Whether it’s sports or business, the word ‘potential’ is a dangerous word to throw around. The reason behind this is because it’s purely based on instinct and assumptions. No matter how much data you want to throw at it, once the word ‘potential’ is included, it’s anyone’s game. The dictionary likes to define ‘potential’ as “the inherent capacity for coming into being,” but a better definition might be: “it might happen and it might not.” Too often are we caught up talking about the ‘potential’ of an individual that we forget about a little something called hard work.

Perhaps the best way to understand the dichotomy between hard work and potential is to look at sports.

Hit Or Miss

When it comes to understanding the danger of ‘potential,’ professional sports teams know all about it. Michael Lewis discusses this in Moneyball where he briefly explores the hit or miss predictions on high school baseball players that are drafted into the Major Leagues. In a business where one player can be the make or break for a teams chance at a championship, drafts are where a players ‘potential’ can mean millions of dollars won or lost.

Still, although banking on the potential of an individual can yield great rewards, it can also have financial downsides. When an individual doesn’t live up to expectations, everything that has been built around that specific ‘piece’ is affected.

Tyler Hansbrough

To the casual basketball fan, the name Tyler Hansbrough may or may not sound familiar. He was never a flashy dunker, he wasn’t a prolific scorer and he wasn’t lighting quick. While he wasn’t any of those things, no one could say he didn’t have a great work ethic. If there was an example of someone who used all the talents they were given to its’ fullest, Tyler Hansbrough is it. Although Hansbrough couldn’t jump out of his shoes, more often than not, he worked harder than everyone else on the court. As one NBA analyst stated during the NBA draft, Hansbrough took what he was given and made sure he made the best out of it.

Through an amazing work ethic, Hansbrough was named the College Basketball Athlete of the Decade and broke numerous records playing at the University of North Carolina. While Hansbrough may have been one of the hardest working individuals entering the NBA draft, 12 teams passed on him till he finally ended up with the Indiana Pacers.

While this example may seem like it spotlights Tyler Hansbrough, it is meant to show the dilemma that sports teams and businesses encounter when they have to choose between a proven individual over someone with ‘huge potential.’ No one said Hansbrough would be a ‘great’ player in the NBA, but rather that he would be a good one. When it comes to potential, you can say practically anything about an individual. You can shoot for the stars, and all people will think about are the rewards at the end of the road. If it doesn’t pan out, it’s easy to blame it on how they didn’t reach their full potential and the huge upside that they had.

When To ‘Trust’ Potential

Although many individuals never live up to their potential and all the hype, there are situations when you should ‘trust’ potential. Case in point, we go back to professional sports. If you look at LeBron James, coming into the NBA draft he was considered to be a ‘no brainier’ as far as drafting him first. The big question wasn’t why a team should pick him first, but rather who would be the second pick.

Occasionally, we will run into individuals who are ‘no brainers.’ Statistically and experience wise they may not be the most prepared, but there is too much to pass up. When situations like these arise, it’s better to take the chance than pass on the next LeBron James.

Why You Need Balance To Succeed

While potential can be a dangerous asset both good and bad, having a great work ethic is just as important. In the business world, building a team that is full of potential or who all have great work ethic doesn’t always mean you will succeed. Rather, a blend of both helps to balance things out. Additionally, surrounding individuals with potential with those who have a great work ethic can help to cultivate their talents and vice versa.

Remember, “if you can’t excell with talent, triumph with effort.”

There are ideas and then there are great ideas. The difference between ‘ideas’ which we think of everyday and the occasional great idea, is that great ideas compel us to tell someone and take action. Whether it’s a new way to improve public transit or new method of understanding online customers, great ideas are dangerous for one reason: they change the status quo.

For many, status quo means doing what everyone else is. In other words, fitting in.

So why do people like to fit in? The saying “go with the flow,” is popular among the masses and refers to complying with the systems set in place. Perhaps it is the convenience of having a system established on how to do things or the idea of ‘blending in,’ but what we all need to remember is that fitting-in means that you are boring. Applying Seth Godin’s concept of “the purple cow,” individuals that choose to ‘go with the flow’ and make no effort to be ‘remarkable,’ are replaceable.

Bad Ideas Do Exist

In the ideal world, there are no bad ideas. Every idea would have the potential to lead to success and the word ‘bad’ would never be used in conjunction with ‘idea.’ Unfortunately, as we all know, bad ideas do exist. It’s inevitable and can’t be helped, but what exactly makes an idea bad? Is it not enough detail? Not thought out? While these are elements which need to be considered when developing an idea, we need to again look at the idea of changing the status quo.

