Facebook Graph Search and Industry Bubbles

Finally Spring in Mad River Valley Vermont!

I know I need to blog more steadily. Lots of changes happening including building my new site to house this blog www.bluestarstrategic.com so hold yer horses and be patient.

Yesterday in the 5 minutes I spend in Facebook per day once again they prompted me to use Graph Search. Facebook has been seeking ways to siphon search away from Google. The premise here is noble. Enter a search term and it will search your network for content that matches your search like comments on Movies and TV shows or Restaurants etc.

The problem is we share so little of our day on Facebook. While I am sure everyone of my network friends has been to the Cheesecake Factory only 2 Like the page. No reviews come up. In fact my first search resulted in a location in Indonesia which is great…if I ever get to Indonesia.

Another issue is location. It is geared to local results when it comes to businesses. Well the only Facebook friend who is local in Vermont is my wife. The rest are mostly in Los Angeles with some NY and a sprinkling elsewhere thrown in. So for me it has been a big let down.

And no matter what I enter a TV show or a Movie or Book the drop own list is always irrelevant. So much for me using Graph Search. Which brings me to the Bubble. Every industry has one. In politics it is ‘Inside the Beltway’. In Marketing/Tech we tend to use technologies way differently than America does.

I rarely see people checking in on their smart phones constantly or spending hours on Facebook. In fact I would bet 99 out of 100 studies explaining our behavior I never see in public. But go to SXSW I bet 99 out of 100 people behave this way. Which is why failures litter the landscape. Things so hyped they could fail! Facebook Commerce/Storefronts, Facebook Places/Check Ins, Location Based Behaviors, Open Graph, etc. Things that exist but rarely get used.

And that is the problem. I see so many of my..ahem…peers jumping on these things and telling clients and businesses ‘You have to do this new thing’ and in reality they just want you to give them money until they find the next ‘new thing’ before the ‘old new thing’ goes bust.

The Three Things Edition 29!

Welcome to 29th edition of The Three Things, the weekly update of three links, podcasts, videos, or books you can’t miss from Michael Schechter (Honora, A Better Mess), Lindsay Bell (Arment Dietrich, Spin Sucks), subbing for Gini Dietrich who is back on Monday – me, Howie Goldfarb!

For those of you new to this series, The Three Things arrives in your inbox on Sunday mornings (unless you don’t subscribe, but that can easily be fixed if you hurry over and enter your email address or add to your RSS feed) so you have some extra time to spend perusing the obscure content we’ve curated for you (and one another) before your week begins and deadlines, meetings, and work takes over.

This week we have thoughts on willpower and habits, why we all need the help of others, and the latest trend in baby rearing (no pun intended).

The Donut by Pat Dryburgh

Michael on Willpower and Habits: As a gentleman who is far from slender, I have a great appreciation for what Pat Dryburgh is attempting with his Hundred Down project. His podcast chronicles a one year journey to lose one hundred unwanted pounds.

In addition to the podcast, Pat occasionally shares his progress and struggles with the project on his personal website. In a recent update Pat shared how he started falling off the Paleo wagon while staying with his family. I really related as I tend to break many a habit – especially those that center around living a healthier life – while away from my routine and environment. The entire piece is an honest and enjoyable read, but his parting words are an encouraging reminder for those of us who struggle when our larger goals face little (and often tasty) challenges.

It is in Our Nature to be Self-Deficient by Scientific American

Howie on Ayn Rand, Paul Ryan and Those Delusional Haters of Help: I know I know sounds political right? Not really. Just rational. We can all debate the role of the state in our lives. Whether or not Government is the solution to certain problems. I know I have an ornery independent streak. Sometimes things fester out of pride, and then the help I end up needing is bigger than if I raised my hand at the start. We also tend to mock those we deem helpless. But this article proves we need other people. Everyone does.

If that wasn’t the case the victims in boston would still be bandaging themselves and the suspects would be free with no police or FBI or anyone caring to find them. So fans of Ayn Rand or folks like Paul Ryan – both who benefited from massive help from many people to grow and prosper – should change the discussion from do we need help…to what kind and from whom? Because I wouldn’t be alive without family, friends, and community…and neither would you. Read and be humbled…I surely am.

Baby’s Latest: Going Diaperless by The New York Times

Lindsay on ‘elimination communication’ and…really? Just…what?? Ok, trust me when I say it’s worth a link click just to get a gander at the photo accompanying this article. Hipster New York mom, in on-trend black and white striped shirt, engaging in ‘elimination communication’ with her adorable 4 month old son. Did I mention he’s naked from the waist down? Yup. He’s using the toilet. Well, she’s holding him over the toilet, to be precise. But advocates of this latest in a long line of child-rearing trends insist that their little darlings actually respond to special ‘elimination noises’ that Mommy makes. In a nutshell: They pee and poo on cue.

I don’t know about you, but I raised a child (who by some stroke of luck or other divine intervention manages to still be alive at age 13), and I know the special hell that is diapers. Thousands of diapers. I suppose if you can eliminate most of those diapers, you’re doing yourself – and the world – a big favour. But I don’t know. This latest “thing” pained me today. I pity the poor young women of today. What with advice on attachment parenting, breastfeeding until four, sign language for infants, co-sleeping (or not), controlled crying, sleep training, permissive parenting or baby bootcamp – how any parent makes it through the first year is beyond me. What are your thoughts? Has ‘new parenting’ gone haywire? Would you aim for a diaperless life…?

Now it’s your turn. Is there a podcast, video, book, or article you think we need to see?

Throw the Marketing Jargon Out the Door!

Yes that is the Space Shuttle. My apologies not sure who owns the rights.

Big Data? Social Business? Native Advertising? Social Media? Influence Marketing?

It embarrasses me the ways Marketers and Agencies through the bullshit around to unsuspecting people and businesses to sell books and services.

I am in the process of launching my new business. Blue Star Strategic Marketing. My main service is helping businesses decide how to develop integrated marketing strategies that maximizes their return on investment. While brainstorming I like the catch phrases:

Blue Star Strategic – We take the BS out of Marketing

So without further adieu:

Social Business: Businesses have been social since the first sheep herder haggled for a chicken back in 7200 BC. This is one of the biggest frauds in Marketing today. Companies like Edelman Digital are shilling this as a new idea. Come now.

Native Advertising: This has also been around as long as dirt has existed. Great recent examples are the Beach Reporter publishing photos of readers in exotic places reader the paper. Mad River Glen has done the same with their bumper stickers….both since the 1980’s!

Big Data: This is new?! Didn’t this get invented by IBM in the 60’s? Didn’t Oracle build an empire on this in the 90’s? Economists have been doing this since the 30’s. Big Data? Read my blog. I have been crunching big data since I started back in 2009.

Social Media: Now here is a doozy. Media is not social. It never has been. When was the last time Media said hello to you? I coined the phrase in 2009:

Social Media is a Revolution in Interpersonal Communications Technology

Social Media is really technologies than have enabled us to share content. Guess what? The Stylus and Cuneform writing back in old Sumeria was the first Social Media. The Printing Press enabled an explosion in Social Media.  This is not new. It is 6000 years old!

Influence Marketing: I love this wad of hog poop. When was the first time a Brand gave a free product to someone of influence hoping to garner sales from that? When was the first time someone presented a crafted item to a King or Queen or Ruler of the World? Isn’t the 10 Commandments given to Moses by his God influence marketing? Or when God came to Abraham and Abraham convinced the Jews to give up idols in favor of this God? God found the one person who could influence a whole people into worshiping him.

My suggestion to Thee…..throw the Jargon out with the Cliches and stick to doing what works best for your Brand and Business. Just standard unglamorous sales and marketing techniques, strategies and tactics that work for you. And we will just call it..Drum Roll:

Sales and Marketing

You are welcome. Oh and please don’t encourage anyone who uses jargon like these.