Actually, I should probably say "Auntrepreneur." That's one term that's a good description for Melanie Notkin, the found of SavvyAuntie, a new online community for - you guessed it - aunts.
Now before you start wondering about the relevance of a site specifically for aunts, just take a moment and think about all of the women in your life who aren't mothers. Odds are they've got nieces & nephews, either through family or friends. These are what Savvy Auntie calls ABRs or ABCs - Aunts by Relation or Aunts by Choice.
This demographic has long been ignored, or at least not catered to the way that parents have been. And that's where SavvyAuntie.com comes in.
One of the most shrewd observations about the PANK (Professional Aunt, No Kids) demographic is that these are professional women with disposable income. Marketing to parents assumes discretionary income exists, but most parents are weighed down by significant costs already, such as mortgage, saving for college, and household expenses related to raising kids.
SavvyAuntie opens up the world of parenting advice and support for non-parents, providing sections titled Expertise, Activities, Gifts and Community designed just for Aunts and their perspective. For a more comprehensive review of the site, check out Mashable's write-up.
I think it's a - dare I say it - savvy business move. The site really provides something that fills a gap, plus it has real value, aside from the cool "Web 2.0" concept. I'm also honored to be on the advisory board for SavvyAuntie, where I'll be offering advice on social media marketing.
What I like most about this entire venture is that Melanie is an active member of the social media community - she writes a blog about her experiences in founding and running SavvyAuntie, and she's a very active and generous member of Twitter, where she continuously engages with others. I know this has been a significant method of getting out the word about the site, getting to know experts who in some cases have joined the advisory board, and most importantly, getting ideas and input for making the site as robust as it could be.
But don't take my word for it; check out the site yourself. What do you think? Is this something that has some potential? Are there other features that should be included?
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Now That's One Savvy Entrepreneur
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Care to Help a Friend?
Here's a cause you can get behind, and all you need is an eBay account. As I've been the recipient of my community's generosity before, I like to promote and participate in other similar efforts whenever possible. It comes down to the old phrase, "In order to have a friend, you need to be a friend."
My friend Dave Delaney, who you can find on Twitter as @davedelaney or on his blog Dave Made That and his podcast Two Boobs and a Baby +, recently finished up a stint at Emma. But as fate would have it, a month later, they've come calling for their computer, which Dave thought was part of his severance package.
That's not good news in any social media consultant's world, especially when it's a Macbook Pro. Dave is scrambling to put together some funds to make the new purchase, but obviously he wasn't prepared for it (not to mention that the "baby +" part of the equation means other priorities). So, he's put his brains and creativity to use and come up with a way for the community to help him out.
He's got an eBay auction running where you can bid on the magic card used in his 8,000th tweet video (seen below). This is the perfect chance to help out a guy who has my full endorsement. Head on over and throw in a bid and let's see if we can get Dave up toward his goal!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Segway Goes Social
I've often said, "The last thing the world needs is another social network." And while I stand by that statement from a broad perspective (think Facebook, MySpace or Bebo), I think my advice can be ignored when it comes to an integrated, vertical approach to online communities. And I've got a perfect example.
Segway Social - the social network current and future Segway scooter owners.
The revolutionary two-wheel self-balancing vehicle was introduced in 2001 by inventor Dean Kamen to much acclaim. Since that time, there have been numerous ways that customers have either created their own or requested customized versions. So what better way to find out about some of these than to connect users with each other, so see what they're up to and how they use their Segways?
There are some nice features on the site, including a wall for news, an interactive map, the ability to create groups, and a photo section. While it was initially launched with photos from Segway's Flickr photostream, there's the ability for users to add their own photos in as well. One of my favorite features is the ability for users to add their own "Glides," or Segway routes that they've discovered or created. These can be displayed on that map feature.
There are also sections that allow Segway users to share tips & tricks with each other in a wiki-like platform, and a calculator to see how you're saving the environment by not using a gas-powered vehicle. Naturally, you can create your own profile and participate in the message boards/forums as well.
The site has a really clean and fresh design and a logo that I really like. If you had to compare it to the product itself, I'd say it's a great fit - balanced, intuitive, and very cool.
My friends & colleagues at Plaid - the interactive agency that did such a stellar job with the My ooVoo Day With... site (ooVoo being a client of crayon, my employer) - designed the site for Segway. An interesting side note is how they actually got the business.
Last year, they took an appropriately designed van on tour across the eastern U.S. and called it Plaid Nation, stopping in at various locations, sometimes announced, sometimes unannounced. The stop at Segway headquarters in New Hampshire was not announced in advance, but the cold call, coupled with Plaid's ability to understand and navigate the social media space, was significantly impressive enough to convince the marketing team at Segway that Plaid was worth bringing on board. Wanna see how fun it is to work at Plaid? Check this out.
This year, Plaid Nation '08 kicks off on July 21 and is based on the west coast. I'm sure there are going to be some great tales from the road that they'll chronicle as they fulfill their mission of "spreading social media, one cheap motel at a time."
Hmm. I wonder if they'll be packing their office Segway in that van...
Saturday, April 19, 2008
My Social Media Birthday
A number of bloggers write entries about the anniversary of their blogs, or note some milestone achievement. But this post is a little different. Keeping in what I suppose you've come to know me for, this is more personal.
