When I first joined 15 minutes media as an employee in July, I was excited about all the new opportunities and responsibilities I would be granted as an official member of the team. Most recently, I was thrilled, flattered, proud, and admittedly surprised when I was entrusted with as crucial a role as the project manager for an upcoming project. Amanda smiled, reminding me that this was one of the benefits of working with a small company. Indeed, one of many!
In spite of my excitement, those positive emotions were also tainted by the notion that I hadn’t done this before. Or, at least initially, I didn’t think so. After thinking it over, however, I realized that project management is something we do essentially everyday. With every responsibility, task, or objective we take on in life, we plan, organize, meet deadlines, assess risks, and manage assets towards the successful completion of one of life’s many little projects. This was even more evident to me in looking back on my (increasingly distant) college experience, where my professors or supervisors gave me one deadline for a paper or group project with the expectation that I or we would figure out all the details in between. Success often required me to be a very disciplined, organized, and detail oriented individual. What’s so different?
Naturally, most people are probably better at managing certain aspects of their lives and careers over others, and I am certainly no exception. Still, I move forward with confidence because I am passionate about this opportunity, and the vision behind our client’s endeavor. I can’t share much information about the project now, but I trust it will be a very engaging and exciting process adding this new skill to my repertoire. I hope you will join me along the journey in my first blog series detailing my first experiences as a project manager!
For those of us who receive the "Daily Deal" emails from Groupon, part of the appeal is the focus on local business. I'm always thrilled to see a deal for something I've always wanted, but never knew existed just a few subway stops away.
Yesterday, however, Groupon offered its first national deal. For $25, you could get $50 worth of merch at Gap. And people responded. By noon, users were clicking "Buy" to the tune of 10 per second.
But was it really good for business? So, far, the jury's still out over whether the deal will have much impact for Gap. But, regardless of whether Groupon took its typical 50% cut (company policy prohibits them from disclosing the profit margins of the deal) it certainly threw them in the spotlight.
I doubt Groupon will stray too far from local business, but they will likely receive a boost in brand recognition and profits as a result of all the attention. Heck, I'm writing about them here, aren't I?
Whether you're a small business, an artist, musician, freelancer, consultant, or even an employee interested in social media for business, we want to hear from you.
We're asking for your questions, needs, barriers and concerns so that we can be a better digital marketing firm. We'll even send you our findings, if you like. Plus, 10 lucky folks will win a $25 gift card to either Starbucks, Amazon, or iTunes. Think you can spare 10 minutes for that? We'd be real grateful.
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.
Today's post is an open letter to photographers written by my fabulous cousin, Becca. Creative freelancers of all kinds, take note. These issues are relevant for you as well.
Dear Wedding Photographers,
I think you're swell but, as a whole, your websites suck.
First of all, turn the freaking music off.
Seriously. I'm probably looking at your site at work and it's hard to
find the off button and I probably don't like the music you picked nor
do I care since I didn't come to you for music. Don't do it — it's
downright annoying!
Secondly, it should not take 100 years for your site or gallery to load.
The best way to ensure this is to NOT USE FLASH! And while we're on the
subject of the gallery, how to move from one picture to another should
be obvious to my grandmother and I should be able to peruse the
thumbnails. I should also be able to use the keyboard or the scroller on
my mouse to move through the pictures (which is another reason NOT TO
USE FLASH!) Also, I'm pretty sure 75% of you all have the exact same
Flash site re-branded. Stop it. Want something inexpensive? Try
WordPress with a custom template design. [Editor's note: We can help! Just Contact Us to find out how.] And do NOT have your gallery or site pop-up! EVER!
Thirdly, don't have your blog header take up the entire screen.
I get confused and think there are no posts or something. And if you
don't have a blog with most of your current wedding previews, make one.
Fourthly, tell me how much you cost. I don't care if you do "custom" packages, tell me how much your typical package is and what it includes.
Fifth, I'm probably going to post the photos on facebook.
If you have a problem with this, the best way to handle it is to give
me lo-res versions of all pictures with your watermark. Then everyone is
happy.
Lastly, tell me WHERE YOU LIVE. I totally get that
you want to travel and stuff but I'm not looking to pay for that so make
it really obvious where you live and shoot weddings generally. Don't
make me look up your area code on google. Instead how about say "Chicago
Wedding Photographer" instead of just "Wedding Photographer."
Seriously I love you guys but weddings are stressful and photography
is expensive, so make it a bit easier on us! True I'm already married
and had an awesome photographer (with a great website!) but since I have
three good friends getting married next year, I now have to look at all
the sites again… and it's annoying. It is also true that I develop web
sites for a living and am probably more critical than most but really
I'm trying to help!
Sincerely,
Becca
Becca is a software developer who enjoys playing guitar, writing songs and playing with her pug Maverick! She and her husband had a kick ass Rock 'n Roll Wedding in May. This letter was originally published on offbeatbride.com.
15 minutes media can help all you creative professionals out there guilty of breaking these rules! Just contact us! We'd be happy to give you a free consultation.
Yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the 2nd Annual CSS Summit, my first ever VIRTUAL conference (AKA Web Conference), hosted by Environments for Humans. It was an 8-hour day packed with presentations from some really interesting folks on timely topics of web design, standards and development. I learned a lot and met some really great people while lounging in my PJs. I’d like to focus for now, though, on the concept of a virtual conference. As a first-timer, I was sold. Not only was it fun, but the benefits of the virtual format were plentiful and definitely outweighed the disadvantages. At least for me.
OK, on to the meaty stuff. Here’s my list of Pros, Cons, and Recommendations:
Pros
No traveling means fewer and lower costs plus greater accessibility.
The ability to host a conference without requiring travel is probably the most obvious benefit to this format. Not only does it cut down on rental fees, but it also means the conference is available to an international audience as well as those who are unable to travel. Tickets can also be sold at a significantly lower cost which will bring in a larger audience. Also, while some people participated individually, their were also “Meeting Rooms”, in which a room full of people could attend the conference together at a group rate. This would be helpful if you have companies/orgs sending whole departments to the conference.
Unlimited Capacity
Obviously if you don’t have to rent a location, you don’t have to worry about space constraints, which means you can sell as many tickets as people are willing to buy!
Record-ability
Let’s face it, people get restless after spending several hours at a conference. Sometimes their attention wanes during presentations they were initially excited about. Offering a chance for them to come back to the presentations in full at a later time is invaluable.
Chatting is Encouraged
One of my favorite aspects of the CSS Summit was the ability to communicate with fellow attendees via chat. Not only did I make some professional contacts, but I also got to see real-time responses to the content and participate in relevant conversations. Plus their were plenty of hilarious voices and inside jokes that only helped to develop a sense of community and rapport.
And of course, Dogs are Allowed!
My Chihuahua snoozed on my lap the whole time.
Cons
Technical Difficulties
Technical problems can really ruin the experience. Since the whole conference is dependent on sound and video quality streaming smoothly over the internet, even the smallest disturbances can cause big problems. Just be sure to have techy folks on hand for speedy fixes when necessary.
Chatting is encouraged
Okay, I know I said this was a pro, but it’s also a con. The real-time chatting can become distracting and take away from the presentations at times. However, it also can also raise questions/issues/concerns related to the content that may not have been addressed otherwise.
No traveling
Again, a pro is also a con. Part of the appeal of traditional conferences is the opportunity to travel to exotic places. I suppose you could still travel if you want, plus you could choose your OWN destination!
Sore butts
Sitting on my couch for 8 hours was not a very butt-friendly thing to do. At least at traditional conferences, you’re getting up and walking around in between presentations.
Recommendations for Enhancing the Overall Experience
Please keep in mind that this was my first and only experience with this format and it was hosted on the Adobe Connect web conferencing platform. Some of these suggestions may be available on other platforms.
Virtual business card exchange or attendee profiles
Networking opportunities are an extremely valuable aspect of traditional conferences. While the virtual chat can be a useful networking tool, only the loudest people participate. I would have liked the ability to browse through profiles of attendees. I may have been more inclined to introduce myself to those who might make good networking contacts.
Visual indicator for questions in the chat
The chat was great for directing questions at the presenters. However, it was difficult to visually separate general chat from content questions very easily. Plus the presenters seemed to have a difficult time scrolling through the chatter to find questions. It would help if there was either a pre-defined hashtag (our group started using #Q: before a question for the presenter) or some other type of visual indicator such as a different color or an icon, etc...
