It would be convenient to say that Suture Express learned social media simply with an article that came out a year after they lied to their SEO. The article was titled “Suture Express CFO Brian Forsythe Screws Wrong SEO“. That was a pretty tough turn for the already woefully naive attempts by Suture Express to pursue the online market with their surgical supplies. It includes comments from a current employee and former contractors of Suture Express that show very low regard for the company. It started looking a lot worse after they waited well over a year from their misdealing and months after the blog post which lambasted them for their lies and deceit before CFO Brian Forsythe came to urgently apologize for the mistakes Suture Express executives including CEO Ed Kuklenski had made.
Suture Express Lies Then Bids to Hide Truth
It seems almost too crazy to be real that a company seeking to enter the online marketplace would do so with such lack of foresight, and with such recklessness to try and scam their SEO. It is true, and they even offered to pay for the removal of the blog post and presented a contract favoring Suture Express and their CEO Ed Kuklenski. This really does not look like a formula that will set well with social media. After all, social media is the public, and not just a bunch of no-name, no-count losers with nothing better to do with their time than sit at a computer and play games. Suture Express’ CFO Brian Forsythe, CEO Ed Kuklenski, and their new consulting firm is learning this all the hard way, but make no mistake … they are learning it.
The recent article titled Suture Express Lies, Then Bids to Hide Truth has all the appearance of a re-introduction of Suture Express to social media like a snowball to a big hill. It is early to tell what may happen, but it seems many would agree it is time for them to start getting things straight before it rolls much further. It appears from Suture Express’ actions that they may think social media is within their control. Realizing that public opinion … often a scrutinizing public opinion, is what controls reputations, is a good lesson to learn early, before the snowball-effect. Taking such a bad leap out of the gate is a fast way to find out who is in control … the public.
Some people are making great use of the search features on Twitter. Many will at least have a search for their company name, and maybe a few important industry keywords, or keywords of interest to them. The question here is whether you are really “in the know” about what others are saying about your boss, your employees, or your friends? It does not take much to find out, and you don’t need any fancy software or the latest hot Web application.
Keeping an eye on others’ use of Twitter is such a simple thing to do, but then, sometimes the simplest of tasks are the ones that remain overlooked.
If you don’t monitor your social media channels carefully, you are only getting a very small piece of the potential value. So, here is just a small tip to help you:
Add a search for every employee (or friend, and etcetera)!
Sure, you can create groups using Twitter, and the many available 3rd party applications like Seesmic and TweetDeck to help you monitor others’ communications. This is a good way to measure what they are saying, but what about keeping an eye on things people send to them as a separate monitor altogether?
Maybe an employee is not following up with a question from a potential customer, or maybe somebody is sending them angry tweets. If they do not respond, you may never know about it. If I am the guy in charge of monitoring social media, I want to know this information. More importantly, it can provide a more interactive way to communicate as a group. Most larger or social media savvy companies know this, but I still find many companies and individuals who overlook the possibilities.
Let’s say for example somebody sends something to your employee (or boss, friend, or etcetera) but you know they will not be able to answer for a little while. Wouldn’t you be the greatest if you responded with assistance?
You don’t have to make it complicated!
There are a lot of services focused on Twitter searches, such as Monitter, and of course Twitter’s advanced search. There is a Web application for nearly anything you want to do with Twitter. In this case, you do not have to sign up, log in, or anything so difficult at all.
Here is an example search for a company I like, so I will use their blog contributors. If I want to keep an eye on what people are saying to HubSpot, I simply add a search to my desktop application (I use Seesmic) that looks like this:
OR @bhalligan OR @prashantkaw OR @onstartups OR @mvolpe OR @shaxxon OR @rickburnes OR @pc4media OR @repcor OR @jeannehopkins OR @pamelump
Note that the search begins with “OR” and it continues with “OR @username”. The limit is 140 characters, but of course you can add multiple searches.
Since I am already using my desktop application, it is a handy place to save and monitor the search. You can also save the search on Twitter’s Website if you don’t use a desktop application.
OR @bhalligan OR @prashantkaw OR @onstartups OR @mvolpe OR @shaxxon OR @rickburnes OR @pc4media OR @repcor OR @jeannehopkins OR @pamelump
I realize that many of you will just think this is not a big deal. After all, the odds of somebody grabbing your credit card numbers or taking over your life is not what hangs in the balance. It is just your Twitter account. One little piece of your online identity.
