Archive for Resources

November 14, 2010
By Simren Deogun
1 Comment
in Digital, Resources, Social Media

RockMelt: A Social Browser Learning To Walk

This past week saw the infectious rise of RockMelt, a new social browser built on Google's open-source Chromium browser platform. It offers all the regular browser functionality of Google Chrome (and its competitors) except with the addition of side panes that instantly connect you to your desired social networks.

The primary caveat is that you are required to have an active Facebook account to even get your foot through the door. To begin using RockMelt, you must login with your Facebook credentials; pictured right are all the fanciful permissions RockMelt insists you 'allow' for its use. An immediate turn-off for me!

But, nevertheless, I conceded being the digital nerd that I am -- under different circumstances though, the result may have not been the same, after all, my Facebook account is very personal to me. Just something to think about, RockMelt.

The heavy reliance on Facebook integration clearly defines (what at least RockMelt perceives to be) the hub of social connectivity on the web today: It's Facebook or bust.

RockMelt is smart to offer quick and easy access to any social network of your choice, including Twitter and WordPress.

I was excited to try RockMelt, having searched extensively for that all-in-one social aggregator. I was always left disappointed, in some instances there weren't enough features or maybe too many or I didn't have enough control. And yet, when my Twitter stream lit up with innumerable mentions of RockMelt, a pang of hope resonated inside of me.

In these first few days of use, disappointment has seemed inevitable. Built on Chromium, RockMelt lacks a unique and consistent design for its UI, it feels more like pieces of a puzzle forced together as opposed to ones that naturally fit. The side panes offer extensive possibility, but with the whole left pane dedicated solely to Facebook, I was left feeling cramped.

There is something also unbelievably unintuitive about the whole thing that I just can't seem to get over. To post a new tweet or status or the like, I have to use the left pane where my Facebook profile lives, input the content and select the relevant network. However, updates to my Twitter stream (and other networks) are viewed on the right. Why isn't it all in one place? Why can't I view and update Twitter in the same pane? Yikes.

I can't help but think that much of the marketing and buzz propelling RockMelt into the media forefront is predominantly two-fold. One, that it is much of a novelty product with little competition (despite a lacklustre predecessor in Flock). And two, that it is mysterious. Just ask Sally Hogshead, and she'll tell you mystery falls under "mystique" -- one of her seven triggers of fascination.

And so the public is fascinated, but admittedly not impressed.

I contend that any individual social network does a much better job presenting to and handling its audience, from Facebook's standalone experience to Twitter's new two-column interface and its bevy of amazing third-party managers (including Hootsuite and Seesmic).

RockMelt is a step in the right direction for the digital landscape, especially when it comes to "social aggregation" and target marketing. But it doesn't feel right yet, call it intuition or foolishness but I imagine something is on the brink of exploding, and RockMelt just might be the stepping stone to achieve that.

March 7, 2010
By Simren Deogun
No comment
in Digital, Events, Resources

Sally Hogshead: Fascination at TAOM & The F Score

Fascination is an art form. This might be the key component that was left out of Sally Hogshead's presentation at The Art of Marketing on March 2nd. Embedding any or all of Sally's 7 triggers of fascination into your marketing and branding plan is part of the "art" of marketing.

"We didn't used to need to fascinate. But now everyone is stressed and overwhelmed so it's harder to connect," remarked Sally. There is a heavy-handed truth to her words because with our more complex, more social, more cluttered lives, creating fascination also means creating engagement (and that seems to be what we're all after these days, right?)

If you want to learn more about fascination and Sally's 7 triggers, check out her book, Fascinate. I will be shortly!

Heavily intrigued by Sally's presentation, I hopped on over to Sally's website to take part in her self-made personality test and see how I faired.

The results were as fascinating as the test itself (slight pun intended!). My primary trigger turned out to be Power, secondary was Prestige and my dormant was Alarm, have a look below:

According to Sally, Power means I'm the alpha dog. I lead the pack, take control, and influence others to follow.