An idea that can be described as outlandish, is not a bad idea. It’s an improbable idea. An improbable idea has little chance of getting past the drawing board and an even smaller chance of development. As opposed to an improbable idea, a bad idea is one that creates little to no value and either has been done or is already considered ‘used.’ For the millions of us who ‘go with the flow,’ saying that an idea is bad is simple and we think nothing of it. Bad ideas die by the millions, and great ideas scrounge for life. The goal is not to try and change the minds of those who ‘go with the flow’ that what they may think is a bad idea actually isn’t, but rather to have them tell you from the start that it is a great idea. You can’t say what you have is a great idea until you have someone tell you it is.

What You Can Learn From Victor Wouk

The name may not ring a bell, but he was the man behind hybrid vehicles. Wouk initially came up with the idea for hybrid vehicles when he was first approached in 1962 by Motorola founder, Russell Feldman, who asked Wouk to look into electric vehicles. Although Wouk came to the conclusion that batteries simply didn’t have enough energy to support a vehicle at the time, he continued to ponder the possibilities. Eventually, Wouk came up with the idea for a hybrid vehicle.

Using a Buick Skylark as his prototype, Victor Wouk successfully created the first ever hybrid vehicle which passed the rigorous EPA tests at the time. Still, in a series of events that can only be described as ‘mind-boggling,’ the government rejected the idea of producing hybrid vehicles at the time.

So what can we learn from Victor Wouk? Although Victor’s hybrid vehicle concept was shutdown, the fact remains that he had a great idea. Victor’s idea wasn’t shutdown because it was bad, but rather because it wasn’t the right time. The government wasn’t ready to take the automotive industry in a different direction and the idea of a car having half the horsepower of ‘traditional’ vehicles at the time was absurd to consumers. Whether your a scientist, a doctor, or an entrepreneur, this is something that one should always be mindful of: just because people aren’t ready for what you have to offer, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a great idea. What may seem like a ’shoot for stars’ kind of idea at one point in time, may be the next ‘hybrid car’ in another. A great idea should never be abandoned. Instead, it needs to be saved for when the time is right.

What Will You Do With A Great Idea?

Author and cartoonist, Ashleigh Brilliant, once wrote:

Good ideas are common - what’s uncommon are people who’ll work hard enough to bring them about

Just how you can bring a horse to a river, but can’t make him drink, a great idea remains just an idea unless you take action. Although Thomas Edison failed 1,000 times, he believed in his great idea and eventually brought us the light-bulb.

Don’t let a great idea go to waste. Who knows, it just might be the next ‘light-bulb.’

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Photo by Amanda Hayler

According to an article published by Dr. Tamara Knapp-Grosz, 90 percent of long distance relationships will end within the first year. Based on those numbers, if you are in a long distance relationship, the chances of your relationship lasting longer than 12 months is about the same as you getting into Princeton. While the numbers may be no more than a statistical reference, the fact remains that long distance relationships more often break a relationship than make them stronger.

Look how far we have come today though and you realize that 90 percent is just a number. Technology and human innovation has made us smarter, improved the quality of life and has enabled us to understand far more than we ever imagined. Not only has technology helped improve these aspects of our lives, but it has also helped improve relationships, especially long distance. Today, no ‘long distance survival package’ is complete without a webcam, an unlimited texting plan and Facebook.

The Global Reach

First used in 1991, the webcam is one of the most widely used communication tools today. Thanks to low costs and improved features such as instant messaging and video conferencing, couples no longer have to go months at a time without seeing each other. Nothing will ever replace being with someone in-person, but technology has made it easier to stay in touch with friends and family.

Additionally, according to TeleGeography, since its initial release in 2003, Skype is now the largest provider of cross-border voice communications in the world. With over 521 million total Skype accounts worldwide, Skype helps couples span continents and time zones. With the help of tools like Skype, you no longer have to hop on an airplane to see loved ones. What may be a 10 hour flight is now just a few clicks away.

Facebook is also helping couples stay ‘connected’ with each others lives by providing a platform for them to stay updated. Through Facebook wall posts and photo walls, couples can message and keep up with each other in a convenient way.

Does This Increase The Number of Long Distance Relationships?

As technology continues to make communicating with others easier, the number of couples engaged in a long distance relationship is bound to increase. A great example of this are college students who are in a long distance relationship. Based on studies done by Dr. Gregory Guldner, 20%-40% of college relationships are long distance with that number increasing. While this can be attributed in part to high school relationships carrying over into the first-year of college, much of it has to do with couples accepting that there is a chance they can make it. The percent chance may be low, but thanks to an ever growing spectrum of technology, long-distance relationships are becoming a realistic option.

