Archive for September, 2007
Ways to grow your business? Piss off the moms? Not!
I do not have a lot to add to the growing controversy about Facebook banning photos of mothers breastfeeding, while still allowing the proliferation of things like pro-ana (anorexia) sites, other than to say
Huh?
Come on, Facebook, our culture accepts far more titillating images on a regular basis in newspaper tabloids availiable on the newstand, for Christ’s sake. Can you say "nipple slip" and "crotch shot?" Hell, you can probably get those in 10 seconds or less with Brittany, Paris, Lindsay or an inebriated coed, with no baby in sight.
Truly, it is time our culture got over the whole Madonna-Whore complex. Women are NOT simply one or the other. We are both mothers and sexual beings, and when a breastfeeding mom is feeding her child, she’s a mother. Sure, she got there by being a sexual being, but when she’s feeding her baby, it ain’t about you.
Get over your boob fixation. Really.
Mostly for professional reasons I did not breastfeed my son, now 7. My job was very demanding and I was on the road a lot, starting when he was just 3 months old. And he has developed just fine.
But my reasons were my own personal reasons, just as every woman’s are.
If you would not frown on someone feeding a baby a bottle, then you should not frown on a woman breastfeeding. And vice-versa. It is the same damn thing — feeding a child. And if you would frown on a mother feeding a child, what sort of person are you?
Where would you be if your mother hadn’t fed you?
Tags: breastfeeding, facebook sucks
Posted by Susan Getgood @
10:37 pm |
A new low for the email scammers
September 24, 2007 | Ethics
Well, it looks like the email scammers have moved on from dead Nigerian dictators to dead Iraqi ones. From today’s inbox:
Good Day,
Good day. My name is XXXXX XXXXXXX, I am with the US amry and I am serving in the military of the 1st Armored Division in Iraq. my partner and I moved funds belonging to Saddam Hussein, the total is $25,000,000.00 (Twenty Five million US dollars) this money is being kept safe. Click on this link to read about events that took place here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm [link deactivated]
Basically since we are working for the American government we cannot keep these funds, but we want to transfer and move the funds to you, so that you can keep it for us in your safe account or an offshore account.
We will divide the total funds in three ways, since we are 2 that is involved.
This means that you will take 30%, I will take 30%, and my partner will take 30%. 10% will be kept aside for expenses.
This business is confidential, and it should not be discussed with anyone. There is no risk involved whatsoever. If you are interested I will send you the full details, my job is to find a good partner that we can trust and that will assist us.
Can I trust you? When you receive this letter, kindly send me an e-mail signifying your interest including your most.
confidential telephone/fax numbers for quick communication, also our contact details. This business is risk free.
Awaiting your prompt reply urgently.
Miss Xxxxx Xxxxxxx
Blecch.
Tags: email scams
Posted by Susan Getgood @
9:19 am |
Social Media Club Boston: Fake Steve, Wal-Mart and Forrester Research
Last Thursday’s Social Media Club Boston meeting was terrific. And oh so funny. Kudos to Greg PC for assembling such a great panel, and to the moderator and speakers for doing such a brilliant job.
John Cass has done a great job summarizing the session, so I will just share some photos, soundbites and general observations.
Moderator Monika Maeckle, VP Southwest Region, Business Wire (sponsor of the evening) A delightful and charming woman who did a great job moving the conversation along, involving the audience, but never losing control of the session.
And the esteemed panel:
left to right: Josh Bernoff, Forrester; Dan Lyons, aka Fake Steve Jobs, Forbes Magazine; Steve Restivo, Wal-Mart
As John Cass reported, Dan Lyons was the hit of the evening. Some of his bon mots:
On his Attack of the Blogs article: "I wished I had a do-over."
On Valleywag: "Valleywag sucks."
On Jonathan Schwartz, Sun: "How different is Jonathan Schwartz’s blog from a fake blog?" [Note, if this comment resonates, be sure to check out My Little Pony.]
As John reported in his post, Dan said many people knew who FSJ was well before the New York Times exposed the secret. In a brief conversation after the panel, Dan said he was impressed that they were all able to keep the secret. He said a few of them even helped mess with Valleywag on who FSJ was. Gotta love it. Unless you are Owen Thomas I suppose.
