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Social Media

Playing the Klout Game

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

Now that Klout has changed their algorithm it appears that most people’s scores have dropped significantly. It seems to keep your Klout score high you have to play the Klout game! I have talked to many people that feel that Klout scores just don’t matter.

John Pozadzides of One Man’s Blog says “Whether we’re talking about Klout, Peerindex, or any of the other services that attempt to measure and quantify a person’s reach, the bottom line is – they don’t matter. I’ll tell you what matters: when you make a recommendation, do people act on it?

For example, Mike Rawlings is the mayor of Dallas – a single city with twice the population of the state of Alaska. Yet Klout says he’s a 38 http://klout.com/#/Mike_Rawlings. Clearly there is a LOT these tools don’t measure.

If you want to play along with Klout for fun – have at it! But if you want to know how you’re doing in the social media space all you have to do is ask your audience and see how much response you get. That’s how you measure your true klout.”

I also spoke to Lissa Duty about this and here is what she had to say:

“For me, Robin, Klout is a tool just like any other. I don’t necessarily have a lot of concern about what my Klout score is / is not. Call me crazy if you want! I have been studying and looking at different online scoring systems for a while and they all have a different score / varying grading system. Who determines which one is right or not? It’s the users that make the decision to hire you or not, that matters.

My advice to you and anyone else out there studying Klout scores and being concerned – do your job online, as long as your circle of influence, peers and connections still think you are great, that is what is important. As long as you are getting clients and making money, which is why so many are using social media, who cares what their Klout score is. I do want to disclose, my Klout score used to be 63, dropped to 49 and when I looked a few days ago it was back up to 53. I am still getting clients, speaking opportunities, and booking social media coaching, Klout can’t give or take that away!”

So let’s look at what “clout” truly is about. (According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary clout is influence.) Do you influence people? Do people retweet you? Do you have meaningful (or fun) conversations on Twitter, Facebook and Google+? Do you get business from social media? If you can say yes to these questions than you have “clout”! The true measure of your influence on the web is if you are reaching the people you are intending: clients, potential clients, friends, etc.

I personally have grown my following on Twitter organically; I have never used a service, never followed a “bunch of random people”. I’ve done the same thing on all the social networks I use. I admit I’m more engaged on Twitter — I have more friends, conversation and such. I just don’t play the Klout game.

So what is the Klout game? The Klout game is simply played, you do have to be active on your social networks, and that includes your personal Facebook profile (I don’t use my personal profile, I tend to only update my business page – strike one in the Klout game!). You need to give (and receive) as many +K’s as possible (you don’t understand how they get the topics you can receive a +K for, well neither do I. I recently I received a +K for motorcycles!). Now you can connect your business page to Klout, but if you manage multiple pages the problem will be they will tap into all the pages and not just “your” page (hey Klout, TweetDeck can let me choose pages why can’t you?).

Even if you play the Klout game your score may drop as Klout continues to change their algorithm. Personally, I’m going to judge myself on how my business grows. Now that’s CLOUT!

Tags: Facebook, Google, John Pozadzides, Klout, Lissa Duty, Mike Rawlings, Peerindex, Twitter
Posted in General, Social Media, Technology | 6 Comments »

Facebook Changes Lists To Be More Like… Circles!

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

Yes, competition is good. Facebook finally feels like they have competition (Google+) and now they are starting to take certain things seriously. Like privacy. Finally.

It is finally really easy to create lists, just go to your wall and click on Friends. Then click on Edit Friends, then click on Create a List, Then you Enter a List Name. The really easy part is Facebook will show you a list (with pictures) of all your friends and you can click on everyone you want on that list!. You can add people to an existing list easily, when you are in the Edit Friends area, just rollover the hidden area to the left of the x (see picture) and you can Edit Lists. I know, I know. Why did Facebook hide this, well if it was visible everyone could use it!

