Mobile Security

Eventually, I imagine I'll use a cell phone to pay for goods and services. It's already being done in places like Japan and Finland, although not all of the technology has been worked out. But it's only a matter of time before I whip out my cell phone to pay a bill at a restaurant or buy a new pair of shoes.

The first steps have already been taken. According to Wikipedia, there are four main methods of mobile payment. The method most commonly used in Asia is direct mobile billing, where the customer's mobile account is charged. Some companies have mobile apps that allow on-line shopping from your mobile device. For example, Amazon has apps and procedures for mobile payments from the Android, iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

Mobile Marketing Watch reports on a survey of mobile phone users done by Myxer, a company that specializes in mobile media content. According to the article, ("Myxer Sheds Light on mCommerce Habits of Today's Mobile Shoppers", http://www.mobilemarketingwatch.com/myxer-sheds-light-on-mcommerce-habits-of-todays-mobile-shoppers-17090/#more-17090), 53% of 2400 mobile users who answered the survey said they made a purchase from their mobile phone. Of that 53%, 31% said they like to have their purchases charged on their mobile bill, while 18% liked to pay by credit card. Younger people in the 18-24 age group were more likely to prefer having the purchase on their mobile bill while those in the older age group preferred to pay by credit card.

No doubt those numbers will continue to grow. In my opinion, that makes security an even more important concern. In the wake of the Rupert Murdoch phone hacking scandal, it's clear that smartphone security will be in important issue, as use of smartphones and other mobile devices increases. Not only do smartphone users need to secure email messages, other information used for e-commerce must be protected.

An article on smart phone security on the website Tech Republic (What are the prospects for smartphone security threats?, http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/security/what-are-the-prospects-for-smartphone-security-threats/3752?tag=mantle_skin;content), downplays threats like viruses because laptops, desktops and servers are still better targets. But the article outlines two immediate security threats to smartphones. The first is the simple danger of having a device stolen. " I have yet to see any smartphone from any vendor whose screen-locking mechanism is worth more than a few moments’ delay for a determined and technically proficient thief," the article reads. "The blame, of course, lies in part at the feet of the smartphone’s need for convenience — and the fact that, with the extremely limited user interfaces of these devices, convenience effectively means no security at all."

The other threat, according to the article, involves the growing use of the smartphone for financial transactions. "The problems are with the lack of suitability these devices have, at present, for securely managing these transactions," says the article.

All of these issues will be worked out, but it may happen in a jerky, one-step-forward-two-steps-back fashion, as technology tries to keep pace with consumer demand.

The Search Engine Optimization chapter of the Social Media Handbook discusses some of the practices used in SEO that try to cheat the system and fool the search engines in order to drive more traffic to a site or increase the sites's visibility.

According to the book, "Wiki Brands", SEO is a $16-billion industry in the U.S. and is predicted to be the third highest online expenditure, after social media and online video. The book says, "Keyword ownership, optimized website architecture, new content and link building are the success drivers of effective search engine optimization."

But how do you know the person you hire to help you with SEO will do a good job, using legitimate SEO methods? Should the SEO industry to regulated.

It seems to me that the industry is too new and changing too fast to be governed by any meaningful regulation. Just as anyone can call themselves a "social media expert", it probably is easy for someone to set up shop as a SEO consultant. Because so-called "black hat" tactics are seen as unethical, but not really illegal, it would be hard to police regulations or guidelines.

Google does take action to penalize companies for using "black hat SEO".

For example, in February, the New York Times reported on "black hat" SEO tactics used to keep J.C. Penney at the top of the list throughout the holiday season. "Someone paid to have thousands of links placed on hundreds of sites scattered around the Web, all of which lead directly to JCPenney.com." , the article reported. ("The Dirty Little Secrets of Search", http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/business/13search.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3&src=buslness) J.C. Penney fired its SEO consultant, SearchDex, and Google took action to "demote" JC Penney so that it would show up lower on the search engine rankings.

A number of problems plague the SEO industry. The companies that use "black hat" tactics may get better results, at least in the short term, so they attract businesses away from the "white hat" consultants. There are SEO associations that try to encourage the industry to follow ethical standards but the associations don't really offer a lot of benefits to their members, according to the Search Engine Optimization Journal. "Growing a good, white hat SEO company almost isn’t worth the effort when a quick $50 can be made with a little link buying. Industry associations create cliques that don’t play well with each other and don’t provide any real value to the members. Before the SEO industry can really rebuild its reputation, it has plenty of internal cleanups to take care of." ("Major Issues Within the SEO Industry" http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com/2011/06/02/issues-seo-industry/)

Really?