Josh Bernoff was polished and articulate. I really liked his comment that starting a "social media" project by picking a technology is ass-backward. The POST model he shared really resonated:
First: PROFILE your customer.
Second: Define your OBJECTIVES.
Third: Develop a STRATEGY — how do you want to change people
Then, and only then, decide on the TECHNOLOGY.
Another great quote from Josh: "Only one group of people that this (social media) is really bad for — liars."
Steve Restivo from Wal-Mart did a great job representing his company, although it was clear that he was constrained by a corporate role, unlike the other panelists, who are encouraged (and compensated I am sure) to have strong public personas. Nevertheless I was impressed by both his acknowledgment of past mistakes like RV-ing Across America and his frank statement that competitor Target does a great job online.
The Social Media Club has chapters in a number of cities; check it out. And if you are in Boston, see you next time.
Tags: Social Media Club, Dan Lyons, Wal-Mart, Fake Steve Jobs, Josh Bernoff
Posted by Susan Getgood @
7:53 pm |
Not Good Technology
Longtime readers of this blog know all about my ongoing saga with the Treo phone and Good Technology.
For new readers, the short version is that Good Technology makes the software for the Treo and the way you get it started is by linking to "get.good.com" Now, sometimes people have problems and apparently — I don’t have a Treo and never will at this point — there aren’t any support numbers in the documentation. So, being the good netizens that they are, customers go to the Web to look for a phone number. Conditioned to add the www in front of a URL, many land on my Web site, getgood.com, instead of on Good’s site, good.com. And about three or four per week actually call us.
I have blogged about this for nearly as long as I have been blogging. It took about a year for us to figure out WHY we were getting these calls. You can read my previous posts if you’d like to experience our ongoing discovery. But earlier this year, we did indeed finally understand what was happening. We thought.
We wondered why folks didn’t understand that a marketing consultant was not the support department for their cell phone. But we figured they probably were just so desperate to talk to someone and get their damn phone working that it seemed worth a shot.
As I’ve written here before, I’ve reached out to both Good Technology and their PR agency using addresses found on the Web site, just to see if maybe they couldn’t do something to stop this annoyance. I do realize that I am just one person, and it doesn’t make sense to redo their software just because I’m regularly interrupted by their customers, but an apology would be nice. Instead my emails are deleted without being read.
So, I’d pretty much given up on contacting Good and writing about it here because it hasn’t done much, well, good. Either they aren’t monitoring blogs or they just don’t care.
I do feel sorry for the callers, so I always explain the situation and give them the correct Web site.
But today we reached the nadir. Something needs to be done. Today, some poor woman from Colorado was on hold for Sprint tech support and was transferred to my number. Apparently by someone at Sprint.
Enough already. Somebody at one of the companies associated with this software, please fix this.
That would be Good Technology, Palm (manufacturer of Treo), Motorola (recently acquired Good) and Sprint.
And an apology would be nice.
Tags: Susan Getgood, Getgood, Good Technology, Palm, Motorola, Sprint
Posted by Susan Getgood @
3:03 pm |
In defense of back linking
September 15, 2007 | Blogging
jowyang: Lately, there’s been some critics of linking to yourself (back linking). There’s nothing wrong with it as long as you’re adding value. (via Twitter September 15, 2007)
Agree.
If you are writing about a subject that you’ve covered in the past, and especially if the last time was more than a month ago, I think readers expect the back link to the previous post(s) for the context. It helps them understand where you are coming from without requiring you to repeat the whole previous argument. Those who need the background click. Those who remember just keep reading.
Of course, it helps if you link liberally to other people in your posts as well. If all you ever do is back link, I can definitely see how that might be viewed with some suspicion.
Tags: jeremiah owyang, back linking, back links
Posted by Susan Getgood @
11:27 pm |
SciFi, Battlestar Galactica and building relationships with bloggers
(warning, long post)
A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, I interviewed Michael Hinman of SyFy Portal about SciFi Network’s successful digital press tour and promised a follow-up with comments from the PR agency that arranged the event about why the network did the press tour and what it hoped to achieve.
Well, time flies. I did do the interview with Courtney White from SciFi’s agency New Media Strategies. I also chatted briefly with the TV Addict, Daniel Malen, another one of the online journalists who attended the Vancouver event, about his impressions of the tour and his relationship with the network.
