Scott Monty

Not So Delicious

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TQwubBKyHTI/AAAAAAAACFc/xHulo-k_UIQ/s1600/sprouts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TQwubBKyHTI/AAAAAAAACFc/xHulo-k_UIQ/s320/sprouts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Well, it was bound to happen. <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/16/is-yahoo-shutting-down-del-icio-us/">Yahoo has decided to sunset</a> some of its services, and that includes social bookmarking site Delicious. 
 
And here we see one of the inherent dangers of relying on (free) third-party sites for business and personal purposes. If you don't have control over your data, you're exposing yourself to a potential house of cards that can come tumbling down at any time. It's always a good idea to have your data backed up, even in the cloud-based environment. For bookmarks in particular, <a href="http://www.xmarks.com/">Xmarks</a> actually allows you to sync and back up your bookmarks across a number of browsers. 
 
But before you panic about Delicious, it looks like <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/cloud/2010/12/host-your-own-delicious-altern.php">there may be a future for them</a> after all - just not at Yahoo. In their own blog, Delicious states that <a href="http://blog.delicious.com/blog/2010/12/whats-next-for-delicious.html">they will in fact remain open</a> for business - just not with Yahoo. 
 
Delicious offered the following statement to users: 
<blockquote>Is Delicious being shut down? And should I be worried about my data? 
- No, we are not shutting down Delicious. While we have determined that there is not a strategic fit at Yahoo!, we believe there is a ideal home for Delicious outside of the company where it can be resourced to the level where it can be competitive. 
 
What if I want to get my bookmarks out of Delicious right away? 
- As noted above, there’s no reason to panic. We are maintaining Delicious and encourage you to keep using it. That said, we have export options if you so choose. Additionally, many services provide the ability to import Delicious links and tags. 
We can only imagine how upsetting the news coverage over the past 24 hours has been to many of you. Speaking for our team, we were very disappointed by the way that this appeared in the press. We’ll let you know more as things develop.</blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TQz79rp_kdI/AAAAAAAACFk/49nUQhDBidw/s1600/Delicious.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="97" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TQz79rp_kdI/AAAAAAAACFk/49nUQhDBidw/s320/Delicious.PNG" width="320" /></a></div> 
Now, if you'd still like to take the leap and migrate your bookmarks to other sites, here are <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/now_yahoo_says_delicious_will_live_onsomewhere_els.php">some alternatives to using Delicious</a> (courtesy of Read Write Web) and <a href="http://thenextweb.com/lifehacks/2010/12/17/how-to-export-import-and-migrate-delicious-bookmarks/">others from TheNextWeb</a>. I've been trying out <a href="http://www.diigo.com/">Diigo</a> and <a href="http://www.evernote.com/">Evernote</a>, and now Microsoft's <a href="http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/onenote/">OneNote</a> with my new Windows 7 / Office 2010 system, but at the moment, I'm comfortable staying with Delicious myself. 
 
How about you? Are there other clipping or bookmarking services that you use or prefer? Educate us all in the comments section. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> 
Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22255707@N08/2873790921/">Kymberly Janisch (Flickr)</a>

Not So Delicious

Well, it was bound to happen. Yahoo has decided to sunset some of its services, and that includes social bookmarking site Delicious. And ...

Facebook's Need for Better Communication

<div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/48227377@N05/4875046270/"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TQruLvWGmYI/AAAAAAAACFQ/16oeuCTwzF0/s320/facepalm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It seems that every time Facebook makes a change, it's a major gaffe. With Mark Zuckerberg being named the Time <a href="http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2036683,00.html">Person of the Year</a> for 2010, you would think that there would be a little more thought that goes into the company's approach to privacy, major UI changes, and how those are communicated to the very people those changes affect. 
 
Just two months ago, Facebook made news with its rollout of new Groups, which <a href="http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=434691727130">Zuckerberg claimed</a> would be "giving you more control." A press conference at Facebook's HQ was <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1693443/facebooks-big-announcements-dashboards-personal-information-downloads-friend-group-lists?partner=homepage_newsletter">livestreamed</a>, people seemed to be intrigued and Facebook got high praise for a smarter approach to <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/facebooks_new_groups_will_change_and_increase_the.php">filtering out the noise</a> and <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1693443/facebooks-big-announcements-dashboards-personal-information-downloads-friend-group-lists?partner=homepage_newsletter">paying more attention to privacy</a>. 
 
However, as it goes with some celebrations, the revelers awoke the next day with a bit of a hangover. It was discovered that Facebook members could add each other to groups without their consent. Hence, <a href="http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/2010/10/07/mark-zuckerberg-joins-the-north-american-man-boy-love-association-and-other-adventures-in-facebook-groups/">Mark Zuckerberg joining the North American Man-Boy Love Association</a> was meant to prove that even the CEO of the world's largest social network wasn't immune from privacy violations under the new system. He <a href="http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/2010/10/08/mark-zuckerberg-quits-nambla-and-facebook-downplays-privacy-criticisms-over-groups/?boxes=Homepagechannels">managed to leave the group</a>, but not before the damage was done. People quickly realized that the new Groups settings gave them <a href="http://searchengineland.com/irony-facebooks-new-groups-give-me-less-control-not-more-52495">less control, not more</a>. 
 
But more importantly than the privacy violations was how the company communicated it. As pointed out on the <a href="http://www.blogworld.com/2010/10/09/facebooks-new-groups-feature-is-opting-in-really-the-problem/">BlogWorld  & New Media Expo blog</a>, there was no documentation on how to use the new Groups feature; the notifications features were turned on by default - meaning that many people were hit with a wave of email notifications about being added to groups; and that groups seemed to be governed by the many rather than by the individual who created them. 
 
That's a lot to chew on with little to no warning that such a fundamental addition is taking place. It seems that Facebook wants to act like that other darling of Silicon Valley and social media geeks everywhere, Apple. When Steve Jobs calls a press conference, it's shrouded in secrecy, with rampant speculation about what new gadget (one that I want but don't need), upgrade or pricing strategy will be announced. But the difference is that Apple's announcements mainly deal in hardware. Facebook is a communications platform (web-based software) and the changes that are made to the interface immediately and drastically affect millions of people - people that don't have a choice in these changes. 
 
As a communications professional, I would argue that it requires complete and deliberate transparency when communicating with your user base. This is not the time to be playing guess-what-we-just-did with your customers. Time and again, Zuckerberg & Co. have been taken to task for poor communications with Facebook users, yet the same mistakes seem to be happening. 
 
The Great Page Debacle 
And then yesterday around 4:00 p.m. EST, there were some strange changes to Facebook. Suddenly, without notice, many administrators of Facebook pages realized that the tabs we're all used to seeing simply disappeared - without notice. After the panic subsided, the links were visible in the left column, but the filter function was nowhere to be found and it was noted that you couldn't have tab as the default landing site. I <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/ScottMonty/status/15526045977419776">began to wonder</a> if Facebook was doing the same thing all over again. 
 
A <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/12/16/new-facebook-pages-2/">quick check of Mashable</a> showed the <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/12/16/facebook-down-rollout/">accident being chronicled</a> throughout the afternoon and <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/12/16/facebook-prototype-features/">the changes that were apparent</a>, before this update became available from Facebook itself: 
 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TQr4WSRHuTI/AAAAAAAACFU/VpEfeI5Mod4/s1600/facebookchanges.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TQr4WSRHuTI/AAAAAAAACFU/VpEfeI5Mod4/s1600/facebookchanges.png" /></a></div> 
While it reassured me to know that Facebook hadn't fallen into the same lackadaisical communications pattern as it previously had, it left me with two major concerns: 
1) Will the prototyped Pages and their functionality change at all, and will that involve feedback from the very community that will use those pages? And when it does roll out, will it be communicated to members in a clear way, with plenty of advance notice? 
 
