Social media's next big name

Bryan Elliott

I love it when you discover smart people online. Folks you can learn from and engage with are such an important part of your professional development.

Now, we all know the really big names in social media such as Chris Brogan, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Darren Rowse. Not only are they big online, but they have the added exposure of being highly successful authors. One name you may not be familiar with, however, is Bryan Elliott. If you don't know Bryan, you should.

I discovered Bryan about a year ago. He's a smart guy who has a bright future (his present is pretty darn impressive, too!). In the Los Angeles/Orange County area of California, Bryan is known for the impressive events he puts on through his organization, LinkedOC.

With a warm personality, solid business acumen, and an understanding of the value of creating community, Bryan has managed to establish a top-notch speaker series and attract some of the industry's biggest names. Earlier this year, Bryan hosted marketing guru Seth Godin (see my review HERE) and his upcoming events will feature thought leaders such as Brian Solis, Scott Stratten, and the aforementioned Chris Brogan. Getting Seth was a real coup as Seth usually only speaks in front of massive audiences at very pricey conferences. However, Bryan somehow got Seth to speak in front of a smaller group of people for an unprecedentedly low entrance fee.

Bryan also sponsors smaller networking events throughout the year where local business people can connect, buyers and sellers can meet, and all the while fostering an environment where people help one another. This phrase from his website sums up Bryan's approach best and illustrates the mindset he's trying to create through LinkedOC, "A place where innovation, creativity and collaboration thrive. And self-promotion takes a back seat to generosity."

As if that weren't enough, Bryan hosts a fun, business show on the local PBS TV channel. He is also founder of the SoCal Action Sports Network.

Even if you're not in the Southern California area, I encourage you to connect with Bryan via Twitter. He's someone you can learn from and who will add real value to your Twitter stream.  And, trust me, I know it won't be long until Bryan's name is rattled off with all the other big names in social media. Heck, he's already there in my book.

Is anyone favoriting your tweets on Twitter?

I don't know about you, but I love the favorites feature on Twitter. It's a handy, but frequently underutilized option. For me, I use it to keep track of complimentary tweets (recommendations, you might say). For others, they might use it to bookmark links or other tweets that interest them. However you use it, it's great to favorite tweets that you like for one reason or another.

Anytime you visit someone's Twitter page, you can click on their favorites to learn more about them. But, in this age when we like to know who's saying what about us, I thought I'd share a neat website with all you Twitter fanatics. Favotter lets you see who in the Twittersphere has favorited any of your tweets! It's a bit voyeuristic, but it's pretty insightful to see who in your network liked what you said.

Not too long ago, I wrote about turning your Twitter stream into a newspaper. It was a pretty popular blog post and retweeted quite a bit. When I logged on to Favotter and put in my Twitter handle, I was quite surprised and pleased to learn that several people had even favorited the link to my post (thank you all so much!). It was really nice to know that people liked my piece enough to put it in their favs folder. I wouldn't have known had it not been for Favotter!

You can also use Favotter to see what tweets are popular right now, in real time, based on favoriting. Another tab lets you see the best tweets of the day and a third tab lets you search keywords that will search everyone's favorite tweets. If you're researching a product purchase or need other specific information, that option comes in handy since you're not searching everything on Twitter, but only the relevant tweets that people favorited.

Try it out and let me know what you think. I thought it was pretty nifty!

Turn that Twitter bird into blackbird pie

UPDATE: JANUARY 2012 - Blackbird Pie has been discontinued. To embed a tweet, check out this video tutorial: http://youtu.be/SojBeZO6cD4

No, this isn't a post on cooking; it's about the wonderful new Twitter feature, Blackbird Pie. If you blog, this is a real time saver, if you don't, well, it's still good to know about the tools that are available to you on the web.

Prior to Blackbird Pie, if you wanted to include an image of a tweet, you had to do a screen grab and then clean it up in Photoshop (here's an example from an earlier post I wrote on Adam Lambert complaining about his fans). Now, however, all you need to do is paste the tweet's url into Blackbird Pie and, voila, it spits out code you can just drop into your HTML. You can even click on the links in the image!

