I'm speaking on a panel at South by Southwest Interactive on the topic Social Marketing Strategies Metrics, Where Are They? What's your answer?

Here's the description:

Why are some CxO's afraid of social media and social networking? How can they leverage social media for marketing success? This panel will be a combination of forward vision and practical advice from vendors and enterprises that are successfully leveraging social media today for business results. We'll discuss the pros and cons of growing a social media effort from within or hiring a "ringer" to be part of the team. This is a new area for marketing management so the panelists will give their best advice on how to work with a manager who has no social media experience. Other questions to discuss will be: How do you deal with the essential truth that in social media sometimes everyone won't love you and say positive stuff about you? What is the best metric to focus on to gauge success of a social media effort? Does social media contribute to lead and revenue generation directly or indirectly?

Comment here or email me at ymangum at gmail. Thanks!

Yes, BMC impressed the street again. For 11 straight quarters, BMC Software has met or exceeded its guidance on revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share. It's little wonder with success stories like Tata Motors, the Indian automaker (and producer of the Nano), which dropped its IT staffing by 20%, and the number of calls placed to its help desk fell by 80% from 2,500 a month after implementing the BSM platform.

Yes, it's a good time to be in business service management, with its methodologies firmly entrenched in ITIL v3 best practices. But, beyond BSM, I'd like to prove the power of the conversation by giving you a little snippet to think about.

For 11 consecutive quarters, BMC has met or exceeded estimates. That also happens to be the exact amount of time since BMC Software launched a little social media program called TalkBMC.

Whatever happened to AskJeeves?  I miss that butler.  How search engines work are a mystery to most.  But, I don't think that many would argue that gargantuan amounts of money have been made in bringing order to Internet chaos--and there's still so much more potential in this area.

Search engine wars are past "heating up" -- they are at a boiling point with the recent news that Microsoft has their eyes seriously set on Yahoo, offering some 44 billion and change in their offer last week.  Never mind that Yahoo was valued at 50 billion in May of last year when Microsoft made casual overtures to the search engine firm.  Microsoft is so set on this offer that they announced they were actually going to borrow money to make sure it happens this time.  They mean business.

Yahoo missed some great opportunities in late 2004 and on to catch up to Google.  Why?  The answers aren't clear.  After all, they were the first major contender to embrace RSS.  Their personal portal interface was clean and simple with lots of innovative features long before Google.  And, the coolest little features and apps just keep on coming.  I have to admit I am a bit biased to their Y! logo.  (Just call me "Y", too.)

Google has been more "open" than Yahoo.  And, they seem to be much better at marketing, PR, and generally gaining attention and buzz.  I wonder if it's because "G" comes before "Y" in the alphabet?  That's as much sense as I can make of it.

So, why could Microsoft's offer to Yahoo be a good thing?  Microsoft has never been known for the quality of their software.  And, their search so far has fallen flat.  But, they are incredibly talented at sales, marketing, and business development.  Yahoo is innovative and a very "awake" contender in the search engine market.  They seem to be able to spot future trends and pounce on them.  Since they aren't good at marketing themselves, I think the Microsoft / Yahoo merger could actually work.  In fact, it may be just the thing to propel Yahoo to the forefront of the search engine market.

Or, Microsoft could fill it with Active X and make it virtually unusable on Firefox.

OK, so Microsoft could do some things that might make Yahoo unattractive.  But, why would they?  Microsoft marketing + Yahoo innovation = a good thing.

Digg this post from whurley please!

And, cast your vote!

And if plain Twittervision isn't enough for you, try the 3D version!

About Twittervision (straight from their Web site):

A real-time geographic visualization of posts to Twitter. Samuel Morse, meet Carl Jung.

How do I get on Twittervision?

Join Twitter and post. You must have a location and an image defined to appear on the public feed (and to be located on the map).

 
twittervision 3D

Along the same line of thinking, now there is Flickrvision, a real-time geographical visualization of pics posted to Flickr.  And, thanks to David Troy (who's about to launch a video version of all this called Spinvision.TV), there is a 3D version of that as well!

flickrvision 3D

I wonder if, in the future, we'll look back at these little apps in wonder and awe, understanding their power and how they truly changed the world.  Or, maybe Microsoft will buy them.  Since Flickr is already a part of the Yahoo family, that might be soon.  I dunno.  But, be warned that these little things are klugey on a Mac (sorry, Apple-peeps).  And, the 3D version is "iffy" right now on my screen.  Despite the tiny little loading problems, I still come away from this thinking the world feels a lot smaller.  Makes me want to sing Kumbaya.