And more importantly: 
2) If such an update can go live to 500 million people at once, is there a "publish" button near the lobby door at Facebook's headquarters that gets accidentally pushed? 
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TQr5-f96waI/AAAAAAAACFY/A2qbCjXuSro/s1600/Red+Exit+button.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TQr5-f96waI/AAAAAAAACFY/A2qbCjXuSro/s400/Red+Exit+button.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24618803@N07/3848052461/">inF! (Flickr)</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Or, as John Wayne once said: 
<embed flashvars="audioUrl=http://s279246823.onlinehome.us/multimedia/johnwayne.wav" height="27" quality="best" src="http://www.google.com/reader/ui/3523697345-audio-player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400"></embed> 
 
Do you share any similar experiences or concerns with Facebook? 
 
Disclosure: My employer (Ford Motor Company) has a relationship with Facebook. The above opinions are my own and do not reflect those of Ford. 
 
 
Image credit (top): <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/48227377@N05/4875046270/">Gordonblixt (Flickr)</a>

Facebook's Need for Better Communication

It seems that every time Facebook makes a change, it's a major gaffe. With Mark Zuckerberg being named the Time Person of the Year for ...

I Think That I Shall Never See...

A blog as lovely as a tree? I hope <a href="http://www.bartleby.com/104/119.html">Joyce Kilmer</a> can forgive me for that. 
 
The fine folks at Eloqua and JESS3 have seen some lovely blogs, and have created a unique infographic called <a href="http://blog.eloqua.com/the-blog-tree">The Blog Tree</a> that categorizes some of the essential sites into roots, branches and leaves sorted by categories and relative site traffic. It's a fascinating look at some of the key blogs (which I've linked to below) and how they fit together. 
 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TQg3dty-NwI/AAAAAAAACFM/KKCHuL9-MLc/s1600/The+Blog+Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TQg3dty-NwI/AAAAAAAACFM/KKCHuL9-MLc/s640/The+Blog+Tree.jpg" width="438" /></a></div> 
Before we get to the full list, I've collected some great quotes about trees that seem to apply to the world of social media and digital marketing from authors, poets and leaders. See if any of these inspire you. 
<blockquote>The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a 
green thing that stands in the way. Some see Nature all ridicule and 
deformity, and some scarce see Nature at all. But to the eyes of the 
man of imagination, Nature is Imagination itself. 
- William Blake, 1799, The Letters 
 
Evolution did not intend trees to grow singly. Far more than ourselves they 
are social creatures, and no more natural as isolated specimens than man 
is as a marooned sailor or hermit. 
- John Fowles 
 
O chestnut tree, great rooted blossomer, 
Are you the leaf, the blossom or the bole? 
O body swayed to music, O brightening glance, 
How can we know the dancer from the dance. 
- William Butler Yeats, Among School Children 
 
Good timber does not grow with ease; 
the stronger the wind, the stronger the trees. 
- J. Willard Marriott 
 
Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. 
The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. 
- Abraham Lincoln</blockquote> 
The following is the complete list of blogs in The Blog Tree. Feel free to lift this list and put it on your blog - but also feel free to add to it. There's also a taggable version available on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/eloqua">Facebook</a>. If there are other blogs you think are worthy of our orchard, please consider leaving suggestions in the comments section below or expand the list on your site, linking back here. 
 
 
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">And lest you think that it's unattainable to reach the level of any of the prolific and thought-provoking authors above, I refer you to Ralph Waldo Emerson:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> 
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> 
</div> 
 
Water Table 
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.arstechnica.com">Ars Technica</a> 
<a href="http://gigaom.com/">GigaOm</a> 
<a href="http://mashable.com/">Mashable</a> 
<a href="http://readwriteweb.com/">ReadWriteWeb</a> 
<a href="http://techcrunch.com/">TechCrunch</a> 
<a href="http://thenextweb.com/">The Next Web</a> 
<a href="http://www.allfacebook.com/">AllFacebook</a> 
 
Venture Capital / Entrepreneurship 
<a href="http://cracking-the-code.blogspot.com/">Cracking the Code</a> 
<a href="http://bostonvcblog.typepad.com/">Seeing Both Sides</a> 
<a href="http://www.avc.com/">A VC</a> 
<a href="http://www.paulgraham.com/articles.html">Paul Graham, YCombinator, Essays</a> 
<a href="http://www.feld.com/wp/">Feld Thoughts</a> 
<a href="http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/">Both Sides of the Table</a> 
<a href="http://abovethecrowd.com/">Above The Crowd</a> 
<a href="http://500hats.typepad.com/500blogs/">Master of 500 Hats</a> 
<a href="http://onstartups.com/">OnStartups</a> 
<a href="http://www.forentrepreneurs.com/">Blog of David Skok</a> 
<a href="http://venturehacks.com/">Venture Hacks</a> 
 
News 
<a href="http://www.b2bbloggers.com/">B2B Bloggers</a> 
<a href="http://bigfatmarketingblog.com/">The Big Fat Marketing Blog</a> 
<a href="http://www.centernetworks.com/">Center Networks</a> 
<a href="http://blog.clickz.com/">blog.clickz.com</a> 
<a href="http://www.customerthink.com/">Customer Think</a> 
<a href="http://destinationcrmblog.com/">DestinationCRMblog.com</a> 
<a href="http://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/">Marketing Sherpa</a> 
<a href="http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/">Marketing Pilgrim</a> 
<a href="http://www.zdnet.com/news">blogs.Zdnet.com</a> 
<a href="http://news.cnet.com/wisdom-of-clouds/">The Wisdom of Clouds/James Urquhart</a> 
<a href="http://www.mpdailyfix.com/">MarketingProfs Blog</a> 
 
How-To 
<a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/">HubSpot Blog</a> 
<a href="http://www.chiefmartec.com/">Chief Marketing Technologist</a> 
<a href="http://blogs.forrester.com/">Forrester Blogs</a> 
<a href="http://www.copyblogger.com/">Copy Blogger</a> 
<a href="http://customerexperiencematrix.blogspot.com/">Customer Experience Matrix</a> 
<a href="http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/">Ducttape Marketing</a> 
<a href="http://www.bnet.com/blog/salesmachine">Blogs.bnet Sales Machine</a> 
<a href="http://blog.startwithalead.com/">B2B Lead Generation Blog / InTouch</a> 
<a href="http://contentmarketingtoday.com/">Content Marketing Today</a> 
<a href="http://marketingconversation.com/">Marketing Conversation</a> 
<a href="http://blog.guykawasaki.com/#axzz16u159RqJ">How To Change The World</a> 
<a href="http://blog.eloqua.com/">It's All About Revenue</a> 
<a href="http://www.green-leads.com/b2b-blog/">Smashmouth Marketing Blog</a> 
<a href="http://scobleizer.com/">Scobleizer</a> 
<a href="http://www.marketingexperiments.com/blog">Marketing Experiments</a> 
<a href="http://www.annhandley.com/">Ann Handley</a> 
<a href="http://fearlesscompetitor.net/">Fearless Competitor</a> 
 
Personal Branding 
<a href="http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/">Dan Schawbel</a> 
<a href="http://www.guykawasaki.com/">Guy Kawasaki</a> 
<a href="http://www.beingpeterkim.com/">Being Peter Kim</a> 
<a href="http://cc-chapman.com/">CC-Chapman.com</a> 
<a href="http://www.christopherakoch.com/">Chris Koch’s B2B Marketing Blog</a> 
<a href="http://www.conversationagent.com/">Conversation Agent</a> 
<a href="http://www.dhcommunications.com/blog/">Dianna Huff's B2B MarCom Writing Blog</a> 
<a href="http://www.marketersstudio.com/">Inside the Marketer's Studio</a> 
<a href="http://marketinginteractions.typepad.com/">Marketing Interactions</a> 
<a href="http://www.funnelholic.com/">The Funnelholic</a> 
<a href="http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/">Seth Godin</a> 
<a href="http://www.twistimage.com/blog/">Six Pixels of Separation</a> 
<a href="http://www.christopherspenn.com/">Awaken Your Superhero</a> 
<a href="http://digitalbodylanguage.blogspot.com/">Digital Body Language</a> 
<a href="http://www.chrisbrogan.com/">ChrisBrogan.com</a> 
 
