Avidadollars

More recent articles

It is pleasant to say that I was so busy with work that I didn't have much time to spread any pearls of Social Media wisdom on this blog. On another hand, the majority of Social Media articles went up on the company blog, so if you keep up with it, you are in the know about many things. Additionally, I attended a Cloud Computing event; went to Futuresonic 2009 where I did a lot of recordings and interviews; presented an Online Photography talk at Social Media Cafe in Manchester; facilitated the Digital Britain UnConference at MDDA; met lots of new and familiar faces at Sweet Mandarin's tweet-up; and even managed to go to Blackpool for a day.

So, by way of recaping on my activities in the last couple of months, here is a quick run through some of the articles that you may find useful. If you do, consider subscribing to our RSS feed. As I wrote 40 articles since the end of March, I'm only listing a selection, in no particular order.

Futuresonic 2009:
Audio coverage and interviews
Everything Meets Future
Touch the Stars
Stowe Boyd on Social Tools

Some of the company news:
Visit Lakestar Media at Ad-Tech in September 2009
We are in the top three of one of the categories on Crain's Best Places to Work program (and I am immensely proud!!)

Some of the work I did

Features:
Brand Going Social: Fears and Facts
Ford Group and the Illusion of Control
Much Ado About Twitter
Cloud Computing: Exposed and Socialised

Tips and How-Tos:
How to Add RSS Feed to Your Facebook Page
Tracking Social Media Referrals in Google Analytics
Google Maps Pull in Photos from Flickr
Charting Sentiment on the Internet
How to Beat Google for a Blog Post

Blog Post in Google SERPs

Apart from thinking about semantics, SEO, and other things, results like the one below is something I enjoy seeing. Without taking undue indulgence in this, I do like discovering such results.

Earlier this month I wrote a blog post about a series of talks delivered by Seth Godin and Tom Peters on the subject of today's reputation management and business development. One the theses uttered was that "conversation makes the brand", and my feeling was that it would be one of those "truths" that would bore everyone to death. It was in fact mildly interesting to hear this thesis being pronounced again in 2009 - I have been hearing it since 2007. But then, of course, it depends on who you listen to.

So, just as I was checking the company blog's analytics I found the following query:

Out of curiousity I went to check the query on Google... and here are the results:

The most beautiful thing for me, of course, is the fact that on this screen grab #1 on Google.com is my company's blog post. With SERPs moving up and down on a regular basis, this "achievement" is likely to change some time soon. But in the meantime I am pleased to see it there, and so are all of us.

Social Media: A New Jesus?

Don't ever listen to those who say that Twitter is rubbish. Yes, you may be followed by a casual robot or a guru-of-all-trades, but my experience of being on Twitter has actually been very positive. Not only have I spoken and connected to many really interesting people, but I've also found a plenty of valuable links. Some made me laugh, some made me think, some helped to find topics for the company blog. And some were curious enough to made me write a post here.

A few personal facts

I have been involved in different sorts of social sites since 2000. I've been on ICQ and various forums and networks. I've been contributing reviews to various sites, including Amazon, Afisha.ru, and IMDb. I did a small website with the now discontinued AOL Homepages and created a dedicated Google Group to run alongside. A massive surge occured in 2006 when I started blogging. Between 2006 and 2007, I had created active channels on Delicious, Flickr, and YouTube that I continue using to this day. More came in, as I went on Facebook (2007), StumbleUpon (2007) and Digg (2008), not to mention the Russian forums and social networks. On some of the latter I have been since at least 2006. And, of course, Twitter that I started using in 2008. There're more networks, but these are the ones that "made the difference" for me both on the personal and professional level.

The reasons why I briefly went through all this "social media history" of myself as a user is that, one, there can really be a Social Media expert (although I shall humbly avoid calling myself so), and, two, there is Social Media. However, I, too, cringe when I see people labelling themselves "gurus" and "evangelists". I always think about The Last Temptation of Christ film, in which one of the disciples explains to Jesus why he tells the lie about the Master dying and then coming back to life: because people need a dream, and if the dream is a lie, then all the better. No-one needs a live Jesus, anyway.

I can see this as exactly applicable to the problem we all have these days with Social Media sites and Social Networks. Just as Jesus, they're there in the ether, and they're potentially helping people to earn big money. But just as no-one knows for sure when the Second Coming is actually coming, so no-one can tell the ROI of Social Media and how one CAN make money from using it. Or to tell us what Social Media is, for sure.

Google PageRank: It Goes, It Comes

Before I moved my main blog, Los Cuadernos de Julia, to its own domain at the end of 2008, it had PageRank 5 (that's since August 2006). The domain change saw a drop to PageRank 4, but then a few other changes followed, including all the problems with FeedBurner transmission, my choosing a domain without "www" over the domain with "www" about a month or two after I moved the blog to its own domain... and for some time I've been seeing the PR drop to 0.

To say this was disheartening is to say nothing.

Until now when I checked Google... and saw that Los Cuadernos de Julia was back at PR5.

Great news ahead of the Easter weekend.

BT Pity: So far, so good

What I could never understand is this: why is it necessary to drive someone up the wall in order to get things done? Speaking of my case with BT: why was it necessary to be so stubborn when I was right all the time in the first place?

The engineer visited this Wednesday, 8 April, at 8.10am. He left by 8.45am, and I got into work on time. How good is that?

And the problem was, as I suspected and explained many times on the phone to BT, in that the wire was rerouted and blocked after the previous tenant had left the property.

Half an hour for a job that could be successfully completed last Saturday... Thanks a lot to the engineer. And I am looking forward to getting a rebate for the service charge over the months when I couldn't use the phone.

From the statistical data on this blog, I know that the previous post that compared the experience of BT to the American Dell Hell and that was sent out via Twitter has generated some views... including the one below:

This unequivocally shows that BT certainly does online reputation monitoring. Thinking of what I underlined elsewhere, though, I hope BT recognises that whilst they're monitoring the conversation on the Internet, they really need to look into improving that which lies at the core of the brand - the service. But maybe their new Beta site with opportunities for social engagement will help to do that?

Social Media: Strategy Versus Campaigns Versus Projects

For a start: is there such thing as a Social Media expert? Putting all 'gurus' and 'evangelists' aside, I will say: yes, there is a Social Media Expert. It will be a person who actively and extensively uses an array of Social Media channels 1) to create and manage the brand presence online (for themselves, perhaps); 2) to evaluate the benefits and (dis)advantages of various channels; 3) to think and work strategically in setting up campaigns and drive traffic to the website(s).

I was prompted to start writing this post as a response to Mia Dand's report on the panel of speakers at Web 2.0 Expo. I ended up posting a comment there before I finished the post here, but the comment sums up perfectly well everything I wanted to say:

I have to disagree on the thesis that social media isn't a campaign. To put it simply, when you go into Google AdWords, you start a campaign. This one big campaign runs at all seasons. You can modify the keywords, the bids, play with demographic data, or restrict the time and region. You can also run separate "projects" through this one campaign, by creating focused and tightly targeted ad groups. Behind all this, you have a strategy: how much you're prepared to bid, what's your target on spend or sales, etc.

The same goes for Social Media, except that it often lacks the monetizable metrics, and this stupefies a lot of people. How to approach things? Study the channels. Decide what you want from your Social Media marketing effort. I agree that Social Media is conversation, but this IS the reason why a brand cannot simply jump into conversation with a service proposition.

Then go and work on strategy. Decide what knowledge of Social Media/Networks you lack. Realise that Social Media Marketing is a campaign, except that, unlike Google AdWords, you cannot quite shut it down and bury it. On the other hand, Social Media Marketing must be a consistent effort, although it's probably OK to have an Easter or Christmas break from corporate blogging. Leverage how often you can blog/upload photos/make videos/share bookmarks/update Facebook or Twitter, etc. Work out a feasible Social Media Editorial Policy. Look at how other companies use Social Media, and don't limit yourself to your competitors only.

