In the future, location will not matter…

Say goodbye to cubicle nation…

Think about this:  The Future of Work is YOU!!!

Wherever You are…

If you would like to see the above video as slides:

10 Years Ago, Social Networking didn’t exist.

20 Years Ago, the Internet didn’t exist.

Who knows what jobs will exist 10 years from now?

The Future of Work:  The Best and Worst Jobs of 2010

Katie Martell is a Marketing Manager at NetProspex, a B2B startup outside Boston, MA that provides verified B2B contact information that has been crowd sourced by a community of users.  She works with marketing/PR strategy, promotional design, and new media, with a portfolio of freelance and entrepreneurial fun.  She believes in the power of new media and the creative ways in which it makes meaningful connections…but values your ability to hold a conversation unplugged.

First, a bit of introduction before my first post on TweetValley: 

My name is Katie Martell, I’m a millennial in B2B marketing, and Twitter got me a job.

I’m living proof that combining valuable content and insightful comments makes Twitter a useful, powerful tool.

Photo by Sarah H (@SJean11) 

For me, twitter is a new platform for the fundamentals. Social media, with all of its hype and what many predict to be a short-lived glory, is a powerful new place for the fundamentals

But you’re already reading a blog about Twitter – there’s no need to convince you that there is now a necessary and important place for it in our lives.

Who do need convincing are many B2B marketers. (Not all, just many.) Recently I attending a breakfast/panel discussion for those in the marketing automation field.  Social media was brought up for discussion, dutifully, and I was surprised at how quickly it was disregarded as hype/just the latest trend.

I remember laughing as the moderator asked the crowd ‘Do you want to talk more about social media?’ The response was a quick and decisive ‘NO!’

I think they’re tired of hearing about it, that the B2B marketers in the room were turned off by the hype, the buzz, the self-proclaimed ‘gurus’, the endless supply of reasons it will drastically change the scope of interaction between customers and companies, the very nature of sales and marketing.

As one member of the crowd stated, "more has changed in sales and marketing in the last 2 years than in the last 20."

Change is never easy, and B2B marketers don’t want change. B2B marketers want something tangible, with proven ROI, something they can implement to enhance the fundamentals aspects of their craft.

For me, Twitter is a new platform for the fundamentals. Social media, with all of its hype and what many predict to be a short-lived glory, is a powerful new place for the fundamentals.

For me, Twitter is a logical channel for content distribution and subsequent lead generation. It is an effective PR tool to quickly and easily communicate directly with the public from within a company. It opens up channels of communication between me and the thought-leaders I want to learn from and collaborate with. It gives me a place to interact with and listen to my customers. It delivers industry news on demand.  Nothing about that says ’short-lived’.

Perhaps one of the greatest powers of Twitter is the public nature of the discussion- it can be tracked, followed, monitored, studied. Rule #1 is, as we know, to listen. Listen before you jump in, watch the conversation before you get involved. Listen, learn, adapt.

I’m a new player in the workforce. I’ll proudly admit that I’m a recent graduate, and that I am constantly soaking up new knowledge.

Every day to me means just as much learning as it does planning, strategizing, and executing ideas. My reading list of blogs, articles, books, whitepapers, etc, is ridiculously lengthy and always growing.

To me, every piece of new technology and every new platform available to us is exciting, fresh, and inspiring.  It’s this mindset that will help B2B marketers navigate the changing waters. The mindset of a student.

"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing." – Socrates

(I know, cliché blog technique, quoting a dead guy.) But he has a point.

Remain a student. Make the choice to be open to new ideas, techniques, and innovation. Go back to that optimism you had after graduation, and never lose the feeling. Change is scary, but necessary.

If your customers aren’t on Twitter, that’s okay. Don’t disregard social media as hype, but rather, try to recognize the potential for how it can help YOU become a better marketer.

I’m thrilled to be a part of TweetValley, for the knowledge and sense of optimism all these authors provide.  I’m honored for the chance to add my voice to the conversation, and welcome any and all insights into using Twitter and social media for B2B marketing.  You can follow me on twitter @katiemartell, and my company @netprospex.

Follow Katie on Twitter!

This post was originally posted at KentBeatty.com as The Rise of Social Networks.

