The Social Media Conundrum: What is a “Twittership”?

No, not “Tweetership”, I said “Twittership”. Now, I know most of you are probably thinking this is some cool new dating service, or possibly one of our best on the Atlantis, well sorry to crush your dreams all you hopeful lovers! Actually, this word really doesn’t exist in a formal sense.

This message is intended for all you soon to be college students (and parents, too). It’s not time to go back to school quite yet, but as some of you are sitting at home this summer or working endless hours at the mall (or working endless hours on your social networking) looking for ways to pay for your college education, I have come across several “Twitterships”, (a real scholarship and all you have to do is use Twitter).

Can you come up with 140-character tweets? If so, you may be able to help cover some or all of your college tuition. For example:

• The University of Iowa is offering a full $37,000 scholarship to the MBA program as part of the application process for the person with the best 140-charcter tweet by July 28^th.
• Scholarship.com is running a “Short & Tweet” campaign worth $1,000 to the winner by July 31^st.
• CollegeScholarships.org gave out an award for $1,400 for the best tweet highlighting how to use Twitter to improve the world.
• In November 2010, KFC and the Colonel gave out a $20,000 scholarship for tweeting why you deserve a scholarship.

So what’s the conundrum? Show me the money? Not really. The question I really wanted to address is get to the point! Electronic and social media communication is about being timely and relevant, so get to the point … quickly. We need to feed our readers with straight-to-the-point information before it is lost. The end-users feed will only display your message for so long before new and more relevant info gets pulled in. You only have so long for someone to react or interact before they forget, lose interest or do not see your message anymore. Even universities are not ignoring the fact that writing styles and communication patterns are evolving and the typical 1,000-word essay may be a day of the past.

Leave me your best 140-character tweet in the comments section below or on our Twitter page with @srcommando on why you think Twitter can improve the world.

Until next time, keep it short.

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Stephen Command is an Account Manager for Make Me Social, a social media agency that develops customized social media strategies for businesses.

Social Networking 2.0?

One of the most important aspects of our post last week about uploading photos to Twitter was the fact that all users will still own the copyrights to their uploaded content. Everyday, millions of users create valuable content which is hosted and shared on major social networking sites such as Facebook, Youtube, and Flickr. However, a little known fact is that all of the content a user uploads to these applications is subject to the whims of the company’s desire. This issue is being used as the catalyst to develop the next wave of social media channels.

For example, a Singapore-based start-up, MyCube, is touting itself as the first ever social exchange where users own, control, and monetize their digital lives. MyCube claims it will be free to use, and while currently in private beta, plans to go live in the next few months.

According to the company’s CEO, Johan Stael von Holstein, MyCube offers the following advantages over other social media sites:

• The ability to completely own all of the digital content you create and share on the internet.
• The ability to monetize your content by charging others through a system of nano- payments.
• The ability to segment your contacts based on your relation with them (best friend, friend, acquaintance, friend of a friend etc.)

MyCube describes itself as a “digital life management tool” where some will use it primarily as a social networking site and others as a publishing tool. Fundamentally, the site will look and feel like Facebook.

More than its added features, MyCube is on a mission. They have beef with other social media sites that not only take control of your content, but profit from it. As far as Stael von Holstein is concerned, it is stealing. He warns, “a lot of people don’t realize, but the content they put on existing social networks no longer belongs to them – all those pictures, contact details and discussions belong to the social network. If they ban you from their service, all those pictures, contacts, email exchanges are lost forever.”

If MyCube does not sell your data to advertisers, how does it make any money? Well, for any financial transactions on the site, 70% goes to the content generator, and 30% goes to MyCube. “We have the same deal as Facebook has with Zynga,” says Staël von Holstein, “but we have it with everybody, with everyone who creates value.”

Check it out at MyCube.com and tell us what you think. Does MyCube have a chance in the already overcrowded social media industry?

Flash Mob Mentality: An Introduction

There are times when we are individuals and there are times where we are part of something bigger.

Then there are the times when we are in a seemingly-impromptu group of people, dancing in unison in a public place for no apparent reason. For those in this third classification, we are known as a Flash Mob

In the realm of social media, the concept of Flash Mobs can only be defined as viral video catnip. The first one (as we know them) was created in Manhattan in May 2003, and since then, there have been scattered occurrences that have steadily increased in frequency, complexity and popularity, and have included pretend gun fights, singing, people posing as statues, and much, much more..

But, what is their point? Why do they happen? These are good questions, and the answer is simple: Because we can.

Oh, did I just say “we”? Yes. Definitely just said “we”. I happen to be a fan of Flash Mobs, and have even helped create a few. I won’t be giving details about where or when these have taken place because that’s part of the fun. Also, while not having broken any laws, there are inevitably people who frown upon disruptive behavior (and angry e-mails from them might ruin my day). I can say unequivocally that the reasons I have done this in the past was not for the recognition. It was a challenge. It was fun, secretive, and powerful. I could organize large groups of like-minded people without ever having met or spoken to them. The power of social media is enough to give anyone a bit of a rush.

In this series of posts, I will walk you through the process of developing a Flash Mob, and cover topics such as Why I decided to do it; Creating the idea; Organizing the people; The Preparation; The Execution; and The Feedback. The process is quite interesting as well as exciting.

Now, while I want this series to be a fascinating look at a cultural phenomenon, compiled from first-hand knowledge, I also hope to convey something much greater, a message: social media can be a mechanism to do big things.

As a member of Make Me Social, which uses social media as tool for branding businesses, I find that many of the same principals I used in organizing Flash Mobs are used for marketing. Both inspire action and encourage people to do something different.

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Kerri Perkins is an Account Coordinator with Make Me Social.