There’s been this ongoing debate in the marketing profession for a while now about where social media should live within the whole mix. I’m definitely part of the camp that sees (as my employer Spring Creek Group does) Social living in the middle of a triangle that includes Marketing/Advertising, PR, and Customer Service. Now, there are many in each camp who will talk, at length, about why their respective organizational fiefdoms should hold the Social Media reins, but none has really made a convincing argument that’s become widely agreed upon.
However, what happens more often than not are cases where each part of that triangle make incredibly embarrassing blunders that shoot their argument for control squarely in the foot. The most-recent of these tremendous gaffes comes on the heels of what might be one of the biggest marketing-related stories in a while – Burson-Marsteller‘s campaign on behalf of Facebook to smear the crap out of Google. I’m not a fan of Google and believe their “don’t be evil” mantra about as much as I believe anything that comes out of Sarah Palin‘s mouth, but come on Facebook.
But, that’s beside the point…
When Burson-Marsteller was outed as the agency that took on this devious client project, people took to Burson-Marsteller’s Facebook Page to let them know how they felt… only to have their comments deleted by Burson-Marsteller’s Facebook community manager (or whatever the pseudo-equivalent to CMs in the PR world). Big no-no. WIRED broke the story about that and the Twitterverse has been exploding since.
This isn’t the first time this has happened. Heck, Apple deleted comments about the faulty iPhone 4 antenna from its community forums – and they have die-hard fans. What these situations do point out, though, is the importance of a public-facing Social Media Policy.
Policies like those at Best Buy, Coca-Cola, and others offer a one-stop shop for users to see exactly what they can expect when dealing with these brands in social. These policies not only say how the brands act in the social space, they also lay out guidelines for how they expect their communities to behave (i.e. their thoughts around what is and isn’t acceptable in their communities).
Yes, Burson-Marsteller crapped the bed by removing posts (some of which were probably warranted based on their idea of what was and was not appropriate on their page), but without outwardly sharing that view of “appropriate” content, they don’t have a leg to stand on when making that claim. If your page is receiving enough volume, or you plan on doing so in the future, you’ll want to look into creating a social policy.
Related articles
- Burson-Marsteller says it shouldn’t have pitched negative Google stories secretly for Facebook (latimesblogs.latimes.com)
- Fallout from Facebook’s Google Smear Scandal (pcworld.com)
- Facebook red-faced after PR attack on Google (windsorstar.com)
- Burson-Marsteller Deletes Critical Facebook Posts but Spares Google-Smear Flacks (wired.com)
Just had this “Sponsored Story” pop up when I signed in to Facebook. Yes, that’s Beast… yes, Mark Zuckerberg‘s d
og.
Either Mark (or his girlfriend) is bored or Sponsored Stories aren’t quite selling as well as Facebook had hoped.
Either way, I’ll admit that I keep up with that little pup’s shenanigans. I really hope it’s actually Zuckerberg writing the copy/taking the pics, because I’ll just cry if it’s actually some intern.
The K-9 already gets more engagement on his posts than most brands could hope for. I think it’s a little unfair he also has unlimited access to Facebook’s marketing platform as well.
Related articles
- Zuckerberg Somehow Qualifies for Mortgage, Buys House (techland.time.com)
- Scenes we’d like to see: Zuck makes Mad’s cover (cbsnews.com)
- Mark Zuckerberg Kicked Off Facebook [Feuds] (gawker.com)
Image via CrunchBase
One of the largest vacation rental portals around, HomeAway, increased their focus on social-aided vacationing with a purchase of Portland-born Second Porch.
Second Porch, started in 2009, uses your social graph to help you find and rent vacation properties from owners, while also giving owners piece of mind in knowing (at least in a “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” sense) to whom they are renting their properties.
I had a chance to work with Second Porch (briefly) as they were getting their social presence and tool figured out and can say it’s a great product when you have a social graph large enough to take advantage of. However, since many users are simply using it as a second HomeAway, many listings are open to the general public.
Check it out and head to TechCrunch for more info.
Related articles
- HomeAway Planning $300 Million IPO (businessinsider.com)
- Portland-based Second Porch sold to HomeAway (oregonlive.com)
- HomeAway Broadens Presence In Australia With Acquisition Of Vacation Rental Site RealHolidays (techcrunch.com)
A recent Reuters piece points to talks between Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg as possible clues to a potential buyout or partnership between the 500+ million user social network and the Luxembourg-born communications platform.
According to the piece, Facebook isn’t the only caller courting Skype – Google is also making a pass (or at least looking for a heavy partnership).
Analysts put a potential Skype + Facebook/Google deal between $3-4 billion based on an expected IPO (maybe still in the second half of 2011?) of about $1 billion.
Read the full Reuter’s article here.
Related Articles
- Rumor: Facebook wants to buy Skype (zdnet.com)
- Skype May Soon Be Object Of Bidding War Between Google And Facebook (GOOG) (businessinsider.com)
- Skype rumored making deals with Facebook, Google (electronista.com)
- Facebook, Google eye Skype deal (news.cnet.com)
I’ve been pretty vocal about my disdain for the fact that certain Bank of America features (such as their mobile apps) haven’t been available to residents of WA/ID. To their credit, the people at @BofA_Help have done a great job 
empathizing, even though they haven’t had a “fix.”
However, I got a response today that made my eyes light up.
Now I can bank on the go (well, in 4-8 weeks)… it is 2011 after all. Hallelujah! Holy shit! Where’s the Tylenol?
According to the CBS, veteran ’60 Minutes’ reporter Scott Pelley will take the news reigns from Katie Couric starting June 6.
Head over to CBS News for the full story.
I’m excited for the change and also can’t wait to see what Couric does next. Lauer reunion maybe?
One of the great things about Seattle is that you can easily find a group dedicated to pretty much any interest (professional or otherwise) you may have. One of the really great things about Seattle is that, most of the time, those groups are super-useful. That’s where SMC Seattle comes in.
In a city that’s usually at (or near) the cutting edge in technologies, Seattle is a likely spot to find a group of connected, socially-motivated individuals. However, those people aren’t always the most-welcoming group of individuals out there – not true about SMC Seattle.
When I started at Spring Creek Group two years ago, I went to my first SMC Seattle event and met a whole group of people who were just as jazzed about what was going on in this people-driven, community-focused area as I was – it was great.
Now, two years later, I have the great pleasure to serve on the board of the organization and I can’t wait to get more involved. So, thanks to all those who continue to make SMC Seattle experiences the fun and educational times they are. I look forward to keeping that tradition going. It’s actually a great honor to be representing part of the Seattle social media community and my company of Spring Creek Group – although Cody Goins is demanding to see my birth certificate.
Also, I formally forgive Kevin Urie for screwing up my last name when he announced the new board members.
Related Articles
- Tweet. Meet. Give. SMB Seattle Teams Up with SMC Seattle to Support Local Twestival (socialmediabreakfast.com)
- Social Media Club Introduces Social Media Masters 11 City Tour (April 2011) (socialmediaclub.org)
No, CNN wasn’t trying to channel “Roll Out” at SXSW, but they were trying to see what makes people tick and what (literally) was in their bags.
The Persona series (Flickr link), a brainchild of Atlanta photog Jason Travis, takes a look at people and the things they care about.
CNN set up a booth in the exhibit hall at SXSW and asked you to pour the contents of your bag out for all the world to see.
I actually travel pretty light, so luckily the WIRED magazine took up enough space to fill out my grid. For a look at stats from the booth, head over here.
Also, if you’re interested in checking out photos of people who are 1) more attractive than me and 2) more important than me, head here to check out the celebs.
I’m going to start carrying more interesting stuff in my bag in case this ever happens again.
And just because I now have Luda stuck in my head…
Related Articles
- The things you carry: Show and tell (cnn.com)
- Your SXSW Adventures on CNN iReport & Mashable (mashable.com)
- SXSW: By the Numbers video to Air on CNN (offonatangent.blogspot.com)
Trending topics are the holy grail of Twitter marketing/outreach. You can buy your way to the top, but how are those topics that aren’t paid for moved to the top of the list? HINT NUMBER 1: Have something to do with Justin Beiber… seriously.
For a more academic look at what goes into creating the trending topics, read this PDF:
Trends in Social Media: Persistence and Decay
via Gizmodo via Mashable via NYTimes
When Polaroid appointed Lady Gaga, the meat-wearing, beat-dropping, gender-bending, pop star their creative director in 2009, I thought it was kind of fun. Sure, take a visible, creative person and give them some magical unicorn title and let the press salivate and type away for a couple weeks. That makes sense. However, at this last CES she actually paraded a number of products in front of the techy masses that weren’t half bad.
Now today, Intel announced that Will.i.am, the auto-tuned, dapper rapper, has become their Director of Creative Innovation. What he’ll actually do in that role is yet to be seen.
What I found really interesting was Intel’s statement about the deal (hire?):
“It’s imperative that Intel and our innovations are kept in front of the global youth culture that embraces new devices and new forms of communication and entertainment.” – Deborah Conrad, Intel
So, if this is about keeping their innovations in front of the global youth culture, why didn’t they sign up Justin Bieber to be their guy?
This really begs the question: is relevance really translating to resonance? Will this global youth culture see Will.i.am and connect the fact that he’s promoting the processor in their computer or mobile device? Will they even know what a processor is/does?
I hope this means every IDF will open with a BEP performance, or at the very least that “I Gotta Feeling” is playing every time Paul Otellini steps on stage.
Disclosure: I worked closely with Intel for 3 years while at Owen Media Inc.Related Articles
- Intel hires Will.I.Am as its ‘Director of Creative Innovation’ (thenextweb.com)
- will.i.am takes a new gig with computer giant Intel (ctv.ca)
- Will.i.am Will Now Make Music About Intel (observer.com)
- Intel Puts will.i.am On the Payroll Because Why? [Spokespersons] (gizmodo.com)
