I dig the new Twitter Search feature. A few quick searches found some old friends in new spaces.
It’s still missing one thing: a feed. I want to Search Once and Subscribe.
In a recent Fast Company piece, Robert Scoble writes about Twitter as The Next Email:
"Sales and marketing are lagging in seeing the potential here. When I
used all these services to tell the world that my wife and I were
expecting a child in September, I anticipated hearing from the world’s
largest consumer-products companies begging me to try their latest
diapers, food, car seats, and financial instruments. What came back?
Nothing."
Is everyone in "sales and marketing" supposed to follow Scoble? They can subscribe to his twitter feed. But why?
Using Robert and Maryam’s scenario above, a one-time Twitter search for "pregnant" and subscribing to the feed might have gotten P&G knocking down the door with offers.
A lot of cubicle warriors I know use Google Reader as their feed aggregator. My neighbors at CyberNetNews alert us of a Google Reader Notifier for Windows.
I’m still partial to GreatNews as a stand-alone app, but for those who use multiple computers or devices, the notifier is a handy tool
At last Friday’s Central Iowa Bloggers gathering, I spoke up that I thought Facebook has the potential to someday replace LinkedIn as the social network of choice for professionals.
Paul Gillin, author of The New Influencers, shares his thoughts in Facebook Deserves Marketers’ Attention
"If it keeps up this momentum, Facebook has the chance to succeed where earlier professional networks like LinkedIn didn’t. While LinkedIn has some valuable professional networking features, it has the feeling of a software application more than a community."
Images on Facebook are a big plus (remember – MyBlogLog really took off when images became available on widgets). Allowing outside developers to create plug-ins might be the trump card that Facebook holds.
Both are missing RSS on their search (Search Once and Subscribe!). Who knows – maybe Facebook and LinkedIn hook up somehow.
And the reception of my thoughts last week? The looks I got at our gathering were similar to the glassy-eyed glazes I got two years ago when I started telling Iowa-based business they should consider blogging. Maybe we’ll wait until Missouri shows us.
Update – Relevant Links Elsewhere:
The first meal I cooked for my wife was spaghetti sauce. No meatballs. Chicken. Cooked in the sauce.
She was almost appalled at the thought. "Why would anyone do that?"
What? The only way to eat sauce is with meatballs? That’s what she thought.
This morning, this Des Moines Register article on Twitter had Panera all…well…atwitter. Business people were almost appalled. "Why would anyone do that?"
For the love of perspective, think a little bit. I’ve written previously about Twitter as a business application. The article says nothing about limitations on how to use the tool, just a few examples of how it is being used.
I’m not saying Twitter is a killer app. Frankly, I’m more listener than talker (and end up turning it off more often than on). But with any of these tools…Blogs, Wikis, WD-40, Telephones…see if the tool can be used for business before dismissal.
I wonder what happened the first time someone mashed a potato. Egad!
Is there a great marketing/PR toolbar out there? I know of some that are bookmarks to other sites…but something that gives the numbers at the click of a button?
For the last few months, I’ve employed the SEO for Firefox plugin as a marketing research tool. It’s become one I rely on because so much information is available with a single click.
While some may use it to search, I use the right-click feature far more often. If I’m on a blog or website, I simply right click and choose SEO Firefox>Lookup This Page and I get a peek at several statistics related to that site:
A closer look at what’s in that stats box:
This becomes a big help in determining influence of voice if I’m looking for bloggers or lack of reach if a client and I are looking at their site.
Now that Google and Feedburner are family, I’d love to see a Feedburner count added to this tool. Though maybe that’s something for the Google Toolbar folks. Discover the Feedburner ID and create the count:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~fc/BurnThisRSS2?bg=FF9900&fg=444444&anim=0
Anyway, back to the SEO for Firefox tool…
Another way I use the tool is during a search, I’ll right click on a blog address to see whether it is worth the click-through:
See how I can "Lookup This Link"? I’d get the same stats box as above, but without actually visiting the page. Big time saver!
There’s more to this tool than I’ve shared here. Anyone looking to create or listen to conversations with their target audience or the fringe would do well to employ this tool.
Are there others? Something that combines the world of Alexa, Google and other toolbar plugins?
Thanks to the Generous Genius for turning me onto this tool in a previous comment.
I’m a big fan of Technorati. It’s become part of a tool set I use multiple times each day (along with TypePad, Feeburner, GreatNews, MyBlogLog, TheGoodBlogs and Panera)
David Sifry posted about their redesign and I quickly received two emails from folks looking for their baseball card.
It’s important to be aware of this kind of thing (newspapers, radio and television do it, professional sports does it, you do it in business). Here’s how to find your (or any) Technorati baseball card quickly:
In the search box (top right), simply type in the URL of the site (including http://):
You can also employ the Technorati This button I posted about in Surf Smarter with These Buttons
One of the great things about this redesign is that Technorati has made it easier to search. Prior to this, you had to specify whether you wanted to search blog posts, tags or the blog directory (and you can still specify from the Advanced Search area).
For months I’ve described Technorati as a "social media search engine" that includes audio, video, images…more than simply blogs. The Greater Des Moines Partnership is in there and they don’t blog (yet!), but they do social media (and are about to Do More).
I use Technorati more for research than ranking (I still think Authority should be renamed Popularity), searching for like-minded blogs and how popular or influential a certain blog voice brings to the table.
On the redesign: It’s a change I embrace and applaud. Great work Team Technorati!
Other reactions:
- MG Siegler at ParisLemon (he likes it)
- Amit Agarwal at Digital Inspiration (nothing bad to say here)
- Robert Scoble at Scobelizer (thumbs up)
Typepad just took a lot of work off my plate. I could lose money! Then again, maybe one of their latest upgrades frees me up to do more/different work.
You can now quickly create your own pages in Typepad (big yawn from the WordPress users, hmm?). All Typepad Users have access to this feature!
For TypePad Users, the second blue tab formerly labeled as ‘Post’ is now labeled as ‘Compose’ – and your can now compose a New Post or a New Page:
The page will get a filename based on the title you give it, though you can change the filename (do so before publishing the page):
You can set a static page to be your site’s front page on the Configure>Preferences area.
Prior to this, my customers used to hire me to build static web pages for them. Now, folks can build their own pages as easy as email.
Thank you TypePad (Group Hug!)
Loud applause going out to Steve Woodruff at StickyFigure for creating this nutritious PageFlakes site:
Categories included are: Branding, Marketing, Advertising, Design, Writing, Customer Experience, Social Media, Digital Marketing, and Public Relations. Better than a blogroll (but still second to a bear claw)
Thanks to Chris for the initial heads-up.
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