Recently in Social Networking Category

In late December DARPA or the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency held a challenge to help mark the 40th anniversary of the Internet (it was they who, incidentally, did actually invent the Internet).

The agency launched, simultaneously, 10 tethered large weather balloons around the US and set out this challenge: the first person or team to ID all the locations would win a $40K prize. Specifically DARPA wanted to see how social networking could be used to accomplish a "large-scale, time-critical task."

Not so surprisingly a team from MIT won it.

Get this: in fewer than 9 hours after DARPA deployed the balloons.

How did they do it?

Well, their team created a site (of course) and then promised "$2000 per balloon to the first person to send us the correct coordinates, but that's not all -- we're also giving $1000 to the person who invited them. Then we're giving $500 whoever invited the inviter, and $250 to whoever invited them, and so on..."

People communicated the locations to the MIT team and the team verified the locations.

A huge challenge in this process? False balloons and erroneous reports by sneaky opponents.

Here's a line from the team's FAQ on their site:

How do you rule out the dishonest reports of spotting the balloons?

This is one of the most interesting parts to the challenge! We will use sophisticated algorithms from the field of network science and complex systems theories along with machine learning algorithms to identify valid submissions.

When I was listening to Riley Crane from MIT talk about this study on the radio, the host asked him if this contest was held so DARPA could better locate terrorists, bad guys, etc. But Riley, and DARPA, pointed out the contest was held to better investigate the role of "wide-area team building, and urgent mobilization required to solve broad-scope, time-critical problems." Think along the lines of natural disasters, missing hikers, floating balloons with supposed children in them, etc.

Marketing Manager Harish Kotadia's blog had some interesting points about the contest and what it means to folks working in Social Media Marketing.

One of these being, instead of DARPA hiring a group Social Media Pros and getting together and endlessly discussing how to accomplish how Social Networking can accomplish a large-scale task, they "designed a simple, low cost experiment... (which is) more cost-effective compared to time and travel cost of personnel figuring this out."

True. The prize was $40K for this, plus putting together a site and a team. Most likely far less expensive than flying in the Pros (then taking them to dinner, putting them up in hotels, giving them coffee, etc.)

The second, "it is important to reward not only (the) individual member for their winning contribution, but also those who brought them to the network, thereby extending (the) reach of (the) network and making Crowdsourcing a reality."

That second point reminded me of (not to plug too much here, but it's on my mind since I'm creating training around it for the company) the Rewards Program that we have.

Essentially, any Talent already working with Aquent can tell us about another person (or job opportunity) and is given points for the referral, which can then be cashed in. In the case of a Talent they've referred, the Referrer automatically gets points for the referral. Then, if that person interviews with us, more points. If that person actually gets a job through us, points accumulate every hour that person works (up to a certain number). So essentially a reward is given for just suggesting someone, but the reward is much, much greater if that referral is stellar. (The reward for the referred is obviously getting a gig.) The whole idea is based around the thought that we consistently get our best Talent as referrals from Talent we're already working with, so rewarding for that makes good sense.

I have no idea who came up with the program, but my hat is off to them, because it's seems close to what DARPA is thinking.

Not that I always agree with the military.

Any other thoughts from your social media folks out there and the applications of this in your field?

I'd Tweet this, but I'm pretty sure this is over 140 characters.

(image from DARPA Website)

Over here at Aquent we value the amazing Talent we represent and we also recognize that they in fact are the true experts in their fields (SME, if you must) and are far more connected than we can ever hope to be.

So during the past few months we've been developing a referral system that "pays it forward" and hopefully gets everyone more jobs and some extra money to boot!

A couple weeks ago we started offering cash to Aquent Talent based on a point system. We have two different avenues for folks, one is to refer other awesome Talent to us and the other is to refer potential job openings to us. (This last one pays big and fast!)
 
I was excited about this new referral program (we call it Aquent Rewards) and started shouting about it from the rooftops. But I started to notice a trend: People often responded to enthusiastic pitch with a,  "Yeah, that's nice and all, but I really just want a job of my own. I'm not really in the mood to send you names or job openings."

Fair enough. And I do get it. As a company, we want to find an exciting job for every one of our Talent as well!

All this got me thinking about how the referral program impacts people in a way other than the cash that they get. Then I started thinking about karma.

Wikipedia tells me that Karma means a "deed" or "act", or more broadly, names the universal principle of cause and effect, action and reaction that governs all life. If Karma can make things right and good for people like Earl J. Hickey, why can't it work for other folks?

Let me lay it out for you:
 
How exactly would this good job karma thing work?

