Chiperoni ku Basel

Category: blogging

  • Jog log

    Dear blog,

    I am happy to report that I went running on 5 out of 7 days this past week.

    The plan is to replace my daily outdoor swim with a slow jog.

    Today I did the 2 hills tour. Starting at Bettingerstrasse, running along the Wiese river, via Sonnenhalde and Wenkenpark. More than 6 km long.

    I will try to do the same again this week.

    My goal at the moment is to run easy.

    IMG_20201003_150629
    Run easy

  • Barcamp Bodensee 2016

    Last Saturday I attended Barcamp Bodensee in Konstanz.

    barcamp bodensee

    Here are some brief notes and thoughts on sessions that I attended:

    Ask a digital teen
    Barcamp attendees asked a 15 year old what apps and web services he uses. Youtube, Gaming, TeamSpeak, Discord app, some Whatsapp, Google Calendar. No TV. No Facebook. His school doesn’t allow the use of smartphones on the school grounds.

    Digital strategy for non-profit organizations
    Digital strategy means finding a way to connect CMS and CRM and accounting and payment apps and processes. CiviCRM was recommended; if offers connectors for WordPress and Drupal. There’s an association called “Software für Engagierte” (in German only). QuickBook, Collmex were mentioned for accounting purposes.

    Getting Things Done
    A certified GTD trainer offered an intro to David Allen’s method. Mind like water. Some very useful tips. For example, to do lists aren’t enough. Lists need to be sorted and categorized. Actionable items and next steps instead of just listing the project. Tasks that take less than 2 minutes should be taken care of immediately. Cos it takes more time to get back to these mini-tasks. Related links:

    http://www.taskinator.de/

    http://www.next-action.de/

    Intro to Snapchat
    Useful intro to a social network that is growing fast. The speaker encouraged us to sign up to learn how influencers are using Snapchat for storytelling.

     

    Messaging
    Messaging apps are probably going to change in 2016, c.f. Facebook’s recent announcement. E.g. possibility to order services and buy products via chat like in Asian chat apps, Line and WeChat. We went off on a tangent and collected a comprehensive list of messaging apps….

    all the messaging apps that we could think of

    I’ve learnt a lot at barcamps in the past and recommend attending one or two if you can. The same content will cost you $$$ at a commercial conference and lots more nerves. Barcamps are fun and way more relaxing.

  • The future of blogging is … plogging

    I found this Wired article discussing Facebook’s recent Notes update for long-form content and Medium.

    Apparently, “plogging” stands for platform-based blogging.

    Related link: What Andrew Sullivan’s exit says about the future of blogging

  • New theme chez Chiperoni

    Lingonberry.

    I like

  • I’m trying a new WordPress theme

    It’s called Radcliffe by Anders Noren.

  • Links and ideas from last week’s WordCamp in Zürich #wcch

    I attended the WordCamp in Zurich last Saturday.

    It’s been a while since I attended a similar geek event and I enjoyed listening to others.

    It was encouraging to hear about WordPress. I’ve used WordPress since September 2004. And it’s truly a great sign of continuity that WordPress is still here. Not only that, but there’s a thriving community and a company that want to keep it that way as well.

    Secondly, it was encouraging to hear from other bloggers and web developers.

    Here’s a quick run through my Twitter notes and faves (like a Storify summary of Tatort on Spiegel.de ;-)).

    First talk I listened to was on trends in enterprise blogs. I found this talk useful for my day job.

    Large, enterprise blogs have switched off commenting and are experimenting with new forms of integrating user interaction, e.g. by using annotations, or by asking specific questions, or moving comments entirely to Facebook.

    Regarding content length, short texts and long analysis articles (aka Longreads) work best. It’s the mid-length texts between 500 and 800 words that are read least frequently.

    And many of the enterprise sites use extensive email marketing to bring readers to their site.

    The slides are here.

    Next talk that inspired me was by Vitaly Friedman. He had a fun starting point by looking at typewriter art in the late 19th century, which led to ASCI art and teletext.

    If the Internet hadn’t appeared, we would all be teletext designers and developers.

    I think I’ll print this tweet on dead wood and post it on my office door:

    Vitaly had some excellent UX examples. His message: details matter for usability.