PR 
<a href="http://www.pr-squared.com/">PR Squared</a> 
<a href="http://steverubel.com/">SteveRubel.com</a> 
<a href="http://blog.holtz.com/">A Shel of My Former Self</a> 
<a href="http://briansolis.com/">BrianSolis.com</a> 
<a href="http://darmano.typepad.com/">Logic + Emotion</a> 
<a href="http://www.webinknow.com/">WebinkNow</a> 
<a href="http://gillin.com/">Gillin.com</a> 
<a href="http://pr.typepad.com/">PR Communications</a> 
<a href="http://www.buzzmarketingfortechnology.com/">Buzz Marketing For Technology</a> 
<a href="http://jaffejuice.com/">JaffeJuice.com</a> 
<a href="http://blog.junta42.com/">Junta42 Blog</a> 
<a href="http://rohitbhargava.typepad.com/">Influential Marketing Blog</a> 
 
Social Media 
<a href="http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/">Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang</a> 
<a href="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/">Convince and Convert</a> 
<a href="http://socialmediab2b.com/">Social Media B2B</a> 
<a href="http://www.conversationmarketing.com/">Conversation Marketing</a> 
<a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/">Social Media Marketing Blog</a> 
<a href="http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/">Social Media Examiner</a> 
<a href="http://www.smartbrief.com/news/socialmedia">Smart Brief on Social Media</a> 
<a href="http://blog.jess3.com/">Jess3 Blog</a> 
<a href="http://www.socialtimes.com/">SocialTimes</a>

I Think That I Shall Never See...

A blog as lovely as a tree? I hope Joyce Kilmer can forgive me for that. The fine folks at Eloqua and JESS3 have seen some lovely blogs, ...

Brand Haiku: Ford

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TOC59_byR7I/AAAAAAAACEY/TmhPHRS9054/s1600/haiku.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TOC59_byR7I/AAAAAAAACEY/TmhPHRS9054/s320/haiku.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>When genuinely pleased or angered, customers express their feelings in a variety of ways. As someone who works for a large company, I'm accustomed to seeing tweets, blog posts, videos, photos and even entire sites built to convey a strong reaction. 
 
But how many use poetry to make their points? Last week, <a href="http://blog.stroutmeister.com/">Aaron Strout</a> (<a href="http://twitter.com/AaronStrout">@AaronStrout</a>) approached a group of bloggers with the notion that we should create haikus of brand experiences we've had. And while we debated whether these should or would take the form of positive or negative brand experiences, it quickly became clear that most of us would likely be writing on positive experiences. 
 
One of the reasons for this would seem to be that it takes quite an effort to compose poetry, therefore it's more likely that a brand loyalist would take the time to go to that length. It's probably summed up a little more eloquently by William Butler Yeats who wrote, "Out of the quarrel with others we make rhetoric; out of the quarrel with ourselves we make poetry." 
 
Since I'm associated with a fairly well-known brand, I've decided to create my haiku for Ford: 
<blockquote>Customers love tech. 
Ford's solution? Hands-free <a href="http://www.syncmyride.com/">SYNC</a>. 
A great mobile app.</blockquote> 
In the multiple blogger batting order, my post was preceded by Tamsen McMahon (<a href="http://twitter.com/tamadear">@tamadear</a>) and will be followed by <a href="http://sydneyowen.com/2010/11/15/brand-haiku-chipotle/">Sydney Owen</a>. 
 
Do you have a haiku of your own? Feel free to share it below. 
 
Image credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/phunk/4235842734/">funkandjazz</a> (Flickr)

Brand Haiku: Ford

When genuinely pleased or angered, customers express their feelings in a variety of ways. As someone who works for a large company, I'm ...

Want to Lead Corporate Social Strategy? Read This.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TNrM7IqI18I/AAAAAAAACEU/I9o5GlVXGp4/s1600/martian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TNrM7IqI18I/AAAAAAAACEU/I9o5GlVXGp4/s1600/martian.jpg" /></a></div>
Few people understand the constant pressure that the corporate social strategist is faced with. On any given day, the pressure can include internal challenges such as culture change, demands on proving the worth of programs, program development and execution, vague understanding of the role by some colleagues, the necessity of integrating the function throughout the enterprise, as well as external demands such as interview requests and a constant barrage of questions via email, Facebook and Twitter. 
 
The role is clearly evolving and is one that many companies, small and large, are currently filling. I was lucky enough to be selected to fill the role of global digital & multimedia communications manager (aka head of social media) for Ford Motor Company in July of 2008, and I've witnessed much of the above - and more - in my role. We're definitely at a crossroads in terms of the maturity and evolution of the function, particularly in integrating this nascent field into more business processes and making it live beyond the realm of just a handful of people within the organization. 
 
Now, <a href="http://www.web-strategist.com/blog">Jeremiah Owyang</a> (<a href="http://twitter.com/jowyang">@jowyang</a>) of Altimeter, along with <a href="http://www.charleneli.com/">Charlene Li</a> (<a href="http://twitter.com/charleneli">@charleneli</a>), <a href="http://www.christineptran.com/">Christine Tran</a> (<a href="http://twitter.com/christineptran">@christineptran</a>) and <a href="http://www.andrewmjones.com/">Andrew Jones</a> (<a href="http://twitter.com/andrewjns">@andrewjns</a>), has undertaken what I consider to be the definitive report on the challenges, opportunities and future of the corporate social media strategist. After surveying some 140 social strategists, interviewing 50 corporate practitioners of social media and looking through some online resources, they outlined some major findings, including: 
<ul>
<li>Corporations have anointed an <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470597267?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0470597267">Open Leader</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0470597267" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, the Social Strategist.</li>
<li>They are overwhelmed with six major challenges - with little relief in sight.</li>
<li>Be proactive - or be relegated to being a Social Media Help Desk.</li>
<li>Senior management must be selective in hiring this role - then give full support as they evolved the corporation.</li>
</ul>
 
 
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<a href="http://www.slideshare.net/jeremiah_owyang/career-social-strategist" title="Report: Career Path of the Corporate Social Strategist: Be Proactive or Become Social Media Help Desk">Report: Career Path of the Corporate Social Strategist: Be Proactive or Become Social Media Help Desk</a><object height="510" id="__sse5721616" width="477"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/doc_player.swf?doc=careersocialstrategist-101109193238-phpapp02&stripped_title=career-social-strategist&userName=jeremiah_owyang" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><embed name="__sse5721616" src="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/doc_player.swf?doc=careersocialstrategist-101109193238-phpapp02&stripped_title=career-social-strategist&userName=jeremiah_owyang" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="477" height="510"></embed></object> 
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View more documents from <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/jeremiah_owyang">Jeremiah Owyang</a>.</div>
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Take a look at the report to see what the six challenges of the corporate social strategist are. In addition, Altimeter has 10 executive recommendations for hiring and managing a corporate social strategist that make up a solid checklist for both those new to or seasoned in social media. 
 
Are there other challenges that you've seen that should also be noted? What's your view on the future of this role and the industry? 
 
Also, if you're interested, I regularly bookmark some of Jeremiah's writings. You can find those at <a href="http://delicious.com/scottmonty/jeremiahowyang">http://delicious.com/scottmonty/jeremiahowyang</a>. 
 
Disclosure: I was among those interviewed for this report 
,

Want to Lead Corporate Social Strategy? Read This.