Furthermore, thanks to technology, long distance doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a death sentence for your relationships. In fact, statistics show that being away from your partner may not be a bad thing. For many of us, both genetically and instinctively, we want to be at the side of our partner when possible. Based on a study by The Center for the Study of Long Distance Relationships, proximal relationships versus long distance ones share very similar trends as far as breaking up during the first year. While the fact remains that absence of ones partner for an extended period of time decreases the quality of a relationship, what doesn’t work in one relationship, might not necessarily apply to another.

What’s Next?

As technology continues to improve, long distance relationships will continue to benefit. Skype for example recently announced a partnership with LG and Panasonic which will allow consumers to use Skype via their television. Not only will users be able to communicate through their televisions, but in high-definition quality. Additionally, it has been rumored that 2-way video chatting through your phone may soon be making its way into the US market.

While technology that allows us to teleport anywhere we want is far from possible, little improvements like those mentioned will help bridge the distance and hopefully help a few more couples ‘make it.’

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Photo by Cynthia Lou

5 years ago, marketing through online branding was considered far fetched at best. The concept was raw, and the number of companies using it scarce. Today though, blogs, social networking profiles and online advertisements have become almost standard practice when it comes to marketing. The question now becomes “what brought about the change?”

The answer to this lies within the question: Change.

We must always remember that although ‘change’ can be a frightening concept, ‘change’ has helped us improve our quality of living, helped us make new discoveries and in some cases, been a beacon for hope.

When it comes to marketing, change can be scary, exciting and rewarding. What’s important is that we always remember that change is inevitable.

Why Consumers Demand Change

10 years ago, advertising in newspapers had impact. 7 years ago, advertisements on TV had impact. Today though, these marketing points of engagement have seen their impact value diminish significantly.

The more consumers continue to be exposed to ‘traditional’ marketing practices, the more they become desensitized. By desensitized, I am referring to the fact that consumers have been overloaded by products in the same traditional form that they are no longer ‘attracted’ or ‘enticed’ into buying the product. Essentially, consumers have zoned out.

As a result, companies must continue to push the envelope when it comes to developing new marketing strategies as well as finding new ways to engage potential customers. If you want to get consumers to pay attention to you, then you must break the mold. Once something is done, then it is only a matter of time before it’s been overdone. Especially with the power of the internet, the time period between marketing strategies going from ‘brand new’ to ‘overdone’ can be a matter of months.

Taking Advantage Of Resistance

As mentioned earlier, when it comes to marketing, change can be scary. Scary, because we don’t know what the outcome will be. What might seem like a great idea at first, might end up blowing up into a PR disaster. Along those same lines, change can also mean breaking away from something that works.

Take for example the popular saying “If it’s not broken, Don’t fix it.” While there are numerous variations of it, the message is simple: why risk changing something that works? At first glance, this makes sense, but dig deeper and you see the flaw in this concept.

The best way to understand the flaw in this concept is to look at hybrid cars and its relationship with the auto industry. When the concept of ‘hybrid cars’ was first introduced, it was met with stern resentment by automotive makers. Auto makers didn’t see why consumers would want cars that could go 50 miles per gallon when they could buy cars that were twice as big and used twice as much gas. Only until gas prices exploded did automakers begin to panic and start pushing into development hybrid cars.

Still, it was too late. Toyota owned the market. Toyota understood that by depending on fossil fuel, we would eventually face high gas prices. In response, Toyota developed the Prius and thus became one of the first large automakers to introduce hybrid cars. Although many remember it for being ‘ugly,’ many more remember it for its amazing gas efficiency and more importantly, for being the ‘original’ hybrid car.

When it comes to marketing, a company that settles for the status quo, is selling themselves short. What happens when the status quo changes all of a sudden? What will you do when what you are doing no longer works? Hybrid cars, are just one example of the importance of change.

When there is a strong resistance to change, that is when you are at your weakest. Even if you don’t want to change, you need to understand that the market dictates everything. Remember, marketing needs to be progressive, not average.

Intelligent Marketing

While change is a pivotal concept in marketing, it is also important to practice intelligent marketing. This means that although identifying new points of engagement are important, knowing how to use them and also if it is right for you is imperative when moving forward.

While many companies have already begun marketing through social media, many still are not sure on how to best use networks like Twitter and Facebook. Others have MySpace accounts even though it doesn’t fit their market nor their brand. For change to be effective, intelligent decision making is just as important as creativity.

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Seth Godin, author of Tribes, wrote:

“Marketing, the verb, changed the market. The market is now a lot less impressed with average stuff for average people, and the market is a lot less impressed with loud and flashy advertising. Today, the market wants change.”

If the market dictates success and failure, then when it comes to marketing, we need to make change synonymous with success.

When AOL Instant Messenger, better known as AIM, first hit the online world in 1997, it took off like wildfire. While AIM wasn’t the first instant messaging application, it was by far one of the most popular and widely used. Whether you used it to stay in touch with friends or as a way to meet new people, AIM not only impacted our culture at the time, but it also laid the groundwork for future social media powerhouses, Facebook and Twitter.

With features like file transfer, emoticons, and the always amusing/irritating ‘warn’ button, AIM attracted groups by the masses. Still, that was then, and this is now. The reality is that AIM can no longer compete with the Facebook and Twitter’s of the world. The once teacher, has now become the student. AOL’s inability to monetize off AIM consistently has continuously been put to question and it seems like its now or never for AOL’s once popular application.

Social Media Versus Instant Messaging

Perhaps the first question that should be answered is if AOL Instant Messenger is actually ‘part’ of Social Media. Depending on who you ask, the term ‘Social Media’ has different origins. One origin that does seem to have some evidence behind it i its use by LinkedIn back in 2004 when they first created their social networking application. Taking a closer look at the term ’social media’ in regards to Google Trends, you will also note that it has increased in volume quite steadily since 2006. Likewise, if you look at the terms “AOL Instant Messaging” or “AIM,” you will note a significant downward slope.

While some may consider AIM to be part of the social media family, I would make the argument that they are more of the distant relative that provided the blueprints to them. “Buddy Lists,” which live on through Facebook Friends and Twitter Followers, and AIM profiles which are the equivalent of Facebook and Twitter profiles are all examples of the blueprints that social media expanded and improved on.

With social media on the rise and AIM slowly losing influence, it is safe to say that sites like Facebook and Twitter have taken over. It’s not that AIM has lost its usefulness, but rather it has lost its appeal. An easy way to understand this is to compare AIM to cellphones with the most basic functions. You can call out, call in, send a text, and can play snake. What more can you ask for? The problem is that you can, and you will.

Using the same cellphone analogy, social media networks like Facebook and Twitter are the Smartphones with wireless internet access, email capability, a built-in 10 megapixel camera, and all the Bejeweled you want. With options like these, there’s no question why Facebook recently broke 300 million users while AIM remained at a cool 50 million.

What AOL Instant Messenger Can’t Do, Facebook Will

Long before we had sponsored tweets, AIM’s sole source of income was advertisements. Most who used AIM remember them. They would sit at the top of your AIM window just waiting for you to accidentally mouse over them, upon which you would be blasted by a car advertisement or movie trailer. Rather than encourage the user to buy the product advertised, it would more likely persuade them to find ways to remove AIM ads permanently. What AIM failed at, Facebook is determined to succeed at.

In this case, AIM failed to monetize. Yes, they are making strides toward becoming profitable, but their time in the limelight is just about up. Still, if you ask the average Joe how Facebook is making money, they will tell you that it is through advertisements. So what is the difference?

The difference is that as opposed to AIM advertisements that were geared toward a broad audience, Facebook’s advertisements are user specific and geared toward customization and ‘intuitive’ selection. For example, if you don’t like an advertisement that is shown on Facebook, you can send your feedback on why you don’t like it and Facebook will remember it for future reference and will work toward showing you only what you want. On top of that, Facebook has a large, make that huge, database of information on users that marketers would pay hundreds and thousands for. In comparison to data services like Nielsen, where statistical inductions are made, Facebook would able to give exact age, sex, and location to advertisers which would in turn allow them to develop targeted marketing campaigns.

The Danger of “Potential”

If you ask Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane what he thinks of ‘potential,’ he’d probably tell you of the dangers in throwing that word around. So many times will a team draft players based on their potential without looking at the numbers only to have them fizzle in their farm system. For investors in online startups, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Playing along the same lines, when you look at Twitter/Facebook along with AIM, the big difference is that Twitter and Facebook have huge potential, while AOL Instant Messenger had potential.

Yes, Facebook and Twitter are still working at finding a stable source or revenue from their platforms, but AIM’s had nearly 12 years to try and do so.  In fact, although Facebook has only been around for close to 6 years, they have recently managed to generate enough revenue to cover their costs, keeping their cash flow positive. By no means is AIM ready to throw in the towel, but one can only wonder how much longer they can continue to pour in assets.

Earlier this year, AOL gave us a look at the direction they were going with their full integration of “Lifestream” into the AIM application. While it still too early to tell how their relationship with Twitter and Facebook will develop, it is clear that if AIM is to succeed, they will need the help of social media. No longer will they be able to live off the potential that others saw in them, but rather they will have to live off the potential of Facebook and Twitter.

When Facebook first started, Mark Zuckerberg intended it to be used as an online simulation of real-life relationships. To his credit, Facebook has become just that. From relationships to catching up with friends, Facebook has taken networking to new levels. Still, Facebook has a ways to go if it intends on being a true online representation of real-life.

