#Hashtags-R-Us

I’d been hearing about hashtags for quite a while and never quite “got it” until now, thanks to #DavidSpark, our keynote speaker at the upcoming #pincshow who straightened me out.

It’s so simple! Just send your Tweets as you normally would but add the “#” symbol in front of the word you expect will be followed. Then, if you search that word in Twitter or other Tweet-friendly applications (#Hashtags and TweetChat for example) – whalah! All the Tweets that include the hashtag and key-word are yours for the viewing.

We will be using this for our upcoming #PINCShow so tell your friends. All we need to do is spread the word that #PINCSHOW should be part of your message and then we’ll set up some monitors logged into Tweetchat.com. Tweetchat is our choice because it will automatically refresh every 5 seconds as Tweets come in so there’s no need to keep someone at the computer.

Feel free to get started now and let’s see how the conversation progresses!

By the way, PINC is now #VisualMediaAlliance. Actually, it’s Visual Media Alliance.

Great News for Printers and Mailers

There is a Silver Lining

No one will argue that the print and mail industry has been negatively impacted by the internet. What once was printed and mailed is so often sent electronically today. Emails, websites, social networks, blogs have made a serious dent in print and mail revenue. Many of us in the industry are embracing these alternatives and so we must. But let’s not give up on what we know and love best. We need to print to succeed in these other medias.

Thanks to the strict legislation about spamming, direct mail still offers benefits not possible, or legal, with email. Yes, email is great for frequent communications. It’s inexpensive and easy. But you need an already engaged audience. Unless your prospects have opted-in to your email campaigns, you cannot (legally) send them emails. BUT, you can send them mail. Through direct mail campaigns, you can direct your prospects to opt-in and receive future email. The mail is a great medium to build your email lists. Yes there are others, but this is still a very viable method.

Should you take someone's content and deal with the consequences later?

Thank you David Spark for this week's content. We've been pondering this very topic:

by David Spark
"I started thinking about all the hot water Google got into with regards to the launching their different services, such as Google Street View, Google Books, and Google News. Google worked on each project, appropriated content that may or may not have been theirs to take, and then released the project, only to receive responses, “Hey, you didn’t ask me first if you could take that.”  Should you take someone’s content and deal with the consequences later?

David Spark will have more to say at the 2010 PINCShow, May 6 in San Francisco. If you want to know more - ask me.

Big Promises – But how can you tell they're working?

Pete Cashmore wrote for CNN, the 10 Web trends to watch in 2010.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/12/03/cashmore.web.trends.2010/index.html?iref=allsearch.

He mentions lots of exciting stuff including Google Wave which is an interesting combination of email, IM and collaboration; Location based posting like Foursquare, Latitude and so many others; Augmented Reality which we will be discussing at our conference May 6, http://www.pincshow.com/, and more. There is so much that I can barely catch my breath let alone grasp all the concepts.

As exciting as it all is, I’m not yet convinced that there is an accurate way to monitor marketing effectiveness beyond the big picture. Yes, I know there are tools available that aggregate responses from some posting sites. But the web is immense and it’s tentacles far reaching. That is, if things go as you want them to go.

I don’t believe the days of data are behind us. Not by any means. And I know the numbers exist out there is cyberspace somewhere. I’m just not sure how to get an accurate handle on them. That said, it could be just that I’m not yet willing to pay for them. There have been a few applications that have crossed my desk, including Adobe’s Omniture that might begin to solve the problem. Does anyone have any experience with these?

Twitter is not for kids

Many of us are attempting to come to grips with the world of Twitter. I just heard Anderson Cooper report that the “cool” community, that is, the teens between 16 and 19, don’t think much of Twitter. But I may be beginning to get it. And since I no longer fall into the “cool” age group and haven’t for some time, I’m not ashamed to admit it.

Time.com sent a young reporter to Haite. Her posts were fascinating. And what could she do with 140 characters? Not a lot, so she kept sending additional tweets until she finished her thoughts. I felt like I was turning the page of a suspenseful novel with every tweet I opened.

We also get beyond the 140 character limit by including links that take us to full articles – or blogs like this. The new miracle of shrinking URLs help us to save characters so they don’t use up the 140 and makes this a very practical solution.

Social Media has redeeming value

Images of motherhood and apple pie have both inspired me and eluded me. As the mother of two intelligent and now young adult men, I’ve had my share of fantasies. They were often of family gatherings, all of us seated at the kitchen table, competing in a friendly game of Risk or Scrabble. And of course, I’d let the kids win.

 

I’ve rarely succeeded in arranging this sort of event. When my family gathers these days they often seek stimulation from the tube and their computers (at the same time). I’ll admit it. We could all be sitting in the room together and resort to text messages to communicate. I should feel like a failure. I sort of do, except for the fact that they are both very solid citizens and I am exceeding proud of them.

 

Enough boasting. It seems that social media now offers me a way to have these gathering, even when we’re thousands of miles apart. It still seems silly. Impersonal. But it’s really not bad. The family has taken up the iPhone Ap called “Words with Friends”. It’s an online Scrabble game that seems to be bringing us together. I hear from my children more often now as they take their turn and I receive their automated text message that it’s now my move. I send them a chat message when they ruin my strategy, which happens quite often. I know how much smarter they are than I am. I’m being clobbered. I know when they are busy because they aren’t playing and I know a little more about how their brains work by how they play the game. It’s bringing us together in a new way and I’m addicted.

 

So, what has that got to do with this Holistic Marketing Blog? Well, each time I submit a move I am treated to an invitation to purchase diet supplements, prepaid debit cards, other aps, and I’m sure there is more to come. I can’t make another move until I deal with the ad. I’m so addicted, I’ll put up with it. A minor irritation. I wonder what subliminal effect these ads have on me, even when I choose to ignore them. I know these games have been happening for a while but this is the first time I’ve taken the time to engage. If my kids find another game to play – I’ll be there. And who knows what I may buy and never question why!

 

 

Barbara

 

See my art at www.yessy.com/bsilverman

Find me also on Facebook and LinkedIn

http://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarasilverman

 

bsilverman@email.com

office/fax: 925.938.3324

personal:    925.938.3323

mobile:      925.899.7035 

 

Girl on the spot for Apple's big announcement

Just passing by but soooo curious. What other company can create such buzz about a new product!