On Sunday Morning I received a tweet from @ChrisJohson asking “did you see how you got slammed on the last page of the November issue of Fast Company?”  Of course this piqued my interest, so I immediately went to the Fast Company website to find the article.  I was surprised to hear they would speak negatively about company involvement in social media because here is how Fast Company describes the magazine:

“Fast Company sets the agenda, charting the evolution of business through a unique focus on the most creative individuals sparking change in the marketplace. By uncovering best and “next” practices, the magazine helps a new breed of leader work smarter and more effectively.

Fast Company empowers innovators to challenge convention and create the future of business.”

I also have so much respect for many of the writers and bloggers involved with the publication.  The magazine is excellent at spurring new thoughts and additional innovative ideas.  In fact I like it so much I recently sent in an order based on my frequent flier points.  So anyway I go to the website and I look through the articles in the current issue.  I think what Chris was talking about was an article titled “Abusing Social Media:  How companies abuse tech’s latest tools and embarrass themselves.”

The link that leads you to the article changes the title to “Not So Fast: Social Misfits.”  So I read the article multiple time to try to determine the viewpoint the author was attempting to portray.  I am not sure it was negative about my work.  So the article starts off with:

“Thanks for nothing, Web 2.0. With each sexy bit of social media that catches fire with users, lame companies get another fresh opportunity to pretend they know how to connect with customers without understanding what they’re doing.  No business is abandoning traditional advertising in favor of these gimmicky, halfhearted efforts. They’re just abandoning any self-respect they once possessed”

It discusses different ways companies have used social media.  One of the first points is regarding me on Twitter.  Of course she did not mention the 4700 follower or the thousands of people my team has helped through the course of the year.  It also talks about the need for sales generation or other corporate goals that these efforts have.  Well I can easily make that case and so can my followers.

Now one of the points in the article is some of the silly RSS feeds that are part of corporate twitter accounts.  I agree that this can be silly, but no one has to subscribe.  I prefer interactions that are more personal.  I still applaud the companies in recognizing social media spaces and trying to find a way to get involved.  It is at least a start.  In the article it talked about @Starbucks and @Wachovia talking to each other.  I have had fun talking to @Starbucks too!

I also chuckled when she stated that Twitter is popular with Gen Y.  I do not think this is the selected social media space for Gen Y.  I have found them more in MySpace and Facebook.  Twitter I have found to be more of the early adopters which is a little older.  But hey if they want to think of me as Gen Y, I would be happy with that!

What I kept coming back to when I read the article was the lead in link regarding “Social Misfits”  This gives the connotation that this is outside the norm.  I have never sought to fit into any specific group.  I have always sought to be myself.  I think this leads to different thinking and an alternative way of looking at things.  I applaud companies for trying something different.  Companies may not always get it right but those that at least try can learn and become even stronger.

Maybe the author was trying to take a traditional marketing view of the web 2.0 landscape.  This is not a space for a traditional viewpoint.  Now I work from a Customer Service viewpoint.  Imagine if there was no innovation in service?  You would have to visit someone for service.  No phone, mail, email, or online chat.  Isn’t social media a natural progression?  Now I may have a narrow viewpoint, but personally if I saw someone on the street asking for help, I would help.  Why would I not want to do the same for someone on the web?

Am I a misfit?  I hope so.  That just means that I am doing something that is different, maybe revolutionary.  What do you think?  Should companies be normal?

As you may have noticed I have not had a post since Monday.  I started so strong and then down hill it went.  I have started a number of posts but I never was able to finish them in a manner that I like.  It felt good when I saw CC Chapman mention in a tweet that he was having similar trouble.  This has been an eventful week.  We have a new President-elect.  The victory should take away much of the division that we have seen in recent Presidential elections.  No matter your political affiliation, I have a feeling that many people are grateful that there is no question in the results.  It is now time to be optimistic for the future.  

Now back to the topic at hand, I wrote different posts on topics such as optimism, and favorite positive Customer Service companies.  Optimism is easy because I like to think that I am usually very optimistic.  At the same time I was not sure how it would come across to readers because it did have a tie in to politics.  The challenge is I am not a fan of politics and I also feel that individual politicians, including the President do not hold as much power as they think they do.  So yes I am optimistic for the future, but I think that is simply related to change, not so much the individuals.  The Customer Service story I was writing talked about companies that I have a lot of respect for.  The companies included USAA, Vanguard Group, and Zappos.  The trouble with this is Vanguard was an employer a number of years ago. Zappos I consider many from their fabulous team to be friends.  So I did not want the post to be viewed with personal bias.

At the same time I was writing the Customer Service post, Zappos also announced changes to staff due to economic conditions.  This could have led to a whole post on that.  They truly did this reduction in a manner that was a class act.  You do not have to take my word for it, but see what Tony posted about it. Or search through the Twitter feed from their employees.  There are some great people at the company so if you are in the market for shoes, check them out.  They are a class act.

We also saw many other economic news, high unemployment, auto companies in need of a bailout, etc.  So you may ask why people can be optimistic.  I agree that can be difficult because of all the news and the manner it is sometimes presented.  But for me changes lead to many positive things, but even more importantly what we have been seeing is friendships and family becoming more a priority for everyone.  We all pull together during times like these because it is the right thing to do.  We show ourselves as a much more caring society.

What do you have to be optimistic about?

Since it is election day I should probably write something political, but that is not what inspired me.  I do hope that everyone does take the opportunity to vote.

The past 6 months have been a whirlwind for me.  It has been a little weird being discussed throughout the internet and featured in different news stories.  I always think of myself as a simple service person doing what makes sense.  If someone needs help I want to help them.  Yesterday was a busy day because I have not been in the office due to recent travel.  It was time to try to get caught up.  In the morning I read a blog post by Michelle Buckman, the reporter for a story about my team that aired last night on Fox 29 Philadelphia.  I was touched by the kind words.  As the morning progressed I read a really nice article about our efforts that was in this week’s PR Weekly (sorry I am unable to provide a link).  All this caused me to be a bit sentimental.

The success that has occurred is really based on the great team I work with and the wonderful people I have had the opportunity to interact with throughout the internet.  It amazes me how these relationships are the key to so much.  First let me discuss my new friends on the internet.  It is wild that you can get to be so close to people that you rarely meet in person.  Just like in person it is about being open and honest with them.  Listening when necessary and just being there for them when they need you.  If you do that, they will be there for you too.

Relationships on the internet are not new for us.  Over the years we have met so many people throughout the internet.  Some of them have become our closest friends.  My wife likes to joke that I started building these relationship on the internet because of her relationship with Louise, a very dear friend in England.  Of course it is not, but that does show the potential lasting affect of these friendships.  When I built this blog I wanted to share different blogs from friends, but then I could not narrow down the list.  You will see many show up at times simply because I want my other friends to meet some of these great people.  All this with a few short word that are 140 characters or less.  Wow!

Another big key to success is the relationships with those that I work with.  We have a great team that is really dedicated to the Customer, but we are also there for each other.  Now I do recognize that I am the manager and, at times I have to make difficult decisions (some not so difficult), but of course this can be done in a very respectful manner.  I believe my team fully understands this.  At the same time we all know we have to pull together and work hard for our Customers and each other.  We do this sometimes in a fun manner and we make sure we bring out the best in all of us.  It is a great environment to be in.  I love my job, and it is really about the people.  We bring each other success. 

It was very nice to see the Fox 29 story feature my team.  They deserve many, many accolades.  They are a great group of people (of course do not let them know that, I do not want it to get to their head!)  I will share a link to the video once it is posted.

Everything I have ever accomplished in life is really due to the great relationships I have.  I am proud of the work my team has done.  So I try not to make a big deal out of some of the press coverage I have had, but it is a big deal. The only reason it is a big deal is because these relationships are what make it possible.  So I want to take this opportunity to thank all my relationships for making this a success!

Thank you!

Views expressed here are my own and not representative of my employer!

I have to admit I am not a fan of most politicians on either side of the aisle.  Mainly because they are career politicians that strive to look out for their interests and not those that they serve.  I have yet to hear a politician that was honest enough to admit that about themselves.  They normally say that about others they are running against, but the case can be made against them too.

In the past week I have had calls from both sides of the aisle encouraging me to vote for their candidate.  I have even had recorded calls from my local politician Patrick Murphy encouraging me to vote.  Each of these calls seem to come at inopportune times, such as when I am putting the kids down for a nap or dinner.  If they understood those they served they would have included political calls in the Do Not Call legislation.  Even if that was not done they could think to scrub their list against the Do Not Call Registry prior to doing it.  I am half tempted to not vote for the group calling, unfortunately it is both sides.  Does this frustrate you too?

Another interesting marketing technique I have seen this year is post cards and letters that look like they are from individuals encouraging me to vote for a candidate based on their reasons for selecting them.  They are interesting because they have the look of being personally written and they even include the return address of the sender.  I should check if it is even a real return address and a real person.  Probably not that important and I probably threw them out.  Does this mean they are sharing my address?  I doubt it because they are probably mass produced, but wouldn’t that be inappropriate sharing of personal information?

I do want to encourage everyone to vote on Tuesday based on the candidates that you think are best.  I am looking forward to the political season to be over, but I do think it is important for everyone to vote.

One of the items I will use this blog for is to share stories that inspire me. Sometimes this will be related to social media, other times service, but I wanted to start with a story more personal. These will be people that truly inspire the best out of everyone they meet. To start this off I planned to talk about people I have met recently but I kept coming back to a story very close to my heart. Have you heard of Alexandra Scott? You may better know her by Alex. She started Alex’s lemonade stand back in 2000. Here is the story how a 4 year old started something that will keep her close to people’s hearts for a long time to come. She and her family are the definition of inspirational.

Her story begins when she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, 2 days before her first birthday. When she was 4 years old she wanted to have a lemonade stand to get some money. Her parents were willing to give her money for whatever she wanted. This is similar to any parent in this situation. But it turns out she wanted something bigger. She wanted to find a way that should could help her doctors find a cure for kids with cancer. She did this by starting her lemonade stand. Her family, in an effort to make sure she received the best care, moved to the Philadelphia area. They continued the lemonade stand in their new location. In 2002 the popularity continued to grow with many cancer survivors starting stands of their own. By 2004 the effort was national and raised close to $1 million. Alex took her message to the world through the Today Show and Oprah.  Even as her health was not doing so well, Alex lived the dream to raise funds to help her doctors make life better for so many others.  She had amazing strength.  Alex passed away at the age of 8 on August 1, 2004, just 5 days after our Angel Gia.

Alex’s Lemonade Stand has raised over $19 million for pediatric cancer research.

If you are looking for a great charity check out www.alexslemonade.org.  How can we create an online lemonade stand for everyone to have a refreshing drink for a good cause?

Jay and Liz Scott you are my hero’s for what you have done to keep Alex’s dream alive! The strength and leadership you have shown with your foundation is amazing.  Who are some of your heros?

So what are you going to be for Halloween? Maybe it is Harry Potter, Mickey Mouse, M&M’s or maybe a vampire?  Today is a day we love to put on our mask and be something a little different.  But does the internet allow us to place our mask on more often?

I would love to say I never thought about it, but with all the anonymity on the internet, I have.  Many people on the web choose to have a different personality to show online.  What is the personality you like to show?  Do you have multiple online personalities?  It came up during conversations at the Forrester Consumer Forum.  It was more being discussed on the marketing side, but I have to say it really made me think.  What I really did not realize is how many of us actually do show a different side.  This really confuses companies in understanding the actions of their Customer because they may need to market a different persona than they have all the data about.

I never thought I showed anything different, but the more I thought about it over the past few days I have to admit I may have a mask.  I am a service oriented person, and I always have been.  There is no difference there.  I like to think I am in general a nice person.  No difference there.  But in person I am a bit more introverted and a little shy at times!

So what is your mask?  Do you even notice it?  Do you have a difference in the way you would write a review on Amazon, talk on Twitter or how you write your blog?

Happy Halloween!

In the past week I had the pleasure to attend 2 great seminars:  Marketing Profs’ Digital Media Mixer and the Forrester Consumer Forum.  Social media seemed to be the big discussion point for everyone in attendance at these forums.  The big questions was how can we make money in this space.  That is what happens when you are with many people from the marketing side of the business.  Even for a simple service person like myself, I was thrilled to see the excitement.

To me the term Social Media is confusing, I think it is more the socialization of the internet.  In the past we communicated more 1 on 1 via tools like email or instant messenger.  There were some social options such as chat rooms or email distribution groups.  But today we are now talking to more people, not as segregated as was the past with these other methods.  Sometimes it is simple as posting comments about a product at Amazon.  It can also be starting a blog or posting on someone else’s blog or tools such as Twitter, identi.ca, Plurk, LinkedIn, Facebook, Myspace, etc.  The list goes on and on.  But now there is a lot of discussion.

What this means to marketers is control is shifting.  It is more difficult to get a message out there.  So now companies are trying to figure out how they can participate.  This will be a topic I will be discussing in future posts.

Now how did I get involved in this Social Media?  It was not through Comcast (although they were the connection at the time), but back in 2000 our daughter Gia was born 10 weeks premature.  What happens is people want updates, but we were busy enough and did not want to talk to everyone.  We started our own website.  Then 3 years later when Gia was diagnosed with cancer, we used the website again.  We provided regular updates that are still available.  After her passing we let the old website remain intact at the following URL  http://www.sitedreamer.com/gia.  After our other children were born we created a new website http://www.eliasonfamily.info

As I have conversations regarding these social interactions, you will notice that I am a firm believer that people are trying to communicate their thoughts on a variety of topics.  They are trying to be heard, it is just a question who will listen.

The Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series!  What a great a day for Philadelphia.  Many of you do not realize how important this is to all of us in Philadelphia.  You may have heard that we are a little passionate about our sports teams.  Yes we have thrown snowballs at Santa and batteries at JD Drew.  I remember the cheering when Cowboys star Michael Irvin was injured.  All true, and many other stories that you may not have heard of.  But Philly fans are really just passionate for their team.  It is this passion that drives us.  If you did not notice, that passion also helped the Phillies go undefeated during the playoffs at home.

This is the first major sports championship in this City since 1983 when the Sixers won the NBA championship (the Soul won the Arena Bowl this year too).  We have been in desperate need to have a parade to celebrate our beloved teams.   As I think about this, and the news of the fans in the streets is playing in the background, this is all about passion.  I have a passion for Philly sports.  I also have a passion for Customer Service.  Unlike many people, I believe service by many companies has been improving over the past couple of years.  That is because companies have drifted away from bad measurements such as sales and handle time and went to concentrating on first contact resolution and Customer satisfaction.  I think that is a good start.

But what we really need is a few Philly sports fans, or at least individuals that have a similar passion for Customers.  When people are doing what they are passionate about they have more fun at work and have much better results.  Wouldn’t you love your job if it was something you were passionate about?  How many sports fans would love the opportunity to work for their favorite team?

Does this mean the wrong people are hired for Customer Service?  Maybe, but not in my opinion.  I think the trouble is managers have coached toward numbers.  Gen y’ers, which make up a number of Customer Service positions, do not care about the numbers.  They may not even care about the Customer or the company.  I will talk about Gen y’ers at times because I think they can be the greatest employees.  In many cases they have a passion, it is just trying to show them how they can direct that toward Customers.  They just want to know why it is important to them.  That is not hard to show.  Once companies do more of that, we will see service improve to new levels.  Passion is good in many things in life!

Now back to the Phillies.  Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!  This is so exciting to have a World Champion in Philly.  I think they partially won because of the fans, and maybe because of Comcast (hehehehe).  For those that have not heard, the Curse of Billy Penn is now broken.  In 1983 the first skyscraper was built higher than a statue of William Penn on top of city hall.  Rumor has it there was a gentlemen’s agreement to never build higher than William Penn.  Well no major Philly team has won a championship since.  This is how the curse became known.  Well when the Comcast Center was built to be the highest building in Philadelphia, a small statue of William Penn was placed at the top!

That is my first ever blog post!  Have a great day.