Having attended SXSW last year, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. Or perhaps more important, what NOT to expect. I think what drives the popularity of the event is the people and culture BEHIND technology and not the hardcore technologies themselves. If you’re looking for a tutorial on the latest and greatest server software, you’re in the wrong place. But if you want to hear the story (the failures, personalities, and inspirations) behind the newest Google innovation, you’re in the right spot. Because at the end of the day, it’s all about people — and so is SXSW.

That said, there were a few notable takeaways from SXSW 2010:

Geosocial Applications
Gowalla and foursquare are gaining serious traction. Both companies released upgrades days before the conference in preparation for this Spring Break for Geeks. With such a concentration of tech savvy users, SXSW is a veritable test lab for the latest and greatest ideas and gadgets. Everywhere I went, the first thing everyone did was “check in” to grab the cool little “badges.” Being somewhat skeptical about games that require me to announce my whereabouts, I must admit to being impressed. In the immediate sense, it was very handy seeing where other people were hanging out. It allowed for more chance encounters instead of firm meet-ups which is basically impossible at a chaotic event like SXSW. In the future, I can see incentives and gameplay evolving where users get actual rewards for performing normal daily tasks. Still in the “PONG-like” state of evolution, foursquare is already being used by coffeeshops who give free pastries to every person who checks in X-number of times. The biggest takeaway for me is the psychological power of gameplay. People like to be recognized as a leader (or “mayor” in foursquare) and they like mini-rewards for doing otherwise mundane tasks (picking up/dropping “badges”). The pieces-parts of these social games are just beginning surface. It’s going to be very interesting to see if these geosocial applications become the next “must have” in our daily lives like the darling of SXSW 2007 – Twitter.

Content Worth Talking About
Now that social media tools and technologies have been mainstream for over three years, attention is being focused on how to offer content that actually does something productive. The experimentation time with Facebook and Twitter is over. We’re now in the “what’s our SPECIFIC strategy and EXACTLY what content should be used” phase. There were two social psyhologists that were particularly interesting: Ben Scofield (”Mind Control: Psychology for the Web”) and Dan Ariely (”Perfectly Irrational”). Scofield offered the following rule(s) of thumb when developing Web site content:

• Likeability – Be likable (no kidding!)
• Social Proof – Show people what their peers are doing
• Authority – Demonstrate that you are trustworthy
• Reciprocity – Give people something for free
• Scarcity – Tell people when time is running out
• Commitment – Give people a low cost way to commit
• Decoy Effect – Make it easy to compare choices

The more your site can offer content that delivers on these points, the more persuasive and effective it will be.

@Anywhere
Finally, the big hullabaloo was Twitter’s announcement during the Monday keynote address by founder Ev Williams. Early speculation was that Twitter would unveil it’s new advertising model. Instead, Williams anticlimactically explained their new @anywhere service which will be rolled out to select publishers (such as the NY Times) in the near future. Basically @anywhere is a little overlay that will be on websites that allows you to follow somewhere directly from that site. Imagine reading an article, clicking on the author’s name and selecting “follow” via a popup window instead of visiting Twitter.com in another window (or a 3rd party app like Tweetdeck), searching for their name/handle and following. They’re basically trying to eliminate the disconnect between publishers and Twitter. Cool? Yes. Underwhelming. Very much so. But in true Twitter fashion, this understated release will probably be turned into something much more impressive and practical by 3rd party developers — just like the rest of Twitter’s history.

I’d highly recommend attending SXSW as it’s definitely a unique experience. Just be sure to wear comfortable shoes and stock up ahead of time on sleep. See you next year!

But I was left wondering where this device would “fit” in my life. It’s not a replacement for my phone. It doesn’t replace my laptop which I use for typical office work: Excel, Word, Photoshop, etc. And I can’t use public transportation (train or subway) to commute to work so I don’t have time to kill to play games, read magazines or books. So what is this thing?

Then it hit me: I could really enjoy an iPad in my kitchen. I never realized how much time our family spends in the kitchen. Like it our not, it’s the one room in my house where I “pivot” off throughout the day. I don’t particularly enjoy my kitchen — it’s a functional place where I HAVE to be doing food prep and clean-up, day-after-day. Rinse and repeat, literally. And while I’d enjoy some light entertainment in the kitchen, I’m not risking water/crumb damage to my laptop; plus, you have to tap keys and finger the trackpad which are no-no’s with dishpan hands. It’s just not right.

BUT, an iPad is different. It’s small and wouldn’t take up much countertop space. It doesn’t use keys and can be operated with a simple touch or swipe. I could listen to music, catch-up on Podcasts, passively watch some videos and the flip over to read Facebook posts or Twitter feeds. I’d use the iPad as a catch-as-catch-may entertainment device for quick snippets of content in between kitchen chores.

The iPad calendar system would also be a handy family organizer to keep track of after school activities, lessons, meetings, appointments, etc. A daily pop-up reminder would nice.

I’d love an app that offered video cooking lessons and recipes, especially for niches like “gluten free” recipes. Having it compile shopping lists for me based on the necessary ingredients would be sweet.

Face it, it’d be fun to work on an iPad crossword/Sudoku puzzle for a few minutes while you’re waiting for pizza to cook. Plus you could easily skim the day’s news and check school closings due to weather all while brewing your coffee. And, of course, while the kids eat their cereal, I could get a jump on the day’s email without leaving the room.

Now don’t get me wrong. I know all these things can be done on other devices including plain ol’ newspaper radio and TV, but it’s the all-in-one, instant availability and ease-of-use that’s enticing. And no, I don’t need a computer in every room of my house. But you must admit, the kitchen is a “work room” for most families. So if there’s a way to make it more productive and enjoyable, I’ll definitely consider it.

What do you think?

December 1, 2009 marked the day the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) implemented its new “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” The guides address endorsements by consumers, experts, organizations, and celebrities, plus the disclosure of important connections between advertisers and endorsers. The FTC spent two years making these revisions, so it’s safe to say they’ll be more vigilant about cracking down on those who fail to comply.

Why the Revision…
Quite simply, the document was getting stale and the update was long overdue. The previous version had not been touched for 20+ years and the guides weren’t developed to include trends such as Internet advertising, viral marketing or consumer blogs.

As our media environment continues to morph and social media ramps up in intensity, advertisers no longer fully control the endorsements being made. It’s becoming easier for regular consumers and celebrities to make off-the-cuff comments about products or companies – intentionally or inadvertently. Because of this, the FTC implemented changes to the guides to continue protecting consumers from false and misleading advertisements.

Endorsement vs. Testimonial…
In the past, a celebrity made an endorsement and an average consumer made a testimonial. Now, the term endorsement is practically synonymous with testimonial. The FTC defines an endorsement as any advertising message that consumers are likely to believe reflects the opinions, beliefs, findings or experiences of a party other than the sponsoring advertiser, even if the views expressed are identical to those of the sponsoring advertiser.

What Changed…
1. Results not typical disclaimers (Think Weight Watchers, Subway, etc.)

• “Results not typical” is no longer a safe harbor, especially for weight-loss messages
• Advertisements now have to be substantiated and disclose what the typical result is for the average consumer

2. Disclosure of material connections

• The connection (payment, free products) between the endorser and company must be identified.
• Disclosure is only necessary when the comment could influence a consumer’s opinion, positively or negatively.
• Example: Lance Armstrong partnered with FRS Healthy Energy to promote their energy drink. If he talks about this supplement on Oprah, he has to explain he’s a paid endorser. Two ways to accomplish this: the disclaimer can be in the end credits, or the endorser can weave into conversation that he is endorsing the product. The same thing applies to Twitter or Facebook messages; the connection must be disclosed either in the person’s profile or directly in their comment (Most celebrities aren’t doing this…yet).

3. Liability of advertisers

• Advertisers and endorsers are both liable for false/misleading/unsubstantiated claims.
• It is the endorser’s responsibility to make sure the message they are delivering is accurate, and to disclose their material connection to the product or company they’re endorsing.

Proceed with Caution…
If you, as a consumer, blog about the great cup of coffee and outstanding service you received at your neighborhood Starbucks on your way to work, you’re indirectly endorsing the product. If Starbucks sees your message and sends you a coupon to say thanks, you’re not liable. You become a sponsored endorser when Starbucks reaches out and asks you to talk about or review their product in exchange for free coffee – now you’re responsible for disclosing the relationship.

An easy way to protect yourself is to add a “Terms of Use” page to your blog outlining that you are not a professional or expert and aren’t affiliated with the companies mentioned in your blog. That’s also where you can include the products or companies you do endorse or support and whether or not you are paid for those messages. You can get a free disclosure policy from www.disclosurepolicy.org.

Quick Reminder…
While it’s in your best interest to comply with the guidelines, remember they are advisory in nature – not law – and they don’t always apply. You be the judge.

For a complete copy of the new guide, go to: http://www2.ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf

The basic premise is that additional data (such as layered on visuals and sound) can be geographically triggered to give you a better, more useful experience. Think about a fighter pilot flying in the dark through a cloud. He literally can’t see anything, but can fly perfectly fine as the plane’s computer system visually superimposes data onto his helmet visor. While he’s in an actual jet flying thru the air, he might as well be playing a video game as he responds to the location-specific, computer generated data he’s using to fly.

Bringing this technology down to earth, practical and entertaining applications can now run on everyday mobile devices. The below video introduces augmented reality to help visitors in New York City. Basically, the application detects where you are standing in the city and offers arrows to the nearby subway stations:

In the splashiest use of augmented reality by a magazine publisher, Esquire magazine’s Best & Brightest of 2009 issue offered a half-dozen AR features. After you visit the Esquire web site and download their software, you simply hold the magazine up to your webcam which reads special symbols printed in the magazine. Fancy audio/video is triggered to then play on your computer. Seeing this system really gets the creative juices flowing. You have to see it to understand it, so check out the below video. I really enjoyed the novelty of Esquire’s system, but didn’t like the 70+ MB download it took to play. Non-geek people wouldn’t tolerate that. Perhaps the Esquire AR application software can automatically update itself at night once the next AR-enabled magazine is available. So while the download would remain large, it would essentially happen without hassling the user.

While I’m a big fan of Papa John’s pizza, their augmented reality project is underwhelming. Yes, the technology is cute, but the payoff is weak. A virtual driving game? C’mon — people need more than gimmicks to make their efforts worthwhile. But hey, give Papa John’s credit for giving it a go.

Finally, it wouldn’t be an official new media post without mentioning zombies and Skittles. So check out the following AR gaming video and be prepared to be blown away – literally and metaphorically speaking.

I predict that augmented reality technology will be woven into experiential marketing programs in the very near future. In my next post, I’ll offer a host of ideas on how to make my smartphone even more useful than it is today.

I get a sense of deja vu when I read articles like Why You Don’t Need Social Media Consultants whose premise is that social media is such common sense that no one should pay for consultation services. While there are a lot of silicon snake oil salesman out there, it’s naive (and dare I say professionally negligent) to unilaterally dismiss the idea of social media consultants. As Voltaire noted, “Common sense is not so common.”

Here are three reasons you should consider enlisting the help of experienced social media practitioners:

Save Time
Figuring out what tools to use can be a pain in the ass. You have more important things to do than learn about the latest, whiz-bang widget. There are an overwhelming number of options, but which make sense for you? After a conversation with a social media professional, you can quickly learn which tools are most practical for you to use to achieve your marketing objectives. Do you really want to research the difference between a Facebook Fan Page vs. Groups? It’s riveting stuff, but seriously? Or which video system is better to use, Vimeo or YouTube? Your social media “coach” offers hands-on expertise and shortcuts you to a best recommendation so you don’t waste time and energy.

Accountability
It’s human nature — when you have to report progress to another person, you’re more likely do the work. A coach (consultant) will motivate you to make progress on your social media program so it continually builds into something strong and valuable vs. atrophying and falling by the wayside. Think about the treadmill in your basement. Not pretty…

Keep Focus
It’s easy to get distracted and lose yourself in the minutia of social media tools. Are you generating the right content that your audience finds valuable? Are you paying enough attention to the right places at the right time? Building and reinforcing a brand demands consistency of voice and messaging. Your social media coach can help you keep your “eye on the ball” and stay on strategy.

I’m curious what you think? When I started in the web development business 13-years ago, I was sure EVERYONE would know HTML by year 2000. I was certain web developers (the social media consultants of the mid-90’s) would be out of business because “anyone can do this” — heck browsers have a ‘view source’ option to literally show how every page was built. But I was wrong (thank God). A portion of web development has gotten easy (WordPress, open source, etc.), but many aspects have gotten way more difficult (.Net is a real-life programming language — not mark-up code or scripts). Cascading style sheets are intimidating has hell to most people, but cake to tech-savvy designers. I think social media marketing will progess down the same line: easy for a small segment of people (like those making fun of my friend’s running program, which is now super-successful, btw) and increasingly more complicated for everyone else.

Finally, even the best golfer in the world – Tiger Woods – has a swing coach. No matter who you are and what you do, getting advice from an expert outsider is plain smart business.

Now consider social media, the most eclectic, ever-changing fire hose of information in human history. As online marketers, what can we do to make sure our legitimate voice and information is taken seriously?

Answer: Branding.  Yep, that old school marketing stuff…

Your brand is the genuine, distinct personality of your company. It’s what your organization stands for and makes you unique in a sea of otherwise sameness. It’s an emotional connection or way people react to a logo or product. And while it’s often associated with a visual/logo (an icon that symbolizes your brand), it includes what you say and how you say it as well. Over time, your brand builds equity — it means something to people and has value. It builds trust, justifies your attention and rationalizes a premium price.

When it comes to social media, the need for branding is greater than ever. People may find your organization’s Web site in search engine results along with you your Twitter account, Facebook group, YouTube channel and blog. Do all these places “feel” the same? Do they speak with the same voice? Do they offer consistent materials?

Now considering the chipmunk-on-meth attention span of most Web visitors, does your social media channel past the 5-second brand consistency test? Pull up one of your social media channels (say, your blog) then quickly review it for visuals, personality and content:

1. Visual Presentation
   Are you using your logo correctly – colors/size/spacing? Does your color scheme match your Web site? Do your photos match your other marketing materials?
2. Personality
   Does it convey the right tone and spirit? Does it “feel” like your organization?
3. Content
   Is the material you offer appropriate? Or is it just copy-and-pasted from your annual report? Does the depth and breadth of content reflect your expertise? Is it what people would expect?

There’s a lot in social media that you can’t control, but what you say and how you say it is still your choice. Your online brand identity should be treated as an invaluable asset that MUST be nurtured and protected. Because without it, you’re just a commodity fighting to breath in an increasingly crowded online marketplace.

Great question. There are many ways to find people.  But one nifty way to find SELF QUALIFIED people is via TweetMeme.  What’s TweetMeme?  It’s a service that bloggers use to make it easy for their readers to tweet a story on their behalf. See the greet “retweet” button to the upper right of this blog post — that’s it. Generally, the more people re-tweet your blog post, the most coverage and tacit endorsement it gets. The little green buttons are commonplace on many AdAge Power 150 blogs such as:

• Being Peter Kim
• Duct Tape Marketing
• Marketing Pilgrim
• Shift Communications – PR Squared
• Chris Brogan

Every time you see one of these green gems, a number is displayed.  If you click that number (and it’s not obvious that it’s clickable), you can see a listing of every person who re-tweeted that blog post.  If you liked the post, you can find the other birds-of-a-feather who also liked it so much they re-tweeted it.  These people have effectively stood up and qualified themselves as good candidates to follow. You know they’re active and interested in the same niche topic as you.

Here’s an example from the inimitable Chris Brogan blog:

You could find 108 other people to follow from this one Brogan post alone. While not used on every blog, these TweetMeme buttons could help you uncover excellent new contacts and networks.

UPDATE: One note to clarify. SOMETIMES the actual number displayed appears different than the people listed. This is likely due to people re-tweeting multiple times and/or a lag in the TweetMeme system. When I found out the reason for sure, I’ll update this post.

But unlike big brands such as Nike, Starbucks and Honda, most small businesses/organizations across the country are NOT the subject of intense Twitter conversations and mock YouTube videos. You (fortunately) don’t have Facebook groups protesting your business practices, right. So why not lay low until a crisis occurs or some other “conversation threshold” has been crossed?

My answer? Don’t think QUANTITY, think RELEVANCE. Remember, it only takes one fly to ruin your soup. Say a person wrote a disparaging blog post about your company.  Only you can decide what’s “relevant” what isn’t. Yes, should consider quantitative data such as the blog’s Technorati rating and inbound links, but consider qualitative factors such as:

• Familiarity – Is the blogger well-known and respected in your industry?
• Content Quality – Is the blog’s other content credible and thorough?
• Message – Is their commentary accurate or clearly off-base?
• Traffic – Is their blog a heavily trafficked site?
• Influence – Is this person well connected? How much damage can they cause?
• Comments – Are other people “piling on” to the discussion? Does anyone care?
• Viral Nature – Is this conversation being referred or linked to by other blogs/Twitter posts?

Quite often, one rogue blog post can be ignored as a fluke. But if you’re gut tells you that it could be relevant to your organization, you’re able to make a much more informed decision as to a response or remedy.  But it MUST be a decision based on more than numbers alone.

And remember, if there’s a fly in your soup, he’s having a pretty bad day, too….

Brand zombies are mindless, incapable of communication and show no signs of personality. They’re controlled in an undead state by mysterious outside forces.

Sound like any brands you know? To prevent your brand from becoming a flesh-eating drone, consider following these steps:

ANALYSIS
Gauge the relative health of your brand in various social media channels such as blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and niche social networks. Though you might not personally frequent these places, don’t assume people aren’t talking about your brand. Online comments and conversations absolutely affect the associations and feelings people have about your brand. Here are 5 easy research tools:

• Google Blog Search
• Advanced Twitter Search
• Google Alerts
• Facebook Search
• Radian6

PARTICIPATION
After identifying key places and people that may be influencing your brand online, begin participation that proves you’re alive and well. Post some blog comments. Answers some Twitter questions. Be an active member in these mini-communities to show you’re not living in an ivory tower, insulated from the people that help keep your business/brand alive.

OUTREACH
Once you’re reasonably comfortable knowing your online brand dynamics and have established a baseline presence, you’re hopefully ready for proactive outreach to people important to your business: customers, partners, suppliers, employees, etc. What brand experience can you offer that delivers value to these key people?  FedEx created tracking widgets, Best Buy launched TwelpForce, a Twitter-based tech support system, and GM opened up their FastLane blog. Each of these offerings reinforces important brand attributes: FedEx: Delivery Timeliness, Best Buy: Accessible Tech Support and GM: Innovation & Transparency.

Zombies are scary business. Don’t let your brands languish to the point of being undead versions of their former selves. Use readily available social media tools to ward off unwanted spirits and build your brand so it thrives for years to come.