Janet Lee Johnson | The Art of Marketing

I have a Twitter watch list set up for one of my clients, Aventa Learning. They provide online classes (from Advanced Placement to Credit Recovery and everything in between) to to schools and districts around the country, and help thousands of students graduate every year.

I have to say, some of my best moments come from watching the Aventa Tweets roll by - written by students who are faced with deadlines. Often, they’re hilarious - few of which I would print in a public forum.

Once in awhile, I just have to respond.

Maybe they’ll think I’m just an old fuddy duddy who can’t mind her own business. (Accurate. I plead guilty to that.)

But maybe…  just maybe, they’ll think twice about publicly announcing they are willing to cheat on their school work.

What do you think? Did I do this student a HUGE favor? Or am I hopelessly optimistic and publicly delusional myself?

Update: I couldn’t let this one pass…

If you want to see a great chronicle of the power of a post or a Tweet, check out how quickly this little mention from @amberkarnes - in defense of artist Stevie on the etsy site tru.che, vs. Urban Outfitters - played out.

Amber has about 1900 followers on Twitter, and blogs over at “my aim is true.”

Her post called “Anatomy of a trending topic: how Twitter and the crafting community put the smackdown on Urban Outfitters” today walks everyone through the incredibly rapid response to her Tweet, visually.

Every marketer should have a look at Amber’s Anatomy post. It should give you both a speedy chronology of a mini-revolt, and some sage advice… I love her attitude as she starts the post:

“Today has been a fun ride. Behold the power of social media muscle.

This morning, online buddy Gayla Trail (also known as You Grow Girl) posted a link to her Facebook page. It was to atumblr post by Chicago independent jewelry artist Stevie of tru.che….”

BTW, Urban Outfitters got hammered on its Facebook page… this is a tame one:

…and has posted a single Tweet in response so far. Urban Outfitters is probably really happy we’re into a three-day weekend.

I’m pretty sure we’ll hear more about this, in spite of that.

Janus, according to wikipedia, is the Roman god of beginnings and “transitions.”

“thence also of gates, doors, doorways, endings and time. Most often he is depicted as having two heads, facing opposite directions: one head looks eastward and the other westward. Symbolically they look simultaneously into the future and the past, back at the last year and forward at the new.”

I thought of Janus when I reviewed this infographic from onlineeducation.net about the effects of social media on students.

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The “inconclusive” nature of this beast is frustrating to me. However gloriously depicted. And I have always enjoyed seeing both sides of an argument… Hence, my affinity to Janus in this case.

The door is certainly open. The journey is up to the person.

This post isn’t exactly ‘publish or perish,’ but it is definitely born of a push to publish. It’s been weeks since my last confession here. I’m hoping an explanatory post will help those who’ve:

• Been awaiting a response to an overdue email from me
• Gotten used to a certain rhythm of tweets
• Been wondering why I’m almost impossible to schedule these days

…to understand why. But mostly, this post is to help me feel better about finally being back here, blogging.

Full-time Focus

It seems I’m a contrarian once again: millions are leaving corporate work. I’ve just taken a five-month, full-time assignment within a corporation.

Just as social media has heated to the point where I have been invited to speak almost every week on the subject; my focus has shifted (for the past few weeks anyway) to traditional marketing strategy and best-practices in communications.

And I must say, I love the pace, the practice, and the product. (And, apparently, alliterations.)

I’m reticent to say exactly whom I’m working for yet - especially in such a public forum. But I shall “let the cat out of the bag” as soon as possible. I’m just awaiting permission. I hold client trust and confidentiality dear. I’m not one to speak about any client without express permission. Patience, please…

Missing Social Media

As a result, I’ve lived almost completely off the social media grid for weeks. It’s been an interesting hiatus. As time has gone by, I’ve gotten increasingly twitchy about my social interactions.

Not so much on Facebook or Twitter, but here. On my blog. Which has surprised me.

