Listening: make the effort
Blog PostLike many other evolutionary adaptations, we’ve all evolved to look like good listeners-- in life, to give off the cue we’re available for emotional support, and in marketing, to show executives and/or the public, we’re aware of what’s being said about us and/or our brands. Problem is, in marketing, as in life, many of us are not good listeners.
Social Media Measurement: This time for realz
Blog PostOrganizations are shifting their interest from what others say about them to the efficacy of their own actions, executed in their own social accounts. We've devised a way to measure those actions, available via our Social Business Index, a ranking and analysis of social business adoption and performance.
The Future of Listening: If We Know What We Know…
Blog PostThe problem with the new dark coffee mugs in the office is that we used to have white ones. Thus, what used to be a known-- the stains, has became a known unknown: a dark mug hiding the stains within. Gives me pause every time I use them- I know something's there, I just don't know how bad it is. Humor me for a second and see how I'm like a proverbial client in a non-customer-centric organization: I know my customers are complaining, but I don't know exactly what they're saying, or how much better my product could fit their needs.
Welcoming Powered to Our Ecosystem
Blog PostWhat better occasion to hop back on the blog than our acquisition of Powered, today! As Peter Kim mentions, this acquisition makes us the largest Social Business consultancy in the world.
The Bias Lurking in Your Listening
Blog PostThe other day my father asked me if I was happy and I responded “I don’t know.” He laughed out loud, as if to suggest it would make more sense for me to say yes or no, something definitive. I didn’t know what he meant by “happy” and wanted clarification before I gave an inaccurate answer. Happiness can be so complex. How did I know if he was asking me about my current mood or my long-term satisfaction with life? Like any researcher, if I don’t understand the question being asked, I’m reluctant to give an answer. This rarely happens in an interview. Never happens on a survey. People will always provide an answer as much as meetings will fill the entire hour. Inherent in those answers is an assumption that each other’s definition of a given topic/construct are the same, take happiness. Guess what? This happens in Listening too.
Fans and Followers; Apples and Oranges?
Blog Post“Think of it like a nutrition label” I keep hearing this come up... with respect to LEED certification on buildings, Wal-Mart’s sustainability index, and several other newsworthy scoring systems of late. Is a nutrition label the ultimate scorecard? What’s interesting about nutrition labels is that they present several numbers-- everything isn’t added up into a single grade or score. In today’s business world, there’s a tendency to add everything up, particularly when it comes to incorporating social media metrics as KPIs. This is a trap!
Not (just) Listening Anymore
Blog PostThe Listening space just got exciting. Again. Or should I say the Social CRM space? Coming from what used to be called a social media monitoring research firm, I find changes in this space very interesting-- whether they revolve around the quest for the ultimate metric for engagement, the hot new look of a dashboard, or the advancement of semantic technology. Most interesting is when companies join forces, including oldies like BuzzMetrics and NetRatings and Cymfony and TNS and, those hot off the press, Attensity and Biz360 and Scout Labs and Lithium - both of which are being billed as dominant forces in the suddenly expanding Social CRM space.
Awaiting Igon Valuation
Blog PostIn Steven Pinker’s eloquent review of Gladwell’s new collection of essays, he coins a new calamity – “the Igon Value Problem,” mocking Gladwell for his misunderstanding/misspelling of the term “eigenvalue” as igon value. The Problem, as defined by Pinker is, when a writer’s education on a topic consists in interviewing an expert, he is apt
Three Masquerades of Metrics
Blog PostThere are three major opportunities that could help unlock the value of conversations and other social interactions. But first, we have to overcome some very basic human tendencies: the ease of counts, the shine of the surface, and the convenience of snapshots. We need to abandon some traditional standards and stop forcing social data into shapes and sizes that work for other media measurement. Tomorrow is about patterns, depth, and dynamic metrics.
Social Should Imply Specificity
Blog PostThere’s an inherent problem with the word social. Not “social media” or “social business.” Just social. The problem is, it doesn’t incorporate any sense of specificity to it. People are left to think that all things social are massive connectivity festivals. Really, being social is about connecting with sensible, specific others, typically, for specific reasons.