Posts by Paull Young
“The only man I know who behaves sensibly is my tailor; he takes my measurements anew each time he sees me. The rest go on with their old measurements and expect me to fit them.”
-George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
We’re happy to announce that we will be hosting the second installment of the Social Media Measurement Roundtable at our New York City headquarters on Thursday August 7. This intimate event will feature a select crowd of leading social media measurement thinkers and doers and follows on from the success of the first such event in Toronto earlier this year.
Katie Paine, author of Measuring Public Relationships and CEO of KDPaine & Partners will be assisting in leading discussion at the roundtable. She will also be joined by Marshall Sponder, the Chair of the Web Analytics Association`s Community and Social Media committee and Converseon’s Director of Social Media Constantin Basturea. Social media professionals, PR practicioners and web analytics experts will be present to discuss the methodologies and resources available today in measuring PR and social media initiatives.
Here are the details:
Date: Thursday August 7, 2008
Time: 5:00 – 7:00pm
Location:
Converseon
53 West 36th Street, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10018
We’d love for you to join us and throw your two cents on this topic. However, space is limited and it is essential to RSVP for this event, so if you’d like to attend please RSVP as soon as possible to Chrissie Hsu (chsu AT converseon.com)
This Monday (June 23) the Converseon team will be attending OMMA Social at the Yale Club of New York. Our CEO Rob Key will be speaking in the afternoon and we’ll also be showing of our eResponder and Conversation Mining technology throughout the day.
OMMA Social is designed to guide marketing and media professionals through the terrain of social media. This one-day conference will address social marketing challenges and provide insights into how to make social networking work for companies now, and in the future.
Rob will be speaking on a panel straight after lunch at 12.45pm, here’s the description:
Catching On: “What Makes Something Viral?”
In a world that increasingly depends on consumers distributing content through social media channels, media companies and marketers all want to create content that consumers want to share. But what makes something viral is still an inexact science. Is it just great content that makes something viral? Is it using aggressive strategies to seed the content in the right communities? A diverse panel of social media experts tells what they know.
If you’re going to be attending please keep an eye out for our team or even swing by our table to see a Conversation Mining demonstration. If you’re not going to be at the event, follow our Twitter account for updates throughout the day.
There’s been a lot of talk about Twitter wasting time and money (it doesn’t). I don’t hide the fact I love the thing, but I was dubious about its potential direct benefit for clients. That was until last week when my client Graco‘s PR manager Lindsay Lebresco joined Twitter, and over a few days since I’ve witnessed a bunch of positive results.
These are not designed as a case study on why Twitter = ROI. However, they do point to the type of benefits you can find by investing in the community (a common theme in the social media world).
Twitter For Pitching Conversing
Shortly before our recent Graco Get-Together in DC I made sure I was following all the bloggers I’d be meeting at the event. The conversation below (and that’s what it was, a conversation – not a pitch), led to the first blog post pointing to the new Graco blog.
paullyoung Hi Devra! I work with Graco & I’ll be attending the DC Moms blog Get-Together on Mon. Found you via @mammaloves – nice to meet you! 
06:29 PM January 05, 2008
Devra Hi Paull, Oooh Graco! You would have had me at “Pack N Play” LOVED that when my kids were little! Mamma Loves is tops tho! 09:48 AM January 06, 2008
paullyoung That’s great to hear! Did you know the Pack N Play just turned 20? 1 of our first posts on the new Graco blog: http://tinyurl.com/348tym 03:35 PM January 06, 2008
Devra What a riot! Aviva and I both used Pack N Plays extensively. We had them traveling all over the world! We should write up a birthday post! 06:31 PM January 06, 2008
paullyoung That would be great to see, we’d link back too. You could be the first blog linking to us as well (though I imagine a few will after Mon) 06:58 PM January 06, 2008
Devra Okay, then we’ll put up a post tonight! That would be great. I’ll see if we can dig up some pics of our kids in the pack n plays. Fun! 07:04 PM January 06, 2008
paullyoung Cool! John (the author) & the rest of the Graco blog team will be super happy to see it! They’re very attached to the Pack N Play 07:06 PM January 06, 2008
Devra As are Aviva and me. I guess you could call us “Pack N Playmates” Seriously, we’d love to put our hat in the ring to be spokespersons! 07:08 PM January 06, 2008
Twitter to Build a Knowledge Network
Lindsay was live tweeting from the celeb packed ‘Boom Boom Room‘ over the weekend. Here, she was able to rely on her Twitter network to get her ahead when the uber Urbanmama sent her through a detailed ‘cheat sheet’ on how to get the most out of the celeb derby (I think this is in Urbanmama’s nature though – she’s also promised me a list of Brooklyn’s top date spots )
urbanmama Hey Lindsay, what is your email? Do you have a PDA where you can access links? I sent info on many of the people who had confirmed to visit. 11:48 AM January 11, 2008
urbanmama Lindsay, I forwarded you my little stars primer, but only for those who had confirmed before the sisters left. There are tons more now! 12:30 PM January 11, 2008
Twitter as a Beta Tester
This tweet from Kristen meant that we fixed an important broken link (in minutes) outside of office hours:
Mommy4Cocktails @lindsaylebresco: trying to link to the Graco Baby Blog from the graco baby homepage. Dead link… 05:42 PM January 15, 2008 from web in reply to LindsayLebresco
There endeth the most visible Graco bonuses – but these little examples are secondary to the friendship and relationships developed. Here’s a couple more work examples I’ve had in the same time period:
Twitter to Recruit
The tweet below was for a freelance project and led to a bunch of informed recommendations in minutes. Much easier than finding an unknown through the standard channels.
paullyoung I’m looking for a WordPress Ninja for some freelance work – do you know someone who fits the bill? I owe you big time if you can assist 06:04 PM January 10, 2008 from web
Twitter as a Crisis Warning System
On the same day we saw the above results, we also got a first warning – way ahead of time – about a potential issue involving a 5 star brand we work with. Follow the right people and you’ll be in the know ahead of time.
I know none of this is particularly groundbreaking, but the fact it all occurred in such a short time frame really brought home to me just how much Twitter is enhancing my work. Can you share a Twitter example? No matter how big or small, I’d like to hear it below.
[cross posted on Paull's personal blog Young PR]
Thanks to Thanksgiving and the yearly mad rush for Black Friday we’ve got some catching up to do with the Friday Link List. We’ve got a diverse selection for your perusal this week. Or if you don’t feel like reading, just click through to Free Rice to see a simple yet powerful concept executed with aplomb online.
Coming Soon: A Small Move By Facebook With Big Implications
it’ll be interesting to see how this develops. if applications start appearing in the indices, you better believe that EVERY programmer, marketer, and trend-follower will jump on the bandwagon, and start releasing new apps with fervor.
Attention? I Don’t Want Your Freakin’ Attention!
This imaginary conversation between consumer & ‘consumer relations’ cuts to the very core of why Converseon exists and what we’re trying to achieve each and every day.
I’m a Faux Social Media Expert: Hear Me Roar!
Canadian Colin McKay’s post highlights the roadblocks social media evangelists will face. To truly succeed with social media it is essential for companies (which really means the people within them) to embrace change and innovation. Say “Yes, how?” not “No, too hard.”
Digg: Hilarious ‘Don’t Give Up On Vista’ Ad From Apple
3,663 Diggs for an Apple commercial indicates how consumer evangelists can spread your message widely online – if you provide them with compelling content.
The following post refers to a Veterans Day screening coming up tomorrow, November 11 for Converseon client Smithsonian Channel.
To help mark Veterans Day the Smithsonian Channel is airing a special block of programming ‘America’s War Stories‘ – highlighted by a new documentary ‘Remembering Vietnam: The Wall at 25‘.
Jan Scruggs, the founder of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, calls the documentary ‘the best documentary film about the wall I’ve ever seen’. It will go to air on Direct TV at 8pm EST/PST Sunday November 11, but can also be watched online via a live streaming at the Smithsonian Channel website at 9pm EST / 6pm PST Sunday November 11.
I’ve seen the program and found it beautiful and moving. Here is a sample of the online conversation we have seen amongst bloggers we have shared the documentary with to help promote its launch:
From the superb milblog Mudville Gazette
This looks to be an excellent program you don’t want to miss.
We Will Never Forget!
A local DC blogger attended the launch screening on Thursday and wrote a beautiful post about how much the documentary moved them:
The documentary I saw yesterday was about the Vietnam Wall, and it was produced by the Smithsonian Channel on the occasion of the Wall’s 25th anniversary.
People come every year from far away to pay their respects, touch, kiss, make rubbings on, or just gaze at the impassive granite face. The Wall has become an altar of gratitude and brotherhood in a country that seems ambivalent about both. Twenty-five years later, a new generation is dealing with a polarizing war of their own, and seemingly forgetting the lessons of remembrance that places like the Wall have fought so hard to keep alive in everyone’s minds.
That Wall, that strange yet comforting shape rising to meet the heartsick pilgrim, is the true balm that was needed to mend a country even a little bit; to help ease those horrible wounds that still haunt many in their sleep; and the sanctuary in which to seek forgiveness for doing what was asked of them–even if it was against every fiber of their being.
The documentary is beautiful. I cannot do it justice, and I certainly cannot finish writing this with dry eyes.
I urge you to watch it if you can (again, the link for the Smithsonian Channel is here), and remember that the warrior just does as he or she is bid.
A preview of what looks to be an excellent program that runs this Veterans Day … if this is any indication, you’re going to want to watch it whatever Murdoc says…
If you have the opportunity, please take the time to watch, what I’m sure will be a very special documentary.
To get even closer to the show check out this podcast with the program’s producer Lynn Kessler, and view the promo here:
(RSS readers click through for video)
The milblogging community is one of the most vibrant niches of the blogosphere. For a cross section check out some of the great stuff at blogs like Blackfive, Army of Dude, YankeeMom, ArmyWifeToddlerMom and hundreds more at milblogging.com. You’ll notice that the milblogging community is currently united in their support of the ValorIT fundraising drive – read all about it here and lend some support to injured soldiers this Veterans Day.
If you live anywhere near Athens, Georgia and you’re into social media you should be attending the CONNECT social media and PR conference on October 19-20.
Organized by UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, the CONNECT conference will feature some great speakers alongside Converseon’s Constantin Basturea and yours truly. Constantin will feature on a panel on ‘what professionals/educators should know’ about social media, while I will be presenting a case study on the group blog Forward that I’ve been involved with since its inception. In addition we will also run some breakout sessions on Second Life, podcasting and the social media news release.
Some good friends of Converseon are also attending with Kevin Dugan delivering the keynote address and Josh Hallet joining Constantin’s panel. The full agenda is here while during the conference you’ll be able to keep up with all that is happening through the conference blog, Twitter feed and Flickr photos.
What
Connect Public Relations and Social Media Conference
Who
Constantin Basturea, Converseon
Paull Young, Converseon
Kevin Dugan, FRCH Design Worldwide
Josh Hallet, Voce
Katie Paine, KD Paine and Partners
Jay Berndhardt, Centers for Disease Control
Many more…
When
Friday October 19 – Saturday October 20
The Unbiased Opinion is Trusted Around The Globe
eMarketer reports that more than three-quarters of consumers surveyed worldwide find that consumer opinions are the most effective form of advertising, according to a Nielsen study.
MySpace Platform to Launch Next Week
TechCrunch has the story that MySpace is planning to mimic Facebook by opening up their platform to outside developers. On top of rumours that Google is aiming to ‘out-Facebook’ Facebook by making themselves ‘100% open’.
Some of the smartest brands around are opening themselves up to passionate users – is this on the radar of your C-suite?
YouTube to Unleash Adsense Video Syndication
According to early reports from the Associated Press and Variety, Google is set to make a major announcement tomorrow concerning YouTube integration with AdSense. Selected YouTube videos will be available to AdSense publishers and will appear wrapped in banner ads.
Virtual World Interoperability
A group of 23 companies and institutions has set out to search for ways to make content and identity transferable between virtual worlds.
A selection of some of this weeks best from our diverse team. Please leave a comment after you’ve read an article and feel free to leave a link yourself.
Recap of the Federated Media’s conference discussing Conversational Marketing. This post discusses the various aspects of conversational marketing and how it stands to change the future of brand management.
Dark blogs: a bad idea for crisis communication
Shel Holtz on why “dark blogs” (ready to be activated during a crisis) are not such a good idea.
Semantic Web: Difficulties with the classical approach
This article considers why the semantic web has remained as an academic property instead of transforming the way we use the web and considers how the concept can be moved forward.
Unfamiliar with the semantic web?
“The semantic web is a vision pioneered by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, in which information is expressed in a language understood by computers. In essence, it is a layer on top of the current web that describes concepts and relationships, following strict rules of logic.
The purpose of the semantic web is to enable computers to “understand” semantics the way humans do. Equipped with this “understanding,” computers will theoretically be able solve problems that are out of reach today.”
Universities are seeing Web 2.0 as a way to engage students and maybe even get them to choose one school over another. In theory, a social-networking environment will get students comfortable with a school well before they start and keep them engaged in their education, while the application of social media tools can extend their education.
Did the Web Help Kanye Outsell 50 Cent? You have to love the online buzz (drama) around which rappers will outsell the other. When news got out that 50 Cent said he’d stop recording if Kanye West outsold him, fans took their love of music, not to the streets, but to the computer. (PS: Go Kanye)
Every Friday we’ll be posting a list of links that the Converseon team have found to be the most insightful from the past week. Enjoy!
What Evolutionary Psychology Says About Social Networking
This column sparked a lot of deep thinking and discussion in the office. The author analyzes some evolutionary psychology research that looks at how early humans communicated and interacted with each other for clues about how we communicate today.
Dunbar begins with the premise that back when our Paleolithic ancestors were still more monkey than human, understanding one’s place in the group hierarchy was exceedingly important. Compared to other creatures, primates are unusually social animals. And thus knowledge about relationships — who’s mating with whom, who became allies, who just had a fight — was crucial for primates to maintain or advance their place in the pack. It was, Dunbar suggests, the birth of gossip.
Show Series To Originate on MySpace
An interesting article about how TV producers are launching a series to be shown on MySpace. Producers are looking to generate story lines and even find actors online. Working online also allows them to take advantage of union agreements that allow actors and writers to work on terms more favorable to producers than those governing network programs.
Fifty Most Influential Bloggers
A new list of the 50 ‘most influential’ bloggers. This could possibly be more valuable than many of the ranking formats out there because of its qualitative focus. The ‘who’ and ‘what’ behind the blog are more important than the numbers.
Deconstructing the Incredibly Weak Mobile Web Experience
This year 115 million smartphones will be shipped and that number is expected to rise to 410 million by 2012. This article looks towards the future of mobile web browsing.
It’s likely we’ll see more of these sites popping up, it is important to keep track of them and monitor them for your brand. Brands should also consider setting up their own open forums for discussion about their products and services, of course, rather than let third parties control the platform.
Selling Postcards from the Hanging: Reflections on CJU
A look at the changes occurring in affiliate marketing, especially how smaller affiliates will find it harder to continue in the affiliate space.
Today at 1pm I’ll be speaking on the Bulldog Reporter’s PR University ‘Guerilla PR and Word of Mouth Marketing‘ Audio Conference, joining some of the industry’s leading thinkers.
My main focus will be on explaining the ins-and-outs of the Second Chance Trees project, our own recent success story with word-of-mouth marketing on a tight budget. As today’s media audience shifts smart communicators can have great success engaging respectfully with online communities. Today, we’ll try to show you how.
What
Bulldog Reporter’s PR University Audio Conference – ‘Guerrilla PR and Word-of-Mouth Marketing: Innovative Practices for Nontraditional, Brilliant PR on a Tight Budget’
Mark Hughes, Principal, Buzznation Studios; Author “Buzzmarketing
Paul Rand, President & CEO, Zócalo Group
John Bell, Managing Director/Executive Creative Director, 360° Digital Influence Team, Ogilvy Public Relations; Member, Word of Mouth Marketing Association
Andy Sernovitz, CEO, Gaspedal; Author, “Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking”
When
Thursday, 30 August, 2007
1:00pm-2:00pm
Where
Your Telephone
TO REGISTER: Click here or call 1-800-959-105
Cost: $289 per dial-in site
