Be Careful When You Twitter…

In a previous blog post labeled “Social Media and the Workplace,” I mentioned Heather Rast, an avid member of the social networking space, Twitter, who described her real-life story of how social media involvement affected her corporate career. While management at her current job supports her blogging and Twittering, her previous management team did not and she learned the hard way. Since various sites such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube are becoming important means of communication between individuals and businesses, it is crucial to know the boundaries.

In Beware: Your ‘tweet’ on Twitter Could be Trouble, an article written by Tresa Baldas of The National Law Journal, we’re reminded that Twittering the wrong information could get you or your employer into a heap of trouble. Lawyers caution that Twitter carries a number of legal risks.

The article lists a few possible issues to take note of:

• Users posting tweets from corporate networks could expose company secrets. These conversations are legally binding and subject to the legal rules of electronic discovery, which means tweets could be subpoenaed in a lawsuit.
• Twitter also raises invasion of privacy and defamation issues. Trademark violations could also be alleged if Twitter users appear to have a relationship with a company or product when one does not exist or post tweets to dilute a trademarked name.
• Twitter could also trigger more workplace retaliation and wrongful termination claims, whereby users will claim that they were retaliated against or fired over protected information they tweeted, such as being harassed at work or disclosing a safety violation.
  

It’s easy to say “Don’t Twitter about work related things.” However, it’s probably more realistic to be mindful in general when using Twitter. Douglas E. Winter, an attorney who heads the electronic discovery unit at Bryan Cave, advises companies about emerging technologies. “Twitter, like any electronic communication tool, is subject to a wide range of potential liability,” he said. “I basically tell people that, yes, it’s a new tool, and it’s very trendy. But no electronic tool should be treated any differently as they emerge.”

Posting a tweet is really no different than sending emails or texting messages. They are short, instantaneous and sometimes not well-thought out which can lead to misinterpretation. Additionally, they can be monitored and tracked by employees and can be used in a court of law since it’s a permanent record on the Internet. So it’s important to know what your company guidelines are, and if you are not sure of what they are, it’s a smart idea to ask your superior. People have to be aware of what their own company guidelines are and think twice before they publish information for the world to read in the social networking space. Furthermore, if you’re going to use Twitter, it’s wise to educate yourself on its terms of service.

Interview with Brad Reisner, Co-founder of Igicom

I am very excited that Brad Reisner agreed to do a Q&A for my blog. Brad is a co-founder of Igicom, a web development and applications firm specializing in database applications. At Igicom, he leads many engagements including projects for Time Inc., DDB Worldwide, EnergyBrands, Nike, Cablevision, Charitybuzz, the AFL-CIO, AIG, Jones Apparel Group, Tommy Hilfiger and others. Brad’s knowledge of current and emerging technologies, software development trends, high availability infrastructure, and expertise in database design and relational database management software (RDBMS), provides clients with intelligent, effective solutions. Previously, Brad was the Vice President of E-Commerce and Technology for Time-Life and Book-of-the-Month Club/Bookspan in the Time Inc. book division. At Bookspan, Brad was responsible for backend architecture and infrastructure, for imaging and content management systems, publishing more than 70,000 pages annually across 12 businesses. Twice nominated for the prestigious Time Inc. President’s Awards, Brad lead the technology design and implementation of Time Inc.’s first digital imaging project leading to an annual cost savings of more than $5,000,000 for his division alone.

Below you’ll find some key insights on how Igicom enables its clients to meet their business goals by designing web solutions that emphasize intuition and usability.

Many of us know that brands need to have a strong digital presence in order to be recognized. In fact, if brands are not connecting with their users on the Web, they are missing out on lucrative opportunities. What do you recommend for brands that are trying to stand out above the noise in this type of advertising environment?
I think it differs by brand and product/service type. Using a digital presence for straight branding purposes doesn’t really work as well as it used to – brands need to figure out how they can add value to their customers online – they really need to use their online presence to connect to their users and offer them something that they can’t easily get through other channels. Downloadable skins/themes for Ragú is irrelevant today; an online recipe database that centers around Ragú products that will SMS you recipe ingredients when you’re at Safeway, or inventory your cupboard and tell you what you’re missing to make a recipe you like – that’s something that will stand out, and make a customer come back.