When I read the chapter on virtual worlds my first thought was, "This is crazy. I can't keep track of my real life and now they want me to have a virtual one?" And after reading the Gaming the System chapter, I thought, "Aha! So THIS is the time-suck that my kids are involved in." I'm going to blog about these chapters together because of their similar nature.

I checked out Second Life to see what it was about and mostly did a lot of eye-rolling during the "virtual tours". Really? Who does this? Who has TIME to do this? I couldn't quite force myself to try the video games. I'll leave that to my sons.

But I did find some articles about marketing and virtual worlds that were interesting and made some good points.

The news is mixed for Second Life and other virtual worlds when it comes to whether there's a good ROI for marketing. At times, marketing efforts struggle and flounder in the virtual world. An analysis of Second Life marketing on Gigaom gives three reasons why marketing in a virtual world doesn't succeed. ("Marketing in Second Life Doesn't Work: Here's Why!" http://gigaom.com/2007/04/04/3-reasons-why-marketing-in-second-life-doesnt-work/) One of the reasons the article cites is that avatars in Second Life sometimes move around by flying or teleporting, so they bypass billboards and other advertisements without seeing them. The article also says that successful entrepreneurs operating in Second Life attract business by having constant events and giveaways. And finally, the article says real businesses can't compete with the amazing businesses created in a virtual world by college kids and housewives who have time and the creativity.

"Faced with such talented competition," reports the article, "smart marketers should concede defeat, and hire these college kids and housewives to create concept designs and prototypes that re-imagine their brands merged to existing SL-based brands which have already proved themselves in a world of infinite possibility."

One Second Life success story is Coldwell Banker. The real estate company worked with a software company to develop a tracking technology that monitors when avatars visit the Coldwell Banking "metaverse", how long they stay and what they do there. The technology also helps streamline the process of purchasing a home in Second Life. (Second Life Success, A Case Study, https://kinesismomentum.wordpress.com/2007/06/05/second-life/) When avatars have a good experience buying a house in a virtual world, they're more likely to visit Coldwell Banker when the time comes in real life.

Another successful campaign in Second Life was an IMAX promotion of a Harry Potter movie. The agency behind the promotion had "buzz agent" avatars at the Welcome Center who's job was to greet newcomers to Second Life, pass out flyers and memorabilia and direct them to the IMAX retail site. The promotion was credited with increasing online ticket sales. (Virtual World Marketing That Works: My Top Three, http://gigaom.com/2008/09/19/virtual-world-marketing-that-works-my-top-3-tips/)

Online gaming has a better and more proven track record for advertising. And the trends suggest the market is growing. MediaPost Online News predicts consumer spending for hardware, software and videogaming will increase from $11.9 billion this year to $20.3 billion in 2015. Mobile devices are expected to boost the dollar amount even higher. ("In-Game Advertising On Rise", http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=153692)

One successful trend involves setting goals in games that are sponsored. Players could win an incentive after playing for an hour or achieving a certain level. In return, they get rewards that can be redeemed in either the virtual world or the real world. For example, 50% off coupons for Nike shoes could be offered in return for reaching a certain level of a game. If a player also tweets about the deal to friends, and they retweet the message, the friends would receive the same prize.

A new development in Microsoft's Xbox Kinect will also allow users to interact with an advertisement while playing a game or watching a movie. ("With Xbox's New In-Game Advertising, Engagement is the Key", http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/21/business/media/21xbox.html) The "NUads" allow gamers to use voice and movement to interact with ads. They can send tweets or other messages about an ad, wave their hands and vote on a new pizza topping or ask for help in finding the closest retailer. The article says the NUads provide a new way to interact with the TV. '“When you have highly interactive people and a passive medium, they are interacting with their phone or their laptop while watching TV,” said Mark Kroese, the general manager of the advertising business group at Microsoft. The new ads, Mr. Kroese said, “create a natural way for the user to engage with the TV.” '

Yes, there are some marketing possibilities in virtual worlds and online gaming that we should take seriously. The key is to be creative and provide possibilities for interaction.

And hire people to be part of the campaign who don't roll their eyes.

