Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking — articles, books, podcasts, and videos about business online written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the titles to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

Business Insider
First, only 8% of American adults use Twitter. This is more evidence that, despite its enormous popularity among tech and media folks–and its massive global user numbers–Twitter has yet to go mainstream.

Second, fully half of these Twitter users basically never listen to a word anyone else says. In other words, half of Twitter users use Twitter as a sort of digital closet that they go into once in a while to mutter to themselves, with no one else listening.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-usage-2010-12#ixzz1AH3h8pV0

Top Rank
I know the right thing to do is talk about social strategy and broader level considerations before getting into the tactical details and specific tasks. Sometimes showing minute by minute examples of what a Community Manager does is jumping the gun for a new discussion on social media but it might be the only way to reach those that will perform the new role. Think of it as bottom up social media strategy if you have to. The more front line and middle managers that “get it”, the more powerful winning executive support will be.

Cloud Ave
Yet in 2010 I noticed the impact that Technology/Brand Evangelists are having on their companies. I noticed how they’re using social media to create real sales opportunities. I noticed how they’re creating exceptional buzz around their brands that was once the domain of the world’s largest media powerhouses.
And I noticed why Robert Scoble exemplifies this phenomenon.

Bottom line: These Evangelists are creating real shareholder value. Allow me to make the case.

eMarketer
“Bringing Facebook profile data into retail sites makes sense because it influences consumers when they are close to conversion,” said Jeffrey Grau, eMarketer principal analyst and author of the new report “Social Commerce: Personalized and Collaborative Shopping Experiences.” “In contrast, many consumers on Facebook are mainly socializing with friends and further removed from making purchase decisions.”

Ask Spike
The one point that I would like to make is this: the words are gone. And ultimately, don’t you want your icon – your company – your brand – to be so well-known and ubiquitous THAT YOU DON’T NEED YOUR COMPANY NAME in your logo any more?

Smashing Magazine
The performance of a website including a background video depends significantly on the speed of the user’s internet connection. Video backgrounds certainly do not fit in every setting; they wouldn’t be meaningful in online magazines or blogs. However, they can work really well in entertainment and certain corporate settings which are supposed to communicate artistic qualities, exclusivity, branding or even high quality standards.

Related ala carte selections include

Adrian Chan at gravity7

Sit back. Enjoy your read. Nachos and drinks will be right over. Stay as long as you like. No tips required. Comments appreciated.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

I’m a proud affiliate of

Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking — articles, books, podcasts, and videos about business online written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the titles to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

Ramblings from a Glass Half Full
There to meet us was the building’s concierge. As he helped us get our luggage into the elevator, my wife said to him “It’s a really gray day”.

He smiled, ear to ear. “Yes, it’s a GREAT day”

You could literally feel the positive energy coming out of him as he ever so cleverly “mis-heard” my wife’s comment.

At that moment, we forgot about the gray, and the rain. He was right – it was a GREAT day.

Social media today
More than ever, it makes sense – particularly for students right now – to get to work on enhancing their irresistibility factor in order to show up and stand out in this over-crowded and over-saturated environment. Of course, that’s exactly what creating a personal brand can do for you. It’s not only one powerful tool for getting ahead. It’s a total game changer.

How and Why We Blog
Give this checklist a try if you think your business blog needs a revamp; it’ll help you get started reinventing your site. I’ve broken the checklist down: look and feel and content items.

Six Pixels of Separation
People tend to shrug their shoulders, roll their eyes or simply get freaked out at the slightest thought of making something that is not like us “human” (if you don’t believe me, watch science fiction movies like A.I. or Blade Runner). Before getting into a philosophical and semantic debate over what it actually means to be “human,” first think about what a brand really stands for.

What’s next blog?
Only 11% of teens email each day, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg told a Nielsen’s Consumer 360 conference in June. “Email is probably going away,” she said.

Related ala carte selections include

Do you think this would work?

Experience the Message
I just love this story: Nordstrom is rumored to be opening a concept store in SoHo where all thprofits are donated to charity.

Sit back. Enjoy your read. Nachos and drinks will be right over. Stay as long as you like. No tips required. Comments appreciated.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

I’m a proud affiliate of

Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking — articles, books, podcasts, and videos about business online written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the titles to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

Social Media Explorer
“Who’s Jeff and why are we getting rid of the garage refrigerator?”

“Some guy from Craig’s List and it’s missing a couple shelves and the freezer doesn’t get cold enough.”

After a short discussion about how Jeff wasn’t from Craig’s List and hearing her explanation of which device will now keep our cookout beer cold, I learned she still had seven outstanding items left on the website. I was relieved neither of my children were among them, but what that meant was Nancy’s cell phone didn’t stop ringing the rest of the day.

Spin Sucks
Last night I participated in #SBT10 chat (or Start Blogging Today), as a guest, with moderators Danny Brown, Grant Griffiths, and John Haydon. Never have I so violently been reminded about how unethical, demanding, and just plain old wrong some professionals are in our industry. The first few questions I received were along the lines of, “As bloggers, how do we pitch PR firms so they pay attention to us?”

TRIB Local by Karen Putz
“I think Facebook is a huge waste of time,” a relative remarked recently. “I really don’t want anyone knowing what I’m up to and I don’t see the point in Facebook.”

I personally think my relative is missing out on some great stuff, because both Facebook and Twitter have enriched my life in different ways.

Marketing Profs
Nearly eight in 10 of the nation’s smallest companies (79%) say marketing is a major success factor for their business and nearly one-half (46%) of such firms, or microbusinesses, say they are using some type of social media for marketing, according to a survey from Vistaprint.

Chris L. Jordan
When we remove ourselves from our safe zones, we force ourselves into an enhanced state of decision making.

Related ala carte selections include

Business Opportunities Weblog

Sit back. Enjoy your read. Nachos and drinks will be right over. Stay as long as you like. No tips required. Comments appreciated.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

I’m a proud affiliate of

Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking — articles, books, podcasts, and videos about business online written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the titles to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

AdRants
BBDO is out with some new work for FedEx. Four commercials highlight…wait a minute. What the hell is there to explain about FedEx that everyone doesn’t already know? Nothing. Why does the brand still advertise? We have no idea. Oh wait, yea, we do. Because people are so fickle that if you don’t slap them upside the head with your message 3,000 times a day, they’ll defect to your competition.

Hub Spot
This will give you the headlines, but you may want to take the additional time and understand why these experts came up with their practical advice. I cannot remember when I’ve received this much solid advice in such a short amount of time.

JeffBullas
I don’t know if you can remember your days at school where how many friends you had was something to be valued in the school playground.

If you only had one or two friends you were viewed as something of a loser.

Being the leader of a group or “gang” you were seen as influential and could wield power and make your followers take action through coercion or through your influence.

IT Professionals
Don’t get me wrong, is some cases, every detail needs to be perfect. However, the problem with always trying to strive for perfection is that it takes much longer to perform tasks.

Smart Blogs On Social Media
You go where your customers are. We have a pretty robust presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. On those platforms we are reaching consumers of all varieties (enthusiasts, gamers, media experts, etc.) We have consistent presence on LinkedIn where we are reaching our business audiences. Our forums and communities on Intel.com are where our developers and IT audiences are highly engaged.

Related ala carte selections include

Sales Rescue Team
Is Social Media ROI on your mind? This list can help.

Sit back. Enjoy your read. Nachos and drinks will be right over. Stay as long as you like. No tips required. Comments appreciated.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

I’m a proud affiliate of

Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking — articles, books, podcasts, and videos about business online written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the titles to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

Six Pixels of Separation
Is it a Facebook page? Is it Twitter? Is it posting a video to YouTube? What about creating a Blog? What is the best way to grow an audience?

Fast Company by @KitEaton
Twitter’s traffic skyrocketed 33% over the summer, according to one survey. Meanwhile Digg’s influence was fading even before its controversial makeover.

