Here’s a clever ad that is being featured in Playbill at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theater right across the street. We figured that the show Stomp would be the perfect venue for this “Sell Your Jewelry” ad. A big thumbs up to David and Garth for a job well done!
I’ve often written here regarding social media, and the ‘world’ it inhabits, one of interaction, where instead of carefully choosing interactions with a mind for secrecy, 
we carefully choose secrets with a mind for interaction. Obviously not everything can be ‘open’ (to do so would in many cases be more confusing than helpful, as twitter or facebook can often show us) but then the old fortress mentality is both unattractive to public opinion and in this time of rapid advance, often harmful in its effects on business practice itself.
Enough from me, though, check this out:
A FEW MONTHS AGO, I wrote an article expressing my displeasure with American Airlines‘ hideous online presence. I also spent some time mocking up a redesigned version of their website. To my surprise, a user experience designer at AA.com emailed me an amazing response describing some of the design problems faced in large corporations.
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An hour after I posted the response, American Airlines fired Mr. X.
Read the whole thing (it isn’t long.) It is sad, perhaps, to have a non-disclosure agreement which prevents what the author suggests is a needed innovation. Sometimes business reality prevents much being done as a result of even helpful commentary from customers, and often for large corporations a comments box is open so that ‘cranks’ (people who are irate) have some place to vent.
But when things are genuinely wrong, or could be better, it is not unreasonable to interact with customers. Granted sometimes this conversation can be harmful rather than helpful – anyone who has seen an order messed up by mistake at say, McDonald’s, can recall how temper mostly just serves to cause the problem to be resolved slower. Especially this is true when the person who receives the criticism has no power to act on it. It would be rather pointless to take the cashier to task in McDonalds for the poor quality of their ketchup.
It is our sincere hope – and we think it is for many other companies – that Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other venues can be a place for conversations like the one Mr. X got fired for.
Of course, to be fair, the size of the company matters (as bureaucracy tends to scatter power rather than delegate it) and a large company, like AA often has little choice but to keep following its present policies. Internal politics, arcane rules, and just plain human limitation all play roles.
All in all, the new landscape is difficult for those who have the most power in it – in mass media, and in money, it is large corporations. But their method is largely impersonal, and even when their icons work, it still feels like puppetry.
OCTOBER 1, 2009: Samuelson’s Diamonds, the premier downtown diamond destination in Baltimore, Maryland, was mentioned as one the five most important groups to follow on twitter:
Retail jeweler Ron Samuelson, owner, Samuelson’s Diamonds, Baltimore, operates @SamuelsonsRocks for the store and @DiamondBuyer as his personal account.
Follow Ron to learn how to seamlessly utilize personal and professional Twitter accounts. For example, Ron talks about music (he’s in a band) on the @DiamondBuyer account, striking up friendships with other Twitterers with similar interests—involving them in what he does professionally. When these new friends need help buying a diamond, they’re likely to call him.
Samuelson’s Diamonds looks forward to the many opportunities which still await in upcoming next-generation networking technologies, of which Twitter is an important part.
The original article is located here: Five to Follow on Twitter | JCK Online
Biz Stone (or so we might think) dropped me a message my gmail inbox yesterday, indicating that Twitter had changed its terms of service. What has caught most people’s eye is the following:
Advertising—In the Terms, we leave the door open for advertising. We’d like to keep our options open as we’ve said before.
This is of great interest to larger players, especially some big media: Who in the main seems skeptical (I will leave it to the reader to determine who ’some analysts’ are):
Some analysts are skeptical that advertising will catch on in a meaningful way on social networks, arguing that companies are reluctant to juxtapose their brands with unpredictable, and potentially offensive, user-generated content.
This doesn’t seem like a change in policy, but it is being billed as one. Twitter wants in on the ad action, and 9/10/2009 marks the crossing of the Rubicon.
Another important thing for twitterers to remember: There is a follow limit.
If you follow too many people, there is no way you can keep up with everyone’s updates in your home page. If you’re following more than 2000 people, you’re missing quite a few updates from many people you follow. You can view a profile page to catch up with someone’s latest updates.
It seems to be hard and fast set at 2000, but what about the thousands of people who are following more? It is unclear how this effects everyone, but here is my analysis:
Following does not imply friendship, and Twitter is encouraging instead the use of following for listening, and the use of @ messages as a more proper way of communicating. This means that users actual relationships are entirely informal as far as the system is concerned (an interesting choice) and given that Tweekdeck automatically searches for ‘@yourname’ messages it is actually pointless to follow people you don’t want to hear from unless they address you.
This doesn’t address the issue of social pecking order, of personal pride and prestige, but I would (almost) say Twitter is getting themselves out of the business of providing it.
If you want to hear from me, give me a shout at @riverc. Or you can hit up Ron at @diamondbuyer or any of us at @samuelsonsrocks. Nothing to it.
SEPTEMBER 4 2009: Ron Samuelson, CEO of Samuelson’s Diamonds, Baltimore’s downtown diamond destination, was interviewed by the National Jeweler magazine about effective use of online social media:
The point of social networking, says Samuelson, as well as marketing experts who study the subject, isn’t necessarily to generate business directly, but to establish a dialogue with consumers in the virtual world.
It is not a place to advertise but, rather, to engage so that if consumers do visit a store that has a Facebook page or followers on Twitter, they feel like they already have a relationship with the owner.
“That main thing and the most important thing about Facebook and Twitter and all these things is that your customers see you as a real person,” Samuelson says. “Even though you’re the CEO of a jewelry store, you’re not just the guy behind the counter. I think that it is really important today, and customers see that from you. This way, people feel like they know you.”
Ron Samuelson is an active participant in many online communities, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and MySpace, and maintains his own blog, Ramble On Ron. He has been featured in a number of videos which are available through YouTube.
The original article is available here: “National Jeweler – How to make social networking work for you“
JUNE 1 2009: CEO Ron Samuelson of Samuelson’s Diamonds, the premier downtown diamond destination in Baltimore, Maryland, was interviewed by JCK Online about social media strategy, and online etiquette for jewelers and businesspeople:
…
Likewise, shy away from controversy. Facebook has a space for political and religious views, but being too outspoken can turn people off. [...]
Though Ron Samuelson, of SAMUELSON DIAMONDS, argues that you can be too careful. “I have Grateful Dead YouTubes on my page,” he says. “Has that turned some customers off if they hate the Grateful Dead? Maybe. But not too many.”
To see more of Ron’s writing and commentary on the social media world, see his blog at Ramble On Ron.
The original article is located here: JCK Online: Yes You Can Boost Business on … Here’s How to Use the Social Networking Phenomenon to Increase Your Store Profile—and Sales.
I just posted in my personal blog about Burger King’s Facebook App – “Delete 10 Facebook friends, get a free Whopper” – it is brilliant. Here is the article from Cnet.com
“Facebook’s developer platform has been used for a zillion marketing campaigns so far, but this one is actually dead-on hilarious.
Fast-food chain Burger King has created “Whopper Sacifice” a Facebook app that will give you a coupon for a free hamburger if you delete 10 people from your friends list.
Burger King has put out some interesting campaigns as of late (“Whopper Virgin,” “Subservient Chicken”), but this one piques our interest because of how gleefully it pokes fun at our social-networking obsessions. “Now is the time to put your fair-weather Web friendships to the test,” the Whopper Sacrifice site explains. “Install Whopper Sacrifice on your Facebook profile, and we’ll reward you with a free flame-broiled Whopper when you sacrifice ten of your friends.
The funniest part: The “sacrifices” show up in your activity feed. So it’ll say, for example, “Caroline sacrificed Josh Lowensohn for a free Whopper.” Unfortunately, you can’t delete your whole friends list and eat free (however unhealthily) for a week. The promotion is limited to one coupon per Facebook account…”
Burger King also created an “angry gram” to your friends, a email of a Whopper telling your friends how annoying the are.
Their CMO gets it! All of these big companies need to use web 2.0 like this. The use of social media by the big boys is the way to attract new customers. If you’re in business and you’re not doing it, you’re missing the boat.
On another note, we are in the very beginning stages of creating a online TV show showcasing diamonds and all kinds of other fun stuff. Here’s a sneak peek at a rough cut of a big diamond we have for sale - they will get better…
Michael Phelps, Baltimore’s famed swimmer extraordinaire, recently signed a deal to be Mazda’s spokesperson in China. Talk about making lemonade out of lemons (my apologies to Mazda drivers)! After several huge endorsement deals in the US with companies such as AT&T, Visa, and Kellogg’s Cereal, Phelps is pursuing “a unique opportunity that is in line with (his) overall strategy of developing a relevant marketplace for (him) in China.”
