review

Book Review- Friends with Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook

leelefever — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:55:24 +0000

I'd like to start with a disclaimer. Darren Barefoot and Julie Szabo, the authors of Friends with Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook, are friends. While I may be biased, knowing them for years also means I know the depth of the their knowledge and experience. And that's the big point of my review of their book - these people know what they're talking about because they live in social media every day and have for years. I've asked myself in the past - What would Darren and Julie do?

Friends with Benefits is very much a handbook. It provides direct, actionable and easy-to-understand advice on getting started with social media marketing. And that's one of the aspects of the book that I think is most valuable. They don't speak in generalizations, like you should blog "often." They say business bloggers should to try to blog 3 times a week. They don't say it takes significant time to do social media, they say to plan on at least 25% of your marketing time. This kind of directness takes away some of the anxiety that people feel about getting started and readers will appreciate it.

Along with in-depth introductions to the Twitters and Facebooks of the world, the book comes with a healthy dose of the realities of social media. The online world brims with supposed "social media experts" who will have you believe that anything and everything is possible. Darren and Julie know better because they've been there. The truth is, social media marketing can be amazingly valuable, but comes with real risks. I was happy to see that along with strategies for achieving the very real benefits, the book is clear about the reality of social media: it's difficult, it takes time and the results can vary widely. This book will keep you from looking foolish online.

If you're ready to get off the sidelines and get serious about social media marketing, you must read this book first. Friends with Benefits is tactical, practical and above all, useful.

Book Review- Friends with Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook

leelefever — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:55:24 +0000

If you're ready to get off the sidelines and get serious about social media marketing, you must read this book first. Friends with Benefits is tactical, practical and above all, useful.

Book Review- Friends with Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook

leelefever — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:55:24 +0000

If you're ready to get off the sidelines and get serious about social media marketing, you must read this book first. Friends with Benefits is tactical, practical and above all, useful.

Book Review- Friends with Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook

leelefever — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:55:24 +0000

If you're ready to get off the sidelines and get serious about social media marketing, you must read this book first. Friends with Benefits is tactical, practical and above all, useful.

Moo Cards are the Most

leelefever — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 07:45:51 +0000

I introduced myself to a friendly woman with a British accent at the CommunityNext conference in Palo Alto and learned that she was from a company call â€œMooâ€ that makes mini business cards. She quickly produced a white box of cards and since that time, I have fallen in love with Moo and their little cards. Hereâ€™s why.

Moo is a good idea
Business cards are so popular and useful, but often so cookie-cutter lame. I can't get over how many people hand me a card and then apologize for making it at home the day before.

Moo has created a demand for a new kind of card that is about 1/3 the size of a normal card and offers the possibility that cards can relate more than data. Moo cards can start conversation.

Size isnâ€™t the only difference. Moo has a relationship with Flickr, the photo sharing service and you can choose to put your very own photos on the back of your Moo cards. You can have 100 completely unique cards for about $20. Here are the backs of a handful Sachi's Moo cards. She used 40 different photos:

Moo is good technology
Moo service with Flickr is elegant and usable. Itâ€™s also a great example of an API in action. If youâ€™re not familiar with an API, it means that web site (A) letâ€™s web site (B) use itâ€™s functionality. In this case, Flickr has made it possible for me, a Flickr member, to see my Flickr photos from my sets and tags on the Moo web site. This enables me to select my photos from Flickr using the Moo interface. It works like this...

You go through the photos and select the ones you want to use. You can choose up to 100.

Then You select the placement of the photo for the cards. You can do vertical or horizontal orientation.

Then you add details for the other side. This can include the photo's info (date taken, name, etc.) and free text fields.

Moo is fun and personal

Like Flickr, Feedburner and others like them, Moo communicates in a personal, funny and engaging way.

When you finish the order process you see:

And when the cards arrive you see a card tucked into the package that says:

It doesn't cost anything to communicate like a person.

Moo is a quality product.
Sachi just got her cards today and mine are on the way soon. Weâ€™re both excited about being able to hand out the cards with photos on the back that represent a story. Thatâ€™s what cards should do â€“ create conversation or tell a story. Moo does that. Go get some.

Moo Cards are the Most

leelefever — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 07:45:51 +0000

Moo has created a demand for a new kind of card that is about 1/3 the size of a normal card and offers the possibility that cards can relate more than data. Moo cards can start conversation.

You go through the photos and select the ones you want to use. You can choose up to 100.

Then You select the placement of the photo for the cards. You can do vertical or horizontal orientation.

Then you add details for the other side. This can include the photo's info (date taken, name, etc.) and free text fields.

Moo is fun and personal

Like Flickr, Feedburner and others like them, Moo communicates in a personal, funny and engaging way.

When you finish the order process you see:

And when the cards arrive you see a card tucked into the package that says:

It doesn't cost anything to communicate like a person.

Moo Cards are the Most

leelefever — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 07:45:51 +0000

Moo has created a demand for a new kind of card that is about 1/3 the size of a normal card and offers the possibility that cards can relate more than data. Moo cards can start conversation.

You go through the photos and select the ones you want to use. You can choose up to 100.

Then You select the placement of the photo for the cards. You can do vertical or horizontal orientation.

Then you add details for the other side. This can include the photo's info (date taken, name, etc.) and free text fields.

Moo is fun and personal

Like Flickr, Feedburner and others like them, Moo communicates in a personal, funny and engaging way.

When you finish the order process you see:

And when the cards arrive you see a card tucked into the package that says:

It doesn't cost anything to communicate like a person.

Moo Cards are the Most

leelefever — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 07:45:51 +0000

Moo has created a demand for a new kind of card that is about 1/3 the size of a normal card and offers the possibility that cards can relate more than data. Moo cards can start conversation.

You go through the photos and select the ones you want to use. You can choose up to 100.

Then You select the placement of the photo for the cards. You can do vertical or horizontal orientation.

Then you add details for the other side. This can include the photo's info (date taken, name, etc.) and free text fields.

Moo is fun and personal

Like Flickr, Feedburner and others like them, Moo communicates in a personal, funny and engaging way.

When you finish the order process you see:

And when the cards arrive you see a card tucked into the package that says:

It doesn't cost anything to communicate like a person.

Moo Cards are the Most

leelefever — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 07:45:51 +0000

Moo has created a demand for a new kind of card that is about 1/3 the size of a normal card and offers the possibility that cards can relate more than data. Moo cards can start conversation.

You go through the photos and select the ones you want to use. You can choose up to 100.

Then You select the placement of the photo for the cards. You can do vertical or horizontal orientation.

Then you add details for the other side. This can include the photo's info (date taken, name, etc.) and free text fields.

Moo is fun and personal

Like Flickr, Feedburner and others like them, Moo communicates in a personal, funny and engaging way.

When you finish the order process you see:

And when the cards arrive you see a card tucked into the package that says:

It doesn't cost anything to communicate like a person.

Moo Cards are the Most

leelefever — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 07:45:51 +0000

Moo has created a demand for a new kind of card that is about 1/3 the size of a normal card and offers the possibility that cards can relate more than data. Moo cards can start conversation.

You go through the photos and select the ones you want to use. You can choose up to 100.

Then You select the placement of the photo for the cards. You can do vertical or horizontal orientation.

Then you add details for the other side. This can include the photo's info (date taken, name, etc.) and free text fields.

Moo is fun and personal

Like Flickr, Feedburner and others like them, Moo communicates in a personal, funny and engaging way.

When you finish the order process you see:

And when the cards arrive you see a card tucked into the package that says:

It doesn't cost anything to communicate like a person.