Author Archives: Mike P

Twitter first, ask questions later

Following the recent plane crash in the Hudson River there’s been quite a bit of discussion about how Twitter was the first place people shared what was happening. In the weird way human interest works, this ‘shock news’ was good stuff.

This morning Wellington had a rather unique powercut that wiped out much of the city’s power for quite some time. I was amused that my response to this situation was to drop a tweet on my phone to explain there was a powercut in Island Bay.

As a result I found out other Wellingtonians I follow on Twitter were also experiencing power issues. This was useful information and assured me the powercut was not just my issue.

About 20 minutes later Radio NZ broadcasted that there’d been a powercut in Wellington.

The Internet was designed and built by the military to ensure communications could not be broken by one fault. If one part fell over the network would find another route for the information flow.

I thought it interesting that when the power went down in my town, I went to Twitter on my mobile. And with Twitter now overtaking Digg in marketshare visits last week I’m not alone.

Perhaps something Civil Defence and other emergency services should take note of?

Whose Vodafone?

For the third month in a row I’ve been sent a text by Vodafone informing me that my bill of $x.xx is “due immediately”. And that I’m lazy, and a technical luddite. I’m also in trouble, and if I don’t pay up now, my credit record will be downgraded and I may have to find a new carrier for my beloved iPhone…

Ok, so perhaps I’m adding a bit of artistic flair to the communications there, but the latter points are what I feel in that instant moment when I get those text messages.

“Due immediately” creates a horrible feeling for me. I realise Vodafone want people to pay their bills on time, but I always do. So why put a rocket up me when they don’t have to?

How’s “Hi Mike, Just a reminder that your January 2009 invoice of $x.xx is waiting for you at Vodafone.co.nz/myvodafone. Thanks.”

How hard would that be? They know my name and that I pay on time. All up it’d create a much nicer customer experience.

Well, it would if myvodafone worked (it’s been loading for the whole time it’s taken me to write this post).

It’d also help if the cost savings Vodafone make by no longer sending invoices were passed on to the customer. Many other companies who are encouraging people to move away from printed/posted monthly invoices and are doing so by offering a credit as an incentive, rather than charging extra to those who wish to remain with the standard invoices.

If it’s going to be “myvodafone”, then what’s in it for me?

Bat, bowl, blog…the life of O’Brien

Lesson for aspiring NZ sports stars – along with practising your craft, spare some time to pay attention in English classes and when you get into a rep team, start blogging.

I’ve come up with this theory after seeing the rocket rise of NZ bowler Iain O’Brien whose single performance of substance this season has gained undue attention – mostly because he complements his cricketing fortunes with a nicely written blog detailing what’s going down within the team.

This sort of PR/personal expression is a fascinating one for a relatively high profile NZ sportsperson and the columnists love it! The angry Chris Rattue and mellow Jonathan Millmow both dedicated their columns yesterday to Mr O’Brien and praised his openness.

Alongside his bowling talents, O’Brien’s blog is giving an additional edge to the “Iain O’Brien” brand and it appears to be influencing his popularity and potential fortunes enormously.

More please, Iain.

The Listener can’t hear us

Last night I read The Listener’s annual power list illustrating various Kiwis who hold considerable influence in society. Unlike previous years when they’ve simply had a list of the 50 most powerful people in the land, they chose to run a set of categories of prominent individuals under groupings like Politics and Maoridom.

I love this sort of filtering so whizzed through the people looking for the Internet or Technology category. Unfortunately no such category exists. In fact, of all the 50 odd people they profile, none of them are directly involved in the Internet. Good grief.

So, in no particular order, here’s my list of the top 5 Kiwi web gurus who I think hold considerable influence on New Zealanders.

1.    Sam Morgan – Even from the back room Sam still holds the cards underlying a number of new web ventures that infiltrate many Kiwis’ daily lives. His legacy, Trade me, is still the biggest site in NZ and when he speaks his friends at Fairfax will always print his word as gospel.

2.    Russell Brown – A notable blogger, his legion at PublicAddress creates undue influence across a wide range of cultural interest groups and topics. Russell’s wider work in TV and as a commentator also adds to his sway of influence. I like the irony that he used to be on Powerlist’s judges’ panel too!

3.    David Farrar – Despite not really liking KiwiBlog’s political leanings, David’s blogline popularity has lead to it becoming a first point for political journalists and ordinary Kiwis. That David starts each day at 4am by reading all the papers and blogs available may be the reason. If you doubt his influence, try googling “Electoral Finances Act” or “Helen Clark” or “John Key” and you’ll see KiwiBlog right up there on Page 1. You can’t underestimate the power of that feature.

4.   Bernard Hickey – Earlier this year Bernard joined David Chaston at interest.co.nz and quickly set about offering NZ media and the average punter a daily media commentary on what their data meant in the real world. Throw in a global credit crisis and this journo-turned-new media professional has become the go to guy for economic trend quotes. Throw in Bernhard’s blog on Stuff and we’re talking about a chap who has remarkable influence on Kiwi thinking.

5.    Richard MacManus – As the creator and editor of ReadWriteWeb I find it hard to leave Richard out of the top 5. I’m not entirely convinced his influence is directly connected to New Zealanders but I do respect the success of his commentary and progress of Web 2.0 and its following across the globe.

So there are five. It’s a starter for ten…

Tweet as, bro.

At Webstock this year Twitter was a memorable feature. Its popularity had really stepped up a gear from the first Webstock. However while most people at the conference were aware of Twitter this year, few had spent much time tweeting. The semi voyeuristic element made most of us reluctant to really start investing time or attention to it.

But like all things web 2.0, Twitter’s gradual rollout is really starting to gain momentum in my little bubble of bloggers and colleagues and I’m really starting to enjoy it.

I’m now getting useful tips and witty comments from a wide range of people – some of whom I only know by reputation – but who appear happy enough to share their lives with me. Or are they?

For some people there seems to be mixed strands of comments which makes me wonder what they’re trying to achieve with their tweets. Some folks are straight up promoting links to their blogs or websites. Others are just waffling. Now I’m ok with either angle but when you mix these up and get professional tweets interlaced with personal comments it seems a bit odd.

In more established social media environments I like the way LinkedIn has a clear professional demarcation vs Facebook which is largely mates sharing whatever.

Twitter still has to carve that balance. But if you’re thinking about using Twitter, here are some points to consider.

What are you trying to achieve? Are you posting tweets to build exposure of your brand or drive visits to your website/blog or simply chatting with your friends? It’s vital to get this worked out up front as it will help you determine your tweet content and other elements that make up your Twitter brand.

What’s your image? A shot of you? A caricature or a silly photo? A tiny logo? What you choose will matter when your face appears alongside dozens of others and people are looking for new tweetlines to follow.

What’s your handle? Your real name or your company brand or a mix? It is possible to mix this up with alt tags providing your personal name while your handle/nickname remains something else.

Who do you follow and who follows you? Again, your brand by association is a small but influential element.

Of course you can wing it if you like, but having thought about these points in advance won’t hurt.

A moment to mobilise

Interesting how a single verb can build up momentum. The term of the day is “mobilise” or if you’re an American “mobilize”. Barack Obama’s ability to mobilise new voters into polling booths in the US Presidential election has been impressive. But now I hear Helen Clark is quoted as saying voter “…mobilisation really is the key issue now.”

I wonder how Vodafone feel about politicians pinching their call plan vernacular…

Why are they always so angry?

PPTA ad on NZHerald

I saw this display ad this morning for the PPTA and it bothered me a little. Using black and white imagery and caps creates a loud bleak tone that carves negative sentiments before I’ve even read the copy (which is also a cynical pun).

Why do the PPTA do this? I know numerous teachers and they don’t speak like this. In fact, they’re the polar opposite.

Ever since I worked on TeachNZ (a good 10 years ago now) I’ve wondered whether our teachers’ unions have done more to drive potential teachers away from their profession due to their consistently negative communication practices.

It’s got to the point now where I think their messages simply fall on deaf ears.

Giving more than money

Stuff’s straight up support to Breast Cancer Awareness Month illustrates the versatility of online advertising and brand strengths.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month - Stuff

By just running pink across their header (with a tiny pink ribbon) Stuff are communicating support to BCAM and generating the subtle campaign awareness that’s difficult to quantify. This predisposition may just be the difference when we see BCAM collectors in the street on Friday.

When I worked on Raceforlife.org.uk I got my first taste of the passion and energy people in the charity sector put into events like BCAM and the skill it takes. The budgets are non-existent so they rely on brand support from celebrities, big business and popular media to gain exposure.

Paid for or not, it’s nice to see Stuff taking a lead in doing something different that doesn’t corrupt the content with page takeovers or eyeblasters.