Posts Tagged ‘Twitter’

The Obligatory Year End Review

8
December
2009

Santa’s not the only one making lists.

Stefanie Berliant
Client Services Manager

It’s the end of the year and you know what that means: Top ten lists and year in reviews!  What’s more is that we have survived the first decade of Y2K!  Most of the top 10 lists include new developments in technologies, and the people that created them, including Twitter, Google, Facebook, DVR, and Wii.  Whether you love or hate these advances, they have made a significant impact in our lives in 2009. Categories got as specific as top 10 YouTube videos and best Tweets of 2009.  Our nation has clearly accepted social networking and microblogging as part of mainstream life. Additionally all the major search engines have released their top 10 searches for 2009.  The topics that had people talking (and searching) include Michael Jackson, swine flu, Twilight, Lady Gaga, and cash for clunkers.  As I scroll through these lists and reflect on this year, I find myself intrigued on what the nation has picked as significant events/people/technologies and can’t wait to see how thoughts change next year.

Check out the lists below to see what made the cut!

Twitter Inside Google & Microsoft? It may happen…

8
October
2009

Twitter is in advanced talks with Google and Microsoft about licensing its data feed to the companies’ search engines.

George Assimakopoulos
Principal Manager

Reuters reported today that Twitter is having separate discussions with Google and with Microsoft on allowing each company to incorporate the 140-character messages or "tweets" into their Internet search results.  For those of us that really understand SEO – this could have a profound impact on the value of social media and search. Imagine all of the tweet content now being indexed and placed on SERPs (search engine results pages). This could change everything!

For about a year now, I have been asked by most of my clients "…why should we tweet?" In other words, they are questioning the value of being a business that leverages Twitter. First of all, by properly leveraging Twitter businesses will ensure that their blog posts, articles, and press release pages are more widely circulated and linked to onthe web. This IMPROVES the relevance of a website to search engines thus ranking them higher. What becomes equally valuable is that searchers will be able to cut through the flood of tweets to get to the posts that are most relevant to them. (hooray!)

So, I totally get why Google is talking to Twitter – and why Twitter is talking to Microsoft. One question though…where is YAHOO in all of this dialog? To read the Reuters report on this – CLICK HERE.

My Summer with EyeTraffic Media

3
August
2009

Principal Manager’s NOTE: I thought that our online audiences would enjoy a new perspective on EyeTraffic Media – and our recent growth. Therefore, I asked our summer intern to reflect back on the ten weeks he spent with our company. Enjoy! – George A.

Chris Cohen
Staff Assistant

Since June 1, I’ve had the pleasure of interning at EyeTraffic Media for a third consecutive summer. While I was looking forward to another opportunity of serving as the Principal Manager’s assistant, I was in for a pleasant surprise when Media Coordinator Ryan Moss asked me to help build the SEO/PPC campaign for the JumpReach product (powered by EyeTraffic Media). After two summers of having responsibilities primarily concerned with office management, I was thrilled to be given the chance to directly work with a member of a rising interactive marketing firm.

I remember when Mr. Assimakopoulos (who reminds me of Ari Gold from Entourage), to make sure if I was remotely capable of assisting with such a task, asked me what a search engine was and advised me: “Don’t say Google.” I guess I gave him a satisfactory answer because he gave the nod to Ryan.

Although I had the most basic prior knowledge of SEO & PPC advertising, I had absolutely no idea of how much work went into constructing an effective campaign. From keyword research, to Ad Copies, to Negatives, I felt like a deer in headlights with all of these new concepts. With guidance from the other members like Keith Vera, Robin Dvorak, Christine Pepin, and Stefanie Berliant, Ryan and I were able to build what we hope will prove to be a very effective SEO and PPC campaigns for JumpReach.

While that was probably the most demanding of my responsibilities, I was also asked to maintain the Wiki, upload additional contacts, and attend to office management needs. Quick shout out to the Office Manager, Surrae Holloway, for staying on top of me, but really making my time here enjoyable. Man she is tough!

It’s interesting to see how EyeTraffic evolves year after year. With our country’s recent economic struggles, during my time here I wanted to make an effort to observe how a small business remains afloat and survives. EyeTraffic has been able to do so with its dedicated team.  Mr. Assimakopoulos continues to motivate and seek new opportunities all across the nation. Account Manager Keith Vera stays on top of his game day in and day out, and Media Coordinators Stefanie Berliant, Ryan Moss, and Christine Pepin are outstanding team players. Congratulations to Ryan for winning the most recent D.E.L.T.A. achievement award for his hard work and dedication over the recent months with the new JumpReach program.

Robin Dvorak is another member of the EyeTraffic team who has been invaluable in her assistance. With a lot of experience under her belt, her ideas and instincts are and will be continue to be essential to the development of the company.

This summer I’ve also had to share the internship spotlight with Blake Bowyer. He has been a pleasure to work with as well, and has done an excellent job managing the company Twitter account and assisting with the day-to-day activities.

Each summer when I intern with EyeTraffic I really try to get something out of it. Yes, I do enjoy the relaxed environment, good food, and comfortable office, but I try to take something that I can use when I go back to school and eventually become part of the “real world.” By learning real interactive marketing tactics and observing day-to-day business interactions, there is no doubt that my time here has been well spent, and I will take lessons with me that will do nothing but help me down the road.

Certainly No Mention of Social Networks in the Constitution

29
July
2009

Stiff consequences result from social network users exercising their freedom of speech.

Christine Pepin
Media Coordinator

So, we all keep talking about the social networks and their evolution.  We’ve run the gamut from discussions on Twitter’s lack of a viable revenue model to its value as a marketing tool.  We’ve weeded through social network supporters, haters and skeptics.  It seems to me, though, that the majority of those knowledgeable in our space recognize more valuable marketing potential in the fastest growing networks, such as Twitter and Facebook, than not.

But, in my cloud of optimism and excitement about what these networks can promote from a marketer’s standpoint, I tend to forget about the consequences of free speech spreading as fast as it does in these mediums.  On top of the fact that with written word, there’s no debate on who said what; the proof is in the pudding.  “Delete” becomes trivial, as technology allows us a back button, or a web history or an automatic save function.  Then, they’ll be someone, somewhere having recorded and saved an offense before we even realize our mistake. 

I found myself with wide-eyes this morning reading an ABC news article, as I was reminded of the consequences of social network users freely voicing their opinions.  From an apartment renter to a Congressman to Al Roker, I quickly learned that our uncensored expressions can lead to fines, unemployment or a bruised reputation.  Being mindful of the repercussions of what we post online is very important.  I’ll recap a few from the article that were interesting; maybe we can learn from their mistakes:

-  A Chicago tenant faces a $50,000 lawsuit by the Horizons Group Management where she used to reside by posting the following on Twitter: “Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? Horizon really thinks it’s okay." 

-  A New York City official resigns over controversial comments posted on Facebook in reference to President Obama’s opinions on the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.

-  Arizona man tweets about leaving for vacation and returns to find his house was robbed a few thousands of dollars in video equipment stolen.

-  Al Roker snaps pictures of potential yury members from jury duty and posts them to Twitter; a violation of court rules.

-  Top House Republican discloses details about travels to Iraq and Afganistan on Twitter; leaving the Pentagon to question its policy on classified information and security implications on social networks.

Perhaps these cases will spark us to think about the implications of what we post, both professionally and personally.

Jack Welch Is On Twitter (yes…I’m serious)

15
June
2009

Are you still wondering if Twitter is a value add – or a colossal waste of time? Well, just ask Jack and Suzy Welch.

George Assimakopoulos
Principal Manager

Okay – I’ll admit that a year ago I was a BIG skeptic about Twitter and its value as a business function. However, after tapping away 140 characters hundreds of times over the course of a year, I have quickly realized that Twitter has a good old-fashioned marketing goal in mind:  it generates crowds interested in the value of what you provide.

That said, I was reading a BusinessWeek article on why we tweet – only to find out that the article was written by Jack and Suzy Welch.  If you’re familiar with The WelchWay – you must read what Jack has to say about Twitter.  To read the BusinessWeek article – CLICK HERE.

Oh yeah- and if you’re not following me yet on Twitter…what are you waiting for?  Follow me at: http://twitter.com/GeorgeInDC

Social Networks And The Workplace

27
May
2009

Social networks are becoming increasingly popular among businesses and executives, but employees still have concerns about their personal privacy.

Ryan Moss
Media Coordinator

More and more companies and their executives are embracing social networks and becoming actively involved in networks like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIN. In fact, according to Deloitte, 30% of business executives in the United States said that their company has incorporated social networks into their business and operations strategy.

While executives are excited about the use of social networks, many of their employees are not. Employees have several concerns including the belief that using social media can damage a company’s reputation. The other main issue among employees is the lack of privacy, as 53% of employees surveyed by Deloitte think that their online profiles are none of their employers’ business. With that being said, nearly 61% of employees did admit to making significant changes to their social network pages since company executives can now view these pages.

Some industry experts advise for employees to simply set their profiles on private so only the people they choose can view their personal profiles. But, that could lead to interesting situations such as how do you respond when your boss asks why he or she can view your personal pictures.

Personally, I think every situation is different and you should adjust your personal pages based on the atmosphere of your company. Some smaller and more relaxed companies, might be ok with pictures of you from a party last weekend, but others may not. In the end use your best judgment and be careful of what you and others post that can be linked to you.

 

Twitter Summons Its First “Fail Whale?

26
May
2009

Twitter partnerships offend “no one…and everyone?”

Stefanie Berliant
Media Coordinator

My feelings for Twitter are summed up in an entertaining four and a half minute video from Current: “Twouble with Twitters” (see link below).

While the content of this blog may seem ironic and slightly hypocritical, I find that the social network/micro-blogging service, Twitter, is just a bit extreme.  I don’t really understand why people feel the need to share that they are watching TV with their cat.  In instant message speak, we call that TMI (too much information).  So while checking out the news on CNN.com, to my surprise and delight I stumbled upon an article headlined “Kutcher Threatens to Stop Twittering.”  The article shares how Twitter has partnered with TV producers Reveille and Brillstein Entertainment on an unscripted show that would be "putting ordinary people on the trail of celebrities in a revolutionary competitive format"- aka: a show centered on stalking celebrities.  When finding out about this, actor Ashton Kutcher Tweeted “its all fun and games until somebody gets stalked” and warns that he might take a break from Twittering if this show goes through.  

I find this to be quite ironic. Kutcher and wife Demi Moore are some of the worst "Twit" offenders, constantly Tweeting meaningless details about their lives. Kutcher also had a high-profile race with CNN to be the first with 1 million Twitter followers. While celebrities and Average Joes alike get stalked every day, I agree that creating a TV show about stalking is probably not the healthiest behavior to endorse. However in my opinion, exploiting oneself is pretty tacky, especially through Twitter.  At least when a third party exploits you, people take pity and feel sorry for you.  

Twitter has definitely drawn some criticism on this partnership from celebs and regular people. We’ll see if this TV show goes through.  While Twitter does allow people to share ground breaking news, give expert advice, give feedback on certain products or services, Twitter should not be used for everyone to “randomly brag about their unexceptional life” nor for harassing individuals.

Twitter Not Interested in Ad-Revenue Model

20
May
2009

By year-end, Twitter plans to introduce new revenue-generating ad tools.

Christine Pepin
Media Coordinator

It’s becoming one of the most asked questions among marketers: How and when will Twitter develop a viable business model? 

According to Twitter’s co-founder, Biz Stone, they are not considering introducing advertisements on their fast-growing micro-blogging site. For many start-ups, this model poses a way in which money can be made without having to tack on a fee to its users. It’s the trade-off us consumers of free online services have accepted. There are not many free portals left out there that are surviving without it, so we’ve come to expect that animated ad at the corner of our screens. 

Twitter, however, hopes to become different.

Stone and his fellow founders are dismissing the ad-model for a variety of reasons. For one, “it’s just not quite as interesting to us,” he tells the Reuters Global Technology Summit in New York. He furthers his reasoning that ads may become terribly annoying for the user. A big limitation that they note is the lack of knowledgeable staff members to help develop an advertising-sustained business. Another easy problem to fix, yet they have no desire to seek these individuals. Then ironically, the 40 employee San Francisco based company plans to double in size by the end of 2009. What kind of talent are they pursuing?

In lieu of ads, Twitter plans to generate revenue by way of ad-on tools for businesses and professional users.  The company will still be assuring a free service but prepares to roll out additional features for commercial use, including “lightweight analytics” and a directory of commercial accounts to verify a business’ legitimacy. Twitter is also in talks for a partner agreement with cell carriers so that the service can be available through a subscriber’s text messaging network. With no pressures from investors to return profits and their recent $35 million round of financing, delivering a public offering is certainly not on Twitter’s radar.

Again, we stay tuned as the company continues to figure out how it could be possible in the future as its popularity compounds rapidly. Listen here as Biz Stone discusses the company’s direction.

Some of Nations Top College Football Coaches “Tweet”

23
April
2009

College football coaches all over the country have turned to twitter as a way to communicate with recruits and also fans.

Ryan Moss
Media Coordinator

Throughout the years the NCAA has placed numerous restrictions on college coaches that limit their contact with recruits. One thing that has no restrictions, at least for right now is the use of Twitter and numerous coaches are now taking advantage of this social networking application. Using Twitter, coaches can continuously update recruits and also fans/supporters about what is going on with their program.

Pete Carroll, the head football coach at the University of Southern California (USC), was one of the first coaches to get on Twitter and is also one of the most active. Coach Carroll has posted about topics ranging from USC’s spring football practice to his ongoing campaign to get comedian and close friend Will Ferrell on Twitter. Coach Carroll even created a video to help convince Ferrell to join the Twitter community, which can be seen below.

The list of some other college football coaches on Twitter includes Bob Stoops from Oklahoma, Les Miles from LSU and Ron Zook from Illinois.

But not everyone is embracing the Twitter craze. University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer, who has won two of the last three BCS national championships, is not a fan of Twitter. In fact Coach Meyer was quoted by the Orlando Sentinel as saying "Can’t stand that stuff. Just don’t like it." This is surprising as Meyer has typically been a trend setter with new technology. Still, there is an Urban Meyer account on Twitter, but no posts have been made nor has it been confirmed that it is Coach Meyer.

Twitter provides these coaches with a great opportunity to gain exposure for their program and keep their followers up to date with the most recent happenings. The only questions are if and when will the NCAA institute restrictions on Twitter like it has done with other "break-through" communication mediums like text messages, emails and use of Facebook.

Twitter Introduces Monitter.com

13
April
2009

Consumer demand drives Twitter to release a simple dialog-monitoring tool to watch tweets anywhere…anytime.

George Assimakopoulos
Principal Manager

If you’re curious about people who may be tweeting about you, your products or your services on Twitter – now you can monitor this dialog in real-time.  Check out Twitter’s new keyword watch-tool:  Monitter.com. This simple tool lets you monitor the twitter world for a set of keywords and watch what people are saying ("tweeting").  All you need to do is type in a few keywords into the provided search boxes and within seconds you’ll start seeing relevant tweets streaming live.

You may wonder why this is a valuable tool.  One specific benefit to Monitter is that it allows users to narrow their search within a 10 mile radius of the users location.  Now imagine if you are a home improvement contractor searching for people who may be tweeting on do-it-yourself topics.  I actually know of an independent contractor who recently used Monitter and entered the keyword phrase:  "painting rooms".  Within the Washington DC area he immediately found four tweets of people who had indicated  that they were at home "painting rooms this weekend".  The contractor replied to those tweets right for Monitter and offered his advice.  He eventually got one of those painting projects as a job.  Pretty cool, huh?

Monitter.com can have some other very cool application benefits:  politicians can use it to target possible voters tweeting about some top-of-mind issue; associations can use it to target new audiences who may be interested in their cause-driven organization’s focus; even cooks could use this to invite audiences to their restaurants as people tweet about their food cravings.  Try it for yourself – go to http://www.monitter.com/ and enter in "eating sushi".  I never realized how many people tweet about what they are eating for dinner.

This is just another example for how Twitter is truly growing their toolsets to build a business model for their social network.