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Photo Credit: David Elfanbaum on Flickr

Since Virgin Atlantic Airlines started to give flights away to online influencers, my perception is that people on Twitter have become obsessed with their Klout scores. I do understand that we all want to be influential in our social circles and have our key messages noticed by our audience. Last week, when I believed that my Klout was 7, I had a very defensive reaction to being rated by the website. However, after a long conversation with a friend about the pros and cons of Klout, I decided to pay the website a second visit and sign up for the service.

I believe that having a website telling you how influential you are can be great for your ego, but shouldn’t you know it already? Why are we (social networks users, marketers, companies) giving so much power to an algorithm? I know it’s based on the same old google search science, but should we really trust a tool that allow a social media campaign based on very old school concepts achieve one of the highest Klout rates with an imaginary man?

Please, don’t get me wrong. As a marketer I love the fact that we have another free tool to measure our online campaigns. I do believe that klout.com is allowing us to easily identify the key community influencers and sort out the spammers from the real people. However, I can’t get over the fact that the people who really influence my opinions have low Klout scores or that some celebrities have high scores when they don’t actually engage with their audiences. It seems that all that we’ve been studying and exploring on Twitter, Facebook, etc is a lie, since we all embrace another measurement tool to please clients who require numbers to justify our pay checks.

Call me crazy, but all this Klout hysteria brought me back to the old competition between marketing and sales departments. Yes, at the end of the day we all want our client/company/non-profit to succeed, but what do we actually want to create? Short-term sales or brand awareness?

Photo Credit: PressReleaseFinder on Flickr

I have been postponing a re-branding/re-focusing of MadameHeringer.com for a while now and before I really transform it into the journal of a marketer, I am asking for your help. MadameHeringer.com has been through a lot of changes in the past year. We finally bought a customized domain, added new contributors and implemented a WordPress theme, but now I am curious to know how these changes have been working for you, my valued readers!

The direct link for the online survey is http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RZ7J2ZJ. You can also click on the pop up to be redirected to Survey Monkey. I tried to make it as comprehensive as a survey with only ten questions can be. Please, be honest!

As an incentive, I am giving away a movie night for 2 to one lucky survey respondent. Just enter your email in the last question for a chance to win!

Thank you in advance for your help. It’s always a pleasure to do business with you!

My online reading was very social media intense last month, so are the blogs and articles that I’ve been referring to. The social media bug definitely bit me in April! Here is my list of favourite websites and articles that somehow made me a better communicator:

PROBLOGGER.NET

The month started with Darren Rowse’s April’s fool joke about Google acquiring Problogger. It would have been smart move if a good chunk of readers haven’t believed that it was only a joke. Darren himself said here that even two of his family members and a reporter had fallen for it.

On April first, I was 5 days into Darren’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge and I must confess that I panicked a little before I realized that his “news release” was just a joke. Problogger.com is a real find for those who want to take blogging to the next level!

Thanks, Kiratiana Freelon for sharing this resource with me!

SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS SUMMIT 2010

Following my friend Rebecca Johnson‘s advice, I subscribed the Social Media Success Summit 2010 which starts on Monday, May 4th. It is an online conference facilitated by big social media names such as Guy Kawasaky and Chris Brogan.

I have been learning a lot about social media practices with the pre-summit materials and forums. Can’t wait to participate in the live discussions.

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING INDUSTRY REPORT

This 33-page report is the result of the analysis of over 1,300 open-ended responses given by current social media marketers to Social Media Examiner staff. Even though it didn’t discover any unexpected behaviour, this report is a great formal profile of social media marketers, their employment expectations, and dedication.

Mashable: 4 Tips for Tapping Into Twitter Conversations

Sparkpr’s Managing Director Leyl Master Black shared a very insightful article on Mashable last month. Even though Black uses big brands to convey her ideas, her 4 tips can be easily adapted to any business.

ADVERTISING AGE: What Social Media Will Look Like in 2012

I was born in a time that people would publish predictions for the next 10 years and we would have time to watch them evolve and absorb the changes. Well, Freddy Laker’s predictions for 2012 won’t take long to become a reality since Facebook’s recent privacy changes and advertising integration happened only 20 days after Laker published his article. I am still not sure how Facebook will convice users to change their privacy expectations, but I can wait for social media to become common sense.  Definitely, a good read!

Science World has become a great Russian House. Thanks to my friend Veronica Rivas, Raul Pacheco and I had full access to the Russian Sochi 2014 House and the opportunity to mingle with Russians and people from all around the world.

Photo Credit: Sochi2014.com

The set up of the Sochi 2014 Russian House effectively brought a taste of Russian culture to Vancouver along with the spirit of  Sochi, the next host city of the Olympic Winter Games. Organized in different lounges, the house showcases Sochi 2014′s partners and sponsors.

The Russian virtual hosts were the high point for me. Even though the house hasn’t explored all the interactive possibilities that a virtual display could provide, it was well done and unexpected.

Speaking of interactivity, the Sochi 2014 Russian House has several activities for the little ones. Of course, they are all related to a passion shared by both Russians and Canadians. Hockey.

Raul was really impressed with the media centre. I found it the ideal place to work and keep up with all the Olympic events.

Merchandise is already available at Bosco Sport. No line-ups if you’re thinking of supporting Team Russia during the 2010 Olympic games or want to get prepared for 2014.

