Did Obama Deserve The Nobel Prize? Do You ReTweet Links Before Clicking Them?

Since Friday Is Usually A Light-Hearted Day, I Figure It’s Best To Keep That Mentality on The Blog & Stick to Short Sweet Posts, No Heavy Stuff. So I’m Launching “Friday Polls” Every Friday I’ll Aim To Capitalize on Current Events Without Doing Any Actual Work Or Generating My Own Content By Surveying My Readers and then Offering A Fun Video or Some Random Thoughts to Top It Off. Here are today’s:

Dear Dan Lyons – And Newsweek: It’s Time To Rethink “Stupid” – A Response to your Twitter Hating

On September 17th – Dan Lyons of Newsweek published an article that caught my attention at the time, entitled: Don’t Tweet On Me: Twitter shows that stupid stuff sells.

Despite my initial desire to respond, for some reason or another, I never took the time or simply forgot. The article recently resurfaced in a brief flurry of online dialog and once again drew my attention – Why is their so much Twitter Hate, especially amongst journalists at reputable media powerhouses like Newsweek. so I’ve crafted a rebuttal:

Dan – You make some good points, but you’re clearly lacking an understanding of the direction in which our cultural interests are shifting, namely, the increasingly micro-targeted and smaller scale interaction between consumers and producers, niche audiences and publishers of content with such a specific focus that it automatically establishes a relationship between themselves and their readers, as it caters to their individuals desires.

That’s what Twitter does – it allows people to form their own content creation communities. The lines between producer and consumer go from blurred to nonexistent. Celebrities & CEOs once on higher ground, off-limits to the masses, now stand on even footing, interacting as equals, obviating the need for paparazzi and mainstream media, I wonder if your vehement criticism and narrow-minded view of the platform stem from the fact that it will one day (soon) displace you and your journalistic brethren who fail to embrace the medium as not just valuable to ‘Us,’ but essential for you.

The posts on Twitter that you refer to as inane or stupid are publishers and producers relinquishing control of their material to their audiences. After all, their reader/viewership is what gives these individuals value, so the greater the control one can give them over content produced, the more likely that content will be received positively by that audience.

If people want it, who are you to say it’s ‘stupid’ simply because it’s different than what you want? If people can make money or increase their personal brand and value by catering to the wishes or the their audience or population at large, they’d be stupid NOT to do so.

In fact, this concept takes us back to your obsolescence. As a journalist, you are used to answering to yourself and other internal authorities. But at many big brands are learning, control over content is no longer in your hands (if it ever really was), it’s in the hands of the masses. Telling the public what they want to hear that or what they’re saying is stupid won’t change the fact that you are losing control. Sorry to break it to you…but until you embrace the stupidity of twitter and other likeminded platforms, you are destined for a short-lived career.

Personally, the reporter’s, bloggers, and journalists whose work I read on a regular basis are those that converse with me on Twitter. Those who tweet, not just about what story they’re writing, but about eating lunch or hating on a movie – mundane, maybe. But not stupid – and do you know why? Because it humanizes them. It acknowledges that they are just like the rest of us, or, more accurately, that the rest of us are just like them, acquiescing to the degrading boundaries between producer and consumer. That’s why I don’t read the New York Times or Newsweek, cover to cover, but I do read the articles and stories written by media personalities I know, I like, and with whom I relate and identify. Such is the direction in which media is heading – one of niche audiences and targeted content, personal branding, and relationship building. As a reporter whose entire industry is in the throes of upheaval – I’d suggest rethinking your definition of “stupidity”

Sponsored Tweets: The Most Feared Phrase On Twitter

“Sponsored Tweets” – The mere mention of the phrase sends chills down our collective spine and carries with it a stigma whose weight rivals that any other related to the platform, amongst it’s power users. We cherish the site as one of the last remaining media to hold out against advertising, so it’s no surprise that losing such freedom would have many of us reeling at the very thought of allowing those evil advertisers to invade our precious territory that we’ve protected for so long.

Yes, I know that’s a bizarre sentiment coming from a Social Media Manager/Strategist at an Ad Agency. And I’ll admit, maybe that’s changed my perspective a bit, as the concept no longer seems as scary to me. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to see brands flooding the medium with promotional content, via tweet or banner ad – trust me, I’d be the first to abandon twitter if that were to happen. However, I’m sure there’s a way that it can be implemented in a non-abusive, noninvasive, way.

I’m writing, not to advocate the practice because of anything I’ve done or plan to do, rather, with the intention of on opening up a conversation that, I hope, will de-stigmatize this sensitive issue, following 2 recent experiences with different forms of sponsorship/advertising creeping into tweets – each with it’s own spin. After all, despite our feelings about pervasive marketing, many times it’s what allows us to enjoy the content we love – whether on TV or online. As of now, Twitter’s business model, despite the new Advertising Friendly Terms Of Service, has consisted of nothing more than selling off bigger and bigger chunks of the company as they desperately try to identify a viable means of revenue generation – but we all know this already.

Anyway…

IZEA’s Sponsored Tweets.

A few weeks ago I signed up to participate in this controversial program. It’s not super new – most of you have probably heard about it already or even considered or experimented with it. Well, I pushed it off for a while, but eventually signed up & quickly forgot about it. Then, about 2 weeks ago, I received a DM informing me of a sponsored tweet opportunity. I clicked…and the tab sat open in my browser for about 3 days while I pondering the implication of participating, of disseminating a sponsored tweet to my followers (I still hate that word, not that it doesn’t provide a nice ego boost or reinforce the idea that Aerocles is some sort of deity or demiurgic figure worthy of worship…but come on…can’t we think up a better term?). Will my followers get upset? Will they feel deceived? Will they understand my experimentation or desire for that extra $3.50 (#recessionexcuse)? Most of all – Will anyone even notice?

I tweet like 100 times a day – would one 10am tweet with a link – looking pretty much like the rest of my posts – except with the necessary disclosure of the fact that this particular tweet is ‘sponsored’ – catch anyone’s eye as notably different?

I talked about it with a few people before hand – and their main concern seemed to be the issue of deception and disclosure. People follow me because they trust that I am feeding them useful information – vetted by me and marked with my stamp of approval. I get that. That’s pretty much the reason why I start following anyone else – they add value, whether through information or entertainment. So does disseminating a sponsored tweet devalue my presence? As long as it’s not often and clearly disclosed, I deemed it acceptable. So I did it. And guess what – several people clicked on the link. A few others asked me what a sponsored tweet was. And no one complained. No one said “Hey Dave, That was a bad Idea, I’m going to Unfollow you now.”

What I liked about the service is that when creating your profile you can outline the topics you’d be ok with, or interested in, tweeting about. Making the sponsored message custom tailored to the Twitterer’s (or Tweeter’s depending on the regional dialect of Twitterse that you speak) personal interests and preferences – thus keeping the content aligned with the rest of his/her tweetstream, to a degree. Not only that, but the participant has the ability to write the sponsored tweet his/herself, and decline opportunities if they disagree with the message, brand, or website they’d be promoting

That said, I’ve posted 2 sponsored tweets, raking in a grand total of $6 (though I’ve since upped by price to $5 a tweet). And I still haven’t received any negative comments for doing so.

Then there’s Last.fm’s Song Tweets. After I ran out of free plays on my Pandora station (WHY DID THEY DO THAT???) I crowdsurfed crowdsourced of course, asking my twitter friends what they use for online radio. I tried a few of the suggestions and found Last.fm to my liking. Once I had my station set up, I realized I could sync my station with twitter, in such a way that if I tag a song as “Loved,” it would tweet the name of the artist and song with a #lastfm hashtag and links to the both the song on last.fm’s site and on amazon.com, so people could purchase the individual track or album. In this approach, the sponsored tweet is entirely in the hands on the Twitterer and obviously in line with his/her taste in music and caters to people’s desires to share their preferences.

What They Have In Common:

They are both Opt-In

They are both ‘ads’ meant to direct followers to a website make a purchase – but reflect the specific Tweeter’s preferences and interests.

So….What do you think? Are these viable means of Advertising on Twitter? How Can Twitter capitalize? Should they be taking a percentage or commission of some sort? Should I be rewarded by Amazon on a Pay-Per-Click model for anyone who buys a song or album as a direct result of my tweet?

Aerocles’ Thought of the day:

New At-Work Strategy: Keeping My ‘Lost in Deep Thought” Look Plastered On My Face – It Stops People From Interrupting My Procrastination…

Friday Wisdom & Such

First off, here’s one video and two ads that I think are amazing:

Secondly, Obama Campaign Aside (Thanks Ken), I Have Some Advice For Reluctant, Hesitant, Ignorant, Brands: & The Rest Of The Universe (Marketers Take Note)

Dear Universe: Email Marketing Is DEAD. D-E-A-D DEAD. Eaten By Worms & Resorbed Into The Internet From Whence It Came. Accept It!!!!

