Friday, April 30, 2010

What Value Does Facebook's "Like" Button Bring Us?

The other day, after reading an article on the Facebook "Like" button, I decided to add it to my blog. The amount of work required to execute the button was minimal. Within minutes, visitors were free to share blog posts with everyone.

Once in place, I started thinking about the real value of this button. Sure, it's cool and easy, but how does it bring value to me (and you)?

Thursday, April 29, 2010

NCCU Web Services Presents at Duke University's Speaker Series on Web Technology

On April 15, 2010, North Carolina Central University's (NCCU) Web Services spoke at Duke University's speaker series on web technology.

Hosted by Ben Riseling, the Web Operations Manager in the Office of News and Communication at Duke University, the popular speaker series has successfully run for over six-years with a focus on solving web issues on campus.

Derek Brinson, Michael Render, Darin Tyler, and I spoke to an audience ranging from 30 - 130 people about life in web development at NCCU. Those in attendance seemed interested in our business processes, project management methodology, development environment, and notable projects.

Following the presentation, both NCCU and Duke's web teams went out for lunch where we exchanged ideas and asked pressing questions. According to the feedback, the event went well with promises to keep the dialog going.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Facebook Changes "Become a Fan" to "Like"

According to my Facebook Fan Page, there some changes on the horizon. More specifically, Fan pages will become just "Pages" that people "Like."

In the white box (see image), the following message reads, "Starting today people will be able to connect with your Page by clicking "Like" rather than "Become a Fan." We hope this action will feel much more lightweight, and that it will increase the number of connections made across the site."

Personally, I never felt comfortable with the word "Fan," so this alteration should help ease the awkwardness of asking friends, family, coworkers, and classmates to join my public community.

What do you think about this change from "Fan" to "Like"?

If you like what you've read, take this opportunity to subscribe to my RSS Feed and Newsletter.  However, don't forget to connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Buzz, or Friendfeed.

Friday, April 16, 2010

The Secret to Unlocking the 4sq Day Badge on Foursquare

While perusing my Twitter stream this morning, I noticed the following words, "I just unlocked the '4sq Day 2010' badge on @foursquare!" Immediately, I tweeted the question, "How might I get a foursquare day badge?"

I waited patiently for a response, but got nothing. Sometimes, you just have to figure this stuff out yourself.

After a quick Google search, I learned that today, according to the 4sqDay website, is the first global social media holiday. Thanks to Nate Bonilla-Warford, Kenneth Glanton, Jessica Barnet, Laura Petrolino, and others, April 16th is now 4sq Day.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Twitter Rolls Out Promoted Tweets

Twitter and AdAge announce the release of a new advertising program called "Promoted Tweets."

According to the Twitter Blog, the first phase of the program will begin on Twitter's search page, where a single promoted tweet will sit at the top of search results. Later, assuming the program is well received among marketers and users, promoted tweets will eventually find a home on user feeds and third-party applications, like TweetDeck.

The first group of advertisers to use promoted tweets will include Starbucks, Bravo, Virgin America, Red Bull, Best Buy, and Sony Pictures. These companies bid on keywords on a cost-per-thousand basis and will pay for promoted tweets that rise above the resonance score of a typical marketing ad. The term "Resonance" refers to a performance model developed by Twitter to score activity with tweets. Specifically, there are nine elements that contribute to the resonance score, these include retweets, favorites, viewed, and clicked.

The entire roll out of sponsored tweets will take a year to complete. During that period, Twitter wants to receive feedback on the program and gauge its effectiveness and popularity.

Discussion
What do you think about Twitter's move into the advertisement game? How will this effect you as a user? Company?

If you like what you've read, take this opportunity to subscribe to my RSS Feed and Newsletter.  However, don't forget to connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Buzz, or Friendfeed.

Monday, April 12, 2010

First View of Twitter for Blackberry

By now, you may have heard that Twitter released its official Blackberry App on Friday. As an active Twitter user on the Blackberry, I use SMS to tweet because other Blackberry apps failed to deliver consistently.

Once a huge fan of UberTwitter, the tool simply slowed down to a crawl. If left running for too long, my phone locks up.

My hope for the official Blackberry Twitter app was that it would intelligently manage my limited resources more effectively. Instead of eating memory, it should remain light but functional. When I am ready to tweet, the application needs to be ready, too.

Having installed the Twitter app last Friday, my first impression was a pleasant one. The interface is an attractive blend of form and function.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

You're Not the Only One That Lacks Consistency

My 11 year-old son and I recently had a discussion about consistency. The conversation, which began as a pep talk, concluded with the importance of building good habits. Specifically, to get better at soccer, one needs to practice regularly. He nodded his head in agreement and promised to do better.

The very next day, Darius went outside and worked systematically on his soccer drills. In preparation, he created a chart with the drills listed down the page and his achievements running horizontally. I was very pleased to see that our conversation was well received.

On the second and third day, following his promising start, he returned to his old ways and did nothing. When I asked him why he hadn't continued practicing, he explained that his mother wanted to work with him. Since she didn't initiate the practice, he didn't do it.

Monday, April 5, 2010

How Do You Like Your Facebook Served?

Day 4 of Wayne Sutton's 30 Days of YouTube continues the discussion on native versus web applications. To put it plainly, Wayne compares the use of applications on handheld devices like the iPhone, iPad, or Blackberry.

If this already sounds too technical for you, let me ask you this one question. Using your handheld device, do you prefer to access Facebook through an application or via the web?

If you answered the question stating an application, then you are a supporter of the "native" application. This means you have to install the "app" on your device.

If you answered the question stating via the web, then you are a supporter of the "web" application. This means you do not have to install any "apps" on your device, because everything is accessible through the Internet browser.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Can Money Buy A Passionate and Supportive Community?

Loic Le Meur recently reported that an undisclosed company spent $500,000 for 300,000 fans on Facebook. This revelation led to a question about the measurement of success in social media.

Let me begin by saying, I too have purchased fans. Curious about the Facebook advertising phenomenon, I spent about $44.00 to run a test campaign. To date, the campaign has resulted in an additional 69 new followers. Looking at these numbers more closely, the cost per fan is about $0.64.

Since we are talking about real money here, Loic's highlight on the aforementioned brand really struck a cord with me. What does one do with 300,000 fans? What does one do with followers on Twitter? How does one benefit from spending half a million dollars if you cannot keep or grow this number?

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Mental Constipation: Blogging Doesn't Have To Be That Complicated

It has been nearly a week since my last article. Not sure why it has been so challenging lately, but getting a post out feels like pulling teeth. Have you ever experienced that?

This morning, while getting out of the shower, my mind once again ran through a series of blog topics and entertaining titles to match. This is nothing new. In fact, I find myself thinking about my blog multiple times a day. The problem, as I understand it, is not the lack of ideas but rather allowing myself the opportunity to let it all go.

Come to think of it, I have around 12 or so posts still sitting in draft mode awaiting the light of day. It got so bad at one point that I ended up erasing a couple dozen posts out of frustration.

Whatever the reason, I am too hard on myself. Nobody expects me to write like other well-known bloggers, so why should I?

Damond L. Nollan, M.B.A.

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