Jeff Cutler – columns, essays and opinions

What? You haven’t heard of the 140 Character Conference Series? It’s been going on for YEARS and this September (actually in two weeks) it comes to Boston for the first time. What’s the big deal? Try to follow along with the 14 reasons I’m going to this edition of the conference. Then, maybe you’ll be excited enough to attend too. Would love to see you there.

And no, even I wasn’t creative enough or so disrespectful of your time to trot out 140 reasons. Here are 10 reasons to attend. Just sayin’.

10 – You’ll get to meet Jeff Pulver. For those of you that continually call ME Jeff Pulver, that will prove once and for all that we’re different people.

9 – It’s right here in Boston. No need to hop on a plane, train, Fung Wah bus or other mode of transport. You can just ride the MBTA – might I say the ‘reliable’ MBTA – search for MBTA on UniversalHub and you’ll get why I use quotes around reliable – to the door of the conference.

8 – The topics are short. If you really don’t want to hear a session, rejoice! They’re only about 10 minutes long each so you can gloss over the blather and concentrate on the good stuff.

7 – The topics are short. If you really get excited by a speaker, you’ll get a tasty tidbit of info that you can then build on during lunch, a break or after the conference. What better way to forge a relationship or conversation with some of the smarties who’ll be speaking.

6 – One of the people speaking is me. My topic has to do with social media and the media. But I’ll probably just talk about the Gulf oil spill, tweetups and NomX3.

5 – The people speaking include names like…

Adam Gaffin (@universalhub) – Founder and editor, Universal Hub.?Alicia C. Staley (@stales) – 3 time cancer surivor?Amanda Palmer (@amandapalmer) – Artist?Amy Kiel (@Abeeliever) – Community Leader?Andy Dixon (@andydixn) – Singer Songwriter Author and Visionary?Ariel Hyatt (@cyberpr) – Founder, Ariel Publicity & Cyber PR?Bijan Sabet (@bijan) – General Partner, Spark Capital?Blake Hall (@troopswap) – co-founder, Troopswap?Bobbie Carlton (@BobbieC) – Founder, Mass Innovation Nights?C.C. Chapman (@cc_chapman)?Carissa O’Brien (@CarissaO) – President, Red Box Communications?Christopher Penn (@cspenn) – VP, Blue Sky Factory, co-founder PodCamp?Doug Haslam (@DougH) – Supervisor, Voce Communications?Erik Proulx (@eproulx) – Creator of Lemonade. Founder of Please Feed The Animals.?From the perspective of a stay-at-home dad?Geo Geller (@geogeller) – Artist, Inventor, Photographer?Georgy Cohen (@radiofreegeorgy) – Managing Editor, Web Communications, Tufts University?Jeanne Dasaro (@JeanneDasaro) – Principle, New Prosperity Initiative?Jeff Cutler (@JeffCutler) – Content Creator – Social Media Journalist?Jeff Keni Pulver (@jeffpulver) – founder, #140conf?Jeff Persch (@JPersch)?Jeffrey Hayzlett (@JeffreyHayzlett) – Author, Change Agent, South Dakotan, and sometimes Cowboy.?Jeffrey Sass (@sass) – VP Biz Dev, Myxer?Jessica Murray (@JessicaRMurray)?JessicaRandazza (@JessicaRandazza) – Community Manager, Digitas?Jodi Whalen (@augustfirst) – Owner, August First Bakery & Cafe?John Baronian (@johnbaloney)?John Daley (@Boston_Police) – Deputy Superintendent, Boston Police?John Haydon (@johnhaydon)?John Moore (@JohnFMoore) – Founder & CEO, The Lab?Keith Spiro (@KendallPress) – Director of Marketing, Kendall Press?Kevin B. Gilnack (@kgilnack) – Membership Development Associate, Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers?Kirsten Olson (@bhsprincipal) – Author of Wounded By School and the principal of Old Sow Educational Consulting.?Lane Sutton (@kidcriticusa) – Social Media Strategist/Entrepreneur/Writer (and a 13 yr old kid)?Matthew Ebel (@matthewebel) – Artist?Michael Hayes (@hayesbtv) – Wizard of Wonderments and Digital Delight, Magic Hat Brewing Company?Mike Schneider (@schneidermike) – Team Boston’s “Mr. Movember”?Miles Ward (@milesward)?Nelson de Witt (@dewittn) – Chief Story Teller?Patrick Larkin (@bhsprincipal) – Burlington High School (MA) Principal?Perry Hewitt (@perryhewitt) – Director, Digital Communications and Communications Services?Rich Nadworny (@rnadworny) – Owner & Digital Strategist, Digalicious?Roger Toennis (@Roger_Tee) – CEO, Liquid Media?Scott Henderson (@scottyhendo) – Principle, Cause Shift?Shay Totten (@ShayTotten) – Political Journalist, Seven Days?Shwen Gwee (@shwen) – Lead, Digital Strategy and Social Media, Vertex Pharmaceuticals?Stephanie Miller (@kordmiller) – Director of Digital Media, CBS Boston’s WBZ-TV & TV38?Steve Garfield (@stevegarfield) – Author: Get Seen, Online Video Secrets / Founder of Boston Media Makers?Ted McEnroe (@tmcenroe) – Director of Digital Media, NECN.com?Tony Baldasaro (@baldy7) – Assistant Superintendent of Schools for SAU #16 in Exeter, NH and administrator at the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School.?Wayne Kurtzman (@WayneNH) – Volunteer Social Media Director, Destination Imagination

4 – The Back Bay Events Center is a grand place to enjoy this great learning event. Historic Boston elegance and a classic, modern venue.

3 – Topics like Social Media Rehab: A Time to Disconnect; Lemonade – The Story Behind the Story; There’s Something About Video; Music Panel; Media Panel; and more.

2 – Sponsors and organizers. Names like Virgin Atlantic, Verizon, SummerHill Venture Partners. And folks like Joselin Mane, Ellen Rossano, Laura Fitton and others have worked their tails off to put on this event.

1 – Content, content, content. The value here goes beyond what occurs on stage. Spend some time in between sessions to talk to the presenters, the organizers and the other attendees. You’ll learn more than you’d ever imagine. Ask people who have attended other 140 events.

Let me know what you hope to learn and why you’re attending. See you there.

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Tags: 140 conference, back bay events center, Boston, Jeff Cutler, jeff pulver, september 14, social media, twitter

I’ve interviewed a number of social media luminaries and asked them to give me their answers to three questions. To make this game fun, in a Jeff Cutler sort of way, I told them that they could pick the questions. I further told them that they didn’t have to reveal the questions, just provide me with the answers.

Here’s a set of answers from Bruce K. Garber of BruceKGarber.com.

1. It’s a camera in my pocket.

2. It’s my studio.

3. Every day.

If you’d like to provide your answers for this project, send them to me at jeff (at) jeffcutler [dot] com. I’ll put them in the queue and they’ll appear in the order received. *Also include your Twitter handle and one link you’d like included in the post.

Thanks!

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Tags: Boston, bruce garber, Jeff Cutler, jeffrey, meme, social media, three questions

I’ve interviewed a number of social media luminaries and asked them to give me their answers to three questions. To make this game fun, in a Jeff Cutler sort of way, I told them that they could pick the questions. I further told them that they didn’t have to reveal the questions, just provide me with the answers.

Here’s the next set of answers from Don Martelli of MS&L – Boston a local public relations firm.

1. When the ball went through Bill Bucker’s legs in the 1986 World Series

2. I’d only consider it if you threw in Jennifer Anniston

3. Bouncing off the tires of a massive tractor trailer, in a blizzard, while I drive my Chevy Chevette

If you’d like to provide your answers for this project, send them to me at jeff (at) jeffcutler [dot] com. I’ll put them in the queue and they’ll appear in the order received. *Also include your Twitter handle and one link you’d like included in the post.

Thanks!

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Tags: Boston, Don Martelli, Jeff Cutler, jeffrey, MS&L Boston, social media, three questions, white kicks

Talk to a normal human and ask them how much of their day-to-day activity is controlled by Twitter, Facebook and other social media tools. They’ll likely back away from you slowly while offering you a nice tinfoil hat to wear.

This response isn’t because you’re crazy – or because anyone who leverages, relies on or works solely with social media is foolish or ill-informed. It’s because a lot of the world still doesn’t pay attention to or understand the ways in which social media tools can be used.

I usually tell a story during my SPJ trainings. It pertains to how everyone should approach Twitter…with no expectations. This is because you can never tell if anyone is listening before you foist a message upon them. The story goes like this…

One day in Boston, a couple friends and I decided to go get coffee after filming an episode of NomX3. We thought that Starbucks made good coffee and agreed to walk to the local ‘Bucks for a cuppa. While walking down the street, I Tweeted out “Going to Starbucks near Borders in Downtown Crossing – join us!” That message got one taker and the gentleman who saw it showed up and we all enjoyed marvelous conversation and beverages.

But the point of this man’s appearance was what he told us when he showed up.

“Guys,” he said. “I almost missed your message. I had Twitter open on my screen and had just gotten back to my desk after lunch when I saw your Tweet. A few seconds later and I would have never known you were here.”

To that point, a few seconds earlier and he wouldn’t have known either. And that proves my point. Which is….

Twitter and many other tools are haphazard in how they engage people. If you are not already having a direct conversation with them, Twitter often fails as an information-sharing tool. You can’t depend on it to share your message with all your followers because at no one time are all of your followers paying attention to your missives. Not everyone gets that.

Not even Leo Laporte. He of the mini media empire. He of the 24-hours-a-day podcast network simply didn’t understand that what he experienced this week was exactly how social media behaves all the time. And the fact that he didn’t know how social media works really scared me.

But then I turned the lens on myself. I have expectations that are also out of whack. I need new tires. I know a guy who runs the Twitter account for Sullivan Tire. I sent them a note either earlier today (August 23) or yesterday (August 22) announcing that I’d be going to their Nashua store on August 24 for new tires and other work. And I asked for their help. Take a look at this picture taken at 10:30PM on August 23.

If you can’t read the tiny type, their most recent tweet was on August 18 – FIVE DAYS AGO!

What that shows all of us is that even companies that believe in social media either fall down on the job or come to the realization that they can’t be online all the time. Sadly, all it takes is the one missed Tweet or the missed engagement to put a chink in the social media trust I had in that brand.

I’m still going to get my tires and my brakes and even my oil changed. But I’ll probably be more hesitant to share Sullivan Tire’s Twitter address now that I know they let days go by without any engagement.

Worse are the companies that get into social media and then back off. These are the firms that went whole hog into Facebook and Twitter and started offering specials and events and then decided that since it wasn’t working they were done conversing with customers. That’s idiocy.

Take Summer Shack for instance. I was excited to go there for dinner tonight (and we did go – and spent $70 by the way). But before we went I hopped over to their Facebook and Twitter pages to see if they could save us a seat at the bar and if they were offering specials.

Not since July 14 (Twitter) and May 21 (Facebook) had they conversed using these media.

So, what’s that mean for social media? What’s that mean for consumers? What’s that mean for businesses? A lot. With the proper education, there are companies and brands that are selling more products and making more money than ever because they are reaching out to consumers using these tools. There are also legions of consumers who have moved away from traditional information sources and now rely on the Web and social media to inform them of deals, events and happenings in their physical community. And these same folks are focused on only buying from companies that have a social media presence.

It’s a new kind of activism I suppose. Where you might have only bought milk from the guy who had the farm in your hometown, you know only buy groceries from the shopkeeper who shares coupons online. And you might only get your tires at the place that would give you 10% off when you Tweeted their name. And you might only eat at the sushi place that shares its specials on Facebook.

I’m not saying this revolution is full-fledged or that it will have a significant impact tomorrow or the next day. But we’re moving to a time when the business that ignores communication channels will get left behind because its competition will understand that online works, and works well.

Social media might be about timing, in fact it often is. But I believe the time for social media is now. I just hope the brands I liked before are listening.

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Tags: Boston, communication, consumers, content, Facebook, jeff, jeffrey cutler, Leo Laporte, social media trainer, sullivan tire, summer shack, twit, twitter

Do you worry about your Twitter content? Do you agonize over what you’ve said on Facebook and LinkedIn? Are you bereft if everyone doesn’t agree with your blog posts?

Image from http://www.bconnected.lk/hrd/social_businesss_registration.htm – a 2008 course advertised on the Web.

Well, as much as I want everyone to like me, I subscribe to the idea that I should share my thoughts with conviction and my feelings without reservation. Because these thoughts and feeling are stuff I’d share easily and freely at a cocktail party. It’s stuff I’d tell my friends. And it’s content I wouldn’t hesitate to send in an email, text message or other missive vehicle.

But people continue to get bent out of shape over some of my thoughts. So what should I do? What’s the etiquette? Is there a precedent?

Recently I ranted about Greenpeace and now have people up in my grill about my attitude over the environment. Back in July I griped about bad communication among a group of people – and those folks still aren’t over that misunderstanding (ironic situation based on my points about our communication issues).

Therefore, I’m looking to readers to share their experiences when something they’ve written gets people all riled up. I’d like to hear from Stuart Foster, Justin Levy, Meg Fowler and Christopher Penn. I want to hear from you.

Is there a strategy to keeping people unoffended and still entertained? Should people just create their content and throw caution to the wind? And is there a stage at which the caution throwing becomes more restrained?

Share your thoughts in the comments. Or point me to documents that have explored this very issue. Thanks!

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Tags: Boston, etiquette, greenpeace, Jeff Cutler, jeffrey, Mullen, podcamp, Sametz, social media

I’ve interviewed a number of social media luminaries and asked them to give me their answers to three questions. To make this game fun, in a Jeff Cutler sort of way, I told them that they could pick the questions. I further told them that they didn’t have to reveal the questions, just provide me with the answers.

Here’s the first set of answers from Tyson Goodridge of Dialogue – a Boston Social Media Services firm.

1. I was young, and I REALLY needed the money

2. Dewars, Mexican food and Skoal Long Cut

3. A golf handicap of 15, NY Rangers win Stanley Cup again

If you’d like to provide your answers for this project, send them to me at jeff (at) jeffcutler [dot] com. I’ll put them in the queue and they’ll appear in the order received. *Also include your Twitter handle and one link you’d like included in the post.

Thanks!

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Tags: Boston, dialogue, Jeff Cutler, jeffrey, social media, three answers, tyson goodridge

Yes, I’ll be leaving the house this Friday the 13th to appear on Hubspot TV in Cambridge, MA. You can tune in to watch live or even come to the studio and watch. Failing both of those – you can send your questions for the host and co-host (me) via Twitter to @karenrubin and @jeffcutler.

Hope to see you at the show!

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Tags: bp, hubspot tv, hubspot.com, ioilspill, Jeff Cutler, karen rubin, Marketing, oil spill

I just wrapped up a project for EDRnet as their reporter in the Gulf of Mexico. I was interviewing scientists, business owners, residents and tourists about the impact the BP oil spill has had on their lives. This encompasses work, lifestyle, recreation and future livelihood. And what I found out might astound some folks. Here are a few things…

1 – The beaches in the Gulf of Mexico – on the US coastline – are gorgeous. I have never seen sand as white or well-cared for. The communities in the Gulf derive a huge portion of their income from tourism, so keeping the beaches in good shape is of paramount importance. #ioilspill tidbit – The beaches were mostly deserted and the local economies were mostly decimated because of the perception of oil rolling up on the shores like a big black blob. Not true. I spent 14 days in the Gulf and didn’t see one tarball. I saw and learned a lot about the BP oil spill.

