Posts Tagged communication
What I’m Watching
Posted by Kristin in Social Media on April 22, 2011
Keeping tabs on new social networks could be a full-time job (and what a fun job that would be). However, I do my best to monitor what’s gaining steam and how it could potentially be used. Some that I’ve been watching lately:
The tagline for Squabbler is “everything’s debatable” and, I’m quickly realizing after spending some time on the site, that’s totally true. The basic premise of Squabbler is simple. If you have a topic you’d like to argue, shoot a 30-second video, enter the email address of your opponent and Squabbler sends them an invitation to Squabble. Once they have created a video response, both videos are uploaded to the site and open for public voting on who is right. Some debates in the Hall of Fame include the “cool factor” of tapered jeans and a dog lobbying to discontinue use of the vacuum.
The verdict: While this site is largely a huge time suck, it could be a unique outreach strategy for lifestyle or niche brands. Maybe there is a pet-friendly vacuum that exists which emits no loud, scary noises? Probably not, but it’s kinda neat. Plus, I tend to be argumentative.
Sharing News in the 21st Century
Well, as many people know… I am recently (very recently) engaged. The past 24 hours have been exciting, happy, busy and overwhelming. Wisely, I waited until the next morning to start sharing the news with family and friends. This is, by far, the biggest news I have ever had to share with so many people and I wasn’t entirely prepared for the process.
Naturally, the first form of communication was a phone call to my parents and sister, followed by a picture text of the ring. Following a phone call to my grandma, I resorted to text message to share the news en masse. All of this, plus the phone calls that followed were completely expected. However, the announcement via social media was quite a task.
Congratulations tweets from Madeline Koch and Paul DeBettignies were the beginning, followed by congratulations and excitement from all of the great people I know online and in real life. The official changing of the Facebook status and obligatory photos unleashed even more.
I am so very grateful to have so many people who care about me and love me. And that isn’t the point of this post. I am truly amazed at how differently information is shared, especially huge life-changing information. The utter speed of communication and response is exciting, and alarming! I am still working to catch up, say thank you and update everyone on the news. This entire process has truly opened my eyes to communication of the future, and at the same time, how traditional communication – over the phone and in person – is still necessary, and important.
Well, I’m off to make more phone calls to family, but this is definitely a moment and a day that I never want to forget. Thank you to all of you for being my support, sounding boards, friends and mentors.
