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[GUEST POST] Listening & the pattern

Author: Laura
October 14, 2008

Dan Rockwell is a User Experience Researcher at Lextant.

[BACK STORY: I met Dan at BarCamp Ohio and started following him on Twitter. Then I started listening to his soundbytes on Utterli. One of his messages really resonated with me, and I asked him to guest post here on the topic of "getting" social media. Thanks, Dan!]

Anyone who’s watched a few hundred movies (like we’ve all done) knows that feeling of “oh yeah, I know what’s happening…” It’s that twinge of you “guessed it;” you know what’s going to happen next. You’ve seen the pattern, you’ve added it up. You feel a bit smug a first. Sometimes you look to see if anyone else figured it out. It’s a natural thing really and, lets face it, we love that feeling of “oh yes, we get it”.

For anyone following the buzz around social media these days, that feeling is like a constant hum your head, a subtle but noticeable nudge that you, yes, you,.. you get it. Sad part is, it’s often hard to share that joy of seeing the pattern in social media with folks on the outside of it. Folks that don’t get it. You’re right back in that movie theater, trying to convince a friend that in that one scene where the bad guy does X, you knew that was going to happen. Of course if they didn’t get that subtle nudge, that trace of the pattern that you got, well, here comes the debate. At this point, you can’t really win; after all it’s just a movie. However, with social media, you just can’t afford to lose. It’s far too important.

At first, I thought I was a bit crazy. I started seeing all kinds of interconnected events unfolding, small at first, larger over time. Patterns unfolding in my head. Naturally, I’m more drawn to folks that get the same nudge I get over social media. My “ah ha’s” resonate better with them. They get it too; there’s less resistance to the big idea and more of an open embracing arm gesture to bring it on. We iterate on ideas faster, all thinking in the same vein of sharing, learning, expressing, embracing, interconnecting and more.

But then there’s all those folks I know on the sidelines, looking at me as if I’m nuts. It’s understandable at times. It looks like a massive waste of time, all this twittering, blogging, social networking, social bookmarking, media creation, vlogging, super poking?!–for what, what’s the big “ah ah?” Folks on the outside of social media see time loss, that’s the biggest blank in their heads. They need to understand the real value of why are you doing it, because right now, all they see is time… disappearing.

The first mistake you can make when attempting to get a friend or co-worker to see the pattern is to threaten them with weight of it. I call this the “warning;” it never works and it’s a sure fire way to demotivate someone. Giving someone the “this will happen, you can’t escape it!!” mentality never works, you’ve seriously dropped the ball. In general if you back anyone up against a wall they will resist you to no end and logic goes out the window. So you can’t force someone to see what you see–you have to go back to that movie setting. What would the hero do? Well, a smart hero would do his/her research and find connections between your friend and the “ah ha” pattern.

You’ve got to make a bridge over into their world. Find a point where their life could be just a tad bit more interesting if they knew about the pattern. Then jump on that bit and show them how it could really benefit them.

You need to tap into what I call “universal truths,” whereby the pattern of social media helps all. We hear one of these truths all the time right now in social media marketing. Listening is a universal truth. You really can’t go wrong with listening. Today, everyone, and I mean everyone, is connected to the web is some way. Our lives, kids’ lives, businesses, products, markets, you name it, it’s all connected there on the web. You can go for a broad inquiry and collect a ton of data, or you can scale down to see the finer bits in between.

Once you get a taste for listening to the web, the hive mind of the planet connected by a billion bits of fiber, you can start asking it questions. Using tools like Google Insight Trends, Search Twitter or blog search tools, you can veer away from the beaten path of marketing speak buried in websites and plow into the mind of your customer.

So, big deal? Well the big deal is that people are in the system. Tap into the hive, think with it, and you’ll find it. Google is just the start really, the first place you go. If you want more real time knowledge, you go to Twitter or a blog search engine and start getting closer to the source.

Now you’re probably thinking, “oh man, this is work, I’ve already got a job.” Well, wrong again. Social media is smarter than that. The hive mind continually iterates itself and RSS is about the coolest thing fueling that hive mind. TweetBeep uses RSS to bring your twitter to you. Stop visiting 5 to 10 blogs a day and visit one with Google Reader and RSS. Subscribe to what you’re interested in, and it all comes to you.

Listening is very powerful. You start to eavesdrop on a 1000 conversations online. Who are all these people talking about…? Oh that person is reading the same book I’m reading, hey they do what I do, go to the same places I go, wait a sec that guy is from Brazil and he’s into what I’m into. Physical barriers are gone, this isn’t plain jane website exploration…you’re in the hive now–learn, absorb, see the pattern, iterate.

