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Re: Google and Microsoft Battle for Twitter Advertising Deal

TimOtis — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:45:29 -0000

If I were Twitter, I'd go for what Involver is cashing in on-- a user's rate of activity.

Re: Twegg Drop Contest Closed. Winner Announced Today

TimOtis — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:40:30 -0000

Hey Paul!
We announced the winner via Twitter yesterday. I just put up a blog post about it. We're planning already for next year, so please stay in touch.

Tim

Re: Susan Boyle’s Transparency and Why We’re All Eating It Up

TimOtis — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:30:27 -0000

Chris,
Her Shrek-like exterior certainly complements her viral success story. I think there may also be a deceptive shock built into it, meaning, because people assumed she was going to be horrible, her voice came across as what many are calling "angelic." If she was cute, would the same audience response be warranted? Eh- probably not. Good thoughts, man!

Re: Should Interns Tweet for You?

TimOtis — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:17:54 -0000

Yes, and that's also a real possibility for smaller businesses, but big-name corporates that delegate tweeting to lower-levels is mundane at best and the consequence for illegitimate, mis-directed tweets: unimaginable.

Check this out, Kevin: http://www.prweekus.com/How...

I appreciate your comments as always!

Re: The social media point of differentiation: A must read for anyone Twittered out on followers or so over Facebook friend additions.

TimOtis — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:41:09 -0000

thanks, Ben! I haven't heard of that book so I will definitely put that on my list of must-reads. I love those who push boundaries.

Also, please let me know if you'd like to guest blog sometime.

Re: Is Twitter Responsible for Typo-Filled Resumes and Poor Job Interviewing?

TimOtis — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:18:52 -0000

Andrea,
Let me clarify that I don't think people are using these short-hand written methods to prove a point about their skill level in social media either. I just find it funny that many aren't as interested in strong writing skills (grammar and punctuation) as they are in letting us know how much they love social media and use it on a daily basis.

If job candidates think we'll overlook their writing skills and jump all over their social media expertise--- wrong. If they can do both--- awesome!

Re: Is Twitter Responsible for Typo-Filled Resumes and Poor Job Interviewing?

TimOtis — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:32:00 -0000

WELL SAID, Ben.

Re: Time Magazine Explains Twitter

TimOtis — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:10:51 -0000

Jeff K, if you're on LinkedIn, you might appreciate this Conan thread: http://www.linkedin.com/gro...

Tim

Re: Time Magazine Explains Twitter

TimOtis — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:21:25 -0000

Twitter continues to generate publicity because of its name, not functionality entirely. Major media (besides tech pubs and reporters specific to the beat) don't understand the API piece; rather, it's all about the play on words, how many people are now saying tweeted (or 'twatted' like Stephen Colbert). It makes for good news. Then again, Twitter also continues to break news before reporters can, and we can thank citizen journalism for that.

Personally, I really like FriendFeed. It's a pretty awesome tool, and both Robert Scoble and former Twitter user Steven Connolly would agree with its glowing interface and 'rooms' capability, it's a force to be reckoned with. The name just doesn't send anyone.

Re: Wired Editor Chris Anderson Apologizes for Plagiarism, (Some) PR People Try To Hide Delight - mediabistro.com: PRNewser

TimOtis — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:14:51 -0000

Immediacy in admitting mistakes is not only crucial to upholding Anderson's crediblity, it is an imperative action when dealing with reporters and not telling the full story-- especially in online mediums. In a way, Anderson saved his own self from being blacklisted. FACT: Nothing is sacred. Everything is accessible.

Re: I’m a Social Media Rat-- Get Me Out of Here!

TimOtis — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:23:33 -0000

Kevin,
Thanks for your continuing contributions and ideas to our Daily Axioms blogging community. Yes, I have to say that the early adopter-celebrity persuasion is what undermines Twitter, though @aplusk (Ashton Kutcher) does a nice job with it.

I do think that we are all barking up the same tree in the same way. My visual analogies are nothing more than to demonstrate that what will make us different regarding making social media salable or worth a retainer, is in how we package it. Time to think differently instead of attending the same old social media counseling sessions.

Re: Guys! Want to meet a girl? Go into PR.

TimOtis — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:22:48 -0000

Nice post, Kate. As a male in PR, I started with B2B agency and noticed lots of women there, then went into more consumer tech start-up PR and noticed a mix of both male and female. It wasn't until I jumped into more entrepreneurial agencies that I found more men than women working-- on the front of generating biz leads, creating additional product offerings, etc.

Also, it seems that at a certain point, women leave their PR roles to pursue being a mom which leads to the overabundance of men in senior positions. BUT this is drastically changing, as I'm starting to see women in executive roles more and more.

Cool.

Re: STUDY: Most Fortune 100 Companies Don’t Get Twitter

TimOtis — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:30:21 -0000

Nice work here. Let's put brands, though, into two categories: must-haves and opportunistic. Those must-have brands on Twitter could tweet about something trivial and people would still take notice simply because they're so popular and people's perceptions of that brand are already strong sans Twitter. The opportunistic brands are the ones who really need to work hard at building favorable perception, two-way interaction-- and have identified Twitter as a channel to do this because they do have the resources and a set goal in mind, i.e. increased sales, customer service.

My personal, favorite brand success stories on Twitter come from those brands who have used Twitter to jump-start and/or complement their traditional promotional efforts, such as @zappos, @southwestair. I could have cared less about these companies before, but their legitimate personalities (on-brand/off-brand talk) on Twitter made myself and so many others start to take notice.

Also, why such a short test window?

Re: Depressed Woman Loses Health Benefits for Happy Pics on Facebook

TimOtis — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:51:24 -0000

Right on with that idea!

Re: Your Copy Sucks: Ode to the Op-Ed

TimOtis — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:47:59 -0000

T.J.,
Love the sarcasm in this post. I feel sorry for your priest. He got caught up in his nerves and probably consulted a thesaurus as he crafted each sentence. You're exactly right; do what fits. I've fallen victim to using big words I fail to find context for-- and in so doing-- confuse the heck out of everyone post-process. Thanks for the reminder of short, sweet, and to the point.

@timotis

Re: How We Follow

TimOtis — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 09:34:59 -0000

Very nice discussion topic, T.J.
I have to say though, that as I've been learning Twitter and how people engage, everyone makes Twitter way too complex, and the fact that you're telling people how you follow sounds a bit pompous, don't you think? I have seen plenty of my followers post tweets that are complete rubbish, but just because they're rubbish to me doesn't mean they're not of value to someone else (i.e. Star Wars). Twitter is for the most part subjective.

Sometimes people can have a whole slew of back-and-forth conversation tweets (what I would consider noise on my feed), but then follow that up with a bunch of good tweets afterward. I hardly 'unfollow' people because I hope at one point they redeem themselves (now I'm being pompous) with good share of info-- and there are seldom cases where that doesn't happen. I definitely agree with Keith about people being too promotional, and spam accounts are a no-brainer, but I don't think anyone has the right to say how they follow someone.

Twitter is meant to be fun and engaging. It seems stipulations came into play when PR/marketing/comm pros decided, 'huh, maybe there is a way to use this contraption for some of our clients.'

Thanks again for the post. I enjoy reading your stuff!

Re: HARO Gets Serious About Crowd Sourced Journalism

TimOtis — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:17:30 -0000

I've used HARO and one of my quotes submitted to the request of reporter with a within-an-hour deadline ended up being used in a front page business story! I never thought that was possible. The urgency factor that Peter Shankman has created with HARO is outstanding; plus, he follows those urgent requests up by tweeting them out too. I love that.

One thing, though, that I've always thought is that HARO and other paid services like ProfNet truly take the fun out of pitching. It's no longer about how well you can deliver the message via phone or e-mail. Now it's about what client fits the bill. I've stopped using it, but will definitely look into the new HARO. But honestly, why are we filtering search to find reporters to pitch to? Sure it makes our jobs easier, but I like a challenge.

Re: Can you be a rock star in Social Media and still have a life?

TimOtis — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:39:21 -0000

Kate,
Thanks for this bit of wisdom and reality. You're dead on when you say the more you tweet, the more followers you get. It's just that simple.

