Johannes Gutenberg has been described as an engineer, a scholar, and an entrepreneur. I believe it was those three driving characteristics that fueled his desire to create something that was unique, brilliant in design and that added value to his community.
The revolutionary creation of movable type provided the method by which a mass communication would take place. Scholars argue that it was the Gutenberg’s press that ushered in the Renaissance era, an era that at the core was a cultural shift and a resurgence of learning. Had Gutenberg created the original Wordpress?
Interesting enough is the fact that the single letters were assembled in a rectangular box and then placed in what some historians believe was a press influenced by the wine presses in the German region where Gutenberg lived.
Without trying to make too much of a correlation to the communication era we are living in now and the communication revolution of the 14th century, is it possible that we might be in a Gutenberg moment? Over the last 500 hundred years, we have gone from a one-to-one form of communication to a one-to-many form of distribution of information to now a mass-to-mass distribution of information driven by individuals.
Have we stumbled upon this moment not realizing the significance? Have we, by adding 140 characters to tiny rectangles linking to world changing events, unknowingly participated in a cultural shift once again? Have we rearranged the letters and symbols in such a way that a new mobile type has dawned?
Speaking from my own experience, I would have to answer, yes! I have been engulfed by this social wave and experienced the passion of learning new things based on the timeless categories of relationships, life, and purpose.
Every day I find new blogs, updates on Facebook, tweets on Twitter, pictures on Flickr and videos on YouTube all making unique expressions, some beautiful in design and each adding value to a global community.
Recently I was asked to compare a few of the current Twitter client applications on the Social Web. Of course there are several blog reviews about each of these applications on sites like Social Media Today, Mashable, and others. The point of my post is to specifically look through the lens of which client application provides the most features related to SocialCRM (Social Customer Relationship Management). There are five free multi Twitter account client application contenders in this space: CoTweet, HootSuite, PeopleBrowsr, Seesmic, and Tweetdeck.
CoTweet is a solid and simple web-based solution with scheduling features, but currently cannot link to any other social channels such as Facebook or Linkedin. You can assign Twitter followers to other CoTweet users which would be useful in a customer service environment. There is an area to add notes on a specific Twitter profile as well as view number of followers/following and previous conversations. Two small features missing are the capabilities to mark Twitter profile as VIP, or linking identified Twitter profiles to Plaxo. CoTweet users can sync a Bit.ly account for tracking Tweet click throughs, but that is as far as it goes with regards to tweet analytics.
HootSuite also a web-based solution multi Twitter account client application. HootSuite offers Twitter and Facebook update sync through Ping.fm (this can feed other social channels if you wish) and you can schedule tweets for both channels. However, the URL shortner Ow.ly has some resistance in the Social Web community because of the annoying banner across the page when visitors click through. The benefit to HootSuite Ow.ly URL shortener provides click through analytics within the application. Similar missing features as in CoTweet is the ability to add notes, mark as VIP contact, or link to other social media net
works.
PeopleBrowsr is a power house application on Adobe AIR or as a web-based application. Don’t bother with the AIR app: stick with the Browser version. In Business mode, users can click on a Twitter avatar in the tweet stream and select from various activity functions such as Follow, Favorite, Group, Note, VIP, Email, Plaxo, and Rate. PeopleBrowsr provides users the ability to schedule tweets for multiple social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Plaxo and FriendFeed just to name a few. This multiple social network feed is something that no other social client application can do. The only drawback to PeopleBrowsr is that they have the Twitter API on their server which results in a slight lag in the update columns, however users have a small chance of reaching the 150 API limit on PeopleBrowsr causing application crash. (Note: When scheduling tweets to Twitter and Facebook, the associated Facebook account will automatically update where as the Twitter tweet will go out as scheduled.)
Seesmic is a leader in the Adobe AIR and web-based client applications, but still lacks the fundamental elements needed in a Social CRM tool. The most recent update has caused many users to go back to TweetDeck. I have had several friends report that it crashes more often than before the update. Seesmic will address these issues in their next update. Seesmic and TweetDeck both offer iPhone applications for mobile user
s.
TweetDeck is on top of the Twitter client AIR applications right now and is one of my favorites. Many people don’t realize that it offers multiple account management as well as a Facebook integration. Keyword searches and unlimited tabs can be useful in tracking brand mentions. Unfortunately, TweetDeck doesn’t offer tweet scheduling, notes, or tweet rating capabilities.
My goal was to outline the pros and cons of some of the free Twitter client applications available for individuals, small business, and non-profits. Leveraging the information contained in the real-time social streams is a valuable asset to small businesses. Listening for mentions of your own brand as well as that of your competitor is a best practice of business growth 2010. Stop shooting in the dark. There is an application that’s right for your business. What is the most important Twitter client application feature that suits your needs?
Are you tired of hearing about Twitter this Facebook that YouTube whatever? There is so much talk about social media right now. Most people are just trying to figure out what it is, why do it, and how will it benefit them to join the conversation. It’s not just the public talking; it’s employees who are talking too. They’re talking about their experiences while they’re at work! Hate, love, sucks, are common sentiments that fly tweet after tweet. These updates/tweets are signs telling us that staff members don’t feel as though they have a place to talk, vent, or express how they feel about their role in the organization.
How can a company create social space for coworkers? Is it possible to create a place where employees feel as though they have a voice that will be heard? Is it possible to cultivate an environment where frank discussions can take place without turning into total chaos? Yes.
One company that has ventured out in internal social networking waters is Bestbuy. Bestbuy has an internal website where employees can login and talk about things that make work better or worse. It’s called BlueNation. The success of BlueNation is that it is supported by senior management and provides space for voices of the 1000s of BestBuy employees across the country. BestBuy understands that people want to feel connected to the success of something larger than themselves.
Is it possible for a small business with less than 50 employees to have the same kind of web 2.0 internal communications without spending $250,000? Yes, the tools are emerging! Yammer is a tool that is available for as little as $5 per month per user. Here are a few screen shots to give you an idea of what Yammer can do to improve your company’s communication, interaction, and efficiency.
Social Community for Business
Yammer is a simple way for employees to connect and share by posting messages. As employee participation grows, Yammer becomes a corporate social network, discussion board, and knowledge base all rolled into one easy-to-use interface.
Create and Organizational Chart
Social Community for Businesses Yammer
Organizational Chart
Social Community for Small Businesses
Create Discussion Boards
Social Community for Small Businesses
Expandable Applications
Social Community for Small Businesses
For more information on Yammer visit their website for free download
The first time I was exposed to Texas Hold’em was in the late 90s. I remember watching the movie Rounders with Matt Damon; instantly, I was hooked on both. I enjoy playing Texas Hold’em for entertainment. I have it on my iPod and on my Facebook page. Zynga’s Texas Hold’em is the number one game application on Facebook. Players play with virtual money in casinos from Boston to Barcelona. Zynga understands that it’s not just about playing the game, it’s about where you play and who you play with that adds excitement.
Zynga Texas Holdem for Facebook
One of the things I like about watching The World Series of Poker on ESPN is the player hand percentage of winning. Although those percentages can change with the flip of one card, knowing the percentages is a strategy many players employ.
Right now Social Media is a fluid and daily changing river of digital channels. New start-ups are entering the social wars every day. Knowing which ones will make it to the river can be a risky bet. One of the ace of spades in social bookmarking is StumbleUpon. StumbleUpon was founded in 2001 and was purchased by eBay in May 2007, until April 2009, when two of the founders, backed by investors, bought it back.
In June of 2009, StumbleUpon showed its cards introducing Su.pr a powerful URL Shorten tool. With combined Twitter and Facebook integration, Su.pr providers quick bookmarking that can be linked to Twitter accounts and/or Facebook accounts to let others know what sites you have stumbled upon. The ability to schedule updates as well as a simple dashboard to track the clicks per update allows Su.pr users to know what tweets are most popular. It’s like knowing the percentages for the winning social poker hand.
Social Web Tool Su.pr
“Su.pr’s analytics are similar to those that fellow UR shortening service bit.ly provides, except that Su.pr is connected to website discovery service Stumbleupon, which gives each link an extra distribution push. Links can be voted upon by the StumbleUpon community (which the platform estimates as 8 million users), and if it becomes popular the link can become viral. For StumbleUpon, Su.pr is a way to seed the service with links people are already pushing out to their real-time streams.” TechCrunch July 8, 2009
Stacking Social Web Tools Twitter and Facebook
Three weeks ago I tore down the bunk beds from my girls bedroom. The beds were attached to one side of the wall and suspended from the attic. In order to remove them, I had to crawl through the attic and remove the bolts to loosen the tension. The attic must have been 130 degrees with 80 percent less oxygen. Taking them apart was a board by board process. The girls know what they want; they want a white twin sized bed with a pull out trundle. I have been looking online and haven’t found the right solution. My job is to find something that meets their needs and that falls in our family budget.
Talking with business owners, I find this story parallels the current process of finding a Social Media monitoring and measuring tool that can be integrated with current CRM data systems. The problem is finding a solution that is flexible to accommodate both technologies and that doesn’t break the bank to convert or deploy.
If your business has a CRM system in place and is looking for a free Social Media monitoring and tracking tool, take a look at PeopleBrowsr and HootSuite. Make sure you create a new lead category in your CRM system for Twitter and for Facebook (assuming you already view those as a lead generation sources). Both of these tools are free and available online for download. Using these free tools can give your team a better idea of what is important when engaging the public through Social Media channels.
