Technical and Marketing Communication: Content for a Convergent World

Links of Note

Here are April’s Links of Note. Below, I provide a brief summary of each link. You can also check out the comments I left on the original posts.

1. How an Introvert used Social Media to Generate New Business and a Career

This guest post on Hubspot’s Marketing Blog accompanied Brent Leary’s webinar, “How to Use Social Media to Attract More Customers.” Leary, author of Barack Obama’s Social Media Lessons For Business, provides great examples of how Barrack Obama used social media to collect contact information for the campaign’s Customer (here, perhaps more aptly called, “Community”) Relationship Management (CRM) application. In particular, Obama used the announcement of his vice presidential nominee to add contacts to this database. Leary’s webinar also provided helpful tips and examples of tools to use as we integrate captivating content into the more operationally-oriented CRM (Community or Customer Relationship Management) model.

2. Social Networking 

In this post, Margaret of Baccalieu Consulting (specializing in Web Site Design and Development) provides a helpful overview on ways a small consulting business has explored using social networking sites, including blogging, Flickr, YouTube, Facebook, and most recently, Twitter.

3. The “How to Be Likeable Series.” Ten Things You Can Do Today 

According to G.L. Hoffman, veteran career advisor, Chairman of JobDig, author of Dig Your Job, and weekly guest writer at US News and World Report. …“To a large measure, your likeability will lead to success or failure. It often trumps skill levels in surveys of HR people who are asked to name the most important characteristic of job candidates and employees.”

In Hoffman’s likeability series, Tip Number 7. “The Trick to Listening” caught my attention most. “Listen, acknowledge, and add something of value.” For me, this advice applies particularly well to not only how to engage with the subject matters I interview on a regular basis as a technical communicator, but also how to comment on blog posts.

4. Teaching Leadership at Gettysburg 

Eric Schultz, author of the Occasional CEO blog and King Phillip’s War, describes The Gettysburg Leadership Program as an ideal program to help “make” future leaders. I was particularly engaged by the way our National Parks and private sector are working together to develop leadership potential. I liked this quotation on leadership, from a program participant:

“In both the private sector and in government, the most prized attribute for any executive is leadership. Leaders impart vision, set the agenda, and inspire. And most successful leaders are not “born”–they are made.

5. 16 Social Media Tips Relating to Listening

Christine B. Whittemore of Simple Marketing Now  and Flooring the Consumer  provides a great list of listening tips from Toby Bloomberg’s SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING GPS. Christine highlights Bloomberg’s unique use of Twitter as an interviewing tool, and as a way of aggregating responses in a book-style format.

6. 10 Tips for Twitter Un-Marketing

Leigh Duncan-Durst provides a comprehensive list of Twitter best practices and recommended tweeters, who best represent their brands’ respective personalities. I strongly agreed with Duncan-Durst’s position that “the most successful brands on Twitter not only engage regularly, they engage within the scope of providing helpful service to their networks of prospects and customers. This means they are tied in with the customer service function. Some are tied in with product development, as well.”

7. The Quicksand of Social Media Buzzwords 

Amber Naslund points out that “the conversation on the social web often stops after the buzzwords.” She calls for people who can articulate why relationships matter in the first place and encourages social media users not to get lost in the rhetoric.

8. Excerpt: Things That Scare Me

Ann Handley observes how she has learned to leverage her writer’s sensitivity as a strength. “Sometimes, recognition of who you are grows into acceptance. And if you’re lucky, you figure out how to leverage that weakness.”

9. Just as Difficult as It Seems 

Chris Brogan sets expectations that adding social media to your marketing mix is not as simple as adding a few bullets to someone’s position responsibilities. He points out that though social media is not rocket science, “…It does take a ton of time…and the only way it’ll work is to have someone within a company take ownership of the platforms and act as both an advocate for the audience as well as the company.”

10. How to justify content and inbound marketing investments

Seamus Walsh of VAZT: B2B Content Marketing provides a staggering Forrester statistic: “Technology vendors are spending, on average, 19% of their selling, general and administration (SG&A) costs of $132,262 per quota-carrying salesperson, in support-related activities.” The Forrester report provides these action steps:

“Develop messaging, collateral, call scripts, follow up tools and buyer training all focused on helpings salespeople gain access to a specific role with-in a given account.” 

“Provide materials that can be tailored to the situation and not standard presentations.”

“Build a business case that helps realize your customer’s vision, not just your ROI.”

11. Get on the Right Side of the Fence

This post served as a follow-up to Chris Brogan’s webinar at Hubspot: How to Demonstrate the Value of Social Media to the Boss. Brogan gathered case studies on Delicious and provided how-to implementation steps during the Hubspot webinar—all of which were aimed at showing the ROI of social media and providing examples of how to get started using it, to support discussions with your corporate decision-makers.

12. Good Karma with a New Contest

Ann Handley announces a special contest on This Mommy Gig, a blog for mothers who think and write.

13. Inside the Minds of Twitter Users 

Ann Handley of MarketingProfs makes her debut on Mashable’s Social Media site. She presents the results of a recent MarketingProfs survey, which explores the motivations of users on Twitter.

14. User Forum for 31 Days to Build a Better Blog

In April, Darren Rowse began a series of posts at his highly successful blog. The posts represent a 31-day challenge to improve your blog. I am completing the challenge at my own pace. I highly recommend Rowse’s blogging tips and exercises, as well as the user’s forum for anyone participating.

Photo Credit, net_efekt

Strunk and White on Trial

In Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Lynee Truss describes the differences of opinion on the use of the serial comma: “There are people who embrace the Oxford comma, and people who don’t, and I’ll just say this, never get between these people when drink has been taken.”[17]

And so it goes, with the differences between prescriptive and descriptive approaches to teaching grammar. For a completely different take of Strunk and White from my view (see original post), check out this scathing article in The Chronicle of Higher Education:

50 Years of Stupid Grammar Advice

Here, Geoffrey Pullum calls our beloved grammar sages, “idiosyncratic bumblers.” It takes a lot of guts to call E.B. White (of Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web fame, as well as respected 1950s-era journalist on The New Yorker), a bumbler. I still give Geofrey Pullum credit for the strength of his convictions, and so would William Strunk and E.B. White.

I remain unapologetic, however, for my overall appreciation of Strunk and White. Of course, I also value diagramming sentences to learn the parts of speech, and in studying the etymological roots of words, to build a wider vocabulary. These are old-fashioned things, long fallen out of favor, in academic circles.

Do the basic principles of clear, concise writing really fall out of style? Which approach to teaching grammar would you use, especially in writing for business settings? Would following Strunk and White’s rules of usage in your next resume or cover letter help you get a job?

Anyway, you be the judge, when you read the The Chronicle of Higher Education’s article.

What do you think Strunk and White would say, about the style of writing there?

Note: In her review of Strunk and White, Mignon Fogarty also discusses the classic writing guide’s limitations. I recognize that many of the examples in Strunk and White may seem quirky to us now, but for me, that’s part of the book’s charm (also known as style). I was also surprised that Fogarty (who wrote a similar, and very successful  grammar guide, with more contemporary examples) did not defend Strunk and White a bit more, in her recent post. Curious, as Fogarty endorsed Strunk and White in the many testimonials, at the opening of the Fiftieth Anniversary Edition.

Related Posts:

• 50 Years Later: Elements of Style (and Life) with Strunk & White 
• Never Call a Stomach a Tummy without Good Reason” ~ Takeaways from Strunk and White (2009 Edition)

Photo Credit, Joe Gratz

Takeaways from Webinar on SDL Author Assistant for Adobe® FrameMarker 9

Summary: Reducing translation costs and reducing wordiness in technical documentation. Provides key points from the webinar, “Bring your Style Guide to Life and Create High-Quality Content from within Adobe FrameMaker 9,” featuring Sophie Hurst and Terry Lawlor from SDL, and RJ Jacquez from Adobe. Explains the benefits of using SDL Author Assistant to automate your company’s style guidelines, by running a “style” check of your documents, as easily as you run a spell check today.

I recently participated in the webinar “Bring your Style Guide to Life and Create High-Quality Content from within Adobe FrameMaker 9,” featuring Sophie Hurst and Terry Lawlor from SDL, and RJ Jacquez from Adobe.

The SDL Author Assistant for Adobe® enables enterprise-wide consistency in grammar, style, and terminology and reusability of content. It checks written text for writing style issues that impact the content’s readability and translatability. 

This plug-in is available as a free download for FrameMaker 9 customers from SDL Author Assistant for Adobe FrameMaker 9 on Adobe web site).

After RJ Jacquez provided a brief overview of Adobe Technical Communication Suite 2 (see summary), Sophie Hurst and Terry Lawlor explained the benefits of using SDL Author Assistant to automate your company’s style guidelines, by running a “style” check of your documents, as easily as you run a spell check today.

Style rules from The Chicago Manual of Style and Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications, are integrated with SDL Author Assistant, by default. If you want to customize the default styles with your company’s style preferences and product terminology, SDL Author Assistant lets you do that.

Automating a Style Check for Technical Documentation
With these integrated styles, you can automate checking a document for the most common style violations (passive voice, future tense, inconsistent use of compounds, and wordy phrases), before it even goes to translation. In the process, you can automatically replace the wordy expressions and terminology inconsistencies, according to the SDL Author Assistant defaults.

How Much will this Cost to Translate?
After you run the linguistic check, SDL Author Assistant creates an HTML report, showing all issues (for example, spelling variations, cases of wordiness, and use of dangling participles), and then shows you the cost of translation, if you do not revise these issues.

Using Automated Style Rules to Revise Technical Documentation
During the demo, Terry Lawlor showed how easy it is to revise the issues, substituting the style violations with more standardized word choices, based on SDL Author Assistant’s integrated style rules.

Translation companies store all previously translated content in Translation Memory, so the more you deliver concise, consistent content, the more the translation company can reuse content, again lowering your costs.

Downloading SDL Author Assistant for Adobe
FrameMaker 9 Customers: For your free download of SDL Author Assistant for Adobe®, see the Adobe or SDL web site.

Note: I have not used SDL Author Assistant, but I was impressed by the demo. Even if my documents are not going to be translated (today), using this FrameMaker plug-in can only improve the conciseness and consistency of our documentation efforts. Often working as a lone technical writer, I do not always have the benefit of a professional editor or fellow technical communicators, as peer reviewers. SDL Author Assistant could help me better self-edit. 

Have any readers here used this plug-in? Do you have any SDL Author Assistant or other translation tips to share?

Photo credit, A30_Tsitika

Takeaways from Webinar on Adobe® Technical Communication Suite 2

As Senior Product Evangelist for Adobe Technical Communication Suite and Adobe eLearning Solutions, RJ Jacquez (@rjacquez  on Twitter) opened the presentation with a brief overview of the Adobe Technical Communications Suite 2, which includes five applications in one package: 

• Adobe RoboHelp® 8 (Enhanced suite version): Creates professional help systems and knowledge-bases.
• Adobe FrameMaker® 9 (Enhanced suite version): Authors and publishes technical documentation.
• Adobe Captivate® 4: Rapidly creates engaging learning experiences.
• Adobe Photoshop CS4: Delivers image processing capabilities.
• Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended: Delivers PDF communications.

Adobe RoboHelp® 8
Adobe RoboHelp® 8 offers these features:

• ability to save your frequently used workflows
• updated industry standards & formats
• increased choices in templates and styles
• FrameMaker import / export including PDF output
• workflow review with Adobe AIR
• improved search, cross browser compatibility

With RoboHelp® 8, you can take printed documentation and repurpose it for online help, either knowledge-based or information-based.

Adobe FrameMaker® 9
Adobe FrameMaker 9 offers these features:

• Brand new CS4-like UI.
• Modular books for topic-based authoring with support for nested books and new section & subsection autonumbering.
• Books now support hierarchical structure with groups, folders, and the ability to exclude files from publishing.
• Contains XML, FM, DITA topics, DITA maps, book maps, and nested books.
• Full support for DITA 1.1 and 1.2.
• Round-trip PDF commenting through the suite.
• Web DAV enhancements with full support: CMYK support on Windows, Character Palette, Save History, and Asian Language support.   

RJ Jacquez recommends starting in FrameMaker, even if you are only delivering online help, as it lets you embrace a structured environment, with a single source work flow. This work flow lets you generate PDF documents and leverage the power of reusability, through out-of-the-box DITA.

• Lets you go beyond screen captures to author rich eLearning experiences.
• In the spirit of Web 2.0 technologies, lets you support short, engaging software demonstrations: “Click here to play…,” quick tutorials, and inclusion of 3D models in the PDF.

Adobe Acrobat 9® Pro Extended
Acrobat 9 Pro Extended offers these new features and enhancements:

• Create interactive on-demand presentations, with Adobe Presenter software.
• Combine multiple files in a single PDF Portfolio.
• Use professional templates for PDF Portfolios.
• Convert video to FLV for playback in PDF files.
• Enjoy support for 3D content and interactive PDF maps.

Acrobat 9 Pro Extended includes these utilities:

• Adobe LiveCycle Designer ES
• Adobe Presenter
• Adobe 3D Reviewer
• Adobe 3D Capture Utility for UNIX®

Photo Credit, 37Hz

Related Links:

• For my summary on the SDL part of the webinar, see Reducing Translation Costs with SDL Author Assistant.
• For information about upcoming Adobe webinars, see RJ Jacquez’s blog: Adobe Systems in eLearning and Technical Communication.
• Reviews of Adobe Technical Communication Suite 2: Review: Adobe Technical Communication Suite, Like a good whiskey, the Technical Communication Suite improves with age. 
• Adobe Technical Communication Suite: Get a free 30-day trial DVD
  

5 Reasons Why People Like Lists

I continue to participate in Darren Rowse’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. In this post, I summarize how I completed challenges for Day #2, Day #5, and Day #7. (For reporting purposes, I am completing some tasks out of sequence.)

The sections below describe the challenge for writing a list post, focusing on current readers, and writing a link post. 

Writing a List Post
in the challenge for Day #2, Darren Rowse describes three types of lists that bloggers often use successfully:

• The post as a list: “In this case there’s nothing in the post except for the list. The title of your post introduces the topic and then the list speaks for itself. The list can be quite barebones – short and to the point.” For an example of a list post, see Peer Review Checklists for Writers in this blog. 
• Extended lists:  “This type of post is not dissimilar to an essay or article but the main points are broken down into a numbered list format. Generally there is a heading for each section (highlighted in bold or heading tags), with a paragraph or two under each one.” For an example of an extended list, see A Baker’s Dozen: Links on Cloud Computing, in this blog. This post also represents a link list  (building a resource on a topic).
• Lists Within Posts:  “In this type of post, lists present ideas in the midst of other content. In a sense the list becomes a way of breaking up your text. …these posts do quite well as other bloggers looking for a quote to share with their readers will many times grab your list.” For example: see Digital Marketing World: Spring 2009 – Winning Against the Odds—my most viewed post, with multiple bulleted lists, providing takeaway points for various digital conference sessions, within the same post.