Do you think print is a dying medium?
I think the relative importance of print as a medium is lessening, definitely. I don’t think it will ever disappear completely – people still like to hold and touch their reading material, and there are still plenty of issues to be worked out with the alternatives – web, e-readers (Kindle), cable news, etc. I think the days of the daily newspaper are just about done – very few people still get their news from a daily newspaper, I suspect. I haven’t bought one in a long time. For certain types of information – especially news – I see a dismal future for print.

If so, do you think certain print titles have an opportunity to grow their presence online?
Definitely – but the barrier to entry is so much lower online, which makes the competition more difficult. Also, technologies like RSS and other forms of syndication mean that for the most part, I can have the same news stories that anyone else has – so I need to differentiate myself in other ways – editorial, original content, features and functionality, cost, etc.

Which print tiles do you think are doing a good job of keeping its readers involved on the Web?
That’s a tough question. I read a lot of online media, and a lot of magazines… but they tend to be mutually exclusive - i.e. there are not a lot of magazines that I read cross-media. The Time Inc. Business Finance Network titles seem to be able to cross from print to digital and back, so even though I subscribe to 3 of their titles in print, I’ll generally read part of the magazine online and part offline. People handles it well, with breaking news and images online and larger stories with Monday’s issue. Magazines like Real Simple and some of the Condé Nast titles handle it well, especially when it comes to tip lists, recipes, added content and functionality.

Can you please tell us about Igicom’s methodology for creating a powerful digital strategy?
Generally, everything we do here, we try to do with a user focus. So, the first questions we ask are around who the users are and what they need to accomplish. Once that is determined, we work with our clients to determine the best ways of helping their users achieve their
goals – website, email campaign, microsite, CMS, etc. It could be that the users are potential customers, and the client wants them to sign up for some kind of service; it could be that the users are the client’s marketing department, and their goals are to maintain a site.

Igicom has a prestigious client roster. Can you give an example of a client that you’ve worked with that needed help revamping their digital strategy?
When we started working with Nehst Studios, they had already built out a number of web applications, with a group of vendors. None of them were performing up to Nehst’s expectations, and there were constant problems. Upon taking over operations, the first thing we did was stabilize the environment in its existing location. We then sat with Nehst management to determine what their 2 year, 5 year, and 10 year plans were as they related to their business and specifically their online presences. We determined that the best course of action was to rebuild the most prominent application (screentest.biz) first, and use that as a model for all future rollouts. We’ve been working with Nehst since Q1 2007, and have relaunched 2 of their online businesses, and are actively working on another 4 applications now. Our work with them is more of a collaborative partnership, and less of a client-vendor relationship; besides application design and development, digital strategy, and other online directives, we also serve as a technology advisor for issues that affect Nehst and their industry – DRM, distribution, formats, etc.

It seems like brands are vying for our attention on social networking. Do you think it’s necessary for brands to have a presence on various social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace?
I think it depends on the brand and its audience. The various Prius pages on Facebook seem to have roughly 1,100 fans each, on average – none of them appear to be official or maintained in any way by Toyota; the Skittles page has 618,993 fans. Depending on the brand and product, you want to make sure that you keep an eye on the fan pages that get setup for you – because it can be difficult to determine what is official and what is not. Outside of that, I’d say that if you’re going to do it (have a presence on one of the social networking sites) you need to do it well, and not just throw up a fan page and hope for the best. A weakly executed page with no traffic is worse than not having a presence – by far. What we’re seeing is a lot of “we want to be on Twitter/Facebook/MySpace” but not a lot of backup – people want to be there because everyone else wants to be there. That said… there are some very interesting things out there, a lot of which are very well executed and smart.

Which social networking sites do you recommend for your clients?
It largely depends on the audience they’re trying to reach and what they’re hoping to accomplish. We have a client that does online auctions for nonprofit organizations, and they need to be on all three of those communities – they’re doing an event for Yoko Ono that Ms. Ono has publicized on her own Twitter feed; they’re doing an event for Selena Gomez that she has put on her MySpace page and sent via SMS to her 80,000 SMS subscribers; and they are on Facebook to reach the Barack Obama fundraising audience.

