Twitterers To Follow

I am currently taking a Social Networking Strategies Class and one of our assignments required us to create a twitter account.  You can find me here @tcbiodieselcoop.  The assignment also required us to send a tweet and follow sustainability related mini-bloggers.  I chose @thompulliam, @green_updates, and @GreenEnergyNews.

 I picked Thom Pulliam because he is a brand strategist.  I have always been somewhat interested in the purchasing habits of consumers.  Thom seems to have a pretty good lead on what consumers want and helps companies to leverage their brand.  Green Updates is out of Dallas, Texas and has a blog titled Science, Space, & Robots.  I enjoy science and they also give updates on green products and industry trends.  Green Energy News was suggested in the lesson description.  They are located in California and have a website with up to date information on renewable energy.  A few of their popular categories are solar, wind, energy funds, biomass, and hydro power.  I enjoy their website because biomass and alternative energy are my main research interests.

All of this social media is new to me and a bit overwhelming.  However, I am going to keep an open mind and try to learn all that I can.

The Value of a Linkedin Profile

Although I do not currently have a LinkedIn profile, many have spoken of the effectiveness of creating a profile.  I realize that LinkedIn is a valuable resource for both job seekers as well as those that wish to network with other professionals in their career field.  However, I do not see myself creating a profile in the near future.  The primary reason is the time that is required to maintain a profile and respond to others in a timely manner.  Also I do not foresee leaving the career that I am currently in.  I would rather correspond with others face to face, via telephone, or email.  If I was to use a professional networking site I would probably use Young Entrepreneur.  It is forum based and allows you to share information with others.  Docstoc is another useful site that allows you to upload and share important business forms and documents.

Mult-Generation Assignment

I recently had the opportunity to have an informal interview with one of my co-workers.  Barrett is considered a Millennial (Generation Y) and I am considered Generation X.  We spoke after dinner for nearly 30 minutes about his views on social media.

Barrett is an avid television viewer, unlike myself.  I asked him how he feels about being bombarded with commercials suggesting that he like (insert company here) on facebook.  He quickly named off a couple of companies that annoyed him.  Specifically, Stark Air and Milestone Electric.  He said that he would never do business with those type of companies because every few minutes their commercial was being played and what difference did it make if you like them on facebook or not.

I then asked him if he maintained an online profile.  He quickly laughed, rolled his eyes, and told me no.  However, he told me that when he was in high school he had a myspace page.  Mostly all that he used it for was music.  He has a facebook page but says that he hasn't updated it in ages and has no plans of doing so.

Next I asked about social media as a whole and what he thinks about everyone uploading videos of themselves and telling everybody about their personal business.  He feels that the internet gives people a sense of hope that people care about what they are doing at all times of the day.  When in reality nobody really cares that much.

We then briefly spoke about the time management and productivity issue when it comes to updating and maintaining a profile.  Barrett's wife is a nursing student at TCU and is heavily involved in campus activities and social events.  She maintains a facebook page and at times it baffles him with the amount of time that she spends on it. 

Barrett told me that when it comes to researching a company to do business with, he would much rather go to their traditional website than their social media page.  He also told me that the facebook of today will soon be the myspace of yesterday.  For instance, his mother who is in her early 60's uses facebook to find old high school friends.  Barrett seemed to think that older populations are beginning to adapt to social media more out of curiosity than necessity.  An example that he gave is a widow or widower that has lost their spouse and may have had a high school sweetheart that they are curious to find out about.

He also told me that he views social media as a tool for companies and that it should not replace their day to day methods of doing business.  He gave an example that a company can have the latest and greatest social media campaign and keep it updated all that they want.  But in the end if a customer calls or walks in and can't get the help or answers that they need, what good is it?

Overall the interview was a bit surprising to me.  Although many of my questions were somewhat loaded I did that on purpose to try and get Barrett to persuade me the other way and prolong the interview.  For the most part we agree upon how social media impacts us today.  I feel that I am of the minority when it comes to my views on social media.  I am a bit old school when it comes to how and why I choose to do business with particular companies.  To me a simple phone call or walk-in to the company can tell me more about a company than their social media campaign can.  Social media for the most part only highlights their positive side.  However, I am aware that a company's reputation can be ruined by others using social media to let others know of their experiences.

