Twitter, Put On Your Big Boy Underwear

Apparently, a previous agreement boosting Twitter results with real-time search has left a bad taste in Twitter's mouth after they failed to renew the agreement. And they are letting everyone know just how unhappy they are by pissing and moaning about Google's recent search result changes.

The latest comes from Alex Macgillivray, General Counsel for Twitter, whose wildly misguided example uses search results for "@WWE." The example was used to show that Google places it's own products, in this case Google+, before search results for other websites including Twitter. Twitter openly criticized Google on Tuesday stating, "As we’ve seen time and time again, news breaks first on Twitter...We’re concerned that as a result of Google’s changes, finding this information will be much harder for everyone."

Some great questions have come out of this recent attack on Google and it's new 'Search plus Your World.' The most common is, 'Shouldn’t people find what they are searching for at the top of their results?' The answer is simply no. The issue here is not what they are searching for but how they are searching for it.

First and foremost, Google may be a search engine providing relevant information on the terms a user is searching for, but they are a business. It doesn't get any more complicated than that. How can Twitter expect Google to place Twitter results before the results of it's own products unless they are willing to cough up the bucks for premium placement. Second, Google has made wonderful changes over the years which help to guide people to the results they are looking for, however, human error and ignorance tend to be the main reason some people never find relevant results.

To break this down simply, and explain why his example is misguided, searching for @WWE would mean that the user knows the Twitter handle for the WWE. So, what exactly are they searching for on Google? Are they searching for newsworthy content from the WWE or what people are saying about them? If that's the case, then the issue is not Google. Twitter is not pushing it's own search function located on its website which would provide that very information. In most cases, or at least in my personal experience, people turn to Google when they don't know the Twitter handle of a specific user. Searching for @EllenDegeneres would lead you to a suspended account. However, searching for "Ellen Degeneres Twitter" would put Twitter in the number one spot, followed by fan profiles and Ellen's website - all above anything from Google+.

It's not what is being searched, it's how people are searching for it. We all have different ways for searching for information relevant to our needs, so is that something Google should anticipate or should the responsibility lay on Twitter? The issue is that Twitter is not happy with their SEO and rather than finding and fixing issues within their own company they find it easier to point the finger at someone else. It's ok, this is standard management protocol and human nature.

Instead of releasing statements attacking Google's business practices, Twitter should turn their sights on their own mismanagement. Over the past few years the infamous fail whale has become a meme mocked in ever corner of the Internet. Twitter may consider boasting its own search features and even enhance user friendliness. And, if they are truly interested in landing in the first spot of search results they should pony up the dough.

Is Google really to blame or should Twitter be pushing their own search functions to locate user profiles? After all, if you know the @ name for a user, you aren't searching for them on Google.

- Michael "Grosh" Grosheim, www.mgrosheim.com

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How The World Used Google in 2011

It was a year filed with some wild news. From the death of Osama Bin Laden to the death of Steve Jobs, the rise of Google+ to the fall of Borders. Death and destruction, natural disaster, the companies we know and love - everything around us is changing faster than the speed of light. But, does it come as a shock that we, as a people, are more interested in disastrous Youtube videos about days of the week (Friday) than the death of a legend, an icon who shaped and designed the tech world as we know it.

Even with the millions upon millions of PC fanboys and girls, it's astonishing to me that the death of Steve Jobs, named The Most Fascinating Person of the Year (2011) by Barbara Walters - incidentally, the only time a non-living person has appeared on her list of fascinating people of the year - just barely made the Top 10 list of most searched terms on Google in 2001. Apparently, through the views of culture around the globe, royal weddings, celebrity divorces and affairs and teenage Pop singers are among the most searched "newsworthy" terms across Google, Yahoo and Bing over 'biblical' Australian floods, Japanese nuclear meltdowns and devastating tornadoes across the US. So, really mattered in 2011?

According to Zeitgeist 2011, Google's annual summary of most frequent search queries, the Top 10 fastest-rising search terms this year were:

No. 1 : Rebecca Black, a 14 year old pop singer who reached instant "fame" when her song Friday became an instant viral flop. The song, produced by ARK Music Factory for a small $4,000 fee paid for by Black's parents, quickly gained media attention and racked up views on Youtube for it's entertainment value; quickly achieving the title of 'Worst Song Ever.' If you haven't listened to this gem, you are seriously missing out on something special.

No. 2 : Google+, has been dubbed a game changer in the social media world, a world previously dominated by Facebook and Twitter after the fall of Tom's baby, MySpace (one of the fastest-falling terms searched on Google this year). Google hasn't had much luck entering social networking with previous attempts like Buzz, Friend Connect and orkut, but Plus' quick rise to over 40 million users in 4 months proves that it's circles and hangouts may be the key to rivaling Facebook. Although, Plus has a long way to go if it plans to topple Facebook and its 800 million users.

No. 3 : Ryan Dunn was someone I had to search myself. The reality TV star and daredevil popularized by the TV series Jackass, died tragically in a car crash on June 20, 2011, shortly after posting a picture of himself drinking with friends on Twitter. Within the week after his death, search volume for "Ryan Dunn" grew over 10,000%.

No. 4 : Casey Anothony will forever be known as the mother who got away with murder. A media field day surrounded the 6-week trial of Anthony, tried for the murder of her 2-year old daughter, Caylee; who wasn't reported missing until 31 days after her supposed disappearance. On July 5, 2011, Anthony was found not guilty of first degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and aggravated manslaughter sparking public outrage.

No. 5 : Battlefield 3, Electronic Arts' first-person shooter video game, peaked in popularity in October when the highly anticipated game was released, sending PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 lovers into a tizzy.  Within the first week of its launch, over 5 million copies sold and received critical acclaim from game reviewers. (Personal Note : Beating out Steve Jobs on this Top 10 List. Yeah, I don't get it either.)

No. 6 : The iPhone 5 was a rumored product from Apple anticipated by consumers and analysts. After much speculation from tech experts, the building excitement was somewhat squashed when Apple instead release the iPhone 4S in October. In true media fashion, however, never let a good rumor die. Even though the experts were wrong in this case, earlier this month the experts were at it again with iPhone 5 rumors, this time for a 2012 appearance.

No. 7 : Adele, a 22-year-old singer/songwriter, achieved record-breaking success this year with the release of her second album, 21, in the UK, selling over 208,000 copies within the first week and making it the biggest-selling January release in five years. Her first single, "Rolling in the Deep," reached number 1 in 8 countries with the album reaching number 1 in 18 countries. Unfortunately, a vocal cord hemorrhage requiring surgery cut her immediate rise to fame short; although industry pros expect her to return to her vibrant career.

No. 8 : 東京 電力 (TEPCO)'s Fukushima nuclear power plant was seriously damaged during the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami forcing the plant shut down. The 9.0 earthquake sparked the meltdown which released significant amounts of radioactive material into the air, ground and water, and has been marked as the largest nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. Current estimates state the entire decommission of the facility with take 40 years.

No. 9 : Steve Jobs, tech-visionary, inventor and co-founder of Apple and Pixar, described as being aggressive and demanding perfection, inspired millions around the world with his charismatic personality. His creativity and passion lead to revolutionary changes to personal computers through Mac computers, iPods, iPhones, and iPads. Jobs died on October 5, 2011, after an 8 year battle with pancreatic cancer. His health seriously declined after a 2009 liver transplant, eventually triggering his thrid medical leave from the company, forcing him to resign as CEO of Apple where he earned only $1 per year.

No. 10 : The iPad2 debuted in March but not before a generous spike in search traffic and chatter across the Internet in the two weeks leading up to its release. As with all anticipated Apple products, the 2nd gen tablet soared to 500,000 units sold on the first weekend it was publicly available, selling out within the first week.

Apparently, from Google's list of most searched queries this year, teenage singers made infamous by horrible lyrics and a bad tune took the cake this year. Even though Steve Jobs was lower on the list that some of might have expected, Apple should get a prize for taking 3 of the Top 10 spots.

