thinks

Fresh on the heels of Facebook’s Beacon mess, Google’s blows it with Reader. As I mentioned about a week ago, you need to be a good friend when engaging socially with your customers.

Of course, Chris Webb and Shel Israel discuss “social brands” and whether it’s even possible to be both social and a brand. It reminds me of the discussion Mike Moran and I had about corporate blogging.

I think we’re all still uncovering the answers on this one.

What do you think? Is it possible to be a good social citizen and a succesful brand at the same time?

I follow Hugh MacLeod (aka gapingvoid) religiously. I read Hugh’s blog. I follow him on Twitter. I plan to buy business cards from him.

Why? Why so much emphasis on one guy?

Because he’s the most original thinker in the community. Period.

Case in point: microsoft and chess pieces.

You can choose to be a King. You can choose to be a Queen. Many choose to be Pawns. Hell, you can even choose to be a Blue Monster (though most prefer to run in fear from them instead - whether real or the dreams in your head).

You can love Microsoft (or Google or GE or Wal-mart or the guy down the street who seems to eat your lunch every day). You can loathe them. You can fear them (though what a waste of time). Each is a choice. Make one. Fish, cut bait, be a monster. But choose something. And move on.

That’s what Hugh reminded me today.

Technorati Tags:
business, marketing, gapingvoid, hugh macleod, microsoft

It’s going to be a quiet week. Reflect. And enjoy the top posts of 2007.

• What Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft will buy in 2007 and why - Single most viewed post during the last 12 months.
• Do you make the same mistakes as Wal-mart and Seth Godin? - Sometimes the most important part of making a sale is asking for the sale.
• The 12 most important business books of the last ten years - Written in October, this still gained the third highest number of views (along with an excellent bounce rate) in late 2007.
• 4 ways to show value online - How to’s often prove popular. This was no exception.
• Everything is Miscellaneous - Book review of the week(-ish) - October was a great month for book reviews. This - my most negative review of the year - got tremendous traffic and sold some books. Just not “Everything is Miscellaneous”.
• How to find your calling - I don’t think of myself as an inspirational guy. Maybe I ought to.
• Four tips to help small businesses determine the right amount to spend on their website - Another “how-to” that did very well.
• Keep an eye on Tim Ferriss - I’m not all that fond of this one, but it got good traffic, bounce rate and time on site. So mayber you’re a better judge than me.
• Do what you love - Got tons of views in late 2006, plus, it’s got the lowest bounce rate of anything I’ve written
• Book Review of the Week-ish: Daniel Pink’s “A Whole New Mind” - What was it about October? The third review of the month to do really well.

Enjoy your week. And feel free to comment on reads you liked too.

Technorati Tags:
google, msn, yahoo, seth godin, daniel pink, book review

Do mobile sites meet user needs? When they’re done right. David Armano gives an excellent overview of the Fox News mobile site. At the same time, Canalys provides a comprehensive overview of mobile phone platforms It looks like companies are starting to give thought to what the mobile sites will look like. They’re also thinking about how customers will use it. Are you?

[UPDATE 12/20 07:45AM] FYI, it’s worth checking out this BusinessWeek article for a solid overview of where wireless spectrum is heading, too.

Technorati Tags:
mobile, mobile web, mobile platforms

Isn’t it funny that many social networks call the folks you choose to associate with “friends”? How ironic then that Facebook’s recent Beacon clusterf… er, kerfuffle was one of the least consumer-friendly actions any of us have seen in a long time.

Do social networks have to play by a different set of rules? Must they protect their customers more than any other site? Should you behave different when engaging your customers on a social network?

No.

You should always treat your customers like they’re friends. Very fickle friends.

Look at Webkinz. Silicon Alley took Webkinz to task for peppering kids with ads, and acting “unfriendly.” In practice, it appears a tempest in a teapot. Anne Zelenka, over on GigaOM says it’s no biggie. Speaking as a father of two Webkinz-addicted kids, I agree. Frankly, the ads for sugary crap on TV bug my much more than banners for movies and I’m relieved that Webkinz keeps the links within its friendly confines. Webkinz is acting far more friendly than most companies, while finding ways to grow their revenues. Even better would have been if they’d provided more of a heads-up, but, their actions reflect thoughts about what their customers would care about.

Whether you’re a social network or a more traditional business, increasingly success depends on collecting the best group of customers. Treat them like friends. Treat them the way you would want to be treated. After all, sticking it to your friends costs you friends.

Technorati Tags:
webkinz, facebook, gigaom, anne zelenka, social, social networks, customer privacy

Anne Zelenka at WebWorker Daily points to 10 great books for 2007. It makes an excellent complement to my list of the 12 most important business books. While we only have one book in common between us (the outstanding Made to Stick), the WebWorker list adds some books that come highly recommended from friends, too.

Along with Made to Stick, this year I have also reviewed the following books on Anne’s list:

• Everything is Miscellaneous
• A Whole New Mind
• Rule the Web

And, yes, I have pre-ordered Anne’s book, too. I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Happy reading!