Danny Brown - Latest Comments in You Don’t Say…

Re: You Don’t Say…

Danny — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:07:14 -0000

Hey there Jason,

More than welcome fella - love to see examples of businesses like yours as opposed to the big guys that we constantly hear about. You're the ones that make the difference daily, and always happy to share that kind of news.

Cheers!

Re: You Don’t Say…

jason brown — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:45:48 -0000

Thanks for the kind words and link (Brown Lures) Danny! I couldn't agree more, and in our market we actually add a 4th group--those that haven't even stuck their toes in, and need some encouragement.

One of my daily dilemmas is how to push the envelope with social media/new tools and other advancements with an industry that largely hasn't embraced the internet yet...I'm sure each market is different, but in our case we see the consumers adopting "what's new" like facebook, twitter and youtube WAY faster than the companies trying to supply them.

Cool site btw, we should chat sometime.

Re: You Don’t Say…

Danny Brown — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:10:03 -0000

Ha, that&#39s a lot of fish quotes there! :)

Good point. Yes, we only learn from our mistakes (and boy have I made a few along the way, and no doubt will make many more!), some "what not to do" recommendations will be appearing soon.

Re: You Don’t Say…

Danny Brown — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:10:03 -0000

Ha, that's a lot of fish quotes there! :)

Good point. Yes, we only learn from our mistakes (and boy have I made a few along the way, and no doubt will make many more!), some "what not to do" recommendations will be appearing soon.

Re: You Don’t Say…

kjraz — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:09:29 -0000

Thanks so much for this post. I&#39m one of the newbies you&#39re discussing and feel like a "fish out of water" while swimming in an "ocean of information" and trying to connect the dots while "staying afloat." Our literary agency is now on Twitter and we&#39re growing our network. I&#39ve got 49 followers and am following 84, so have barely got my own feet wet. We&#39re developing our social networking strategy and will launch our blog soon, so I think we&#39re headed in the right direction.

Something that concern me: As the point person (publicist who happens to enjoy research & development) in this endeavor of guiding our company into the 21st century regarding social media, I don&#39t want to make any mistakes. I realize mistakes are inevitable and do choose to learn from them, but I don&#39t want to hurt my company by making a huge faux pas along the way.

I see alot of information regarding "What to do." How about information about "What Not to Do" or "Pitfalls to Avoid Along the Way"?

Thanks.

Re: You Don’t Say…

tessacarroll — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:49:30 -0000

Social media is changing business and in order to stay relevant, it&#39s important that all businesses get in on the game. Whether you&#39re an early adopter or a toe dipper, get your information out there. Stop parroting what needs to happen and actually do something. Like it or not, times are changing and social media is leading the way.

Tessa Carroll
VBP OutSourcing
www.blogs.vbpoutsourcing.com

Re: You Don’t Say…

Guest — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:09:29 -0000

Thanks so much for this post. I'm one of the newbies you're discussing and feel like a "fish out of water" while swimming in an "ocean of information" and trying to connect the dots while "staying afloat." Our literary agency is now on Twitter and we're growing our network. I've got 49 followers and am following 84, so have barely got my own feet wet. We're developing our social networking strategy and will launch our blog soon, so I think we're headed in the right direction.

Something that concern me: As the point person (publicist who happens to enjoy research & development) in this endeavor of guiding our company into the 21st century regarding social media, I don't want to make any mistakes. I realize mistakes are inevitable and do choose to learn from them, but I don't want to hurt my company by making a huge faux pas along the way.

I see alot of information regarding "What to do." How about information about "What Not to Do" or "Pitfalls to Avoid Along the Way"?

Thanks.

Re: You Don’t Say…

tessacarroll — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:49:30 -0000

Social media is changing business and in order to stay relevant, it's important that all businesses get in on the game. Whether you're an early adopter or a toe dipper, get your information out there. Stop parroting what needs to happen and actually do something. Like it or not, times are changing and social media is leading the way.

