Posts Tagged ‘Joesgonesocial’
Written by Joe Hackman on 17 August 2010
The Idea in a Nutshell
It is a simple idea, I promise. You propose changes to any website, the intermediary website will allow commentary and a preview of what the proposed changes would look like. That content can then be used by the target of the proposed changes.
An Example
For example, let’s say you visit a blog and you read an article and really like it but have ideas how it can be improved. If you provide proofing services this could be career oriented outreach. You use the browser add on for the proposing website and it brings you to an editable version of the page. You make the changes you would like to “propose” then tweet it out to Twitterverse, Share via Facebook, clip via Amplify, etc. The blog owner may notice a trackback, a google alert or some analytics data. They can organically discover the modified version of the article. They can even grab the proposed changes and insert them in the blog, preferably including some citation to the individual that modified the content. This could be enforced via some type of embed option. There could be a social network built out of the proposing website, voting on the best changes, recognition, prizes and awards.
Provide input
Now that I’ve shared the root idea, would you like to propose features to improve this idea? Or maybe you want to ship me chests full of money, armies of interns and great advisers to try it out, either way I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Tags: Idea Farm, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, Social Media, Web 2.0
Posted in Idea Farm, Technology, Tools | View Comments
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
Tonight I interviewed Sean Kennedy and Stephanie Geter on Blogtalkradio. It was inspiring to hear about all the positive things that are going on every day in Oakland, CA. Sean is the Executive Producer for Good News in Oakland. He is also highly recognized in the community in his role as Co-Chair of the City of Oakland Cultural Affairs Commission and for his innovative internet based TV network, “Good News In Oakland.”
You can check out Good News on Youtube or visit their Facebook page.
“The chips can be stacked against you but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it.” – Sean Kennedy
Tags: allhiphop.com, EOYDC, Facebook, Good News in Oakland, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, Pandora, Sean Kennedy
Posted in Inspiration, Interviews, Podcasts, community | View Comments
Written by Joe Hackman on 05 August 2010
I ran across a reference to Thumbtack on Chris Brogans blog earlier today and followed his link to Thumbtack.com. I think it is a really powerful tool for people providing freelance type services but I suppose you could utilize it for other things as well. I recently blogged about On the Fly Expertise connections and consider it a related subject. Please let me know what you think via comments.
Tags: Chris Brogan, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, thumbtack.com
Posted in Social Media Strategy, Technology, Tools, Video | 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 21 July 2010
I noted a very significant event in the form of an Email from Google encouraging me to “focus more on analytics, less on IT hassles” this morning. As an Analytics customer they used that as an opportunity to send the first of it’s kind marketing Email. Obviously Google is ready to challenge and market their services more aggressively at this point.
I cannot help but wonder if this is the tip of the iceberg in a larger campaign to push additional services to individuals and firms that are using many of Google’s free tools. What are your thoughts?
Featured Comments:
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Tags: Email marketing, Google, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, screencast, Youtube
Posted in Google, News, Video | View Comments
Written by Joe Hackman on 15 July 2010
I noticed the new Twitter follower Emails got a facelift today and they are actually encourage interaction. I’ve often wondered why the current one was so limited note the lack of any useful links for interaction:
The new one actually gives you an easier view of the usernames including their own(some people have multiple twitter accounts) and provides some encouraging links at the bottom which is probably the smartest move. Also note the “if you believe <user> is engaging in abusive behavior on Twitter” link:
It was great to see this improvement but I am sure someone at Twitter is thinking “Duh, why didn’t we think of this sooner.”
Tags: Email Notices, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, Tweets, Twitter
Posted in News, Tools, Twitter | View Comments
Written by Joe Hackman on 04 July 2010
There was a point in the American bid for Independence where it appeared that the effort had failed. Washington’s army was stalled across the Delaware from Trenton, New Jersey. As soldiers commissions were running out they were not re-enlisting in the war effort. Washington was losing confidence of politician, citizen and soldier alike. Something had to change, that was certain. On Christmas day George Washington announced to his remaining troops that they would need to prepare. It was bitterly cold and uncertainty swirled about in the minds of the under-supplied, tired and cold soldiers. Washington asked that Thomas Paine’s “American Crisis” be read to the troops, the opening lines are likely to be familiar to many reading this:
“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”
The next day Washington would lead part of the continental army into battle himself for the first time in the revolutionary war. He would also impliment a new bolder tactic, his army would move swiftly and decisively. The objective of the new approach was catching the Hessian garrison off guard across the Delaware River in the battle for Trenton. The plan paid off and the battle resulted in about 1,000 of the 1,500 Hessian garrison being killed, wounded or captured. Most importantly this moment is recognized as an important turning point in the war. Washington restored confidence in his leadership and the effort overall. In fact a few days later a huge portion of his continental army was coming to the end of their commission and Washington would manage to convince half of them to stay the course and re-enlist. News of the Battle of Trenton would travel fast and many more citizens would enlist as a result. Here are Washington’s words he used to inspire the troops to re-enlist:
“My brave fellows, you have done all I asked you to do, and more than can be reasonably expected; but your country is at stake, your wives, your houses and all that you hold dear. You have worn yourselves out with fatigues and hardships, but we know not how to spare you. If you will consent to stay one month longer, you will render that service to the cause of liberty, and to your country, which you probably can never do under any other circumstances.”
