Facebook's Beacon Gets a Little Brighter

<blockquote>Modest doubt is call’d<br />The beacon of the wise, the tent that searches<br />To the bottom of the worst.<br /><div style="text-align: right;">- William Shakespeare, <span style="font-style: italic;">Troilus and Cressida</span>, Act ii Sc. 2</div></blockquote><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/R1AwBdET-rI/AAAAAAAAAj4/VdF4XXDwtOU/s1600-R/Doubt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138659976370453170" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/R1AwBdET-rI/AAAAAAAAAj4/Oz1gdH0uM1g/s200/Doubt.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a>If you've missed the whole Facebook Beacon dustup, here's <a href="http://blogs.forrester.com/charleneli/2007/11/close-encounter.html">a quick recap</a> of what went wrong. Boiled down, it goes like this: the new program Facebook is running shows the details in your news stream of your purchases with any of the 22 or so Facebook partners who are part of the Beacon program (Overstock.com, Fandango, Zappos, etc.), so your Facebook network knows what you've been doing.<br /><br />Kind of <a href="http://blogstring.com/2007/11/28/the-beacon-clever-or-creepy/">creepy</a>, right? Well, the public first reacted with modest doubt, then became vehement over what can only be described as a huge lapse in judgment by Facebook. At first, Facebook gave only passing mention that your details would be shown, then the gradually released more information - but the problem was, there was no way to opt out (or in, for that matter).<br /><br />To their credit, Facebook has listened.<br /><br />The New York Times did a great job illustrating the <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/29/the-evolution-of-facebooks-beacon/">Evolution of Facebook's Beacon</a>. Visually, the evolution looks like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/R1AuNtET-nI/AAAAAAAAAjY/6YluTCvx6z8/s1600-R/Facebook1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138657987800595058" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/R1AuNtET-nI/AAAAAAAAAjY/dKW1Qo04Ohk/s400/Facebook1.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/R1AuN9ET-oI/AAAAAAAAAjg/d9kKVV8qQpw/s1600-R/Facebook2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138657992095562370" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/R1AuN9ET-oI/AAAAAAAAAjg/PtE5tJMVEJA/s400/Facebook2.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/R1AuN9ET-pI/AAAAAAAAAjo/P80DF0NMP5A/s1600-R/Facebook3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138657992095562386" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/R1AuN9ET-pI/AAAAAAAAAjo/2LNGuXxF4Ew/s400/Facebook3.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/R1AuONET-qI/AAAAAAAAAjw/9iZ5b6gZB5E/s1600-R/Facebook4.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138657996390529698" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/R1AuONET-qI/AAAAAAAAAjw/RVOaM-fpLQo/s400/Facebook4.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a>The latest update is that the two-day deadline on replying is gone. Now, if you don't respond, you're assumed to have opted out. But this is not a blanket opt-out, just an opt out on a particular transaction.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update</span>: Facebook <a href="http://www.facebook.com/beacon/faq.php">has changed the requirements</a> so that you can opt in or out of each partner program. Hat-tip to <a href="http://web-strategist.com/blog/">Jeremiah</a> for that one.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Is this enough? Has Facebook saved itself with this evolution, or do they need to go further? I'd argue that they at least need to do a little more research or bring someone on board who understands the user experience when designing notifications. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.</span>

Facebook's Beacon Gets a Little Brighter

Modest doubt is call’d The beacon of the wise, the tent that searches To the bottom of the worst. - William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressid...

