Quiver & Quill

Kristi Colvin is a user experience and usability expert and founder of FreshID. Her career includes many aspects of marketing communications including working with Whole Foods, software and new media companies; she’s now consulting VisualCV. I recently interviewed her about user experience. Her passion for the subject is apparent in her mission, “to bring user experience evangelism into an organization.”

1. What do you mean by “designing for the universal experience?”

People often think of brand identities, marketing collateral, user interface design for software applications, and web site or blog design as separate items. But all an existing or potential customer sees and feels is one experience: the experience of an individual or company.

2. What, if any, special factors do you consider when designing a site you know will be used by Twitter users: Do they behave differently than other users?

The average blog or web site with information they want others to share on Twitter could greatly benefit from:
– pre-shortened url’s for blog articles and web pages
– “twit this” programs added to the end of a blog article helps users share the information while it is top-of-mind
– sites that are not “blogs” would benefit from easy-to-tweet buttons for things like news articles, special promotions, recipes, landing pages, product datasheets, products for sale, ebay items, books, etc.
Also, I am creating a mini-site focused on people tweeting about cheese, and an actual alternate Twitter interface called Twitterface that will be released soon.

3. What are your favorite usability / user experience tools?

My basic tools are a computer and a user.  Aside from that, I utilize tools like Skitch and the Jing Project to communicate UE issues to developers & gather small bugs or anomalies from users.

4. What is the first thing you consider when evaluating the usability of a website?

Following a quick examination of the look and feel, I start looking deeper:  at forms, workflow, the existence (or usually, not) of guiding text, available help, the information architecture and the screen layouts.
The very first thing I assess is whether it is immediately obvious what I should do first after arriving at a home page, or next after arriving at a landing page.
There is an art to guiding users through a system.
When done well, it produces a magical effect we call “being in the zone.”

5. Can you recommend another great usability / user experience blog?

I cannot get enough of Logic + Emotion, because those two aspects are so critical to a great, lasting user experience. The author works for Critical Mass, a premiere interactive agency whose work I admire. Bokardo has a lot to offer people who are interested in designing blogs & sites for social media.
And Luke W. is someone who personally inspires me and my design, with his iconic, clean interfaces

If you enjoyed this interview, visit Kristi’s blog here.

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Gennefer Snowfield’s recent blog post “There’s Too Many ‘Me, Me, Me’s in ‘Follow Me” spurred an impacting conversation on who we follow on Twitter and why. More than 30 people commented, and the discussion that started on her blog carried into many twitter conversations. Gennefer emphasized the importance of quality over quantity, complementing the relationship builders and disparaging “friend collectors and wannabe gurus.”

People who wear their friend count like a badge of honor are annoying, and there is no prize for attaining a target number of friends. However, I do not think the situation is so black and white.

I like adding “random,” people on twitter not to increase my friend count but to add to the diversity of my tweet stream. I often use twitter’s search tool to find keywords that suggest people I may want to follow. Recently, I’ve used these keywords and phrases:

• Salman Rushdie
• James Joyce
• CPM
• “Check this out”
• Brazil

I have found that people who uses these keywords are often people I enjoy following. And when I am wrong, I simply unfollow them.
When in doubt, I follow first and unsubscribe later. That method works well for me. Other methods I use are described here.

I have found that my experience of twitter is different with more friends and followers than it was with fewer friends and followers. If I ask a question now, not only do my friends respond—I also receive responses from unexpected people with completely different backgrounds and experiences.

I confess. I’m completely addicted to cool ideas, spectacular links, and fresh insight. Following 100s of people has deeply satisfied my information addiction.

I personally agree that it’s ideal to connect to a network of people whose insights you value. However, I have no problem with people arbitrarily “friending” folks to find those people.

A few weeks ago I posted my criteria for following people back on twitter.

Do check out Gennefer Snowfield’s blog post. The conversation there is spectacular.