Once you start listening you’re ready for the next step–participation. Then you can roll into validation and tracking, one of my favorite aspects of the web. It’s all recordable, traceable, you can see your net effect online. Did an idea resonate, did a concept stick, change, iterate, improve, try again, all within half the time you’d think.

You have to listen, somehow. Odds are you’re doing it now, but you just haven’t leveraged the web and the hive chatter isn’t part of your iteration process. You may still add it up over time, but a little more data couldn’t hurt. Of course even the researcher in me debates that concept a tad. If you’re all about a vision, you must follow that vision, if you want more ideas, go get more ideas, and that means ya gotta listen.

Start listening, and start seeing the pattern. You’ll benefit and it won’t cost you any more time than you spend wondering what people are thinking with traditional methods.

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[GUEST POST] Everything you ever wanted to know about spyware & adware (but were afraid of the answers)

Author: Laura
September 2, 2008

Shawn Walsh is the Technology Analyst for NEO-RLS.

What are spyware and adware, anyway?

Spyware is any technology that aids in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. Adware is any software application in which advertising banners are displayed while the program is running.

How did I get this on my computer?

Spyware applications are typically bundled as a hidden component of freeware or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the Internet. However, some spyware can be installed without the user’s consent, as a “drive-by download,” or as the result of clicking some option in a deceptive pop-up window.

What could/does spyware do?

Common examples include:

  • Monitor and record your keystrokes
  • Collect information about you and your surfing habits
  • Modify your system settings
  • Redirect your browser
  • Leave a backdoor open for hackers & viruses
  • Install other programs directly onto your PC
  • Load adult-orientated images on your PC
  • Dial a service (if you still have a modem), for which you will be billed!

What does this mean to me, Shawn?

    Spyware is an unfortunate part of Internet life now, and the best offense is a good defense. Here are some things you can do to prevent spyware:

  • Keep Windows and your antivirus software up to date
  • Install software only from Web sites you trust
  • Read the fine print on free software. “There is no such thing as a free lunch.”

Use a tool to help detect and remove unwanted software. Some good free ones include Spybot and Ad-Aware. Get both to cover as many threats as possible.

Spyware and viruses are related and tend to travel together. If you have one on your computer, you will surely have the other soon.

Being Five comic about spyware

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[GUEST POST] Is your library search bar friendly?

Author: Laura
August 8, 2008

Don Yarman is the Deputy Director of Delaware County Public Library.

Probably by now, you’re using a web browser that has a search box in the upper right-hand corner. Do you use it? You should; it’s handy and it’s awesome.

I used to hate it. I already had the Google toolbar and Google is my default start page. Why on earth do I need three ways to search Google when I open my browser? I’ve got Amazon, eBay, Yahoo, IMDB, and Wikipedia bookmarked already – I can just go to those sites if I want to search them.

Then I discovered the Firefox extension “Add to Search Bar.” After you load that into your copy of Firefox, all you need to do is right-click on a website’s search box, and that search becomes readily accessible from that box. It has changed my life.*

My favorite use for it is library catalogs. Since the search terms stay present in the box, I can first search my own library catalog, then the library nearest my house, then the biggest library in my region. Beyond that, I can search our first-source ILL lender, WorldCat, and Amazon. All this without retyping my search terms: I just pick a different target and press Enter.

Add to Search Bar doesn’t work with all search targets. The new Ohio Web Library search isn’t compatible, but you can still add OWL to your search bar by clicking the link on the resources page.

“So what does this mean to me, Don?”

  • Browsers have a search box right there in the user’s face. Sure, lots of people never move it off Google. But if they do, you want your library to be there.
  • Power users can figure out how to add our catalogs on their own, but we should make it easy for them and create prominent “Install the Library Catalog Search Plugin” links.**
  • Toolbars are handy, and great marketing, but they take up valuable screen real estate that could be used for displaying content. If your library has developed a toolbar, good for you; but make sure that your catalog can alternatively be added to the existing browser search box instead of making users add a special box just for you.

Last word: a theme that Mean Laura keeps bringing up here is that the web is no longer about “pages” – it’s about services and content that may or may not be tied to particular pages and sites. This is a fairly easy way for us to put our services where our users can more easily take advantage of them.

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* You can also add search engines to IE; instructions can be found under the “Find More Providers…” option. More difficult than the Firefox right-click, but you might not be a Firefox fan. You would be wrong, but it’s a free country.

** I know what you’re saying, “Physician, heal thyself. Your library doesn’t have one of those links.” Shut up. We’re working on it.

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