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.

Buzz This Post

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

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.

Buzz This Post

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

According to one of my favorite sites, What The Hashtag (linked below), the folks who work in cloud computing and Enterprise 2.0 are rabid users of social media. While they might not use the nuanced approach of Ron Sylvester or Greg Verdino – and they might spend more time just shouting out their news than sharing and communicating – they are still pretty rabid.

Take a look at the numbers of Tweets tagged #e2conf – Enterprise 2.0 in Boston – and you’ll be amazed.

Are you Tweeting the conference? Have you ever Tweeted a conference? What’s your opinion of this type of sharing?

Buzz This Post

Tags: Boston, enterprise 2.0, Jeff Cutler, twitter, WTHashtag

Gabe Norris is in charge of the Columbus Clippers’ Facebook page. To that end, he has to put up with loud, righteous and annoying folks like me.

I’m in Columbus Ohio to perform some social media training for the journalists at the Columbus Dispatch. While I was planning the trip, I got it in my head that I should have some local beer and see some local baseball. That’s where social media comes in.

Instead of going to my phone and calling the Clippers’ ticket office, I started shouting to the team in Twitter -they’re at @clbclippers if you want to follow. But I quickly got annoyed.

It turns out that the team only uses Twitter to broadcast their Facebook statuses. That immediately irked me because my mantra when I train businesses is to make it easy for anyone to contact you. The Clippers were forcing me to bend to their communication choice, not mine.

So I went off. I tweeted like mad – madly – to my 6000 followers about how I might as well go see a play or sit in my hotel room and pout.

Needless to say, the Tweeple were divided.

“Just call them,” said some.

“Boycott!” said others.

But the balance told me not to waste a great night in Columbus and try the Facebook Fan Page. It worked.

In merely an hour, Gabe Norris had been in touch and we came to an understanding. Facebook works for the team. They’ve got almost 7000 fans (now including me) and they’re running regular Facebook nights at Huntington Stadium.

So what’s the big reveal? Gabe told me he was leaving a ticket for me at will-call. So now I’m sitting in the park fostering a bromance for Gabe and being astonished at this amazing ballpark.

Did you know that Huntington Park beat out all new baseball stadiums in 2009 according to Baseball America?

I walked in the gate and I immediately got permagrin. And I’ve been to 30+ pro ball stadiums.

Now what? First pitch is 25 minutes away and I’m gonna get some food and keep on smiling.

Mostly because my fun night, just beginning, was made possible because one organization paid attention to the power of social media.

What’s your favorite social media success story?

Buzz This Post

Tags: @jeffcutler, AAA, baseball, columbus clippers, Facebook, twitter

There are people on Twitter who occasionally take a break from the madness and go silent for a bit. These people do so, in my opinion, to clear their minds and their days from the constant pull of messages that flow in front of them. This conveyor belt of information isn’t that hard to ignore, or is it?

I decided to take a day – a day where I had a bunch of deadlines – and slip away from Twitter for a while. I still created tweet-length missives, but I saved them all in a text file (they’re pasted below) instead of putting them out in the ether.

The two folks that come to mind when I think of Twitter hater, unfollowers (who then follow Twitter again) are Ari Herzog and Robert Scoble.

Robert went over to FriendFeed for a bit and then came back – albeit a little less loquacious than before.

Ari went away and then came back and then went away and then came back. In the midst of all this he unfollowed everyone and then refollowed some folks. He has reasons and rhymes for all his moves. See those at his blog.

Enough blathering. here’s what I would have said had I been on Twitter today. I’ll be back on tonight in case you missed me.

Today’s the experiment day. Gonna collect my tweets in a .pages document and then post them all as a blog entry. Feel free to comment.

Why do so many shampoo manufacturers make paper labels to go on their product? Heads-up, these bottles are in a wet, paper-destroying environment.

Wearing my Breckenridge t-shirt today. Maybe people will think I’m from Colorado and ask me questions about the wild west.

Already got one comment on my announcement (of this experiment) @chucktanowitz wanted to know why. I say it’s good blog fodder and will keep me focused on work today.

@gradontripp This is amazing. I have had to remain vigilant not to open up Tweetdeck, Seismic, Tweetie or Twitter.

Worried about the #meatcats. @clownface3 hurt her back and can’t save them from danger, and I’m headed to Panera to do some work – might even chance Barnes & Noble cc: @chrisbrogan

Cooking waffles for breakfast. Not sure if I can Tumble my food today as I’m off of Twitter. Guess I’ll take photos and post them tomorrow. #wwjce

Cats are back in. I’m off to the satellite office. NOT THE Satellite Office, but Panera in Hingham.

@jetblue – we have a team of people from Boston going to SXSW in March. We’re all on the same flight on 3/12. We’d LOVE some drink tickets if you have any around. Thx!

Nearly freaked out when I realized March is MADNESS for me. 4th I’m in Wichita. 9th I’m in Chicago. 12-16 I’m in Austin. 26-27 I’m in Saratoga. Yikers. How do people like @peterkim @adamcohen and @schneidermike do it?

One project wrapped up. Now on to a couple others. Trying to breathe. Glad it’s not scooter weather yet. Would be major-league distracted.

My favorite blog right now is Tyson Goodridge’s – http://enterdialogue.com – it’s awesome when it comes to distilling intelligence. Good work!

Just cooked some Pot Stickers and was reprimanded by one of the people who lives in the house. She pointed out that the Pot Stickers were going to be part of dinner. It’s now 3:24 and we’re Pot Sticker destitute.

Now gobbling pretzels and waking up @clownface3 – She’s asked me to be quieter in my consumption. I told her that I was getting a fist for punching.* (see The Office)

Projects 62% done. VERY happy so far. Now on to some audio editing for a client. The fun doesn’t stop.

Seems like airlines are getting slammed on Twitter. First Southwest and now United. Sounds like some companies need to listen.

Just looked at @bostonmarketer and realized she’s about 1000 followers ahead of me. She deserves more. Great content and winning smile all the time.

Got any experiments you’re doing with Social Media? Share them in the comments!

Keep reading!

Buzz This Post

Tags: ari herzog, Boston, deadlines, procrastination, robert scoble, scoble, twitter

January 1 is a time for gyms to fill up, for hangover cures to be tested and for a mindset of renewal to take place. As a child we used to giggle at my father’s assertion that he was perfect and therefore didn’t need to focus on resolutions or improvement. After embracing this attitude we’d don our ski clothes and hit the slopes (New Year’s morning is the absolute best time to ski because skiers party hard and the mountains remain empty on January 1 until about noon).

Find the original photo HERE

Used with Creative Commons Permission.

As I look back and admit that I’m not quite perfect, I wanted to thank the people in social media who have had an influence on me since I’ve been actively splashing about in the fishbowl. I’m not going to rush all the way back to 1997 when I started a Web rehab firm with two friends, or to 1999 when I began blogging, or even to my first tweet three years ago.

What I will do is share a neat little tool with you and then list out all my Twitter friends – barring some random Twitter burp that has purged people from my list. It’s my take on a massive, New Year’s Day Follow Friday. The tool is called Tweetake and it allows you to backup your Twitter info. Tweets, people, faves, etc., all into a csv.xls file. That’s Excel for those of you unfamiliar with file extensions.

With that downloaded list, you can then organize this data any which way you choose. I choose to give you a massive list of linked names over the next few pages. If you follow me and don’t see your name there, leave a comment. If you see others you might want to follow, just click on their name and start following them. You’re empowered.

Aside from that, I want to wish everyone who reads any of my Jeff Cutler blogs (20+ and growing), or my traditional media writing (half a dozen outlets pay me to write these days), Keep Reading! That’s actually my main resolution this year. I’m not perfect – as much as I hoped heredity might have helped – and I definitely don’t read enough. To that end, please share links to things you think I should read. I’ll give them a look. Happy New Year!

*Because of memory issues, I’m breaking the list over four posts.

