Violet Mae Lim

photo credit: jonny2love

As more brands are jumping on to Twitter, I’m starting to notice one thing: how poorly their Twitter bios are written. This is a detail that is often overlooked, which means brands are missing a big opportunity.

Let me give you an example: Say I casually mention that I happen to like Brand X over Brand Y. Brand X is active on Twitter, monitoring their brand (as all brands should be). Brand X sees I mentioned them, and they reach out to me by tweeting something back. I see Brand X in my @ replies tab, click on their name and check out their 160 character Twitter bio. Their very short bio says something like:

We are Brand X, the best something something. Founded in 1820, we’re the oldest Blah Blah Blah, serving original Blah Blahs to over 500,000 people.

Basically, Brand X just gave me some copy they took from the “about us” section on their website. I’m completely uninterested and that’s the end of that. Brand X just missed a huge opportunity — the opportunity to gain a vocal follower who shows an affinity for their brand. What would have been a better Twitter bio for their brand? Something along the lines of:

We tweet about blah blah, our exclusive discount codes,  and give away blah blahs every Monday and answer all customer service questions. We’re funny too!

What’s the difference? The second example entices me. I read the bio and I know right away what Brand X is offering, what value they will be adding to my Twitter stream and what kind of tweets I should expect to see.  Sure, I want exclusive discount codes. Yes, I want to learn more about office supplies and tips on how to clean my house organically; so yes, I will follow your brand’s Twitter account. If a brand simply writes a short bio on their history, their location or nothing at all, the chances of someone following that brand may dramatically decrease. I imagine that the average person glances over a Twitter bio for a couple seconds and either clicks “follow” or clicks the little X in the upper right hand corner of the browser or tab.

Soooo, in conclusion…Be clear with what your brand or business is offering through Twitter. Entice your followers. Take some time to think about it. Answer one question: Why would anyone want to follow my brand? And please, oh please, don’t just use pre-approved copy off your company website.

As social media is being adopted as a channel of communication for brands, consumers and no longer consumers and brands are no longer brands. Everybody is a somebody and we’re all just people. But one aspect of social media that businesses often forget is their corporate/employee social media policy.

Take for example, a waiter in Los Angeles who was fired over a message he sent on Twitter. Sure his tweet was a tad on the snarky side. Was it necessary? No. Was it his opinion? Yes. Do we now live in an age where one tweet or status update from an employee could cause a domino effect of angry customers and stakeholders? Yes. Even on their personal accounts? YES!

Having a corporate social media policy will not only protects a business from anything an employee says online but also can protect reputations. I also think having a social media policy can also empower employees to adopt social media because employees know where the lines are drawn and understand what they explicitly can or cannot say — no confusion = more confidence.

photo credit: Tim Morgan

photo credit: tlataille

I spent the last week and a half wandering Paris in search of everything and nothing at the same time. I spent a lot of time learning and soaking in Paris and the Parisian lifestyle. If you’ve never been to Paris, you’re in for a shock. The city is magnificent. Parisians are the polar opposite of Americans. They don’t rush, they take their time and they relax. They have an obsession with baked goods and they certainly don’t work 50-60 hour weeks. While I was there, I was reminded of a couple things that we, as Americans, often forget.

1. There’s Always Room for Dessert
If you’ve ever been lucky enough to wander the streets of Paris, you’ll notice there are bakeries on every corner. You’ll also notice that almost every restaurant in Paris offers a combo with an appetizer, entree, beverage and dessert. While dining at French restaurants, I came to understand that desserts are a part of French cuisine and they are to be enjoyed. This made me realize that in the US, we often skip the simple, small, and sweet things in life because we’re too focused on doing whatever it is that we’re doing (whether it be work, school, a new start-up, a side project etc). We’re so full of our main entree that we can hardly think about dessert. When we do this, we miss out on the simple pleasures in life or a delicious dessert (quite literally). Always enjoy a bit of dessert with your proverbial meal.

2. Take a Step Back to Re-evaluate and Reflect
During my time in Paris, I didn’t sightsee. I sat at cafes sipping coffee, watching the world go by. I watched people from all walks of life come and go. As I sat there, I had time to reflect and re-evaluate my life, my goals, my expectations and my current situations. I tend to reflect on my life often but this time it felt like a breath of fresh air.

I realized sometimes I work so hard toward my goals, I forget to take the time to REALLY evaluate on a large scale. Setting life goals is important but consciously taking the time to re-evaluate and reflect is even more important – whether that means taking a much needed vacation or sitting at your favorite coffee shop and watching the people go by…. everyone needs a breath of fresh air.

3. Striving to be Perfect is a Waste of Time
Parisians wear a lot of black – head to toe. The women look put together, chic and polished. Personally, I never wore black on black. Something about wearing black on black bothered me because I felt the slightly different shades of black looked sloppy and untidy. Now? Don’t be surprised if you find me wearing black on black. Striving to be perfect or attempting to coordinate all the tiny details in life is a waste of time. That time could be spent on other things. I can’t tell you how many times I was *almost* late to an event because I “didn’t have anything to wear.” In retrospect, pulling together an all black outfit and doing a quick mirror check before running out the door would have saved me so much time.

4. Use Kind Words
People say the French are rude. I found this to be completely untrue. Why? I don’t speak much French. Fortunately, most people in France speak English. I managed to get around fine with basic phrases like “hello”, “good evening”, “good bye”, “thank you”, “no thank you”, “excuse me” and most importantly, “I’m sorry I don’t speak French. Do you speak English?” I found people were much friendlier and willing to help me when I used these phrases instead of automatically assuming they speak English and speaking to them in English right away.

These phrases are basic and it may seem like common sense but I’ve met a lot of people that seem to not know this. They are too concerned with getting what they want right away, they forget that people want to be treated like people. If anything, I’d say there are times when us Americans can be very rude.

5. BYOTSC (Bring Your Own Toilet Seat Covers)
No deep thoughts of self-reflection here. I call a spade a spade. There are no toilet seat covers so bring your own. You can get these in the travel section of any Target.

I had a wonderful, unforgettable time in Paris. The culture and the Parisian lifestyle is so different than what I’m used to. It was a much needed vacation and a review course in Life 101. Now I feel refreshed, recharged and ready to take on the world. So watch out!

photo credit: a4gpa

If you haven’t already heard, I have big news! I have left my role as Community Outreach Manager at Heavybag Media and accepted a position at FIJI Water as Marketing and Social Media Coordinator. Above everything, I am grateful for the opportunities, learning experiences and fun I had at Heavybag Media.

The opportunity at FIJI is a very exciting one and I can’t wait! As the social web changes, businesses are trying to find a way to meaningfully connect with their customers and build communities around their brands (through PR, customer service, marketing, sales etc). FIJI is a brand that understands this and strives to find innovative ways to stay relevant and connect with their online communities. Because of this, I am excited to be part of their online communication strategies as well as their traditional marketing efforts.

Additionally, I will continue to be active on the social web – tweeting, blogging, flickr’ing… etc. I also plan to still attend the LA technology, startup and social media events, so don’t you worry!

You can read more about my move here. Thanks to LA’s Lalawag for the kind words.

I’m trying to drink more water. Did you know that the human body is made up of 60-70% water? Not only are our organs made of water but we use water to transport oxygen to the cells in our body. Most people already know that water is fuel for our bodies and that drinking water regularly is essential; but with work, school, errands and our busy lives in general, staying hydrated often becomes an afterthought rather than a habit. Here are 5 tips on how to turn the chore of drinking water into a healthy habit.

photo credit: simplyalex

1. Water, Water Everywhere:
Whether it’s at the office, in your purse, or in the kitchen… make sure you have access to water wherever you are. Carry bottled water with you and you’ll never forget to stay hydrated.
2. Add a Twist:
Add some flavor to your water to refresh your taste buds. Try a cucumber slice, tiny chunk of watermelon, half a strawberry, blueberries or a squirt of fresh lime. Adding a slice of fresh fruit to your water is healthier than juices or sports drinks and has less sugar.
3. Water 2.0:
If you have an iPhone, you can download an app called “8 Glasses a Day.” Touch one of the glasses on your iPhone whenever you drink a real glass of water and see the virtual ones disappear. The app also has push notification to remind you of how many glasses you have left for the day.
4. The Ol’ Switch-a-Roo:
Instead of ordering juice, coffee or soda at a restaurant, have iced water. It’ll not only quench your thirst, but also be more refreshing with your meal. Bonus tip: If you have sensitive teeth, drinking iced water through a straw helps.
5. Find Your Own System:
Whether it’s lining up eight sticky notes on the rim of your computer monitor and taking them down as you drink water or having
a timer go off at the top of every hour, devise a system that works for you. The more memorable the system is for you, the more you’ll be apt to follow it.

Regularly drinking water is a healthy habit. Start slowly and work your way up to 8 glasses of water a day if you need to. Whether you choose one of these tips or come up with your own system, stick to it and you’ll find yourself drinking more water without even thinking about it.

Today, the darling of socia media, Twitter, announced it would be adding a geo-location feature to tweets.  Currently, all the early adopters are fawning over Foursquare, before that it was BrightKite but Google Lattitude never really got on the map (no pun intended). There are also lots of other location based social networks and apps.

