12
Mar
2010
1
Jan
2010
2010: The Year Social Media Grows Up
Blogs, the keystone of Social Media, are no different from traditional media when it comes to this time between years. In December, bloggers post retrospectives of the year (or, in the case of 2009, a decade) or predict today what will come tomorrow.
In this posting, I intend to do both. While I never intended to use this blog to wax nostalgic or gaze into a crystal ball and pass along my visions of the future, a tweet did make me stop, think, and write this post.
“I am not a personal brand. I am a person.”
There is a touch of irony in what seems to be a very passionate cry amongst a deluge of noise on Twitter when you consider:
- The Twitter in question is a professional marketer.
- The Twitter in question runs a marketing firm based around online branding through Social Media.
- The Twitter in question tweets under a handle that is the name of their marketing firm.
To coin the iconic, one-word observation from Star Trek: “Fascinating.”
My prediction for Social Media in 2010 is it will struggle against acne, cringe at the sound of its own changing voice, and start to notice the opposite sex. Yes, Social Media will grow up; and its deeply entrenched Snake Oil Sales Staff will be forced to re-evaluate their place in it.
What started as a whisper at the beginning of the year has now becoming quite the trend. Here’s a cross-section of observations my Google-search “Social Media Snake Oil Salesmen” revealed: Read the rest of this entry »
10
Dec
2009
18
Nov
2009
PREVIEW: Books & Braun (Recorded LIVE at World Fantasy 2009)
Recorded before a live audience at World Fantasy Convention and produced at Imagine That! Studios, award-winning podcaster and award-nominated author Philippa Ballantine and I unveiled (with the blessings of our literary agent) a work-in-progress now working its way through submissions: Books & Braun, a Steampunk take on The Avengers. This is the first time that we have revealed to the public any selections from the work, and our plan is to eventually podcast it in this fashion: Pip and I supplying the character’s respective point-of-view, production elements, a musical score, and artwork featured by Carrie Seidman. We hope you enjoy this listen at what we have cooking in the creative kitchen.
ATTENTION BLOGGERS & PODCASTERS: We are releasing this reading under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Both Pip and I encourage you to syndicate this episode and point your subscribers to this endeavor of ours. We also would love to hear your feedback on this preview both here and at Pip’s website. Thank you for giving us a bit of space on your mp3 player of choice, and we will keep you posted on what happens with our daring duo from the clandestine organization that is The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences.
PREVIEW: Books & Braun (Recorded LIVE at World Fantasy 2009) [30:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
28
Aug
2009
The Golden Unicorn: Do Social Media Jobs Really Exist?
Is there such a thing as a full time job in Social Media? Of course, there are many job listings out there calling for it, and for those of you who are also following me on TeeMorris.com, you know that an influence on my posts and podcasts here growing further and further off can be attributed to my new position at Intersections in Chantilly, Virginia. I intend to address this lifestyle change in a later post; but for now, I’d like to take a moment to look closer at this elusive brass ring: the full time Social Media gig.
Many listings tend to make Social Media part of another position. Public Relations Manager. Communications Manager. Marketing Manager. This insinuates that Social Media, while important, could not really be that time consuming. Such insinuation you also get from employers looking for experienced Social Media producers, offering their available positions as internships.
The internships don’t bother me as much as the businesses looking for Social Media Gurus, Oracles, and (no kidding) Buckaroos.
7
Aug
2009
14
May
2009
9
Feb
2009
Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfast: A Review
Jeff Pulver & Tee Morris at the Social Media Breakfast
Washington, D.C.
I have been called a “master of self-promotion” and sometimes been accused of being a “shameless promoter” but I look at what I do as just meeting people and having a good time doing so. Networking is something that, believe it or not, makes me nervous. When I am invited to networking opportunities, I always cringe. (Yes, it’s that same cringe when I’m called a “podcasting pioneer” which I am…but I cringe, nonetheless.) I do not necessarily want to be perceived as someone who has something to sell all the time, nor do I want to be pitched on things that I have no interest in whatsoever. Still, I love connecting with people and I love chatting with folks who are as passionate about subjects I’m passionate about. So when I RSVP-ed on Facebook to Jeff Pulver that I was going to attend his Social Media Breakfast at USTelecom in Washington D.C., I was as nervous as I was excited. Once again, I was connecting with Social Media enthusiasts as I did at Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Jungle in Las Vegas; but I was also heading into what I knew was going to be a networking event.