2 – New Orleans has a Holocaust memorial, plenty of cigars and booze, little things called begniets, a few donkeys and of course great jazz clubs. I was stationed in New Orleans for about half of my reporting mission (unlike iRoadTrip when we drove a Ford across the nation) and I saw a lot more than the photos above. I also saw poor people in the street. Houses still standing – barely – from the Katrina hurricane. Crime-prevention methods everywhere (locks on the anti-perspirant at CVS!!). And some fabulous food. If you’re planning to visit NOLA, come down in September or October. The weather will be better, the hurricanes will be gone, and you’ll still get to enjoy all the great stuff the city has to offer without sweating to death.

3 – Big disasters trump personal ones. While I was in the Gulf, six kids drowned in the Red River in Shreveport, LA. It didn’t make the news in as big a way as it might have because of the oil spill.

4 – Movies go on regardless of the real world. The world of make-believe continued forward as the filming of Green Lantern took place in downtown New Orleans for about a dozen days in late July and early August. I didn’t get a chance to see the filming as I was reporting on the oil spill and doing interviews. But the filming caused traffic tie-ups around the city and consternation to taxi drivers and others whose income comes from shuttling people around in the heat.

5 – The city is a little gritty. If you’ve never been down to New Orleans, here are a few photos of the real-world. In fact, during my stay, the city had an argument with a trash company and refused to pay them. So the trash company refused to pick up any trash. The streets didn’t stink TOO badly as the city made municipal employees clean up the really bad areas.

6 – The industries down here are oil and fish. That’s it. And that’s really why the oil spill has had such a psychological and financial impact on the region. What happens if the fish die? The region dies. What happens if they can’t drill for oil? The region dies. What happens if both occur? You tell me.

14 days reporting. A ton of new information and insight. Anew perspective on a historic city. And another iRoadTrip wrapped up.

Got any questions about the trip? Does your organization need a content specialist to attend an event or report on a region? Give me a shout or leave a comment here on the blog. As you can see from the success of this project, good content has its place in the mainstream.

Thanks for reading!

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Tags: #iroadtrip, bp, content creation, Gulf, ioilspill, Jeff Cutler, new media, new orleans, oil spill, social media

The New Orleans oil spill trip is about 6/10 done as I write this, but that’s plenty of time to share with you some of the things I’ve learned about being in a hotel in a strange city for an extended period of time.

Yes, I’ve spent long stretches in other cities, but I either moved around a bit or rented an apartment. I’m thinking that when I do this ‘roadtrip’ type project again, I’ll rent a condo or a timeshare as my base of operations. It will give me more control and probably defray expenses.

To answer your unasked but lingering questions…

There is still oil in the Gulf of Mexico

People down here don’t seem to have the same bias against the local BP gas stations that we harbor up north

Po’Boys are really just submarine sandwiches with random stuff on them

I have not seen a tarball yet

OK, let’s now get into the meat of this post. The list of things I’ve learned about being a man on the go and living in a hotel room – Hampton Inn by the way – for two weeks.

1 – A travel tube of toothpaste is inadequate for more than eight days. You will need two or will need to purchase a human-size tube when you arrive at your destination. Further, Wal-Mart and the other -Mart stores are perfect for buying razors, shaving cream, shampoo and tooth essentials. Don’t spend millions of dollars on stuff at the corner pharmacy in your adopted town.

2 – Having laundry at the hotel – or within walking distance – is really important unless you plan to bring a monster suitcase. My hotel didn’t have laundry but there is a place called Suds and Duds (they don’t serve beer or food sadly) on Bourbon Street. For $1 a pound they will wash, dry and fold your stuff. That way you only need a week’s worth of clothing. Less if you wear the same shorts or pants multiple times. I don’t know anyone like that, but you might.

3 – Evaluate whether it’s better to have a car or use public transportation. If you are at a conference in a city or working a job there where you only have to go to one location on repeated days, you can get by without a car. The trip from the airport to the hotel is usually between $5 and $50, but you won’t need to spend money parking a car or renting it.

Conversely, if you have day trips planned and have to be at destinations not easily accessible via public transport or prohibitively expensive by taxi, get a car. But be sure to find out what parking is like in the the city where you’re staying. In New Orleans, it’s typical for overnight parking to cost $25-$35. I got lucky and got a rate at the hotel that included parking and breakfast.