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Social Media Takeaways #5

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lemvPcV9Mu4/UuhBuJX0m8I/AAAAAAAAP88/ilhKx5kcDkU/s1600/Takeaway+turkey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lemvPcV9Mu4/UuhBuJX0m8I/AAAAAAAAP88/ilhKx5kcDkU/s1600/Takeaway+turkey.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Well, here we are at Thursday and already the Thanksgiving leftovers are piling up. I hope you enjoyed the holiday last week, if you celebrated it. For those of you outside of the U.S., I hope you were able to get some work done thanks to some peace and quiet emanating from the U.S. workplace on Thursday and Friday.<br /> <br /> So that gets us to this week's installment of Social Media Takeaways.<br /> <a href="http://www.mpdailyfix.com/2007/11/going_cold_turkey_post_thanksg.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Blog Nothing Day</span></a>For one day - Monday, November 26, 2007 - we were asked to put down our keyboards and support the ongoing writers strike by not blogging. I'm happy to say I did my part, and then some. This is my first post since last Friday. But was this really an effective statement? Can you really prove a negative?<br /> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: bold;">SMT</span>: To me, it smacked of the <a href="http://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/nogas.asp">urban legend about boycotting gas for a day</a>. I think a much more beneficial approach would have been to ask people to write about the strike or link to a site supporting the Writers' Guild.</li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Facebook Beacon</span><br /> Where to begin? Through its new program, Facebook is putting some of your online purchase history into its newsfeed. If you want a nice recap and implications on this move, check out what <a href="http://www.livingstonbuzz.com/blog/2007/11/27/facebooks-lost-way/">Geoff Livingston</a> has to say or what <a href="http://technomarketer.typepad.com/technomarketer/2007/11/insideout-faceb.html">Matt Dickman</a> wrote and recorded. But I have to question the degree of uproar this is causing. After all, we opted into the network; we're willingly <a href="http://blogstring.com/2007/11/28/the-beacon-clever-or-creepy/">sacrificing some privacy</a> (hat-tip to Sarah Wurrey) for the sake of a free service. As Jeremiah <a href="http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2007/11/28/a-debate-can-the-social-graph-be-monetized/">clearly states</a>, "...for every free services people rush to use, they forget that they are the ones entering the data."<br /> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: bold;">SMT</span>: Facebook needs to listen to its community and take some action to make it more universally embraced.</li> </ul> <br /> <a href="http://bloombergmarketing.blogs.com/bloomberg_marketing/2007/11/according-to-th.html" style="font-weight: bold;">'C' Is For Cookie (or, That's Not Good Enough for Me)</a>According to an excellent blog post by <a href="http://bloombergmarketing.blogs.com/bloomberg_marketing/">Toby Bloomberg</a>, Pepperidge Farms has come up with a half-baked idea of a social media strategy called <a href="http://www.artofthecookie.com/connections.aspx">Pepperidge Farms Connections</a>. The site, rather than encouraging people to connect and share information there, or hosting a contest, or anything else creative, for that matter - is simply a collection of tips on how to connect online. What a crummy idea. Toby makes some very worthwhile suggestions that can be used as the foundation of a social media strategy by any company. <br /> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: bold;">SMT</span>: Instead of being a how-to site, why not give them the tools yourself? There are plenty of bad ideas floating around out there, so take the time to study them, understand them, and avoid this yourself. Will Pepperidge Farms remember?</li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Boston Continues to Get Pulverized</span><br /> <a href="http://pulverblog.pulver.com/">Jeff Pulver</a> has been making the social media rounds in Boston recently, connecting with lots of folks in person and connecting us with each other. Today, he stepped out of his <a href="http://www.seesmic.com/Standalone.html?video=4R724yEdXz">Social Media Living Room</a> to host a <a href="http://www.bryper.com/2007/11/27/breakfasting-with-jeff-pulver-and-his-facebook-friends/">Social Media Breakfast</a> at the <a href="http://www.sandsrestaurant.com/">S & S Restaurant & Deli</a> in Cambridge (<span style="font-style: italic;">Full disclosure</span>: I have an impeccable reputation for <a href="http://www.nothingcouldbefinerdiner.com/">picking good eating spots</a>, so <a href="http://www.bryper.com/">Bryan Person</a> asked for my recommendation for the breakfast. The S & S was it). Jeff instituted a neat little practice of having everyone wear a name tag with their tagline on it, coupled with little stickers everyone can use to physically tag each other.<br /> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: bold;">SMT</span>: Boston, in addition to being the Hub of the Universe, is a social media hub. I like to think that outside of Silicon Valley, it's got one of the most active and well connected communities in the new media space. And Jeff's insistence upon getting us out from behind the computer screens is making us better for it.</li> </ul> Have you had any social media takeaways over the past week? I'd love to know. Drop me a line or leave a comment.<br /> <br /> <i>Image credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/94611718@N00/4203655725/in/photolist-7psQoR-7pwGWW-7pwHjy-7pwHkN-7pwHsm-7smR2V-7smRBZ-dwmvcb-i1JE3C-8WkR25-hWD3gd-8Xdp7H-aMtKJa-aMtKfk-aMtJR2-8WoyDb-8WdYGV-dw8gtZ-8YTYQc-8WmmVx-hYopzv-9iZ9YH-9dDQMx-dvCuTW-dwurMB-8WbKcn-8Wty14-aLHXft-i9mEQX-dMP9aQ-dMHzvD-aM9vFn-i4h1Ve-dvWycc-dvWxye-hRAz15-aRHwbM-dwCeyY-hWGdcB-i8L2jS" target="_blank">andynash (Flickr)</a></i><br /> --<br /> <br />

Social Media Takeaways #5

Well, here we are at Thursday and already the Thanksgiving leftovers are piling up. I hope you enjoyed the holiday last week, if you cele...