Few people understand the constant pressure that the corporate social strategist is faced with. On any given day, the pressure can include...

We'll Always Have Blogging

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/fordka?v=app_4949752878" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TL78FEC5JOI/AAAAAAAACCQ/HpZZM6QGOjo/s320/casablanca.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/23322134@N02/2278915498/">Express Monorail</a> (Flickr)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>"Round up the usual suspects." 
With all of the Facebook and Twitter commentary, out there, you'd think there's nothing else of significance worth doing on the Web any more. But of course, you know that's just crazy talk. 
 
Corporate blogging has been with us for quite some time, with some major companies having forayed into the space in the early to mid 2000s. Yet there's surprisingly little attention paid to it today. Why is that? Is it that the shiny object / GMOOT ("get me one of those!") syndrome has worn off? Or is it that there's a purpose that isn't served by blogs? 
 
"I was misinformed." 
If you look at the recent statistics shared by eMarketer ("<a href="http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007996">Corporate Blogging Goes Mainstream</a>"), you'll see that only about a third of companies use blogs. But if you look at the growth over the last three years, the use of blogs has actually doubled (!). 
 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TL-71J6FDzI/AAAAAAAACCU/uOj1IKnpQEw/s1600/blogging.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TL-71J6FDzI/AAAAAAAACCU/uOj1IKnpQEw/s1600/blogging.gif" /></a></div> 
The focus on Twitter and Facebook is understandable: they're nearly universal, they're easily accessible via mobile devices, and there's the ability to instantly connect users' thoughts, actions, and comings and goings via those platforms. But blogging is more than that - or at least has the ability to be more than that. 
 
"Can I tell you a story, Rick?" 
The first thing is, it's long form content. It gives companies the ability to have a greater narrative and develop more nuance around the message. Stories can be told in serial format so that a  predictable cadence is established, with regular posts on known topics. Over time, this builds a relationship and perhaps even loyalty from readers. And fundamentally, marketing is about storytelling. 
 
"In Casablanca, I'm master of my fate!" 
While blogs are typically identified by having comments enabled for a two-way dialog, in reality the site owner is really in the driver's seat and has more control over it. This is a reassuring fact for many marketers, who can decide which comments to publish and what major topics they'd like to cover in their next post. Many marketers still prefer the stability and perceived brand control this gives them - even though we all know that you brand is what your customers say it is. But the other benefit is that when you run a blog, you have the ability to own the platform and content, which isn't necessarily the case when you're using Facebook, Twitter or the like. When a crisis is brewing, this means that your blog can become a central hub of all activity - one that you control - that can still be engaging and two-way in nature, should that be required. 
 
"Take it anyway." [sic] 
One thing I've always found about blogs is their infinite variety. They can be based in text, photos, videos, or a combination of any of them. They can be written <a href="http://www.blogsouthwest.com/">by a team</a> or <a href="http://blogs.marriott.com/">by an executive</a>. The topic can be <a href="http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/">singularly focused</a> or can be an <a href="http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/default.aspx">aggregate of other blogs</a>. They can <a href="http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/">bring enthusiasts behind the scenes</a> or <a href="http://www.thefordstory.com/your-ideas/">collect ideas from fans</a>. The point is that it's a flexible platform that will function any way you need it to. For a great set of examples, check out Mashable's <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/08/13/great-corporate-blogs/">15 Excellent Corporate Blogs</a>. 
 
"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TL_It-LgqzI/AAAAAAAACCY/qfWnRbggjqI/s1600/blogging1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TL_It-LgqzI/AAAAAAAACCY/qfWnRbggjqI/s1600/blogging1.gif" /></a></div> 
 
There's no reason your marketing efforts have to be an either/or mentality. If done well, blogging can incorporate the benefits of traditional marketing as well as the new. For example, integrating blog content or headlines into the corporate website in order to keep it fresh. Doing so not only gives customers a reason to return to your site frequently, but also helps with SEO (search engine optimization). In addition, the shorter form platforms (Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Digg, etc.) can easily be integrated into your blog, either through buttons on each post or by making it a part of the commenting platform. I use <a href="http://www.disqus.com/">Disqus</a>, which allows readers to log in with other accounts and share the content out on those other platforms as well. The point is, when you integrate your content plan, it allows your content to spread to wherever customers happen to be searching for it. 
 
"Welcome back to the fight. This time I know our side will win." 
Blogging was something of a curiosity in its first wave. Now that it's been around for a while and proven its worth as a communications and marketing tool - not to mention the new platforms, content types and technology advances - it's beginning to mature and defend its rightful place in the pantheon of marketing channels. Now the challenge is for us to determine how best to supply a stream of story-like content and integrate that into everything we do so that the blog is not another site that's competing for attention, but one that is strategically integrated into many other efforts.

We'll Always Have Blogging

Image credit: Express Monorail (Flickr) "Round up the usual suspects." With all of the Facebook and Twitter commentary, out t...

#HashThis

If you're even remotely familiar with Twitter, you know what a hashtag is. Or at least you'll know what is meant when a # is placed in front of a word. 
 
On any given day, if you <a href="http://tweetstats.com/trends">take a look at the trending topics on Twitter</a>, ( a good service for tracking that is <a href="http://tweetstats.com/trends">tweetstats.com/trends</a>) you'll be treated with a barrage of those mini tic tac toe symbols, resulting in words, phrases and acronyms that ostensibly stand for something. And they come in a variety of topics. 
<ul><li>Political: #tcot, #iranelection</li>
<li>Memes: #waystoaskforsex, #omgfacts</li>
<li>Events: #SxSW, #bwe10</li>
<li>Campaigns: #fiestamovement</li>
<li>Temporal: #musicmonday, #marketermonday (also #MM)</li>
<li>Twitter-specific:  #followfriday (aka #FF)</li>
</ul> 
If you're ever in doubt about the definition of a certain hashtag as it flits by your screen, simply pay a visit to <a href="http://wthashtag.com/">wthashtag.com</a> (as in "What the Hashtag?"). There's a directory there. And if you're inventing one, it's a great place to document what it means so that others can discover it. 
 
Hashtags can be a very helpful way of discovering content that you wouldn't normally see. Typically, you're most likely to see the tweets of the people whom you follow. But by using the search function within Twitter - available on <a href="http://twitter.com/">twitter.com</a> as well as <a href="http://search.twitter.com/">search.twitter.com</a> and within <a href="http://www.oneforty.com/">a number of third party apps</a> - you'll begin to be opened up to wider and more varied conversations. 
 
It's especially handy when you're hosting or participating in a Twitter chat. I've actually been asked by PBS / MASTERPIECE Mystery! to host a Twitter chat on October 24, with the hashtag <a href="http://is.gd/fYMrU">#sherlock_pbs</a>. Feel free to <a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/2010/10/something-more-modern-houn.html">read about it here</a>. I'll have a <a href="http://www.tweetgrid.com/">TweetGrid</a> set up so that I'll be able to search for specific terms. 
 
That's essentially what hashtags allow you to do - it's a saved search of sorts. So even though one of the largest trending topics of all time is Justin Bieber (according to TweetStats, above), typically #justinbieber is also tied to that search. So if you clicked on that dreaded hashtag, you'd see tweets from millions upon millions of people you wouldn't otherwise follow. 
 