Late yesterday Twitter announced that it had 145 million registered users–impressive, at around a third of the number of Facebookers and comparable to the number of people Apple’s just opened up its new music-based social network Ping to.

Redhead Writing
Let me get this straight:

You go somewhere to meet friends.

You arrive. You “check in.”

Aaaaaaand there are your friends.

***where’s the part about your phone being a requirement for a meaningful experience?

Brian Solis
There’s a saying, “technology changes, people don’t.” Yet, when we consider the impact of technology on our daily lives, some very interesting observations surface…

Resume Bear
So, you got the interview all lined up and your ready and raring to go…well if you plan on doing well, you better avoid these 50 interview killers (and yes, every single one of these we have seen or have heard about from colleagues)

Related ala carte selections include

Inc Magazine
Participating in a broadcast interview conducted by a television reporter can certainly be exciting—or nerve wracking, depending on your perspective. The presence of a camera frequently changes the dynamic between the reporter and the subject. And it is true that there are some different factors that you need to consider before an interview with the broadcast press.

Sit back. Enjoy your read. Nachos and drinks will be right over. Stay as long as you like. No tips required. Comments appreciated.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

I’m a proud affiliate of

Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking — articles, books, podcasts, and videos about business online written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the titles to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

Matthew Ebel
Once upon a time in 2004 there was a new media community- back then we called them Podcasters. They were passionate, excitable, and ready to jump on any new opportunity they could create for themselves. Podcasters flew from all over the world to hang out at conventions they organized. For three years, New Media brought people together. Friendships were forged, business ventures launched, and through it all some amazing creations made their way onto the internet. The New Media community felt like a family.

Now it’s gone; the community has dissipated. And that’s okay.

Seriously, it’s okay.

WebWorkerDaily
You may have already experienced social media meltdown: a rapid derailment of your previously neat and tidy social media marketing efforts. Because social media cannot be “controlled,” the very thought of putting marketing messages out into the social web strikes fear in the hearts of many. Without control, how do you avert or manage a crisis that bubbles over and could explode on Twitter, Facebook and the like?

Jim Kukral
I tell a story in my book about how I used post-it notes to get offered a job. I wanted the job. I knew they were interviewing a ton of people. I wasn’t any better then any of them in graphic design. In fact, I was an average designer at best. But I wanted the job.

I tell another story in the book how I wanted to get into the Internet video business. I had a friend who owned a big SEO firm and I pitched him via video on YouTube. I could have sent a resume… c’mon, that wasn’t going to work.

You want the job? Show me.

BIGG Success
On our show today, we were thrilled to chat with Terry Starbucker about leadership. Terry has been a leader for over 27 years, including a gig with a pro football team!

WordPress Community Podcast
Liz Strauss gave a masterclass tonight; at least, that’s how it felt to both Frederick and myself. We talked about communicating with your audience, and Liz shared some experiences about open comment nights. We discussed positioning yourself and your blog, and how important personal branding can be.

Gigaom
The Elance report, which will be released in full next week, found that 70 percent of freelancers surveyed are happier working independently than when they were full-time employees, and more than 60 percent said they would prefer to remain a freelancer rather than take a full-time job.

Related ala carte selections include

Simon Mainwaring

I wanted to share with you this video of a speech by Nicolas Christakis from the Harvard Dept. of Sociology, on the shaping powers of social networks. He does a wonderful job of explaining stastically the forces and dynamics that drive social networks. . . . how our behavior affects others, whether it be family member, friends or strangers.

Windows Experience Blog

This week Windows announced the return of the very popular the Family Pack this Fall. General Availability for the United States is Oct. 3 and it goes on sale in Canada, UK, Germany, France, Australia and many other markets on or after Oct. 22 (Windows 7’s 1 year anniversary!)

Sit back. Enjoy your read. Nachos and drinks will be right over. Stay as long as you like. No tips required. Comments appreciated.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

I’m a proud affiliate of