Twitter Handbook is Here!

Exciting evening development. The Twitter Handbook was just been released. Check it out, it’s free. I’m scanning through it now. What do you think, 181 pages on a 140-character medium? Looking forward to the upcoming dialogue on the handbook!

Wonder how long it will take for me and my fellow PR brethren to monetize the insights. So many vultures out there trying to sell “the twitter solution.” I can tell you one thing, being an early adopter or first in your industry to get on Twitter puts you in a good competitive position. BUT… I have a hunch that many of us, passionate strat. commers, will toss our savvy to wind and go hog wild – spamming and promoting with dollar signs in our head versus relationship development in our hearts.

Hope us PR flacks get it right this time! Personally, I’m doing my best to be smart about it. In a new world like Twitter, one must rely on his/her instincts. In my case, those instincts are deeply rooted in strat comm theory.

… Alas, when I start talking “theory,” I know it’s time to log off.

Seven Years of iPod Bliss

I’ve had two models of the iPod over the years… The not-so-trusty 3G behemoth and the 2G Nano (apple green) – still use the 2G almost every day. Love the Nike Plus running kit (on my second kit).  Very cool timeline on Gizmodo.

 

What do you think of the new Nanos?  When are they going to offer custom colors and designs. Thought Apple would get on top of that trend a while ago. I mean Nike has been offering NikeID (design your own shoe) for how many years?

Bringing My Colleague Into the 21st Century

UPDATE-2X: Had an awesome session this morning. Though we got to mashups, we didn’t even make it over to Facebook. We’re going to schedule a “part 2″ meeting for next week. Was an incredibly fun session, but I think I my colleague’s head might be swimming a bit at the moment! The Common Craft videos were a huge hit. Sent her a follow-up note with links to some reccomended tutorials.

UPDATE: Meeting rescheduled due to pressing client projects! We’re meeting this Friday morning (9/12). Do you have any advice or links to cool social media tools and/or tutorials??

Today is an exciting day at the St. Louis office of Fleishman-Hillard. Today, I am embarking on an hour of virtual enlightenment with a colleague. Actually, our Outlook meeting maker is titled something like “Bringing you into the 21st century.” 

This is a real treat for me. This afternoon, I get to spend a full hour of my day bringing the world of social media and new technology to a coworker. Here at FH, we do all sorts of “digital bootcamps” to help meet specific client needs – we’re a very “switched on” firm. But I’ve never had the opportunity to sit one-on-one with somebody and help open their eyes. 

Don’t get my wrong, I’m no Morpheus here. Just a passionate communicator looking to spread the good word of social media. Part of our journey will bring us to this blog and we’ll watch this embedded video on Twitter.

Oooh – I’m excited! Wikis, and Facebook and LinkedIn – oh my! IM and Rick Roll and chrome life – oh yes!!

Cut Out Some Carbon With Reusable Cutlery

This came across my Twitter feed the other day. Cool product, good price and a little piece of mind.

Check out Preserve Cutlery – gotta love the innovators providing products that crossroads of hyper-consumerism and environmental sustainability. But seriously, I’m a capitalist through and through. Good job for good works, Preserve! (By the way, they’re more than just cutlery.)

I Love My Chipotle. Does ‘Chipolo’ Love Me?

UPDATE 2x: Joe from Chipotle wrote me back, how cool! Thanks, Joe!

Becky,

Thank you for writing us, and we are actually looking into a Twitter association for the future, so we appreciate your suggestion. As for Facebook applications, and the like, we’re considering those too, although most are extremely annoying and unwelcome to many folks. We’ll keep working on it though, and we appreciate your interest in helping us out!

Sincerely,

Joe Stupp
Chipotle

UPDATE (9/10): Yeah, no one from Chiptole ever wrote me back… Knew it was too good to be true. Still hurts a tiny bit.

Hey Chipotle, if you need some counsel around how to mobilize (rather than ignore) your product evangelists in the social media space, drop me a note. Think it could be a powerful strategy for you guys!!

Just wrote my favorite Mexican grill folks a customer feedback note. The form says they’ll write back personally… I find it tough to believe they can manage that with the volume of loyal eaters around, like me! Anyway, found this cool image on their site of my hometown, St. Louis.

The Chipotle Has Landed

Funny thing, the giant burrito is literally a block away from FH’s office. (I wish there was a Chipotle in downtown STL… mmmm.)

The Shirt Dress?

I’ll stick my neck out and admit it, I’m a Gap fan. Sure, over the past 15 years, there have been more than a few trends that they’ve gotten wrong. Yes, their overall collection and target audience profile has shifted, but I tend to like them.
So here’s the latest and greatest from Gap: the Shirt Dress. Ingenious and obvious, they have taken the menswear dress shirt and converted it into a button-down dress for women. It’s sexy and sophisticated. But is it the beginning of a huge trend or even super-fad? Or, is it one of those conceptually interesting ideas that Gap misses the mark on?

The Aperture Moment manifesto is in development – but to give a sneak preview: it’s all about timing, opportunity and positioning. It’s about aligning your goals, core competencies and value proposition with the environment – a holistic and strategic perspective.
I’ll be watching Gap to see if this shirt dress flies off the rack. I’ll definitely be trying one on this weekend, however, I tend to shy away from the button-down dress.
Kudos to Gap for taking a chance.

Half Birthdays

It’s my half birthday today. I know most of you stoped celebrating this special day when you were four, but I didn’t. What’s more, if you ask my age – I’ll throw in the half – it’s more precise.

So here’s the rationale, I like treating myself and celebrating life. I also like giant candy bars (which are the quintessential half birthday gift). To me, it’s strategic and enhances the month of July. Great things can happen on half birthdays – it’s a day filled with opportunity.

Think glass half full. Namaste.

A Company that Cares

I love Chipotle Mexican Grill for many reasons – as a customer, former stockholder and community member. I’m not sure what my stance is on organics or growth hormones for cattle, but I appreciate that my fresh-mex joint of choice cares.



Mmm… Taste the fresh goodness. source


In a world where it’s so easy not to have an opinion, where the bottom line drives decision making, it’s refreshing (pun intended) to support an organization that can do well by doing good. Sure, they’re stock has gone wild and the sector is hot right now, but I’d like to think that their business model and corporate philosophy inform their success too.

Bottom line, public companies’ number one responsibility is to shareholders, I’m just saying that it’s nice that they care about what I think too. Very savvy branding! Chipotle, you’ve got a customer for life – many for life.

What’s your style? Not rhetorical.
I’m a bol, cilantro-lime rice, black beans, fajita mix, pico, corn and hot salsas, a half fwap of sour cream, cheese and lettuce. Just typing makes my mouth water.