Primary Trigger: POWER | You’re a natural leader, and comfortable with authority, making you well-suited to creating messages that inspire large groups. Next step? None your power trigger for greater respect, bigger audiences, and more loyal advocates.

Prestige, my secondary trigger, translates into ambitious, aspirational and goal-oriented.

Secondary Trigger: PRESTIGE | You’re motivated by the admiration of your peers, and most likely, your peers are motivated by you. People in your group watch what you’re saying and doing, measuring themselves in relation to you, seeking cues of their own standing within the group. Keep in mind: Prestigious people can evoke admiration, but also competition and envy.

Only 7.1% of test-takers possess my combination of Power and Prestige, which I think plays to my inner egotism. But, like with any personality test, the results from the F Score must be analyzed with caution. It is not gospel but it certainly is amusing to see whether or not the triggers chosen match who you are (and these results certainly have me made).

The F Score test is the perfect accompaniment to Sally's new book, Fascinate. It is a beautifully coiffed marketing tactic to pull me into her world while still keeping the focus on me: the prospective reader, the fan, the marketer, etc. I will read her book, understand her message, adore her more than I already do, and hopefully, along the way, learn to be a better marketer and a better me.

January 24, 2010
By Simren Deogun
No comment
in Digital, Resources

Gist: A New Online Connectivity Tool

In Gist's own words, it

helps you build stronger relationships by connecting the inbox to the web to provide business-critical information about the people and companies that matter most.

In my words, Gist consolidates your inbox with online connections and information.

Think: Gist = Inbox + Social Media (+ News).

The whole concept of Gist revolves around aggregating information and churning it through a process of organization and prioritization, as founder T.A. McCann describes in this intreview featured on The Rise to the Top. The result is meant to automate the process of siphoning through relevant contact information (and any relevant data available online related to those contacts) and provide the user with the ultimate knowledge for any given contact.

Here is my current dashboard on Gist:

On the left, a list of my contacts. In the center, a "live feed" filtering social media, RSS and other news updates. And to the right, more clutter that I have yet to add to.

The inherent problem with this dashboard is its glaring inability to focus my attention and effectively deliver information with clarity. I see a lot of content -- some of which, I am sure, is highly important -- but all of which is lost in an unintuitive design.

Here is a view of my "profile" page:

The above page gives you a look at the type of information you would be able to retrieve about one of your contacts. You see all my links, related search results found in Google, a What's New section gathering information from various feeds, and a plethora of many more goodies.

I can publicize a limited version of my profile for all to see but otherwise a personal connection is required. But the catch here is that most of the information in the profile was added by me barring the search results. So, the point is that the usefulness of this application is heavily dependent on what I already know about another person. Not as intuitive as I would like!

So, maybe you've heard of Xobni. No?

How about LinkedIn or Salesforce? I'm getting there now, right.

If still not, then I'm certain you know Outlook (Exchange) and Google.

Gist is aiming to bridge the gap between these services. A one-stop-shop connectivity and productivity tool to offer you the best of all available information.

The concept -- born out of Web 3.0 -- is intriguing but right now it definitely screams "beta". I can't definitively say yet if I can use this tool to my advantage but I will continue experimenting.

What I do see is that Gist seems to have the idea but not the execution. Now we wait. Wait for information consolidation, control and personalization -- i.e. the future.

January 19, 2010
By Simren Deogun
No comment
in Digital, Resources

Do You Have RSS?

What is RSS?
RSS = Really Simple Syndication.

What is Really Simple Syndication?
Consists of a web feed that allows regularly updated online content to be delivered to subscribers via any number of "readers" in a consistent format. Need more?

Why you should care?
Engaging online is the cornerstone to being successful online. Engagement means providing meaningful content and information on a regular basis to your target market. If you engage with this market then ideally you want them to follow every word you publish. Enter RSS.

With RSS, you ensure that you deliver your best content to your most important followers -- i.e. the ones that act as your best marketers on-the-ground. And they are the most important because they wouldn't bother subscribing to your feed(s) if they didn't deeply value what you had to offer.

The online platform is information overload. So, RSS really is simple -- offer valuable content with express delivery.

January 10, 2010
By Simren Deogun
2 Comments
in Book Review, Resources

Book Review: Tribes by Seth Godin

Let me begin by stating that I love Godin's blog, mainly for its bold, inspirational properties but also for its necessary doses of reality. It was his blog that drew me to Tribes -- what I like to think of as a harsh expose on what it takes to be a leader in a corporate world that emphasizes and rewards the status quo.

What's a Tribe?
If you don't know yet, it's possible you may want to consider moving out from under that rock.

But, as a simple equation:

Tribe = people + shared interest + way to communicate

The Message
Right on the cover: We need you to lead us. So, naturally I asked 'why?' 12 pages in, I finally receive my answer in the form of Godin's thesis -- to sum up, it's all about change.

I feel like the most important message this book has to offer is not the concept of tribes but actually the concept of leadership. Yes, I understand that the two are undeniably intertwined but, more importantly, the former is impossible without the latter.

Godin wants me, you and your grandmother to embody that change and ultimately prove that success is derived from leading a movement not from conforming to bureaucracy.

The Sub-Messages
There is so much going on in Tribes, I found it hard to narrow down the core sub-messages. But I think once you cut through some of the clutter, the following takeaways are invaluable:

- Destroy the status quo to win
- "Heretics are engaged, passionate, and more powerful and happier than everyone else."
- Leadership is not management its about being an agent of change
- Don't be a lurker, Be a Leaner

To make sense of this, you're going to have to start reading! What you do need to know is that all the messages above (and all the messages throughout the book) are centred on change. Without change, they are impossible.

The Criticism
As with much of Godin's writing, Tribes is an inspirational read. But if I were to use one word to describe the book, I'd choose "schizophrenic".

It's certainly a harsh criticism given that I've spent much of this post bolstering the text. But the presentation of Godin's concepts and inspirations is too highly dependent on idea-hopping. From one idea to the next and then back to the original; it makes Tribes a difficult read. As Godin totes, 'marketing is about storytelling', but even though I know I'm not picking up a novel, I found myself constantly wishing the text was a more cohesive story.

His method of offering information in bite-sized morsels leaves something to be desired as the book fails to gel as a singular text. His lacklustre transitions are balanced with purposeful ambiguity, so there is a diamond amongst all the rough.

The End
The content fights the format. And that struggle is a glaring punch to the face. But Godin has much to say, most of which is more than worth hearing, so I recommend Tribes to any and all marketers if only because it may transform you into a leader.

(What I'm Reading Now: The Ultimate Marketing Plan by Dan Kennedy)

December 13, 2009
By Simren Deogun
No comment
in Resources

New Resource: Compete.com

I just came across this new (and what seems like power-house) resource for web analytics: Compete. Enter in your website, or compare up to 3 sites, without having to create an account or login and view real-time analytics from over the last year.

They describe themselves as a "new breed" backed by high-level market research and behavioural data.

Now you can see how much traffic is being driven to your competitor's website and they can see how much is driven to yours. I'm struggling with the advantages of this, however. Of course, as a marketer, I want to know more, actually I want to know as much as possible, but how open do I want this information to be.

Understanding the intricacies of my customers and how they are interacting with my web presence is extremely valuable. Also, understanding that a resource like Compete brings everyone closer to a level playing field is slightly invigorating yet scary.

From my brief exposure to Compete, I can already see the impact they will have on not only site analytics but also search and SEO -- let the strategizing begin.

Have a look, plugin a few URLs and experience the power of this resource, and I will be sure to be back with more!

Archive for Resources

Sally Hogshead: Fascination at TAOM & The F Score

Do You Have RSS?

Book Review: Tribes by Seth Godin

New Resource: Compete.com

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