@stuartgh » twitter

How MC Hammer is using social media to monetize his brand

Stuart Hall — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:56:54 +0000

MC Hammer at the 140 characters conference in NY talks about behaviour, & ups the value of the likes of Twitter for staying in the feedback loop, and monetizing his brand by staying in control of access:

MC Hammer: The behaviours have shifted right now. 140 characters 24 months ago was very trivial some of the conversations..why would you tweet this, why would you tweet that, all those things; and then they started to grasp the understanding of the business implications and how we could effect our customer relations, how we could effect mobilizing an audience – so studying the behaviour..so that’s what excites me right now.

Q: How are you using social media?

MC Hammer: Very strategically. I’m using it to shape behaviour, to stay in the feedback loop, to have a firm understanding of the totality of me as both humanising my brand as a person and the extended relationship between me and my audience…transparency is the key going forward. You as the brand control that access rather than a third person who monetizes seeing you where you are, sending their photographers, taking it and saying wow you are on TMZ.

See the full 15 minute conversation.

PS: Hammer says MySpace is now ‘old school’. He goes on to mention the value of the ‘total stream’ of tweets which give a picture of the business and the personal over many months. And references a recent lunch meeting with a guy from Salesforce.com and musician Neil Young to how to maximise the use of Twitter for artists.

His tip for interacting with people with a negative mindset on Twitter? Use the ‘block’ function. (He gets a round of applause fromthe audience when he says if he wants negativitity for his barnd or business he needs only turn on his TV).

Conversely he highlights people ‘doing good & doing well’ as an under-served market.

Twitter Updates for 2009-08-10

Stuart Hall — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:48:00 +0000

Don't you just hate it when you watch the DVD commentary and realise you must have been asleep when you watched the film! #
@themaria On one flight I sat nxt to an int'nl peace activist, & asked him so many q's over nxt 7 hrs, my fellow passengers went pale! in reply to themaria #
RT @RedHourBen RT @snowynora: @RedHourBen Do you and Henry Rollins really watch football at William Shatner's house? – Yes, that did happen, #
RT @Dan_Martin: How to become a Twitter expert, an article I wrote for @TrainingZone http://ow.ly/jx3v #
What is this #webteamlove tag I'm seeing?! #
RT @Marthalanefox r4 last week has caused some noise, think misunderstood – all i said is so much happens online now that stakes r high if p #
@communitygirl A happy birthday for tomorrow! Which reminds me I need to get round to buying your community mgmt book. in reply to communitygirl #
@monkchips And which contractor 'implemented' that Confluence-based community for SAP? Be interesting to know. Maybe in-house though? in reply to monkchips #
@TheMattyMiller Hi. Like your profile about not taking life too seriously, which begs the question have you heard any good jokes recently?! in reply to TheMattyMiller #
@monkchips A quote: -) "A lot of times these communities wind up as the red-headed step-sister hanging off the side of an organization." in reply to monkchips #
Jokes in 140 characters or less: two guys walk into a bar. you’d think one of them would have seen it. #

Twitter Updates for 2009-08-09

Stuart Hall — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:48:00 +0000

In the Criterion in St Paul's sipping Guinness and listening to traditional reggae dj in great co of shirley! #
@samdownie oh well we were listening to reggae dj at the Criterion in St Pauls;-) in reply to samdownie #
RT @rowenaaine RT @TheMattyMiller: "The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates.The great teach #
@billt good film Mesrine. Like the heady mix of crime and politics. Nice to see shots of Montreal too. in reply to billt #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-08-09

Stuart Hall — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:48:00 +0000

Train called the John Cabot just passes through Birmingham NS without stopping; passengers agog;-) #
RT @rapidbi To be RTd keep messages to less than 120 characters #
RT @tipexxed RT me: why does Leic Council think it's ok to agree in secret to demolish Bowstring Bridge? I think it is illegal http://kperc #
@brooksbayne I'd gladly have a beer with George W. in reply to brooksbayne #
Watching 'Weird Science' again, its so therapeutic;-) "You forgot to hook up the doll"… #
No RTs today, it's time to hit the hay… #
RT @Marthalanefox listening to social network debate on r4, am not sure that some of the "commentators" actually use these tools… #
RT @KimSherrell take me back @paulocoelho I miss you. =) #
On the number 70 bus to work, it's good to keep in touch with the benefits of public transport over cars! #
Today's online community hack: ppl contribute when reminded of their uniqueness & given clear goals: http://tinyurl.com/mdzdxb [2004 study] #
@luongdat thanks for fllw, & the free Android mind map app: http://bit.ly/jKg0O in reply to luongdat #
@tipexxed I have a masters in industrial archaeology, so pls send me a page where the bridge's unique value is explained! in reply to tipexxed #
@rhappe RT @brett Mashable – Tony Hsieh, CEO of @Zappos: Live Interview on #MashChat at 4:00PM PT – http://bit.ly/mmuBW #zappos #
@rhappe hope you had a good night out in reply to rhappe #
@Sdoca08 A little bit under the weather, and it's raining here so no softball match tonight;-( How's you today? in reply to Sdoca08 #
RT @jakemckee BLOG UPDATE: Community Netiquette: How to Avoid Stepping on Virtual Toes http://bit.ly/DTqG3 #
RT @FinReg21 If you signed up for Who's Who- Retweet @FinReg21 – First one wins Acharya's Book "Restoring Financial Stability" – http://bit #
Ever thgt the greater your emotional intelligence the less sheer hard work you need to do? Though increasing ones 'EQ' takes hard work! #
@RichardDerwentC The importance of balance, plus ability to see the positive in as much as humanly possible, I agree. in reply to RichardDerwentC #
RT @Pistachio i do believe i just learned how to skateboard. sort of. #
@johncurrie be good if that news included a url to the specifics of the case? in reply to johncurrie #
@dahowlett I tried Spinvox and it didn't work properly. So I stopped using it. in reply to dahowlett #
RT @Dan_Martin RT @luckyvoice Congratulations to @dan_martin, who is off to The Big Chill after winning our Twitter comp. Thanks to everyone #
Why member organisations need to adapt to succeed in the online community world. http://tinyurl.com/mc986k Bonus Clay Shirky video! #
Hey actor from Galaxy Quest nice promtion to star in Moon, and with a Clint Mansell soundtrack: get link to the film Pi? Clint did it too. #
@RevzNexus Have you got a link to Intel on FB computing please? in reply to RevzNexus #
RT @google Google Apps helped the University of Notre Dame save $1.5M and increase satisfaction by 36%. Hear how: http://bit.ly/2NKbg3 #
@RevzNexus nice, thanks. in reply to RevzNexus #
@RevzNexus I am but a humble community consultant, working to build on drupal for Sift in Bristol, UK. Agree about Zappos btw… in reply to RevzNexus #
@RevzNexus correct and thank you. in reply to RevzNexus #
@RevzNexus See http://www.siftgroups.com & today's blog on the community challenge for member organisations for example. That's the vision thing… in reply to RevzNexus #
@RevzNexus thanks, trying to stay balanced and be positive. Right, better get some sleep with conf call with finreg21.com community tmrw… in reply to RevzNexus #
Drinking tea, enjoying the good weather… #
RT @OliBarrett 'Friends Reunited bought by Beano' makes for snappier line than 'Successful media business buys Geneaology and Dating assets' #
RT @David_Evans1 Getting ready for my FinReg21 interview of Terri Vaughan of NAIC on insurance tomorrow. Watch for the posting at http://bi #
RT @DowningStreet Government has announced that following the departure of Lord Carter, the Digital Britain report will be taken forward by #
RT @TheCR Post: The Iceberg Effect of Community Management – bit.ly/19SAgZ – How do you think about, prioritize, and articulate your ‘hidden #
Wow John Hughes is dead, and I just bought his film Weird Science on Saturday to add to my JH collection. #
@giagia I've been watching 'Weird Science' earler this week, so be there (already) in spirit… in reply to giagia #
@jowyang please don't forget drupal's benefits:-) in reply to jowyang #
And by coincidence I'm working from home tomorrow #saveferris I have studied bit of the sci of coincidence so I'm cheating maybe:-0) #
"It takes a clever man to make money, it takes a genius to stay alive." Bet Speilberg knows the film that comes from. #
Thanks for your comment on Facebook Jessie. Have a good weekend, Shirley and I are off to a cowboy fancy dress party tonight. Bk to work.. #
Breakfast in Start the Bus with Shirls in Bristol! #
At Victoria Sq in Clifton where Dr WG Grace once lived. http://twitgoo.com/248xy #
In the Criterion in St Paul's sipping Guinness and listening to traditional reggae dj in great co of shirley! #
@samdownie oh well we were listening to reggae dj at the Criterion in St Pauls;-) in reply to samdownie #
RT @rowenaaine RT @TheMattyMiller: "The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates.The great teach #
@billt good film Mesrine. Like the heady mix of crime and politics. Nice to see shots of Montreal too. in reply to billt #

Twitter Updates for 2009-08-08

Stuart Hall — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 12:48:00 +0000

Breakfast in Start the Bus with Shirls in Bristol! #
At Victoria Sq in Clifton where Dr WG Grace once lived. http://twitgoo.com/248xy #

Twitter Updates for 2009-08-07

Stuart Hall — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:48:00 +0000

Wow John Hughes is dead, and I just bought his film Weird Science on Saturday to add to my JH collection. #
@giagia I've been watching 'Weird Science' earler this week, so be there (already) in spirit… in reply to giagia #
@jowyang please don't forget drupal's benefits:-) in reply to jowyang #
And by coincidence I'm working from home tomorrow #saveferris I have studied bit of the sci of coincidence so I'm cheating maybe:-0) #
"It takes a clever man to make money, it takes a genius to stay alive." Bet Speilberg knows the film that comes from. #
Thanks for your comment on Facebook Jessie. Have a good weekend, Shirley and I are off to a cowboy fancy dress party tonight. Bk to work.. #

