Nick Cifuentes

Inauguration & Facebook Connect.

As today marked the first day of what many people hope is a shift in direction for the United States, CNN also embraced the day with live video coverage tied into the Facebook Connect platform.

Inauguration Day, the day Sen. Barack Obama became the first African-American President of the United States.  The day the 44^th President of the United States expressed that although we are in a midst of crisis, and the challenges we face are real, they will be met. More importantly, President Obama expressed this thought through not only television and radio, but also through streaming online video on thousands of websites across the Internet. One of those websites who met this challenge and decided to integrate the most widely used social network with this online video component, was CNN.

On CNN.com, video was integrated with the Facebook Connect platform to create a streaming conversation piece that utilized the Facebook message status capabilities along with live streaming video. This combination turned into a very successful technique that allowed users to connect with their friends during the Inauguration, and chat directly with them through the status update & comment capabilities.

This is a great example of allowing social media to connect with important, live events in today’s society. This is the kind of connection that we need to enhance in today’s web 2.0 world. Tired we are of the naysayers who express that social media is for those who have too much time or use it too frivolously. This allowed people to interact on a personal level with each other while watching a highly publicized event. Going one step further, it allowed users from across the world to access the event and make their points through conversation.

With just this example, a simple CNN.com live webcast - we see the powerful message not only in the direct message itself, but through the community we interact with daily. Your friends, friends of friends, everyone involved in the Facebook community, were able to see each other’s comments and create interaction on the platform - using a large, public event and tying it to Facebook.

Quick numbers just in courtesy of the CNN.com broadcast, during the speech, there were over 1 million people who updated their status messages, more than 85,000 updates just a minute before President Obama began to speak to the crowd. Numbers alone…wow! To say that is impressive is an understatement. The crew at Facebook said that this was the largest number of user status updates ever, in such a short period of time.

Web 2.0 - Time for “Change”.

It was not only a powerful speech, but a powerful move in a web 2.0 world. We all know that social media has had a very strong impact on this past year’s election, and something we should recognize is the fact that social media is being embraced by the current administration. Barack Obama utilizes Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr and many more social networks to help connect with the users on a personal level, and realizes how important these social community networks have become in relation to his message.

Not only will President Obama’s message be relayed through these channels, but it will also help build grass-roots support for his agenda.

In a major move just done this morning, the official WhiteHouse.gov website was switched over from the old interface to the brand new ‘Obama’ look about an hour before his Inauguration. The new website looks very familiar when compared to his campaign websites. The most important aspect to recognize here, beyond the design, is the interactive features he offers on the platform. Tremendous calls-to-action that create a significant gateway to features such as his blog, videos, slideshows and much more!

Conclusion.

In the end, we have to examine the priority when confronting not only politics, but social media as well - to stand alone or stand together? When I see the new administration and analyze how they have reached where they are now - they did this with efforts that can be contributed greatly to social media and its external reach.  And when we look at a president who can connect with us in these channels and not just speak to us, BUT WITH US - no matter what party affiliation you are - you have to respect that!

God Speed.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… C: wait… SD: wait…

When approaching the subject of social bookmarks, (aka website chicklets), think about your strategy. I know it might seem easy enough to just place a ’share this’ or ‘add this’ widget to your website, but you need to consider the ‘little’ things about these valuable marketing assets.

I am not going to dive into the definition of what these devices are (as you should be aware) - you have seen these on hundreds of thousands of websites. These social bookmarks, also referred to as website chicklets, offer the ability to share content easily through social content network websites, such as Facebook, Digg, Delicious, Google, Windows Live, Yahoo Buzz, Stumbleupon, Twitter, Fark, Magnolia and many others.

These sites might seem silly at first, but if you are a fellow blogger or social media enthusiasts; you know how valuable this social media strategy is for you. These websites allow access to an audience of hundreds of millions of people who converse inside these channels daily. I don’t know if I need to go into numbers, but why not…let’s do it.

During the time frame of December 2007 through December 2008, the following are the number of unique visitors to each respective social community network website: (Remember these are unique visitors to the website - NOT overall traffic for the year)

• Google Bookmarks: 140 million people
• Yahoo! Buzz: 134 million people
• Windows Live: 88 million people
• Facebook: 60 million people
• Digg: 33.5 million people
• Twitter: 4.4 million people
• Stumbleupon: 4.2 million people
• Delicious: 1.8 million people
• Fark: 451,000 people
• Mag.nolia.com: 90,000 people
  (**numbers courtesy of Quantcast)

I think you see my point - these networks are growing on an exponential level. To think of the daily traffic numbers these websites receive every single day - it could make you shiver. Google Bookmarks alone probably sees close to 100 million visitors a day, if not more. And the numbers given above are just unique visitors to the website. Do you know how many more hundreds of millions of people come back daily to take part in what these websites offer?

These social networking channels are key components in driving not only traffic, but linkage to your website. Placing your website into these networks allows you to drive thousands of unique visitors based upon submission of your content through the social bookmark channels.

Sites.

Blogs, News sites, content networks, article banks, products of any kind online, almost anything with original content tied to it is attached to a social bookmarking tool. Some of the best and worst examples come with news websites.

The New York Times are one of those examples of great placement and overall use of website chicklet attachment. Placing this option on EVERY story on the website, as the NYT does - allows them to gain great traction on linkage and enhance their overall presence on the social network community websites.

An example of a misguided attempt at using website chicklets would be on Boston.com. I look at their placement and say OK, that is fine - but their call-outs are poorly designed, as this example blends in too much with the story overall. It is best to create a completely separate call-out-box, such as the NY Post and Philly.com does in their examples. Otherwise, look at the New York Times (above) and see how they separate it off strategically to the right side of the story - not in line with the copy. This is wonderful placement!

You need to think, when a reader is about to take hold of a story, they look at the picture and title initially, and then start reading down, looking for their CONTENT first, not a social bookmark chicklet they can pass to their friends. They have not even read the first couple paragraphs of the story yet. You have to allow the reader to get comfortable with the material before having them pass the story along to their chosen social network or email it to a friend option. In the Boston.com example, you don’t see any particular call-outs; you only see a ’share this’ application that does little for a user who is unfamiliar with the chicklet. In the NYT example, you see separate icons (calls-to-action) for Linked In, Facebook, Digg, and then you see a button to press for more options - much more effective!  Do you see my point?

Conclusion.

Whether you are a website that offers products or content of ANY kind - consider using these social bookmarks to help grow your traffic. These websites offer the ability for people to easily ’share’ your content, as well as create a number of outbound links for your website. You might have a blog, or other types of content, a viral product, videos, pictures, etc…whatever it might be - you can attach these chicklets to your overall marketing strategy and allow users to push your content into these social community content websites.

Try it - and just see what happens!

Fin.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… C: wait… SD: wait…

Thirsty?

In an economy that seems to be walking the plank at times, we can’t forget one recreation that will most likely NEVER be in trouble - alcohol (…aka drinking).

One website has grown to become a staple in the midst of chaos (little dramatic - I know), myopenbar.com, a Web site that lists where free drinks can be had across New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Honolulu, and Miami.

The site has been around since 2005, but is now attracting more listings, promotions, and readers then ever, despite a slumping economy, dying advertisement dollars and dwindling liquor sales at bars. The site’s founders, Seva Granik and Jason Fried, said that more bars and restaurants are eager to get their events listed, and drive customers through the doors. And the call for free drinks is always at a high cry - who doesn’t want to know where those will be!?

The website, myopenbar.com has more than 30,000 subscribers in the NY area, and many of those users are in the 20’s to 30’s demographic - the exact demographic liquor companies are chasing! The website grew from one city, to an additional five, which includes Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, and Honolulu; they have attracted about 19,000 subscribers. Myopenbar.com has 30 employees, and capitalize on revenue through advertising (Scion and American Apparel are among them) and the consulting fees they collect for holding, marketing, and promoting events. Those events are noted on the website; otherwise, bars and liquor companies do not have to pay to be listed.

The website has been growing rapidly, and their mailing lists is only getting bigger. They also use Twitter to help drive traffic and push some of their listings as well.