    Another very enjoyable talk was by Paolo on virtual offices and distributed teams. First thing to note it’s not only about tools. The tools should not be the first thing you try to solve when setting up a distributed team. Three common mistakes are

    1. Trying to mimic a local office setup
    2. Measuring work based on the wrong metrics
    3. Suffering instead of embracing change

    Recruiting is a very important part of distributed teams. And because your team is in different places and different timezones, managers need to empower their team members. Managers must trust team members to perform and deliver their work packages in time, in high quality.

    Next talk:

    I liked Christian Leu’s humorous talk about how to become a successful blogger. His point was there are tonnes of articles on successful blogging. There’s no point in repeating this.

    Many long-term bloggers have moved to Twitter and are blogging less. Main reason given by many is lack of time. As a result, @leumund presented 10 simple tips to find more time for blogging.

    It’s important to stay true to yourself.

    In summary, it was an enjoyable day.

    Videos of the talks will be published WordPress.tv at some point.

    Observation:
    There were several talks on maintaining multilingual sites with WordPress. For me this is a sign, that WordPress is used increasingly in a Swiss business environment. Many Swiss websites (even for SMEs) need to display in German, French, Italian and English. My humble tip: Consider using Drupal instead of WordPress for multilingual sites. Maintaining multi-language sites is part of the Drupal core.

    While listening to others present, I thought of two WordPress presentations which I could present to share some of my more recent learnings and experience:

    1. Idea no. 1: POSSE and IndieWeb plugins for WordPress – Using Webmention plugin, an URL shortener and Jetpack’s Publicize (see corresponding entry)
    2. Idea no.2: Security for non-techies – Make your WordPress site less vulnerable, even if you’re a non-developer; about WordPress resources, plugins, advice, where to get help

    Further links:

    Storify

    Blogging in an imperfectly multilingual world

    Live blogging notes by Evren Kiefer

    On communication within a distributed team

    The end of time

  • The blog is dead. Again.

    Recommended read: Article by Jason Kottke.

    The blog as we once knew it is dead, but many of its elements will live on.

    If you want something to cry about, cry about the decline of the open web, the death of which would be a huge blow for us all. But perhaps that’s a topic better left for 2015.

  • A fave for http://www.wenger-2-rad.ch/

    This is a blog post to say thank you to http://www.wenger-2-rad.ch/.

    On Monday morning, I noticed that I had forgotten my bicycle lock at home. Since I don’t have a lockable place to store my bike near work, I hurried to the closest bicycle shop planning to buy a substitute. When I noticed I’d forgotten my purse in the same place where I’d left my bicycle lock.

    Great way to start the week.

    I usually attach my bicycle lock to my bike rack.

    The owner of Wenger 2 Rad was kind enough to lend me a bicycle lock for a day. Without charge. Which is great, ‘cos I already own at least 3 bicycle locks and don’t really need a fourth one to forget.

    Thank you Wenger 2 Rad. I appreciate the help.

  • http://bit.ly/1iqpeTY How to motivate yourself

    This article continues some thoughts discussed in a previous entry:
    How To Motivate Yourself Into an Exercise Routine You'll Actually Stick To.

    I like the idea of thinking in systems.

  • Scott Adams on Goals vs. Systems http://bit.ly/1gfOojJ

    Recommended: Scott Adams Blog: Goals vs. Systems

    “Before long your body will be trained, like Pavlov’s dogs, to crave the psychological lift you get from being active every day.”

    Lots of food for thought in this article.

    I particularly like the notes on writing and using blogging as a system to find new opportunities. Also what Scott is talking about here, evolved over several years and took many writing hours. Not some instant magic that some people try to sell us.

  • Writing for the web – assessing my own writing style

    I love reading list articles. This one crossed my paths this week.

    Just for fun, I’ll run thru the list and assess my own writing for the web style on this blog.

    So let’s get started”¦

    Provide a Reader’s Digest or Executive Summary version.
    I don’t write a reader’s digest or summary for posts on this blog. But it’s definitely recommended/good practice.

    Many of my Chiperoni blog posts tend to be short.

    Next tip:

    Key words in every post titles.
    Good tip. Often the post title displays on its own. Key words that clear reflect what the blog post is about will help readers decide to click and read the article. And there’s the SEO aspect.

    Self-assessment: I don’t spend much time on developing post titles for this blog. I often opt for descriptive titles. Copyblogger lists helpful formulas and categories.

