What's a Social Media Maelstrom?

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There have been a few 'flaps' that have started as the result of a blog post, comment or social media campaign gone wrong.

In November, it was the Motrin Moms, mothers reacting to Motrin's promotion associating 'baby wearing' with pain and a fashion statement. It was meant to be a light and fun viral post, but the reaction it got was just the opposite. Here's what it looked like when Twitter exploded with moms' reactions:

(This chart is generated by Twitscoop a powerful tool for keeping an eye on what the Twitterverse is discussing in real-time. Last week, it was how I learned about the passing of a good friend's well-known mother and that Mats Sundin had been traded to the Vancouver Canucks--the latter which got me cited in the Vancouver Sun's tech blog.)

If you're interested in learning more about the Motrin Moms backlash, there's a great blog post by Forrester analyst Jeremiah Owyang's blog. Here's the original animation captured via YouTube for posterity, although Motrin took it down shortly after it launched.




This morning there's another example of a social media backlash. This one is the reaction to a guest post by a blogger's boss, and his readers are not welcoming it. The acting CEO of an organization in Washington D.C. called the Center for American Progress Action Fund made a four-sentence post on a blog by employee Matt Yglesias this weekend defending a partner called Third Way that Matt had previously criticized. I don't know either group, or I didn't know either group. But now I do because of her ham-handed communication that like many missives at the heart of a scandal or a crisis had "unintended consequences." Meant originally to appease the partner, what it actually did was anger everyone else. With nearly 500 comments and counting, here are the unintended messages it sent:

m Says: December 21st, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Was this really necessary? if I remember, all yglesias said was that Third Way was more a messaging outfit than a policy research institution. that isn’t controversial or false - it is true.

KCinDC Says: December 21st, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Well, we have learned that Third Way is apparently thin-skinned enough to demand that CAPAF commandeer the blog and post a ham-handed disclaimer late on a Sunday night.

Bill Says: December 21st, 2008 at 10:59 pm
If it’s Matt’s blog, it’s his blog. He should correct factual errors but no one should ever step in and offer a groveling CYA post. That’s just disgusting.

lowellfield Says: December 21st, 2008 at 11:53 pm
How could a person who thinks this post is appropriate also be the CEO of CAPAF? Completely bizarre.

The Motrin Moms and this post above both had something in common. They happened on the weekend, with no one monitoring and no one managing the issues.

Social media is a 24/7 environment. So take care to avoid unintended consequences in your communications, but also resist the urge to launch any kind of campaign or missive going into the weekend without plans to monitor and manage the reactions in real-time.

Most-watched web video Evolution of Dance launching sequel

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Remember the funniest six minutes you ever watched on YouTube? 107 million views and counting, Evolution of Dance is back at www.eod2.com with a viral animation that gives a sneak peek at the new songs and dance moves of performer Judson Laipply. Sign up and be alerted when the video launches. Crank that Soulja Boy! Thank you to the folks at Saveology.com and partner PeopleJam for getting this going!





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Avoiding Embarassing Email SNAFUS

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At some time, it happens to everyone. You hit 'reply all.' I know this to be true because today it happened to my mother.

Known for her acidic sense of humor and sharp tongue (at least that's how's she's known within the family), I can only imagine the social carnage resulting from her error.

Let me share a tip for anyone who wants to avoid shooting themselves in the foot via email: Set up your email with a 10 minute delay. If you've got an urgent email to send, just manually hit send/receive so it leaves your outbox immediately. But you will -- as I have -- save yourself grief and regret with this simple 10 minute rule.

And since it won't save you if you accidentally hit 'reply all,' learn to check the To field before hitting send--particularly if you've written something you wouldn't want widely circulated. (And if it's a business communication that's particularly sensitive, mark it Confidential too.)

But another benefit of the 10 minute delay is that you'll often remember a point you forgot to make so you now have time to go back and add it in. In today's world of instant communication, building in a little time for reflection is a best practice.

This holiday season, please, remember to communicate.