- Michael "Grosh" Grosheim - www.mgrosheim.com

More on: Zeitgeist 2011 : A Year in Review [Video]

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The Companies That Were in 2011

Even the existence of a big business can come to a sudden end. The economy certainly lend its hand in bringing businesses to their knees, but poor business decisions and greedy CEOs are equally to blame. In 2011, some businesses came and went without much notice while others made Internet news headlines, from floundering DVD by mail ideas to the fall of the tablet, retail chains to daily deals gone bust.

The year hasn't been kind. Whether you wept in mourning, shook your head and laughed or just went about your business, 10 businesses closed their doors, losing their battle to stay alive.

No. 1, Qwickster : Possibly the biggest screw up of the year leads me off with Qwikster, a Netflix spin-off that ended as quickly as it started. After much confusion, apologies and a Youtube video about transparency from Reed Hastings, CEO, and a hike in subscription prices, Reed closed down the poorly thought out DVD by mail program. Of course, in true corporate CEO criminal fashion, the increased pricing stayed.

No. 2, HP : The only company that can rival Netflix when failing to follow through is Hewlett-Packard. HP announced this year that it is giving up on tablets shortly after its launch of the TouchPad and will be abandoning future webOS development. In some respects, this is wonderful news to those of us (yes, myself included) who have come to realize that HP produces a substandard product and doesn't honor their warranty without a fight.

No. 3, No. 4 & No. 5, Google Crap : Google has had its fair share of ideas gone wrong. Google Buzz and Google Video are just two of those bad ideas which came to a sudden end this year. Buzz was Google's first attempt to enter social networking and was quickly overshadowed by Google+ and subsequently terminated. At the same time, Google Video abruptly closed its doors giving users just enough time to transition over to Youtube (another Google product). And finally, we say goodbye to Google Labs, an experimental application or "playground" where users could test prototypes and provide feedback to engineers. Although Labs brought us Google Reader, it proved a little too out-of-the-box and started its shutdown procedure earlier this year.

No. 6, Napster : Its been an ongoing headache for Napster including lawsuits, a shutdown, bankruptcy and a buyout. Best Buy bought Napster in 2008 and then merged it with Rhapsody this year, bidding fair well to the long-lived music sharing service.

No. 7, Flip : The Flip Video camera created by Pure Digital Technologies was a must have gadget in 2009 and 2010 when it was bought over by Cisco. What started as a reusable direct converstion to DVD video camera eventually lead to the Flip Video, Mino and FlipShare TV. This year, Cisco announced it would cease all Flip related products claiming it was pulling away from consumer products; more likely, the competition with smartphones was a little too much.

No. 8, Borders : The once successful, go-to spot for quiet reading time and competitively priced books flop-flopped with bankruptcy for a while, begging for but never receiving funding and finally closing its doors. This is proof that even the largest of businesses, loved by millions, is no competition for Amazon who, along with Barnes & Noble, had the tech edge over Borders to meet consumer demand for ebooks and content for their Nooks.

No. 9, O.co : Why Overstock.com wanted to rebrand an already successful brand is beyond me, but the company rebranded to O.co and within 4 short months reconsidered and rebranded again. Their rebranding efforts took a 360 which makes me shake my head. Fortunately for Overstock, the Kardashian 72-day marriage crashed and burned quicker and with more press.

No. 10, Facebook : Everybody wanted in on wildly popular daily deals, including Facebook. We have come to expect one thing from Facebook, endless updates and redesigns and products that come and go in starts and fits. They didn't let us down with Facebook Deals which up and disappeared like a fart in the wind. That's OK, users have found much more to complain about throughout the year.

Even with these 10 well covered endings in 2011, there are a few honorable mentions. MobileMe, ZunePlayer and Diggnation also ceased to exist this year, proving that both great and bad products and businesses close up shop when the going gets tough. What will 2012 bring for failing businesses?

- Michael "Grosh" Grosheim, www.mgrosheim.com

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3 Musts for Social Success

It has been worded many different ways. 'What do I need for my business to be successful on Twitter, Facebook and/or Google+?' Unfortunately, there really isn't a secret formula for winning at social media. It's all about trial and error in most cases, and what works for one brand may not work for yours. However, there are three key factors to keep in mind when starting your social media campaign. First and foremost, without a well-planned strategy, you are doomed before you even begin.

Have a plan, not a procedure. There is a very big difference between having a plan of action for your social media campaign and a procedure for social media use. The former is much more important than the latter. According to Starr Hall, author of 'The Social Wave', your social marketing efforts should have guidelines for your employees; but as a firm believer in transparency, I say there couldn't be anything more wrong that putting limitations on being social.

Of course, there may be some concerns about giving your employees carte blanche over your social media presence. The obvious concern is that a disgruntled employee will hit the social media airwaves and blast your business. If Jane posts an update telling the world that you're a cheapskate because you won't splurge for more than one roll of toilet paper in the ladies restroom, there is one question you need to ask yourself - how many employees do you have? If the answer is 100, well then, I'm sorry to tell you, you're a fucking cheapskate. But if you have 3 employees, Jane needs to talk to her doctor about her frequent urination issue and you need to take the time out of your schedule to sit down with her and ask how the company can make her job better. There is obviously an issue much greater than toilet paper at play here, and it is your job as an employer to foster your employees to get the job done. Bottom line, if you don't want your employees tweeting and posting negative comments about your businesses, instead of making them sign a formal agreement, don't give them a reason to talk negatively about you.

And one last thing on this note, making your employees sign a legally binding document won't prevent them from spreading the negativity and we both know that you're not going to take action against them with a lengthy and expensive court process, where you will never see a penny if you win. What I guarantee will happen is your employees will feel that you don't trust them, and that spells disaster.

It's a Numbers Game. But not in the way most social media users would think. It's not about the number of followers you have on Twitter, "Likes" on Facebook or circles on Google+, it's the quality of those connections. Realistically, unless you're a famous actor, NY Times Best Seller, Pop Star or Gary Vaynerchuk, you're not going to have a million followers. You may not even have 10,000. Instead of worrying about the number of people who have added you to their exclusive Twitter list or A-Listers circle, find the few users who are willing to retweet your blog posts and spread the word about your products and services; start focusing on the people who actually buy your 'thing' or 'gadget' and engage with them. Take the time to put a user name with a face, follow their tweets and learn about them on a personal level. You shouldn't always be talking shop. Take a minute to ask how their feeling when they tweet about not feeling well, randomly mention them and tell them to 'Have a great day', send them a quick Happy Birthday. The numbers game in this case is building a community of friends - customers - that you know you can reach out to. 10,000 followers on Twitter means nothing if not a single person clicks a link in your tweet or shares it with friends.

Be Human. Even if you're tweeting from your brand's Twitter account or updating your brand's Facebook page, remember that people are looking at you as a person, not a business. You are the face of your brand and people want to interact with you. Being human requires you to be three dimensional, not just a cardboard cut out saying 'Buy me, buy me.' The "gurus" call it social proof. I call it being fucking real. Treat your social media accounts like you would your average day. If the time spent between waking up in the morning and going to bed at night is filled with nothing more than a constant sales pitch, you aren't going to have many friends. The same goes for social media. It's ok to pitch your products and services online, but balance that with some caring and sharing. Share information that you read, interact with your followers and fans on topics that have nothing to do with your brand. It's really simple; be social. Social media is about building relationships, not about making sales.

Remember that social media is about giving people outside of your business the opportunity to engage with you. The rules of traditional marketing don't apply, and in many cases, the rules of social media haven't been written in stone. It's a two-sided conversation. Treat it that way.

- Michael Grosheim, www.mgrosheim.com

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Repost : Hiring a Social Media Pro

Social media has become an ever growing, constantly morphing, marketing platform that is beneficial to any business or personal brand. However, the effectiveness of a social media campaign is only as profitable as the person running the campaign. I know I can sometimes be long winded, but I try to give as much information as possible so you can make a responsible and profitable choice for your brand. That said, social media marketing is the new medium used by hundreds, if not thousands, or businesses across the globe.

In order to maximize their ROI, businesses are turning away from mediums of yesteryear - television, radio and press - and focusing on thier social media campaigns. Unfortunately, there are many less than reputable companies that are willing to make a profit off of your social media marketing failure.