4 – Breakfast! I love this meal and typically spend anywhere between $9-$20 a day for breakfast at home. Staying in a hotel that offers free breakfast with the room means I can save that money or spend it on larger other meals. But you should be aware that breakfast in hotels can get boring and other elements come into play. Sometimes the waffle maker catches fire or the other guests should be tossed in an elevator shaft because they’re so annoying. I try to vary my meals by having yogurt one day, eggs the next, waffle the next and so on. And I don’t sit next to the bickersons or the annoyingsons.

5 – When booking for an extended stay, you might have to do some work to get a good rate for the entire stay. I had to break my reservation into two pieces to get the same rate for all 14 nights. Then, when I arrived I had the front desk just combine the reservations. The hiccup would have been over one of the weekends in the middle when the listed rate was $40 more per night than the rate (with parking and breakfast) that I had booked for the start and finish of my stay. Often, squatters (people already in a room) have some leverage at the hotel and most good hotels will take your comfort into consideration – especially if you’re spending two weeks and thousands of dollars with them.

6 – Know your room and how the hotel treats rooms. I usually get really rolling on my writing around mid-day when I’m on the road. This is at odds with housekeeping because around lunch and beyond you can hear doors in the hallway opening and shutting constantly. The room shakes as doors clang off the safety bar that housekeepers flip out to hold doors open. And there’s lots of yelling for different size sheets and other supplies. If you can’t work with noise, go do other stuff during the room-cleaning periods.

Also, know the hotel policy on towels and sheets. Many hotels now are saving water by not washing your stuff all the time. They just make your bed up and refold your towels. If I want new linens or towels, I put them clearly in a pile near the door.

Next, use the room safe. It takes two minutes to toss your stuff inside and these days many safes are free to use and they can fit all your gadgets. Mine fit a laptop, video and digital camera, audio recorder, various chargers and my other valuables.

And to the point of chargers, realize that some light switches shut off outlets in the room. And some rooms shut off all power if there’s no movement in the room for a while. This means if you wanted to charge your camera or cell phone while you walked around the city, you’d better find the outlets that remain live or be prepared to run out of juice.

7 – Lastly, gifts. I have a simple rule. If I’m away on business, the only gifts I bring back are for significant others, cats and people who gave me the lead on that project or job. If I’m away on pleasure, I try to remember everyone and usually fail miserably. When in doubt, listen for the door down the hall to clang and run to the housekeeper’s cart and collect some fancy soaps.

What do you do or think or know when traveling? Share in the comments!

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Tags: #iroadtrip, bp, Chris Brogan, Hampton Inn, ioilspill, Jeff Cutler, new orleans, travel

The first week of #ioilspill has wrapped up and it’s been a ton of fun, eye-opening in ways I never considered and a challenge of all my journalistic and social media skills.

I’ve spoken with folks who have great insight into how and why the spill happened and what’s going on now with the clean-up. I’ve taken a TON of photos of both BP and spill-related items as well as historic New Orleans and Gulf Coast sights.

And I’m looking forward to the week ahead. If you’ve got questions about the coverage. If you’ve got comments you want to share. If you think your organization wants to create its own Informational Road Trip*. Leave all those thoughts in the comments here and I’ll get back to you.

*An iRoadTrip is NOT a PR blitz. It is a content-creation journey to an event, through an area, during a calendar period – and the content created by Jeff Cutler and team is unbiased and journalistic. It includes the entire gamut of media and requires a real commitment. If your company or organization is unsure that it wants to engage its audience in this way, or if you’re afraid of what the world might say about your products and services, then stay away. iRoadTrip projects show the good, the bad and the ugly behind brands and events. In most cases, the news is good and the response is positive, but this isn’t an easy way to get Google juice. It’s a strategic and professional way to share your company’s workings with the planet. Still with me? Send an email to jeff@jeffcutler.com and we can chat about specifics.

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Tags: #iroadtrip, bp oil spill, commonground, content creation, ioilspill, Jeff Cutler, new orleans