So my name is Paul Adams and I work in the UX team at Google. Iʼm the user research lead for social, and work on things like Buzz and YouTube. I spend a lot of my time doing research with people on how they use social media. I sit down with people, and have them map out their social network for me, and we look at how they use tools like email, Facebook, Twitter, their phone, and so on. One of the things we talk about is the differences between their social network online, and their social network offline. Today, Iʼm going to talk about some of the things weʼve learned over the past few years, what it means for the future of the web, and some tips for design. Before I get down into some detail about social networks, I want to start by telling you a story from our research.

A note from Paul’s comments:

…the story is because the story is *real*, it’s not fictional. It’s a story from my research. I changed the names to protect the identity of our research participant but left all other details exactly as they were.

Visit Paul’s website: ThinkOutsideIn

There are some NICE JUICY links right in there…

Funny what you can do with the code….

I do suspect that we will see Gowalla or Brightkite get bought by a big player. I really doubt the founders of Foursquare will sell after the Dodgeball debacle with Google.

Photo Credit: DeanJ

A few thoughts about the event:

• I actually was a 6th grade teacher and had taken classes at NCCU in the same rooms where the event was held.
• I am TERRIBLE at putting a Twitter avatar to an actual face.
• While my session was about using social media to reduce paid search spend, most people had few questions about actual campaign management. I think it was due to many people in the room not being paid search managers.
• I realized that many of the people I interact with online are just as awesome offline. I think this is due to a few things. One, we have a great group of people in the area and two, that online interaction acts as a filter. I don’t follow or interact with anyone whom I “don’t Like.” If a person I start to follow or interact with doesn’t seem to be the type of person I want to associate with, I don’t keep interacting with them.
• I’d like to thank the guys who put on the event: Wayne Sutton, Jeff Cohen, Ryan Boyles, and Kipp Bodnar.
• Id like to thank my co-presenter Eric Miltisch of Auction Direct Used Car Sales
• I’d like to thanks everyone who attended my session and everyone that sent out Tweets summarizing my key points.
• I hate that I had to leave early, but we had a big meeting at ShareFile with a pretty big virtual data room client.
• I think Twitter ate all my Tweets that I sent out on Friday thanking everyone. I owe you guys. I know who you are. THANKS!

I’m looking to speak at more events in the area and if you’d like me to talk at your event, just let me know.

if you saw my session and would like to learn more about paid search, or marketing in general, feel free to reach out to me.

Photo Credit: @1918

The video

SEO for Social Media – Panel from #SMBF “Social Media: Search Engine Marketing’s Best Friend” from Alter Imaging, Inc. on Vimeo.

Special Thanks to Charlotte Web Design firm Alter Imaging for capturing the video of my session.

I have some thoughts on the issue:

• Why did the hacker go to Arrington? Why not create a website and publish them on his (or her) own. Did Arrington pay for the documents? Does the hacker have another motive? Maybe the hacker has another business and an “in” with TechCrunch would generate some needed buzz around the business and give him the ability to call on Arrington when needed.
• TechCrunch will make money by posting the documents. No matter what was said in the initial post and how they spin the story, TechCrunch is making money off of the documents. TechCrunch sells ad space on the site and also has Google AdSense running. Each page view that the documents receive, the more money TechCrunch makes.
• Of course the Twitter documents are going to contain some crazy ideas. At Lulu, we come up with ideas all the time that may or may not pan out. Sometime we go way off the board and start to seriously discuss an idea that may not make sense to somebody outside of the company (or even 99% of the people inside).
• The Twitter hacker broke into not only the company website, but the personal accounts of a number of employees. No matter how Arrington spins it, this is a crime and by publishing the documents, he is an accessory.

I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments.

Recently, a better approach to find and communicate with others who share your same interests has emerged: Twitter. This web-based mass-communication application enables you to have conversations with multiple people whether they share your interests or are simply interesting in their own right. Even if you do not want to openly communicate with strangers, you are not forced to aggressively engage people in conversation. Twitter enables you to follow people that interest you and just watch the conversations unfold between them and the people they connect with.

