It’s show number 22, and we’re starting to show our age around here — we spent at least the first few minutes of this episode debating the ins and outs of daylight saving time. We never quite landed on whether we’re currently in daylight saving time or if we’ll be in daylight saving time in a few weeks, but we did agree that the object of the game always seems to be to save a little daylight.
visit IntoOutdoors.com
Our guest this week is Josh Bell, the founder of IntoOutdoors.com, a specialized social network for hunters and anglers. The site has only been live for about a month, and already it has 300 active members. Josh talked to us about the goals and plans for the site in the next year, what it’s been like trying (for four long years) to bring his idea to fruition and, to that end, his relationship with LaunchMemphis. (Particularly topical, of course, with 48 Hour Launch happening this weekend.)
Aside from our time with Josh, we also offer some highlights from the Core Conversations at this week’s March Social Expedition breakfast, which focused on social metrics and blogging.
In the social metrics conversation, the talk went across the board from how to start and install Google Analytics to measuring Twitter impact (check out oneforty.com) and tracking shortened URL clicks (through sites like bit.ly, 3.ly, tr.im and bud.url).
The blogging discussion centered more around the creation of unique and fresh content — Matthew said much of it was spurred on by a comment made by our speaker, the Memphis CVB’s Kerry Crawford Trisler, that it takes her two hours to do a typical blog post. The bloggers talked about the time constraints they face while still trying to keep things as updated and content-rich as possible. A possible solution offered up was the idea of guest blogging, which can also be an excellent tool in promoting your blog and your brand to a new audience of readers.
Many of the Expeditionaries who came hungry to this month’s meet-up might have left hungry, too — but it’s not for lack of breakfast. Any stomach would’ve been growling after Kerry Crawford Trisler (of the Memphis Convention and Visitors’ Bureau) took us on a walk through the I Love Memphis blog, a guided tour through the city’s happenings, hang-outs and seriously good eats.
Kerry walked us through all the facets of the I Love Memphis social presence, from the blog to Facebook to Twitter, as well as talking about her full process for each blog post. Every piece of content that goes up on I Love Memphis will also post to Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, UrbanSpoon, Mark’s Menus and FourSquare, not to mention photos hosted on Flickr and videos on YouTube.
In talking about how she measures successes and failures, Kerry first noted that she had no real job description or expectations when she set out on this project, other than to start a blog. Being able to learn through trial and error has been the greatest asset to maximizing the success of the campaign, she said. Now, managing a Facebook fan page that boasts more than 5,000 fans and a Twitter handle with more than 1,800 followers, Kerry says those numbers are the ones that matter the least. What she’s more concerned with is the number of actual interactions she has with the humans behind those social profiles, because that is more telling of true engagement.
She also shared with the group plans she has in the pipeline for FourSquare, including creating several FourSquare tours of Memphis (a foodie tour included, don’t you fear) and working with local businesses to try to create and implement unique FourSquare promotions, like deals or discounts for mayors and other tie-ins.
While Kerry said a lot of her work with FourSquare is focused on out-of-towners — they use the platform to explore the city most, she said — the spike in readership of the I Love Memphis blog on Thursday and Friday suggests locals are becoming a huge chunk of her dedicated audience, even if just to scout out what’s happening this weekend.
In looking at the Google analytics overview for the blog, Kerry noted a few stats she’s particularly proud of, like the average one minute and forty seconds being spent on the page by visitors. With an average that high, it’s safe to assume that most people who visit the site are taking the time to consume at least one post.
Following a little Q-and-A, the room separated as it typically does into two groups for our monthly Core Conversations. This month the topics were social metrics/measuring success and blogging, both of which were particularly topical given Kerry’s presentation. You can hear a brief rundown of those discussions on this week’s podcast, which you’ll find here later this week.
If you missed this breakfast, definitely mark your calendar to join us in April, and take a listen to last week’s Expedition podcast featuring Kerry Crawford Trisler.
It’s as busy as ever before at the Social Expedition news desk, particularly in the legal department. Some headlines we talk about:
Google executives convicted in association with YouTube bullying video
Google conviction affects Internet workers
Yelp sued over extortion
In the cracks in between those topics, Matthew and Ansley share examples of how customers who are converted are the most loyal, and Matthew busts out some serious opinions about obscenity and Apple’s decision to clear the App Store of explicit content.
All that and more happen in the main section of this week’s podcast.
Our guest this week was Kerry Crawford Trisler, better known to some, she reports to us, as “That Girl With the Blog.” You might more officially know her as the human being behind the @ILoveMemphis Twitter handle and related web and social presences, notably the I Love Memphis blog.
Elizabeth Cawein, Dave Barger, Kerry and Matthew Crawford Trisler
Crawford Trisler talked to us about her role at the Memphis Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, where she’s technically known as “social media specialist” — she lets us in on the myriad ways that title just can’t quite capture a typical day on the job.
We also talked to Kerry about her favorite tools and platforms, the evolution of the CVB’s social philosophy and how she measures their social footprint. Though Kerry’s techniques are a bit more analog, it’s a topic we’ll be diving into this week on The Core Conversation.
We’re hoping to pull in representatives from some different firms who have tools on the market for measuring social analytics to weigh in on the podcast. Either way, we want to hear from you, as always – how do you measure social interactions? Or is it like trying to nail Jell-O to a tree? You tell us, Friday at 11:30 a.m. CDT. Call in at 646-721-9429 or listen live here.
And of course, join us for next week’s Expedition breakfast. It’s already March? We know, it can’t be — but it is. So be there to hear more from Kerry, who’ll be joining us as our guest speaker. You can RSVP and learn more through MeetUp.
The Expedition podcast is almost of legal drinking age – this week marks episode no. 20. Hopefully you’ll forgive us for being stuck on Buzz again this week, as we talk about all the various ways Google has managed to disappoint us recently.
But it’s not all bad! We’re joined this week by a new member of our team, Ansley Fones, and our guest Jonathan Lyons, public relations and marketing coordinator for the Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis. Jonathan gave us the scoop on how the Peabody is using social technologies to create community among its guests and among Memphians, including crowd-sourcing ideas for the perennially popular Peabody rooftop parties. You can find the Peabody on Facebook and Twitter.
Dave Barger, Elizabeth Cawein, Jonathan Lyons, Matthew Crawford Trisler
Also in this episode you’ll hear our thoughts on some new random chat services, particularly ChatRoulette and Omegle. While Elizabeth is creeped out by the very idea, Matthew and Ansley throw in some ideas on how the random chat concept could be a great addition to the social scene with the right tweaks and filters. Of course, Matthew’s opinion may have been influenced by this potato chip bear, shown to him by someone from an Omegle chat.
Be sure to join us this Friday for the Core Conversation, happening at the usual time (11:30 CDT) and in the usual place (listen here or call in at 646-721-9429). We’ll be talking about everything new and next in social business, including the possible uses of Google Buzz, new social features in Outlook and other platforms like Chatter. Next week’s Expedition podcast will feature Kerry Crawford Trisler, better known as @ILoveMemphis on Twitter, who will also be joining us at our March Expedition breakfast. (RSVP here.)
If you were anywhere near the East Memphis Marriot on Friday, you probably felt it. The positivity was infectious and the enthusiasm radiated from the ballroom as the Memphis Institute for Leadership Education (MILE) program kicked off its Spirit of Memphis campaign with a good old-fashioned pep rally.
Students in the MILE program are juniors and seniors at the University of Memphis, but it’s the seniors who have spearheaded this effort, under the direction of Leadership Memphis alumnus Austin Baker. The idea, Baker said, is to turn the city’s “bashers” into ambassadors. To remind the citizens of Memphis that we have a rich, abundant and cultural place to call home. To inspire people to fall in love with the Bluff City all over again.
The main event of the campaign happens in April, as more than 90 Memphis-area businesses will be asked to host events citywide in celebration of three themes over the course of a weekend. On Thursday, April 8, the theme is favorite music; on Friday, April 9, it’s favorite food day; and on Saturday, April 10 it’s what you love about Memphis. The idea is to get your co-workers, family members and friends involved in your neighborhood or your office by hosting your own gatherings and events under the themes. Suggestions for ways to celebrate can be found at SpiritofMemphis.org.
Friday’s rally was the kick-off to the campaign, bringing out leaders from across the city to share what they love about living in Memphis. From events like Memphis in May or Live at the Garden to amenities like the zoo or intangibles like the community spirit, our philanthropic heart or our small-town feel, the list of reasons to love living here seemed endless.
