DISQUS

One take? That's what's got me shaking my head. There are people out there doing podcasts that require dozens of takes and these women rocked the house in one clean shot.

Love it.

Wow, microfame. I think it's a great term for the situation around each social media fishbowl. I know the Brogans and the Pulvers and the Verdinos and the Jaffes and the Penns and the Walls and the Garfields. But what's the next tier...and does it matter?

I'll eagerly share that I've gotten lots of value from Tweeple with 10 followers and little from Tweeps who have 20,000.

What it comes down to is the conversation, the sharing and the value you garner from particular interactions.

Tonight I'm headed to MIT for a Tech Tuesday event. Looking at the roster of people attending I see NOBODY I follow or recognize from Twitter. Does that mean they don't have microfame? Doubtful.

I bet they're big in their own circles as one of the big names on the RSVP list is Microsoft.

But to take it further, does it matter if you're famous or microfamous? I think it speaks to influence and reach.

I enjoy being respected for my journalism acumen and my social media perspective. But is that fame or just recognition in a tiny swimming pool of like-minded pro's?

I'm actually not sure. But I am anxious to read the comments as they're sure to flow in. There are many people with more fame and more grey cells from whom I'd like to learn.

Great 'starter' post Chris.

Jeff

What about @jeffcutler ?

I was at the talk Thursday night and had a great time hearing from the predominantly marketing-focused crowd. As Nathan points out, all the messaging we provide to the world is in some way filtered. You're never going to talk the same way to every audience.

As a 20-year journalist who has some ad-copwriting experience and enough consumer exposure to know how to interpret campaigns, I think every person we meet gets a sales pitch about us based on how we connect, what we share, how invested we are in their return message and what steps we take to cement or discard the relationship.

As a human, I think your best results in every relationship - be it as a writer, a marketer, a salesperson or whatever - will come when you let your perceptions and experience guide your actions.

Not enough credit can be given to people who are genuine, intelligent and kind. That's the type of person I strive to be and it's the type of person I like to interact with. No condoms necessary.

Was tempted to joke about how you should go see this great blog. But the annoyance factor of this phishing thing is beyond the opportunity for a cheap chuckle. I can't imaging how you're going to pare down your 25,000.

BTW, I'm in Vegas right now. Took a Qik of my room. Just search for jeffcutler on qik - AMAZED at what I traded my lousy Disney timeshare week for.

DM me if you want to grab a bite. Interviews every day of the week (starting tomorrow AM), but will have some time around those to eat and poke around Vegas.

Will be at the show, will see you at IWSIV and probably at other events.

Where are you traveling that you never see any Macs?

I too want a netbook, am talking with MSI to see what theirs has to offer. Trouble is, I want one to boot into Linux.

GPS IS ironically everywhere.

Other stuff that's coming are video photo frames, more iPhone clones, connectivity between your PC and your entire home...not just your HDTV, and Wifi reaching more areas.

Tech moves, but not as fast we'd like to think.

See you next week.

The conundrum I'm caught in today is that my GF's family does presents in the Puritan or Lutheran or SLOW way. One at a time. Writing down who gave whom what. All attention on the present owner. So we've driven 325 miles to spend a full day opening about four presents per person.

At my parent's house it is bedlam. If you get anyone's attention during the opening, it's a benefit. If someone captures the glee on a face, it's a Christmas miracle. But we are all very good about thanking the right person and giving focus where it's important - on the post frenzy brunch.

Thanks for getting in touch. I'll give you a follow on Twitter. Feel free to check out any of my 16 blogs too. Just google me and you'll find them. The two main ones are the one linked to my name and Bowlofcheese.com.

Later,

Jeff

I think it's a bit complicated, but could also prove to be a valuable distinction. Mike Langford (@mikelangford) has created tweetworks to allow people to meet in groups to discuss stuff in more depth with people who want to focus on messages on a particular topic. I'm not sure this is exactly what Chris is looking for, but it's a start.

There are going to be bumps because everyone uses tools differently. Even the common hammer is held differently by many people - except maybe the pro carpenters. So until everyone on Twitter is a pro (and that ain't happening anytime soon) it will still lack some functionality.

This is so far over my head or in-depth that I'm having trouble getting my head around it at 9PM on a Wednesday. But I was pointed to this blog by a social media person I respect. Will try to keep up. Please keep up the good work.

*On Pownce closure: I think too many other clients are out there and it might have been a streamlining move by Kevin Rose and a tactical move by Vox.

<abbr>Jeff Cutlers last blog post..A reporter walks onto Facebook and comes away not understanding social media.</abbr>

They get you coming and going and it makes no sense. I've gotten around this by sending my texts via iChat or AIM. That way there's only one party paying the bill, the recipient. That's how it should be.

It's all about using the tools that fit your goals.

You're not going to see me swinging a 42-oz bat at the cages because I'm essentially a box with sticks. I don't have the pipes to move lumber that large.

Seth and Chris make it perfectly clear that being where you want to have impact, and being there fully, is the name of the game.

Frankly, I'm here to enjoy the energy and the info that flows off of the smarties. They're the fish I'm following. If I can share that smartness with the people following me, all the better.

UNFOLLOW.

Just kidding. But I track down the people who unfollow me - at least to see why or even if I was following them. In many cases these days - for people who have been on Twitter for almost two years - the base you've developed as a twitterer isn't going to vary that much.

I've found lately that most of the people leaving my tweet stream are ones I'm not following. They're the real estate marketer in California that followed 2000 people and has 14 following her. It's the SEO pro who has the same sort of ratio. Or more increasingly, it's the PR pro who isn't very professional about what she sends out as tweets. I mean, cut the crap with the constant pimping of stuff. Participate a little and when you do pimp something it will have more value.

And isn't that the reason we're spending time on Twitter anyway? If the conversation here starts to lose its value, I'll bring it somewhere else and have it. IM, blogs, forums, even cell phone.

Yes, the tools are myriad but the purpose remains the same. At least for me. To chat with some smart people. To share my life a little. To learn stuff. To have fun.

Seriously. Twitter. No, not that seriously.

Hmmm, is that a haiku?

Good blog post!

UNFOLLOW.

Just kidding. But I track down the people who unfollow me - at least to see why or even if I was following them. In many cases these days - for people who have been on Twitter for almost two years - the base you've developed as a twitterer isn't going to vary that much.

I've found lately that most of the people leaving my tweet stream are ones I'm not following. They're the real estate marketer in California that followed 2000 people and has 14 following her. It's the SEO pro who has the same sort of ratio. Or more increasingly, it's the PR pro who isn't very professional about what she sends out as tweets. I mean, cut the crap with the constant pimping of stuff. Participate a little and when you do pimp something it will have more value.

And isn't that the reason we're spending time on Twitter anyway? If the conversation here starts to lose its value, I'll bring it somewhere else and have it. IM, blogs, forums, even cell phone.

Yes, the tools are myriad but the purpose remains the same. At least for me. To chat with some smart people. To share my life a little. To learn stuff. To have fun.

Seriously. Twitter. No, not that seriously.

Hmmm, is that a haiku?

Good blog post!

Can you do a point for point comparison of this and the iPhone.

I know Verizon and ATT are different carrier networks, but I currently have an iPhone on a Pay-as-I-go plan with a prepaid SIM. I use it ONLY for email and Internet at a $20 a month unlimited.

I have a Verizon cell that I use on a 700 minute plan with two lines and 250 text and picture messages for $80 total.

Would it behoove me to add the Blackberry and drop the iPhone? Does the Blackberry have a SIM? Can I unlock it and use it on other networks?

Thanks!

The food and service seem worthwhile.

The model of mailing out product to bloggers and social media people could have some drawbacks...not the least of which is the question of partiality.

I know Chris and know he's straight as they come, so reviews here I trust. But who's to say others are as honest?

In the end, to steal the cellphone tag, it's the network.

Who you don't know might mislead you.

OK. Now that I'm awake and poised at a full-size keyboard instead of the tiny touchscreen on the iPhone, I think I can add a thought or two with fewer misspellings and more clarity.

First, there should be a study done on the correlation between blurts and the portal/tool/venue used to tweet. I find that if I'm on the iPhone I am more inclined to tweet in a carefree, I'm-out-in-the-world-doing-stuff mode. I share my location and my interactions freely. And it is mostly blurting about my progress going through what might seem mundane if it weren't chronicled on a tech gadget.

People probably don't care that I'm having Roobios tea at a coffee shop in Central Square, Cambridge...UNLESS they also drink Roobios, or have been to that coffee shop, or have memories of Cambridge.

In that way the blurting serves as a connection point for people. As mentioned above, many tweeple search for terms that attract them (Unltimate Frisbee, Scooters, Comcast, Root Beer for Breakfast, whatever. To make those searches successful, there must be some blurting detritus in the stream.

I am not advocating a Tourette Syndrome-esque rain of randomness on the twitterverse. I am fully in favor of some degree of overshare.

