Google announced its new privacy policy last week – it was immediately met with Congressional concern, fire and brimstone from privacy advocates and some good old fashioned ribbing on Twitter from none other than Steve Martin (yeah, THE wild and crazy guy). This was just another dark cloud in a growing storm of concern regarding the Mountain View search giant. Continue reading “Google, what the (bleep) are you doing?” »
At the OTLA Annual Convention 2011 - The Oregon Trial Lawyers Association
I recently had the privilege to speak at the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA) 2011 Annual Convention in Bend, OR in a session titled “Using Social Media: Marketing and Messaging”. My dear friend Beth Bernard partnered me with David Sugerman, an attorney with a notable body of work practicing in Portland, Oregon.
We had great discussion that referenced many social media websites and features that can be highly beneficial to independent attorneys and large law firms alike. The following is a list of websites and resources referenced during the session that has been expanded to include additional items worth consideration for expanding and engaging an online audience.
Continue reading “OTLA Using Social Media Links & Resources” »
The Google+ Plus Project
This email came in through an old email address that I have not used in 2+ years, but check from time to time because 1 client still emails it when they can’t seem to find my current address. It is my first (the first?) unsolicited email from an, *ahem*, internet marketing company, selling +1′s for the express intent of adding algorithmic social media weight to search rankings. And for as little as $0.59 for each +1!
The First Google Plus Paid +1 Building Email? (click for full image)
Here is the full email transcribed with identification data scrubbed.
Continue reading “The First Paid Google +1 Popularity Building Unsolicited Email?” »
So I’m just sitting here, doing my job, when I think to myself, What does Twitter have in common with the Playstation Network? So, I go to Twitter to find the answer…it turns out, they have a LOT in common!
Now, I’m new to the whole Twitter scene, but let’s call a spade a spade. If I was running one of the most popular sites in the world, I think I would invest in some good infrastructure, so my site wouldn’t go down when people are simply posting 140 character comments. That’s just me.
But, I guess it was inevitable for Twitter to bite the dust once again. Money can only buy so much you know.
Well, what am I going to do now? Guess I’ll write my first blog post!
In a progressive and highly tactical move, Bing has added a small and significant Social feature to their home page: the Facebook “Like” button.
Bing.com gets social, adds the Facebook Like button to the home page
Bing is the first search engine to add the Like feature to their home page. In truth this is probably not even something that Google could do as they do not have any featured daily or consistently changing content that an audience would engage with. However, since Google and Bing have repeatedly tried to mimic the others features, it would not surprise me if Google did copy this implementation and use it for their occasional holiday and event homepage doodle logos.
“From my heart and from my hands, why don’t people understand, my intentions….”
For Christmas one year my prized gift was a telescope, which opened up this young child’s mind to an entirely new and amazing world of planets, stars, solar systems, Uranus jokes, and the dressing (or should I say undressing) habits of the cute girl down the block who I had a serious crush on.
Thinking back, these early forays into science might help to explain my devotion to the movie Weird Science and my serious intention to build my very own Super Model through the use of technology, a little gumption and yep, you guessed it: Science.
Today I still like music of Oingo Boingo and Thomas Dolby, have the Science Channel as a Favorite on the cable remote control, and frequently answer the question, “What dead historical person would you most like to meet?” with Asimov, Einstein, Sagan and Newton.
“Hello, my name is Chris Lister and I’m a science geek.”
Continue reading “20 Takeaways from The Science of Timing Webinar #TimeSci” »
The Lil' Dictator
I’ve only been a Dad now for a little over 9 months, but through this crash course called parenthood I’ve managed to pick up some solid life lessons that are applicable not only to fatherhood, but also to my day job as a social media marketer (and addict). With Father’s Day right around the corner, I thought I’d share the 4 things that Fatherhood has taught me about being successful in Social Media.
Continue reading “4 Father’s Day Tips for Being Successful in Social Media” »
The Red & Black Cafe - Portland, OR
Recently the Red & Black café made national news when they asked a uniformed Officer to leave the premises because his presence reportedly made some of the other patrons uncomfortable. See, the Red & Black has a Safer Space policy, and according to reports, one of the “owners” asked the officer to leave (after they sold him his cup of coffee) because a good number of their patrons don’t feel safe around the police.
Continue reading “Red & Black vs. Black & White: Yelp Publicity Story for Small Businesses” »
Are your private parts private on your social media accounts?
By keeping the following simple guidelines in mind you can hopefully avoid those awkward “I can’t believe my Mom now knows I party like that” moments.
Continue reading “3 Social Media Guidelines for Keeping Your Private Parts Private” »
Yelp has been getting a lot of attention recently and none of it is for being funny, useful or cool. With multiple lawsuits in the works, and claims of extortion and review manipulation being bantered around daily, the integrity of Yelp’s has been up for debate. In an attempt to quell those complaints and add more transparency to the process of how reviews are filtered, Yelp announced today on their official blog two major changes to the way they do business.
The first change, and one that has been requested by reviewers and business owners alike, is the ability to see the reviews that get caught in the oh so secretive review algorithm. That’s right, all of those reviews deemed to be from disgruntled ex employees, revenge seeking former lovers, unethical competitors, robots, the business owner’s family and the solicited 5 star customer are now available for all to see.
Want to discover reviews for your favorite restaurant or even your own business that didn’t make the cut to prime time? Here’s how you do it:
Continue reading “Yelp Increases Transparency and Eliminates Favorite Review Feature” »
This is the third and final part of my interview with Luther Lowe, Business Outreach Manager at Yelp.
In the first part we discussed what it means to be Yelp’s Business Outreach Manger, the recent class action lawsuit brought against their company and how Yelp is a transactional social media website. While part two covered why Yelp frowns on review solicitation, how they protect businesses from fraudulent reviews and the do’s and don’ts on interacting with customers who have posted negative reviews about your business.
Today we will discuss the free and paid tools that are available to businesses, the possibility of opting out of Yelp reviews and a new webinar series designed exclusively for small businesses.
Following is the final piece of my three part interview with Luther:
This is the second part of my three part interview with Luther Lowe, Yelp’s Business Outreach Manager. In Part One, we discussed what it means to be Yelp’s Business Outreach Manger, the recent class action lawsuit brought against their company and how Yelp is a transactional social media website.
In this second part of the interview we look at why Yelp frowns on review solicitation, how they protect businesses from fraudulent reviews and the do’s and don’ts on interacting with customers who have posted negative reviews about your business.
Following is the second part of my three part interview with Luther:
I recently had the opportunity to sit down for an extensive interview with Luther Lowe, Yelp’s Business Outreach Manager. Luther was in town to speak at SEMpdx’s Searchfest, and was kind enough to set aside some time to enjoy a couple pints of locally brewed IPA and answer questions regarding his role at Yelp, the recent lawsuits brought against their company and how small businesses can get the most out of their Yelp business listing.
Following is part one of my three part interview with Luther:
Yesterday on their official blog, Yelp.com announced that they have launched new categories for business owners. The expansion is quite thorough and allows the niche business to separate themselves from some of the more general category listings. From “Disc Golf”, “Tattoo Removal”, “Window Installation”, “Lasik” and “Cosmetic Dentists”, there are now specific categories to match up with more specific user searches (see the complete list of 70 new categories below).
If you have not yet claimed your business listing on Yelp…well, what are you waiting for? Yelp is a fantastic way for local businesses to promote themselves to their community and allows business owners to gauge the pulse of how they are being received by their customers. Smart business owners will see definite benefits when they monitor their reviews, respond professionally to negative reviews, and interact positively with their current client base that utilizes Yelp.
If you find a reoccurring theme in your reviews, like your receptionist is frequently rude, your valet parking prices are too high, or cleanliness does not appear to be a priority, then these are all areas that can be addressed internally and if rectified will create a positive buzz and better customer experience. And most importantly…better reviews.
Continue Reading and See the Complete List of New Categories…
I love you.
No, scratch that. I hate you.
Wait, please don’t unfollow me. I didn’t really mean that. I’m sorry. I was…drunk, yeah that’s it. I wasn’t thinking straight. Really, it’s not you…it’s me.
I really do love you…but to be honest, I think I might hate you at the same time.
Social Media is Breaking My Heart
We have been seeing each other casually now for quite some time, but I have to wonder where this is going? I remember the early days of our relationship, when you were just an occasional blog post, or we would slum around together on SixDegrees & Friendster.
Boy, the times sure have changed and you are more popular then ever before. Everyone is talking about you and seems to want a piece of you. Maybe it is out of jealousy, but it hurts to hear my friends and Search colleagues talk about how you “put out” great results when they are with you.
Personally, I don’t like to tweet and tell.
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