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Act Now! Last Chance!

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/RpuQCd7b4CI/AAAAAAAAAY8/VI0nwaLtIqE/s200/AOC_lulu.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/RpuQCd7b4CI/AAAAAAAAAY8/VI0nwaLtIqE/s200/AOC_lulu.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" /></a>One week. That's all you've got to buy <a href="http://www.ageofconversation.com/">The Age of Conversation</a> at its original price.<br /><br />As of December 1, the book will no longer be available on <a href="http://lulu.com/ageofconversation">Lulu</a> in hardcover, paperback and e-book formats. Instead, Drew & Gavin are moving it to Amazon in an effort to broaden the reach. But with broader reach comes a higher price ($30), as we still need to meet our obligation to the charity we're supporting and also give a cut to Amazon.<br /><br />If you haven't gotten a copy or two yet, please <a href="http://lulu.com/ageofconversation">click on this link</a> to buy yourself or a colleague a copy of the softcover at $16.95 before next Friday. If you would like to place bulk orders, please get in touch with me privately.<br /><br />And while you're at it, you might want to check out the blogs of my fellow co-authors, to get a sense as to their collective insights and perspective on all things conversational.<br /><p><a href="http://servantofchaos.typepad.com/">Gavin Heaton</a>, <a href="http://drewsmarketingminute.com/">Drew McLellan</a>, <a href="http://www.ck-blog.com/cks_blog/">CK</a>, <a href="http://www.conversationagent.com/">Valeria Maltoni</a>, <a href="http://www.conformistsunite.com/">Emily Reed</a>, <a href="http://katiechatfield.wordpress.com/">Katie Chatfield</a>, <a href="http://gregverdino.typepad.com/greg_verdinos_blog">Greg Verdino</a>, <a href="http://www.theviralgarden.com/">Lewis Green</a>, Sacrum, <a href="http://www.mpdailyfix.com/">Ann Handley</a>, <a href="http://www.converstations.com/">Mike Sansone</a>, <a href="http://heehawmarketing.typepad.com/hee_haw_marketing/">Paul McEnany</a>, <a href="http://blog.creativethink.com/">Roger von Oech</a>, <a href="http://theengagingbrand.typepad.com/the_engaging_brand_/">Anna Farmery</a>, <a href="http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/">David Armano</a>, <a href="http://onereaderatatime.blogspot.com/">Bob Glaza</a>, <a href="http://transmissionmarketing.ca/">Mark Goren</a>, <a href="http://technomarketer.typepad.com/">Matt Dickman</a>, <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/">Scott Monty</a>, <a href="http://www.adliterate.com/">Richard Huntington</a>, <a href="http://www.chaosscenario.com/main/">Cam Beck</a>, <a href="http://www.reichcomm.typepad.com/">David Reich</a>, <a href="http://mindblob.typepad.com/">Luc Debaisieux</a>, <a href="http://www.craphammer.ca/">Sean Howard</a>, <a href="http://masiguy.blogspot.com/">Tim Jackson</a>, <a href="http://www.lonelymarketer.com/">Patrick Schaber</a>, <a href="http://www.copywritingmaven.com/the_copywriting_maven/">Roberta Rosenberg</a>, <a href="http://uwehook.blogspot.com/">Uwe Hook</a>, <a href="http://successfromthenest.com/">Tony D. Clark</a>, <a href="http://toddand.com/">Todd Andrlik</a>, <a href="http://www.divamarketingblog.com/">Toby Bloomberg</a>, <a href="http://www.stickyfigure.com/">Steve Woodruff</a>, <a href="http://www.sbannister.com/">Steve Bannister</a>, <a href="http://www.allthingsworkplace.com/">Steve Roesler</a>, <a href="http://branddna.blogspot.com/">Stanley Johnson</a>, <a href="http://www.brainsonfire.com/blog">Spike Jones</a>, <a href="http://giddlebits.wordpress.com/">Nathan Snell</a>, <a href="http://simonpayn.typepad.com/">Simon Payn</a>, <a href="http://rrasmussen.tumblr.com/">Ryan Rasmussen</a>, <a href="http://marketingroi.wordpress.com/">Ron Shevlin</a>, <a href="http://www.modernmagellans.com/">Roger Anderson</a>, <a href="http://middlezonemusings.com/">Robert Hruzek</a>, <a href="http://gumpdesign.blogspot.com/">Rishi Desai</a>, <a href="http://makeitgreat.typepad.com/makeitgreat/">Phil Gerbyshak</a>, <a href="http://www.advercation.com/">Peter Corbett</a>, <a href="http://www.thebuddygroup.com/">Pete Deutschman</a>, <a href="http://www.nick-rice.com/">Nick Rice</a>, <a href="http://virtualmarketingandmedia.blogspot.com/">Nick Wright</a>, <a href="http://marketingmonster.wordpress.com/">Michael Morton</a>, <a href="http://herd.typepad.com/">Mark Earls</a>, <a href="http://www.smoblog.com/">Mark Blair</a>, <a href="http://vellandi.wordpress.com/">Mario Vellandi</a>, <a href="http://modadimagno.blogspot.com/">Lori Magno</a>, <a href="http://writenowisgood.typepad.com/write_now_is_good">Kristin Gorski</a>, <a href="http://crossthebreeze.com/">Kris Hoet</a>, <a href="http://annansi.com/blog/">G.</a><a href="http://annansi.com/blog/">Kofi Annan</a>, <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/kimberlydawnwells">Kimberly Dawn Wells</a>, <a href="http://experiencecurve.com/">Karl Long</a>, <a href="http://www.thedozenblog.com/">Julie Fleischer</a>, <a href="http://www.telltenfriends.com/blog/">Jordan Behan</a>, <a href="http://www.mil-media.com/">John La Grou</a>, <a href="http://www.happyburroblog.com/">Joe Raasch</a>, <a href="http://www.jimkukral.com/">Jim Kukral</a>, <a href="http://indexed.blogspot.com/">Jessica Hagy</a>, <a href="http://www.marketingideablog.com/">Janet Green</a>, <a href="http://www.jameyshiels.com/">Jamey Shiel</a>, <a href="http://www.jameyshiels.com/">s</a>, <a href="http://www.customerthink.com/gurublog/graham_hill">Dr. Graham Hill</a>, <a href="http://www.bizandbuzz.blogspot.com/">Gia Facchini</a>, <a href="http://brandopia.wordpress.com/">Geert Desager</a>, <a href="http://gauravonomics.com/">Gaurav Mishra</a>, <a href="http://www.garyschoeniger.com/">Gary Schoeniger</a>, <a href="http://www.garethkay.com/">Gareth Kay</a>, <a href="http://farisyakob.typepad.com/">Faris Yakob</a>, <a href="http://libraryrevolution.com/">Emily Clasper</a>, <a href="http://www.influxinsights.com/">Ed Cotton</a>, <a href="http://shakegently.com/">Dustin Jacobsen</a>, <a href="http://www.directortom.com/">Tom Clifford</a>, <a href="http://blog.brandexperiencelab.org/">David Polinchock</a>, <a href="http://www.mokummarketing.com/blog/">David Koopmans</a>, <a href="http://www.journamarketing.com/">David Brazeal</a>, <a href="http://www.marketersstudio.com/">David Berkowitz</a>, <a href="http://thoughtsphilosophies.com/">Carolyn Manning</a>, <a href="http://mediahunter.typepad.com/">Craig Wilson</a>, <a href="http://www.marketinghipster.com/">Cord Silverstein</a>, <a href="http://www.everydotconnects.com/">Connie Reece</a>, <a href="http://canuckflack.com/">Colin McKay</a>, <a href="http://lighthousecommunications.typepad.com/talkingpoint/">Chris Newlan</a>, <a href="http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot">Chris Corrigan</a>, <a href="http://www.cedricgiorgi.com/">Cedric Giorgi</a>, <a href="http://www.thinkingaboutmedia.com/">Brian Reich</a>, <a href="http://customersrock.wordpress.com/">Becky Carroll</a>, <a href="http://arunrajagopal.com/">Arun Rajagopal</a>, <a href="http://www.andynulman.com/">Amy Jussel</a>, AJ James, <a href="http://kimklaverblogs.blogspot.com/">Kim Klaver</a>, <a href="http://www.purplewren.com/">Sandy Renshaw</a>, <a href="http://wf360.com/about-blog.htm">Susan Bird</a>, <a href="http://ryanbarrett.typepad.com/" title="_blank">Ryan Barrett</a>, <a href="http://www.troyworman.com/wordpress/">Troy Worman</a>, <a href="http://vinebergcommunications.com/">S. Neil Vineberg</a>, <a href="http://flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com/" title="_blank">C.B. Whittemore</a>, <a href="http://moblogsmoproblems.blogspot.com/" title="_blank">Mack Collier</a>, <a href="http://powrightbetweentheeyes.typepad.com/" title="_blank">Andy Nulman</a></p><p><a href="http://powrightbetweentheeyes.typepad.com/" title="_blank"><br /></a></p>

Act Now! Last Chance!

One week. That's all you've got to buy The Age of Conversation at its original price. As of December 1, the book will no longer be...

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Which Table Did You Sit At Yesterday?

The adult table? The dreaded kids table? Or perhaps the newly-minted Social Media table...<br /><br /><br /><center><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="190" width="450"><param name="movie" value="http://www.utterz.com/fp/embed_img.swf?21" /><param name="flashvars" value="utt_id=NDk3NzYxMA&autoplay=0&wu=NDk1MzA4NQ" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed src="http://www.utterz.com/fp/embed_img.swf?21" wmode="transparent" flashvars="utt_id=NDk3NzYxMA&autoplay=0&wu=NDk1MzA4NQ" width="450" height="190" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer"/></embed></object></center>

Which Table Did You Sit At Yesterday?

The adult table? The dreaded kids table? Or perhaps the newly-minted Social Media table...

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Let Us Count Our Blessings

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000003FHI?tag=thebakerstree-20&camp=15041&creative=373501&link_code=as3" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135950156949355042" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/R0aPdNET-iI/AAAAAAAAAiY/aK1pNNwJ9DA/s200/copland.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a>The other night, I was listening to a simple, yet moving piece: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000003FHI?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B000003FHI">Aaron Copland's suite</a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000003FHI?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B000003FHI"> from </a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000003FHI?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B000003FHI" style="font-style: italic;">Our Town</a>. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032881/">The 1940 movie</a> brought to life Thornton Wilder's classic play, which highlighted the importance of appreciating the little things in life and demonstrated that even a small town isn't completely immune from the influence of the rest of the world.<br /> <br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">"It goes so fast. We don't have time to look at one another." </span><br /> The quote is from "Our Town," but it can apply to social media (or life) just the same. With so much happening, we should remember to take stock of who we are, where we came from, and who helps us be the people we are in our respective communities. And to recognize that our communities are far-reaching - well beyond our geographic location.<br /> <br /> It's entirely appropriate then, that a meme is circulating with an underlying theme of giving thanks to those in our past and present. In particular this latest meme is <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Who had a big influence on you and how did that affect the direction of your life or career?"</span> and it was begun by <a href="http://overtonecomm.blogspot.com/2007/11/making-it-relevant-career-advice-from.html">Kami Huyse</a> and <a href="http://lagesse.org/">Rob Lagasse</a>. I've been tagged by <a href="http://www.engageinpr.com/2007/11/21/giving-thanks-and-a-piece-of-social-media-pie/">Kyle Flaherty</a>, who paid me a very fine compliment in his post. [<span style="font-style: italic;">Aside</span>: thank you for that, Kyle. I hope I continue to live up to your expectations.]<br /> <br /> Andy Ferrara was my biggest influence, only I didn't know it at the time. It's only as my career has blossomed that I've had the opportunity to reflect on Andy's advice and example.<br /> <span id="fullpost"><br />My first consulting gig was doing corporate development on a 3-person team for <a href="http://www.bostonhealthcare.com/">Boston Healthcare Associates</a>. I was still young and a bit unsure of myself, as I had never done that kind of work before and was responsible for the strategic and financial well-being of my clients.<br /><br />Andy had an open-door policy and even when he was extremely busy, he always took a few moments to welcome me into his office and make me feel as if I was the most important thing on his agenda. I was talking with him about some doubts I was having, and he said something that sticks with me still:</span><br /> <blockquote> <span id="fullpost">"Just tell yourself 'I have arrived.'"</span></blockquote> <span id="fullpost"><br />That's it. Plain and simple. It's the premise behind <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=the%20secret&tag=thebakerstree-20&index=blended&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">The Secret</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. But it takes a bit of self-confidence before you can really embrace it. And until this year, I didn't really appreciate that.<br /><br />The other thing that Andy taught me was the importance of listening. One of the main tenets of joining a social network or community is that <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2007/08/want-free-marketing-secret-listen-up.html">you must listen first</a>. Andy would sit in a conference room with clients or employees and would let everyone speak. He only offered his opinion at the end of the meeting, and it always seemed that his comments were the most insightful and comprehensive. He didn't open his mouth just to hear himself speak, he really had a reason for speaking.<br /><br />In the spirit of keeping the meme alive, I'm going to tag a few folks - people that I'm thankful for this year. I've many, many people in mind, but I do want to keep this succinct. I'll be sharing another post shortly about my recent experiences meeting so many wonderful social media mavens in the Boston area.<br /><br /><a href="http://clipper.typepad.com/">Julia Roy</a> - no, I'm not tagging Julia because she's been after me to put her on my blogroll, but rather because she is one of the shining examples of someone who combines passion, intelligence and humor to great effect. Her personal brand is sassy yet serious, playful yet intelligent, and always engaging. She uses <a href="http://www.seesmic.com/Seesmic.html#/video/egaz4eLs6f/watch">Seesmic</a> to her advantage and has <a href="http://twitter.com/juliaroy/statuses/419974812">great boots</a>. I'm very sad that Boston is losing her to New York, but thanks to new media, we'll still be able to benefit from her uber-presence.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lenedgerly.com/">Len Edgerly</a> - Len is one of my surprise friends this year. He's half Denver, half Cambridge and entirely cool. I think we became acquainted over Twitter and we found a common interest in the arts, particularly in <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/">literature</a>. In his <a href="http://lenchronicles.blogspot.com/">Video Pod Chronicles</a> episode with NewMediaJim, I recognized the Colony Hotel in the background and mentioned it. What has resulted is a kind of mutual admiration society and a new friendship that I hope to nourish.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.jaffejuice.com/">Joseph Jaffe</a> - How could I not mention the Interruptor? No, not <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2007/06/view-from-inside-crayon-box.html">this one</a>. I'm talking about the founder of the company I work for, <a href="http://www.crayonville.com/">crayon</a>. Just a year ago I was only a fan of crayon, but earlier this year, Joseph enthusiastically welcomed me to the team (what were you thinking, Joe?). My time with crayon has been exhilarating and exhausting, but incredibly rewarding. I really feel like I'm part of something big, and I have Joseph to thank for that.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.drewsmarketingminute.com/">Drew McLellan</a> - Probably one of the nicest guys in the blogosphere, Drew tapped me as one of the original core group to write <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a href="http://www.ageofconversation.com/">The Age of Conversation</a>, a groundbreaking book that took the work of 103 authors and resulting in over $10,000 raised for charity. Drew's insights into marketing and branding are always eye-opening for me, and his approachability and encouragement always make me smile.<br /><br />Thank you all, for being a unique and special part of my social media world. You make it a more interesting place and you inspire many others in your own way. I hope you continue the meme and share your thanks with your own communities.<br /><br /><br /></span>

Let Us Count Our Blessings

The other night, I was listening to a simple, yet moving piece: Aaron Copland's suite from Our Town . The 1940 movie brought to life T...

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How to Teach Marketers to Be Authentic

Did you ever take the time to step back and wonder about the various personas you meet online? They could be long-lost friends, bloggers that you admire, or people in your Facebook network whom you may have never met before. But what do you <font style="font-style: italic;">really </font>know about them?<br /><br />How many of these folks are truly themselves when they're online? I mean, how many are perhaps bolder in their assertions or less cautious with the language they use because of the less personal nature of the medium?<br /><br />We spend a lot of time talking about <font style="font-weight: bold;">authenticity</font> as one of the tenets of social media - how businesses, brands and the people behind them need to be seen as <font style="font-weight: bold;">real</font>. There's no doubt that the masses will sniff out a fraud. But how do we guarantee them authenticity?<br /><br />While you ponder that, take a look at Brad Paisley's take on it:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="b-hbp-video b-uploaded" frameborder="0" height="266" id="BLOGGER-video-1c0a3bdee97d824e-16449" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw1hlUxZiIoRgMgzAnyU0tFzcP2Alr9h9kW_0Ar1xKzquYaR5ZG3ryu4F2h35uwjnJTqHX3IBdNBJbyhXVOavUaQV7nN-2rYOBf8AxuAyv9fREk_LoOrksTSJdXxcWYvlmBhoOO" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe><br /></div><br />As recently as this week, someone in my <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/wsmonty">LinkedIn</a> network posed the following question: <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.linkedin.com/answers/marketing-sales/public-relations/MAR_PRR/124434-3195046">What disciplines should marketers be training within to ensure authenticity?</a> My first thought, was, "You've got to be kidding, right? You want to <font style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">teach </font>authenticity?"<br /><br />It reminded me of the old George Burns quote:<br /><font class="body"><blockquote>"Acting is all about honesty. If you can fake that, you've got it made."</blockquote>That one-liner often sums up all that is seen as wrong with and disliked about advertising, marketing and public relations - mouthing the words without actually believing what you're saying. Can you blame the public for distrusting advertisers or for thinking of public relations professionals as "spin doctors"?<br /></font><br /><font class="body">Many of the other respondents to the LinkedIn question also noted that authenticity is more of <font style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">a state of being</font> rather than a skill - it's something that has to be imbued throughout one's life rather than taught as a course. Authenticity represents <font style="font-weight: bold;">who we are, not what we do</font>. And when we use <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing_speak">marketing speak</a> to address our audience, are we being truly authentic, or simply following a corporate protocol out of some antiquated tradition?<br /><br />I say it's time to step out of those corporate roles and leave behind those traditional templates and speak to our customers as if we're real people talking to other real people. As David Ogilvy once famously said,<br /><blockquote>"The consumer isn't a moron; she is your wife."<br /></blockquote></font><font class="body">How do you learn how to be authentic with your wife? You don't learn it; you simply be yourself - that's why she picked you, right?<br /><br />Ultimately, it's worth asking <font style="font-weight: bold;">how do your customers or your community view you?</font> I hope you're prepared for the answer, because we live in an age where they'll tell you and expect to be heard.<br /><br /><br /></font>

How to Teach Marketers to Be Authentic

Did you ever take the time to step back and wonder about the various personas you meet online? They could be long-lost friends, bloggers tha...

