#Twitter #Surveys – Are #DMs now worthless? How much #Automation?

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Gary R Schirr

I attached quick surveys to a couple recent posts on twitter issues. All the normal caveats apply: the sample size is small, it is a convenient online sample, and the sample is likely NOT NORMAL since they read my blog and are willing to respond… 😉

But I thought the responses were interesting.

In “Do you check your Twitter DM’s regularly” I argued that Twitter DMs are so spam-y that I often ignore them for long periods of time and they have become largely useless to me. Yesterday Mark Schaefer posted his opinion on Facebook that DMs were no totally worthless and most of the comments seemed to agree. In my earlier post I asked readers their opinions and to date the 18 respondents don’t seem to agree with my opinion or Mark’s:

  • 44% said that they still check their Twitter regularly
  • 22% still check but find them less useful
  • 28% only rarely

In “Should any social media be automated?” I argued in favor of Twitter automation, short of ANY content automation. The 19 respondents who answered were more conservative then me:

  • 76% argued for scheduled posts only and
  • 18% argued for NO AUTOMATION whatsoever.

What do you think on those issues? Hit the article links above enter your opinion and/or to see the full detail of responses.

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Social Media #Complaints! Put it to them??

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Gary R Schirr

A recent article suggested that social media would help kill bad customer service. The article highlighted disgruntled customer @HVSVN who spent over $1000 on Twitter promoted posted so that his complaint about lost luggage was widely viewed.

Thanks for ruining my EU business trip #britishairways. I shouldnt have flown @BritishAirways @British_Airways. Never flying with you again

— ░▒▓█ (@HVSVN) September 2, 2013

The business class passenger spent over $1,000 on promoted tweets like the one above. He also tweeted his reach and bragged (gloated?) about the damage he had done to British Air’s reputation and brand with a relatively small investment (for him).

The article linked above claimed that companies will have to offer better service and better response to complaints in order to avoid campaigns like the one from @HVSVN.

Companies have learned to monitor customer complaints online and to prioritize complainers with high influence as measured by Klout, PeerIndex or Kred scores. Now organizations should be alert for irate or irascible customers with the means to promote their complaints!

Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Content, Facebook, Klout, LinkedIn, Social Media, social media marketing, twitter | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Tips on #Teaching #Social #Media Marketing: Another Hangout!

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Gary R Schirr

Four members of the elite LinkedIn group “Teaching Social Media Marketing…” – Don Stanley, Jeremy Floyd, Matthew Kushin, and yours truly – met for a Google+ Hangout on “50 tips on teaching social media marketing.” Since we didn’t get past the halfway point another Hangout will likely follow. The discussion is here:

Two of the other participants have also posted the Hangout with interesting additional material:

  1. Matthew also promoted use of Google Drive and
  2. Jeremy listed the 25 tips for people who don’t want to watch the video.

Check them both out!!

What tip would you add?????

Posted in Blogging, Content, Facebook, Higher Education, LinkedIn, Social Media, Teaching SMM, twitter | Tagged | Leave a comment

Mysterious #911 Photo….

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Gary R Schirr

On 9/11, THE 9/11, I was at home in Lake Forest, IL, weighing several job alternatives. My last two employers both had offices in 1WTC and I still had a permanent pass to that building. As I watched events unfold, I counted, recounted and again recounted the floors in the tower below where the plane rammed that building. People I knew were trapped and dying: some were likely among the ones we could see – live on TV – jumping to certain death.

Forty people I knew perished while I was watching on TV. Two, Jim P. and Diane L., were friends and two of the best salespersons I ever knew. A couple of days later, when mail service resumed, I received a photo in an envelope with no accompanying note, return address, or even writing on the photo. 

The photo was taken at a futures and options industry function at Top of the World in 1 World Trade Center that had taken place  a couple of months earlier. That evening some of us had slipped out a side door and actually stood outside, on the roof of 1WTC 100+ floors above the ground, enjoying the view while leaning on a simple railing.

In the mysterious photo I was sipping wine with Diane – a friend and great salesperson who perished on that day. I have never discovered who sent the photo or why no note was enclosed…

I seem to have lost the photo during my move to Virginia, but I will never forget.

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Wisdom from #LinkedIn #Live!

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Gary R Schirr

I had the pleasure to participate in LinkedIn Live, a joint effort of LinkedIn and the Roanoke Blacksburg Technology Council in June. Davis Schneider of LinkedIn put together a slide show to summarize some of the themes from the conference. I thought it was worth sharing on this blog:

The conference was attended by 150 small and high tech business people and had a waiting list.
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My last Auto-DM… Should any #social #media be #automated?

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Gary R Schirr

Auto-DMs are NOT cool. I un-follow or block one or more tweeps for spamming my DM box nearly every day. I am not interested in buying 10,000 followers and do not believe that I am really featured in a shocking or funny video that they have recently viewed! In fact, as I noted in an earlier post the spam in the DM box has made Twitter direct messages useless for me and many others.

But until yesterday, I used SocialOomph to send an auto-welcome to new followers, thanking them for following me and suggesting that they take a look at this blog and consider subscribing to it. About once every two months I would get an indignant or even vitriolic message about my message, but the tone of the message made it easy for me to ignore the note and consider the sender someone I probably didn’t want to communicate with anyway. It seemed I got more followers than hate notes.

