you say really can matter online. What you say can come back to haunt you, whether it’s a comment you make on a personal level, or, I’m guessing, a professional one too. The "offense" may not have been intended, but that’s up to the "offended" party. There are, I’m sure, some very legitimate cases that deserve a look, but that has to be balanced by the First Amendment (or other freedom-of-speech laws around the world) and allowing people to say what they want to.

The legal lines are very shaky in this regard. Quite literally, the jury is out when it comes to what’s okay and what’s going to end someone up in court. As an enthusiastic blogger and writer myself, I hate the thought of censorship at any level, but such is the world we live in. It’s going to be interesting to see how it develops, but in the meantime…if it’s something I wouldn’t say I loud in a public forum, it might be worth keeping to myself…that makes sense to me.

Oh – and this blog is my opinion and is not intended to offend anyone…sigh.

I write about different marketing strategies and techniques, both traditional and non in my online newsletter Webby’s Updates which you can read at www.JDELtd.com and subscribe to if you so choose. You can download this and other articles from by Small Business GENetics site, www.sbgenetics.com

A GUARANTEED WAY TO GENERATE INTEREST

If you’re reading this, then it worked. A thought-provoking or challenging "hook" is the first step in getting attention. What you do with it after than, of course, is up to you.

In social media, products like Twitter rely on interesting "tweets" in order for people to converse. Tweets that are considered good are "retweeted". There are even awards ("Shorty Awards") for the best one-liners.

A captivating lead-in can make a huge difference, no matter what product or service you’re offering. Sometimes, the difference between you and your competition might just be getting someone to stop at your store or website and not the next guy’s.

For example, which sounds more interesting?

• EXPERIENCE IS AS IMPORTANT AS QUALIFICATIONS




• YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR : ASK ABOUT EXPERIENCE

Now, perhaps these aren’t the best of tag lines, but if you are trying to stand out from the crowd by virtue of your experience, both are adequate. However, in my opinion, the second tag suggests a slight "challenge", possibly that cheap isn’t always good…? Both articles or websites, blogs, flyers, brochures or whatever could have very much the same contents, but giving the prospect something to think about could be the margin you’re looking for.

When you’re writing your next article, blog post, advertisement, web site…etc, consider asking a question that people might not have thought about. Take a different view on an everyday subject. Be controversial. Stimulate discussion. Make them wonder what mysteries are inside

Bear in mind, that the content is important too.

I’ve written about being #1 on the major search engines (see SO YOU MADE IT TO THE TOP OF GOOGLE). Have a great seo-friendly site that gets you placed is important, but it’s no use if people aren’t staying on the site.

Ditto anything else. The content is as important as the title, but having a good lead-in certainly helps.

If all your friends jumped off the roof, would you?

I’m sure many parents have said to their kids something along the lines of “if all your friends jumped off the roof, would you?” I know I heard that growing more way too many times…I did lots of stupid things.

Posts like this make people me me unpopular. Why? Because I question what seems to be becoming “conventional wisdom”, a lemming-like rush to embrace new media, marketing techniques and anything that gives a glimmer of a chance to strike pay dirt.

Most of the professionals I know are very busy people. Many are small business owners or self-employed. A 40-hour work week is rare. Time is precious and there just isn’t enough of it. All want to succeed, most don’t have a lot to bet on new methods of doing so.

I’m increasingly asked about “new” buzzwords in the marketplace. Words such as “social media” or “twitter”, “facebook”, or one of the myriad of options out there. People are being told “if you’re going to make it, you MUST be using this, that or the other and if you don’t you’re not making the most of new technology and you’re a loser.”

Now, it may not be quite that nasty, but I’ve read enough blog posts that are barely a step away from that. There appears to be a new class of self-appointed “social media” and “marketing” “experts” who have found the magic beans that will grow the beanstalk to untold riches.

Some of these people are the same ones who have been pontificating about the “death” of print media and the absolute need to move online and in elitist little circles such as Twitter. Even on sites such as ActiveRain, there are self-titled “gurus” who people just appear to follow blindly, hanging on every word…and I just don’t get it.

This isn’t, by the way, just a rant from someone who is a frustrated social media or marketing “wannabe”. What I am adverse to is a “one size fits all” approach that “experts” are preaching and the negative impact it’s having on businesses across the board.

Every tool has its place and its uses, I’m the first to admit. But, though you may have a hammer in the toolbox, you may question the wisdom of using it to, say, clean a window.

Every new or recycled marketing tool (and don’t be fooled, when social media is applied to business, that’s what it is) has worked for some and not for others. The same went for print ads, flyers and who know what else. To some, the community and client base will dictate the technology. Email flyers are about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike if your clients live in an area that doesn’t have Internet access.

I’m not adverse to trying new tools and techniques. I think playing around with things like Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and others is essential, if for no other reason that to determine if it’s going to work for you. I am adverse to the “must be part of this” mentality. Social media, like other forms of marketing takes an investment. It may be time rather than money, but a return on investment needs to be evaluated. Will time be better spent elsewhere?

As a marketing “guy”, and I say that because I don’t want to call myself a consultant, expert or guru, I work with my clients to determine what’s right for them. I say to someone, almost on a daily basis, “do three things well, not ten badly”. Time is as important as money. Invest it wisely.

Just because everyone else is running in one direction doesn’t make it the right direction. I think back to the Poseidon Adventure with Gene Hackman and his little band that went against the flow of opinion and ultimately got out of the ship. What may work for this person, may not work for that one and I wish that more people would realize that and that more marketing “experts” would help their clients decide on the right course of action and not the most popular.

I also have to question a social media application that has it’s own version of the Oscars for the best short message…something seems very wrong to me about this. But then I also read a lot of social media blogs in which they poke fun at people who don’t use SM the “right way” or laugh at those who “think it’s just about blogging.”

But I suppose I’ll continue to believe that old-fashioned “meet and greets” are a good idea, that not all paper marketing is dead, that spam emails of property listings is rude and annoying and that social media has a place and isn’t the be all and end all of marketing.

I don’t think I’ll jump off that roof just yet.

WHAT’S A GOOD WAY TO START A BLOG?

I get asked this question from time to time so I thought it might be a good way to start this entry.

Firstly…what is a blog?

According to Wikipedia (www.Wikipedia.org): A blog (a contraction of the term “Web log”) is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.”

On Blogger.com (which is where I maintain some of my own blogs) (http://www.blogger.com/) we find : “A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world.”

But then, check what Daily Blog Tips (http://www.dailyblogtips.com/) has to say: “The main misconception regarding the definition of blogs comes from people that associate blogs with their content. More specifically from people that associate blogs with the content from one particular type of blog: personal blogs. In other words, those people think that blogs are online diaries where people share their opinions, ramblings and personal events. “

This last opinion seems to fly in the face of the the second, and perhaps even the first.

The fact is, there is no formal or precise definition of a blog beyond the face that it’s name is derived from “Web Log”.

What this means to you is that your blog can be about anything. Are blogs a necessary part of your business? No. Can they be useful? Sure! A blog is a quick way of sharing a thought or opinion and engaging in a dialogue with others. The dialogue can be on your own or someone else’s blogs. In fact there are people who only write articles and comments on other blogs and don’t even own a blog of their own.

Blogging, along with other social media tools and strategies can help with marketing your product or services, particularly if you can discuss what you do, how you do it and how others can benefit. I’m not suggesting you give away your trade secrets, but if you can give away a little, people will remember and may come back for more.

To some degree (and this is strictly my opinion), blogging for your business is an evolutionary step beyond free calendars and refrigerator magnets with “to do lists” on them. The idea is to get your brand in front of people often enough that your will be the first thing they think of when they need a service you provide.

Unlike giveaways such as pens or calendars (which do, I hasten to add, serve a very useful purpose), a blog allows you to refresh content periodically. People can browse at their leisure and under no duress (perceived or otherwise). Unlike spam or junk mail, it’s non-intrusive and, if someone has an opinion, they can comment right there and then.

Blogging is interactive. Even a negative comment means that someone took the time to write it and that’s someone who cares enough to follow up with…
Alright, I’ve wandered completely off-topic as always…well, perhaps not quite. If you want to start blogging, a good place to start is by looking at other blogs in similar subject areas. There are millions to choose from.

You don’t have to write daily or even weekly — it’s your blog, so it’s up to you, but do set a schedule so that regular visitors know when to expect an update. If you have an idea for more than one article, write them all and save them somewhere for those days you can’t think of what to write about.
Things that seem to be popular:

• Short articles
• Quizzes
• “Top 10″ lists
• Tips and “how to” articles
• Inside information (the legal kind)
• (Industry) Gossip

People love humor and intimacy. I always advise new writers to write conversationally. You’re not writing a memo or a legal brief, but do check spelling and grammar. I’d advise writing your articles in a word processor and then “pasting” it into the blog — browsers sometimes crash for no reason…and the spellchecker is always handy.

Many bloggers are more than happy for you to “reblog” (repost) their articles. Just be sure to ask first and credit them (and link back to their blogs). It’s a very big compliment to have your blog reposted.

Blogging does take a little commitment, a little effort, but with practice and patience can be tremendous fun and very rewarding.

Blog or website…or both?

Several of my clients have raised the question of blogging recently. Concerns run the gamut from “what should I write about?” to “what it no one reads it?” Questions that I’m sure we’ve all asked from time to time and ones which I do my best to help them resolve.

One of my clients, however, asked me about whether he should bother with a site at all and perhaps just start a blog. He’s a business coach and the nature of his work and his communication frequency and style make the idea of a blog instead of a site (at least to begin with) something worth considering.

I found the “blog vs site” question a thought-provoking one. I could see some immediate benefits to the “blog only” approach, the first being the “free is good” factor, but also the flexibility and ease-of-use that the big blogging sites WordPress, Blogger, etc give someone who may not be very technical and wants the to “play around” with ideas. Plus, you can virtually build the remaining “site” components using many of the available gadgets that integrate with these tools.

On the flip side, a web site is (in theory) lower maintenance, more fixed than dynamic. There is somewhat more flexibility with customization, less “template”, more built-in “intelligence”(optional) and application support with a custom site, though some of the blog applications are challenging that theory.

Blogs take more commitment, time to manage and moderate, but they can engage the audience quickly and get a conversation going, essential if your business is communication.

I did some digging around the web and found that there had been some discussion on the issue a couple of years ago, when blogs were really just starting to reach the world at large.

Then I hit the jackpot, an article by Darren Rowse, aka @problogger. It’s titled “Should I Change My Website Into a Blog?” and for anyone considering that question or variations of it should read his post.

Welcome to the Social Media Community : Start Here

Pick an Internet subject: how many "how to" guides are there, either online or in bookstores?

Web newbie? There is a myriad of introductory texts written for the semi-literate to the PHD. Need something more specific? You can find that too. Whether in print or electronic ("ebook") form, there are books galore, all vying for attention, many promising to be, in some way or another, the only book you’ll ever need.

If you need a guide on something somewhat established, say HTML programming, you have much to choose from. Unlike many of their contemporary subjects, however, social media guides attempt to capture a subject that is still evolving…at a rate far beyond that at which writers and publishers must be able to keep up with.

That’s not to say there aren’t some great books or blogs out there that are worth reading because they teach an approach to social media, not necessarily the "only way" to do it (a great beginner’s guide is Chris Brogan’s "If I started Today").

Now, many people who use social media on a regular basis are likely to be early adopters of new social technology. Each time something new comes out, these people take another step away from those people only just trying to figure out how to step on the ladder.

Do a Google search for “how do I use social media” or “new to social media”…if you know a little, you can probably sort out where you might want to look, but it’s intimidating if you’re not familiar with the web (One of good introductions, I came a across was Mike Fruchter’s "40 Key Elements to Getting Started In Social Media")

Doesn’t a "guide of guides" makes sense?

I would love to see a wiki-style guide or suite of guides (a wiki is an almost ever-changing document or site that is edited by the community at large). A wiki format does allow quick updating and rapid dissemination. It could be broken down into the myriad of subjects that all make up the world of social media and, more importantly, could be as up-to-date as the technology.

There are many bloggers doing some of this sort of thing on their own sites(Jonathan Fields’ "7 Unwritten Rules For Social Media Newbies”). There are some really great "how to" guides out there for varying levels of expertise(Saravanan Sahadevan’s “What’s Social Media?”). There is so much to learn out there that it can’t possibly be absorbed by any one person in any reasonable time. For those established bloggers with a reputation, a readership is already in place. But where do newbies go?

Of course, one has to acknowledge that people are trying to make money and earn a living. Popularity, whether in print or online, is crucial. My "semi-socialist" approach is a little to communal, yet would reflect the ever-changing, ever-growing world that web 2.0 will become.

There are so many brilliant people out there. Just spend a couple of hours on any one of the social networks and watch the energy at work – you can almost see evolution in progress! Imagine combining all these brains into a "distributed network", and harnessing the resources to develop and maintain the ultimate guide…"Welcome to the Social Media Community : Start Here"….

Maybe one day?

Social Networking in 2009

The growth of social media has been explosive in 2008, there’s just no other way to describe it. Whether you use Twitter, ActiveRain, Blogger, WordPress, Facebook, LinkedIn or another or all of the social networking tools, you’ll have seen unprecedented growth in all of these and, with any such growth, come two very real risks: overkill and marginalization.

Email was hailed, and still is, a communication revolution. Like the telephone before it, email allows quick, almost instantaneousness transfer of information. Unlike the telephone, it can be more readily-accessible, in most cases free, allows the attachment of files and distribution to a wide audience in a relatively short time and can cause more headaches

Spam is to the emailer what solicitors are to phone users. Sometimes the two can be just as dangerous. Scams from get-rich-quick schemes to worms and viruses have been a constant threat and continue to fuel the security arms race that underpins the Internet. Unlike telephone solicitation, it’s not quite as easy to join a “do-not-email” list, although there are such things. Many emails come from parts of the world where local laws don’t apply. Email can come from many more channels that phone calls and the majority of email users have at least two accounts

Over 90% of email traffic is spam, according to many studies. I use that number conservatively because I believe it’s much higher. That means that 90% of the messages “out there” are junk, unwanted, unsolicited, wasting bandwidth and disk space. Some people predict(ed) the possible end of email unless we can get a handle on spam

Social media networking has the potential to follow the same route. Like email, and the telephone before it, when used properly, blogs, instant messaging and business relationship networking tools can be invaluable in building and maintaining connections. Social media has given everyone the opportunity to reach a potential global audience without the enormous cost of production or printing.

But therein lies some of the problem. At the risk of offending people: there’s a lot of junk out there. I remember a quote from a move (The Krays) “you’ve got nothing to say and you’re saying it too loudly”. When it comes to social media, there are many people who haven’t got a lot to say, so they flood the “e”waves with rubbish, often in the hopes that someone will pick it up and run with it.

Unlike email, we have an easier option when it comes to blogs: we can bypass and not read what we think isn’t worth it. On networks such a Twitter, things can be a little more difficult if one is “following” someone, because one is potentially inundated with tweets and retweets. But, environments such as Twitter give us the option of removing someone from a “follow” list and thus relieving our electronic ears of their babble

Sorting the wheat from the chaff can be difficult. When there is so much out there, how on earth do you find what’s worth reading? And, if you plan to be part of this growing phenomenon, how do you do so without being part of the problem?

The answer is: tread carefully. Many people filter their incoming phone calls and emails, ignoring, blocking and marking unwanted messages (or calls) as junk and blocking future messages. The same diligence is needed on social networks when it comes to picking out the worthwhile from the rest.

More importantly, what you say is just as relevant. There are whole books written on subjects such as blog marketing, guerrilla marketing, social media marketing etc that strongly urge you to get involved. If you want people to visit your site, your blog, you have to interact so they’ll know you exist. Trouble is, how do you do that? Leaving simple “nice post” messages isn’t going to get you readers or followers. Engaging in dialogue will

The leading bloggers have an ongoing discourse with their readers. The most successful engage in two-way conversations that address the good and the bad. It’s a dialogue and dialogue can be interesting and that interest can lead to new followers with similar, or differing, viewpoints.

Social networking takes effort. The results take time. How many emails do you see from mass-emailing sites that you either delete or ignore? Dozens? Hundreds? As social media evolves, people are going to get better at quickly determining what is worth following and what is not

I actively encourage my clients to blog. It can be one of the best and free marketing tools out there. For those that think that no one would be interested in what they do, I encourage them to write about something they find interesting that’s got nothing to do with what they do. Everyone has an opinion about something. A conversation that is genuinely of interest to both parties almost be default, builds a relationship

Write about what you care about. Start a blog. It’s easy and free. On places such as ActiveRain, you can select specific groups to post to. Just don’t post for the sake for it. Especially when replying and trying to engage others in a dialogue, be courteous. You don’t have to be a linguist, and it’s okay to say “nice post”, but tell the poster why

Imagine being at a social event, a party for example. You overhear someone talking about something that you’re interested in, but you have a different take on it. Do you say something? That depends on you. But it’s unlikely you’d just stand there and say “I agree” or “that’s rubbish” without having something to add as to why you feel the way you do. You’d probably also not stand there and shout out (to no one in particular) “hey, my website is cool, here’s the address…”

You may be shy and not say anything. That’s okay too, but remember you get back what you put in

That may not be the best analogy, but I think it makes my point

If you have an opinion, by all means share it. Engage.

In 2009, be part of the social networking (r)evolution. That’s what social media is all about

Does convenience trump thoughtfulness?

Maybe it’s just the time of year or perhaps it’s the spell for rather chilly weather we’re having here in the “Valley of the Sun”, but (as you can tell from previous posts), I’ve been thinking much about electronic communication of late.

When email and instant messaging first debuted on what was then a fledgling Internet, there was some debate as to the social acceptance of these communication methods. Firing off an email is quicker and easier than writing or typing a letter. It’s also cheaper and timelier. More often than not, you can even tell whether it’s been received and read.

Yes the pervasion of these rapid forms of communication have, to some degree, added an air of casualness (is that even a word??) to discourse. What was once considered socially unacceptable has become the norm. By that I mean abbreviations, spelling, typos and grammar. This is a double-edges sword. E-communication has allowed the expansion of business and social networking like nothing before. Some would say that the removal of old fashioned “rules” is a necessary part of an evolution in how we communicate. Others would mourn the lowering of acceptable standards. I’m sure rain forests would agree on the side of evolution.

Apart from the ease with which we now converse and the debate over acceptability of presentation, many electronic systems have made life easier. Beyond email and instant messaging, we now have blogs and social media sites such as ActiveRain, LinkedIn and Twitter. It’s possible to conceive a thought, put it into words and publish it to the world almost instantly. Go back just a decade and consider how far we’ve come.

Yet has this ease of communication come to the detriment of thoughtfulness?

There are some who would consider the purchase of a gift card to be an easier and less thoughtful present than purchasing an actual gift. Others would see it as giving the recipient the option to choose what they would like. By the same token, could buying something online , having it wrapped “automatically” and sent directly to the recipient, be considered as less thoughtful than going to a store, buying, wrapping and shipping a gift?

Taken a step further, is sending a greeting card using an online service, less meaningful than hand-writing each card, affixing a stamp and mailing it?

For the record, I do all of the above. I am a regular shopper at Amazon.com. Most of my family lives overseas and it’s both easier and cheaper to shop on a localized website (i.e. Amazon in the UK) and have the gift wrapped and shipped instead of having to do it from here.

I use Send-Out-Cards for greeting cards. I can keep my address book online, select a card, “write” my message and send it without leaving my computer. The recipient gets a card with a nicely hand-written-esque font.

Does this mean I care less than I should? Am I taking the easy way out?

From my side of the fence I think not. I could understand all the arguments opposing my view. It’s a matter of perspective. Electronic communication, in all it’s forms, whether email or electronic-to-physical card, has made life more convenient. It has, for me, made me more reliable. I want to send greeting cards and gifts. I still take the time to pick them out. I choose my words carefully (most of the time – see my email post). I know that I care.

It’s the thought that counts after all, isn’t it?