Quiver & Quill

I overheard a  conversation today between two senior citizens on their first date.

F: Sorry, I’m late. I thought I’d save time and drive, but I couldn’t find a parking place.

M: It’s ok. I’m often late with my back and all.

F: You looked surprised, like you didn’t recognize me…

M: Well, your picture was taken at an angle in your profile. Can I get you a coffee?

F: Sure, Earl Gray.

M: Cream and sugar?

F: I’ll get it.

M: No, I’ll get it for you…

(2 minutes pass)

F: Your profile says you have kids and love to travel, where have your traveled to?”

(5 minutes pass…the date is almost over)

F: You know the other gentleman I met yesterday didn’t recognize me either…

M: Must be the angle.

I wonder what people of different ages  talk about on different dating sites. When 75 year olds date online, do their profiles look like lives they’ve led, a yearbook of their memories, or the life they would like to lead, a picture frame for their dreams. Do their profile pages have pictures of their past and all the things they’ve done, or do they write about everything they would like to do, and offer little images of the past.

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This is a good basic primer for radio programming by Holland Cooke.

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Napa Consulting Group made an interesting choice by placing their SlideShare presentation as the main attraction on the website. This is a notable example of using social media to enhance a homepage.

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This video has been released for over a year, so I’m late to the party on this one. I’m not usually so influenced by sentimental things, but this really gave me goosebumps.

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Excerpts from the Top 3 Most Popular Songs This Week –October 2007 as reported by BillBoard Magazine

1.
Soulja Boy Tell’em
Crank That (Soulja Boy)
“I’m Jocking On Yo Bitch Ass
And If We Get The Fightin
Then I’m Cocking On Your Bitch”
2.
Kanye West Stronger
Well I’d do anything for a blonde dyke
And she’ll do anything for the limelight
And we’ll do anything when the time’s right

3. Britney Spears
Gimme More
A center of attention (Can you feel that?)
Even when they’re up against the wall
You got me in a crazy position (Yeah)
If you’re on a mission (Uh-uh)
You got my permission (Oh)

Excerpts from the Top 3 Most Popular Songs in 1958 as reported by BillBoard Magazine
1. At The Hop - Danny & The Juniors
Well, you can swing it you can groove it
You can really start to move it at the hop
Where the jockey is the smoothest
And the music is the coolest at the hop
All the cats and chicks can get their kicks at the hop

2. It’s All In The Gane - Tommy Edwards
Soon he’ll be there by your side
With a sweet bouquet
And he’ll kiss your lips
And caress your waiting fingertips

3. The Purple people Eater - Sheb Wooley
It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin’ purple people eater
One-eyed, one-horned flyin’ purple people eater
One-eyed, one-horned, flyin’ purple people eater
Sure looks strange to me (One horn?)?

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I presented a few days ago at the Greater Dayton Advertising Association in Dayton, Ohio. I’ve posted my presentation below. The greatest challenge was to simply and clearly convey the essentials of interactive marketing to an audience of all different experiences levels: some of whom had never used Google Adwords and were unfamiliar with advertising online and others were members of ad agencies with a deep knowledge of the material.I was asked, “What do you think is the next level of interactive media—the next step in the evolution of what you presented.” I responded, “Businesses that do remarkable things for their clients, who create value, and by creating value, cut through the clutter. They will use interactive media to create relationships and reach their customers, presuming they have something worthwhile to say to them…” In fact, the next step seemed a lot like what Seth Godin say a year ago—check it out.

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I had exceptional customer service from a young woman working at a hotel yesterday. However, overall my customer service experience with the hotel was good, not great. So I didn’t want to go to Yelp to review the hotel. It wasn’t the hotel that impressed me. It was the young woman.

I told her that I left my mobile phone charger at home. She not only showed me Radio Shack’s location on a near by on a map, but she also went to the hotel’s basement and brought back a big box of phone chargers that guests left behind. Together we went through the cords until we found one that fit my phone. That’s remarkable, unusual service.

I would love to go to a site where I can share the service that she gave me with friends in my community.

Another example of this is going to a restaurant with awful food but having an exceptional waiter. You don’t want to review the restaurant on Yelp, A-List, CitySearch, etc., you want to review the individual. That’s where “WhatGreatService.com” comes into life…

I could see a website like this as a hiring resource for local businesses that are looking for exceptional people. If this already exists, please let me know. And if it doesn’t, it would be fun to create…

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KISS’ Clear Channel LA executes a strategy our company calls “client as content.” Our underlying belief is that advertisers who provide a service or value to their customers see a greater return from their advertising (a concept also know as branded utility). KISS LA invited advertisers trying to market to their listeners to do so by recording podcasts. The podcasts contain audio commentary on the topics on which the clients are experts: health, legal, auto, etc.

I think this idea could be taken to the next level if advertisers interacted directly with listeners. Build a forum on each AsktheExpert page. Create a blog for the advertiser the excepts public comments. Create a live chat—and sell advertisers a package of streaming commercials and banner ads to advertise for it. Use Qwizzy to build a free Q&A forum. Invite listeners to send in their questions directly to the experts, or to record a video of their question and post it publicly. Not only will advertisers connect more with the listener, but the website will also become more of a community. And you need conversation for that…

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Monica and Mustafa own North Cambridge Laundromat. It’s about 10 miles from my house, and I drive there to drop of my dry cleaning. You would too if you met them. They’re wonderful people. They hug and kiss you on the cheek. They ask about your kids, your job, and your weekend plans. And they have a great sense of humor. They remind me of what small town stores were once like—and might still be like in other small towns across America. They are many people like me, who would drive across town for them. And what makes this blogworthy is how these people are discovering them: On Yelp…

I spoke with Mustafa today who said he gets one new dry cleaning customer a week through a Yelp referral. That’s extraordinary considering that the laundromat is not located near public transportation. There are many laundromats on the same street, not to mention at least 2 big chains. It’s great that Yelp is has helped like minded people discover their local people who are passionate about what they do–and provide new customers for deserving small business.

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We change with the windows open. We change with an audience staring into our apartments. We walk around naked cooking breakfast for our neighbors to see.

I’m a member of ASmallWorld, an exclusive online community for international students and young professionals. Today while browsing through the public forums, I came across a post that surprised me. A young lady from New York asked publicly for recommendations for a psychiatrist. At least ten people replied immediately, publicly sharing their doctors phone numbers and even their experiences with them. A few doctors actually responded as well. I was surprised that people where willing to share this information publicly on the forum, or developed enough trust with ASmallWorld that they were comfortable with it.

There’s another way to look at this. The values of community offline are the same values of a community online. I’ve been to parties with the same types of people who responded—and it’s a topic that’s come up. Also, I suppose it’s really no different then people sharing details on their Myspace page that make the shy blush.

Sometimes we forget that what we do online is visible to the world. Sometimes we forget that while think we’ll alone, our neighbors can see everything we share. And some people don’t mind changing with the windows open…

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