But other things intervened. The post, which seemed pretty evergreen, kept getting pushed off the calendar.
And then about a week ago, actor Jamie Bamber (Apollo on Battlestar Galactica) told an audience at Dragon*Con that SciFi was considering splitting the upcoming fourth and final season of Battlestar into what effectively would be two mini-seasons of 10 episodes each separated by as much as a year. According to convention reports, he was less than complimentary about the possibility. His statements were backed up by Aaron Douglas (Chief Tyrol on the series) and subsequently apparently in comments by Mrs. Ron (Terry Moore, producer Ron Moore’s wife) on a sci-fi board. So, not a rumour.
And not surprisingly, fans, already unhappy about the long wait for the fourth season, blast- into-the-past direct-to-DVD Razor this fall nothwithstanding, were not too happy about this news. At all.
The shit hit the fan.
Which got me wondering. How do you handle a fan storm like this, especially when the bad news was leaked by a principal actor? According to the same convention reports, the next day, Bamber went overboard in his compliments of the network. Did the “hammer” come down? Did someone speak to him “sternly?” Maybe. Probably. But, as a fan, I’m grateful he spilled the beans, and since he’s a pretty smart guy, I’m sure he knew exactly what he was doing.
SciFi Channel is an enigma to me. Sometimes they get it so right, as with the digital press tour and other fan initiatives they’ve had. For example, the Battlestar Galactica fan video contest last Spring and the recent fan voting for the DVD cover for Razor. When you look at these efforts, it seems that they truly understand how important the fans are and want to “do right” by them.
And then you consider some of the programming decisions. Like this one. Which looks like nothing so much as trying to squeeze five seasons for the price of four. Show producers Moore and David Eick wanted a 5th season commitment from the network and only decided to end the series at four when SciFi wouldn’t make the longer term commitment.
Or the cancellation of Farscape. Still a sore spot with many fans, regardless of the possibility of its return next year as a web-based series
The latest report from SyFy Portal seems to indicate that the final decision on BSG hasn’t been made. Naturally, the fans are mobilizing their letter and email writing campaigns.
So my follow-on question for Courtney White: how do you handle this news? First the leak and then the ongoing internet shitstorm?
And for the digital reporters who cover the SciFi beat, did you cover the Dragon*Con leak any differently than you would have prior to the tour last Spring? Were you able to get answers to your questions quickly? Regardless of your feelings about the potential decision itself, was the communication from the network good as you were trying to cover the story?
I hope to have some of these answers for you in the not distant future, and have some additional thoughts at the end of this post. For those of you still interested in the initial case study, and the network’s decision to do the digital press tour, here’s the scoop.
Courtney told me that New Media Strategies has been monitoring online media for Sci Fi for a few years. This year, they decided to develop a digital media network to facilitate partnership with blogs and other online media. Instead of having to compete with the mainstream press for PR department attention, the digital media would have their own dedicated contact, Courtney.
They wanted to kick everything off with an event. Since it was considered very critical to have top talent involved, a large part of their discussions focused on what was possible. It ended up as the two-day event in Vancouver; in addition to the sets, they had access to the actors because most of the shows were in the midst of filming.
They invited sites they had been working with for a long time plus some newer ones.
“Our goal was to put faces to the sites and develop the relationships further. For some sites, who often acted as unofficial brand ambassadors for the network, it was also a way to say thank you.”
“At my company New Media Strategies, we think this would be amazing for other networks to do as well, and we hoped to show them how successful this sort of thing can be.”
I asked her about measurement of results. This is part of New Media Strategies’ proprietary service, so I didn’t get much detail, but she said that they have methods for measurement that factor in both tone and number of mentions.
Courtney was pleased with the good coverage the tour got, but stressed that the long term relationships were more important. I spoke with her just before ComicCon, one of the biggest conventions in the sci-fi world held in San Diego at the end of July, and asked if there was any difference in her relationship with the various sites, a month after the press tour. She said that when she was reaching out about ComicCon she definitely felt a difference between the 31 who attended the event in Vancouver and those who didn’t: “There is a lot going on and relationship matters.”
In response to a query Monday as I was drafting this post, Michael Hinman also emailed me the following:
“Courtney put on an AWESOME event. In my real-life job, I deal with hundreds of PR firms, and many of the experiences aren’t a lot of fun. But Courtney and her crew knew exactly what they were doing, and that’s why they have 31 bloggers and online journalists who think she is absolutely amazing. :)”
Courtney was pleased with how well the event showcased the online media to the network.
