Since it’s a day for new things, what with my new job and all, I’m announcing my new photoblog. Check it out and feel free to leave a comment!
Jake’s New Photoblog: Doing Today
As I attempt to learn "real photography" with my new Nikon D50 and pocket sized Canon SD700, I’m trying to get into the habit of uploading at least one photo representing my day. It’s already proven great fun!
I was just talking to a friend who was asking about how to find the right tone for communications to fans/users/consumers via text (blog posts, emails, forum messages). Here’s my formula, for what it’s worth.
Step 1:
Write the first draft in the exuberant tone that you want it to sound like. Make it as upbeat and over the top as you are really feeling. Let your own enthusiasm come through. Be honest here, don’t try to add marketing language. If you were telling your buddy over beers about the cool new project you’re working on, how would that sound?
Step 2:
Take your first draft and cut out half the exuberance. Remove half of the exclamation points, half of the statements like "we’re so excited!", and so on.
When you write it the first draft (if you’re being honest), you’re setting the structure. But when you revise for the second draft, you’re adding presentation. Online the dividing line between enthusiasm and marketing babble is a thin one. Too much excitement and you’re a cheerleader. Not enough and you’re just "doing your job".
The two step process above has worked well for me over the years, but your mileage may vary.
More and more I see ads for movie Web sites (especially teen and young adult targeted movies) that are hosted on MySpace. Just a couple of the latest are Step Up and John Tucker Must Die.
Considering that it’s likely cheaper to build a site on MySpace than standalone, and considering that teen movies like this are nearly certain to have limited appeal and thus limited release, I wonder if standalone sites are doomed. Heck, for that matter I wonder if non-teenie movies might end up using the same method.
What do you think? Are we seeing the end of the movie Web site?
For this week’s Friday Find, I’m calling attention to a neat new service, SayNow. (TechCrunch Profile)
Long story short, SayNow provides a method for bands to keep in touch via mobile with their fans via voice and text. Check out their description of how their service works – it’s a nice introduction. Basically it’s a smooth system for connecting users to a voicemail system, old school telephony style, but very smart use of new and old school tech for a new niche market. With more and more bands showing up in places like MySpace, this certainly should have a positive reaction from bands and fans alike.
All too often when you say to a marketing person or executive something like "Let’s ask consumers for feedback", their minds jump instantly to focus groups and formal surveys. Certainly there are valid uses for both of those tactics, but I’ve found that a few well placed personal questions can net basically the same results for free.
For instance, RightCart.com just sent me a great invitation for discussion via email.
I would love to setup a time to talk by phone if possible. If there is a good time, please email me (rg@rightcart.com) and I will contact you then–or send your thoughts by email if that is easier.
As always, you can contact us at feedback@rightcart.com, or by phone at 1(800)704-2192. Thanks for your support of our product–we’re having a great time building it!
–
Ryan Garver
CTO, RightCart.com
[Full contact info removed]
Pretty impressive effort from Mr. Garver. He’s fighting the fear ("What if all our customers call us??") and he’s offering a personal touch (I honestly believe the CTO wants to talk to me, Jake).
Here’s my rules for inviting fans/users/consumers to give feedback or input.
Write the email yourself
Don’t outsource this task, no matter how high on the food chain you are. Get help, ask colleagues for input, but when you write the invitation it’s obvious that it’s honest.
Make it personal, offer up yourself
If you’re not willing to hear from consumers directly, why bother sending the request for feedback? Give you phone number, email address, IM account, etc. Don’t worry, they’re just the people that put food on your table, they won’t bite!
Send to the right number of people
When you’re taking this personal approach, don’t use the same distribution techniques as formal programs. Send to …say 10 people to get initial reaction. Then tweak your email message to clarify any questions or confusion and send to another 10 or 20 people.
Send from your own email account
If you are sending this mail, then make sure you are sending it (i.e. the email address isn’t info@mycompany.com). This personal touch makes it clear that the invitation is coming from a real person, not a marketing agency or internal, faceless department.
Personalize as much as is realistic
Use the user’s name if you know it. Use details about their usage of your product/service if you know it. Spend the time talking to the person, not the generic consumer. It’ll pay off, trust me.
Weblogs Work (weblogswork.com)
A social media consultancy focused on helping clients (and clients via their agencies) jump feet first into the social media game, from setting up their first blog to creating a process for inviting consumers into the product design process.
Big in
From the site: “Big in
Details will be coming as soon as I get a better understanding of my role and tasks. Slingshot (my current employer) has been highly supportive of the move, as has my very pregnant wife, friends, and co-workers. You know that you’re doing the right thing when those who know you best say things like “It’s about time!”
So wish me luck… it’s going to be a crazy, scary, exciting ride!
It looks like there’s a good number of people hitting this site looking for "Superman Cake" via google (I blogged about such things a while back), I thought I’d help out.
Here’s a few links on how to make your very own Superman cake:
…oh great. Now I’m craving cake!
Tags: Off TopicA co-worker’s husband is current in the Army National Guard and stationed in Egypt as part of the MFO. The co-worker is heading over to see him soon and taking a care package with him.
If you’re interested in helping out, there’s three ways you can.
Paypal Donation
Drop me some cash via paypal (my paypal account is sink@countersinkdg.com – make sure to title your donation so I know what it’s for). You send me some cash and I’ll spend it the best way possible for the troops to get the biggest bang. I’ll make sure to let you know what we spent the money on.
Buy and Send
Buy something off the suggest list (found here) and mail it to me. (Email me at jake AT communityguy DOT com for mailing address) and I’ll see that it gets include. Hurry though!
Keep in mind that items on the list linked above can be used, as long as they’re in decent condition. So go through that Xbox or DVD collection and thin it out!
Post a comment
If you don’t have money/goods, simply post a comment here thanking the troops for their work. I’ll collect them all and pass them along. (You can also send in a card if you like, again, email me for a mailing address)
Thanks in advance!
Tags: Off TopicI been working on upgrading this blog to the latest version of BlogFusion (v5 beta4) which adds a number of cool features – many of which make it easier for me to add entries….so watch out!
If you’re interested in helping me out, check out the new version and let me know if you find any bugs, problems, or weirdness. Feel free to post any comments you like – test data is just fine.
Thanks in advance, kind users!
The good folks at Pew Internet have a new study out that looks at bloggers. They have a wealth of info in their report covering everything from the percentage of bloggers who do it for the money to age ranges to what tools are being used.
What I found the most interesting (in a sea of interesting info) was the subject matter. Here’s what Pew says bloggers are blogging about:
Political blogging and business blogging have taken a lion’s share of the pretty attention lately, but it looks like they’re a small part of what bloggers are actually talking about. Just goes to show that you have to dig deeper than the hype to really understand what’s going on.
Jake McKee is the Chief Strategy Officer and Ant Wrangler at Ant's Eye View, a customer experience strategy practice focused on helping clients escalate their customer experience. With a rich background in customer collaboration, online communities, and fan groups, and Web development, community management, and product development, Jake helps organizations understand how to act like groups of people, rather than soulless money making machines.