Tessa Carroll
VBP OutSourcing
www.blogs.vbpoutsourcing.com

Re: You Don’t Say…

Sue_Anne — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:25:52 -0000

I have another comment. Your post has inspired me to say a lot Danny. Here&#39s one of the tricky things to address. One of the reasons why social media "experts" have time to blog / speak at conferences / write books is because that&#39s what they do. It&#39s difficult for me to find the time to attend a conference with all the work on my desk. Finding time to put together a presentation, thoughts and then actually go present would take away from the work that I do and that just doesn&#39t add up for me right now.

This applies to blogging as well. Finding the time and mental energy / focus to blog about the work I do while still doing all the work is hard. And, I&#39m single with very few demands on my time outside of work. People with families and other obligations are just stretched too thin.

Re: You Don’t Say…

Sue_Anne — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:14:25 -0000

I can&#39t remember the blog that talked about it or the link, but there was a story awhile back about an actual blogging collective where they were strategically working together to raise the profile of each other&#39s blogs. They were geographically diverse, and they actually took it to the next level of having physical conferences with the entire group. We talked about it on a hashtag chat one night about whether or not it was ethical.

Re: You Don’t Say…

Sue_Anne — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:10:31 -0000

When I went to the Google Grantee conference a few months ago, I was being picked on because in regards to employees I represented the largest organization at the conference. (EMQ FamiliesFirst currently has around 1,400 employees serving 6,000 children and 18,000 children and their family members in California.) What I kept having to point out is that our communications department only has 3 employees, who are responsible for all aspects of communications / marketing / PR (branding, collateral, and the huge online marketing piece - both our web site(s) and social media). For an agency trying to raise awareness in a state as large as California, that&#39s very tricky.

I do think it&#39s all about being smart and finding what works for your organization and what doesn&#39t.

Re: You Don’t Say…

Danny Brown — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:54:12 -0000

Great points all round, Sue-Anne.

I agree, and I mentioned this a little while back (and many shot me down for it, ha!), but it is becoming the same names, the same topics, the same conferences. TV stations lost viewers because of repeats - the same will happen here if it doesn&#39t move forward. The onus is on the organizers to not go for the "names" just to sell tickets but, like you say, get the thinkers instead. The two aren&#39t mutually exclusive.

With regards the charities that are doing everything without "reward", the main metrics I would look for would be how many people did we touch, and is there a long-term gain there? So donations may be down, but is awareness up? Have more people signed up for the newsletter, or an upcoming special event? What may not be clear today can be crystal clear after 3-6 months. Often charity can be seasonal (as far as giving periods from folks), as well as geographical. If it&#39s an international charity, find ways that it could effect local people too.

It&#39s not easy, and sadly charities are the ones that need visibility the most and are getting the least. This is why things need to be shaken up.

Thanks for some great views!

Re: You Don’t Say…

Sue_Anne — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:28:09 -0000

I was talking with @thebrandbuilder about a similar issue in regards to success stories and that&#39s who is being invited to speak at conferences. I&#39m worried that even next spring&#39s conferences (SXSW & NTEN NTC10 specifically) are going to be having the same people say the same things about the same success stories / case studies. We do need to introduce new voices into the mix, and we also need to talk about failures as well as successes.

While there are non-profits (and other companies, but I work for a non-profit) succeeding on Facebook. There are many, many others who are really struggling to gain any traction. While there are great success stories about non-profits who have succeeded in leveraging a crisis to their social media advantage, what about the non-profits who don&#39t have that crisis and are just slogging their way through? What are good measurements for success there?

Re: You Don’t Say…

Sue_Anne — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:21:40 -0000

I think a social media staff of two is pretty common. A social media staff of two as a percentage of all the employees @Ford compared to others does make it pretty lean.

Re: You Don’t Say…

daninordin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:01:54 -0000

I think what we&#39re starting to see is a nation rethinking their ideas of success - and realizing that sometimes, making enough money to keep you in a comfortable lifestyle is Enough, and that big houses, vacation homes, cars, etc. aren&#39t really the point of life.

At least I hope that&#39s the case, and I&#39m not just wearing my Hippie Shades again ;-)

Re: You Don’t Say…

Sue Anne Reed — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:25:52 -0000

I have another comment. Your post has inspired me to say a lot Danny. Here's one of the tricky things to address. One of the reasons why social media "experts" have time to blog / speak at conferences / write books is because that's what they do. It's difficult for me to find the time to attend a conference with all the work on my desk. Finding time to put together a presentation, thoughts and then actually go present would take away from the work that I do and that just doesn't add up for me right now.

