When I speak, my audiences are typically white men over the age of 50 and the vast majority of them don’t believe (or don’t want to believe) the web is changing not only the way we do business, but the way we communicate with one another. I always hear, “Oh my kids shop online” or “My younger employees use Facebook” but they believe the use of the web really is for the kids.

Because of that attitude, I always lead up to a very important point when speaking to that particular audience. It’s the issue of control. You see, the use of the web (not just social media, but the web) hasn’t been adopted yet by these audiences because they’re hanging on to to the one thing they think they can’t live without…and that’s control. Continue Reading »

Guest post by Jocelyn Rimbey, digital marketing manager at The Cyphers Agency.

Anyone who is anyone in the social media world watched Mark Zuckerberg’s “60 Minutes” interview with Lesley Stahl. We tuned in, DVR’d, or watched online, because, after all, we are all weirdly obsessed with this thing called Facebook. And while the interview proved insightful and interesting, it lingered in our minds. The meeting was, in a way, a clash of the titans: traditional vs. digital.

Spin Sucks covered the PR backlash of Facebook failing to let “60 Minutes” have the “exclusive” they promised. Maybe there was miscommunication between the two entities. Maybe “60 Minutes” overvalued the new profile aspect of the interview. Maybe they should have promoted something different, like Zuckerberg’s feelings on the movie “The Social Network.” Either way, there was a disconnect between what Facebook’s intention was, what 60 Minutes expected, and why the audience tuned in. Continue Reading »

If you shop like Martin Waxman, you have four (and a half) more shopping days. And Amazon is offering shipping that will get you your gifts on time if you order by Wednesday. So I have prepared a list of books (business and fiction) that you can buy this week and still look like a hero. It will save you time and a trip to the mall. You’re welcome.

P.S. The Amazon links are all affiliates but it won’t hurt my feelings if you just open your Kindle app and buy from there.

Business

Predictable Success. If you’ve been a reader of this blog for a while, it won’t come as a surprise that I love “Predictable Success” and its author Les McKeown (but don’t tell him that).  A book written for company leaders, it talks about the trials and tribulations every company experiences at different levels. I keep it on my desk for trying days so I can turn to it, read, and think, “OK. This is normal. You can get through this.” And then I do. Buy the actual book here and the eBook here. Continue Reading »

Does it feel like an off week to you? I fully realize NO ONE will be working next week, but I didn’t expect it this week. Between final interviews for our chief content officer position (BTW, we are now on the hunt for a chief marketing officer), our social media trends webinar, meetings with potential investors, and a big deadline for Project Jack Bauer today, I looked up and suddenly realized no one was working yesterday. What gives?!

While you ponder that or get ready to rub in my face that you aren’t working again until January, I bring you the top five stories of the week. Continue Reading »

Today’s #FollowFriday likely needs no introduction, but she definitely deserves your time and attention. Valeria Maltoni, or Conversation Agent as she’s known, was one of the very first bloggers I began to read many years ago as I forayed into this world. Not only is she wickedly (wickedly? Is that a word?) smart, she loves chocolate, red wine, and espresso as much as I do. Valeria, if you love shoes too, we’re long-lost sisters!  And OMG! If you’re a cyclist, then we’re twins separated at birth.

Today’s #FollowFriday is Valeria Maltoni and, if you continue reading, I’ll give you more reasons than chocolate, red wine, and espresso to love her. Continue Reading »

Guest post by Peter Osborne, a communications executive at Bank of America.

About six months ago while job hunting, I saw an opening for a senior communications position. I knew the recruiter so I called her. “Two hundred resumes in the first two hours,” she sighed. “Most are qualified.”

Justin Goldsborough posted on Spin Sucks recently that his go-to job interview question is, “What kind of network are you bringing to the table?” With all due respect, if you get that question in this market, it’s a courtesy interview and an internal candidate already has the job.

If you’re a real candidate, the interviewer already knows what kind of network you’re bringing to the table because one of them helped you get the interview. He has already Googled you and read your tweets, your LinkedIn Answers, and your Facebook posts. He’s deciding whether he should take a chance on you instead of someone he knows – because he wants someone remarkable. Continue Reading »

The Arment Dietrich Facebook question of the week comes from Joe Hackman who asks, “How valuable and effective are product give-aways to generate interest in a brand/product? Also what potential pitfalls do you see with this type of promotion?”

If you’re receiving this in your Reader, click here and the video will magically appear!

If you’re not a video watcher or don’t care about the answer, the one thing you should do is check out the upper right corner of Spin Sucks. The corner right below the search bar. No, not the categories. Right below that. See it??

As the year winds down we’ve been reflecting on how successful Spin Sucks has been and how excited we are for Project Jack Bauer.

It’s because of you…the community here… that this blog is at a level we never imagined.

Because of that, we took a look at your favorite blog posts. So today I present the top 10 Spin Sucks blog posts of 2010! Continue Reading »

Paul Sutton is a PR “bloke” in the U.K. I’m a communication pro in the U.S. We never would have met if not for social media. So when he asked me, “Why social media?”, I wanted to say, duh! We wouldn’t have met without it!

This blog post first appeared on his site – The Social Web – so if you read it there a couple of weeks ago, there is nothing new to see. Move along.

When he asked me “why social media,” I really began to think about it … and to take his question seriously. Is it too much to admit I love social media because of its addictive water cooler effect? Or because I’ve been able to meet people around the world (like Paul) I’d never have had the chance to meet? Or because I am FINALLY POPULAR (which I was not in high school)?!? Continue Reading »

Guest post by Robert Herzog, chief financial officer at Harrison College.

Chaos. You’ve been there. How did you handle it as a leader? A recent Twitter conversation between Gini Dietrich and me around the “Jay vs. Conan” debate helped illuminate a few points for me on how to lead – and not lead – in times of chaos.

As Conan started his new show on TBS recently, the untold story of the “Tonight Show” debacle (chronicled in this insightful Vanity Fair article) was that the whole situation could have been different if the NBC executives had led differently. Let’s discuss in comments, but I believe they made two key errors. Continue Reading »