Echolalia

The Paradox of LinkedIn #30DBC

Are you on LinkedIn? If you are a professional, this tool is invaluable for keeping connected with others in your fields of interest.

I joined LI back in 2004. I remember being so excited to have a place to connect with others who I knew, and be able to maintain relationships (and correct contact information) no matter where my network would roam.  It did take me quite some time to convince others that this wasn't a scam to get your personal information for malfeasance -- but rather, an open network that was going to change the way we would be able to connect.

It's been more than 10 years and I've watched my peers and mentors grow into their current positions. I love the game of "we knew each other when" as those experiences -- as interns, entry-level associates, first time managers and then directors and CEOS allow us  to create bonds that can last a lifetime. LI lets me see their histories and share mine. It also lets me see how we are connected and if we have any connections in common.

As LinkedIn has grown to 200 million users -- it has changed the way we learn about the people we meet. As in real life, exaggerating your profile in LI is not the smartest thing to do. If you're connected to your former colleagues, your claims can easily be checked by anyone with an account.

Credit: istockphoto.com

In the early days, LinkedIn made it possible to connect with someone if you had his/her email address.  These days, if you choose to be a LION (a LinkedIn Open Networker) you can choose to connect with as many people as you'd like, provided that they accept your invitation. If you are in a group with someone who shares similar interests, you can connect with them easily -- even if you never had a word with them (via text or voice!)

Perhaps I'm old-school, but I believe in the strength of real relationships. This might sound funny coming from someone who has friends on every continent, many who she hasn't met! Truthfully, as an early adopter and technology lover, I have always participated in chats with people unknown to me in the traditional sense. But over the months and years of exchanging views in threads, boards, and through SKYPE and the telephone, I have come to know some of these friends much better than those people who I may have worked with 20 years ago.  These are "real" connections, and I've earned them by engaging in honest conversations.

 

I love to meet new people. I also love to offer my assistance to those who reach out. But one of my biggest pet peeves is with those who are "biz card collectors." These are people who click without care, connecting to anyone without thinking about why a connection should be accepted. It's quite odd and rude in my opinion.

Would you walk up to anyone at a conference and without introducing yourself, demand their business card? I sincerely doubt it. But on LinkedIn, people forget their manners. They do that every day by sending the generic request "I'd like to add you to my professional network" to people who they fancy.

Yes, I know these tools are created to form connections to people you don't know.  But just like an in person networking meeting, please don't forget your manners. Try to engage someone in a group conversation. "Like" and comment on his/her posts. Craft an invite that explains why you'd like to add them to your network.

"Hi Wendy. Saw your post in Group X and I think you're onto something. By the way, I'm also a marketer who loves social media. Perhaps we can connect and continue the chat?"  

^ That's the way to do it. 

How do you use LinkedIn? Are you an Open Networker or are you more selective? Do share your opinion, please! 

PS  - if you wish to connect with me, send me a note (!)

All of my social media links are in one place, XeeMe.  http://www.xeeme.com/wendycobrda

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Two Kids, Two Hundred Miles and One Mad Libs App #30DBC

We decided to do something completely different for the Thanksgiving holiday this time.

Instead of spending the 4 day break together with my sisters and their families -- this year, my husband and I needed to stay close to home.  My sister offered to host our children -- as it had been a while since all the cousins had seen each other for any length of time. They were long overdue. 

So, I got up at 5:00 and we were on the road by 5:45 headed down to Allentown, PA where my one sister's inlaws live. They were kind enough to agree to take my kids with them down to Virginia, sparing me a 6 1/2 hour drive all the way down and another 6 and who knows how many back home to Syracuse with the crazy holiday traffic.

We stopped for coffee before the sun rose and connected to my iPod so that we could listen to Radio Lab together. (If you're not familiar with this award-winning series of podcasts -- do yourself a favor. Your children will be as mezmerized by the delightful audio presentation as you are and you'll be astonished how much you remember after your ride.)

We listened to one "short" (about genius -- is it just raw talent, or is it the love and obsession that makes you good at what you do?) Then my daughter who was sitting in the backseat took my iPad out and started a game of Hang Man with us.  "Can you read that back, Jules?"  "N, A, E. "   "No, I mean could you read it back and use the word "blank" when we're missing a letter?" I begged her. Let it be known that blind hangman is difficult to play. Without being able to visualize where the letters were fitting much less remember which letters we already tried -- we failed miserably and wanted to move on to something else, actually anything.

As I went to change the station to something other than the Disney Channel (a mom can take only so much pop) I said to no one in particular "When I was YOUR age..." (Collective groan.) "Well... on our trips in our station wagon, we played a word game called Mad Libs."  My son, John-Luke, a boy who takes after his mother when it comes to all things technology, immediately whipped out his phone and searched for an app -- surely there must be one for THAT! And just like that, we were in business.

