Twitter for busy people and other oxymorons

For those of us who Twitter, Tweetdeck seems to be the leading tool of choice. It lets you follow thousands of people at one time by segmenting them by keywords or phrases. What Tweetdeck lacks, however, is the ability to see at a glance if your favorite tweeps are twittering at this very moment. "Twitter For Busy People" though poorly named, lets you see who's saying what, rather than what is being said by who.

Sweet social media roots

Before there was Facebook or Twitter, there were knitting circles, book clubs and recipe exchanges. It's no coincidence that these modes of connecting with others around common interests are now more popular than ever. In the spirit of sharing the delicious things in life, I offer a strawberry rhubarb pie recipe that I recently shared (with great success) with my colleagues at Digital Influence Group. Enjoy!

Rebecca's Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

2 deep dish pie shells (buy the commercial ones, the natural ones just don't taste that good; thaw one shell for the filling, lay the second one flat on a piece of wax paper -- you'll use it for the top of the pie later). Note: if you put your pie shell in a glass pie dish everyone will think you made the crust from scratch. This is not cheating, just good presentation.

Filling:
2-4 tablespoons of butter, depending on your cholesterol...
4 sticks of rhubarb, diced into 1/2 inch bits
2 cups of fresh strawberries or more
1/2 cup – 3/4 cup of brown sugar (I like to mix raw sugar and brown sugar)
1/2-1 teaspoon of cinnamon (depending on how much you like cinnamon)
1-2 tablespoons cornstarch (depending on how firm you want your filling)
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Bit of salt

Step 1
Thaw and prick your your deep dish pie shell. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or so at the heat the package specifies, bearing in mind you’ll be baking the filling in it later, so don’t cook the shell all the way.

Step 2
While the pie shell is cooling, saute the rhubarb in butter (in a medium saucepan) for a few minutes until it starts to soften. Add the strawberries, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Cook on medium heat for a few minutes, stirring gently. Stir in some cornstarch a bit at a time. Cook another few minutes. Add orange juice at the end and a bit of salt and give it a few last stirs.

Step 3
Let the filling sit for about 5 minutes. Then pour it into the cooled pie shell. Lay the additional pie shell over the top of the pie. Cut off any extra shell. Then crimp the edges of the top and bottom shells together with your fingers. Poke some decorative holes/vents in the top shell.

Step 4
Bake for about 20 minutes or less — until the filling is bubbling a bit. I baked mine at about 385 degrees because I hate it when the bottom of the pie gets burn-y.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Ideally, refrigerate overnight.

Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream to each piece of pie.

Here's a link to another recipe on a site called visual recipes.
NOTE: The image above is from their recipe.

The canary in the coal mine

I'm thrilled that social media is the "hot topic" of the day. And that major brands are moving more and more of their marketing dollars into social media. I love engaging in social media. I also love being employed.
But, what if social media is the canary in the coal mine? The alarm system warning all marketers who still think they can tell us what to think and buy that we've had enough?
If that’s true, then social media is more than just a new consumer behavior. It’s a marketing tipping point. Which means the genie is SO out of the bottle.
Since we consumers now know that we have a right to share our opinions and the power to shape the products we will consume, marketing of any kind – traditional or social – that tells us otherwise is "for the birds".
Marketing that makes an honest effort to engage us in a real dialogue and tries to find out what we actually want and will use – now that’s the kind of marketing that has wings.

No secrets

You'd think the so-called experts would want to keep their trade secrets, well, secret. In fact, everything you need to know about social media is readily available, free of charge. Talk about transparency. Aaron Strout, for instance, just posted the outline of a presentation that he'll be giving in a few weeks to a prospective client.
Thought I may as well share the wealth. So, here without further ado, is his post entitled "Getting Started With Social". Enjoy.

