Anyone at least halfway versed in social media or who has paid attention to the mainstream media in the past year knows the importance of Facebook and Twitter and how these social media tools have had a dramatic impact on the Internet.

When I had started this blog roughly one year ago I had discussed how my focus has been on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin – as to me these tools seemed the most professional, had the best user experience, and drew a higher caliber crowd. I had also mentioned since that point that the Internet elite are likely seeking out new social media tools as these become crowded and competition becomes more fierce. For those early and basic discussions on social media refer to my past articles titled Social Media Part I, Social Media Part II, and Social Media Part III.

While reading “Crush It,” the author Gary Vaynerchuk reinforces this point and provides five tools he is watching – some that I were aware of and others I were not. In any event I thought I would share them here:

1. Plaxo
2. hi5
3. Bebo
4. FriendFeed
5. Orkut

This has made me consider placing more of my attention on emerging social media within my own business. This makes sense to me – the trend did happen as people left other social media and flocked to Facebook, it seems rational that the next evolution will be others flocking to another tool.

What I hadn’t thought of is the idea that the other social media tools are smaller ponds, with less competition. This makes these yet untapped tools ripe for individuals to establish themselves there.

In addition, with “Crush It” the author provides some compelling reasons to use more of Twitter – a tool that I had long ago abandoned due to ever increasing amounts of spam.

In addition to Facebook and Twitter, here are some other tools that Gary Vaynerchuk references – some well known, others not so much. I’ve made notes next to some tools which I have learned new information about after reading “Crush It,” others I either know well or have not yet used – I just wanted to list them for completeness and for anyone else who may want to check them out:

1. WordPress
2. Tumblr – This is blog publishing software similar to WordPress which I was previously unaware.
3. flickr – Photo sharing software, I have dabbled with this, but Vaynerchuk asserts that the main value of this tool is the community. Perhaps this is worth revisiting.
4. YouTube
5. Viddler – Similar to YouTube, however instead of the Viddler logo appearing on your video, this tool allows you to place your own logo – good for branding!
6. Ustream
7. Justin.tv
8. jaiku
9. Ping.fm
10. TubeMogul
11. Break.com

If you have a couple hours to spare and are interested in learning more about the Internet, social media (particularly video), and doing business check out “Crush It.”

“Now may be the time to explore some of the lesser known social media!”

-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding

While reading “Media Virus” I happened upon the following quote:

“The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it.” - John Gilmore

I had found this quote really fascinating given the recent explosion in popularity of the Internet, especially with blogging and social media. It made me consider censorship and how the world is changing quickly.

The Fence
The author of “Media Virus”, Douglas Rushkoff provided an interesting analogy for the above quote – a chain link fence. If information is traveling over the chain link fence and one of the links is broken, the information continues through another link. This is a powerful analogy which provides a great visual of why censorship does not work on the Internet.

I am currently reading “Say Everything” by Scott Rosenberg. In this book the author documents the rise of blogging and it’s changing role in our culture. I am about 200 pages into it so far – if you are interested in the history of blogging and it’s societal impact – this book is for you. But I digress. In “Say Everything” Rosenberg provides a chapter on political blogging which I believe provides great examples of Rushkoff’s earlier discussion on the Internet and censorship in “Media Virus.”

In the chapter on political blogging Rosenberg discusses how there were slip-ups made by higher-level political figures during public events – events at which the media was present. In some instance the media would not report it, in others they may have reported it – but the information may have been buried deep within the paper, or only provided as a brief mention. There was speculation that the mainstream media was not reporting on these slip-ups as they may have been concerned about damaging their relationships with the political figure in question.

This where blogging and the Internet comes in. There were at least a couple documented cases within “Say Everything” where the author noted that bloggers exposed, or at least elevated the profile of certain transgressions by political figures that were not given adequate coverage by the mainstream media.

Political blogging is one example of an alternate path that information takes when one avenue is blocked. Another example is the role that social media has played – mainly Facebook and Twitter in bringing information to light. This is sometimes political and high profile, but has really been effective for voicing concerns about poor customer service or poor product quality.

A Natural Evolution
It will be interesting to see how the Internet evolves and how society evolves with it to handle the flow of information. Will the Internet remain a Wild West of sorts? Or will regulators and big business step in to censor at certain points? If censorship prevails will it be effective or will the Net simply “route around it?”

One thing is certain, the Internet is an evolving organism of sorts which is changing at an amazing pace – it will be fascinating to see how the Net evolves and how we evolve with it.

“The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it.”

-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding

Do you need a way of managing clients but do not have a large amount of money or time to spend on a complicated software package? I will provide you with a simple customer relationship management (CRM) system that’s easy and under $100.

It’s A Numbers Game
All that you need to effectively manage your clients is Numbers or other spreadsheet program. Numbers is the spreadsheet program that comes bundled with iWork ’08 and ’09 and costs $79 for a single license and $99 for a family pack. It’s quick, easy to use, and won’t set you back a fortune.

Here is an example of the CRM that I use:

I will address each of the fields starting from the top:

1. Individual or Business Name: Your name or your business name.
2. Item: The individual, sequential item number starting from 1, used for easy reference when discussing among individuals in your business.
3. Client: The name of your client organization.
4. Point of Contact: Individual point of contact within the client organization. It’s important to note that this should be an individual, the person with whom you have a business relationship within your client organization.
5. Address: Client physical address.
6. Phone: Client phone number for your point of contact.
7. E-mail: Client e-mail address for your point of contact.
8. Notes: Relevant notes to your client interaction. For example, I document my first interaction with a client (or potential client) and subsequent interactions. Relevant details about your client should also be noted here to include their likes and dislikes.
9. Follow-Up: The date and manner in which you are to follow-up with the client. Did they ask you to call them later? Meet at a certain location? Maybe request an e-mail? This is the place to put it.

There’s another item worth mentioning. Note the order in which the client contact information columns are listed – address, phone, and e-mail. This is purposeful. I have found that working with clients, or even contacting potential future clients that physically stopping by their location is the most powerful and personal method – this is the most risky and takes a good deal of courage – and this is why it can payoff.  If you are unable to physically meet with a client or potential client then a phone call is the next most personal approach. E-mail is the last method for obvious reasons.

Some may argue with the effectiveness of the prioritization of contacting, I would have at one point. However, it has been my experience that this works if done in a tactful way. It is also important to note that because everyone is different that individuals (clients) may prefer various different forms of communication. Some like physically meeting with you while others may be offended. Some prefer phone, while others e-mail. Some may not even know how to use e-mail (I know this may be tough to believe but it is true). This is the sort of information that may be best documented in the “Notes” section of your CRM spreadsheet.
The CRM spreadsheet is a great way to keep track of your client interactions without spending a lot of time and money. It provides a quick look and is easy to update once you get started.

Good CRM need not be expensive nor time-consuming!
-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding