Learn with Me Experiment #learnwme - Feb4'13

As you're reading this, I'm probably either in the Caribbean Sea or lying on a beach.

Every Monday night at 8pm EST, I host my Learn with Me chat. Tonight that will prove rather challenging and I've yet to secure a co-moderator for such nights like tonight, but I don't want to cancel.

So, I've opted for an experiment that I hope some of you are willing to try. Through HootSuite's publisher feature, I have pre-scheduled tweets to go out between 8-9pm tonight -February 4, 2-13- and as part case study and part experiment, I'm curious to see what comes of it.

My commitment to you, if you choose to engage, is to make it meaningful, thought-provoking and fun! So please take part and let me know how it goes and what you think of the chat. And thank you.

Use the hashtag #learnwme and I recommend TweetChat.com to make it all easier and smoother. Cheers!

Twitter Value: Part 2 - Professional Development

I am finding there is certainly no shortage of great things to write about Twitter and its many uses. This post will focus on what I think it brings to the table for professionals. I will be quoting from my most recent #learnwme chat during which we discussed this topic and more. 

My Twitter experience has provided me with so much learning that I feel like I've been through various college courses without having to pay! I've learned about Project Management from @PMHut, Instructional Design and elearning from Connie Malamed, the @elearningcoach, and Digital Media and Marketing from the Digital Marketer, @alizasherman. 

Most recently, I participated in a session of #blogchat, and was amazed and grateful at how helpful the participants on the chat were in helping me learn about archiving, writing and a host of tips to make my blog experience more efficient and enjoyable. Here are a few excerpts from that night:

During my last #learnwme chat, many other options were shared and agreed on, such as checking industry trends and improving customer service: 

As well as the back channel communication that takes place at conferences and also keeping the momentum going afterward via Twitter: 

Of course, networking, sharing and following those in your industry that you admire or want to learn from are valuable uses professionally for Twitter as well: 

Honestly, I believe the possibilities that exist when you use Twitter for professional development and opportunities are basically limitless. As I pointed out during our most recent chat, make sure that your participation with others on Twitter is always a two-way street: Don't just give, and don't just receive. The exceptional value I've experienced from using Twitter thus far has come about because I have helped others just as much as they have helped me. Show a willingness to be helpful to others and you'd be amazed at how helpful the Twitter community is back in return. 

Here's a great link from WikiHow that I shared with the #learnwme chat partcipants that provides some more advice on using Twitter as a Professional. 

The most common advice I give people is to just jump in and get your feet wet. That's what worked for me. The more I used Twitter, the more I recognized its value and the more value I received. Learning, networking, collaborating, sharing, teaching - it's all there and in great abundance. So, what are you waiting for? 

Facebook: UnLike

A number of people have asked me today to weigh in on this article from Dangerous Minds that went 'viral' this week in the Social Media sphere, so I'll try. Richard Metzger is undeniably angered and frustrated by what Facebook has done by forcing the sponsored posts business model: 

“I despise it.” Hear that beleaguered holders of Facebook stock? That kind of talk would make my blood run cold. How many companies can you name that you actively despise?

For online publishers who depend on “page views” to sell advertising against—and who have invested considerable time and effort courting Facebook fans—the company’s new policies are particularly galling: Imagine losing 85% of your inventory and then being asked to pay a daily king’s ransom—more than it’s even worth to you—to get it back!

Netflix was only trying to soak you for another $6 a month, not starve you to death!

First, for the $2000 Dangerous Minds spent on promoting this article, I believe they certainly got their money's worth considering the reach this has had already and is still going strong. Obviously they can't afford that cost on a daily basis however, but in this instance it worked quite fine actually.

Second, Facebook is 'free' for the majority of us, and one side of me says that nothing is ever free and therefore these changes should have been expected someday - maybe just not to such exorbitant rates. (I won't get into Big Data in this article and its value.) As mentioned in the article, the pricing scale needs to be adjusted and fast. Small businesses shouldn't be paying the same as Ford or Nike when deciding to promote posts on Facebook. And Facebook, not exactly hurting for cash presently or anytime soon, should be content with the hundreds, or thousands of dollars smaller businesses will throw their way yearly with a different cost structure, like the one mentioned by Metzger: 

But make no mistake about it. Had Facebook debuted the Promote “option” with a more reasonable rate card that would apply to frequently updated blogs and media outlets—something akin to “book rate” at the post office—we’d have been willing to pay between $7 to $10 a post. Facebook WOULD have made around $2500 to $3000 a month from Dangerous Minds, every month. That’s around $30,000 a year, but apparently the price of a new car is not enough for Facebook to want to cultivate Dangerous Minds as a customer! 

It believe it is true, though, that pulling this 'bait n' switch' on your customers as Zuckerberg has done without sufficient notice or properly disseminated information, is a huge, mind-boggling blunder that is already having unwanted ramifications on a company whose IPO tanked spectacularly. When you have Google+ hot on your tail, what Facebook has done is simply not smart.

Finally, although I have empathy for those small businesses who are now screwed by this new sponsored post deal, I also want to state that even just 8 years ago these same businesses were paying for ads in newspapers, magazines and possibly radio without much complaint as it was simply part of the cost of doing business. The fact that brand page promotion has been mostly free all this time is frankly a miracle. (Again, leaving Big Data out of the equation.)

So, is what Facebook is doing wrong? Partly. Should it be surprising? Not for a publicly traded corporation in a capitalist world. Should small/er business like Dangerous Minds jump ship? No. They might creatively try to provide content that gets spread around without needing to pay simply because their fans love it, and them. There's always a solution, isn't there? 

Twitter Value: Part 1 - Customer Service

I am being asked daily about the 'value of Twitter' and why I bother to use it. Which doesn't surprise me since the top Twitter users are celebrities and comedians who don't really provide much value in my opinion.
I believe that Twitter has provided me with lots of value, therefore I will expand on a few areas in the next three posts and see if I can convince the skeptical crowd.

In the past week, I have again been very pleased with the customer service aspect of Twitter and how it has helped me. It is more immediate, direct and faster on Twitter to connect with brands and companies and their respective customer service reps. Take Cuisinart for example:

While making myself a green smoothie the other day, I realized it's time for a new sealer gasket. I thought, 'Where in all of Toronto am I going to find one?' This being the reason I haven't really bothered to search one out before. Then, of course, I thought, 'Why not tweet Cuisinart and find out?' So, as you can see, I did and was rewarded with an answer within a couple of hours and can now order what I need online with ease.

The same day, I had questions for Downcast, HootSuite and HashTracking, and they all responded well and helpfully. I got what I needed, and fast without having to be put on hold or write a lengthy email and then check my inbox for the next few days for a response. Examples below:

Smart companies and organizations have realized the power of Twitter when it comes to better customer service, and we -as customers- should take advantage of the succinct, quick and easy way that Twitter provides in getting our questions and issues resolved.

I encourage you to try it out for yourself with any customer service issue you currently have and let us know the outcome in the comments below. If you've already had experience(s) using Twitter for customer service with a brand, also let us know.