With a growing number of social media "experts" pitching their products and services, there are a few critical factors you must consider before handing over your money. There are four areas you should seriously consider when starting, or enhancing, your social media reach and marketing campaign.

Experience. Social Media experts with marketing experience are prepared to work in any situation. If you are a new business, expanding from brick-and-mortar to an online business or trying to recover from recent bad press, for example, a true expert will have several options to help boost brand awareness and manage your brand's reputation. The experience does not need to include hundreds of companies, but must focus on the ability to change gears as new obstacles arise.

Expertise. True professionals in any field will have a portfolio they are proud of. This is certainly true in marketing. Browsing a social media marketers website for recent and past campaigns will give you and understanding of their expertise. If you have a speciality product or service, you may want to consider the types of campaigns a marketer has worked on in the past. And, someone who has worked with several different businesses types is probably more equipped to handle different obstacles. Check out their accounts in Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, their following and search engine rankings to analyze their popularity before selecting them. And keep in mind, the number of followers, fans, friends they have is not as important as their connections; look to see who they have connected with, who they influence and who influences them. 

Effectiveness. Your campaign will only be as successful as the person you hire for the job. Your goal is to find someone with a great track record, prompt delivery and professional clientele. To judge that person success, visit their Twitter, Facebook and other social media accounts and check out thier following. There is no need to have 100,000 friends and followers if they have an engaging audience. It is very important to consider a marketers reach; and, their positioning on search engines. Do a quick Google search for the person or company you are considering and see where they place.

While there are several areas that you may research before hiring a social media professional to create a profitable marketing campaign, these are the basic "must." One other suggestion I have is to hire an individual rather than a company. Freelancers may be taboo in some industries, however, with social media they are quick to change as obstacles arise and are not held back by a company's rules.

- Michael "Grosh" Grosheim, www.mgrosheim.com

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7 Tips on Launching a Blog

Business blogging has become a mainstream tool used by companies large and small. Unfortunately, writing great content does not come natural for most people. Blogging is also very time consuming, especially if you want it to have any impact. In order of your blog to be successful, to attract new readers andrepeat visitors who are eager to hear what you have to say, you must have an action plan that includes updating your blog with fresh, original and insightful material on a regular basis.

While this is a very time consuming process, don't let it scare you away from starting a blog. Instead, the entire process should inspire you to learn something new or polish your abilities. Following a few steps before your launch and while writing your blog will help to reduce any stress and ensure your success.

Identify Your Audience. Before you post your first blog article, make sure you understand who your target market is. In basic terms, you want to write articles that will engage your readers and bring them back day after day. You can identify your readers by answering 3 questions: Where do your readers come from; what type of content will they find useful; and, where do your readers spend most of their time online?

Establish A Social Media Presence. Social networking sites are the best marketing option when just starting out. If you haven't done so already, create an account on Facebook and Twitter. You may also want to consider LinkedIn and YouTube, depending on your audience. Utilize these accounts to post links to your blog posts, to engage with your readers and to establish relationships. Establishing each account is as simple as following/friending people with similar interests and talking to them. Listen to what people are saying and reply with insightful comments that will help them find what they are looking for; and, draw them to your blog.

Use The Tight Keywords. Search Engine Optimization seems to scare the heck out of some people. But, it isn't as daunting as you may think. If you have a website, a blog can help your website to rank higher by placing your business blog within the website. In this case, you will most likely be using the same keywords in your blog that you use for that site. Luckily, a blog can place well in search engine without a website. Take a few minutes to use a keyword research tool to find keywords that will help you stand out. If you choose to have a blog that is separate from your website, invest in a custom domain name that is brandable and easy for your readers to recognize.

Plan your posts. Once you have decided the direction you want to take your blog in, the type of articles and content you want to bring to your readers, pick a topic and write a few articles about it. The articles don't need to be spectacular at first – they will get better over time – but you need to stay ahead of yourself. Strange things happen in life at unexpected times. If you have a few articles waiting to be posted, you won't be running around like a chicken without a head when something tears you away from writing. From personal experience, I suggest having at least one weeks worth of posts ready to go in case the unexpecte strikes. And, if you are stuck on what to write about, there are several article websites that can give you ideas. Just do a Google search.