This applies to blogging as well. Finding the time and mental energy / focus to blog about the work I do while still doing all the work is hard. And, I'm single with very few demands on my time outside of work. People with families and other obligations are just stretched too thin.

Re: You Don’t Say…

Sue Anne Reed — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:14:25 -0000

I can't remember the blog that talked about it or the link, but there was a story awhile back about an actual blogging collective where they were strategically working together to raise the profile of each other's blogs. They were geographically diverse, and they actually took it to the next level of having physical conferences with the entire group. We talked about it on a hashtag chat one night about whether or not it was ethical.

Re: You Don’t Say…

Sue Anne Reed — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:10:31 -0000

I do think it's all about being smart and finding what works for your organization and what doesn't.

Re: You Don’t Say…

Danny Brown — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:54:12 -0000

Great points all round, Sue-Anne.

I agree, and I mentioned this a little while back (and many shot me down for it, ha!), but it is becoming the same names, the same topics, the same conferences. TV stations lost viewers because of repeats - the same will happen here if it doesn't move forward. The onus is on the organizers to not go for the "names" just to sell tickets but, like you say, get the thinkers instead. The two aren't mutually exclusive.

With regards the charities that are doing everything without "reward", the main metrics I would look for would be how many people did we touch, and is there a long-term gain there? So donations may be down, but is awareness up? Have more people signed up for the newsletter, or an upcoming special event? What may not be clear today can be crystal clear after 3-6 months. Often charity can be seasonal (as far as giving periods from folks), as well as geographical. If it's an international charity, find ways that it could effect local people too.

It's not easy, and sadly charities are the ones that need visibility the most and are getting the least. This is why things need to be shaken up.

Thanks for some great views!

Re: You Don’t Say…

Sue Anne Reed — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:28:09 -0000

I was talking with @thebrandbuilder about a similar issue in regards to success stories and that's who is being invited to speak at conferences. I'm worried that even next spring's conferences (SXSW & NTEN NTC10 specifically) are going to be having the same people say the same things about the same success stories / case studies. We do need to introduce new voices into the mix, and we also need to talk about failures as well as successes.

While there are non-profits (and other companies, but I work for a non-profit) succeeding on Facebook. There are many, many others who are really struggling to gain any traction. While there are great success stories about non-profits who have succeeded in leveraging a crisis to their social media advantage, what about the non-profits who don't have that crisis and are just slogging their way through? What are good measurements for success there?

Re: You Don’t Say…

Sue Anne Reed — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:21:40 -0000

I think a social media staff of two is pretty common. A social media staff of two as a percentage of all the employees @Ford compared to others does make it pretty lean.

Re: You Don’t Say…

Danny Brown — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:08:58 -0000

That&#39s a good point you make there. There does (did?) seem to be a culture of "big is better" in a lot of America, and not just from a business viewpoint. Look at the rise in popularity of SUV&#39s, for example. Does this stem from the years when the US dollar led the way globally? Perhaps - and if so, then the recent and ongoing financial situation may just make many re-adjust views on what&#39s better.

Which can only be good news for the little guys :)

Re: You Don’t Say…

daninordin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:01:54 -0000

I think what we're starting to see is a nation rethinking their ideas of success - and realizing that sometimes, making enough money to keep you in a comfortable lifestyle is Enough, and that big houses, vacation homes, cars, etc. aren't really the point of life.

At least I hope that's the case, and I'm not just wearing my Hippie Shades again ;-)

Re: You Don’t Say…

Jackie Adkins — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:59:37 -0000

"Quit using the “you can’t measure social media ROI” soundbite."

Amen, man! I can&#39t help but argue that this is coming from people who are too lazy or don&#39t want to take the time to figure out how to measure ROI. Buckle down and figure out how your specific company or client can measure it and apply it.

Mmkay, I&#39m done :)

Re: You Don’t Say…

gacconsultants — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:21:10 -0000

It&#39s good to see that your blog focuses on progress and not getting stuck in the mud with the crowd. There&#39s a lot of people talking, but very few that are blazing the trail and leading the evolution of how the world communicates.