Tag: Twitter

Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) Changed Media Forever

Much of America heard about the popularity competition between Ashton Kutcher and CNN. If you did not hear about it, it is pretty easy to find on Twitter.

Social Media Ignorance and Arrogance

How could this happen that such arrogance and ignorance has become the definition of mass media? Well, it has not, and I consider Ashton Kutcher an utter failure in this respect. I watched the ustream Webcast of Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) talking about how he was changing media forever. It was fascinating, but not in a good way. It was more like the kind of fascination that gives me big sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. This guy clearly has no idea what it is like to really connect with people. He will surely never understand or relate to the feeling I get from conversations I have with the many wonderful people I meet on Twitter. He surely will never understand the social in social media.

Ashton Kutcher Changing Media Forever?

Before I sound only negative on this, I will give some credit to Ashton. Maybe Ashton Kutcher is changing media forever. If we are lucky, his actions will help to emphasize the a point of social media failure on the part of those who do a lot of talking but no listening.

Perhaps Ashton Kutcher’s best contribution ever is his show of arrogance when he thanked all of his million Twitter followers and said that it was all their help that got him there. Oh, yeah, they got him “there” … wherever that is. He said, “You guys are all of it, because I can’t follow me”  and then said the perhaps the biggest failure line a person has ever uttered in social media. Ashton Kutcher said “There are a million people who need to be thanked, because I am not following me, I’m following you” (see timestamp 20:20 on the video below). I found this really odd, because Twitter shows that Ashton Kutcher’s @aplusk account is only following 73 people. These are just a couple of assinine quotes taken from Ashton Kutcher’s recent ustream Webcast, but feel free to watch it and draw your own opinions.

What is Social Media?

If you follow my blog or my Webcast, you probably know what social media is to me. I have written volumes of publicly-deemed valuable information. My opinions are my own, and I freely share them every day with others by way of social media. I don’t feel an obsessive need for acceptance, and I do not shudder to hear another’s disagreement. This, my friends, is a wonderful thing about social media. It is not just being heard, but also about hearing, and learning, and sharing ideas and opinions with others.

A short time ago, I sent out a tweet on Twitter. It read as follows: “I would rather have 10 people speak kindly of me than a million to preach at.” (see the tweet). Apparently there is a good number of people who feel the same way, because it was retweeted many times (see retweets).

Another tweet I sent said “Just an FYI: I receive a lot of tweets, but I respond to nearly every single one.” (see the tweet). Again, there was a huge response from this, both in retweets and in replies. I responded to each of the responses. Now, I do not respond to every retweet. That, for me, would be truly debilitating, but if somebody is talking to me, you can bet I am listening.

I am listening now, and I want your opinions. Please give your comments right here on this blog and let’s discuss this socially.

Twitter Mikeyy Worm: Is Twitter Responsible?

On the second consecutive day, it seems that Twitter users have been left to fend for themselves against a worm attack from Mikeyy. Upon a quick review of http://status.twitter.com, it is clear to see that all answers to the question of Twitter’s Mikeyy worm attacks is vague and delayed at very best. Further than that, the official Twitter blog posts have been more public relations oriented with a pat on the butt feel of how it was all fixed and that tweeting will resume as normal from here on out.

Clearly, all of the Sunday April 12 claims of a fix and the public relations response from Twitter now looks like a cry of “Wolf” which may lead users into a feeling of false security in the future. This leads many Twitter users to question the validity of the company and of their programming practices, as well as their security response and relay of information. After all, if a 17 year old kid can single-handedly bring the service’s usefulness to a halt, what would happen if they had a really malicious attack?

From this writer’s perspective, it seems that Twitter has indeed relied upon the Web 2.0 environment to do its bidding. A part of me wants to say hooray for Twitter for fully believing in its atmosphere of people spreading the word without interruption and without censorship, in true Web 2.0 / UGC (user generated content) fashion. However, another part of me questions what may happen to Twitter without the infrastructure or discipline to warn users of a spreading worm with reliable and up-to-date information. If I am left to make the updates, anything I say will tend to lead to the cautious side in hopes of preventing excessive damage. At the same time, I must weigh that with trying to not panic users to the point they become frustrated. Does Twitter really want to leave so many holes open to public perception?

The Twitter Web 2.0 vs User Responsibility Question

Is this now our responsibility to scream out to the world that Twitter has troubles? I will do my best to protect my favorite social media resource, and I can see that many others feel the same way. As an avid user, it worries me about this basket which holds many eggs for me as a brand identity.

Should Twitter be responsible for providing a timely worm update? The question here becomes that of Twitter’s intent. People can say that since Twitter is a free service, that their responsibility is mitigated because, after all, you get what you pay for. However, if you consider the fact that Twitter also has a strong interest in individuals and companies feeling comfortable creating a brand and communications platform with Twitter, one must consider carefully how much that responsibility is on Twitter after all.

Who is Warning Twitter Users About Mikeyy?

Over the past two consecutive days, the most spread messages regarding the Twitter-targeting Mikeyy Worm has been from Twitter users. So, what gives? I understand the Web 2.0 method, and the value of users protecting the Twitter service, but all we can do without a qualified update from Twitter is to speculate and spread as much panic as possible to try and stop additional damage.

What Do You Think About Twitter’s Mikeyy Worm Response?

How did you hear about the Mikeyy worm, and how do you feel about the lack of accurate and qualified information from Twitter? Please leave your comments here on the blog and tweet this to others. Perhaps together we can build an environment in which Twitter will pass information more accurately and in a more timely fashion.

How Simon Pwned Guy Kawasaki (@guykawasaki)

I want to tell the story of how my six year old son, Simon, pwned Guy Kawasaki. In order to set the story correctly, I have to share a little bit about my take on social media and how I think Guy Kawasaki gets it wrong. Of course, Guy is invited to chime in here on the blog or ring me at my direct line, *REDACTED DUE TO AGING WEBSITE*.

I Love Social Media

Most of my readers know that I love social media. I love being social, and the Internet is a great place to do that. If you have read any of my articles on social media, or have ever been to one of my interactive live Webcasts, you probably understand my thoughts on this topic. My feeling is that I would rather start with ten people saying something nice about me, because I was good to them, than to have 100,000 people to shout my message at. I do not mean to sound too much like “Stuart Smalley“, but people seem to like my message because they know I mean it. If those people tell a friend “hey, I know this marketing guy, Murnahan … I think he could help you”, I have received much more than I would by shouting at a deaf audience of 100,000. You can say that this does not apply to organizations seeking to reach millions of people, but it does, indeed. Let’s say for example that if those like Guy Kawasaki made a greater effort at communicating with me, he would suddenly have many thousands of additional people seeing his message, because I would pass it along, and my friends would pass it along … etcetera.

Is Social Media Just Social?

I am not trying to say that social media is just social. For examples of my thoughts on social media, I offer you my recent articles on “The Value of Social Media Marketing” and “The Social media Marketing Dilemma“. For those of us who really value social media and its importance to our lifestyles, you will likely appreciate that I met my wife through social media (@pegmu).

How Simon Won the People

So how did a little boy pwn Guy Kawasaki? A lot can be said about intent. I am not going to fact check and give source citations on this. It should be pretty easy to look it up for yourself. As I have been told, Guy Kawasaki employs three or more writers to do his tweeting on Twitter. I have also heard speak that Guy Kawasaki holds the value of a Twitter Retweet in very high regard.

A while back, on February 20th, I had this funny idea to create a Twitter-related video to show my personality and to make a few laughs. I even blogged about funny Twitter videos, because they are great fun to watch.  It was all in fun, and we set out to make this video which went from concept to completion in well under an hour. The kids had a great time making it, and they still bring it up about how fun it was.

Here is Simon’s Video Pwn of Guy Kawasaki

The video is not actually how Simon “pwned” the social media master. For the real “pwn”, you will need to read the whole thing!

After making the video, I sent a message over to two guys who were mentioned in the video by Simon. These guys were Rob McNealey (@RobMcNealey) and Guy Kawasaki (@GuyKawasaki). I thought for sure that they would take it in good humor and have a fun laugh at the little six year old redhead from Kansas talking trash on them. Rob McNealey promptly responded with a good laugh and he Retweeted it to his friends on Twitter to see how he was “shamed” by this little boy. The response from Guy Kawasaki was not the same. In fact, Guy Kawasaki and his team of writers chose to completely ignore it.

Since the time we made that video, I have quite a few more friends on Twitter. I sometimes send the video out just so new friends can see it, have a laugh, and maybe get a better feel for who this @murnahan guy is. The video came up in conversation with one of these friends who wondered if Guy Kawasaki had seen it and, if so, what his take on it was. I explained that he, nor his writers, even gave it a nod. So, this is when “Simon Pwned Guy Kawasaki”. The tweet went out, and it was retweeted many times. The Tweet read like this:

Simon Pwned @guykawasaki http://is.gd/rykd [the #ghostwriters didn’t know!]

How Can This Be Called “Pwned”?

So how is that really being “pwned”? Well, it was really a joke when Simon said in the video that “we need to put him back in his spot”. Of course it was a just a joke! I was just a small guy who had very few followers, and certainly was not out to compete in any way with this social media giant.

When it actually came down to being pwned is when Simon and his daddy are very commonly more popular in all of the measures of Guy Kawasaki’s coveted Retweet than the man and his ghost writers who do not respond to their audience. Social media is about hearing and being heard. It seems that all his camp really cares about is being heard, which clearly indicates to me that they really don’t care about us “followers” any more than they do about their ability to sell us their words.

Regarding the real “Pwn”, just look at how many people follow each of us, respectively, and then see who is really being listened to. Here are some 3rd party references:

Now you tell me what you think, because I really want to hear. Is social media for broadcast or is it also valuable to hear what others have to say? I think it can be used either way, and it is the users choice, but I wonder which you think makes more sense.

Twitter Username Selection: What’s in a Twitter Name?

Twitter username selection may not be my most interesting blog post, but the stories behind them may be. I want to keep this short, because what I am really after is your input. I wish to use some of this information in the release of the book, Twitter for Business: Twitter for Friends. I want to know if there is a story behind the Twitter username name you selected, so please share your story, and I will tell you mine.

I am @murnahan

My Twitter username does not have a particularly unique story, as it is simply my surname, @murnahan, which has become a personal brand. My wife is @pegmu, which is her first name and part of her last. Her name is Peggy Murnahan, so @pegmu fit and sounded cute. When her name was chosen, length was a consideration in the selection. When I helped a friend choose his username, I suggested keeping it short, due to the limitation of 140 characters on Twitter. He really got it right with @uj1. His name is Uday Jadhav. I don’t think he could have done a lot better to keep it short and sweet.

How did you choose your Twitter username?

Did you consider length when choosing your Twitter username? Did you use a name that carried over from another service such as Google, Yahoo, Digg, etcetera?

It is your turn to share. Tell your story, and give your username. Be sure that you enter the URL for your Twitter profile (example: http://twitter.com/username), because you never know who you may meet.