Like others in the social sphere, I’ve been playing around with Google+ since its release last week (thanks to James Herbert). Like the Google Buzz experiment, I’ve been casually playing with it to see how Google envisions their second stand in the social sphere. So, I’m a bit cautious to make any predictions as to whether it is truly the Facebook-Twitter-All-Things-Social killer.

If you can imagine the cosmic dust swirling around the big bang in the world of the social cosmos, you have seen bits and pieces of Google+:

• Wave – Do you remember that experiment? The general idea of allowing groups to share information and have a threaded conversation on a particular topic seemed like an enterprise win, but the lack of notifications and nebulous interface made all wave goodbye.
• Buzz – It was the Twitter killer, but it ended up being the Buzz kill–for me. The privacy faux pas set Buzz’s first footing on shaky ground. Then the inbox overload was too much. For me, it was superfluous to my twitter stream, so I eventually Buzzed off.
• Google Chat - No complaints here. The solid jabber chat interface is a mainstay for our business to stay connected. Adding video chat and eventual Voice integration will make Google Chat a Skype killer.
• Google Profile – At first, the Google Profile was a meteor in the cosmic dust. I remember setting mine up in 2009 purely for SEO purposes, but it wasn’t apparent how it ultimately played in the bigger equation.
• Social Circle – For some time, Google has been playing with Social Circle to provide more accurate search results. The idea that a friend’s interaction with a site is some predictor of my favor is probably not too far off, but it needs fine tuning.
• Picassa – Google’s acquisition of the Flickr competitor seemed to follow the YouTube acquisition as a logical move into multimedia–in my opinion for enhanced search results.
• +1 – A few months ago Google’s +1 seemed like an enhancement to Social Circle. Now with Google+ it makes much more sense.

With all of the “circling” social mass, I present to you Google+. I’m not going to recount all of the features and analysis (and trust me there is plenty). For a few nice articles, take a look at Chris Brogan’s 50 and Joshua Michele’s Google Plus, The Great Game and why Social is the One Ring to Bind the Internet OS.

Instead, I wanted to share a few of my initial observations. I think Plus is a nice collection of all of the tools that Google has developed, and I think that there are some features that it offers over the predicted enemies (Twitter and Facebook). But, I’m stuck with “why?” At its genesis, Twitter (more so than Facebook) filled a niche of apparent human need to share in excruciating detail the happenings of one’s life with a very simple interface. It was non-intrusive and non-competitive. Twitter was transparent text messaging for the world to eavesdrop. From any mobile phone, smart or dumb, a person could text about their soup, and then the users and developers built a world around this simplicity.

It seems that Goliath, er Google, has developed a very sophisticated platform that combines many wonderful sharing features. My struggle is that it’s not anything New. Ezra Pound once said that “Literature is news that stays new.” By analogy, a social network is something New that becomes Need. Quora was new but it wasn’t needed–not every day. I am struggling to see how Plus is New. For the current users, I believe there is Need.

My second issue at the core has to do with playing nice. Twitter is ubiquitous because it was non-threatening. Application developers were able to sail through the approval of Apple, Android, Web OS, et al. with no problem because Twitter and Facebook posed little threat. Google on the other hand, has experienced dramatic setbacks with many of the applications (namely Voice with Apple). So, if I understand it correctly, Google+ is going to work best as an untethered application on my mobile device. While the HTML 5 application is acceptable on the iPhone, it doesn’t have many of the features that I expect from my social networks (i.e. real-time notifications, competition between developers (for better applications), etc.). Mobile is the key, and any viable network must play nicely with “all” mobile.

Finally, Twitter is by far my favorite social network; I love it because the users have built Twitter’s sandbox. Hash tags were a result of users agreeing how to categorize information. URL shorteners thrived because Twitter users needed a way to share links in 140 characters. Twitpics (and all variations) exploded to allow users to share their images. From the ground up developers and users have tapped ingenuity to figure out how to work within a wonderfully simple sandbox: 140 characters. On the other hand, I sense some suggestion that Google+ has defined the sandbox and I should feel free to play.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I have said for years that Twitter and Facebook are the current social platforms, and there will be eventual replacements, but I am more concerned about a thousand more niche “killers” than a single atomic explosion. The coveted designer network Dribbble is a great example of a niche network that is not the 400 pound gorilla but has great loyalty.

Are you on Google+? Connect with me. If not, let me know that you want an invite in the comments, and I’ll email you to confirm the correct email address. Most importantly, let me know your thoughts is Google+ going to be a sea change in social? Also, if you don’t mind, indicate in your comment whether you’re an android user.

A few weeks ago another partner of Bluegill and I spoke with a recent college graduate seeking one of those non-existent, executive level, no-experience, marketing jobs. She had a number of questions for us about the industry, and the opportunities that she might pursue while tracking down a job. Then she asked, “what does the agency look like in 2015?”

Today, I blogged a response over on the Bluegill Blog.

Photo used under creative commons license by @lrargerich

Today, I had lunch with one of my best friends, Mark Schaefer. Mark and I first met in 2008 after I direct messaged him through twitter suggesting that we meet for lunch. We met at Aubrey’s and let a lunch hour slip into the afternoon as we began telling our stories. Instantly, we were friends. Within weeks, we began working on several marketing projects together.

Since then, about once a month, we meet at the home or away Aubrey’s to catch up, talk about technology, chat about marketing opportunities, or just hang out. Today was one of our regularly scheduled meetings. It’s the first time we’ve had lunch since SoSlam, which  Mark was instrumental in making a phenomenal success. After catching up for a bit, Mark, like any good dyed in the wool evangelist, laid into me: “You’re a good a writer.”

“Well, thanks Mark.”

“But, no one knows it. You haven’t written in…”

Me: “a while, I know.”

Now, I have been blogging since 2003, so I’m not uninitiated. I advocate my clients to blog on a regular basis, and I frequently create social media strategies for clients. However, for a hundred reasons, I have walked away from blogging, seemingly altogether.

Rather than raise the false pretense of impeccable authority, I raised some sincere questions to Mark. After all, Mark has procured teaching gigs at Pellissippi and Rutgers, a consulting gig with the British Consulate, and consulting relationships throughout the world, so he can attest to the success of blogging first hand. Here are a few of the exchanges that we had:

1. I don’t know where to write. Between Posterous, WordPress, Tumblr, Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn I have forgotten where I should be writing. In reply Mark suggested that I pick one and ride the horse. I guess jeremyfloyd.com is as good as any.

2. Which audience should I write to? Mark very appropriately said, “your content will attract the right readers. Don’t try to ‘brand’ yourself. Be yourself, and you will attract an audience that supports you.”

3. What do I write about? Related to #2, I was really struggling with my brand. I want to write about leadership, but I also think and work in the marketing field quite a bit. Oh yeah, and I’m a hard-core geek. While I’ve heard this answer from him before, today it took on a more nuanced meaning, “Go into WordPress and create 25 blog potential posts. The first 9-10 are going to be easy, but as you work through the last 15, you are really going to start to identify the content that you are passionate about.”

4. But, I tweet all the time. Mark didn’t take this one on directly, but I know that I spend so much time on Twitter that I seldom take time to blog. The result? Because Twitter is so instant and so instantly dated, it has no lasting value. While hilarious, even poignant tweets may be shared, they have little archive value. Twitter is not a place to archive ideas.

5. What’s in it for me? I have been less than methodical about posting to my blog, but Mark took an opportunity to remind me that I need to change that. Committing to at least a post a week can make significant ripples in my natural communities. Merely having great ideas and sharing them over lunch is but vapor in a world of data, indexing, and searching. Sharing ideas and continuing the practice of writing is the key to opening doors nationally and even internationally to my personal brand.

So, not unlike a couple on their twenty-fifth anniversary, I find myself at the alter renewing my vows. To you jeremyfloyd.com I commit to update thee with regularity, in sickness and in health, when witty and when dull, with great thoughts and not-so-brilliant aberrations.

In 2008, I started a Marketing company, Eluminare, that initially focused on internet marketing and lead generation. The success of the company has exceeded my expectations and those of my clients. It has grown from Internet marketing into virtualized marketing executive consultancy, and most recently it has focused on “growth” consulting with clients. Now, only two years later, it is my great pleasure to announce the merger of Eluminare with Bluegill Creative.

So, what’s a Bluegill you may ask? On their website you’ll see:

…Bluegill is an integrated marketing communications group serving clients in a variety of fields including healthcare, business to business, finance, real estate, and non-profit. We represent clients throughout the country with local, regional and national marketing, advertising, and branding initiatives. A small fish that thinks big.

I, however, like to think of them as a great group of friends.

This merger was not conducted in a stuffy conference room with mind numbing lawyers. Instead, the relationship between our two companies has grown over shared projects, and over beers and brainstorming. The right people have written the success stories independently, and now together the right people are going to take Bluegill to new heights.

Together, Bluegill will expand its already vibrant digital portfolio to include  internet marketing, search engine optimization, pay per click advertising, social media marketing, analytics and reporting, mobile marketing, and custom application architecture. In addition, Eluminare’s lead generation techniques will add new assets in the areas of inbound and outbound telephone center setup, customer relationship management (“CRM”) software setup and administration.

Social media strategy and social media policy creation have become important consulting areas for Eluminare. This experience and legal expertise will prove valuable to many of Bluegill’s current customers.

Bluegill’s rich branding experience and expert design skills in both print and interactive, will richly enhance Eluminare’s current client base.

This marriage of the our two companies provides the perfect consultancy for businesses looking to expand their current market share by refining core values and purpose development and applying creative roadmap creation.

I look forward to the future, and I invite you to join me. Stay up to date by joining the Facebook group or following @bluegillcreativ.

Wish me luck!

Do you ever read something that seems to haunt you?

I woke up in the middle of the night in cold sweats thinking about this one. I read a Seth Godin post over the weekend, and, as usual, his words struck a chord. This time, however, I could not just post a tweet and go on about my business. I was struck by this one line:

Employees and freelancers that produce more than they cost are worth hiring.

Too often, it seems, that we can hide behind rationalizations for what we do. We paint these pictures with huge self-congratulation, but at the end of the day, are we producing more than we are charging?

What separates success from failure?  What is the difference between a great idea and a profitable business? Execution with consistency.

The recent election has great examples of both great execution and poor execution. What was Obama’s message? Ask anybody, the message was change. Every media channel was cohesive and broadcasted consistently.  McCain on the other hand may have had a message but it was so it was diluted with all of the ideas that it was not clear. While McCain appeared in some of the same social outlets, the many messages sounded, well, noisy.

With all of the channels that we can use to connect with each other, promote ourselves, and promote our business, we can blitz, but without consistent execution, we risk making a lot of noise.

Tags: newmedia, web 2.0, social, media, marketing, noise

Check out these great ideas. For anyone, such as myself, starving for a new biz-idea check out this list and play eeny-meeny-miny-moe.

#30 is more my speed. How about yours?

Recently, I started a work real estate marketing blog. I am collecting technology related marketing thoughts there. FYI, that is my nickname it work, and .com was $39k…

Why should I get off my couch?  Certainly, it should not be to got into Circuit City. Tonight, after sufficient procrastination for my dad’s birthday present, I did my standard online shopping comparison: which relies on a good blog review of the product that I am searching, a froogle of the product, and a quality vs. price comparison. I found that the pricepointed product at Sam’s, was a terrible product–go figure.  Instead I opted for a product with a good review that I have actually test-driven in the past.  Circuit City listed the Garmin c330 for $299 and Best Buy $349.  Since the two stores are a 3 wood apart I opted for the CC option.

I walked into the antiquated warehouse model store, and I found my way to GPS department while navigating around the crowded (with employees) firedog counter.  The product sat on the display counter with the $349 price tag, Wha? I am in and out–all I need is the properly priced product, and I am sailing to my dad’s party (a little late of course).  However, the price was wrong.  Finally, a little wiry fellow with an agenda bigger than his ultra mini frame sufficiently defrayed  assistance by pointing at the radio salesman-nicely played. Instead, I called the wife who was sitting in the car equipped w/ the power of the Internet.  I told her to order the unit for the 24 minute pickup and I would go get it “BECAUSE FIVE EMPLOYEES ARE STANDING AT THE FIREDOG COUNTER BUT ONLY THE ONE RADIO GUY CAN HELP ME.” Funny thing, one of the firedog employees showed up. He agreed to price match the Internet price (“gee thanks”), but he wasn’t sure if they had the inventory.  The computer said the had 3, but you know those pesky computers always lie (on $350 SKUs??).  Instead he sent me to Best Buy.

Now, seriously, these stupid stores need to start asking the question, “Why should our customers get off their couch?”  I can think of a few reasons.  Apple store usually gives me one, but circuit city does not. Pay your worthless help a few more dollars an hour and provide an experience that is better than online shopping because the competition is getting steep-especially when I can have a product shipped in less than 12 hours.  If I open such a store that makes you think, “geez, I am SO glad I went there,” would you shop at my store?

On the way to work yesterday, I saw a Garage Sale yard sign that looked much like a real estate sign.  The sign was framed with a nice clean red border.  It had a grey background, and the words Garage Sale were in a Georgia font with character spacing.  It was a truly nice looking sign, and it absolutely failed its objective.

I looked to the sign with a certain expectation and garage sale was not one of them.  Typically, Garage Sale signs are obnoxious, neon, in your face, and short lived.  A professional sign conveys everything but Garage Sale this weekend only!

I think it is important to think about not only who you are marketing your idea to but also what their expectations are.  For the yard/garage saler, they expect the homemade neon poster.