SocialCRM Tools
PeopleBrowsr will allow you to mark profiles with various tasks and statuses like VIP, To Do, Favorites and manage multiple Twitter accounts. Scheduling tweets at a later time is also a nice feature from PeopleBrowsr. HootSuite is also a great tool to use for multiple Twitter accounts and is less complicated than PeopleBrowsr. HootSuite uses their Owly URL short system for updates to Twitter and Facebook which provides tracking of links by number of times viewed by day, month or by individual tweets. These tracking tools provide HootSuite an advantage over PeopleBrowsr in that respect.
Free SocialCRM Tools HootSuite
If you are considering a move from your current CRM system to something new, Radian6 just announced their integration with Salesforce.com. This combination offers the complex functions like PeopleBrowsr and the tracking and monitoring functions like Hootsuite within a 2010 CRM platform. Salesforce.com clients are Starbucks, Dell and SunTrust.
Premium SocialCRM Tools - Radian6
Another CRM solution that is moving forward in combining CRM and Social Media functionality is SugarCRM. SugarCRM is an open source scalable and customizable CRM system. New modules are being added, such as GetSocial, which allows Twitter updates to be integrated within the tool. SugarCRM clients include Avis, H&R Block and Coca-Cola Enterprise. Sugar CRM and Salesforce.com both have extensive community forums to provide technical support and discussions about future product enhancements.
SocialCRM Tool - SugarCRM
Deconstructing the old methods of communicating with your clients can lead to opening new channels of communication with new prospects and enhance relationships with existing clients. The painful process of tearing down the rigid and static system can be a healthy process for building a more flexible and fluid CRM system. Welcome to SocialCRM.
Update on the girls bed: This weekend I took the boards from the old bunk beds and began to form a new day bed with space for a trundle. I hope my girls like the new bed. It’s white and it was custom built to meet their needs. There’s nothing better for a Dad than to see a smile of surprise and excitement on his daughters’ faces.
Deconstructing the Old to Create a New SocialCRM
The completion just beat you to the Twinish line! Twitter isn’t the latest tech trend or online fad. Twitter has fundamentally changed the way information is distributed. Real-time information is the core value of Twitter. Twitter delivers more real-time information than any other web source. However, there is some question to the factuality of the information. Rumors that Natalie Portman and Jeff Goldblum had died were false due to Twitter hackers. Nonetheless, the reports came first from Twitter, but even those false accusations caused people to search Google to see if more info was being released giving additional exposure to those individuals. Negative exposure is exposure.
Twitter spread the news around the Iran presidential race faster than CNN. It also spread the first news about Michael Jackson’s death before it hit any news or Hollywood studios. I realize you may think Twitter is ridiculous, but there is more to it than what I ate for lunch.
Companies are beginning to connect the data stream of information on Twitter and are parsing it into valuable information related to their particular market segment. StockTwits is an open, community-powered investment idea and information service that is build on top of Twitter. You can think of it as Bloomberg for the little guy and gal. You can eavesdrop on what traders and investors are talking about RIGHT NOW or contribute to the conversation and build your reputation and following as a savvy market wizard.
Small tech-savvy businesses are leveraging the real-time information stream to listen to their competitors, to listen to conversations about their industry and to engage in new forms of social customer service.
Looking at who is and who isn’t on Twitter is one of the trends I find intriguing. In Tallahassee, my local market some examples would be: Tallahassee Memorial Hospital is but Capital Regional Medical isn’t. Subway is but Quiznos isn’t. Mellow Mushroom Pizza is but Red Elephant isn’t. This list can go on and on. The bottom line is this, if you’re not on Twitter your competition is.
Here are some links to getting started on Twitter. Some are for gaining followers; others are for listening for your brand mentions. There are over 150 different tools to accomplish your Twitter goals. Even if you have to get out of the media wreck you are in now, run to the Twinish line today.
- What is Twitter?
- Twitter Video Tutorials
- What is a retweet?
- How can I customize my Twitter background?
- What is a #hashtag?
- How can I build my personal brand on Twitter?
- Twitter terms to know
- Finding a job using Twitter
- Twitter tips for executives
- Twitter best practices for brands
- 40 of the best big brands on Twitter
- Using Twitter for customer service
- The media maker’s guide to Twitter
- What is #followfriday?
- Twitter user directories
- How do I find Twitter users in my town?
- Why aren’t people following me?
- What to do when you’ve followed too many people
- What’s a tweetup?
- Tools for organizing your Twitter community
- Twitter from your iPhone
- Managing multiple Twitter accounts