Focusing on Your Current Readers
In the challenge for Day #5, I emailed two blog readers, who both left comments on my earlier posts:

• Awareness Inc. Webinar: Building Digital Communities on the Social Web, featuring Larry Weber ~ Takeaways
• Digital Marketing World: Spring 2009 – Winning Against the Odds

My email simply thanked my readers for their comments and asked for more information about the blog topic (Larry Weber and his respective companies, in the case of my note to Farah at RacePoint, and the virtual conference schedule, in the case of Cece at InXpo.)

I promptly received e-mails back from both company representatives, with helpful information to supplement my original posts. 

From RacePoint Group, I obtained the following information about how to best keep up with Larry Weber:

• Racepoint Group Twitter handle <http://search.twitter.com/search?q=racepointgroup.
• RacePoint Group Facebook page <http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Racepoint-Group/55860819547?ref=ts>.
• Larry Weber’s Twitter profile <http://twitter.com/TheLarryWeber>  (though Larry does not have time to engage as much as he’d like there). 
• Farah also noted that Racepoint Group and the sister company Digital Influence Group have newsletters. Here are past Racepoint Group issues and subscription info: <http://www.racepointgroup.com/news/subscribe.cfm>. 

From Cece at InXpo, I learned that InXpo keeps a list of upcoming virtual events on the InXpo website: http://www.inxpo.com/news/upcoming-events/index.htm.  

The point Darren Rowse intended for this exercise, I imagine, is to deepen relationships and the lines of communication, with your existing readers, as I did with both Farah and Cece  (and by extension, the organizations they represent). In the process, I gained new information to supplement my original blog posts and added more value to my other readers. 
 
Link Post
In the challenge for Day #7, Rowse provides these reasons for linking out on your blog:

Giving something of value to your readers

Building your credibility

Building relationships with other bloggers

SEO

He also describes six types of link posts to consider:

Building upon the Points of Others (For example: see A Model for Collaborative Writing on the Social Web.)

Taking the Opposite Point of View

Building a Resource on a Topic (For example: In this blog, see A Baker’s Dozen: Links on Cloud Computing, which represents an extended list, as well as a link list.) 

Speed Linking

One Question Interviews

Suggesting Further Reading and Giving Examples (For example: see Understanding Audience and Purpose in this blog.)

 Photo Credit, PeterForret 

Related Links:

• Why I’m Glad I Bought 31 Days to Build a Better Blog
• Writing An Elevator Pitch (Day #1 from 31 Days to Build a Better Blog)

What Is an Elevator Pitch?

I am participating in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge, sponsored by Darren Rowse (aka @problogger on Twitter). 

In the challenge for Day #1, Darren Rowse recommends developing an elevator pitch for your blog:

What is an Elevator Pitch?
“An elevator pitch is an overview of an idea for a product, service, or project. The name reflects the fact that an elevator pitch can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (for example, thirty seconds or 100-150 words).” – Wikipedia

According to Rowse, your blog’s elevator pitch is important to successfully “writing content, promoting and finding readers, search engine optimization, networking with other bloggers, branding, design”…in other words—everything. 

I have been working on refining my blog’s tag line, but finding a way to concisely express my purpose (and related skill-set) in terms specific enough to reflect my primary expertise and interests as a technical communicator, while broad enough to encompass content-related topics in other disciplines (including content marketing, customer relationship management, and product development) has required some tweaking.

In the last month, my tag line has evolved this way:

• “Technical Communication for a Convergent World”  ~ Good Start
• “Content for a Convergent World” ~ Getting There
• “Content (Information, Interactions, & Experiences) for a Convergent World ~ Eureka

The inspiration for the final version of my tagline comes from Vince Giorgi’s post, Is It Content? Software? Let’s Call It a Branded Experience, with this working definition of content:

“Content is about so much more than words…Content is value-adding information, interactions and experiences by which brands engage and build affinity with the audiences vital to their business success.”

Through my final tag line, I now have a clear purpose for this blog and major organizational categories (information, interactions, and experiences), which reinforce this purpose.

In addition to my tag line, I can start using my elevator pitch in my “about page, real life conversation, business cards, pitching to media, pitching to other bloggers, my e-mail signature, and social media profiles” (Rowse, Day #1: 31 Days BBB).

 What do you think about the tag line? Do you think it’s serving my goals? As for audience, though I imagine that this blog most appeals to other technical and professional communicators  (aka content developers), the targeted audience for this blog is quite broad because we are all knowledge workers—all impacted by the convergence of communications and technology.

For more information related to my purpose, see About this Blog: What is Content?