The biggest complaint of which is the ability to dislike content on Facebook. Although Facebook allows you to ‘like’ content from your friends, they don’t have an option to ‘dislike’ something. The question then becomes what do you do if you find something so offensive that ‘hide content’ just doesn’t work for you?

Facebook Isn’t MySpace

No matter what the public says, in the end, Facebook will have the final say on how they want their social network to function. With that said, one of the most important things that Facebook considers when they introduce new features, such as their new Facebook privacy policy, is not only how it will affect users, but also their brand.

Take for example MySpace. Although it is still widely considered to be one of the top social networks online, users have migrating away to other sites like Facebook and Twitter. This can be attributed to a multitude of factors, some of which include numerous ‘MySpace Stalkers’ in the news and the lack of content control made evident by the excess number of spammers. While MySpace continues to make strides toward improving their image, the damage has already been done due to their lack of adjustments over the years.

Bringing our attention back to Facebook, it becomes an almost night and day comparison of the two social networks. Not only do we see the problems that are currently plaguing MySpace, but we also see what Facebook could have become.

Facebook could have let users embed music on their profiles and have allowed custom backgrounds, but is that what we want? Would that make the community happy? It may for some, but it has the possibility of bringing about indefinitely more problems. If Facebook wanted to be the new MySpace they would have. Instead, Facebook took a page out of MySpace’s playbook and did everything they should have done.

Keeping It Positive: The Like Button

As much as people want a ‘dislike’ button on Facebook, the fact remains that it could do more bad than good. If Facebook were to create the ‘dislike’ button, everyone’s social network would change more than people think.

Currently, with the Facebook ‘like’ button, it allows users to ‘like’ updates and content from their friends. By having this feature, it creates a positive feel throughout the community and can also be used as way to show support. Facebook thrives off of presenting itself as a ‘positive’ environment. By introducing the ‘dislike’ button, users can then dislike everything from photos to relationships which would ultimately lead to conflict. Now the argument can be made that this would be a rare scenario, but the truth is that it probably wouldn’t. With no rules on what or when you can dislike, abuse of the ‘dislike’ button is almost guaranteed. Feelings will get hurt and a negative environment will be created.

“Dislike” Without A Button

Many may still insist that a Facebook ‘dislike’ button is necessary, but Facebook already has systems in place that allow you to deal with situations that you may deem ‘dislike-able.’

Hide

If you don’t like what someone shares or posts, changing how you view their updates is one of the most immediate options you have on Facebook. By doing so, you are limiting what you see and theoretically, ignoring their updates. While the downside to this is that you can’t just ignore individual updates, it does provide an alternative to offensive content.

Privacy Settings

Another alternative is to change your privacy settings for certain users. While this may not directly deal with the problem, it does narrow down your network and also gives you options on how friendly you want to be with your network.

Close Your Eyes

If these options still don’t work for you, there is one last option: ignore them. Yes, closing your eyes or just scrolling past their update can be in some cases, your best bet.

Facebook Dislike Plugin

Although Facebook hasn’t officially created a ‘dislike’ button, that hasn’t stopped developers from creating a Facebook Dislike add-on for Facebook on Mozilla. After installing the plugin, users are not only able to ‘like’ things, but now able to ‘dislike’ as well. The catch for this is that in order for others to see it, they have to have the add-on installed as well.

To date, there has been over 360,000 downloads of the add-on. It is important to note that the number of downloads doesn’t equal the number currently active so it is hard to determine exactly how popular or un-popular it is.

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If Facebook is supposed to be an online representation of our real-life relationships, then something we have to ask ourselves is if we would tell someone that we didn’t like something they said in person? Many of us would probably say no, and that is just what Facebook is banking on.

In the first 24 hours upon its’ release, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” smashed U.S. sales records by selling 6.9 million copies in the United States alone. It took J.K. Rowling over a year to write, but took only an hour to make millions. With any task or campaign one engages in, the ROI on the project is at the top of the list. Whether it be selling a book or a new TV commercial for your product, the ROI is how success is judged. With the explosion of social media marketing, companies often find themselves going through the motions of creating Twitter accounts and Facebook fan pages, but without any true understanding of “why.” This is due in part to the difficulty in measuring ROI for social media.

The Conflict of Push Marketing and Social Media

The biggest reason why it is difficult to measure the ROI of social media campaigns stems from the premise of social media itself. When sites like Twitter and Facebook were started, the immediate goal wasn’t to monetize it, but rather to create a platform that allowed users to interact, share, and network with one another in a seamless and simplistic manner. As these platforms gained popularity, it also began to attract marketers and companies that were exploring new ways to ‘push’ their product out there.