I’ve spent more time on Twitter recently, and have really appreciated the discipline and creativity of 140 characters. And (as a business tool) I’ve been a huge proponent of clients exploring the possibilities of the micro-blogging platform. So those who’ve listened to me for years might be surprised at the fact that I’m really

Missing my Blog…

My blog! I actually have been:

• Visualizing the date listings down the side of the page here, each day wondering when July 2009 will show up in the Archives… list.
• Trying to imagine what I’d write about next that would make George Dearing want to syndicate another post over on his Content Management Connection blog. (He’s got fabulous taste, and is selective, so this one won’t show up over there…)
• Ruminating mostly, though, about my readers; two of whom encouraged me to just get back to writing. (Thanks again, Jeremy and Georell!)

Turns out my blog is a real relationship… Between me and my thoughts. Between me and my readers. It’s sometimes a conversation, and sometimes a voice in the wilderness. But it’s a relationship I’ve nurtured for almost five years now.

So tonight I feel better. Not for the Archives… list being updated. Nor for the content (or lack thereof) of this particular post. I feel better for my reconnection to this relationship. This is a purely selfish post.

Sometimes, simply doing the thing you really miss is enough.

What does the business media think about Twitter? Three stories will help you understand.

A Deep Dive into Twitter

1) Time Magazine’s cover article “How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live” starts out with one of the best first lines I’ve ever read about Twitter:

“The one thing you can say for certain about Twitter is that it makes a terrible first impression…”

And it goes on to talk about the incredible innovation that’s happened around the Twitter platform in the past two years, with more than 11,000 applications built using Twitter - my favorite example on NPR a couple of weeks ago was one that helps plants Tweet when they need water - and the fact that users created the @ reply convention that turned Twitter from a broadcast-only medium to a conversation medium.

….And don’t get me started about the usefulness of hashtags - which Twitter users also came up with - capturing events or topics for immediate recall. Take a look at the #140tc conference tweets from a couple of weeks ago for an example of a Twitter conference unfolding before your eyes.

Editors Embrace Twitter

2) A little blurb from The Daily Beast that covers the fact that Twitter usage - via TweetDeck - has taken down the NY Times computer system:

“Further proof that print-based communication are on their way out? At the offices of The New York Times, Twitter usage has become so rampant that it brought down the Gray Lady’s computer system…. NYT stopped short of actually discouraging the use of Twitter, promising to look for an alternative that is “both safe and easy to use, for both casual and power users.” Admitting you have a problem is the first and hardest step.” - Gawker

Anyone who thinks editors and analysts don’t use Twitter is completely and utterly wrong. So marketers better learn how to use this medium to reach the media.

Hint: a pitch in 140 characters is a complete relief to most journalists!

How Twitter Compares to Other Social Networks

3) And then there’s the Harvard Business Review weighing in on Twitter’s usage and demographics, telling us:

“Twitter’s usage patterns are also very different from a typical on-line social network. A typical Twitter user contributes very rarely. Among Twitter users, the median number of lifetime tweets per user is one. This translates into over half of Twitter users tweeting less than once every 74 days.

….At the same time there is a small contingent of users who are very active. Specifically, the top 10% of prolific Twitter users accounted for over 90% of tweets. On a typical online social network, the top 10% of users account for 30% of all production.”

To sum up all three articles, we are only beginning to see the innovation and usage of Twitter. Just as the media jumped into the blogosphere years before business did, so are they jumping into the Twitterverse. Apparently Robert Scoble said the following at the #140tc conference (I saw it quoted from my desk here in Portland, and it’s been haunting me since):

“…we are at the command-line era of Twitter.”

What You can Do About Twitter

So what should people do about it? Well, first, go grab your brand’s handle on Twitter. I’d argue that that’s what’s driving most of the HBR’s findings… people are gearing up, trying to find meaning, and preparing to get over that first awful impression.

I’ll be covering how to get started on Twitter in a full-day, hands-on social media workshop June 19 here in Portland.

Would love to have you join us and learn how to get started so it suits you and your business.