Now if you are not familiar with Jeff Pulver, you should check out his website where his schedule of appearances, his commentary on Social Media, and his photography are all featured. When it comes to Social Media, he is one of the pioneers and continues to spread the word about it through talks and sponsored events like the Social Media Breakfasts. If you are not familiar with Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfasts, I recommend you check out his orientation on Facebook where he explains to you exactly what they are all about. The breakfast starts with a few words from the sponsor (in this case, USTelecom who took great care of us!) and Jeff himself, where he introduces his Social Media Toolkit:
- A ball point pen
- Two blank name tags
- A sheet of smaller labels.
On one label, you write your name and a personal tagline, something that sums you up quickly and memorably. (I was particularly pleased with August Jackson’s tagline: I can haz Social Media.) The other label remains blank, but not for long as the breakfast attendees “tag” you with the smaller labels, creating a “real time-real world” tag cloud. The exercise is not only revealing in how you are perceived by others but a brilliant demonstration in how tag clouds work online.
It is also a wonderful icebreaker.
The Breakfast’s atmosphere, particularly with those who are playing along with the tagging, is extremely disarming. I never felt, at any point, with guards up or anxiety that I was coming across as overly aggressive. (Alright, maybe my networking tactics with Shireen Mitchell as captured in my Flickr account could be argued as “aggressive” but that is open to interpretation…) Those attending the breakfast had no agenda outside of connecting and communicating with others embracing Social Media; and while you might think that would be a given considering this was a Social Media Breakfast, I have attended other “social” events that were actually networking opportunities. Those best forgotten events made me want to shower under high-pressure nozzles afterward. Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfast was a great mixer, and never was the social aspect of it missing. I not only made connections, but I had a great time.
If Jeff is bringing this to a town near you, attend. Whether you are an active participant in Social Media, someone interested in implementing Social Media, or simply wanting to connect with others working with Social Media, this is unlike any networking opportunity you might attend. For that morning, I joined others unified under banners of blogging, podcasting, Twitter, and Facebook, making the Breakfast less networking and more of a homecoming. I felt very welcomed and met some really incredible people. Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfast also reminded me exactly why I enjoy Social Media so very much.
Jeff will be returning to Washington D.C. in April with his Social Media Jungle. After this terrific event on a very cold February morning, I look forward to warmer weather and even more promising opportunities coming in April.
6
Jan
2009
In Your Right Mind: Episode #1
As you read this posting or listen to this podcast, I will be on a plane heading west. Las Vegas, baby! I’ll be attending the Social Media Jungle, hosted by Jeff Pulver at the CES 2009 Expo. If you didn’t know about this event, you can still join us. If you are planning to be there, I would love to meet you! Don’t be shy.
And if you use the phrase…
“You’re Tee Morris? I’m all a Twitter.”
…on meeting me in Vegas, I’ll have a “special” moo card for you. I only have a few, so make sure you remember the special greeting.
Since I am heading out to Sin City to brave the Social Media Jungle, I thought building social communities would be a good topic for this episode. We take a look at the real costs of a Social Media initiative to your business. It’s not money. It’s not even resources of your workplace, or even your computer.
The cost is time.
Feel free to provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, or here at Imagine That!
INTERVIEW: All a Twitter (and Social Media) on Breakthrough Business
Meet Michele Price. She queried me before I tweeted!
Michele is the host of Breakthrough Business, and on her BlogTalkRadio show we talk about Twitter, about my job at Intersections Inc (which you will find out more later on this blog), and about approaches that go against the grain of the marketing books. We talk about how “old school marketing” just doesn’t work with Social Media, and how businesses need to understand that Twitter (and Social Media, on a whole) is about people.
We had a blast on this interview, and there are more slated for the month. Keep an eye on my RSS feed for more!
Tags: All a Twitter, audio, Blog Talk Radio, business, Chris Brogan, creative thinking, creativity, Intersections, marketing, Michele Price, networking, Podcast, Social Media, Social Networking, strategy, technology, Tee Morris, Twitter, writing
Posted in Commentary, News & Appearances, Social Media | 2 Comments »