Geo-location based social networks are on the rise. Is this the next wave in social networking? Venture capitalist, Fred Wilson, sees a lot of value in location based social networking. Personally, I love using location based social networking apps for three reasons:

1. I like discovering new places in whichever city I’m in.

2. Location based social networks  let me see which places my friends are going. I could meet up with them if I’m in the neighborhood or going back to #1, discover new places I probably wouldn’t have discovered otherwise.

3. Location based social networks help me meet like minded people, say at a web conference or tech event.

However, everyone I know who isn’t an early adopter is not so in love with this idea. The mainstream think it’s scary, creepy, mundane or don’t see the value in it. Case in point: when I was in Austin for SXSW Interactive in 2008, I used Brightkite.  My phone had never gone off so many times in my entire life. Brightkite was sending me notifications of other people in the tech industry were checking in to all the bars, hotels, cafes etc. I haven’t received a Brightkite notification since then.

It’s not to say that the mainstream won’t embrace location based social networks one day. I’m sure they will. Remember the days when it was unheard of to put your picture on the internet? And now it’s shifted to where it’s normal (almost expected) to use a real picture of yourself as an avatar, as well as post pictures of yourself and your friends. As social networking sites have lifespans, attitudes towards the web and web activity shift. From a marketing perspective, because the mainstream hasn’t embraced location based social networking means businesses should quickly jump at the opportunity to be on these networks. Why? It’s these early adopters who already on these networks that are more likely to talk about you, share tips about your business and pass the word along to their friends.

Massage Therapy Center in West Los Angeles treats their customers how all business should treat their customers. I recently went there for a massage, had a mediocre experience and Yelped about it. I gave them what I thought was a fair review. The owner, Mark Chatow personally reached out to me about my review and has offered me a refund including gratuity or a credit including gratuity. He also offered to help me find a massuse at Massage Therapy Center that would fit my needs.

Dear Violet,

Thanks very much for your review about the Massage Therapy Center.  While I was disappointed to see that your  massage didn’t leave you feeling the way you expected it to, I am glad that you took the time to write about it, so we can hopefully make things better.

If you’d be willing to share a little more about your massage and your preferences I would be happy to match you with a therapist who might be a better fit for the style of massage you prefer.  I’d also like to work something out with you on the massage you already paid for.  Our policy is that if a client isn’t happy with their session, they don’t have to pay for it.

We can either refund your payment (including the tip), or I can give you a credit for another session including tip.

If you’d be willing to give us another chance please let me know.  I look forward to the opportunity to welcome you back for the experience you should have had in the first place.

Best regards,
Mark Chatow

Owner

The Massage Therapy Center

I review a lot of small businesses on Yelp. I don’t use Yelp strictly to vent about a bad experience; I talk about great experiences I’ve had and I review the good, the bad and the ugly. I can be ruthless with my reviews but if your business is great, I’m your biggest evangelist, fan, free marketing department etc.  Mark’s message really surprised me as my review’s overall sentiment was neutral. I didn’t complain in my review but the fact that he took the time to go above and beyond really impressed me. I’ve accepted his offer and will go back to Massage Therapy Center one more time.

This is a great example of how to conduct customer service through social networks. I hope more business owners will understand how important it is to monitor their business, listen to their customers and respond accordingly. Stay tuned for my next post on how business owners can further use Yelp as a customer service strategy.

I’ve been hearing a lot of chatter lately around lifestreaming and blogging. Some say lifestreams are “killing” (ugh, I hate that word in this context) blogs, while others couldn’t care less about lifestreams. My opinion? Blogs are alive and well with the help of their friend, the lifestream.

A lifestream is an aggregation (or collection) of all your social networking activities. My lifestream is here. That’s where you can see in one place, what I’m tweeting, bookmarking, favoriting, yelping, stumbling, flickr’ing and reading, among other things. This particular lifestream is powered by Sweetcron, a self-hosted lifestream software. In order to use this software, you must have your own hosting service and be familiar with CSS as well as a little PHP. My lifestream is where you can see what I’m all about beyond my blog. It’s also a place where you can get a holistic view of who I am through the pictures I take, the videos I watch, the resources and sites I bookmark etc. All of the social networking sites I am active on are on this lifestream, except for Facebook. Only because I haven’t got around to writing the code. My lifestream is a one stop shop for all your Violet Mae needs.

On the other hand, this blog is where you can read in-depth about me, what I’m doing professionally, my thoughts on the marketing, new media, tech, web 2.0, social media industry. My blog is updated less frequently (I promise this will change) but the entries are thought out (sort of) and much longer than 140 characters. My blog is also a place where I can reflect, muse and ramble– it’s active and requires maintenance. Oppositely, my lifestream is passive and sits in the background but they both support each other in terms of shaping who I am online, what I do and what I’m all about.

Most people I know don’t have lifestreams. In fact, those I know who are not involved in tech or new media find it absolutely horrifying. “WHY would I want everyone to know what I do all over the internet? That’s like, stalker status!” Their very reaction tells me that lifestreaming is going to become very popular within the next one or two years– especially with the shift into real-time web (more on this topic at a later date).

In other words, blogging and lifestreaming are so different and each have their advantages and disadvantages. However, they work very well together and I don’t see how one is “killing” the other. As far as I’m concerned, they are both playing happily in the sandbox together.

Twitter continues to be a hot topic and the social media darling. More mainstream users are joining Twitter and people are proving to be very passionate about the micro-blogging, real-time, communication platform. You know how the old saying goes: with great power comes great responsibility. 2 days ago, Twitter caused frustration, anger and even disappointment in many users.

Twitter decided to make a “small settings update”. This update meant a Twitter user would no longer see the conversations their friends are having with people whom they are not following. People went nuts. The following morning, Twitter was overwhelmed by all the feedback they got. Later that day, Twitter explained their reasoning behind the changes and assured users they were coming up with something bigger and better. They continued to get push back from Twitter users (tweeple? tweeps? twitterati? twits?) and published yet another blog post further explaining the changes and technical difficulties behind the original setting.

Whew! What a story! Now what can your business or brand learn from this?

Ask for Feedback BEFORE implementing change:
You know you’re brand is adding value, doing good and changing the world (I would hope so, anyway)… that’s why you have such a strong community around you (once again… I hope so). Asking for feedback not only will help you figure out who your most passionate users are and what they are saying but also give you a chance to actually listen to what they think about your service and see what they value about you. A reality check, if you will. These passionate users are your brand evangelists. They are the ones spreading the word about you, wearing your t-shirts and bringing you up in their everyday conversations. Listen to them.

Communicate:
After the round(s) of feedback, either thank your loyal users and let them know you appreciate them OR let them know you’ll be making some changes. Explain why you’re making the changes. Explain clearly and frequently. In Twitter’s case, they could have easily sent out public tweets, put a notice out like they do when they are planning a scheduled maintenance in addition to blogging about it. This would have eased the minds of many users.

Stick to Your Decision:
People in general, do not like change. They want what they are most used to and will probably kick and scream all the way home. There is also a mob mentality that can take place (especially with Twitter and the ease of visually seeing the top trending topics). Let’s face it. Some people just like complaining for the sake of complaining. Assuming you’ve done your research and you have a competent team behind you, you know ultimately know what works and what doesn’t work behind the scenes or on the back-end of your service.

Twitter promises something bigger and better. Those guys are smart; I trust they will implement a social discovery system that will not only reduce noise but be smoother and more efficient. Nonetheless, opening up the lines of communication would have eased the minds of many and simply put, a better experience for users. Really. The last thing you want to do is piss off your community.

Social networks come and go. Think: Friendster, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter and all the ones that have come in between or are struggling to keep up (Plurk, Pownce, Jaiku etc). As someone who uses social networks both professional and personally, it’s important to identify and understand these trends. As a brand, understanding these trends will keep you above your competition and relevant in your industry.

Social Networking Life Span:
1. Launch
2. Growth
3. Peak
4. Plateau
5. End
*Some social networks won’t ever get pass #1.

Once a social network peaks, you’ll hear about it everywhere from the mainstream media and all throughout the blogosphere. Everyone and their grandmothers will be on the site. The site will eventually become over saturated with users, companies, brands and ultimately, spam. Additionally, there will be other social networking sites that are able to fill the
needs/wants/desires of users and grow with the user base (I hope to revisit this topic at another time).

As a marketer, It’s during #2 (growth) and #3 (peak) where it is most beneficial to join the site. Build your reputation, “social capital” and community while the social networking site is growing. Thrive during stage #3 as more users join the social network. All the while, keeping your ears and eyes open for the next, up-and-coming social network. As the first social network starts to plateau, utilize the second social network. As previously mentioned, when a social network plateaus, it is infiltrated with spam, glittery icons and too much music (think: MySpace). You (of course) are not spamming your community, but they are getting spam from elsewhere in the social network–perhaps your competitor who hasn’t a clue how to effectively or strategically use it.

What’s important to remember: if your messages and interactions are in the company of spam and junk, you are no longer relevant. Your community gets bored and your messages are drowned out. Marketing is an arms race. You have to understand how your communities want to receive, see, “hear” and consume your message and use the appropriate technologies to implement your strategies. At the same time, marketers also need to be aware of the life spans or social networks while keeping an eye and ear open for the next up and coming sites. Doing so keeps you relevant as a brand and ensures your engagement and interaction with your customers, consumers and communities are maximized.