Digital Lifestyle Girl's Place on the Web

In Defense of the Responsible Social Media Marketer

Recently, Robert Strohmeyer wrote in PC World about “charlatan” social media consultants providing little value to unsuspecting clients. This in turn kicked up a twitterstorm of controversy, largely among the denizens of social media who make their living selling social media consulting services (an aside: it annoys me that at least half the conversations on Twitter are about Twitter; the self referential nature of the tool does little for its credibility).

Behind Stohmeyer’s complaint is the belief that “for a smaller business, the benefits of social media are far less clear, and the relative costs can be much higher.” As a social media watcher and consultant myself, my clients routinely ask about return on investment, ROI, for launching a social media campaign. While pricey tools, like Radian6, offer some level of measurement (what’s the ROI on measuring ROI?), the truth is clear ROI models optimized for social media have not been developed, and old models do not apply. For one, social media, unlike traditional marketing campaigns, offers unprecedented interaction with the market. Not only can a person or company market their brand, they gain access to free market information (and more tools are in development that will help companies mine the VAST amount of data social media users are generating).

For another, the ROI bomb is often dropped into conversation as a shorthand image explanation for “apathy” or “fear,” to help people get out of a course of action. While I can measure the ROI of a new compact fluorescent lightbulb, or the addition of automation equipment, the ROI of attending a networking meeting, for example, is not measurable in the same way. Not every action can-nor should-be measured with Drucker-inspired methods.

Lastly, should this social media phenomena pan out as a viable tool, which it will, in ways we are only starting to understand, the cost of NOT creating a beachhead today will become apparent after it is too late. Social media, done right, is a low cost, low risk tool. Of course, with the uncertainties caused by a nascent industry in rapid growth, those of us who educate and council on social media strategy owe our clients high integrity and strategic thought leadership. Teaching what the the latest widget is and how to set up accounts is of little value. Teaching companies how to create viable, long term marketing stories using the tools, however, is valuable. Helping companies rationalize their existing social media “strategy” is going to become important. Many companies, either rushing to show their hipness, or having no clue how to reign in social media-wielding employees, have allowed the creation of an out-of-control social media presence, all firing and no aiming. Implementing a holistic approach will create efficiencies and make the customer experience better.

In the end, social media experts are not those who have substantially more experience than you, since that’s simply impossible in this new, and rapidly evolving space. The responsible expert is the one who helps you blend social media into the bigger picture marketing strategy, and helps you define and execute upon your underlying business objectives, with an eye on the long term prize.

This post originally appeared on SiliconANGLE, Silicon Valley's best community blog.

News from One of My Favorite Startups: Waterloo Networks

As you know, I am very fond of startups, especially those creating fundable technology that will change how the masses interact with technology, while serving an immediate consumer need. In a recent round of research on new networking technologies, I came across an amazing new technology utilitizing home plumbing.  Here's what the company had to say for themselves.

March 31, 2009. Waterloo Networks ("We put the IP in pipe") today announced the release of a new home networking technology based on the recently ratified IEEE H20.11 (a.k.a. WetFi) standard for data transmission over home plumbing lines. 

Waterline networking is an excellent choice as it allows high bandwidth data transfer over existing infrastructure, and does not suffer from the crowded spectrum issues common to wireless LAN applications or the bandwidth limitations of phone line based networking. 

"Water line networking is the most sensible home networking topology we have seen, requiring no new wires and smartly utilizing the existing plumbing infrastructure found in over 90% of American homes, leaving only certain states unable to tap into this technology" stated John Flushing, senior analyst at leading industry analysis firm Driving Results with Industry Prescience, "Recent research has shown that 63.5% of laptop owners conduct business while doing their business, so leveraging their existing plumbing is a logical, cost effective way to provide them on the go, no new wire home networking."

IEEE H20.11 relies on a combination of acoustic and optical properties of water by using ultrasonic vibrations to create radial density variations in the water in the pipe which form a graded index of refraction similar to that in a fiber optic cable.  This allows a low cost semiconductor laser to be used transmission of data over long runs of pipe.  Essentially the ultrasonic energy creates a standing wave in the water which turns the water into an excellent transmission medium for the optical data.  At pipe elbows the acoustic energy is focused in a pattern which causes the turn to act as a prism to reflect the energy.  Without this key feature, the laser light would be absorbed at any turn in the pipe. 

Earlier attempts at developing H20.11 involved use of the copper pipe as a microwave waveguide that happened to be filled with water but these suffered from a variety of problems: the increasing use of PVC or other pipe, the difficulty in the transition from microwave waveguide to the water filled section, and high microwave absorption of the water which had the unintended water heating side effects.

An interesting feature of this networking technology is that it creates a natural network hub consisting of all the active taps in the network, as each each new network node creates a tap onto the main network backbone.  This allows for low cost of startup of a network as no central router or hub is needed to manage the network.  Any of the network taps can be connected to either a client computer or to a WAN interface such as a cable or DSL modem. 

This obviously has other implications for the network topology, since it is a shared medium, there can be contention for the network, fortunately, standard Ethernet protocols are already able to handle this, and they are being copied into the IEEE Draft specification for H20.11.  The physical layer interface is called 100Base-NPT, which is predominantly an American Standard, but is easily adaptable to pipe threads and diameters used in other parts of the world, in most cases the network taps can be software configured for the pipe diameter.

According to Waterloo Networks founder and CEO, Joe Culligan, "While there are a few companies doing early stage equipment for H20.11,Waterloo Networks, such as Eautranet Systems, and AquaNet, we are the only company releasing an access tap with a built in firewall, "sanitized for your protection.""

Currently H20.11 is limited to short range networking, (e.g. SOHO).  This is currently due to both the relatively high absorption for the lasers and the use of a shared medium.  These problems can be mitigated by advances in the ultrasonics used to create the water path, the more accurate, the higher data rates can be supported.  Mizu Networks has announced successful tests of MB speeds in their test lab, their technology relies on active monitoring of the network medium by returning link characteristics in the the ACK for each packet.  If the client station uses the same technology, it can reply with the received signal quality and the the transmitter can pre-distort the signal by adjusting both the optical and acoustic signals to compensate.  If the remote client does not respond with the appropriate information, the packet is sent at the lower, standard rate.

Another interesting area of development that shows promising results is complex acoustic modulation of the ultrasonics that create the virtual fiber.  It is possible by very careful control of the acoustics to create multiple parallel optical streams. This effectively uses higher order acoustic waveguide modes to create multiple optical channels, essentially a waveguide in a waveguide.   This currently pending IEEE evaluation, and is being called WetMax.  This, in conjunction with a residential gateway device installed at the water service entrance to a building which acts a router to the home and as an interface to a municipal WetMax network.  This could enable a third major broadband supplier to consumers: DSL, Cable, WetMax.

HAPPY APRIL FIRST! FROM IDAROSE AND PARTNER IN CRIME NEIL HENDIN

The Internets are dangerous

Normally, I find SJ Merc's Good Morning Silicon Valley to be an enjoyable, often useful, information source.  Yesterday, however, GMSV picked up a story from The Washington Post on how sites like Facebook etc are some kind of danger to privacy.  Wow, hot off the press, being an idiot on the Internet may cause you problems!

Newsiness aside, this article goes on to say that you might be inadvertently leaking your online banking password by "giving out" your pet's or kid's name on a Facebook profile.  If your most secure of passwords is your dog's name, for example, and your dog's name is D13gOSYlv, then sure, perhaps you should not post this.  But if your password is your dog's name, and that happens to be the mightily insecure password Diego, then you really have no business online.

Picking on the dog name Diego, which happens to be my dog, (and none of my passwords, favorite pet name password prompts, etc.), his absolutely adorable photos on FB tell about 100 of my friends his name.  In the real world, about 250-500 real people, neighbors, dog park friends, friends, and family know his name.  Another 100 people at the vet clinic know it.  200 people on the disc dog mailing list know it.  The city licensor knows it, the pound knows it, any fool on the street can read his dog tag and know it.  Why on earth do people think the Internet is so much worse?

Why didn't this article talk about being truly smart online?  Use privacy controls on your profiles.  Don't twitter your passwords.  Don't use FB applications that make you look like a dolt, such as "what kind of drunk are you" quizzes, because your friends already know and strangers don't need to.

Why not talk about the POWER of social networking, to connect people in our busy world, to reconnect old friends, to connect people to information, jobs and new friends?

The sad thing is this article flew around silicon valley, with smart people saying they're going to reconsider what they do online now, limiting their profiles and not sharing who they really are.  Thanks, SJ Mercury...

Washington DC, always keeping up with technology

While I have no issues with my congresswoman, Anna Eshoo (she sent me a lovely pot holder, advertising her support for another candidate), I am amused by her new legislation.  Eshoo is seeking to pass a bill to limit the "maximum subjective loudness" of commercials. 

I do agree that commercials can be too loud, however, isn't this a little past prime time?  A lot of people (not all, I know) Tito past (or Myth TV in my case) every and all commercial.  And really, how hard is it to turn down the volume on a commercial with the remote, or have we become that lazy?  Has anyone ever gone deaf, had a heart attack or stroke, or gone into a fit of violence due to the sudden volume change, anyway?

In honor of previous legislation regulating technology that actually requires more technology--think broadcast flags, analog shutoff--Shoo should push dynamic noise control requirements for set-top boxes, and even the TV itself.  Think of the windfall to Wolfson, AMS, and other chip companies, and the great branding opportunity for the electronics manufacturers...of course, encouraging more technology deployment serves Eshoo's local constituents quite well, too.

How to survive a disaster, aka today's economic news

When I read the recent Time cover story on surviving a disaster, I first felt I was reading things I've heard before.  Miracle survivors of airplane crashes, boat sinkings, earthquakes, tornadoes and other disasters are not often "miracles," but are actually individuals with a certain mindset.  According to the article, when faced with dangerous situations, say a predator, the basic primal instinct is to freeze, and in fact, in many situations, people, in fact, freeze, do not head towards the life raft, do not run to the door from the fire, and sadly perish.  Those that survive "against the odds" are those who react and instinctually react to the situation, often motivating others to get going (often, ulimately to their demise, as they often perish after rescuing others).  Apparently, some of us are just hard wired for paniced situations, often showing great reserves of emotional and physical strength.

Other than being a good reminder to think during disaster, I didn't think much about the article.

Until today.

With oil going up more than it ever has in a single day and unemployment rising more than is has in TWENTY TWO years (well before I even worked), we can safely say we are facing an economic disaster.  I first caught myself panicing, afraid for my well being and feeling, albeit briefly, paralyzed by the situation beyond my control.

Then I remembered the article.  An economic disaster is similar to a physical disaster.  Some freeze, others fight.  Those who try are the ones with a chance to succeed, often against what we think are the odds.  To give in now, and say I can't do anything during this time is to give up and let the worst happen to me.  However, to marshall my strengths, my reserves, and perform at my peak, this will give me-and others-a shot at amazing success, despite the odds.  To believe I will make it and go for it--that's what this time requires.  Rolling over and accepting the fate is not an option.

While Time never discussed the concept's applicability to every day life, it's clear it is quite applicable, and quite inspiring, to believe in being a survivor, no matter what lies ahead.

I've always said you have two choices in life: to believe in what is possible, or to be a skeptic.  Never be a skeptic.

Is green just a fad--again?

The Financial Times wrote an intriguing piece on being green, suggesting perhaps being green is a fad, or perhaps more sadly, best suited for the rich.  While consumers show strong interest in wanting "green" products from "green" companies--evidence of great brand marketing around the concept--it's utterly unclear if a. companies know how to achieve this and b. if consumers would know green if they saw it. 

Back in the early 1990s, green made a big appearance, Al Gore wrote his first book, arguably more soulful if less impactful that his current, and global warming, pollution , the rainforest (largely used as a metaphor to represent civilization's advance on pristine nature anywhere far from home), and sustainability were the hot topics at cocktail parties.  I worked at an environmental technology firm that made an overkill technology to obliterate the world's most pernicious wastes, and despite the fact it was expensive, unproven, and faced stiff competition from incineration, landfilling, and doing nothing, stock market and government money flooded in, and we all believed we were changing the world (in truth, we really were trying to make an impact for the greater good, our sincerity was high).  Along came the later 1990s, and green had faded to black.  The company folded in an major scandal of great political intrigue, and so did the public's interest in anything to do with the environment.

Fast forwarding to now, green is everywhere.  But it's different.  It's not about regulatory reform, sustainability, technology, or any of the core issues behind minimizing ecological impacts from modern living.  It's simply about being green, an amorphous, ill-defined concept few know how to support in practice.  Ironically, the need for being green, giving the energy crisis, global climate change, and skyrocketing food prices, is a real issue.  But our saturation around the concept might yet lead to burnout and apathy, yet again.  The only hope seems to lie in alternative energy production, where companies are working quite aggressively to push technology to the market--regulatory, market and other conditions need to catch up but reality is on the side of this generation of technologists.

Perhaps the most intriguing point in the article is about green being for the rich.  The rich have spare income to spend on solar panels for their yacht, so the article suggests.  It's long been a debate is being environmental was in fact for the relatively well to do, who can afford a premium for organic produce, spend a $10k premium for a hybrid car and take only the most eco of eco-vacations around the world.  Ironically, environmental degradation often strikes the poorest people the most, both in developed cities and rural zones.  Is being "green" just an emotional panacea to make us feel better for our inevitable impact?  One hopes not.  But in the midst of economic concern worldwide, will being truly green be too expensive for corporations and individuals, and if so, what does that mean for the economics of being green?

Email Me address tab fixed!

Quick housekeeping note, if you tried to email me in the last week or so, the Email Me tab was not forwarding your message properly, so please resend, thanks! :-)

Closing a chapter, Consumer Semi Girl retires

But returns as Digital Lifestyle Girl, ready for a whole new personal marketing and blogging campaign!

In way of reasoning, I have left my previous employment as an industry analyst at a large, classical firm.  I am now reinvigorating my career and planning next steps.

It's a bit soon to highlight the chosen path, but I am hoping to leverage my entire professional background and head either into technology marketing (strategic, evangelist, general marketing management) or into a strategy firm (small to big, most critical is the team and coverage).  Of course, the right team and coverage at a research house suits, too.  I love startups and entrepreneurial teams, a dynamic environment, and internal and external challenges.  I like to lead (not necessarily manage) and be a role model for my team and industry.  Top subject areas for me include digital consumer technology, end to end video technology, green tech, networking, and web 2.0, and I am also a strategy generalist, able to dive into any corporate situation and solve problems.

My profile can be found on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/in/idarosesylvester , and I twitter as idarose.

What I worry about most immediately is losing touch with my friends and colleagues in my former industry.  Please use this forum and the ones above to reconnect and build a bridge to the future.

With appreciation and fondness,

The DLG, IdaRose Sylvester

Take this blog and shove it

Ok, well, not quite yet.

Is blogging becoming the next Friendster, ready to burn out in flames, passe and embarrassing for those doing it?

After being listed on the top analysts who Twitter list, I decided I had better Twitter to earn my keep.  I was once told you either Tweet, or you don't, it's in your DNA, or it isn't.  I really wasn't sure, but now, I am addicted.

Twitter, a microblog allowing up to 140 characters per entry, is so much more alive than blogging or facebooking.  Not only can you have community in real time, the whole point of Twittering is connecting and sharing with others, actively, regularly, not passively and occassionally.

I love the genuine connection aspect on Twitter.  It's good editing practice to use just 140 characters.  But there are limitations.  While many famous Tweeters have decreased posting to or have even given up their blogs, blogging remains a great way to say more about a subject, to form a narrative rather than a conversation.  The two tools work great together.

It will be interesting to see if microblogging becomes a mainstream business and communications tool, and it's certainly good fun to help play a role in the medium's growth as such.  Please follow me on Twitter, and keep the conversation going.

Sylvester Likes to Tweet?

http://technobabble2dot0.wordpress.com/2008/05/05/top-analyst-twitters-micro-bloggers/

Much to my surprise and quite to my chagrin, I found myself (through the help of a Facebook friend) staring at my name at the list of top analyst twitters (I always thought it was tweeters or twitterers, I stand corrected).  Of the top 49, I am ranked #46, a fabulous showing for having but a handful of followers and a very irregular tweeting habit.

I do now find that my followers have increased 400% since the story broke, and now, the chagrin kicks in--people care what I have to tweet and people are interested in sharing with me vis a vis that medium, yet I hardly know how to use it.

For several weeks, I've promised myself to re-explore Twitter, now that it is plainly obvious this is a critically important tool used by the technical literati, one with cred and some staying power (all that matters, though, is it is key today, I suppose).  I've heard fantastic stories from twitters about building enormous, amazing online and IN PERSON communities based on the tanglements of twitter webs, and I've been watching from the sideline, waiting for a spare creativity cycle to dive in.

Interestingly, while the aforementioned article points out that Twitter is a viable tool for analysts to use, that microblogging in fact builds credibility, helps analysts collaborate, and helps clients gain fast insight, it's not exactly a tool I hear employers encouraging.  In fact, I am not sure I consider myself an analyst who tweets, simply because I never tweeted under my company name or on anything immediately related to my research--but in my world, the professional and personal online personas collide without mercy.  Obviously, if I tweet more, my ranking on that list will likely climb, even if I tweet about my dog, treasure hunting or the price of gas, and not the digital consumer experience.  Then again, maybe knowing me is to love me, and that helps bring my community closer to me.