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Social Media Takeaways #4

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--f5RTC6kjQI/Uug876iP9cI/AAAAAAAAP8o/ZeBXNOWU7LM/s1600/Takeaway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--f5RTC6kjQI/Uug876iP9cI/AAAAAAAAP8o/ZeBXNOWU7LM/s1600/Takeaway.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> This has been another busy week. What's new, right? Well this time, it's been courtesy of some seriously <span style="font-style: italic;">social </span>social media, both in terms of getting out of the house / office and truly connecting with others.<br /> <br /> The more time I spend in this field, the more powerful I realize the effect of communities. You just can't underestimate them - nor can you manufacture them. If a client came to me with a request to build a community, my counsel would be that it's not a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097351/quotes">Field of Dreams</a> scenario. Communities take time, attention and true dedication.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2007/01/putting-social-in-social-media.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Before B2B, Before B2C, There was F2F</span></a><br /> There were big doings over the weekend with <a href="http://www.podcampboston.org/">PodCamp Boston 2</a>. It was my first time, and I thoroughly enjoyed it - meeting old friends, connecting with people with whom I had only known online previously, and meeting a whole raft of new and smart people - too many to list in this post, but people I'll be following.<br /> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: bold;">SMT</span>: Hitting the blogs on a daily basis, commenting and otherwise propping up the echo chamber is good, but when's the last time you stepped out to meet some of your community face to face? You just can't beat it. But don't <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2007/01/putting-social-in-social-media.html">take my word for it</a> - see <a href="http://blip.tv/file/459272">how Mark Blevis sees the world</a>.</li> </ul> <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/10/30/details-revealed-google-opensocial-to-be-common-apis-for-building-social-apps/"><br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Announcement We've All Been Waiting For</span></a><br /> Google finally released what it's doing with regard to social networking: an initiative called <a href="http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial/">Open Social</a>. It's a collaborative effort among some of the most well-known socnets, including Orkut, Salesforce, LinkedIn, Ning, Hi5, Plaxo, Friendster, Viadeo and Oracle. This is meant to thrust Google into direct competition with the likes of MySpace and Facebook.<br /> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: bold;">SMT</span>: As I understand it, this is huge, as it gives you a single place to create profiles and leave updates - kind of a master control center for your social networking efforts. Breaking down the walled garden approach of Facebook is going to get a lot of people interested - especially from the business side, since Salesforce & Oracle are involved. Stay tuned.</li> </ul> <br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">What Were You for Halloween?</span><br /> When the kids go out trick-or-treating and you're left to guard the castle from the marauders, it can be pretty lonely. Just waiting for the multiple doorbell rings (or sounds of eggs splattering). This year, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/scottmonty">Twitter</a> connected me with a whole network of other guys in the same situation.<br /> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: bold;">SMT</span>: Twitter is really amazing when you know how to use it. I felt like I was sitting around the room chatting with friends. Great updates from <a href="http://twitter.com/DougH/statuses/378984652">@DougH</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/cc_chapman/statuses/378927882">@cc_chapman</a>, to name a couple. And <a href="http://twitter.com/DougH/statuses/379155652">one final one</a> that just cracked me up.</li> </ul> <div> <i>Image credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/15527714@N07/11657398026/in/photolist-iL8di9-iL65Cb-iL5zSz-iL8ew1-iL4e8c-bsEo87-bFzgUx-8hvDYs-8o2fYc-8mTFNu-dbqUpS-96PoSm-8w9j8j-bxJnMH-99zQRk-8jZWPu-7JtH1b-d7j1v1-hK3knk-hK2fWF-hK3kt2-9qar23-dVh4Lt-bvgJwn-bi8VGn-bh9JYn-9Ja3Uk-7ZdWQT-c6jgNy-8Hhe29-c6jgwY-8RFfyv-7KgCWV-7KkyXY-8He6rX-9UndFJ-hRKHSf-9QiBz9-8Kb51w-apTCYY-b5GpiB-7Ri7HQ-9n5Ce1-bVVQbm-98BVde-91o1u5-7KFL9k-a8syt1-bof94C-8pt6ap-bBa29T#" target="_blank">sonicimac (Flickr)</a></i></div> <div> --</div> <div> <br /></div>

Social Media Takeaways #4

This has been another busy week. What's new, right? Well this time, it's been courtesy of some seriously social social media, bot...

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Verizon Gets It; Others May Too

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/RyrBObKsL2I/AAAAAAAAAhI/vYOUsa5M-6U/s1600-h/2pointhome_logo.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128123579269656418" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/RyrBObKsL2I/AAAAAAAAAhI/vYOUsa5M-6U/s200/2pointhome_logo.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a>Recently, Verizon launched a promotion in Pennsylvania where they're giving five families a chance to win a FiOS home makeover. And before you mention it, no not those <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Families">Five Families</a>; I know I'm the <span style="font-style: italic;">Consiglieri </span>at crayon, but Verizon has a reputation to keep.<br /><br />This is all part of a show called <a href="http://2pointhome.com/">My Home 2.0</a> and it's part of Verizon's effort to give families' homes an amazing technology update, including Verizon's FiOS service. What an amazing opportunity! All you have to do if you live in the area is submit an audition video on the My Home 2.0 site.<br /><br />My friends and former colleagues C.C. Chapman and Steve Coulson of <a href="http://www.theadvanceguard.com">The Advance Guard</a> are in charge of this campaign and you can tell it's got their creativity behind it. The <a href="http://www.2pointhome.com/press/smpr/">social media news release</a> page is nicely done, plus there are all sorts of social media sites attached to it. My favorite has to be the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5453785953">Facebook group</a>, as it centralizes the experiences, photos and videos.<br /><br />Ugh. What I wouldn't give for FiOS TV and Internet service. But my area isn't even wired yet, and this contest is only for the Pittsburgh & Philadelphia areas. Best of luck to all who audition!

Verizon Gets It; Others May Too

Recently, Verizon launched a promotion in Pennsylvania where they're giving five families a chance to win a FiOS home makeover. And befo...

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