Facebook announced (and implemented) ways to make it easier to “Share With Who You Want” in a blog that came out at 1pm on August 23rd. You can now choose who you share your posts with.You can make posts Public (now the entire world will know you just ate dinner!), you can share with friends, or you can customize your sharing (share just with specific people, hide from certain people, etc.). And this is where lists come in, you can choose customize and type a list into the field and your post can be shared, or hidden from the people in that list! Very Google+ if you ask me. Google+ wants to know if I want my posts to be public or which “Circles” I want to share my post with….

You can also now approve all posts or photos you are tagged in (yippee!) before it is visible in your profile. While you can’t keep people from tagging you, you will have more control over who sees it. Hmmm, wasn’t this something Mr. Zuckerberg said people weren’t interested in?

Facebook is also allowing you to change your mind, after the fact. If you post something to the public and realize you don’t want everyone to know that you went to a concert when you called in sick to work, you can go back and change the posting status to just “Friends” and keep your fingers crossed that your boss didn’t see the post.

Now if you loved using the “Places” feature on your mobile phone, I have bad news. Today, Facebook officially killed Places. Places is mobile only and their new location feature will be available on your desktop and/or laptop as well as your phone (I often take my desktop to places I want to check into…). But seriously, the new location “button” allows you to share where you’ve been, where you are now and where you’re going.

Check-in Deals will remain intact. If you go to a store/restaurant offering a Check-in Deal, it will show up in your News Feed…. Are we all clear now All of these great new features will started to roll out last Thursday, so if you haven’t already started to see the new privacy features (I started seeing some of them yesterday) you will see start to see them soon!

And the best thing, the very best thing… Facebook now has backups baked in! Just go to Account Settings (in the upper left corner) and at the bottom of the page it has Download a copy of your Facebook data. Click on the link and you will be taken to a page with a green button that says Start My Archive. Once you click on that button, Facebook will start the lengthy archival process and then email you a backup that include photos, videos, wall posts, messages, chats, your friends’ names and some of their email addresses!

Tags: backups, Check-in Deals, Circles, Facebook, Google, lists, Places, ribit, Zuckerberg
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

Social Media Protection – Facebook Facial Recognition

Thursday, June 23rd, 2011

In February I blogged about protecting your brand online (Protect Your Brand by Listening to Your Mother!). Unfortunately, Representative Anthony Weiner did not read my insightful post about thinking before you tweeted, or posted, or e- mailed. Now it is even more important to heed my warning. Just this week the FTC ruled in its investigation of Social Intelligence Corp. that they are in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act in keeping “our” posts and tweets and such in a dossier on us that they can keep for seven, yes seven, years. Michael Santo wrote a great article in the Tech Buzz Examiner about it!

In my previous post I said you should not post something you wouldn’t want your grandmother to read. I am amending that to include your future/prospective boss! Yes, that is who is using Social Intelligence’s services. All your college photos showing your drunken parties might seem like harmless fun to you, but your next employer might see it as a potential problem and pass.

And if you think you can control your photos think again. Facebook has now introduced a new “feature” called Facial Recognition. Yup, now Facebook will find you in pictures and tag you. Perhaps you should think of that before doing some of those really fun things your “friends” can capture on their cellphone cameras and upload. Once again, this “feature” is automatically “on”. So if you don’t want your friends to have pictures of you suggested to them that they can tag with your name (yes, Facebook scans through all the pictures on your Facebook page – of your friends and family – and then sifts through all the pictures on all their servers and “suggests” pictures that might be you so you can tag them with your friends names) you need to turn this “feature” off. With this new feature your friends can tag your pictures without your knowledge!

Now if all of this seems a tad futuristic and creepy, well you can turn it off. You just have to follow the simple guidelines (courtesy of How to Disable Facebook Facial Recognition by Rob Young)

Log into Facebook
In the top-right corner click on Account and go to Privacy Settings
Click “customize settings (toward the bottom-middle of your screen).
Look for the section title “Things others share.” the permission you accidentally gave Facebook to use facial recognition suggestions is located in the “Suggest photos of me to friends” option. Click on “Edit Settings” to change that
Choose “Disabled” and then push “OK.”