Under this strategy-to-campaign umbrella you can have projects. Projects will be focusing on holidays; age, gender, regional groups; etc. A good example is the BBC where I worked prior to Digital Marketing: they have a variety of media (magazines, TV, radio, online), and across all those channels they also run campaigns or appeals. An example of campaign is the widely publicised People's War.

So, my view is precisely that Social Media marketing is a campaign, furthermore it the longest-staying campaign, if we consider the impact of comments, bookmarks, tweets, etc. on the original source (or website, speaking of Digg effect).

A discussion-provoking article, certainly :-) Thanks a lot, Mia.

Originally posted as a comment by avidadollars on Social Computing Magazine using Disqus.

My view is such that Social Media needs to be understood (at the grassroot level, at least), and then to be intergrated into an on-going marketing effort of a company. If a company decides to blog, then blogging needs to be 1) accurate; 2) professional; 3) regular. Depending on the company's needs and focus, the blog could be optimised from time to time, and its traffic must absolutely be analysed. If a company ventures onto Flickr or YouTube, they need to learn tags and descriptions; engage in conversation with other users; and once again optimise channels (and it's not just about a bespoke design for YouTube channel). A plenty of optimisation and other work can be done on Google Maps, any Yahoo! listings, social bookmarks. All this comes even before - or apart from - targetting potential customers on Facebook or Twitter. Just a quick look at this shows that Social Media marketing isn't a one-off experiment. Ideally, it would happen, as follows: strategy - deciding on the goals of the campaign, both short- and long-term, with a fair amount of flexibility to incorporate various changes;

campaign - deciding on what channels to use, how (and how regularly) to use them, how to moderate comments, how to communicate with customers/commentators

projects - using Social Media channels to drive traffic/participation and - potentially sales - on specific occasions: Christmas, Valentine's, Easter, Mother's Day; company or industry specific events/appeals.

Dell Hell in the UK: BT Pity

I've been in the UK for over 5 years, and never seriously took all the negativity towards BT, the main provider of telephone connectivity in Britain. I thought: OK, I understand that BT is a huge organisation, setbacks are inevitable, but surely they must be trying?

In all my time in England I have lived and worked in Manchester (with a brief period in 2007 when I commuted to work in Warrington). I used to have a family, and where we lived with my husband's parents they had two landline and broadband packages, one from BT, another from NTL. Neither ever had a problem.

After a substantial amount of time together, my husband and I split up and I eventually moved out in May 2008 to a flat in Manchester's city centre that I rented through an agency. I had quite an adventurous 2008 when I broke an ankle, lost the job, and then only recently was able to start working again. I love the job, and things should finally start looking bright everywhere.

Sadly, they aren't, and currently it is thanks to BT. When I just moved in, the landline wasn't active. I decided to extend the rent after 6 months in October 2008, and then I finally called BT to activate the landline. With the view to save on phone calls, as well as to get a proper broadband (I am using o2 mobile broadband, as I am writing this).

I have not checked if, and how, people are narrating their experience of BT service. There were a few terrible stories about various experiences in Britain that I could tell yet never did, since I have always considered them a part of my private life. This, however, is an altogether different situation. To begin with, since September I have been paying for the landline I cannot use. I have called BT a few times about this which always resulted in them giving me one same advice about how to carry out a socket check to see if landline is working. [They are supposedly trying to save my money because if the fault appears to be with my phone equipment, then they will have to charge me for having no real reason to arrange an engineer's visit to the property]. There was also a brief period of time when I carried out a different test and was able to use the landline - until my neighbours activated theirs. I checked with my landlady who lives in Australia, and she assured me that she has never had any problems with BT landline while she lived in the flat. I also know some works had been carried out at the building where the flat is. In short, an engineer's visit is very necessary.

On April 1st 2009 I booked an engineer to come and check everything BT-related on the property. I work full time, so I booked him on Saturday morning. And he didn't come. What is more, half-ill and coughing on 6 of April, I spent the entire afternoon talking to different BT people about this. Hopefully, the arranged visit will materialise (for which I will have to stay off work in the morning). But it is annoying to see that BT stubbornly doesn't want to visit the property, insisting that everything works OK on their side.