“We work with these bloggers and sites on a daily basis. We know how professional they are. It was great to allow everyone else to see it . That they aren’t rogue bloggers, they are 31of the very best, representing blogs and online to the network. Acting and reporting like journalists.”
At the time we spoke, she felt it was a turning point, and hoped to be able to give even more exclusive coverage to the online sites.
What would you do differently? She said she would “definitely allow more time. Although we were planning it for six months, it was only a month out from the event when we sent out the invitations. Some sites couldn’t swing it in that short a period. I’d also have a longer event, with more time for the panels so we could showcase even more shows and actors. And I’d eat more of the free food.”
I asked her what she would advise other companies considering blogger outreach. She said the most important thing is to establish relationships. She also suggests that you kick it off with something “big” to show the people – whether they are digital media or bloggers – how important they are to you.
She also commented that “companies and the networks have to come down from on high and get to know the consumers, the viewers. Bloggers offer honest opinions and often a true fan perspective is more valuable than the filters of an editor.” That was one of the things that most impressed her about the SciFi event; network execs Bonnie Hammer and Mark Stern attended many of the events, both formal and social, and listened to feedback from the attendees as both journalists and fans (editorial comment below).
“We wanted this to be a first, not a last. We plan to do this more than once per year. We all learned a lot and as we move forward, it will only get bigger and better.And next time we would invite Susan.” 
When I started writing this post in early August, I thought it would be interesting to get the perspective of an online writer who attended both the Vancouver shindig and ComicCon. Michael from SyFy Portal introduced me to Daniel Malen, the TV Addict. I asked Daniel if he sensed any change in the relationship with the network after the media tour, and particularly at ComicCon.
He said that unlike some of the folks who have been writing for a long time and who might have a different perspective, he’s only been doing the TV Addict site for a couple years, and SciFi has always been very helpful to him. Some networks won’t send him stuff because he lives in Canada, but he noted that Courtney recently had sent him the screener of Flash Gordon (Editorial comment: bit of a mixed blessing, that.)
He also said that she was really helpful before ComicCon, letting him know about the various events and press conferences. but he didn’t have much interaction with the network during the convention. Last year at ComicCon, he attended some press conferences but this year the convention was so crowded, he basically stayed glued to his seat in order to see both the Heroes and BSG panels.
Courtney says she loves working with sci-fi fans because they are so passionate about the genre. As I commented above, I wonder how that plays out when the news is not so good…..
As a fan, I’d hope that Bonnie Hammer and Mark Stern are listening to the fans now too, at least to the Battlestar Galactica fans, and will give us a good fourth season, rather than trying to milk 20 episodes into two seasons. Hell, if they’ve changed their minds and now want some sort of 5th season, I’m sure Moore and Eick can come up with a Plan.
Finally, speaking of Flash Gordon (SciFi), we watched it Friday and I was not impressed. Torchwood (BBC America), on the other hand, was terrific, and I highly recommend it. Be warned though: it does have some pretty adult themes. Doctor Who, Season 3? David Tennant is still no Chris Eccleston, but it seems a bit better… We shall see.
The $25,000 question: should I watch Heroes?
*******
Here are the questions I posed directly to Courtney, Michael and Daniel in an email before I published this post:
How do you navigate the waters when the digital media, who may also be fans, and the fans in general, don’t like what the network is doing? How does your relationship help? How do you balance everything? Especially if as fans, you aren’t crazy about the decision you may be reporting on as reporters.
Courtney’s reply:
“I’d say we have to keep in mind the medium we work in within this Digital space, and the very essence of what makes it successful. People want to read the true opinions of those they have come to know and trust. I don’t ever want to put my partners in a position where they feel like they can’t be honest about a certain decision or property. Instead, we like to try to honor that relationship by giving the partner site as much content and information as possible to use in the most positive way that they can, while being true to their feelings. Helping fans understand the reason behind your decision, and delivering a good product after that decision is also key. I’m lucky that working with the SCI FI Channel, most of the product that they put out is really great stuff - and their decisions are based on solid reasoning.