But yes, that means spending all day on Twitter. And let's make one thing clear for those who think Twitter doesn't travel: you can be on your phone tweeting so that doesn't mean you're glued to the computer screen, rather a much smaller screen.

Like alcohol, use social media in moderation. Those that find social media as a way to feel worth or fulfilled during the day is what some would call disturbing-- and moreover, an addiction.

I have rules when I leave the office:
- Enjoy the company of my fiancee
- If there's a valuable chat session on Twitter, jump in for 1/2 hour to an hour
- Check facebook for 1-2 hours, which includes sharing some content that my friends would love to know about
-Finally, silence the mobile fun at night so I don't hear sounding notifications of twitter, facebook, gmail, work mail, etc.

Re: Super Bowl Ads 2010 [VIDEOS]

TimOtis — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:18:59 -0000

You're missing "Tim the Doritos Ninja"

Re: Say Hello: Beyond Social Media Cliques

TimOtis — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:35:59 -0000

Though I'm a social media/PR guy, I am not an avid event-goer (tweet-ups, SMBs, you name it), rather I know my limits and pick and choose instead of being convinced by the masses or social media bandwagon. I think the invite you have put out to talk over Skype is quite appealing. Hopefully, we'll talk soon.

By the way, how's pitchwithme coming along?

Tim

Re: Say Hello: Beyond Social Media Cliques

TimOtis — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:37:15 -0000

Arik,
I am starting to think we tread the same blog reading path. That's okay by me!

Re: 13 Observations From South by Southwest (SXSW)

TimOtis — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:10:21 -0000

This is a great post. I'm glad to hear that Brogan is the real deal. SXSW sounds like it was a blast for you and that the event is really about embracing the randomness around you. Sticky Bits sounds like a great business too. I'll have to check it out.

Regarding Twitter, sometimes I think the founders don't even know what they're doing-- hence the very disorganized and uninformative session.

I always enjoy reading your blog when I get a moment. BTW, how's the growth for Gowalla?

Re: 7 Reasons Not to Put All Your Eggs in the Twitter Basket

TimOtis — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:01:54 -0000

Hi Jay,
Twitter is way behind. It seems its users are evolving in terms of social dynamics faster than Twitter's own API. That's the difference here: Facebook has been, for the most part, proactive-- introducing its users to changes that initially do not resonate but soon find purpose and make the user's overall experience much more meaningful. (I wish I could say the same for Google). Twitter is solely reacting-- not only to users but all the other platforms out there. Sure, Facebook has been going back and forth with Twitter, but it makes sense (judging by Twitter's numbers) for Facebook to just dominate entirely. (BTW, what ever happened with the FriendFeed acquisition?)

Twitter has become so "cliquish". The only people who seem to take up the feed now are those tweeps making conversations-- almost like a Twitter party without branding it as such. I rarely see organic share happening anymore on my feed; it's just a bunch of people tweeting, "Hey, I'm so there tonight. See you at 6 p.m. #bucas" or whatever alternative way tweeps execute geotagging. It makes complete sense, as these geographical platforms such as foursquare and Gowalla are conversational triggers and therefore enter the social dynamic we now see taking place so often on Twitter.

Like you're suggesting, Twitter is a nice supplement or an add-on, but not an end-all. After all, the space is SO small.

Re: Build Your Brand a Social Content Ladder in 5 Steps

TimOtis — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 09:26:57 -0000

Jay,
Thanks for these nuggets of wisdom-- or should I say system! I love how you organized this, as I think social media is all about building a leveraging strategy of what I like to refer to as a 3-pronged approach, which I think is essentially what you're saying: making all these content channels interrelated.

And great example about the eyeglasses. Yep, let's get the bigger picture people!

@timotis

Re: 7 Surprising Statistics About Twitter in America

TimOtis — Mon, 03 May 2010 09:11:58 -0000

Point #5 is fascinating. The majority of the time I see Ebonics in the trending topics -- especially during later afternoon. It would be very cool to do an in-depth, perhaps ethnographic study on this Twitter-style.