Jul 1
[This post is intended for friends and others just looking for a very high level understanding of Google+. This is not an official POV and does not represent my employer.]
Over the past day, people have been asking “What’s Google+?” and for the few friends of mine who are on Google+, many of them are getting really excited about the Circles feature which is one of the defining features of the nascent social network run by the search giant.
A few things to understand:
Google+ is not Google’s first foray into social media, but from what I can tell so far, they’ve learned quite a bit from their mistakes on Buzz and Wave. Having said that, the platform looks and feels a heck of a lot like Facebook, just without much clutter … or much of anything at the moment. Let’s give it some time and see what it’ll look like in a week or month. Hopefully it will have a distinct look and feel to it.
In terms of the aforementioned Circles functionality, people using it are excited that they are able to compartmentalize and message their friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances, ex-camp mates, people met at a conference, etc. in a way that they hadn’t on Facebook. The thing is, this exact functionality already exists on Facebook, it’s called Lists. I have been using Lists basically since it came out and it’s great. It allows you post a status update and have it visible to just the list or lists you want, OR post a status update to everyone and block certain lists.
For example, if you’re posting something controversial and you don’t want your boss and co-workers to see it, you can add all your co-workers to a list, and block just that list from seeing that specific status update or image or video.
I will give credit to Google in that Circles is a really nice visualization of your friends, whereas Facebook’s Lists are not all that visually exciting. Having said that, nothing is really stopping Facebook from tweaking the way Lists looks currently. (In fact, Mark Zuckerberg has already been spotted using Google+, so we know Facebook is paying attention.)
The biggest differentiating factor on Google+ is the ability to start a Hangout, which is a video chat room with multiple people… meaning, each of you in the chat room can be on your cam and see your friends simultaneously. I have yet to use this feature. But in truth, when will I? I can already video chat one on one using Gchat or Skype. If you’re someone who doesn’t typically call multiple friends at once in a conference call, you may not see a need in this video feature.
I’m assuming that more features will be rolling out in the near future to further differentiate this platform from Facebook, but until then, everyone just calm down and nothing is happening to Facebook (at least not until they announce their platform upgrades – which may happen as early as next week). If you wanted to delete your FB account, you would’ve done it before Google+ ever existed.
May 11
As the founder of YeahThatsKosher.com, I have been contacted over the years by a number of websites and companies to review, try, and have sponsor my content. Some I have accepted, others not.
Now it is your turn. Over the next few weeks I’ll be traveling to Israel on a quest to create more travel related content about ISRAEL on YeahThatsKosher.com. I’ll be writing about restaurants, travel experiences, travel products, airlines, hotels, car rentals, transportation, activities / things to do, etc.
If your brand is interested in targeting Jews who love to travel (nearly 20,000 of them), then contact me to sponsor some of our upcoming content: YeahThatsKosher dot com at Gmail dot com.
Sep 3
Taxes, Death, and SPAM, are all inevitable.
Lately, I have been monitoring my Gmail’s SPAM folder and I’ve been noticing a disturbing pattern. No … not pharmaceuticals or Nigerian princes asking for money, but Jewish businesses and non-profits sending “blasted” emails to presumably thousands of non-opted in members … all coming from one marketing company’s email account.
Never did I opt-in to this company’s email blasts. They must have recognized that I am Jewish, and/or took my name from the web, and added it to their database. (I am extremely skeptical that this company is actually practicing appropriate marketing etiquette / laws: for example CAN-SPAM laws.)
If you don’t see what the problem is at this point, you probably need a bit of a crash course in marketing communications. You might assume that if you just blast your message to thousands of people, some dopes are going to be curious and not only open your email, but interact with it. This is one of the worst assumptions you can make about consumers, and in fact, this will probably do more harm for your business / brand long term, than will the short term benefit of a few clicks to your site.
There are many ways to properly do Email Marketing, but “renting” email lists, or “blasting” to some company’s list, is probably the opposite of a “best practice” of Email Marketing.
In Email Marketing, as in Social Media Marketing, brands are given permission by the consumers to be communicated to. Consumers opt-in to “Follow” a brand on Twitter, “Like” a brand on Facebook, “Subscribe” to a brand on YouTube, or Subscribe to a brand’s email list. In the digital age, brands can no longer communicate to a consumer without their permission – lest they want to be ignored or shunned.
Best practices in Email Marketing include (but are not limited to):
- Get permission. Don’t scrape the web for email addresses, or obtain emails that are not qualified. They will not help your business cause.
- Build your own mailing list (CRM). Nothing is as targeted as a list of consumers who actively are interested in your brand. You know exactly who is on your mailing list, and don’t need to worry about other’s lists. DON’T BUY LISTS.
- Provide an easy way to unsubscribe. Otherwise, those receiving your emails are trapped in your email list without exit – which will only piss them off. Not a good way to build brand affinity.
- Don’t abuse your list. Sending emails too frequently will inevitably send more and more of your emails into SPAM folders – like the one’s from the company referred to above.
A great way to help bolster your Email Marketing database, is by being active in Social Media. Having a continuous presence within Facebook, Twitter, and other portals allows you to consistently present your message to those who are interested in hearing what you have to say. By engaging in your Social Media community, there are numerous ways you can encourage your consumers (or potential consumers) to opt-in to your Email database. In that case, it’s mutually beneficial for the brand, and the consumer.
To conclude… while there are legitimate Email Marketing companies (especially the ones that assist you in building your own lists) out there, you should be skeptical of “targeted” email lists to communities, hyper specific demographic and/or pyschographic targeting, etc. Use your own networks to build your own list (CRM) and interact with them in appropriate ways. Pushing your content in front of the consumer, instead of conversing, is a sure way to having your business #FAIL.
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Dani Klein has consulted with non profits and small business when he started SocialCity Marketing in 2008. Currently, Dani is working on multiple Fortune 500 brands as the Manager of Social Marketing Strategies for Digitas, a world leading digital marketing and media agency and member of the Publicis Groupe S.A.
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DISCLAIMER
All views expressed within this blog and by this blogger are solely my own and in no way reflect those of Digitas or Publicis.
Aug 12
I’ve recently started an extension to YeahThatsKosher.com offering Kosher & Travel News and Reviews.
Currently I am hosting the site at travel.dani-klein.com, but will eventually move it to an extension of YeahThatsKosher. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think.
If you have any Kosher / Travel news you’d like me to feature, please let me know.
When tweeting about Kosher Travel, please use the #koshertravel hashtag.
May 17
I just wrote a post on Jewlicious.com about the crazy, offensive, and disgusting video game created by Comedy Central called “I.S.R.A.E.L. Attacks!”.
Here’s what I wrote:
The creative / media team behind “Drawn Together” from Comedy Central created a very very offensive game against Jews & Israel …. http://www.comedycentral.com/sitewide/game_player/index.jhtml?game=271497. I am trying to find a way that this is not offensive, but alas, I am at a loss.
The JIDF blog did a piece on it yesterday.
The game’s premise is as follows:
“Jew Producer” apparently failed to destroy other child-like character. Thus, a robot, “the Intelligent Smart Robot Animation Eraser Lady” (I.S.R.A.E.L.) is sent to do the job. The game then shows “I.S.R.A.E.L.”, the robot, destroying everything in its path, even children.
Original Video- More videos at TinyPic
Write to Comedy Central about the disgusting video game on their website called: “I.S.R.A.E.L. Attacks!”: http://www.comedycentral.com/help/questionsCC.jhtml. Tell them that you find the gave repulsive and offensive. Please do not threaten the network in any way.
Join the Facebook group: Comedy Central – I.S.R.A.E.L. Attack game is offensive. Remove it.
Write to Comedy Central on Twitter: @ComedyCentral and tell them about your disappointment.
If you’d like, you can ReTweet my message to Comedy Central:
Shame on @ComedyCentral 4 this “I.S.R.A.E.L. Attacks!” video game: http://j.mp/au5pk8 This is beyond offensive! (RT @YeahThatsKosher)
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this “game”. Please comment below.
Mar 23
It’s pretty exciting to be featured by the CUNY BA, the program in conjunction with Brooklyn College, where I graduated from. They wrote about my life post-college, my projects, and work.
If you’re related to me, you can just skip the article and shep nachas*. Otherwise, the article is on the CUNY BA site here: http://cunyba.gc.cuny.edu/blog/daniel-klein-sociologymarketing/
*[For the non-Yiddish crowd, 'shepping nachas' can be roughly translated as a combination of deriving great pleasure from something and being extremely proud of someone... for example; when a friend or loved one does something exemplary.] ~ Definition from Treppenwitz.com
Mar 17
My wife (Arielle) picked up this circular in one of the kosher restaurants 
in midtown today and was excited to show this to me. I love ads, especially bad ones. Props to Arielle for cherry picking the following ads, which are ripe for parody.
The following are from the Torah Times circular, Week of March 10-16, 2010:
- Shticky Sushi – this ad for a new Kosher Sushi place seemed cool at first. Nice logo. Massive Sushi menu. Great. One problem. I have no idea where this place is. There’s a 718 phone number, but that could mean Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island or the Bronx. No idea. So I figured, I’ll go to their website. Pretty cool website, especially for a Kosher place, right? I looked everywhere. No address. Nothing. What’s even weirder… it says “curbside pickup also available”. Is this a joke? Curbside sushi pickup to a place no one can find? Good luck. >> You guys need marketing assistance. Feel free to contact me… Click for Ad Image
- Joe Lazar for City Council – I only vote for heimeshe people that are warm and fuzzy … Click for Ad Image
Ridiculous Jewish / Pesach (Passover) Products:
I’m actually pissed off I didn’t invent any Kosher for Pesach products. Maybe I should start a Kosher for Passover website: “This site contains no chametz or gebrochts“.
Are these products necessary? If you have purchased (or feel the need to purchase) the products below, please comment on this post to explain why, and include your halachic / textual reference. I’m honestly curious to read why we need them.
- Kosher Passover Pans – seriously? are regular pans laced with breadcrumbs? … Click for Ad Image
- Palisades Aluminum Foil – same shtuyot (stupidity) as the above product… Click for Ad Image
- Glatt Water – Water … with extra special Glatt nutrients! … Click for Ad Image
- Swarovski Crystal Pesach Collection — 1) This ad screams of 2 copyright or trademark infringements. 2) Crystals on your seder paraphernalia? Why? Why? 3) This is selling for $500!! … Click for Ad Image
Mar 11
Yesterday this site got hacked, by “Turkish Muslim Hackers”. How? Why? I have no idea.
I wrote about it on Jewlicious.com: http://www.jewlicious.com/2010/03/what-do-turkish-muslim-hackers-want-from-me/
Mar 10
I am preparing myself mentally for a new stage in my life. I have spent my career defending Israel as a part of my job, and I now have to move to the sidelines. It is difficult to move “to the sidelines”, but I feel that I have given my all to help grow my organization, and to assist Israel in the process. My career path has lead me to accept a great opportunity at a well respected digital marketing agency, for which I am set to begin after Pesach.
I am excited to eat, drink, and sleep social media (which I already do) and now get paid for it. I am thrilled to work with a new team of peers: social media and computer geeks … and with some big name clients. This is a unique time to be in my shoes. This time of transition is a new experience for me, and I am looking forward to the forthcoming challenges that await me in the near future.
I will miss my friends, colleagues, and students I have worked with over the years at StandWithUs. Please stay in touch.
~Dani
