BIZTECHBUZZ in the world of social, cognitive, IoT and startups

Month: November 2011 (Page 1 of 3)

Social Business: Should we be thankful for Millenials? #Millennial #ibm #socbiz #ibmsocialbiz #e20conf

Thinking through Social over Thanksgiving, I pondered the age of Social.  As my daughters look at me crazy at needing a mouse (why can’t you just use your finger speaks one of the Apple generation), and my daugther’s friend asks my husband what a modem is when he speaks of ancient history of computers.  I see the milennial impact today on Social in a positive way. 

At E2.0 in California, Molly Graham showed a fascinating chart on the differences in Millenial style.   I loved the differences in her (and Facebook’s viewpoint) of this new emerging culture.   Kristen Cobbie wrote:  Millenials feel they have a right to information and access to parts of the business that have traditionally taken years to get access to. Essentially, they expect that they have a right and the ability to make the company better.

While many view Millenials as needy, is this really a healthy need for feedback so that they can grow?  Instead of being viewed as selfish,  they view themselves as ineffective given the speed of the world if they cannot always improve their skills.  Millenials are viewed as selfish in some circles but this could be their passion shining through.   While they want ownership — (some deem it too early), they view this ownership desire as their willingness to accept responsibility for the ownership of the outcome.   And are they too impaient or just seeking new challenges

I love this Millenial style or frankly this view if motivates are accurate in all!  Your thoughts?

Happy Thanksgiving and did you know? Turkeys are social !!! #socbiz #ibmsocialbiz #ibmpartners #thanksgiving

Since it is Thanksgiving and I love social so much, I wanted to know the linkage between being “social” and turkeys!

Surprisingly, turkeys are social animals. They enjoy the company of other creatures, including humans. They love having their feathers stroked.  (Like we do on Twitter — when someone retweets us!)

 They live in flocks-sometimes rather large — like we do in communities online.    Whether facebook, IBM connections, or linkedin or like me, all!!!

In the Turkey flocks, they have a social hierarchy or ranking in which each bird is dominant over or “pecks on” birds of lesser social status.  Is this what Klout is about? 

Turkeys are not “territorial” and do not defend an area against other turkeys.  Wonder if this is the same?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Social Fun Sells! #gitomer #sales #ibmsocialbiz

Gamification is the process of using gaming thinking and mechanics to solve problems, and engage users.    And it is fun!  Fun sells and drives engagement.

While some think this is just marketing http://www.bogost.com/blog/gamification_is_bullshit.shtml, I asset that the concepts have merit for our new Millennials as do many others who view this is the next big Social thing (http://kotaku.com/5833631/gamification-is-here-to-stay-and-its-not-bullshit).  

And you cannot argue with the facts.  A lot of games have bigger audiences than TV shows do , and much stronger engagement.

For examples include IBM.  We use gaming for onboarding, demand generation, and education.

Farmer’s Insurance uses gaming to generate new clients using Farmville as a sticky hook.  They have a “blimp” with Farmer’s on it that can be used to protect your crops and if you click on it, takes you to Farmer’s landing page.

And Weight Watchers uses the point system to drive motivation .

What are your thoughts on gaming?  Do you use it?  Do you think you will?

Black Friday Week of focus! Social Analytics of Shoes! My 2 fav subjects! #socbiz #socialanalytics

So 2 of my favorite things:  Shoes and Social Analytics.   IBM showcased its Value on Social Analytics in showcasing a fav buy of everyone in the Black Friday Sales!   Shoes!

 

 

A look back at the last 100 years of shoe fashion trends reveals that heel heights soared during the most prominent recessions in U.S. history.  Low-heeled flapper shoes in the 1920s were replaced with high-heel pumps and platforms during the Great Depression.  Platforms were again revived during the 1970s oil crisis, reversing the preference for low-heeled sandals in the late 1960s.  And the low, thick heels of the 1990s “grunge” period gave way to “Sex and the City”-inspired stilettos following the dot-com bust at the turn of the century. 

An analysis of the last four years of social media showed that discussions of increasing heel height peaked towards the end of 2009, and declined after that.  For example, key trend-watching bloggers between 2008 and 2009 wrote consistently about heels from five to eight inches, but by mid 2011 they were writing about the return of the kitten heel and the perfect flat from Jimmy Choo and Louboutin.  This is not to say that the sky-high heels have gone, rather that, as the economic downturn has wore on, they are discussed as glamwear and not for the office or shopping trip.

Here’s how the analysis was conducted: first, IBM used special analytics software to search billions of social media posts to identify individuals discussing shoes. This initial category contained tens of thousands of posts. Next, the software narrowed the list down to those who are key online influencers in the area of footwear – bloggers, for example. The software relied on special algorithms that rated the popularity of these influencers by zeroing in on the ones who sit in the center of large social networks – that is, writers of blogs that many other blogs link to and which in turn link to many blogs. These bloggers aren’t traditional “experts” – they don’t work in the footwear industry, for example. But they are passionate footwear enthusiasts with large followings. 

Finally, the software analyzed the content of the social media sites, looking specifically for discussions of shoe height. 

 

Hilton masters SoMo! #mobile #socbiz #ibmsocialbiz #ibm #hilton

This week’s theme is SoMo….which is the Social and Mobile codependency!  The example is Hilton.  Hilton Worldwide drive real business value, including:

1.Improved overall guest experience
2.Drive down cost
3.Set a standard for how hotels should be

Check out the Hilton iPad Custom Apps that drives competitive advantage – Virtual Concierge Application.   It features 

•Room-service menus (plus the ability to order food),

•Spa and fitness information (plus the ability to book appointments)

•Transportation, maps, & valet-parking information

including all the things you’d find on a printed compendium in the guest room desk drawer, such as room-service menus (plus the ability to order food), spa and fitness information (plus the ability to book appointments), transportation, maps, and valet-parking information. “If somebody wanted dinner, they could navigate to the menu portion of the app, look at images of the food, add it to their cart, click “check out,” and it would arrive at their room just as if they’d picked up the phone and ordered it.

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