What do you think is the next phase for these social networking sites?
Each of them has a developer application programming interface (API) for extending their functionality, and they’ve all been pushing that pretty hard. I think we’re going to start to see less things happening ON Facebook or ON Twitter, and more Facebook-ish things happening on other sites, more Twitter feeds showing up off of Twitter, etc – so more interconnectivity. Instead of going to Facebook to do Facebook things, you will go wherever it is you go, and Facebook things will be there.

Can you give a few guidelines or best practices when trying to figure out the best tactics to use in this fast-paced digital world?
I think the one thing to remember is that although things change every day – or more often – making your customers happy and serving some need better than anyone else in the market is really the key to success. Being the first to market with some technique has its benefits – but there’s little out there that can’t be copied – so it’s better to be the company that takes a little longer to setup the Facebook fan page, but adds something that keeps their customers engaged and coming back than it is to be the first company out there with the whizzy Facebook page that is the hit of the day, but then fades away.

Unless you have something that’s so compelling that’s going to keep customers coming back day after day, they’re not going to come to you anymore – so you need to go where they are. That means using existing APIs and services to reach them on social networking sites, syndication of content and functionality, and partnerships with other companies.

Teach Twitter in Elementary Schools?

Logging on to your computer is a daily ritual for many people. Some programs are easy to learn and some require structured classes and a detailed explanation. However, when it comes to social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, it is easy to just sign up and take a test drive. As I was browsing TechCrunch to catch up on my daily digital news, I came across an article that explains that the British government is proposing that Twitter is to be taught in elementary schools as a part of a wider push to make online communication and social media a permanent part of the UK’s education system.

Details about the proposed curriculum are listed in the The Guardian, the well-known British newspaper and it has caused quite a stir across the globe. The plan is to strip away hundreds of specifications about the scientific, geographical and historical knowledge pupils must accumulate before they are 11 to allow schools greater flexibility in what they teach. It emphasizes traditional areas of learning - including phonics, the chronology of history and mental arithmetic - but includes more modern media and web-based skills as well as a greater focus on environmental education. The proposal would require children to leave primary school familiar with blogging, podcasts, Wikipedia and Twitter as sources of information and forms of communication. They must gain "fluency" in handwriting and keyboard skills, and learn how to use a spellchecker alongside how to spell.

While I do agree that it is essential that children learn how to use computers and various technologies, I don’t think it’s necessary to enforce that Twitter be taught as part of the curriculum. The skills that kids acquire from learning Web technologies can also help them in real world situations and ultimately, be prepared for the working world. But what happens when kids are taught these programs in class and then are on them while class is in session? How many times to professors say “no instant messaging in class?” Soon they will have to say no “tweeting” or “updating your status in class.” British teachers that are instructing these Web-focused classes need to make sure that kids understand the basics but also the rules of etiquette.

The Digital Landscape in Italy

If you have ever visited Italy, it is likely you will agree that people are more relaxed and not connected to the digital world and their mobile devices 24/7/365. Italians break for siesta, visit cafés for Internet access and stop for a shot of espresso on their way home from work. As such, it is quite different from the fast-paced, multitasking American way of life, which consists of eating lunch at your desk, emailing and talking on the phone at the same time and working until the wee hours of the night. But who is complaining?

Studying abroad my junior year of college in Florence, Italy gave me a taste of living in a city that was serene. I remember feeling out of place and strange when stores, banks and the post office would close for siesta. But after a few weeks, I was completely adjusted and got used to taking it slow. Coming back to the United States was a different story.

My journey to Italy began in 2001, which seems like ages ago. Since then, a lot has changed especially in the digital realm. While I was there, it was a daily chore to go to the local Internet Café to send email to friends and family back in America. Needless to say, all we did was email and leave to tour the beautiful city. Visiting websites such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter were not daily routes and unheard of at the time.