Applying the lessons of this epic innovation and leadership example we can transform our own personal and professional lives. When we face challenges we can choose to give up and walk away like some of the soldiers of the continental army did. Or we can choose to demonstrate leadership, innovation and act quickly to overcome the challenge. I understand and recognize this as I have felt this very inspirational human experience on a number of occasions. While no-one wishes for this kind of adversity, there is a confidence in yourself that could not exist without successfully navigating them. Perhaps that is why the difficult lessons we learn from tend to have the greatest impact on our lives.
I hope you have enjoyed this Independence Day tribute on this 234th Birthday of the United States of America.
Tags: George Washington, Independence Day, Inspiration, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, Thomas Paine
Posted in Inspiration, Leadership, Veterans | View Comments
Written by Joe Hackman on 02 July 2010
I was a big fan of Will Smith before I watched this. It’s been a while since I watched it and it always reminds me of the important things in life. I love his use of ridiculous, it is one of his favorite words, hence the title of this post. Here is a few gems:
“Your life will become better by making other peoples lives better.”
“Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity.”
“Ridiculous sickening work ethic.”
“Be willing to die for the truth.”
Looking for a bump? Watch this, it will be a great way to spend 10 minutes of your life:
Tags: Happiness, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, Will Smith
Posted in Inspiration, Video | View Comments
Written by Joe Hackman on 30 June 2010
Today I had scheduled to do some follow-up calls with a few of my long time IT clients. After a few 20-30 minute chats I felt like blogging about it. When I started my IT business back in 1997 I was very interested in making every customer a “customer for life”. It was a simple goal and while it has not been 100% successful I am extremely fortunate that the majority of my current clients have been clients for many years. As a result they really know me and I really know them. I know about the personal and professional challenges they face, the highs and the lows. Really we’ve been through a lot together, we are like a family. I know about their families and they know about mine. When we talk we catch up on personal business, share ideas and support each other. I was also reminded that business is always personal for me. My clients are friends and I enjoy their friendship. In business it is always a delicate balance. Luckily, as my own boss, potential clients and I can choose to work together. In my prior career I did not have the luxury of this. I can tell you among many of the perks of being your own boss, for me the ability to choose who I work with is a huge perk.
Freia, from Das Rheingold, with the tree of golden apples
Some people may read this and think that I am naive, but there is more to this. I had one client years ago that made me miserable. One of my close friends told me a story that someone had told him some years prior by the founder of a large warehouse store. It was the tale of the golden apples. Basically the saying was as long as the golden apples (money) were falling off the tree not to worry about difficult clients. I’ve used this to console myself over the years and I have to say I am at a point where I no longer agree with this. If your customers values are not in line with yours and it is causing you stress, you will be better off firing them and finding new customers. When I take stock of my customers today, they are all in line with my values. I do not feel that this is an accident. I think that ultimately when your values are out of whack, relationships will be dysfunctional. I think part of my position here has come with age, I am very comfortable today with who I am and I am not afraid to tell someone if they are asking me to do something that I do not feel I can ethically, successfully or efficiently execute. When I was younger I was much less self assured, I was driven and competitive, I guess I was what I needed to be at the time. Today I am glad that my values drive my business and personal relationships. I am open about who I am, what I stand for and genuinely enjoy establishing relationships with people who share my values.
I would love to hear your opinions about this post and your own personal experiences or philosophy on this. I will feature a couple of the best examples that come up in the post.
Featured Comments:
Occasionally I receive comments on my blog that really impress me and I want to showcase them (and the commenter!) in the post:
“Great post, Joe! This reminds us that usually when people grumble about their jobs and out of their unhappiness, make the transition to become an entrepreneur, one of the reasons they usually cite for their discontent in being an employee is they have issues with the people in their environment, and with the people with whom they have to interact. Unfortunately, once the new business-owner has survived the inevitable period of financial insecurity, they become determined to never experience that again, and this is usually when they make the subconscious pact with themselves to accept all money, no matter from whence it comes. The effect of this ill-advised decision is to create for themselves, all over again, the same kind of environment that they had once dreamed of escaping — a work environment in which they are exposed to troublesome individuals.
This post is a great reminder to business-owners about one of the elements that factored into why they decided to become a business-owner in the first place. Control over their work environment. Thanks for this!” – Kathrina Rashid
Kathrina was a recent guest blogger on my blog, you check out her post entitled “Sexual Assault Awareness by Kathrina Rashid PHD“
Tags: Entrepreneurs, Happiness, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, Motivation
Posted in Inspiration, Leadership | View Comments