When’s the last time you received an email from a store and that actually motivated you to get off your ass and go to the outlet or even spend money on their website. Social Media has slain the Monster of Direct Email Marketing. Not That It Doesn’t Have It’s Spammy Counterparts – Auto-DMs, Facebook Messages From Branded Fan Pages…etc.

Here’s how it’s going to work – You Exist. Online. As Long As I’m AWARE of where you exist (which is another matter altogether), rest assured, if i want to be updated on your company news, I’ll opt it by subscribing to your twitter feed, read your blog, or fan you on Facebook. And then I’ll visit you when I decide. Not the other way around. End Of Story. Disagree with me all you want, it won’t make you any righter.  And if it’s not clear that this is the future you’re resisting, just give it a few months.

Brands that don’t embrace Social Media as a way to reach their goals (no, you don’t have to give up) will fail. The purpose of, and results once generated by, email marketing, can still be accomplished – Except now through this new and scary interface call the interwebs. Traditional BROADCAST Advertising still has it’s place. But Email just isn’t one of those. In My Mind, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks this way -  An Email from McDonald or Starbucks or  The Gap (I haven’t thankfully, I’m just arbitrarily choosing widely recognized brands for argument’s sake) is equivolent to the spam I receive about Acai Berry Weight Loss, Penis Enlargement Pills, And Cheap Watches – Garbage.

And I’m being nicer than I should – I’m 24, I’ve seen successful email marketing. But try emailing a 15 year old & they’ll laugh at you. That’s not how people engage brands anymore. Truth. Statistics be damned.

On a less frustrated note, here are some awesome reads you should definitely check out:

Times’ David Pogue blurs journalism lines

Death by Social Media

Social Media Marketing Strategy

Six Reasons Companies Are Still Scared of Social Media

Three Top Ways to Damage Your Brand With Social Media

Firing housekeepers creates PR mess for Hyatt

Have A Fantastical Weekend

The Dangers Of Google Sidewiki: Complete Brand Invasion

I Can’t Tell You How Excited I Am To See Google Sidewiki’s Potential Actualized. Unfortunately, As Marketers Have Done With Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, (MySpace – Remember Her?) And Every Other Facet of “The Social Web,” Sidewiki provides yet another means for those who just don’t ‘get it’ to exploit the system and barrage us with broadcast, branded, messaging.

Until now, this usurpation of online communities and the manipulation of our fundamental human desire to generate content and share information has been limited to custom-tailored (if we’re lucky) invasions of specific platforms or desperate attempts at creating their own.

Convo 1

Sidewiki, has, without a doubt, an enormous potential – one to utterly destroy any limitations or barriers on the “information sharing” currently allowed by the internet. We’re looking at the possible information exchange of exponential proportions. Unfortunately, I have a sneaking suspicion that this will be the tool that unlocks the whole of the internet to the pervasive, abusive tactics of irresponsible marketers.You know the type – the ones who build facebook pages that collect dust and twitter accounts that auto-follow and auto-DM promotional messaging.

I sincerely hope that Google has developed, within it’s algorithm, protection from this parasitism but I fear that these individuals, for all their irresponsibility, have one talent, namely, circumventing those protocols. Take a look at this video – What stops me from using sidewiki to just hop from site to page to blog, highlighting portions of text and promising readers further explanation, only to lead them elsewhere – a deceptive practice that seems to be aligned today’s spammy zeitgeist.

What do you think? Are you more excited for the evolution of the social web potentially facilitated by Sidewiki? Are you confident that Google has taken the necessary precautions to keep spammers from hijacking this tool  and isn’t about to provide unlimited access to anyone who wants to litter your website digital post-it notes, maliciously intended, or otherwise?

If this is web 3.0 – I’m scared.

UPDATE: 9/24/09 – Check Out These Two Other Awesome Posts On The Topic:

Google Sidewiki: Danger (By Jeff Jarvis On Buzz Machine)

Google SideWiki Extorts Google Network Participation (By Gab Goldenberg on Search Engine Journal)

Fear of Google’s Sidewiki… (By Justin & Jesse on Extreme Discovery)

Dear Sears, Do You Really Want Brett Favre Associated With Your Brand?