I think it also comes down to the relationship the fans have with the network. Do they trust that network’s vision? Do they trust that that network is really listening to them? If so, I think any
property will be given a little more slack to find it’s place. Things like the Digital Press Tour and Comicon invitations have helped us to show the fans that they are important and being heard - and that has really worked in everyone’s favor over the past few years. ”
Tags: Battlestar Galactica, SciFi Channel, blogger relations, SciFi digital press tour
Posted by Susan Getgood @
1:01 am |
Long may it wave
September 11, 2007 | Community
Posted by Susan Getgood @
1:00 am |
Kids, social networks and Scruffy
This is Scruffy.
Scruffy is polyester fiberfill crack. And before the people at Webkinz have a fit, let me assure you, I mean this in only the most positive of ways.
Scruffy was my son’s first Webkinz. Which I freely admit was purchased for him this summer because I am very interested in how kids interact with online social networks. How children interact with these networks gives us the roadmap for how we, as a society – not we, old geezers – will experience online in the future. For one thing, I don’t think advertising will be nearly the show stopper for the next generation as it often is for internet old-timers. (And how weird is that to write, let alone as a concept. Internet old-timers. Ouch.)
Yes, I made my kid a Webkinz user. Little did I know he would become, in very short order, a Webkinz addict. To the point that when we returned from our house in Vermont on Monday, I needed a duffle bag just for the Webkinz. He’s even spent his own allowance on them. OMG.
But why am I writing about Webkinz here on the Roadmap? Interesting as my child’s stuffed animal collection is (not), what does that have to do with marketing?
Here’s what. Hats off to the folks at Ganz, who reinvented a stuffed animal business into a hot Internet destination
Those of you with kids age 6-10 probably already know what Webkinz are. For those of you with younger, older or no children, Webkinz are stuffed animals, purchased at fine retailers everywhere, that come with a code that gives the owner access to the online site Webkinz World for one year from the date of adoption (registration) of the particular animal. Oh, and you get $2000 kinzcash with each adoption. Remember that; it will be important later.
Webkinz World is a virtual world for kids. They dress, feed and play with the online avatars of their stuffed pets. They purchase clothes, food and furniture with their kinzcash, earning more by playing online games and quizzes. There are also activities that kids can only do once per day, encouraging daily visits. Is it possible to earn a lot of cash with the games? Sure. But not surprisingly, the biggest infusion comes when you adopt another Webkinz. Which is why kids have so many of them. And that’s not even counting the trading cards and charms (required for access to the charm forest.) It’s an online world, but the financial model is solidly rooted in physical goods.
It’s like having a money machine in the basement. Without doubt, it willl be a Marketing 101 case study of an old line business that made a successful transition to a (quasi) online model. Certainly breathed new life into the stuffed animal segment. Aunt Mabel may not be online but she can certainly purchase a stuffed pet at the toy store.
Webkinz World is fun. The games are challenging but not impossible, and kids can safely play with other children online. I would give it a big thumbs up as a social network for kids except for two problems. First, the infrastructure just can’t support the volume of kids logging in. Which makes for a frustrating experience for the child. Especially when things go wrong, which is the other problem. For a community focused on kids, its customer support is distinctly unfriendly and works overtime to avoid an actual conversation, email or otherwise, with a user, relying instead on FAQs and automated emails. Not much use when you are trying to console a 7 year old about a lost "Torch Treasure." Not terribly consistent with Ms. Birdy, the friendly adoption counselor.
Apart from these issues though, watching my son on Webkinz World has confirmed some things for me about the digital native population –those that have no "pre-Internet" memory.
First, the commercial aspects won’t bother them in the least. Advertising. Sales Promotions. Contests. No problem. As long as they are being entertained or even educated. As long as the advertising fits with the experience. As long as they are sufficiently rewarded for their time.
Second, much as they may love one experience or world, it is a mistake for the world to assume total loyalty. If Webkinz World is unavailable too long, my son is more than happy to pop on over to Nicktropolis, which, while not as engaging, does a better job on availability. And has Spongebob.
I have no idea how long Webkinz will capture his attention. But for now, he’s having fun, and I enjoy watching him, and occasionally helping him with a game or two.
And btw, I play a mean game of "Lunch Letters."
Tags: webkinz, ganz, virtual worlds, social networks,webkinz world
Posted by Susan Getgood @
6:35 pm |