http://twitter.com/davidgallant

http://twitter.com/twitshot

http://twitter.com/SkipBensley

http://twitter.com/1GreatBuy

http://twitter.com/jeuvideo

http://twitter.com/BostonTweetUp

http://twitter.com/ThinkDynamik

http://twitter.com/mysticdave

http://twitter.com/cell49

http://twitter.com/engadgets

http://twitter.com/brynnadonn

http://twitter.com/peter_anton

http://twitter.com/imstuff

http://twitter.com/padsha

http://twitter.com/carbBlocker

http://twitter.com/Daroff

http://twitter.com/Garritt

http://twitter.com/TheModernPet

http://twitter.com/bloggerengadget

http://twitter.com/bigsaving

http://twitter.com/slowmack

http://twitter.com/energysection

http://twitter.com/cascokid

http://twitter.com/JoselinMane

http://twitter.com/Michellemmm

http://twitter.com/Adesoji

http://twitter.com/DRUNKHULK

http://twitter.com/BarbAtSea

http://twitter.com/ortman_social

http://twitter.com/MatingRoom

http://twitter.com/geethaz

http://twitter.com/jnmedien

http://twitter.com/markfrost

http://twitter.com/Ed

http://twitter.com/CircaPictures

http://twitter.com/nbainchina

http://twitter.com/johndrew25

http://twitter.com/lazarinkroni

http://twitter.com/Webpilots

http://twitter.com/BobChinns

http://twitter.com/RetardedDwarf

http://twitter.com/StevenRothberg

http://twitter.com/CharlesRoberson

http://twitter.com/timoriley

http://twitter.com/morgankr

http://twitter.com/dennisbest

http://twitter.com/countrywine

http://twitter.com/pnv123

http://twitter.com/walterjones45

http://twitter.com/leximo

http://twitter.com/drunktwt

http://twitter.com/Art_Velez

http://twitter.com/mz_rocko

http://twitter.com/schmitt_it

http://twitter.com/jimcarroll

http://twitter.com/CheyanneBrae

http://twitter.com/jeffespo

http://twitter.com/dealsplus

http://twitter.com/aipmm

http://twitter.com/glorialynnglass

http://twitter.com/TVSassone

http://twitter.com/onlinesneh

http://twitter.com/ecashncapture

http://twitter.com/kodakCB

http://twitter.com/Josh_Litchfield

http://twitter.com/BeverlySchmitt

http://twitter.com/mavenbook

http://twitter.com/woadraider

http://twitter.com/witnessemptysky

http://twitter.com/CliveWild

http://twitter.com/bantershire

http://twitter.com/cruciformity

http://twitter.com/ScottBourne

http://twitter.com/Nikifashion

http://twitter.com/EugeneGregorio

http://twitter.com/SteampunkRings

http://twitter.com/nerdpass

http://twitter.com/JeremiahCharles

http://twitter.com/JoeySantiago

http://twitter.com/fiazio

http://twitter.com/cpudan

http://twitter.com/apunge

http://twitter.com/trex554

http://twitter.com/arthurcooper

http://twitter.com/NewPrankCalls

http://twitter.com/monikkinom

http://twitter.com/Franck_Briand

http://twitter.com/mooifood

http://twitter.com/FrankCarillo

http://twitter.com/BubblesAndSoap

http://twitter.com/AlfredStehbeck

http://twitter.com/labusque

http://twitter.com/Favstar

http://twitter.com/globenetcom

http://twitter.com/atomicpoet

http://twitter.com/niney123

http://twitter.com/mayank

http://twitter.com/VisalusRep

http://twitter.com/tismichael

http://twitter.com/RobertUmpleby

http://twitter.com/infoimp

http://twitter.com/gravityjack

http://twitter.com/KickMix

http://twitter.com/aroach

http://twitter.com/FlickrExplored

http://twitter.com/Pierre_Paperon

http://twitter.com/twittamazing

http://twitter.com/GUNGACartoons

http://twitter.com/spf13

http://twitter.com/seanphurley

http://twitter.com/JoyOfSoxMovie

http://twitter.com/artmarco

Buzz This Post

Tags: follow friday, Jeff Cutler, new year, perfection, tweetake, twitter

You hear it almost daily, the urging by others to ‘keep it real’. But what’s that saying mean? Is there some other way to be?

Unfortunately, yes. In an age where there’s immediacy in all our communications and something we share can instantly be viewed and archived by others, there’s a reason to be more deliberate in our words and actions.

It’s simple to offend people just by saying the wrong thing or by typing an innocuous email or sharing a context-free photo. But are these offenses or simple missteps? Back when you wrote a letter or a postcard, or had phones that seldom dropped calls or inserted static at inopportune times, you didn’t have the same misunderstandings.

So, do we blame the lack of perspective and the prevailing hurt feelings on technology? Or is it the result of an ever-increasing pace of life. Or further, is it just softer skins on people who don’t know how to communicate IRL so their social media and online relationships also lack perspective?

I’ve asked a lot of questions here because I’m curious about the drivers of human behavior.

Confused? Am I being too obtuse? Then let’s use a hypothetical…

Bob and Sharon are joking around on the beach. Sharon sees Bob walking past the women’s changing rooms and takes a picture with her phone. Then she adds it to Twitter and shares it with the world – or her 2000 followers – with the caption, “Bob commits a foul by using the girls’ room to change.”

Clearly to Sharon it’s a joke.

Clearly to anyone standing there, it’s a joke.

But Bob goes off the deep end when he find out that Sharon did this horrible thing to his good name. He worries that all of Sharon’s followers and essentially the whole world now believe he would do something as heinous as use the ladies room.

What’s your take?

A. Should Bob pledge to make Sharon’s life miserable every chance he gets because she had fun at Bob’s expense? In a single Tweet? On a single day? Where maybe 10% of Sharon’s followers might see it? Where only the folks following both Bob and Sharon would see the joke?

B. Should Bob let it go and chalk up the experience to Sharon not fully understanding how sensitive Bob was about his image?

C. Should both Bob and Sharon go to remedial social media school to learn how to communicate using the tools of today?

D. Should the event have warranted even these 79 words I’ve used to describe them?

THAT’s what I’m talking about when I wonder if people are being too focused on the way they’re perceived and not focused enough on just being good people.

There are situations like this going on every day and I’ve got one word for the people who are taking themselves so seriously.

Seriously?

Have you run into someone who thinks they’re a bigger deal than they are; or who clearly doesn’t understand how to communicate? Please share those experiences in the comments.

And if you’re out and about tomorrow in Boston and looking for something to do, put this on your tweetup calendar…see Gary Vaynerchuk, Mike Langford, Thomas Edwards and me at the Estate. We’re Wining Dining and Signing. Tickets are still available.

Keep reading!

Buzz This Post

Tags: Boston, communication, gary vaynerchuk, Jeff Cutler, social media, tweetup, twitter

What do you think of when you hear “strategic partnership”? Do you envision Coke and a movie theater franchise? Or a mattress manufacturer and a chiropractor? Or even a spedometer design firm and the local traffic enforcement brigade?

Whatever the alliance, it’s easy to see how some complementary arrangements develop. The same holds true in social media marketing, but the lines are a bit blurred.

Does it make sense for ad agencies to partner with social media trainers? Perhaps. Especially if the agency is still developing its menu of services.

How about a restaurant and a social media marketing agency? Maybe if the agency has some traditional background as well.

And what about similarly skilled pro’s in this social media space? Would you want to form a collaborative with folks who are blessed with the same skills? Isn’t that the same as putting 12 dentists in the same medical building or Quizno’s, Subway and D’Angelo’s side by side in a strip mall?

Maybe not.

In this evolving space, people bring a lot to the table that’s beneath the surface. My friend Mike Langford could teach businesses how to use social media tools as well as my friend Gradon Tripp. They both know the tools and both have the same exposure. But Mike brings a financial services and investing utility belt to the table while Gradon puts design acumen on the table.

Who’s better to teach Fidelity? Maybe Mike.

Who’s better to teach IKEA? Maybe Gradon.

Then what about the fish in this bowl who don’t have a background? Those gurus who are only versed in the tools? Are they worth hiring?

It’s an interesting question. Unlike employers who were on a “hire any liberal arts graduate” kick a few years ago because they were looking for balance instead of tunnel-vision, the market has swayed the other way. The more quills in your quiver, the better poised you are to deliver value to any client.

If four of us know the tools equally well, but only one of us has experience in multiple other fields, who would you pick to do your work or conduct your training?

Isn’t it in a company’s best interest to take a harder look at the entire package they’re purchasing than to jump at the shiny new object?

Hey, I like the $1000/hour gigs as much as the next guy, but I’d be dishonest if I told you I knew the history of Fred Olmsted and his contributions to local and national open spaces. And I’d be doing everyone in this social media specialty a disservice if I still went forward and bungled a job that would have benefited from that knowledge.

Maybe it’s time for every guru to look around and ask what else they bring to the table before they jump at the chance to talk to anyone who will pay them to explain ‘the twitter’.

And maybe it is time for us to start collaborating and forming the partnerships that allow us to offer more robust services. The rising tide is bringing all boats higher, but that could change pretty quick if we don’t share some of the wealth.

Because if you go it alone and scare off enough companies with your incompetence or narrow skillset you make it hard on the rest of us.

I’m not worried about me, I’ve got a finance guy, some political people, a printer, designer, CFO and some CMOs and agency people in my camp. But wouldn’t it be great if everyone were happy?

What do you think? Should we just let the market decide by chewing up and spitting out the idiot gurus? Or is it time for the partnerships to begin?

I welcome your comments.

Keep reading!

Buzz This Post

Tags: gurus, Jeff Cutler, new media tools, social media training, twitter

As you know if you’ve been to my professional site, I’ve been training businesses and individuals in the use of social media tools for almost a year.

Some of my clients have included the National Association of Women Business Owners, the Society of Professional Journalists and even local chambers of commerce.

I just ran across something a colleague of mine is doing and I love it. Truly.

Read the rest of this entry »

Buzz This Post

Tags: adrian dayton, Jeff Cutler, social media training, twitter

You’ve seen the books in the self-help section of Barnes and Noble or Borders.

Who Moved My Cheese

Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff

All I Needed To Know About Social Media I Learned Over A Danish At SMB13

Popular titles, all. But the one thing they have in common is the strength of the storytelling. To get someone to pay attention to you, your company, your product, your prowess, your demands and your opinion, you should tell your story in a convincing way.

Take for instance Willie Wonka. Without the golden ticket promotion or the fact he had imprisoned some short factory workers, he was just another guy with a chocolate river, a glass elevator and a weird time-machine boat. But he could tell a story.

Let’s take a harder look at the candy magnate’s modus operandi and see if we can apply some of the lessons he taught to your life in the social media sphere.

Hey, Oprah, Ashton, Today Show, Brookstone, Fat Cat Quincy and others, this might help you connect with your social media audience a little more effectively. So listen up.

1 – Don’t be predictable.

Mr. Wonka looked conservative and staid in his suit, top-hat and cane. But he wasn’t afraid to use an impromptu gymnastics move to recharge his audience and get their attention.

*If you haven’t seen the movie, Wonka sticks his cane in the bricks, feigns losing his balance and somersaults forward toward the locked gates of his chocolate factory with the entire town and multiple media outlets standing outside. They gasp and then cheer and he captures their hearts. Touching.

Convert this to apply to your social media strategy. Your company can remain as laced-up as you want when it comes to traditional media and marketing, but if you want to reach a new audience go to them. Wonka new the people thought he was a reclusive, unapproachable soul. He reached them by being human.

So get out there and converse with your communities. And from time to time, refresh yourself in their eyes by stepping out and doing something unpredictable.

e.g – (after each section I’ll give a real-world example that could help a company) How great, and how much buzz would Dunkin Donuts generate if they gave away free coffee to their Facebook Fans one day? Nobody else gets the free coffee, only FB fans.

2 – Don’t make missteps (or at least prepare for the fallout as best you can)

As part of his process of searching for a successor, Wonka invites five children into his factory for a tour. During this tour he allows them enough chocolate, blueberry gum, golden eggs, fizzy lifting drink and other accoutrement to eliminate them as candidates.

They fall one by one and soon nobody is left to take over the chocolate factory.*

*no spoilers here.

The world of social media shrinks the world and speeds up the flow of information. If your company is doing something wrong, stop now and get ready for the eventual (because it will happen) backlash. Social media people will recognize these names – Skittles, Domino’s and KFC (thanks Oprah).

Either poorly thought out or poorly responded to crises, these companies all got dinged by something as simple as a hashtag or a RT (@oprah, that means Retweet. It’s when someone repeats what someone else on Twitter says. It’s the viral way for a message about free chicken to cause massive food shortages as the world’s largest chicken chain.)

So, when you make a mistake and create a new return policy on massage chairs or decide that you’re not going to let a Nine Inch Nails application in your iTunes App Store, be ready for the public response.

When in doubt, pretend that you’ve made this decision public on all TV shows, in all newspapers and magazines and on all Websites across the world. Then see how you might handle it differently. Because people will find out.

3 – Keep an eye out for unlikely partnerships

While it was a manufactured misdirection, the association of Slugworth and Wonka was one that seemed so unlikely that little Charlie was aghast when he saw Slugworth near the end of the movie.

Wonka found that it was important to remain friendly and cooperative with the majority of people within his sphere of influence because it was beneficial to the chocolate plant and to him personally.

In social media, don’t just ignore someone because you can’t see their worth right away. Take a moment to explore the different facets of a person’s background and skillset before you dismiss them.

A real example for me was landing a gig writing content for a pharmaceutical community site. The company had assigned me to work on a community for one condition without knowing my background. When I mentioned that I had a chronic illness, the hiring professional stopped in her tracks and decided to move me to a community they were creating specifically for that disease.

Now the company is getting a deal and receiving richer content because I can spend less time on research and use more billable hours writing.

Is there a takeaway to this? Should you model your social media-aware business on the stylings of a guy who breaks into song everytime he wants to teach a lesson?

My comment is to keep your eyes and ears open. Learn from everyone you meet. And find people who can show you the proper way to communicate with the tools of today.

Keep reading…sweet dreams.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: A lot of people ask me where my ideas come from and how I can create so much content across so many channels. The content production just comes from knowing the vehicles and using them correctly – and from 20 years as a professional journalist and freelance writer. The ideas, they come from everywhere. This column was sparked – literally – by my mistake of putting a FastBreak candy bar in the microwave. I asked myself aloud if Willie Wonka would have done that and out popped this piece. See photos below for the aftermath.

Buzz This Post

Tags: Jeff Cutler, lessons, mashable, Oprah, social media, twitter, Willie Wonka