Livecasting

Years ago, two friends of mine and I decided we needed our own TV show. Our conversations were so entertaining and interesting (in our own minds, at least) that we believed we could have a show on cable access where we just talked about the issues as we usually do, and our water-cooler gossip would fascinate legions of viewers.

Little did we know, that a few years later, we could have done exactly that with our own Internet TV or radio show. After reading the chapter about livecasting in the Social Media Bible, I'm wondering if it's an excellent opportunity to reach a targeted audience.

I checked out VoiceAmerica.com, one of the sites that provide the opportunity to host your own show. I listened to segments of a few of the shows and found them entertaining but with varying degrees of professionalism. One of the health shows, called Good Life Fitness, sounded like it would be a topic I'm interested in but the actual show was severely over-modulated so it was annoying to listen. It's a reminder that poor production isn't acceptable. Other shows I dropped in on were well-done and professionally produced.

I couldn't find out what, if any, is the cost associated with livecasting a show via VoiceAmerica.com without registering and having someone call me. But the benefits include an in-house producer assigned to your show and a toll-free number for call-in guests.

VoiceAmerica.com also provides opportunities for advertising. According to the site, "online radio attracts an upscale, highly educated and employed audience", delivering 14% of the 18-49 radio buying demographic and one in five of the 18-49 year olds per week. The site also claims , "a minimum 'sticky factor' of 24-25 minutes per listener. Stickiness is anything about a website that encourages a visitor to stay longer or come back frequently. On the VoiceAmerica Talk Radio Network, it’s the quality of our content, talented hosts and compelling guests."

It's hard to believe that what seem to be obscure radio shows are doing that well. But then, I'm someone who still has a land line and watches TV on the television set, not the computer. Maybe the rest of the world really is moving toward more personalized and individual broadcasts, like VoiceAmerica or BlogTalkRadio. How long before everyone watches individualized programs online as a rule, instead of an exception?

It does make me wonder if we could take advantage of the medium by producing our own shows for the University of Nebraska. I haven't really thought it through, but perhaps there's a market for a show about the university. The key is how to market such a show and promote it in order to grow the audience. It's worth looking into.

Twitter Campaigns

I'm a reluctant "twitterer". I have an account and once in a great while, I check in. It's one of those tools that I just don't seem to have time for. I did recently set up a Hootsuite account that combines my Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn accounts and I'm going to TRY make it my go-to social media source.

I found "The ROI of Social Media" in the micro-blogging chapter particularly interesting. This was a business that makes effective use of Twitter and actually sees results.
I started trolling the web for other successful examples.

One case I found on Mashable is the Edge Shave Zone Anti-Irritation Campaign. (Mashable.com, http://mashable.com/2011/01/18/edge-soirritating/, Twitter + Random Acts of Kindness = A Successful Social Campaign.) Edge relieves the suffering of irritated twitterers out there who tweet their annoyances to #soirritating or other accounts. Mashable reports two Edge employees work full-time seeking out irritations and, in some cases, trying to ease those annoyances with clever and creative solutions from the #EdgeofGreatness account.

For example, when someone tweeted it was irritating to run out of cereal, Edge sent him a supply of cereal. Another annoyed tweeter received a new iPad. One woman who reported hearing voices in her head speaking Spanish received a Spanish-English dictionary.

The campaign has garnered thousands of followers and is building the always sought-after and elusive "buzz".

Two key points jumped out at me after reading this article.

First of all, a social media campaign like this one requires an investment of time, energy and creativity to be effective. The campaign kept two employees busy full-time. If you want a social media campaign to be successful, you have to be willing to devote the resources to it.

Secondly, the campaign was also a success because the employees were able to move quickly and autonomously. The Mashable article says the Edge team had the freedom to make decisions without consulting with the client. Reports Mashable: "Had the team, let’s say, had a weekly meeting with the client to approve that week’s tweets, the campaign would have lacked its conversational tone and much of its ability to engage."

This gets at one of the benefits and dangers of a social media campaign. In order to run a successful campaign, a client has to let go. That's a scary prospect. But with communications campaigns that evolve and develop as quickly as social media, you can't keep tight control without losing effectiveness.

Don't "Just Do It"

Last year, the University of Nebraska State Museum came to us asking for a viral video as part of a year-long campaign to celebrate the museum's anniversary. In my opinion, you might as well have asked us to help them win the lottery. HOW do you possibly make a video go viral? It's what everyone wants but it's difficult to attain.

Chapter 13 of the Social Media Bible suggests we just, "Just Do It." I would disagree. I think you need to be much more strategic when it comes to any type of promotional campaign.

I urged the museum officials to consider their goals and what would be the most effective and efficient way to achieve them, given a limited budget. One of their goals was to increase attendance at the museum regionally. I didn't think a viral video was necessarily the best way to achieve that goal. Even if we were able to produce a viral video that was seen by millions of people, would that necessarily bring more people in the door. Would hundreds of people watching the video in Alabama or China or Canada really lead to more attendance?

A more effective and less expensive plan to increase attendance might have included strategically placed ads in regional publications and web sites.

We did end up producing a series of "viral videos" at Lincoln schools that involved children dancing with the museum "mascot", a costumed mammoth named Archie. Five videos at five different schools were produce and as of today, the five videos had 981 views. It cost about $1500 to produce the videos. Is that a success? My guess is that most of the views were from children, parents, grandparents and other family members. Lincoln children already visit the museum at least once during the school years. I don't think that series of videos probably resulted in more visits to the museum.

I do think there are tricks to making a video go viral. Dan Ackerman Greenberg, a founder of the viral video marketing company, The Comotion Group, says, when it comes to making a video go viral, "Content is not king." (Tech Crunch, http://techcrunch.com/2007/11/22/the-secret-strategies-behind-many-viral-videos/) When Greenberg's company is hired, his goal is to produce a video and get it to Youtube's "most viewed" page. He employes a number of tactics to do this, including paying people who write relevant blogs to embed the video, starting threads on forums and embedding the video and sending the video to an email list. He also has a complex system of tagging videos to make sure they "lead the viewer down the rabbit hole" to related content.

According to Greenberg, the "wild west" of viral videos is over.

"You simply can't expect to post great videos on YouTube and have them go viral on their own, even if you think you have the best videos ever," said Greenberg. "These days, achieving true virality takes serious creativity, some luck and a lot of hard work."

So don't "Just Do It". Think about it. Plan it. Work on it. And keep your fingers crossed.

Video Shmideo

There's no doubt, online video consumption is booming. According to comScore, a company that measures digital trends, "174 million U.S. Internet users watched online video content in March (2011) for an average of 14.8 hours per viewer. The total U.S. Internet audience engaged in more than 5.7 billion viewing sessions during the course of the month." (comScore, http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2011/4/comScore_Releases_March_2011_U.S._Online_Video_Rankings?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+comscore+%28comScore%2C+Inc.%29)
ComScore also reports Americans watch 4.3-billion ads in March.

But just because a lot of people produce videos doesn't mean you should jump on the bandwagon.

The second commandment in the Watch Out for Vlogs (Video Create) chapter of The Social Media Bible says "Thou Shalt create a video."

One of my commandments is "Think it over long and hard before you create a video."

There's a lot of really bad videos out. For every hilarious Old Spice guy commercial, there are a million poorly shot videos of cats doing crazy things.

The reason I say that is because I constantly hear clients say, "I want a video" and after discussing the idea, they realize they don't really know WHAT they want. Here are some of my tips for deciding if you should put the time and energy into a video.

• Who is the audience? We often get requests for videos that will appeal to students, alumni and parents. Those are different audiences with different concerns and you simply can't make one video that will work for all audiences.
• How will the video be used? Is it going on-line? Are you showing it an event? Are you inserting it in a power point? The "how" will help answer questions about length, content and delivery.
  
• What do you want to happen as a result of the video? Do you want to drive people to your website? Send you money? Be specific about your goals.
• How do you want people to feel after they watch the video? The best videos trigger emotion: laughter, excitement, chills. That's what you're after. If you want to simply provide information, you probably want a brochure, not a video.

It's true that prices of equipment and ease of shooting and editing video make it possible for amateurs to produce videos. But that's no excuse for bad video. Here are a few rookie mistakes that should be avoided at all costs.

• Don't make it too long. You won't get many people to sit through something that is over 3 minutes. The shorter the better.
• Make sure you have good lighting and good audio. If your subject is in the dark and trying to shout over the wind, no one will watch your video.
• Spend time planning and writing. "Winging it" is never a good strategy.
  

Audio Sharing

For my blog on the audio sharing chapter of the Social Media Bible, I decided to review the site, PodBean.com. It’s a site that is for both podcast producers and podcast audience...for those who like to make podcasts and those who just want to listen.