So, you're not inspired to write for some reason.  Maybe your boss is micromanaging.  Maybe your spouse is complaining.  Or, maybe you've just lost your passion for writing for a while.  Writer's block is a bear.

The circumstance doesn't really matter.  What matters is that you have fans drumming their fingers on the table every day, looking at their RSS aggregator, and noting in their heads that yours says "No Content Within The Last 30 Days".  Heck, even Google Reader's Subscription Trends area has your blog down to 0 posts per day because they don't use that many decimal points.

You know you're not a blogger anymore when you don't blog.  Is it because you think it's too hard to find your way back to active blogger status?  Nope.  Here are a few quick and easy ways to get back in the groove.

1. A picture is worth a thousand words.  Embed one in your blog from your Flickr account, or wherever else you might keep photos online.  Just a title and a pic you know your audience will appreciate.  That's all it takes.
2. Video killed the radio star.  Embed a favorite video from a recent event that you attended, or didn't attend but thought the video was fascinating anyway.  I love the Ted videos myself.  They are "ideas worth spreading".
3. Comments, anyone?  Comment about someone else's blog -- in your blog (with the appropriate links and credit, of course).  It brings the conversation back into your ecosystem.
4. Twitter your blog.  Yes.  All it takes is a single thought in 150 characters or less.  And, it doesn't have to answer the question, "What are you doing at this very moment?"
5. If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?  You can be really smart, but if you don't share your ideas, will anyone really know?  If there's an idea you've been harboring that isn't fleshed out yet, think about sharing the genesis of the idea.  If there is something you're really proud of that you do well, let your audience know.  I've written a personal blog entry where I shared an outline of all the steps it takes to stain a concrete patio.  It's fascinating stuff.
6. Who's the boss?  You think you can't blog what you really think at work.  It is true in corporate blogging -- you shouldn't blog just anything.  But, you're a mature adult.  Surely there's a way you can write a paragraph about what's really on your mind in a constructive way.  Innovation is about collaboration.  And, you can't collaborate very well without conversation.
7. The plane!  The plane! Welcome to fantasy island.  Blogging isn't just about the past or present.  It's about the future.  Can you take one event, product, or service and predict where it's going in 5 sentences or less?  You might think you have the most brilliant ideas, but if they stay locked in your brain, who really knows for sure?

Feel inspired now?  I have many other ideas, so write me if you need a bit more of a shove to get out there and show your stuff.  Blogging is mainstream now, and those who do it well can be recognized and rewarded far beyond those who don't do it at all.  But, you have to stay on track.  Take 5 minutes out of your busy day and make a comeback on your blog.

I've been tagged by Peter Armstrong, so I suppose I'll have to reveal a few things about myself that the general public wouldn't know.  What does this have to do with IT or BSM?  Well, almost all of the things I talk about are either the products of IT or related to technology in general. 

This process is like taking off a bandaid...you just have to do it quickly and get it over with, so here goes!

So, that's plenty of "little known facts about Y" shared for your entertainment.  Instead of tagging specific people as I'm supposed to (according to the rules of blogtagging), I'm going to tag everyone.  If you have a blog and want to go outside of your comfort zone and share something about yourself that most people don't know...consider yourself tagged.  Just let me know so that I can be entertained!

2007 was a stellar year for TalkBMC.  It's amazing how many conversations about business service management and technology were consumed by our audience.  And, the rate of interaction increased tremendously, with our audience commenting on blogs and podcasts, emailing and calling us, and talking to us face-to-face at speaking engagements and events.

Best Corporate Blogs

I'd have to give that award to Jeff Bohren, Steve Carl, Ken Turbitt, Peter Armstrong, and Tom Bishop -- who placed in the top in terms of RSS subscription views.  Honorary mentions go to Timothy Harris, Atwell Williams, and Fred Johannessen.  We have many brainiacs at BMC, but these guys put together some gutsy and thought-provoking entries that got quite a bit of attention and/or they consistently posted their brilliant thoughts to feed their starving audience.  Consistency is what makes an audience loyal to your blog, and these bloggers prove that by their RSS stats.

While Whurley didn't make it to the top in terms of RSS views, he was the absolute best at getting people to talk about his blog outside of BMC, with 1,965 Diggs in 2007 and a ton of publicity from Wired Magazine, Enterprise Opensource Magazine, ComputerWorld, etc.  It seems he's always taking a risk and trying new types of mediums to test his audience.  He hasn't written since October, and I'm curious to see where he'll take his blog in 2008.

Some others I hope come back to active status soon would be Tom Bishop, John Albee, and Atwell Williams.  All of our bloggers have wondrous things to say.  They just get busy, as we all do, sometimes.

The great thing about corporate social networks is that they're a bit behind consumer social networks like Myspace and Facebook.  So, while those are now trying to figure out how to stay relevant, corporate social networks are really getting off the ground now.  We've got a long way to go and it will be a fun and enlightening ride.

Memorable Podcasts

I always enjoy chatting with Mary Nugent and Lori Cook.  I've also had a lot of fun and learned so much from Ken Turbitt, Peter Armstrong, Anthony Orr, and Tom Bishop.  There was one podcast where I was absolutely star-struck.  It was from UserWorld Vancouver Day 3, and it was a One-on-One with Sharon Taylor, the chief architect of ITIL v3.  To find any of these, just go to the podcasts page on TalkBMC, or do a search on http://talk.bmc.com on any name I've mentioned above.  They also show up in our RSS feed if you prefer your content to be pushed to you as it is published.

Reminder

All of our blogs and podcast are available free via RSS feed and our podcasts audios are available if you want to subscribe to them through iTunes.

Thanks for tuning in and listening to and/or reading TalkBMC.  My intent is to deliver the best conversations about business service management and technology in 2008.  Send me your thoughts or call me (my direct office number is usually on the podcast audios).  Thanks for your loyalty and support!

The holidays have certainly stirred things up in my life.  And, with all the changes happening at BMC in social media and IT, it's been busier than ever for me.  But, there is one thing that has me particularly peeved on top of my busy schedule.  That is -- the ongoing question -- WHO AM I?

I know who I am.  My family knows who I am.  My employer knows me...and so do my friends.  I hope the readers of this blog and the audience who listens to my podcasts understand a bit about me.  But, when it comes to my computer...it doesn't seem to really know me at all.

Who am I to this piece of hardware?  And, how does it relay that to all the sites I visit as I wind my way through a regular digital day? 

I am no one.

No.  Wait.  I am 38 people.  So far.

Between access to Web applications for work, the travel I do, the audio and media I upload, and the site access I need to do personal (but necessary) things like banking -- I've had to build a spreadsheet to keep up with all my usernames, passwords, account IDs, billing numbers, PINs, and etc.  Guess what?  I'm managing 38 different identities.  In a spreadsheet. 

Enough is enough.

It's time that identity became portable and easy.

To quote from the Six-Million Dollar Man:  "Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world's first" portable identity.

OK, that last part was added by me.

I've interviewed several people about Identity Management and related topics.  And, I hungrily consume Jeff Bohren's blog.  It isn't just that he's an Identity Management Expert.  He mixes it up.  He's controversial.  He makes me think.  And, he's the most prolific blogger on TalkBMC in terms of number of entries per unit of time.  Thanks Jeff!

So, solve this problem, but add something else to it.  Add a reputation or authority ranking to that so strangers understand that I have credibility when I meet them.  Think how much this might help (or hurt) political candidates...An authority ranking would allow us to know so much more about the candidates before we have to vote for them.  Right now, we're just watching them kiss babies for a year-and-a-half on TV, with maybe a debate or two thrown in, before we have to go to the polling booths and cast our votes.

Let's stop being strangers.  Portable identity.  Portable reputation/authority.  Now, you know who I am.

I'm in one of the friendliest countries on the planet, Canada.  So, why do I feel a bit dreary?  It isn't just the weather.  I have to admit that what's making me a bit less enthusiastic is that this is the first Halloween I've ever missed with my 10-year-old son, Sam.  Hi, Sam!

Now, I know my son won't read this blog, but he has tried to listen to a few of the podcasts I produce and always seems to have good advice.  Speaking of podcasts, I've recorded about two dozen conversations with industry experts here at BMC UserWorld 2007.  Listen in and enjoy.

This should have been called BSM Next World or ITIL v3 World or CMDB World because those were all the buzz topics of this conference.  Of course, the announcements about the BSM Delivery Model and Service Automation caused quite a stir as well.  People are excited about IT right now and want to learn how to do IT right from a business perspective.  That's what these conversations are all about.  So, join in.