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Mr. Tweet, the personal networking assistant for twitter, has all the twitterati talking. According to the website, “Mr. Tweet looks through your extended network to help you build effective relationships on Twitter.”

I used and enjoyed the service. Recently, I interviewed its founder, Steve Ming Yeow Ng, over email. Our discussion is below.

Have you actively marketed yourself? If so, how?
We are almost at 14,000 [followers] now, gaining at about 1000 a day. The amazing thing is that all our users came almost exclusively from word of mouth, as opposed to active marketing, or even PR. Even all of PR came from users who used us and love the service.

Who are 3 of your most memorable Twitter friends and what makes them memorable?
Haha, I keep close track of the conversations, and I have to say it is these 3:

1) Gary V - cause his personality is so amazingly outsized yet endearing at the same time.

2) Marta Strickland - cause she is smart and sassy, and generous with ideas

3) Acclimedia - cause she is very critical, w/o ever being negative. Very hard balance to achieve, but she does it

4) KrisColvin - I was blown away when I read her blog (as part of user research), because she shares so much of her valuable thought process in such detail. She is actually a classic case where I felt that the world would be a much more valuable place if more people could learn from her, as opposed to being obsessed with the same few people all the time. And that kind of granularity of connecting is what we will be gunning for soon

If I use Twitter Grader do I need Mr. Tweet?
We are a very different ball game. We do not offer a universal grading statistic, because we think that is very misleading. Influence is an attribute of the audience, not an attribute of the person. IE, it really is personalized. My kid is highly influential to me, but he is probably has zero influence on you. On a similar note, Werner Vogels cannot be compared to Scoble when you try to apply a universal ranking, but as the is probably the leading thought leader when it comes to Cloud Computing, his thoughts are immensely influential for technologists and backend engineers. Hence, influence depends much less on the person being graded, but who he is being graded for.

Can you share a few interesting stats with us (your growth, what features people use, stats that marketers may find compelling)?
Haha, we do not have many features, and we are not ready to publish some of the stats yet, although we will do so at some point.
That said, I can say one thing with confidence: People are not interested in subscribing to marketing messages, or celebrities/companies who follow random people. They are interested in personalities who value relationships.
I know this sounds like common knowledge, but both the stats and the user feedback back these up ->People are really a lot more interested in listening to people who are building relationships. There is a very strong reciprocal effect here.

What has been the most interesting part of launching Mr. Tweet?
Definitely the enthusiastic user feedback, and seeing the diversity of ways we add value. It is an amazing feeling.

A recent presentation from Mr. Tweet’s founder:

Discovery Is The New Cocaine - Going Beyond Engagement

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: discovery ux)

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I recently helped a new Twitter user write her bio.
It’s only a few words; however, the process gave rise to challenging questions.
For example, do people read a Twitter bio or do they just scan for keywords like: “mom,” “blogger,” “CEO,” “marketing,” “content,” etc.
If they read the bio, will the same process we use to write adwords copy apply, with the most important ideas first followed by a call to action?
And how do you teach style and attitude? Twitter bios can be short and punchy as well as polished and professional.
While it’s hard to make a generalization, I’m in favor of a keyword-rich, compelling bio with at least one useful link that reveals personality.

Here are 21 things to consider when enhancing your twitter bio.
If you’re happy with yours, this can serve as a checklist.

1. Add a quote.
2. Add a question people should ask you.
3. Add something you are looking for.
4. Add something you can offer.
5. Add your mantra.
6. Add an article that rocks your world.
7. Add a sentence that describes who you are.
8. Add a sentence that describes what you want to do on Twitter.
9. Add descriptive tags, see StumbleUpon for ideas
10. Add a link to people’s replies to you. @Pistachio does this
11. Add your Linkedin account
12. Add your Delicious account
13. Add a link to FriendFeed
14. Add a link to your favorite Flickr photos
15. Add a link to your playlist (blip.fm, last.fm, etc.)
16. Add a link to a YouTube video of you, or that you enjoy watching
17. Add a link another blog, or website you are a part of
18. Cut your bio to 50% its current length
19. Put the most important terms first
20. Decide on your emphasis. If your bio was only one word (and not your name), which word would it be and why?
21.  If you’ve written in a complete sentence, try writing in short, punchy phrases. If you’ve written in short punchy phrases, try writing in complete sentences. Use what works.

BTW, here is my Twitter profile:

Name: Zach Braiker
Location: Cambridge, MA
Web: http://www.quiverandquill.com
Bio: “to understand one life you must swallow the world.” I run refine+focus: a marketing agency working w/ brands, media and VCs. http://tinyurl.com/63mrn

For related resources see:

Twitter Best Practices So Far, by David Lee King

How to Write a Short Bio on Yourself, by Pete Kistler

William K. Zinzser, author of On Writing Well, offers helpful advice: “My four principles are: Clarity, Simplicity, Brevity and Humanity. If you keep those four principles in mind, there’s almost nothing you can’t do.”

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(Image from Flickr: “FB-TG-080314” by Glenn Zucman)

Agree or Disagree:

If you want to know how someone uses a social network, ask their criteria for adding someone as a friend on it.

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(Image from Flickr: “The Boy Whatley” by whatleydude)

Introducing James Whatley, the boisterous creative force behind SpinVox’s blog and Whatleydude.
To be around James is to experience a whirlwind of creative energy which social media celebrates.
We spoke at length in Helsinki, and one of our favorite topics was social media and business.
This interview is a continuation of that conversation.
If you’re contemplating starting a company blog, or if you already write one, James’ perspective is essential.
And if you like what he has to say, make sure to give SpinVox a try.

1. Who reads the SpinVox blog and why?
The SpinVox blog, I would say, is read by our users, partners, employees, customers - past, present and future! The SpinVox Blog or ‘Big Talk’ as we like to call it… - is our way of communicating daily/weekly/monthly with our users on a personal level. I work at SpinVox and try to give a level view on what’s going on in ‘the World of SpinVox’ both inside the company walls and out. The readers drop by for a number of reasons I guess - for information about our activities, to read up on how we are and to also just ‘connect’ with SpinVox. I mean, the last thing we are or would want to be is some faceless corporation and SpinVox blog is one way we can give people insight to our culture and attitudes…. For instance, we care about our users and their experiences, so the blog - as well as being a place for SpinVox to give our point of view on the world - is a place for our readers to comment and give feedback on what we do and what we say… The feedback loop if you will.

2. How do you know if the blog is successful?
Obviously you can go down the old school route of sheer numbers. However, in this new/digital/social media world we live in, ‘numbers’ don’t necessarily equal success. Before we had the blog there was no personal online voice for SpinVox. There was nowhere where we could talk informally about any of the things I’ve mentioned so far and there was also no way for our users to really feel like they could discuss issues with us and our ‘ecosystem’. I consider the SpinVox Blog a success because it stimulates conversation and while simultaneously giving us a place to free-form ideas and point to other things we like, it gives all those who care about SpinVox a place to get involved.

3. How do you decide what to blog about?
This is a many-headed beast… but to be honest - the better question is what do we decide NOT to blog about? When I wrote the blogging strategy for SpinVox at the tail end of last year I floated a whole host of ideas about what we could talk about - to the point of there being nearly too much! The acid test is that what I blog about should be something that stimulates discussion – the difference between ‘visual’ and ‘visible’ voicemail being a recent example. Plus on a daily (sometimes hourly!) basis I get Google Alerts from all across the web from people talking about much they love SpinVox or how they integrated SpinVox into their life or business and that prompts a constant flow of new ideas.