Half-Day conferences or lots of breaks
A whole day sitting on my butt staring at my computer with little opportunity to get up, stretch, or even get food or go to the bathroom without missing part of the presentation was a big drawback for me. It would have been nice to have at least a half hour break for food and maybe a 5 - 10 minute break in between presenters. Just play some good music.
Afterparty chat (preferably with beer and cookies)
At the end of the day I really wanted to go enjoy happy hour with some of my fellow attendees. While this isn’t really possible, it might be fun to have an organized and hosted afterparty chat available to those who want to process what they’ve learned throughout the day and network a little bit. It would be reminiscent of chat rooms from the early days of the social web. How nostalgic!
Have you ever been to a virtual conference? Share your pros, cons and suggestions in the comments!
Social media has reached an impressive state of being. No matter what business you’re in, your audience is more immediately reachable than ever before. And they’re eager for delicious content. My 93-year-old grandmother even asked if I thought she should join Facebook. And she was serious. Do you know what that means? It means any business NOT currently investing in this awesome opportunity is at an enormous disadvantage.
But what exactly does it mean? I could sit here and lecture you on the importance of your social media strategy and explain how your social identity can impact sales and demonstrate how Facebook and Twitter are only the beginning, but you probably already know all that. So, instead, I’m going to persuade you not to entrust some restless ex-student, whose propensity for cyber-stalking and micro-blogging keeps him up at night, with the ever-important role of Social Media Marketing Manager. Especially in the form of an unpaid (or under-paid) internship.
In a recent bout of curiosity while browsing craigslist ads for social media interns, I was appalled to find so many companies willing to give near complete control over their social identities to college students or recent grads. I thought,
WOW! it must be a great time to be 21 and unemployed if you can so easily become the most influential voice for a company you’ve never heard of without any real experience or qualifications beyond being “on Facebook multiple times per day”! Who cares if it’s an unpaid internship!
Okay, people, I know the ocean of social media can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate, but just because you don’t fully understand the inner workings of Facebook or Twitter, doesn’t mean you should trust a more digitally savvy college student to speak for your company on a daily basis! Remember the most important word in the phrase “Social Media Marketing” is MARKETING. Not social. Social media is an incredibly valuable MARKETING platform.
Whoever fills the role of social media frontman for your business is going to have a lot of power over your audience. The masses will associate that voice with everything you stand for. Do you really want to give that much power to an intern whose investment in your company has not yet been tested?
It might be helpful to envision a miniature Spiderman sitting atop your shoulder whispering proverbial wisdom of the comic age into your ear:
With great power comes great responsibility.
Responsibility to uphold the values of your company 24/7/365.
Responsibility to develop long-term relationships with the right kind of audience.
Responsibility to know who that audience is, where to find them, and how best to communicate with them.
Responsibility to inspire trust and brand loyalty in the hearts and minds of that audience.
Responsibility to commit to the long-term goals of your business and build momentum over time.
Is all that responsibility worth nothing? I think not. In fact, I think it may possibly be one of the most valuable positions in your company.
I’m not saying an intern can’t be a trusted resource while setting up on various social networks. They do spend a lot of time swimming in that ocean. But, if you find yourself dreaming of a cheap (or free) web savvy intern taming those pesky anxieties that creep out of the corners of your mind at the very thought of managing your social identity, take a few deep breaths and think hard about your real needs before placing that ad for a social media internship.
P.S. I did a quick search and The Red Hat Society (of which my grandmother is an active member) has over 5,000 likes on Facebook! I’m beginning to think I was wrong in telling her to steer clear due to the steep learning curve. I just didn’t want her to fret about it all, but perhaps I’ll give her a ring and ask her to friend me.
Your Business Online is a new series exploring critical and timely
issues pertaining to the life of your business online.
Great post, Amanda! When I see classmates posting really regretful things on Facebook and Twitter, I always try to remind them of the repercussions, of the responsibility they have to themselves to make a good impression, regardless of their privacy settings. You never know how interconnected your network might be with a prospective employer or client. LinkedIn really cemented that into my mind. Yes, these are social networks, but the social bit is essentially a vehicle for marketing yourself. Everything we do on these networks is a reflection of who we are. So it goes with companies.
