Category: 5 Must-Read Posts

Are we really almost at the end of 2010? It seemed to sneak up on me!

1. Yanuar Prisantoso has compiled a collection of 55 social media infographics. While some of these are a little old – or well loved – there are a couple that I had not seen before.
2. Valeria Maltoni reminds us that the big bang of social media is being driven by content creation and easy-to-use publishing tools – but that this is not enough. Real value with social media comes down to influence – or authority – which is in itself, a renewable resource.
3. My good friend, Drew McLellan closes out his look at Trendwatching’s trends prediction for 2011 by looking at “planned sponteneity” and two other movements.
4. Do you have a digital philosophy? Charles Frith suggests that the propensity for “group-think” can overtake the more important questions. Insightful as always.
5. When do you share your content? Chris Brogan reminds us that it’s important to know when to send your updates. The same applies to eDM and to blog posts. Know your audience, what they need and when, and you’re bound to be successful.

Normally around this time of the year, blogging tends to ease off. There are projects to finish off, opportunities to close out and parties to attend. It’s a feast! But as this week’s must-reads points out, there’s plenty of puff left in the world of ideas. Expect a renewed burst of activity as our American friends return from their Thanksgiving breaks.

1. Over on Jason Falls’s blog, Tom Webster looks at the way internal content is being created within a social/professional context. Think applications like Yammer or SocialText or even Jive. He asks, will we need to find someone someday to take the best of this content, mine it, and publish it for an external audience?
2. Karl Long observes the convergence of marketing and gaming and shares his thoughts around awareness, value and culture. Fascinating stuff.
3. When I think of the words “numbers men”, I always think of those faceless political operators in dark, smoke filled rooms who select leaders of their party. But the folks from Datalicious would leave their number crunching for dead. Check out the recent ACMA research on eCommerce in Australia.
4. Looking for a unique Christmas gift for the person who has everything? You may just want to check out The World’s Smallest Postal Service.
5. We have been talking (and writing) about content for years. But Steve Rosenbaum suggests it’s time we switch our attention from creation to curation. Perhaps we’ll see the digital strategist morphing into digital curators. Perhaps it’s already taking place right under our noses.

There’s always so much good thinking and discussion to follow. But how do you keep up? How do you consume all that’s available, all that’s good? It’s a never ending feast! And in this never ending all-you-can-eat marketing world, I’d just like to offer you this small digestif. Don’t worry, it’s wafer thin.

1. One of my favourite topics of the last 12 months or so has been the way that our (personal) use and interest in social technologies is impacting the way we do business. So, I really dug Four ways in which consumers use social media to influence the business life.
2. How do you describe the Internet? Here’s one description (and a story from Jye Smith) that really got me thinking.
3. How did crowdsourcing agency, Victors & Spoils win the creative account for Harley Davidson? This article by Melanie Wells explains just why Harley was tempted by this new style of agency.
4. Ever had a cunning plan? Ever had it fail? Leo Bottary outlines Ten Common Reasons Strategic Plans Fail. Let’s see, I can claim at least a couple of those points.
5. And Then There Was 1. After running a campaign for the last week, receiving almost 1200 applications from around the world, Standard Chartered in Singapore has found a new team member for their social media program. And yes, it seems that Katherine Liew really is the coolest intern in the world. Congratulations to Katherine!

While I have been busy with work and travel over the last fortnight, I have still seen plenty of excellent blogs posts worth sharing.

Unfortunately, that has meant that I have been rather quiet on the writing side. Hopefully I’ll be back to normal, regular posting from this week through to Christmas. Buckle in for this week’s favourites from last week.

1. Shiv Singh shares his experience – this time from the client side. Advice for Agencies provides some insight into what marketers need and value – and recognises that there is no perfect system.
2. I was on the move when this came out last week, but have taken the time to take a good look through the Altimeter report on The Two Career Paths of the Corporate Social Strategist. Interestingly, when read side-by-side with Shiv Singh’s post, it highlights just how challenging corporate social media can really be.
3. Adam Lyons provides a great example of how masses of data can be aggregated to identify trends and provide insight. In this post over on the Socialnomics blog, he looks through Facebook data to show that, if you are in a relationship, you’re most likely to be dumped two weeks before Christmas. Comforting thoughts this summer.
4. If you are involved in social or digital media and have never programmed anything so much as a web page, then take a look at this post by Jeremy Ettinghausen. He shares a presentation on Coding for Dummies and it may well just give you a little insight into how difficult it can be to turn an idea into something that works (let alone something that delights).
5. Mikal Belicove suggests that Everything You Need to Know About Social Media Marketing, You Already Know. But I bet you still click through to take a read.