4. Tell us about your posts: which is your favorite? Which was most popular and/or influential?
So a few posts immediately spring to mind – I mentioned it above but the first one would be the most recent post I wrote – which pitches the iPhone’s Visual Voicemail feature vs SpinVox Voicemail, something we’ve notionally referred to as ‘Visible Voicemail’.
The link is above but it resonates well because not only does it stimulate a discussion worth having, (and, of course, SpinVox comes off better out of the two), but we also have Testimonials from well-known users across the web, including TechCrunch UK! Worth a look (it features of my pen & pad diagram work too – which has kind of become my calling card of late)

The second one would be a post entitled ‘Ouch’ – in which we publicly apologised for a few hours downtime after an incident with some building works cutting through one of our main supplier cables. We learnt a lot from that whole episode and you can read about it all here.

The 3rd and final post – which really has to be my absolute favourite – (again featuring my handy work with a pad and pen) – is ‘Confidence in Communication’. This post came about after a particularly intense brainstorming session at SpinVox HQ and it was the first time we’d publicly shared some of the more meatier thinking that goes on around our product and is pretty typical of the sort of thing that goes on at SpinVox day-in day-out.. It also spawned many responses from our readers who wrote out their own interpretations and blogged them. Great stuff all round.
Actually – I’d really like to get your POV on it if you get a chance – you can find the post here.

5. You recently posted a video about condoms: Was that considered controversial? What does buying condoms have to do with Spinvox? Did partners with “tellingitlikeitis.tv” offend any SpinVox users?

SpinVox does one thing well – turn voice into text in order that people can message more effectively. The MTV campaign was all about getting messages over in an effective away and actually using our system to do it – to allow people to ’speak freely’ on associated websites through SpinVox. We’re also a company that takes our social responsibilities seriously – we sponsored this activity for instance - and our co-founder Christina Domecq has been personally funding for nearly a decade orphanages in Southern Africa in villages devastated by the effects of AIDS. So over the Summer SpinVox teamed up with MTV’s Global Multimedia HIV/AIDS prevention charity: The Staying-Alive Foundation (SAF). Together we launched the Stand By What You Say campaign which, along with the support of Causes for Facebook, encouraged people to not only pick up the phone and Speak Freely about the sexual issues that were relevant to them, but to then also act on them. The campaign was an outstanding success and resulted in SpinVox once again teaming up with SAF this time with the guys from Fur.tv (the puppets featured in the video you mentioned) to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the SAF being in existence. Inviting the viewers of this years European Music Awards to call in and ‘tell it like it is’.

6. If you were starting the SpinVox blog again, what would you have done differently and why?
When I first started the SpinVox Blog I felt a small amount of pressure to tow the company line and not to put too much ‘whatleydude’ into it, if you get my meaning? I was concerned that my writing style and my POV on the world might contradict with the SpinVox Brand/Image and I was reticent to put anything to (virtual) paper, as it were. After a month or so of this my boss noticed and pulled me up on it. He explained that the pressure was non-existent and was all in my head and that in fact, the reason I’d been hired was so that I could be myself – SpinVox really is that sort of company! I can write blog posts and I do have a sense for what makes good content and what doesn’t…. and if the James Whatley of SpinVox point of view on the world is one that the company is happy stand behind then who am I to complain?!

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(Image from Flickr: “Business Meeting in Coffee Shop with Windows Mobile devices” by gailjadehamilton)

What I look for in a face to face meeting with a vendor depends on the context of the meeting.
If I am calling a business meeting with you, I am likely doing so because you can solve a problem I can’t solve, or you can increase my efficiency.

1. The first thing I look for is whether we are in agreement on the purpose of the meeting: Do we both want the same thing from our conversation? That’s the “what.”
2. I next evaluate “the who.” If the meeting is important, I’ve searched online to know who I am meeting with and what matters to them.
3. If the what and who check out, I’m on to “the how.” I want to see clear examples that demonstrate that you can do exactly what you say you can do.
4. Next,  “when and how much.” I am looking for transparency and candor here.
5. If I’m really interested, I’ll want it faster. And if we’ve never worked together, I will look for ways to mitigate risk.

This post was inspired by Andrew Clark’s comment yesterday: “So you’ve covered ‘online…’ Where (or what) do you look at when meeting someone for the first time (face to face)? Where do you keep your “About me” page?”

For a blog post on great meetings see this one.

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I am interested in great “About Us” pages. Every time we craft one for a client, we access so much about the company, both about how they perceive themselves and about how they want others to perceive them.

When I evaluate a company’s “About Us” page my two criteria are credibility and personality.

For credibility, I scan bios of their leadership team to see where they’ve worked, attended school and when they’ve spoken at conferences. What makes them uniquely qualified?

Evaluating personality, on the other hand, is more of an art than a science.
I start by seeing whether the company has a clear vision, expressed as a story, which I can easily follow.
Why was the company established and what is its mantra?
Then I look at how effectively their design brings that story to life.
I next scan for involvement, and this will vary depending on the industry. For instance, if I am on an agency’s website, I want to see what social networks their employees are on and how they are using them.
Finally, I look for the personal touch: Who are the principals as people? Do I want to work with them? Video interviews, quotes, funny and intriguing stats help here.

I have shared a few examples below that illustrate intriguing about us pages:

1. Meebo – Instant messaging site

A nice mix of credibility and personality with short, descriptive bios visible when you click the arrow.

2. Zappos – The customer service company that happens to sell shoes

A good example of the use of narrative and intertwining the company’s initiatives into the overall story

3. Design Continuum - A design & marketing company

A good example of personality. Reading these pages gives me a sense of who they are—as people.

4. Headwaters - A Merchant Bank

The “About Us” page is a clear cut example of credibility, and the site exemplifies personality. It’s a gem amongst financial services sites.

5. Elastic Lab - A marketing agency

Although their video bios aren’t complete at the time of this entry, I like how they have positioned them on the site. If I want to learn more, or see their people, I can do so with one click.

6. Forty Media - Another marketing agency

Their whole site lives on one page, and their credibility derives from their involvement. Click under any of their team’s photos to see where they are active online. I love it.

I asked friends on Twitter for their feedback on about us pages. Here’s what they said:

@central_nm  on about us page - what is look and feel? does it convey a sense of person/company/service in honest & authentic? current?

@solobasssteve context, background info, links, credentials, personal info, photos, interests, friendliness.

@nwjerseyliz If biz, a BRIEF statement about goals whether that is a mission statement or a promise to customers to provide good service

@kirbstr I look for the 5 w’s. Who are they? Where are they? (this sticks in my mind even as it seems less relevant) what, when, why

UPDATE: @solskinner Check out DanSko’s “About Us” page. http://tinyurl.com/6pghnk

I have an idea for an “About Us” page I am considering for my agency’s website. The page would have two buttons. The first would be called “Just the Facts,” and the second, “Our Story & More…”

This would give visitors the ability to select how much information they want to know.

Want to read more on the subject? Check out:

The Power of the About Us Page, ClickZ, by Bryan Eisenberg
Your About Page is a Robot, A List Apart, by Erin Kissane
Calling for a Ban on “About Us” Pages, AdAge, by B. L. Ochman

Do you have an “About Us” page you love? Please leave it as a link in the comments below.

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(Image from Flick: Car Dealership Ad 2, by The Toad)

I am buying a car right now and went to the dealership yesterday to pick one out. After negotiating a while with the general sales manager, he handed me his card, cleared his throat and announced:

“With this card comes a promise. I promise to help you, or anyone you recommend to me—whether or not they buy a car from me. I will help answer questions on leasing versus buying, financing, mileage, any way I can be a resource. That’s why I’m here.”

This came as pleasant surprise. I am more likely to do business with someone I view as a resource; I am more likely to recommend someone I view as a resource.

If you made a similar promise with your business, what would it be?

If this interests you, then you may also like Seth Godin’s Four Words.

