‘Amplify’ Articles
Written by Joe Hackman on 16 August 2010
Update 9/3/2010 The title of this article has changed, it was crowd sourced on Amplify.com and via comments on the post. The winner is “A 2 Dollar Communications Solution” which was inspired by @mediacollective and finalized by @mistrtim. I want to give a special thank you to the Amplify community for their participation in this effort. Please check out the entire thread if you want to see how engaging and helpful they were! Below is the original post:
Today was a crazy day, even for a Monday. Monday’s can be a little challenging you never know what can go wrong with technology over the weekend. People arrive to their businesses to discover that one of their computers won’t power on, or perhaps there was a sustained power outage and something isn’t working. Typically for that reason I don’t schedule appointments on Monday, they sort of schedule themselves. Today was an exception, I had 2 things scheduled – a meeting with a new prospect at 11:00AM and an Amplify.com community chat podcast at 1:00PM.
When I got to my desk at 7:45AM I noted that extra issue #1 had already arrived via Email, within 10 minutes I was on the phone with one of my clients about a computer that had been moved and was not quite functioning right. By a little after 8AM the immediate issue was resolved but I had added another stop to my day for 10AM. By 9AM I received a call from another client, evidently one of their machines did not check in to work. I now had zero time windows long enough between 10AM and 2:30PM to run to Oakland to see to this latest issue. While in route to my 10AM I called to confirm the Amplify.com community chat with Eric Goldstein, thank goodness Eric wanted to postpone – there were big changes due out Thursday and we rescheduled the chat to Thursday afternoon. The next couple of hours were just a flurry of activity. By the time I realized I had to notify everyone on Amplify, Plancast and Blogtalkradio of the change I was sitting in line for a quick on the go lunch at Burger King.
Being the IT tech guy that I am I hopped out of my car and grabbed my backpack out of the trunk and set it on the passenger side floor of my car. I pulled out my small netbook, a USB cable and made sure my Droid Phone was handy. With my laptop tethered to my Droid phone I powered it up. My passenger seat was not the best desk but it would have to do. After jostling around while still inching forward in the drive through line I managed to type in my super complex password.
“Warning …. Low Battery Life…..”
Oh snap, you’ve got to be kidding me. I would have to find an alternate solution. While driving on the 680 Corridor I did a voice search on my Droid for a Peet’s coffee, why Peet’s? Because their wifi doesn’t require a login, just a simple code that is provided by the cashier. I have not tested Starbuck’s since they went free wifi, so it may work the same way. Didn’t find a local Peet’s that way, so I tried Panera Bread. Same story. Finally while driving through LaMorinda I used the Places app and chose Coffee Houses. There’s a Peet’s! Thank goodness Honda’s let you plug stuff into the Navigation while driving, I pulled off the freeway and had the address set before I got to the stoplight. It was right around the corner – Score 1 Location Based Search.
Needless to say Peet’s was a welcome environment I was able to plug-in and get all the updates put into place and quickly get back on the road. It cost me $2.00 for a coffee that I didn’t need but I thought to myself as I was driving down the road I could always buy a shirt that says “Powered by Caffeine”.