This Social Networks Infographic spans the timeline from 1995 up until today.  You’ll notice the really large social networks exploded into existence during the 2003 – 2006 period. Twitter had a rather late beginning:

What’s next?  For one thing: Personal Branding.  According to Chad Levitt, parts of the next wave of innovation will revolve around social networks, personal brands, massive amounts of data, collaboration and making senese of it all to create value.  Also, expect more internal company social networking.

Infographic courtesy of Chad Levitt at his New Sales Economy Blog

For more on Personal Branding check out Dan Schwabel’s blog.  Dan is the author of the book: , Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success (Kaplan, April 2009)

Loic LeMeur (founder and CEO of Seesmic.com) has:

- 34 predictions about the future of twitter -

• It will reach masses of people
• They won’t use the same tools as we do
• It will not be only about Twitter
  -status updates will be open across social software
  -all social software will have status updates
  -Facebook has 40+ million updates a day
• Twitter will still be dominant in status updates
  it’s the motherboard on which we plug in
• We will laugh thinking we were updating them all manually
• The social graph will also open up
• Twitter will be big to get an idea of a person or a brand reputation
  not by number of followers but mostly influence with retweeting and lists
  lets you think like that person thinks

• Twitter will replace SMS for millions of people
  -it is portable and archives across devices
  -you don’t need to remember a phone number
  -you are not tied to a mobile operator
• Twitter might replace Chat for many people, too
  -a DM exchange is very similar to a private chat
  -Twitter lists are very similar to a public chat room
• Location will be one of the most widespread status update
• Private updates will be bigger than public updates
  (my kids say…)
• Public ecommerce status updates won’t work
  buying things is very intimate
• Live reviews of any place and product will deeply influence it though
• Promos by brands and retailers will have big success for last minute deals
• Talking to shops and restaurants via Twitter will become standard
  and will get opt in coupons as we enter a shop, based on location
• Web will be a fraction of mobile use
• Dating over Status updates won’t be big
• Twitter won’t display ads in your main feed
• Users will get too angry at unsolicited ads
• Other revenue opportunities such as pro accounts for businesses will be enough
• There will be more devices publishing updates than humans
  wifi scale, planes, trains, cars all posting updates
• Corporations will have entire teams devoted to Twitter and status updates
• Hyperlocal news sites with Twitter geotagging feature
  (thanks, @stevefarnworth)
• Google and Bing will be the dominant ways to search Twitter
• Google will have its own Twitter and won’t acquire Twitter
• There will be a few alternatives for niche search such as brand monitoring
• Internal Enterprise Twitter like services will become standard
• Vertical Twitter apps will start to appear
• Stocktweets is the first one
• Twitter will remain mostly used outside of Twitter.com
• Language will evolve adapting to 140char, concise, ignore rules (thanks, @bernard_d)
• @mentions spam will grow and become a tough to solve issue
• There will be less and less bullshit in public events and in general
• It will always be about you, not the tools

These 34 predictions are from Loic’s blog

Laura Fitton, twitter pioneer, author of “Twitter for Dummies” and CEO of new startup oneforty, shares her #1 tip for success on twitter:

Be Selfless

Other tips that Laura offers for any social media platform are: listen, learn, care, and serve. If these rules are applied, she says, “You will absolutely have success.”

More WebProNews Videos

 Michelle Maura is an Organizational Psychologist, singer and Yoga teacher. She practices Mantra Yoga Meditation and Hatha Yoga, while studying Yoga philosophy. Michelle shares her thoughts on her blog Thoughts Are Things, while also contributing at Intent.com. She focuses on the importance of looking at the positive side of every situation in life and always moving forward. You can follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/michellemaura.

There are infinite uses one can give to Twitter- from online marketing, to sharing interesting information to filling in moments of boredom or loneliness. There are also varying degrees of Twitter usage- there’s the user that will go online for 20 minutes a day and check older tweets as mini emails, there’s the person who logs on after every break to update others and themselves on the day’s happenings, and there are the hard core users who use software like Tweet Deck or have apps on their mobiles to notify them of every tweet possible, audio alert and scheduled tweets included.

Whether you are new to the vast and still growing Twitterverse or already feel established your tweet space, you might have asked yourself this question just how much Twitter is good for you. Here are a few questions that might help you get your answer.

  How much Twitter is good for you?