With a bunch of travel and plenty of work over the last month, I’ve been a little tardy getting the five must-read posts out. That’s not to say that I haven’t been reading – it’s just that I haven’t been writing!

Anyway, this week’s five must-reads are show stoppers!

1. Edward Boches shares a video of Steven Johnson, but also delves into his thinking for a great post – Four Ways to Stimulate Good Ideas. I particularly like “connect rather than protect” – even if it is easier to say than do!
2. David Armano reminds us that social business doesn’t succeed unless it is ignited from the top down. Sure bottom-up is great, but when there’s always a reason to STOP something, executive support is what will keep it going well after you get it STARTED.
3. Stefano Maggi shares some useful lessons that are already coming out of the new Starbucks digital network experience. It’s about the proposition, the strategy, the network of products and then the network of people. Nice!
4. If you are looking for an internship, the Julian Cole’s Six Tips to Nailing an Internship is gold. Gold I tell you!
5. How do you combine entertainment, comedy, social media and social good? Comedian Adam Hills shows how it’s done in style – raising over $30,000 in the process.

This week I have a mismash of ideas and topics for you. Some provocative thinking, some things you can do and a couple of ideas you might be able to translate into your work day. Enjoy!

1. When it comes to participating in a charity campaign, it’s relatively easy to click a button, change an avatar or even to donate some money. But it requires a real commitment to make yourself part of the campaign. And that’s what Neil Perkin is doing with the The Great (Advertising & Media) Football GIveaway 2010. He’s travelling to Tanzania to distribute footballs to disadvantaged kids and hopes to raise £13,500.00! Please help out.
2. Ever wondered why executives in your company make certain decisions? Lisa Petrilli talks through the processes that great leaders use to make decisions.
3. It’s pretty clear that messaging and conversations within and beyond the enterprise are undergoing a drastic transformation. Umair Haque suggests this is about Listening Up – not talking down.
4. For those on the client side of things, Mark Pollard shares an interesting post on how to milk your agency for all it’s worth.
5. Do you sell things from your website? Do you showcase your products and services? If so, you’re in the world of digital retail. Check out the Top Three Things Every Retailer Should Know by Fi Bendall over at the PowerRetail site

In my view, it’s always best to learn from people who have “been there and done that”. I have never really been a fan of repeating the mistakes of others – so when I realised that blogs were a fantastic way of sharing your knowledge and experience – I was hooked. This week’s five must read posts will make you smarter – well, they worked for me, anyway.

1. Drew McLellan shares a great new social media training course for those involved in tourism. Check it out.
2. Mitch Joel interviews David Meerman Scott on the marketing secrets of the Grateful Dead. If you read my blog, then you’re sure to know of David’s expertise, but this interview allows you to hear just how easy he makes marketing sound.
3. Many of us want to turn our blogging efforts into cold, hard cash. But it can be hard. It can be gruelling. And, as Valeria Maltoni asks, would your content sell? Maybe.
4. In an age where we are always looking for the authentic face behind the public mask, Mel Peters does us all a service and interviews Stan Johnson from BrandDNA.
5. Our shifting patterns of social media participation are seeing us move form simple status-style updates indicating presence to a mode which is more collaborative. With geo-location tagging now active, Stefano Maggi explains how universal check-ins are moving us “beyond venues”.

As we edge our way into spring here in the southern hemisphere, I can feel the energy and excitement that comes with the promise of warmer days. And these five must-read posts from last week will hopefully get your week started in the best possible way! Enjoy.