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Before working in marketing, I spent a lot of time in theater, particularly improv theater.
One of the first thing you learn in improv is an exercise called “yes and.”
This simple exercise has profound implications on social media.
It provides an instructional lesson for how to contribute to a conversation online and how to ad value.

Here’s an example:

Playing the “Yes, And?” Improv Game — powered by eHow.com

If you get it, add to it!

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The recent Mortin issue underscored how powerful mommy bloggers are in influencing opinion. On twitter, blogger, and social networking profiles I have observed a tremendous outpouring of mom pride and affinity. In exploring this further, I came across MomForce  — a new service that connects employers and marketers to the mom experts for hire—they promise to help you “reach mom..with moms.”

I interviewed Jessica Smith, its founder, recently and have posted our discussion below:

Who should use MomForce.com?

Moms, Dads, anyone that has an authentic understanding of moms and who has marketing experience.  Companies that are targeting moms and want to successfully introduce their brand and establish brand loyalty in the “mom community”.

As a marketing agency, how can I use MomForce to communicate with mom’s in social networks?

MomForce.com gives agencies, start-ups, and large corporations the ability to bring an authentic voice to the social networks by hiring a social media and marketing savvy mom on either a project or long term basis. By doing this, you take away the megaphone of traditional marketing, the talking at a community and instead give them the ability to listen and to share…thus becoming a conversation.!

How are you marketing MomForce?

I’m marketing MomForce.com through word of mouth marketing, my 15 Days Series on my personal blog, JessicaKnows.com and through Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

What do you wish more employers knew about MomForce?

That it is designed specifically for hiring social media and marketing savvy moms (and dads) to complement their existing marketing and PR efforts while allowing for little to no overhead and flexibility around the logistics of making it a win-win situation for both the company and the mom.

What is your background—how did you get involved in MomForce?

I have a BA Communications and 8 years in marketing, business development, and recruiting.  I was hired as Chief Mom Officer for Wishpot.com this past summer and quickly realized that there are so many moms that can add value through their authentic voice and understanding of how social media is changing the way moms access and share information.  I shared my vision of promoting this concept with Care.com’s Sheila Marcelo and together we hatched MomForce.com with the talented Care.com team.

Learn more about Jessica on her blog here and her LinkedIn profile here.

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You may know what words your customers use to search for your products in Google…
but do you know what words your potential customers are using online?

Soon enough, marketers will identify prospects by phrases that indicate their intention to buy.
And once they have identified a potential customer on this basis, they’ll get their attention.
By following them on twitter.
If you’re on twitter asking for advice on what Christmas gift to buy, for example, expect a herd of marketers to start following…
And if you’re a marketer, what phrases will you follow?
Enter it here to see who you’ll find.

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I recently interviewed Richard Shaffer, owner of Israeli Wine Direct. Tom Wark, wine expert and blogger, called Israeli Wine Direct “the kind of on-line wine store that should attract at least a glance, if not an order, from all those wine lovers that fancy themselves wine explorers and who revel in the diversity of what different places and people can do with the grape.”

Richard exemplifies a social media entrepreneur.  When he first began Israeli Wine Direct, he used his blog as a way to interview and gain access to Israeli wine experts. And once the business was established, social media has opened doors to new audiences.

His approach to marketing is personal. Wine lovers across America, including Guy Kawasaki, invite him into their home to pour Israeli wine for friends and families. Speak to Richard for 30 seconds and you’ll understand why he gets invited. His passion for wine is contagious, and he shares it on his company blog, Twitter, Friendfeed, YouTube and Facebook.

As his business becomes even more successful, I look forward to seeing how Richard’s enthusiasm will translate into creating a company culture with an even greater impact.

Check out our discussion below.

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I attended the Project East Fashion Show that featured works from the famous designer Issey Miyake.
Hundreds of students and fashionable Bostonians attended.
Red Bull also attended with models wearing considerably less than those on the runway.
They handed out free drinks to the VIPS, were included in hundreds of fan photos and contributed to the uber-chic atmosphere.
A nice showing by team Red Bull.
For more on Red Bull, check out their presence on Flickr.

