There is a mighty internet storm brewing and one of the UK's leading retailers is right at the heart of it. Habitat has attracted a certain amount of, ahem, negative attention for their supposed Twitter spamming (basically they attached trending topic hashtags to their tweets in the hope it would gain them some attention). Bad - yes definitely. But would you believe it, there is worse.
When the spam tweets were discovered, devoured and retweeted by twitter users, did Habitat hold their hands up, say, "oh dear, we're sorry, we f***ed up"? No, they turned smartly around, raised their hand and pointed their finger at...the intern.
I mean there's lame and then there's disgraceful behaviour. It's going to be a treat watching them dig themselves out of this PR nightmare.
A trip to London on the same day as the tube strike was not looking promising. Although delighted to be going to see the good people of econsultancy, particularly the uber talented Michelle Goodall, the prospect of fighting my way through masses of peed off Londoners was not something to relish.
And then, thanks to Twitter, my day took an unexpected turn...
.....keen biker and digital man (not simultaneously) Paul_Clarke, came up with an inspired 'social experiment'. Use the power of Twitter to give a helping hand to those in need of transport in London aka #tweetbike.
Next minute I am speeding along Euston road leaving tourists and pigeons in my wake.
Truly a Knight on a Shiny Bike and an example of why I love my social networks, (gushy I know, but it's true). It demonstrates the true power of social media - people, connections and trust. Five years ago I would never have got a lift on a motorbike from a complete stranger for nothing. I wouldn't have been involved in organising a massive charity event with loads of people I'd never met from hundreds of cities across the globe and I wouldn't know any of the great people I do now.
Awesome.
Just don't tell my mum about the bike thing.
*NB very pleased with my self discipline for avoiding the 'I got a great ride in London' gag.
After the incredibly useful and much reproduced Conversation Prism, PR superstar Brian Solis unveils the Twitterverse - a graphical representation of Twitter's world divided up by the functions of some of the key apps. Very neat and bound to be included in many a pitch document.
Us Now should be required viewing for cynics (and I count myself in that). It's so easy these days to believe what we read about how bad everything and everyone is, how we're all fighting amongst ourselves and darkness is around every corner. I have kids. Which means it's inevitable that I am even more sensitive to how bleak things have become.
And then something comes along that restores your faith, lifts your soul and makes you remember that for all the bad folk, there are many more good folk.
Us Now reminds us that social networks have the power to bring out the best in people. Of course it's not all cookies and cream - it's important not to be naive but hey there are lots of good people out there and social networks have made it easier to find them. They interest you and challenge you, they know stuff that you want to know, they help people they've never even met.
At the beginning of the film they mention mumsnet, a site that is very close to my heart. It was probably the first social network I joined. In 2001 with a newborn that wouldn't stop crying, this forum was, without exaggeration, an place of immense refuge. I talked to amazing people, had challenging and at times, difficult conversations, witnessed horrendous trauma and stunning intelligence and wit. It helped me diagnose a (not life threatening but severely debilitating) condition in my second child - when the medical profession had dismissed me. Of course, that kind of support network isn't particularly new but the internet has made it so much easier.
So despite the horrible stories, Us Now reminds us to lift our head from the gloom. Watch it and glow.
Everyone is a social media expert Everyone can tell you how to 'leverage the power of Twitter for business' Every agency offers digital marketing services
Yet
Most clients still seem confused Very few agencies are able to talk about campaigns they've actually delivered (rather than just clients we've worked with) There's a lot of repetition of ideas that are presented as original thinking
This week I was privy to an astounding project where a client was about to spend a six figure sum on a social media project that had no clear objectives, no solid research behind it and was generally a complete bag of washing. I'm obviously naive - I thought the industry had moved on. Obviously there's a long way to go.
Much talk and chattering about the fact that @Oprah has arrived on Twitter. Mostly there seems to be general snobbery and a feeling that she's going to 'spoil' it by introducing twitter to the mainstream (didn't we hear all that before when @wossy joined?). What nonsense. How can someone else joining Twitter possibly spoil it for those already there (apart from an increase in spammers but heh ho). If you don't want to read their tweets, don't follow them. There's even a site where you can prove to the world that you're so clued up that you were here before Oprah. Oh dear.
The truth is that however much early adopters like to bleat on about how great Twitter is, really they want to keep it as a little, secret club. I've been on Twitter since 2007 and yes it is slightly weird now that it's so mainstream but so what, that's the beauty of the digital world - things move fast, change and develop. PR consultant Kami Huyse sums it up best with this tweet - I couldn't agree more.
Another of those ubiquitous posts where blogger apologises for lack of posts, puts it down to pressure of work, time spent on Twitter etc. Anyway, lots going on as always. Particularly interesting:
The launch of Twitter Partners was heralded with much excitement by the mainstreammedia. Most of the giddyness was down to the agency's incredibly well connected and influential backers but I'm still perplexed at how much attention it was given. Companies that help brands or individuals engage on Twitter are hardly new. Also interesting that it was initially linked to Twitter itself (adding credibility) but this was quickly denied on the official Twitter blog.
The power of the digital network was demonstrated once again as Susan Boyle burst onto the radar via Britain's Got Talent. Will it prove to be the most popular YouTube video ever? Certainly Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher's tweets about her demonstrate the incredible influence they have to direct traffic to specific content. It's worth watching the video for the moment when you see the $$$ signs in Cowell's eyes.
And finally a moan - I'm seeing more and more people moaning about ads on Spotify. Come on people, get a grip, it's brilliant, it's dead easy to use and it's free, does the occasional ad really matter?
Very happy to see that the lovely Mike Butcher had included me in 'Celebrating Women in Tech' post, in commemoration of Ada Lovelace day. I was very honoured to be listed among such talented, inspirational women.
Interesting blog post on E-Consultancy about which digital agencies are using Twitter and perhaps more importantly which ones aren't and why. As Chris Lake says, "I was perplexed to discover that many agencies haven’t yet bothered, and I’m not sure what message that sends out to the client-side." His research showed that very few of the top 50 UK agencies were regularly twittering as an agency. The article has prompted a huge number of comments, mostly from agencies defending their position plus lots of people making the point that the reason agencies don't have a specific account is because Twitter is about people not companies.
My take - yes of course, Twitter is about people, as I've said before that's exactly why it's so popular. But it's not as simple as saying there's no place on Twitter for brands or companies, otherwise why do accounts like @overheardatmoo work so well? Because there is still a person behind the brand. And that's the key. I really do believe that as long as your tweets have personality there's no reason why you shouldn't tweet as a company or brand but you have to have something to say. And you have to want to do it. I wonder if some of the reason digital agencies aren't tweeting much is because the individuals who feel comfortable with Twitter already have their own accounts and they don't have the extra time, or inclination to try and run another one.