Twitter forces you to communicate in 140 characters or less, but you can also share links to longer blog posts, news items, or websites or anything else on the web. Barack Obama used Twitter to organize his supporters and keep people informed about what was happening in his bid for the president. Twitter enabled his supporters to organize and was a key element of the door-to-door canvassing.

To use Twitter simply sign up for an account and get a username. The process is easy and only takes a few minutes. You should also select a picture of yourself so people can attach a face to a username.

Now that you have created an account you need to start finding people to follow. One great method is to input your email account into the interface and Twitter will show you if people you already know are using the service. Use the Twitter search tool to find people who are talking about topics that you want to follow. If you sell Apple hardware, do a search for terms such as “MacBook”, “APPLE”, and other terms like these. This will enable you to find an audience that is relevant to your ecommerce goals.

To expand your list even more, try searching for other topics that might interest you. I enjoy videogames and am working on a book about the history of sports videogames, so I searched for a number of relevant terms and then followed other people who enjoy similar things. This has allowed me to join in on conversations with my target audience: sports videogame enthusiasts. As I have gotten to know these people through our Twitter conversations, I have been able to talk to them about ideas for my book, and even get some feedback on some of my chapters. I know that once I release my book, I will have a built-in audience that is not only interested in my work, but has also participated in its creation.

Once you start following people, you can begin to see their conversations and whom they are conversing with. Start following people you find your Twitter followers are talking with. One thing to keep in mind; whatever you post will be viewable by everyone unless you send a direct message to an individual user.

Be very cautious of just sending out sale offers for your website. Many companies that have tried this approach have failed and are shunned by Twitter users. Smart companies will actually engage Twitter users in conversations and learn what they want. This enables them to market themselves better and gain loyal customers. It is ok to send out occasional sales offers, but the real benefit is giving your company a personality and being able to find a highly relevant audience in which to engage.

The Social Media Business Forum in Durham, NC should be a great event. There are some truly smart people in the area and it seems like most of them will be joining me at the event.

Friday, October 23, 2009
North Carolina Central University
School of Education, Durham, NC

My Bio:
More about the event:
Get Tickets:

Are we all one-dimensional? I also write a hockey blog, love reading, videogames, graphic design, indie rock and travel and try to follow a number of different people who tweet about those topics. I don’t want to list all of my interests in my bio as I’m attempting to brand myself (yes, I know how THAT sounds).

So, before you block someone who might not seem to be interested in what you tweet about, give him or her a chance. Sure there are tons of spammers out there, but quite a few aren’t. Look at the most recent tweets of a person to see if they actually are looking to engage with you instead of just their bio.

Here are a few ideas on how a business can use Twitter effectively:

• Local Durham, NC wine bar Six Plates uses Twitter to announce wine and dinner specials. I have followed them since they started the account in 08 (they even hosted a small “Tweet up”) and seen the account grow from just a handful of followers to nearly 915. Think about how much revenue can be generated if just 1% of those followers see a Twitter message announcing a special for that night and decide to go in and grab a meal. That is 2 or 3 extra tables in a night and adds up to a decent portion of revenue in a month.

• Personally, I have grown tired of businesses sending me a bland direct message thanking me for following the Twitter feed. Give a customer a real thank you in the form of a coupon or discount. eCommerce sites can easily send a unique promo code instead of a bland message. A local business can send a message for a discount when the message is shown at the store or restaurant. Many Twitterers use the service on the go and showing the message right on the mobile device is easy. Non-mobile users can simply print the screen or use a “verbal” coupon to take advantage of the offer.

• Take customer service issues to email. If a customer has an issue, do not try to resolve it using 140 characters. Send a personal email address to the customer and have them fully explain their issue.

• I use the search functionality in Tweetie to monitor brand terms. This way, I can see what people are saying about my company and respond quickly (to both good and bad messages).

Twitter can be an effective tool to help a business of any size communicate with customers and generate revenue.

If you are using Twitter and you are having a hard time understanding what to post, here are a few tips that will help you get a better understanding of this communication/”micro-blogging” tool.