Twitter Updates for 2009-08-06

Stuart Hall — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:48:00 +0000

Hey actor from Galaxy Quest nice promtion to star in Moon, and with a Clint Mansell soundtrack: get link to the film Pi? Clint did it too. #
@RevzNexus Have you got a link to Intel on FB computing please? in reply to RevzNexus #
RT @google Google Apps helped the University of Notre Dame save $1.5M and increase satisfaction by 36%. Hear how: http://bit.ly/2NKbg3 #
@RevzNexus nice, thanks. in reply to RevzNexus #
@RevzNexus I am but a humble community consultant, working to build on drupal for Sift in Bristol, UK. Agree about Zappos btw… in reply to RevzNexus #
@RevzNexus correct and thank you. in reply to RevzNexus #
@RevzNexus See http://www.siftgroups.com & today's blog on the community challenge for member organisations for example. That's the vision thing… in reply to RevzNexus #
@RevzNexus thanks, trying to stay balanced and be positive. Right, better get some sleep with conf call with finreg21.com community tmrw… in reply to RevzNexus #
Drinking tea, enjoying the good weather… #
RT @OliBarrett 'Friends Reunited bought by Beano' makes for snappier line than 'Successful media business buys Geneaology and Dating assets' #
RT @David_Evans1 Getting ready for my FinReg21 interview of Terri Vaughan of NAIC on insurance tomorrow. Watch for the posting at http://bi #
RT @DowningStreet Government has announced that following the departure of Lord Carter, the Digital Britain report will be taken forward by #
RT @TheCR Post: The Iceberg Effect of Community Management – bit.ly/19SAgZ – How do you think about, prioritize, and articulate your ‘hidden #

Twitter Updates for 2009-08-05

Stuart Hall — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:48:00 +0000

RT @FinReg21 If you signed up for Who's Who- Retweet @FinReg21 – First one wins Acharya's Book "Restoring Financial Stability" – http://bit #
Ever thgt the greater your emotional intelligence the less sheer hard work you need to do? Though increasing ones 'EQ' takes hard work! #
@RichardDerwentC The importance of balance, plus ability to see the positive in as much as humanly possible, I agree. in reply to RichardDerwentC #
RT @Pistachio i do believe i just learned how to skateboard. sort of. #
@johncurrie be good if that news included a url to the specifics of the case? in reply to johncurrie #
@dahowlett I tried Spinvox and it didn't work properly. So I stopped using it. in reply to dahowlett #
RT @Dan_Martin RT @luckyvoice Congratulations to @dan_martin, who is off to The Big Chill after winning our Twitter comp. Thanks to everyone #
Why member organisations need to adapt to succeed in the online community world. http://tinyurl.com/mc986k Bonus Clay Shirky video! #

Simple twitter measurements

Stuart Hall — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:55:50 +0000

Linked to the Twitter policy objectives in this new doc for UK Government departments, I like the range of methods to gather evidence of effectiveness:

Web analytics for [dept].gov.uk and clickthroughs from URLs in our tweets (using bit.ly) – to track referrals from Twitter to our web pages
Twitter surveys – regular ‘straw poll’ surveys on Twitter to ask for feedback
Twitter data – the follower/following data presented in our Twitter account
Third party tools – analytics tools including measures based on re-tweeting (Retweet Radar; Twist); online reputation (Monitter, Twitter Grader); impact and influence (Twinfluence, Twittersheep); unfollowers (Qwitter)
Alert services – tweetbeep.com and other methods for tracking mentions of our stuff
Real time observation – http://twitterfall.com/ and similar tools

Template Twitter Strategy for Government Departments

Valuing your Twitter profile

Stuart Hall — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:19:48 +0000

What a lot of people may have missed in the excitement about the 15-year-old Morgan Stanley summer intern (pdf online) saying teenagers don’t both with Twitter is this salient point about the value of profiles -”they realise that no one is viewing their profile, so their ‘tweets’ are pointless”.

I have discussed the subject of how to use profiles to build community a few weeks ago, focusing on the value of a rich profile.

But I do digress, back to Twitter. If I use the application TweetValue it calculates my profile value as a number, $339 to be precise. The ‘About’ page for this service wittily reads: “This service was created in 4h by the Swedish entrepreneur and developer Jonas Lejon. The value is calculated with a Ph.D algoritm that is based on the public information available on your Twitter profile. uuhm. not really .”

So if instead I use Twitterrank I find my profile is higher than 90% of people, which sounds better to me, so perhaps I’ll stick with that as my profile measurement tool for Twitter. It even creates a unique url to come back to and check progress (I’ve gone down 3pts in 16 days

PS: By coincidence the next day the 28th July a new tool came out, TwitViewer.net, which claimed to show how many people had visited your profile. Sadly, according to Mashable, it turns out to be a Phishing Scam: “It’s unclear that this is phishing, as the site does let you know that it will send out the auto-tweet. It’s almost certainly not doing what it promises though, as there would be no conceivable way for it to know who has been visiting your Twitter profile. In short: be wary of this app, and if you logged in, you may want to consider changing your password.”

So perhaps the moral of this story is that (a) Teenagers don’t bother as you can’t if anyone’s visited your profile (b) Scammers think there’s a demand for such a tool. (c) There’s a need for a Twitter profile analytic tool a-sap.