Related Links:

• Why I’m Glad I Bought 31 Days to Build a Better Blog
• Writing a List Post, Focusing on Current Readers, & Writing a Link Post (Days #2, #5, &amp; #7 from 31 Days to Build a Better Blog)

Photo Credit, rargerich

Editing Checklist

Complete all sections of this checklist during the document’s peer review. (Someone other than the writer should complete the checklist.) Plan on spending at least one full day on the peer review, perhaps longer, depending on the size of the document.

The peer review checklist involves completing a copy edit, completing a content edit, and then meeting with the writer to discuss your suggestions.

If you can think of any additional editing or proofreading suggestions, please feel free to add your tips in the comments. Thanks in advance for your help.

Copy Edit

Check the following items during the copy edit:

1. Scan every line for errors (for example, extra or missing spaces, duplicate lines, words that run together).

2. Ensure the text always follows a heading. Headings should not follow headings, without text separating them.

3. Ensure headings appear in the correct order. A heading 3 should follow a heading 2. A heading 4 should not follow a heading 2; it should follow a heading 3.

4. Ensure that capitalization in headings adheres to the style guidelines defined in The Chicago Manual of Style, Microsoft® Manual of Style for Technical Publications (if applicable), or your own organization’s style guide. (Capitalize the first, last, and important words. Don’t capitalize a, the, and for.)

5. Read through for missing words, incomplete sentences, and grammatical errors.

6. Scan for widows or orphans in text, headings, lines, or list items.

7. Ensure the style of the document follows the conventions defined in The Chicago Manual of Style, Microsoft® Manual of Style for Technical Publications (if applicable), or your own organization’s style guide.

8. Check cross references to ensure they point to the correct page.

9. Verify that acronyms are first spelled out. After defining the acronym, you can use the acronym without the word.

10. Ensure that all product names are formatted correctly, especially in the table of contents and the index.

11. Ensure that digits are used for numbers 10 and above, and that numbers nine and below are spelled out.

12. Check for correct and consistent capitalization.

13. Verify that acronyms are spelled out and that the acronym is enclosed in parentheses.

14. Check that in subsequent occurrences of an acronym the words are not spelled out.

15. Verify that all lists contain more than one item.

16. Ensure lists have consistent capitalization and punctuation.

17. If a list item is a complete sentence, the item should start with a capital letter and end with a period.

18. If each list item is NOT a complete sentence, each item should start with a lowercase letter and not end with a period.

19. When the text that introduces a list is an incomplete sentence that is completed by each list item, use a colon (:) at the end of the introductory text. Do not capitalize the first letter of any list item and do not put a period or comma at the end of any list item.

20. Check that figure numbers are consecutive.

21. Check that the figure title reflects the actual figure.

22. Check figures for alignment of text columns.

23. Check each reference to a figure to ensure it points to the correct page.

24. Check that the figure number in the text matches the figure number in the caption.

25. Check that the font in the figures is correct and consistent.

26. Check the index. Ensure that all product references are formatted correctly. Ensure the index follows the conventions discussed in The Chicago Manual of Style, Microsoft® Manual of Style for Technical Publications, if applicable, or your own organization’s style guide.

Content Edit

Check the following items during the content edit:

1. Ensure it is clear who the intended audience is and that the document speaks to the intended audience

2. Look at text that is primarily explanation or description and be sure it is thorough and effective.

3. Check the totals in figures to be sure they are correct. Do the math.

4. Check that the items from a figure when described in the text reflect what’s on the figure.

5. Verify that the preface section “How This Manual is Organized” actually reflects the organization of the document.

6. Read the document for clarity. Ensure it makes sense. Circle any areas that you do not understand, are contradictory, or appear to be highly ambiguous.

7. Note any areas that appear to have missing information. Check for missing sections that would make the document more usable.

8. Make sure the steps in a process relate to the overall process.

9. Ensure items in a numbered list are task-oriented and can be followed.

10. Make sure that the figures or examples relate to the discussion.

Meeting with the Writer

When meeting with the writer, keep these tips in mind:

1. Arrange to meet with the writer to review and discuss your edits.

2. Document any unresolved issues.

3. Notify the group by email that you have completed the review.

Photo Credit, Chaparral [Kendra]

13 Links on Cloud Computing

 Understanding Cloud Computing

1. The Internet Industry Is on a Cloud — Whatever That May Mean
Explains the confusion over the term “cloud computing.” The Wall Street Journal provides these takeaways:

I have no idea what anyone is talking about,” said Oracle Corp. Chief Executive Larry Ellison, when talking about cloud computing at a financial analyst conference in September. “It’s really just complete gibberish. What is it?” He added: “When is this idiocy going to stop?”

In its broadest sense, cloud computing describes something apparent to anybody who uses the Internet: Information is stored and processed on computers somewhere else — “in the clouds” — and brought back to your screen.

“But no two clouds, apparently, are alike. A company’s backroom mass of servers and switches is cloudlike. So are social-networking sites like Facebook Inc., or the act of buying a book on Amazon. Some clouds, like Google’s email service, Gmail, are public. Others, like corporate networks, are closed to outsiders.”

 2. A Surprise Cloud-Computing Powerhouse

Provides a very good general description of cloud computing.

So, what the heck is ‘cloud computing?