Although I miss Italy very much and promised myself and my fiancé that we would go back, I have often wondered what has changed in terms of their technology and acceptance of social networking. That being said, when I came across Kara Swisher’s blog entry on All Things Digital I was engaged with the story, especially since she discussed the digital trends and the popular conference “Tutto Cambio, Cambiano Tutto?” That roughly translates into “Everything changes, but should everything change?”

Kara indicated that Internet penetration is much lower in Italy then elsewhere in Europe and television still dominates most media. She attended the conference in Italy and said the following: “’We’re 2,000 years old’ is something you hear a lot from people as an explanation for approaching everything, from social networking to iPhones to anything interactive, with some wariness. While most people here note that they like Facebook, pronounced ‘FAY-sa BOO-ka,’ hardly anyone sees the point of Web 2.0’s trend du jour, Twitter (‘TWEE-tur’).” While few people have heard it, those that have don’t use it.

What surprises me the most is how fast Americans have embraced these websites and social applications and have made them part of their daily lives, while Italians are moving at a leisurely pace. Even though I mentioned earlier that the Italian lifestyle is much slower, it seems like they would want to at least keep up with popular social networking sites, especially when other countries in Europe have adopted them. I am always amused when I hear that Italian designers define the fashion trends and style guides for the fall and spring seaons, but when it comes to other aspects they lag far behind.

For more information, check out Kara’s interview with several Italians at the conference:

Social Media and the Workplace

It has become the norm today for people of all ages to participate in social networking. I’ve become accustomed to reading status updates on Facebook and each time I wonder why certain people feel the need to tell everyone that they are tired, hungry, thirsty or ready to party. As a member of Facebook, I can honestly say that I’ve only added one status update and that was to tell my family and friends that I had the best weekend ever—I got engaged to my boyfriend of five years. I thought that special moment deserved a mention. It was the one stop shop for everyone to find out, including my coworkers.

Posting friendly messages to these social networks is harmless and sometimes comical. But what happens when someone posts status updates to Facebook or “tweets” about client meetings and goals? Heather Rast, an avid member of the social networking space describes her real-life story of how social media involvement affected her corporate career. As a follower of Joe Pulizzi’s blog Junta42Match, I came across his interview with her and was shocked. Since social networking is a hot topic these days, I felt this interview was worth blogging about and passing along to friends. Additionally, I learned a few things and have made a mental note for any future use of social networks. You might want to do the same.

According to the interview, Heather explains that the company she was working for didn’t have a social media policy. She says,”Because of my level of responsibility, I thought it within my purview to choose methods for generating interest among outside parties about what my team did, and what we had to offer. I used Twitter to share ideas like ‘Just had a great client meeting. I think they’re understanding what a SEM campaign can do for their short-term search goals.” However she also stated that she never mentioned a client by name and never detailed any client project.

Apparently, people at the company didn’t agree with her approach and decided to selectively cull certain Tweets and Facebook status updates and presented them to executive management. They claimed that she was sharing confidential client information and using poor judgment.

While Heather is no longer with the company that questioned her social networking activities, she is proud to say it was worth the fight and she would do it all over again. She now works for a company that has full disclosure of her blogging and Twittering and they support her writing and sharing with others openly.

At the end of the interview Heather give some lessons that will stay with her forever:

Heather’s Lessons Learned:

• “Be very intentional about what I write anywhere. Have awareness about if the first and the fourth (example) sentences were stripped away, could my idea be misinterpreted, or used against me?”
• “Have a healthy respect for dissenters. Threatened people will resort to surprising behaviors. Take actions to preempt their plans by being as transparent as possible.”
• “You are replaceable, and your achievements are only as noteworthy as your weaknesses are few. Bad things can happen to good people.”
• “Isolate what is really important to your career/professional happiness. Then make sure you’re working at a place that truly allows you do those things. Life’s too short to just work somewhere; find that career that offers fulfillment.”

Check out Joe’s blog for the full detailed interview.

Many companies do have workers that participate in the social networking space for the good of the company, but the important point is that they’ve also made an effort to have guidelines in place. IBM and Edelman are some of the companies that have such policies. People have to be aware of what their own company guidelines are and think twice before they publish information for the world to read in the social networking space.