In thinking of way to build a business - these guys are all about capitalizing where many others are falling short. Liquor sales are considered recession-proof, though a recent study by the Nielsen Company is suggesting that while sales at liquor stores have increased, people are going out to nightclubs and bars far less frequently. That is where a site like this can slide into that exact issue and help push attention toward the places to catch ‘free’ drinks! I can’t tell you how many times we avoid going out so we don’t rack up $300 bar tabs - (I am not cheap in any sense - but I tend to be smart with my money — sometimes :-))

The point is, these guys are on the brink to start making noise, and not just in NYC. Myopenbar.com needs to start experimenting with marketing on the social networks - be more aggressive with their Twitter account, build out a Facebook and MySpace page, consider some of the second level social networks as well - the demographic they chase live in these social networks on a daily basis. They should consider doing some ‘viral’ contests to help push influence onto the community users and draw up interest in that manner - utilizing YouTube, and then tie direct blogging & outreach into that - and start generating interest in that field as well.

I see so much opportunity here, it’s hard to not get excited about some of the things they could be doing. I look forward to seeing where these guys end up - hopefully Boston soon!

Fin.

Wake Up.

This post has nothing to do with social media, online marketing or any kind of branding of the sort. This has to do with life, and I think sits well for an end of the year reflection and 2009 outlook we should all consider.

I think we all have taken this approach - a place where we ‘play it safe’. We think standing by our guards and doing the everyday over and over and over again is going to bring us our just rewards. It might…but in the longterm - is that going to make you happy? I know we need to understand the difference between what is the right thing to do, and what is the smart thing to do - that’s normal. But, think if you were to walk on the other side of the line for a moment - where chances are taken and risks are made - would that work for you?

Is making sure your 2009 budget is where it needs to be going to make you ultimately happy - or are you going to regret not allowing yourself to take those few chances, and speak up - and help push things further beyond a stable budget - all because you were afraid to say yes.

I am not trying to be Tony Robbins here, nor am I suggesting you sacrifice precious revenue on chance. But I am suggesting you think about your life and choices for a moment. How often have you regretted not doing something because you were afraid? Speaking up at a meeting or to your boss - jumping in on a business opportunity that might help your overall goal - even though you were unsure.

My point is not to ramble, but I think denying ourselves a chance at taking part in the conversation - even though we might be a bit timid at first, or might feel out of our element, it’s crucial to realize what you are missing out on, and more importantly, what you are withholding from yourself. There is chance for growth around every corner - even in a chaotic world as today’s is. Your business, your life, your every second is worth something - don’t scold those assets you have by not enjoying and saying ‘I want to do that’ instead of being too afraid. You have no idea the amount of opportunity you could be missing out on by not attending a function or going to a lunch, or just saying I will do it, even if you aren’t sure or maybe thinking this isn’t for you.

Stop Being Afraid.

I know I probably sound like I am rambling a bit - but I am just personally disgusted with those who don’t want to take control of their lives, instead of their lives controlling them. Spontaneity I believe is one of our greatest fears - the ability to take a chance every now and then, without having to ‘think’ so much about it. To go out your ’safety’ zone and experience life, instead of always trying to be the ‘comfortable’ self we seem to be OK with on a regular basis. Go out of bounds every once and awhile, speak at the panel you always been too nervous about, take those lessons you’ve always laughed at or been to nervous to try, open up that new location you are not sure is going to work, climb a mountain, fly a plane, get a tattoo, etc, etc…you see my point - loud and clear!

Stop running away from life, and take hold of what you are, and what you really want to be. Stand up and speak, and stop holding back - you are only hurting yourself. Whether this relates to your work environment, personal life, relationships, friends, family or whatever you believe this could be applied to, stop holding back. Be the person you’ve always wanted to be, stand up and speak your mind, take a chance and go for it!

I am so tired of the people who just do what they do without enthusiasm, or any kind of desire to be better. You are too comfortable - if that makes sense. You are too tied to the everyday and comfortable with that. Stop treading your feet and take chances, open up and take part in life - you will be amazed by what you could discover and what might come of that.

Everything you do is calculated, from the moment you get up to the time you go to sleep. I can’t understand how people can be so comfortable with that.

I say this too often to people I know, and now I want to say this to you: you have one shot in this life, one time to make the most of what you do everyday worth it. Stop holding back and quit being afraid to take chances. I promise, you won’t regret it!

fin.