Despite a slight change in schedule – the rally had to be postponed due to our blanket of ice and snow last week – the ballroom was full on Friday, of people and spirit for the movement of positivity growing throughout Memphis. One notable face was missing from the crowd, as Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton was unable to make an appearance at the rally. He did, however, send his thoughts in a letter that Austin Baker shared with the attendees. Wharton’s closing comment resonated: Let’s make the pep rally for Memphis a year-round event.
On this week’s podcast we do our best to answer the question that’s been on everyone’s mind. And no, it has nothing to do with old Facebook, its whereabouts or when it’s coming back. (Although we do touch on our gripes about the new layout, too.)
No, we spent just about all of this week’s podcast talking about Google Buzz. We couldn’t help ourselves, since Google has pretty much gotten all up in everybody’s Kool-Aid with this one. It’s location based, it’s social, it’s a status updater, it’s an auto-friend-finder, it probably folds your clothes and tells you your butt looks fat in those jeans.
Dave Barger, Elizabeth Cawein, Bob Hazlett, Matthew Crawford Trisler
We recorded our first segment prior to our interview with this week’s guest, digital marketer and blogger Bob Hazlett (@OneHalfAmazing). So you’ll get to hear us before and after Buzz — though Matthew had it on his iPhone yesterday morning, Dave and Elizabeth’s Droids weren’t hip to the new fad. But by the time Bob joined us we’d all gotten our coveted Buzz invitation screen, so we spent some time chatting about it with him, too.
We also talked to Bob about his recent entry into the iPhone app store with a dedicated app for his blog, OneHalfAmazing.com.
Don’t forget to join us for the Core Conversation, happening at the same time and same place as usual — 11:30 a.m. CDT here or by calling in at 646-721-9429 — when we’ll be talking about more social enterprise topics and also how social technologies have influenced dating and relationships.
Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make your passwords more secure, needed the answer for a random question or pondered the sentiments of the Twitterverse on one topic or another, this week’s podcast is for you.
In light of the recent Twitter phishing attack, we talk torrents as well as plug-ins and features of different browsers that will help you create and keep track of multiple safe passwords. Dave introduces us to Aardvark, a site that allows a user to enter areas of expertise (as well as physical location) to make themselves a resource to other users looking for answers to questions.
We also talked a lot of Memphis in this episode, including a trip over to TweetFeel, where we found that 52 percent of recent tweets about our beloved city were, in fact, positive. Hopefully that number will skyrocket tomorrow with the Spirit of Memphis kick-off pep rally; we’ll be there and blogging!
Our guest this week, Memphis’ most web-savvy Realtor Joe Spake, gave us some hope for the home-buying market but also shared with us his social experiences with the Center for Southern Folklore and his thoughts on the demise of Memphis landmark the Zippin’ Pippin.
We’ll be podcasting live tomorrow as usual for the Core Conversation, so be sure to join us at 11:30 a.m. CDT by calling in to 646-721-9429 or listening along here. The topic this week is social tools for the enterprise.
Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.
Whether we like it (or believe it) or not, February arrived this week and brought with it our second Expedition breakfast of 2010, featuring Dave Barger of LunaWeb speaking on social tools for the enterprise.
Dave made reference to one of the phrases that has been a staple of the Expedition for some time: “Social” is a philosophy and a shape-shifter– not just a marketing tool. When it comes to the enterprise, Dave said, “social business’ is the philosophy, and it’s not just about bringing your workplace online.
He talked first about determining the health of your business’s ecosphere. By mapping out all the important nodes of your business — from customer service to clients to providers to marketing — and looking at the connections between them, you can see the ideal version of your business ecosphere and identify current weak points to achieve that ideal.
No doubt several of the nodes in your ecosphere, no matter your business, will be internal. Creating transparency and enhancing communication within the enterprise are just as critical to the social business philosophy as those actions taken outwardly like a Facebook fan page or Twitter handle. Dave ran through a laundry list of platforms and methods businesses may use to achieve this, from wikis to discussion boards to presentation tools like SlideShare or traditional social networks.
Dave then introduced the Expeditionaries to a handful of sites specifically designed for enterprise social, talking most extensively about SocialCast, which was recently adopted by LunaWeb. You can find out more about SocialCast and others like Yammer and SocialText on this week’s Core Conversation podcast, where we’ll be continuing the conversation on social in the enterprise. You can call in at 11:30 a.m. CDT (646-721-9429) or listen live here.