Tags: Crowdsourcing, Free Wifi, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, Office Space, Peet's Coffee, Poll, Powered by Cafeine
Posted in Amplify, Lighter Side of Things, Polls, Productivity | View Comments
Written by Joe Hackman on 11 August 2010
Today I was reviewing my stats for posts to see which content I produced was getting the most views. I was a little surprised by the most popular post that was related to the new menu feature in WordPress during the beta lead up to the release of WordPress 3. I am pleased that the resources for Amplify users made #2 because it is part of a curative effort on my part to improve the experience of new users on Amplify.com. Amazingly the #4 post is from yesterday. Anyone that knows me well will attest that I am a strong and loyal advocate to products and services that I find that work well and are supported by the producers. Ironically I woke up today to see that @scoblelizer had joined Amplify and posted a couple of thought updates. Thrilled to see Amplify getting some recognition and looking forward to Roberts take on it. Here is the summary list and date they were published:
Posted in Amplify | View Comments
Written by Joe Hackman on 04 August 2010
Tonight I interviewed Diane Rayfield of Harp Social on Blogtalkradio. I invited Diane because I wanted to integrate more social media related guests into my podcast. Diane is the founder and CEO of Harp Social where she leads a team of social media, SEO and online marketing professionals to strategize, manage and evolve integrated online marketing for businesses. I met Diane at Amplify.com a social networking site that I have blogged about frequently. I always enjoy talking social media with people like Diane because I learn from them and the energy is upbeat and inspiring. Diane and I really covered a lot of ground during the interview, but her area of expertise is Strategy, Metrics and Inbound Marketing – “Getting Found”. Here are some highlight areas you can expect to learn more about if you listen to the entire episode:
- Location Based Marketing (Yelp, Foursquare and Gowalla)
- Monitoring/Metrics (Radian6, Google Alerts, Social Mention and Hootsuite)
- Amplify.com
- Facebook Pages
- Video Marketing (Including Youtube)
- Social Media Policies
- LinkedIn (Including Answers, Groups)
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Turning Point Autism Foundation
You can follow Diane on Twitter @dianerayfield or visit harpsocial.com to learn more about her company.
Tags: Amplify.com, Diane Rayfield, Facebook, Harp Social, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, LinkedIn, Turning Point Autism Foundation, Twitter
Posted in Amplify, Blogging, Facebook, Interviews, Podcasts, SEO, Social Media Strategy, Tools, Twitter, Wordpress | View Comments
Written by Joe Hackman on 28 July 2010
A light-bulb moment creates Web 3.0 idea
I had an idea while driving to a client after hours last night. It was one hour each way and my second trip there for the day. I often do a couple of different things while driving, one of them is make calls and the other is just think or let my mind wander. Last night I was thinking what could we use all these cumulative hours for? Then it occurred to me, the best thing would be something I am good at. During the day that would ideally be something I could get paid to do. Then I considered that others around me probably would have a similar desire and that others would equally have a desire to have access to that information at any given moment. Conceptually the idea could be considered a relative of Aardvark.
Then just imagine for a moment that there was a place I could go to register topics I am knowledgeable about. I would probably include things like:
- Information technology
- Social Media
- Non-profits
- Community
Of course those topics are a little vague, so let’s add a little more clarity in the form of tags of some areas of experience:
Information Technology
Windows XP, Windows 7, Networks, Gnatbox, Lenovo, Microsoft Office, PC Hardware
Social Media
Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Amplify, Twitter, Hootsuite, Youtube, Bit.ly, Google Reader, Blogtalkradio
Non-Profits
Rotary, Volunteering, 501(c)3, Asante Africa, Danville/Sycamore Valley Rotary
Community
Leadership San Ramon Valley, Leadership Programs, City Government, Danville CA USA, San Ramon CA USA, Bonita CA USA, Yuba City CA USA
Information side
So now I’ve built a picture of things I might be able to speak about, teach, answer questions, troubleshoot, consult, coach and mentor about. I know that at any given moment when I am driving in my car, done with my calls, done thinking and ready to either help people or perhaps help people while also earning a few bucks that someone is going to have a great need for that information at that very moment. The app would put that individual in touch with me and say after a 2 minute conversation both parties could agree to continue the discussion for some pre-established fee, points, credit or nothing at all.
Information Seekers Side
On the “need” side, an individual could access the website/install the app or whatever else made the most sense. Put the information or expertise they are seeking and be connected to the resource that fits the criteria of timing, cost, experience, and other variables.
Application Summary
Overall this could be built as a purely social chat roulette meets vark to a robust commercial platform. It could easily start as one extreme and morph over time to encompass more.
Closing thoughts and Questions
This has gotten my gears spinning a bit, anyone know of an application (that wasn’t already mentioned) that does this or something similar? Am I going out on a limb here calling this a Web 3.0 idea or would you argue it falls under Web 2.0? I am curious also what people think, please share your thoughts. The most interesting responses will be featured in this post and I’ll link to your blog, so people can also check it out.
