My colleague and brilliant marketer, Tara Coomans, created an open playlist on the music sharing service Spotify, and has invited anyone to help beef up the party mix for our annual Hawaii Social Media Year in Review partee. Yes, of course you are invited!

But about the Spotify Playlist: Great idea! I thought. But it is easier said than done. So here is a quick cheat sheet. Of course, you will require a Spotify account before you can add any songs to the playlist.

1. Visit Spotify and set up your account.


2. Then navigate to Tara’s playlist.


3. Then click the “I have Spotify” button and the desktop app will open for you if it is not already open, and take you to the playlist.


4. Subscribe to the SMCHI Playlist.


5. Peruse the current songs, then decide what song you would like to add next.


6. Use the Search function to find your way to that song.


7. Then right-click on the album art and choose “Add to > SMCHI Playlist.”


8. Or, if you are on the iPad, click the small “i” in the upper left corner, then choose ”+ Add to” > The SMCHI Playlist.

See you on the dance floor,
Rox

Share/Bookmark

Tomorrow I am working with an esteemed group of coral reef scientists here in Hawaii to illustrate various ways to use social media. I will be using a version of The Social Media Game, an interactive learning process originally developed by my darling colleague Beth Kantor a few years ago. I’ve updated it and added 12 more “tools” – and am still missing a lot of those available to us today. It just shows you how much app and platform development continues in the sphere of online social networks and mobile options.

The confusing part is also very good news: it is very arbitrary whether we call something a “social network” or an “online broadcast” etc – most of these tools listed below easily fall into many of these categories! I’ve stayed as true as I can to Beth’s original designations though have added 50% more options! And my savvy readers will recognize right away many more that I have not (yet!) included on this list. Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments so the net iteration will be even more thorough…if also more overwhelming for those who have not yet entered the social media space.

Note: I am rushing to get this live and will be updating it. Leave a comment so you can be automatically updated when changes occur! Second Note: In the PDFs below, I added even a few more tools!

Question from the workshop: How to find Twitter users in Hawaii? Check out WeFollow.com.

Here are the files I used to create the game cards and the situation cards. Please download, print, and use when creating your next Social Media Strategy. Mahalo nui to Tara Coomans for dropping in and assisting us in the game strategy session today.
social-media-tools-2011-07 (PDF)
situation-cards-2011-07 (PDF)
overview-time-commitment (PDF)

Listening

Yelp/Trip Advisor
Customer-generated reviews of products and services. You can interact with them directly.
Have you claimed your business? How will you deal with negative reviews?
www.yelp.com
www.tripadvisor.com

Google Alerts
Set up automated reminders for any mention of your org name or your product/service keywords.
How often should you get reports? Who will review & act?
www.google.com/alerts

Social Network

Facebook
Set up an organization page on an existing popular social network to connect with others.
What will you name your page and what will you feature there?
www.facebook.com

Ning
Create your own niche online social network with ready to use blogs, RSS feeds, forums and more.
Do you have a community on the ground to support an online community? Or would you be better served to set up a community inside another social network?
www.ning.com

LinkedIn
Use for recruiting, research on potential contractors, ask/answer questions, create org profile.
When will you set up your profile? How can you ask for referrals? What about your staff?
www.linkedin.com

Communication

Twitter
Web and mobile updates. Hash tag conversations. Share links.
Is your target audience familiar with using this tool? How’s your understanding of social media etiquette?
www.twitter.com

Mobile Texting
Instantly text message your audience about urgent updates to their cellphones.
How will you collect and manage cellphone numbers?
www.group2call.com

Skype
Free or low cost calls over the internet with ability to record and conference.
Will you create audio or video interviews using Skype? Will you connect with others at low cost?
www.skype.com

Collaboration

Google+
Just now opened to the public, you can chat in private circles, video chat on the fly, and coming soon you can live stream video from within Google+.
Can you make time to learn a new system to save time and extend your communication abilities?
plus.google.com

Exploration
Allow your staff to explore and learn more about the social web.
Where will you start? What do you want to know to move forward?
Google.com
www.mashable.com
Training Programs (Sign up for ours! www.knowhowcafe.com)

Wiki
A wiki provides groups with collaborative publishing and work- space. Great for group editing documents or projects.
Confident about collaborating? Who will be the wrangler?
www.wikispaces.com

Social Bookmarks
Help organize your own presence on the web by tagging your own pages or pages related to your mission.
Willing to make an effort to tag and share so others can find you?
www.stmbleupon.com
www.delicious.com

Private Groups
Facebook & LinkedIn allow you to create private groups. Manage invitees; they discuss and share.
Where do you and your staff spend more time?
www.facebook.com
www.linkedin.com

Hashtags
Create custom tags for your org & events or concepts. Prepend with a # sign, aka a “hash” mark.
Have you created your main tag? Are you checking for duplicates?
www.hashtracking.com

Tweetup
Host an event organized on Twitter. Raise money, share info, meet face-to-face (IRL).
Does your venue tell the story? Are you more influential in person?
www.twtvite.com

Media Content

Flickr
Create or archive photos online to share with others. You can also share find photos of other’s you can use under a creative commons license.
Will you create your own or use others? Create a group too!
www.flickr.com

YouTube
Create or archive videos online to share with others. You can also share other’s videos.
What can you post? How will you share your channel with others?
www.youtube.com

uStream
Create a live (and recorded!) video stream of key events.
What stories make sense in real time? Who can monitor the chat?
www.uStream.tv

Use QR Codes
Embed the custom graphic into your flyers or printed material. Lets users w smart phones jump directly to a webpage or get SMS.
Do you have a specific info page?
www.qurify.com

SlideShare
Share powerpoints and PDFs that can be embedded on other sites.
Do you have compelling presentations and/or data to share?
www.slideshare.net

Online Broadcast

News & RSS Feeds
Capture other people’s content using their RSS Feeds and aggregate (display) them on your website.
How will you choose your feeds? Do you have a feed?
www.feed.informer.com
www.feedburner.com

Project Blog
Organization uses blog to support projects and events. Can have many authors
How will people know about blog? Will you add share links?
www.wordpress.com

Personal Blog
Individual in organization writes personal perspective on a topic related to your org’s mission.
How will people know about the blog? What links will it include? How often will you post?
www.wordpress.com
Or a custom WordPress blog via standalone hosting:
www.greengeeks.com (our Bare Feet affiliate link)
www.hostgator.com (our Bare Feet affiliate link)

Mobile Apps

FourSquare/Gowalla
Geo-location app, users check-in at your place, share with friends.
How can you support your regular fans/customers? Who will monitor this social network?
www.foursquare.com
www.gowalla.com

Tout
15-second videos straight from your phone to Facebook, Twitter, Email.
Do you have basic video skills to make yours engaging?
www.tout.com

Facebook Places
Facebook creates geographical places that allow people to “check in” when they are there.
Do you already have a place? Are your fans checking in? Are you responding?
www.facebook.com

Event Tools

Aloha,

Share/Bookmark

Here are links and handouts for two of my recent speaking opportunities. I used the same bones of the presentation though one is geared to businesses and the other is geared to volunteers and nonprofit organizations. Both are targeted to the newbies who are thinking about social media use. I am offering them both in this one post. Please enjoy all the links! All links open in a new window.

General Information:
My presentation to Hawaiian Telcom University
My presentation to the Network of Volunteer Leaders

The Nonprofit Social Media Decision Guide (PDF)
ROI Examples for Nonprofits
How Nonprofit Organizations Can Use Social Media to Power Social Networks for Change (from my friend, the amazing Beth Kanter

1. Listen
Search.Twitter.com Enter your name or keywords; save the search and subscribe to it for updates.
Google.com/alerts
Facebook page insights
Yelp.com Search your name; claim your business if applicable (@emihart is our local guru)
TripAdvisor.com Search your name; claim your business if applicable
@ComcastCares on Twitter
David Jones Reviews Microchip
Network for what now? Using the Give Well blog to address fundraising concerns

2. Be Your Own Media
MarylandZoo.tv
“Volunteer” on Flickr / Ford Motor Company on Flickr
Blendtec – Will it blend?
EpicThanks.org
Beachwalks.tv and the USS Nimitz
@DellOutlet on Twitter

3. Share and Engage/Share before sell.
Johnson & Johnson on YouTube
Podcamp Hawaii
Watch the Social Media Revolution

4. Identify & Support Connectors
Todd Cochrane, RawVoice Podcaster Network
Honolulu Twestival
Idealist.org Volunteer opportunities

5. Understand the New Math
1000 True Fans

KnowHow Cafe – join our free email list to receive an intro eBook and be notified of upcoming classes!

Aloha,

Share/Bookmark

Sometimes the synchronicities are too much to ignore, so today’s post is about recurring instances of a brand name. That is the spiritual undertone for how the internet follows memes of words and vibrations too. Here are the three learning points:

• SocMed 101: What can you share that will enable others to talk about you?
• SocMed 202: Good manners have a dual payoff online.

• SocMed 303: Take time to make this benefit you.

  My LinkedIn Back Story for Today:

  A week ago I gave a private keynote address to the annual management conference for Servco Pacific Inc., one of the largest, most successful, and innovative companies here in Hawaii. They bravely let me address them “from the future” while intentionally opening a can of worms. (Worms, I told them, that make black gold compost!)

  Servco also met me there in the future, and in fact instead of the usual (often boring) speaker’s bio (which anyone can read online if interested) they put up a screenshot of my LinkedIn profile on the big screen, and introduced me by sharing stats on my social network influence. Very clever. I was impressed!

  Then this morning, I had an email from Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, in my Inbox. I have attached it here for you to read. I’ll go in to the details below, however this email combined with this post and a little more convo on Twitter neatly illustrate my three SocMed points above.
  

  SocMed 101: What can you share that will enable others to talk about you?

  In this case, Reid shared several very useful things. First, he shared the success of his company: LinkedIn has reached 100 Million members. That is a huge success, especially since he figured out early on how to have free and paid premium services for a web-based platform. Take a moment to think about how many companies have not been able to do that yet. (Note: I am a paying member.)

  Second, he told me how I played a role in this success – giving me a piece of the credit. I loved that! My partner Shane and I were talking about it before we got out of bed this morning! (He got one too of course.) As a very early adopter, I stayed with LinkedIn even when it was out of favor and struggling to cross the free-to-paid chasm. I do talk about LinkedIn constantly in my social media talks and training/coaching workshops, listing LinkedIn as one of the top five social networks that every business person should be using.

  Naturally, now that I was part of the winning team, I wanted to share that with my network as well. Keep reading!
  

  SocMed 202: Good manners have a dual payoff online.

  In my world the “thank you” means a lot. It was a perfect thank you – which we all know from decades of The One Minute Manager – means to make it personal and make it specific and make it timely. He addressed me by name and he gave me my actual signup number. I was the 49,201st member of what is now a 100 million member community! So of course I felt good about that – most of us love being acknowledged for our participation.

  Secondly though, this data had value to me as well, in terms of building my influence and reputation online. Word-of-mouth is the SOLE way we get work here at Bare Feet Studios. We have never advertised; we stand by and on the excellent services we deliver to our clients. So I posted this accomplishment of mine and LinkedIn’s to my Twitter feed. With all the “social media wannabees” making noise online, it is nice to have some solid data points that clearly establish me as an experienced pro. Click on the thumbnail image to see the actual tweet. You will see I also credited my first connection – Trevor Loy – who introduced me to LinkedIn. LinkedIn and Reid Hoffman got very public acknowledgement for their thank you note to me.
  

  SocMed 303: Take time to make this benefit you.

  In addition to the Twitter post, I am taking time to write this blog post. My main goal is to help others be internet literate. Social Media is easy to get into, but not that easy to use effectively. The people in my classes and talks love it when we take the theory and turn it into practical, real life examples.

  The beauty of all this is that done consciously, there are always numerous benefits and numerous beneficiaries. This just keeps the good vibes in motion and that means some of it points back to you. Take a scan of the numerous people and companies mentioned here (and linked to!) free of charge, so to speak.

  It is not the same energy as a quid pro quo transaction – those IMO are often laden with unmet (and unstated!) expectations that turn the energy sour. Social media is effective and it is fun, and smart business people know how to ride those waves together! It fails when you try to make it one-way, all about you, or only transactional for the sale. Some people do all these things naturally and gracefully, Like Rosa Say; others of us benefit from the step-by-step how to.

  In the end, all three of these learning points actually roll into one – you cannot isolate the good news from itself. I’d love to hear your examples of keeping the good vibes in motion using social media too! Share the love.

  Aloha,
  
  

  Share/Bookmark

  ]]> http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2011/03/25/a-social-media-tutorial-with-linkedin/feed/ 23 http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2011/01/05/for-travel-destinations-working-well-with-bloggers/ http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2011/01/05/for-travel-destinations-working-well-with-bloggers/#comments Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:12:20 +0000 Roxanne Darling http://www.barefeetstudios.com/?p=1679

  I am producing a social media marketing campaign for the island of Lānaʻi, here in Hawaii. It is a rather unique concept, a “New Media Artist-in-Residence” Program. I will write about the specifics in a separate blog post, though I did start noodling on this idea back in 2008. Today I want to share with you some tips I have put together for the destination partners, which apply to any type of social marketing with bloggers.

  Program Overview
  The LVB has invited seven well regarded new media “bloggers” to visit as New Media Artists-in-Residence. Each will be accompanied by a companion to assist in developing stories and making media (writing blog posts, updating social networks, and taking pictures and videos). Their visits will span five months, generating an ongoing conversation online amongst each other (with hundreds of links) about the island of Lanai.

  Working with New Media
  These folks tend to be much less formal and far more interactive with the destination partners than is typical for traditional media reps or writers. They want to engage with you and other local people. They want behind-the-scenes experiences. They are looking for stories to tell and interesting people and places that can truly convey the essence of a place.

  Keep in mind, a New Media Artist’s loyalty is to their readers, the people they inform and inspire, while sharing their authentic experiences. The more you engage with them, the more likely they will mention you. And the more likely others will learn about you and want to know more. If you want to make any special offers available, the new media team will be able to help you get the word out at no extra charge. They love having exclusives and scoops for their readers!

  It’s All About the Conversation
  Online social conversations cover a wide territory – from short greetings and reference links on Twitter to long form blog entries with lots of photos, links, and nuanced story telling. The conversation will be taking place in many locations or what we call, on several different platforms. Each artist has a destination blog where s/he will be writing their in-depth pieces about the trip. Light, chatty, link-sharing takes place on Twitter and Facebook. Photos are shared on Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr, where they can be seen by thousands of others. Videos are hosted on their blogs as well as on YouTube for extra wide distribution.

  Remember, on the social web, everyone’s invited! That includes you too.

  Here’s how you can interact with New Media Artists, aka Travel Bloggers:
  * Introduce yourself on Twitter and their blogs; interact with questions and suggestions for their visit. Introduce them to others in the community. Point them to your website or Facebook page. Share a picture of your business location or activity. Tell them about you so they can share that with thousands of others.
  * Post welcome messages to each artist on Twitter and Facebook the day of their arrival.
  * Take a photos and/or videos with them and your staff while on property and post to Twitter, Flickr, and/or email to the blogger to post it for you.
  * Follow the artists on Twitter and read their blog before, during, and after their visit. Leave comments!
  * Mention them on your Facebook page (and include a link to them – any of their links will do) if you have a FB page.
  * Follow (and use!) the tag we have in place to keep track of the conversation and all of the content being created: #VisitLanai. This is a short cut on Twitter to see what is happening right now amongst all of the team members too. Save the search as a bookmark so you can check in easily and often.
  * Even if you are not on Twitter or Facebook, you can still follow the conversation in a web browser. See the links below and save them as bookmarks!
  * You can take pictures with your phone and email them to the bloggers to get them posted.
  * You can send an email message to your customer email list telling them to follow your hashtag to meet real people who are visiting here.
  * You can leave comments on the bloggers’ web site.
  * You can do something memorable that they will cherish and want to write about!

  VisitLanai Web Resources
  Search the tag on Twitter
  The temporary blog for the LVB
  The Twitter account for the LVB

  Aloha,
  
  

  Share/Bookmark

  ]]> http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2011/01/05/for-travel-destinations-working-well-with-bloggers/feed/ 0 http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2010/11/11/build-a-social-media-strategy-at-smchi/ http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2010/11/11/build-a-social-media-strategy-at-smchi/#comments Thu, 11 Nov 2010 21:54:51 +0000 Roxanne Darling http://www.barefeetstudios.com/?p=1665

  Here are the notes from the networking event at the Hawaii Chapter of the Social Media Club: Build a Social Media Strategy. We mixed up our format to complement the venue, Ka Restaurant. We met in the intimate (read: packed!) lounge room for a brief presentation of the highlights of social media strategy. Presenters were Tara Coomans, Rob Bertholf, and myself. We were limited to one slide each, plus the cheat sheet that we posted on all the tables scattered throughout the bar – and to where we adjourned for robust conversation after the overview. Download the PDF here.

  Tons of links at the end of this post; get your goodies there!

  Building a Social Media Strategy is like building any strategy: you start with that brilliant question, “What’s the point?” The catch with many of us in these rushed times is that we tend to jump into social media before thinking about strategy, and then forget to come back and revisit why we jumped in, in the first place! It is very easy to get sucked into the stream of activity and distractions, playing a few rounds of copy cat, and then being stuck having to write an annual report that basically says, “Well, we were really busy this year but don’t have a clue what we actually accomplished!”

  This SMCHI meeting was an antidote to that. And, it used our guiding principle of “If you get it, share it” to bring us together as business collaborators. Of course, there were companies in attendance who normally think of themselves as competitors, but the beauty of social media is that we actually can help all of our businesses grow though collaboration. Just like how the gas stations learned long ago to all set up on the same corner.

  Another aspect of social media at present, is that there are so many tools to use and it is not easy or obvious to know which ones are more efficient at specific tasks. I find people complaining that they don’t get results with SM, however when I look at their platforms in use and the activity taking place, I can see why. ;-) Twitter is the easiest example – where people start accounts, post some things, yet aren’t aware of the faux pas they are creating or the opportunities they are missing by not using links, keywords, and etiquette to their best advantage. As we help each other get smarter, our Hawaii business community gets stronger.

  The concept was simple, even if the execution is not so easy – pretty much a metaphor for our evening. Seems the flat screens at Ka require a very obscure cable: VGA to RCA. Not being able to secure one in time, we could not use the TVs for the intended live Twitter stream. Nonetheless, we pursued our goals and you can see the results by searching “smchi” on Twitter. Here’s a screen shot with a curated sample of some of my favorites! (Click the image to see full size.)

  We are purchasing a couple of those mystery cables and will be gifting one to Ka Restaurant so other groups who meet there will have an easy process of connecting their laptop media to the house screens. We’ll be heading back there December 15 for our Social Media Year in Review Party. Please join us!

  Thanks for reading! Here are the goodies I promised above.
  Handouts that we shared can be dowloaded here. Thanks to Tara Coomans for posting those.

  You can the slides and photos from this event on Flickr.

  You can view the live stream video of the presentation on uStream.tv.

  You can play with the interactive Social Technographics Tool from Forrester Research.

  Follow the tag #smchi on Twitter to catch some of the comments from the evening. (And remember, if you don’t include the tag, it’s nearly impossible for us to include you in the conversation and discover you!)

  You can see who attended this event on our RSVP page.

  Mahalo to Lululemon for donating a $25 Gift Certificate. Lucky winner was @lorenawire (photo attached of the cool Lululemon bags.) YOU can win a free yoga class, just by checking in to Facebook Places the next time you are at a Lululemon store. We have one here in Honolulu at Ala Moana Center. Tell them Tess sent you!

  Aloha,
  
  

  Share/Bookmark

  ]]> http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2010/11/11/build-a-social-media-strategy-at-smchi/feed/ 4 http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2010/10/11/keynote-the-social-web-is-more-than-tweets-the-eye/ http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2010/10/11/keynote-the-social-web-is-more-than-tweets-the-eye/#comments Tue, 12 Oct 2010 08:16:36 +0000 Roxanne Darling http://www.barefeetstudios.com/?p=1646

  
  

  I wanted to push the limits of the garden-variety talk on Social Media last week when I presented the keynote address at the Hawaii Social Media Summit. First let me thank Quincy Solano and team from Technology News Bytes and our own Social Media Club Hawaii for creating a high energy event! (You were awesome Tara and Rob – I loved having you there with me.) And check out NonStop Honolulu’s photos from the Tweetup afterwards. And be sure to check out this video interview on KITV from 6:15 am that morning! Mahalo Yasmin Dar.

  I expected a small percentage of people from “the choir” in the audience, with the large majority being local businesses – and this turned out to be true. So how can I entertain and keep my peers not just interested, but hopped up and motivated for the rest of the day, while talking as jargon-free as possible to the business managers who gave their precious time to be there?

  Well, I relied on the tools of our trade, the principles of our practice, and the voices of my peers.

  Tools of the Trade:
  Use Twitter. I made sure to put up an advance slide listing my Twitter handle and the hashtag for the day, #HISMS. This allowed people to start interacting even before I came on stage. I was tweeting myself as I was being introduced (by the lovely Ramsay Wharton) and by sheer, beautiful coincidence, my friend CC Chapman direct messaged me right in that time-space continuum. I clicked “submit” on my reply to him as I walked up the stairs – telling him I was actually using a video of him in my presentation! That is the “Psychic Friends Network” for real.

  Use More Interesting Presentation Tools. I completely understand the comfort and usefulness of having a presentation, but we really can now move beyond the “death by PowerPoint” type of presentations with too many words at too small a size, and nothing left to the imagination. I built my preso in Prezi – which is like a mind-mapping tool for presentations. The audience loved it and there was an entire side channel happening on Twitter talking about Prezi, among people in the audience as well “out there.” I love that! Here is the link to my Prezi.

  Incorporate Rich Media. When I first learned I would have 90 minutes, I mildly freaked out! “I am not going to stand up there and lecture at folks for an hour and a half – we will all be brain dead by 10:30!” Speakers, I recommend wholeheartedly you resist the urge to feed your audiences facts and figures. Those can be found on Google. Or Hubspot. Instead I used a lot of video. Some from clips I had in my archive from 3-4 years ago, some from YouTube, some new video slide shows I made using photos from HawaiiIRL.com and also from Flickr. Remember, a picture is worth 1000 words, but a video is priceless!

  Principles of Social Media Practice:
  Transparency. I showed them my computer, in WYSIWYG fashion – when I goofed on switching applications, I made a manini mistake and they got to watch as I fixed it. That is so much more interesting, in these times, than just trying to be perfect. I also shared my nervousness about using Prezi for the first time to such a large group; I had previously only used it in small, private training programs. Share some of you, your energy, with them. Be real. It’s not as scary as it sounds, and I can tell you, I had as much fun as ever, and experienced a lot less stress. Walk at least as much as you talk. Better yet, dance! (We did. I love music and I love movement, so I shared that part of who I am.)

  Get People Involved. Disruption is OK. Can you believe we were dancing to a large screen YouTube video of Cheryl Lynn’s, Got to Be Real? Well, I was, and a few people even joined me! I also stopped between each of my six points…to give people something to do related to the previous point, and give me a minute to check the Twitter stream!

  Give People an Experience, don’t just talk about the experience. Oh baby we did this! I planted a trick on the audience, to let them know first hand how a social media event is different from your typical conference. (Think disruption, opinions, etc.) Thanks to my colleague, Jesse Stay, we had some drama of the entertaining kind, that was perfectly on point.

  The Voices of My Peers:
  Crowd-Sourcing. As I mentioned above under Rich Media, I used video clips I had taken from several of my peers. Why hear just my perspective, when I can bring you the insights of Gary Vaynerchuk, Chris Brogan, Laura Fitton, CC Chapman, my Mom, Blanche Benton, and Bubbe of Feed Me Bubbe! The cool thing was that those peeps got shout outs too on Twitter from the precious people in my audience.

