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TWICs XXX

DR1665 — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:00:48 +0000

The Week In Comments, 30th Edition.

The Week In Comments (TWICs): Creating raving fans, ways B2B can use gamification, & the most engaging reasons to embrace social now.

HBR: How to Create Raving Fans
(04.25.12)

The difference between a participant and a fan is belief. The participant will lay a few bricks, but the fan wants to build that cathedral. Get them thinking about what they want relative what you’re offering. If you’ve got systems in place to empower them, light the fuse and get out of the way.

Social Media B2B: 6 Ways B2B Companies Can Use Social Media Gamification
(04.24.12)

Perhaps the most powerful – yet most frequently overlooked – component to social media growth is also very simple. It’s recognition. The simple, high level ideas above present solid ways of driving engagement.

Inclined to Design: 12 Most Engaging Reasons Why Brands Need to Embrace Social Media Now
(05.03.12)

Community is continually evolving. There’s a clear life cycle in place where missions change over time. Today, brands are in a unique position to have simple tools readily available which would help them build relationships with their customers as equals. I think they could save a ridiculous amount of time and money if they’d stop trying to own and control the conversation and just joined us where we already are as equals.

Want to see more TWICs posts?

Thank you for inspiring me this week. Keep going fast with class, pressing on regardless, and doing it yourself (or doing what you can).

In the glovebox:

TWICs XXIX

DR1665 — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:00:06 +0000

The Week In Comments, 29th Edition.

The Week In Comments (TWICs): Consumer or citizen, actions and words, lessons in creativity.

Fearless Revolution: Consumer or Citizen?
(04.20.12)

The path of consumption only leads to emptiness, fear, and regret, while citizenship – even if only to the extent of being present in the moment – brings purpose, joy, and inspiration.

Kommein: Community Management Responsibilities Outside the Brand
(04.24.12)

On the one hand, I don’t think we should have to filter ourselves. We are what we do and, more to the point, we are what we do *when nobody’s watching us.* The hyper-transparency afforded by social media is smothered in old school marketing mentality subconsciously pushing a words-over-actions vibe. The line between being respectful and being disingenuous is a slippery slope.

Conversation Agent: Lesson in Creativity from Hitchcock
(04.26.12)

Where creativity and customer-centricity are fundamentally woven into the fabric of the organization, compelling, valuable, and entertaining experiences come more naturally and frequently. This, to me, is a more comprehensive picture of “virality.”

Want to see more TWICs posts?

Thank you for inspiring me this week. Keep going fast with class, pressing on regardless, and doing it yourself (or doing what you can).

In the glovebox:

TWICs XXVIII

DR1665 — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:00:41 +0000

The Week In Comments, 28th Edition.

Last Week In Comments (TWICs): Priorities, passion for learning, following through.

This European Life: The Life I Have Chosen!
(04.10.12)

Your last paragraph sums it up perfectly. We should not wake each day with a feeling of dread, but rather excitement at the opportunities ahead of us. “Wherever there is any doubt, there is no doubt.” I think about what I’m looking for when I reach for my phone in the morning. Seems that’s what I should be doing with my life.

Better Mess: Finding Your Passion for Learning
(04.12.12)

The name of the game is relevance. And assembly line, rote memorization of exercises bereft of context or meaning commoditizes the joy of personal discovery and learning.

Craig McBreen: Become a Pro at Follow-Through
(04.01.12)

One empathizes with a fellow visionary. The big pictures are so inspiring, but zooming in and considering all the individual brush strokes required to paint them tend to take the wind right out of our sails.

Taylor Davidson: “Let me not be so vain to think that I’m the sole author of my victories and a victim of my defeats.”
(04.12.12)

http://youtu.be/RYlCVwxoL_g

Want to see more TWICs posts?

Thank you for inspiring me this week. Keep going fast with class, pressing on regardless, and doing it yourself (or doing what you can).

In the glovebox:

TWICs XXVII

DR1665 — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:47:19 +0000

The Week In Comments, 27th Edition.

Last Week In Comments (TWICs): Concept cars, customer fairness, communities & pricing.

Metacool: Concept Car at Your Peril
(04.01.12)

The message we, the vocal minority, receive on our end is, “We could do better, but the mindless, consumer sheep demand more cookie-cutter mediocrity, so we’re just going to keep doing that. You should totally buy a new Camry, though. They’re really sweet in beige.”

Conversation Agent: How Lufthansa Handles Customer Fairness
(04.01.12)

Some years ago, Lufthansa trialed a non-stop between Phoenix and Frankfurt. Their introductory price was less than US$600 including taxes and fees. I thought that would be the highlight of the purchase, but the experience – even in coach class – was something I’ve yet to experience on any other airline. Definitely my airline of choice, even though I’ve only flown with them that one time.

Confused of Calcutta: Musing About Communities & Pricing
(04.01.12)

I think the future will see new communities built around more democratic, modular scalability. Instead of having centralized teams coordinate growth and operations, I see things being far more distributed. For example, rather than having 1 moderator for every 10-100 users, we strive for a 2:1 ratio, moderator to user.

Want to see more TWICs posts?

Thank you for inspiring me this week. Keep going fast with class, pressing on regardless, and doing it yourself (or doing what you can).

In the glovebox:

TWICs XXVI

DR1665 — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:40:31 +0000

The Week In Comments, 26th Edition.

I’ve not had the time to read my dailies of late, let alone comment, but a couple posts moved me to comment this morning, irrespective of time available to do so. I wanted to share them here.

This Week In Comments (TWICs): Making a difference and being all things to all people all the time.

HBR: Umair Haque – Overthrow Yourself
(03.29.12)

The only thing worth making is a difference. Business shouldn’t have to scale to the point where it’s no longer possible to deliver truly personalized service to every customer or radically change operations to suit new needs. The economy ought to be based on adapting to change with an eye on accelerating collaborative innovation – not blocking or buying out the competition.

Conversation Agent: Standoff on Value
(03.30.12)

It’s like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The porridge must be *just* right. Binary thinking demands being one or the other. We need to be ready to hold the customer’s hand AND get out of their way at the same time.

Want to see more TWICs posts?

Thank you for inspiring me this week. Keep going fast with class, pressing on regardless, and doing it yourself (or doing what you can).