Now you can be sure that your friends are not getting your photos without your knowledge (through Facebook) to tag. But still be aware that what you are posting lives on without your knowledge through companies like Social Intelligence, even after you delete it.

I’m not saying never have fun, I am saying you just need to be aware of the consequences. If you tweet people pictures of your private parts, it might cost you your job. Whether you work for Congress or not.

Tags: Anthony Weiner, FTC, Social Intelligence Corp. Facebook
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

Protect Your Brand by Listening to Your Mother!

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

I can’t believe it. I’m turning into my Mother. I’m here repeating all the parent tapes that run through my brain: “think before you speak”, “don’t put anything into writing -or on video- you wouldn’t want your grandmother to read (or see)”, “the only secret you have is the one you don’t share”, “don’t run with a sharp stick in your hand”. Oh wait, that last one doesn’t belong in this blog… but maybe it should.

In the category of thinking before you speak we have Kenneth Cole (check out Shelly Kramer’s great blog from the 4th) using the civil unrest in Egypt to promote his new spring collection. And now Groupon has joined in the controversy, with ads linking them to Tibet, Save the Whales, and Save the Rainforests. The thing that might be the saving grace for Groupon is that if you go to savethemoney.groupon.com and make a donation of $15 you get a $15 Groupon credit.

Then of course there is what you don’t want your grandmother to read (or see). Our latest example is the pop star in Indonesia, 29 year old Nazril Irham who happened to make a sex tape (why?) that he says was stolen from him and then leaked to the internet. He was just sentenced to 3 1/2 years in jail. Seriously, hasn’t he learned from Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian what can happen when you make a sex tape? Oh wait, that is what launched Kim’s career – never mind….

Why do people think they can put something on Facebook and it will be a “secret”. Remember earlier this year the teacher from the Massachusetts high school, June Talvitie-Siple who made a post to her Facebook wall that ended up getting her fired. Don’t put something on Facebook that you want kept a secret – Facebook is not Las Vegas (what happens on Facebook, does not stay on Facebook!).

Remember, when you are “giving your status” on Facebook, “tweeting” on Twitter, “updating” on LinkedIn, etc., you are representing your brand, just as much as when you air a Super Bowl ad. What you say can have a lasting effect on your audience. You want to be sure that you leave a good impression. Be sure that what you say reflects well on you and your brand. Be sure that you won’t mind seeing it again in twenty years, because what happens on the internet, stays on the internet.

And remember, don’t run with a sharp stick, you could fall and hurt yourself!

Tags: brand, branding, Facebook, Groupon, Kim Kardashian, linkedin, Nazril Irham, Paris Hilton, social media, Twitter
Posted in General, Marketing, Social Media | 4 Comments »

Web Site Design for Beginners – Part 3

Friday, August 27th, 2010

The third and final post in this series, Web Site Design for Beginners, is now up on Edmee Roche’s (@edmeeroche) She’s Gone Blogging site.

This blog post covers one of the most important decision you will have to make: what type of web site you are going to develop: informational or e-commerce. Will your site be static, or will it be built with a Content Management System (CMS) so you can easily update the content. If you have an e-commerce site do you want to host your e-commerce site or do you want to use a hosted solution.

Whether you choose a static site, a CMS driven site, an e-commerce site you host or a hosted solution, don’t forget Search Engine Optimization (SEO). I cover all this and more!

Tags: CMS, content management systems, e-commerce, hosting, Search Engine Optimization, web site, web site design
Posted in Design, General, Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Technology | 1 Comment »

Is the Influence Project Influential?

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Fast Company wanted to show that they could make anything go viral, so they got together with Mekanism. Mekanism is “a creative company that builds digital audiences.” They also guaranteed Fast Company that anything they do will go viral. Okay, I can believe you can do something so out there, so outrageous, that it can go viral – and with the backing of Fast Company (Fast Company did put it out in their e-mail newsletter, online and in their print publication) I buy that. But what does it prove and what does it gain you. So together they launched the Influence Project.