Yesterday was my birthday. Now, I'm not someone who makes a big deal out of his day (a former colleague used to celebrate his "birthday month," to stretch out the fun), but I'm not one to shy away from admitting when I have one, either.
But this year, I have more of a reason to celebrate. It's because of you - my community, my social network. This is the first birthday I've had since I've truly been an active and recognized member of the social media field, so when I have my birthday listed on my Facebook profile, it should have been no surprise that many people would come out of the woodwork to wish me a happy birthday via Twitter, Facebook, emails and direct messages.
I tried to respond to everyone personally, but it was tough to keep up with. I apologize if I missed you. But I'd like to publicly thank everyone here by pulling an Amanda Gravel - a very savvy and community-minded acknowledgment that you mean a great deal to me and that you should try to connect to each other, if you aren't already connected.
To wit, here are the Twitter handles of everyone who reached out to me today. Start following!
Thanks to: @ldpodcast, @DougH, @jljohansen, @gradontripp, @SavvyAuntie, @charlierobinson, @kolsen29, @arunrajagopal, @ModaMags, @Pistachio, @adelemcalear, @WasatchGirl, @jackhodgson, @MaThurrell, @davidberkowitz, @Armano, @jaffejuice, @MattDickman, @KyleFlaherty, @jtnt, @EdenSpodek, @asimpson, @pamelump, @kimhaynes, @KristaNeher, @danieljohnsonjr, @ChrisShouse, @swhitley, @melgallant, @krislynch, @nathantwright, @shey, @kristiewells, @saulcolt, @JasonFalls, @eileen53, @jackvinson, @tarable, @SheilaS, @changstein, @Kristin_Gorski, @lizstrauss, @jstorerj, @susanreynolds, @darrylohrt, @Exsec2u, @hardaway, @nickhuhn, @mousewords, @chrisbrogan, @sMoRTY71, @TobyDiva, @GeoffLiving, @mdy, @BeckyMcCray, @TDefren, @gracepiano, @BryanPerson, @jjtoothman, @sass, @Dayngr, @CathleenRitt, @misterboh, @drewmclellan, @jeffglasson, @danschawbel, @BrianReich, @davedelaney, @davidjhinson, @alvinfoo
Thank you all for making it a truly happy birthday!
Photo courtesy of LaughingSquid
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
I Owe You. Big Time.
You're busy. You have many demands on your schedule. Which means that the time you spend glancing over my mutterings and thoughts is valuable time indeed.
Thank you for choosing to spend some of your day with me. Your participation here and in other forums where you link to my posts or talk about a concept I've brought up means a great deal to me.
A few months ago, I was seriously injured and in dire need of help. I asked for your assistance - one of the hardest and most humbling things I've ever had to do. I was embarrassed to ask anything of you, but I was in an incredible amount of pain with no end in sight. But you were very supportive, both emotionally and financially, in my effort to raise money for a snowblower. In the end, you came through remarkably well and donated a remarkable $1,065.
I can't tell you how much your collective concern and gratitude helped me get through a tough time. You made it possible for me to make it through the rest of the winter so that I could recover. As of the end of February, my back and ribs were nearly back to normal. There's still some residual pain, but I was able to literally weather the storms for the rest of the season.
Here's a Seesmic video that I recorded in direct response to your kindness:
And as I said in the video, I'd like to continue to pay back the kindness. I've done so in a variety of ways, supporting other charitable causes that my Twitter network has notified me of, suggesting the Frozen Pea Fund as the charity of choice for My ooVoo Day With, and trying to be helpful and responsive as my community has asked for it (yes, I do owe a couple of colleagues some blog posts - stay tuned).
Also, some time in the next week or so, I'll be posting about a way that I'm planning to give to my community on an ongoing basis. I think it's a method that you'll want to read about, as you may be able to do the same thing yourself. Stay tuned.
Finally, here's some evidence that I didn't run off to Vegas or something:
Thank you.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Acquiring My Attention in Communities
In case you haven't heard, there's a social media acquisition in play. Community builder Mzinga has announced that it's acquiring white label social networking company Prospero.
This is certainly a newsworthy item from a business standpoint: a leading company in the communities space, Mzinga has a number of major entities as clients, including AOL, ABC, ESPN and many others that aren't acronyms. Barry Libert, one of Mzinga's founders, co-authored a book that speaks to the wonder of communities - We Are Smarter Than Me: How to Unleash the Power of Crowds in Your Business
As I looked over the announcement, one of the things that struck me about this is how many of the players I know in this exciting development:
- Aaron Strout & Jim Storer are both at Mzinga and are a couple of top-notch social media guys, both of whom I recently saw at Boston's Social Media Breakfast (and Jim was one of my co-presenters)
- Colin Browning of Prospero lives in the next town, and I've been following his Northern & Southern Hemisphere tweets for a while
- PerkettPR is handling Mzinga's public relations - I've gotten to know Jeff Glasson & Christine Perkett through various social media & tech functions in Boston
- Doug Haslam works for Topaz Partners, Prospero's PR firm
- @astrout - Aaron Strout
- @jstorerj - Jim Storer
- @crbrowning - Colin Browning
- @missusp - Christine Perkett
- @jeffglasson - Jeff Glasson
- @DougH - Doug Haslam
- @scottmonty - what the hey, if you're not following me yet, you should be
