Betamax photo courtesy jurvetson at Flickr CC Ear to the (Geek) Ground: Tech News You Can Use 2011 Update
Betamax photo courtesy
jurvetson at Flickr CC
Ear to the (Geek) Ground:Tech News You Can Use
2011 Update
Your Nerd Guide...
Sheila Scarborough
@SheilaS @FreelanceAustin
Co-founder, TourismCurrents.com
What This Is....
A broad-brush look at:
Tech/social media trends
What those trends might mean for communicators
Always asking .... So What?
What This Is Not....
A note-taking test!
Reference material will be available“Geek Dashboard Pack” handout
Slides on SlideShare.net
So, put down the pen/keyboard if you'd like, and let's get nerdy....
Big Themes for Today
Information & search engines
The world of mobile
(Pause for mid-session Q&A)
Mobile, continued
Updating the toolbox
Wrap-up Q&A
Ear to the Ground: Information and Online Search
King's College, Cambridge Library (courtesy Cornell U. Library, Flickr Commons)
Finding information online....How are search engines changing?
Or.... How is Google changing?
800 lb Gorilla (courtesy digitalART2 Flickr CC)
What's in a SERP? (Search Engine Results Page)
Control key closeup courtesy
renatotarga at Flickr CC
Search Results Are....
More real-timeUsing Twitter & Facebook data
More personalizedAccording to your location and previous
searches
More universal with photos/video
More socialResults from your connections
Pop Quiz!
What's the world's Number Two search engine?
YouTube
Google's fight against “content farms”
Panda (or Farmer)
Algorithm Update
Employee bonuses may be tied to social's success
Latest effort: +1 in searchSimilar to Facebook's “Like”
Google Keeps Trying Social
So What?
Know how people search for information
Know where people search for information
Can they find YOUR information?
….and when they do, is it high-quality and trustworthy?
Craft quality content, using the words your customers use to search
Ear to the Ground: Mobile!
Mobile (Yutaka Tsutano at Flickr CC)
Imagine everyone with the web in their pocket or purse
Shibuya intersection courtesy baldur at Flickr CC
OK, so you're ready to deal with a mobile world
Which comes first...
Build an app?
OR
Build a mobile-friendly website?
If you have a nice big budget, do both.
For the rest of us....
App vs. Website – Why an App?
Apps = focused solutions tailored to mobile devices
Brand awareness every time someone uses your app
People like customizing their mobile devices …. like they customize any computer
App vs. Website – Why NOT an App?
Must ensure that people even know the app exists
Must ensure that people can easily find it
Good design and functionality = $$$
You need to cover iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows .... and now tablets, too.
App vs. Website Smackdown
I'm in favor of website first, because....
What's the first thing people do when they pull out their phone to look for information?
They open up a browser.
You MUST get a mobile-friendly website.
The Pause That Refreshes:It's Q & A Time!
555 LED flasher candy creation (courtesy oskay at Flickr CC)
Pop Quiz!
How can you connect a piece of paper to the internet?
With a QR codeQR code treats by clevercupcakes at Flickr CC
New Orleans-based digital marketing guy Tom Martin
demo's a QR code on his phone
So on your computer screen, from Tom's Vimeo page, you'll see a video playing on his iPhone,
filmed by his handheld Flip video camera.
Got that?
You can see the possibilities here, right?
Which is why they're starting to show up everywhere
BUT....
Have a compelling reason to scan!
Should go to a mobile-friendly site (Duh)
Problematic in rural/isolated areas
Most free codes aren't dynamic
Will QR get bumped by NFC (Near Field Communications?)
Budurl.com Pro level
Kaywa at http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
Bit.ly link shortener will generate QR
Microsoft Tag
Some options: making a QR code
Mobile Wrap-up Thoughts
Tablets/iPads are mobile devices, too
Phone cameras – just getting started
Livestreaming video from your phone
Location-based services & mobile GPS
Foursquare, Gowalla, Facebook Places
Don't forget Yelp
Group texting: Beluga, GroupMe
Ear to the Ground: Updating the Communications Toolbox
Tools by L. Marie at Flickr CC
Don't Panic button by Jim Linwood Flickr CC
How can we keep UP with all this?!
The story comes first
The emotional connection comes first
THEN apply the best tool
It's not about the shiny tools....
It's about the application of those tools.
Staying Up To SpeedYes, mainstream media
Bloomberg BusinessWeek
The UK's Guardian Tech section
Find tech-savvy mentors
Go where the geeks are
Your local Social Media Club/SM Breakfast
BlogWorld & New Media Expo
CES & Barcelona Mobile World Congress
South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi)
SXSWi
Where the geeks are
5+ days20,000 people
SXSWi 2011 Trip Report
Moving more seamlessly between online and offline, usually via mobile
Big brands are there
Not always greeted with enthusiasm
Mashup I liked: The AVAdventure
Impact of Middle East use of social networks and mobile for revolution
Not there? Follow #SXSWi on Twitter
Communicator Takeaways
Know how people seek information online, and be there with what they seek.
MOBILE
Communicating well is the hard part.
Story/emotional connection comes first.
Don't let your toolbox get rusty.
Cull and sort, add and subtract as needed.
Whew! Thanks for Coming Today
She's geeky! (courtesy Cambodia4KidsOrg at Flickr CC)
Go Get Nerdy
Sheila Scarborough
@SheilaS
Co-founder,
TourismCurrents.com
This presentation was made with Impress open source
software