How do you use media?

The face of media is ever changing, much like our world today.

How often do you pick up the phone to call someone vs. sending them a text? Newspapers are going digital, are magazines next? People read books on hand held devices and listen to music 24/7 thanks to internet radio and MP3 players.

When does it become to much? Is facebook getting over saturated? I have friends who are done and closing their facebook accounts. They don't want to patrol what people know about them and don't. I police my phone calls. (That is different than screening them, please don't be offended next time you call me and I don't pick up.) I don't like to ALWAYS be available. When I am busy my phone is on silent or vibrate. Who wants to be annoyed by random ring-tones anyway, not me!

What is going to happen in the future? Well there is the theory that people could interact through media, but never actually interact with each other face-to-face. I think that is a sad and extreme thought. There is still something about face-to-face interaction that I can't get from my computer/internet, cell phone, or iPod. While marketers are trying to figure out how to interact more with consumers using these modern media outlets, I wonder if eventually we will all take a step back and think, what were we doing? Do all those anti-cell phone people have it right? I am all for social media. It fascinates me because so much is still unknown. But I wonder if it is the new end all be all or just a fad passing through.

Remember Facebook?

I got to together with some friends last night for happy hour. Among our conversation topics were weekend plans, love lives(or lack-there-of) and twitter... Sorry, I'm only going to dish about our twitter convo.

We are all on twitter for different capacities: work, personal, networking and research. Not once did Facebook come up in our conversation. I began to think to myself, is Facebook dying? Facebook is one of the most visited websites in the world. Yet, they still can't turn a profit. The highest growing segment is women age 55+. Facebook will most likely be around for many years to come, but just like the jock who peaks in high school, Facebook's days of being popular are numbered. That is a big statement I know. Unless Facebook can bring some new life to its site and bring back the intrigue we all went there for in the first place, I think Facebook is a sinking ship.

Admitingly I am a Facebook user, but since I opened my twitter account, I am on twitter all day and check Facebook once or twice... Because Twitter is so new and fresh to so many they have the advantage. Twitter can learn from mistakes of other social media sites and soar. Twitter the ball is in your court. Facebook, you are in the last set, don't go down without a fight!

Sweet Events Happening in Portland to Help YOU!

Here is a list of upcoming events around Portland. These will be great networking events and help you build your brand. Don't forget to bring you business cards with you!

Thursday April 9, 2009 PAF Interesting PDX

Friday April 10, 2009 UO Events: Turning Attendees into Community Members

Wednesday April 15, 2009 YPOP Networking Event and Blazer Game

Thursday April 16, 2009 PDX Social Media Club Tweet Up

Thursday April 16, 2009 PAF Extreme Happy Hour

Tuesday April 21, 2009 PRSA Personal Branding 2.0

Tuesday April 22 and Wednesday April 23, 2009 E-Marketing Summit

Thursday April 23, 2009 SoMe Awards

Tuesday April 28, 2009 Dr. Schultz Lecture Media Generations

Mark your calendars now, so you don't forget...

What is 'the man' doing for you?

In this stress-filling economic time, we are all trying to get the best deals right? So, what is the man doing for you? I want more for less, NOW!

From crazy merchandising deals, to loyalty program benefits, to restaurant meal deals, everyone is catching the bargain wave. I understand this philosophy that people want more for less these days, but where does the line get drawn? I still want a quality product and good service no matter where I am and how much I am spending. The bottom line is I AM SPENDING. So if I am spending, wouldn't you think I should get excellent service, so I will continue spending? Not the case. I have had several experiences lately where I was spending money and received poor service or a poor product. I will not be going back.

Take advantage of this situation! Draw customers in with your wonderful deals. Then, make the experience a wonderful one, so they will come back. Eventually things will turn around, and don't you want those customers coming back when they do? I just don't understand getting bad service at a restaurant or while shopping. It is truly inexcusable anytime, and especially when every penny counts. True colors come out when people are pushed to their max. Maybe the company doesn't care. Well people do care, so step it up. It you don't your company/store/restaurant will be the next on the chopping block on the evening news.

I challenge you to be aware of the service you are receiving and decide if it is truly worthy of your hard earned money. If not, think twice.

You are your own Customer Service Representative

You are your own customer service representative and there is no getting around it. You and only you are responsible for your brand image.

If you are a brand, then why are you driving your brand into the ground? When a brand says they are going to do something, they do it. Why? Because if they don't, there will be negative backlash, and a negative image will be associated with their brand. Then why when people say they are going to do something and don't do it, it is an acceptable practice?

There maybe different levels of this, but there shouldn't be. It is a simple philosophy of doing what you say. You are responsible for your individual brand, why would you want to hurt it, well, you wouldn't knowingly. Much like my "Year of the Doer" outlook, people that do what they say are going to really stand out these days. It is as simple as calling a person you say you are going to call, or following up on a conversation.

Be an excellent customer service representative for yourself. You can take the steps today to start standing out at work and with your friends. You want your brand to be top-of-mind and seen as high quality right? It is important to put yourself first, and I mean the brand of YOU!

Google Stock, How Do You Rank?

When you type your name in Google, what comes up? You maybe surprised, that is if you have never actually Googled yourself...

Right now, more than ever, we should be looking and marketing ourselves as a brand, which is what I am trying to do with this blog... But the point behind all of this self-promotion is really driven by the Google Factor, or what I like to call your Google Stock: according to Google who are you, what do you do and how do you rank? I have read a number of blogs that have pointed out that 2009, is "The Year of the Doer", due to the current economic situation(GenNext, RadioGuruPDX). So what are you doing to increase your stock?

This is the golden opportunity for you to make a name for yourself while exploring, it is really a win-win situation! It doesn't really matter if you have a job or don't have a job, work in marketing or don't work in marketing, it is always important to be checking and increasing your Google Stock. You never know when you are going to need it, and it is not something that can be built overnight. This takes time, that is why I am encouraging baby steps. Start with Linkedin or Twitter, then build up to blogging or creating your own site. These are all free tools at your disposal, but to use them correctly takes time.

Now stop reading this blog (for today) and go do something to increase you Google Stock!

Social Media the New Frontier... are you on the wagon or being left in cyber dust?

Welcome to the digital age, although I think we entered it long ago, and long ago to me maybe different than long ago to you, but still, long ago...

Two nights ago I attended the Social Media Club's event, "Getting it: Careers in Sociall Media" with guest lecturer/social media diva, Kelly Feller, Social Media Strategist for Intel. It was a full house, with at least 100 people there, and not people who I would have expected to be part of the Social Media Club. Many of the attendees were well into their careers and eating this stuff up!

There are companies big and small that understand Social Media, and companies big and small that don't. Two that get it and are tweeting away are @Starbucks(big) and @Portland Area Radio Council(small).

Social Media fascinates me because of the unknowns attached to it: it is new, everyone is doing it, not everyone knows why there are doing it, potential is unknown, will it peak, how to use it, keeping up with new sites and new trends and the list goes on and on and on...

Back to the lecture; I not only gained a few new followers on Twitter(I am following them now too), but I realized that everyone has a list of unknowns, we now have a place to share and learn together. I realized that I am doing the right thing by writing this blog, which has been in the works for over a month now, but I just started doing it, and that is the main thing.

JUMP IN!

The only way to master the skills and language of this new and limitless Social Media world is to do that. What have you got to lose except a few spare moments that you would have spent on another website anyway.