It’s a site with a lot of different features and services. For example, if you’re someone enjoys listening to podcasts, this is a site that makes it very easy organize all of your subscriptions. You can even tag different podcasts and then use cross-referencing to help you organize different feeds.

One of the unique things about Podbean is that it serves as somewhat of a social media network as well actually set up a profile and then find other users who have similar interests as yours. And you can browse all of the different podcasts and select the ones you want to listen to or subscribe to.

If you produce your Podcast, it really looked pretty simple to upload your audio or video to the site. You can even choose themes to customize your site. And you can integrate your podcast into your web site or your Facebook Page or Youtube channel easily as well.

Podbean is free but you can upgrade your account and pay different levels of membership that come with more bandwidth or even unlimited bandwidth. Those upgraded accounts also help you arrange to charge for your podcast or even allow advertising on it. And the site provides some analytics...a way to chart how many hits on different episodes of your podcast. One of the features of Podbean also sets up a way to charge for a mobile App so that audiences can move podcasts to their mobile device.

Podbean is clearly a very sophisticated and useful site for those who are into the podcasting trend.


I also took a look at the BlogTalkRadio site. It’s a more complex site and certainly more expensive. If you just want to listen to the blogs, you can just register and browse. But you can also become a talk radio host. Broadcasting your own show can require a monthly fee, especially if you want to interact with live callers, have a toll-free number or stream live.

It’s an amazing world out there. We can all be radio talk show hosts with just a laptop and a microphone.

But is it worth it? In the category of “What’s In It For Me”, we need to look seriously at the return on investment. In a blog written by public relations expert Gina Dietrich (How to Use Blogs to Market Your Business, http://socialmediatoday.com/content/how-use-podcasts-market-your-business), Dietrich said her own blog traffic quadrupled after she posted video blogs. Dietrich said in 2008, more than 17-million people downloaded blogs on a monthly basis, a number that is expected to grow to more than 37-million by 2013.
People learn in different ways,” writes Dietrich. “Some people (like me) like to read. Some are visual and want to watch videos. But we all like to listen, which is why podcasts are becoming so popular. I mean, how cool is it that you can exercise, drive to work, or whatever else you want to do and learn while you listen to a podcast?”

Hmmmm...Let's See How This Goes....

Hmmmm...Let's See How This Goes....
This is my first podcast. I opened a Podbean account and gave it a try.
Click on the above link and it will take you to my podcast on the podcasting chapter of the Social Media Bible.

Photo Sharing Don't's

A few random thoughts about photo-sharing:

Be careful about copyright violations when using photos you didn't personally shoot. A story in the New York Times ("Enforcing Copyrights Online, for a Profit",http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/business/media/03righthaven.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3) tells about a 20-year-old blogger being sued for using a picture of an airport security person doing a pat-down of a traveler. It didn't matter that the picture had already "gone viral" by the time the young man put in on his blog. The lawsuit was filed by Righthaven, a company that is in the business of finding copyright violations for newspapers, and then filing the lawsuit. The company has been criticized for "trolling for lawsuits".

Be honest. A Honda product manage got into hot water for commenting on Facebook about a photo of a new Honda model without identifying himself. Apparently, Honda put the photo of the new car on Facebook and asked for comments from friends. A lot of comments were negative so the product manager decided to add his two cents. He was "outed" and made to look foolish.
("5 Social Media Disasters", http://www.penn-olson.com/2009/09/21/5-social-media-disasters/)

The new app, "Color" was backed up with $41-million in start-up money. (Color: A Twitter for Photo and Video", http://blogs.forbes.com/bruceupbin/2011/03/23/color-a-twitter-for-photo-and-video-launches-with-41-million/) It's supposed to be a Twitter-like app for photos but reviews have been less than glowing. ("Color App is Universally Slammed, Expecially by One Reviewer", http://appadvice.com/appnn/2011/03/color-app-universally-slammed-reviewer) I'm not really sure I get it. You take pictures and can also see pictures from other amateur photographers who are near you. One problem is that the app was launched with so much fanfare (and so much money!) I think it was doomed to be heavily criticized from the start.

Do your pictures belong to you? An article in the Business Insider about Twitpic's Terms of Service ("Be Careful What You Post: Twitpic May Be Keeping Photos Even After You Delete Them", http://www.businessinsider.com/twitpic-updates-terms-of-service-2011-5) explains that, while your pictures belong to you, Twitpic can still use them. On Facebook, just because you delete a picture from your site, it still may exist on a friend's page.