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Vizu, a brand advertising measurement company, offers a free web widget that may interest you.
They enable you to put customizable polls on your site.
Toyota’s Open Road Blog is using it effectively to ask its readers what type of blog posts they would like to read.

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I like Story Worldwide’s ad campaign on the Post Advertising blog.
It’s a simple ad, designed to arouse interest, and it succeeds.
As soon as you click on it, you’re transported from its plain black and white into a playful world of color.
If you have a minute, check out Story Worldwide.

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Three social media presentations I’ve recently enjoyed.

Social Influence Marketing

Welcome to the Social World

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: socialproducts internet)

PR Bootcamp for Twitter

Ogilvy PR 360 DI Twitter Webinar

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: pr publicrelations)

International Social Media

Universal Mccann International Social Media Research Wave 3

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: socialmedia research)

What’s your favorite slideshare presentation on social media?

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(Packed House at SMB10 by Bob Collins on Flickr)

The theme of Social Media Breakfast Boston 10 was “ Getting ROI Out of Social Media.”
HubSpot’s CEO Brian Halligan discussed their method for measuring how social media conversations translate into sales.
Marketers at the event suggested that hiring good content people is a more attractive alternative than buying advertising.
Matt Cutler, Vice President, Marketing & Analytics at Visible Measures, presented on the ROI of viral video.
Visible Measures has powerful tools for measuring viral impact, a database of millions of videos and criteria to evaluate what makes videos “go viral.”
Matt drew a comparison to how much Nike would have had to spend on TV commercials to create the same impact that one of their viral videos had (with 16M views).

He calculated that broadcast TV CPMs are apx. $25 and online video CPMs are apx. $50-75, and he created an estimate.
His formula needs to add one critical consideration: context.
Watching a viral video forwarded to me by a friend, posted in a favorite blog or on a social network is worth much more than a tv spot that interrupts my show.

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What does the phrase “social media community” actually mean?

There are thousands of communities on many different platforms within social media, yet the single phrase persists.

Being apart of the social media community means several things to me:

Listening. To what your customers are saying about you and to see if your brand promise matches the brand experience.
Responding. There’s what you say and where you are saying it: whether it’s in a social media press release, your corporate blog, your Facebook page or bloggers’ comments.
Showing up. Attending events,  being visible in search with a social media footprint and paying attention.
Giving back. As Guy Kawasaki mentions, an important part of the social media community is helping others who cannot help you.

I recently asked my community on Twitter whether using Twitter is synonymous to being apart of the social media community. Here’s what they offered:

Robert Scoble wrote: “Do you say you are part of the telephone community cause you use a phone? So, why do that with social media? I’m just a human, not a SM’er.”

He raises an interesting point—just because someone uses a technology does not necessarily make them a part of a community. However, if the telephone were used only by 1/3 of 1% of the US population (like Twitter) and those who used it shared similar political and social ideas, and they often met up and celebrated the way they were using the telephone, I would call them a part of a community. Would you?

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Retargeting is a type of online advertising tactic that identifies a visitor to your website and serves advertising to them once they leave via an ad network. Right now I am buying email marketing services for a client and visited several vendor websites.  Icontact was among them. After I visited their site, their ads were served to me on the New York Times and on MovieFone’s website. While my decision to buy will be made upon careful evaluation of their services versus their competitors, this retargeting campaign clearly made them top of mind.

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I recently received an email from a good friend who is a model.
She asked me, and other friends, to vote for her as a model to win a trip to Paris.
The company sponsoring the trip, Kani, specializes in urban fashion.
My friend must have sent 100s of emails inviting her friends to this site.
Each one of her friends fits the profile of a Kani buyer.
While the marketing concepts isn’t new, it is effective.

How can you utilize this concept for your business?
Who can you feature? And what incentive can you provide to encourage them to involve their friends?

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