Twisting this back to the blurting with a motive. That's not the same. When people blurt with a motive, they're selling your something and the distinction is clear. That might have a place here if you subscribe to @dealco or @woot or even some of the PR pros who are almost heavy-handed about their pimping.

A further distinction was made above by Dan Thornton. He talks about how clear it is when a person versus a automated stream is 'participating'. Perhaps that's the defining piece for me.

I want the stream in my hand (NO PUN INTENDED) to be light, fun, informative and often pointing to richer content. The tweets that are dead-ends can meet some of these criteria some of the time, but where they miss is where they lean toward blurting.

There are going to continue to be entire communities that don't understand the 'rules' and some will annoy and be dropped, others will only err infrequently and still have more good to balance out their blurts.

Finally, the thought about perusing your last 20 tweets is genius. Until we each take a look at how others perceive us, even Qwitter won't be able to really tell us why someone left.

Thanks for the post!

That should say Dorm not Form wall.

Good post and good insight. One caveat I might toss out there is knowing one's audience and being clear and consistent in how you use the tool.

Examples include knowing that people with you at a conference might want updates-frequently-about sessions they aren't in. And that F2F events/gatherings among more than a handful of people can be organized efficiently via tweets.

I'm guilty of sharing my blog entries and podcasts here, but the people in my followers met me via social media. It's not blurting, it's alerting.

I try to mention this stuff once a day. The rest of the time I'm interacting or sharing situations, answers, events and feelings.

Ultimately, Twitter began as a broadcast tool that has morphed into a communicasting tool. It's still like shouting through the form wall to your neighbors. But now people understand that they've got to listen for the responses in order to keep the conversation alive.

Do gift cards from Visa and Amex count as 'gift cards' in the traditional sense?

I know that the banking debacle has created some unease in the ranks, but if I purchase a Visa Check Card from Bank of America, am I still on tenuous ground?

*BTW, I'm a gift-card fiend and am going out this week to use up my stash. I remember the Sharper Image fall from grace and luckily didn't have one of theirs.

Thanks!

So cool! Congrats and best of luck. Your new vehicle/ship seems like a fun and effective way to keep conversations going and start new ones.

Keep us updated.

Just started another blog that has a regular 'best of the web' post on it. I put you (CB) there, but your point about finding the great and unsung people will be taken to heart. I'll read and research a little deeper to find the real stars who aren't on the top and sides of the fishbowl.

Keep up the good work.

Maybe I need to include the www. Last test. Thanks for your patience.

Wondering why the CommentLuv plugin didn't work for my stuff.

*Not trying to stuff the ballot box, seriously.

This is actually the first I've heard about the book. BUT, the prospect of having a tome that would show me how to pull - and retain - people to and on my site is really tasty. So my hat's in the ring or my entry's in the hat or gimme a ring and tell me I've won or some such madness.

Thanks!

Holy crap. It's been such a long and winding journey. I'm going to save the tastiest tidbits for a post on my blog - likely on bowlofcheese dot com - but here's the elevator pitch...

What were your first steps into social media?
An instant messenger account back in O'DarkHundred

Who were your early people you admired and followed?
I didn't even know other people were online, but I did poke around on AOL's communities to see what was happening.

How did you get started?
MCI Mail as a vehicle to send copywriting projects to MacConnection and PC Connection - my first two clients as a freelance writer. I wrote about floppy drives and MicroMat solutions and even about 1200baud modems.

If you were going to give advice to someone starting out, what would you tell them?
There are a billion tools out there to get your message or personality or brand across. The first step should be defining your brand, message and intentions. THEN step into the pool slowly. Lurk a bit, don't be an idiot, watch some of the smarties and emulate them.

What will you do in the next few months with social media?
I'll be a featured columnist on two new online publications; I'll continue to blog on my multiple sites; I'll keep attending F2F events that give me true insight into the people behind the 'handles'; I'll continue my podcasts; and I'll keep refining my brand.

Oh, and this diatribe would be lacking without a full list of where you can find my stuff...it IS all about connecting, right?

http://www.bowlofcheese.com
http://www.jeffcutler.com
http://www.ideas2words.com
http://www.thingstoworryabout.com
http://www.189riders.com

jeffcutler on BostonNow
jeff cutler on Facebook and Myspace and Pownce
bowlofcheese on Twitter

Or just google me...I don't have a wikipedia page yet, but the results returned for 'jeff cutler' are mostly me.

THANKS!

Jeff