Sorry To Break It To You Sears, But Putting Brett Favre In Your Commercials Would Have Been A Better Idea 4 Years Ago

A Proven & Long Standing Method of Branding has been to align your brand with a celebrity. An icon whose image you aspire to emulate or whose image you’d like consumers to associate with your brand.

I could mention a few examples, but there are so many I wouldn’t know how to choose. Athletes, Hollywood Stars & Starlets, Models, Musicians…Even Lindsay Lohan in the crux of her fall from grace, found her way into a Fornarina Spot (Whatever Fornarina is).

Bottom line – Iconic, Celebrity Spokespeople can do wonders for selling you brand and your product. But choosing the right person to endorse your business – Identifying the persona to which your target audience will relate & figuring out who you want associated with your brand – Therein Lies the Difficulty…Apparently…

It doesn’t seem like such a tough thing to do. I didn’t think it was. But Sears has proved me wrong. This past Sunday – Amidst My 8 Hours of Football Fandom (Jets HUUUGE Win over the Pats & The Terrible Cowboys Loss to the Giants) I saw, several times, as Sears’ Electronic Blue Crew (terrible name, IMHO) attempts to sell a one, Mr. Brett Favre, Legendary, Record Holding QB, Formerly of the Green Bay Packers, Formerly of the New York Jets, And Now Of the Minnesota Vikings, a new TV.

For those who’ve been living in an igloo up in Siberia for the last few years, Brett Favre has retired and unretired from the NFL what feels like 2 dozen times in the last few years (hyperbole acknowledged). Yes, I get that they’re playing off this fact in the spot by having Mr. Favre act a bit wishy-washy on his decision to purchase the TV and ending with a “No Regrets” Line”

I think that line of thinking is topical, relevant, and creative. The only problem is that when I see Brett Favre, I no longer think of someone who I respect and admire. I see Indecisive, Fickle, Desperately-Trying-To-Stay Relevant Douchebaggery.

Even Vikings Fans don’t seem to like Favre These Days (Feel Free To Correct Me If I’m Wrong). The Man Is A Legend Who Has Spent The Last Couple Of Years Tarnishing His Own Reputation With Ongoing Capriciousness. These ARE NOT QUALITIES I WOULD WANT TO REPRESENT MY BRAND.

Maybe you disagree…maybe you see the sears commercial and say, “Oh Brett Favre Wants to Buy From Sears…Oh, The Sears Blue Appliance Crew is Helping Ol’ Fickle Here Make Up His Mind…I’ll Buy From Sears.

But For Me – I see Brett Favre, and it evokes frustration, disappointment, even a bit of anger & lost respect. Now, I associate these emotions with Sears…

So where do you stand? Bad Play Calling By Sears to Star(t) Favre? Or Will Consumers Look Past His New-found Personality Flaws To His Glory Days – Making This A Win For Sears?

What Can Global Politics Teach Us About Social Media

A Quick Preface:

For Those Of You Who Have Yet To Hear The Good News – Through Me Or The Grapevine That Is Twitter – I Have Left 5W Public Relations & Have Taken On The Role Of Social Media Manager at McCann Erickson New York. After Spending The Last Year Experimenting With, And Studying, Social Media, From The Boutique PR Perspective, I’m really looking forward toward seeing the same world through the lens of a Global, Corporate, Advertising Agency. And…As Always, I Plan on Sharing Everything I Learn With You, Or As Much I’m Legally Permitted – I Hope It Proves Helpful!

The Job Transition Has Been The Primary Reason For My Lack Of New Content Here At The Legends Of Aerocles. Which Is Why, As I Get Settled In & Acclimate To My New Role & Environment, I’ll Be Putting Up A Number Of Guest Posts. If You’d Like To Submit A Post On Anything Social Media, PR, Advertising, Marketing, etc. – Just Email Me at David@Aerocles.com.

Without Further Ado…

A Guest Post By @rustyspeidel

Convene Not Control

So I love the TED Talks on iTunes…I learn something after every one. I just watched one from Clay Shirky entitled How social media can make history in which he told a couple of excellent social media stories about the China earthquake last year and MyBarackObama.com. The details are familiar to all of us, but one thing REALLY stuck out to me, and that was the difference between CONVENING your audience versus CONTROLLING your audience.