Easy schmeezy, huh? Feel free to enjoy your Blackbird Pie with a cup of tea and let me know how it goes down, eh?

News Junkie Heaven

If you're a news junkie and can't read enough, you have got to bookmark the Today's Front Pages section of Newseum. It features more than 800 newspapers and you can sort by region to make your reading easier.

Yes, you could visit the websites of all these papers, but this great service from Newseum collects all the "printed" news for you (and, of course, the content on the front page of a newspaper frequently varies from the homepage of a website, so you can see the paper just as it appeared on news racks). You can even break down your search to select front pages from North America, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, South America, and more!

Do you love your daily dose of news? If so, this is a news junkie's dream come true!

I am a consumer, hear me roar

Not too long ago, I wrote about My Starbucks Idea. A Web 2.0 version of the old-fashioned suggestion box. If you like the concept of submitting your ideas and having peers vote on them, and if you're a fan (or critic!) of Dell computer products, you should like IdeaStorm just as much.

Submit your suggestion on how Dell can improve its customer experience or product catalog, encourage your friends to vote for your idea, vote on other ideas you like, and see if your suggestion gets put into action. So far, more than 13,000 ideas have been submitted, and more than 400 have been implemented.

Dell has also expanded on the concept by creating Storm Sessions. Essentially, it's timed and targeted crowdsourcing. Dell will share a current business challenge and ask the community for input (more in the video below).

Companies can learn so much from its customers, so why not take an active role in enhancing your own user experience? Whether it's coffee or computers, it's the consumer who knows best.

Personal branding's one-stop shop

As most of you know, I'll check out most any social media site to see what it's all about. It might be a fit for me; it might not. But I always like to know what's out there.

I recently came across Flavors.me and, at first, thought it to be nothing more than an aggragator site. However, upon further analysis, I think it's something worth sharing.

Now, if you want to follow all your friends' content from different sites, I'd stick with FriendFeed. However, if you're looking to put all your content together to market yourself, I think Flavors.me is ideal.

You can personalize your page (see the demo video below), add any of the 18 services they support (e.g. Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr), and turn your Flavors.me page into a one-stop shop to showcase your online presence. You can add the feeds to all your social networking sites, or just the links. Flavors.me could be especially beneficial to those who do not have a website or a blog and want to give people a web address that tells more about them.

If you'd like to see a solid example of how Flavors.me can be maximized, check out Stacey Soleil's page. She's added 9 services and personalized her homepage with a large photo of herself. Stacey's also done a great job utilizing the colors from the photo to create a color palette for the rest of her page. From her professional LinkedIn information to her Foursquare check-ins, tweets, videos, and blogs, you can get a real feel for what Stacey is all about.

If you're looking for a way to enhance your personal branding, Flavors.me might be a good tool to help you. At a minimum, it's a great resource that can help you highlight the content that you're generating on your social networking sites. And, unlike FriendFeed, you can create a page that is unique to your personality. So, what flavor are you?

What will crazy, old loons do if newspapers fold?

As some of you already know, I spent two years at The Los Angeles Times. The time period in which I was there was one of the most turbulent in the industry (and it continues today). Newspapers are struggling to adapt to the changing world in which people consume news online and in real time. The business model is taking an unprecedented hit and many wonder how long newspapers will survive.

Although I have the utmost respect for the quality journalism that newspapers produce, I couldn't help but to laugh and cry at the video below. I firmly believe that newspapers keep politicians and government agencies accountable like no online news site does, or can, but there's something tragically accurate about this spoof from The Onion. I suspect this sad account might just be all too true.

What kind of blogger turns off comments on their posts?

I read a lot of online content. I'm always clicking on tons of links and checking out great blog posts. Today, I stumbled across a new blog which I really enjoyed, but I was dismayed to see the following information at the end of the post I was reading.

Now, I don't know about you, but I think comments are just as valuable as most posts (sometimes even more so!). They frequently provide diverse viewpoints, insightful commentary on personal experiences, or other input that is of value to readers. Comments are what differentiate a blog from a website; the two-way conversation is a critical component.

In our web-centric world, blog posts also have a life that may extend days, weeks, months, and sometimes years into the future. It's not uncommon for a blog post to be circulated a year or two after it's been written and for it to still be of value to readers. Some topics are timeless.

So why turn off comments after two weeks? As a blogger, that makes no sense to me.

BLOGGER'S NOTE: Feel free to agree or disagree with me today or in 2012. Your comments are always welcome here!

The era of the egomaniac

In a day and age where very little is private and everyone is enjoying their 15 minutes (plus!) of fame, there always seems to be new ways for people to brag about themselves. One of the sites I find to be the most self-indulgent is Formspring.me (well, honestly, it's a tie between this and Daily Booth).

The concept is that anyone can ask you anything and you will provide an answer. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate? Boxers or briefs? Vodka or Gin? What are your super powers? What makes you awesome? These are just a random sampling of questions that I've seen. Granted, I think this might be appropriate fodder on a dating site such as eHarmony, but just to throw out into cyberspace? Don't we all have better things to do?

I'm under no illusion that people are fascinated with me or my life (now, if I were a celebrity or other high-profile personality, maybe folks would appreciate some insight into my world). But, do strangers really need to know that I love Archer Farms' dill pickle cashews from Target? Are their lives made richer by finding out that my knee hurts when it rains?

Social media is an amazing tool to create community, to make new personal and professional connections, to share ideas, to collaborate, and to broaden your horizons. But, I really see no point in the platforms that do nothing more than contribute to people's ego and sense of self-importance. Each year, the internet delivers more and more ways for us to talk about ourselves. However, it's the sites and tools that allow us to talk with one another that bring us closer together and build bridges.

Instead of me asking some random acquaintance what her/his favorite soft drink is, why not use that time to make a real difference? World peace, anyone?

DISCLAIMER: I suspect this post might irritate some of my social media colleagues who use Formspring.me and Daily Booth. If so, my apologies. I get paid the big bucks to discuss controversial subjects and challenge the status quo. Well, if big bucks means no bucks, that is.

Are your tweets on PleaseRobMe.com?

I have a presence on every major social media site out there. A platform you'll never find me utilizing, however, is one that uses geo-tracking. No, I don't "check in" at the grocery store via Foursquare. I don't even "check in" at my favorite restaurants using Gowalla or Yelp. This is a frequent issue of discussion amongst my social media peers. "I don't want a digital footprint of all the places I frequent," I say. "Furthermore, I rather people not know when I'm not home." This response is usually met with funny looks or rolling eyes.

Today, I feel vindicated. That's because I just stumbled across a website called PleaseRobMe.com. This wonderfully evil site is all that serial felons and wannabe thieves need to steal all your worldly possessions. Essentially, the site filters all those check ins that are tweeted across the globe and creates a feed on its site to tell robbers when you're not home!

Any high school dropout can easily Google your name to find out where you live and then swoop in to steal that sweet 60" flat screen TV you love so much. And, unlike break-ins of the past, these guys will even know when they have an extra 30 minutes to sift through your hidden treasures because you just sent a check in tweet saying, "Having a picture of margaritas at Pedro's Cantina w/@obliviousfriend."

Call me overly cautious, but these geo-location tools just aren't for me. Granted, I think they can have fun applications in a business setting (e.g. for street teams and other promotions), but I have no desire to broadcast my whereabouts to strangers. Think I'm paranoid? Well, I can say with 100% certainty that I'm not listed on PleaseRobMe.com. Can you?

Is $10 million too much to run Wikipedia?

I love Wikipedia. I refer to it regularly and link to it frequently. It has made learning easy and brought vast knowledge into homes across the globe.

As you've likely heard, Wikipedia is facing some significant financial problems. The founder, Jimmy Wales, has even put a plea up on every page of the site asking for donations (as of 12/31/09 he has raised more than 2/3 of his fundraising goal for 2010). But, here's what I don't get (and if you're a small business owner or techie, please help me understand this): why does it take $10 million dollars a year to run Wikipedia? I don't have an MBA, but that seems like too much to me.

Lots of news sites are toying with the idea of instituting pay walls, and perhaps this might be in Wikipedia's future, as well. And, heck, if I frequent a site regularly, I might consider paying for the privilege. But, as a "donor" (it's the nonprofit arm of Wikipedia that is soliciting the funds) I'd like to feel confident that my donation is being spent wisely.

Do you run your own small business (Wikipedia has fewer than 35 employees)? Do you understand all the technical requirements and costs associated with a robust site like Wikipedia? If so, I'd really like your opinion. Is $10 million reasonable to operate Wikipedia for just one year?

Fitness website helps people meet goals

It's January first which means one thing to the majority of people: eat better and exercise more. It seems to be the one resolution that brings us together as a society.

To help you get started on the right path this year, check out DailyMile.com. It's a great cyber fitness journal and activity log that allows you to track your workouts, create fitness goals, posts photos and videos, make and share walking or running routes, and meet like-minded people.

DailyMile has a handy events section that lists marathons, 5Ks, and half-marathons so you know what's happening in your area (and you can add activities to your online calendar). There is a robust forum for Q & A, and a variety of groups to join (e.g. running, cycling, triathlon, etc.). You can also invite your friends to join your community so you can compete against one another!

For those of you who want to incorporate more techie features into your DailyMile experience, you can sync your Facebook or Twitter accounts to the site so you can update your activities when you're out and about. There are also some great widgets that allow you to share your training schedules and upcoming races!

So, if your New Year's resolution is to hop on the fitness bandwagon, check out DailyMile. It could be just the thing to keep yourself committed to your healthy, new lifestyle!

Ask the Grim Reaper

No real value in this post, but something just for fun (although, maybe a bit morbid!). I think all of us know at least a handful of celebrities who share our birthday, but do you know who you've outlived?

Check out Dead At Your Age to find out the famous people who have died younger than you. Just put in your birthday and you'll be given results with details about each person who passed before you're current age (noted in years and days). I found it interesting that my top result was that I lived longer than a well-known Los Angeles Times reporter (considering I used to work at The Times).

So give it a whirl. At minimum, it's good fodder for your next cocktail party!

Tweet in Klingon

Are you a sci-fi geek? If so, this might be just the thing to send you over the moon.

If you and your friends are Trekkies, you'll want to check out Tweet in Klingon. You can put in your 140 characters and it will convert your English to Klingon, and send a tweet to all your followers.

DaH jaH vo' je mugh, ngan (that's Klingon for "Now go forth and translate, Earthlings.").

Wanna raid a stranger's closet?

Love clothes, but don't have the budget to shop as much as you'd like? Well, ThredUP might just be your new best friend.

ThredUP is actually an interesting concept (especially in these economic times). It's kinda of like an online clothing swap. Essentially you register with ThredUP and tell them your size, brand preferences, and the kinds of clothing you would like. Then, you are notified when they find another member who has an item matching your criteria. To get the item, you need to send in a piece of clothing of your own for someone else to choose.

ThredUP asks that all clothes be in good condition (e.g. no stains, missing buttons, or holes), in style (i.e. no parachute pants!), and that you only give away what you'd be willing to receive. The trading is free, but ThredUP charges you for the pre-paid envelopes to send your clothes (three swaps cost $12.50).

If you have clothing that you never wear just sitting in your closet or drawers, ThredUP might be worth a look. If you decide to use their service, I hope you stop back by and leave a comment about your experience. It's a unique idea, but obviously not for everyone.

Coffee fiends: ideas wanted

I'm not much of a coffee drinker, so maybe I'm late to the party on this one. However, for those of you who were in the dark like me, you might find this interesting.

Did you know that Starbucks has a site exclusively for collecting customer suggestions? My Starbucks Idea is pretty cool in that it isn't just an online form you complete and submit, but it's a more interactive experience. You can share your ideas, vote on other people's suggestions, comment on items, and even see which proposals Starbucks has decided to implement.

If you spend time at your local Starbucks, why not sound off and help shape your experience? Your local coffee buddies might thank you!

Zappos gets it

If you want to follow the antics of a company who is doing everything right in social media, look no further than Zappos.com. Yes, like many businesses, they have a presence on all the major sites, but it's not what they're doing, it's how they're doing it that makes all the difference.

Zappos isn't just telling you about the great shoes, clothing, and handbags it offers, it is using its company culture to further its brand. There is an "Inside Zappos" channel on YouTube that shows staff festivities (the duct tape challenge is my favorite and you can see it in the player below), intra-office practical jokes, vendor appreciation events, and other videos that solidify the "happiness" of the Zappos brand (check out the cheer-up videos and the culture wall). Amongst its many Twitter accounts, one is "Inside Zappos" which directs traffic to those videos and also to its Inside Zappos blog (which shows more fun stuff, but also how they are supporting vendors and being smart business partners). Zappos has even published a book about its company culture.

All these social media channels have benefits beyond the obvious. From motivating consumers to want to buy from such cool people, to recruiting future talent and attracting potential vendors, Zappos is doing a remarkable job of making its company culture a part of its brand. It's fun, it's irreverent, it's full of life. Who wouldn't want to buy their next pair of shoes from these people?

Bargain hunters rejoice

I'm not afraid to admit it, I love a good deal. The only problem is I'm a terrible haggler. So, I love it when companies just make it easy and offer me a bargain from the get-go. That's why I was excited to stumble across Goldstar when I was surfing the Web the other day.

The site offers tickets to a wide variety of events such as concerts, plays, sports, films, comedy nights, spa treatments, and more. And, here's the best part, tickets are priced below face value—frequently up to half off!

When you visit for the first time you just need to register, but it's completely free. I did and there weren't any catches or hidden ads (If you've ever ordered from Vista Print, you know what I mean). As I surfed around, I saw that you can earn ticket credits for referring your friends to events. There's also info on parking availability, food and beverage options, dress codes, and assorted tips from other members. I even noticed user reviews, which was a nice surprise. Nothing against the entertainment critics, but it's nice to read what ordinary people think.

If you like to get your deals in real time, just search Goldstar on Twitter and you can sign up for tweets in your area (they have a presence in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York, Orange County, San Diego, Washington D.C., Chicago, San Jose, and Boston). Its Facebook page also offers contests where you can win tickets.

If you love an evening out on the town, but lack the dinero to pay those astronomical prices, it's worth checking out. As for me, there's a Murder Mystery Dinner with my name on it.

I'd like a fudgy bar and a pink pump, please

Make no doubt about it, women love shoes. As someone with more than 100 pairs, I can attest to that. So it's no surprise that the latest ad campaign from Famous Footwear caught my attention.

The second video on their microsite* doesn't do anything for me; it doesn't ring true (kids don't get excited about shoes like we gals do). However, video #1 with the women, now that's real to me (click on the player below to see it).

In essence, the familiar ice cream truck is transformed into a shoe truck. The driver, dressed in a crisp, white uniform, drives through the neighborhood, playing that hypnotic music that alerts women near and far that fancy pumps and athletic shoes are approaching. Women scurry out of their homes, abandoning their families and household chores. They chase after the truck with the same unbridled enthusiasm we all had when we were seven and the ice cream man came ambling down our street.

It's a fun and memorable spot that captures the joy that we girly-girls experience when we get new shoes. Personally, I'd drop the footage of the kids and husbands chasing the wayward women as they pursue cute heels, but no one asked me.

* Note: Since this original post, the microsite has been taken down.

Journalists r' us

For two years I was lucky enough to walk the halls of the Los Angeles Times on a daily basis. I took the elevator with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, I stood in the cafeteria line with nationally-celebrated columnists, and I was humbled to be surrounded by such intelligent, talented, and noble people.

Over recent years, however, many of those fine folks have been victims of unprecedented downsizing. The print newspaper model is taking a beating, revenues are down, and budgets are being gutted. Great reporters and editors are being shown the door en mass.

This week, I was pleased to learn about an effort to reunite all these talented people under one new cyber roof. If you're looking for a top-notch reporter, designer, editor, or other newspaper professional, The Journalism Shop should be your first stop. Need a seasoned professional to tackle your next contract or freelance assignment? Each former LAT-staffer has a page with a bio, resume, published work samples, and contact information.

There is also a counterpart site for former LA Times photographers. These folks are responsible for some of the images that will be forever etched in our minds. They are experts at visual storytelling and can wow you beyond your wildest dreams.

Amazing talent is out there—just a click away. Check it out.