If you have not already seen a bunch of direct messages that claim to have found you in a video somewhere or other useless direct messages that we all call “spam”, perhaps you have not used Twitter very much. However, for those of you who get frustrated by this, I have two solutions for you as follows:
First:Change your password and tell everybody you know to do the same. Do not wait! Do it now, while it is still fresh in your mind. Many of those direct messages are coming from people whose accounts were compromised and they do not even know they are sending them. You may be sending them and not know. After all, have you told each of those people you receive these messages from that they sent you some junk? No, and they may not have told you either. Changing your Twitter password will clear this up in most cases. Do not get frustrated, unfollow them, or be mean. Simply remind them to change their password, and that will clear up a lot of the problem.
Second: Use this Twitter direct message opt-out list to remove yourself from the many companies sending direct messages on behalf of others. This will alleviate so much junk in your direct messages you may be shocked.
I hope you will steer from the crowd who think it could not possibly happen to them and be inspired to update your Twitter password. There has been a huge rash of security matters to show why this is important, but yet, so many people assume that it has not happened to them. Let me break this to you easy … if you think it cannot happen to you, it probably already has. Whether this is at Twitter or elsewhere, if you take that attitude, you are at the highest risk to be compromised. All it often takes is to click on a link and all of the sudden you are sending junk messages to everybody following your feed.
Please pass this along to help yourself and others!
If you found this information useful, you may also find much more information about Twitter in my recent book, Twitter for Business: Twitter for Friends. You may order Twitter for Business: Twitter for Friends in any of the following ways:
Hello Social Media! I am asking for your help. I am not asking you to spend a penny, and I do not mean to take a lot of your valuable time.
I need you to help me spread a message of friendships, business, the bridge between the two, and the value of having friends to lend a hand. Along with a ton of helpful tips and tools relating to Twitter, the importance of relationship building is a strong message in my new book, and if you can help others to hear about it, you will have done me a huge personal favor, and one that I hope you will feel good about.
I spent a lot of time thinking about writing this book. I really did not want to be the guy selling a book, because I knew it would be hard, and I knew there would surely be nay-sayers. Friends enticed me by telling me the Internet, including Twitter, could really benefit from my no-nonsense approach, and that they really believed I have valuable experience to share with others. So I spent hundreds of hours … months of my life … during a recession, to produce a book that I sincerely believe can benefit the Twitter community, and beyond Twitter, with lessons I have learned about social networking. Now I must find whether I have done the right thing … I hope so!
Here it is … my quest to see if I am right, or if I am wrong. If I am right, people will pitch in and help me to spread the word. If I am wrong about building relationships and networks of alliances, then I guess the book is not worth the paper it is printed on.
How Can You Help?
I would first like to ask you to join my Facebook page and follow me on Twitter and watch carefully for updates. The big effort is to have the book become very popular on Monday. Here are a few ways you can start helping to spread the message … and remember … Monday is the big day!
Share this with others using Twitter, Facebook, Digg, StumbleUpon, Sphinn, Reddit.
Tweet it again! Not everybody sees it the first time you tweet it.
Add a link to your Website / blog. I have added some graphic and text links below along with the code to put it on your site.
Blog about it … here is an example of a similar case when I was asked to help.
Ask for it in book stores.
Recommend me for an interview with television or radio stations. They love Twitter, and a story about it benefits them, and me. Here is a press release.
Thank you so very much for any assistance you can give!
I wish to sincerely thank you. Please know that I will be there to do the same for you when you need me!
“Twitter for Business: Twitter for Friends” Explains How Twitter Is Changing Communications
Why is the whole world talking about Twitter? Mark Aaron Murnahan (Twitter @murnahan) answered many questions about Twitter each day, until the Twitter community asked him to write a book about it. The book reveals how Twitter can be more beneficial to users, and how it bridges gaps between generations, cultures, and media formats. Author is available for interview, via telephone or Skype. Call 1-866-293-2489 to schedule.
Topeka, Kansas – 1 October 2009: Twitter has created a communication style that cannot be denied. With millions of users “tweeting” the latest happenings, it is hard to call it a fad. After learning of a structure fire one hundred yards away from home that was reported on Twitter by a local television station, Murnahan was convinced that Twitter deserved a closer look.
It is easy to see that television, radio, and print media have found usefulness in Twitter, and Hollywood clearly loves “tweeting”. Last fall, presidential candidates rushed to the service, and during an outbreak of Swine Flu, the Centers for Disease Control used it to send and receive updates. All of this publicity leads many people to Twitter.com each day to find out what it is all about. Some of them are still left with a lot of questions on how it can be useful to them. The Twitter community generally tries to help others, but with the explosive growth of new users, the community can become overburdened.