Thank you for addressing one of my pet peeves Amanda. I stumbled on a great article today that I thought I would share as it has tangential relation to this article.
5 Ways The Intern Mind Trumps You at Social Media
Do not trust an intern to completely run your social media campaign.
Do learn from their basic instincts.
http://bit.ly/aiD6gT
When I first joined LinkedIn in 2008, I wasn't really sure what to make of it. Is it a social network or something else? Why do I need this when I can simply give a copy of my resume to other people or create my own website? Isn't Facebook enough? How can I use this without a portfolio feature? Then, as I started to get more invites from colleagues, friends, and other associates, I realized that I should take any opportunity to boost my exposure. Now, with LinkedIn's partnership with Behance, artists, illustrators, designers, photographers, videographers, and other creative professionals can share what is likely the most vital part of their resume: their portfolio. This is good news, not only for these professionals, but for the businesses that hire them as well.
The Behance Network is more than just a network of artists, it is a platform. Members can use it to gain exposure not only within the Behance community, but on popular social media platforms and other custom networks as well. Membership is not entirely open. Potential members are required to go through an application process which ensures only work of the highest caliber is showcased in the gallery. Recruiting is therefore both simplified and complicated by the fact that while recruiters will not have to sift through many unqualified candidates, there is also a larger pool of talent to choose from.
If LinkedIn is truly going to be a useful tool for connecting creatives with their potential clients, the ability to display work is invaluable. LinkedIn's new Creative Portfolio Display application is a giant leap forward in this arena. The app allows existing Behance users to feed content from their portfolio onto their LinkedIn profiles thereby expanding exposure to a uniquely professional network filled with potential clients. Naturally, it will take some time for creatives to adopt this application, but it will definitely make the search for talent much simpler and more fun!
Let's face the facts. In today's economy, it can be especially difficult to raise funds for any cause, big or small, hot button or relatively unknown. Despite the outlook, internet technologies, with their propensity for building community and simplifying otherwise complicated endeavors, continue to inspire with flourishing and exciting means of financing various projects, both charitable and profitable in nature. One such phenomenon is crowdfunding.
In this age of Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other social media, community, communication, timeliness, and transparency are key to your business’ success. Crowdfunding, also known as crowd financing, emphasizes these facets of business in order to collect relatively small amounts of money from numerous supporters for a variety of types of projects. Read on and learn more about crowdfunding and how you can get involved.
What is crowdfunding?
By tapping into a network of friends, family, fans, and other interested parties, crowdfunding enables people with an idea to keep all rights to their intellectual property, while still offering some incentives or specific deliverables to their supporters. It encourages transparency, as all aspects of the project that the funds will be used for are revealed up front. Supporters are then full aware of what they are committing their funding to with minimal risk.
How does it work?
Crowdfunding is a relatively simple concept that has been around for a while. Essentially you propose an idea and draw in supporters to help you fund the execution of that idea. Of course, it would never work without rules, and order. Crowdfunding sites generally put several deadlines in place in order to protect both the project creator and their supporters. One deadline that is sometimes used is a limited window of time in which supporters are allowed to withdraw their pledges. This encourages commitment to the project from supporters. The most common deadline, however returns all pledges if the funding goal is not reached by the appointed time. Again, this not only protects supporters, but can also help the project creator to gauge whether the project is worth pursuing, at least in its initial proposed form. Additionally, it ensures that the expectations put forth in the proposal are fully met by the project creator. Deadlines help motivate both parties to see the project through. Finally, crowdfunding sites usually take a small percentage of the funds as well.
Who can get involved?
Not to be confused with charity, crowdfunding is generally very popular for those in pursuit of creative ideas, for example, artists, musicians, filmmakers, and writers, who have an end product in mind. The promise that something tangible will come of their contributions is very encouraging to supporters. Of course, crowdfunding has many ties to grassroots movements as well, so there are also sites available dedicated to education, entrepreneurship, and the news, as well as basic everyday needs. In this way, pretty much anyone can get involved, certainly as a supporter, and depending on your idea, as a project creator. Check around the web for crowdfunding sites that might work for you.
Welcome to Everyone's Famous! a blog for small businesses and non-profits alike exploring topics related to the web, brand identity, social media, and more!
Dear Wedding Photographers,
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