And finally, Anthony Wiener is the poster child for over-sharing. But there are plenty of examples of photo sharing gone wrong. They are cautionary tales that remind us not to post anything we wouldn't want Grandma to see.

Wiki What?

If only I had learned about WikiHow before I tried doing a faux finish on one of my bedroom walls, before I started knitting, before I painted my kitchen cabinets. Now that I've found it, I can learn how to put my hair in a classic ponytail, make ramen noodles in my coffee maker and drive a tractor.

Wikis help us be experts in everything and knowledgeable about all. Which reminds me of the saying, "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

Too many people are deluded into thinking they're experts and, therefore, must share their expertise with everyone. Which is why we must approach wikis with caution. Yes, it's great to be able to democratize knowledge. Yes, it's wonderful to get an answer to every question whenever we want it.

But wikis, like almost everything else on the internet, should be viewed with searching, skeptical eye and a healthy dose of common sense. Just because it's there doesn't mean it's true.

Having said that, I admit I'm a huge fan of WikiHow. It's an easy place to get a quick injection of information about almost anything. I can see it as a handy starting point for research on a project or hobby. I just won't go searching medical information when I should be calling the doctor.

As a volunteer at my church, I wish I had used a wiki to organize large projects, such as the "Pie Festival" event I chaired for two years running. Not only would it be helpful in terms of organizing the event, working with my committee and designating tasks, it would provide an excellent record of information for the incoming chair.

I can also see how wikis could be very useful as an internal tool for businesses. I'd like to see our office adopt some kind of wiki that provides information and instructions for our staff. For example, it would be helpful to have written instructions on how to make video files for Youtube or the media hub at UNL. We could have an area devoted to best practices and formats for writing news releases or creating a podcast. Wikis could also help our staff share information about what we're working on so that we can team up and work together more efficiently.

Forums

When it comes to internet forums, I'm definitely a "lurker", as described in Chapter 6 of the Social Media Bible. I like to log on to various forums to see the comments, but I don't add my own. It's fascinating to see on-going discussions and arguments and watch actual friendships develop between active members. While I'm not interested in that kind of "cyber-life" for myself, I can see where it could be a valuable tool for building community.

As with many other forms of social media, one of the key elements is honesty and openness. It's important to win the trust of other forum members and not be doing a hard-sell right off the bat. In the article, "12 Keys To Successful Forum Marketing", (http://onlinebusiness.about.com/od/gettingtrafficmarketing/tp/forum-marketing.htm), author Gregory Go recommends using forums as way to provide helpful information.

"This is the key to successful forum marketing," Go writes. "Whenever anyone asks a question related to your products or services, dazzle them with incredibly useful answers. These situations are opportunities to demonstrate your expertise and to generate good will. Backup your advice with links to trusted sources, and respond to follow up questions quickly.Leave out your sales pitch in the beginning. Any hint of bias in your initial posts will erase all your hard work. By keeping your answers objective, the entire community will start thinking of you as a trusted expert. They will soon start asking you for your recommendations. When you get direct inquiries for recommendations you may then safely mention your business without appearing biased."

I do think there's still room for misuse of forum sites by businesses. I remember reading about companies that would hire people to pose as unbiased users of a product in order to provide rave reviews on forum sites. I often visit the site TripAdvisor.com before I take a vacation to check out reviews of hotels and resorts. But I'm always aware that glowing reviews could be coming from hotel employees, for example, especially of most of the other comments are not as positive.

One of the reasons I like the site, VRBO.com ), Vacation Rental By Owner, is that you can often contact the person by email or on the phone and actually talk to them. I get a better feeling from speaking directly to a property owner and asking questions. There are definitely limitations to using social media for advice on the purchase of a product.

Goodbye PC, Hello Cloud

I write this blog on the day Apple announced iCloud, a service that will allow consumers to keep photos, music, books, videos, documents, all in the same place and then synchronize the information so that it can be used across all platforms. That way, you'd have easy access to the information from your mobile phone, your iPad or any other device that has internet access.

The Washington Post with Bloomberg Business report says iCloud is a step toward the demise of the personal computer. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/icloud-cloud-computing-services-promise-to-change-the-way-we-use-computers/2011/06/06/AGBdTgKH_story.html)

The report quotes Paul Saffo, managing director of foresight at Discern Analytics.

