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.


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.

It would seem Rogers is going the route of Comcast, Dell, et al, with their jump into the Twitter based customer service realm. I found this out the other day, when – after complaining about cell providers (as I’m known to do) – @RogersMary sent me this message:

I’m not going to lie – I was taken a little off guard. The last thing I expected was Rogers to seek me out and ask what my concerns were (on Christmas Day no less!). But after some back and forth I emailed Mary with some thoughts. The real question is what they do with that information now.

As my problems with Rogers weren’t tangible issues like incorrect billing or bad customer service, and had more to do with a lack of competition between the major providers, I’m curious how they’ll respond. Will they earnestly look at resolving the negative attitude nearly everyone has for their cell phone providers or is this just an exercise in good PR optics?

I have a feeling Roger’s Twitter presence is more to deal with high level issues like where to pay bills, service outages, etc. and doesn’t really exist to monitor their brand’s reputation. And that’s unfortunate because a lot of valuable information could be gleaned from channels where people are offering unsolicited and honest opinions.

This is a new age of exposure for companies and as it’s been said countless times in countless books and blogs, people are talking about big brands in both good ways and bad. Some companies like Zappos and Jetblue are diligent with brand management and seem to really care about their reputation while others seem apathetic at best.

But will 2010 be the year that massive companies with cushy monopolies (like Rogers) take this seriously or are they just playing in the space because everyone says they should?

What do you think?