Social tools have enabled conversations between media consumers in such a way that the ability to control media has been greatly compromised. In China, for example, when disaster struck that remote province in China last year, news of the earthquake STARTED with local citizens, as opposed to the standard government news outlets. Something that in the past would have been suppressed and dealt with quietly (and in a sub-standard way, most likely) was quickly made public knowledge across multiple media channels, leaving the authorities no choice but to handle it with kid gloves, and very transparently.

In the mybarackobama.com example, the opposite happened. Rather than fret over the shifting control point from centralized media producers to the consumer, Obama’s team embraced that reality, setting up issue groups where dissent was not only encouraged but taken into account where votes on issues were concerned. This engendered goodwill and understanding, even if Obama might have voted counter to the wishes of his constituents on the issues presented.

As everyone scrambles to figure social media out, one thing is clear: those who are confident in their voice and values, like Obama, can convene large audiences without controlling them. Those less confident, like China, tightly control access to the internet or even shut down tools like Twitter altogether.

What kind of company is yours? At Rowdy, we try to be confident, and I think it works better.

Rusty Speidel is a long-time technology and media professional with over 20 years conceiving, creating, and managing user experiences. He has held various leadership roles in the interactive television, e-commerce, online gaming, and sports marketing industries. He is currently the VP of Social Media and User Experience for Rowdy.com, a NASCAR-oriented social network, where he is responsible for defining and implementing Rowdy’s social media strategy, motivating Rowdy’s online community, and managing the creative and technology teams that keep Rowdy.com running smoothly. He also edits Rowdy’s daily podcast from time to time and has been instrumental in the implementation of social media measurement and production techniques throughout the organization.

He is an occasional speaker on social media strategy and when he’s not networked to some device, he’s out riding his bike, playing guitar with his band, or watching his kids play lacrosse.

Testing The Social Media Waters – A Comprehensive Simplicity

David Mullen, in the latest of his daily dose of insight, has opened up the discussion on yet another important topic for many of us experimenting with social media and developing campaigns for clients who are more than a little bit skeptical about venturing into a territory with which they are, for the most part, lost.

I strongly urge you to read Mr Mullen’s post - Should Brands Approach Social Media with a “Pilot Program” Mindset?

There are arguments to both sides of the issue. A “Pilot Program” helps ease the client into this scary and unfamiliar terrain. The downside is that you may not see results or ROI if you don’t commit to a thought-out, long term, strategy. Kind of a catch 22. There is, IMHO, a middle ground. A way to create a small scale, but comprehensive social media attack. The key is to develop a strategy that can be narrowly focused, initially, and then expanded and expounded upon, both in terms of goals and means to achieve those goals, as the data from the first phase can be analysed. Those metrics will provide feedback for you as you grow the initiative from a fine, targeted, endeavor, to a more far reaching and all-encompassing social media presence, and with it, your own unique approach and attitude.

I think it’s more about choosing the right channel – Pick one vehicle – facebook, youtube, twitter, a blog, etc…and focus all efforts on that one medium. This way, you’ve got your pilot program mentality in that you’re not trying to tackle the entire social space in one fell swoop. It’s not overwhelming; you have time to manage and monitor one platform, and thus you can develop a system in which consistancy is maintained.

Additionally, Choosing one medium allows for much easier measurement and analytics, to determine if the effort has delivered and if it’s worthwhile to expand.

Of course, to do this, you also have to Define your primary goal - customer service, marketing, branding, PR…etc. – pick one & stick to it – let your goal be the guiding influence in choosing the most effective social platform and your method for measuring results.

This is my “Pilot Program.” It has longevity, a goal, consistency, and it’s measurable. If it’s deemed to be successful, you can adapt this mini-initiative to other social media, or expand your goals, if desired. Either way, limiting yourself or your brand to 1 goal, 1 platform, 1 campaign is the best, IMHO, form of Pilot Program – insofar as that it has all the elements of a traditional and comprehensive campaign, while keeping things simple enough to act as a test of your needs, capabilities, and suitability for the effectively utilizing these media.

What do you think? Remember – My Blog is Your Blog – Share Your Thoughts!

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Hi, My Name is David Teicher, and I’m a Twitterholic

Twitter Down

It’s 9:48am. I’ve tweeted about 5 times since getting on the bus this morning. I arrive at work at 9 to find twitter down. Hootsuite, iTweet, Seesmic, Tweetdeck, even good ol’ Twitter.com – Nothing. I’ve been refreshing the tab every 10 seconds on average. I’ve tried to get on twitter, to no avail, 3 times since I began writing this post – and I’m only a few sentences in. Is that sad or what?

