Guy Kawasaki is a well-known authority in the tech world and author of numerous columns, articles and especially http://alltop.com .  So picking up Enchantment was a no brainer for me.  The book impressed me with its common sense suggestions as well as good tips & tricks for email and Facebook marketing. The cover design contest also was appealing and I may try to duplicate the process.  The entire concept of “enchantment” is described as a process and not an event.  Reading the book is an event; following the suggestions will be a process to try!  Let me know if you have a good book to recommend.  Here is my complete review.  http://prnt.in/ZYL...

This is a serious decision … sort of.  My usual check on the Social Media Field Guide RRS feed or my Inbox (not sure which … it may have been both) led me to discover free content from Hubspot and David Meerman Scott who is now the marketer in residence for Hubspot. First, I find Hubspot a terrific example of content development & distribution marketing and I have enjoyed all the Meerman Scott ebooks/books. So to discover the two are working together, I knew I was on to something good to review; and, better yet, learn more on marketing. Then I received a Tweet about the Old Spice Guy vs Fabio ad campaign. Now, I was in a quandary … which should I check out first? (Full disclosure: I find Mustafa definitely cool but feel guilty checking out his videos on the job!) The Old Spice Guy ad campaign example has been used in Julie Shaffer’s and my book, Social Media Field Guide, so I am compelled to do an update on anything happening with Mustafa (p. 20 in SMFG). Did I mention that this relieved my guilt? I recall Fabio from years past, but I was not a particular fan of his. But the ad campaign pitting the two of them against one another … very, very clever.  Given that I decided to work on this project at home, my decision was to review both items for my blog entry!  Ultimate Marketing Guide by Hubspot and David Meerman Scott First things first—download this free guide which is actually an interactive PowerPoint or webinar. The guide is an excellent quick read of some major points and questions that I see/hear regularly from members. There are 15 “episodes” with easy “how to” titles and quick answers that get to the point. Since there are 34 total pages in the guide with half the pages in “titles,” you can read this fast and take a few notes. Meerman Scott encourages you to Tweet this “webinar,” and share it. I had “takeaways” on every page. Yes, it was not all new, but it is good to be reinforced with some information. Check it out. My favorite episodes were:  #7 related to “How to Learn from Companies Outside Your Industry (reinforced what I believe) and #14 “What is the Future of Social Media Marketing”… definitely liked the analogy between formerly using “e-business” and now “e” has disappeared and it is all about business. Moreover, “social media marketing” will morph into “marketing” with no distinction but social media tools will be another channel in the total marketing plan. Don’t delay, there is a “how to” episode for everyone!   Ok, now to Old Spice Guy...

Check out the latest books reviewed by Mary Garnett.  The books selected were Problogger: The Secrets to Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income and The Thank You Economy. Problogger:  If you have started a blog, you already know the challenges associated with creating content, gaining traffic to the blog and earning money for your efforts.  The magic three are difficult if not impossible.  To earn a six-figure income for blogging adds an amazing feat to the list.  Yet the authors Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett are doing that and more.  If you have any level of interest in blogging, or even just writing solid, attention-getting content, this book is for you.  Click here for Problogger. http://prnt.in/Z5U   Thank You Economy.  If you are a fan or have heard of the author, Gary Vaynerchuck, you will enjoy this book as well as learn from his suggestions and examples.  Every printer or small business owner can profit from the guidelines of this book. Gary is an example that was highlighted in Social Media Field Guide: A Resource for Graphic Communicators  Gary is well known for his achievements in catapulting his local family-owned wine store into a national darling and in his demonstrating a sterling example of the impact of social media on a small business.  Click here for The Thank You Economy....

It is very common to see the shorten service site such as bit.ly. It turns out that the “ly” is Libya’s Internet domain which uses the English language’s adverbial suffix: ly.  English language Internet users like the ly…sort of catchy. The article states that 43% of the “ly” domain is owned by English speaking countries such the US, UK, and Canada.  Today in the Wall Street Journal http://prnt.in/ZJm the entire possibly embarrassing connection is outlined.  From the US Air Force, to House leaders to ordinary people, many Internet sites have used the “ly” domain.  According to the article, bit.ly paid $75 for the domain name.  According to the Treasury Department (another bit.ly user), a spokesperson says that Americans could not rent .ly domains from entities controlled by Gadhafi regime.  Does it matter?  You can be the judge.  What shortening service do you use?  At  Printing Industrieswe have our own service and I enjoy  it.  Our service also gives a QR code for every address. I have not used that part yet.   Just as other services, you can place a long Internet address in one part of the site, shrink the address, and share it with others.  Note the Wall Street Article short address in the paragraph above.  The best advantage is the ability to track how many clicks to the address were completed.  When I wrote this article, I used my account to shorten the address.  When a reader clicks on it, I will be able to track how many people bothered to check out the article. I cannot track “who” clicked on it.  The number of clicks is the most important.  It is very helpful for an author (like me) to see if some of the references are being used.  In other words I can see if this topic is of interest. The use of a shorten service is widely accepted but I am surprised how many people don’t use it.  Twitter users always need to shorten addresses to keep to the character limitations. Are you using a shorten service?  Which one?  Does it concern you that the “ly” is fromLibya?   ...

Along with following the latest trends in digital printing, we at the Digital Printing Council also keep our eyes on innovative developments in social media and marketing technologies.  When we heard about an upcoming event at the New York Public Library (NYPL) called “Find the Future: The Game” we were so intrigued that we knew we had to share it. “Find the Future: The Game,” a combination interactive online game/real-world scavenger hunt, will coincide with NYPL’s Centennial Festival weekend, which takes place from May 20 to May 22 and honors the 100th birthday of the Library’s landmark Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. The custom designed, alternate reality game will have players collaborating and solving clues with the aid of laptops and smartphones. Their goal? Locate 100 significant artifacts from NYPL’s collection—and write about them. Before it opens to the public, a group of 500 players will have the chance to experience the game in a unique “Write All Night” lock–in event at the Schwarzman Building. The pre-selected players will assemble into small groups and search for the hidden artifacts among 70 miles of books—including 40 miles of underground stacks not normally accessible to the public. Upon finding each artifact, players will record their discoveries using smartphones and a custom built iPhone/Android QR code App. Additionally, each hidden artifact will present players with a specific writing prompt. The responses to these prompts will then be used to create a collaborative book, which the Library will actually publish and add to its public archives. As stated in the FAQ section of the game’s website “It is the first game in the world in which winning the game means writing a book together—a collection of 100 ways to make history and change the future, inspired by 100 of the most intriguing works of the past.” For a chance to participate in “Write All Night,” prospective players (18 years or older only) must register on the game’s website (http://game.nypl.org/) and respond to the following prompt: “Just imagine who you are ten years from now. What do you want for the world? What extraordinary goal do you want to achieve? When you have a vivid picture of your future, just fill in the blank: In the year 2021, I will become the first person to_______________.” Responses will be judged on creativity, originality, and determination. “Find the Future: The Game” also contains a unique social component. Right now, you can visit the game’s website to read and vote on entrants’ responses to the initial query about where they see themselves in ten years. Then, once the game has been “unlocked” by the participants in the overnight event, individual responses to the writing prompts for each artifact...

There are so many free resources on the internet that it is difficult to choose what is worth your time.  Watch Lon Safko, author of Social Media Bible.  What I liked most were his examples of how social media has paid off.  Real “dollars and cents” examples as well as fun examples. The Subway vs Quizno clip is excellent but actually dated 2007. http://prnt.in/ZJY  What was news to me was the issue related to reputation management for Subway and the fact that Subway actually increased sales when Subway declined legal action. It is a bit long, but I listened and watched with one computer while I worked on another project on my other computer. ( yes, mulltitasking. ) Here is the link:  http://prnt.in/ZJf  for Lon Safko’s video.  Please send me any “worth my time ” info! PS  Also more “blend it” videos which we have all seen but still...