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As anyone in Southern California will tell you, it is difficult to get into the Christmas spirit with sunny skies and warm temperatures year round. I'm certainly not complaining, but it seems that without snow, starting your car 10 minutes before you leave in the morning, or seeing your breath in the air - Christmas just doesn't feel the same. Last year was my first winter in San Diego and I even tried ice skating on the beach to compensate, but the slushy mess of an ice skating rink didn't exactly do the trick.

What's a girl from the East Coast with a handful of friends here to do? Force the spirit? Luckily I didn't have to because the answer was in the mail. Literally. Tonight, I received the first Christmas card of the season and it was from my aunt in New York. It wasn't simply Happy Holidays, instead she filled the card with a note catching me up on the day to day activities of the family - how my cousin is doing, hunting season, craft fairs and of course the weather. Things that no one else would be interested in, but I was. I found myself feeling so good after reading her note. I was excited and interested to know what was going on. I was connected. And all it took was a note.

So in this era of blogging, short messaging and communicating in 140 characters or less to as many Followers and Friends as we can, let's not forget that there's no replacement for personal, heartfelt communication. Whether you are a professional communicator or just someone who hasn't talked to their family in a while, good communication can make all the difference. Happy Holidays.

Too Early to Get Your Holiday Groove On?

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Have you Elfed Yourself this year? The website that attracted over 20 million unique visitors according to analytics I ran on Compete.com, is back and groovier than ever. Office Max has better leveraged their popular creation for brand connection including custom coffee mugs and mousepads, etc. But the question for me is whether Elf Yourself -- now in its third season -- is tradition or tired? Watch the video below and then you be the judge!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Oratory Also a Winner in Presidential Election

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There are so many reasons to celebrate Barack Obama’s historic election victory, but one that communicators can all celebrate is the restoration of Presidential elocution.

This may come as a disappointment to publishers of 365-day desk calendars who have made a mint sharing daily George W. Bush malapropisms, known officially as Bushisms, or writers of late-night monologues who are working overtime to craft Obama punch-line material. As for the latter, I have no doubt that they'll figure out how. Yes they can!

But I’d like to take a moment to focus on Obama's rhetorical skills and celebrate what I hope, as a word nerd and communicator, will be four years of articulate leadership.

The crescendo of Obama’s election night acceptance speech is captured below, and I share it with you in the spirit of--nay--the audicity of hope--hope for a day when subjects and verbs can come together in agreement, no participle is left behind, the gerund wars are settled once and for all, and our streets and podiums are free from the dangerous mixing of metaphors.

Enjoy America!


“…If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where
all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive
in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your
answer.

This is your victory.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there.

I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.

And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

Let’s remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity. Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the
divides that have held back our progress.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too. And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight’s about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons — because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America — the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we
can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a
bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall
Overcome.” Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves — if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see?

What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.

This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America."

That's beautiful, stirring and serious stuff. I don't know about you, but I could use some levity. You know, come to think of it, there will be a lot to miss about George W. Bush. Here, also for posterity and equal time, are some of his finest moments in public speaking. Yes he did!

Great idea or great execution?

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It's a chicken-and-egg question. But for me, the answer -- hands down -- is execution.

Take an extreme and recent example: Mortgage-backed securities probably started out as a great idea! But look where poor execution got its proponents. No one has a clue which are the good mortgages and which are the bad.

What went wrong? Greed got in the way of good judgment throughout the lending system, and no one was being held accountable while we were lending and mortgage-backing our economy into oblivion. In fact, those that were accountable were rewarded. So accountability goes hand in hand with great execution, right? If there's no accountability, why care about the result?

Great idea --> Great execution --> Great result

If you're accountable for achieving great results, then there's your basic formula.

Try these others:

Great idea --> Poor execution --> Disappointing result

Lame idea --> Great execution --> Satisfactory result

Even a so-so idea or concept if supported by good execution will generally provide a better outcome than a great idea poorly executed. Albert Einstein gave ideas about 1 percent of the credit and perspiration the other 99 percent.

It was true for theoretical physics and it's true in communications too.

If you can't get the legwork done, or can't keep up with it, and you're not compelling enough or well-enough informed to do the arm-twisting and sell the idea, you won't get the results you're looking for.

This is the reason that the best communicators in the field are those that are driven, passionate and personally invested in the ideas they're communicating. Do you agree?