    Lead with the conclusion.
    Answer the question “what is my benefit if I commit to read this post?”
    Same applies for presentations. Straightforward advice. Often we tend to forget the reader’s perspective. Some posts may look confusing.

    Chiperoni.ch is a collection of notes. More reviewing would be better.

    Be sure and provide hyper links to your sources.
    This is something I do diligently. It is only fair to provide a backlink to your source of inspiration. And it’s a way to document good online resources and build my own knowledge database.

    Make your content scannable to the eye.
    I try to keep paragraphs short and use bullets and headings. A further improvement would be to define H2s. I like the improved typography in web design.

    Write in an Inverted Pyramid style.
    Yepp. I don’t use this approach on my private blog. Again, the goal is to convey my main message in the top part of my post.

    Use common language.
    My writing style is simple and I tend to use common vocabulary. There are a lot of good reasons to use plain language.

    Why use plain language?

    Plain Language:

    • Shows customer focus
    • Communicates effectively
    • Eliminates barriers
    • Reduces time spent explaining
    • Improves compliance

     

    Get to the point, quickly.
    We’re all busy. Impatient.
    Don’t meander.
    Get to the point, quickly.

    Looking at my own writing style at Chiperoni central, I don’t edit my posts enough. But, I don’t waffle on for pages and pages either

    Make your post visually pleasing.
    Again, very obvious advice. Add graphics. Add photos.

  • Because writing helps

    Sometimes I wish I had developed Chiperoni.ch into a confessional blog. You know the kind where you write about your worries and sorrow and challenges.

    Why? Because writing helps.

    I noticed yesterday that writing helped me to sort through a difficult web navigational problem that I am encountering. It helps me to reflect.

    The benefits of writing daily. Which i don’t manage to do. Yet. Weekly would be a first, reachable goal.

    My head is buzzing with lots of questions and ideas. This is where I can list them and then return at leisure. Still in line with my blog definition of 2004.

    riding a bicycle

    Some articles on web and social media content that I’d like to mention here:

    The first is not new for bloggers. We noticed this long ago. In addition to quality content, frequency matters.

    Here’s an interesting entry on link building and local SEO. In a nutshell: Focus on developing good content and engaging with your community on social media rather than spending $$$ on dubious SEO providers that add links from low-quality sites.

    Writing tip via Seth Godin: Say the opposite. This also works for ideas. Try and think of your worst idea ever. So
    stupid and dumb, nobody would ever use it. Often this helps you to find original ideas.

    I am hearing a lot about Kaizen and I have questions:

    1. Aren’t Kaizen and Scrum related? What are the differences?
    2. And a dumb question – If Kaizen is a way to improve continuously, and Kaizen originated in Japan, why is the Japanese economy stagnating for so many years? Is it not used as much in Japanese business?

    I found a great website that rates the Terms of Service of various web and mobile apps.

    IMG_7580

    This morning I remembered some ancient poetry that we used to sing at school assembly in Blantyre.

    Enjoy the warm weather.

  • Successful blogging?

    I love reading list articles. Here’s one that appeared on my radar today:

    6 Pillars of a Successful Blog

    And just for fun, I’ll run thru the list and assess my own private blogging chez moi.

    So let’s get started…

    Purpose/Message/Mission
    This is a private blog. The main purpose is to learn and reflect.

    It’s an ever-evolving mix of learning, reflection, discovery and knowledge management. I’ve always said it’s like a scrap book. Chiperoni.ch will no longer do well from an SEO point-of-view, because the topics are too diverse, too sporadic. I write about the Internet and online marketing. I link to my huge Flickr collection of snapshots. I write about architecture and travel. I post Youtube videos. I try out WordPress plugins and themes.

    If you’re setting up a blog for business purposes, think about your purpose. Brainstorm ideas. Put together an editorial calendar. This will help you stand out from the crowd.

    Email Newsletter
    I don’t send out an email newsletter for this blog. While this Google service still exists, you can get an email notification via Feedburner:

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    There are some pretty cool email newsletter plugins for WordPress. I briefly tried Wysija. There’s also Sendpress and Email Newsletter to try. And yes, I wholeheartedly agree… if you want your blog to grow, send out a regular email newsletter.

    I do have a cool WordPress plugin called Thank me later, which sends auto-sends thank you messages to people that leave a comment.

    A Free E-Book/Manifesto
    There is no free e-book to download. There is no manifesto to link to at Chiperoni.ch. Yet. I have plans to write a book or two. Maybe. Some day.