“The simplicity of Twitter makes it very attractive. That same simplicity also leaves many people with questions of how it can be useful in their business and personal lives. I want to answer those questions.” –Mark Aaron Murnahan
“Twitter for Business: Twitter for Friends” is available on Amazon.com and is expected to be released in major retail outlets soon.
About the Author
Mark’s background in Internet technology reaches back to the mid-1990’s, and he is the CEO of YourNew.com, Inc . He has used Twitter to engage with thousands of people around the world. It has been a study in people, cultures, current events, friendship, business development, and public relations. With over 22,000 Twitter updates to-date, hundreds of thousands reading his “tweets”, and frequently topping the charts at third party user rating services, it is easy to see that this book was written by a true fan of Twitter.
For more information about “Twitter for Business: Twitter for Friends”, please visit contact Mark Aaron Murnahan toll free at 866-293-2489, Skype username “murnahan”, or by Twitter @murnahan.
This is an excerpt from “Twitter for Business: Twitter for Friends” that relates to getting to know people using Twitter and creating good habits. I hope that you will enjoy it.
Tweeting With Strangers?
Are we tweeting with strangers? This question surely makes sense to a lot of people. You may wonder how to meet people with Twitter or how a person can possibly ever feel they have developed friendships and alliances using the Internet. Can you imagine developing meaningful personal and business relationships using what has sometimes even been so misunderstood to be called an “Update Service”? It is often the case that a proper answer is far lengthier than the question. Fortunately, that is why you have this book. Just to ease the burning question of whether we are just tweeting with strangers, I will give you the simple answer, which is “no”.
A more in-depth look at the question at hand will reveal that many great relationships begin with a greeting far shorter than the 140 character limitation of Twitter. Think about how many times you met somebody and the first thing you said to them was simply “Hi”. Consider how you met your dearest friends, or even your spouse. If you can recall the very first communication, it likely all began with one single sentence. Sure, you may have had a great conversation, but when it started, you said something, and then you listened to what they had to say. I trust that you can see where I am going with this.
Is there a right or wrong way to use Twitter?
There are some things that you would surely not wish to reveal in public, and there are some things that you will share with some friends but not with others. There are clearly things that are against the rules of Twitter, and of society for that matter. However, when it comes to Twitter, what I want to make abundantly clear is that the people using Twitter truly are as unique as those you would meet in a shopping mall, restaurant, your children’s school, or anywhere else. You can meet many types, and each has a unique style of using Twitter. Being yourself is far better than trying to conform to how anybody may tell you to use the service. Be real, be yourself, and rest assured that there will be many others who will like you just the way you are.
Overcoming Shyness, Hesitation, and Laziness
If I could help eradicate shyness, hesitation, and laziness just by writing a book, we would really have something special there, right? If this book even makes a significant impact in those areas, I will clearly have a better 2010 racing season than I ever expected. You are surely wondering what the heck this has to do with racing, but pay close attention! You see, you just learned more about me. Yes, I am a race car driver. I instruct high performance driving and racing skills for Porsche Club of America, Audi Club North America, BMW Club of America, race tracks, and several other driving courses including Street Survival (http://streetsurvival.org) for young drivers. It is my burning desire to race cars full time, while considering the stuff that pays me to be my hobby. I also love to help others race better, faster, and safer. I am very accomplished in this area. If you were receiving my tweets, you may have even seen me send a tweet of one of my on-track videos or show my Cop Magnet race Webcast at http://copmagnet.com. So what does this have to do with social media and Twitter, you must ask? It has everything to do with listening to people and realizing that you can meet and get to know people much more easily when you know something about them.
Enter a Warm Conversation
When entering a warm conversation, you are not making cold connections with people you know nothing about. Not unlike any in-person social gathering, if you observe what is around you, there are many ways to tactfully join into a conversation. If I tweet about it, then it is clearly not meant to be private. If somebody tweets about auto racing and you like the sport, send them a message. It could be as simple as saying “I see that you teach teen drivers. Do you know a good school in Atlanta?” It is very non-threatening, and how do you really expect somebody to answer that? I can tell you that it will normally be met with a very friendly response. Twitter users are there to meet other people, so don’t be shy.
Hesitation: The Real Enemy is You!