Case study #1 (talent referral)
You have a friend/acquaintance that is an incredible Online Marketer
You login to your My Aquent  account and submit your friend/aquaintence to us
We call* your referral
 If we place that person, you start accruing good job karma points (and Aquent referral points = $)
 
Case study #2 (business referral)
You are sitting at work, working.
You overhear that the online marketing team (or interactive, marketing, graphic design,) needs someone and they are thinking of hiring.
You login to you're My Aquent  account and submit any information you know about the job and hiring manager's name.
We call* that hiring manager and help them fill that job.
If we fill that job you rack up FAT good job karma points (and Aquent business referral points =$$$)
 
Karma Bonus:
If you send us a business referral and the talent referral that can fill that job, you go straight to nirvana and collect a large sum of Aquent referral bonus points = $$$$$$$$$
 


So let's go back to the initial problem; "Yeah, but I just want a job of my own"

By you building your good job karma and others building up their good job karma, there's a good chance that you will get to work at that job of your dreams - the job someone else recommended.

And heck, the fact that you get points (and cash) for recommending people doesn't hurt, does it?

When I was at university, my all time favourite subject was Consumer Behaviour.I loved learning about the relationship between organizations, their brands and their customers.In those days though, most marketing messages were delivered via a one-way street - broadcast from company to consumer.

Today, the dynamic growth of digital channels, and in particular social media, has truly shifted the communication paradigm. Marketing as a conversation has arrived!

There's no better example of this than the recent case of Vegemite iSnack 2.0. I'm sure there isn't anyone in Australia that is unaware of this saga but for our friends elsewhere I'll give you a quick overview:

Vegemite (http://www.vegemite.com.au) is an iconic breakfast spread that has been enjoyed by Aussies since 1922.They recently decided on a brand extension, adding a Vegemite and cheese spread.As was the case when they named the original product all those years ago, they decided to choose the name of the new product through a competition. iSnack 2.0 was the winning name but it didn't resonate well with the public. (http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1101797/Backlash-kills-off-iSnack-2.0)

The new name was revealed last month during the Football (AFL) Grand final.I was enjoying the game but also had an eye on Twitter and saw an avalanche of protests appear before my very eyes. Not long after the social media uproar commenced, traditional media jumped on the bandwagon and for days the naming of this product was headline news.

This story got me thinking about a case study we had looked at in class years before. It was the Cola Wars and Coca Cola's introduction of 'New Coke' in April 1985.Coca-Cola did the unthinkable and changed their secret formula.They too received an 'instant' backlash. Consumers wrote letters of complaints (Remember them? They got delivered by snail mail). They phoned the company and talk-back radio stations and wrote letters to newspapers. The outrage was enormous!

(http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/cokelore_newcoke.html) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke)

There are a lot of similarities in these two stories. One could argue that decisions were made without enough research and consultation with their customers. Anyway, both cases required a reversal of decisions made by the marketing and management teams.The difference in the stories is the speed of reaction:

- Time to change Coke back to its original formula = 3 months
- Time to change the name of Vegemite iSnack 2.0 = 3 days!

If you're a 21^st century marketer, engage in conversations with your customers! The powerbase has definitely shifted and consumers are speaking - are you listening?

PS - The new Vegemite product was renamed Vegemite Cheesybite. How was the name chosen? By an online poll :)

Recruiter.  Headhunter.  Staffing Consultant.  Placement Specialist.  Talent Acquisition and Retention Specialist.  BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH!  Let's call it what it really is - we are your Agent.  OH YES - think Jerry Maguire "Show ME THE MONEY" Cuba Gooding yelling in the bathroom kind of agent.  And no - I will not scream into the phone for you.  I love you - but that just seems weird and it's been done already.  

I've realized recently that candidates typically fall into one of two categories:

•    The first camp, we shall call them the "I don't believe in your value" team - call Recruiters when they are in dire straits and send half-done resume updates/portfolio samples because let's face it - they are at the end of their rope and don't see the value that we (THE AGENT) can bring.

•    The 2nd group, I shall call them the "I TOTALLY GET IT and will CERTAINLY partner with you to make magic happen" team - they are responsive, helpful, updates resumes AND portfolios accordingly and view us  (THE AGENT) as a valued partner and resource in helping them secure their next engagement (I know - it's not a movie but we can't all live in the world of Mark Wahlberg (HELLO!  ENTOURAGE MUCH) and Rene Zellweger).  

So the tough question (DUM DUM DUM....) - how do we shift the court of public opinion in group one to join the happily ever after of group two?  