Tags: community, ideas, Information Technology, Non-Profits, Social Media, web 3.0
Posted in Amplify, Facebook, Web 3.0, community | View Comments
Written by Joe Hackman on 06 July 2010
Many of you are aware but some of you may not be, that I have been doing a weekly internet talk show. I’ve had some great nonprofits, technology CEO’s and inspirational guests. What probably won’t surprise most of you is how much I’ve enjoyed it; I really enjoy the interesting conversations that have occurred.
My most recent guest was Stuart Hing. I met Stuart and his wife Rhoda at another talk show called “Ground Level Perspective” where Stuart and I had both been guests. Stuart is a judge at the Alameda Superior Court and prior to that he was a district attorney. He is a very thoughtful and interesting person and I think people like Stuart will provide solutions to a lot of problems that plague our society. You can listen to my interview of Stuart here: http://bit.ly/b88dzh
I’ve had many other wonderful guests in the 28 episodes since I started the program but here are some highlights if you’re interested in catching up:
Bob “4WheelBob” Coomber 12/9/2009 http://bit.ly/6qa2Sw
Peggy Kennedy Author of Approaching Neverland 1/12/2010 http://bit.ly/6lhHBb
Eric Goldstein Founder and CEO of Amplify.com 1/27/2010 http://bit.ly/9gtOjV
H. Abram Wilson – Mayor of San Ramon, Candidate for Assembly Dist 15 2/3/2010 http://bit.ly/9C2mZo
Bud MacKenzie – Founder of Trust in Education 2/24/2010 http://bit.ly/9ByP6s
Kathrina Rashid, PH. D. – Sexual Assault Awareness Month 4/21/2010 http://bit.ly/9pik9O
Richard Muller – Author of “Physics for Future Presidents – The Science behind the Headlines” 5/26/2010 http://bit.ly/9nFw8F
Frank Alloco – Inspirational Leader and Coach of De La Salle High School Basketball Team 6/9/2010 http://bit.ly/dB6EQT
All episodes are also available at http://blogtalkradio.com/joehackman or via iTunes at http://bit.ly/cIBr4G
Tags: Amplify.com, Blogtalkradio, Joe Hackman, Podcast, Stuart Hing
Posted in Amplify, Interviews, Podcasts, Politics, Serious Topics | View Comments
Written by Joe Hackman on 10 June 2010
As most of you know that follow my blog, I am fairly active on Amplify.com. Periodically throughout my day I use Amplify to clip interesting news and articles that I come across, the tools are so effective I can maintain a presence and keep conversations going without investing a lot of time doing it. Yesterday I happened across a post entitled:
The headline pulled me in. The quote was attributed to Dr. Ivan Misner the Founder and Chairman of Business Networking International (BNI) and New York Times best-selling author.
In the “clip” of the businessweek article it included this:
Karen E. Klein: Most entrepreneurs know they should be using social media, but beyond establishing a Facebook page and a Twitter account, they’re kind of lost. What are they doing wrong?
Ivan Misner: There are three problems. They’re spending too much time on it, they don’t understand how to leverage their time, and they anticipate immediate results, which they’re not going to get.
I am familiar with BNI but not intimately so. I came to the conclusion between the article title (which was intended to pull me in, of course) and Dr. Misner’s position at the head of BNI that his stance was related to the threat that Social Media represents to this type of organization:
Joe Hackman I see his point but I don’t think it’s good advice for the long haul. The truth is BNI will have to reconcile their approach with those who are agile “virtually” networking online via Social Media, etc. I think he probably sees Social Media as the biggest threat to the growth/future of their organization.
During my
Blogtalk Program last night I noticed a message notice in my Outlook popup that Ivan Misner had posted a comment on the post at Amplify.com. I was pleased to see that he had found his way to the site and looked forward to reading his response. After my program had concluded I went to see what Dr. Misner had said:
Ivan Misner Re: http://amplify.com/u/6t4l @ALTALOMAN Interesting Comments.
Joe, I do not see social media as a threat. I highly recommend social media. This article was about things to keep in mind to make the most of your social media efforts. To me, social media vs. face-to-face networking is not an “either/or” situation, it is a “both/and” scenario. Both types of activities can help businesses. The face to face networking organization I founded, BNI, has grown from 500 groups to over 5,700 groups since the inception of social media. It has not taken away from our efforts. <truncated>
I was pleased to see this posting for a couple of different reasons. First and foremost because I knew that Dr. Misner was truly monitoring his brand in Social Media. A lesson that anyone can learn from. There were also some side thoughts and benefits. I was glad that the conversation had brought him to Amplify.com a site that I consider to be extremely under-hyped. I was also reminded of the importance of article titles to draw people into a conversation. These are fundamentals in the world of Social Media and Blogging. So I responded back to Dr. Misner:
Joe Hackman Ivan – I agree with your position of both/and completely. You also obviously monitor your brand very carefully which you should be commended for. I feel a blog post coming on this one. Thanks for joining the conversation and providing clarification.
I wanted to blog about this example because there are several great take aways from this experience. I have a story to share when I talk to any members of BNI and I know a bunch of them. These are also some great real world examples of both brand monitoring and using effective article titles.
Dr. Misner – I know there is a good chance you are reading this because of your incredible brand awareness, thanks for the interesting experience. I think BNI provides a valuable resource to many small businesses and entrepreneurs. I would suggest that you have if not the most recession proof businesses it is among the top five. Has your organization grown faster the last few years than it has in the past?
Tags: BNI, Business Networking International, Ivan Misner, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, New York Times, Social Media
Posted in Amplify, Blogging, Social Media Strategy | View Comments
Written by Joe Hackman on 01 May 2010
I created this video for the benefit of people who are new to Amplify.com.
Tags: Amplify, Amplify.com, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, Twitter
Posted in Amplify, Video | View Comments
Written by Joe Hackman on 30 April 2010
I originally intended to include this in another post. When I realized the list was going to get very long I decided to split it off. This is a part of my #appreciationfriday that I replaced #ff on Twitter with. Partially inspired by a recent Chris Brogan blog post but also part of my dedication to the Amplify community. I want to let you know, please do not feel bad if you are a friend of mine on Amplify and not on my list. I am starting on the last page of sources which were the first people I followed and picking people that are active and influence me as I work backwards on the list. If the title of my article was confusing I think this will help:
If your name is here, I am paying attention to what you are doing because you do something that helps me discover new ways to do things, inspires me or sometimes entertains me. I hope other people benefit from your information as well:
Dave Grossman – Incredibly personable and part of the Amplify.com team. One of those guys you just want to meet for a beer after reading a few of his posts. Very genuine and fun, I suspect also a good friend of Eric, am I right? One of the very first people I followed on the site.
Flamplog – my Italian friend who never ceases to amaze me with his posts about Social Media, Mobile Phones, Marketing and Web 2.0 apps. He also has some extremely funny posts with a very European tilt.
Eric Goldstein… Inside my head – Eric is the CEO of Amplify.com and definitely the heart of the site. His passion, intelligence and appreciation of conversation are inspiring. He is a must follow and big up and comer in the Social Media industry as the leader of the talented Amplify.com team.
Danielle Ricks Productions – Video Producer, Social Media consultant, aspiring novelist, and blogger living life for the joy and laughter. I really enjoy Danielle’s perspective on many subjects.
Shashi Bellamkonda – Thoughts, Learning & Serving. Shashi’s top tag is “business” and it fits. Shashi is a great guy for business people to follow and plenty of others. Great posts on PR, Social Media, and much more!
Shonali Burke – Great insights on PR/Social Media. I appreciate her distinctive insight on issues that often have a great angle with regards to gender. Informative and enjoyable material.
Delilah Jones – I know Delilah is in marketing/PR but I know her more for her work with Peace4Missing with someone else who will soon be showing up on the list.
Dave Yankowiak – another genuine easy going guy. Extremely talented and capable, Dave was one of the first people I hired to do work from me through social media (unless you count IRC back in the 90′s). I always enjoy Dave’s posts and look forward to working with him on more projects.