The situation is annoying and disheartening, especially because no-one can do my job for me, and staying in the house waiting for an engineer (who may well not turn up) is OK, apart from the fact that I have to do it in my working hours. That means I need to request the time off work. Since BT have their own working hours and a terrible reputation (which is now confirmed), my company would be understanding. But it doesn't mean they would be approving if I begin to stay home regularly to wait for an engineer. And the experience of booking and waiting for an engineer on a Saturday has already made me doubt BT's reliability.

As I said above, I have always been sceptical about the negativity towards BT. And even until this Saturday I was ready to forgive and forget. Now my trust is shaken to the point when I write this post and compare my experience of BT to Jeff Jarvis's Dell Hell. I call it "BT Pity".

Want to know details? Jump under the cut.

A Quick Run Through Recent Articles

I have not yet updated the CV section, but it has been over a month since I was working as Social Media Manager for Manchester-based full service digital marketing agency, Lakestar Media. I have been particularly responsible for their blogging (although I am not the only one who blogs for the company), but also for the entire Social Media side of things, especially where the agency itself is concerned. This is all the more exciting as I can apply all of my experience in online publishing (4 years) and the use of various Social Media tools (3.5 years), as well as the industry experience I gained previously. I have also been very happy to join a group of goal-oriented professionals, who all together form a vibrant and multinational community.

Yes, and working in the very centre of Manchester is a very pleasant bonus.

I believe in time there will be various opportunities for reflection, but the main outcome of my appointment so far has undoubtedly been that I couldn't pay as much attention to my blogs or other online ventures as I have come to expect of myself. While I am looking to catch up on several projects, here is a rundown of posts for Lakestar Media blog that I authored. You will notice that a few of them are on the subject of Flickr... and frankly speaking, the rate at which I contributed almost took me by surprise.

Starting from the most recent:

Is Your Facebook Page Working?

The Budding State of Digital Marketing Sector in Greater Manchester

Flickr Gives You Daily Stats... And Takes Away Overall Data

Can You Send Documents With Twitter?

Do You Want to Improve Your Google PageRank?

Cliqset: Your Ultimate Online Identity?

The Effects of Recession: Thoughts About Marketing

Lakestar Media on Flickr

MyTwitter Story and Twitter Titters: Using Social Media in Literary Ways

Social Media And Mobile Technologies in Italy

Please Help Translate Facebook into English

Who Owns Your Content?

Flickr Rolls Out Video For All Members

Zooomed At: A Look At Everything in 24 pictures

YouTube Synchronises with SlideShare

Celebrity in Social Media: Gwyneth Paltrow and GOOP Newsletter

Google Latitude in Flickr Terms

Treality: From Twitter To Eternity

Content, Valuable, and Valuable Content - What Is It That You Need?

Yang Sing Oriental Hotel Has Closed: Commentary, Marketing, And a Bit of Social Media

My invitation to the Yang Sing Oriental Hotel opening came as a surprise. A journalist and PR person whom I then yet barely knew sent me and a few other people an invitation via Facebook. I killed two birds with one stone that evening by skipping from a digital marketing event in Castlefield across the town to the corner of Princess St and Portland St. The review "A Perfect Fusion at Yang Sing Oriental" received an unrequested heads-up on the blog by a good friend, and was actually not commissioned by either Yang Sing Ltd or their PR company. I was bedazzled by the interiors, and the sheer effort put into converting a Grade II historical building into a modern hotel was impressive. I also felt like I would want to spend a night or two there with my dear friend, so the text came out.

In the time since the opening in July 2008, my blog post has been read over 300 times (277 unique pageviews), by visitors from 13 countries, of which 215 were new visitors. The main traffic sources were the good old Google and Flickr where I posted pictures from the night, but also Yahoo!, AOL, and Facebook (15 altogether). Overall, organic traffic has brought 130 unique pageviews, with 142 unique pageviews coming from referrals.

I never actually stayed in the hotel - I broke an ankle within a week of attending the opening, and some things that followed had pretty much excluded the possibility of my ever stepping over the threshold of Yang Sing's hotel. However, after the Yang Sing's opening and before my ankle accident I also got to attend Beck's Canvas in London as a guest Arts & Culture blogger, where I also did an interview with one of the winning artists. Looking back at how the Beck's effort was handled, and comparing to what there seems to be on the web about Yang Sing Oriental, some points must be made, and some marketing observations uttered. I will be very careful, since I did not really look at Yang Sing Oriental Hotel's website in these months, and therefore my commentary on their on-site SEO/Social Media efforts will be limited.

1. Use the damn Social Media!

I had to put this up first for one simple reason: if you have the SEO plugin and you put "yang sing oriental hotel" into Google.com, you'll get the information about page blog links. Now, I firmly believe that all these blog links have to be somehow accumulated and treasured as an information archive. It especially makes sense because a blogger who wrote about you once may do so again, and you really must keep your eye on them. It may also be good to draw attention to them by citing their work on your blog/site. By the look of it, I shamelessly brag about myself far less often than I should do. However, I feel honoured each time another blogger puts a link to my article on their blog. It's not necessarily "OMG, this so-and-so amazing, and they linked to me!", but rather a pleasure of being discovered in this vast sea on information, being useful, and being properly cited.

Russian Social Network vKontakte.ru Is Testing Targeted Ad Placements

Back in November 2008, one of the Social Media Cafe participants showed me this ingenious map of Social Networks (courtesy of the Oxyweb blog). The map has been tracking the advances and retreats of the major players in the arena of social networking, battling for their audiences. Understanding that the success was with the network users (who don't necessarily speak English), Facebook outsourced its versions in the national languages from those bilingual native speakers who were already using FB. In January 2008 TechCrunch reported on the French, German, and Spanish versions. As a result of this concerted effort, by early 2009 Facebook has already become the most popular Social Networking site in France, according to comScore. The year ahead is going to test the native French social network, Skyrock.

The example of France certainly shows the importance of translating your business objectives, in the proper sense of the word. However, the example of Russia may show just the opposite. It is important to see the business potential of an idea and to translate it for your audience. And such was the case of vKontakte.ru.

The example of France certainly shows the importance of translating your business objectives, in the proper sense of the word. However, the example of Russia may show just the opposite. It is important to see the business potential of an idea, to apply it to your audience's language and knowledge, and then translate it for other people and make the best out of it. And such was the case of vKontakte.ru. As you can see on the map, Facebook may have a very hard time tapping onto the Russian Social Networking scene. Bearing in mind the unfortunate attempts of previous foreign invaders, FB may decide to stay away.

The creators of the network don't quite conceal the fact that they took inspiration from Facebook. Initially available in Russian, the service soon acquired the Ukranian and Belarusian versions, and last year, just as Facebook set off on its journey to make itself available to non-English speaking users, vKontakte.ru began to be translated into English. The native Russian speakers who knew English were advised to stay away and let the native English people do the job. The availability of the service in English has allowed some students of the Russian language to register on the network and to practise their Russian with the native speakers.

 What is happening now is that vKontakte.ru is attempting to reinvent itself as a business model, and is doing so by testing targeted ad placements. Several other "business" applications have already been introduced in 2008, like Market (similar to Gumtree where you could offer or look for services, or find flats to rent and people to friend). With the targeted advertising, the ads will be showing in the Photos and Messages sections that are naturally rich in content. The information from those sections will provide the demographic and regional data, as well as purely verbal content to help make ads more relevant. As this is the testing stage only, there is no opportunity yet to vote on ads, as you can on Facebook, to indicate the relevance preferences.

Thinking of the size of Russia, or Moscow alone (where I am originally from), I am really looking forward to see what ads appear each time I login. According to the network's internal press-release, the targeting options vary wide enough to include the employee status (Manager, CEO, etc.), the tube station, or the street. But the one I spotted so far is targeted at me as a woman. Unlike in the UK, the International Women's Day on 8th of March is the national holiday in Russia, when flowers are being presented to the female part of the population. Hence I've received a wholesale offer for tulips: 100 flowers per offer.