User-Generated Content: The Game-Changer towards Enterprise 3.0

How have your behavior, actions - even beliefs, changed over the last year or two? I'm willing to bet your behavior and actions on making a purchase have changed and I'll go out on a limb to say that it's because of User-Generated content.

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Sidebar: "User" generated content...really? Why is it that only drug dealers and techies call their consumers "users"? I've seen some references to "consumer' generated content... well, I'd say that users are consumers (by any definition, not just techies and drug dealers). My point is that in this social, collaborative and connected world, we use a term that de-humanizes content created by people when we call it 'user' ... I digress....

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The world is a mash-up. And User Generated Content is at the heart of it. The impact of UGC on the B2C world - and increasingly B2B world is significant. You can read more about my POV on UGC and how it impacts the business world in the March edition of KM World Magazine at UGC KM World Magazine. 

What is more interesting is the 'mash-up'. UGC is the collision of the business and consumer world - no matter if you're a B2C, B2B or government organization. It's the new reality. Are you ready for it?

Consider:

1. People talk. The fancy new term for it is, "Word of Mouth". Whether you're a vet, a grocery store, restaurant or major brand - people are now empowered to share their experience, their POV, their recommendation - whether you like it or not. Unfortunately, the more they DON'T like it, the more likely they are to tell others about it. AKA: Misery loves company. The personal and consumer world has infiltrated the business/corporate/government operating environment - what's your plan to embrace it and use it as a source for change/improvement?

2. People talk ALL THE TIME - and increasingly (thanks to the social infrastructure) to people whom they've never met before. We're tweeting and status updating and LinkedIn'ing our opinions, interests and beliefs all the time to the masses in the Cloud. 

The business world needs to accept that when people have something to say - ready or not - there it is: tweeted, retweeted, Facebook status update, etc. It's for all to see. The sad irony is that when we we've had a great experience, we relish in our contentment and have a great day. When it goes sideways: we're on our iPhone, Blackberry or other device to tweet about it before the situation/incident has even concluded. In many instances, the world could be notified of it before you are - and before having the opportunity to correct it.

3. People have influence and impact on your business, brand: The champion of mind-controlling tapeworms (a great profile I came across on Twitter) could be as influential as CNN. We're all publishers and media outlets! This could mean that the person from high school who you can only recollect as being the recipient of wedgies, is now the person with significant influence over your brand.. .subsequently your company's brand equity... subsequently, the company's EPS. No joke, if you aren't paying attention to or embracing UGC, it could be too late when you do. You may think wedgie-tapeworming guy doesn't matter, but the reality is that you should care that much more!

Bottom line: hellooooo brand new world. The Madmen of the 60's no longer dictate. This is not a command and control Marketing 1.0 world. The upside of Marketing 2.0 (enter UGC): the inmates ARE running the asylum and calling out the perpetrators of bad business, bad practices, bad... well... just being bad. If that's not you - or your business - then you have nothing to worry about. Even then, drop your guard for good service, good business, good practice - let's just hope that Guy K or someone else who's listed 24,000 times on Twitter doesn't hear about it first.

We're evolving from the Enterprise/Web 2.0 world of Engagement to the new 3.0 world of Participation. Consumers are engaged and now participating far more frequently on Twitter, LinkedIn, Blog sites, Online communities, etc. And there are millions of them out there. It's an exciting time when your words - your voice - matter and have impact.  For the business and government world - I hope you're listening.

To Tweet or Not To Tweet - If Shakespeare Were Alive Today

Just for fun - if Shakespeare were alive today.
Forgive the iambic pentameter transgressions; I did try to stay true to original. Enjoy.

To Tweet, or not to Tweet.

