It seems giant companies are paying heed to Twitter. In 140 characters or less, you can rip their reputation a good one. Talk about cower power…

~~~

Just heard that Twitter was awarded another round of venture capital to the tune of 100 mill.

Maybe Twitter can charge companies to integrate cool and nifty Twitter tools. Ads in the sidebars? Would you click?

Personally I would click on Very Few Ads. For one thing, they’re liable to crash my browser like the Toyota Prius JUST did to me off a link from Guy Kawasaki’s Alltop site.

Boo.

Facebook ads are tuff enuff… Twitter ads will be a not so welcome ad-ition. Ads Perd-ition.

~~~

HOW am I EVER going to grow up to be a marketing genius with THIS kind of ATTITUDE??

~~~

Twitter has been beneficial to me from a business standpoint. I tweet on Twitter Trends and gain visitors to sites and blogs I specify.

The trick is saying something relevant, meaningful, entertaining and worth a second glance. Frankly, that’s a pretty tall order. 

Professional Twitterers will command a premium price. 

Here’s a suggestion for businesses. Hire a TWITTER TEAM. That’s One Gorgeous Girl and One Super Witty Savvy Dude. She provides the avatar while he provides the mindblowing content. t-WITty tweets. 

~~~

In business, communication with customers and clients is KEY.

How will Twitter help businesses communicate with customers? Let’s take Whole Foods.

Whole Foods has over a million followers. But, Whole Foods pays nothing to Twitter.

How will that help Twitter’s monetization model? It doesn’t and it won’t.

~~~

So how does Whole Foods work their Tweets?

They provide interactive customer service. In other words, they use Twitter as a “Get Satisfaction” portal. Not too many ads or specials AT ALL. Smart, they are.

They have a full time “Social Media Specialist” on board - professional Twitterer who probably has a number of Social Networking chores also manning Facebook, Flickr, the blog and forums. 

I must say he or she’s doing a great job. But it seems they copied one of my templates… they and I must be on the same page. 

~~~

Now, General Mills, Ford or Nestles could do the same. Use Twitter instead of telephone support.

~~~

Where’s the money for Twitter in this?

If Twitter charges, will big companies be able to control Feedback from Twittering Frolickers and Fools?

So many questions. But, the Twitter founders are very, very smart. It will be interesting to see their mentization efforts stack up.

~~~

Note: Google’s coming fast on their trail with things like Google Social Bar (Google Friend Connect for websites) and Google Sidewiki.

You will be able to make instant comments about any website you visit. They already have over a million users.

Could it be a Twitter buster?

Since you have to install it, maybe not.

New stuff is coming… the Internet winds of change are always swirling round the bend.

: )

Tags: ads, cdin, cower, cower power, Marketing, power, twitter, venture capital

We Head Out to the Forum. The Forum is a tiny mall hidden in the deep recesses of a small coastal California town. What could be special about Friday night there? Nothing. And yet…
	We head out to pick up some fruit at the local stand. Alas, it was closed.   But on the way, the sun was particularly pink and orange over a purple sea.   So I pulled out my trusty little cell and snapped a shot or two. Pink… right?   The ocean appears misty along the fiery horizon.
	I wear my best boots for the occasion. No holes, these.   Fine fine footwear. Follow the feet… follow the feet…   We head to our local health food store.   They have organic fruit… delicious seasonal black grapes as sweet as honey.
	Cerebral cathedral. We pay homage…   a noble visage for a plebian naturalist organic food market.
	We leave the health food store and take a little walk.   The trees are carefully lit to make sure that bats and owls do not fly into the trunks of the palms.   Alas… owls perish everyday. But bats… bats can see light.   (Look… this is MY fairy tale.)
	Why, this is the little furniture store. A pretty banner…   I intend to copy it someday and use it to illustrate the possibilities of autumnal red.   Somebody went to college.   Can you tell by the banner construction that its graphic designer went to college?
	Here we have an expression of Romanism.   This little mall is called The Forum. Hence, the Old Roman Motif.   Here, you can imagine that you’re hiking along the Appian Way.
	What would any Roman forum do without an Apple Store?   There’s nothing quite like window dressing with a giant iPhone gracing the hanging app chads.   APPLE = APPS   Clever little iPhone with SLOOOWWW AT&T coverage.
	If I didn’t know better, I’d think I just passed a picture of Ellie. Not.   Ellie doesn’t pout.   Nor could Ellie EVER pass for a Victoria Secret model.   Too tall. And thin, that poor Ellie.   There’s something poignant about this girl… don’t you agree?
	Is this supposed to convince me that I’m in the vaulted halls of Stanford or Princeton?   Why would I have a bike? No one rides a bike at school… Well, not in CA.   Why ride when you could walk?   In California, we pay to walk on treadmills. We ride in CARS.
	The FOUNTAIN.   They actually have a little stream coursing down the long walkway across from this fountain.   Alas… I neglected to take pictures.   Fish populate that little stream …
	At last. We reach Nirvana. Land of the Lemon Bar with Buttery Shortbread Croute.   Why tonight, there’s music.   Long haired types Nice.
	I’m on the outside looking in, faced pressed against the glass.   I dream of fresh buttery lemon bars… but I’ve just lit my last match…
	In my dreams, I rest my lemon bar on the edge of the magazine rack and look at EVERY cooking mag on the shelves.
	EATING LESSON Always scrape your lemony curd off it’s shortbread bottom.   EAT in Layers.    I illustrate for your convenience.
	Lounge lizard lounging on a lizard lounge.    $10 to whomever guesses what book this is in the corner…
	The WINNER.    Best of SHOW in the Category, Food Magazines.   Food Network KNOWS IT’S STUFF.
	They have the most comfortable chairs by the psyche books. ~~~ No, someone does not need a tan. The camera does an overexposure thing.
	Well… it’s once again time to call it a day.   I’ve scanned my allotment of business books.   We head back to our vehicle…   And I wonder… why ever did I decide to do a picture essay of just another spactacular Friday eve in Southern California?
When I have the answer, I’ll tell.   Let me just say that I continally find beauty everywhere I look.    Even on a quiet little Friday night at a small little mall in the hidden heart of a tiny Leucadian village ensconced in what’s considered one the crassest locations on Earth - Southern California.   We have no charming history of bell towers, castles, cobblestone streets. Everything here is probably less than a decade old.   But… Lest I forget…   WE MUST BLOOM WHERE WE ARE PLANTED. Every moment is special. The current moment is the only assured moment we have.   I just wanted to share a little part of me. Home Sweet Home.   : ) ~~~ This is my first personal "photo essay."  I have no inkling of how it will be met. I suppose the point was to try another medium, to get personal, to tweet a photo essay.  "Art" is a funny thing. If no one likes or appreciate what you do, is it still "art?"  The most important thing is this… no matter the risk of being ignored or being held with disdain, go ahead and put your toe in. Make those mistakes. Try All by Error.   ~~~ I ask you to give me some feedback. And if you happen to do your own photo essay, I want to see. I want to see what you did last Friday night in overexposed and colorful pictures. I want to know how you felt, what your thought were.    (c) 2009 Images via i93 Nextel Cell Phone

Tags: cdin, forum, friday night