Before: If you wanted to type a letter, create a spreadsheet, or play a game, you’d have to go to the store, buy the software, and install it on your hard drive. And each time you used one of these applications, everything you did took place inside the computer sitting on your desk. But then the Internet came along.

Nowadays: …if you want to watch a video on YouTube, share photos with friends on Flickr, listen to music on MySpace, or post an ad on Craigslist, all you really need is a browser and an Internet connection.

That’s because nearly all of the applications we use and all the data we access is now stored on a remote server somewhere out in “cyberspace.” And these servers are housed in massive data centers that are all interconnected via the Internet to form a giant computing grid or ‘cloud.’

According to The Economist, 69% of Americans now use some kind of “cloud service,” be it Web-based email, online data storage, or online applications such as Google Docs.”

Furthermore, businesses are using cloud computing to drastically cut their IT budgets — hence the explosive growth of enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies such as salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) and NetSuite.

3. Cloud Computing from Wikipedia

Cloud computing is a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources are provided as a service over the Internet.

The concept incorporates infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS) as well as Web 2.0 and other recent (ca. 2007–2009) technology trends that have the common theme of reliance on the Internet for satisfying the computing needs of the users. Examples include Salesforce.com and Google Apps which provide common business applications online that are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on the servers.

4. The Five Defining Characteristics of Cloud Computing

Notes many variations on the definition of the cloud.

For example, “William Fellows and John Barr at the 451 Group define cloud computing as the intersection of grid, virtualization, SaaS, and utility computing models.”

James Staten of Forrester Research describes it as a pool of abstracted, highly scalable, and managed compute infrastructure capable of hosting end-customer applications and billed by consumption.

This article takes the definitions a step further, providing five characteristics of cloud computing:

• Characteristic 1: Dynamic computing infrastructure
• Characteristic 2: IT service-centric approach
• Characteristic 3: Self-service based usage model
• Characteristic 4: Minimally or self-managed platform
• Characteristic 5: Consumption-based billing

5. Web 2.0 and Cloud Computing

Provides a more technical description of cloud computing and describes three types of cloud computing:

• Utility Computing:  “Amazon’s success in providing virtual machine instances, storage, and computation at pay-as-you-go utility pricing was the breakthrough in this category…Developers, not end-users, are the target of this kind of cloud computing.”
• Platform as a service: “One step up from pure utility computing are platforms like Google AppEngine and Salesforce’s force.com, which hide machine instances behind higher-level APIs. Porting an application from one of these platforms to another is more like porting from Mac to Windows than from one Linux distribution to another.”
• Cloud-based end-user applications. “Any web application is a cloud application…Google, Amazon, Facebook, twitter, flickr, and virtually every other Web 2.0 application is a cloud application in this sense. However, it seems to me that people use the term “cloud” more specifically in describing web applications that were formerly delivered locally on a PC, like spreadsheets, word processing, databases, and even email. Thus even though they may reside on the same server farm, people tend to think of gmail or Google docs and spreadsheets as “cloud applications” in a way that they don’t think of Google search or Google maps.  This common usage points up a meaningful difference: people tend to think differently about cloud applications when they host individual user data.”
• “It’s not the database software that matters, but the data that it holds, and the services that can be built against that data… The company that creates the right platform for network effects in data” has the best opportunity for scalability.

 6. Cloud Computing = Repackaged Grid Computing and Utility Computing

In many ways…cloud computing is simply a buzzword used to repackage grid computing and utility computing, both of which have existed for decades.

 7. Demystifying SaaS vs. Cloud

Describes the differences between SaaS  (Software as a Service) and cloud computing.

The technical distinction…is clear: cloud delivers computing as a utility, SaaS delivers an application.

 Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloud Computing

8. Cloud computing and the Return of the Platform Wars

Cloud computing represents return of platform wars and these “old” issues: “proprietary, commercial systems running our applications, very real risks of vendor lock-in, the requirements of adapting our businesses to difficult-to-customize one-size-fits-all computing models, and many others.”

Describes significant advantages of cloud computing: economies of sale, business and IT agility, and  centralization of best practices and competency.

Describes how to achieve success in the cloud. Speculates whether more agile, small to medium size businesses will adapt better to cloud computing and ultimately eclipse older, traditional firms.

Cloud Computing and Openness

9. The Varieties of Openness Worth Wanting in the Cloud

Defines cloud computing as “leveraging 3rd party computing capability over the network to cut costs, increase sale, improve agility, and access best practices.”

Discusses Microsoft’s pre-emptive move against the Open Cloud Manifesto and questions the meaning of openness in cloud computing. Describes different meanings for “open” in the information technology space, including open source code,  open APIs, and open data formats. Suggests criteria for defining openness.

10. Moving Toward an Open Process on Cloud Computing Interoperability

Proposes how to define an open process on cloud computing interoperability. Recommends a process open to the public, principles and standards that are not vendor specific, and a recognition that the cloud computing industry is still maturing.

Cloud Computing and Compliance

11. Cloud computing and compliance: Be careful up there.

Describes the impact of cloud computing on settings that must comply with the following standards: Auditing-related standard SAS 70, Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA.)

In these settings, compliance means companies must know where “their client’s data is, and what parts of the network it passes through, even if that complexity is invisible to the client.”

Cloud Computing and Vendor News

12. Amazon’s Cloud Is Locked and Loaded

The online retailer is a pioneer in cloud computing, thanks to a willingness to extend the IT infrastructure that powers its own sites and services into a rent-by-the-hour computing service of its own. And now the time has come to lock customers into long-term contracts. These virtual machines on Amazon’s robust infrastructure can run any service you like, and they already power dozens of business-class applications.

13. How To Set Up High Availability Web Applications in the Cloud using GoGrid

Describes how to implement a secure, redundant, load-balanced web application in the Cloud, using GoGrid.

Photo Credit, Robyn Gallagher

Sales Tweets on Twitter

 Aaron Cacali’s post “Buying on Twitter – a brief case study” is an excellent analysis of how Ann Handley (aka @MarketingProfs on Twitter), recently used her tweets to sell her followers on attending the all-day Digital Marketing World virtual conference. As Cacali notes, “what MarketingProfs was selling was technically free – there was no cost to register for the conference – and her sales message wasn’t too blatantly salesy,” but her sales tweets nonetheless paid huge Word of Mouth (WOM) dividends for selling MarketingProfs’ resources, onine seminars, conferences, and research.Power of Word of Mouth Marketing

Indeed, Digital Marketing World was so successful that the conference trended second that day on Twitter, through the use of the Twitter hashtag #mpworld. This hashtag allowed Digital Marketing World participants like myself to discuss the conference in real-time. (Anyone who could not participate that day can still “listen in” on the valuable conversations that occurred and can continue the positive Word Of Mouth on Twitter and elsewhere.)

Like Cacali, I, too, signed up for Digital Marketing World, based on my online relationship with @MarketingProfs, who even in the short while I’ve known her on Twitter, has become synonymous to me, with quality and responsiveness. The Word Of Mouth benefits of Digital Marketing World go on, as a summary of the conference  I wrote on this relatively new blog, has already received over one hundred hits, in just a few weeks, and as others like Cacali, continue to talk about the conference, so powerfully, in their own blogs, with even wider readerships.

Why Trust Matters in Business

As a consequence of attending Digital Marketing World, I signed-up for the MarketingProfs Business-to-Business Forum 2009, mainly because Digital Marketing World gave me the opportunity to try before buying, with no pressure tactics, at the comfort of my own desk. The content, organization, and speakers at Digital Marketing World were first-rate, and I was almost sold on that alone, but soon after the digital conference, I had the good fortune to meet Ann Handley for the first time, in person.

It was that personal touch, in which Handley listened to my professional interests, advised me on a few Twitter matters (as simple, but important as choosing a username), and suggested a few Twitter users who might share with me similar professional interests, which in the end, sold me on attending the Business-to-Business Forum 2009. All of this interwoven in a casual lunch setting, amidst genuine conversation about our kids, dogs, and contrasting professional experiences.

Ingredients to Twitter Success = Customer Experience

When I consider purchasing a product or service these days, I am buying a lot more than the actual product or service. I am considering buying the whole experience of that product or service, and I am entering into a relationship with that product’s company. It certainly helps, if I like and more importantly, feel inclined to trust, the people who represent that company—and it sure can’t hurt, if those people are enjoyable and interesting to know, even virtually, apart from our professional interests and business goals.

Though MarketingProfs publishes exceptional content and organized a truly rich Digital Conference, I suspect that some strong competitors might do at least as well. The differentiators for me, in signing up for the Business-to-Business Forum, were the near-by location of the conference in Boston, and the level of engagement I felt with the company, via @MarketingProfs (Ann Handley), both on Twitter, and in person.

In 10 Tips for Twitter Un-Marketing, Leigh Duncan-Durst describes the ingredients for Twitter success (and by extension, I think, most social media success) as a willingness to “commit, engage, dialog, serve, and give to others.” –That’s the power of Word of Mouth Marketing, and that’s why the Marketing World Digital Conference continues to be a Word Of Mouth success story.

Word of Mouth Postscript

After I registered for the Business-to-Business Forum, I joined the LinkedIn group for this MarketingProfs conference. I also updated my LinkedIn calendar to show my hundred or so Boston-area contacts that I’m attending the Business-to-Business Forum this June. And maybe they’ll tell a friend or two. So, the WOM success story continues, on and on. I’m just one person, but through my recent enthusiasm for MarketingProfs, I have now spread the word to probably at least two hundred potential customers. That really is successful Word of Mouth Marketing, and it can work for you, too, as long as you provide a complete customer experience.