1. What social isn’t:
   - One way conversation
   - Just another PR tool
   - Technology
   - A fad
2. What social is:
   - Vehicle for Many-to-many conversations
   - Way to deepen customer relationships and create referrals
   - Great feedback mechanism
   - The phenomenon that happens when you bring content AND conversation together
3. Uses for social within a brand:
   - Customer service (reduce phone/e-mail costs)
   - Marketing/sales (generate leads, deepen loyalty, lengthen customer tenure, increase referrals)
   - Market research (ongoing vs. episodic)
   - Product innovation (co-create w/ your customers)
   - An early warning mechanism (canary in the coal mine)
4. Brands that are doing social well:
   - Zappos (Twitter, blog)
   - H&R Block (Twitter, Facebook)
   - Dell Inc. (Ideastorm, blogs, Twitter)
   - USAA (Facebook, Twitter)
   - Best Buy (Blog, Twitter)
   - American Express (Open Forum community)
   - Allstate (Twitter, blog, Youtube, Facebook)
5. Key considerations:
   - Create a strategy (make sure it ties in with existing business goals)
   - Pick an audience/customer segment
   - Start listening (Google alerts, Twitter Search, Get Satisfaction, Radian6, Cymphony, BuzzGain)
   - Identify executive sponsors (an individual or small committee)
   - Plan to “give before you get”
   - Measure, measure, measure
6. Twitter
   - What is it?
   - How is it different than LinkedIn or Facebook?
   - Why is it gaining momentum?
   - How are companies using it?
   - List of top companies/brands using
   - Best practices (from Tim Walker of Hoovers)
   - Pitfalls
   - Who "mans" the account? Who needs to be involved?
   

As always, additions/subtractions/corrections are welcome.

Photo Credit: Robert Scoble

No Comment

My colleagues are never at a loss for words. My friends and family? Don't get me started. At my aunt's funeral on Tuesday, the door to the viewing room had to be closed because we were making such a ruckus. Why, then, are people who have an opinion on every agenda item, dinner topic, or subway conversation, reluctant to comment online? I find this fascinating.
More people now use social media than email. Yet most social media users tend to engage on a more passive level. Take this blog, for instance. I write it mostly for friends and family seeking a trusted guide to all things social media. I know you're visiting and reading because you tell me so via Facebook, Twitter, email -- and the rare blog comment.
While I'd love to know if you agree or disagree with what I write, I don't take it personally if you don't comment. I get that a lot of you are here to gather information on subjects you're not yet confident discussing. And I'm flattered that you think I have something worth learning. Still, feel free to weigh in on anything written here. And to share your thoughts wherever you go on the "social web". Because as much as we all enjoy sharing our thoughts, we also love hearing yours.

Farmsharing

Being part of an online community has its risks and rewards. There's nowhere to hide when you make a misstep. On the other hand, I feel most useful when I'm sharing content and helping people connect. So I thought: why not carry this small-scale activism offline in the form of buying a CSA farmshare? This June through November, my husband and I will be receiving fresh, organic veggies from Enterprise Produce. Our farmshare will (according to the website) help the farm keep staff working year-round and increase the variety of products available to everyone in the farmshare. The risks? We end up with more kale than we could possibly eat. Worst-case scenario, the farm is devastated by flooding, pestilence, or some other act of Dog and we're left empty-handed. Highly unlikely, you say? That's what we (my husband and I) think. The rewards: great produce at less than Whole Paycheck prices and the satisfaction of knowing we're supporting our local farmers and our local economy. The real challenge: cooking delicious, seasonal meals on the fly. Stay tuned for the results, starting in June.

NOTE: I am a fan of Whole Foods. But wish their prices were lower so everyone could afford to shop there.

Kittens find a home on Facebook

O.K., all you people who think Facebook is just another way to waste time with your friends, listen up. Today I helped my friend, Joe, who lives in L.A., find two kittens to adopt. The twist: I live in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
How did it happen? Joe posted an update saying that he had a weird experience with someone on Craigslist who advertised that they had kittens; then suddenly didn't. With Joe's permission, I put out the word to some of my Angeleno friends via Facebook. Within 1 hour I located a friend in L.A. who knows the owner of this and 3 other adorable kittens. I've forwarded the kitties' photos to my friend, Joe. With any luck, two of these little furry guys will find a new home. And Joe will have two bundles of love as soon as they are old enough to take home.