“Social Media” is easily one of the biggest buzzwords out there, but as more and more of our clients ask us to help them navigate the exciting waters of social media, I have to stress the importance of focusing on business goals.

For example, if sales are the goal, what good is a huge Twitter following if you’re not ultimately increasing sales?  Some could argue that there are other goals, like brand awareness that are important to a company looking to drive sales.  True enough, but the ultimate goal of brand awareness is to drive sales!

Setting up a Twitter account or a Facebook page are simple enough, but ultimately, a waste of time and resources if you’re not operating under a larger strategy that is pointed at your organization’s goals.  I often look at social media today the same way that people did when the Internet was finally becoming mainstream.  Organizations clamored to have a website because everyone was getting on the web, but after building a page, were stunned to find that users didn’t just show up.

The same thing can and is happening in social media.  Someone realizes that social media is for real, and the organization decides to join the party.  But after a series of half-hearted promotions there are still only a relative handful of users, followers, or fans and there’s been almost no measurable business success – despite the resources poured into the effort.

Don’t misunderstand, though!  I have no doubt that social media can drive incredible results for business.  I’m a huge fan of everything that these tools can do, and I’m versed in using them to accomplish real business objectives.  I just want to remind everyone to look before you leap!  An awesome facebook page is no substitute for strategy…

We spend half our lives online…buying and selling stuff, creating social media pages, passwords, gaming personas…so what happens to our online life when we pass away in real life. Someone needs to manage and/or shut down all those accounts…and to do that, they will need access.  To solve this issue, online companies are setting up websites to help you manage your digital persona after you pass away as well as to create memorials for loved ones that have passed away.  The online world has become so important to people, that your digital life and digital memories of loved ones are now being preserved by a host of companies.

In case you haven’t thought about all of your personal data that is stored on the web, here are some examples of online information that could be/should be preserved and communicated to someone after you pass away… online banking/stock passwords and transactions, copies of wills, bank accounts, gaming personas such as Second life that will continue to live (at least a little while), eBay items that are sold and PayPal accounts, domains that are owned that must be managed…. the  list goes on and on… the list gets big in a hurry.

More and more people are beginning to recognize that your passwords and online info needs to be passed on to your wife or husband, but the offline solutions don’t really work in the online world.  For our real lives, we have safety deposit boxes and wills…but the online world that is full of passwords and logins that aren’t really written down anywhere.  And what is worse, think of the bind that we will leave for loved ones or friends in if they have to try to figure all of this information out after we are gone.

There are a number of companies that are working on solving this issue… here are just a few….www.legacylocker.com; www.assetlock.com, www.slightlymorbid.com, www.findagrave.com, www.deathswitch.com, www.eternalspace.com, …interesting names, huh.   More are available and they are easy to find on your favorite search engine.

A Legacy Locker account costs $29.99 a year. While setting up an account, you specify who gets access to your info should you no longer be in need of signing on…if you know what I mean!  Once you pass away, your designees contact Legacy Locker and once a verification process is completed, the information is turned over to you.

There is one very big risk to all of this… hacking.  While it is great that companies are working to solve this need, this creates a hacking bonanza or nightmare depending on how you look at it. Security is going to be critical for this information, and this means that you need to be familiar with the security policies of any company prior to hiring them.

So what are some of the services that you can hire these types of companies to do?  Well, everything from a secure online safe deposit box for digital copies of documents, wishes, letters and emails, to planning real life activities – the funeral, the memorial, the grave site, to virtual memorial pages for videos, pictures and tributes.

The interesting trend here is that as our online lives continue to become more important, the early adopters of online technology are beginning to think about their own mortality…this is a logical thought pattern to follow… when the internet was new, so were our accounts and online lives…now it is 15 years later, and the internet is much more important to us.

Be sure to do your due diligence should you consider hiring one of these firms.  I will continue to keep you posted as this develops.

When it comes to staffing, G.1440’s leading the way in Baltimore!

The Baltimore Business Journal just published their list of the Largest Professional Search Firms in the Baltimore Area, and guess who made the cut?  That’s right!  G.1440 was the top firm focused exclusively on IT Staffing!  Overall, G.1440 came in at 17 this year – and when you rank them by average salary, G.1440 jumps to number 5.

The Baltimore Sun’s Tech blog was just a twitter with the buzz of G.1440’s growth in Tech Staffing & Recruiting.

From our perspective, more and more companies are realizing that they can’t afford to waste time and money on a lengthy hiring process, and they certainly can’t afford the costs of hiring someone to find out that they’re not as good as they seemed.  G.1440’s staffing services go the extra mile to help companies cut through the clutter and get to work.

It’s nice to be recognized for excelling.  It’s nicer to be recognized when we help our clients excel.

Everyone’s had their share of bad experiences when going to the store. Whether it’s a trip to a fast food restaurant, the bank, or even when speaking with a store representative over the phone, you never know when you might encounter an employee with a bad attitude, get stuck waiting in long lines, or find out that the item you’re looking for is out of stock.

Some consumers have resorted to venting their frustrations on a variety of internet sites, dedicated to providing a place for multitudes of consumers to share their unfavorable experiences. In the June 1^st edition of Information Week, John Soat discusses the effect of blogs and social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube on the reputations of companies such as Home Depot, Southwest Airlines and more. Generally speaking, companies have learned to ignore the IHateYourCompany.com sites…but should they?

Do these sites have any real affect on the company? Mike Paul, also known as the “Reputation Doctor” at MPG & Associates, points out the fact that social media is not only a way to stay connected with friends and associates. “It’s the next step, generationally, of word of mouth.” Therefore, if there are negative perceptions of your business being spread throughout the internet, it’s just like regular gossip that spreads from one person to another – it grows and festers into a big can of worms. What’s worst is that the information spread is not entirely truthful.

Solutions anyone? Soat suggests that companies stay aware and prepared for the conversations that are taking place in different places over the internet. When necessary, a response should be made to counteract the offenses. The response should be genuine and informative. Above all, companies shouldn’t overact, especially since a lot of the comments made tend to be blown out of proportion and don’t accurately reflect the issue.

The bottom line is that with any company of substantial size, there are bound to be bad experiences out there, and what used to get talked about at the water cooler now gets tweeted and retweeted. In today’s world, every time you can turn a bad story into a good one, it’s a win that’s multiplied through social media.

For those of you that don’t know, Mr. Kassouf (G1440’s Marketing Manager) and I not only share a passion for all things internet related, but we also share the same Alma Mater…Go Tigers! Recently, we bumped into one another at a Towson College of Business and Economics event and started discussing, Twitter. After some back and forth banter and POV’s on Twitter, Tim asked if I would guest blog on the topic. According to him, I’m “twitterific.” I’m not quite sure how to take that…

I could discuss best practices or opportunities that exist for you or your business, but as Tim put it, “there’s about a million of those out there,” and who wants to read another one of those. However, Tim posed another question, “how Twitter fits into the culture here in Baltimore?” Now there is a better question! I love Baltimore, and I love Twitter! From my perspective, Twitter has had an interesting and noticeable impact on the local culture.

First example, “Let’s Have a Tweet-Up!” I can’t tell you how many of those I have been to or invited to lately. Using services like twtvite.com local restaurants/bars, bed and breakfasts, and even firms have been sponsoring these twitter-based meet-ups. The interesting part is that these are open events that anyone can attend. The result is an eclectic mix of Baltimorean’s getting together to build meaningful relationships both personal and professional.

Second example, “I’m Gonna TwitPic That!” This example is more specific to me in anecdote but I know others have shared this experience. Using the service TwitPic.com, people have been posting interesting pictures of locations and events that I didn’t know existed. There are so many amazing places here in Baltimore, with wonderful architecture and history that are unfortunately, not well known. Recently, these locations have seen a revival of visitors because of twitpic’s and tweets.

You’re probably thinking, “those are two good examples but what else is there?” Well, in true social fashion, I am going to use my 2,000^th twitter post to ask the local twitter community to share their stories and perspectives in the comments section of this post.

Next week, we’ll revisit this post and discuss some of the most interesting comments.

Tweeting is the new linking, which was the new poking. What do all of these terms actually mean?! The words are part of the social networking jargon that millions of people use daily to interact with each other over the Internet.

Tweeting, the newest term among the three, refers to the increasingly popular communication service available at www.Twitter.com. [Ed. Note: Linking is a way to connect on LinkedIn, and poking is a feature on Facebook.]

Twitter has become a hit in the social networking world by moving beyond the typical categorizing of who you know by allowing users to become more personal and document their activities, thoughts, or interests any time during the day.

After signing up for a free account, users simply answer the one question “What are you doing?” to get started.

The space provided only allows for answers fewer than 140 characters. However, the content can be about anything the user wishes to share.

In addition to posting general content, Twitters can respond to other posters by using the @ sign in front of another person’s username. As a result, the response is sent directly to the username that was referenced.

Twitter users can also “follow” the updates of another user. By clicking the follow option, the username is added to a database, and the status updates are transferred to a home page. It offers a one-stop online location to receive updates and keep others informed.

Twitter updates can be made via the Internet portal, a cell phone text or an instant message.

As the service continues to grow among consumers, businesses as well as government organizations have started to take notice and release tweet updates of their own.

On a daily basis, the White House releases tweets about such topics as upcoming presidential addresses, press briefings, and policy updates.

Similarly, The Denver Post uses Twitter to keep readers up-to-date on late breaking news. Tweets are typically posted every few minutes.

Twitter is an exciting new tool to incorporate into one’s social network. From keeping in touch with a friend’s whereabouts to learning of the newest local restaurant opening, Twitter can further extend our exposure to valuable information.

Original Post Date – 10/03/2008