Matrix Group International

Category: Content Marketing and Social Media

  • Yes, Even Companies are Twittering!

    Yes, Even Companies are Twittering!

    I used to think that twittering was for individuals who wanted to broadcast their whereabouts and activities to friends and family. Most of my tweets have to do with where I am, what I’m reading, yada, yada.  But I’ve found a growing number of companies using Twitter to raise awareness, reach new audiences, raise money, and disseminate news.

    I can’t think of a more fitting match between Twitter and CNN’s breaking news.  My god, Twitter is nothing but a bunch of headlines!  Today, nearly 54,000 people follow CNN’s headline news on Twitter.

    The National Wildlife Federation does a great job of using Twitter to promote events, broadcast NWF news and mobilize people to do something (vote, send an e-card, donate, watch a video).  Over 1,600 people follow NWF on Twitter. (more…)

  • Are You Sick of the 2008 Election Yet? Here are a Few More Sites to Visit!

    Are You Sick of the 2008 Election Yet? Here are a Few More Sites to Visit!

    In 28 days, we Americans get to vote for a new President. On the one hand, I have been glued to the TV during both conventions and the debates, and I’m reading everything I can about the candidates and their platforms. On the other hand, I’m completely sick of the politics, the inflated promises, and the false statements. Since I’m a bit of a political junkie, I have been scouring the Web for some of the most informative and innovative resources on the election. Here are some of my favorite sites:

    My Election Decision is aimed that the coveted undecided voters. You take a quiz and the system tells who your candidate should be.

    I think the New York Times has the best election coverage of any of the major news outlets.

    The Washington Post and CNN also have a good election centers.

    Google has created a series of Google maps that chart the timeline of both candidates’ lives, map Twitter posts about the election, and show where the candidates are on the campaign trail. Be sure to reload this page a couple of times to see all of the possible maps. (more…)

  • Who Needs E-Mail When There’s Facebook?

    Who Needs E-Mail When There’s Facebook?

    I’m noticing a curious trend lately. Instead of sending me e-mail, friends and family are sending me messages through Facebook.

    My niece (age 17) and nephew (age 20) ignore my e-mails. But when I send either of them a message via Facebook, I’m likely to get a message back. When Facebook sends an automated messages about what I’m doing or posting, I might get a hello or an update. My older sister says she gets the same kind of treatment — that she needs to contact her kids through Facebook.

    A friend who lives in Philaldelphia wrote on my Facebook wall to let me know he and his family were coming to the DC area and ask if we were interested in going to the Baltimore Aquarium.

    After our trip to Costa Rica, I posted a few photos to Facebook and sent messages to friends. I’ve even had long lost high school friends send me messages via Facebook even though my e-mail is part of my Facebook profile. Finally, a friend is throwing a party next week and she sent an invite via Facebook.

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  • Does Your CEO Need a Blog?

    Does Your CEO Need a Blog?

    Blog SignSeveral times a week, clients and colleagues ask me if they or their boss should be blogging.  My answer is usually a resounding Yes!, but I also know that a CEO blog usually involves writing on the part of the CEO and CEOs are rarely excited about adding another regular task to their already full plates.  As one client put it, “Joanna, when do you think I have time to blog?”

    Seth Godin, one of my favorite bloggers and Web marketing mavens, says CEOs can’t and shouldn’t blog because they can’t get away from the corporate speak.

    But I say that CEOs can and should blog in order to:

    • comment on what’s important in their field or industry
    • provide thought leadership for customers, staff or members
    • interact with customers, staff or members
    • provide another perspective on the organization and its activities
    • present a friendly (read not corporate speak) face to the world

    Don’t get me wrong.  I’ve had this blog for just a few months and since I write all the posts myself, I know that a blog takes work.  I have to be interesting, post about timely and important topics, and present a perspective that is candid, if not entirely unique.  (I’m not entirely sure I succeed all the time, if at all, but I try anyway.)  It’s a commitment to post twice a week; heck, I posted once while on vacation in Costa Rica last week. (more…)

  • Can the Web and Twitter Help Find Jeddah?

    Can the Web and Twitter Help Find Jeddah?

    Last Thursday, John and Ronia Weisner were at Dulles Airport, on their way to Saudi Arabia for a year-long assignment.  Accompanying them was their beloved dog, Jeddah.  Somehow, something went terribly wrong, Jeddah’s crate was damaged, and the dog escaped.  Now, there is a Web site – http://www.HelpFindJeddah.com –  devoted to finding Jeddah, as well as a Twitter account to keep people abreast of any news related to Jeddah’s whereabouts.

    Just think about it.  In the past, if a dog or cat went missing, we put up flyers in the neighborhood and told all our friends.  Today, we use the Web, especially social networking sites, to tell the story, spread the word, and ask others to spread the word.  If a cause or issue takes hold, thousands of people catch wind of the story within minutes, hours, days, without the involvement of any government or news outlet.

    In Jeddah’s case, WJLA reported the story, which reached the ears of Kate Bland, who asked Matrix Group to put up a Web page and Twitter account.  In between, dozens of people have e-mailed and actually joined the hunt for Jeddah at Dulles Airport and in Reston.  Today, thousands of people have heard about Jeddah.

    Can the Web, e-mail and Twitter help save Jeddah?  Let’s hope so.
     

  • Barack Obama is Following Me on Twitter

    Barack Obama is Following Me on Twitter

    A friend of mine boasted that she is following Barack Obama on Twitter and he is following her back.  Curious, I logged on to my Twitter account and started following Barack Obama. Lo and behold, within a few minutes, I got an e-mail from Twitter saying that Barack Obama was following me back on Twitter.

    Why on earth would a presidential candidate follow every Tom, Dick and Harry who wants to follow him on Twitter?  And is some poor soul on his staff really assigned to monitor the Twitter posts?

    And then it hit me.  Looking at Obama’s Twitter page, you’ll note that as of midnight on July 14, 2008, there are 46,535 people following him.  It’s not about the Twitter posts, it’s about showing how many people care about what Obama is doing, about showing the huge diversity of his supporters, and allowing his supporters to get connected.

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  • Full vs. Partial RSS Feeds & E-Mail Updates – That is the Question

    There is a raging debate in the office re: full vs. partial RSS feeds and e-mail updates.
    The question is which option drives more traffic to the Web site?

    This blog publishes partial RSS feeds and e-mail updates. You get the title and the first 60+ words and a link to the full article. The thinking is that you would get the gist of the article, then click through to read the rest of the article. While viewing the full article on the site, you might be enticed to click on past postings, the favorites on the right, or perhaps the related projects at the bottom.

    Sounds logical right? But wait, there are many some views:

    According to Rick Klau, VP of Publishing Services at FeedBurner, there appears to be no
    significant difference in click through rates between full and partial RSS feeds.
    http://thewrongadvices.com/2007/04/20/full-vs-partial-rss-feeds/

    Jonathan Christopher of Monday by Noon, defends partial feeds because of the scraper sites that publish full articles on their sites and possible negative penalty that search engines associate with duplicate content.  Klau agrees with Christopher on the issue of scraper sites. http://mondaybynoon.com/2006/09/04/partial-versus-full-rss-feeds/

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  • Are You HyperConnected?

    Are You HyperConnected?

    A recent study by Nortel and IDC showed just how wired and connected we have become. The study found that:

    • 16% of global workers are already “hyperconnected,” fully embracing a world of multiple devices and intense use of new communication applications. The hyperconnected worker uses a minimum of seven devices for work and personal access, plus at least nine applications like IM, text messaging, web conferencing, and social networks.
    • 36% of global workers were designated as “increasingly connected,” meaning they use a minimum of four devices for work and personal access to six or more applications.
    • The most hyperconnected country is China and the United States. The least hyperconnected countries were Canada and the United Arab Emirates.
    • The ranks of the hyperconnected are expected to rise to 40% in the next few years.

    Seven devices and nine applications! Okay, I use four devices: My laptop, iMac, regular phone, and cell phone. And I thought that was over the top, but seven?

    (more…)