Monica O'Brien is the author of the book Social Pollination: Escape the Hype of Social Media and Join the Companies Winning At It. The book is a step-by-step guide for small and mid-sized businesses that want to find more customers effectively. Get the book:

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Conversation

Back in college, my sorority had a rule when we were voting in new members: anyone who used the word “nice” to describe a rush candidate got sprayed with a Super Soaker.

Yeah, it’s weird. But we never made the mistake of voting in women just because they were nice. That’s the point.

It amazes me how many PR and marketing professionals talk about the importance of conversation – that numbers and fans and followers don’t matter, and that’s it’s actually about building relationships. I don’t disagree with them. The part I disagree with is the conversations they seem to want.

The conversations most people want are the ones where you nod your head in sheep-like agreement, write a comment like “Wow, that’s amazing!” and generally participate in the virtual circle jerk.

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Google-BuzzThe big news this week is Google Buzz and the questions are numerous:

  • Is this a [insert social network here] killer?
  • What do I do with Buzz?
  • Is the service redundant when we have Twitter and Facebook already?

I love Google Buzz. I checked my email all day and signed up for the service within minutes of getting activated. As I used it for the first time, I felt a tiny ounce of how I imagine a drug addict feels when they shoot up. Yes, it’s that addictive. After playing with the service for a little while, I wanted to offer my initial thoughts on the service and what I think it means for individuals, companies, and the social digital industry as a whole.

Find out why you will love Google Buzz