I recently applied for an interactive marketing internship via a “cover tweet.” It was a cool, new way to apply for an internship and it got me thinking. What exactly is interactive marketing? What does it mean to be interactive?

The Mediums

A lot of companies ask consumer to like their Facebook page and or follow on twitter but what does that do? Yea you can like a brand but that does nothing but infiltrate your news feed. Domino’s is a good example. Why the hell would I want to take a picture of my pizza? I just want to eat it. A great piece from PSFK talks about this idea of “interaction” in advertising and marketing.

Companies have things wrong. In my opinion, as a Digital Native, it seems that since they are on Facebook they are being “interactive” when in reality they are just meeting us on a platform. Like they did with print, radio and television. Just because marketers meet us there, doesn’t mean that they are interacting.

What seems to happen is most companies just show their face in these social outlets. Their idea is that since 500 million users are there we should be there too. Unfortunately that isn’t enough. It is like going to a networking party and not speaking. It is equally as useless as if you didn’t go in the first place.

A great campaign makes you

feel empowered to do something.

Old Spice had a great campaign. They showed personal interest. They offered a user incentive: “If you ask us a question, we will respond.” Old Spice found a way to interact with their users. Did it increase views, brand recognition and all that jazz? Hell yes. It was the epitome of interactive. Here are some stats, in case you are curious.

An example, feel free to take it:

A coffee company wants to send a message to consumers that they are being eco-friendly. All of their paper coffee cups are produced with recycled paper. Instead of just using signs they decide to integrate something a bit more tech savy, QR codes.

Corporate  creates 5 videos that shows the origin of their cups. It proves to the consumers that they are taking a step in the direction of environment awareness.

Now, each cup is printed with a QR code and quick direction on how to access the information behind it. ! of the 5 videos that corporate made is attached to the QR code. Consumers now have to interact with the product. There is some incentive to them because they get an inside view or behind-the-scenes look as to how the product they are drinking from is made. This makes them feel like they are apart of the brand. It creates brand clarity.

There are many ways to create interaction between consumer and a brand, but being on Facebook isn’t the only thing. You have to do something that really resonates with people, with your constituents.

Even though there are multiple “strategy” ideas I feel like they all follow suite: create accounts, be present, and “engage.” This idea of “engagement” has been misinterpreted from sheer overuse of the word. Engagement isn’t just talking; it’s incorporating the consumer with a product or company. Make them feel apart of your brand. Basically, humanize your product, brand, or company.

Have any thoughts? Hate what I’m saying? Ideas? I’d love to chat.

Today, I have 809 followers. But does that really mean something? For all I know most could be spam bots and keyword hounds, but who’s counting, aside from Twitter. This post isn’t about me; it’s about our natural habits to follow those with glory and “spotlight.” Once again, we show our weakness as a society to care more about those in the limelight than those really making things happen. So, with that said, who really does matter?

“Thought Leaders”

Who is a thought leader? What makes them one? Do they have to be a CEO, Principal, President or some high standing figure, right? Or to be a thought leader you must be someone of high stature, make tons of money, be a Harvard grad, know someone, or a combination of those mentioned and other things not attributed in this post? Are they a thought leader because they get book deals and have hundreds upon thousands of followers? It is all a big pile of nonsense.

“Thought Leaders” should be more like Brian Solis. In my honest opinion I believe he is a thought leader in the communications industry.

• Regularly postsing about “new media,” “social media,” PR, communications on his blog.
• All compelling pieces; studies and things of that nature.
• He is the author of multiple books.
• Does incredible work speaking with people.

He works. He writes. He is pushing the industry forward. Kudos, Brian.

Leaders

105+ million users power Twitter. Facebook, 500 Million. Who really pushes those platforms? The users of course, but a certain group I call Leaders. A few names come to mind immediately: David Spinks, Lauren Fernandez, Sydney Owen, Ted Rubin, Andrew Norcross, Jenny Blake, Nate Erickson, Samantha Ogborn, Denis Crowley. Why? I’ll tell you:

• Built a strong community of friends and “followers” from the ground up.
• They have always interacted through the mediums with EVERYONE.
• Write thought-provoking pieces.
• Push the envelope in a multitude of areas.
• They aren’t just social media whores!

The Rest of Us

We are the though leaders, too. We’ve innovated through these social mediums to use them outside of their intended purposes:

• Twitter chats.
• Social reforms through Facebook.
• Growing our network.
• Connecting others.

Things become “trending topics” because we make them. On the same token, we make these “though leaders” who we decide. We should re-evaluate who the thought leaders really are and thank those in our community for presenting valuable information instead of automated links upon links and affiliated content.

More on why I think those listed are awesome here.

We have cell phones that are computers. Facebook is the ultimate platform for internet consumption, and Google searches finds results for queries you haven’t even thought of yet. We no longer are living creatively. We are living adaptively. Which isn’t bad but it means the end is near.

This post stems from the movie Toy Story 3. I hope you’ve seen it if not jump ahead to the Toy section because I give the idea of the movie here. Andy is grown up. He is forced to ditch his toys because the social norm says he is too old to play and needs to do grown up things. He adapts rather than creating a new idea, taking toys to college. For me the movie is more than that. It shows where and when we are torn from our creativity. The day we are given electronics and depend on them is the same day we drown our personal imagination and creativity.

Technology = Adaptology

Yup, I just made a new word. Adaptology. Quote me. We learn how to adapt in life, we make changes for the better or worse and do what we can. Technology is guilty of harboring the adaptivity as a lifestyle. We know think through adaptation versus thin air. We, as humans, think to make something better rather than making something brand new, which isn’t bad, just tiresome. I’ll elaborate through toys.

Toys- Here is where my Toy Story idea circles back.

How many of us had G.I. Joes or Barbies? They were plain and basic, we could change their clothes or accessories and that’s it. How much fun did we have with these toys? We created the scenarios that they narrowly escaped from. We made the most ridiculous things out of table and chairs. We made forts with sheets and pillow cushions. Both, for the record, are neither sturdy nor stable. But we made do. Point blank. We made the best with what we had, yes we adapted, but our creativity and imagination took us further. G.I. Joe adapted to having Barbie as his wife and the fact that she was taller. But we created the wedding on the North Pole of Mars. Yes, the North Pole of Mars. The benefits of these toys were not that they were intuitive and told us when crap needed to happen. It was because they were plain, we decided what happened and used that to our biggest advantage.

We cannot create with creativity, hence the root word in there. I am going to make a bold statement and say that this mashup of tech and social will slow down soon. The general publics attention span is only so big and adapting only lasts so long. Let’s stop making feature and start playing with boring toys.

If you think otherwise, tell me. I’d love to hear your side/opinion.

By the way, I LOVEEEED the Toy Story 3 movie. I cried like a baby.

Is it odd that I like to have the   television on mute? For me, its   like that glow that I can sit with, doing whatever I’d   like, and not even noticing it for a second. Well, tonight. Tonight I write without that effervescent glow.

Since being back an in Tampa I was re-inspired. Working on my social, stealth start up is my big project this summer. It can only be summed up as a social network for college students; ha, so Facebook. But regardless I’m at a standstill, both in life and my current project. Things just haven’t been the same. I have NYC-lag, I think?So Here I am asking for your assistance. Yes, this cry of help is to you, the reader. I’m outsourcing my life, in some ways, and need your help.

Redundancy = Complacency.

I wake up, work, shower, read, sleep and somewhere in between I eat. That is a daily routine I’ve managed to work myself into. It is one that I despise. So, I’m asking you to conjure up a new routine or activity I can add to my day. Did I mention work is something I don’t need to do? By no means am I financially set, but a job isn’t a career, and this one definitely won’t get me into my career so its disposable. Life, however, isn’t.

The Not-So-Stealth Brick Wall.

As I said before I am embarking on a project. One that remains quiet until its release, which is yet to be announced. Thus far I’ve developed the designs and mock ups. I now need a coder. Someone who can help develop my skills or is willing to join the team. I’m not looking to outsource to third party, I want someone who envisions our idea and concept. I want someone who is willing to break out of the “I don’t know” and venture into the “I’ll find out.” I want someone who knows some code, but maybe not enough, but has the gumption to go ahead and dive headfirst. Or someone that knows it all. Either will work. Regardless I need your help to find one. Since Tampa, at least the corners I’ve searched, has resulted in 0.

With that, I leave you with this:

Any and all help, in either or all departments is greatly appreciated. I value my readers more than any google analytics will tell you. So anything you have to say, I’ll read and respond. Oh yea, Mom, thanks for reading, Love you.

The dreaded “reflection post.” It stinks because I’ve missed New York City since the second I lugged my purple tote and body onto the train at Penn Station. But, I was out of money, so therefore, had to leave. Regardless, it was an amazing experience. The four months there cemented my dreams of moving to NYC immediately after graduation. But enough cute talk, lets get to the meet. What did I learn? what did I take away? Most of this isn’t pertinent to the PR or marketing industry, but more so to life.

Patience

Sounds funny, right. How did I learn patience in the fastest city in America? The “city that never sleeps.” Well, you have to wait for subway trains, cabs, traffic and the average slow walking, tourist walking in front of you on Broadway. It really shows me that no matter how fast I walk, there is always a time and place to catch my breathe. It created opportunities to think and really just to put things in perspective.

Central park is a great place. Sitting  on the Great Lawn isn’t just fun. It’s  surreal. You are in the middle of a  huge lawn, with no cares in the  world. You feel the soft, green grass  between your toes and fingers and  feel like you are nowhere, and love it.  You look up, and see buildings. Such  a serene and peaceful place that is  filled with positive attitudes and good  vibes is smack dab in the middle of  New York City. Your skyline from the lawn is that of corporate buildings, apartments and the city skyline. FYI I’m drooling right now.

People

According to this there are roughly 3.4 million NYC residents. I was lucky enough to meet the best people while I was there. I worked with crazy, smart people. I hung out with incredibly awesome people too. Living in such tight quarters you see the real emotions and attitudes of people. The straightforward attitude of New York residents is usually a bad thing, right? Wrong, its amazing. New Yorkers are the only people to tell you how awesome you are at the drop of a hat. They are the only ones to really tell you how they feel, and it’s usually a good thing too. The people I’ve met, which are too many to name (I love you all!) are wonderful. They are all my true friends. I’ve bonded with them quicker and easier than I would have imagined. Thank you all for making my time there great!

Overall, after paying close to $27,000 for my New York experience I’ve learned these things. NYU is overrated; it’s a college, geez. New York City enables passion, endurance, strength, and AwesomeSauce. It’s where I want to live, it’s where I want to grow old. It’s where I want to leave my legacy. It’s not a big apple, it’s a big, loving, beating heart. It continues to beat from the people who walk, bike, run, commute in and out to make their dreams come true. Thanks for making mine.

Believe in yourself, and go.

Do you get weird looks when you say you’re on twitter? Do your friends mock you sometimes? I’ve had both of those, and more, happen to me recently. People always ask, what is it? what do you do? It’s hard to make it stick to most, but if you relate it to a bar/networking event, they get the picture.

At a bar there is a room, or eco-system (twitter) at that location. You have the opportunity to talk to anywhere in the room. But sometimes that can be daunting. So what most people do is find a common ground. You hear people next to you talking about a recent game or event and you chime in. BAM, a conversation starts.

Another example

Your friend invites you to a networking event but you don’t want to go because you won’t know anyone. But you go anyway in an attempt to “break out of your comfort zone.” While there in the eco-system, you meet tons of people through your friend. You leave the event feeling refreshed because you’ve met new people, in new industries, and overall new friends.

Twitter isn’t some weird status update, it isn’t telling people what you’re doing. It brings people together. It helps you find new friends, new networks and new opportunities.

When you have to tell a friend what twitter is. Just tell them its one big conversation and any one can join.

Those mentioned in the picture are people I’ve met through Twitter. They are all great friends today. Thanks everyone!

Photo Creds- Its from Flikr. Bear with me I’m trying to find the link since I grabbed the picture so long ago. Holler to @nishachittal for being in the pic. It’s from Social Media Club DC

Last night I was reading this article. It discusses the ban of laptops in college classrooms across the nation and how computers are distracting students, and ultimately, ruining the teaching process. I politely disagree. We currently are flooded with information from various social sites. Why aren’t educators taking advantage of this?

Meet Them In The Middle

Instead of saying no to electronics, information and technology, educators should learn from them and embed them into their teachings. Everyone uses Facebook, Twitter and a new and upcoming service, FormSpring, so why not implement them in the way we interact and educate students. Here are some ideas.

Facebook

These articles, one and two, mention the usage of Facebook. From 2008 to 2009, Facebook usage increased 700% from 1.7 billion minutes to 13.9 billion minutes. Again folks, that is BILLIONS. Why aren’t teachers using this medium?

Example

Mr.Doe teaches English II, for 10^th graders. His class is comprised of a lot of reading and writing. Mr. Doe creates a Facebook group for his 1^st period English II class. In that group updates the page with reading and writing assignments.

Since students already use this medium why not utilize the platform for education? I mean, they are already on it for 13.9 billion minutes. Why not?

Twitter

Since the Chirp conference, Twitter released their company stats. The biggest one, there are 105 million registered users. Why don’t teachers use this medium to talk with their students, or engage in conversation with them

Example

Mrs. Smith teaches Intro to Public Policy at a University in Awesome. She has a class of 100 students and it’s hard to curate conversation in class. As an assignment, she puts together a twitter chat and assigns a hashtag. She narrates this chat with questions, ones would be too difficult to cover in class, to engage with students, to provide information and to see what they know.

FormSpring.me

This one is a stretch, I’ll admit, but the possibilities are great. On Formspring.me Any one can ask a question, if you a registered user, then your name appears in your question, if not it’s private. The user has the right to answer or delete any question.

Example

Mr. Kersh has assigned a paper due in three weeks to his class. The only problem is the class meets once a week. Instead of students flooding his inbox he creates a FormSpring. He gives out his public URL and tells students to direct any question to the given assignment to this medium. He can then answer the questions, post it to all, and decide which questions to answer and not answer (since 30 students ask the same question).

We are educating our future, so why not keep their attention though current mediums instead of boring them to death with PowerPoint and lectures.

Flikr Creds: Here

Posts on writing tend to start with “The Top 10 Best Writing Resources” or “50 Writing Tools.” I’m here to offer two tips for writing. I use them to practice my writing and to strive for creativity. Both can be seen as abstract exercises but that is where the meat and potatoes are found.

One Word

Oneword.com is a web site that offers just that, one word. You have 60 seconds to write on a word. Write whatever you’d like then voluntarily submit. After that submission you can also see what others wrote about for the same word. The word changes ever 24-hours.

This could help hone creativity and the methodology of your own writing. Think about abstract writing as pulling content from nothing. Creating your own piece of work from a single thought, idea, or in this case, word.

Speak Through Your Ears and Fingers.

This isn’t a web site but rather, your own musical library. A lot of folks have said that listening to music helps them write, it releases creative flows that any other activity cant’. What is being offered here is a new view on musical assistance.

When you want to write but have no topic, turn on your music. Find your favorite song or one that speaks to you. Close your eyes and write what you feel. It isn’t about finding ideas through the songs but take what you feel inside of you and write about it.

Is it worth publishing? Maybe. Is it bringing out the real you? Hopefully. Regardless of the result one can hone their writing skills through other mediums.

There you have it. Two tips, or resources, to hopefully help your writing. If you have any other cool, nifty, or interesting ways to dig into your inner Stephen King share them here.

Picture Creds: Here

Since leaving SXSW I’ve realized that there might only be three types of people in the world: a creative, a creator and a combination. Think of new media and social media start ups none were founded by one person.  Companies have a tandem or team of people, a mixture of creative’s and creators, helping to reach a goal of fruition.

Creative

These are the folks that continuously pour out ideas. Their brains are incubators for what will be the next big thing. Whether onto napkins in restaurants, in a word document or to telling their friends over coffee, they always have ideas. Some stupid and some genius.

These are the folks that come up with the concepts or purposes for tangible and intangible things. Not to say these kinds of people can’t develop or build their own idea, but this is where root ideas and concepts are born.

Creator

Here are the people that take your ideas concept to reality. It could be a web dev

eloper if you have an idea for an online community. Maybe even someone who understands how to start a small business. It could even be someone who is great with strategy and planning. These are the people who can take your idea and put it in the right path to create a real product or community. These creators also help grow an idea into something bigger and better or smaller and more niche.

Combination

This could easily be a blessing and a curse. They can dream up crazy ideas and bring them to being. They can also help innovate or build on a current product or existing idea. One can make amazing things happen but could easily be overwhelmed with too many on going projects.They have the creative spark and organized mind to make great things happens.

There is nothing wrong with being one of these. As well as transcending from one person to another while mixing attributes, which would make you a combination.

A group of people with a mixture of types is probably best. It helps to bounce ideas off of one another to create something that is #awesomesauce.

What kind are you? What kind do you want to be?

Photo Creds: Pic 1- Google Images Pic 2- Flikr