    David Meerman-Scott uses e-books very effectively for his topics.

    I am a regular reader of the e-books at Hubspot.

    IMHO, you should spend some $$ on your e-book layout to get a better return.

    A Product/Business Model
    There is no business model at Chiperoni.ch. I am here for fun. This is a private, non-profit blog. There is no advertising. So far I have not published any paid blog entries here. If this changes, I will publish a disclosure statement.

    Again if you’re planning to offer a product or service, put some thought into your business model. A good starter is this business model generation canvas. It leads you through various business questions.

    Site Design
    I like minimal blog designs. Currently I am using themes by Elma.

    If you’re building a business, test your site design using a poor man’s usability test. Ideally before coding; using a paper test. Find 5 people that fit your site’s target audience. Think of some site tasks you would like to test, e.g. how to contact you; how to ask for a quote. Ask your test person to think out loud while performing the tasks. And then sit next to them and quietly observe how your test person navigates through your site.

    Check your site design from an SEO point of view. Are there enough text areas for your key phrases on your main landing pages? I would avoid overusing fancy carousel and slider plugins. Do you have one sentence explaining your main mission, written in HTML?

    Effective Self Promotion
    It’s 2013. You need to find creative ways to promote your business blog. The Internet is a vast ocean of data. Nobody is waiting for your cool product or service. If your self promotion is too low-key, nobody will notice you. If your self promotion is too heavy and your service offering doesn’t match, you will put people off.

    I am stating the obvious. My only advice is to try various ideas and find a marketing mix that works for you. Trial and error.

    Or build a private, non-profit blog like Chiperoni.ch. And as such I don’t need to join the success theater.

    looking closely

  • Identity and culture

    Somewhere deep inside of me, I have this blog post bubbling up and forming about identity. It is influenced by my own state of being an eternal foreigner, an Auslandsdeutsche. But also influenced by other observations on organizational cultures and the changes within the internet.

    I started watching this talk by Anil Dash:

    He says being a blogger in the early years (a decade ago, from approximately 1999 to 2006) was an identity. Bloggers had a shared set of values. There was a culture and a common understanding.

    Nobody calls themselves a Facebooker.

    I recommend viewing this video and reflecting on the thoughts.

  • Moving from Google Reader to WordPress.com

    Even though Google Reader showed up prominently in yesterday’s SERPs for “best free RSS reader”, someone at Google has decided to end the product life of Google Reader.

    Heh Google Search! Google Reader is closing

    It’s time to move on to a new RSS reader.

    Several RSS readers managed to survive despite Google Reader’s dominance. And some new ones emerged. These tools are getting frequent mentions:

    • Feedly
    • NewsBlur
    • RSSOwl
    • Zite
    • The old reader

    Digg decided to build a new reader the day Google announced the end of its Reader. In some ways, that’s the silver lining. RSS readers are getting more attention than in the past years combined.

    WordPress.com

    This is how you can import your RSS subscriptions into WordPress.com.

    First, go to Google Takeout to download your Google Reader data:

    google-takeout

    The process is fairly straightforward.

    Google Takeout

    Click Download and save the zip file on your computer.

    Google Takeout

    Voilà. Saved the data for future use. Who knew! I’ve got 6.5 MB of shared Google Reader articles.

    WordPress.com offers an RSS reader. I don’t know if I’ll make WordPress.com my RSS Reader, but there’s one advantage. I already have a login for WordPress.com. And it’s easy to try out. This is what I did to add my RSS subscriptions (not my past shared articles!) to WordPress.com:

    Wordpress Reader

    Click Import your subscriptions.

    Wordpress Reader

    I used the special service: Import your Google Reader sunscriptions directly.

    I allowed WordPress.com to access Google Reader.

    That’s it. Done.

    Wordpress Reader

    The challenge: so far WordPress.com isn’t in my regular flow of news sites that I visit. I use it for special photo projects, Akismet and Jetpack.

  • Bufferapp stats for tweets and posts

    I am confused by the analytics view shown in Bufferapp. Consider the 2 tweets i posted this morning:

    bufferapp stats

    One has 0 (zero) clicks and one has close to 200. I am not questioning the 0. It’s a known fact Twitter engagement has gone down. Disappeared. But… I am fairly sure that nobody clicked on my other tweet either. The number shown must be the total number of clicks on this bit.ly link, right?

    Is this useful for me?

    Why show me the total number of clicks worldwide on this link? My educated guess is that Bufferapp (or any other Twitter stats tool for that matter) can only count clicks via the URL shortener service. I.e. close to 200 clicks where registered for http://bit.ly/P0Hjpe. Which is somewhat misleading. Or, in other words, it shows me which tweets are truly original vs entries which are just part of a larger echo chamber.

    I guess, it can be said in this day and age, we really need to closely at how stats are derived.

    For example, a tweet starting with @name will still generate up to 10 views on Flickr. While the tweet is public and can be viewed by others, I sincerely doubt that the views displayed on Flickr are *human* views.

    “Traue keiner Statistik, die du nicht selbst gefälscht hast”

  • Success theater is boring

    I recommended reading this article:

    Twitter : nchenga: "It's boring." http:::t.co:UXaVF5Pb

    Success theater is boring. Directly related to the increasing lack of privacy. All the world’s a stage.

    Social media featuritis is part of a never-ending cycle. Ironically the author mentions new tools (Snapchat, VidBurn and Facebook Poke) to replace the broadcast tools.

    Keep calm.

    Don’t join the rat race.

    Use social media in good measure and in a personable way.

    Create rather than consume.

    Consider your true motive. Cost and benefit.

    BTW, I’ve read some predictions about a blogging comeback in 2013. Experts predict that the author tag will get a higher Google rank.

    2013: The Year of the Online Writer

    Due to Google Panda and Penguin, everybody is talking about the need for high-quality content.

    The reality is it will be extremely difficult for middle-of-the-road online writers to gain any kind of traffic. Compared to 2003 and 2004, the ocean of data has increased exponentially. Gone are the days where a private blog entry google-bombed its way into the top SERPs. I am not saying it isn’t possible. But it takes strategy, resources, commitment, personal drive, writing skills and some SEO expertise. And most of us with a day job, hobbies, and a long to-do list will no longer be part of the top Google rankings. At least with the current setup.

    Here is an interesting slide deck on how social media will develop in 2013:

    I wonder where “social everything” and “mobile everything” will take us.

  • Thankful

    I am thankful for lots of big and little things.

    Family
    Friends
    Health
    Food
    A job
    Connectivity
    The possibility to learn and study new things
    Political and religious freedom
    Fresh air
    Enough water to take a shower when i want or wash my clothes
    Electricity
    Reliable public transport when i need it
    Challenges and adventures
    My bicycle
    Safety
    A place to stay and store stuff (aka home)
    Ways to express myself
    The power to keep going
    To know i can be happy and at peace despite the circumstances
    I am thankful that my mood is independent of the weather or the situation
    Being bilingual
    Education
    Enough clothes to wear
    Learning that wearing the right clothes makes cold weather more bearable
    A digital camera to catch a moment
    Clouds in the sky
    Dreams
    Birds
    Music
    Memories
    Courage
    Fearlessness
    Deep,refreshing sleep
    Flowers
    Hiking
    Economic stability
    Dogs
    Photos
    Books
    Museums
    Libraries
    Discussions
    Cooking and baking
    Not living in a warzone
    Nutella and chocolate

    premium dog content

  • Ten twenty seven

    Sipping coffee. Reading tweets. Faving Flickr photos. And listening to “Klassik-Pop-et cetera” on dradio.de.

    Some music references to remember:

    Paul Gerhard “Ich steh an deiner Krippe hier”

    Mahalia Jackson “Go tell it on the mountain”

    Pete Seeger

    Johann Sebastian Bach “Ich lasse dich nicht denn du segnest mich denn”

    IMG_3869

    pasta

    blue

    Some ancient poetry that crossed my internetz path:

    whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable””if anything is excellent or praiseworthy””think about such things

    IMG_3654

    You know the year is nearly over when the first posts on “future trends” appear. I thought this slide deck quite intriguing:

    Heading out to take care of errands. And to take photos of bicycles. Yours truly, nchenga.

    Charly Gaul

  • Building websites with Jekyll, Github Pages

    This post has made me very curious. They use a different stack:

    Jekyll for page templates and static file generation
    HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files
    GitHub Pages static HTTP server
    Supplemented with external APIs where necessary

    I guess, you can convert WordPress to static HTML. I found this description.

    Looking a little further, there’s this setup using Really Static.

    Why static HTML? HTML is secure and faster.

    Speed: Any web server, will serve html files a lot faster than PHP generated files.
    Security: If you are serving just static files, there is no way to hack your site.

    Here’s a thread on the same at Quora

    And using the WordPress static output plugin

    Nice to know I could offer a flat static HTML version of this site.

    I will have a longer look at Jekyll.

    BTW, one year ago I tweeted about something similar:

    Any experience? Opinions? Further resources to look at?

  • Nchenga as seen from space

    nchenga as seen from space

  • Blogging isn’t dead (yet)

    Heh, heh. Here is a “why you should blog” article from January 2012. Blogging isn’t dead (yet).

    I just spent hours trying to de-infest a Joomla 1.0 or 1.5 site from spam. And I am ready to leave PHP behind me forever.

  • Sunny Sunday

    I just got back from a run around the Finnenbahn. The distance is nothing to write home about, but it was a pleasurable experience with temperatures around 18 degrees. Spring is here.

    With all the fresh air rushing thru my system, I was in mindblogging mode. Reflecting on all the data I have been consuming here and there.

    Yesterday afternoon I tried out new bicycles at a bicycle shop in downtown Basel. I am thinking of buying a new bicycle. My Univega will soon be 10 years old. And a lot has been happening in the bicycle space since then.

    mein velo

    I read Scoble’s post on reducing noise on Facebook. Useful! I don’t really have the a signal to noise problem on FB, but they are offering more and more control. Which is good.

    On Twitter: Did you see that you can now embed tweets?

    How to find the embed code:

    • Select a tweet.
    • Click on Details.
    • Click on Embed this Tweet.
    • Copy the code to your webpage.

    Although I am quite sure that I will keep my screenshot collection of fun tweets.

    The effort to tweak all these corporate social media channels is getting higher than high. Don’t let the social media corporations take over.

    Instead of just consuming content, I encourage you to create content. Write a blog, take photos, learn something new, write how-tos, write about your area of expertise, own your own data, participate, enter into dialog, have fun. Here are some ideas:

    I am planning to attend BarcampBodensee in June. Anybody else coming from the Basel area? It would be a great opportunity to present an updated version of my presentation on mobile internet usage in Malawi.

    The Potential of Mobile Technology in Africa

    View more PowerPoint from nchenga

    So much has happened in this space. And even in a downturn, TNM has managed to increase its subscriber base by 35% in 2011. Compare and contrast those kind of numbers with the saturated markets here in Europe.

    The number of Facebook users from southern Africa is increasing despite the high internet access costs. Socialbaker lists 95 820 users from Malawi.

    socialbaker stats for Malawi

    Leave a comment or contact me if you can provide further interesting data / anecdotes / user behaviour on internet usage patterns in the warm heart of Africa.

    Thank you for reading and supporting chiperoni.ch. Alles wird gut.

    colorful and calories

    P.S.: I missed a LOLCat photo opportunity today: a cat stretched out on the seat of Vespa. Unfortunately I didn’t have a cam with me.

  • Preparing my next social media talk

    I have been invited to speak on social media somewhere in Germany. (Im Ausland!!!) Apparently this gathering of people doesn’t use new media applications yet. (Really? Truely?)

    This is my abstract:

    Erst gab es Blogs und Flickr, dann kam Twitter und Facebook, und jetzt gibt es G+, Pinterest, Foursquare und Klout.

    Immer mehr Web-Anwendungen drängen auf den Markt und buhlen um unsere Online-Aufmerksamkeit.

    Wie nutze ich Social Media für mein Unternehmen?
    Lohnt sich der Aufwand für mein KMU?
    Wie manage ich private und berufliche Kontakte?

    I have approximately 30 mins. Which means about 12 to 15 slides. I am planning 4 main sections:

    1) What is social media?

    2) Using new media tools for my company

    3) Using new media tools for personal reasons – develop your micro-brand

    4) How to get started – Chiperoni’s recommended checklist

    Okay here we go! Details:

    1) What is social media?

    Social media is a misnomer for online apps, that use current web and mobile technologies to publish information (text, audio, video).

    […]social media isn’t a PR tool; it’s not a marketing tool ; it’s a communications tool and a media making/distribution tool set.

    Social media is fast. It requires no techie skills such as FTP, HTML, CSS. Everyone is a publisher. Within 3 minutes I can set up an account on Facebook, WordPress.com, Twitter, or Tumblr and vent my anger or frustration or delight about a product or service or person. This is referred to as user-generated content.

    Screens of examples: blogs, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Klout, Foursquare

    Nobody can say what social media tools will prosper and what tools will peter out a la MySpace and co. But the principle of real-time will remain.

    Social media has substantially changed the way organizations, communities, and individuals communicate.

    News finds me.

    It’s not about stats, no. of likes, or followers.

    Note to Social Media Mar­ke­ting Dorks: The hard currency of the Inter­net is not Face­book “Likes” or Twit­ter “Ret­weets”, as flavor-of-the-month as they might be. By them­sel­ves, they’re worthless.
    The hard currency of the Inter­net is “Social Objects”.
    i.e. Social Objects for peo­ple to SHARE MEANINGFULLY with other people

    2) Using new media tools for my company

    I assume that a company wants to raise awareness and influence a buyer’s decision. 😉

    In the 90s we accessed the printed version of Zimpel to find out which journalist wrote about microengineering and sent out faxes. Today lots of journis are on Twitter. See Leumund’s list of Swiss journalists on Twitter

    Very obviously, as a Marketing Communications specialist, I am going to adapt and move to Twitter. Especially if I am a small or medium-sized business.

    Huge benefit: As an SME, I can circumvent the gatekeepers and get access to my stakeholders directamente. Press releases are no longer for the press only, but for everybody interested in your company’s products or services.

    Huge benefit no. 2: SEO. More surface area for Google to find me. (Analogy: ocean of data – more islands pointing back to my company website)

    Huge benefit no. 3: when a shit storm is raging against my company or an external communication crisis comes along, I already know how to use new media.
    Example: SWISS during volcano crisis.

    Huge benefit no. 4: costs are still lower than print, billboard or radio/TV advertising.

    BUT, social media is not working for all companies. You need to find the right platform and the right strategy / tone of voice / mix of useful content vs pure advertising. Everyone needs their own tailor-fit strategy.

    3) Using new media tools for personal reasons – develop your micro-brand

    My personal benefits have been:

    • Networking
    • Learning
    • Reflection
    • Knowledge management
    • Positioning myself as a specialist
    • Fun

    For every online comment you receive, there are about 200 visitors that didn’t say a thing about your post. Very few people comment online, but many people will read your entries and comment offline when you meet face-to-face. Or even e-mail you photos of Nutella alternatives from their last vacation to post in your collection.

    4) How to get started – Chiperoni’s recommended checklist

    Inspired by Su Franke, David Meerman Scott and Elise Bauer…

    Before you dive in and set up your social media accounts, please consider the following checklist:

    • Do some research beforehand – which new media platform is suitable for my topic? Is my potential audience using this web application? Can I add value to the existing online conversations?
    • Look at the legalese – who owns my content? What limitations are there in the terms and conditions?
    • What information about my company or my personal life, am I prepared to make public? Would I say the same kind of things in a real-life, face-to-face meeting or in front of an audience?
    • How do I handle private contacts vs business contacts on my social application? Do I know enough about the privacy settings? What happens if I make a mistake and I set the wrong privacy for an entry?
    • How important are online contacts / networks for me?
    • Consider the effort – you will need to post at regular intervals to gain any kind of traction. Prepare a pipeline of topics / an editorial calendar. Set up Google Reader with a list of sources that write about your topic.
    • Frequency is very important
    • Be authentic
    • Be a thought leader – develop useful content. Most of us have been overexposed to advertising. I am jaded. I am cynical. I will challenge and question any kind of advertising posted on the internetz. Instead follow Elise’s ideas on thought leadership.
    • Find your social object.

    See David Meerman Scott’s book on the new rules of PR and marketing. There’s an excellent free e-book to get you started.

    I strongly recommend Su Franke’s talk on networking.

    Mut zum Netzwerken 2.0

    View more presentations from sufranke

    Especially Su’s last slide is important: once you start your social media home, don’t leave it uninhabited.

    Last slide – further reading:
    all of the above links and some more!

    Your comments? Additions? Feedback?

  • 2010

    For me 2010 has been special.

    While I was a kid, I wondered and dreamed about 2010 and where I would be. My life is very different from what I dreamed it would be. But it is good.

    I achieved one of my long-standing goals.

    I am venturing out to embrace new challenges.

    Hello 2011.