And if you're actually trying to get work done and you follow a Justin Bieber fan (why??), you might run into a problem something like this: 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TLUWj7swbDI/AAAAAAAACCA/5u-tqE1I1QQ/s1600/Eloqua_Clogged_Twitter_Stream_Cartoon1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TLUWj7swbDI/AAAAAAAACCA/5u-tqE1I1QQ/s1600/Eloqua_Clogged_Twitter_Stream_Cartoon1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TLUWk94UzpI/AAAAAAAACCE/ewHJpFUUbI4/s1600/Eloqua_Clogged_Twitter_Stream_Cartoon2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TLUWk94UzpI/AAAAAAAACCE/ewHJpFUUbI4/s1600/Eloqua_Clogged_Twitter_Stream_Cartoon2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TLUWm5SoYwI/AAAAAAAACCI/vWY1eSvz-U4/s1600/Eloqua_Clogged_Twitter_Stream_Cartoon3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TLUWm5SoYwI/AAAAAAAACCI/vWY1eSvz-U4/s1600/Eloqua_Clogged_Twitter_Stream_Cartoon3.jpg" /></a></div>So whether you're getting #followfriday'd to death or you're trying to decipher the near-hieroglyphics in your sidebar, remember that there's actually value in hashtags. 
 
Oh, and I'll see you at <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23bwe10">#bwe10</a>. 
 
Major kudos to <a href="http://twitter.com/jchernov">Joe Chernov</a> and <a href="http://blog.eloqua.com/clogged-twitter-stream-cartoon">the guys at Eloqua</a> for suggesting that I feature a cartoon here. While the concept was mine, it was Joe and his posse who actually brought it to life.

#HashThis

If you're even remotely familiar with Twitter, you know what a hashtag is. Or at least you'll know what is meant when a # is placed ...

The Blogosphere in 2010

I just found the <a href="http://www.blogherald.com/2010/09/20/state-of-the-blogosphere-in-2010/">State of the Blogosphere in 2010</a> report over at <a href="http://www.blogherald.com/">BlogHerald</a>. It's chock full of lots of data about blogs and the bloggers who blog them, taken from the <a href="http://www.blogpulse.com/">BlogPulse</a> survey that includes over 150,000,000 blogs. 
 
In the infographic below, you'll discover the following: 
 
<ul><li>Top 10 blogs by traffic</li>
<li>The spread of pro, part-time, hobbyist and self-employed bloggers</li>
<li>Breakdown of their age and demographic data</li>
<li>How often they post</li>
<li>What languages are most prominent (hint: English is now ranked #2 as the most prominent language of blogs. See if you can guess what #1 is.)</li>
<li>Revenue earned by bloggers</li>
<li>Geographic distribution of blogs within the U.S.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TK82M8jaAxI/AAAAAAAACB8/lc1qbLR902E/s1600/state_of_the_blogosphere_w600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TK82M8jaAxI/AAAAAAAACB8/lc1qbLR902E/s1600/state_of_the_blogosphere_w600.jpg" /></a></div> 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> 
Typically, this is a function that was handled by Technorati. It would seem that their report <a href="http://technorati.com/state-of-the-blogosphere/">is still a few weeks away</a>. You can check out the archived posts for the State of the Blogsophere in <a href="http://technorati.com/blogging/feature/state-of-the-blogosphere-2009/">2009</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/blogging/feature/state-of-the-blogosphere-2008/">2008</a>, <a href="http://www.sifry.com/alerts/archives/000493.html">2007</a> and <a href="http://technorati.com/state-of-the-blogosphere/">earlier</a>. But it leads to the question: whatever happened to the prominence of Technorati? It's <a href="http://blog.holtz.com/index.php/weblog/what_the_hell_is_up_with_technorati/">a question that's been asked before</a>. 
 
In the meantime, enjoy the eye candy. Other great infographics are <a href="http://www.blogherald.com/tag/infographic/">available from BlogHerald here</a>. If you have any observations or insights, I'd be glad to hear about them below. 
 
Image credit: <a href="http://infographicslab.com/">InfoGraphicsLab.com</a>

The Blogosphere in 2010

I just found the State of the Blogosphere in 2010 report over at BlogHerald . It's chock full of lots of data about blogs and the blogg...

What's #NewTwitter?

Plenty. 
 
Twitter just launched a fresh new interface. I'm still getting used to it, but my initial reaction is that it's a strong improvement for users of the Twitter.com interface (which is about 70% of the users currently). 
 
Take a look at the video from Twitter: 
 
 
 
 
<center><object height="300" width="500"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rIpD7hfffQo?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rIpD7hfffQo?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="300"></embed></object></center> 
 
Here's <a href="http://blogs.forbes.com/oliverchiang/2010/09/16/the-story-behind-twitters-first-video-ad-1-million-views-in-one-day/">the inside scoop on the background and making of the video from Forbes</a>. 
 
What's different: 
 
<ul><li>The first thing you'll notice is that there is now a header bar that contains a streamlined dashboard: a search box, a link Home, a link to your Profile, and Messages (DMs). This is already different, in that messages have been separated from @ replies.</li>
<li>Then, the "what's happening" (not "what are you doing?") section is footed with tabbed browsing options: Tweets, @Mentions (not Replies), Retweets, Searches and Lists. Note that the last three have dropdown menus that give the user options. </li>
<li>For Retweets, it's Retweets by others, Retweets by you, and Your Tweets, retweeted. This is a handy way of discerning these various levels of retweets, making it easier to find what's meaningful.</li>
<li>The Searches that used to inhabit the sidebar are now available in the dropdown.</li>
<li>Similarly, Lists offer you a chance to see the aggregated lists you've created. My complaint is that it only allows you to see about 8 or 9 lists; for power users like me that have 20 lists, you have to click through to the list page, which is in the old interface.</li>
</ul> 
 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TJAwEQPGEEI/AAAAAAAACBM/8Awdrfclz7E/s1600/newtwitter.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TJAwEQPGEEI/AAAAAAAACBM/8Awdrfclz7E/s400/newtwitter.PNG" width="400" /></a></div> 
Probably the coolest part though, is the ability to preview content directly from the link, without having to leave your page. You can view photos, videos and more by clicking on the little arrow in the tweet box: 
 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TJAzAQQHTwI/AAAAAAAACBU/O1S5e0HnLY0/s1600/newtwitter2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TJAzAQQHTwI/AAAAAAAACBU/O1S5e0HnLY0/s400/newtwitter2.PNG" width="400" /></a></div> 
In addition, you can see mini-previews of profiles - number of followers, tweets, bio, etc. - directly from this page by hovering over any user. 
 
The full details are <a href="http://twitter.com/newtwitter">available directly from Twitter</a>. Overall, this is vast improvement that puts Twitter.com on a more level playing field with some of the more sophisticated desktop and mobile apps. 
 
What do you think? 
 
UPDATE: Here's <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/10/06/new-twitter-background-customize/">a handy guide on how to customize your background</a> in the New Twitter

What's #NewTwitter?

Plenty. Twitter just launched a fresh new interface. I'm still getting used to it, but my initial reaction is that it's a strong i...

This Just In

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahdeer/4183605430/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="duh by SarahDeer, on Flickr"><img alt="duh" height="240" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2569/4183605430_fc60cc2780_m.jpg" width="204" /></a>From the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/6301928202?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=6301928202">Not Necessarily the News</a> department: "<a href="http://www.marketingcharts.com/direct/teens-text-5x-more-than-adults-14093/">Teens text more than adults</a>" - or so went a headline from an e-newsletter from MarketingCharts that hit my inbox recently. 
 
Okayyyyy.... 
 
The actual article stated that overall, teens text five times more than adults according to the <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/">Pew Internet & American Life Project</a>. Again, not all that surprising, but at least we're getting somewhere. It seems that most adults text between 1-10 times a day, both groups are pretty similar in the 11-20 times a day and 21-50 times a day categories. But teens are twice as likely to text 51-100 times a day and more than three times as likely to text over 100 times a day. 
 
Check out the graph of the number of texts per day, adults vs. teens: 
 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TIhau7yiQyI/AAAAAAAACA0/8Ci0HSgJ7dU/s1600/pew-cell-phones-adults-teens-sept-2010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TIhau7yiQyI/AAAAAAAACA0/8Ci0HSgJ7dU/s400/pew-cell-phones-adults-teens-sept-2010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
 
One other bit of information about texting: 57% noted that they received unwanted or spammy text messages. 
 