• Are you using social media to establish your product or company on the market, and would like to enjoy the advantages Twitter offers?
• Are you aiming to promote yourself because you like the idea of being a microcelebity?
• Are you going through a lonely stage in real life and hoping to meet fellow tweeters and feel more connected?
• Are you engaged in your goals and activities and simply like the additional social advantages of Twitter?
• Are you only looking to share information with like minded people, or learn new things from those who think differently?

As you see, the uses of Twitter can be as diverse as the amount of personality types that exist.

There are also many reasons to enjoy tweeting. Twitter was intelligently designed to make you want more. Remember these programs are designed by people who study the psychology of social media and who wish to expand the amount of users as well as frequency of tweets. But everyone who was once a child knows that you can’t have all the candy you crave. Sometimes “no” can be a healthy addition to your Twitter vocabulary.

The idea is for you to find your own motivation and balance it out with fulfilling your responsibility, hobbies and aspirations in your own life. If you can do both things successfully, happily tweeting without feeling that it has a vacuum effect while taking away valuable time from your achievements, you are on the right track.

Can you manage to use Twitter productively without giving up your achievements in real life?

Here are some tips to make your Twitter experience more fruitful, while making sure you have time for yourself:

1. It’s OK to miss some of the action. Unless you have nothing to do with your life, chances are you’re going not going to be able to read every single tweet of everyone you’re following. That’s fine. Twitter conversations can be similar to chat rooms, but they can also be similar to email. You can check @replies and direct messages sent to you at a later time.

2. Use a Twitter application to enhance your tweet management. There are various applications that can offer a more organized experience of Twitter, rather than just using the web site. These applications, such as HootSuite and TweetDeck, separate the general stream of tweets from those mentioning you, into two categories: public @replies and direct messages.

3. Create a tweet bank. You don’t need to wait for some tweet time to come up with your tweets. There are things that you want to share in real time, but there are other things that you can decide in advance. Make a list of websites, blogs, pics, news, quotes and anything else you that is of interest to you and might be of interest to your followers.

4. Schedule some tweets in advance. If you don’t have the time to tweet as often as you’d like, there’s no reason why you can’t. There are a few sites like Twuffer and HootSuite that allow you to write your tweets in advance and schedule them to be posted later. For example, you can schedule a tweet to be posted every hour, or as often as you’d like, without needing to worry about it.

5. Take a Twitter break. Set a few times a day when you can check in with your tweeples. For example, a few minutes of your lunch break, while you’re resting. Update yourself with what’s going on, and share anything you’d like to comment on about your day/work/other. Be sure to be reasonable with the amount of time you set aside. It’s good as long as it doesn’t take away time from a more important/urgent matter.

These are just some ideas to get started. Feel free to add your own as you see fit. We can enjoy the benefits of Twitter while making the most out of our lives too.

The trick is to find a balance that works for us.

Post Author:  Michelle Maura  /  Web:  Thoughts Are Things  /  Twitter:  Follow Me!

@MiaChambers is a Web Traffic Controller and owner of Acumen Works Virtual Assistance. (Mia on LinkedIn) (Mia’s Blog)

E x p l o r i n g   t h e   S t a t e   o f   N o w

Danielle Smith Video Blogging Interviews from the 140 Characters Conference (@140Conf) being held at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, October 27-28, 2009.

From Jeff Pulver’s “Exploring the State of Now”:

“At the #140conf events, we look at twitter as a platform and as a language we speak. Over time it will neither be the only platform nor the only language. #140conf is not an event about  microblogging or the place where people share twitter “tips and techniques” but rather where we explore the effects of the real-time Internet on Business.

The original scope of #140conf was to explore “the effects of twitter on: Celebrity, “The Media”, Advertising and (maybe) Politics.” Over time the scope expanded to look at the effects of twitter on topics ranging from public safety to public diplomacy.

The first #140conf in New York City brought together people with many diverse backgrounds but the one thing which everyone had in common was twitter. The schedule for the event was unique and fast paced. It was my intention to provide a platform for as many people as possible to share their thoughts and engage in conversation with the attending delegates. You will find individual talks set to: 10 minutes; “Featured talks” 15 and 20 minutes and the various panel discussions are set for 15 and 20 minutes.

The take aways from this event will provide the attending delegates knowledge, perspectives and insights to the next wave of effects twitter and the real-time internet will have on business.

Watch this video to hear Jeff Pulver’s take on the Real-Time Internet /

 State of “NOW”

Follow Kent Beatty on:  Twitter

Bill Cosby is getting into social media!  Here he is on 12seconds.tv

Bill Cosby on twitter: @billcosby, Bio:  Comedy/Education

Bills’s 52 Twitter Lists 

Check out this post on twitter lists:  Twitter Lists – How They Work

Bill on Facebook

Bill on Cinch, or as he calls it:  Twit and Tweetie

Source for this post is from Mashable’s: Bill Cosby Learns the Twitting, Tweeting, Twit and Tweetie

Follow @KentBeatty

OK, now you can “Pump Up” your twitter! 

Our dynamic trio – Jack, Biz and Evan – have released their biggest feature update: 

Twitter Lists!

Twitter lists are a way for you to group people you follow into categories.  Provided here for your twitter convenience is a short guide on how to create and use them:

1.  Click “create new list” in the new section on the right in the sidebar.

2.  Name it and choose whether to make it private or public.

3.  Add people you are following to your new list by visiting your following page and use the drop down menu beside each username or go to their profile page and use the drop down menu to add them to your list.

 Sharing your list:  Once you’ve created a list and assuming it’s a public list, you can share the URL with anyone.  Also, you can follow other’s lists!

Twitter created a list of all their staff here.

And I created a list of the Tweet Valley Team here.

Tip:  When you click on a team URL, you will see the teams member’s tweets.  If you would like to see who is on the team, just add “/members” to the team URL or click “following” and you will see a page with the team members listed (see example below.)

Issues with this new list feature:

#1 You can’t add yourself to a list you have created.

#2 You can only add people you follow

#3 It’s hard to add people to your list

#4 No way for people to know you are following them

#6 No way to “follow-the-list-except-that-guy-who-tweets-too-much”

#7 You can’t import/export lists

#8 No stats or analytics

#9 No dynamic lists

If you would like to avoid these issues just ignore twitter’s lists and use TweepML to establish and share groups of twitter users.

I am on the Tweet Valley team, but since I created this list I’m not included on the list: add “/members” to the team URL or click “following” and you will see a page with the team members listed

Mashable asked 5 of the web’s most experimental, influential and knowledgeable thought leaders to share their perspectives on twitter:

Thought Leaders Twitter Perspectives:

Big Bloggers Tweeting More, Blogging Less – Chris Pirillo

Chris Pirillo says more and more bloggers are tweeting instead of blogging.  He says, “…twitter augments blogging, it’s a different medium…”

The Evolution of Twitter as a Platform – Guy Kawasaki

Guy Kawasaki, co-founder of alltop.com says that twitter is moving away from personal chatter and becoming heavily used by brands.  Guy says, “Twitter is emulating the internet, and isn’t just turning into a marketing platform, but simply becoming a platform used for multiple things.”

Semantic Intelligence – Brian Solis

Brian believes that the next big twitter trend will be “a more intelligent Twitter experience” and “the future of Twitter is semantic intelligence, where what you click, what you read, and what you do, act to determine what you like, with applications serving you the tweets you really want.”

Twitter Curation – Steve Rubel

Steve believes that the demand for finding tweets of interest will continue to grow as there is more interest in organizing collections of tweets and Twitterers with the goal of packaging tweets into more digestible streams.

User Generated Twitter Lists – Leo Laporte

Leo believes Twitter’s new “Lists” to be huge and very important for improving the overall twitter experience (twitgeist) along with immense potential and power to all Twitterers.

More on Trends:

 TrendsMap – Real-Time Local Twitter Trends (scroll across or zoom in on map of world)

TrendsMap Screencast at screenr (instant screencasts for twitter)

15 Fascinating Ways to Track Twitter Trends – Mashable

If U are interested in Twitter and Trends U should be following these Twitter Thought Leaders: 

Brian Solis, Guy Kawasaki, Steve Rubel, Leo Laporte, Chris Pirillo, Jeremiah Owyang, Laura Fitton, Chris Brogan

Note:  This post is largely a summary of Top 5 Twitter Trends to Watch Right Now post by Jennifer Van Grove at Mashable, posted on October 17, 2009 – she blogs here.