As far as developing a social media campaign that reaches all of the generations one must be versatile.  Because you are going to have the traditionalists that don't want anything to do with social media.  You are also going to have those that only want to correspond and deal with you via social media.  Since every generation uses social media differently, you must approach each generation differently when you are trying to get your message across.  For instance this summer the City of Fort Worth put outside watering restrictions into place.  Baby boomers were reached through physical signage, television commercials, and through the city website.  Generation X was reached through direct mail and online through the city website as well as websites such as The Lawn Whisperer.  Millennials were reached through the internet with social media sites like facebook, blogs, and digital newspaper.  Generation Z was reached through mobile media such as apps and mobile video.

All in all the interview went well.  Many thanks to Barrett for taking time out of his busy schedule to accommodate my request.

Video Statement

Through the effective use of social media, companies can engage stakeholders and allow them to learn about products in a casual manner. 

I believe that this is a true statement because many consumers like to gain additional information about products before they purchase them.  For example, Mercedes Motoring is a small operation out of California that restores classic Mercedes automobiles.  They have a couple of artsy videos posted on Vimeo that detail the time and energy put into restoring classics.  They also have a Facebook page full of photos that show the finished product.  Their customer testimonials are filled with praise from purchasers all over the country.  The majority of customers purchase these cars without seeing them in person.  All that they have to go by is what is seen on Mercedes Motoring's personal site and social media sites.  Although Mercedes Motoring does not have many competitors, a portion of their success is due to social media.  Through social media they are able to capture a worldwide audience.  As long as Mercedes Motoring continues to put the same time and effort into restoring cars, I do not see this statement changing.

Print Support Links: 

The Importance of Social Media

Why Social Media is Important 

Social Media for Small Business 

Video Support Links:

Social Media in Plain English

Social Marketing

Wintermester 2012 Texas Study Tour Conclusion

Overall the trip was a great success.  We had a few mix-ups along the way, but that is to be expected when meeting with the number of people and covering the amount of locations in the timeframe that we did.  I would like to thank all of the individuals that took time out of their busy schedules and welcomed us into their organizations.  I would also like to thank Adam and Kyle for putting in the time and effort to research and network with the organizations that we visited with.  Last, but definitely not least, special thanks to Dr. Freg Forgey for accompanying us and helping everything come together as smoothly as possible.  All of us are very appreciative of your hospitality.

Day Eight: Dallas, Texas

This evening we visited Recycle Revolution.  It is located east of downtown Dallas in Deep Ellum.  Eddie Lott is the Founder and Executive Director of RR.  I first heard about Recycle Revolution while watching channel 5.  Here is a video overview of what RR is all about.While awaiting Eddie's arrival, I had an entertaining conversation with his mother Maria who also works at RR and is very passionate about her son and the mission of RR.  I learned that she is from the Philippines.  I just had to know who her pick was regarding arguably the two best welterweight boxers of all time: Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.  She chose her countryman Pacquiao.  I also learned about the raised fist or clenched fist that is in the RR logo.  She told me that it stood for unity, solidarity, and support.  The idea to use it came about when they were trying to come up with a name for the business.

Here are a few interesting facts about Recycle Revolution:

• Independently owned and operated (woman and minority owned)
• Founded in Spring 2008
• Solely a shipping and receiving operation
• Looking to expand into Fort Worth
• Primarily work with mom and pop type companies/restaurants
• Also work with local bars
• Provide fee based recycling
• Drop-off location for those that wish to bring items in
• Accepts styrofoam
• Accepts toilets
• Accepts glass
• Accepts Hard To Recycle Products
• Just because an item has a recycling logo on it, it may not be recyclable

RR is a small company that is doing big things.  Eddie is extremely passionate about his business and the recycling sector.  He has taken a proactive approach to challenges.

Day Seven: Fort Worth, Texas

This evening we visited the Botanical Research Institute of Texas.  BRIT is located between the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens and Will Rodgers Memorial Center.  BRIT documents the diversity of plant life and conducts extensive research around the world.

The BRIT building has numerous sustainable features.  The 70,000 square foot building is LEED platinum.  There are only eight buildings in Texas that hold that distinction.

Here are some interesting facts about the BRIT building:

• Built by Beck
• Non-profit, public trust
• Bamboo ceilings
• Living roof
• Natural lighting throughout
• Geothermal wells aid in HVAC costs
• Rooftop photovoltaic array
• 5,000 Gallon cistern captures rain runoff
• Wool carpeting
• Waterless urinals

BRIT owns the building and leases the land from the City of Fort Worth for $1 per year.  I did not get the chance to ask what the projected return on investment is.  With the extensive features I would imagine that it may not be reached for a long while.