Posts filed under 'blogs'
Embracing the Social Media Groundswell
It’s every companies dream to ride a big wave. How do you do that with social media? I like to think about conversing at a friends dinner party with people you know and have just met. You would not hard sell someone at the party your good and services –would you? It’s socially unacceptable. So as you build your social network today, here are some tips to help you surf the coming swell with awareness.
- Social Media Groundswell is about person-to-person activity.
- Don’t be “the company” be a person.
- Be a good listener.
- Be patient, transform your company, one person at a time.
- Be passionate, it’s contagious.
- Stay on your toes … adjust and learn from connections.
- Stay real. If you become prideful people will know.
Add comment February 19, 2010
Twitter – follow or unfollow
I got an email this morning from a concerned client. People were following him on twitter that didn’t appear to be good followers – they had totally different interests! This client is in the media business and had welders and swimmers following them. Should I unfollow them, they asked?
There are several thoughts regarding twitter followers. I believe in the theory of 6 degrees of separation. I connect to people with similar interests. So I follow people daily on twitter that are talking about subjects that interest me. You can do this too with twitter search – it is very powerful.
We are all part of the human web and the twitter followers I target are connected to my key word values. The people I follow are targeted based on content in their tweets or tweets they re-tweeted. As your network grows people will find you. Either people like me will retweet your posts and create new follows, or just stumble upon you and follow. When you build a twitter network people will follow you that do not appear to be targeted. But if we go back to the 6 degree theory – if you follow someone with 10,000 followers how many of their followers could use your content or even possibly be a business connection?
Yes, I do un-follow people. If tweets are rude, constantly selling, crude, etc. See my article: http://bit.ly/cy6wn9
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Add comment February 12, 2010
Hydrogen Scooter – very green
I drive a Suzuki Burgman 650 (gas model) weather permitting. I refuse to ride during a thunderstorm, I have no desire to be a lightning rod. In Houston, Texas I probally ride about 300 days a year.
Now Suzuki has a a hydrogen-powered fuel cell hybrid electric Burgman scooter. It will enable city commuting while being very green because it has only water vapor for emissions.
The Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter is made by clean power systems company Intelligent Energy and Suzuki Motor. It is currently being tested in London. Suzuki
plans to use this Burgman platform to test and refine it’s fuel cell technology in scooter scale while making an affordable green product for consumers.
All motorcycle manufacturers are facing strong emissions standards in the near future – this scooter will exceed those requirements. The EU has put emissions at the top of their agenda for 2010. Suzuki is getting ready cutting emissions to zero. These same laws will effect all transportation so the technology in this scooter may be repurposed for four wheels in a few years.
Hydrogen is called an alternative energy source compared to carbon-hungry fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel. If this technology is to thrive it will require growth of hydrogen fueling stations.
This Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter is fueled by a cylinder of hydrogen, which reacts with oxygen in the air to produce electricity and water. A lithium-ion battery and fuel cell provide the vehicle’s power and the only gas emitted through the exhaust is water vapor.
Unlike other fuel cell vehicles, the battery does not need recharging. It can recharge itself when accelerating or decelerating and continues to produce power as long as it has hydrogen and oxygen. This Burgman has a 220 mile distance on a single tank of hydrogen.
1 comment February 4, 2010
Reaching 384 million people
A recent article about China and Google mentioned how well controlled the Internet is in China, but don’t forget that the market is huge. I love the Chinese people and if you want to reach a lot of people … could this be your market? China has an estimate 384 million Internet users and a huge cell market. Hello China!
China’s government aggressively promotes Internet use for business and education, but tries to block access to material deemed “subversive” or pornographic. I wish the US blocked porno.
Google made news and caused an outcry among Chinese internet users when it announced thisit might pull out of China over censorship and e-mail hacking. I’m still waiting to see if hardball works.
1 comment February 4, 2010
Accept Credit Cards Everywhere
Square is a new innovative company that that will let the iPhone and iPod touch (and eventually other mobile devices) handle real-world remote credit card transactions. The square device works via a small application and divice that plugs into the headphone jack resulting in swipe-able credit card transactions. Square was founded by the man created by Twitter, Jack Dorsey.
It’s cool just how fast Square works for transactions. Simply amazing! One can also sign the card with a finger on the screen. Plus one can get receipts via email.
If you have been in an Apple store you have seen this type of credit card transaction. Square wants to being it to the masses.l
I think that this will revolutionize transactions and I want mine now.
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1 comment February 2, 2010
See Amazing SixthSense Technology
We don’t really want to use computers, we want information. What if you could control your computer and it’s information. Open your eyes as to how you could react to the physical word with Pranav Mistry at TEDIndia. This is amazing!
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Add comment January 30, 2010
Vintage Ad Resource
Wow, just type in a few words like “music records” and this database pulls ads for you. It’s a great resource for presentations or research. It’s said that there are no original original ideas, perhaps it will inspire you to do something different?
Thanks to Seth Godin for blogging about this resource. I can use it. How about you?
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2 comments January 10, 2010
Does Elvis get a free dessert and song?
ELVIS PRESLEY’S BIRTHDAY!
My how the time flies! Is it possible that Elvis Presley’s birthday on January 8, 2010 puts him at 75 years old? Have you seen him today?
To celebrate the life and legacy of the King of Rock ’n’ Roll many events and exhibits are on tap from Graceland to all across America. Through January 10th thousands of Presley fans will brave the bitter cold and fans head to Memphis, TN to join Lisa Marie and Priscilla Presley for Elvis’ 75th birthday celebration. Other celebrations too:
- See the Elvis’ 1956 Model KH motorcycle at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, WI. How about this? Any visitor with E.P. style sideburns and sunglasses save $4 off regular admission.
- Photojournalist Alfred Wertheimer’s Smithsonian traveling exhibition with pictures of a young Elvis debuts on January 8th at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, CA.
- Cirque du Soleil’s Viva Elvis that premieres on February 19th at the new Aria Resort & Casino at CityCenter in Las Vegas, NV.
Other celebrations exist too. Amazing isn’t it?
1 comment January 8, 2010
Did your IT person mention the word PICNIC?
I’ll probably make some IT people mad with this one. When I heard this I was ROTFL or 
! It seems the phrase PICNIC is a code word spoken by IT geek people supporting computers. It stands for “Problem In Chair, Not In Computer.” Now you know. So if they speak the word PICNIC while helping you you can smile back knowingly.
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2 comments January 7, 2010
New Patent Changes Social Media
Facebook on Tuesday was awarded a patent for a social network news feed, setting the stage for a future battle with its social networking peers over similar technologies.
The patent is specifically for “dynamically providing a news feed about a user of a social network” and effectively grants Facebook the opportunity to pursue other social networks who it deems are infringing on the company’s patent.
In my opinion, this is a amazing ruling. Just think of what could result from this patent.
Add comment February 27, 2010