He is charged with helping clients identify emerging technologies and trends that can be applied in marketing communications programs. Rubel also explores these topics on his site, a monthly Forbes.com column and in a bi-weekly AdAge column. He can be found on Twitter and Facebook as well.
Steve can be reached via email at steverubel@gmail.com.
Note: Everything posted on this site is Steve's personal opinion. It does not represent the views of Edelman or its clients.
"I'm done with the lock-down and down-times. My micro and macro personal blogs will all flow through here (Posterous) out to Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook, etc and the intake valve is Google Reader and GMail."
New platforms not only unleash my creativity and curiosity, but they help me find new voices. I started to follow Chris Brogan more closely after I saw his posts on Facebook. {osterous has brought me Sam Harrelson who is sharing tidbits like these for using this platform as a launch pad for everything else.
I haven't gone this far yet yet. However, given the probably pending demise of Friendfeed and how well Posterous works with the iPhone I am considering it for all but the RT's and the @s.
How about you - are you taking your Tweets back home?
10 things brand marketers want from SN’s:
1. Access to people who would be interested in my product. I don’t need to see everyone, just the people that have an affinity for what I am selling. (Facebook does this pretty well)
2. Ability to have a conversation where I can respond to enthusiasts and naysayers (SN’s get points for this. They all offer this feature)
3. Portable content so if someone wants to share what I am talking about with their network they can easily pass-along
4. Ability to track the pass-along of that shared content
5. Cut through the clutter. A few of the SN’s have gotten so riddled down with ‘stuff’ you can’t discover anything of value. How can SN’s help brand marketers cut through the clutter.
6. Featured brand pages (YouTube and MySpace do this now but it will cost you)
7. Kill the modular layouts. There is very little ability to customize brand pages on SN’s due to modular restrictions.
8. Automated language ‘clean up’. Delete any comments with four letter words.
9. Tagging functionality. This would make it possible for people to discover conversations across networks. (Twitter #tags are the closest thing to this right now)
10. A better partnership – innovate WITH me
I like it when we hear directly from the clients. Here's Marty Collins' great perspective on what brand marketers like Microsoft (an Edelman client) want the social networks to provide them. Take notes.
"Mayer’s job is to be in sync with change. She carries an iPhone 'to have a non-Google product to better simulate the user. Similarly, I refused to get a broadband connection at home until 2004, when over 50 percent of Americans used broadband at home.' Mayer, in other words, is us."
As someone who also needs to "stay in sync" with change in my role with Edelman, I found this passage inspiring. It's important to see the world as others do, not just the early adopters. It's one reason why like Om I felt compelled to use multiple platforms.
Boy, is Alex Bogusky right. Maybe we need to apply for licenses or start passing exams. Ultimately, though, you are the judge and jury of who deserves creds.
"Social media consultants are this year’s life coach"
There certainly are a lot of consultants out there. Now I am biassed, but I would always recommend working with someone who can see the bigger picture.
