Category Archives: Be Useful

Twitter For The Rest Of Us (Pt 2) + 10 Ways To Use Twitter

Last week I wrote about what exactly Twitter is. Despite how popular Twitter has become, believe it or not there is still a large group (we’ll call these the “late bloomers”) who have no idea what’s going on. I know, hard to imagine. So we defined Twitter and discussed who started it, why it’s popular, how I personally use it, and the love and hate going around about it, complete with a video mocking the concept of twits and tweats. This week, I want to continue the discussion by attempting to answer the following question…
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Get off your fat ass!

As a 22 year old tech veteran, having started and led a very successful digital agency for going on 9 years now, I am used to a certain reaction when people find out the story behind Epsilon Concepts and my personal adventure in this fast-paced digital world. In a nutshell, I started my first successful company at the age of 14 (not including freelance bitch work, of course, as that started much earlier) and have simply worked hard since then to continue to grow my company and as an individual. Let me give you some background: when I was 14 I was already very entrepreneurial and I also realized at a young age that though money isn’t everything, it certainly helps and provides freedom and leverage. I also thoroughly enjoyed working. I guess I should be more specific: I didn’t really enjoy physical or mental labor in_the_act. I think saying I relished the actual work all the time would be a lie. But I did certainly love the way it made me feel and I loved the relationships that good, hard work helped create. I experienced what it felt like to be able to buy your own things and the sense of freedom and security that money can bring. I felt pride when I tried really hard on a job well done, and felt gratified when it was a thorough, professional project completed.
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An Important Note on the Abuse of the Phrase “Social Media Campaign”

Although I have used it before, I detest the word campaign in the phrase “Social Media Campaign”. Conversations trump campaigns and the word “campaign” has a military undertone I’m not comfortable with. The people you’re supposed to be having a conversation with are not enemies to be raped, pillaged & plundered. Although I will continue to use the phrase, it would be nice to find a more accurate way of describing how brands initiate conversations with true fans (see also: Seth Godin’s Tribes) Until that happens, I will continue to …
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Be Yourself

Be Yourself “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” -Confucius “Be yourself” is a pretty cliche statement, but its value cannot be diminished despite the frequency of its use.  Authenticity has been on a lot of minds lately and personality is even a new P in marketing (according to author Rohit Bhargava).  In this new era of the web and with the evolution of the open source paradigm, those with personality, humanity, and authenticity will likely succeed.  The skin of protection and privacy is disappearing, word spreads quicker, and …
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Kevin Kelly on Web 10.0

Note: Kevin Kelly also has one of the best examples of lifestreaming I’ve ever seen. Check out his site: http://kk.org/ to see what I mean.

Barack Obama on Social Networks

How to Live Like Water

See also: 7 Ways to Ensure a Successful Social Media Campaign