• Get Jeff’s Posts

    Subscribe to Truth...Justice...All That Stuff... by Email

  • Reach Jeff by Phone

    Got a question? Call Jeff. 774-BROWN-11 (774-276-9611)

  • Jeff’s Tweets

  • Jeff’s Blog Archives

  • Featured in Alltop

  • Jeff’s Comments

  • Disclaimer

    The opinions expressed on this weblog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.

  • Copyright

    Creative Commons License
    If you reprint a post on this site or repost it on your own blog or website, you must include the following attribution: © 2011, Jeffery D. Brown. Used by Permission. Originally posted at thejeffbrown.me.

Twitter Client Seesmic Releases Updates

Posted on June 17, 2009 by Jeff

For several weeks now, I’ve been using the third-party Twitter client Seesmic Desktop to manage my Twitter engagement.  I actually migrated from TweetDeck, a platform I never thought I’d leave.  But just as I was wondering if I’d made the right decision, Seesmic released a few key updates yesterday that address specific areas I think were sorely lacking just a few days ago.  If you’re unfamiliar with Seesmic (or third-party apps in general), watch this video to get up to speed before reading on.

The most glaring shortcoming in the Seesmic Preview version I was previously running was the inability to push out tweets to multiple Twitter accounts at the same time.  Also missing was the option to send updates to your Twitter and Facebook accounts simultaneously.  I didn’t consider the latter a big deal in that there are so many other ways to successfully tie in Twitter updates to your Facebook status if you choose.

I do, however, have the need to sometimes push the same tweet to both my personal account and my company account.  One of the best options I’d found was Splitweet.  Splitweet works wonderfully and does a great job of allowing you to monitor your multiple Twitter accounts alongside your Brand’s mentions all on the same page.  The main drawback, at least for me, is it’s Twitter only.

Third-party clients like TweetDeck and Seesmic combine the ability to monitor not only multiple Twitter accounts but your Facebook stream as well.  Again, though, the major shortcoming was not being able to update multiple accounts at the same time.  That has now changed.

Yesterday,  Seesmic  e-mailed this update to TeamSeesmic Friends:

I’m happy to let you know that we are releasing a new version of Seesmic Desktop, Version 0.3 RC or 0.3 Release Candidate. This version is being released to our TeamSeesmic members for the next few days to review a couple of big features and get your feedback.

Some of my favorite features included in this new version (from the Seesmic e-mail):

Multi-Account Posting with Smart Account Enabling:

We’ve upgraded the user interface to select which accounts to send posts to, saving you the time and effort it takes to post to each account separately. We’ve also added an option for Smart Account Enabling. With this feature turned on, this will allow Seesmic Desktop to change accounts when messaging your friends based on whom you are replying or direct messaging to. Seesmic will not change the accounts if you do not enable Smart Account.

Continued UI modifications, enhancements and fixes:

We’ve made continued modifications to the Seesmic Desktop user interface saving time when using Seesmic Desktop and space when reading your stream.


Some of the enhancements include:

-Minimizing the message panel until you start entering messages to send
-Enabling replies in your Facebook friends’ avatar to quickly add comments
-Inline reminders of what account you are posting from
-An added “Cancel” button to erase your messages in the message panel
-Updated scrolling arrows for enhanced browsing
-Ensuring all replies appear in your integrated timeline
-And many other additional fixes

If I could add two things to the updates that I still miss (and love about TweetDeck), it would be the auto complete feature and the ability to search within a specific Twitter stream.

Type in a user’s Twitter handle, and TweetDeck will fill in the name for you if it’s someone you follow (much like some e-mail programs will do when typing someone’s name in the “To:” field).  TweetDeck also allows you to search by username or search term within a specific Twitter account or Group you’ve set up.  Very cool.  Hopefully Seesmic will be able to add these features someday.

Finally, this video from Seesmic includes a complete overview of yesterday’s updates:

Filed under: Social Media, Twitter, Web 2.0 | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

88.7 WAY-FM and Casting Crowns Issue Warning

Posted on June 16, 2009 by Jeff

Seems fewer and fewer media outlets are printing media advisories any more.  With few exceptions, they’re rarely interactive or involve any attempts at incorporating multi-media, social media or you-name-it media.  Often, they’re not much more than words on a page.   In a word, they’re “boring.”

WAY887_186_ART

I’ve got a long way to go in my creation of media advisories on behalf of WAY-FM.  But it’s my hope that, someday, I too can create media advisories that are memorable and get people talking.  I’ve read about them.  I’ve studied them, but it seems I just don’t have the time (or maybe the expertise) to make it happen.  Heaven knows few can afford to pay someone else to do it for them.

For me, that means that the emphasis, the effort, has to go into the writing itself.  So, is it revolutionary?  I don’t know.  Is it a little cheesy?  Possibly.  Will it get more attention than the typical media advisory or, at the very least, put a smile on someone’s face or cause a slight chuckle at some point during their day?  I hope so.

That’s all I’m really going for.  After all, no one prints media advisories anymore.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

Contact: Jeff Brown; Operations Director

Phone: 615-261-9293

E-mail: jeff@wayfm.com

88.7 WAY-FM & Casting Crowns Issue Warning

Ticket Buyers Cautioned, “Change” Potential Cited

For immediate release: (Nashville, TN) Nashville’s 88.7 WAY-FM will again bring the multi-platinum-selling band Casting Crowns to Nashville.  They’ll perform Friday, October 9th at the Sommet Center.  In an unorthodox move, however, upcoming on-air announcements will come with a warning to 88.7 WAY-FM listeners and potential concert go-ers.

