Thoughtpick: A unique perspective of the Web and social media...
A unique perspective of the Web and social media...

March 18, 2010

10 Ways to Manage Your Social Media Staff

Managing new ventures usually takes on a different style from the “norm” and is often neglected. Often, certain aspects of employee motivation and control are not well planned thus leading to unsatisfied employees and an overall tensed working environment.

This phenomenon could be highly visible in your average office and even more noticeable in social media based companies, especially those with nothing but a virtual existence, where face-to-face communication with staff is rare and short-lived.

Managing Employees by © Royalty-Free/Corbis

Managing Employees by © Royalty-Free/Corbis

Therefore, from previous personal negative experiences in this regard, I would like to invite managers and employees working in social media to review my ideas of the top 10 ways to managing social media staff effectively.

1. Always keep a room for face-to-face communication:

It is always essential, even more so crucial, to keep room for face-to-face communication when working with social media whenever possible. By that, I don’t just mean regular meetings, I also mean Skype video conversations for those who are incapable of conducting offline meetings due to geographical locations or otherwise. [read full article >>]

March 17, 2010

@Anywhere with Twitter

This week, Twitter announced its ‘@anywhere’ platform for websites, which allows site visitors to Tweet and follow from sites including Digg, Amazon and eBay.

Basically, Web-masters (oh don’t you love that word?) will be able to add @Anywhere to their sites with a few lines of Javascript. This would integrate Twitter into their websites so that their users could follow and tweet without having to go to Twitter itself as well as use Twitter to sign into the site.

It could become as Internet-omnipresent as “Contact Us”

This is big. Twitter, unlike many other services, has the potential to become more like email (a tool) rather than like a service. After all, it’s a communication platform, first and foremost. The idea of Twitter revolves around short bursts of text, which people who know each other and do not know each other can use for targeted communication.

With @anywhere integration into anywhere online, brands, corporate websites, newspapers, bloggers, and every other kind of website can start communicating with its users and building communities using the leverage and power of Twitter. It’s interesting, isn’t it?

Twitter is certainly excited about the frameworks, saying in a blog postImagine being able to follow a New York Times journalist directly from her byline, tweet about a video without leaving YouTube, and discover new Twitter accounts while visiting the Yahoo home page.”

Here’s the announcement at SXSW:

Twitter is certainly excited about the frameworks, saying in a blog post “Imagine being able to follow a New York Times journalist directly from her byline, tweet about a video without leaving YouTube, and discover new Twitter accounts while visiting the Yahoo home page.”

What do you think? Does Twitter have the potential to become a tool?

Facebook Kicks Google’s Ass

Well, not literally, but “numberly“.

For the first time ever, Facebook, the place to go stalk friends, foes, and ex-boyfriends squeaked past Google, the place to find information and porn, to become the most popular online destination (that’s a whopping 7% of US Internet usage).

WOW!

Exponential growth of Facebook has left Google behind

Exponential growth of Facebook has left Google behind

Information Scavenging Versus Social Information Curation

It could be that the world has become so trite that images of drunk friends has become more time-worthy than googling for relevant information.

But I doubt it.

[read full article >>]

March 16, 2010

20 Top Social Media Jokes, Clips & Cartoons Feb2010

Yes, we are consistent which is why we are still attempting to bring a smile to your face and brighten up your day! Therefore, the Thoughtpick team would like to invite you to enjoy our seventh fun collection of social media and networking related cartoons, jokes and clips! (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6)

Real World Chatting by geek & poke

Real World Chatting by geek & poke

[read full article >>]

Filed under: Offbeat — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Beirut @ 4:02 pm

March 15, 2010

And The Nobel Peace Prize Goes to…

The Internet!” says the tuxedo-clad Nobel Peace Prize presenter.

Upon hearing her name, the Internet, dressed up in her best attire of a colorful table-based website, and with a flock of blue Twitter birds flying over head, seemed to be really surprised. She quickly got over the shock (thanks to multitude of fans updating the shock Wikipedia entries in her head), and strutted her way to the stage to accept her prize.

She really did look her best, didn't she?

She really did look her best, didn't she?

Oh, wow,” the Internet says, “I‘ve been around for a while but no one ever thought of nominating me for the prestigious Nobel Pea—”

The crowd interrupts her acceptance speech with loud and booming cheering: “W00t! W00t! W00t!

[read full article >>]

Toyota Turns To Twitter To Repair Its Image — Learn Social Media By Example

Stat Box

Brand: Toyota (Car Manufacturer)
Campaign URL: Toyota Conversations
SM Channels Used: Twitter
Appeal:
Emotional
Target Audience: Worldwide Toyota owners and potential customers
Start Date: March 2010
Duration: Ongoing

Numerous brands have been turning to Twitter to participate in conversations with consumers and to influence the way they are positioned and viewed. Remember Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines?

Toyota’s reputation has been heading downwards towards the pits and a lot is being at stake! Therefore, for a fast, effective and even cheap response, Toyota turned to Twitter to redeem itself and yet again, repair its image worldwide!

Idea & Objectives:

A crisis-management strategy!

The main ideas behind Toyota utilizing Twitter are: 1) To help stem the tide of negativity and 2) To deal with the backlashes that have been heaped upon it during the car recalls period. It seems that someone at Toyota is into social media, especially Twitter, and he/she have done their homework on the effectiveness and efficiency of utilizing Twitter in situations like these!

Toyota Conversations Example 1

Toyota Conversations Example 1

The Japanese auto giant has launched a branded channel on TweetMeme, in partnership with Federated Media, which aggregates and organize Twitter conversations regarding Toyota“. [read full article >>]

March 12, 2010

Fun-List: Top 10 Ways in Which Social Media Can Get You Fired!

According to Proofpoint, an Internet security firm, of companies with 1,000 or more employees, 17 percent report having issues with employees’ use of social media. Furthermore, 8 percent of those companies report having actually dismissed someone for their behavior on sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. Some other interesting findings from the study:

  • 15 percent have disciplined an employee for violating multimedia sharing / posting policies
  • 13 percent of US companies investigated an exposure event involving mobile or Web-based short message services
  • 17 percent disciplined an employee for violating blog or message board policies

So, how do you avoid getting fired when using social media? What are the things which will, most probably, get you fired? Here we go with another Thoughtpick fun-fact list with a point:

1. Speak ill of your boss or manager

Example: “I hate my job!! I want to tell my bosses how dumb they are and how meaningless this job is, then quit, and be happy!” Revealed by CNN.com [read full article >>]

March 11, 2010

Tron Legacy Viral Campaign – Learn Social Media by Example

Stat Box

Campaign Name: Tron Legacy Viral Campaign
URL: http://www.flynnlives.com/zerohour
SM Channels used: Twitter, Web, Real Life, SnailMail
Target Audience: Tron Fans
Date: February 2010
Campaign Duration: Ongoing

Tron Legacy

Tron Legacy

Tron is, by definition, a cult classic that spawned a video game, a comic book and an up and coming TV series. The movie was  released in 1982 to mixed critical review, while it had a solid story and featured the first heavy use of CGI in a feature film it never appealed to the critics or the general public. But there definitely were enough neon clothes and light cycle coolness to woo sci-fi fans across many generations.

As time went by and the movie picked up more and more fans, talks and gossip about a possible sequel started to emerge. Maybe a continuation of the original story, some said it might even be a remake that would bring it to the 21st century. Finally, in 2008’s  San Diego Comic Con, and after 26 years of anticipation, speculation came to a head and Disney featured a preliminary trailer of Tron Legacy.

[read full article >>]

March 10, 2010

Be Ware! Top 8 Social Media Scams So Far [videos]

Every time I turn around there’s a new scam.” Maryanne Bessette

Scams, scams, scams… All around, everywhere… Now and before, here and there!

And for the past few years, scams are spreading even more and taking on a new face for everyone using social media to be seduced and deceived by!

Can you believe that there are websites, such as scambusters.org, dedicated to unavailing scam online?

Therefore, and in efforts to keep you safe, at least from social media inflicted scams, here’s a mixed list of top 8 scams you should know about and probably take to mind when using Facebook, Twitter and social media in general:

1. Free Facebook iPad Offer is a scam, Sophos reveals

iPad FaceBook scam automatically signs you up for a $10 a week premium cell phone service post from: FSMdotCOM.

[read full article >>]

March 9, 2010

Harry Potter Tweet – Learn Social Media by Example

Stat Box

Brand: Harry Potter (Entertainment)
Channels Used: Website, Twitter
Appeal: Entertainment
Target Audience: Harry Potter fans and young adults
Date of Campaign: 2009
Website: Harry Potter Tweet

What’s the best way to get buzz going around a movie prior to its launch? Of course, the ways are numerous! It could be a really large campaign, across a multiverse of billboards and digital banners. It could involve fancy dinners, several elaborate websites, or freebies showered across different possible fans.

Yet regardless of how much cash is dished, campaigns often die after the movie has come and gone, which is why I find this Harry Potter Tweet campaign interesting. As this campaign is actually a tool that people can utilize rather than a simple announcement, people are still using it and talking about it, many months after the movie it was aimed to market was launched.

[read full article >>]

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