So what happened with the Influence Project (which was launched the first week in July), in the first week 13,000 people signed up. I admit, I was one of them. Funny thing is, since then (another 3 weeks) only 7,000 people signed up. What went wrong. Easy, it was ill conceived. How you ask. Lots of ego and little planning.

Web sites are for people, not for going viral. The Influence Project web site was created all in Flash 10. You don’t have Flash 10 you can’t get in. Rule out iPhones and iPads (okay, most of them have computers at home). Now let’s talk about corporate users (you know, Fortune 500 companies and the like), they control what applications are on the computers and trust me, they are not all on Flash 10 – I know, those people can wait till they get home. It is just that you made the site more difficult to use.

Okay, everyone is at home using their modern computer with Flash 10. Let’s hope they all have broadband, because this puppy is slow to load (about 20 seconds on my Uverse account)! You load up the link your friend sent you. But the instructions on the page are really poor (although it appears they recently changed them (perhaps from criticism from the crowds). When you went to the site it said nothing. Now it tells you to click on the picture to show influence, but in actuality you have more influence if they sign up, no one got that from the site. No one. Everyone called me and asked me what to do.

News flash. Good site design does not require phone support to navigate. Presently I am ranked 2,183 out of 20,076. I sent out one tweet and posted it once on my personal Facebook page (and I am not a big FB user and have limited friends). Two of my friends signed up, two. Guy Kawaski (big name got 56 people to sign up. Mari Smith managed to get 304 people to sign up. These are not big viral numbers people.

Mekanism and Fast Company want you to think that 20,000 people joining the Influence project is “viral”, I’m here to tell you 20,000 people is nothing. While I would love for 20,000 people to subscribe to my blog or follow me on Twitter. Put the number in perspective, Fast Company has a subscriber base of 723,230. So out of their subscriber base (which doesn’t include all the people who read their online magazine or subscribe to their e-mail newsletter, follow them on Twitter, etc.) they were able to get 20,000 people to sign on. Oh, and the people that signed on tweeted about it to their connections, so it went to people who might not follow Fast Company.

Fast Company might think this was a great success, but I think it was a great dud. They started building this up with an article about viral campaigns and Mekanism in their May issue of the magazine. What they didn’t mention is a lot of viral campaigns don’t bring in a return on investment (luckily, online campaigns often are inexpensive). Take Burger King’s Subservient Chicken, even Burger King admits they only had a minor bump in sales (9%) for a campaign that got them millions of hits online.

Viral campaigns sound great, but are you reaching actual potential clients or are you just reaching “people”. Keep your eye on the ball, which is growing your business. You want to reach those people that can and will use your products and services. Going viral is great, growing your business is better.

Tags: Facebook, social media, Twitter, viral marketing
Posted in General, Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

June 30, 2010 – Social Media Day

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Wow, we have our own day. Mashable has announced that today is Social Media Day. The first question is, will anyone notice. It is very prominent on the Mashable site (first thing you see), so then I went to Facebook. Facebook has the ability to sent a message to everyone. I expected to see something announcing to the almost 500 million members that this was a very special day, a day celebrating what Facebook has helped shape – social networks. Alas, no global message, Facebook let the moment pass.

So I went to Twitter and checked my stream, and lots of social media, but not a lot of Social Media Day. Hmmm, how could Social Media Day go unnoticed. I checked CNN (online of course) They even link to Mashable and The Wall Street Journal (checking the technology sections of course). Then I went old school, I “Googled” Social Media Day and no major news media outlet (sorry KCTV Kansas City) came up, only Mashable.

So does this mean social media doesn’t work? No, it means social media doesn’t work in a vacuum. It is what I tell my clients. You want to be on Facebook, because if Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest country in the world. You want to be on Twitter, because you want to have the opportunity to meet people, influence people, show people that you are smart, funny, engaging, etc. – pick your adjective that best describes you. You also want to be on Twitter so that you can know what people are saying about you and your company and your product. You can’t respond if you are not a part of the conversation. You need to have a LinkedIn profile so other professionals can find you and know who you are and what you do. You want to have a YouTube channel so they can see you in action (keep checking back, I am editing our video!).