There are so many great people on Amplify, I will be adding many more! I would be happy if others did this as well, I am really curious who people follow and why. This really helps me find more quality sources in a world where your sources matter a lot more than your followers.
Updates 8/6/2010
Paul Simbeck-Hampson – Paul is a personal and engaging fellow, he is also a very long standing Amplify.com user that was one of the first people I followed when I joined the site. Paul’s content can be a little eclectic and I enjoy that. Some times you just don’t know what you will find. Visit Paul’s website at simbeckhampson.com.
Daniel Durrant – Daniel is a very erudite individual. He is part of the Open Intelligence group on Amplify.com. I always appreciate Daniel’s perspective on issues and I can count on him to be honest and thought provoking. Visit Daniel’s website at danieldurrant.com.
Ben Jackson – Ben is a real life friend that I am happy joined Amplify.com. I think Ben is a real up and coming person in Social Media, Business, and Life. He’s a great guy to follow and converse with. I am fortunate to work with Ben on a regular basis. Visit Ben’s blog at captainjackson.wordpress.com.
Xan Pearson – Xan was one of my favorite tweeps and I was very happy when she joined Amplify.com. Xan is authentic, bright and produces great quality content. Xan is exceptional at showing appreciation for others and ranks among the most personable people I’ve met via Social Media. Visit Xan’s blog at xanpearson.wordpress.com.
Ramon B. Nuez Jr. I share a lot of interests with Ramon so I frequently recommend and comment on his posts. I get a lot of my #mobile info from his amplog. Also a fellow podcaster, family man and supporter of charitable efforts. You can also check out his companies website at newmediabrief.com.
Warren Whitlock Warren’s posts represent some popular content that I have been missing being less active on Twitter in recent history. Warren is also very passionate about Social Media and offers a lot more commentary per post than most people on Amplify. The extra commentary improves the value of his posts for me. I also know who to talk to if I ever decide to write a book! Check out Warren’s website bestsellerauthors.com.
I didn’t get to everyone I had hoped to this morning, but here are some quick links and expect detail later for: Diane Rayfield, Kathy Jacobs, Tim Southernwood, Svartling, Alcanzarlo, Alex Schleber and many others, hang in there friends I will definitely get you added soon.
Tags: Amplify, Amplify.com, appreciationfriday, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, Social Media
Posted in Amplify, community | View Comments
Written by Joe Hackman on 27 April 2010
I started to write a Facebook wall update earlier this week about starting a business:
“The economy may have faced challenges but it seems like a great time to start a business. I would encourage anyone who is out of work to consider pursuing your dreams, reach for the sky. There are so many great tools out there to use. If you need a nudge send me a note about your idea and I will try to….”
Then I realized that this was a great opportunity for a real article. So why is 2010 a great time to start a business? Let me share a few of my favorites:
- People are receptive to new and creative ideas.
- There are plenty of problems to solve.
- The playing field can be levelled quickly via creativity and technology.
- It’s easy and cheap to start a business.
- If you’re already out of work, why not try?
- Small businesses can respond more quickly to changes in an uncertain market.
- You’re probably going to need to earn more money to live the same lifestyle.
- It’s exciting and fun to be in business for yourself, your chance to shine.
- You can get REALLY cheap labor, especially through September.
- A business model that will work today should pay dividends for years to come.
The market for new Ideas
Lots of businesses and individuals have problems that are not being solved. They are feeling pain and that means there is opportunity. If you can find solutions to the things that are holding them back today you will have a long term customer. As these businesses improve they will feed your small business, it is possible to grow with a few choice customers for many years to come. It really doesn’t take a ton of clients. Find the pain points that you are passionate about solving. When all else fails find out what other people are saying can’t be done, and do that.
A level playing field with lots of tools
Technology is a great equalizer and it can be leveraged in almost any business. Any business can for example leverage the cheap and free web 2.0 and social media applications. With tools such as drop box you can share up to 2GB of files for free “on the cloud”. You can setup a voicemail and conference call number with drop.io for free also. With Skype you can talk to international prospects via video conference and shrink the world. With Amplify.com you can dive in, interact and share information with an astute audience. Using Facebook you can keep your family, business and friends informed about your new venture. There is really an app for just about everything these days, and most of them are free! Being creative and experimental you will find what works and does not work for you, don’t be afraid. These are days that favor the bold and creative. You don’t even need much to get started, any individual can “do business as” themselves and work out of their home, car, Starbuck’s, Peet’s and Panera Bread. Always remember the bigger your competition the slower they will be to respond and adjust, you on the other hand can be nimble and quick.
“You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” ~Walt Disney
Employment Challenged
Depending on where you live un-employment is at historically high rates right now. That’s a fact but not an excuse to sit idly and not do something about it. There are huge benefits to adversity, most people would never see their potential without it. I am actually one of those people, I have set and achieved much higher expectations for myself based on the innevitable bumps and bruises that life has brought me. So ask yourself this. Would you let your current adversity go to waste or would you prefer to improve your life right now? In the future you can look back at these days and think how valuable they were to your personal and professional development. Or you can just continue to feel how you feel right now and wait for something to change. It is wonderful that we have the choice, there is only one decision that makes sense to me.
Incentives to Hire
Do you know that if you started a business today you could hire eligible employees and get 80% of their salary and payroll taxes paid through the end of September 2010? Not to mention the people you hire would be extremely grateful to join the realm of the employed. This opportunity seems to be one of the greatest hidden secrets of 2010 but it is part of the ARRA and it is conceivable that the benefit could be extended beyond the current expiration date. Check out this article I wrote on this very subject.
It boils down to choice
There are plenty of what are now probably obvious reasons why 2010 is an exceptional year to start a business. What about some of the less obvious ones? It is inevitable that more challenges will face us all in the future. There is a mounting debt to pay off, risks of inflation, and higher taxes to name a few. For that reason there has never been a better time to elevate your earning potential where you are firmly in the driver seat. Whatever you could live comfortably on in the past is probably not going to be enough in the future. This reminds me of a quote by Warren Buffet (From Facebook) in August 2009:
“The people that behaved well are no doubt going to find themselves taking care of the people who didn’t behave well…” ~Warren Buffet
So we all have a choice, we can be a part of the problem or part of the solution. As an entrepreneur you have the opportunity for an exciting, challenging ride. Believe in yourself, work hard and you will live your dreams. Expect challenges and setbacks, use them to make yourself stronger. If you ever need an extra nudge find mentors in your family, friends and business associates that you can get a nudge in the right direction. Social media is a great place to find the smiling optimists, it soon becomes evident who among your friends and peers are those tireless cheerleaders. If you lack that structure you can always respond to “I need your help, tell me how I can help you“.
“When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Tags: Amplify.com, Facebook, guerrilla marketing, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, Panera Bread, Small business, Social Media, Social Media Marketing
Posted in Amplify, Facebook, Inspiration, Jobs, Leadership, SF Startup Business Examiner | View Comments
Written by Joe Hackman on 26 April 2010
I’ll be moderating a monthly community chat with Amplify.com CEO Eric Goldstein. Our next session is scheduled for May 20th, 2010 at 5PM Pacific/8PM Eastern. Subsequent episodes will be scheduled for the third Thursday of every month at the same time/place. This will be a great opportunity for the Amplify.com community to actively participate in the development of the fast growing social network. Save this link and set your calendar:
Tags: Amplify, Amplify.com, Blogtalkradio, Eric Goldstein, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial
Posted in Amplify, Podcasts, Social Media Strategy, Technology | View Comments
Today was a crazy day, even for a Monday. Monday’s can be a little challenging you never know what can go wrong with technology over the weekend. People arrive to their businesses to discover that one of their computers won’t power on, or perhaps there was a sustained power outage and something isn’t working. Typically for that reason I don’t schedule appointments on Monday, they sort of schedule themselves. Today was an exception, I had 2 things scheduled – a meeting with a new prospect at 11:00AM and an Amplify.com community chat podcast at 1:00PM.
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