Here in lies the problem. The concept of ‘push’ marketing is one that is used by most if not all companies, and involves creating a product and actively reaching out to consumers in hopes that they will buy it. Traditionally, this involved an assortment of strategies including cold-calling, advertisements, and extensive marketing campaigns all of which were geared toward and increase in sales. Here, a successful campaign involves an ROI where money was made. Plain and simple.

For social media, you have a dynamic situation. Social media offers marketers an endless array of possibilities. Not only does it give them the ability to reach out to millions of consumers, but more importantly, ones that will actually listen. While I did say listen, that is assuming of course that what you have to say has some value to it. For marketers, social media can be like Christmas morning when you can’t wait to open up your presents. So many exciting ‘gifts’ to open, that you only focus on that. You don’t take into account that waking your parents up at 5AM is ridiculous and that someone has to clean up the mess. You just focus on one thing, which is your own benefits. In the same sense, marketers that approach social media with the goal in mind to sell something and make money, are forgetting about what social media users want. They don’t want to read advertisements and they don’t want to take your survey on a recent dining experience. They want to be engaged and feel part of the community.

ROI Means Money

If you look up the definition of ROI you will find two words in the definition: profit and money. The return on investment can be simply defined as whether or not ones investment was efficient and more importantly, profitable. As we move into the social media landscape, companies that view social media as a direct way to make money will find that it is far more difficult than it appears.

Is it really possible to put a dollar value on every conversation you have on Twitter or Facebook? In reality, it is like trying to say that your conversation with your friend is worth X amount of dollars. While it may be possible, is it realistic?

If you look at the way social media is being used by companies like Whole Foods and Best Buy, you will note that the companies aren’t just trying to sell to the users that they engage. Instead, they are trying to enhance their experience as well as make them feel part of the community and express concern for their needs. A happy customer doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to buy more of your product, but what it does mean is that you have built a relationship with them. Directly, social media has helped forge a relationship and community between consumers and companies. The long-run impact will be the user becoming an evangelist for your company by sharing your content with others, and also increase the chances of them becoming your customer. So how do you put a dollar value on that if ROI is all about money?

Changing The Meaning Of ROI

So how do we measure the ROI of something that doesn’t directly yield immediate profit? Perhaps the key is to change the way we look at ROI first. As mentioned, ROI has traditionally been synonymous with “profit” and “money.” When companies spend thousands of dollars on social media campaigns, they expect to see results. Results, being profit and money. Social media unfortunately is neither. It is relationships and community. With that said, marketers and companies should not measure social media campaigns by dollars and cents, but rather by the quality of relationships they build and the strength of their community.

The strongest and most successful social media campaigns aren’t the ones that try and sell a product to you directly, but are the ones that interact and think outside the box. A great example is the MadMenYourself campaign by AMC and the hit show Mad Men. By giving users the opportunity to create personalized Mad Men avatars that they could export to various social media platforms, they were directly interacting and building a community with Mad Men fans while at the same time indirectly creating a campaign that would spread there content through the avatars. For AMC, the ROI wasn’t measured by the dollars it generated, but rather by the interest it peaked as well as the increase in fan base.

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Seth Godin said it best when he recently wrote:

“Few businesses understand (really understand) just how much a customer is worth.”

As we continue to develop tools that will help us measure the success of social media campaigns, so will our ability to better understand the relationship and engagement between consumers and organizations.

Answer the following questions with a simple Yes or No:

1. The only way you can fly is in an airplane.

2. You know where and what everyone is doing thanks to Facebook.

3. Your leather belt is the closest you’ll ever be to having a utility belt.

4. The Fail Whale cowers in your presence.

5. The only way you will look like Wolverine is if you don’t shave.

6. You wonder why Batman needed Robin when you have Twitter and Facebook

7. Calling your car the Batmobile is like calling a dog a cat.

8. If the Twitter Bird could talk, it would say your username.

9. Your archenemies are spammers and spoofers.

10. More people know your username than your real name.

If you answered Yes to all those questions, you might be just be a Social Media Superhero. You may not have superhuman strength or be able to outrun a train, but you help social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook continue its success. For every spammer and spoofer that joins these social networks, arises a Social Media Superhero.

Your Powers

Just like how Batman keeps Gotham City safe from criminals, as a social media superhero you serve a very important role. Without you, who would share great content from sites like TechCrunch and Mashable? Who would tweet out the crazy comments that Lindsay Lohan said? Who would find the blog posts that help us become better entrepreneurs? If Superman disappeared from Metropolis, criminals would run rampant around the city. If you, the “Social Media Superhero,” disappears, sites like Twitter would lose its true value: community engagement.

Although your ‘powers’ aren’t flashy and mind-blowing as others, they are just as important.

The Core Of Social Media

At the core of social media is community engagement. Sites like Facebook and Twitter weren’t built upon the premise of sharing links with each other, but rather by connecting users. As a result, when spammers and spoofers join these networks, they not only become a nuisance, but they become the ‘enemy.’
To understand the problem that spammers and spoofers have on social networks, it is helpful to compare it to spam email. If email had no spam box, then you can imagine how bothersome and difficult it would be to filter through all the emails you get each day. Now come back to sites like Twitter and Facebook, and you are presented with the growing problem: social media with no spam box. While this may not be a problem for users who follow/friend fewer than a hundred, for users that go for the ‘more is better’ route, spammers fill Facebook and Twitter feeds with garbage links that would light a virus scan on fire.

While social networks try and weed out the culprits, for every spammer or spoofer they get rid of, 10 more are sure to pop-up. Being the social media superhero you are, you can’t let this stand. While it would be possible to report each one to the appropriate admins, the right approach is to counter their efforts by bringing value to the community through quality content, networking, and being responsible.

Kryptonite: Automatic RSS feeds

While the word Kryptonite and automatic RSS feeds are in the same sentence, by no means are automatic RSS feeds bad. When it does become a problem is when that is all a user shares with their ‘community.’ Many times you see an account setup for a ‘person’ and they have 0 ‘personal’ tweets and 100% feeds, sharing the links from sites every hour. While the links themselves might be useful, that doesn’t mean that that user is.
If a user is going to only have feeds with their account, then they should make it clear that it is a news feed and not an actual user that is going to interact with you.

Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook are growing everyday and with it comes the swarms of spammers waiting for you to click on links to find out your IQ and Nigerian scammers on Facebook.

When others become disgruntled at not being able to read their Twitter news feeds or by spam on Facebook, remember that you don’t have to be. You are a social media superhero.

No Cape? No Problem.
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Photo by AndyC

In 23 BC, Horace first introduced to us the idea of Carpe Diem. Carpe Diem, or “seize the day,” has since become a way of life for some, and for others, a constant reminder of the importance of ‘living’ each day. In the business world, carpe diem can be seen all around us. For entrepreneurs, carpe diem not only serves a motto, but also a beacon for new opportunities.

Seize The Day

When Horace first mentioned carpe diem, it was part of a longer message from Odes Book I.

In full, Horace writes: carpe diem quam minimum credula postero.

In translation this means: Seize the day and place no trust in tomorrow.

While I am no philosopher, it is easy to see the message that Horace attempts to convey to his audience. Think little about tomorrow, think only about today. Whether you are the executive in a Fortune 500 company or the CEO of a startup company, carpe diem pushes one to not worry about what may happen, but rather what will happen right now. If you are constantly looking forward to tomorrow, you may miss the opportunities that are in front of you today.

Never A Smooth Ride

In the business world, the path to success is one that is guaranteed to have bumps along the way. For some, these bumps will be minor ‘distractions,’ but for others they will be ‘game-changers.’ These ‘game-changers’ are the ones that the business world fears most. One day it could be law suit that threatens the stability of the company and the next it could be a partner pulling out. In 1988, Bob Marley inspired his own form of carpe diem, when he wrote “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Although Bob and Horace we’re hundreds of years apart, both deliver similar messages: Bumps are bound to happen. No matter what we do, they will happen. Live in the present, don’t worry about tomorrow.

For the entrepreneur specifically, being able to focus on the present is crucial. While it would be ignorant to ignore the consequences of the choices we make today, that doesn’t mean we need to live life on a leash.

The Conflict With Carpe Diem

Based on the full context of carpe diem, we arrive at a conflict. While ’seize the day’ is a message that hundreds have heard and quoted, why do so few truly ’seize the day.’ Is it because they don’t believe it? Or is it perhaps that it just isn’t realistic. That may be true to some extent, but the fact still remains that carpe diem, whether spoken in Latin or English, still resonates among individuals.

Take for example Kobe Bryant. If you had visited his website earlier this year, one of the most noticeable bits of information on his site was a line of text clearly displayed across the landing page:

Scito hoc super omnia….Tempus neminem non manet….Carpe diem.

Translated it means:

Know this above all else….Fully use every point, moment, and hour that you have. Time waits for no man….Seize the day.

People can debate about his talent level and where he falls among the greatest, but few can doubt his work ethic and determination. He takes every day as a new opportunity to further his skills and work toward his goals.

When you look at why we admire those that work tirelessly, it is in part because we are admiring someones dedication to taking each day and living it to the fullest. We all wish we could ‘live life to the fullest’ and be able to ’seize the day,’ but life likes making things complicated. With bills to pay, kids to drop off at soccer practice, and meetings to attend, few have the chance to fully embrace carpe diem.

Even before the decision is made on how you will seize the day, perhaps the question should be when.

The “Perfect” Wave

If you have ever been to the ocean and watched surfers, one thing you will notice is the patience that they have. Sitting on their boards, they will wait for hours for that perfect wave to come along. If surfing were a business, you can call the perfect wave, the “Facebook” of all waves. No matter how many ‘bad’ waves they have to ride out, they will continue to wait. Even if the perfect wave lasts only for a few minutes, the day is not wasted, but rather well spent.

Although surfing has little in common with the business world and entrepreneurs, surfing can be used as a metaphor for the road to success. For the surfer that sits their everyday riding out the bad waves waiting for that perfect one to come along, the feeling of satisfaction is special and fulfilling. In the same sense, for the entrepreneur or business that endures the hardships of starting up, success is bittersweet and fulfilling as well.

Like the changing waves, each day bring new opportunities.

Carpe Diem. Seize the day

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Photo by Mr Din

In about 2 days, I will have been with my girlfriend for more than 1/4 of my life. In world where success is commonly gauged by numbers, being in a relationship with someone for 6 years is something I feel proud of. From the first dance I went to with her to the late night talks over the phone, finding someone special is only half the journey. The other half involves hard work and dedication.

My friend recently asked me, “how do you make it work?” By no means am I a relationship expert nor claim to be, yet I believe that everyone has something to offer when it comes to relationship advice. From advice on how to keep your girlfriend happy when you’re an entrepreneur to knowing when to call it quits, for every question that someone might have, there are at least 100 different answers. Out of of these 100 answers, there are no wrong answers, but there are also no right answers. They are simply answers. The key is to look at all the advice and answers and to figure out which best fits your situation and also what feels right to you. With that said, here are 5 ways to make your relationship last.

1. Find Your Relationships Weakness

No relationship is perfect. That is a fact that no one can deny. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t work toward that goal. Whether it be a having an open mind or a willingness to try new things, by identifying your relationships weakness you are able to work toward making them your strengths. The big question then is what exactly characterizes a weakness. When couples argue, one of the most important things to consider is why you are arguing. The solution to an argument shouldn’t be to ‘forgive and forget,’ but rather to ‘forgive and understand.’ Being able to understand what caused the argument is just another way of identifying what you need to work on or what your weakness is.

In my own experience, I have learned that no one likes to argue about the same thing over and over. Failure to understand why things are happening will not only cause stress on the relationship, but it will ultimately lead to more arguments and misunderstandings.

2. Be Spontaneous

A phrase that I’ve heard tossed around that can be a precursor to the end is the word ‘boring.’ When you are able to predict what you will be doing every weekend then it is time to start worrying. Being in a relationship should never be ‘boring.’ You may have times where you are swamped with work or you just don’t feel like doing anything, but that should only be on occasion. Some things that I find helpful in keeping things ‘fresh’ is going to new places on the weekends or trying new restaurants. You don’t have to go to Disneyland or shoot for the moon, but being able to ’surprise’ your partner even in the smallest way is important

3. “Unplug” Yourself

In an age where you can reach anyone anywhere, technology can actually disconnect you with those that matter most. For example, I read recently that one type of guy to avoid are the ones that wear Bluetooth headsets wherever they go. No one likes to compete for someones attention, especially if its a little earpiece. I would be a hypocrite to say that I haven’t been distracted on an occasion or two by my Blackberry, but the it is something that I am working on. The less time you spend ‘plugged-in’ the more time you can spend ‘connected’ with those that matter most.

4. Don’t Forget The Past

Do you remember the first time you got in argument with them? Or how about the first time you went away for the weekend? Like a book, together you write a story. You may not remember all the details, but it is important to remember the important points. When you sit there and think about how you got to where you are today, remembering how it all started or even how it almost ended can make you want to write another chapter to your book.

5. Understand The Concept Of “Us”

When you think of a couple, while you may think of the individuals themselves, they are typically seen as one unit. Always remember that as a couple, it’s about ‘us.’ If one person is making all the decisions and plans, then it becomes like ‘follow the leader.’ While ‘follow the leader’ can be fun at first, eventually someone else will want to lead. Being able to make decisions together not only shows maturity as a couple, but also shows an understanding of each other.

If you Google “relationship advice” you will get about 43,200,000 results. Out of those 43,200,000, zero are guaranteed to work. Unlike math or science, where you can determine the solution to a problem systematically, when it comes to relationship advice, it’s a toss up. It can be a hit or miss, win or lose. Remember that a relationship is just like a job. You have to work hard at both and stay dedicated. The big difference is that if you decide to slack off, instead of losing your job, you may lose someone important to you.

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Photo by GeeWillikersJett