This post was inspired by my Deadhead mother who has helped shaped my life in the most interesting of ways. I love you so much mom

For those readers that don’t know the Grateful Dead, you will sure know some cultural staples they have helped cultivate, like the Tie-dyed shirts, music file sharing, hippies, and the classic jam session. Simply stated, they are easily one of the most influential bands of all time while taking a different approach from the rest. This post represents a revelation I had which revealed that the Grateful Dead go far beyond their iconic rock and roll status. They created music that not only represented their time but created a movement that was far ahead of its time:

Growing up in a house littered with stickers of dancing bears and skulls, it’s an understatement to say that I was a bit embarrassed of my Deadhead roots. Having a Dead Head mom, I was immersed in a world of music, singing, stack and stacks of cassette tape and peculiar tape traders (don’t ask). The longer I live more I realize that the Dead are embedded within by DNA…and no I am not saying this because I just acquired a bongo drum.

After a weekend coffee shop stop with my mom, I noticed the uncanny parallels between her lifelong journey of Dead Headness and my Social Media passions and work. She constantly shares music with other Deadheads while I constantly share interesting content through the web. She meets interesting people from groups across the country to talk about the Grateful Dead while I meet interesting people on Twitter in hopes of sparking up meaningful relationships. She gets into the zone by turning their music up full blast and humming along while I get in the zone by turning on some Calm Meditation on Pandora and blogging up a storm. I guess we’re not so different after all.

The more I spoke with my mom the more I understood the fundamental implications the Dead have on our Social Media Culture. I am a believer…they are the pioneers of Social Media…

“Social” Media is More Important Than Tradition Media

The Grateful Dead had only one top 40 album, yet they are one of the top grossing bands of all time as they made on average 50 million dollars a year on concert revenue alone (according to Seth Godin’s “Tribes”). How was this at all possible? The answer is very simple: they didn’t focus on gaining fans, they focused on building a community. They ignited a movement composed of faithful community members known as “Deadheads” who lived for the now, the music and the love of the people around them.

The Dead did not make their money from CD sales or other traditional media. They made their money from concert tickets, memorabilia and other concert items. Basically they monetized the longtail! They found a few passionate followers, they gave them the tools to spread the message (free music being one tool), they grew and scaled up (sort of), and put passion before money. Sounds pretty Web 2.0, don’t it?

Sharing as a Pillar of Conduct

Deadheads are renowned for their sharing habits. They have created a network based on trust and reciprocity, much like that of the social web. Deadheads share tapes, CDs, and DVDs of Dead shows (much of the media is not from the original source…Jerry Garcia never cared ). Deadheads build up credibility and become trust agents by sharing great shows, returning what was given to them and knowing their stuff. Do you see any parallels with the social web? Authentic Social Media Marketer’s equity is in their ability to share, reciprocate and gain trust. We share links, blog posts, insightful videos and more in hopes that we add value in people’s lives and gain respect in our community. It’s obvious that both Deadheads and Social Media Marketers learned the art of sharing at a young age.

The People Shape The B(r)and

The Grateful Dead was not maded up of 5-7 people playing instruments on the stage; the group was made up of the millions of people who lived and died by their music. The band was influenced by their followers just as much as their followers were influenced by them. The Dead actually went as far as collecting the names and addresses of Deadheads so they could send them newsletters about the band, gifts and even went as far as asking for direct feedback from their followers.

You will also notice that the majority of the Dead did not dress up in tie-dye and prance like the dancing bears around the stage (Phil Lesh looks and dresses like your dad). Instead, their followers embraced the band’s music and formed a culture and lifestyle beyond the music. They made the Dead the legends that they are now.

Brands that are leveraging social media the right way are embracing their customers beyond the dollars and turning them into true fans. These brands not only listen but actively ask their fans to shape their company; they ignite a culture of sharing and discussion. The Dead’s followers spread their music further than the band could ever imagine. A brand’s true fans evangelize a brand that they love and trust to a level beyond word of mouth. They will become an entity of the brand by authentically promoting the brand and its offering.

Conclusion

The Grateful Dead was more than a band… it was a movement. The same movement is taking shape in the digital space today. Thanks for teaching me your ways mom!

Disclaimer

If you are a Deadhead and are outraged by any small tidbits of misinformation I may have provided in this post, I apologize. I am merely a 2nd generation Dead Baby that ran around dodging spinning people at the concerts. I am not an expert.

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2010 is here and with a new year comes new expectations, especially when it comes to social media.  Anyone who has been immersed in social media for the past few years have witnessed social media’s transformation from a richer form of harmless online chatter to one of the most powerful marketing channels today!  Marketers are seeing the masses spend less time on traditional media and more time playing Farmville on Facebook (I’m referring to the black sheep on your Newsfeed  phenomenon).  So if 2009 was there year where social media social media got some double takes from the the usual critics than 2010 is the year social media reels in that critic and seals the deal (whatever that means to you).

Here are some of the emerging trends in 2010 (according to the top influencers in the space…and myself )

Top Trends For Individuals

• Mobile is everything and everything will be mobile.
• Social media will be integrated more and more within more traditional media outlets –> video game systems, TV??, etc.
• There will be more exclusive communities popping up separating the authentic from the fakers.
• High adoption of Augmented Reality services.
• You will be more exposed than ever before.

Top Trends for Businesses

• The most apprehensive and most traditional companies will start dipping their toes in the water (cause everyone else will have already dove in).
• Each business will begin to set metrics for measuring ROI instead of measuring obscure levels of engagement.
• Companies will begin enforce social  media policies (like the NBA).
• Small business will begin to emerge in the space (via apps like FourSquare).
• Media agencies will begin to expand their offering or partner-up with others who got the skill set they need.

New Technology to Expect

• More location based services.
• More exclusive social networks.
• More focus on branded mobile apps.
• Facebook currency?
• New micro-blogging interfaces. 
  

Don’t just take my word for it…check out what the experts have to say!

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1. It doesn’t take a Harvard MBA to figure it out.
2. New era of authentic celebrities (Biz Stone, Kina Granis, Gary Vaynerchuk)
3. With enough creativity and ingenuity a startup with no resources can out play a large company.
4. Consumers have the power!
5. The world is flat.
6. Social media gurus…watch this video
7. Finding you boyfriend/ girlfriend on Facebook.
8. Collaboration fuels success.
9. The phrase “what have you been up to?” is now irrelevant when you run into someone you know…thanks to Facebook.
10. Formerly unimaginable revenue streams.
11. The mobile lifestyle revolution!
12. Transparency-Fakers are exposed and the authentic rise to the top.
13. Your heroes are more accessible to you.
14. Openness…
15. @Tweet one minute, coffee shop the next.
16. Live Feeds.
17. Chris Brogan.
18. Being a broke entrepreneur is cool.
19. Neo-journalism….the rise of the novice yet profound blogger.
20. The right brain has been reactivated!
21. Screens are getting smaller…sorry TV.
22. Digital stalking (you know who you are).
23. ROI is more theoretical and less tangible.
24. Human powered search.
25. Community is back!

What are some reasons you love social media?  Comment and crowd source this list!

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I wrote this back in August but since I have been busy with other things and have been unable to post (more to come on that later) I wanted to post it again.  More importantly, Facebook is making some changes in regards to their developers API..which could possibly help brands create more successful campaigns on Facebook and do away with spammy apps.  With that being said…enjoy

Just to let everyone know…I am now working with the leading Social Media Application Development Company, Facebookster Inc. My role there is to develop business with clients that we believe 1) can benefit from social media and 2) need to be educated on the benefits of social media.  With that being said it’s a two fold process for our company: to educate and to implement.  So who are the users that are beginning to benefit the most from the “New Facebook”?  Well I believe it’s the progressive media agencies that are ready to bring their brands something fresh, engaging and bottom line oriented.  Here are some ways media agencies can pitch Facebook to their clients:

1. 2 way conversation-Traditional marketing for the most part, is one-way advertising in which a message is transmitted directly to a person that can chose either to consume the information or not.  Then…for the ad to be fully effective, they must act on the advertisement’s call to action.  I’m getting dizzy writing this (hope that all made sense).  On Facebook and other social media platforms, it is much more simple: it’s a conversation.  This means that brands can share information and have their fans respond in whatever way to this information.  Consumers more then ever are looking for transparency and now they can get it and much more!  Successful brands in this new economy are not only going back and forth with their customers but they are engaging them like never before.  Facebook Pages gives brand a platform to have these conversations on.

2. Leveraging Numbers- With over 300 million active members, Facebook is soon going to edge out the population of the US.  Half of that number comes on Facebook once a day!  Pretty much it’s easy to say that plenty of people unconsciously type in “facebook.com” into their web browser (I do it too…kinda scary).  Facebook is rapidly becoming the hub were people come to get their information.  That doesn’t exclude information about brands.  Basically if a brand does not have a Facebook presence they are missing out on customers and their competitors are most likely snatching them.

3. Viral Hooks-Facebook shares information on it’s platform and around the web like no other website.  This means that information about a brand has the ability to spread like never before for a very very low cost.  More and more brands are creating Facebook Applications to spread the word.  You can customize an application around the basic function of a brand, a promotion or something just outlandish and fun…whatever it takes to engage customers and spread the right information.  Forget calling your favorite journalist for a favor, you now can spread the word in a whole new way.

4. Sharing is caring- As I indirectly said before, a keyword in the mantra of Facebook is “sharing”.  The more sharing a brand does the more trust they build with their customers.  With Facebook Connect brands can share information from their site on Facebook and visa versa.  Think of it this way: Facebook Connect can act as a constant press release feed to the largest social media platform there is.

5.$$$$$- Forget the 6 figure ad campaigns and invest in something long term brand building.  Besides saving money, you can add big time growth to your bottom line (ask Pop Tarts if you don’t believe me).  Organic growth means long term sustainable company growth; because now a customer is not just revenue but an evangelist for your mission.

To be open and candid I have only been with the company for a littttle while…so I know very little (sorry to waste your time).  One thing I do know as a social media enthusists and a progressive learner is that in this age of fast paised information sharing you have to be leveraging the Facebook platform in some way shape or form.  If you need help, contact me.  If it is a day after this post is up, I promise to tell you something you did not learn from this post!  Come on, try me!

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Throw enough Tweets and you'll catch a whale?

I have read numerous articles on how to use Twitter, how to gain followers and how to pick a stunning Twitter icon and a couple months later I am at 309 followers and 275 tweets deep.  Ya I know, not too impressive, if Guy Kawasaki didn’t seem like such a nice guy he would probably be laughing in my face.  But like most other facets of life I like to think it’s quality over quantity.  With that being said I have tried to absorb the most helpful blog posts regarding Twitter and disregard the others.  This is when I stumbled upon a simple post by Janet Fouts titled “6 Ways to Attract Twitter Followers“.  I believe this post was less about how to attract Twitter followers and more about how to make meaningful connections on Twitter.  She focuses on engaging people in meaningful conversation and therefore gaining their trust in the Twitter world…that is why I believe her strategy is more about forging relationships in the virtual social space rather than exploding your follower count (I think that’s what she meant all along).  This is exactly how I use Twitter, I have had some incredible conversations with some incredible people just by reaching out and trying to be helpful or supportive anyway I can.  Here are some of my methods:

1. I scan my home page Twitter Feed for any interesting tweets in my areas of interest or expertise.

2. If a person is asking a question I have some insight about I will @tweet them a unique answer and leave it open ended pretty much asking them what they thought.

3. If the person is linking their blog post to the tweet I will retweet it and add a something I liked about the article in my RT.

4. @tweet anyone with links specific to what they are interested in.

5. Always @tweet with a purpose.  Meaning, you should attempt to bring the conversation to email or a phone call that will better acquaint you and the other person.

Here are some example of how I put these methods to use:

1. Jason Peck- Jason is a authority in the sports social media niche.  I have followed Jason’s blog for about a year now and since I am pushing out BlackTop Hoops, I wanted to get a better feel for his take on how athletes can use social web tools.

One day on twitter Jason had a questions about how to reach a certain amount of users on a social platform he is working with.  I took this as an opportunity to @tweet him about an area in which I am strong in…Facebook.  I stated a possible solution to his problem and I offered to help.  I moved the conversation to direct messaging on Twitter and later set up a time to talk over the phone.  We had a very interesting conversation about social media, sports and entrepreneurship.  I hope to help him with promoting though Facebook and I hope he helps me with what he thinks is the right approach with BTH.  In this case a couple tweets became very valuable.

2. Yu-Kai Chou- I have followed Jun Loayza’s blog for sometime and ended up stumbling across his business partners blog.  One of his blog posts/videos (sorry, I forget which one…here’s his blog) was so valuable to me that I wanted to RT it with a very unique message.  I made sure everyone knew that this was a post you couldn’t pass up if you have the same interests as me (which most of my followers do).  Yu-Kai kindly enough sent me a thank you @tweet.  After I added a few more value added @tweets I moved the conversation over to the direct message inbox and pushed along the conversation.

Conclusion:

Contrary to the title of the post, this was not about catching the biggest fish in the sea (I just liked the photo).  Instead it’s about leveraging Twitter to create relationships with burgeoning superstars in your industry.  It’s easier than you think and believe me it’s fun.

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I am currently reading "Crowdsourcing" written by this cool cat Jeff Howe.  By this time many people know the term and typically base it around the premises that web users make web content for websites…ta-da!  Yes this is the superficial nature of crowdsourcing; however, there are much more technological and sociological implications which makes this new development veryyyy interesting.    Here our just a couple aspects of crowdsourcing that I think are interesting:

• Shift from professional to amateur based "workforce"- Many industries once required certifications, degrees and a platinum badge.  With the information age in the forefront and the industrial age long gone it's more evident than ever that specialization is not required as frequently as before and passion has now taken its place as being essential.  Many hobbyists are building some amazing tools with no proper training.

• Companies Finding Solutions Outside Their Employee Base- This is a little redundant to the first point, but it's important to point out that with the proper positioning companies are having their problems solved like never before.  They are getting fresh new minds from outside the cooperate to add to the bottom line and reduce their cost on labor.  As Jeff Howe puts it, "crowdsourcing is outsourcing on steroids".

• Crowdsourcing Can Dictate Demand and Monetization-With no true need for a robust cooperate infrastructure, "crowdsourcing companies" are taking advantage of their little overhead and low production costs.  Much of the time these companies will have the freedom to dictate their own margins on their products and services.  Not only that, but more importantly, consumers get to directly participate in the production of their goods.  Check out Threadless and iStockphoto to get more insight into two of the leaders in the industry.

In this digital age of online sharing, crowdsourcing is the cornerstone of the internet that powers content, community and commerce.  Check out the video and read Crowdsourcing for insights from the man in this space, Jeff Howe.

PS: I will touch base on crowdsourcing again in the future.  Pending me finishing the book (be patient).

-Brenton

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