Archive for November, 2009
Are Connections or Followers more Important: LinkedIn or Twitter?
In early April 2009, we witnessed a social media milestone: Ashton Kutcher collected 1,000,000 followers on Twitter. Since then, Oprah has begun tweeting and the microblogging site has been the social network darling of the mainstream media.
What does it mean to have a network on Twitter? Could Ashton Kutcher ever collect…
Top 5 Tips to Increase your Social Capital on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is turning into a social media heavyweight — with just over 50 million users, the social networking site is turning into a must-have for professionals. Developing your social capital on LinkedIn is increasing in importance as more job-seekers flood the market. Getting a leg-up on your competition is crucial if you’re going to compete. We’ll discuss how to build your social capital by carrying on the conversation, building deeper relationships with prospective clients, increasing your visibility and being an active…
Eco-Design and Architecture Charging the Green Movement
Everywhere we look, eco-consciousness and green living are being fused together through creativity and sustainability in fresh and exciting ways. Green cleaning products, clothing, cars and organic food are prevalent in stores, and for many, the move to greener living is becoming a way of life. Whether your motive is to save money, be healthy or reduce your carbon footprint, being eco-friendly is not only effective, but fun and creative as well. Architects, artists and innovators around the world are changing the world thinks about sustainability by…
Top 5 Holiday Gift Ideas for Executives
With the holidays upon us, it’s time to find the perfect gift for your client, cube mate, or the big dog in the corner office. Here are 5 simple ideas to jumpstart your holiday shopping. The reality is that most executives already have more than they could ever ask for. Will a fancy pen make a difference to a millionaire leader who has a Ferrari? Instead of a throwaway gift, how about a charitable donation? The same $50 that is spent on an overpriced pen could be used towards a Kiva gift certificate to help underprivileged entrepreneurs or $35 could pay for roof shingles at a Habitat for Humanity build. To bring in the New Year, how about impressing an executive with an inspirational gift. My favorite example is hand-made turtle pottery from Hawaii.
Human Capital 101
What is the measure of your influence? What professional or personal milestones contribute to your personal value? A doctorate or 30 years of marketing experience? It’s milestones like these that measure our human capital. Human capital is the investment and development of skills and education to increase your professional value. It is the sum of talents, education and experience that determine your personal influence:
Talent — We are not inherently a Wolfgang Puck, or a John Lennon or…
Influence Defined: Human Capital + Social Capital
A former TV star versus a multi-billion dollar news network. Who would win in a popularity contest? You would imagine the international news network, but you’d be wrong. How was former the MTV Punk’d star, Ashton Kutcher able to surpass one million Twitter followers and win-out over news giant, CNN?
Social Capital 101
“Let me introduce you to someone who might be able to help you.” Some people build their entire reputation around this one line. As Malcolm Gladwell outlined in his breakthrough work, The Tipping Point, those who say this line most often are called Connectors. Essentially, Connectors are match makers. They have an enormous amount of…
Social Capital and Friend 2.0
What is the meaning of a friend in the digital space? Does the definition of a friend change from one social network to another? Is a friend on Facebook any different than a MySpace friend? The value of user connections vary from one social network to another, which ultimately impacts social capital building strategies.
Let’s first examine the differences between two similar…
Top 5: Speaking Tips for Great Presentations
Do you ever watch Barack Obama speak and say, “Wow, he is an outstanding speaker?” John F Kennedy and Ronald Reagan also received similar accolades. Not all speakers were born with natural talented. In fact, Winston Churchill is an example of how hard work can pay off.
Top 5 Tips to Increase Social Capital on Twitter
One of the first steps to build your social capital on Twitter is to let people in your current network know you’re on the microblogging site. By simply incorporating your username into other media platforms, you can connect with those in your immediate network.
Can MySpace Re-Invent Itself?
While MySpace’s rival, Facebook, consistently breaks monthly traffic records, the teen social network is on a steady decline. That is not to say MySpace does’t have a sizable audience. The teen social network has an estimated monthly traffic of 54.3 million, according to Quantcast.com. But 54.3 million is a steep 35% drop from their peak at…
Microsoft Office 2010 Moves to the Cloud
When Canadian company i4i sued Microsoft this past August, watchdogs in the software community predicted that the move would encourage Microsoft to bring up their plans for a move to cloud computing much earlier than planned – and it looks like they were right. In addition to the announcements of a new and improved version of Internet Explorer and a major update of the Silverlight runtime platform at this week’s Microsoft at the…
Marketing a Social Cause
Every year, businesses across the country participate in charity events, sponsorships, community development programs and other social initiatives. There is a trend towards doing more, beyond just writing a check. It’s about putting down the checkbook and rolling up your sleeves that will award you more attention to not only your charity, but to your…
The Impact of the Web on Sustainability
The web has impacted nearly everything: from the way we do business to the way we keep in touch with our friends. The web has also changed the way we contribute to our communities. It is a tool for organizations to help individuals realize their impact — whether it’s beautifying their community or donating to disaster relief in…
Connecting to the Creative Geek
The rise in Twitter users has been nothing short of remarkable. It has captured world-wide media attention and consequently sparked an explosion of users — from approximately 2 million monthly visits a year ago to 27 million today.
In our exploration of social media, we have draw several parallels…
YouTube Direct Enlists Citizen Journalists
YouTube announced Tuesday that it will be making it easier for citizen journalists to submit news and events to established news organizations. YouTube Direct bridges the gap between new (YouTube) and traditional media by empowering consumers with an accessible tool to submit video while providing established media a rich resource for breaking news
Tumblr, the Next Emerging Platform?
If Twitter, Flickr and Facebook were to get together, it would look something like Tumblr. The microblogging site has a slick, clean design that allows for customization and sharing. In our analysis on social media, we found Tumblr to be a rising star with a growing artistic community. According to Quantcast, Tumblr is gaining steam in the U.S. by consistently surpassing its traffic records. If it continues its rise, Tumblr could emerge from the underground…
Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ryan Paugh from Brazen Careerist
We have explored many facets of Gen Y. We identified key attributes and mindsets, examined Gen Y in the workplace and developed effective marketing strategies. To take a deeper look into the social networks of the up-and-comers, we spoke with Ryan Paugh, the co-founder of Brazen Careerist. Brazen Careerist is a career management tool for the next generation of professionals. Brazen Careerist allows users to share their ideas, control their professional identity and build a foundation for future success.
Before Ryan was the Director of Community at Brazen Careerist, he co-founded the blog, Employee Evolution and worked as an assistant to the Senior Director of Communications at Merck & Co. It was at Merck that he…
Digital Influence in the Network Economy
Yesterday, I presented “Digital Influence in the Network Economy” at the PodCampAz Conference. The high level principle is that in a network economy, value flows from connectivity. Value is created and shared by all members of a network and economies of scale stem from the size of the network (see full pdf of presentation and outtakes from our podcasting interview). While transactional exchanges of goods…
Top 5: Social Media Lessons from PodcampAZ
From Wordpress to crowdsourcing to personal branding, fellow digital gurus shared their best tips at PodCampAZ. It started off with tips from a millenial talking about blogging and included the story behind the famed ShalerJump. Here’s the top 5 outtakes from a great PodCampAZ Conference:
Wordpress Blog Development. As blogging continues to expand it’s popularity (with over 250,000 bloggers on WordPress today), there are a few tips that can take your game…