You Just ate a Muffin? Sorry, But I Don’t Really Care

I follow quite a few people who talk branding all day. They Twitter quite a bit of valuable information. I hate when I get a number of Tweets saying that they are getting a cup of coffee, eating a bagle or sitting on the bus on their way to work. A message saying RDU airport has a security line 2 hours long = GOOD. A Twitter saying you just washed you bought a tuna sandwich = BAD. I’m following you because you know branding, not because I want to know the minutia of your day.

Keep it Simple

Most of the Twitter users I follow are people who write quite a bit of content each day for their blog or website. When they use most of these people use Twitter, they do a good job of letting their followers know when they post and what exactly what the link included is about. The text limit of 140 characters is pretty short, but it is long enough to give a quick summary. Using Twitter really tests your headline writing skills.

Follow Random People

Take a look at who your friends are following and pick a few that may be interesting. I try to pick 3 people to follow each day from a few of the people I follow. This has enabled me to learn about a number of things that I never would have otherwise. It is easy to stop following a person if you find they don’t have anything to say that is interesting or useful (or they just talk about what they eat all day.)

Tools that Are Cool

I rarely use the Twitter web interface. There are a number of great 3rd party apps that make using Twitter simple and actually increase your productivity. Twitteriffic is awesome and is also available on the iPhone so you can stay connected anywhere. Check out a small list of some of the best Twitter tools here. If you can communicate with direct messages or replies quickly you will be able to foster better relationships with your followers.

If you follow these simple tips, you’ll get the most out of Twitter.

Follow me HERE.

If a company wants to establish itself on Twitter, the marketers (or PR dept or social media marketers) need to be prepared to receive complaints and questions along with positive messages. A Twitter user will feel that if he sends a message to the brand’s Twitter account that it is the same thing as sending an email, filling out a contact form or calling a customer service number. If a message goes without a response it is the same as a consumer being ignored by one of those contact methods.

Tony may not have any control over shipping issues, but when I sent him a message with an issue I had, he directed me to the right department and told me to follow-up with him if I did not get a response. I have heard that JetBlue, Starbucks, WholeFoods and Comcast do a pretty decent job at responding to issues as well.

When I had an issue with another company who was using Twitter, my message went without a response, yet the company representative continued to send out messages during the hours around my message. While I do not expect the person manning the Twitter account for the company to solve my issue, I do expect a response because they represent the company. Even a canned response to a direct message or @ reply is better than no reply at all.

As Twitter usage grows, we will see more and more consumers turn to Twitter first before turning to a company website. Tweets spread fast through Twitter through messages being re-tweeted and damage can be done to a company’s brand quickly if issues are not remedied.

TWITTERIFFIC: Another MAC only tool, but one of the best. In my opinion, Twitter took off due to having an open API. Tons of companies began making 3rd party apps and enabled Twitter to get the traction it needed. Twitteriffic was one of the first 3rd party Twitter tools I began to use and while I have tried a number of others, I always come back. It features a clean interface, numerous options and has a free version. A great iPhone app is also available.

GMAIL: One of the best reasons to use Gmail is the ability to add multiple email accounts within one email address. I will create multiple free Gmail accounts and just add them to forward to my master account. This is ideal for signing up multiple accounts for certain websites that only allow one per email address.

SPORTACULAR:  This iPhone app is excellent for any sports fan. It offers live updates of all the major sports. The customization allows me to add my favorite teams right to the main screen. This excellent free application that makes any company wanting to release a paid one face a difficult challenge.

WEBSITE GRADER: Looking to do a quick analysis of a site? Hubspot.com’s website grader give you a quick analysis of a site. The analysis is far from in-depth, but the information provides a pretty decent idea of the marketing effectiveness of a website. I use it to know where to start when doing an in-depth SEO analysis.

BASECAMP: Basecamp, part of the 37Signals family of products, allows for awesome project management and collaboration. The open API even allows for integration with some great tools such as FreshBooks, AgileAgenda and BlinkSale. The free package is ideal to get a good idea if the product will work for you.

These are just a few of the tools I use almost everyday. Please list some of your favorites in the comments.