2013 AlwaysOn Power Players in Technology Business Media List Announced

AlwaysOn just announced their first annual Power Players in Technology Business Media List. The AlwaysOn Power Players in Technology Business Media list honors editors, writers, and bloggers in the technology world who are keeping technology entrepreneurs informed and connected. Reporting on the massive technology breakthroughs hitting the market almost every day, this list of media have become the voices behind the ideas that make the Global Silicon Valley an incubator for success.

Cool beans that We Blog the World made the cut, which at face value may not make sense, but it's largely because I also write about technology trends, conferences, events, startups, launches and entrepreneurs on Down the Avenue, on the Huffington Post and of course on We Blog the World, mostly in the products and events section. The site also has a Mobile category as well as a technology category, however the products covered range from luggage and fashion to mobile devices, social apps, gadgets which may help the on-the-go warrior and digital cameras.

While the list is extremely long, and the more traditional cast of characters are listed (NY Times, Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, Mashable, etc), numerous bloggers are also listed who not just cover technology trends, but also social media and various vertical market industries, such as digital music, technology that moms and/or women care about and lifestyle issues.

As venture capital-backed on-demand companies continue to bring new, innovative products and services to the world, the founders and their products and services are being covered by the people on this list. Many of the winners of this competition will be featured at the upcoming OnMobile 2013: Mobile Venture Summit, which will be held at the Fox Theatre in Redwood City, CA on October 10.

If interested in attending, you can register here to secure your ticket at the lowest possible rate while tickets are still available.   The list is below. (warning: it's long, but it is an eclectic and interesting curation of writers and pundits, so it's worth browsing through).

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Introducing the 2013 Power Players in Technology Business Media

Byron Acohido
Technology Reporter
USA Today

Kiran Aditham
Editor
Mediabistro

Erin Ailworth
Business Reporter
Boston Globe

Mickey Alam Kahn
Editor in Chief
Mobile Marketer

Chris Albrecht
Host, Reporter
GigaOm TV and GigaOM Podcast

Cristina Alesci
Producer, M&A
Bloomberg Television

Anjuman Ali
Mobile Editor
The Washington Post

Jason Alkeny
Executive Editor
FierceWireless

Mike Allen
Reporter
The San Diego Business Journal

Monica Alleven
Editor-in-Chief
Wireless Week

James Altucher
Blogger
Altucher Confidential

Chris C. Anderson
Senior Editor
Business Insider: The Wire

Larissa Anderson
Producer
Marketplace Tech Report – American Public Media

Nate Anderson
Deputy Editor
Ars Technica

Tim Andreacci
Segment Producer
Bloomberg Television

Robert Andrews
Senior Editor, International
GigaOM

Julia Angwin
Senior Technology Editor
The Wall Street Journal

Robert Anthony
Editor
Stadium Circle Features

Simon Applebaum
Producer / Host
Tomorrow Will Be Televised / BlogTalk Radio

Charles Arthur
Technology Editor
The Guardian

Scott Austin
Senior Technology Editor
Dow Jones VentureWire

Ed Baig
Reporter
USA Today

Brandon Bailey
Business and Technology Reporter
San Jose Mercury News

Chris Baker
Contributing Writer
Wired

Roberto Baldwin
Staff Writer
Wired

Eric Bangeman
Managing Editor
Ars Technica

Emily Banks
Managing Editor
Mashable

Mike Barton
Editor
Wired

Ronald Barusch
Columnist
The Wall Street Journal, WSJ.com, MoneyBeat, The Wall Street Journal (Europe Edition), MoneyBeat (E.U.)

Zoran Basich
Editor
Dow Jones VentureWire

Dusan Belic
Editor
IntoMobile

Shawn Bender
Digital Editor
WSJ.com

Kevin Benedict
Editor
MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com

Drake Bennett
Reporter
Bloomberg Businesweek

David Benoit
Blogger, Deals
The Wall Street Journal

Greg Bensinger
Reporter
The Wall Street Journal

Andrew Berg
Editor in Chief
Wireless Week

David Berlind
Editor-In-Chief
ProgrammableWeb / TechWeb

Nick Bilton
Technology Reporter
The New York Times

Jon Birger
Contributing Writer
Fortune

Matthew Bishop
New York Bureau Chief
The Economist

John Blackstone
News Correspondent
CBS News Network

Nancy Blair
Online Technology Editor
USA Today

Steve Blank
Blogger
Steve Blank

Dana Blankenhorn
Contributing Writer
Seeking Alpha

Beth Blecherman
Founder
TechMamas

Henry Blodget
CEO / Editor in Chief
Business Insider

Renee Blodgett
Editor
We Blog the World

Rebecca Blumenstein
Deputy Editor-in-Chief
The Wall Street Journal

Robin Goldwyn Blumenthal
Senior Editor
Barron’s

John Blyler
Editorial Director
Extension Media

Katherine Boehret
Writer
AllThingsD

Christina Bonnington
Staff Writer
Wired

Julie Bort
Editor
Business Insider

Wendy Boswell
Web Search Guide
About.com – Computing

John Boudreau
Business Reporter
The Mercury News

Clint Boulton
Staff Writer
The Wall Street Journal

Paul Boutin
Freelanc Journalist / Bits
The New York Times

Toni Bowers
Managing Editor
TechRepublic

Tim Bradshaw
Digital Media Correspondent
Financial Times

David Brancaccio
Host
Marketplace – Tech Report

Nic Brisbourne
Blogger / Venture Capitalist
The Equity Kicker / Forward Investment Partners

Russ Britt
Bureau Chief, Los Angeles
MarketWatch

Chris Brogan
Blogger
Chris Brogan

Joe Brown
New York Editor
Wired Magazine

Alexandra Bruell
Reporter
Advertising Age

Wendy Brundige
West Coast TV Bureau Chief
Bloomberg TV West

Daniel Brusilovsky
Head of Business Development and Growth
Ribbon

Joshua Brustein
Technology Writer
Businessweek

Martin Bryant
Managing Editor / Co-Founder of TechHub Manchester
The Next Web / TechHub Manchester

Peter Burrows
Senior Writer
Bloomberg News

Ward Bushee
Executive Vice President / Editor
The San Francisco Chronicle

Jeff Bussgang
Blogger / Venture Capitalist
Seeing Both Sides / Flybridge Capital

Claire Cain Miller
Technology Reporter
The New York Times

Jason Calacanis
Blogger
Calacanis.com

Michael Calore
Reviews Editor
Wired

Elisa Camahort
Blogger
BlogHer

Christina Capecchi
Contributor
The New York Times

Pete Carey
Business Reporter
The San Jose Mercury News

Jennifer Carinci
Producer
Yahoo! Finance

Nicholas Carlson
Deputy Editor
Business Insider Silicon Alley Insider

Callie Carmichael
Senior Associate Producer, CNN Mobile
CNN.com

Sean Carroll
Managing Editor, Software, Internetm andNetworking
PCMag.com

Pete Cashmore
CEO
Mashable

Ben Casnocha
Blogger
Ben Casnocha

John Cassidy
Staff Writer / Blogger
The New Yorker

Mike Cassidy
Business Columnist
The San Jose Mercury News

Josh Catone
Executive Director, Editorial Projects
Mashable

Rory Cellan-Jones
Technology Correspondent
BBC News

Bonnie Cha
Writer
AllThingsD

Andrea Chang
Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Times

Emily Chang
Host, BloombergWest
Bloomberg TV

Laura Chapman
Head, U.S. Broadcast Interview Team
Bloomberg Television

Lizette Chapman
Reporter
Dow Jones VentureWire

Stephen Chapman
Contributor
ZDNet

Mike Chapple
Databases Guide
About.com – Computing

Brian X. Chen
Reporter
The New York Times

Kevin Chen
Blogger
Seeking Alpha

Larry Chiang
CEO
Duck9

Ericka Chickowski
Contributing Writer
DarkReading

Mark Choueke
Editor
Marketing Week

Lela Christine
Editor in Chief
The Power Player Lifestyle Magazine, Inc.

Brian Clark
Blogger
Copyblogger

Cynthia Clark
Senior Writer
1to1 Media

Don Clark
Deputy Bureau Chief
The Wall Street Journal

Jason Cohen
Founder
WP Engine / Smart Bear Software.

Sarah Cohen
Senior Reporter
Mergermarket – New York, NY

Alex Colon
Mobile Writer
GigaOM

Louis Columbus
Contributor
Forbes

David Connell
Editor
Techmeme

Jim Cooper
Executive Editor
Adweek

Lane Cooper
Founder and Editorial Director
BizTechReports

Michael Copeland
Partner
Andreessen Horowitz

Stacy Cowley
Technology Editor
CNNMoney

Jason Cozza
Research Analyst
MergerMarket

Robert Cringely
Blogger
I, Cringely

Rex Crum
Technology Reporter
Marketwatch

Mark Cuban
Blogger
Blog Maverick

Kim-Mai Cutler
Writer
Tech Crunch

Dancho Danchev
Zero Day Blogger
ZDNet News

Chris Dannen
Senior Editor
Fast Company

Mike Dano
Executive Editor, Telecom Group
FierceWireless

Mila D’Antonio
Editor-in-Chief
1to1 Media

Matt Danzico
Reporter
BBC America

Damon Darlin
International Business Editor
The New York Times

Anil Dash
CEO
Anil Dash

Lidija Davis
Editor
Techmeme

Lucia Davis
Executive Editor
iMedia Connection

Wendy Davis
Senior Writer
MediaPost Publications

Michael de la Merced
Reporter
The New York Times

Anthony De Rosa
Editor in Chief
Circa

Brian Deagon
Business and Technology Journalist
Investor’s Business Daily

Martha DeGrasse
Writer / Editor
RCR Wireless News

Jason Del Rey
Writer
AllThingsD

Peter Delevett
Business Reporter
The San Jose Mercury News

Cotton Delo
San Francisco Bureau Chief
Advertising Age

April Dembosky
Technology Blogger
The Financial Times

Kathleen DeVere
Reporter
Inside Network

Jesus Diaz
Senior Contributing Editor and Art Director
Gizmodo

Marla Dickerson
Business Editor
The Los Angeles Times

Larry Dignan
Editor-in-Chief
ZDNet US

Sheila Dougherty
Assistant Managing Editor
Advertising Age

John Dvorak
Columnist
MarketWatch – San Francisco, PCMag

Esther Dyson
Chairman
EdVenture.com

Cliff Edwards
Reporter
Bloomberg News

Jim Edwards
Senior Editor, Advertising
BusinessInsider

Eric Eldon
Co-Editor
Techcrunch

Noah Elkin
Principal Analyst
EMarketer

Tobi Elkin
Senior Digital Strategist
EMarketer

Stuart Elliott
Blogger
The New York Times / In Advertising

Shelley Elmblad
Personal Finance Software Guide
Examiner.com, Freelance, About.com – Computing

Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Freelance Journalist / Senior Writer
Fortune.com

Rip Empson
Writer
Techcrunch

Ariana Eunjung Cha
Business and Technology Editor
The Washington Post

Benny Evangelista
Reporter
The San Francisco Chronicle

Joel Evans
Blogger
ZDNet

David Ewalt
Senior Editor
Forbes

Rebecca Fannin
Journalist
Silicon Dragon / Forbes

Nicole Farghalli
Business Reporter
Marketplace – NPR

Cyrus Farivar
Senior Business Editor
Ars Technica

Sajid Farooq
West Coast Bureau
Bloomberg West – Bloomberg Television

Katie Fehrenbacher
Senior Writer and Features Editor
GigaOm

Brad Feld
Managing Director
Foundry Group

Loren Feldman
Small Business Editor
The New York Times

Seth Fiegerman
Business Reporter
Mashable

Jim Finkle
Bureau Chief
Reuters

Brian Fitzgerald
Deputy Technology Editor
The Wall Street Journal

Michael Fitzgerald
Contributing Editor
MIT Sloan Management Review and Information Week

Alex Fitzpatrick
Editor, Digital Journalist
TIME

Michele Fleury
Producer / Reporter
BBC America

Robin Flynn
Senior Analyst and Research Director
SNL Kagan

Tom Forbes
Writer / Reporter
MarketingDaily Top of the News

Tom Foremski
Editor and Publisher
Silicon Valley Watcher

Bree Fowler
Technology and Media Writer
Associated Press

Zoe Fox
Writer and Content Coordinator
Mashable

Mike Freeman
Staff Writer
The San Diego Union Tribune

Wayne Freidman
West Coast Editor
MediaPost Publications

Ina Fried
Senior Editor
AllThingsD

Sarah Frier
Reporter
Bloomberg

Ben Frumin
Editor-in-Chief
The Week

Deborah Gage
Reporter
Dow Jones VentureWire

Amy Gahran
Mobile Tech Contributor
CNN.com

Dan Gallagher
Technology Editor
MarketWatch

Liz Gannes
Writer
AllThingsD

John Gapper
Chairman and Co-Founder
Financial Times

Antoine Gara
Deals Reporter
TheStreet.com

Josie Garthwaite
Freelance Reporter and Editor
The New York Times, GigaOM

Adriana Gascoigne
Founder
Girls in Tech

Marilyn Geewax
Senior Business Editor
National Public Radio (NPR) Online

David Gelles
Reporter
The New York Times

Nancy-Marshall Genzer
Senior Reporter
Marketplace – American Public Media

Tomio Geron
Reporter
Forbes

Colin Gibbs
Mobile Curator
GigaOM

Kate Gibson
Reporter
MarketWatch – New York

Melinda Gibson
Contributor
DM2 Media.com

Tom Giles
Reporter
Bloomberg

David Gillen
Deputy Business Editor
The New York Times

Amanda (A.J.) Glasser
Managing Editor
Inside Network

Seth Godin
Blogger
Seth’s Blog

Vindu Goel
Technology Reporter
The New York Times

Kaomi Goetz
Reporter
NPR

David Goldman
Technology Editor
CNNMoney – Tech Tumblr

Michael Goldstein
CEO
Stun Media

Phil Goldstein
Editor
FierceWireless

Lauren Goode
Tech Reporter
AllThingsD

Lisa Granatstein
Managing Editor
Adweek

Andy Greenberg
Tech Reporter
Forbes

Zack O. Greenburg
Senior Editor
Forbes

Kerima Greene
Senior Segment Producer, Power Lunch
CNBC

Stephen Gregory
Editor, Marketplace
Marketplace Tech Report – American Public Media

Erin Griffith
Reporter
PandoDaily

Grant Gross
Reporter
IDG News Service, Washington Bureau

Lev Grossman
Senior Writer
TIME

Galen Gruman
Executive Editor, Features
InfoWorld

Connie Guglielmo
Technology Editor
Forbes

Marc Gunther
Contributing Writer
Fortune

Bill Gurley
Blogger / General Partner
AboveThe Crwd / Benchmark Capital

Jessica Guynn
Reporter
The Los Angeles Times

Anthony Ha
Media, Advertising, and Startups Reporter
Techcrunch

Stephanie Haberman
Social and Digital Producer
NBC News

Salim Hafid
Editor
Techmeme

Walter Hamilton
Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Times

Jonathan Handel
Contributing Editor / Blogger
The Hollywood Reporter / The Huffington Post

Devindra Hardawar
National Editor and Lead Writer, MobileBeat
VentureBeat

Francine Hardaway
Press
Stealthmode Partners

Quentin Hardy
Deputy Technology Editor
The New York Times

Peter Hargrove
Managing Editor
IBR News

Lex Haris
Managing Editor
CNNMoney

Derrick Harris
Senior Writer
GigaOM

Timothy Hay
Reporter
Dow Jones Newswires

Jon He
Editorial Writer
The Los Angeles Times

Pia Heikkila
Freelance Journalist
mergermarket

Christopher Heine
Staff Writer
Adweek

Jessi Hempel
Press, Internet and Technolgy
Fortune

Stephen Henn
Technology Correspondent
NPR

Arik Hesseldahl
Senior Editor
AllThingsD

Michael Hickins
Editor
The Wall Street Journal / CIO Journal

Patrice Hill
Chief Economic Correspondent
The Washington Times

Michael Hiltzik
Business Columnist
The Los Angeles Times

Peter Himler
Founder
Flatiron Communications

Dion Hinchcliffe
Contributor
ZDNet News

Adam Hirsch
Senior Editor
Mashable

David Ho
Editor for Mobile, Tablets, and Emerging Technology
The Wall Street Journal

Robert Hoff
Writer
Forbes

Melissa Hoffman
Deputy News Editor
Adweek

Matthias Hohensee
Senior U.S. correspondent and columnist
Wirtschaftswoche

Christopher Hosford
East Coast Bureau Chief
BtoB

Denise Howell
Press
ZDNet, TWiT

Dan “Shoe” Hsu
Editor-in-Chief, GamesBeat
VentureBeat

Jackie Huba
Blogger
Church Of The Customer

Katherine Hunt
Content Editor
Mergermarket

Elise Hu-Stiles
Digital Editorial Coordinator
NPR

Abraham Hyatt
Editor
ReadWriteWeb

Gretchen Hyman
Editor-in-Chief
iMedia Connection.com

Julie Ianuzzi
Executive Producer Vieo
MarketWatch

Mike Isaac
Senior Editor
AllThingsD

Amish Jani
Blogger / Venture Capitalist
Just Getting Started / Firstmark Capital

Adrianne Jeffries
Reporter
BetaBeat / The New York Observer

Nicholas Jesdanun
Techology Writer
Associated Press

Zem Joaquin
Blogger
ecofabulous

Ben Johnson
Producer
Marketplace Tech Report – American Public Media

Branwell Johnson
Deputy Editor
Marketing Week

Steve Johnson
Business Reporter
The San Jose Mercury News

Dan Jones
Journalist
Light Reading Mobile

Pradnya Joshi
News Editor
The New York Times

Peter Kafka
Senior Editor
AllThingsD

S. Mitra Kalita
Commentary Editor
Quartz

Ziad Kane
Editor-in-Chief
The Next Web

Cecilia Kang
Reporter / Blogger
The Washington Post

Matt Kapko
Writer
ClickZ.com

Rimma Kats
Staff Reporter
Mobile Commerce Daily

Guy Kawasaki
Blogger
How to Change the World

Kate Kaye
Managing Editor
ClickZ

Kevin Kelly
Blogger
Kevin Kelly’s Lifestream

Meghan Kelly
Writer
VentureBeat

Andy Kessler
Columnist
The Wall Street Journal

Olga Kharif
Reporter
Bloomberg News, Bloomberg Businessweek

Queena Kim
Senior Reporter
Marketplace – American Public Media

Ryan Kim
Staff Writer
GigaOM

Rachel King
Staff Writer
CBS INteractive

Rachel King
Staff Writer
CBS INteractive

Richard Kirkland
Senior Managing Editor
McKinsey & Co.

Scott Kirsner
Contributing Writer
Boston Globe

Alex Knapp
Staff Writer
Forbes

Dennis Kneale
Senior Correspondent / Desk Editor
Fox Business News

Josh Kopelman
Blogger / Venture Capitalist
First Round Capital / Redeye VC

Steve Kovach
Senior Technology Editor
Business Insider

Matt Krantz
Markets Reporter
USA Today

Tom Krazit
Executive Editor
GigaOM

Carol Krol
Managing Editor, Custom Content
CBS Interactive

Danielle Kucera
Reporter
Bloomberg

Sarah Lacy
Founder and Editor in Chief
PandoDaily

David LaFontaine
Partner
Artesian Media

Ed Lambert
Blogger / Venture Capitalist
Lambert’s Logon / Bridge Bank

William Langbein
West Coast Managing Editor and Bureau Chief
Mergermarket San Francisco

Matthew Lasar
Associate Writer
Ars Technica

JD Lasica
Founder and Principal
Socialbrite.org

Doug Lavanture
Editorial Umbrella Team
Bloomberg News – Bloomberg Television

Ryan Lawler
Writer
TechCrunch

Corrina Lawson
Senior Editor and Blogger
Wired, Wired.com, GeekDad

Stephen Lawson
Senior U.S. Correspondent
IDG News Service

Christopher Lawton
Reporter
The Wall Street Journal

Michal Lenchner
Innovation and Cleantech Writer
The San Francisco Examiner

Rebecca Levey
Writer
Mashable

Sam Levin
Host, Co-Founder
AppMinute

Matthew Levine
Senior Producer at Bloomberg TV
Bloomberg TV

Meridith Levinson
Senior Writer
The Wall Street Journal, CIO Journal

Michal Lev-Ram
Writer
Fortune / CNNMoney

Jessica Liebman
Managing Editor
The Business Insider

Michael Liedtke
Reporter
Associated Press

Marc Lifsher
Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Times

Kelly Liyakasa
Associate Editor
AdExchanger

Jeremy Lockhorn
Contributing Writer
ClickZ

Steve Lohr
Senior Writer / Technology Reporter
The New York Times

Constance Loizos
Tech Transfer Department Head
Venture Capital Analyst

Linette Lopez
Editor, Clusterstock
Business Insider

David Louie
Tech Reporter and Business Editor
ABC7 (KGO-TV)

Ingrid Lunden
Staff Writer
Techcrunch

Eric Lundquist
Blogger / Technology Analyst
eWeek / ZBI

Peter Luria
Business Editor
BuzzFeed

Matthew Lynley
Business Editor
BuzzFeed

Dan Mabbutt
Visual Basic Guide
About.com

Douglas MacMillan
Reporter
Bloomberg News

Jamis MacNiven
Pancake Guy
Buck’s of Woodside

Kate Maddox
Executive Editor
BtoB

Michelle Maisto
Senior Writer
eWeek

Om Malik
Founder and Senior Writer
GigaOM

Joe Mandese
Editor
MediaPost Publications

Sue Marek
Editor-in-Chief
FierceWireless

John Markoff
Reporter
The New York Times

Matt Marshall
Founder and Editor in Chief
VentureBeat

Cody Maxwell
Contributing Writer
MediaBiz

Patrick May
Staff Writer
The San Jose Mercury News

Megan McCarthy
Deputy Technology Editor
Reuters

Mark McClusky
Editor
Wired

Ben McConnell
Blogger
Church Of The Customer

Becky McCray
Blogger
Small Biz Survival

John McDermott
Mobile Reporter
Advertising Age

Ellen McGirt
Senior Writer
Fast Company

Scott McGrew
Producer
NBC- KNTV San Francisco

Kevin McKenna
Deputy Business Editor
The New York Times

Robert McMillan
Senior Writer
Wired.com

Jennifer McNally
Vice President of Content Marketing
IAB SmartBrief

Stephanie Mehta
Deputy Managing Editor
Fortune

Fred Meier
Reporter
USA Today

Mark Meinero
Assistant Managing Editor
CNNMoney

Martha Mendoza
National Writer
Associated Press

Diane Mermigas
Editor-at-Large
Marketing Daily

John Mervin
New York Business Editor
BBC America

Ellen Messmer
Senior Editor
Network World

Cade Metz
Enterprise Editor
Wired

Rachel Metz
IT Editor
Technology Review

Dan Meyer
Editor-in-Chief
RCR Wireless News

Mike Michalowicz
Blogger
Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

Michael Miller
Seniore Vice President, Technology Strategy
ZBI / PCMag.com

Paul Miller
Senior Editor
The Verge

Maria Minsker
Editor
CRM

Sarah Mitroff
Reporter
Wired

Brett Molina
Online Assistant Technology Editor
USA Today

Justin Montgomery
Blogger
Mobile Marketing Watch

Angela Moore
Commentary Editor
MarketWatch

Richard Morgan
Editor-at-Large
The Deal

Mary Morrison
Contributing Editor, NetMarketing
BtoB

Brian Morrissey
Editor-in-Chief
DigiDay

Lucia Moses
Staff Writer
Adweek

Walt Mossberg
Writer
AllThingsD

Ben Munson
Associate Editor
Wireless Week

Samantha Murphy
Technology Reporter
Mashable

Greg Ness
Blogger / Venture Capitalist
Archimedius / CloudVelocity

James Niccolai
Bureau Chief
IDG News Service

Babak Nivi
Blogger
Venture Hacks

Michael Noer
Executive Editor
Forbes

Yuki Noguchi
National Correspondent
National Public Radio

Chris Nolter
Advertising Industry Reporter
The Deal

John Obrecht
Web Site Editor
BtoB

Chris O’Brien
Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Times

Jolie O’Dell
reporter
Dow Jones VentureBeat

Steve O’Hear
Contributing Writer
Tech Crunch

Oke Okaro
Global Head, Mobile
Bloomberg

Parmy Olson
Reporter
Forbes

Gavin O’Malley
Reporter
MediaPost Publications

Randy Ortiz
Executive Editor
Data Center Journal

Barbara Ortutay
Technology Writer
Associated Press

Matthew Osborn-Grosso
Editor
Techmeme

George Osterkamp
Producer
CBS News Network

Adam Ostrow
Chief Strategy Officer
Mashable

Shira Ovide
Reporter
The Wall Street Journal

Laura Owen
Writer
GigaOM

Peter Pachal
Technology Editor
Mashable

John Paczkowski
Deputy Managing Editor
AllThingsD

Mahendra Palsule
Editor
Techmeme

Anna Papachristos
Staff Writer
1to1 Media

Franklin Paul
Technology Reporter
Reuters

John Peabody
Online Editor
Reuters

Marisa Peacock
Senior Reporter
CMS Wired

Julianne Pepitone
Technology Reporter
CNNMoney – Tech Tumblr

Sarah Perez
Writer
Tech Crunch

Tim Peterson
Digital and Technology Reporter
Advertising Age

Ben Pimentel
Technology Reporter
Marketwatch

Andy Plesser
Executive Producer / Founder
Beet.tv

Therese Poletti
Technology Columnist
MarketWatch

Judann Pollack
Deputy Editor
Advertising Age Online

Dorothy Pomerantz
Los Angeles Bureau Chief
Forbes

Chris Preimesberger
Senior Writer
eWeek

Emily Price
Tech Reporter
Mashable

Daniel Primack
Senior Editor
Fortune.com

Maisie Ramsay
Associate Editor
Wireless Week

Naval Ravikant
Blogger
Venture Hacks

Tiernan Ray
Senior Editor
Barron’s

Maggie Reardon
Senior Writer
CNET US

Brad Reed
Writer / Editor
Ars Technica

Sarah Reedy
Senior Reporter
Light Reading Mobile

Scott Reyburn
Former Editor at InsideMobileApp, Freelance writer
MediaPost/Inside Mobile Apps

Aaron Ricadela
Reporter
Bloomberg / Businessweek

Matt Richtel
Reporter / Blogger
The New York Times Bit

Ed Ring
Executive Director / Editor
California Public Policy Center / UnionWatch

Gabe Rivera
Founder
Techmeme

Abigail Roberts
Press
Mergermarket USA

Jordan Robertson
Reporter
Bloomberg

Jennifer Rooney
CMO Channel Editor
Forbes

Matt Rosoff
Editorial Director
CITEworld

Caitlin Rossman
Associate Editor
ClickZ

Wilson Rothman
Deputy Technology / Science Editor
NBC News

Dan Rowinski
Managing Editor
ReadWriteWeb

Steve Rubel
Editor in Chief
Computerworld

Dominic Rushe
U.S. Business Correspondent
The Guardian US

Evelyn Rusli
Reporter
The Wall Street Journal

Jon Russell
Asia Editor
The Next Web

Terrence Russell
Freelance Contributor / Researcher
Wired, Wired.com

Jennifer Saba
Correspondent
Reuters

Albert Sacco
Senior Editor
CIO.com

Danielle Sacks
Senior Writer
Fast Company

Ira Sager
Special Projects Director
Bloomberg Businessweek

David Sarno
Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Times

Joel Schectman
Reporter
Wall Street Journal / CIO Journal

Cromwell Schubarth
Senior Technology Reporter
Silicon Valley Business Journal

Robert Scoble
Blogger / Rackspace Liasion Officer
Scobleizer

Doc Searls
Blogger
DocSearls Weblog

Laurie Segall
Technology Reporter
CNNMoney – Tech Tumblr

Sascha Segan
Lead Analyst, Mobile
PCMag.com

Somini Sengupta
Technology Correspondent
The New York Times

Alex Sherman
Media and Cable Reporter
Bloomberg News

Erik Sherman
Blogger
CBS MoneyWatch

Mike Shields
Editor-in-Chief
Mediaweek / Adweek

Robert Shrimsley
Managing Editor
Financial Times

Sara Silver
Reporter
The Wall Street Journal

Matt Silverman
Editorial Director
Mashable

Brad Smith
Contributing Editor
Wireless Week

Cooper Smith
Business Insider writer
Business Insider

Cooper Smith
Business Insider writer
Business Insider writer

Jacquelyn Smith
Reporter
Forbes

Steve Smith
Editor, Mobile Daily Marketing
Mediapost

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Paul Gillin's Attack of the Customers: Don't Be A Victim

I now have a copy of Paul Gillin's book Attack of the Customers, available on Amazon, which I'll dive into just after CES. The jist of it is how customers are rising up to have their voices heard: Why critics assault brands online and how to avoid becoming a victim.

He raises the point that an attack from a customer or a flurry of customers can go global and viral ina matter of hours, not days or weeks. The impact to a big brand once something negative goes viral can be traumatic.

Attack of the Customers explains how social media can be used to destroy as well as to build. It offers actionable strategies to prevent and prepare for disasters before they strike a company, demonstrating ways that creative engagement can turn critics into raving fans.

Read an excerpt from the book Gillin published many months ago before the book was published using the example of when Procter & Gamble announced the most significant technical advance in disposable diapers in a quarter century. The new Dry Max line featured an absorbent gel that improved diaper efficiency while cutting materials and costs by 20%.  

He uses real examples from some of the biggest brands today. He asserts that customers complain because they care and when they care, you can turn a disaster or potential one into a positive outcome using social media and other effective ways to communicate online. 

Additionally, Paul's blog post on the book's unveiling offers a discount code for 30% off.

 

Sprinklr's e-Book of 30 Essays on "Social at Scale”

The folks over at Sprinklr recently created an e-book collection of short essays on the theme “social at scale.”

The eBook provides advice from social media leaders on how to scale social media in the enterprise world.

I was invited to participate with 29 others, including Rohit Bhargava, Mitch Joel, Chris Brogan, Jason Falls, Joseph Jaffe, David Meerman Scott, David Armano, Peter Shankman, Mack Collier, Michael Brito, Jay Baer, Edward Boches, Nilofer Merchant, Ted Coine, David Weinberger, Shelly Palmer, Mark Earls, Augie Ray, Brett Petersel, Ted Rubin, Sarah Evans, Jeff Bullas, Amy Vernon, Matt Dickman, Thomas Baekdal, Venkatesh Rao, Richard Stacy, Hugh MacLeod, and Doc Searls. Sprinklr termed the group the “Social Media Dream Team”. Go figure.

Aside from insights, there are also tips, useful checklists and a “readiness assessment.” Download the ebook here. 

 

Austin's Scene & #SXSW in a Nutshell: My Summary of Sorts...

SXSW aka South-by-Southwest, the event that takes a week of my time every year in Austin, Texas, seems to get bigger and bigger every March, not to mention more global.

Refer to my blog write-up on its international diversity here.  

For example, Ireland had the most number of start-ups they've ever had at SXSW (30 in total representing film and interactive).

Below are the Enterprise Ireland folks with Storyful founder Mark Little.

Singapore, Great Britain, Spain (primarily music), Japan and Canada also tried to make sure attendees knew they were taking this space seriously.

Also in my international blog post, I covered the sheer volume of brands who had tents (Nokia, Microsoft and others), threw parties (HP, Pepsico and others...I lost track) or carted folks around town (Chevy).

On the interactive side, there was so much activity between the dozens and dozens of panels to the after parties, all of which I couldn't keep up with despite my social media apps buzzing me every ten seconds to tell me what was happening and where. Foursquare remained a popular app for check-ins and to see where your buds were - that said, the private parties were off the grid and frankly, had to be, for the intimacy of the "old SXSW" to prevail, a necessary for those of us who have been going for a decade (or more).

Speaking of Foursquare, they had a private bash where the security was so intense that a friend of mine got 'bounced' before he even made it up the stairs despite the fact that he was buds with 80% of the attendees. "Kids" (early 20-something year old geeks, marketers and wanna-bes) seemed to be clamoring to get elbow time with Dennis Crowley and get into events like this all over town and frankly, it was just not worth the fight, even the ones where I was on the VIP list, because VIP list or not, the lines and wall-to-wall rooms were still maddening.

Some late nights, I retreated to The Driskell which has become a little too crowded as well, but at the very least, you're likely to run into some industry buds who are more in the mood for a quiet drink amidst moose and deer on the wall and antiquated brass and iron statues that mesh the culture of Texas with England somewhere along the way.

The below was taken on my iPhone at some random 3 am hour in the Driskell lobby.

Other nights, after the official invitations of music, film and interactive wore me out, taking in a dive bar where you could take in some off-the-beaten path music was the way to go.

TED decided to have a 'showing' at SXSW this year (aka TED@SXSW) and blocked off a couple of hours two evenings in a row for speakers in a private room at The Driskell. The line-up included folks like TED Fellow Jose Gomez-Marquez, JP Rangaswami, Ayah Bdeir, Paul D. Miller (DJ Spooky), Ping Fu, Baratunde Thurston (who always has me in stiches), Steve Daniels and others.

Film...so many great ones! I wrote about a number of them earlier in the week, which you can scroll through in the Arts/Austin section here. So many worth listing but since I tend to cover things from a global and international perspective, a few call-outs worth noting include: Sunset Strip, The Taiwan Oyster, Bay of All Saints, Eden, The Black Balloon, Trash Dance, Wonder Women and a handful of others. (see the list of winners for 2012 here). Also see our Scottish Films overview here and Israel at SXSW here.

Songster from Mowgli, the first music-creation social fame on Facebook launched at SXSW this year. CEO Marshall Seese, Jr. came to the table with a recording artist background and says their design is with "everyone’s inner rockstar in mind."

Players follow the compelling storyline of a fledging musician working their way up through the ranks of the music industry. From playing gigs at frat houses and proms, to launching a worldwide arena tour, players can make great music, while allowing their creativity to take them through all levels of the game.  

I tweeted up a storm about the on-stage love for Google+ with Vic Gundotra, which was more of an informercial than it was a fireside chat. If he used the word "amazing" one more time, I thought, even the newbies who are eating this up, would have to see through Google's sugar coating. Hey, I'm a Google+ user, not a prolific one, but I'm on the system and giving them tons of my data and creative energy just like I am to Facebook without a whole lotta benefit (yet). 

I'm not saying what they're trying to do isn't useful or great online canvas for photographers to share their work or industry celebs like Guy Kawasaki and Robert Scoble to up their social status without even trying to, but for mainstream folks, it's just not there yet. (not in this cats humble opinion anyway). Just saying - I had enuf with "amazing this and amazing that" after the first 15 minutes.

Kelly Carlin performed again in a breakout room in the main convention hall and although I've seen her before and like her energy (I totally resonated with the 1970s family TV and dysfunctional family of the 1960s jokes), there was something that put me off slightly about her stint and I couldn't figure it out until near the end.  

For those of you who don't know the Carlin name, she's the daughter of iconoclastic comedian George Carlin. As a one woman show, she uses storytelling, classic video footage, and family memorabilia, to chronicle over forty years of her life with her famous father.

While she's amusing and gives us countless insights into George, it f-g feels like its all about George. I'm thinking as someone who's only slightly younger than Kelly and had a lot of the same reference points, what about YOU? I'd love to hear more about YOU!

I walked away still not knowing and it was the second time I saw her perform. I just felt that using her dad as a vehicle for her 'show' and 'persona' may have perhaps run its course and what I really wanted to hear was her voice without Dad in the background (or at the very least so prevalent) so I could better learn who SHE was as an artist and more importantly, as a person.

Who didn't have an event? On the music front, B and C listers were all there, Bruce was there, Gary Vee called all wine afficiandos to a so called 'private' venue immediately next to another so called 'private' party I was at and the line was ten miles long by the time I walked outside. Really? Is that really the way to engage with folks? A great way to get SXSW publicity so from that perspective, stints like that really work, but they're far from "real" or intimate. I just wanted to say 'hey' without a thousand pushes and shoves. For the record.

The XPrize folks also held an event and it was invite only and really felt like "invite only." Not a publicity 'stunt' in any way, everyone I met was top notch and showed up because they had a vested interest or cared about the kinds of things they cared about. Quality conversations where people weren't looking at their watch or Foursquare check-ins to see where the coolest cats were hanging next next. A welcome relief.

If you're not famliar with their work, go here: their mission is to bring about radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. Below, an XPrize team shot: (I love these guys and btw, Peter Diamandis has a new book out entitled Abundance).

My favorite part of SXSW of course is the randomness of meetings at film and music more than interactive, for at the former, there still seems to be more spontenaity, largely I think because of mutual passions rather than a race for check-ins or being 'seen' at the right party and telling the whole world about it on Foursquare, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, yadda yadda yadda.

I'm not saying that politics and social klout doesn't run rampant in the film and music world, but passion for the 'art' still stands tall.....maybe not dominant in Hollywood, but at SXSW.

As for the social bit...of course I tweet at these events. I'm in the biz - who doesn't, but the feeds at SXSW are so much about where I'm at and who I'm hanging out with than providing value. It's hard to tell the difference anymore, and sometimes I even get confused by why I do what I do on social media even when my intensions are pure. The addictive nature of it all just 'ain't all that healthy' in my opinion. I have talked about this before but can't emphasize it enough.

Onward.

The blogger lounge is on the top floor where it always is, around the corner from the press lounge, which had massages this year. The blogger lounge has occasional 'acts' and social media gurus of sorts popping in and out. (a little red badge gets you into it if you're a blogger).

This was more of a 'center' in previous years, but today, less so. It doesn't mean you can't still show up and meet up with old buds, converse with folks in the biz you haven't seen in awhile or folks you still haven't met, but things are so spread out and there's so much 'more' grabbing our attention that "hanging out" in the blogger lounge seem to be few and far between.

That said, t'was great to catch up albeit short with industry pals like C.C. Chapman, Julien Smith, Liz Strauss, Hugh MacLeod who has a new book out entitled: Freedom is Blogging in your Underwear.

Below: Renee Blodgett, Angel Djambazov, Liz Strauss, Hugh MacLeod

Then there are a hundred or so other folks I'll keep under the radar, except for of course Jeff Pulver & crew who co-hosted a great 140Conf party (if you haven't been to their events, check 'em out), with the textPlus folks. (never enuf time Mademoiselle Heather Meeker).

Below is a snap from the Nokia Innovation Lab, a massive tent set up a few blocks from the convention center, that housed more than fake snow as you entered.

While travel wasn't a big representation at SXSW and I was struggling to find serious foodies, some of the usual suspects were hanging about.  American Airlines had a down-to-earth event with fabulous peeps (closer to town or IN town next time PLEASE :-). 

To the left (lighting wasn't great) is American's head of Mobile products Phil Easter talking about their latest and demoing some nifty stuff on an iPad that we can't quite talk about yet. Exciting stuff! Other call-outs worth mentioning are Stacey Frantz (corp comm), Dawn Turner (Entertainment Marketing), and Jonathan Pierce & Jon Bird (social media & video), among a handful of others.

Angiers France came out in force with a very creative booth, full of color, energy and design. (yarn, that is).

The photo to the right has a combination of woven yarn, paint, and wire among other materials.

While the booth was creative and the Canadians fed us French toast, strawberries and homemade maple syrup, the Irish shamrock tattoos that Enterprise Ireland dished out had to be my favorite giveaway. (Sure, I'm biased but it's the truth). A lot more fun than pens, pads, stickers, drives and balloons. 

The Cool Sculping guys who were parading around town for days, tried to demonstrate that 'getting naked' can be a positive thing if you own one of their "suits."

.

The below very 'blurry" image of pianist Eric Lewis, a favorite 'musical' experience by TEDsters who saw him perform a few years back in Long Beach, was taken at a Mashery Party at Sandra Bullock's Austin restaurant. The "blurr" gives you an idea of his energy and personality, therefore is untouched. It's "Eric" in every way. The party was of the classier events held at SXSW this year. Well done Oren!

 

Attacked by the Scottish on the show floor? Hardly but it's hard to resist men in kilts: Me with Ewan Spence and Tam Coyle. (notice the l'il Irish shamock on my hand. Wonder if they did? :-)

Below dana Boyd with Baratunde Thurston on the Fast Company FLUX Generation panel.

As always, Blumberg Capital held an incredible meet-up for their start-up companies & friends. Flow, drinks, conversation, networking was top notch. Well done to David and his team.

The below is a l'il local bar and street scene music action, albeit blurry...blurry is in some ways more 'suitable' for SXSW, despite the fact that I had my Canon 7D and 2 good lenses with me.  

Two fun 'street scenes' very late at night. Or morning. Or whatever.

There was also an interesting demo on the show floor of Vinyl Recorder T-560 -- analog stereo recording on 5", 7", 10" and 12". A pricey option but for serious audiofiles, an option? The 7-560 starter set includes a stereo clutterhead fuse, heated diamond stylus, 19" main unit with RIAA encoder, groove controller and stylus heating regulation mono microscope, a lamp and all cables and adapters. The price? E3,200 (yes, that's Euros).

The week can be a bit exhausting (okay, very) even when you're not trying to race from event to event. Below is a taste of just a day and a half and a few of these bands fell off. And, all the film stuff was equally thick hanging around my neck.

As a complete aside and for kicks, refer to my insanely hard-to-follow post on "how to stay healthy" in Austin during SXSW if you have the strength to avoid all the free beer and Texas ribs.

Statf.ly Simplifies Social Monitoring, Engagement, Reporting & Storage

Statf.ly, a social media management and analytics company just added new quick-switch multi-profile management and unlimited reporting. Targeted to brands and agencies managing brands, new features include team collaboration, unlimited report generation with data point annotation, real time search for both Twitter and Facebook and social data storage for up to one year.

Statf.ly enables users to store Twitter and Facebook history, keywords, and report annotations for up to one year, which is valuable for generating more compelling long term analysis, in depth quarterly reports and annual strategy reviews.

Branding: Unique Voices & Humanization of the Web

Every human being is different. Every product 'being' is different. And, every brand 'voice' should be different. We're talking about humanization of the web.

Brands are trying to figure it out and get their "head around" community. Yet, community managers don't necessarily communicate with corporate marketing or PR. Someone said on a panel at BrandsConf in New York City in late October that customer service doesn't belong in PR.

I thought, are you kidding? If PR doesn't care about the customer, then companies are hiring the wrong PR people. If PR doesn't live and breathe to make the customer happy because it's something that makes their hearts sing, then they're not in the right job. PR should be instrumental in shaping that "human voice" on the web.

How do brands arrive at their human voice on the web? Dan Neely (@dneely40) CEO at Networked Insights, IBM's Ed Abrahams (@ibm), Oglivy's SVP of Digital Influence Gemma Craven (@gemsie), Jeff Simmermon (@jeffTWC), Director of Digital Communication, Time Warner Cable and Rachel Tipograph (@racheltipograph), Director, Global Digital and Social Media at the Gap discussed highlights, lowlights and provided some of their own tips and lessons learned.

Says Jeff, "The data is just about how stories get told. There's a story that your customers are trying to tell you and when you listen, then you deserve to tell a story back. If effective, you can either be a hero or a loser."

Says Ed, "Your marketplace will tell you what your value is. Secondly, stay true to your beliefs and third, do not be defensive, but rather use that feedback as leverage."

Says Dan, "Make sure your goals are wrapped up in business metrics, not social media metrics. Be real and listen for what your customers want, integrating that into your plan."

Says Rachel, "Define your shared interest in your community and listen to what they want, then deliver that to them."

Technorati's Shani Higgins on the State of the Blogosphere

Technorati CEO Shani Higgins presented the annual State-of-the-Blogosphere at BlogWorldExpo this morning. Below are some of the more interesting stats Higgins released in a shotgun array of slides after slides with stats after stats.

When Mitch Joel, who has been blogging for about as long as I have, asked "what defines a blog today? Is Huffington Post a blog? Is an economist who presents an opinion on a site that looks like a blog a blog? Says Higgins, "the independent web is what blogs are...." In other words, not necessarily controlled by a brand or a publisher.

Of bloggers today, 61% are hobbyists. Professional part-timers make up 13%, corporate bloggers make up 8% and entrepreneurs, which is a new category this year is roughly around 13%.

Of bloggers geographically, 50% of bloggers still comes from the US, which apparently hasn't changed much from last year. 65% are aged between 18-44 years old and 59% are male, which is down by 5%, meaning more women are blogging than last year this time.

An oustanding stat is that on average, bloggers have 3 blogs, 50% have been blogging 4+ years, 80% have been blogging 2 or more years, 44% blog 2-3 times per week or more, with pro segments blogging daily. One third of bloggers work in the mainstream media as a writer, reporter, producer or on-air personality.

Reasons Why People Are Blogging: 

• To share their expertise and experiences with others – 70%
• To become more involved with their passion areas – 58%
• To meet and connect with like-minded people – 50%
• To gain professional recognition – 42%

Success Metrics - how bloggers measure their success in order of importance:

• Personal satisfaction  
• Number of unique visitors
• Number of comments
• Backlinks from other bloggers

Social Media Use:

• Google+ = 66% of probloggers (58% of all bloggers are on Google+)
• Facebook – 92% of probloggers
• Twitter is used to promote their blogs: 71% of all bloggers agree, and 90% of all probloggers agree.
• Facebook – 50% of all bloggers have a separate account for their blogs, 75% of all probloggers. Of this group, bloggers are primarily using Facebook to promote their blogs. 37% of all bloggers say they link their Twitter & Facebook accounts.
• Google+ users, 10% of all bloggers have a separate account for their blog, 27% for probloggers. Bloggers who primarily use Google+ to promote their blogs is 27% of all bloggers, 45% of probloggers. Only 13% of this group syndicate their content.

LinkedIn comes in after Facebook, Google+ and Twitter and Digg fell below Tumblr and Foursquare.

Social Media Drivers - in order of driving traffic:

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Stumble Upon, Google+, Tumbler, Flickr, Yelp, Vimeo, Plaxo, Picasa, Orkut, MySpace, Friendsster, Foursquare, and Delicious, with Digg coming in last.

The number one influence for bloggers is other bloggers. In other words, 68% of bloggers look to other bloggers which determine things more than anything else aka "the influencers influence the influencers" says Higgins.

Brand Behavior:

Brand behavior is important, but just how important is the perception of the brand to a blogger? And, what is a blogger prepared to accept on their blog? Compared to last year, bloggers have increased their criteria for the kind of brand they're willing to accept on their blog. Whether bloggers are influenced by a brand or company’s behavior:

• 25% encouraged other bloggers to discourage other bloggers from using a brand.
• Bloggers still boycott products and write about the fact that they boycott products and companies.

Professionalism:

The biggest complaint is that 60% of bloggers feel they are treated less professionally by brand representatives than traditional media, down from 64% in 2010, which isn’t significant.

Interactions:

• 15% of bloggers characterize their interactions with brands as very favorable.
• 34% of bloggers characterize their interactions with brands as favorable.

Access:

• 51% want to work with brands directly
• 49% want to work through an intermediary.

There are mixed reviews on brand interactions: less than 25% say brands provide value, or are knowledgeable about their blogs. In describing the communications bloggers receive from brands, bloggers felt that brands are not very knowledgeable about their blog, their content and blogging style, nor are they genuinely interested in learning about their content and what they cover. In other words, brands have to work much harder and get more personal. And, I'd add, listen.

Brand Programs:

86% of bloggers disclosed that a post was sponsored or paid.

58% disclosed they had received a product they reviewed.

The highest is product reviews, followed by sponsored posts, focus groups and spokesblogger or brand ambassador in that order. In terms of what their audience liked the best of this list, it was product reviews.

Tools that Brands Use:

Facebook 33%

Twitter 30%

Blogging 19%

Blogger outreach 12%

Majority of the above have only been using social media for only 1-2  years.

34% of them have their own blogs.

Money:

• 4% of all bloggers and 37% of full time pros say blogging is their primary income.
• 14% receive a salary for blogging with the average being around $24K, the highest report was $140K.

Revenue Streams:

• Display ads represents 34%
• Affiliate ads: 31%
• Search ads: 27%
• Paid Posts: 34%
• Spokespeople: 5%  

Blog Revenues:

The following results came from bloggers when asked what was the fee they’ve been paid for a single instance of the following:

• Being a brand or product spokesman: $1,365
• Paid to give speeches: $1,560
• Paid to attend events: $1,018
• Paid for a broadcast media appearance: $796
• Received an item of high value to review or endorse: $409
• Print or other media contributor: $935

What is REAL Influence? Will Klout & Other Tools Define & Control You or Will You Define Them?

There's been so much buzz -- on and offline -- about Klout's decision to unveil a new formula which supposedly recalculates scores more accurately, the result of which brought most people's "popularity" scores down a few notches, including my own.

While I think what the guys over at Klout are trying to do is admirable and truth be told, we need really smart analytics and measurement tools to break through the noise, what we have today simply isn't accurate enough or "whole" enough to give us the real truth on who's influential and more importantly, in what circles and why. 

Wouldn't it be more interesting to know who had a Klout score of 80 in food and wine, 80 in social media, 80 in fashion, 80 in politics and so on?

Wouldn't it also be more interesting if tools like this took into consideration a person's offline influence as well as other things they may have done, such as a bestselling book or created a program that made an African village sustain itself?

Part of the issue is that we're early and all of the vendors trying to innovate in this area are trying to figure it out. I spent time talking to Klout's CEO and founder Joe Fernandez in Dublin recently at a web conference and I think he's a great guy who's trying to do the right thing.

I jokingly complained that I've seen 21 year olds who are new to social media, new to Twitter and new to business whose Klout scores have been higher than mine on some days. There are many things they take into account when dishing out a Klout score, including the level of engagement. Crikey, if you're my niece's age and have thousands of Facebook friends who have a ton of time on their hands and can chat away all day with their friends, regardless of how big the circle is, then no doubt, that online "activity" gets engagement brownie points which goes into the Klout analysis.

While engagement could be high in this 'circle', it is its own ecosystem and the real question is: will this voice influence a certain number of people to buy a certain product or take a certain that builds brand awareness?

I have 3 Facebook pages attached to my name, all of which are mine, but I don't get credit in the Kloutsphere for any of them because they can only give you points for one Facebook account - your personal one. When I asked Joe about this, he had a logical explanation. There are far too many people managing a celebrity or brand's Facebook fan page and they shouldn't get credit for that level of influence when the page is about someone else. Fair enough. But what about those whose Facebook pages are legitimately connected to themselves? Small business owners would also fall into that category.

Yet, despite the fact that the numbers aren't accurate or "whole," tons of vendors and brands are jumping into the lions den and testing things out. Frankly, there's nothing wrong with that. With every evolution and revolution, you need to learn by trial and error just like we did with email after fax, blogging after websites and Twitter after AOL IM.

One of my issues is how much credence we (as an industry) give these early tools and how much of a time waste they are for so many I know including me at times before I kick myself back into perspective, nevermind the cultural impact which has quite honestly turned into a popularity contest. I feel as if everyone is competing to be Ken or Barbie and we're back to high school behavior in a way that's not healthy.

As Geoff Livingston points out in a recent post, "people are spending time debating its merits and deficiencies, as well quantifiable metrics in general."

Scores are one way for brand marketers and PR folks to create a list of targeted bloggers and tweeters they can go after, aka a list of the most influential voices who must hear about their product or service. I get it as I've been on the pitching line - both in front of it and in recent years, on the receiving end with We Blog the World.

As Geoff points out, the most influential people in any given sector aren’t necessarily on social media. They hire other people to serve as community managers. As one example, Klout only gives President Barack Obama an Influence Score of 48.

While we do need analytics and tools for measuring, they need to take offline influence into consideration as well as more complex elements and texture that can extracted from people's social graphs.

It's time to bring in the socialogists and anthropologists. One of the best talks I've heard in awhile on a Web-something stage was in October at Web 2.0 Summit by Intel's Genevieve Bell, an Australian born anthropologist and researcher. She is the director of Intel Corporation's Interaction and Experience Research and her talk was begging the question: what if we built data for humans rather than devices? 

Looking at data from an anthropoligical and "human" perspective (bring on more women please), means that we can take the science out of the analytics just long enough to get the pieces that make up the multiple facets of what makes someone who they are into the "measurement" pool.  

Christopher Poole (aka @moot69 on Twitter) also raised the point at the same conference that who we are online may not necessarily be who we are offline. In other words, my social graph online may be very different from who I am in my personal life or frankly want to be...the games we have to play with social media to be part of the conversation -- authentic voice or not -- in order to keep up with metrics and measurement are currently robotic and linear at best. 

Relationships are what really matter and building them take time. I've been working on (yes, while I LOVE it, it's work and takes time), building relationships for over twenty years and yet, my Klout score is lower than someone who's barely been in business or is even old enough to have a relationship with someone longer than a few years of their adult life.

Geoff also refers to this in his post: "without a relationship, it would be extremely hard to get that high scoring influencer to invest energy into your effort. Instead you would have to focus on the magic middle and build your own influence from the ground up."

Gavin Heaten refers to Granovetter’s “strength of weak ties”. While the original post is now a few years old, his point is still relevant. "Social influence and its impact on action is determined by a large number of “weak ties”. So those blogs which are built around an identity which is well-known to its audience (strong ties) is less likely to carry social influence."

Yet, buzz agents, PR people, marketers and large brands are deciding who's influential or beyond that, who can move their brand or sell products inside that brand....all based on these scores.

I went to the Travel Blog Exchange (known among those in the biz as TBEX) in Vancouver for the first time this past year and it was loaded with travel vendors, resorts, hotel chains, restaurants, retailers and more vying for travel blogger's time and ultimately "ink."

While I spend a few hours a day nuturing a travel and culture blog, I also run a business. Many of these bloggers are doing this full time so are spending a lot of time gathering content from the world's most popular destinations and there is an inherent value in that. Yet, many of these 21-25 year old bloggers are enjoying free trips around the world on some brand's dime based on Klout scores and other things like it.

Fair enough, trust me, I wish blogging were around when I backpacked through SE Asia, Australia, Africa and Europe when I was 22. But I think some other form of value will be necessary in the future as online publishing is being rewritten.

I often wonder if I were blogging and tweeting at 22, whether I would have spent less time chatting with a villager next to a fire on some remote mountain had I been loaded down with technology? When I went on those adventures, I wore nothing but a mid-sized rucksack on my back and an old Fujica AX3. My main consideration was making sure my film didn't get roasted in the Southeast Asian sun or when I went through security lines at airports. 

Today when I travel, Foursquare and Twitter (via Hootsuite) are close companions. I often tweet in real time as I'm walking down an escalator and see something interesting and at times, can get so wrapped up in following streams, that sometimes I forget to have a conversation with the guy from Chicago or Tokyo standing next to me.

It's far too easy to get caught up in check-ins, status updates and Klout scores and there's no one who can disagree, that its addictive. It's precisely what makes gamification a godsend to marketers today. And yet with all these distractions, what are we losing and are we forgetting what "real influence" and "real relationships" are in the process?

Refer to my Google+ blog post which talks about data overload and over consumption.

Two decades ago, I would have had a Klout score of zero in the travelsphere and yet by the age of 25, I had been to more places than many travel writers at magazines and newspapers I met along the way. 

I didn't spend any time building relationships with influential 'travel sources,' but with the locals I met en route and here is where I captured magical stories, most of which were written down in an old fashioned diary every night by a fire or from a rickety bed.

I would argue that in a world where the lines between marketers and content creators and publishers are muddy, that large brands should ask for more than a little link love, or a certain number of tweets. How about strategic feedback based on years of valuable insights, experience and perhaps connections to people where both sides benefit in a mutually positive way? Airlines take note. It's not rocket science, it's called listening to your customers, and not just those with high Klout scores. Pay attention to what customers are saying -- on and offline -- and implement changes so they're singing your praises alongside your marketing department.

Another example of a missed opportunity for "influencer collaboration". This past summer, I was flown out to a conference with about six other bloggers and while I was given hashtag and Twitter data as well as the program in advance, I had no knowledge of who was attending the conference so I could connect with people who shared similar interests and passions in advance.

Imagine the power of my writing a story about the work of a few of the attendees as well as their speakers? Ammunition for selling tickets the following year, especially if a new initiative formed as a result. 

At events where everyone is interesting and has a story to share, the magic of what can be discovered doesn't always happen on the stage. 90% of my best stories are gathered off the stage and compelling input is often found from those who are not asked to speak or haven't written a book.

And, did those speakers who authored books know the bloggers and journalists who were attending? They should have known in advance so they could have taken the opportunity to send us a copy of their book to read before their presentation. Insights would have been much deeper and after-the-talk conversations much more powerful. 

Sure, we all could have done our own homework and sure, if we were interested in a particular speaker over another, we could have proactively ordered their book on our own. That's not my point. In a world of over data and over pitching, we need aggregators and curators, and human ones are often the most powerful ones.

Proactively faciliating those connections in a way that is more powerful and intimate increases the likelihood of more stories, especially ones may include more depth and texture.

I think that marketing and PR people have to not only become content creators on multiple channels but also strategic faciliators, aggregators and curators as well. I also think that asking bloggers, tweeters and other online influencers for input into their processes, products, services and ways of communicating will be critical to making this new ecosystem purr.

Events like TBEX for the travel industry, BlogWorldExpo for bloggers and social media addicts, TED for those who thrive on ideas and innovation, DAVOS for those who are participating in the global economy in some way, the national auto show for those who live and breathe cars and thousands of others were created for a reason. Sure, someone thought of an event that would draw people together including sponsors and they could profit from the outcome.

But the real draw for those who attend, even those who fork out the money to host, is the networking and the value of that "in-person" networking over the years. It was one of the reasons people were so upset when COMDEX died, the largest computer show of its kind in the U.S., an event that drew together anyone and everyone who mattered in the industry once a year in the ugly sprawling city of sin Las Vegas.

There, we built a community, and old timers still talk about memories they shared -- in the flesh, not online -- where stories, drinks, food, dancing, ideas, demos and deals were all shared. TED is a great example of a community which has been created both on and offline, and now extended through TEDx events throughout the world.

Relationships are built by investing time in people. In Dublin recently, a group of us were brought to the Irish President's residence and a day earlier, we all listened to the Trinity Orchestra at a college older than the U.S. - there's nothing in an online world, social influence or not, that can take away from those shared memories and moments, some of which may have showed a precious vulnerable side to someone you dare not share online for online is not where that "exchange" belongs.

A deeper dive into what really makes up influence, which includes trust, will improve the current ecosystem we now embrace. It may also change the cast of characters we currently hold in high esteem when honesty, real openness and "human influence" replaces old schoolXYZ networks that keeps things in status quo, maintaining the same dozen voices we hear from again and again, particularly in the online publishing world.

Here, Geoff is spot on when he says "when we focus on influence rankings — tools that quantify a media form’s participants like it was run by journalists — we walk away from the basic truth about these particular types of media. They are relational. They are SOCIAL media.

So, by focusing on lists and not dialoguing and adding value through relevant content and investment, a practitioner is not present. Their effort is bound to have fundamental weaknesses. Building relationships in real life at events, meetings, and through social media are the ways to cultivate better influence.

And oh man, I love his ending: "what is the real reason to quantify big social media influencers? If relationships are your desired outcome, why waste time?" 

We've paid so much attention to data for data sake and the last century has paid an unfair advantage to scientific knowledge and stats, that we need to rewrite the rules of what holds value in and out of the boardroom. Francis Cholle in his book The Intuitive Compass takes 223 pages to tell you why our intuition (the quadrant which is defined by relationships and creativity) is critical to succeeding in the next century. (book review coming on We Blog the World before the end of the year in the Books category).

A fundamental question to think about is this: will Klout & other measurement tools like it define and control you or will you define and control them? If we are to innovate, shouldn't we step up and tell the data what really matters? In a Genevieve Bell world, we'd start with humanity and relationships and build up and out from there.

Photo credits in order of appearance: Garagehangover, Obama shot unknown, John Ryan & Associates, a Facebook stream, Selfleadership.com.

Top 45 Business & Technology Blogs to Follow

Degree Jungle listed a top 45 picks of business and technology blogs worth reading. Down the Avenue among a host of others are on the list, the top three being Seth Goldin, Chris Brogan and ShoeMoney. The list with a description of each is listed below.

45. Retail: Shaken Not Stirred: Kevin Ertell is a well-known and respected leader in the online retail industry. Ertell has over 25 years of experience in retail industry. He offers a wide variety of online retail and cross-channel strategies, ideas, tactics,  and observations and tips.

44. Bloggertone: A business blogging community with a team of successful entrepreneurs, management consultants, business developers and social media experts. They share their stories, information, ideas, tips and strategies for entrepreneur, senior managers, and professionals across different industries.

43. Learn to Duck Blog: Micah's blog focuses on business development, advertising and online marketing, product and marketing strategies. Micah is also a book author and a professional speaker.

42. Glass House Blog: Frank Shaw is a professional Public Relation specialist with over 20 years of PR experience. Since 2003, Frank has been writing about business trends and strategies, technology industries, innovations, social media and many other issues related to the business and communication field.

41. Post Advertising: Provides information, stories, insights, and ideas on advertising and branding world.

40. BNET Industry Blog: Gives daily industry news and analysis, insights for managers and executives. Covers the major agencies in marketing, advertising, public relations, investments, inventory and other issues crucial to the marketing sector.

39. Business and Games Blog: A team of marketing strategists who shares their insights, tips and information on everything about marketing, strategies, innovations and profits.

38. Marketing Know How: John Quelch is a professor at Harvard Business School and an author. He shares his ideas, insights and tips on business marketing, economics, education and politics.

37. Down the Avenue Blog: This blog tackles many issues that many individuals and organizations face in a new media world. Down the Avenue delivers the latest news, insights and fresh information on top technology, innovation, business, new media, public relation related issues and more.

36. Medical Sales Recruiter: This blog is intended to help many medical sales managers and reps with sales analytic and marketing strategies, tips and quips. The Medical Sales Recruiter is owned and run by Peggy McKee, an expert and consultant in the field of Medical Sales.

35. Blog Business World: Wayne Hulbert's blog is all about business, entrepreneur, marketing, public relations and SEO. His blog has thousands of followers and avid readers.

34. Email Experience Blog: This blog highlights the importance and impinging effects of email as a marketing tool, communications medium and branding device.

33. Laurel Papworth's Blog: Laurel Papworth is among the top 50 influential women on Twitter. Laurel teaches workshops on social media monitoring and marketing to small business and non profit organizations in Australia, Middle east and Asia. She was named as Industry Head Social Media by Marketing Magazine.

32. Peter Lee's Blog: Peter Lee is an online marketing guru who shares his knowledge, tips and techniques on Internet marketing and making money online.

31. Cleantech Blog: Cleantech blog is a multiblog with several published authors who write daily about what they see and what they do in green sectors. Cleantech blog discusses issues and events about clean technology, energy security, environment friendly technologies, and more. Cleantech has thousands of avid readers and loyal followers.

30. Marketing Productivity Blog: Jim Novo, a web analytics specialist and expert in interactive customer retention, defection and loyalty. His blog talks about marketing, tips and insights on how to market your product and gain sales. Jim is an author, workshop teacher and a professional conference speaker.

29. Jacob Morgan Blog: Jacob's blog is among the most influential marketing blogs in the world wide web. Jacob is widely regarded as a thought leader and community leader in social business. He also is a business and SEO consultant, book author and a professional conference speaker.

28. Blogging with Chris: Chris Peterson's blog talks about his personal experiences, sharing ideas related to networking and blogging, generating income on the web and more.

27. Women on Business: A multi-awarded entrepreneur blog giving emphasis to women in business, sharing ideas, information, tips, and strategies that can help female entrepreneurs and those who are aspiring to start a business. Women On Business is owned by a published author and professional business speaker Susan Gunelius.

26. Noobpreneur Business Blog: A very good source of business ideas, business tips and tricks, articles, helpful information for small business owner and entrepreneurs.