What conclusions can marketers draw from this for the future? 
First, this is the next generation of consumers, so we need to be prepared for them. While email may become more important to them in the workforce, they're still going to be tied to texting. The challenge is that texting is necessarily a one-to-one (or in some cases one-to-few) experience. There's very little room for interruptive ads. 
 
Second, as you can see from that 57% figure, opting in is going to be extremely important; but even so, I believe that if we're taking up their valuable texting time by shooting them an SMS message, then it should be something that is worth their attention. Some categories or ideas to consider: 
<ul>
<li>Funny</li>
<li>Entertaining</li>
<li>Breaking news about your brand or company</li>
<li>Exclusive content</li>
<li>Discounts or coupons</li>
<li>Contest or sweeps</li>
<li>For local businesses: a digital version of "leave your business card"</li>
<li>Get them off mobile-only interaction - cross-pollinate to your other properties</li>
</ul>
Probably one of my most favorite examples of this last category is the <a href="http://www.blueskyfactory.com/fbsign//">Facebook Sign Maker</a> (and <a href="http://www.blueskyfactory.com/twsign/">its Twitter counterpart</a>) from the good folks at Blue Sky Factory. Text a simple phrase to a number and - voila! - you're a fan of a Facebook page. 
 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/ford"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TIhgfRfbPWI/AAAAAAAACA8/yjIAvbJEN-8/s320/fordlikedecal.php.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
 
They've brought users from text messaging to Facebook fans via an outdoor/experiential sign. Remarkably effective and stunningly simple. Companies that begin to adopt this thinking understand how different marketing practices can leverage each other and that this is how life works - it's not about how we interact with the world around us, not how we simply focus on a single channel. 
 
Here's one final nugget found in the Pew report: breaking some long-held stereotypes, men actually use the phone slightly more than women. Of the women surveyed, 53% make or receive five or fewer calls a day, while only 43% of men could say the same. 
 
Maybe there are still a few surprises around after all. 
 
Image credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40393390@N00/4183605430/">SarahDeer (Flickr)</a>

This Just In

From the Not Necessarily the News department: " Teens text more than adults " - or so went a headline from an e-newsletter from M...

Picture This

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alphaducentaure/3600482366/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Divin rayon by alpha du centaure, on Flickr"><img alt="Divin rayon" height="166" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2480/3600482366_b477860a75_m.jpg" width="240" /></a>One of the oft-overlooked elements in the routine of blogging is image selection. Now, not every blogger uses images, charts, graphs, or other visuals as part of their storytelling approach (<a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/">Seth Godin</a>, most notably, is almost always a text-only blogger). But for those of us who do, our photos can be just as important and compelling as our written copy. 
 
The art of communications and marketing is largely one of storytelling. As someone with small children, I can appreciate the necessity of images to help tell stories. Images can help to set expectations, evoke emotional responses, draw attention, <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2007/06/help-im-being-held-hostage-by-marketing.html">provoke</a> <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2009/08/you-want-me-to-what.html">laughter</a>, or symbolize irony, among hundreds of other things. 
 
So you see, the cavalier approach to image selection simply won't do for blogging. Or shouldn't. Similarly, the sources and the rights of images needs to be taken just as seriously as choosing an image. This post is designed to help you think about where and how you choose images for your blog (or site, or brochure, or whatever), with some bonus content thrown in. 
 
Finding Images 
Let's start with the basics. You need an image for a blog post. Where should you look? There are a number of great resources that are either low-cost or free: 
<ul><li><a href="http://www.flickr.com/">Flickr</a> The grand-daddy of all image sites. Flickr is a very powerful community with millions of photos at your disposal. There's an advanced search capability that makes it easy to pinpoint what you're looking for. Check out their <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/outstanding_shots/pool/">Outstanding Shots</a>, </li>
<li><a href="http://everystockphoto.com/">everystockphoto.com</a> Is just that. A full range of free images with various levels of licensing.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.stockvault.net/">StockVault</a>, according to its site, is a stock photo sharing site where photographers, designers and students can share their photographs and images with each other. Its sole purpose is to collect and archive medium and high resolution photos that designers and students can share and use for personal and non-commercial designs.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.openphoto.net/">OpenPhoto</a> A little more barebones than the other sites, but with a variety of content that is sourced in a wiki-like way.</li>
</ul>Two great tools to help refine the image searching process: 
<ul><li><a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> will help you find images by text or by tag and will allow you to change the settings on licensing, original photos and safe search. The visual layout of the images is impressive and will help you more quickly assess what works and what doesn't.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.zoo-m.com/flickr-storm/">FlickrStorm</a> is a brainstorming tool that lays out the images based on a search term that you enter and that also lets you change the settings on image rights. You can add images to your tray as you're browsing, so you can compare them later.</li>
</ul><div>A note about using Flickr photos: if you plan to embed a Flickr photo in your site, there are <a href="http://www.flickr.com/guidelines.gne">guidelines that you need to follow</a>. Namely, you need to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/help/photos/#2265887">use the HTML code</a> available from the "Share this" link and provide a link back to the original photo. Please be sure to abide by Flickr's community guidelines. 
 
If you'd like to use your own photographs but you don't feel quite comfortable with your ability, you can check Darren Rowse's <a href="http://digital-photography-school.com/">Digital Photography Tips</a>, or grab a copy of Scott Kelby's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/032147404X?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=032147404X">The Digital Photography Book</a> (as well as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321524764?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0321524764">Volume 2</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321617657?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0321617657">Volume 3</a>). And a camera like a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0035FZJHQ?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0035FZJHQ">Canon EOS Rebel T1i</a> or a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ENOZY4?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001ENOZY4">Nikon D90 DX</a> wouldn't hurt, either.</div> 
 
What's all this talk about rights? 
Just because an image appears on the Internet doesn't mean it's yours for the taking. Many images have copyrights associated with them. In fact, there have even been <a href="http://www.bnet.com/blog/advertising-business/toyota-and-saatchi-used-images-from-flickr-without-permission/3425">examples of companies that have gotten into trouble</a>, as they didn't seek permission to use Flickr-hosted images before they used them in official advertising. 
 
I'm not a lawyer (I don't even play one on TV), but I can tell you that many online images are covered by a Creative Commons license. What's <a href="http://creativecommons.org/">Creative Commons</a>? It's a nonprofit organization that offers free tools that help to increase collaboration and sharing. You can find out more <a href="http://creativecommons.org/about/what-is-cc">about them here</a>. 
 