That is the question:

Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of Twitter/Tweet fortune,

Or take arms against the sea of Facebook’rs

And by unfriending end them? To blog: to tweet:

No more; and by a tweet to say we end

The heartache and the thousand retweet forwards

That Tweetdeck propogates; ‘tis a consummation

Devoutly to blog each week;  To blog, to Tweet;

To Tweet; perchance Slideshare: ay, there’s the rub;

For in that Slide of Shares what Tweets may come

When we have Slideshare’d, this Twitter coil,

Must give us pause; there’s Tweetmeme

That makes calamity of so many Tweets;

For who would read the blogs and tweets of time

The Facebook status, the proud man’s contumely,

The pangs of ‘Is Single’,  status updates,

The embarrassment of social break-ups,

That Single status of the unworthy takes,

When he himself might his quietus make

With no Zuckerberg? Who would  ZB bear,

To grunt and sweat under a billion life (worth),

But that he dread of Social after death,

The undiscover’d blog draft from whose bourn

No followers, retweets;  puzzle the will

And makes us rather bear those Tweets we have

Than blog to others that we know not of?

Thus Social Networks make cowards of us all;

And thus the Facebook hue of networking

Is socializing with the pale cast of thought,

And enterprises of great brand and earnings

With this regard their websites turn awry, and fail to engage with social. – Soft you now!

The fair Tweet, Facebook, Blog, in thy social cloud,

Be all my sins remember’d

Using Collaboration, Rich Media and the Social Infrastructure to Save my pet Sugar Glider

It’s been over a month since I got home from a family Christmas in British Columbia. Within minutes of being here, I knew something was terribly wrong: my little man Mars, a Sugar Glider, was critically sick and needed emergency care.

While his fate is still uncertain, his care and recovery up to this point can be credited to the power of user-generated content and the social infrastructure that supports it.  Oh yeah – and a super fantastic vet, Dr. Mitelman at Kingston Animal Hospital in Toronto.

Meet Mars.

Nine years ago, I faced a similar situation when my first sugar glider became ill. At that time, there was no YouTube, Facebook, Yelp (or even the concept of Word-of-Mouth) nor such prevalent use of Rich media like videos or pictures - Flickr.com did not exist. Despite the medical care, this little sugar glider died in my hands within a few days.

Today, the wealth of online resources, networks, and user-generated content combined with using rich media (photos and videos) may just save Mars. Here’s how:

1.  ‘Word of Mouth” helped me find the right vet.

Like any parent with a sick child, you don’t want just any doctor.  Despite my very limited options – it was New Year’s eve day and we’re not dealing with a ‘normal’ kind of pet, I wanted credentials and feedback on Kingston Road Animal hospital – all of which I found on Yelp.com.  The comments from pet owners, the Word of Mouth content, validated that it was the right place to go.

2.  The social infrastructure located other Sugar Glider experts.

Mars needed emergency surgery and until the test results came back, the course of action was uncertain. He had a gaping hole in his chest – the size of a quarter – and it was deep enough that I wasn’t sure if I was looking at his ribs or spine.

Unsure of what caused this, Dr. Mitelman and I would have to wait – and given the holiday weekend, it could take longer than expected. Things were not looking good for Mars.

Undeterred, both Dr. Mitelman and I reached out through the social infrastructure to find answers and the recommendations of other Sugar glider experts. Dr. Mitelman reached out through VIN.com, a veterinarian specific hub where he could collaborate amongst the 42,000 worldwide members.

I found a Sugar Glider-specific vet site, reached out (despite not being a vet) and within minutes received a reply and great support from Val Betts, the owner and President of Sugarglidervetinfo.com. She recommended an ‘e-collar’ for Mars and pointed me to a website where I could download the directions to make one. I also found an instructional video on YouTube which was incredibly helpful.

3. the social infrastructure enabled me to share pictures and video for monitoring his recovery.

It’s January in Toronto, Canada. There’s snow. And at times, a whole lot of it. During these times of arctic-like conditions, driving is not advisable, or even a possibility. But sharing videos and pictures via YouTube and Flickr is.

Using a FlipShare camera (best purchase ever), I could film Mars, edit the footage in minutes and then directly upload to YouTube. Likewise, taking photos didn’t require National Geographic-like finesse or equipment – my Blackberry was just fine.  I could share the media with Dr. Mitelman and also with Val, who is located in Texas,

It hasn’t been easy to provide the care he needs and monitor him around the clock. He needs food, water, medicine, wound cleaning, bathing (often a combination thereof) every few hours. [I’ll spare you the details on the 2am glider enemas] . Having the support found online and the over-the-top attention from Kingston Road Animal Hospital (they call regularly to check up on him), has provided support, expertise and ongoing treatment that wasn’t possible nine years ago.

This is the first time I’ve relied on social tools and technology in my personal life – in this Veterinarian 2.0 experience. We’re not sure of the outcome yet (fingers crossed),  but social and UGC could very well be the reason why my little man Mars survives.

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Social and User Generated Content mentioned and used:

http://www.suzsugargliders.com/

http://www.gliderhealth.com/

http://www.sugargliderhelp.com/links/pages/

http://www.sugarglidervetinfo.com/default.html

A big shout-out to Dr.Mitelman and the staff at Kingston Road Animal Hospital.

http://www.beachvet.com/

By far the most compassionate, attentive and committed vet and staff I've ever experienced. I don't know too many doctors who will call in a prescription at 11pm at night for a human, let alone a pet!

What the heck is a sugar glider?

No – it’s not a rat, or even related to the rodent family. They are marsupials.

Yes, like a Kangaroo or Possum

Yes, females have pouches and give birth to Joeys.

Yes, they have a lifespan much longer than hamster - they can live up to 12-15 years.

No, they don’t go to the bathroom on me.

No, they don’t ‘fly’, they glide, hence the name Sugar ‘Glider’

I’ve had pet Sugar Gliders for over 15 years and it has certainly been the topic of interest, ridicule and amazement – bottom line, I adore these little creatures.

 
Nothing like an Award show Red Carpet to provide creative inspiration. Or so I thought. The 2011 Golden Globes Red Carpet was anti-climatic and missing the O...M...G moments brought by the likes of Bjork, Cher and other Red Carpet shockers from days past. Where was my muse?!

I found the endless parade of perfection to be, well...kind of boring. I wasn't expecting my source of inspiration to be the lack thereof. The outcome is a departure from my regular Content-related postings but here's the Opinion piece I wrote for Blogcritics.

Article first published as Golden Globes Red Carpet: Hope for Hollywood or Hopelessly Boring? on Blogcritics.

Golden Globes Red Carpet: Hope for Hollywood or Hopelessly Boring?

Read more: http://blogcritics.org/video/article/golden-globes-red-carpet-hope-for/#ixzz1BGZkJdt9

Another Golden Globes Red Carpet has come and gone. The gowns, the diamonds, the to-die-for shoes. No shocker that Anne Hathaway was absolutely stunning, Natalie Portman and Jane Krakowski showed elegant pregnant, and I have to admit I’m a Helen Mirren fan. She also looked amazing but could have left out the tacky comment about the multimilion dollar diamond necklace. I don’t think any of us were questioning if it was cubic zirconia.

The media cannot get enough of Hollywood power couple Brad and Angelina who once again dominated the TV coverage with the most mentions prior to their arrival and even after they were off the red carpet. Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones made an appearance; Catherine always looks timeless and one has to admire Michael for winning his battle with cancer.

The glitz, the glamour, the Golden Globes – does anyone else find it a bit… well… how shall I say…tired? I was more entertained by the TV commercial for Big Bang Theory than by seeing Sandra Bullock was sporting a new hair style – she’s got bangs! Even Helena Bonham-Carter with her different colored shoes was more expected than shocking.

Is this a sign of the times? Has Hollywood grown up and relegated the Bratpack-style antics to TMZ? That’s not to say that media pundits like Perez Hilton, the hilarious Fugly critics (gofugyourself.com), and notorious Joan Rivers won’t have ample material for their reviews this week. I have hope for Hollywood but it’s also becoming hopelessly boring. It’s a catwalk parade of the rich and beautiful and sadly, less about the art and accomplishments for which they are coming together.

Maybe next year Paris Hilton could try another motorcycle entrance. 'Cuz that was hot.

Part II: Be Memorable! Rock Your Presentation with a Profile Infographic

Last week I wrote about a great presentation tip I picked up at the annual CMO Council Summit in San Jose: a biography puzzle.You can read about it here. For those who have waited with abated breath for me solve my bio puzzle - the wait is over! 

To all the aspiring Double Jeopardy presenters who took a run at solving my Biography Puzzle, I had a good laugh at some of the responses. And yes, there were a couple... concerning ...interesting... suggestions, “you think I’ve done what??” Thanks for the emails and a big thank you to Chris Hummel for providing his puzzle details.

This week I stumbled upon - but not on Stumbleupon.com - an online tool that creates a personal profile Infographic and allows you to save the output. Before I crack the code of my bio puzzle, I'm wondering if anyone has an Infographic? Has anyone tried this? Seen anyone? Anyone? …..Bueller? 

I love infographics. And I mean LOVE them. The good ones, of course. I would characterize a good one by

• a clear and focused narrative (even better if it has a unique point of view)
• Addresses one topic and has done its homework with finding, verifying and providing good data and information.
• Creatively and often genius - marries design and data to visually represent and communicate the story – and deliver knowledge. For me, when I find a good one –  I feel like I’ve absorbed an entire chapter from a school textbook within seconds and can retained the information with ease.

I like the clever and savvy use of visuals. Especially the combination of rich media and interactive design. I’ve got a few links at the bottom that you can check out - there's a great one for the sports fans. As I searched for other tools, I found a a series of Infographic resumes which were super creative, informative and could be used as an introduction (a lighter, less detailed version).  I have a few links below you can check out.

The online profile infographic tool took me about 2 minutes to sign-up and complete their template and then another 5 minutes to format using the options provided. The information isn’t that spectacular but it looks impressive for a <10 minute effort.  In fact, I’m pretty optimistic that a color copy would wildly impress my parents and likely be showcased on their fridge next to my niece and nephew elementary school art projects.

Here are two versions. Let me know what you think and if you’ve come across anything better.

the horizontal layout

itzCorinne Profile Infographic: same tool used as above, but with the vertical layout and different background.

 
BIOGRAPHY PUZZLE

As for the biography puzzle:

1. It’s all German and Greek to me
2. T •
3. 000010001100011 x 15
4. BI, CPM, ABM, APM, SOA, ITIL, BPM, BBIM
5. ECMM
6. CMO and/or Wired
7. Sat Nam

Answers:

1. I’m half German (half British) and my name is Greek. Most people assume it originated in France.
2. I live in the Tdot – aka Toronto.
3. I’ve worked in the software industry for 15 years
4. Some of the specific software areas include Business Intelligence, Corporate Performance Management, Activity-based Management, Application Performance Management, Service-Oriented Architecture, Information Technology Infrastructure Library, Business Process Management
5. I’m currently in Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and you can call me a ‘Master’… at least that’s what the ECMM stands for – it’s a certification from the AIIM organization.
6. My big hairy audacious goal in life is to become a CMO or make the cover of Wired Magazine… best magazine ever!
7. Sat Nam: No - it's not a sandwich! I’m into Kundalini yoga and yoga therapy. Sat Nam is the Kundalini equivalent to Namaste.

 

 The links to the online Infographic tool and resume examples:

• The Infographics I created above are from http://ionz.com.br/
• Seriously amazing Interactive NFL Sports Stats: NFL stats "spike chart"
• There's a great collection of resume infographics - which are far more advanced than the template I used above and illustrate very clever visuals.Check them out at Cool Infographics
  

If you have any to share, I'd love to see them.

Be Memorable! Rock Your Presentation Intro with a Biography Puzzle

How many presentations did you attend in 2010? 

My answer is…. no idea. A lot? Think back for a moment: all the travel, conferences, obligatory meetings, the webinars you signed up for…Nope… I still couldn’t tell you how many presentations I attended. 

I can recall the good ones - like John Mancini at AIIM's annual conference or Jess Schell's DICE 2010 keynote (WOW!). But it's rare to land the Double Jeopardy presentation: great speaker and great content.

Far too frequently, I witness the audience succumb to the relentless Blackberry itch that compels attendees to check for anything that will hold their attention or maintain a semi-conscience state (especially during the dreaded post lunch time slot).

Let’s flip it around: how many presentations did you deliver in 2010? Were you memorable? What about your content? Let’s be honest – there's one Steve Jobs. For the rest of us presentation mortals, we can use some tips and tricks. Especially when we're one of umpteen speakers in an all day line-up of back-to-back presentations – we can use a little help to up our game.

But how?

I hit Double Jeopardy last week at the annual CMO Council Summit in San Jose.

I didn’t know Chris Hummel, CMO & President of North America, Siemens Enterprise Communications prior to the CMO Council Summit. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t anticipating any life changing revelations during his keynote, How the Operationally Savvy CMO Can Become a Valued CEO Asset.

I’ve never been happier to be so wrong.

I’ve never seen a keynote delivered by a mortal in 8 slides. And with an introduction I’d call genius. Yep, Hummel is my new reigning Double Jeopardy presentation champion. The bar has been raised: compelling content and speaker with 8 slides. Actually:

 - 7 slides if you remove the title.

 - 6 if you overlook the bio.

 - 5 if you don’t count the Agenda.

In this instance, his intro was the highlight. Chris called it a “Biography Puzzle”, he captivated an entire room with 7 bullet points:

• The Martinellis & the Walshes
• RS – C – P
• 14 + 8
• Здраствуйте!
• FSO
• 3
• ?

His DaVinci code approach had everyone’s attention. The next day I caught myself telling a friend about this great speaker who was part Irish, fluent in Russian, has a German last name, lived overseas for nearly a decade, in 8 countries, did a stint somewhere as a Foreign Service officer and is now the CMO of Siemens Enterprise Communications.

I’ve never seen this approach before and based on comments from the other CMOs in the room – they won’t forget Chris either. I figure if I can remember that level of detail on someone I just met - in a line-up of 20 other speakers, he's on to something. And I love that he came up with the concept just to keep the presentation interesting.

I decided to give it a try and came up with my own biography puzzle:

• It’s all German and Greek to me
• T •
• 000010001100011 x 15
• BI, CPM, ABM, APM, SOA, ITIL, BPM, BBIM
• ECMM
• CMO and/or Wired
• Sat Nam

I suppose I could simply tell you what it means…. Nah! I’m interested to hear your interpretation, see your biography puzzle or find out what other interesting presentation tips you've seen. 

Any takers?

1 Minute on Marketing 3.0: Values-Driven Marketing

I came across this video ages ago and it stuck with me. Now I know why.

"You can do anything. So go do it."

Sadie has a pretty clear and compelling message. More remarkable, she expresses and personifies all things marketing 3.0 – in a minute! The same principles that have many corporations flummoxed. The simple breakdown:

Medium

She uses rich media -  video, to tell her message. A future in Content Marketing looks bright for Sadie as she also showcases some of her artwork.

Message

She’s authentic – from the pink room with all the stuffed animals to the Coldplay poster pinned up on the wall, Sadie is real. Full stop.

Mission

From an academic perspective, if you compare this with Philip Kotler’s Marketing 3.0 approach, she’s also got it covered: she’s got Mind, Heart and Spirit and she certainly exudes her Mission, Vision and Values.

This isn’t dismissing the notion that we need values in the sense of value-based selling and value messaging and value this and value that – sometimes a gentle reminder that we need just plain VALUES.

Kotler calls it ‘Values-Driven Marketing’ and I don’t disagree. And this takes Mind, Heart and Spirit to communicate and express your mission, vision and values. Kotler and Hermawan Kartajaya have a great article I found on Scribd at

Marketing 3 0 Values Driven Marketing

Funny that you can learn all that in 1 minute from Sadie. What's your view on Sadie or Kotler's approach?