A significant act – even if few notice

By spikebachman | Published: January 10, 2012

I read this article last night and it got me fairly worked-up.

The offense: Google has not provided equal and fair treatment to similar issues (defamation and hate mongering).

Specifically, in the past Google has included a disclaimer to accompany search results that produced hate sites directed towards Jews. They’ve chosen not to do this for Rick Santorum who is also the target of hate-related material.

First off, I’m a really big fan of Google. I generally respect the company and I love their products. I’m heavily integrated into just about everything Google offers in both my personal brand and in my workplace.

So what do I do when confronted with information that Google is doing something that I’m opposed to?

I’m sensible enough to understand that not every business operates in a way that I can always endorse. I’ll usually contact the place about it or just vote with my wallet – I won’t give that business my money.

But I’m faced with a more nuanced and significant choice when considering boycotting Google.

I resent the fact that I rely on a business in the ways I rely on Google.

I don’t like the thought of giving up all the convenience, fun and usefullness Google provides to me – mostly free of charge.

I don’t even like the simple fact that I have to make a difficult choice!

In the end. I want to know that I can take a stand for something that I believe in regardless of the degree of personal cost.

If [when] I remove myself from Google – they won’t feel a thing.

But I’ve got to think that like one lit match in the darkness, my action may help to shed some light to anyone looking.

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How to kill a website

By spikebachman | Published: November 24, 2011

First – your site is probably dead anyway. So “killing” it shouldn’t be too painful.

The thing you should consider is that the concept of a central site as an all-in-one information source only works in a few instances.

I would even propose that if you’re actively engaged in three or more web communities, you could forego a personal site altogether.

To be vital on the web, you have to go to where the people are. Few will seek you out. But if you diverge yourself into many channels, the chances for making a meaningful encounter will increase greatly.

And remember to keep it up. Out of sight = out of mind.

I’m figuring out how to apply this on my own site. I’m thinking my site will get much, much simpler. Maybe a single page. Maybe it will become even more like an index to the other places on the web where I work and play.

Posted in Branding, Marketing | Leave a comment

A message from ping.fm

By spikebachman | Published: November 17, 2011

Ugh. I’ll try this again. I had previously typed how I’ve got to be the laziest user I know of. Which also happens to make me good at my job (the role of creative director for web media).

If it’s time consuming and/or complex, I don’t want anything to do with it. (Speaking strictly about computer usage — as a consumer)

So I’m setting up ping.fm which will allow me to post to my WP blog via my phone. Sweeter still would be the ability to speak my blog post.

Laziness CAN be the seed of innovation!

Posted in Fun | Tagged | Leave a comment

There’s an app for that?

By spikebachman | Published: July 20, 2011

I was a football star in high school.

You don’t need any more proof that you are your own brand than this — high school junior running back Kelvin Taylor of Glades Day School has his own Android app.

This is the only instance I’ve heard of a non-celebrity having their own personality mobile phone app, but Kelvin is probably not the first. (I’m sure his dad, an ex-football pro, had something to do with this idea’s inception.)

But it seems to be working for Kelvin — until every other high school hopeful has one too.

I always think back to Andy Warhol’s own revision to his iconic quote: “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”

In 15 minutes, everybody will be famous. —Andy Warhol

Read the article on Media Bistro.

 

Posted in Branding, Fun, Marketing, Predictions | Leave a comment

And so it begins

By spikebachman | Published: July 18, 2011

Google+, don’t lose your way!

I’ve been lamenting complaining about Facebook for a while now. And then came Google+. Yay!

It addressed my main gripes with Facebook by allowing me to easily and intuitively communicate with and structure my social media audience, friends, etc. It seems intimate and, more or less, like my own.

At first I had heard that Google might not allow Business to create pages. I liked this. Whether I heard wrong or it was just hear-say, it seems like Google is not only allowing businesses to have a presence on G+, but has accelerated development on this.

And now there are articles describing 8 Tips To Get Your Marketing Started On Google+ cropping up. I believe that much of the praise for Google+ has been because it seemed to be a place where people could interact in ways that better approximated real-life situations — like sitting on the back deck visiting.

Facebook, to me, has always been more like standing on a busy street corner yelling into a crowd with a barrage of street vendors, hustlers and advertisements.

So I offer this letter to Google+:

Dear Google+,
Please honor your convictions in developing a social platform that allows people to communicate in a more natural way. Please don’t become Facebook.
I love you, Spike

That’s all I have to say. Any more posts like this and I risk turning into an ol’ codger – I know!

BTW, if you’d like an invite into Google+, please contact me.

Posted in Marketing, Opinion | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Fewer friends = greater return

By spikebachman | Published: June 23, 2011

 

Well, that may not be entirely correct in all instances, but new statistics generated by Page Lever and reported here by All Facebook suggest that Facebook Fan Pages have a definite point of diminishing return.

And, in keeping with common sense, we discover that the fewer fans you have, the greater their engagement — The more fans you have the less engaged they are (with your Fan Page at least).

(I recently surmised this in a previous post.)

I appreciate the balanced approach that All Facebook takes towards this information. Facebook can be a valuable tool for engaging your customers/clients. But I think very few businesses do this in a meaningful way. Too often the motive of the business is either self-serving or superficial.

If your goal is achieving high numbers of fans, than that may be [only] what you get. But if your goal is to create brand ambassadors and loyal customers, then you should focus less on the numbers and more on the people.

Read the All Facebook article.

Posted in Branding, Marketing, Opinion | Leave a comment

We’re all social media kindergarteners

By spikebachman | Published: June 7, 2011

Anyone who’s read my last few posts can tell that I’ve got a few ideas of my own about how one should engage social media.

And how social media should engage us.

I guess I’m not alone in my views.

I just read this article which classifies the collective behavior of most folks who participate in various social sites as “Friend Everyone, Share Everything”.

The challenge remains to “Group Dynamically, Share Selectively. It’s a testament to the general goodness of people that they wish to be inclusive and avoid potentially hurting peoples feelings.

And it’s the failure of most social networking platforms that they do not allow users the ability to easily, discreetly and responsibly create their own preferred social circles.

Perhaps this is because it is not in most social site’s economic interest to have limited size user groups. But I believe great things are in store for the platforms who enable users to create a social circles that mimic those which are created in real life.

Maybe not possible. Maybe real life is unreproduceable.

The End Of The Social Network Era, The Rise Of The Social Circle Era

Posted in Marketing, Opinion | Leave a comment

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should

By spikebachman | Published: May 27, 2011

For those of you who follow me, you may have gotten a sense that I’ve been down on Facebook lately.

(I just don’t like it’s pervasiveness)

And they continue to pervase!

These articles explain how Facebook intends to involve themselves in some way with our TV-viewing, Book-reading and Music-listening behaviors.

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

I believe Facebook’s popularity grew because it provided a means for friends and family to share a common community platform on their own terms. (Of course) Where the kinds and types of communications were determined by those who participated in a very organic way.

What I’ve noticed, and what I think bothers me now about Facebook as a platform, is that they are increasingly dictating the ‘how’, ‘when’ and ‘why’ of my communications. I feel less at liberty to simply share and more like I have to “play by the rules”.

But I also believe Facebook may be overlooking two factors that history has shown to be true for many companies that get too big for their britches:

  1. One company can’t do all things well
  2. People end up resenting big companies who invade and abuse their (increasingly shrinking) personal space

So, like the neighbor who comes over and tells me what to do with my life, I’m afraid Facebook is wearing out it’s welcome in my social media house.

Posted in Marketing, Opinion | Leave a comment

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