World Bank + Social Web

You expect consumer brands to embrace social media – it is where their customers are communicating with each other and gathering information for purchase decisions. But, what about other organizations, like international non-governmental organizations?

The World Bank has become an active participant in the social web. Through the Open Development program the organization is encouraging transparency and sharing their data with the community to promote innovation. The data for organization's projects is available online and via the World Bank DataFinder App for iPhone, iTouch, and iPad.

Recently the organization announced a contest – Apps for Development – to build an app for any mobile platform that displays their data in a useful way to the community. Here is how the competition is described by the World Bank:

• “We're challenging the public to create innovative software applications that move us a step closer toward solving some of the world's most pressing problems.”

This is an ambitious effort to harness the collective creativity of the global community. And it is a way for the organization to transform from a large non-governmental organization to a tangible entity in the eyes of the individuals it interacts with around the world.

The World Bank has also embraced blogging and has a number of active blogs on its website. In addition, the organization is actively engaging the community on a variety of social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. On Twitter the organization encourages discussion of Open Development with the #opendata hashtag.

Reaching out – virtually – to the global community and participating in conversations on the web is important for all organizations, including for profit companies, governments, and non-governmental organizations.

If a large international organization like the World Bank can become an active participant in the social web so can you.

Foursquare in Space

I am not an enthusiastic participant in Foursquare. I created an account, used it for a little bit, and then wrote about my experience here. Perhaps I am too cautious to be the right demographic for that type of geotagging application. I just do not feel the need to broadcast my exact location. Nor do I feel comfortable doing so. Facebook Places is the only geotagging application that I have found less intimidating. Maybe that is because I am already hooked on Facebook!

But, I am not writing today to discuss my personal feelings or insecurities about geotagging. I am writing about Foursquare in space!

On October 22, 2010 a NASA astronaut became the first person to check in to Foursquare from outside the Earth's atmosphere. That is a cool use of social media! And a great way to excite and engage people in space exploration and science. The NASA Explorer Badge on Foursquare will soon be available for users to earn. This follows the first tweet from space in May 2009.

NASA is really embracing social media to share with community. In addition to Twitter and Foursquare, NASA has apps for iPhone and iPad and is participating in Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Ustream, and other social media platforms. Great way to engage the community!

#SMIATL Lessons – Why Twitter is Powerful

I am a firm believer – and enthusiastic participant – in Twitter and written about it several times before on this blog. At the Integrating Social Media conference there was a great deal of discussion about this social media tool.

Twitter is a vital resource in harnessing the power of social media. It is a place to share information and have conversations. To be part of the conversations it is important to engage and provide a useful contribution to the community.

Twitter has upwards of 98 million registered users. Before the conference I had not been aware that additional individuals could follow Twitter users on their mobile phones without an account. (Thanks to Marla Erwin – @marlaerwin.) More Fortune 500 companies are using Twitter to communicate than Facebook – 54% versus 32% on Facebook. It is where business is communicating. It is where customer service teams (like @ComcastCares, @virginatlantic, and Best Buy's @twelpforce) are helping their customers everyday.

Twitter is real-time news and information. People are tweeting about what is happening now. This is changing the old news cycle where it took several hours for a story to be researched, written, and posted to the web or broadcast on television or radio. Now, on Twitter, people are sharing the news as it happens to them. Everyone can now be a source of information or a citizen journalist.

Twitter is where a lot of information is now. You just have to look, listen, and learn.

#SMIATL Lessons – What is Social Media?

It is always important to start at the beginning...

At the Integrating Social Media Conference there was a great deal of discussion about what social media is. And while this seems like an elementary and uninteresting topic, understanding it is essentially to be successful in the social media ecosphere. First it is important to look at what it is not. Social media is not just about user generated and / or curated content. It is not just the tools and portals, like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Social media is about creating, commenting on, sharing, and redistributing content. It is an interactive space where broadcasting is no longer sufficient and participating in conversations is essential.

Or put another way, social media is people talking to people.

Lonely Planet Grabs an Opportunity to Help Customers – and Build Brand Equity

In a recent post I talked about how Lonely Planet is participating in social media, but not taking all the steps to encourage its customers to become actively engaged. In this post I want to talk about how the same company, Lonely Planet, is currently taking advantage of an opportunity to assist some of their customers.

On April 14, 2010 volcanic eruptions began at Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland spewing debris up into the atmosphere. The resulting ash clouds forced authorities to close airports and airspace, grounding airplanes and canceling across Europe and beyond. The repercussions have completely disrupted the European transportation system, stranding travelers around the world for over a week.

