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We Might Do a Show Called We Might Swear – Dave Gray, Steve Portigal and Me

Me, Dave Gray and Steve Portigal on a newly created show called We Might Do a Show Called We Might Swear. Blindingly awesome. You just can’t make stuff like this up.

One interesting nugget – in this interview, I discuss my crippling social media addiction. Enjoy!

The Trick to Social Media Success?

When we all get our neural implants installed, thereby relegating Google Glass to the trash heap (nevermind our long-deceased iPhones), the key to our success will not be mastering the technology. Nothing will be more determining and necessary than depositing the right thoughts into the device.

Social media is no different. Don’t master the bat; it’s just a piece of wood. Master your preparation, your knowledge of the pitches thrown, and your swing.

Instagram vs Vine: My Appearance on Fox 2 TV

Instagram has debuted a big new feature – 15 second videos can now be recorded and posted. Vine has mostly owned the social video creation landscape, but Instagram presents a huge challenge to them. To date, I have 550 followers on Vine and have posted almost 220 videos. On Instagram, I have almost 2,500 followers and have posted almost 1,800 still photos. At the time of this posting, I’ve made six videos with Instagram. Here’s what I’m seeing so far.

1. Out of the gate, Instagram has an advantage. They have 100,000,000+ users, most with very established networks and relationships. Vine is two years younger – everyone’s networks are smaller. For instance, the NBA has over 1.1 million followers on Instagram. They immediately started using the new video feature during game 7 of the Finals, and the videos were getting between 30,000 and 60,000 likes. They have 141,000 followers on Vine and got between 1,000 and 2,000 likes on their Finals videos. They used Instagram much more extensively during game 7. At this point, they could continue to build both services, but I’d say Instagram has an insurmountable advantage.

2. Instagram video has image stabilization. Whoa. It really works. Check out this video I took at my dining room table. As ironstef noted, it looks like I had it on a Steadicam.

3. Instagram video has filters (naturally). I think they’re awesome, and I can’t imagine Vine isn’t going to add filters ASAP.

4. Instagram videos are 15 seconds, while Vine’s are six. People will automatically point to longer videos as being desired and advantageous, but I don’t necessarily think that’s so. Who knows what the “right length” is? Maybe 20 seconds would be better? Maybe six seconds does force and spark creativity.

5. I think it’s easier to start-stop-start-stop recording on Vine. So producing stop-motion videos certainly seems easier. On Vine, you just touch the phone’s screen anywhere. On Instagram, you have to press the little red record button. One bonus on Instagram is that touching the screen in a certain spot allows you to focus. There are times on Vine where I wish I could bring the camera into focus by touching the screen, but that starts recording video. This often forces me to delete and start over.

6. Many people are going to like exhibiting their photos and videos in one place. I don’t think this is going to cause brand or product confusion. It is entirely possible to do two things well. Why can’t Instagram nail this video feature and rule online video? Remember, they have over 100,000,000 users, and those users love the filters.

7. Advertisers buy 15-second TV spots. I wonder if the 15-second video length was merely pulled out of a hat.

Overall, I disliked seeing people post “Vine is so dead!” and “R.I.P. Vine” on the day Instagram video came out. Those seemed like kneejerk reactions to me, and paid no attention to the fact that Vine and Instagram are more than photo and video services – they are communities. There are some tight-knit communities on Vine that aren’t just going to go away. Chobani is kicking ass on Vine, and they can continue to do so.

After using Instagram video a few times, I have to say that I love the image stabilization and filters. And I don’t mind admitting this (and neither should you), but I like sharing my handywork with almost 2,500 people instead of 500. Instagram’s community size is a plus. For brands, the question need not be “Which should I use?” If your videos are connecting with consumers on both services, then use both services.

Instagram vs vine

image courtesy of Techcrunch

Here’s a link to the story on Fox 2 Now, in case the embedded video above doesn’t cooperate.

Here are a few more articles worth reading:

1. Instagram video is the phablet of social networking. I didn’t agree with the premise of the article. I think Instagram CAN pull this off. In this case, I don’t think trying to do two things well at once is going to be a problem for them.

2. Instagram vs. Vine – The Top 5 Differences

3. Techcrunch’s article on Instagram vs. Vine

4. Which app does video better?

Tell me: what have your experiences with Instagram video been like so far? Leave a comment below. And be sure to link up your Instagram account in the comment so we can find you.

Mean Tweets: NBA Edition

It’s fascinating what people will say online, isn’t it?

Larry Conners and His Facebook Problem

I’ll spare you the details, as they’re available here, here, here, here, here and here. The summary is that local St. Louis TV anchor Larry Conners, who had been on the air for 34 years, was fired after alleging on his work Facebook page that a 2012 interview he did with President Obama drew the ire of the IRS. As the IRS is currently in some hot water for allegedly targeting right-leaning groups, this charge is not as crazy as it sounds.

It turns out that the IRS had started working Larry over several years previous to the Obama interview. This made his Facebook post look a little funny, and after some deliberation, KMOV terminated him. I joined Mark Reardon to discuss the situation, including a very important distinction to make: did Larry run into a Facebook problem, or a personal judgement problem that just so happened to play out on Facebook?

As always, thanks Mark for having me on your show.

CLICK HERE TO HAVE A LISTEN

And here’s a link to my friend Aaron Perlut’s piece on Forbes.com.

Meeting the People that Inspire You is Inspiring!

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Simon Sinek recently spoke at the COCAbiz Spark 2013 conference here in St. Louis. I had the good fortune of finding him in a conference room, signing hundreds of books before his talk. I asked him, “There is no rubber stamp that can adequately do this job, is there?” He laughed and said no.

Simon inspires me and his book “Start With Why” (affiliate link) made me think so differently on a range of issues. It was a thrill to meet him in person.

Amy’s Baking Company – Social Media Etiquette and Advice For People That Desperately Need It

Gordon Ramsey has a show on Fox called “Kitchen Nightmares,” where struggling or failing restaurants come to be saved. I am assuming restaurants approach him, versus the other way around, and I am thinking they do this for at least two reasons: 1. To get actual help for a business that really needs it, and 2. To get some high-profile publicity. Mr. Ramsey’s show has been on the air since 2007, a fact of which I’ve been blissfully unaware. Anyway, as it is a “reality show,” I am sure the show’s producers chop up and paste together the footage to suit their needs, paint people in the light they want them to be in, and basically manipulate the story to their end. Lots of drama, yelling, slamming of fists on tables… Gordon Ramsey is not the quiet type.

And yet, for the first time ever, he walked off a show in production and said, “You people simply cannot be helped. You’re an impossible case. I’m OUTS.” He’s British; I’m paraphrasing.

After the episode aired, the fine folks at Reddit began having a field day with it. I guess Amy and Samy took exception to the fun being poked at them and melted down HARD on Facebook. This is not the first faux pas I’ve seen a company make on social media, but the breadth and depth of this freakout was notable. Multiple posts, cursing, name calling, ALL CAPS diatribes, directly interacting with people and calling them the worst of worst names… it took Facebook by storm.

Anyway, I had a chance to briefly talk about it on Fox 2 Now with Angela Hutti. My main piece of advice here was to sleep on it. This was not one of those crises that required an immediate response. No one likes to be ganged up on and called stupid and horrible. The Yelp reviews started getting so mean and fictional – just absolutely crazy things being said. As a business owner, this would infuriate me. And it’s possible that I’d be so angry, a night’s rest would do nothing for me. However, I have typed angry emails and saved as a draft, and each time I did so, I changed up the email the next day. NEVER have I said, “Yeah, that crazy stuff, sounds like exactly what I want to convey.” Rather, I’ve softened up the message every single time I’ve slept on it. If the crisis does not call for swift response, try responding after you’ve cooled down. Your calm brain thinks so differently than your agitated brain.

Here’s a page on Huffington Post with many screenshots (WARNING: graphic language), and here’s a Buzzfeed article with much of the same. Note: both contained Youtube versions of the show, but those videos have since been taken down.

Here’s a link to the story on Fox2Now, in case the embedded video above chooses not to cooperate.

Video – A Great Way to Introduce a Product

A couple of lines of copy might have sufficed, but Square opted to SHOW people the beauty and functionality of their new product (and they used a little humor, too). I like the approach.

Defining Success Podcast With Zeb Welborn

I recently appeared on Zeb Welborn’s podcast “Defining Success.” We talked for about 40 minutes, covering entrepreneurship, networking and social media. Thank you Zeb for the invitation, and I hope to return when my book debuts.

HAVE A LISTEN BY CLICKING HERE

Unfriending People On Facebook

unfriending people on Facebook

When scanning your Facebook news feed, do you ever run across posts that infuriate you? Do you have certain trollers that always jump in on your posts and make comments that get your goat? Did you make Facebook friends with a stranger a year or two ago, and now you wonder why you’re staring at their meaningless updates?

Mark Reardon was in a ornery mood one night, and started unfriending the jokers in his Facebook news feed. In this radio debate, I explain to him that there’s no reason to be a big meanie. There’s a more humane way to silence the knuckleheads on Facebook.

Take a listen here to my KMOX radio interview with Mark and let me know what you think.