"The whole idea of a standalone personal computer with a big processor is going the way of the VCR," said Saffo. "Steve Jobs, who delivered personal computing to the rest of us, is now doing more through the iCloud to get rid of personal computing than anyone.

Cloud computing is not new. Washington Post with Bloomberg reports new technologies are forcing companies like Microsoft and Dell to struggle to keep up.

"Saffo added that some of those companies haven’t quite figured it out. Founder Michael Dell was rehired at Dell largely to deal with the emergence of the cloud, Saffo said, and Microsoft is just 'stumbling.'

'It’s a rough transition for those used to selling keyboards,' he said."

The story reports many government agencies are "embracing cloud computing." Companies like Amazon and Kindle already use cloud technology.

So what does this mean for social media?

Chapter 5 in the Social Media Bible discusses the importance of web sites as a vehicle for connecting with your audience, selling a product, providing information. But I think the traditional website will have to change dramatically in order to be part of the trend toward smaller, faster, more mobile.

If the predictions are true, and small, portable devices replace personal computers, websites will have to be redesigned to live and breathe on the small screen. Information, transactions, conversations will have to take place in an environment that fits the smart phone and the iPad. Web designers will need to create sites for the small screen first, instead of creating a full website with a mobile version.

In a way, social media is already moving that direction. More and more, users are tweeting from a restaurant, checking in on Four Square and posting pictures from a phone. They are more trusting of web applications and more willing to trust the small device over the personal computer.

Websites have to play catchup. Smart businesses will need to think ahead to a time when a larger percentage of the population is equipped with mobile devices and more likely to own an iPad than a desktop or even a laptop.

I've resisted getting a smart phone. But I can see that's where we're headed so I probably will jump on board within a year or so. It's going to soon be a requirement and in order to stay ahead, I'll need to make the investment.

I just got back from a day trip to see the Jun Kaneko exhibit at the Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha. It was absolutely beautiful and I've decided that when I win the lottery, I'm going to own a Kaneko sculpture. (I will put it in the backyard, next to the pond and waterfall.)

On the way back from Omaha, we stopped in Ashland for some wine tasting. And, of course, I had to buy a bottle of wine at the tasting room and sign up with my e-mail address to be notified of future events.

I am on MANY e-mail lists. It's my own fault; I sign up for them or I buy things on-line and then I'm followed forever. For awhile, I thought about getting a spam filter but to be honest, I like getting e-mail. Okay, sometimes when I'm busy at work or when I've just come back from a

no-technology vacation, I resent having to wade through my in-box and delete dozens and dozens of messages. But when I have time, I enjoy getting my monthly newsletter from Sanibel, Florida or a notice that the K-Cups for my one-cup coffeemaker are on sale.

So I found the chapter on email to be very interesting. I'm definitely one of those people who's attention can be grabbed or lost in the subject line. And I'm certain I don't spend more than five seconds evaluating whether I should go further. That "What's In It For Me" thing is definitely critical. The information about the best time of day or day of the week to send an email is also interesting. Certainly, a business must keep in mind the best way to reach customers, and that means doing a little "retail psychology" to figure out when is the best time to send an e-mail.

I used to think e-mail was on it's way out. It seemed like there was so MANY messages that the important ones were getting lost in the deluge. But it really just means that it's more important than ever to keep content brief and to the point.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of messages I get from the tasting room in Ashland. It's possible that it'll come at the same time as the "Maui Vacations" e-mail. I may dream about Maui, but I can definitely afford Ashland.

Magazine or E-Zine?

I love magazines.

I love to read books and I made the transition to an e-reader with ease. I always thought I'd be one of those people who prefer holding a book in my hands and turning the pages. But surprisingly, it turns out I enjoy curling up at night with my e-book and I look forward to perusing the e-Reader Store as much as a trip to Barnes and Noble. (If only my e-Reader made Mochas and Lattes, I'd be in heaven.)

But for me, magazines are a whole different animal. I revel in the glossy pages and the pictures. I love the variety. Perusing an issue of People at the doctor's office keeps me up-to-date on pop culture and I can devour Style at the lake or the pool and not worry about getting the pages wet. I clip recipes and articles on crafts and vacations.

So when I read about Zimbio in Chapter 3 of the Social Media Bible, I was skeptical. Could it possibly give me as much satisfaction as an issue of Oprah?

