Here’s a good test if something is newsworthy. News exists in time - it is what is happening with your business or your industry at a specific point. Either something that has happened (past), something happening right now (present), or something that’s coming up (future).
News is NOT:
“If you don’t know how to network in the first place, all social media can do is give you the chance to screw up to a much larger group of people in a much shorter amount of time.”
- Peter Shankman
Maybe I should rename this to be Why I Still Love Twitter. What do you think?
Shoemoney just posted a very detailed explanation of the value of Twitter. It’s a great read. Notice that even for him it took a few months to see the benefits. I like how he says it’s like IM but no one feels any pressure to answer your message right away. Also, 40% of new visits from his web site are from Twitter! That’s AMAZING. He’s already a popular well-known blogger. He’s expanding his reach through Twitter.
I wish I could tell you how that was going for me but my stats are down and I’m not bothering to fix it until I redesign this site (it’s being programmed as I type).
Almost everyone I know who starts Twittering wonders why they are doing it and think it’s a waste of time. With a little coaching and time they become converts. Then they get lazy like me and almost stop blogging 
I love that I can ask a question or get opinions on something within seconds after asking. I tweet 2 possible headlines and my network chimes in. I’m careful not to abuse this but it makes a great focus group. Also, I try to thank people and respond to their requests (though I’m not always perfect at this!). Besides, most people on Twitter are smart. Or at least my network is.
Here’s my favorite thing about Twitter: it has a feel of community. There is goodwill (some tweet fights break out but generally it’s positive). Contrast this with online forums which can be brutal. Twitter is a little less anonymous and real.
There are many reasons to love Twitter, not only that it can get you a job. I got the job of writing a press release for Shoemoney because of Twitter. I’m writing for Marketing Pilgrim because of Twitter. I also stay connected to my industry (stay up-to-date) and get to know the best thinkers in online marketing because of Twitter. It’s one of the few sites I’m on every single day.
I talked to David Binkowski (twitter: www.twitter.com/dbinkowski) at the Salt Lake City TweetUp last night. It was a lot of fun and many people I haven’t met because I’ve been somewhat out of the scene. Now that I have a more active family life and moved further away, my networking has slowed down. Which means I don’t know as many people when I do show up.
I learned from David how to host a successful event and reach bloggers. He said they (he works with Wells Fargo who sponsored the event) tried inviting bloggers to an event. Didn’t work. Because bloggers often have day jobs, families, and are busy. So he looked for cities bloggers were already meeting and offered to sponsor an existing event. He found pictures of past TweetUps, saw that Salt Lake had an active crowd, and offered to buy everyone dinner. Bloggers love free food (and it was great food). Twitterers do too.
This is a simple yet great advice. Better to find people you want to reach where they are already congregating than to create your own event and hope they show up. Offer to help out. Anyone who wants to sponsor a Utah blogger or TweetUp feel free to use my contact form. Or contact Ghennipher, who sets up the TweetUps.
My only gripe is this - I wish I had more background on Wells Fargo social media and why they were sponsoring the event beforehand. Perhaps a link to a blog post about the event with relevant links (like this one except to the source - too lazy to find!). I went in not knowing what to expect and I would’ve enjoyed talking to Tim Collins if I’d known more about him going in. I thought they were probably from a local office but Tim flew in from LA and David from New York.
A big thank you to Wells Fargo and to Ghennipher for setting this up (here’s her post on the event)!
Kelly at Startup Princess is hosting a retreat for women in business. Startup Princess is a network of women who have started their own businesses. However this retreat is opened to women in business - no matter if you own the business or not.
The theme of the retreat is marketing to women online.
Friday and Saturday, November 7-8th 2008. Starts at 4pm Friday.
Zermatt Resort & Spa in Midway Utah
Cost: $299 double occupancy *bring a friend and save! $349 single occupancy
Rate includes 3 gourmet meals, lodging, event and materials, and a copy of the book: The Soccer Mom Myth: Today’s Female Consumer-Who She REALLY Is and Why She REALLY Buys ($24.95 value)
Speakers:
Holly Buchanan, Marketing to Women Online Expert “Smashing Stereotypes: Today’s Female Consumer What She Wants and How She Buys” 7:00-8:00pm
I’ll speak about SEO Press Releases
Gabrielle Blair, Design Mom and Co-Founder of Kirtsy will speak about social media
Barbara Jones speaking on Word of Mouth Marketing
Hope to see you there!
Sergey Brin said something on the last Google earnings call (which reported higher earnings than expected) that struck me.
Every 4 hours Google indexes as much information as the entire U.S. Library of Congress. According to their site, in 2007 the Library of Congress had 138,313,427 items in their collection. It’s the largest library in the world with the most books.
While everything Google indexes is not useful or quality information, this is awe-inspiring nonetheless.
A survey by UCLA professors showed that searching the Web may help stimulate and possibly improve brain function. When you search the Internet it triggers the control decision-making and complex reasoning portions of your brain. I’m sure it also affects the part of the brain that is easily addicted to stimulus.
“Internet searching engages complicated brain activity, which may help exercise and improve brain function.” said Dr. Gary Small, Professor, UCLA
This is even more fascinating - searching the Internet stimulates more brain activity than reading does. “Internet searching appears to engage a greater extent of neural circuitry that is not activated during reading - but only in those with prior Internet experience.”
“Compared with simple reading, the Internet’s wealth of choices requires that people make decisions about what to click on in order to pursue more information, an activity that engages important cognitive circuits in the brain.” It turns out it’s especially apparent if the person was an experienced web searcher.
They talked about how this affects older people, though I’m sure it applies to me too. It gives me an excuse to stay online when my husband complains. I’ll tell him the web is my crossword puzzle.
Clever online marketing tip of the day:
Go to local companies and tell them about a deal for their employees through their web site contact form. Hope they send a company-wide email about it like they did at OrangeSoda.
I’m not a pop culture enthusiast. I figure I’d gotten geeky enough that I should pay more attention, so I have more in common with the people in my neighborhood. Plus, I pay attention because of the impact of trends on marketing - hitch your idea onto a larger trend and it can lift your reach too.
Britney Spears is making a comeback and using social media as part of the show. It’s over-the-top. It’s also inauthentic and scripted. Her team blogs for her. They twitter for her. They all sound like her best friend, like they hang on her like drunken fans.
There are many other bloggers who do that better than Team Britney. Not that I’m the expert on Britney blogs.
I guess it’s better than pretending that Britney is a good writer and expecting her to write or even Twitter herself. It has a staged, overdone feel (which is what blogs should NOT have, IMO) without being funny or charming.
PageRank of her site? 7/10. She comes up first on Google for “Britney Spears” but not for “Britney Spears blog.” I didn’t check any other terms (Britney Spears pictures, etc). Every title tag is the same, so far.
Conclusion: Nothing against PR people but they are usually better at hyping (one way) than communicating (interesting conversation). Team Britney needs to learn some SEO.
What’s a Tweetup?
A Tweetup is a meet-up of local twitter users. You can get to know others in the community and share thoughts and ideas. Warning: this tends to draw the hard core Twitter lover who thinks the whole world Twitters (which they do)!
It’s like a bloggers dinner for people who are on Twitter.
There is one on Monday, Oct 20. at THE SALT LAKE ROASTING CO. 320 E. 400 S. in Salt Lake City. If you’re native or will be in town, meet us there at 7PM.
To keep up on the latest Tweetups: Follow TweetUpSLC http://twitter.com/TweetUpSLC.