So why did my Google search yield only Mashable links (okay and KCTC), because Mashable forgot that the traditional media, and other social media outlets still look to old fashioned ways to be kept up-to-date: press releases, phone calls, personal interviews. Social Media works, you just need to use it in conjunction with more traditional forms of media if you want to be sure to get wall-to-wall coverage of your very first Social Media Day. Maybe next year, we will be everywhere!

Tags: Facebook, linkedin, Marketing, public relations, social media, Twitter, YouTube
Posted in General, Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Technology | 2 Comments »

Welcome to our New ribit Web Site

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Yes, we are the cobbler’s child. At least every five years we totally redo our web site. Trash the old one and start over from scratch.

This time we decided to leave the old content management system we used (short tutorial – a content management system is a database driven system that allows us to build you a web site where the content of the pages is separate from the design and structure of the web site. This allows us to be able to give the web site owner a user name and password that will allow them to update the content on the pages without changing the design or structure of the web site, using a content editor that is “similar” to editing in your basic word document editing software package.) and switch to WordPress.

WordPress offered a lot of advantages, ease of use being first and foremost. WordPress also has a huge community building Plugins, small applications that add functionality to the “base” program. You want more SEO (search engine optimization – what you need to get higher in the Google rankings) than you get out of the “box” from WordPress, there is a plugin for that. You want a Captcha field (those annoying squiggly letters that automated programs can’t generate to “steal” the form) to go with your contact form, there is a plugin for that. You want it, someone has probably already made a plugin for it.

So why didn’t we “switch” sooner. We at ribit pride ourselves on not only creating sites that work, that incorporate the SEO you need, that connect you to the Social Media, that have a blog, but we create sites that have unique designs that reflect the owner of the web site – that will help them reach their marketing goals and objects. Whenever we looked at WordPress sites, well, they looked like WordPress sites.

The challenge for us was how to make a WordPress site that doesn’t look like a WordPress site. This is what we came up with, different frog paintings on each page, the blog (okay the blog looks like a WordPress blog), a portfolio that is very clean and highlights just a smattering of our work.

We are going to be added to the site in the coming weeks, keep coming back to see how the site progresses. And welcome to our new site!

Posted in Design, General, Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media | 10 Comments »

Social Media, Is It Worth the Time?

Friday, March 12th, 2010

Everyone always asks me how much time I spend on Social Media, and is it worth it. I Am here to tell you that it definitely is worth every minute I spend on tweeting, blogging, updating, etc. I probably spend fifteen to twenty minutes a day keeping up with social media. If I am adding in a blog post, I might spend more – if I have a heavy load of commitments to clients and training meetings I might spend less, but on average I spend fifteen to twenty minutes a day.

What do I get for my time spent on Social Media you ask, I have a community of people on Twitter, that when I have a question, they will answer for me, they have amazing insights into things I might not, and best yet, they refer business to me. By posting interesting tidbits and links to articles of relevant information, I make myself a useful resource on Twitter. Yes, they refer business to me! My fans on my Facebook Fan Page, while few in number, have access to a portfolio and a “sampling” of my thoughts and posts. Not to mention that Facebook, if it were a country, would be the fourth largest country in the world, don’t you want to be “listed” as a part of the “country”?

Plaxo and LinkedIn are interesting places to be a part of, I admit, I am not that active in Plaxo. I tend to post a status update once a day, and check the status e-mails every week to see what is going is new and to send out birthdays (I love their birthday card feature!). LinkedIn is great for not only keeping up with what is going on with all of my contacts, but for the Groups feature, where you can either run a Group or join a Group. Either way you can easily become known as an expert in your field by replying to discussions that are posted, starting your own discussion within that group or submitting a news item for that group. LinkedIn also let’s you answer questions, posted by other members which let’s you establish yourself as an expert in your field.

Tags: Facebook, linkedin, plaxo, social media, Twitter
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »