October 1st, 2009
Well, it is a new start for me as I am going to be making sure that all posts for the new day are up before 12 noon EST. This is so that all of the regular visitors will have an idea of when to check for new material id they are not subscribed to the blog in one of the many ways we have available.
Secondly by Friday of this week we are going to be posting some videos for people on the basics of getting started in the social networking world. More than likely this will be done through not directly here but through one of the streaming social mediums and then linked to from here. Also over the course of this week we are gong to find a way to post a calendar of events so that if there are events that can help people get better at personal branding and image management we can help direct them that way.
If you have not had a chance to read some of the original work through the website please click on some of the white papers on the right they have information and research that can help get people started in the right direction. Also if you have any questions or would like to take advantage of the services that I offer feel free to click on the services button above.
Categories: Important News, New Features
October 1st, 2009
Well, I went with my father to the afternoon Braves game yesterday and sat on the field level. This means I am burnt to a crisp right now and the umpires had no clue what they were doing. But that is another story for another day. We are going to be having an interesting week next week as we are going to be putting the finishing touches on the first few videos for the blog. I hope to have them up by Friday. This weekend however we are going to be looking for other sites. Highlighting some of the sites we are already linking to and giving links to articles that are useful. In the meantime we are going to be republishing some items over the weekend so that some of the newer readers can browse some of the older items.
Starting in August, we are going to be putting together some of the slide presentations in a format that can be presented here as well. And we are putting together our first third party social networking story for August as well. Neat new things coming. So thank you for the readership and we head toward the weekend more driven than ever before.
Categories: Important News, Links, Marketing, New Features, Personal Branding, Social Media, Transcendental Brands
October 1st, 2009
Today’s post is a little off topic, but I am going to do it anyway. Today is my father Gary Sherman’s birthday. He is my dad and my hero. I can only hope that one day I will amount to be the kind of father and gentleman he is. I take this moment to say heartfelt Happy Birthday Dad.
Categories: Important News, Personal Branding, Social Media
October 1st, 2009
The new paper has been posted it talks about “The Truth Behind Online Power”. And can be directly linked to by clicking here. Please enjoy the read.
Categories: Digital Marketing, Email Marketing, Marketing, New Features, New Marketing, Personal Branding, Social Media
October 1st, 2009
I have constantly talked about how you have to watch what is going on out there in the social media world in order to know what is and what isn’t fully ready yet. There is a fight going on right now in the courts between a company called Power.com and Facebook. This lawsuit and counter suit could go a long way into deciding what rights users have to their data and information on these social networking sites. In an article by Gina Keating on Reuters.com it talks in great detail about the information in the case. I am providing a link to the article below. For those involved in this area in any way I believe it would be a solid read.
Click here for the article entitled “Power.com Countersues Facebook Over User Data”.
Categories: Digital Marketing, Important News, Marketing, Personal Branding, Social Media
October 1st, 2009
I have constantly talked about how you have to watch what is going on out there in the social media world in order to know what is and what isn’t fully ready yet. There is a fight going on right now in the courts between a company called Power.com and Facebook. This lawsuit and counter suit could go a long way into deciding what rights users have to their data and information on these social networking sites. In an article by Gina Keating on Reuters.com it talks in great detail about the information in the case. I am providing a link to the article below. For those involved in this area in any way I believe it would be a solid read.
Click here for the article entitled “Power.com Countersues Facebook Over User Data”.
Categories: Digital Marketing, Important News, Marketing, Personal Branding, Social Media
October 1st, 2009
I recently read an article from Brett Borders Entitled 12 Things That Suck About Social Media Consulting. I found the article to be extremely correct in many if not all that it said and a great read for anyone that works online with social media as their primary job or as a part of their job. It seems especially poignant to those of us who deal with it from a stand point of it being the base of what we do.
I would like to take this opportunity however and answer the 12 Things That Suck… article with one thing. The list of things that suck about social media consulting pale in comparison to the positive things that you get out of social media consulting. I feel almost as if those challenges that he raises are exactly why most of us do what we do. To make sure that the bar is always moving and that things while changing constantly are also able to be learned and worked with to make things once again somewhat controllable.
I decided to work in social media as a branding and image consultant because of the sheer power and magnitude of the medium. The absolute unknown in controlling a message and the constant demand to know the newest tools. However, there comes a tempering here that those of us that practice in this field understand all to well. That is that every new tool is not necessarily ready to be used the moment it becomes available. In fact almost 75% of what those of us that truly make our livings consulting about social media spend our time doing is making sure that one of the oldest practices of marketing, branding and image management is still adhered to. “Using the Right Tool For The Right Job”, in fact maybe the most frustrating thing about working in this field is dealing with the people who are ready to throw everything at everyone with no plan or thought process about the overarching goal.
I was told once by a mentor of mine that “in order to win a race you must first know where you are going”. I find that to be one of the most important things I have ever learned and so I say to those that are looking for someone to work with them in the area of social media, find someone who has a plan and is not just opening the flood gates and letting the water run free. Find someone ho enjoys what they are doing and find someone who is willing to learn about what you are trying to accomplish before they give you answers as to how to solve problems.
Categories: Digital Marketing, Email Marketing, Inspirational Stories, Marketing, New Marketing, Personal Branding, Social Media
October 1st, 2009
Throughout time there have been examples of brand names that have been created by companies that have gone beyond the brand and become a much bigger label. We are going to use one day out of the month to highlight some of these brands and open a discussion as to why this might occur.
The brand “Walkman” began in 1978 and was invented like most things because someone needed something. In this case it was for Sony co-chairman Morita who liked listening to his music during his long flights. When the brand was introduced in 1979 worldwide it started a music revolution. In the invention of the brand Walkman, Sony had created something unique and “new era”. The fact that they had launched a product to make listening to music anywhere at anytime was revolutionary.
Yet the brand did something more. As the popularity of the cassette and other portable radio devices increased other companies started manufacturing their own versions. Yet, when a person saw someone on the street with earphones on in the decades of the 80’s and 90’s they always said something like “Nice Walkman” or “Where did you get your Walkman”. I even heard the first generation MP3 players before the advent of the IPod once referred to as a “digital Walkman”. The brand name of Walkman came to mean portable music player and of course you would brag if you actually had spent the money to own a “true” Walkman.
So what made this brand special, was it because it looked flashier or did things no other music player has ever done. Not really. Can it all be chalked up to it being the first of its kind on the market… probably not. What it can be ascribed to was the combination of things that made it a true “Transcendental Brand”. You might ask yourself what a transcendental brand is; yet defining it is rather simple. A transcendental brand is a brand either personal or product that has gone beyond the barriers of what it was created for to stand for something greater.
In this case the Walkman was portable music players, and it became so because of the solid reputation and quality behind the brand name as well as the advertising, introduction and overall marketing of it. The actual item itself became much less important as did the name and what people associated with it, and now for over 3 decades, you can still walk up to someone and ask them about a Walkman and they will know what you are talking about.
If you want to know more about the Walkman or any of the information here, there are a couple of resources you can use. The first and foremost resource is Sony and of course you can read the Wikipedia article on it as well.
Now for a question to all of you, do you remember when you first got or used your first Walkman?
Categories: Important News, Personal Branding, Social Media, Transcendental Brands
October 1st, 2009
Very few times in life do you get an opportunity to truly see a person that shows their strength equally in the way that they walk and talk. I however have been blessed to work for a time with such a person and I feel that this week’s inspirational story should focus on her. From the beginning her father Hosea Williams, a civil rights leader and honorable man, started a program to feed the hungry people of Atlanta by providing meals for them on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Each year these meals would draw hundreds of volunteers and together with the staff they would feed families that otherwise would not have a chance for a meal. Since the passing of Hosea Williams, his foundation and program has been grown and expanded by his daughter Mrs. Elizabeth Omilami. Together with her family and her brother Mr. Andre Williams as well as a dedicated staff they have taken what was once a program that provided meals and turned it into a year around program that provides clothing, food and financial assistance for those who are suffering from the obstacles that life can sometimes place in your way.
In working with her and talking with her you see a spirit and drive that is only eclipsed by her faith and compassion. She not only believes in the mission that Hosea Feed The Hungry and Homeless stands for she lives it, breathes it and has it penetrate to her very core. You only have to be in the building for a couple of moments to realize that the love for the stewardship that they provide is so genuine that it will make you feel like a better person and the love that is shone is spread equally to all who come in contact with her. I can truly say that in working with her I became a better person.
Hosea Feed The Hungry and Homeless like all non-profits is suffering because of the decrease in donations that have arisen due to the economic trouble that this country is currently experiencing. I provide this article and link so that you may learn more about the organization and its cause. In a world where hope sometimes falters and belief is washed over with skepticism it is truly great to find one place that serves as an oasis of faith and belief and that is because of the strength of its founder Hosea Williams and his family.
The link to Hosea Feed The Hungry and Homeless.
Categories: Inspirational Stories, Marketing, New Features, Social Media
October 1st, 2009
Today’s piece of information I found extremely enlightening, and I will be writing a paper on it over the weekend for a post on Tuesday. This article from a newsletter shows the percentages of users and the reasons why they go online. It further breaks the information down demographically. We are going to be looking at “The Truth Behind Online Power” on Tuesday and this graph gives you a little bit of a preview about what you are going to see. Also in a continuing desire to provide as up to date information as possible these numbers and article refer to 2nd Quarter 2009.
Click here for the article and enjoy.
Categories: Digital Marketing, Important News, Marketing, New Marketing
