I’m sort of over this whole social media thing. Not to the tools mind you but more the notion – less the doing and more the obnoxious selling (whoring) of the idea. For the last few years I’ve watched social media explode globally and people who initially sneered at the idea of posting your whereabouts or activities, now happily share links and post photos via Twitpic.

But the one thing that hasn’t progressed in that time is the marketing of social media. I’m still seeing the same examples used in the same presentations. The same “edgy” PR and Marketing companies are still going through the same needlessly salacious powerpoints talking about how you NEED to be a part of the social media landscape.

I’m not saying it isn’t effective, but it’s effective in all the wrong ways. Now everyone wants a Facebook page regardless of whether they have a community to build around or even a message to impart.

Twitter is overrun with accounts that only push out the most disingenuous content (we’ve update our app, we’re playing at this club, etc) and it’s tough to distinguish the spammers from the lazy and ill-informed.

Marketers – we’re the ones out there pushing its virtues, therefore it’s up to us to police its use.

There’s of course the other side other coin, where companies know they should participate in social media, but are like an overly cautious child staring down at the water from the high-diving board. They’ve seen all these horror stories about companies being pilloried on Twitter and had their reputations blogged into the ground and now they’re terrified that one false step will crush their brand forever.

They don’t want to take chances and that falls on us as well.

Can we get past the “how sexy is social media” thing and treat it as another effective and powerful communication tool? Some people are already doing this, or more accurately have been doing this from the start. But way too many are out there flogging this in all the wrong ways. Splashy statistics are great. So are in your face graphics, but let’s try and make sure these companies know what the hell it is they’re doing.

And while we're at it, can we move past the cash-grab that is the Social Media boot camp? Seriously?

I was rereading my Wednesday post and realized, there is one company that I do get a little doe-eyed for – Google. But for good reason (in my mind).

They just keep giving and giving and all they seem to want in return is data (which I’m clearly more than happy to provide). Yes I know, they’re supposed to be evil – stealing our data and using it against us in their plot to over throw the world. But frankly, if Google’s aspirations are to dominate the world, how bad would that be?

Everything would be free and open-source (commie bastards), and work really well. Frankly, I’m having trouble seeing the downside.

With that in mind, I came across this cool new way to browse Google Reader – Google Reader Play.

This clearly ties into the whole social sharing initiative they’ve been pushing hard with stuff like Google Buzz. GR Play is a total time waster, but  - as its name would indicate – it’s fun.

Basically it distills the most shareable and interesting pieces in blog posts, and makes them dead easy to look at, like and share amongst your friends. And like a pebble in a pond, the ripples feed out to everywhere (Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed, etc.).

While I know it’s not a tablet to change the world – GR Play is still a cool distraction during your day.


I have to say, the geek in me is really enjoying all the drama that’s unfolding between Google and Apple these days. I love it from a gossipy, high-school point of view, but also because when two powerhouses like this do battle, consumers are sure to come out on top.

Google vs. Apple seems like an unlikely feud. One is a cloud-based search giant and open-source evangelist. The other an extremely closed off, locked-down product based inventor of cool. But as mentioned in this New York Times article, with two companies this massive, it was only a matter of time before they started treading into mutual turf and someone got their toes stepped on. In this case it was Apple who apparently got really pissed about Google’s audacity to enter the mobile phone market.

But as odd as that rivalry is, a less talked about but equally important one exists between Google and Facebook.

For me these seemed like two disparate companies aiming to achieve two different things with two different audiences. But peeling back the layers it's easy to see that they're actually after the exact same thing - your data.

As the social web has proven over the last few years we base so many of our choices on what our friends and contemporaries make. So when we want to know who had a good experience with a roofer or a plumber we ask our Facebook or Twitter friends for advice.

This makes social search the new Holy Grail of the search engine wars. In a perfect future Google would love to produce the exact search results you queried as well as what 5, 10 or all of your online friends suggest, recommend or have had dealings with.

What spooks Google (one would guess) is most of this information exists in the walled garden of Facebook (and other closed sites) and is inaccessible. Facebook knows it and is desperate to leverage it.

Again, this usually means good things for us. We have probably three of the most innovative and important techonolgy companies trying so hard to be first. First to deliver a must have product or service. And no matter who gets there first, we win (unless Apple gets there first, in which case that service or product will cost a small fortune).

How much do I love Google Buzz? A lot!

I’ll preface this by saying that there are still some areas that are in need of attention. I’m not crazy about the fact that every time a posting is commented on it floats to the top – instead of the most recently posted item. I’m also still trying to figure out whether muting a post makes it disappear or whether it simply stops showing you updated comments (if anyone can clarify, please let me know).

But enough of what’s not good – more of what is.

This takes the best aspects of platforms like Posterous, Brizzly, Facebook, Twitter, Google Reader and puts them all into your mail box! Come on – I don’t have to sign up for anything, start fiddling with passwords, etc. I just select the platforms to integrate.

And the fact that it instantly aggregates most of my other social media and online networks into one place is amazing. Facebook does this but not nearly in the same hands-off and seamless way that Google has presented it. With Buzz the integrity of the initial post is intact versus Facebook, where it’s usually branded to look like any other status update.

I also love the fact that anyone can comment on videos, updates, blog postings or pictures right in the stream. This is guaranteed to increase engagement for the simple fact that you’re making it easy for people to participate. Although tracking Buzz interaction and engagement will surely be a headache for someone.

All in all, it seems like Buzz is more than everyone else. It’s more characters than Twitter, it’s more unclusive than Facebook and it’s more convenient than familiarizing yourself with a new platform.

I’m pretty excited by Buzz’s potential but I’m holding off on a hard thumbs up or down until I’ve really taken it for a spin.

How have your experiences been with Google Buzz?

If you follow me on Twitter or read this blog with any regularity you’ll know that I’m no fan of the current state of the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission). They have become my favourite whipping boy for what not to do in customer service.

But after reading this article I feel like there might be a glimmer of hope for the Red Rocket.

It’s no secret they’ve been reluctant to embrace technology or use it to its fullest potential (turnstiles, tokens, paper tickets). But with this new blue ribbon task force put together to evaluate customer service the TTC is in a position to draw on the valuable feedback that already exists.

By embracing the social media tools that they’ve really only toyed with to this point, they could be tapping into the online community for people’s thoughts and opinions – in real time!

Using their Twitter accounts for more than just status updates and service issues, they could be talking directly to passengers about their experiences and where they see gaps in service.

Facebook would be perfect for quick surveys or topical discussion groups. And doing a blog search would turn up all the TTC enthusiasts and detractors who already have the attention of the online community.

This doesn’t replace their efforts to track customer satisfaction, but it's a useful and inexpensive extension. It would be foolish to imagine that social media will answer all the TTC’s customer service issues, but with a vocal online community already offering up their opinions, suggestions and insights – why not tap into that? On top of that, you're showing a committment to your customers by meeting them on their turf - in their environment - online.

I posted last week about how Roger’s simple act of engaging me via Twitter (in my environment) was enough for me to take notice and save me as a customer. The TTC has no competition to speak of, but imagine the response if they just asked their customers how they felt about the current state of the TTC's customer service. For me it would be a giant step in the right direction.