  Share My Network With You. I wanted to include the local Hawaii “social media types” so that the businesses in the audience would start to get to know all of you. Even though I was running out of time, with close to 30 hours into my prep, I put together a brief slide show of some of you – thanks to HawaiiIRL again. This is about real people, not just lists of names somewhere. And of course I included all of my fellow speakers too.

  Go Outside My Network. I also used videos from YouTube that I found inspiring, most especially the Lost Generation and my new friend, @MermaidKariel. I also shared excerpts from a video from GigOm about how Multitasking affects our brains.

  The Result?
  We had a grand time. People left the room highly buzzed and ready to go absorb as much as they could from the other sessions and hallway interactions. I was so happy to receive so much praise – from so many new people as well as from my peers. We do things so often in something of a vacuum – for me, having my colleagues entertained was a very sweet feeling! You can look at the Twestimonials in our sidebar – it shows the tweets I favorited and for which I am so grateful!

  Here are the presentations from my colleagues that have been posted; I will update as I get more:
  Dan Zelikman, on Communities and Advertising
  Andy Beal, on Reputation Management

  Aloha,
  
  

  Share/Bookmark

  ]]> http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2010/10/11/keynote-the-social-web-is-more-than-tweets-the-eye/feed/ 0 http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2010/09/08/social-media-making-business-fun-again/ http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2010/09/08/social-media-making-business-fun-again/#comments Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:36:25 +0000 Roxanne Darling http://www.barefeetstudios.com/?p=1618

  When speaking to newbies about the what, where, why, and how of social media, I often remark how social media seems to help business people actually have fun again with their business! We all go into business because we like doing something – be it fixing cars, flying planes, making muffins, or creating ad campaigns.

  But then we get bogged down with hiring and firing, taxes, government regulations, market share, and all matter of other requirements that for many of us are no. fun. at. all.

  Along comes social media which is so conversational, creative, interactive, mostly free and bam! Business is fun again. Here are a few examples inspiring me today:

  1. Star Wars Remake – Crowd-Sourced Edition

  
  You know your fans truly love you when they assemble themselves together out of the messy soup that is the internet to create “a shot-for-shot crowd-sourced remake of “Star Wars,” diced into 15-second segments and re-created, reenacted, reanimated and recontextualized piece by piece by fans from around the world.” Amazing! Hilarious! Genius! Power to the people! Love in action! You get my point. And for Casey Pugh, you made my day. I had heard about this way back when, and had completey forgotten. Now hop over to www.starwarsuncut.com to watch it, visit the LATimes to read the full story and watch a few clips, and if you are in Honolulu or San Francisco, please drop into Blue Hawaii Lifestyle for a snack and tell Matt Olson “thanks for sharing this story with Rox!”

  2. JetBlue “All You Can Jet” Pass

  
  I heard about this today on the radio at NPR.org. It was literally a 30-day pass, fly as much as you want wherever you want. Similar to what Cathay Pacific has been running for years over there in beautiful Southeast Asia. But now, we have the power of the internet and word-of-mouth marketing by consumers, to consumers, for consumers. Read this (with a British accent) from JetBlue Corporate Commercialization Officer Robin Hayes:
  

  “I think it’s fair to say we were gobsmacked with the success of All You Can Jet,” says Robin Hayes, the airline’s chief commercial officer. “I would describe that as a nonstop party. We had flights with 80, 100 All You Can Jetters on them. I mean it really was 30 days of a very carnival-like atmosphere at JetBlue.” To add to the carnival-like atmosphere, JetBlue is helping its “Jetters” get organized, with a Facebook page where travelers can make plans to meet up, ask advice, post their personal dos and don’ts, or list their favorites spots.

  
  Too bad they don’t fly to Hawaiʻi…

  3. Mailing a Package Becomes a Video Tutorial

  
  Shane and I are developing KnowHow Cafe, an online learning community. I save snippets of things all the time, for future Quick Tips and tutorials. One of them relates to how to manage file extensions – a rather boring topic but something that can stop you dead in your tracks if you don’t KnowHow to work around them. My example is the USPS.com website, on a Mac. But then this morning, in real life, Shane comes to me and asks for a mailing label for a package he is sending to his sister in a USPS Priority Mail box. (I love how they give those boxes away!) So we shot a little video, involving him with the box, me with the bathroom scale, and a few screenshots from the usps.com website. The tutorial is coming soon! (Be sure to join our free email list at www.knowhowcafe.com) It was a lot more fun than just typing up another boring list of how to manage messy file extensions – though we will offer both. David Pogue, at the NYTimes, does a great job on these. He writes a column and he produces a video of same; we subscribe via Tivo and watch it in the living room for entertainment and education!

  4. WOMMA Awards Are Looking for Your Story!

  
  As head of the local chapter of Social Media Club, I was contacted by Steve Ziemba at WOMMA – the “official” organization promoting best practices in word-of-marketing marketing, to help spread the word about their current award campaign, the WOMMY Awards. Visit them to learn more here about submitting your example of using word-of-mouth to build your brand – oops! – I mean have fun using social media in your business!

  Aloha,
  
  

  Share/Bookmark

  ]]> http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2010/09/08/social-media-making-business-fun-again/feed/ 2 http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2010/08/18/why-i-did-not-freak-out-over-my-stolen-iphone/ http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2010/08/18/why-i-did-not-freak-out-over-my-stolen-iphone/#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 21:23:16 +0000 Roxanne Darling http://www.barefeetstudios.com/?p=1606

  Last Friday night we were heading home from visiting some friends in Lanikai. We decided to pull over and walk down to the beach to look for Mars, which is very “close” to earth this month and shining bright in the sky. We were gone no more than 20 minutes, yet in that time the front window of my car was smashed and my purse was stolen. With my iPhone 3GS inside, wallet and credit cards, and a few coupons and lip balm.

  Luckily, Shane had his phone on him, so we could call the police and report the incident. I was not freaking out. To many people, the loss of phone and wallet is truly like losing major parts of oneself! To me, it was an opportunity to let technology work for me, and of course, get a new iPhone 4! I could barely wait to get home and start tracking where my phone was IRL (in real life.)

  My Tech and Internet Guardian Angels

  
  Mobile Me Account
  I always purchase Mobile Me alongside my iPhone service. It is only $99 a year and it saved me and my privacy.

  I had enabled the “Find My Phone” feature that interacts with the GPS on the device. As soon as I got to a computer, (any computer with a web browser would do), I logged in and could see right where my phone was: Kalanianaole Highway near the Circle K/76 Gas Station in Waimanalo. I could then follow it to the back yard of a specific residence. With a Kailua policeman standing over my shoulder, he was calling his counterpart who was knocking on the door of the residence.

  At that moment I sent a loud, shrill sound for 2 minutes to my iphone, hoping the officer could hear it, though the phone, as I said, was far in the back yard behind the house. Alas, he could not hear anything, and the person at the door declined any further investigation. So I sent the signal again, only this time it did not go through. So I then issued the command, literally!, to my phone, to “wipe” the entire contents of the phone.

  This would preserve all of my personal information and prevent the thief from accessing me. Think for a moment – this is the future we imagined in science fiction, only I am living it now.

  My Mobile Me account also lets me sync all of my contacts, calendars, and email via the web, so I could access them from anywhere. This is great if someone steals your computer and your phone! It also restores all of my information to my new phone/computer the instant I plug it in and add my Mobile Me credentials.

  American Express Credit Card Registry
  I pay $39 a year for this service. In the case of my stolen wallet, all I had to do was call one number at AMEX, and they would cancel all credit cards associated with my social security number (or only a subset if so requested on the phone) “immediately.” The cacth here is that I did have a Visa/debit card from my business checking account in my wallet. They did not find that one, (it “belongs to the business tax id not my personal SSN) and my intuition kicked in after playing on the computer watching my phone roam around Waimanalo. So I called the bank, and sure enough two transactions had just been made at the Circle K/76 Station, one at 11:11 pm and one at 11:16 pm. So now we can connect the “fraudulent use of a credit card” with the time stamp of the phone at the gas station. I am kinda glad now that the card had slipped through the cracks, as it will help the police crack this case more easily! I just know the Kailua cops are going to catch these folks one day soon. No doubt they were frustrated as the other 4 cards they tried to use, failed on them.

  My Amex card was delivered by Express Mail and arrived Monday morning (the theft was reported around 10 pm on Friday night.)

  iPhone and iTunes: The Secret Sauce
  What can I say? These two things are the core of my life, and it is because they work so well that i did not freak out even for a moment over my stolen purse. Once I was able to get a new phone (NOT easy! The island was sold out till I found one at Radio Shack in Kailua – and I did not even know they were sold there!), all I did was plug it into my computer. Instantly, all of my notes, music, text messages, apps, settings, etc. were restored!

  Window Replacement
  I logged into my Progresive Insurance account to report the incident on Saturday morning. I filled out a simple and smart form. An agent called about 4 hours later and gave me the location of Safelite, where I was able to make an appointment for 3 pm Monday. It took 45 minutes and only cost $168 – about half the retail price courtesy of my Progressive policy. If you read this blog, you know I love being able to do things digitally rather than on the phone.

  Drivers License
  Tuesday morning at 8 am I was at the WIndward Satellite Office of City Hall for the City and County of Honolulu. This is a gorgeous new-ish facility – especially compared to waiting outside the old one at the police station further down Kamehameha Hwy. Bright, colorful walls with art, and friendly staff. I had my new license in about 5 minutes (and a much better photo if I do say so myself!) Replacement cost: $5.

  The bonus here is that since Shane had to drive me, he was able to get his renewed at the same time – and it was due to expire in a few months. It is one of those errands we tend to put off until the last minute, then stress over! Stress: no need.

  Oh, and remember I got that new iPhone 4! Thanks to Mike and Pat at the Kailua Radio Shack. When the Apple Stores and the ATT&T stores have no phones, check your local Radio Shack! Five days later, I am back to normal, though I still am looking for a new “wallet” to keep my cards in. Your suggestions welcome!

  At this point most writers would lecture you about your back up plans, your due diligence, your responsibility quotient, etc. But I’d rather just inspire you to embrace technology and let it be your slave too!

  Aloha,
  
  

  Share/Bookmark

  ]]> http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2010/08/18/why-i-did-not-freak-out-over-my-stolen-iphone/feed/ 14 http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2010/08/05/why-i-rarely-answer-my-phone/ http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2010/08/05/why-i-rarely-answer-my-phone/#comments Thu, 05 Aug 2010 22:23:26 +0000 Roxanne Darling http://www.barefeetstudios.com/?p=1577

  Increasingly, as a digital native, citizen of the internet, geek girl – call me what you wish – I find myself more and more discerning about how, when, and with whom I use the phone.

  It is simply another trending practice that all marketers would be wise to note: Interruption of any kind is increasingly irritating and unnecessary in today’s world of technology and community. Consider this yet another free tip from your early adopter, Rox.

  Clive Thompson in Wired.com captures the sentiment perfectly:
  

  Consider: If I suddenly decide I want to dial you up, I have no way of knowing whether you’re busy, and you have no idea why I’m calling…. Plus, voice calls are emotionally high-bandwidth, which is why it’s so weirdly exhausting to be interrupted by one. (We apparently find voicemail even more excruciating: Studies show that more than a fifth of all voice messages are never listened to.)

  The bold emphasis is mine. FYI our insider club of precious clients have phone access to me 24/7; you folks are listed in my Caller ID. Yet even with you/them I don’t always answer immediately. Because I have more than one client, I often choose not to drop my work on Client A to answer a call from Client B. I will listen to the voice mail as soon as I “come up for air” and will respond accordingly.

  So let me explain “come up for air.”

  The nature of my work is very brain intensive. When I sit down to craft a proposal or to build a blog or troubleshoot a marketing problem, I go deep into many layers of experience, technology, human behavior, internet psychology, the client’s budget level, etc. It is not a casual exercise. I have on average, 8-10 different software applications that I run concurrently.

  In these busy times, I am ever more committed to using my time efficiently, as the various social web communities would otherwise tug at me literally 24/7. I not only would be severely lacking in sleep and recreation, I would not be getting anything done! Meaning – completed, finished, to-do item checked done.

  To be interrupted throughout the day by ringing phones with a whole different set of (sometimes random) questions causes me to have to be yanked out of “the zone” which I consider a dis-service to my clients (my efficiency for them just crashed) and it is certainly taxing on my energy. And trust me – you all want me happy not cranky, right?

  Why I Generally Prefer DIgital Communication

  • It can be sent and consumed at mutually convenient, self-directed time frames.
  • It can be sent and consumed using mutually convenient, self-directed devices/platforms.
  • It provides a written record; that saves so many brain cells from trying to remember things!
  • That written record lowers error rates and confusion over deliverables. Yes, it takes my billable time to write up the notes – but you are so well-served by my laying things out so clearly for you to consider over time.
  • It can slow down the process, allowing answers to appear without anyone being interrupted. Feelings of urgency are not always accurate.

  So even though you’ll hear me say, “I get waaay too much email!” don’t confuse that with “I would SO much rather get a descriptive email with a handy subject than a phone call almost any day!”

  Understanding the phone preference

  Often, people who phone just want an answer to their question now (don’t we all!), or they are not that comfortable with email (join KnowHow Cafe where the smart people come to get smarter), or they don’t want to take the time to write out their question (you’ll be the main beneficiary of doing this!), or they are shielding the conversation specifically from a written record (hehe, no comment).

  What’s more polite, phone or digital?

  So while those of you who like to use the phone may consider those of us who don’t answer rude or selfish, here’s an upbeat take on things from Clive:
  

  The telephone, in other words, doesn’t provide any information about status, so we are constantly interrupting one another. The other tools at our disposal are more polite. Instant messaging lets us detect whether our friends are busy without our bugging them, and texting lets us ping one another asynchronously. (Plus, we can spend more time thinking about what we want to say.) For all the hue and cry about becoming an “always on” society, we’re actually moving away from the demand that everyone be available immediately.

  Let’s treat the phone as a really valuable business tool and make appointments for phone calls! We can leverage our powerful connections together IRL to their maximum by using the best tool for the job. Want to talk to me? Just send a quick email with your general topic and list some times you are available. I’ll get back to you. Keep ringing me up and not leaving any details in your voicemail while I am immersed in delivering services to someone else? It could take days to get a response.

  Photo Credit: Mute by woodlywonderworks on Flickr.

  Aloha,
  
  

  Share/Bookmark

  ]]> http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2010/08/05/why-i-rarely-answer-my-phone/feed/ 13