So Now What?

Last semester at American University. Yeah, let me say that again so it actually sinks into my own head. After the completion of this week, I will be officially done with my college career. I can't believe I am saying this, but I feel old. I remember when I walked into my dorm as a freshmen like a scared little puppy. I was dead set on becoming a corporate lawyer. I am now finishing school and have moved into the strategic consulting arena. To be honest, I really have no idea what that truly entails, but this first job will only act as a pay check that will hopefully and eventually pay off my loans.

People have always told me that life is short and that you should enjoy every moment of it. So I'm thinking down the road. These may be eoptmsitic ideas but I would love to accomplish the following:

• own a 1953 Chevy Corvette
• open up a small and cozy French restaurant
  
• retire by 48
• have a condo in Costa Rica

I'm willing to work my ass off to meet these goals. If you guys have absolutely nothing to do, check back with me in 3o on my progress.

Show Me The Money!!

and I promise this has nothing to do with Jerry Maguire

In most cases and as general concept, the more hits your website receives, the better your social media is performing. Here are some general ‘engagement’ metrics that you can monitor once visitors arrive:

• Unique visitors
• Page views per visitor
• Time spent on site
• Total time spent per user
• Frequency of visits
• Depth of visit
• Conversions

Most companies can use web analytics tools like Omniture or even Google Analytics which is a free tool. This applications and tools give you a brief overview as well as a detailed numbers. This all fine and dandy, but there is still a major factor that can not be measured-How much revenue is upheld via social media.

In business, CEO's and execs want to know if ever dollar that is put, turns a decent profit margin. This is also known as their return on their investment. That's the problem with social media measurements. You simply can't measure ROI this way. There are just so many intangibles. I brought up this concept a while ago, but let's get into it again.

Say someone is on your site and then tells a friend about it and that friend makes a purchase. How do you measure that? Don't forget the the salary that is handed to the employees that manage the site or involved within the social media realm. So that's already a sunk cost, and needs to be recovered via sales. There are so many intangibles that can be measured by any Google analytics tools.

Although there is no direct measurement with social media, there is still a large market audience to gain.

E-mail=Carrier Pigeon?

According the recent articles posted by techies, Twitter will soon replace or possibly phase out e-mail.

The idea behind microblogging is that you summarize your thoughts in 140 characters or less -you're actually limited to the space available. Blogs with 250 word minimums need not apply. Ok, so i know what you are thinking-crap, another blog site that I can waste my time on and possible "connect" with other people. But an article by Robert Scoble says Twitter can do more. You win your clients over by gaging their interests and likes via their Twitter file, check their current status, and set meeting dates.
I have a few quams if you will with this, sorry Twitter

1. When does knowing someone interests become stalker status? Personally, as I client I would not want by advisor calling or meeting with me for the first time and him asking how my Yankees are doing or how I enjoyed movie (fill in your favorite movie).
2. "It's strangely addictive," says NBC videographer Jim Long. Ummmm, not good. So now we have a bunch of financial advisors and employees strangely addicited to Twiiter. So who the hell is doing actual office work?
3. Maybe it's because I just don't like Twitter, but I just do see the benefits of using Twitte out-weighing the costs. I feel that employees or people may spend more time on the site, then getting actuall results. As Robert noted him, he posted that they are expecting a baby. He did recieve any posts or contacts from Huggies, Gerber Baby Food, or other infant related products. I guess Procter & Gamble didn't think the marketing costs for this research was not worth it.

Ok ok, let's switch it up, here's what I like

1. This is a large network.
   
2. Twitter is mobile. You can send an SMS message to the Twitter phone number to update your friends on your everyday whereabouts, and people who subscribe to you will get instant notifications wherever they are.
3. Ask questions, get answers in real time: My favorite part about Twitter is the ability to get answers really quickly to any question you have. You can even track the conversation later using a tool such as Quotably.
   

So to all you businesses (I highly doubt you are reading this, but here goes anyway) when approaching Twitter, you need to do some market research to see if this product will actually put some money in the bank for you. Do your homework and go on with your e-hustle.




Photo Credit
http://silenceandvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/twitter-addicts.jpg

Ima Hustla...Ask About Me

"Maybe you were blessed with the right group of friends. I wasn’t."

I feel like a lot of people can agree with the above statement. So what do they do from here? Well, mindofahuslter.com says that you need to pick the right crew. The majority of us do not have that rich kid as a room-mate in college, nor do we sit on great grandmother's trust fund. For these reasons we need to rely on ourselves to form a successful team.

But what are the characteristics of a good team?
Good teams are led by people who convey a clear vision of the team’s purpose, provide the team with the necessary resources to complete their jobs, and maintain the team’s overall character. There are thousands of questions about what makes a good team, but the true measure of great teams is the process by which they succeed. Obviously not all teams start on an equal playing field; most have ridiculous connections, some are mediocre, and some are just awful. So the way that your team gets to the finish line is important.

