“So in your view: who is the coolest company engaged in social media today? Who gets it? Who should Pepsi be emulating? Who should be our role models? Eager for your thoughts.”
Steve, Dell has made huge improvements with social media. The IdeaStorm website, Direct2Dell blogs in several languages, Studio Dell videos explaining things ranging from how to fix X on your computer or explaining why they're selling Linux computers... Another company which has mastered the Internet in my opinion (not really social media) is MLB.com; they're actively encouraging blogging and sharing these days but they're barely getting their feet wet with Facebook and social tools. - Rafael Rojas Cremonesi
Comcast pioneered this amongst the large companies with @comcastcares on Twitter. Others have been mentioned here. I love that Pepsi is using FriendFeed though - I'm surprised more companies don't embrace this. - Jesse Stay
I'd say that answer is different for the different applications: social media as service multiplier: Dell / Comcast. Social Media as media: Whole Foods. Social media for a consumer brand? @wholefoods on Twitter. Big culture trying social culture: IBM, EMC, Dow Jones. - Chris Brogan
@Chris Brogan Completely agree. Each has their own objectives. Dell clearly sets a high standard. Zappos does it really well on Twitter. GE (my old employer) is starting to do some interesting things to. - Josh Karpf
It's not about emulating. Zappos "gets" Twitter because of their business model. Their number one selling point is customer service. Social Media is only one of the methods they use to prove to us (consumers) they care. Even before Twitter, they treated all customers equally regardless of backgrounds, status, stature, etc. When they jumped online with the same mission statement, per se, they stood out because Zappos *shows* us they actually *do* care *by* community engagement. So the real question should be: Do we (Pepsi) really care about consumers and how can we show we care? - Mona N.
Emulation implies that you can lift someone else's strategy whole cloth and fit it to Pepsi. Pepsi is unique (or so they hope), therefor their identity requires a unique synthesis of the various digital streams to create a presence that stands out, yet doesn't scream "HERE I AM". Don't be that guy with the caps lock on;) - A. J. Mahler
Perhaps start another way? What makes sense for the brand & its business model in identifying appropriate social media. BTW good point above re Zappos & how Twitter aligns to their business model. So what's equivalent for Pepsi? No point just randomly going on Facebook or similar though. - Kate
There are a variety of models- even just looking at Twitter... 1. Corporate face with no personality (a bunch of co's that just push RSS and don't interact, but works for DellOutlet coupons) 2. Corporate face with a real person behind it (Pandora, Comcast) 3. Real people who represent the brand to some degree (Chicago Tribune, Zappos CEO) 4. Characters (Chicago Trib's Colonel) 5. Lots of employees online not necessarily representing the brand at all times (Zappos). - Brian Carter
Should we all stop having fun coz billions are lost in a crisis over which we have no control? Since when is fun != not working? - Shivanand Velmurugan
okay let me take this back please. It is the timing. Nothing wrong with people having fun. - Loic Le Meur
via twhirl
like not partying will help matters now - we should party now more than ever - Kate
Shivanand, no. But when you're likely about to start putting off people all over the place, and take a serious hit, partying like nothing is wrong is the WRONG message to be sending to your employees and supporters - Duncan Riley
Maybe they should have asked your permission first. - William, CPU Media
I am humored by it, there is always someone screwing up somewhere,it is context that is important here. - dan
Closing your laptop while in a conversation is an amazing gesture. It says, "what we are discussing is important to me, and it deserves my attention." An equivalent might be to mute the TV that you are watching if someone wants to talk with you. - tagami
My laptop definitely stays open. It only closes for my significant other if she has something really important to say. - Corvida
Hi, I'm Billy Mays... now with the power of oranges!!! And my Apple laptop. - Ernie Oporto
closing laptop lid 4 a conversation?...yeah, I do this when my CEO tells me to "STOP Twittering!" - Elliott Ng
I do when neighbors stop over. It seems rude to not. - Cyndy
Seriously, it gives the impression that it's because they were browsing porn and needed to hide it. - Victor Ganata
I do it with ppl who aren't techies (except my husband, who keeps his laptop open while we talk too). - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)
I only close mine at night. I can't talk and type at the same time (I'll start typing what I'm saying instead of whatever I wanted to type), so I usually push it away, but people who close theirs when I show up always make me wonder if they were looking at porn. - eve shot first
I close mine because I will get distracted by the screen every single time. - Orphan Spinster Librarian
I never close my laptop...NEVER. Why would I do that? it would make FriendFeed go away. Also, if I DID close my laptop, what would I stare at intensely to pretend I'm really busy? - ♫ Rahsheen ™ ★
Well people on TV shut down their computers by turning off the monitor - Deepak
well i do that when my wife talks to me, helps me actually *listen* to what my wife is saying instead of reading what's on FF :-), this is a good thing tv shows show it, great marriage/relationship tip - Krishna Gade
depends on what is on the laptop screen and who I am talking to. - Shelly Weiss
No plot, just shiny graphics, tells nothing about clonewars arc ... just something commercial ... - Alemsah
You thought the prequels were good? Really good? I honestly don't know how to react to that. Eps 1&2 were terrible, imo. Episode 3 was ok, but my vastly lowered expectations may have had something to do with that opinion. - Didi Chanoch
@Didi I though the fight scene at the end of II in the arena was amazing. - Steve Rubel
Yeah, well. They all had great fight scenes. But whenever people actually talked, it was terrible. Also: Jar Jar. And Hayden Christensen. - Didi Chanoch
@didi I actually liked Jar Jar. Though the underwater scene was bad. - Steve Rubel
The prequels were a disaster in terms of dialog and story. Lucas really needs to find better script writers. And now we have a Star Wars cartoon that fails to tell any really story at all. It's not entertaining for adults or kids. I hope this is not an indication of how the force unleashed will turn out. - Bob Blunk
most people only have one idea, or talent, in life, and beat it into the ground, it's normal - Gregory Lent
Who needs content, a great story and character development when you have C.G. cheese. Surely it's the eye candy everyone wants. - Stuart Forsyth
he's trying to make the earlier movies look better ;P - Kate
That article only comes up if you use its exact title. If you use just keywords, which is how most people construct searches, the article doesn't come up on the first page and Wikipedia comes in at #4. Google would be evil if it was demoting Wikipedia in favor of knols. That doesn't appear to be happening. - Kevin
answer to your question "is google a content company" seems to be it is turning into one - Kate
Knol ranking is very fishy!! In fact it's stinky, funky, day old sushi fishy!! - Eric_T