Network With Influencers. Once you have launched your blog, take a look at some of the influential bloggers in your industry. Take a few minutes each day to read their latest blog post and leave comments. This will help you to establish a relationship, help to spread the word about your blog that other readers may be interested in, and these influencers will be compelled to visit your blog and leave comments as well. This type of networking creates credibility and respect.

Promote, Promote, Promote. While social media is an amazing tool to spread the word about your blog, not all of your potential readers use social networking sites. Include bookmarking sites such as StumbleUpon and Digg to link to your articles. Another easy tool to help manage all of your accounts is Ping.fm which will update all of your social media and bookmarking accounts in one step.

Measure Your Results. The end result for any blog is to market a brand, product or service. Even if you don't have a website, you will monetize the site with relavent affiliate links at some point. Using analytic tools, for instance Google Analytics and Google Alerts, you can gather useful information on your audience, influence and readability. This information can help you to make small changes that make your blog bigger and better.

Like any project in the business world, creating a successful blog is all about preparation. Using these suggestions will help you to lay a foundation that will produce results. The process can be slow sarting, so try to remember that nothing is an overnight success. Engage with your readers, build relationships and you will watch you blog grow!

- Michael "Grosh" Grosheim, www.mgrosheim.com

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Why KFC Is On My Badass Radar

Most people who know me also know that I'm never shy when it comes to calling out douchebags through social media. When a company screws up, I give them just enough rope - so to speak - and the opportunity to fix the problem. When they don't, I'm the first to blow the whistle. But I'm equally vocal about the brands I love, sharing my experiences with the brand themselves, my friends, followers and fans, and mynewsletter subscribers. So, what is keeping KFC on my badass radar?

When it comes to Customer Service and Social Media, KFC put the right person in charge. Rick Maynard, Public Relations Manager, knows that it takes more than the Colonels 11 herbs and spices for a dynamite recipe, so he added two more secret ingredients; phenomenal customer service and a badass social presence.

Interacting with brands on daily basis, through social media, email, phone calls and face-to-face, I have found that small businesses are the true success stories when being social with social media. But every once in a while, a globally known brand is so bold, so brash that they come along and take the cake.

Rick Maynard gets it. He understands people, consumer demand and what it means to be "social." He takes a hands-on, proactive approach to customer complains and takes a genuine interest in engaging with KFC's followers on Twitter. But Rick takes it one step further with the wow factor by not only engaging with the people talking about the Colonel, he also gets to know them on a personal level. In my opinion, having a company worth nearly half a billion dollars following me on Twitter is not nearly as monumental as the fact that the company (or at least the face behind the company) didn't just click the follow button; they took the time to get to know me as a person - like who my wife is, what I do for a living and commenting on my foursquare check-ins. If you think about it, with over 70,000 followers, learning about your frequent, loyal customers is pretty damn impressive. Take a minute to read some of his tweets and you will quickly see that he is selling the brand without the hard sell. There is no pitch, he is simply responding to compliments with 'thank yous' and addressing complaints with genuine interest and reasonable solutions.

An example of his finding balance between the company's financial goals and meeting customer expectations (right), instead of shrugging off a customer complaint as 'another asshole with a problem,' he solved a problem by owning a mistake made by another employee on behalf of the company. Thanking me was a nice touch too, honestly solidifying me as a customer for life. If I can be so rude to make a suggestion to Roger Eaton, CEO of KFC U.S. and Yum! Operational Excellence for Yum! Brands, Inc., it's time to make Rick an example for your company - from the cashiers in your franchises to the Board of Directors, and everyone in between.

Instead of reading through the bullshit spewed by "Gurus" on the do's and don'ts of social media, sit back and really watch, study, they global brands that are champions of engagement. The tactics they use aren't tactics at all; instead, they are putting human emotion and social interaction into 140-characters or less. If you want to succeed in social media, stop selling and get social.

- Michael "Grosh" Grosheim, www.mgrosheim.com

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