Another major characteristic is hustling aka grinding, making bank, and chasing paper. These are the terms that business professionals may not hear enough, but damn are they important. People who exhibit this characteristic are hard working individuals. They come in before everyone and leave after everyone. They find ways to get the client, get the project, and get the deal that delivers the cash. Simply put...these people work their asses off.

The question then becomes, who should be on your career team?

• A mentor or two. A mentor is someone who has been there and done that; knows you well and agrees that your goals are realistic.
• A career “entourage” comprised of friends and possibly close family. These people are your sounding board and feedback loop on ideas and career options.
• Professional references that provide the bridge for job security
• The hustlers
• The runners-people who are the behind the scene workers.
  
• Connectors-the individuals who make social networking a priority.
  

So now that you got the basics down, start forming your crew. Who knows-if you get the million dollar one, you can win a Nobel piece prize or you can successfully rob a bank. It's really your call.

You too can be a citizen journalist....kinda

You reading this article makes me a citizen journalist...

What?

Yes, this is the way it works. The idea behind citizen journalism is that people without professional journalism training can use the tools of modern technology and the global distribution of the Internet to create, augment or fact-check media on their own or in collaboration with others.

There is some controversy over the term citizen journalism, because many professional journalists believe that only a trained journalist can understand the rigors and ethics involved in reporting the news. And conversely, there are many trained journalists who practice what might be considered citizen journalism by writing their own blogs or commentary online outside of the traditional journalism hierarchy. Check out this YouTube video for more ideas.

Here's my take-since there is no moderation due to free speech clauses, people are generally free to write what they want on the web. This is where is becomes dangerous. I can say that as of today this morning, BMW motors will no longer produce automobiles and begin production on a new line of competitor Barbie dolls. Here's the sad part-there might be a huge audience that may read this and actually believe what I wrote and sell BMW stock or burn their 330xi that they have in their lot. So please, citizen journalists, please write with caution and responsibility.

Here is another great article for further discussion.

Online Meet and Greets....Awful Idea

This Web Page brings up the notion of doing away with personal meet and greets and switching over to the web based version. The same article brings up the website LinkedIn. A woman by the name of Grace Change joined this professional social network. Via this site people can look at personal profiles and retain information such as operating industry field, salary, and personal information.

The concept of a Business Lunch hails all the way back to the olden ages where two individuals or more would gather to have a meal and later discuss business matter informally. These meetings people get to know one another and truly see how they can interact with others. These luncheons may determine whether or not someone gets employment or is allowed to start on a new project.

What happens if this business lunch turns into an internet based version where people use websites such as LinkedIn and such. I have preached this many times. People need to meet face to face to really get to know themselves. When people sit behind the screens of their laptops or desktops, they are not the same person if met face to face. I guarantee you this. Certain emotions, character traits, or comical jokes come out in a business lunch/ drink.

I also think that there is a fine line between efficeincy and loss of personal touch. I understand that this is a high paced world with bills to be collected around the corner, but should we really lose getting the chance to truly know a person. I do not agree with this e-business meet and greet. I think research should be made for a person's background and so forth via, the net but business execs should meet face to face to discuss business. Period.

Trust me, this is an horrible idea.

What's your personal brand equity?

If you were concerned about your personal branding, check out these four tips

1. Make the people around you successful
   
2. Get a mentor
3. Go forward with your education
4. Work the media

Think of Warren Buffet, Oprah Winfrey, Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Sam Walton, Ted Turner, Richard Branson, and Steve Jobs. Besides having an insanely large bank account, these people have one another thing in common-the succeeding skill of personal brand management.

An article from N 2 Growth, by Mike Myatt suggests the power of personal brand equity. But the concept of brand equity applies to individuals, not just companies and products. Just like Volvos are perceived as reliable and Rolexes are perceived as luxurious, people cultivate certain traits as they navigate office relationships and seek to advance their careers. These labels affect the perception of your value as an employee and define your personal brand equity.

If you type an email, you’re branding yourself. If you have a conversation with a friend or family member, you’re branding yourself. How you dress, what you eat, and how you talk all contribute to your brand. Think of your brand as the summation of all the associations about you that are stored in people’s minds.
In all, if you want to run a smart business or just simply improve your image, consider the power of personal branding because perception truly does become reality.

Word of Mouse; Kill That Mouse

Ok, so the Economist published an article on how social networks and their marketing potential. The following was taken directly out of the article.

Thus the main thesis of “The Cluetrain Manifesto”, written in 1999, was that “markets are conversations” which the web can make transparent.