An Advertising Lullaby

Advertising critics are everywhere. So when you come across a funny interpretation of how the advertising world works, it’s only the right thing to pass it on to other colleagues and friends. With the help of social networks like Facebook and Twitter, it’s easy to post such videos and share with friends. Although I still get emails from friends that like to share information, social networking sites are certainly the way to go.

Joe Pulizzi, a Facebook friend and colleague posted a video of George Carlin in action. He gives a clear warning that if you are easily offended then it might be a good idea not to proceed. However, the late and grate George Carlin is a memorable character, and to hear his take on the purpose of advertising was quite entertaining and definitely worth passing it along.

Check out the video for an entertaining depiction of advertising by the George Carlin from "You Are All Diseased" (1999):



It’s obvious that when consumers are not spending, and companies are laying people off and cutting budgets in half, many industries suffer. Often times advertising gets hits the hardest as Management feels that it is one area that can be scaled back. Executives who succumb to that temptation, however, put the long-term future of their companies at risk, according to Wharton faculty and advertising experts. "The first reaction is to cut, cut, cut, and advertising is one of the first things to go," says Wharton marketing Professor Peter Fader, adding that as companies slash advertising in a downturn, they leave empty space in consumers' minds for aggressive marketers to make strong inroads. Today's economy "provides an unusual opportunity to differentiate yourself and stand out from the crowd," says Fader, "but it takes a lot of courage and convincing to get senior management on board with that."

These difficult times represent an opportunity for companies to use integrated campaigns that mesh traditional outlets with digital media. Just because consumers might not be spending as much now that does not mean that they are looking to dwell in the recession. Eileen Campbell, chief executive of the Millward Brown Group advertising firm in New York City, says "If you can put a positive spin on how you can genuinely help without invoking doom and gloom, I think that's going to be more compelling." Ultimately, companies, marketers and consumers are in this dismal phase together and it’s going to take everyone to put one foot in front of the other to slowly get out of it.

Facebook upsets its users. But are the users forgiving them again?

If you logged into Facebook today, it was hard to miss the “Terms of use update” on the homepage. What is even harder to avoid is the multiple requests I got from friends to join the “People Against the new Terms of Service (TOS).” I figured it was in my best interest and duty to learn what the ruckus was about. An article on TechCrunch had an interesting spin on the whole issue and has been following this “news.”

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, and team revised Facebook’s term of use hoping to clarify various parts for its users. They had received countless questions and comments about the changes and what they meant for people and their information. Mark told his follwers that it’s a language thing and they did a poor job in explaining the changes. He indicated that those changes will still be coming in the next few weeks, which will inlcude the Facebook user community to make sure it jives with everyone. On Facebook, he says “ Our next version will be a substantial revision from where we are now. It will reflect the principles I described yesterday around how people share and control their information, and it will be written clearly in language everyone can understand. Since this will be the governing document that we’ll all live by, Facebook users will have a lot of input in crafting these terms.” Additionally, the company polled some of its users in news feeds asking them if they should go back to their previous TOS.

Today, Mark invites users to share their thoughts on what should be in the new term in the group called Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilties. By the end of Wednesday, this group had 56,517 members who were complaining about all sorts of issues, such as privacy rights, the nature of social apps, legal issues and so on.

This is not the first time Facebook has upset its users. Users definitely recall the Beacon incident which didn’t happen too long ago. Followers of the network seem to forgive the company and use it again and again. Perhaps it is because the company has noted their misakes and are communicating with their audience. Mark and team say they are dedicated to finding a solution to this problem and they intend on leveraging their users to help them get there. Not only does the company have a dialogue with the users, they plan to use that information to proceed. According to Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff in their book Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, Facebook is on target with their thinking and actions. Their strategy is the wave of the future for other companies that are looking to succeed with social networks. Facebook is reaching out to their customers, asking for their input, listening to the concerns and then, promising to deliver. These are the successful steps in building a relationship with consumer that are connected on the web with social networks.

“You’re on Facebook?!”

This is the question that my 21-year-old brother asked me when he found out that I was on Facebook. I asked him to be my “friend” and a few hours later I got the frantic phone call. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was not pleased. I explained to him that I was introduced to the social network by a coworker and felt compelled to see what it was all about. Since I am in the advertising industry, I wanted to learn how brands were interacting with consumers, what the ads looked like and what possibilities were out there for other brands. I promised that I would not check out his pictures and not ask to be “friends” with any of his college buddies at Emory University. I lied. Checking out his pictures and learning about how he spends his weekends at the frat house and bars was truly entertaining. As his older and wiser sister, I felt it was important to tell him that the employed-folks, such as hiring managers and bosses also belong to these social networking sites and they’re out to find out information about prospective candidates. A person on an interview can tell one side of the story, but a profile on Facebook or MySpace can truly tell the other side of the story. That one piece of advice hit home with my brother. The next day all the pictures were off and a lovely, smiling, clean shaved face was the new profile picture. Needless to say, I was relieved.

Besides the “friending” aspect of Facebook, there is a long list of activities to participate in. Spending more time on the social network and reading about the new trends for the future enticed my appetite to get more involved. In a previous blog, I mentioned the various applications that Gillette has for their fan base. However, the reality is that there are many brands on Facebook and more people are getting hooked. Additionally, in Social Networks: Five Consumer Trends for 2009, a recent eMarketer report explains that the social networking audience is growing rapidly. According to the study, “In 2008, 79.5 million people, or 41% of the US Internet user population, visited social network sites at least once a month, an 11% increase from 2007. By 2013, an estimated 52% of Internet users will be regular social network visitors.”


While there is steady growth in the number of people getting hooked to these social networking sites, there has to be something in it for the brands. Are they actually making money? Are they satisfied with consumers just interacting with their brand? Do they think that consumers will try their product simply because they put a fun interactive game on Facebook?

I recently read an article in Ad Age Digital that answered some of my questions at best. I thought it was worth sharing since I am sure many people have similar questions. The article explains that Facebook’s strategy has been focused on growth at the expense of advertising. However, Facebook is testing new models to gauge consumer interaction.

I don’t know about other people, but I like going on the site to check out what my friends are up to. I stay within my own community of friends and love to read their updates and see new pictures of their family and children. To date, I have a Friendster account and a Facebook account. I am on the verge of cancelling my Friendster account and have no interest in signing up for a MySpace account. Ask me in a few months if my account status has changed.

Fun Interactive Digital Platforms

Brands are connecting with people on Facebook, the popular social-networking site in various ways. There are simple advertisements, and then there are “engagement ads,” which focus on directing users to pages or applications with activities that trigger an action that is a broadcast through the users’ news feed. Additionally, there are tons of applications, games, widgets, polls, discussion boards and contests that foster participation. OK you get the idea. Brands are vying for our attention on Facebook. It is actually overwhelming when you search and see how many companies and brands have a Facebook page. Almost every popular brand has a profile or page and encourages the user to join the fun. Although people might not be focusing on the advertisements, they are certainly are participating in other ways. For example, my 21-year-old brother tipped me off that Gillette has some pretty cool applications, games and videos. By doing a quick search for Gillette, there are a few interesting pages that come up.

Not only does Gillette have a profile, discussion board and an active Wall, they also have a whole section dedicated to videos. Gillette Champions, such as Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Thierry Henry are the main attractions in these videos. The athletes give tips to the art of shaving and show men how they too can put their best face forward.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/video/video.php?v=16533304855

Additionally, there are umpteen videos on You Tube and Gillette’s website to learn more about the athletes as well as the campaign.


My favorite application so far is trying on a new look with the Gillette Facial Styler. This widget invites the user to upload a photo and “try on a new look.” After you upload the photo and adjust the settings, you are supposed to share with friends. Then, they are asked to vote: Should they save it or shave it? Although, I don’t usually sport facial hair, I thought I would try on the handlebar look for kicks. Any thoughts on my game face?

Interacting, posting, commenting and sharing are all actions that Gillette wants you to do while visiting their Facebook page. After spending some time on Gillette’s page and playing around with their applications and widgets, I think the brand does a great job in attracting young men’s attention, capitalizes on viral marketing and social sharing and most of all, its fun and entertaining.