Sochi 2014 Russian House cultural program is outstanding. We’ve watched Dimithy Kalinin’s Palalaika show and it was mindblowing. Click here, for more information about upcoming concerts and shows.

The Sochi 2014 Russian House is open from 12:00pm – 5:00pm to the public and it’s free. The evening program is available to accredited guests only.

This is the first post of a series of bilingual lists. Every month, I will share a list of blogs or posts that somehow or for some reason changed the way that I see the world, made me fall in love for a cause or simply inspired me! Comments and suggestions are more than welcome. Enjoy!

Este é o primeiro post de uma série de posts escritos em português e em inglês. Todo mês, quero registrar num post especial a lista dos blogs que entraram para o meu blogroll porque de alguma forma mudaram a minha forma de ver o mundo ou me inspiraram. Comentários e sugestões são sempre bem-vindos. Aproveite!

O Caderno de Saramago (in Portuguese/em português)

The nobel-prize winner Jose Saramago, a true believer of Karl Marx’s philosophy, has one of the best blogs written in Portuguese that you can currently find online. Unfortunately, well-written Portuguse usually doesn’t translate to outstanding English after a Babelfish query. However, the blog is worth the click if you find someone willing to translate Saramago transcripts to English or if you want to practice some Portuguese.

Numa das minhas muitas idas à livraria próxima ao meu hotel em Lisboa, descobri que o convicto marxista José Saramago tem um blog. Um blog maravilhoso que já até virou livro!

Oferecendo o melhor que uma obra literária em construção pode proporcionar ao leitor, O Caderno de Saramago é um deleite para qualquer fã de O Diário da Cegueira. Eu ainda estou revendo todos os posts. O blog já virou um vício diário!

Hummingbird604.com: Speed vs accuracy – What should be the journalistic norm? (in English/em inglês)

Raul Pacheco (aka Hummingbird604) is one of my favourite bloggers in Vancouver. This month, I was happy to read his opinion about Mathew Ingram’s Citizen journalism: I’ll take it, flaws and all post, especially because his reaction is extremely aligned with Annabel McGoldrick’s study about the psychological effects of peace journalim and war journalism. Raul’s reaction to Mathew’s statement is exactly how audiences usually feel when confronted with scenes of horror that are disconnected from a cultural, political or situational background which journalists are expected to offer to their audiences. Congrats for your post, Raul!

Raul Pacheco é um dos meus bloggers favoritos em Vancouver e este mês ele “matou a pau” com o post Speed vs accuracy – What should be the journalistic norm?. No texto, Raul questina o uso das redes sociais na narrativa jornalística. A ênfase é na velocidade do meio e o comprometimento da apuração dos fatos. Os pontos levantados por Raul, lembraram-me de um artigo de Annabel McGoldrick sobre os efeitos psicológicos do jornalismo de paz de de guerra. Eu concordo tanto com o post do Raul quanto o estudo de Annabel, e acredito que meus coleguinhas de profissão deveriam sempre mostrar os dois lados envolvidos ao invés de optar pela obordagem sensacionalista.

7 Ways to Get More Out of Linkedin (in Enlgish/em inglês)

Everybody knows that Mashable is the best social media guide that can be found online, but I am not sure if all the job hunters are aware of this Sharlyn Lauby’s ultimate Linkedin post.

Mashable é o meu guia de redes sociais na internet. Se o site ainda não faz parte dos seus favoritos, faça o favor de adicioná-lo! O post 7 Ways to Get More Out of Linkedin é o guia perfeito pra quem está usando a ferramenta para procurar emprego na America do Norte.

Starving College Girl: Kirk LaPointe at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (in English/em inglês)

Lesley Chang’s Starving College Girl blog is a great inspiration to current journalism and public realations students. I hope that Lesley keeps this idea rolling even after she graduates from college. In this post, she shares her findings from Kirk LaPointe’s talk at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. It’s interesting to see that a communications veteran is shortening the life time of young journalists and recognazing the impact that social media will have in the profession.

O blog de Lesley Chang é um ótimo relato para jornalistas internacionais que sonham com uma carreira no exterior. No post desta lista, Lesley relata a apresentação de Kirk Lapointe, diretor do Vancouver Sun, na Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Por aqui, a vida útil do jornalista está sendo reduzida e as redes sociais de comunicação estão ganhando o respeito dos vetereanos.

WordPress.org: Codex

Yes… I completely changed Madame Heringer’s Lil’ World’s layout in November. It was painful and I put a lot of work into it! However, I couldn’t have done it without WordPress’ support and its tutorials. I am planning to write a long post about buying a domain and choosing a host service processes, but if you are desperate trying to make your theme or website work, Codex is the solution that you are looking for!

No último mês, eu mexi completamente na interface do site. Foram-se muitas horas lendo tutoriais e muitas noites mal dormidas para chegar ao layout que você vê no Madame Heringer’s Lil’ World. Fiz tudo sozinha, mas nunca teria conseguido comprar o meu domínio e configurar o meu serviço de hospedagem sem a ajuda dos tutoriais do Codex!

And you? What are the blogs or posts that blew your mind in November? Please, share!

E você? Quais foram os blogs ou textos que mudaram a sua vida em novembro? Deixe a sua sugestão nos comentários!