It's simple - change the mindset.  Build the relationship.  Court a little.  In this land of speed dating and internet match making - the same cannot be applied to creating a valuable agent/talent relationship.  So let's get back to basics people!  Get to know one another and the things that make each member of the partnership awesome.  And for the love of god recruiters - DO NOT EVER USE THE WORDS "TOUCH BASE."  Would you want your girlfriend/spouse/family to call to "touch base?"  I don't think so.  

Last week I was very privileged to attend a one day workshop on social media. Here's my plug for Michael Seaton: the dude is awesome. I've heard lots of speakers and their take on what social media is and how to use it but no one simplifies it like Seaton. If you get a chance to get a brain dump from this guy, take it. Oh yay, Michael didn't pay me to say that. I really think he's awesome but as a side note, I did learn that bloggers should always announce when they get paid to plug someone, a product or a service.

So, what else did I learn?

The CMA social media course covers the following things:

• an overview of how our culture has shifted with the use of the internet, specifically with the use of social media tactics
• what social media really is with a look at existing trends
• some specific tools and real examples, and
• some real business applications including how social media can illustrate ROI

My parents are digital immigrants but even they are being influenced by social media. I've had to decline a few friend requests on Facebook from my Mom. And let it be known that awareness doesn't always mean credibility. Social media has really changed the power shift where consumers can spread either a positive or negative message about a brand faster than you can blink 10 times. (My Mom decided against one chinese take out joint over another because of something she read on a blog.) The big thing is that "everybody's doing it" but we shouldn't. Be wise about how you use social media but most importantly, make sure you have a good answer to why.

If you're looking for more on social media, you should call me or you can read Socialnomics by Erik Qualman. And oh yay, Erik didn't pay me to say that. I paid for the book and waited a week for it to ship to my house.

In exactly one week, the LA Web Design + Development Group Meetup will be holding its third meetup at Busby's East in Los Angeles! This is a great event hosted by the LA Interactive team (*cue biased opinion*) - but you don't have to take my word for it either - we have an average rating of 4/5 stars on Meetup.com! Busby's East is a large casual venue with great a great happy hour menu, drink specials and their own parking lot.

Here you will get to mix and mingle with other folks in the interactive space and get your networking on. Even better myself, Theresa or Meri would be happy to help you facilitate your networking since that's our specialty! Just look for us, we'll be the ones by the sign talking to everyone! Our turn out is usually a even amount of Interactive Designers, Developers and Producers from a variety of backgrounds and levels of experience.

Best thing about this event (in addition to the free parking lot in the back)? It's FREE. Click here to RSVP.


*image creativeinspirations

I didn't really dive into the whole Social Media movement until late last year.  Up to that point, I wrote on my personal blog and invited as many people as possible to join my LinkedIn network, and that's about as far as I waded in.  In December, my office started a Facebook group so I joined in and quickly became addicted, to the point at which I monitor and update the office's group.

Then, I discovered Twitter and after a few tweets, I was hooked.  140 characters from my favorite authors, links to listen in while a musician crafted her new album, friends tweeting about their work day, co-workers posting jobs (and me re-tweeting them), and my own messages about design software, social media articles, music, books, and ideas/stories that interested me.  Soon enough, others began following me, and my little social network blossomed.

Late last week, I finally had the opportunity to put this little network to the test, to see if Twitter was more than just an inane time waster, as I've read in many articles around the internet.

To preface this, we use an online tool to create some of our newsletters and e-mail campaigns.  I was recently granted access to work on some newsletters for our market and began tweeting about my learning progress.  After the first few tweets, I noticed that some of my new followers worked at the online service I was discussing so I followed them in return.

Another market called on Friday around 3:30 PM (PST) wondering if I had noticed a problem with outbound links in our newsletters.  The newsletter was forwarded to me, and I confirmed the same "Cannot find server" message associated with each link.  The market already e-mailed our IT Department, but I had this crazy idea.  I searched through my Followers list and found the CTO of the online service.  And I tweeted a Direct Message to him, somehow managing to squeeze the basic information into 140 characters and not sure if he would respond.

Imagine my shock and surprise when 15 minutes later, he tweeted back with his e-mail asking to take a look at the newsletter, which I forwarded.  (I instant messaged the shocked emoticon to my contact in the other market and told him what had happened.)  Within 15 minutes of that, my phone rang with a technician from the online service on the other end, and we discussed problem and the steps taken to create the newsletter.  It took some time, but we discovered the issue and fixed it.

Not too shabby for a medium which a few detractors called inane chatter.

I'm a Twit and proud of it.

Image from Damien Basile