25. Digital Influence Mapping Blog: John Bell is a specialist in applied innovation and designing social business solutions. John shares his stories, experiences, useful business information and strategies, marketing, communication, social media marketing, branding and more. John is also a professional conference speaker.

24. GrowMap Blog: This blog provides numerous customized paths and proven strategies to generating more business sales, leads, attract visitors for different types of websites and businesses.

23. A PR Guys Musing: Stuart Bruce, a PR and social media strategy specialist, sought-after conference speaker and national media commentator. He shares his ideas and experiences, helpful information on public relations and everything about social media.

22. WebTrafficROI Blog: A Web Marketing blog by ZK intended for web business passionate people. ZK is a successful Internet Entrepreneur and a professional web marketer who likes to share his experiences, insights, tips and tricks on blogging and Internet Marketing. This blog has thousands of readers and loyal followers.

21. New Comm Biz Blog: This blog is committed to analyzing the changes and effects of social media to business, society and communication. It also gives ideas, tips and information on social media strategies, business innovations and more.

20. Adfreak blog: Talks about media, advertising, and product promotion. This blog has over 52,000 loyal followers.

19. The Invesp Blog: Khalid and Ayat shares their opinion, knowledge and views about investments, business, web technology, SEO, social media for ecommerce and conversion optimization. Khalid is also a professional speaker, author and a consultant on ecommerce operation.

18. AbhiSays.com Blog: Abhishek Kumar's blog is a good source of business updates, information on web technology, marketing and advertising, tips and tricks that can help your business grow, and how to make money online.

17. Gaping Void: Hugh MacLeod's blog is one of the most trafficked independent blogs. He shares his emotions, business challenges, opinions and events through his art. His artwork and prints are being used in advertising or promoting products of famous companies like HP.

16. Jeremiah (Web Strategy) A blog of popular web strategist, successful entrepreneur and professional speaker. Jeremy's blog focuses on technology products that are related to social media, revealing its impact on how companies communicate with their customers.

15. Digital Business Strategy Blog: David Dalka is a digital business strategist and sought-after speaker. He shares his insights about business strategies, social media trends and more.

14. Jim Kukral Blog: Jim Kukral, the small business influencer and a serial web-entrepreneur shares his ideas, stories, resources and tips on how to market your business, how to attract publicity and more sales.

13. Telecom Ramblings Blog: Talks about trends and development in the telecom industry. An independent source of news, commentary and analysis. This blog exists to share stories of the sector, giving voice to people who invest in, build and operate the communication infrastructure a chance to be heard.

12. Media Orchard Blog: Scott Baradell's Media Orchard marketing blog is popular and an inspiration to many public relations practitioners and online marketers. Scott and his team shares their ideas, news, tips and trends on how to make your business bloom.

11. TechCocktail Blog: A full-fledged tech news blog and media company with thousands of supporters and followers. Fran Gruber, a product strategist and long time blogger, focuses on commending entrepreneurs, emerging technology and innovation.

10. Fueling Ad Agency New Business: Michael Gass shares his tips, tactics, business development practices, business strategies, trends, talent and tools for growing your business.

9. Blogging Innovation: Braden Kelley and Rowan Gibson blogs about innovation. They are both sought-after business speakers and strategic advisors to many of the world's leading companies.

8. Vertical Response Blog: Janine Popick blogs about social media, business tips, online survey, marketing solutions, email marketing and more.

7. Neville Hobson: A blog about business, communication and technology by an Accredited Business Communicator Mr. Neville Hobson. Neville is one of the leading European influencers in social media communication for business.

6.Logic+Emotion Blog: Is another influencial blog in the business and marketing niche, authored by the most influential and respected voice on social media for business Mr. David Armano. Logic+Emotion has over 70,000 blog followers.

5. China Law: A discussion about practical aspects of Chinese Law and its impact on business. This blog is authored by Atty. Dan Harris and Atty. Steve Dickinson who are both named as “Amazing Lawyers” in International Law.

4. Next Big Future: A blog about science and technology, business and technical choices that will help shape the future. Nextbigfuture has over 11,000 readers and over 2500 loyal followers.

3. ShoeMoney: Owned by a web entrepreneur Jeremy Schoemaker, sharing his insights on making money online. His blog was named as the “Best Affiliate Marketing blog” with over 30,000 loyal followers.

2. Chris Brogan: Chris is a successful entrepreneur, author, business consultant and online educator. He helps both big and small businesses and solo entrepreneur. Chris speaks professionally on the future of business communication and social software technologies.

1. Seth Godin: The most popular blog authored by “America's Greatest Marketer” and best selling author, Seth Godin. His blog is updated daily, known to and followed by many big and small entrepreneur and business executives.

 

ConAgra Bait & Switch PR Stunt: What Was Marketing & Ketchum Thinking?

I read the article below about a ConAgra Foods PR stunt with bloggers in disbelief. What on earth were the marketing and PR team thinking?

Of course it's a bait and switch and not a good one. They're food bloggers and you serve them processed boxed food from a "brand" when they think they're getting a hand-made meal by a well known chef? Who wouldn't be pissed and rightfully so?

I kept thinking throughout - their marketing team should be canned for SO not getting how off color this is not to mention off target. 

The article below is reposted from the New York Times and Peter Shankman is SPOT ON - Ketchum should have known better. This is ethics 101 folks...ethics 101. Bait and switch is uncool for any marketing campaign but with bloggers who are going to WRITE about their experience. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

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In August, food bloggers and mom bloggers in New York were invited to dine at an underground restaurant in a West Village brownstone run, apparently, by George Duran, the chef who hosts the “Ultimate Cake Off” on TLC.

George Duran, left, a celebrity chef, and Phil Lempert, a food industry analyst, hosted evenings at an underground restaurant, where invited bloggers thought Mr. Duran would prepare the meal.

Sotto Terra, the invitation said, was “an intimate Italian restaurant” where attendees would enjoy a “delicious four-course meal,” Mr. Duran’s “one-of-a-kind sangria,” and learn about food trends from a food industry analyst, Phil Lempert. The invitation continued that upon confirming — for one of five evenings beginning Aug. 23 — bloggers would receive an extra pair of tickets as a prize for readers and that the dinner would include “an unexpected surprise.”

The surprise: rather than being prepared by the chef, the lasagna they were served was Three Meat and Four Cheese Lasagna by Marie Callender’s, a frozen line from ConAgra Foods. Hidden cameras at the dinners, which were orchestrated by the Ketchum public relations unit of the Omnicom Group, captured reactions to the lasagna and to the dessert, Razzleberry Pie, also from Marie Callender’s.

“Our intention was to really have a special evening in a special location with Chef George Duran,” said Stephanie Moritz, senior director of public relations and social media at ConAgra.

“The twist at the end was not dissimilar with what brands like Pizza Hut and Domino’s have done in the recent past with success,” she said, referring to hidden-camera advertising campaigns. ConAgra expected to use the footage for promotional videos on YouTube and its Web site, and for bloggers to generate buzz when they wrote about being pleasantly surprised.

But it was the marketers, not the diners, who were in for the biggest surprise.

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The hidden camera is a staple in commercials, from Folger’s ads in the 1970s and 1980s where diners in upscale restaurants unknowingly enjoyed instant coffee instead of the house brew, to more recent Pizza Hut ads, where diners, again in upscale restaurants, unknowingly enjoyed pasta from Pizza Hut.

But while consumers tend to laugh along with the ruse, ConAgra was about to learn that bloggers, who often see themselves as truth-seeking journalists, find the switcheroo less amusing, especially when it entails them misleading their readers beforehand.

“Our entire meal was a SHAM!” wrote Suzanne Chan, founder of Mom Confessionals, in ablog post after the event. “We were unwilling participants in a bait-and-switch for Marie Callender’s new frozen three cheese lasagna and there were cameras watching our reactions.”

On FoodMayhem.com, a blog by Lon Binder and Jessica Lee Binder, Mr. Binder wrotethat during a discussion led by Mr. Lempert before the meal, Mr. Binder spoke against artificial ingredients while Ms. Binder mentioned being allergic to food coloring. When the lasagna arrived, Ms. Binder was served a zucchini dish, while Mr. Binder was served lasagna.

“We discussed with the group the sad state of chemical-filled foods,” wrote Mr. Binder. “And yet, you still fed me the exact thing I said I did not want to eat.” (Among the ingredients in the lasagna: sodium nitrate, BHA, BHT, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate.)

On the evening she attended, Cindy Zhou wrote on her blog, Chubby Chinese Girl, that during the pre-meal discussion, she “pointed out that the reason I ate organic, fresh and good food was because my calories are very precious to me, so I want to use them wisely.”

She continued, “Yet they were serving us a frozen meal, loaded with sodium.” (An 8-ounce serving of the lasagna contains 860 milligrams of sodium, 36 percent of the recommended daily allowance.)

“I’m NOT their target consumer and they were totally off by thinking I would buy or promote their highly processed frozen foods after tricking me to taste it,” Ms. Zhou wrote.

As negative comments on blogs, Twitter and Facebook grew, ConAgra canceled the fifth evening and vowed not to use the hidden-camera footage for promotional purposes.

“Once we sensed it was not meeting attendees’ expectations, that’s where we stopped, we listened and we adjusted,” said Ms. Moritz, of ConAgra.

For the rest of the article, click here.