Driving 3 1/2 hours in the early morning hours with a 9 and 12 year old can be intolerable if they're not sleeping or entertained, but I'll tell you, that last hour and a half was an absolute blast. The kids took turns picking out stories and asking for nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. We started out meekly -- using colors, and simple descriptive words. But as we got rolling, they got creative! We tried not to reuse words and we came up with silly nicknames for each other when the game called for a person's name. There was more than one time that I laughed so hard that I nearly had to pull the car over to gain control! 

I was actually a bit sad when I had to turn around and head back home by myself. 

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Not exactly cool, but definitely not dead.

 

http://www.kbkcommunications.com/is-social-media-dead/

It's a funny thing. 

As soon as something becomes adopted by the masses and actually starts working as predicted, the bleeding edge folks declare it dead and move on to discover the next best thing.

Isn't that the way it is with everything? When things get popular, they are less expensive to make and distribute and so they take less effort to find and acquire. Remember when CROCS were just the ugliest plastic shoes you've ever seen? Who would wear them much less pay hard earned cash for them? I don't recall the year they became the "it" thing in footwear, but when you can find knockoffs in every shade and color, you know it's no longer trendy and just part of our accepted culture.

The same thing can be said about social media.  

It used to be that only the cool kids were using Twitter. People who didn't understand the brilliance of short text messages loved to disparage the tool. Same thing with Facebook and LinkedIn.  ("I'm just really too busy to get online, I don't know how you have the time to do it."people would chide.) However, once these tools became adopted by more people, those on the edge were already on to the latest and greatest.

Just because it's mainstream doesn't mean it's lame.  Just because your mother -- even your grandmother is on Facebook doesn't mean you can't use it anymore.

It just means that the way we share information is moving into another, more mature stage. Is the phone dead? The television? The radio?  I don't think social media can be declared dead because it is ubiquitous. I think it is a distinct form of communication that will continue to be integrated into all other forms of media.

I do think that some users have "jumped the shark."  They've taken tools that were meant for sharing and have turned them into pure advertising stream. What used to be joyous about Twitter for example, was discovering gems of thought and being able to connect with anyone just by showing up and reading. Sadly, some people automate their content so much that the instant conversation, the discussion of ideas, is all but gone. 

Smart marketers will remember that thoughtful, original content or commentary is the only way to stay relevant.  

Cello - Like You've Never Heard It.

This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of watching experiencing Zoe Keating perform live in Buffalo, New York at a really cool venue -- Asbury Hall. Ani DiFranco (another amazing master of emotions) bought this old church and spent years renovating it so that it could be used for the arts.  The resulting setting is intimate and magical.

I am a big fan of Radio Lab -- a podcast produced by WNYC and easily accessed via iTunes. There was an episode back in 2008 where they explored the notion of alternative universes -- quantum physics if you will, and as part of this -- there was a short piece called Quantum Cello. The featured artist that captured my imagination was Zoe Keating. 

Zoe is an "avant cellist" -- that is, she's not a traditional string musician -- relegated to only classical music. She is a one-woman orchestra combining technology with her cello to allow her to create nuanced, layered, worlds of sound. She does things with the cello that you don't see. She taps it, bangs it, sliding her fingers up and down the strings -- she makes it wail.

Zoe shared how she organically created worlds of sound by laying down tracks of music, then accompanying herself. Each time she plays, the sound is slightly different and she needs to adjust her interepretation of her own music depending upon how the  previous track was played. It's really a fascinating concept -- and a real treat for anyone who visualizes the sounds she hears in her head.

Now about 3 years ago, my son, John-Luke, decided to join the school orchestra. He is still learning but I can hear his heart in what he plays. He feels the music deeply. Last year, on a long trip down to visit family in Virginia, I shared the Radio Lab podcast with him -- and he -- like me -- was mezmerized. Shortly thereafter, I downloaded her music from iTunes and the two of us became obsessed.

You can listen to it yourself -- click here to go directly to Radio Lab to download the podcast.

Hearing Zoe on your stereo is one thing. Watching her perform her magic live is another. Halfway during the concert, my son decided to use his iPod to tape her. He has been trying to recreate her compositions in a crude way -- as he doesn't have the software or foot pedal controls needed to create loops.  Zoe does not write down her sheet music -- so if you want to play her compositions, you have to study her.  Watching JL recreate some of what he hears and watching him get inspired to write his own music makes me beam with pride and joy. One thing that frustrates him about playing cello is that the instrument is often just used as a base layer -- the violins and other string instruments get to play the real melody. What Zoe taught him is that the cello can sing, and he, too, can use it to share his voice and his vision.

She's so much more than a musician. She's so kind and smart -- and those qualities ooze from her during her performance. We were fortunate to get to talk with her for a few minutes after the show. I honestly can't wait to find a way to bring her to Syracuse in spring. I think all the music students from the area would feel her creativity seep into their consciousness by spending an hour with her. And anyone who loves music owes it to himself to listen.

Take a look at this video about how she expresses herself through her music and you'll be hooked too.

A look into Zoe's creative process as an artist

It's called Lifetime Value AT&T, and it's easy to snuff

I've been an AT&T (and briefly Cingular) mobile junkie customer for a long time. (I go back to when cell phones were the size of shoe boxes and you hauled them around in your second purse.)

Since the late 80's, and my first connection to the outside world via a mobile link, I have been connected to the hive. At first it was simple phone calls (and $900 monthly "ouch" bills to my employer as I used the phone to connect/sell with prospects/clients while driving to new appointments.) 

Over time, my obsession grew. When texting came out, I was on board and fat-fingered my way into sending my boyfriend, now husband messages that contained sweet nothings and shopping lists for a quick grocery run on the way home. What's technology if not personal?

I upgrade faithfully, regardless of the plan -- and usually in increments of less than 2 years. I always buy the phones with the most ability to reach out and connect. I love technology and if you know me, you've the gotten "You MUST get one of these!" declaration with a complete show and tell until you roll your eyes cry Uncle. It's funny to think about it, but at one point, I had a blackberry on Verizon and a cell phone on AT&T simply because it was hard to talk and refer to emails without running out of juice quickly.

Bottom line?  I'm a long-time, loyal customer who puts her money where her mouth is, literally. If you summed all the money that I've spent on cell phones and related plans and accessories, you would quickly see that I rise to the top of the list.

So, it was with some surprise that I discovered that loyalty and longevity isn't part of a strategy for some of the vendors from which I buy. 

This week -- it's AT&T. 

Now I've had an account with direct-to-credit-card payment for as long as I can remember. I don't get bills and other than reconciling my checking account, I don't pay much attention to the small fluctuations in price.

My credit card expired -- which prompted a visit to the self-serve customer care site to update my information. While there, I peeked at the offerings - - because if there was something new that I "had to have" I had to know about it.

To my surprise, I noticed that the monthly unlimited rate had dropped from $99 to $69. So I called customer service. I asked about the difference in benefits and discovered there were none.  Then I asked the rep how long the rate had been dropped and she said "some time." I told her that I was surprised that my account wasn't automatically updated. She was kind, but has nothing to really say or do other than to change my plan for the current month.

Hmmmm.

I thought about that a bit.

And posted to Twitter.

AT&T has a group who is responsible for monitoring comments and I was lucky to get a rep to take interest in my posting.  She was great -- really. She researched my issue and offered me a credit after I explained that it concerned me that I wasn't automatically adjusted.  I asked her how long ago this changed. She told me "some time." It was clear to me that this wasn't something anyone cared to talk about. I didn't push it.

I truly appreciated her efforts, took the credit, and thanked her. Any time I get a fraction back on what I spend monthly is a good day.

But last night, I decided to search and see if I could find out when the plan was changed. A great number of people posted in early January 2011, all basically repeating what you can see here  -- and so my guess is that this went into effect 6 MONTHS AGO!

It goes without saying that AT&T should credit me for 6 months of overcharging. What bothers me most though, is the lack of a policy which would have avoided this issue. All they had to do was do a search on their databases and change everyone from $99 to $69. Can you imagine how happy I would have been to discover that they proactively lowered my rate?

Even better, if they were smart, they would reward LOYAL customers with high LIFETIME VALUE with a bonus for staying on board. Can you imagine if once every 13 months they gave me a free month? Or maybe a month of free texting, or something else to reward the fact that for most of the last 20+ years I've been a high yield customer?

Customer acquisition is important, but reducing churn is sometimes even more important.  I never thought I'd think about switching to Verizon or one of the other carriers because I've been pretty happy with AT&T over the years despite dropped calls with my iPhone. I've come to regard that as part of the charm of living on the edge of technology. 

But truly, this is something that goes deeper. My overpayment of $30 times 6 months = $180. Multiply that by millions of subscribers and you can smell a class-action lawsuit, can't you? It's a shame, they are a good company, trying to keep above the fray, but some people in their marketing/sales management chain needs to rethink policy. This is not the smartest way to maintain loyal customers, in fact, it's one way of assuring that they will look elsewhere when their term is up. In other words, holding onto the extra monthly revenue might snuff out your best customers.