You are currently browsing the Engine Communications blog archives for April, 2010


The power of hello!

I have only just begun working as the online community manager for Engine Communications but I would like to take this opportunity to personally say hello to all of you.

Now, I know the stats that date back to about 2006. In most online communities, something around 90% (if not higher) enjoy just sitting back and reading the content.  I am glad you enjoy the content.  After this post, I will let you go back to reading! Furthermore, about 9% will contribute sporadically and maybe 1% will contribute most of the interactions.

If that is the case, how do we all get to know each other better?

What I am proposing is that you simply say hello and a link back to your company, website or twitter profile (anything really) in the comments section.

I can guarantee you will be happy you did. That is the power of hello.

How To Use Social Media To Achieve True Happiness

Over the past weeks I have been helping you create your brand online from square one.  I have provided tips and tricks for using social media to get noticed in a positive way. Last week I provided you with a Quote Flow that can not only be applied to using social media, but to life in general. I want to take some time now to elaborate on my last post. The main point I was trying to illustrate by carefully selecting and grouping these quotations was the idea of ‘Focus’.  By now, many of my readers probably have some idea of the direction they plan to take for their careers, hobbies, volunteering, passions, etc.  My advice to you is to do everything in your power to go forward and minimize the frequency of going backwards. All of you have decided to use social media as a channel of communication. For instance, you have used some form of SM to find this blog entry. Now, how do you use social media to help you towards true happiness? Use it to help you grow as a person.  This means having goals and staying focused on these goals. I find myself coming across tons of articles on how to make money on Twitter, increase your follower count (or lists is the new follower count), donate to my Movember cause, and so forth. The big picture is that all these people have a goal of personal growth that they are achieving through social media.  How about we simplify this idea with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a model.

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The Most Amazing Perogies. (Ever)

Well, what better way to have a great meal this weekend, than to try Perogies – Tom style. Over the past few years, while I was a student there were a few simple, economical meals I learned to make and love; spaghetti, pizza, and asian noodles became the three base food groups that my diet consisted of. Being a vegetarian, I was forced to think a little outside the box, and had to cook for myself a little more frequently than your typical student. These perogies aren’t your usual meal, and if you’re a fan of spicy food (like buffalo wings) these will quickly become a favorite. disclaimer: this isn’t a guide on how to make perogies from scratch, although if you did that I’m sure this would turn out better – this is simply how to prepare perogies in a way that turns them into the single greatest hedonistic pleasure known to man.

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When do you start feeling like your privacy is threatened?

I know there are many blog posts and news articles addressing the morality of internet privacy, but there seemed to be an influx of key issues recently. Browsing through my reader, it seemed like every second article Mashable was publishing had to do with privacy issues dealing with Google. I have always had the opinion that if you “have nothing to hide, then there should be nothing to worry about”, but those sentiments are slowly starting to change as the company continues to grow. At what point is there too much information available online?

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Finding your Voice

Last week I promised to provide you with a questionnaire to help give you insight into who you are and exactly what you are trying to achieve. You can find the questionnaire here.
The Questionnaire

The questionnaire is by no means all-encompassing. The sole purpose is to get your ideas flowing about how you should go about spending your time in the social media space.  In the end, time becomes your largest constraint.  There is a method to my madness! Answering the questions will allow you to reflect and establish your voice accordingly.

Picture_FindingVoice copy

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Mmm, pie anyone?

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In the words of my son Ayden, “Pie, I love Pie!”

Now I don’t know how keen he is on key lime pie (his favorite is pumpkin pie made by none other than his Grandpa), but it is one of my favorites. I have to admit that I have never made one from scratch, but this recipe is well worth the try.

Shaun Fillmore, one of my collegues at Engine, made this pie for his wife Holly on her birthday last year, and I remember quite clearly his description of the process and the outcome! Sheer brilliance. Thanks for sharing Fillmore!

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#bvilletweets

Let the tweeting begin!

Let the tweeting begin!

From the moment we climbed the stair case at Earl & Angelo’s restaurant in Belleville, the #bvilletweets excitement began. We were greeted by staff and management, and assured that we were free to roam the premises -  anything we needed we could ask for. Drinks were ordered and free appetizers were given as tweeter after tweeter entered into the lounge, filling out name tags with their Twitter handles, and sparking conversation. A great time was had by all, and we can’t wait to do it again soon!

Special thanks to the Winding Violets, who once again came out and documented our revelry on film. Make sure to follow the Winding Violets on Twitter and Facebook. For a complete album of pictures, check out our Facebook Fan Page.

Here’s what our interns had to say about their experience:

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Who Am I?

I read many posts around the web giving free advice to individuals about how to get started or succeed in social media. Excluding the bloggers who are trying to sell you something or the ones who have no idea what they are talking about, the first step is usually to create goals.  They will usually provide some example questions, such as:

  • Are you trying to increase sales?
  • Bring more traffic to your website?
  • Create brand-awareness?
  • Build relationships?

Eventually, you start thinking about a complete social media program by asking yourself questions like:

  • How will you measure changes?
  • Are you going to be passive, reactive, engaged or create with your social media efforts?
  • What amounts of time are you spending listening, initiating, responding, etc?
  • How many people will it take to accomplish your social media efforts?

At this point, most people become a little overwhelmed by these questions.  It is very easy to get ahead of yourself with social media efforts and focus your attention in the wrong places.  Simply asking yourself, “Who am I?” before thinking about your goals will help you get a solid foundation and understanding about what you are trying to achieve.

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Our New Online Community Manager

Hey everyone! As you’ve probably noticed, the blog has been quiet lately. When I initially began working at Engine, my primary responsibility was to create our social media presence, and to maintain those accounts. Needless to say, the past eight months have been exciting. Our social media has taken off, and we’ve got clients creating great content all over the web. As a result, my job has grown as well. Lately it seems we’ve been so busy that generating new, exciting blog posts, has been difficult. That’s why I’ve brought in some help.

Let me introduce you to Bryan, our new Online Community Manager.

I was introduced to Bryan via Twitter, and his personal blog. I was impressed from the beginning. His consummate professionalism, creative ideas, and fresh outlook, make him stand out from the online crowd. When I wanted to partner with someone to manage our social media, Bryan was an easy choice.

I hope you enjoy our collaboration.

Bryna

Bryan CromlishI really appreciate that Bryna, I am incredibly excited about being able to share my ideas on the Engine Communications blog.

If you were to ask me if I would picture myself in this type of role a couple years ago, I would have definitely said no. In fact, the role of Community Manager is a new job that is a reflection of a new era in society in which content is constantly being created and consumed.

From a marketing standpoint, customers are ready to consume. These people are actively searching out information at every step of the buying decision-making process. I think Brian Solis said it best:

“Attention becomes the major currency in content commerce.”

So am I here, fighting for your attention? Sure, I guess you could put it like that. Am I trying to sell you something? Not at all. I was brought on to create content that Engine Communication’s readers would enjoy and hopefully find valuable.

My goal is to be a good reflection of the Engine team’s voice and consistently share our passion for graphic design, marketing, public relations, web development and social media. Bryna and I have been chatting and we have some great posts planned for you. Stay tuned!

Bryan

Spring Food Trends – right up my alley!

Mango-24

Four of my favorite foods have made the spring top 10 list, Premium Beef Burgers, sweet potatoes, bacon and Mangos. And guess what, we can have all four in one sitting!

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