This “How To Throw A Killer TweetUp” post written by Kim Redd (@RedSmitty) was originally published at Kim’s Blog: The Adventures of Reddsmitty, on August 31, 2009.  Kim is a charismatic Social Media Coach, Sales and Marketing Diva, Event Planner Extraordinaire, and Road Warrior who seeks out new business, opens doors and uncovers new opportunities.  A consultative problem solver, she analyzes business situations at a glance and offers strategic solutions.

Kim Redd

Have you ever wondered what your Tweeps are like in real life (IRL)?  Ever wondered if they really look like their avatars?   Why not host a TweetUp!  No matter where you live or what you do there are others on Twitter nearby and there’s nothing quite like meeting your favorite Tweeps in real life (IRL).    Just ask @RobinWalker or @MisterNoodle…I hugged them when I met them at a TweetUp.  Besides hugs you may also find job leads, sales leads, new connections, and folks with whom you can barter entrepreneurial services…I know I did.  So what’s stopping you?

 Here are 7 tips for hosting a successful TweetUp in your neck of the woods:

1. Select the Venue -  Choose a location that’s central and easy to navigate.   Find a spot with plenty of standing room as well as seating for those with “barking dogs”.  Convenient parking and/or public transportation is key.  Free WiFi is a consideration if the event is in the morning or midday when Tweeps are tethered to their laptops.  Be sure to talk to the owner/manager of the establishment prior to the event for their blessing and possible sponsorship.  Make sure you visit the venue before publicizing the event.

2. Choose the Date - These days it seems there are local social media events every night of the week.  Try your best to avoid scheduling conflicts.  Run some dates by a few of your local Tweeps before committing.

3. Tweet it Up -Spread the word via Twitter.  Invite local celebs, Twitter Elite, bloggers, entrepreneurs.  Use www.twtvite.com or www.meetup.com to collect RSVPs and share more details than a single tweet allows.

4. Invite the Media – Contact your community newspapers, business mags, etc via phone, email, or Twitter.  Tweet your local TV anchors and invite them to attend.  You may be pleasantly surprised at the attention you receive.

5. Feed the Tweeps - Find a Sponsor or see if your venue will “throw in” some food for your hungry mob.  Even if Tweeps have to pay for food individually make sure it’s available. If it’s an after-work event no-one’s probably eaten since lunch.  Fed Tweeps are happy Tweeps!

6. Wear Nametags - Not everyone is great at remembering names.  Providing nametags will save Tweeps from possible discomfort and/or embarrassment. Be sure to use 3M nametags (Yes splurge.  The adhesive will stick to all fabrics and the backing comes off easily).  Consider bringing sharpies in various colors, pens, a sign-in book (notebook, guestbook, sheets of paper, etc), a fishbowl for biz cards, and a stack of your own cards.

7.  Have Fun! - No matter how many or how few, how hot or how rainy, enjoy yourself and your TweetUp guests. Expect hugs!

So start planning your next TweetUp today…your future awaits!

Got a Tip, Comment or Question?  Please Comment below.

Follow Kim on twitter!

Kim Redd on LinkedIn

“The twitter phenomenon continues to swirl unpredictably  in the vortex created as technology empowers human interaction and communication, re-defining the laws of natural flow and engagement.” – Kent Beatty

#HunkAlert is the hash tag associated with the frenetic twitter activity known as, wait for it:   the “HunkAlert”.  This (recent) website traces it’s (recent) history back to the “hunkalert” and “babealert” tweets that Sarah Marshall and friends started just a few months ago.   If you do a little analysis you can trace all this hunkalert/babealert stuff right back to the synaptic activity in Sarah Marshall’s frontal cortex.  Actually, I suspect that she enhanced her theta brain waves, perhaps with the help of this audio file, resulting in an extreme state of relaxation, creativity and vivid mental twitter imagery –).  Fortunately for us, this EEG of Sarah’s brain was taken just moments B4 the 1st #hunkalert tweet was released into the twitterverse -).

Sarah’s “treat for the ladies of twitter” enables “twitter ladies” to nominate their favorite twitter hunks as a #hunkalert.  There are normally more than one hundred nominations per day!  If you would like to take a peek into the #hunkalert and #babealert world just do a tweetdeck or twitter search on “@Americanwomannn” (Sarah Marshall’s twitter name) [notice there are three “n’s”]. 

The #HunkAlert site describes it’s basic purpose:  “… to recognize and honor those individuals for their Twitter community participation, social interaction and outstanding qualities…”.  The “outstanding qualities” are not defined and I’m afraid to ask!

To send a nomination, just post a tweet on twitter containing the nominee’s twitter username followed by #hunkalert #nominee,  i.e. “#hunkalert #nominee @druckenmiller”.  4 more examples just check out @Americanwomannn’s tweet stream or see the tweets below.  Confidential nominations may be sent by DM (direct message) to Sarah.  She will take care of the nomination for you.

Sarah Marshall is the creative twitter genius who has brought her HunkAlert site into being.   She is very Tweative and energetic.   Visit her site (hunkalert) to see galleries of nominees and get in on the fun!

See Also: 

The Psychology of Twitter with Dr. Drew

The Hierarchy Of Tweets – Analyzing The Psychology of Twitter 

The Psychology of Twitter

Provided below is a representative sample of tweets to or about @Americanwomannn and #hunkalerts:

a representative sample of tweets to or about @Americanwomannn and #hunkalerts:

4 more on tweetdeck go here.

Are you ready for some football … on Twitter? Many NFL players are. Twitter popularity among NFL players is on the rise, and not without a little controversy.

While the NFL has issued some rules restricting NFL players, coaches, and staff on tweeting, overall the organization seems to be embracing social media, or at least accepting it. And why not? Twitter allows fans to follow their fav players and get a more indepth glimpse into their lives. And the players seem to enjoy the outlet (though they better be fairly careful with their tweets).  The biggest restriction imposed by the NFL: No tweeting during games. Players, coaches, and staff cannot tweet 90 minutes before game time until after the post-game interviews have been completed. While that might be the NFL’s main rule, some coaches and teams have imposed even stricter rules (just ask David Clowney).

NFL player/twitterer, David Clowney (@davidclowney) learned what not to post the hard way. New York Jet’s coach, Rex Ryan benched Clowney after he tweeted, “1 play in the 1st Half, 4 plays in the 2nd half. A bit disappointed about my playing time but very happy and satisfied about the win.” Though a mild complaint, this tweet was enough to upset Coach Ryan and earn Clowney a seat for the next game.

Not surprisingly, Terrell Owens (@terrellowens) with the Buffalo Bills is also an active Twitterer.  Owens recently responded to former Patriot Rodney Harrison’s (now an NBC analyst) criticism with tweets about Harrison’s past suspension for steroid use. “Hey Rodney if I really considered using them, could u please lv instructions on how & where 2 stick the needle just like u did 2 assure …”

Perhaps the MVP of Twitter is Chad Ochocinco (@OGOchoCinco) of the Cincinnati Bengals. He joined Twitter in late May and has 8, 049 tweets as of this post. If you followed his tweets last night, you’d have seen pics of Jerry’s World as Ochocinco watched Monday Night Football from a suite at Dallas’ new high-tech stadium. He posted this tweet, clearly impressed with the new stadium: “Jerrys World is one of those things you never forget, like your first kiss or when you lost your vir..ty!!! Words can’t describe what I saw!”

While players might have more Twitter rules than the average Twitterer, they don’t seem to be letting up on the tweets. And that’s good news for fans! NFL and Twitter fans win every time with this match up. Search for you fav NFL player and start following their tweets today.

Even thought Twitter founder, Biz Stone says that there are no plans before 2010 to place ads on Twitter, the marketing heads have already valued the company at a cool $1 Billion dollars.  Can’t get you head around that number.  That is 1000 million or $1,000,000,000.00.  There you go.  Amazing for something that started way back in oh’ 2007.

Full story here…   http://bit.ly/4Bde1D

With the rise of Twitter, growing faster than a weed in the garden patch it is such an exciting time to be so involved and a part of the social media landscape.  I love numbers and statistics.  I guess that is why I am drawn to stuff like this video.  I like how the information is presented.  So it’s as much as style as the numbers themselves.

Did you know?  4.0  Enjoy

The lates version of their video series.   Content by XPLANE, The Economist, Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod and Laura Bestler. Design and development by XPLANE.