I just finished reading Steve Rubel’s opinion on the concept of Digital Curator. What struck me as interesting is his comment that “curators are not editors.” I would disagree with that whole heartedly. While his premise that “the notion of an editor inherently implies that space is finite. Online it’s not” does make some sense, the role of being a curator is that the audience is expecting you to edit based on perspective. Again, this points to our belief at MediaTrust that relevance is the first and foremost point of reference to our audience. It is our responsibility to edit the amazing volume of information that is available to us and only present what is of value to the community that we are establishing and guiding.

While I couldn’t find the actual publishing date, sometime in the pre-fall of 2006, frog design’s Strategy Director Adam Richardson wrote a very forward thinking article titled “From the Information Age to the Recommendation Age” He sites many of the drivers that have created this role of “digital curator”, but positioned as a trusted advisor. “The key to recommendations are their trustworthiness - the track record and perceived objectivity and competence of the source is paramount.”

In my role as a creative director I am continually asked for my insights, opinions, and recommendations because I can edit a large variety of influencers and trends, and establish a curated view of these items to my staff, my company and my clients. It is this ability to present a collection of information that is relevant and useful that makes me a “digital curator”, as well as the trust that I have built over time with my audience and the usefulness and value of the information I present to them.

Steve Rosenbaum over at Always On seems to agree, and makes a very interesting observation about the changing role of the curator - no longer neccessarily an institutional voice, but an individual one. As he writes its “the passionate individual voice. The single editor-in-chief. The hands on editorial manager who’s taken it on as his or her mission to discovery, sort, and promote the best of the best content within an individual curator’s area of interest.”

As always, we would value your opinion and comments on this and any topics we discuss here on Relevantly Speaking.

Social Media Optimization SMO is rapidly becoming as big a part of our daily marketing methodology mix as CPM, CPC, CPA & CPL. Social Media is a highly effective form of media that is soon to be as big as search, even possibly bigger.

It is importnat to optimze and coordinate a company’s use of social media, hence the growth of the Social Media Optimization  (SMO) practice. SMO is a practice that is not for the faint of heart, however. It’s nuances make it highly effective, but more difficult to execute than search marketing - Social media can work against you if it is not managed effectively.

There is an ever-growing plethora social media sites. Marketers need to deploy different tactics on each to leverage effective results. SMO is not a one size fits all proposition. Each marketing need requires a different solution. To date, MediaTrust has had great success in using SMO as a tool for creating awareness, generating leads, driving sales, and obtaining customers for our partners. See our SMO Case Study.

Inside CRM has created an essential list called “50 Social Sites That Every Business Needs a Presence on” This is a listing of sites you can leverage to help your company network, advertise, recruit, and more.

This is an essential list for any business with an online presence. If you are only limiting your marketing scope to banners, search and blogging then you are missing out on reaching more potential customers, business partners, and employees. Below is an exceprt of the list:

“If your business limits its online presence to advertising banners and blogging, it’s missing out. The Internet provides powerful networking opportunities that allow users to effectively target their audience by logging on to social sites like LinkedIn, Digg and more. Take advantage of these tools by asserting your company’s presence online and reaching more potential customers, business partners and employees.

Social-Media/Social-Bookmarking Sites

Share your favorite sites on the Web with potential clients and business partners by commenting on, uploading and ranking different newsworthy articles. You can also create a member profile that directs traffic back to your company’s Web site.

1. Reddit: Upload stories and articles on reddit to drive traffic to your site or blog. Submit items often so that you’ll gain a more loyal following and increase your presence on the site.
2. Digg: Digg has a huge following online because of its optimum usability. Visitors can submit and browse articles in categories like technology, business, entertainment, sports and more.
3. Del.icio.us: Social bookmark your way to better business with sites like del.icio.us, which invite users to organize and publicize interesting items through tagging and networking.
4. StumbleUpon: You’ll open your online presence up to a whole new audience just by adding the StumbleUpon toolbar to your browser and “channel surf[ing] the Web. You’ll “connect with friends and share your discoveries,” as well as “meet people that have similar interests.”
5. Technorati: If you want to increase your blog’s readership, consider registering it with Technorati, a network of blogs and writers that lists top stories in categories like Business, Entertainment and Technology.
6. Ning: After hanging around the same social networks for a while, you may feel inspired to create your own, where you can bring together clients, vendors, customers and co-workers in a confidential, secure corner of the Web. Ning lets users design free social networks that they can share with anyone.
7. Squidoo: According to Squidoo, “everyone’s an expert on something. Share your knowledge!” Share your industry’s secrets by answering questions and designing a profile page to help other members.
8. Furl: Make Furl “your personal Web file” by bookmarking great sites and sharing them with other users by recommending links, commenting on articles and utilizing other fantastic features.
9. Tubearoo: This video network works like other social-bookmarking sites, except that it focuses on uploaded videos. Businesses can create and upload tutorials, commentaries and interviews with industry insiders to promote their own services.
10. WikiHow: Create a how-to guide or tutorial on wikiHow to share your company’s services with the public for free.
11. YouTube: From the fashion industry to Capitol Hill, everyone has a video floating around on YouTube. Shoot a behind-the-scenes video from your company’s latest commercial or event to give customers and clients an idea of what you do each day.
12. Ma.gnolia: Share your favorite sites with friends, colleagues and clients by organizing your bookmarks with Ma.gnolia. Clients will appreciate both your Internet-savviness and your ability to stay current and organized.

Professional-Networking Sites

Sign up with these online networking communities as a company or as an individual to take advantage of recruiting opportunities, cross-promotional events and more.

1. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a popular networking site where alumni, business associates, recent graduates and other professionals connect online.
2. Ecademy: Ecademy prides itself on “connecting business people” through its online network, blog and message-board chats, as well as its premier BlackStar membership program, which awards exclusive benefits.
3. Ryze: Ryze lets members organize contacts and friends; upcoming events; and even job, real-estate and roommate classifieds.
4. YorZ: This networking site doubles as a job site. Members can post openings for free to attract quality candidates.
5. Xing: An account with networking site Xing can “open doors to thousands of companies.” Use the professional contact manager to organize your new friends and colleagues, and take advantage of the Business Accelerator application to “find experts at the click of a button, market yourself in a professional context [and] open up new sales channels.”
6. Facebook: Facebook is no longer just for college kids who want to post their party pics. Businesses vie for advertising opportunities, event promotion and more on this social-networking site.
7. Care2: Care2 isn’t just a networking community for professionals: It’s touted as “the global network for organizations and people who Care2 make a difference.” If your business is making efforts to go green, let others know by becoming a presence on this site.
8. Gather: This networking community is made up of members who think. Browse categories concerning books, health, money, news and more to ignite discussions on politics, business and entertainment. This will help your company tap into its target audience and find out what they want.
9. MEETin.org: Once you’ve acquired a group of contacts in your city by networking on MEETin.org, organize an event so that you can meet face-to-face.
10. Tribe: Cities like Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, New York and Chicago have unique online communities on tribe. Users can search for favorite restaurants, events, clubs and more.
11. Ziggs: Ziggs is “organizing and connecting people in a professional way.” Join groups and make contacts through your Ziggs account to increase your company’s presence online and further your own personal career.
12. Plaxo: Join Plaxo to organize your contacts and stay updated with feeds from Digg, Amazon.com, del.icio.us and more.
13. NetParty: If you want to attract young professionals in cities like Boston, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Orlando Fla., create an account with the networking site NetParty. You’ll be able to connect with qualified, up-and-coming professionals online, then meet them at a real-life happy-hour event where you can pass out business cards, pitch new job openings and more.
14. Networking For Professionals: Networking For Professionals is another online community that combines the Internet with special events in the real world. Post photos, videos, résumés and clips on your online profile while you meet new business contacts.

Niche Social-Media Sites

Consider linking up with one of these social-media sites to narrow down your business’s target audience. You’ll find other professionals, enthusiasts and consumers who are most likely already interested in what your company has to offer.

1. Pixel Groovy: Web workers will love Pixel Groovy, an open-source site that lets members submit and rate tutorials for Web 2.0, email and online-marketing issues.
2. Mixx: Mixx prides itself on being “your link to the Web content that really matters.” Submit and rate stories, photos and news to drive traffic to your own site. You’ll also meet others with similar interests.
3. Tweako: Gadget-minded computer geeks can network with each other on Tweako, a site that promotes information sharing for the technologically savvy.
4. Small Business Brief: When members post entrepreneur-related articles, a photo and a link to their profile appear, gaining you valuable exposure and legitimacy online.
5. Sphinn: Sphinn is an online forum and networking site for the Internet marketing crowd. Upload articles and guides from your blog to create interest in your own company or connect with other professionals for form new contacts.
6. BuzzFlash.net: This one-stop news resource is great for businesses that want to contribute articles on a variety of subjects, from the environment to politics to health.
7. HubSpot: HubSpot is another news site aimed at connecting business professionals.
8. SEO TAGG: Stay on top of news from the Web marketing and SEO (search-engine optimization) industries by becoming an active member of this online community.

General Social-Media Sites

The following social-media sites provide excellent opportunities for businesses to advertise; promote specials, events or services; and feature published, knowledgeable employees.

1. Wikipedia: Besides creating your own business reference page on Wikipedia, you can connect with other users on Wikipedia’s Community Portal and at the village pump, where you’ll find conscientious professionals enthusiastic about news, business, research and more.
2. Newsvine: Feature top employees by uploading their articles, studies or other news-related items to this site. A free account will also get you your own column and access to the Newsvine community.
3. 43 Things: This site bills itself as “the world’s most popular online goal setting community.” By publicizing your company’s goals and ambitions, you’ll gain a following of customers, investors and promoters who cheer you on as you achieve success.
4. Wetpaint: If you’re tired of blogs and generic Web sites, create your own wiki with Wetpaint to reach your audience and increase your company’s presence online. You can easily organize articles, contact information, photos and other information to promote your business.
5. Frappr: Embed a Frappr map and guestbook into your company’s Web page so that you can pinpoint exactly how users find your site, discover in real-time what they have to say about your company profile and services, and create an “interactive, fun and engaging” spot for visitors.
6. Yahoo! Answers: Start fielding Yahoo! users’ questions with this social-media Q&A service. Search for questions in your particular areas of expertise by clicking categories like Business & Finance, Health, News & Events and more. If you continue to dole out useful advice and link your answer to your company’s Web page, you’ll quickly gain a new following of curious customers.

Job Sites

If you want to secure high-quality talent during your company’s next hiring spree, you’ll need to maintain a strong presence on popular job sites like the ones listed below.

1. CareerBuilder.com: Reach millions of candidates by posting jobs on this must-visit site.
2. The Wall Street Journal’s CareerJournal: The Wall Street Journal’s CareerJournal attracts well-educated professionals who are at the top of their game. Post a job or search résumés here.
3. CollegeRecruiter.com: If your firm wants to hire promising entry-level employees, check CollegeRecuriter.com for candidates with college degrees.
4. Monster: Post often to separate your business from all the other big companies that use this site to advertise job openings.
5. Sologig: Top freelancers and contractors post résumés and look for work on this popular site.
6. AllFreelance.com: This site “offers self-employed small business owners links to freelance & work at home job boards, self-promotion tips” and more.
7. Freelance Switch Job Listings: Freelance Switch is the freelancer’s online mecca and boasts articles, resource toolboxes, valuable tips and a job board.
8. GoFreelance: Employers looking to boost their vendor base should check GoFreelance for professionals in the writing, design, editing and Web industries.
9. Yahoo! Hot Jobs: This site is often one of the first places that job seekers visit. Post open opportunities and check out informative articles and guides to gain insight on the hiring and interviewing process.
10. Guru.com: Build your company’s repertoire with top freelancing professionals by advertising projects on this site, otherwise known as “the world’s largest online service marketplace.”

I have been thinking about the future of our daily Online lives and the growing issue of social network fatigue. How do we best optimize our time so that we can participate in the growing universe of horizontal and vertical networks? Technology and communication innovations have allowed us to do 3x more a day than we could do 10 years ago. Now the social web allows us to connect and extend our Online lives in the way we did in our offline lives only a few years ago. The two questions on my mind are “What is the next solution to allow us to participate in multiple networks in a meaningful way?” and “Where do we as human beings hit a wall and run out of consumption bandwidth”?

Let me know what you think. 

DataPortability - Connect, Control, Share, Remix from Smashcut Media on Vimeo.

I have been waiting for this first semantic baby-step. Ever since my first glimpse of the idea of the semantic web or “the thinking web” (a much more elegant term, we need to move away from .0’s), I have believed that this is the ultimate next big step towards what is the real meaning of the “interactive intelligent web”.

Web 2.0 was just a lily-pad that we needed to hop across to accelerate the fragmentation and adoption of interactive media. Social media has pushed us to the point of no return. We now need intelligent technology and tools that enable users to be able to put it back together again in way that allows us to search, find, consume, and share in a new way… To have what we want,  when we want. Mass media is now “Me Media,” clutter free… and here it is after a long anticipated time to Beta. Our first-born semantic baby: Twine. This is a great video piece with Nova Spivack, CEO of Radar Networks demonstrating his new Twine service which intelligently goes way beyond other Web bookmarking and collecting tools. It is unlike anything in existence. It’s about time for the beginning of the next round of true innovation. 

In search for the Holy grail of online advertising

I have recently been thinking about the efficacy of the online ad industry’s ability to generate demand.

It’s an interesting problem…and one which, in my opinion, hasn’t been solved yet by the industry.

The efficacy of search is a result of its ability to satisfy a prior demand. It’s elegant: you want to learn something, so you search for more information. Your results (and links to relevant products), are presented next to the information. It’s no surprise then that 40% of the of the $21.4 billion US online ad market is paid search.

So the problem then isn’t the fulfillment of demand — it’s an efficient process for those of us that use the web regularly.

According to Chamath Palihapitiya, the VP, Product Marketing and Operations at facebook: “For every dollar spent on demand fulfillment, there are hundreds spent on demand generation.”

He rightly believes that there is a huge opportunity in the demand generation space. Today, Google is a demand fulfillment company worth $217 billion, similarly, Yahoo! is a $33 billion company. If his math is right, then the dollar opportunity for demand fulfillment is represented by $25 trillion.

Today, facebook is groping with this opportunity. While Beacon has had a very rough start and may perhaps end up pushing away many users (teens are notoriously wary of marketers), Beacon was an attempt to use the associations among its users to present brands and products in what they thought was a non-intrusive way. The theory was that if friends saw friends buying Budweiser, they might consider buying Budweiser themselves.

The assumption is that if your friends do it, you are more likely to do it. Unfortunately this assumption also flouts another key teen ideal: independent thinking. The humorous image below from bokardo.com depicts how these Beacon ads seem to have been received:

While the Beacon experiment’s final results won’t be seen for some time, facebook should be applauded for trying to innovate and capture a part of the demand generation opportunity. Given the bright minds over there, I am sure the experiment will evolve into something that monetizes the attention of its users and works for all parties.

Yet the big question remains: How will the industry create a win-win solution to demand generation? Obviously, the relevance and timing of the marketer’s messages are critical. However, delivering relevance or timing without the other will come across as intrusive, or even worse: spying. Beacon is an attempt at providing relevance, but it’s difficult for something like a can of beer to be timely unless those promotions about that product run at 5 PM on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. If they can get that right, and the ad message comes across as additive to the experience, then they are on the right path.

The problem with demand generation and most of today’s solutions is that if you don’t get relevance right, it’s just wrong. Wrong = intrusive, and intrusive = an ignored message or even worse, a negative impression.

The Holy Grail of demand generation hasn’t changed: Right message at the right time to the right user. But I think the solution is more complex than simply showing friends what friends are doing. There needs to be some intelligence to the recommendation of the ad message and that intelligence has to take into account timing and context. Recommendations also have to consider recent behavior of the recommending party and the recommended party. Another problem is that most facebook users present themselves in a way that portrays their own self image versus who they really are and what they really do. This reality prevents an ad server’s decision from being accurate.

Many smart people are working on this problem today, because of this, I look forward to the day when ads are complementary to the online experience and deliver a message that is both relevant and encourages me to start thinking about (latent demand) products or services that I normally would not.

So how far away is this Holy Grail???

 It’s likely that most of you have seen this already. However, it sheds a humorous light on the bubble-like behavior surrounding our industry. Its worth the look.

Affiliate marketing has changed a lot over the years. It has grown up, and can now be a valuable tool for a progressive online marketer. Quite simply, it is the most effective way to acquire leads and new customers on a pay-for-performance basis.

Here’s an example of its merits:
PlayPhone, Inc. offers ringtones and other branded content, making “ringing phones” quite fun for mobile users.  About a year ago, they sought to make their own phones ring.  With so many types of marketing to choose from, Playphone’s VP of marketing had to decide where to spend the lion’s share of his ad budget to rapidly attract and attain new customers.

To find an answer, PlayPhone engaged with MediaTrust to sort through a variety of marketing possibilities.  PlayPhone decided to generate leads through modern affiliate marketing, and chose MediaTrust’s affiliate marketing network, Advaliant for their knowledge of performance marketing, their understanding of PlayPhone’s targets and goals, and their commitment to helping the Company achieve them.  For PlayPhone, modern affiliate marketing translated into a winning campaign.

Companies from all industries are making this choice to generate sales. The performance-based pricing model promises that companies are only paying for leads that are converting.  With so many affiliate marketing companies out there, how can you pick the right network for your business needs?  When selecting a modern affiliate network, companies should look for the following:

1. Trust, Honesty and Integrity.  The words “trust” and “media” are historically contradictory.  As the premium on marketing ROI increases, it is increasingly important to find a partner you can trust.
2. REAL Leads.  Not just any leads – these need to be leads that are relevant and convert into sales.
3. On-Time Payments.  Find an affiliate network that will pay on-time, every month.  This relates back to the importance trust, honesty and integrity.
4. World Class Technology.  Look for an affiliate network that leverages technology and delivers what they say they will.
5. Excellent Customer Service.  Good networks recognize the importance of building long term relationships. Be wary of companies that pay attention up-front, and allow attention to fade over time.  

Do you have other tips for marketers to consider when choosing a modern affiliate network?

All of the recent hype around “meta social networks” like Facebook and Myspace and their experimentation with new and bold forms of advertising belies the fact that advertisers and users are still on an elusive quest for relevance between themselves and what’s available on the web (other users, content, and ads). The quest has lead these parties to discovering social networks as a way to, well…discover.

The act of discovery is a simple exercise in finding other items (content, people, ads, etc) that are relevant to you and your interests. This desire to find new and interesting things on the web has drawn people into social networking, yet Facebook and Myspace are falling short because they are mere aggregators of massive amounts of people. The current movement from these larger Social networking “Portals” to niche networks with deeper and more relevant content (reminiscent of the late 90’s user migration from meta portals like yahoo and MSN to smaller, niche player sites) simply means that people are discovering more relevance on the smaller more focused sites. Facebook and Myspace are too busy acquiring users without focusing on the use of those users….and people are leaving. Just look at the success of Ning. The current valley quip says that as soon as your network gets big enough, you goto Ning.

Focus is the reason that the online user is finding that the smaller sites are better source of content. Any site worth its beans will have social networking tools in the future and their focus alone will make them more relevant to their users. Not rocket science.

For an example, look at bookQube. Its a new “social network” for those interested in books. Books, like TV and other media, provide the ultimate water cooler conversation and consequently a great place to aggregate like-minded individuals around common subject matter (relevance, anyone?).

Not only does bookQube provide the blogging, commenting, networking and book club creation tools, it also allows its users to visually locate other users, content, and books they might like based on their interests they have already expressed.

This process of intuitive discovery is the future of social networking. Discovery as it is today will be turned on its ear by semantic web functionality like recommendation engines and real-time data analysis that can tell users (and advertisers) what media and users they will like and “auto-magically” recommend them to the user — vastly speeding the process of discovery (and improving a site’s navigation and engagement.)

This is where the web, or web 3.0 (excuse the hackneyed dotcom nomenclature) gets fun. A well designed site will have enough information about the user and the content on the site to dynamically tell them what on the site is most interesting to them and point them in that direction. The user wins with relevant content and friends and advertisers and publishers win with more relevant ads that people actually click on because they are not the usual interruptive tripe.

Based on recent experiences with Facebook and several blog entries from insightful and skeptical prominent bloggers, it has become apparent that social networking has become a very “commoditized” component of the online experience. Social networking has become a feature, not a destination. In effect, as the web has become more writeable and user-generated, social networking functions will be standard on every website, thus setting us on the course similar to that of the late 90’s: users migrated away from the main “portals” to smaller, more focused niche sites for richer and deeper content and community.

This fact may explain why Facebook has “opened” up so much (with the goal of becoming a social networking fixture on other sites). A smart move in my mind, as stand alone “meta social networking” has seemingly begun to “jump the shark”. It also may explain Googles recent legitimate salvo in this battle.

In my opinion, David Bohnett, the founder of GeoCities, said it best in the recent article in the Journal :

“It’s the same as it is today — people want to feel like they’re connected, give them a set of tools and they’ll do it.” 

Anywhere you go on the web, you should see social networking capabilities. People want to create community anywhere they spend time. They use this community function as a place to make a spectacle of their lives, interests, and expertise…to provide legitimacy to their desire to belong to the community.

Rather than making predictions now about the demise of facebook and myspace, I’d rather discuss the future…

The real long-term question in this game is: Will any company get it right for the end user? There is no reason (other than a walled garden’s need for revenue and unique users!) that an end user should maintain several different online profiles and manage the content in each across the many communities in which they they socialize. I like the idea of the single login for all Google apps. It makes my life easier, and it makes the ads Google serves up more relevant and ultimately more profitable.

Nirvana for end users would be to have a traveling profile that they can access across several niche sites. Why shouldn’t my movie preferences be used in helping me determine what books I’d like and vice versa?

Sadly, I don’t think this nirvana is a reality in today’s landscape, as the large social networks like myspace and facebook rely on logins to target and these businesses will certainly not welcome the idea of an open ID for social networking features that span all sites. It is my hope that when most tier 1, 2, and 3 sites have social networking features, the ability to open these profiles to other networks will exist. If looked at intelligently, its a win-win. The end user gets a profile that travels, lessening his or her burden, and those sites that accept this traveling profile benefit by more relevant recommendations for ads and content (higher eCPM). The good news is, I don’t think that technology is too far away…it looks to be right around the corner. For some interesting reading about these kinds of solutions, read Alex Iskold’s Piece on the Attention economy and read about Attention Profiling Mark-up Language (APML).

So what do you think? Will it ever happen?