Social Media
The Upper Valley Hashtag Haiku Celebration
As many of you know, I’ve long been jealous of the impressive organization of Burlington’s Twitter community. Their unified use of the #BTV hashtag makes it very easy for me to keep my finger on the pulse of the Burlington community “goings-on.” After talking with @nhkaren at a recent Social Media Breakfast, I decided that the time had come to pick an official Twitter hashtag for New Hampshire’s and Vermont’s Upper Valley community. Burlington’s choice was obvious. They simply (and wisely) co-opted the city’s airport code. Our task was a little more difficult. Our “Upper Valley” community spans 5 (or 7? or 9?)...
Read MoreThe First Step in Avoiding Major Web Marketing Mistakes
This year I have the pleasure of writing a column for Book Business Magazine about web marketing. The idea behind the column is simple: Explain the steps required to build an effective web marketing plan in the order in which they need to be addressed. My hope is that I can lay out a clear process that helps businesses and organizations build a strong web marketing foundation. The articles will be appearing in both the print and online editions. The first article was published online this month, and the folks at Book Business have done a great job with editing and layout—though I do question their use of my big red mug at the top…. Here’s an excerpt: Your...
Read MoreUsing “Twitter Links” to Improve Your Social Media Tracking Efforts
Twitter—the wildly popular “micro-blogging” service—is making a giant impact on the internet, and joining the ranks of internet giants by doing so. If you’ve watched any cable news program in the last year, you’re probably already familiar with how it is helping to cure us all of the reckless habit of using sentences longer than 140 characters—this one is 163! (E-Gasp.) But, the lesser-known—and possibly more important—impact is how Twitter is helping to improve the traffic tracking tools online. The Back Story Twitter is a brilliant little shoehorn. Its 140 character limit was originally built into the system so that the service would...
Read MoreJesse, Video, and a Funky Chicken (VIDEO)
I made this video a little over a year ago with help from two friends of mine—one luckier than the other. At the time I thought that the Catalyst Webworks web site was just a few weeks away…*cough*…and that this video would be a great element for the front page. Well, here it is, finally—after a brief stint on the now-defunct jsmcdougall.com—a world debut of the first Catalyst Webworks commercial. Please watch, laugh, enjoy, and pass it on. Thanks to Ed Dooley of Mad River Media (lucky friend behind the camera), and Morgan Pielli of MorganWritesABook.com (the dancing chicken). Enjoy! (…and Hi...
Read MoreBuilding Reader Communities: A Q&A with Follow the Reader – Part Two
Charlotte Abbott released part two of our interview today—freeing it from the torment of pre-stage jitters. I have excerpted a few of the questions (and my responses) below. Please read the complete conclusion to this gripping yarn at Follow the Reader. What are the top two or three technologies have you found most valuable in engaging audiences online? Twitter for daily conversation. A blog as a conduit for book, author, and community content. Blip.tv for serving up high-resolution video with no size or time restrictions. For tracking your success and progress, ChartBeat, HootSuite, and Google Analytics are essential. [...] Do you see any downside to giving away...
Read MoreBuilding Reader Communities: A Q&A with Follow the Reader
Recently I sat down to do an e-interview with Charlotte Abbott—of Follow the Reader fame—about how authors and book publishers can build communities of readers online—and why it works. It was a blast to do, and thanks to Charlotte’s clout and well-earned reputation in the industry, the interview was picked up by the Shelf Awareness daily newsletter as a top article. Charlotte has posted part one of the article on Follow the Reader. Part Two is waiting in the wings with a nervous belly and unbearable stage fright. Let’s start a slow-clap to get him out here…eh? I have excerpted a bit of the Q&A below. For the full article, please reward...
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