Yesterday I received a couple polite notes from @marcymassura informing me that she was unfollowing me because of the horrible first impression from an auto-DM. Horrible first impression…I teach professional selling as well as social media marketing; in selling I stress the importance of the initial impression! Marcy got me focused on the issue of first impression and I decided to shut down the auto-DM.

What should be automated in social media?

Continue reading →

Posted in Social Media, twitter | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

What is in YOUR carry-on? Portable #PC, #iPad, #Kindle or #smartphone

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Gary R Schirr

We are at the beach today. But realistically how much time can one spend walking uncrowded beaches, swimming, chillin’ and such? So… what mobile computing devices did I bring with me to stay connected:

  • Portable PC,
  • iPad,
  • Kindle, or
  • Smartphone?

All of the above, of course! Any serious work – even a blog post like this one which I am typing on my Lenova – is maddeningly slow on the iPad. The iPad is great for quick viewing of social media or videos, but serious reading is way better on the Kindle. The white screen is easy to read, even in bright sun and white sand – and it doesn’t hurt if it falls on my face! And of course the smartphone is always with me and nearly always connected…but the screen is not big enough for my eyes.

My wife brought three of the four as well, but substituted 6 paperbacks for a Kindle. When we arrived in the cottage the two of us needed to sign seven devices into the WiFi provided!

To some extent it seems illogical to carry so many devices to read and connect to the internet. But what are the alternatives?

One change I would make if I had some influence over the evil wireless phone oligopoly would be to free cell phones to act as hot spots to connect other devices for those occasions when we are away from wifi range (connections are weak at the pool…).

Smartphones, especially the new larger models, may be infringing on the tablet market already. An interesting article in Ad Age argues that “Apple’s Tablet, the iPad, Is Becoming the High-End Niche Within a Niche That Big-Screen Smartphones Are Cannibalizing.” (I believe cannibalizing is the wrong word to use but it was Ad Age’s choice.) The article notes that tablet sales, even iPad sales which include the new minis, are down from a year ago.

Will the mobile world of the future comprise portable PCs and smartphones, occasionally augmented with specialized niche products?

What do you think??

Posted in Blogging, Mobile computing, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

New #Blogs by Students

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Gary R Schirr

If you have a few moments you may want to review twelve new blogs created by students for a social media class! Some interesting tastes and ideas!

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Innovation in #Blogs?

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Gary R Schirr

This might be slightly off topic, but take a look at the twelve new blogs created in my SMM class!

 

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Twelve New #Blogs!

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Gary R Schirr

The summer II session just ended… I fought against teaching social media marketing in a 6-week summer format… But my professional MBA students proved me wrong!

My fear was that the experiential nature of the course would be negatively impacted by the compressed time frame. But motivated students seemed to use the time frame as an excuse to immerse themselves in social media.

One major takeaway from this class: Twelve new blogs! They are listed below by category. Check them all out!

Food and Wine

How about learning authentic Turkish cooking… with the promise of relatively simple recipes! The author also is a skilled photographer: I think this site qualifies as “food-porn” – a technical term my friend Lin Humphrey loves to use. Recipes, Pictures and Culture! Already honored as a @foodista blog of the day…

Turkish Cooking

Cooking Healthier for Life talks about balancing health, taste and time… and getting it right! Check it out…

Interested in the vibrant wine industry of Southwest Virginia? Check out Sipping and Swirling! This blog shares experiences and pics…And gives helpful advice on when to visit and what to do!

Health and Healthy living

Dieters to think bigger. It is not just weight loss, it is about lifestyle!

You know you should exercise… but who has time to drive to a gym and spend hours and $$? This blog has video instruction on how to get good exercise at home in 10-20 minutes a day!

The Diamond Sport talks women’s fast pitch softball. Are you interested in the sport? In seeing it return to the Olympics? Or in Jennie Finch? It is all here!

Women’s Snowboarding. The look at the sport, the pros, and the struggle of an up and coming boarder… And snowboarding in the summer or summer shreds.

Have you heard about therapeutic horseback riding? This blog takes a look at this unique service and how volunteers help make it work. One of my twitter followers was inspired to sign up to help at a facility in NY state.

Home improvement and building one!

How can a busy professional also manage home improvement projects? This blog – 50 shades of paint – shows improvements carried out by an employed MBA candidate…

Have you considered building a house? This blog has advice for people taking the plunge or stories for people interested in the process… And lots of pictures!

Thrift

Cheapskate Cathy wants to help Americans stop their overspending. Great tips on living a simpler better life…within your means! Yes it may seem somewhat un-American…. but it really is a traditional American value!

Strong Opinions

This author shares his 2 cents worth about issues of pop culture and sports: Why do athletes making six figure incomes commit so many crimes? Why are we so obsessed with celebrity? What is fair in balancing mens and womens college sports?

………………………………………………

What do you think of this collection of a dozen new blogs?? I have the strong opinion that their are some great reads here!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted in Blogging, Content, Higher Education, Social Media, social media marketing, Teaching SMM | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments