Seattle-based Marketfish thinks it has a better list trap – namely a system where list buyers can work directly with list owners, cutting out list managers and list brokers.
The company has a patent pending on a Web interface that will let agencies and other list buyers order directly from big list owners like Forbes, Fortune, or Inc. The idea is for marketers to browse the selection of lists online and add them to a shopping cart.
Competitor NextMark isn’t buying the Marketfish hype. In fact, the NextMark blog insists that list brokers, managers, agencies, and service bureaus add value to the process.
It's a familiar argument. From amazon, to autotrader, to overstock, to zorros … sellers everywhere are betting that consumers have enough confidence in their own product knowledge to buy direct.
-- scrubbed by Marketing Brillo
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Erase Me: Tips for Obliterating Your Social Media Presence
Move over, Arnold Schwarzenneger. A new kind of Eraser may be emerging -- an expert who knows how to help companies and individuals expunge their social media presence.
The J. Michael Goodson Law Library at Duke University has some great pointers for scrubbing online footprints.
A recent NextMark blog reiterates 10 privacy settings every Facebook user should know.
In late June, Christopher Lower at Above the Buzz blogged the process of ending a corporate online presence, including expunging the website, Facebook, Twitter, wordPress blog, and LinkedIn footprints. Chris says, “The bottom line is that, yes, you can deactivate your accounts and remove some material online, but it will not result in the immediate removal of all of the material from being found online. It may fade over time, like the memory of the company, but for now it is a record of existence that won’t easily go away. With that in mind, what kind of online legacy is company leaving online?”
As writer Greg Beato points out in The Joys of Brain Scrubbing, “…Now, thanks to the fact that we’ve given Google and Facebook the keys to our diaries, our most trivial, spontaneous moments are as indestructible as Egyptian sarcophagi … Thanks to the Internet, our past is the house guest who won’t leave … And it’s not just a matter of self-disclosure. Walk down a city street, and surveillance cameras hound you like you’re Britney Spears or Paris Hilton. Your drunken tirades become blog fodder for your friends. Your adventures in small claims court are easily accessible to anyone willing to pay Intellius.com $14.95 for a peek.”
For a different view from our GenY colleagues, check out Rebecca Thorman’s video and commentary on “Will you regret your online presence?” Rebecca and her commentators agree there will be no regrets.
Could be.. but something tells me there may be demand for a new batch of specialists who can "erase me."
-- scrubbed by Marketing Brillo
The J. Michael Goodson Law Library at Duke University has some great pointers for scrubbing online footprints.
A recent NextMark blog reiterates 10 privacy settings every Facebook user should know.
In late June, Christopher Lower at Above the Buzz blogged the process of ending a corporate online presence, including expunging the website, Facebook, Twitter, wordPress blog, and LinkedIn footprints. Chris says, “The bottom line is that, yes, you can deactivate your accounts and remove some material online, but it will not result in the immediate removal of all of the material from being found online. It may fade over time, like the memory of the company, but for now it is a record of existence that won’t easily go away. With that in mind, what kind of online legacy is company leaving online?”
As writer Greg Beato points out in The Joys of Brain Scrubbing, “…Now, thanks to the fact that we’ve given Google and Facebook the keys to our diaries, our most trivial, spontaneous moments are as indestructible as Egyptian sarcophagi … Thanks to the Internet, our past is the house guest who won’t leave … And it’s not just a matter of self-disclosure. Walk down a city street, and surveillance cameras hound you like you’re Britney Spears or Paris Hilton. Your drunken tirades become blog fodder for your friends. Your adventures in small claims court are easily accessible to anyone willing to pay Intellius.com $14.95 for a peek.”
For a different view from our GenY colleagues, check out Rebecca Thorman’s video and commentary on “Will you regret your online presence?” Rebecca and her commentators agree there will be no regrets.
Could be.. but something tells me there may be demand for a new batch of specialists who can "erase me."
-- scrubbed by Marketing Brillo
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Customer Service: Be Good When You’re Big
Comcast was a thorn in my side from its first intrusion a decade ago. I needed its high bandwidth like I needed electricity and water. Back then, Comcast was the only game in town, so I went with Comcast.
Their monopoly reigned for years and the service ups and downs were legend. Once I had no reliable service for a month. Finally, I got relief by complaining to the utility commissioner. He got involved only because that particular problem featured a cable that was supposed to have been buried, but which snaked its orange way across my yard for weeks. The rest of my dozens of complaints were a crap shoot.
If you have Comcast, you know this story all too well: long waits to talk to a customer service person; dropped phone calls; distant appointments; four-hour windows in which you need to take off work and wait, followed by technicians who don’t fix the problem, or worse, technicians who don’t even show up. I had to pay my bill on time every month, of course. “You need us more than we need you” -- that was the Comcast attitude. It still is the attitude in areas where Comcast remains a monopoly. Except now there's FIOS -- and along with FIOS comes a new Comcast … a Comcast that “cares.”
How dumb do you think we are?
Frank Eliason on Twitter is one big whoop to me. Ditto the East Division Inside Sales Manager, who sent me a letter yesterday, telling me that his "#1 job is to help small businesses" like mine. Hey, Dave. I’ve got FIOS and I’m never going back. And anybody who’s ever had Comcast will leave as soon as they possibly can – permanently.
My ten closest friends and family loathe you, Comcast. I’ve talked to dozens of others over the years who burn with the same hot rage at the mention of your name. There’s a lesson here and it’s so simple it’s embarrassing. Don’t start playing nice when times get tough, because customers not only remember, they resent.
Do be good when you’re big, even if you don’t have to. Because, actually, you do have to.
-- scrubbed by Marketing Brillo
Their monopoly reigned for years and the service ups and downs were legend. Once I had no reliable service for a month. Finally, I got relief by complaining to the utility commissioner. He got involved only because that particular problem featured a cable that was supposed to have been buried, but which snaked its orange way across my yard for weeks. The rest of my dozens of complaints were a crap shoot.
If you have Comcast, you know this story all too well: long waits to talk to a customer service person; dropped phone calls; distant appointments; four-hour windows in which you need to take off work and wait, followed by technicians who don’t fix the problem, or worse, technicians who don’t even show up. I had to pay my bill on time every month, of course. “You need us more than we need you” -- that was the Comcast attitude. It still is the attitude in areas where Comcast remains a monopoly. Except now there's FIOS -- and along with FIOS comes a new Comcast … a Comcast that “cares.”
How dumb do you think we are?
Frank Eliason on Twitter is one big whoop to me. Ditto the East Division Inside Sales Manager, who sent me a letter yesterday, telling me that his "#1 job is to help small businesses" like mine. Hey, Dave. I’ve got FIOS and I’m never going back. And anybody who’s ever had Comcast will leave as soon as they possibly can – permanently.
My ten closest friends and family loathe you, Comcast. I’ve talked to dozens of others over the years who burn with the same hot rage at the mention of your name. There’s a lesson here and it’s so simple it’s embarrassing. Don’t start playing nice when times get tough, because customers not only remember, they resent.
Do be good when you’re big, even if you don’t have to. Because, actually, you do have to.
-- scrubbed by Marketing Brillo
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
LinkedIn Is the Right Choice for Social Media Career Management
For many executives, the professional and personal don't mix in life or on the Internet.
An Office Team survey has disclosed that nearly half of executives surveyed were uncomfortable being Facebook "friended" by the employees they manage or their bosses.
Even though executives are leery of Facebook friend requests, career-focused LinkedIn draws the right line. That's good news for executives seeking to manage an online professional presence, since LinkedIn remains a professional “stop” for most recruiters. Online recruiter Jobvite reports that 95% of HR and recruiting professionals use LinkedIn to check out potential employees, compared to 59% using Facebook.
-- scrubbed by Marketing Brillo
An Office Team survey has disclosed that nearly half of executives surveyed were uncomfortable being Facebook "friended" by the employees they manage or their bosses.
Even though executives are leery of Facebook friend requests, career-focused LinkedIn draws the right line. That's good news for executives seeking to manage an online professional presence, since LinkedIn remains a professional “stop” for most recruiters. Online recruiter Jobvite reports that 95% of HR and recruiting professionals use LinkedIn to check out potential employees, compared to 59% using Facebook.
-- scrubbed by Marketing Brillo
Monday, August 24, 2009
Are Ghost Blogging and Shadow Tweeting Unethical? Don't Make Me Laugh.
Last week, Mark W. Schaefer posted an interesting blog titled “Can You Outsource Authenticity?” Mark has been asked by a number of clients to blog -- and even tweet -- for them. Early commentators to Mark’s post opposed opposed the notion of ghost-blogging, let alone shadow-tweeting. “Don’t. You. Do it.” somebody said. Another person said, “No fakers.”
Marketers need to rethink the 2009 knee-jerk definitions of authenticity swirling around social media.
Copywriters and fundraisers routinely write letters over somebody else's signature. CEOs employ speechwriters, slideshow creators, and PR people. Ghost-blogging is neither special nor different. More to the point, why would any CEO waste energies writing a blog when professional writers can draft for approval?
Shadow-tweeting isn't cut and dried, either. Actors, impersonators, comics, and even spokespersons routinely and successfully "speak" on behalf of others. A whole slew of "stand-ins" have taken to tweeting on behalf of the characters on Man Men and we beg for more.
I see social media maxims about “transparency” and “full disclosure” bending to the reality TV model where "telling all" stands in for honesty and integrity. Let's not get confused. The "Housewives" of New Jersey and Atlanta have impressively demonstrated that transparency itself can lie.
Saying "no" to corporate deception isn't brain surgery. If it smells like deception, it is. That's why, before I blog or tweet for a client, I'm asking myself two questions:
1. Am I thoroughly informed about my client's business?
2. Am I ethically and philosophically comfortable expressing the viewpoint my client wants to communicate?
If the answer is two-times "yes," I'll consider the job. How about you?
-- scrubbed by Marketing Brillo
Marketers need to rethink the 2009 knee-jerk definitions of authenticity swirling around social media.
Copywriters and fundraisers routinely write letters over somebody else's signature. CEOs employ speechwriters, slideshow creators, and PR people. Ghost-blogging is neither special nor different. More to the point, why would any CEO waste energies writing a blog when professional writers can draft for approval?
Shadow-tweeting isn't cut and dried, either. Actors, impersonators, comics, and even spokespersons routinely and successfully "speak" on behalf of others. A whole slew of "stand-ins" have taken to tweeting on behalf of the characters on Man Men and we beg for more.
I see social media maxims about “transparency” and “full disclosure” bending to the reality TV model where "telling all" stands in for honesty and integrity. Let's not get confused. The "Housewives" of New Jersey and Atlanta have impressively demonstrated that transparency itself can lie.
Saying "no" to corporate deception isn't brain surgery. If it smells like deception, it is. That's why, before I blog or tweet for a client, I'm asking myself two questions:
1. Am I thoroughly informed about my client's business?
2. Am I ethically and philosophically comfortable expressing the viewpoint my client wants to communicate?
If the answer is two-times "yes," I'll consider the job. How about you?
-- scrubbed by Marketing Brillo
Friday, August 21, 2009
Two Great Stops to Feed Your Business Video Appetite RIGHT NOW
The “content is king” race to dominate Internet space is spawning a theatre full of solid, on-demand business videos – all free (for now).
To see info on specific issues, you can check out YouTube. Unfortunately, you’ll find a lot of self-promotional junk there. A better bet are some of the emerging news/information websites that feature a lot of video.
American Express OPEN Forum:
AMEx calls the Open Forum their “idea hub” and I agree. This spot contains an astounding collection of interviews, commentary, profiles, and tidbits on innovation, lifestyle, managing, marketing, money, technology, and the world.
bNet.com:
Great content site owned by CBS Interactive, which rounds up content from TechRepublic, MoneyWatch, and ZDNet. Content focuses on leadership, management, tax tips, etc.
For plain old mind expansion, check out the technology tab at the Discovery Channel’s video collection. It’s just plain engrossing.
--scrubbed by Marketing Brillo
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Do-It-Yourself Business Video Is Worth A Look
I’ve never used this Instant Video Presenter software, but it looks cool on the website.
The sales pitch says the software lets you use your own computer’s desktop as the background of the video you are recording. Instead of you in front of a potted plant, you get an effect similar to that you see in weather or news reports, with somebody talking into the camera and lots of active, dynamic stuff on a screen behind. That feature sets the end product apart from so much of the homegrown, static video you see online right now. You can work with multiple, dynamic backgrounds -- videos, pictures, websites, slide presentations, applications, or anything else you can get on your computer screen.
With the exploding demand for commercial video, this product would appear to deserve a look. Ideally, though, even a project tagged as "simple" as this one probably would benefit from a producer with some film sense.
And, no, I'm not aligned with the product. Instant Video Presenter is only available on Windows machines.. no Mac version yet. Mac folks tend to be in the creative side of marketing and probably are using high-end recorders and Final Cut Pro to make their videos. Still – at $259.99 (basic) or $358.94 (professional) -- this looks like a seriously useful program to me. If I weren’t on a Mac, I’d give it a twirl.
-- scrubbed by Marketing Brillo
The sales pitch says the software lets you use your own computer’s desktop as the background of the video you are recording. Instead of you in front of a potted plant, you get an effect similar to that you see in weather or news reports, with somebody talking into the camera and lots of active, dynamic stuff on a screen behind. That feature sets the end product apart from so much of the homegrown, static video you see online right now. You can work with multiple, dynamic backgrounds -- videos, pictures, websites, slide presentations, applications, or anything else you can get on your computer screen.
With the exploding demand for commercial video, this product would appear to deserve a look. Ideally, though, even a project tagged as "simple" as this one probably would benefit from a producer with some film sense.
And, no, I'm not aligned with the product. Instant Video Presenter is only available on Windows machines.. no Mac version yet. Mac folks tend to be in the creative side of marketing and probably are using high-end recorders and Final Cut Pro to make their videos. Still – at $259.99 (basic) or $358.94 (professional) -- this looks like a seriously useful program to me. If I weren’t on a Mac, I’d give it a twirl.
-- scrubbed by Marketing Brillo
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