The warning begins; “During the concert, you will be subjected to songs like,” followed by a laundry list of Casting Crowns songs.  What follows this list is all but unheard of in the concert world.  88.7 WAY-FM cites recent studies that show the potential these songs have to “not only impact, but even change lives.”  The station even goes on to suggest that listeners not purchase tickets if they desire to “leave the same way you came.”

88.7 WAY-FM general manager Matt Austin said that listeners desiring to purchase tickets despite the warning may do so at their own risk at any ticketmaster outlet, the Sommet Center box office, or online at WAY-FM.com beginning Saturday, June 20th at 10am.  He later added that ticket buyers may be asked to sign a waiver, but didn’t elaborate.

When asked for an official statement, Austin said, “Neither 88.7 WAY-FM nor Casting Crowns can be held liable for anyone who may leave the concert spiritually renewed, refreshed, fulfilled, convicted or otherwise changed.”

###

WAY-FM is a 501(c)3 not for profit organization founded in 1987 in Southwest Florida.  The mission of WAY-FM is to encourage youth and young adults in their Christian Lives and to introduce non-believers to Christ.  All gifts are tax-deductible.

For more information on 88.7 WAY-FM, see also:

88.7 WAY-FM’s Facebook Profile

88.7 WAY-FM’s Twitter Profile

88.7 WAY-FM’s YouTube Profile

Filed under: Marketing, WAY-FM | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Is Twitter a Waste of Time?

Posted on June 9, 2009 by Jeff

If you’ve recently visited Twitter.com to see what all the fuss was about, chances are you left a little underwhelmed.  Or maybe, amid all the peer pressure, you signed up for an account, gave it a shot and never experienced that “ah ha” moment every Twitter advocate in your circle said you would.  You may have even come to the conclusion that you’re just not narcissistic enough.

What Are You Doing

If any of these scenarios describes you, you’re certainly not alone.  For the reasons why, one need look no further than the question asked of all new Twitter users (“What are you doing?”)

The assumption by the uninitiated is that Twitter is indeed a narcissistic endeavor.  Check out this video for what I’m driving at. It’s been circulating the web for a while.  I first saw it a couple of months ago.  I suspect you’ll laugh watching it, but it’s not even close to resembling how the majority of us use, and find value in, Twitter.

Okay, I too laughed at the video. After all, I don’t mind being the butt of anyone’s joke.  But I will say it’s too bad people insist on making fun of something they obviously don’t understand.

But the blame lies with Twitter.  The question the founders (@ev and @biz on Twitter) ask of all new users, and the fact they’ve not bothered to update it to reflect how Twitter is used by most today, is short-sided at best.  They again participated in diminishing the experience, in my view, when they did this.  I won’t even go into the day-to-day Twitter patterns of the entire Twitter crew.

Don’t let that deter you though.  If you’ve given up on Twitter, or never gave it a shot in the first place, I encourage you to do so for the reasons I’m about to state:

I would argue I’ve learned more and discovered more since joining Twitter than anytime in my life before that, and that includes having earned a business degree from one of the top 20 business schools in the country and the 22 years I’ve spent in broadcasting (and I’ve been on Twitter less than 10 months).

I’ve conversed with CEOs and many others I never otherwise would’ve been able to reach.  I’ve picked the brains of authors, business people, social media gurus, successful non-profit consultants and others from all over the world who have greatly enhanced my life.  And my experience is anything but unique.

In fact, if I were forced to funnel my entire web experience through Twitter and nothing else, I wouldn’t blink.  I’ll go so far as to say my surfing would not be diminished in the slightest.  My Twitter home page (essentially my own customized news feed) is filled with interesting links, unique insights and often valuable life lessons, as are the home pages of so many others on Twitter.

Ignore Twitter if you wish, but realize you do so at your own peril.  When it comes to your next job interview, you may find yourself competing against a graduate of “Twitter University.”  My money will be on them.

Filed under: Social Media, Twitter, Web 2.0 | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

We Love Your Mom

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Jeff

I never knew something seemingly as simple as adding audio to my blog could be such a frustrating chore.  I add images all the time after all.  And I’m in radio for Pete’s sake.  I work with audio daily.  Why is this so stinking hard WordPress.com?

iStock_000008622315XSmall

Turns out audio, WordPress.com and Firefox in particular, don’t get along very well.  You see, I’ve been trying to post audio from our Mother’s Day campaign since about mid-May.  And while it may now be Dad’s month, I’ll be darned if anything is going to stop me from seeing it through.

Many whom I’ve connected with via Twitter and elsewhere and who don’t live within our station’s coverage area have expressed an interest in hearing what we did.  I can tell you that what began as a simple idea to facilitate giving away a Mother’s Day prize package turned into quite a bit more.

Listeners were asked to call a special number and simply share the kinds of sacrifices mom made along the way.  As the calls came in, we found that there were going to be dozens more calls than we’d ever be able to air.  The initial on-air promo we used told of the specifics of the promotion and what was in store for the eventual winner.  Follow up on-air promos added some of the early calls we received.

As Mother’s Day approached and the time to pick a winning call closed in, we realized that, with an edited script, there was no reason why we couldn’t continue with the “celebrate mom” mentality throughout the rest of May.  And that’s exactly what we did, which, in turn, gave us the chance to enhance a lot more lives with a few more calls.

While I’d hope to embed a player directly into the blog here, the best I could do was link to an external site where audio from 4 of the calls we received is being hosted.  Particularly moving is the call from Kelly.  She and her mom also happened to be our winners.   Phrases like “limousine ride,” and “hot stone massage” are now permanent parts of their vocabulary.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I love my mom too.  Here’s the link:

Mother’s Day Audio

Filed under: The Future of Radio, WAY-FM | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »