Guh-whaa? Thursday roundup?

Too many good links to wait for Friday.

--First off, I cannot overstate how much I love the Multicolr Search Lab link that Jennifer sent my way. I could lose hours in its visual whirlpool.

--Russell passed me a Webby-nominated resource on the Net Neutrality debate. Check it check it check it.

--Michael's TechCrunch post illustrates how wide the gap between Facebook and MySpace is becoming, even internationally.

--The newest Beatles mania: news about their venture with MTV to churn out their own version of Rock Band. Thanks Vicki! The article also quotes a Jeff Jones, but he isn't the good one.

Update: Get out of social's way

Remember my previous post about the Tribes presentation and social media? I found a picture of the sign I was referring to, courtesy of this Flickr user (thanks Joe!).

Texan Cuisine

I'm in Dallas, Texas on official WonderGroup business, but I wanted to pop in and share this fantastic story with you.

Margaret and I went to lunch with the client today, at a delightful little bistro called Celebrity Bakery. I ordered the avocado & tomato sandwich, and asked the cashier if she could pull a few strings to get me mac & cheese on the side.

There was a slight language barrier between the cashier and the short order cooks, so I ended up with-- as pictured-- hot macaroni & cheese on wheat bread. With lettuce.

The client found this hysterical, so let's call it a win.

P.S. The photo is Margaret's. Gracias!

The Comment that Might Have Been Missed

Okay, I know it's old news, I mean, it was almost a full week ago, but I wanted to make one comment about the Seth Godin event last week. There's one comment that has been haunting me. Mr. Godin asked, "How many of you are my friends on Facebook?" Of course a bunch of people raised their hands. Then he said, "You're not my friends." I don't think he was trying to be sarcastic, but he was making a profound point; associations do not equal friendships.

Those of us who are grappling with Social Media and it's impact on brand experiences must realize how important that insight is. Just because someone has a huge number of Facebook friends or Twitter followers, it does not mean they are "connectors." Being overly focused on numbers is simply trying to force an old media metric into the new social media reality. It's all about the passion. Connectors are so passionate about an issue or topic that they feel compelled to pass the message along, whether that's to two friends or ten.

Get out of social's way

A quick anecdote from the Tribes presentation: I was incredibly antsy because I wanted to meet people and I wasn't sure how to start. I knew that a large percentage of people in the theater were affiliated with the Tribes site (as am I), but I wasn't sure how to pick them out of the crowd.

Finally I dug out my notebook and a pen and scribbled "TRIIIBES.COM? COME SAY HELLO!" I then started waving the notebook around until people waved or approached me.

At this point, Jeff leaned over to me. "Just an observation: if someone handed you a hammer and chisel, you'd use it to stay connected. You can't seem to help it."

Until he said something, it hadn't occurred to me that I was essentially tweeting. While we tend to talk about social media as some kind of new trend, keep in mind that social behavior is as old as humanity. Social media will develop with or without you because we're already hard-wired to connect in any way that we can (even if we have to... ick... write by hand).

It's time to stop thinking about social media as a tactic and begin thinking about it as the opportunity to let powerful things happen. Stop trying to wait it out.

Friday link roundup

Let's kick this roundup off with Max Kerning, unearthed by Ried. Turns out to be an interesting viral ad for Suitcase Fusion 2.

Michael has passed around a slew of things lately, including the comic Time Management for Anarchists: Productivity Tips for Creative Malcontents (via BoingBoing). Warnings: it's a heavy PDF, plus you may not want your boss to catch you reading a comic about quitting your job.

Michael also brings us all things social media from The New York Times:
--Social Networks for Patients
--What Online Stores Sell: Data About You
--Popularity or Income? Two Sites Fight It Out
and
--Will Microblogging at Work Make You More Productive?

Finally, because I like to go out on a weird note, here's an article from Heather: Online divorcee jailed after killing virtual hubby. I'm telling you people, you're going to ruin it for the rest of us.

Seth Godin's Tribes Presentation

Matt, Jeff and I just returned from Seth Godin's Tribes presentation in New York City. Can we take a moment of silence for the fact that I've been torn away from NYC? What an amazing city.

Anyway, here are Matt and Jeff, being pleased as punch that they were able to see Seth Godin in person, and hear his riveting presentation.

If you want to read a long review of the presentation itself, you can look elsewhere on the web. There were a good number of people there and they were all the type of hyperconnected individuals... you'll have no problem tracking down the verbatims.

Here's Seth at the podium, where he spent all of thirty seconds.

He spent much more time here...

...talking animatedly in front of images that supported what he was discussing. I love the way he presents and the way he evangelizes about other people presenting. It's so much more compelling his way: a small, intimate theater, a clutch of passionate people, a story laden with anecdotes and examples, tons of eye contact. Incredibly compelling.

The presentation was in most ways an oral rendition of the Tribes book (which you ought to read). It became even more engaging when he started taking questions-- it felt like everyone in the theater ended up asking a question, we were there so long. It wasn't lip service! It was someone realizing that people came to the presentation because they were curious, and there was no greater service he could provide than to take an hour and just chew on the same stuff we were chewing on.

We were able to hang around for a bit afterwards, chatting and networking and meeting people involved in the Tribes site. This milling around was one of the best parts, because I was surrounded by people much like Jeff, who can't put down their dang iPhones long enough to eat some amazing Indian food.

Seth Godin's free Tribes ebook

In case you don't read Seth Godin's blog, here's a link to his post about his new ebook. It acts as a sort of companion to his new book Tribes, which launches today.

I haven't had a chance to read all of the case studies in the ebook yet, but I read a good deal of them on the Tribes site that Godin set up. He really found an amazing group of people with vast, fresh ideas, and the studies that I've read so far have been thought-provoking.

Aaaaand, because I love a shameless plug, two of the case studies were written by yours truly. Look for "Group Mind & the Improv Musical" and "The 12-Hour Geek Tribe." I would love to hear what you think, good or bad.

HeiferEducation.org launch

Woohoo! Another celebration at WonderGroup!

Go visit HeiferEducation.org and explore their initiatives for teachers (predominately elementary school for now, though the site will be expanding). If you register and log in, there are some freakin' sweet games that might accidentally teach you something.

The pictures I am uploading are from our launch party, held yesterday during lunch. We WonderGroupies know how to throw a bash, yes?


If exploring the Heifer Education site gets you pumped, you can start looking forward the Heifer's upcoming Stampede site.

(Heifer and WonderGroup do not condone whacking real animals with sticks.)


Give a round of applause to all those involved with this site, including our awesome client in Little Rock!

Obama reaches for gamers

Ried and Jenny W. sent me links today about a new piece of Obama's campaign: ad space in video games. Read about this burgeoning tactic here (CBS) or here (Releaselog).

It's a great fit: Obama attracts the same young voters who don't have a history of racing to the polls. I won't say much else-- too easy to get political-- but read up on this new attempt to reach a difficult demographic. Would it affect you?

Ironic Mistake

Red and I recently wrote an article for a British publication presenting our latest thinking on social media and it's impact on young consumers. A few minutes ago the editor sent an email to the publisher with my email address. I had neglected to include it in the contact info.

I found that very ironic. It serves to illustrate how, even us who work in the medium every day can easily forget about facilitating digital contact points. Sometimes it takes effort to keep in mind the huge shift in communication we are living through.

BTW, as soon as the article hits the stands and the web, we'll let you know.