I think we can all take a lesson from the one of Baltimore’s most storied and gifted athletes. Not that he needs the money, but with a huge opportunity in front of him, he has chosen to “ride the wave” of his fame where it makes the most sense. With the US sending so much of its business to China in the last 10 years, the Peoples Republic has seen economic growth beyond imagination. They have the resources to continue consuming at an increased rate. Mazda knows that and so does Michael. So, for those of us trying to either make ends meet or capitalize on business opportunities, be like Mike. Look outside your narrow world and find places where spending is still growing, or at least not drying up. For us, that means capitalizing on the availability of diamonds and fine jewelry from suppliers that are eager to move inventory, and then passing those great deals on to our customers. And remember, Michael Phelps didn’t win 8 Gold Medals by himself. It took teamwork. So use the networks and friends you have to find help and support in your business endeavors. Get on Facebook (if you aren’t already), send emails, whatever it takes to stay in touch and stay relevant. I wish you all the best of luck in these challenging times!
We love social media. It’s a way to have community across many miles, and to connect with customers who we’d never otherwise hear of. ‘Social Media’ might be a new term to you (certainly it was at a time to all of us,) so I’ll explain what I mean.
Wikipedia says,
Social media are primarily Internet- and mobile-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings. The term most often refers to activities that integrate technology, telecommunications and social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio.
That’s pretty much it. Social media services let us share information using the internet. Unlike a blog (like this) or email, they are a common place – a website usually – where discussion takes place. Sort of like those Roman forums. (Unsurprisingly, one of the earliest social media services, which is still around, is called a forum.)
Now, most services focus around being able to communicate quickly, and to be able to get a ‘community’ view of everyone you’re connected to. That is, you will be able to see a summary of what your friends have been saying or doing. All services nowadays have privacy settings that allow things you do to be restricted or even private. Many services also double as publishing tools, allowing your updates or posts to be viewable and searchable across the web.
I’ve used a number of these in my day, and they vary greatly in popularity and in features. Some that are around now include Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Bebo, Plaxo, LinkedIn, Identi.ca, Plurk, Hi5!, Mashable, Orkut, Friendster and quite many more. (For a list of popular social networks, this is a good place to look.) Some sites that weren’t social networks became so over time (Flickr, YouTube) and there are even aggregation services (FriendFeed, Ping.fm) that allow you to send or see posts or updates from different social networks in one place.
As for actual daily usage, there aren’t great statistics yet, but there are in almost all cases dedicated users of all of these networks. How do you figure out what network to get on? Usually you get invited by a friend. Because, that’s why you’re on there – to communicate. Services like facebook and orkut offer ‘groups’ which represent common interests among their users, and even more you can create ‘events’ and send invitations through the service. Usually you get updates of your choosing through email, because perhaps you don’t log in all the time.
The thing that is most interesting to us, and even as customers of others, is the ability to express interests. Sometimes you come to a web site and you see a banner ad – maybe it’s for computer servers. But whatever it is, it is rarely something you’re looking for or even interested in. Most of what annoys us about ads – junk mail is all about this – is that it is all about stuff we don’t want or couldn’t care less about. However, with the ability to express interest in things either by writing out a series of interests or by making one’s self a ‘fan’ of different products or businesses or people – it allows advertisers themselves to stop wasting time on people who don’t want their product anyway. And believe me, never seeing another ad for male enhancement (at least until I’m 60) sounds good indeed.
Mostly what’s in it for all of us is connectedness. Plus, for us men out there, something that automatically reminds you when somebody’s birthday is coming up saves us a lot of trouble. (Now if it could only remind us of anniverseries.) I don’t know that they are the center of our political and social life (yet) but they certainly have shown themselves to be anything but a fad.
The only question that remains at the end of the day is, which ones will stand the test of time? Recent news suggests that the social media trend is lasting, but some services are going to either be changing or disappearing for good.
What’s my favorite service? Easy, compadre: it’s Twitter, hands-down. Ron’s a big fan, too.
Have a great holiday, folks.
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