More essential than the introduction to the tools, though, was the underlying philosophy and benefits of use: creating peripheral vision across the enterprise, sharing knowledge, allowing executives to offer praise and set the tone and pace of business and allowing employees to get help and access data easily are just a few examples.
If you missed out, you’ll definitely want to join us for the Core Conversation this Friday.
Update: With all the snow and ice blanketing our city last week, the kick-off pep rally event for Spirit of Memphis was rescheduled for this Friday, Feb. 5 at 1 p.m. at the Marriott Hotel at Perkins and American Way. Head here to RSVP!
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With such a rich, vivid cultural tradition both past and present, there are millions of reasons to love living in Memphis. It’s easy for any of us to forget that — we get bogged down in the day to day, in our little frustrations and don’t appreciate the treasures we have right here in our hometown. Sometimes, we all need reminding. And that’s what Spirit of Memphis aims to do.
This Friday they’re kicking off their efforts with a pep rally at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn (RSVP to the event by dropping them an e-mail). The idea of the campaign is to inspire Memphians to take ownership of the city and be proud ambassadors of everything Memphis has to offer. Friday’s pep rally is only the beginning — events will be happening all over the city in April during three themed days of celebration. Thursday, April 8 will be favorite Memphis music; Friday, April 9 will be favorite Memphis food; and Saturday, April 10 will be what you love about Memphis. On those days, Memphians will be encouraged to create their own brand of “pep rally,” whether it’s a potluck lunch at work, a Memphis music swap or simply organizing contributions to a local charity.
Between now and then, more details will be available about specific events. Spirit of Memphis will be hosting several throughout the city on the final day of the April celebration. You can keep up with the plans as they develop by following @SpiritofMemphis on Twitter or checking in regularly at SpiritOfMemphis.org. We’re going to be covering Friday’s rally, so check back here or on Facebook for photos of the festivities.
We’re not typically ones for the bandwagon, but when it comes to iPad jokes, we just couldn’t help ourselves. We touch on its utilities, dip our toe in the iPod Touch v. iPad debate and skim through some of its features, sure. But mostly? Like the classic Seinfeld line, we’re left wondering about the marketing geniuses who came up with that one.
Elizabeth, Beth Sanders, Matthew, and Dave
It’s not all jokes this week, though, as we talk about the inundation of the White House Facebook fan page in advance of last night’s State of the Union address and the Edelman Trust Barometer. Dave explains that the folks at Edelman release a study every year around the concept of consumer trust. Apparently Chinese consumers have more trust in American corporations than Americans do (ouch), and in 2010 a high-earning company does not necessarily earn automatic high marks. In the past, success has been fairly easily equated with trust; this year’s study reveals that our attitudes on that are changing.
And as corporations look to enhance trust in their brands, no doubt they’ll be looking to social media for solutions this year — a recent study shows that social is the top priority for marketers in 2010. It feels like a “duh!” moment for Elizabeth, but Dave notes that this shift is something to be wary of, as more megaphones are likely to appear and begin broadcasting messages on these channels.
And of course, if you haven’t heard about Google Xistence, it might just be the next best thing in virtual living.
This week our guest was Beth Sanders, a communications guru and self-proclaimed geek. As Dave points out, she’s the uber-early adopter, so we picked her brain about what she’s been into lately. What we got back was a laundry list of location-based services to check out: GoWalla, CauseWorld (which allows you to earn “karma points” that translate to real dollars for charity), Whrrl, Loopt and of course, FourSquare. We also opined a little bit about the possibilities awaiting us with the upcoming tablet announcement since we sat down with Beth prior to the unveiling of the iPad. (Giggle.)
We wrap things up with some very intellectual discussion on the virtues and pitfalls of cupcakes, but mostly about a cool local kid who’s selling them to raise money for Haiti. You can find him on Facebook. We also touch on our upcoming events, like next week’s breakfast (featuring our own Dave Barger speaking on social tools for the enterprise) plus this week’s Core Conversation, which goes down at 11:30 CDT on Friday as usual. We’ll be talking about what to do if you get hacked, and you can join us by calling 646-721-9429, or you can listen live here.
Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.