Photo Credit, Intersection Consulting

Digital Communities on the Social Web

Webinar Date: April 9, 2009 2:00 PM EST

Host: Mike Lewis, Vice President of Marketing, Awareness, Inc. http://twitter.com/bostonmike on Twitter)

Presenter: Larry Weber is CEO and chairman of The W2 Group Inc. in Waltham, MA.  W2 Group is an ecosystem of marketing services firms that includes Racepoint Group (public relations agency), Digital Influence Group (interactive agency) and Two Martinis (branding firm.) Weber Shandwick, which Larry also founded, is the world’s largest technology PR firm. 

Other credentials for Larry include being cofounder and Chairman of the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange, the world’s largest online advocacy organization.

He is the author of Marketing to the Social Web (978-0-470-12417-8), from Wiley, and Sticks and Stones: How Digital Business Reputations Are Created over Time and Lost in a Click. (Sticks and Stonesis available for preorder on Amazon right now but will not be released officially until July 2009.) 

Format: A live WebEx session (with slides now available at Awareness Inc.), with chat function as well as discussion on Twitter, via #awarenessinc.  

The webinar describes how to leverage social media in marketing, defines new rules of engagement, and provides seven steps to building digital communities.

What is the Social Web?

The social web is “an online place where people with a common interest can get together to share thoughts, comments, and opinions.”  It represents “a new world of unpaid media created by individuals or enterprises on the web.”

 Users control the message through blogs, conversation, collaboration, video, and podcasts.

The Marketer’s New Job 

“Future marketers will shift from being broadcasters to content publishers and aggregators of communities. Rather than talking at customers, marketers should talk with them, by participating in, organizing, and encouraging social networks.”

Entering Web 4.0 

Weber believes we are entering Web 4.0.

• Web 1.0: The Web was just a publishing platform.
• Web 2.0: Browser invented  & evolution of 1^stgeneration of Web companies. For example: eBay & Google.
• Web 3.0: Social Web, with Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and YouTube (2^nd most popular search engine).
• Web 4.0: Emotive Web: A highly visual place. No longer just a channel. Must have a complete digital strategy.

Seven Steps to Building Digital Communities

Weber spent most of the webinar discussing how to build digital communities:

1. Observe the conversations. [Use the search engine for the blogosphere:  http://technorati.com/.]
2. Recruit community members. [Social media is not out of the broadcast era, not one way communication. Social media is one to many communication.]
3. Evaluate online conduit strategies. [Online conduits include blogs & news sites, reputation aggregators, e-communities, and social networks. For examples, see the excellent slide for this step at http://www.awarenessnetworks.com/resources/]
4. Engage communities in conversation.  [Build content that facilitates conversation.]
5. Measure the community’s involvement. [Another great slide at http://www.awarenessnetworks.com/resources/. Shows examples of qualitative and quantitative measurements.]
6. Promote you community to the world. [Calls for an organic search strategy.]
7. Improve the community’s benefits. [The Lesson of Friendster.]

Takeaways

• “It’s not about talking at customers and prospects. It’s about creating and engaging with communities.”
• Brand is dialogue.
• Weber predicts YouTube will have a huge impact on the way we market (second most popular search engine).
• Micro-segmentation will be critical to the way social media evolves.
• To those who point out podcasting has not taken off, Weber suggests that in scenarios where podcasting has not worked, it was either because it was “boring” or the podcast was not promoted correctly.
• Podcasts remain important, but are giving way to video. Rich media and visual communication will only become more important.
• Amazon is the future of commerce sites, where we go to our favorite stores to be entertained, educated, and then to buy.
• When discussing Leveraging Social Media in Marketing: Weber noted that social media is not just for marketing, but every department that touches the customer. Examples: Sales, HR, Customer Service.
• On content creation, Weber notes the need for a combination of enterprise and user-generated content. Professionals must remain in the mix.
• On measuring the community involvement, we need to do a better job assessing the qualitative  as well as the quantitative.
• Companies who get it: Marriot, Hershey’s, Sony, & American Heart Association.
• The social web approach for Business to Business is more gated, micro-segmented, and formal.
• “Marketing has been too focused on buying our way into the hearts of customers, not talking our way into the hearts of customers” through direct conversation.

Additional Information

If you missed this presentation, check out the complete slides at http://www.awarenessnetworks.com/resources/. 

The next webinar at Awareness is
Marketing Agencies & Social Media: What marketers expect from their agencies

Featuring Emily Riley, Sr. Analysts, Forrester Research
April 29 – 11am ET
Register at Awareness, Inc.

Update

Farah from RacePoint Group provided the following helpful information about how to best keep up with Larry Weber:

• Racepoint Group Twitter handle <http://search.twitter.com/search?q=racepointgroup.
• RacePoint Group Facebook page <http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Racepoint-Group/55860819547?ref=ts>.
• Larry Weber’s Twitter profile <http://twitter.com/TheLarryWeber>  (though Larry does not have time to engage as much as he’d like there). 
• The Racepoint Group and sister company Digital Influence Group have newsletters. Here are past Racepoint Group issues and subscription info: <http://www.racepointgroup.com/news/subscribe.cfm>. 

Photo Credit, Scott M

Related Link:

Awareness Inc. Webinar: Using Online Communities to Create a World Wide Rave, featuring David Meerman Scott ~ Takeaways