Instead of seeing this disruption in travel as a hinderance, Lonely Planet has jumped on the opportunity. On April 19th they posted a blog entry announcing that they were offering 13 of their European iPhone city guides for free to help stranded travelers through Thursday April 22nd. They then shared this information via Facebook, Twitter, and direct email message to their community members. This is a gracious and timely offer that will most likely earn Lonely Planet some positive brand equity. Smart move.

And, for the stranded travelers, the links to the free guides can be found at the Lonely Planet blog.

Social Media – Participate and Share

Today social media has become part of the fabric of our culture. We share, like, and comment on all sorts of information and media. This creates a web through which information and ideas flow. For many individuals – like myself – this social web of information has become a major source of news. In addition, I am an active participant in this web, sharing and commenting frequently.

The social web has brought many new aspects to our daily lives. One of these – for better or worse – is viral videos and content. One person reads information or views media online and shares it, then more and more do the same. News spreads and a viral phenomenon is born.

As this social aspect of the web has become more prevalent many websites have made it easier for readers or users to participate by installing widgets, apps, plug-ins, gadgets, or links for social networks. For example, the New York Times has widgets that allow readers to share articles via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Digg, Mixx, Yahoo Buzz!, and MySpace or to send the article via email or SMS. They also provide the permalink to the article or piece of content for individuals who want to incorporate the link into a blog or website. In other words, the New York Times enables and encourages their readers participate in the social web. I have come to expect this type of functionality on all websites I visit.

This afternoon I clicked on a link on Facebook to watch a video on Lonely Planet blog. For many years I have been a big fan of the travel books, guides, and information provided by this company. More recently, I have become hooked on their 76 Second Travel Show which is posted on the Lonely Planet blog and on YouTube by Lonely Planet author Robert Reid. It's short and fun – and I think it's a great use of social media. After watching the video I instantly looked for the share widget or link and was surprised to find the page did not have one. It seemed odd since Lonely Planet is an active participate in social media. At the bottom of the each of the company's webpages there are links to follow Lonely Planet on Twitter, subscribe to their newsletter, read their blog, download their iPhone and iPad apps, and subscribe to their print (paper) magazine. There is a space to leave a comment, but no links to enable participation in the social web.

This made me start thinking about the importance of well rounded social media campaigns. Social media is about sharing and participation. Companies, brands, and individuals need to not only participate in social media – but also enable and encourage others to participate and share.

Back to the issue of Lonely Planet. How are they participating in social media? Their main website allows users to register and link their Lonely Planet account with their Facebook account. That is good. As I mentioned previously at the bottom of all their webpages there are widgets encouraging readers to follow them on Twitter, read their blogs, and sign up for their newsletter, mobile content, and magazine. Their website has active forums (Thorn Tree) and groups, as well as functionality to allow users to rate and comment on destinations, save favorite places, and plan trips. The company actively participates in Facebook and Twitter. And I think that their 76 Second Travel Show is a great viral video campaign. The some of the 76 Second Travel Show videos have upwards of 1000 views on YouTube. The company promotes videos and blog posts on Facebook and Twitter. The only thing is missing to complete the circle is to incorporate functionality into their websites and blogs that enables and encourages users to share the content via social networks and participate in the social web.

But, overall I do think Lonely Planet is doing a very good job participating in the social web. What I think they could improve upon is to enable and encourage their users to do the participate and share. Then their social media campaign would be truly dynamic. And it would also increase the likelihood that their information, blog posts, and videos will be shared and discovered virally.

The Power of the Communal Voice

Throughout the ages and around the world people have come together to express a united view on an issue. From the signatories of the Declaration of Independence to the many individuals who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the United States of America has seem individuals join together and rise up as a group to to give power to their voices. Together people can overcome injustice and change the course of history.

Today – with the advancements in technology – the power of combine voice is even more potent. The internet allows people to more efficiently connect, share ideas, and organize. Ideas that begin in one country can travel across borders and to other continents via social media. I can post a tweet here in Washington DC. An individual down the street or in New York or Vienna can read it and or pass my idea on to others.

The internet has helped people communicate when open conversations and transmissions are dangerous or distance is great. Since the June 2009 elections in Iran the opposition has used Twitter and social media to coordinate their resistance. For issues important to individuals all over the globe, the internet and social media are powerful tools for collaboration and to show solidarity. Social media tools can be incorporated directly into websites – such as the Obama campaign did with My.BarackObama.com during the 2008 United States Presidential election. Or groups of individuals can relay on existing social networks to spread their message or share ideas. To show support or raise awareness about issues individuals often change their profile pictures of post information on Twitter or Facebook. One social media company focuses solely on serving this demand – Twibbon. What this company does is creates graphical overlays representing a wide variety of causes that individuals can post on their Twitter and Facebook profile pictures to raise awareness. There are currently almost 40,000 cause Twibbons. I decided to see how it works and posted an Earth Hour Twibbon on my profile picture.

So, this brings me to Earth Hour...

Earth Hour began three years ago as an effort to raise awareness of global warming. Since then, Earth Hour takes place every March and for one hour people all over the world turn off their lights to make a statement that we must find solutions to climate change. Last year, almost a billion people turned participated in 4,100 different cities in 87 countries on seven continents.

This year Earth Hour is on Saturday March 27th from 8:30-9:30pm local time. Promoted and organized through the social web, the movement will begin in New Zealand and travel around the globe. On Saturday evening people all over the globe will act as one by simply turning off their lights. Together this action will send a loud message to world leaders that the citizens of this planet are concerned about global warming and are demanding progress. This is a wonderful example of individuals around globe using the social media to come together and make a powerful statement. Please join us!


For more information please visit EarthHour.org or MyEarthHour.org.

Politics and Irony on the Social Web

“It's a new day...” campaign message begins. It continues to outline why Murray Hill Inc., a company, is running for Congress.

Murray Hill Inc. is a liberal public relations firm that is using irony and the power of social media to discuss an important issue in American politics – by running for congress. Taking a nod from the recent Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Murray Hill Inc. (the corporation) announced its candidacy for congress in Maryland's 8th District. Following the logic of the Supreme Court ruling having granted corporations the right to free speech – this company (candidate) thinks that corporations directly entering politics is “democracy’s next step”.

So, how does social media play a part in this political satire? On YouTube Murray Hill Inc.'s campaign ad has been viewed over 197,000 times, on Facebook Murray Hill Inc. for Congress has over 8,900 fans, and on Twitter over 100 people are following Eric Hensal (the designated human for Murray Hill Inc. for Congress). And the momentum is building! Since yesterday over 17,000 people have watched the campaign ad on YouTube and Murray Hill Inc.'s Facebook page has gained 1,400 new fans. And this campaign is receiving a lot of coverage in the press, including a mention in my favorite New York Times blog, Economix.

The social web has created a new venue to question politics and participate in the democratic process. And this corporate candidate – Murray Hill Inc. – is encourages voters to cast their ballots “...for the best democracy money can buy”.

Luxury Shoes? Yes, there is an App for THAT...

All Apple fans have seen the commercials and know the tagline – “There is an app for that”...

Today there seems to be an iPhone application for almost everything!

What is the weather halfway around the world? There is an app for that. How do you translate a word from English to Tagalog? There is an app for that... Looking for the closest Spanish or Mediterranean restaurant? There is an app for that. What are the ski conditions at your favorite mountain? There is an app for that too! (Thanks REI and North Face.)

Which brings me to what I want to talk about here – many apps for the iPhone were created by or sponsored by brands. REI and North Face offer free applications through the iPhone apps store that allow you to check the current conditions at your favorite slopes. And remind you of their brands. There are many other brands that have created or sponsored apps, including Southwest Airlines, Lufthansa, Omni Hotels, Major League Baseball, eBay, Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, New York Times, USAA Federal Savings Bank, and author Paulo Coelho. Yes, now having an iPhone app is an important part a social media campaign or strategy.

Most of the brands that have iPhone apps are everyday brands – travel brands, outdoor equipment, sports, services companies, and media brands. These apps help you read the news, find a restaurant, look up the weather, and connect with friends. Now, there is an app that can help you with something else – shopping for designer shoes. Bergdorf Goodman, the luxury goods department store on 5th Avenue in New York, has created an iPhone app that is a virtual extension of their shoe salon. The Bergdorf Goodman app is free and displays a new couture shoe each day. Users can create an account and log in. Then they can email the shoe to a friend or actually buy the shoe of the day – all with a touch of a button.

Promoting Cupcakes

So, I recently posted an entry about Georgetown Cupcake on Through My Eyes (my food and travel blog). That entry was about the reason for my obsession with this little shop – the cupcakes. However, here I want to talk about something else – the recent Facebook and Twitter campaign that Georgetown Cupcake launched.

In January Georgetown Cupcake started making a daily secret “Fan Favorite” cupcake. The secret cupcake flavor is announced on Facebook and Twitter each morning and is free for Georgetown Cupcake fans. What a cool marketing idea! And I have to admit, I've fallen into the trap. Yes, I'm a Georgetown Cupcake fan on Facebook and I follow @GTownCupcake on Twitter too. The flavors are normally posted around 10 AM in the morning. So, every morning all 11,000 plus fans on Facebook and the 3000 plus followers on Twitter get a message about Georgetown Cupcake's secret cupcake of the day. And then they all start thinking about cupcakes. (Yes, this includes me.)

I think this is a great use of social media to promote a small business.