If you learn anything about Creative Commons, it's that they have <a href="http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses">a number of levels of licenses</a> that authors, designers, bloggers, photographers and others can assign to their work. The categories basically come down to Attribution (giving credit), Share Alike (distribution), Non-Commercial, Derivatives (original vs. changed material). There are symbols that signify each category, and taken as a whole, you can tell what they mean. In my case, this site is governed by an <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/">Attribution-Non-Commerical-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license</a>. 
 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/THoBbYaGF7I/AAAAAAAACAE/KPmffiDpcRI/s1600/88x31Attribution.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/THoBbYaGF7I/AAAAAAAACAE/KPmffiDpcRI/s320/88x31Attribution.png" /></a></div><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0">Attribution</a> 
cc by 
This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. This is the most accommodating of licenses offered, in terms of what others can do with your works licensed under Attribution. 
 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/THoBgl0uisI/AAAAAAAACAM/micUJRnd5QM/s1600/88x31AttribSA.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/THoBgl0uisI/AAAAAAAACAM/micUJRnd5QM/s320/88x31AttribSA.png" /></a></div><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0">Attribution Share-Alike</a> 
cc by-sa 
This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work even for commercial reasons, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. This license is often compared to open source software licenses. All new works based on yours will carry the same license, so any derivatives will also allow commercial use. 
 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/THoBlI236tI/AAAAAAAACAU/d0aQ7Cyjh1w/s1600/88x31AttribND.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/THoBlI236tI/AAAAAAAACAU/d0aQ7Cyjh1w/s320/88x31AttribND.png" /></a></div><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0">Attribution No Derivatives</a> 
cc by-nd 
This license allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as it is passed along unchanged and in whole, with credit to you. 
 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/THoBsWVy7EI/AAAAAAAACAc/zV9LTiOGJ2U/s1600/88x31AttribNC.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/THoBsWVy7EI/AAAAAAAACAc/zV9LTiOGJ2U/s320/88x31AttribNC.png" /></a></div><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0">Attribution Non-Commerical</a> 
cc by-nc 
This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, and although their new works must also acknowledge you and be non-commercial, they don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms. 
 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/THoBvwhbZCI/AAAAAAAACAk/EM6JoM4ijTY/s1600/88x31AttribNCSA.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/THoBvwhbZCI/AAAAAAAACAk/EM6JoM4ijTY/s320/88x31AttribNCSA.png" /></a></div><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0">Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike</a> 
cc by-nc-sa 
This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. Others can download and redistribute your work just like the by-nc-nd license, but they can also translate, make remixes, and produce new stories based on your work. All new work based on yours will carry the same license, so any derivatives will also be non-commercial in nature. 
 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/THoB0jnfsDI/AAAAAAAACAs/dGQD2NP-6kQ/s1600/88x31AttribNCND.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/THoB0jnfsDI/AAAAAAAACAs/dGQD2NP-6kQ/s320/88x31AttribNCND.png" /></a></div><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0">Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives</a> 
cc by-nc-nd 
This license is the most restrictive of our six main licenses, allowing redistribution. This license is often called the “free advertising” license because it allows others to download your works and share them with others as long as they mention you and link back to you, but they can’t change them in any way or use them commercially. 
 
It's important to understand how CC works and how it applies to your own content as well as to others'. 
 
Editing tools 
If you want a few quick suggestions for editing and other useful tools, check these out. 
<ul><li><a href="http://www.flickr.com/services/apps/27705/">Picnik</a> Use this tool for quick editing of your Flickr photos, directly online.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.splashup.com/">Splashup</a> An online alternative to Photoshop or the GIMP</li>
<li><a href="http://www.fotoflexer.com/">FotoFlexer</a> Self-branded as "the world's most advanced online photo editor." And highly recommedned by me.</li>
<li><a href="http://resizr.lord-lance.com/default.asp">ResizR</a> Powerful and easy to use tool that will resize your .jpg images online.</li>
<li>And if that's not enough, this Mashable article lists <a href="http://mashable.com/2008/11/13/online-image-editors-2/">20 Great Online Image Editors</a></li>
</ul> 
I hope these resources are helpful. If you have other suggestions or favorite sites, please leave a comment so we can all benefit from each other's collective knowledge. 
 
Image credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/23791504@N08/3600482366/">alpha du centaure (Flickr)</a>

Picture This

One of the oft-overlooked elements in the routine of blogging is image selection. Now, not every blogger uses images, charts, graphs, or oth...

Who Do You Trust?

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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TGY6h4AkTDI/AAAAAAAAB_s/eeYvg7dmk4g/s1600/TrustBo.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TGY6h4AkTDI/AAAAAAAAB_s/eeYvg7dmk4g/s320/TrustBo.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
It's been well documented that people don't trust corporations as much as they used to. But who do they trust? It's largely people from two categories: third party experts (academics, some media sources, analysts, etc.) and "people like me." 
 
But when it comes to social media, we've also heard that <a href="http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2008/04/29/who-do-people-trust-it-aint-bloggers/" target="_blank">people don't trust bloggers</a> (from Forrester, no less). I've often doubted that assertion, particularly because it seems rather misleading. While the category of bloggers as a whole may be untrusted, people develop relationships with the blogs they follow and read most closely, and therefore develop a sense of trust with them. 
 
This is demonstrated rather well by a recent study highlighted over on eMarketer: "<a href="http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007863" target="_blank">What Makes Social Media Trustworthy?</a>" in which they look at which sources of information are trusted by users of social media: 
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TGZAOpWaU8I/AAAAAAAAB_0/fCRV-7nFNWI/s1600/Trust118438.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TGZAOpWaU8I/AAAAAAAAB_0/fCRV-7nFNWI/s400/Trust118438.gif" width="341" /></a></div>
Take great notice of the percentages above: 30% or less feel they trust a brand, product or company based on a Twitter feed or participation in an online community; less than 40% trust a brand's Facebook updates or blog posts. However over 60% trust blog posts and Facebook updates from someone they know. 
 
What does this mean for marketers? It means you need to get out from behind that logo and letting your employees represent the company in a real and human way. Make it apparent that real people (dare I say, people just like your customers?) work for you and that they can represent your brand or product in an authentic manner in places where it matters to your target audience.. 
 
The platform and even the personality are one thing. But what about the way interaction is conducted over social networks? To me, it's more about what you do than where you participate; that is, it's about the value that you bring to your customers or users rather than how many platforms you're on. The respondents to the study would also seem to concur: 
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TGZBDwmBp6I/AAAAAAAAB_8/ouIM1oG_Cvw/s1600/Trust118440.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="391" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TGZBDwmBp6I/AAAAAAAAB_8/ouIM1oG_Cvw/s400/Trust118440.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
Take a look at these numbers closely: people are saying that they want an opportunity for two-way dialog - not one-way messaging from your brand and not a place where they can simply vent. They want conversation - and an honest one that's open to negatives as well as positives. After all, that's how real people speak, isn't it? 
 
Your staff should actively prepare for this frenetic and fast-paced environment, too: 60% say that responsiveness is important to them. This not only means that the author of a post, tweet or comment responds, but does so in a timely manner. Interestingly, the volume of content seems less important, as only 42% care about that. But they don't fault the marketer for not having a lot of fans or for not participating for very long. To the customer, it's important that you are participating first and foremost. 
 
These are just a few instances of ways to measure trust. It's an important concept to consider. As an additional resource, I highly recommend Chris Brogan and Julien Smith's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Trust-Agents-Influence-Improve-Reputation-ebook/dp/B003VWCQBK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539033218&sr=8-1&keywords=trust+agents+smith+brogan" target="_blank">Trust Agents</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002MZUPS8" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, as you can learn a great deal about this area in much more depth. 
 
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FadBhbcV9c" target="_blank">Who do you trust?</a> And more importantly: why? 
 
Oh, and if you were wondering about the image above, that's Bo, the boyfriend who jumped out of the way and let his girlfriend take a foul ball to the arm. They're not together any more. Trust issues.

Who Do You Trust?

It's been well documented that people don't trust corporations as much as they used to. But who do they trust? It's largely pe...

Social Network: The Movie

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3prr95iHk9I/YZ1SU4eIQBI/AAAAAAABXno/bdWbwqkhqfIEDJJ1yzps7u6T9TcaeS31gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/the%2Bsocial%2Bnetwork.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3prr95iHk9I/YZ1SU4eIQBI/AAAAAAABXno/bdWbwqkhqfIEDJJ1yzps7u6T9TcaeS31gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/the%2Bsocial%2Bnetwork.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IAGH6k17nw" target="_blank">YouTube</a></td></tr></tbody></table> As Facebook prepares to celebrate hitting <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/07/17/facebook-500-million/">500 million members this week</a>, we're seeing more news of the controversial film <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Social_Network">The Social Network</a>.** With the tagline "You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies," the trailer for the film has been running across the web. You can watch it below now:</div> <div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lB95KLmpLR4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>
 
Sony is <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/07/16/social-network-twitter-ad/">advertising the movie on Twitter</a> - but not on Facebook (go figure!). The founders of Facebook <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/07/17/facebook-movie-moscovitz-zuckerburg/">have already reacted</a> to the trailer. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is going to be played by Jesse Eisenberg, probably most well known for his part in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BFBAWO?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002BFBAWO">Adventureland</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002BFBAWO" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />. Pretty good casting, in my opinion. 
 