My first look at the web site didn't really inspire me to look further. By biggest problem with a website like Zimbio is that it is overwhelming. Should I click on this picture of Paris Hilton or search for potato salad recipes? Distractions abound. I'm interested in checking out the Celebrity Shoe Swap story but, wait! Is there really a Jesus Waffle Maker?

There's so much content and so many places to look that it feels like work. Magazines should be easy and require no more effort or thought than turning the page.

After spending about 30 minutes clicking around on Zimbio, I did grow more comfortable with the format and started to understand better where to look for the content that interests me. I found great Bisquick recipes and an exotic vacation e-zine. I perused a few blogs and finally, decided to register as a member. I'm going to give it a try for few weeks. But Zimbio will have to work hard to keep me interested. It's competing for my internet time with Huffington Post and Salon so I remain skeptical about whether the e-zine will continue to peak my interest.

The most interesting part of Zimbio is the user-generated content and that does have the potential of turning me from a lurker to an active participant. We'll see.

But I still prefer to grab my copy of Elle before I head to the pool.

So Many Sites, So Little Time

Social networking is an exciting prospect. But it's also exhausting. Who has time to keep up with all the possibilities? The list of social network providers on pages 36 and 37 of The Social Media Bible is both amazing and overwhelming.
I'm a hit and miss user of social media. I check in on Facebook at least once a day during the week, sometimes more if my work schedule allows it. On the weekend, I may take a peek at FB but I'm just as likely to not look at all.
I opened a Twitter account but it just didn't make much sense to me so I post only rarely. I also joined LinkedIn, but, again, I don't have time to keep up with it. I love to read and try to follow certain blogs and websites but it's extremely difficult to find the time to keep up with everything.
I can see the value of social media, but, at the same time, one of the challenges in trying to build a community for a business or organization is how to break through the noise and clutter that's out there.
It's also a challenge to turn the "lurkers" described in Chapter 2 into "insiders" and "leaders". One way to encourage someone who is makes a tentative first post is to be right there with a response. As with all customer service, being responsive and welcoming is important whether you're face-to-face with the customer or just replying to a blog post or on-line comment.

But is it Worth It?

Yikes. I just looked at my first blog post and it's still an odd feeling to write something and see it in print on the internet. Very different than the almost illegible scrawling I've done in personal journals over the years. (Well, THAT certainly shows my age!)

Okay...on to my comments about Chapter 1 of The Social Media Bible.

I had lunch with a friend recently who provides marketing and communications services for a non-profit agency. We were talking about social media and she made the comment that non-profits really can't use social media tools because they have a small staff and limited budget with which to tackle the endless "to-do list".

The Social Media Bible is directed at the for-profit business sector. But it seems clear that social media will benefit non-profits and small businesses as much or perhaps more than the larger companies. Many of the tools are far less expensive and probably more effective than traditional advertising methods. On page 5, the author writes, "Social media is just a new set of tools, new technology that allows us to more efficiently connect and build relationships with our customers and prospects."

For example, in my job in the UNL Office of University Communications, social media is a vital tool for reaching our students in the places where they congregate, like Facebook and YouTube.

Anyone who works with a non-profit or a small business needs to consider investing time in social media arenas. The investment may require some restructuring of staff time and budget, but the return will be worth it.

Thoughts from a Blogging Newbie

I'm fairly new to the blogging game. I did a "vlog" for a class last semester and I've had two blog entries published on the "Momaha.com" as a guest blogger. I follow a handful of blogs on a regular basis, maintained by reporters and writers I enjoy. I absolutely loved the movie, "Julie and Julia", and I like the concept of blogging about an experience or an issue. But the idea of actually writing a blog and having others read it is a bit daunting. Who would be interested in my opinion about anything?

The chapter on blogging in The Social Media Bible was both interesting and baffling. A lot of the terminology is still Greek to me. (What's a JavaScript widget? What are Feedburner counts?) But part of the reason I'm taking this class is to catch up with the technology and trends and examine how I might effectively use these tools in my work. At the very least, blogging could be way to improve my own writing. Many authors recommend daily blogging as a way to sharpen your skills.

I do have some reservations about the impact of blogging on news reporting. On page 139 of the Social Media Bible, the author says "Blogs create communication, and communication builds trust..." But blogs are now always trustworthy and it concerns me that many readers may substitute blogs for actual news reporting, forgetting that blogs are usually the writer's opinion. Readers need to maintain a healthy skepticism when reading anything in the blogosphere.