But it appears I’m not the only one – No sooner did I realize twitter was having problems when my coworker called out from behind a desk “Is anyone else having trouble with twitter!?” 3 seconds later I received a gchat from my friend and PR Peep, Sasha.

Sasha: Morning David

is your Twitter working?

me: no!

Sasha: well is it loading?

me: its not

Sasha: me either. okay, good, it’s not just me. lol.

[I Just Reloaded Hootsuite 2 More Times...Nothing...Sigh]

My Facebook Feed Is Filled With Friends PRCog, Katy Zack, Rosie Siman and others, lamenting Twitter’s Sudden Failure.

Google News’ Tech/Science Section Top Story Is The Twitter Fail – Mashable, Wired, even The AP and Washington Post are all over this…So Clearly, I’m not the only distressed twitterholic. This is the Social Media Apocolypse. Or is this just a ploy by the brilliant minds at Twitter HQ trying to show us how much we’ve come to rely on and need their service?

You know the phrase/lyrics – “You Don’t Always Know What You’ve Got, Til It’s Gone”

Well – I’ve been forced to confront my addiction – Why is twitter so important, so vital to my work?

I Think the answer lies in my role. I sit in the intersection between PR and Social Media. PR means abreast of current events, the days headlines, and staying on top of the news cycle 24/7. I work with clients in politics & business, nonprofits & tech, and of course, I need to constantly read up on the latest tools and vehicles, campaigns and strategies, case studies, failures and successes, within the social media realm. How else would I learn.

And while Google News serves as a decent backup – it’s no Twitter. I’ve used the new Hootsuite (Full Review to Follow – Probably Tomorrow or Later Today) to build up customized groups and tabs of people and outlets I follow. I have one Tab – Media Outlets – Separated Into Top Tier News Feeds, Tech Blogs, Social Media News, and Political News – And Another Tab Set Up with All The Reporters and Journalists Who Cover Those Beats – Making it REALLY EASY for me to follow the latest breaking news and buzzed about topics, as the outlets tweet links to the articles and as the reporters themselves discuss the topics and what their forthcoming coverage.

So – Addiction Reason #1 – Twitter is my primary resource for customized, individualized, and niche information, as it’s released to the public.

Then there’s the social aspect. Forget building relationships with reporters and bloggers because, while it’s incredibly important to me and my job performance, it falls within the walls of category 1. I’m talking about networking, p2p connections, making friends and professional contacts.

For me, it’s about the analysis and feedback and response to the headlines, it’s about identifying trends and influencers from whom I can learn. But I suppose that really falls within the realm of Category 1, as well. It’s all about information, whether through news outlets or people, Twitter, for me, is about sharing and receiving information. Access to that data is my competitive advantage…and that’s why I’m so reliant upon – and addicted to – the platform.

I have a job, so it’s not as much of an issue to me, but a vast multitude of my comrades have been aggressively networking and job hunting on twitter. Every day for them is a struggle to establish connections – the only aspect of the job hunt that can help you that’s actually under the individuals control. We’re all aware that “It’s all about who you know” and Twitter has opened many doors in that respect – providing access to people – CEO’s, HR Managers, etc… to contact, to impress, to get your resume pushed to the top of the pile. Every hour that Twitter is down is an hour lost.

Of course, there are other people you want to connect with – Customer Service & Sales Reps, Tech Support & Others. A few days ago, I had an amazing experience with FiosGuyJoe – as he jumped into a conversation in which I had been asking around – crowd-sourcing, if you will, concerning a possible switch from Cablevision/IO to Verizon Fios – as it just became available in my area. He answered all my questions and would probably have gone back to him today to order the service…alas, now it seems I’ll have to wait until tomorrow. Rest assured though, once I actually have FiOS installed & working – I’ll blog a full case study about my experience with their sales and customer/tech support staff and how they effectively used Twitter – which, so far, has been quite well.

Anyway…I tweet from the bus, I tweet from work, I tweet while watching TV, I tweet from bed…I’ve grown accustomed to the continuous and instantaneous connection to people and information. Granted – you can get information from Google. You can get the personal connection through other social media, like Facebook. But not integrated and organized by interest or industry or region or whatever else you’re looking for.

These are the first few reasons I can think of to explain, and rationalize, my addiction to the platform. Why are you addicted? What would you do if all of a sudden twitter just broke, disappeared, as if it never existed?

Would you mourn? Would you simply get from other services what you got from other services, in lieu of the downed platform? What is it that makes twitter different, aside from the integration of People & Information? And lastly – Who Killed Twitter??? Is this just unplanned maintenance? Did they get hacked? Does Anyone Know???

HELP!

AAAAND – Facebook is having issues too! What is this – The Social Media Apocalypse

Update: Mashable is reporting that this is a Denial of Service Attack.

Twitter has revealed that it’s defending against a Distributed Denial of Service Attack (DDoS), in which the target is typically saturated with so many fake requests that the victim is unable to return legitimate ones.

Knowing that the cause is a malicious attack does take Twitter off the hook to some degree – it may have been assumed that the site was simply failing to scale properly, as had happened in the past. DDoS attempts are difficult to defend against even for some established sites.

As to who might have it in for Twitter: the site is so large and visible that the attacker could be anyone…from a lone prankster to a more organized outfit.

Update 2: According to Twitter HQ:

Ongoing denial-of-service attack 2 hours ago

We are defending against a denial-of-service attack, and will update status again shortly.

Update: the site is back up, but we are continuing to defend against and recover from this attack.

Update (9:46a): As we recover, users will experience some longer load times and slowness. This includes timeouts to API clients. We’re working to get back to 100% as quickly as we can.

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Commentz – The TMI Fix

For those of you, like myself, working in the dangerous intersection of PR Street & Social Media Boulevard (about a block from Media Relations Avenue), one of the most difficult issues with which we contend, on a daily basis, is the struggle to tackle our day’s worth of work while still keeping up-to-date on the latest and greatest industry goings-on. New websites & platforms, case studies & innovative campaigns, new social media tools and monitoring methods…not to mention the plethora of analysis and conjecture the erupts every day, as bloggers, journalists and media personalities speculate as to the possible direction social media is taking, debate the potential of a new social network, scrutinize an intriguing PR/Marketing campaign, or discuss the many ways in which social media and twitter has impacted our lives. And this is all in addition to staying on top of current events and the news cycle, the latest in health and medicine, politics, entertainment and the economy. It’s a grueling, harrowing, task – to keep up with everything.

To some, it’s TMI, but I would venture to guess, that if you’re in PR, Marketing, Advertising, or Social Media, you love it all and there aren’t enough hours in the day to read every interested article and post. You thrive on the information and you’re computer sits on the verge of death as tab after tab after tab opens in your browser, each offering a fresh perspective while pushing your computer closer and closer to crashing. TechCrunch and Mashable. Adage, Adfreak, BrandWeek, and eMarketer. Mediapost & MarketingProfs. Fast Company & ZDNet. Not to mention the infinite universe of professionals and practitioners that blog about their take and daily experiences – arguable of equal or greater value than those simply ‘reporting.’ It’s not TMI – There can never be Too Much Information – It’s more an issue of chaos. I want the info, just cleaner, simpler, easier.

That’s how it is for me, anyway, and apparently, for Sarah Evans, as well. Which is why we’re endeavoring to bring you the best, the edgiest, the most interesting, the most controversial and the most insightful, of these articles and blogs in a new e-recap, “Commentz.”

Commentz – the brainchild of the one and only Sarah Evans – will aim to remedy this overload, bring order to chaos, and structure to your unending desire to learn and know everything there is about the universe…well, about PR, anyway.

In Sarah’s words:

Information overload? I know how you feel. Everyday I scan headlines, check my RSS feeds and head over to see what my favorite bloggers are saying about PR and new media. I already share the majority of what I read via Twitter, but wanted a better way to publicly archive it. Sure, I could list all of the links in my blog each day and invite you to visit. But, it would be even better if I could do all of the work and send it directly to you.

Thus, Commentz was born.

It’s a daily, electronic recap of hot topics and blog posts most likely to generate lots of conversation (or comments).

With the help of David Teicher (@aerocles), we’re going to bring you the best of the best Monday through Friday. There’s no catch. Simply sign up, and get the information without the work.

If you’re a blogger who write about PR or new media, you can send your posts or site for consideration to prsarahevans@gmail.com.

The first edition of Commentz is set to launch Tuesday, August 18. Get signed up now!

So what are you waiting for? Subscribe already! And if you have any interesting articles or blog posts to share – well…tell us!