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I know what you are saying, “Mike – you only post updates when you change your job….which seems to be a lot btw.”
I know, and I feel bad. I had a good thing going when I 1st started this blog, and since then it has gone downhill. Little by little I get distracted by everyday life. Between the kids and their sporting schedules, the yard work, vacationing, looking for a new job, landing a new job, starting a new job……..I think that you get the picture .
I was pretty bummed when Zynga shut down the Boston studio, but am not missing the commute by any means. After a short stint at OUYA, managing their Social channels through their retail release, I made the decision to try something new and local. It was just my luck that Autodesk was looking for a Community Engagement manager in their local office (15 minutes away). It was the perfect opportunity, with the perfect company, at the perfect time. After 3 weeks in the office I am still jazzed at the opportunity that is in front of me and am very excited to what the future may bring.
I just wanted to say hi again, and let you all know that I will try to post more often than 2x every 3 years – sorry for the long term vacation fro mteh blog, but I am back, and back for good! Thanks for the follow.
Let hope that this is the last employment update that you will see!
Mike
I cannot believe that it has been over a year since I made my last blog post. I apologize to those who have followed me because I “had” some cool things to say. I will try to keep those types of posts coming, now that I have some more time on my hand.
For those of you who may know me, or follow Zynga, they closed their Boston office a few weeks back. While I had a feeling that something was coming, I actually thought that I would be ok, since I was assisting the Baltimore studio with a new game launch. Unfortunately that was not the case, and I was released of my duties.
Over the past 3 weeks I have really begun to think about my next move. While I have been involved in Social Media and Online Community Management and Sales for the past 14 years, is this something that will last? Something that has longevity?
Then I really got to thinking…..and said HELL YES!
As everyone in the field knows, it encompasses all aspects of Job titles & responsibilities. From Marketing, to Project Management to Customer Service and Public Relations, Social Media and Online Community professionals are being successful with all types of job responsibilities.
It is really time to harness our uniqueness and leverage that for our benefit. While my next position may not be a “Social Media Strategist” or “Online Community Manager”, you can bet that I will be leveraging my learnings over the past 14 years to excel at it.
* Thanks to http://markitors.com/ for the “Unique” image
Well another chapter is about to begin. Next week I officially start my new job at Zynga, working as the Sr. Community Manager for their Boston studio. I will be managing all of the Social aspects of the games which come out of that studio. It is a very exciting move for me.
Over the last couple of years I have learned a lot here at Ektron, but when all is said and done, I really wanted to get back into the Management aspect of online communities, leveraging my experience on the strategic side of things to implement, build & develop an online community.
On a side note, I 1st began online community management for Fogdog Sports. I also worked at Mzinga. Now I work for Zynga, who has a dog as their logo. Coincidence…I don’t think so 😉
HTC-Droid-Incredible
I have been waiting and waiting for the Verizon/Apple relationship to come together so that I could get an iPhone. Over the past few years I know many people who have one and love it. Unfortunately, AT&T’s coverage in “South-Central” New Hampshire is not great, as I get little to no coverage at my house.
So here is my new phone. Just received it last night. I am currently charging it up and am waiting to actually transfer my contacts over, but I am a little intimidated by it. As with something that it new comes a hesitation. I am so used to my Blackberry curve that I am intimidated by this new device. I know that it will support all of my needs, but how steep is the learning curve for this device? This evening I am planning to actually activate the device and put my Blackberry to rest. It will be a sad day, but one that is needed. If you have made it through this transition, please share your experiences here. Was it painful? Painless? What are some of your tips/tricks? Which apps do you find impossible to live without? Please help me 🙂
Creating Brand loyalty and leveraging feedback.
If you are reading this blog post, you probably also read my first Domino’s Pizza blog post – “What do Physics and Social Media have in common?” that I made a month or so ago. This was really a great example of how a business can leverage Social Media and consumer feedback in order to create a better product.
Domino’s held focus groups in order to directly gather feedback around their product, which they distributed internally so that the entire company could better understand their customers. Based on the feedback, Domino’s and their chefs immediately decided to make changes to their product. That in itself is a great step for any business and shows the dedication that Domino’s has to offering a superior product and differentiating their product from their competitors.
That was not the last step that Domino’s took, though.
A couple of days ago, Domino’s updated their Social site www.pizzaturnaround.com, with a new video – “At the Door of Our Harshest Critics.” This is where they took their initiative to the next level. They visited three or four of the individuals that had provided gave some very direct and honest feedback to see what they now had to say.
Domino’s positioning:
“Because of your comments, it helped us create a new pizza.”
“Because of what you said, it helped us get better.”
Direct Testimonials
“I am so impressed. I can’t believe that you guys listened. I can’t believe that a company would do that. I can’t believe that you guys took that seriously.”
“I didn’t know that you were listening.”
“I’m back, I’m in.”
“This is what I was talking about.”
“That is the way that a pizza should be.”
Now you can say that these people said that the pizza was good because the camera was on them. But then again, they had a camera on them when they first provided feedback to Domino’s. You can also say that the pizza is fresh because the head chef made it and that it will probably not taste like that in all the Domino’s franchises around the country. But is that really the point?
This video displays the fact that Domino’s cares about their product, they listen to what is being said, and they make decisions that will have a tremendous impact on brand loyalty, awareness, satisfaction, advocacy, conversion…..you add in your own “buzz-word”.
Are you ready to hear what you customers or employees have to say within the Social Media landscape? Will you be able to harness their feedback in order to make the necessary changes to improve who you are?
*cross-posted to www.ektron.com/mikepascucciblog
If you are in the Social Media space, whether it is on the client or vendor side of the equation, you have probably seen the following image published by Gartner, as well as many other vendors:
If you are on the Web Content Management side of the house, the following graph is probably familiar with you as well:
You probably know at least 1/2 of the companies listed in each of the 2 graphs, but what about the others? Why do you now know about them? How great would it be if you could have a partner/vendor/provider with robust tools for both external and internal websites? To empower your members/customers to purchase more and create brand awareness, and/or to create efficiencies within your employees base to make your decision-making process faster and more effective? A single solution for your entire corporation….
I only see a few companies that are included on both graphs above, IBM, Microsoft and Ektron. Pretty good company eh? So to answer the question, that is why.
*(update – I apologize for the oversite, but Open Text is also on both graphs. They did not contact me, I rechecked the graph)
Mike
After 3 months of working out of my house as a contract employee for AAA Mid-Atlantic, I have made the decision to move on. Thanks to the AAA team for the opportunity.
During my time there, I feel that the social media team that is in place learned a lot from me, as I did from them. They have a lot of hurdles ahead of them, but then again don’t we all. I am confident that over time they will be able to execute a successful social media campaign, leveraging not only their own community tools, but also leveraging other platforms in order to create awareness around AAA and the company’s goals/programs/offerings. I wish the team best of luck, as they have some cool stuff coming up.
As they say, timing is everything, and I must say that I am in the right place at the right time. I have accepted the job of Social Media Strategist with Ektron, a Content Management System (CMS) company based out of Nashua, NH. They are more than a CMS though. I think that their “tag-line” says it all,
Is that not the question that we should all be asking ourselves? Is that not the foundation of your strategy, where all conversations should begin? Talking about getting the ball rolling right away with any potential clients and shooting from the hip.
During the interview process, a lot of things became clear to me:
- They have a solid platform
- Their Management is experienced and dedicated
- They were selected as a “Visionary” within Gartners Magic Quadrant for Web Content Management (WOW)
- It demo’s like you would not believe
- Their client list is very impressive
- The management interface is simple
- They needed to increase their Social Media presence
Not to mention the fact that Ektron is in a unique position, they have an incredible CMS platform and are (have already) integrated Social Media components within the fabric of their platform (imagine how powerful this is – can be?) From experience, it is easier to have a CMS platform and integrate Social Media features and functionality then have the Social Media stuff without the CMS/learning stuff.
I could go on, but I think that you get the picture.
My last point (7) really struck me hard during the interview process. I used to drive past their office 2x a day on my way into a prior job, and did not even know who they were or what they did. When I was 1st contacted by a friend that works there, I had thought that they wanted to build their own community, not that they were already a CMS vendor. WOOPS. Glad that I did some research before I interviewed!
I am joining the Ektron team on November 2nd, in Orlando, Fl. at their yearly Customer conference. Talk about getting the ball rolling, Welcome aboard. If you are reading this and are a client of Ektron, please grab me during the conference and let’s talk Social Media. I may not be entirely brought up to speed as it will be my 1st day on the job, but I do like to jump right into things.
Talk to you soon, and as always, thanks for reading.
Mike
Now I am choosing the NBA because I have heard that they are planning to ban players from tweeting during their games, but this could be associated with any sport.
Does anyone really have an issue with this? Do you think that it is really acceptable for professional athletes to take time out of their day to tweet that they just saw “____” (movie star) in the stands and wishes to be introduced to them? Or that they took a “Hard foul” from player x and is planning to make formal introductions to them in the 2nd half? Can these updates not wait until the game is over, and they are in their locker room, either celebrating a win and drowning in a loss.
As usual, there is a time and place for everything. Yes, players are make millions of dollars playing a “sport” and providing entertainment for those that are willing to spend hours and/or hundreds of $’s to attend a game, I understand that. But is it really acceptable to you, as a fan, to receive a tweet from one of your favorite players during a game, when they should be focused on the game and beating their opponent.
Shaq
Thoughts? Am I off here, or do you think that they take time before and after the games, and wait in-between to post anything?
Mike
Over the last couple of weeks, there have been a couple of stories that I wanted to share with you all, incase you have not seen them, concerning Community Moderation Services. We were contacted by ABC News, who wrote a well balanced article around Moderation services. The reporter, Ki Mae Heussner, contacted many of the major Moderation service providers which described who these people are, and why they are important. She also personally met with one of our staff members to discuss the day-to-day aspects of the position.
The fact of the matter is that these are professional people who are watching over online communities. The perception that Moderation teams are sitting around in their PJ’s all day is not the case. These positions are filled by professional individuals with Communication degrees, PR degrees and experiences, and Business management skills among others. They represent single mom’s, students, grandparents and every other demographic that you could imagine. Moderation businesses should ensure that they have a true cross-section of Moderation team members on staff so they can provide their services within any potential client community.
Just today, Mzinga also announced a partnership with Intercasting, a company that allows people to upload content within their Mobile application. The story was also picked up by Mobile Marketer, and can be read here. This goes to show that it is not just online area’s that need to have moderation services. Mobile technology services and providers is also concerned with UGC, as they should be. As businesses begin to embrace Social Networking and UGC, the hope is that they all also understand the importance of Moderation services, in some way/shape/form. Whether it is simply removing content and developing policies, or if it extends out to proactively participating and facilitating discussions, Moderation services are the key to a providing members with a vibrant and successful community.
As always, thanks for reading,
Mike
Note: Cross-posted at mzinga.com
Social Media Strategy, Moderation & Management Musings 