Now, here comes the fun part. 
 
If they were holding open casting calls for extras and you were going to be featured, what famous person, dead or alive, would play you in the movie? Leave a comment below or reply with a post on your own blog with a link back to this post. 
 
To get you started, here are ten individuals in the social media space and their Hollywood doppelgängers. Fair warning: these aren't meant to insult anyone - I'm going for humor - and I purposefully didn't use any women as subjects - I really didn't want to get into trouble. ;-) 
 
Author & NML President <a href="http://www.chrisbrogan.com/">Chris Brogan</a> / Jeff Bridges 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPU3M16bUI/AAAAAAAAB9M/U0NXopwKRNw/s1600/chrisbrogan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPU3M16bUI/AAAAAAAAB9M/U0NXopwKRNw/s200/chrisbrogan.jpg" width="183" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPU8s_FacI/AAAAAAAAB9U/Oa_M757zyz4/s1600/Brogan-jeff_bridges.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPU8s_FacI/AAAAAAAAB9U/Oa_M757zyz4/s200/Brogan-jeff_bridges.jpg" width="150" /></a></div> 
Mashable CEO <a href="http://www.mashable.com/">Pete Cashmore</a> / Orlando Bloom 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPXAPa-eEI/AAAAAAAAB9c/dE_yqJXBYhM/s1600/Cashmore.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPXAPa-eEI/AAAAAAAAB9c/dE_yqJXBYhM/s200/Cashmore.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPXGo3nqDI/AAAAAAAAB9k/-IPTpC5lYa4/s1600/Cashmore-Bloom.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPXGo3nqDI/AAAAAAAAB9k/-IPTpC5lYa4/s200/Cashmore-Bloom.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> 
Boston media maven <a href="http://www.cc-chapman.com/">C.C. Chapman</a> / Simon Cowell 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPYwdJS2YI/AAAAAAAAB9s/TcpggaGbTC0/s1600/cc_chapman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPYwdJS2YI/AAAAAAAAB9s/TcpggaGbTC0/s200/cc_chapman.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPY123tObI/AAAAAAAAB90/q_GgrEY4ZPQ/s1600/cc_Cowell.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPY123tObI/AAAAAAAAB90/q_GgrEY4ZPQ/s200/cc_Cowell.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> 
Video savant <a href="http://www.stevegarfield.com/">Steve Garfield</a> / Dirty Jobs' Mike Rowe 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPZB18oL-I/AAAAAAAAB98/pGoPPIzzHFo/s1600/SteveGarfield.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPZB18oL-I/AAAAAAAAB98/pGoPPIzzHFo/s200/SteveGarfield.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPZHqgd8BI/AAAAAAAAB-E/5QwLiVRHo5M/s1600/Steve-Rowe.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPZHqgd8BI/AAAAAAAAB-E/5QwLiVRHo5M/s200/Steve-Rowe.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> 
Prolific author & speaker <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/">Seth Godin</a> / Larry David 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPZdklG5NI/AAAAAAAAB-M/R4IHIVp2UkY/s1600/Godin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPZdklG5NI/AAAAAAAAB-M/R4IHIVp2UkY/s200/Godin.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPZhREss7I/AAAAAAAAB-U/wp6w3yrF9d4/s1600/Godin-David.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPZhREss7I/AAAAAAAAB-U/wp6w3yrF9d4/s200/Godin-David.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> 
Ragan Communications CEO <a href="http://www.ragan.com/">Mark Ragan</a> / <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001117/">Bruce Davison</a> 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPZl3GdWhI/AAAAAAAAB-c/_iR2bDvtqBc/s1600/MarkRagan.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPZl3GdWhI/AAAAAAAAB-c/_iR2bDvtqBc/s200/MarkRagan.png" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPZpahHdWI/AAAAAAAAB-k/x8U1Yefv3cg/s1600/MarkRaganDavison.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPZpahHdWI/AAAAAAAAB-k/x8U1Yefv3cg/s200/MarkRaganDavison.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> 
Web strategist & Altimeter Partner <a href="http://www.web-strategist.com/blog">Jeremiah Owyang</a> / Wayne Newton 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPZ0nwyRSI/AAAAAAAAB-s/TS4JANQ58zE/s1600/Owyang.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPZ0nwyRSI/AAAAAAAAB-s/TS4JANQ58zE/s200/Owyang.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPZ3isEHHI/AAAAAAAAB-0/jm7w1uSPFNc/s1600/Owyang-Newton.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPZ3isEHHI/AAAAAAAAB-0/jm7w1uSPFNc/s200/Owyang-Newton.jpg" width="194" /></a></div> 
Author & PR expert <a href="http://www.briansolis.com/">Brian Solis</a> / Johnny Depp 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPZ9dN8Y_I/AAAAAAAAB-8/tQGIFdI46zg/s1600/Solis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPZ9dN8Y_I/AAAAAAAAB-8/tQGIFdI46zg/s200/Solis.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPaA_G-g1I/AAAAAAAAB_E/mJAq__l0TpU/s1600/Solis-Depp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPaA_G-g1I/AAAAAAAAB_E/mJAq__l0TpU/s200/Solis-Depp.jpg" width="159" /></a></div> 
Powered CMO <a href="http://blog.stroutmeister.com/">Aaron Strout</a> / Guy Fieri 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPbCaXgIVI/AAAAAAAAB_c/KPvkMJTaNCM/s1600/Strout.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPbCaXgIVI/AAAAAAAAB_c/KPvkMJTaNCM/s200/Strout.jpg" width="157" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPbF0D-d2I/AAAAAAAAB_k/78YIabTyMm8/s1600/Strout-Fieri.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPbF0D-d2I/AAAAAAAAB_k/78YIabTyMm8/s200/Strout-Fieri.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> 
<a href="http://winelibrary.tv/">WineLibrary.tv</a>'s <a href="http://garyvaynerchuk.com/">Gary Vaynerchuck</a> / Joe Pesci 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPaFwDKcwI/AAAAAAAAB_M/XKnUe6HoQPo/s1600/GaryVee.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPaFwDKcwI/AAAAAAAAB_M/XKnUe6HoQPo/s200/GaryVee.gif" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPaJhIWEEI/AAAAAAAAB_U/-wRj-Lj7iAY/s1600/GaryVee-Pesci.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/TEPaJhIWEEI/AAAAAAAAB_U/-wRj-Lj7iAY/s200/GaryVee-Pesci.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> 
 
Me? Oh, I almost forgot. Johnny Carson. 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/R4GxKwlIWGI/AAAAAAAAAow/e1VAz9TBnKM/s1600/Johnny-Carson.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wgi7DTsDt2g/R4GxKwlIWGI/AAAAAAAAAow/e1VAz9TBnKM/s200/Johnny-Carson.jpg" width="199" /></a></div> 
 
** No, this isn't the a remake of the 1976 movie <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CNESU8?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000CNESU8%22%3ENetwork%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000CNESU8%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E">Network</a>, famous for the line "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!" But the results might be similar... 
 
Bonus content: 
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B000CNESU8" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B003ULSWBK" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=1591843162" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0470743085" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0061914177" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0470571098" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0470525460" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0470648287" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>

Social Network: The Movie

Credit: YouTube As Facebook prepares to celebrate hitting 500 million members this week , we're seeing more news of the controversial fi...

Scott Monty - Strategic Communications & Leadership Advisor