1. Are you in a social media role for your company? How do you manage it? David Armano shares five tips for corporate ambassadors everywhere.
2. I don’t normally include posts from the big blog publishing sites, but this post from Mashable on Facebook Insights is perfect for beginners (and the more experienced).
3. Where does innovation happen? Saul Kaplan asks us to look between the silos in our organisations – to spend some time there. He calls it interstitial innovation. It’s like magic and I like it.
4. For all our connectedness, it’s not about the technology (except for you gadget geeks, of course). The technology helps serve a purpose – to bring us together. This post from Olivier Blanchard reminds us that a real, real life, lived in the moment can sometime be the most memorable.
5. In case you were looking, Valeria Maltoni shares 104 Social Media Case Studies. No, it’s not Valeria’s longest blog post ever. But it is very clever.

One of the most amazing things about social media, and blogging in particular, is the chance we have to create personal connections and very real friendships with people all over the world.

Sometimes this means you connect with people who live in your own city and sometimes it means you connect with people who are on the other side of the planet. 

And given our busy lives, this often means that our “real life” interactions happen once per year or once every couple of years. Of course, this doesn’t mean that a friend’s thoughts or writings weigh less on our minds because they are geographically close – the blogosphere, in this respect at least, has been a great leveller.

This week’s must read posts come from folks who I greatly respect, but rarely see. But they nevertheless hold a important place in my heart.

1. Kris Hoet suggests that we should think more deeply about retail and its relationship to online transactions. Take a look at this cool infographic and you may well be surprised to see just how successful certain categories are online. What are people really buying online may well be the best proof of concept we have ever seen – with spam outperforming display, banner and social advertising. Now, let me get back to my listservers!
2. Amber Naslund recommends that social media objectives must be chosen in accordance with overall business objectives. As Amber explains, problems aren’t always bad things – in social media they can be hugely beneficial in terms of focusing your social media efforts. Be sure to read the whole post to learn more about needs, goals and measurement.
3. This post from Annik Skelton just sneaks in – on sheer chutzpah alone. Seven  signs that you are getting older shows just how the fog of youth can transform itself into unwelcome personal insight. Of course my personal favourite is #7 When someone offers you free drugs, you say no because you have work in the morning.  Go ahead and read the full post and see why this is just a heartbreaking turning point.
4. Stan Johnson talks about how things come and go – with his post Bye, Bye Blockbuster. To some fifteen years seems like a lifetime, while to others it seems like a recent memory. But in the stream of life it is perhaps a blip. I wonder how many of us will be asking the same question of our current preoccupations sometime in 2025.
5. Oscar Nicholson shares his great insight into the evolution of storytelling – over at Jye Smith’s blog. Read the post, stay for the videos.

One of the things I like most about this weekly recap is having the chance (and the reason) to go back and think through what really impacted me during the previous week.

It is easy to get carried away with a link or a cool new Facebook feature – but a few days on, it all fades into the general white haze of online conversation.

And interestingly, sometimes it is a second and third read of a particular post that really makes it stand out. Here are five I think you should check out from last week. You’ll be glad that you did!

1. Polly Becker shares a great presentation by Jonah Peretti – Mormons, Mullets and Mainiacs. Jonah is the founder of BuzzFeed – so intimately understands the way in which viral-ready content spreads. One of the key features of this content is that it draws upon the power of the “Bored at Work Network” – all those folks who sit at computer screens at work and seek out web based distraction/entertainment. Interesting approach.
2. When I tweeted a link to eConsultancy’s 25 Brilliant Examples of Facebook Pages last week it got plenty of retweets, so it clearly struck a chord. There’s a great variety of pages here that shows just how much you CAN do with the Facebook Markup Language (FBML).
3. Brian Solis, as usual, packs a punch with a great post on Influencing the Influencer. He explains some of the shifts in our understanding of “influence” brought about by social media, and suggests that a new trend is emerging – “one that fuses recognition, reward, reach, and disclosure”. Great stuff.
4. Stan Johnson laments the quality of billboard advertising in his home town. It’s not the fault of the creatives, he claims, but it is creative Death by Committee.
5. In the light of the past weekend’s election here in Australia, it seems only fitting that we also look at Paul McEnany’s great post on Edward Bernays, Context and Choice Blindness, suggesting that while we often focus on getting the right “message” in place, it seems that it’s more important to create the right “context” in which that message can resonate.