I agree 100% with this quote, but at the end of the day most people sign into Facebook or MySpace to connect with old time friends, not to be hit by specified ads or banner ads. Personally, most of the ads on Facebook on not catered to my interest. Just the other day, I looked at the side of Facebook and saw Car Insurance Rates for high luxury automobiles. Ummmmm...NO. I drive a Nissan Altima, and in no way is that a luxury vehicle, also how many college kids on FB have luxury cars? This is the same problem Andrew ran into with his Facebook experience. Check out his blog out at http://accandrews.blogspot.com/. Although companies such as Google cater to using keywords and searchwords typed in by the user to select specified ads, I still fill as if it's a hit or miss.

I think the idea "conversational marketing" is great in theory. When films such as 300 and companies such as Sprite create interactive pages on social networks, I think they get their name out and and increase their target audience. But here comes the problem, the article notes that there is no mass targeting, yet a use of "opinion leaders" who in turn push forward a specific ad that they have seen within their social network. This doesn't work.

Call me old school, but Facebook would be great without ads.

Crazy Old Lady Says What???

Ok so you won a Nobel Prize, congrats. But in today's world that does not give you the right to go on about your beliefs about how the current computer world is siphoning our brains ans destroying our culture. I am sure Doris Lessing is a wonderful lady and a suburb novelist, and her books have sold millions, but what was she talking about? It sounded like a pranoid old grandmother nagging about anything that includes the word technology around it. Yes, she was indeed too old and ill to give the speech herself, but she missed out on all the benefits computers do bring.

I have been using the mass form of communication and global awarness (aka the computer) since my early teens. Reading CNN, Motor Trend Magazine, ESPN, and Financial Times in no way ruined my culture-I promise you that. Hey, but I am sure there are plenty of kids and grown adults sitting on eBay, YouTube, or playing online games as the wee hours approach. But I do not think it was proper for Doris to go ahead and put comuters in a negative light. I'm sure there was more to her speech than the current article gives and I'm sure things were blown out of proportion, but I'm still sure that Doris does in fact think that "The Internet Makes Us Dumb".

Using the Internet I was able to find out that there are mini computers being delivered to developing areas of India and other South East nations to serve for educational purposes. Listen, it all depends on how you use it. If you are one of the brain-drainers, then that's your fault and not the Internet. If you chose to use your time learning and using a computer to your advantage, well then hats off to you sir.

Who knew?

Crowd-sourcing is the act of taking a job traditionally performed by a designated agent (usually an employee) and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call. Ok, maybe this makes sense to the ITEC kids, but call me incompetent cause I was lost.

After some more reading, I noticed that crowd-sourcing is all around us. Take a look at www.wikipedia.com and www.urbandictionary.com These are great examples truly show us how important crowd-sourcing has become. Wikipedia has become an online enclypodia that millions of users can contribute as well as urban dictionary. This is a great idea. Compolations of online cookbooks would be anoter idea that one of my friends is actually working on.

So go ahead and contribute.

Second Life; not so great

I have heard rave reviews about this online application that allows people to log in and create their avatars and communicate via the web. I think there is a huge flaw with this. I don't think people notice that an online voice is completely different from a personal voice. As I am writing this post, I can basically write anything . That's the same concept with Second Life. Behind the screen, individuals have little shame or embarrassment because they are not talking face to face with another person.

I feel that if people continue to avidly use the program that when they meet in public, they will not know how to be their selves. Maybe it's a good thing, that you can be a different person online, as to being in the real world. But I just prefer to talk to you in person and not look at your avatar on my screen. Just my opinion.

Sept 3

Six Myths about Informal Networks brought up an important myth titled: everyone should be connected. Initially I figured that everyone should be connected to improve productivity. If John and Sarah are connected then they can share information through the web without having to physical leave their desks. But i did forget the time and effort it takes to maintain these personal connections. I am sure that through Formal Networks, everyone is connected under a secure network where they can share, edit, and comment on personal company information. But for the sake of having an informal network, there is simply no need for everyone to be in contact with one another.

The practical guide to social networks had be thinking about how certain companies handle daily business processes. I'm sure Dell, AT&T, and Panasonic's Customer Service Dept use the Routine Response model to handle their situations. Each call is placed to a specific issue and then handled in it's own specific way. The Modular Response reminded me of how a Marketing/ Advertisement Team may work. They all work for the same common goal under a complicated set of instructions. Different parties work on certain ideas, and then bring them back to the table for general discussion. In general, it is extremely interesting to see how social networks are all around us and how people tend to take them for granted.

My name is Boris Yampolsky and I am student in an the ITEC-335 class. It's good to be back for another semester, yet it is slightly sad that this is my last semester in this school. So I'm just here to enjoy the last few months of my college life and go onto the "real world" that our parents have been bugging us about for so long.