Author Archive - Ric Dragon

Is Social Media right for your business?

A little over a year ago, the head of digital at a major cultural institution here in New York requested a presentation on the ROI of social media activities.  Based on that work, we went on to develop a free online social media calculator.  Many users absolutely loved it while a few others snarked it as being irrelevant.  That particular calculator was developed from the work for a certain client, and was most certainly not usable by just anyone. What I’d hoped was that it would provide a framework for approaching the problem of determining whether the cost of social media would provide return to the organization.  Over time, I’ve considered the work from different angles including how the value of social media can play a part in Customer-based Corporate Valuation.  Here are some major points about determining ROI for Social Media: (more…)

History seems to be scattered with a certain type of remarkable individual who defies typecasting.  They exemplified eccentricity, and reveled in inventing new objects as well as new ways of looking at the world.  Buckminster Fuller comes to mind, as well as Benjamin Franklin and Jeremy Bentham.  It was Bentham that even in the late 18^th was arguing for the decriminalization of homosexuality, for animal rights, and against the death penalty.  He also advocated for a very humane type of prison that he referred to as a “Panopticon”. (A calling card of those remarkable individuals of whom I write is an inclination for coining new words).

The concept of Panopticon came to mind this morning when I received my latest Linked-In update.  Not that it matches any concept of prison that I have (although this is a line of thought worth pursuing), but that it brings a new type of exposure to individuals.  And for the marketer working in social media, its an incredible opportunity. (more…)

DragonSearch is undergoing a migration from Microsoft Outlook to Google Aps. So far, I would give it a major thumbs-up.  The downside is that if you do have a problem, you’re not going to get any tech support beyond the forums.  At any rate, while stumbling around in settings, I went into Google Calendar to add shared calendars so that they’d show up in my outlook… and was presented with a mightily aesthetic view of all of our calendars comingled:

I just noticed this morning that Google was doing a bit of advertising for Google Adwords right in Google Analytics.  I guess for most people, it would be a “duh, what did you expect” moment. And to be truthful, I’m not bothered by it in the least.  After all, Google Analytics is an awesome, powerful, and valuable tool.  And besides, of course we already use Adwords something fierce.

PS: Wouldn’t it be cool if Google had put the code in to detect if the site was already in Google Adwords, then if yes, present different advertising content?  I predict smart content will be the future.

We’ve had time lately to work on some of our organization thinking… including the drafting of our core values.  We’ve spent some good time discussing these – and believe that none can be taken away and still retain our identity.

We’re positive. If we encounter negativity, we don’t engage.  Its better to sustain the relationship whenever its feasible.  Not that we are afraid of conflict.  Sometimes we have to say the difficult thing. We don’t shy away from conflict.  But conflict can occur in a way that is respectful of others’ humanity.

The burger flipping spatula is broken.  We don’t just mindlessly do our jobs.

When we encounter impediments, we strive to cut through the impediment.  Or go around.  Or under.  We wield the Golden Sword of Cutting Through the Crap. You’ve written an email to someone to get an important piece of information but haven’t heard back?  Call! Get the answer you need.

We own our work.  When we see something not being what it should be and its not within our power to fix it, we raise the alarm. We Raise the Red Flag.

We believe in constant learning. Our business is on that part of the wave that is cresting.  We can’t be content with what we knew yesterday.  We have to read blog posts, books, and listen to podcasts.  And we have to become mentors and students to each other.

I’m having one of those “I’m blown away” moments.  Reading blogs this morning, I saw a comment in one of Chris Brogan’s blog posts complimenting him on the use of Google Docs Forms in his contact page.  I remember seeing “forms” as one of the new Google Doc types… must be a connection.

So I logged into my Google Docs account, and created ‘new’, and chose form.

OMG.  Its so easy to make a form, AND SEND IT AS AN EMAIL!  OR – embed in a website.  And the results all go into a spreadsheet.  This solves so many problems.  Clients are always wanting their email forms to go into a spreadsheet – now they can – easily.

At this point, the forms lack an option for a CAPTCHA – meaning it could be a spam magnet.  That means it might not be the best thing for a website, yet.  But to be able to, say, send emails out to clients, asking about our service, and having it be so easy for them (they can respond right in the email!) is just incredible.

Great way to start the Monday!