When I think of hesitation, I picture the person who simply waits for good things to fall into their lap. I receive many telephone calls from people who say they have a great product or service they want to bring to market, but then never follow through with a plan. When it begins to look like an effort is required, many people will hesitate. I used to take a lot more time following up with these people, but I found that they will generally hesitate for at least six to twelve months before they even take the slightest action. Sure, you could assume that a simple call from me could prompt action on their part, but at what cost? If I spend my time chasing the people who talk more than act, I am reducing myself little by little into their mediocrity. So many of them will tell me about how their plans changed, their committee needs to meet again, or that they are still excited to work with me. The bottom line is that in the time they hesitate, the highest cost is accruing right under their nose. This cost is that of lost opportunity. When you hesitate and talk about thinking about considering possibly one day doing something to improve your network of friends and business relations, you are only hurting yourself.
Laziness: 3 Simple Steps
On the topic of laziness, it is easy to spot. Maybe I could come up with a gentler word for it, but so many of the things you wish you could achieve with social media, yet have not, come down to laziness. You can say that you just don’t have the time for it, but that is quite often simply an excuse. You have the same amount of time the rest of us have, but an important question is in whether you are using that time doing the right things. Did you make an effort to reach out and meet somebody new today? Have you taken steps today to create a stronger and wiser approach to achieving your social media goals tomorrow? If not, how could you possibly expect positive results?
I am going to give you three daily tasks to perform that, when done consistently over time, will curb your laziness and give you more of what you want.
Step 1. Meet somebody new today on Twitter! If you cannot think of anything to say to them, keep looking until you find somebody who interests you more. You will see funny stuff on Twitter all the time. Maybe you can just comment on their wit. Whatever it is that sparked your interest, let them know. Something, anything, just go meet somebody! Start a dialog, even if it as simple as “Hi”, but even better, find out to whom you are saying “Hi”.
Step 2. Communicate with the new person in Step 1 every day for at least a week. If you have chosen somebody you found interesting, you will want to do this anyway. Wish them a good day, ask if they are still _____, find out how their kid’s school program went … just say something. I am not saying that you should force out something that is not genuine, I am saying that if you want to get to know somebody, you must make an effort.
Step 3. Repeat Step 1 and Step 2 every day for 30 days! At the end of 30 days, you will have made some new friends and you will be well on your way with a new and positive habit.
If you are disappointed with your social networking and social media marketing efforts, laziness is likely the first place to look. This is true with many things missing in your life. Are you making every effort to reach out and use the tools at your disposal? Do you ever find yourself thinking that you just don’t have the time to keep trying something that does not show you an immediate benefit? Follow these three simple steps. If it does not benefit you the way you expected, the worst scenario is that it still helped.
If you will spend the time to know and care about others, you will build relationships based on far more than the few words that you see in a tweet. The basic principle here is to open your eyes and really see what people are telling you. The question of “Who are these Twitter people?” will soon fade away.
For many people, the importance and reach of Twitter is obvious. Some have not yet seen the importance, but they will. You could stand in any room and ask people a simple show-of-hands question: “How many people here used the Internet ten years ago?” and you would see a decent number of hands. If you pulled that back a few years, a lot of hands would lower.
By now, we all notice television, radio, print, and other media talking about and writing about Twitter. They are the early-adopters. They are the ones you can expect to hear from again, and you can count on to listen and understand how media involves community today. Others may find it increasingly harder to have a voice if they let time slip by without embracing Twitter and other social media.
As an example to show the usefulness of Twitter, and its reach, I just sent a late-breaking, last-minute press release to some local news agencies. I will tweet about it. I will be sure that if they are watching their industry, they will cover it, or at least tweet me to let me know they heard it.
Please see the press release below, and ask yourself, “If I am a news director, what do I do with this?” I invite you to give your thoughts in the comments of this blog post.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Topeka Author Talks With Local Business Owners About Using Twitter
Why is the whole world talking about Twitter? Author Mark Aaron Murnahan (Twitter @murnahan) answered many questions about Twitter each day, until the Twitter community asked him to write a book about it.
Today, Mark will speak to Topeka Business owners about benefits of using Twitter.
Topeka, Kansas – 3 August 2009: Twitter has created a communication style that cannot be denied. With millions of users “tweeting” the latest happenings, it is hard to call it a fad. After learning of a structure fire one hundred yards away from home that was reported on Twitter by a local television station, Murnahan was convinced that Twitter deserved a closer look. At noon today, Mark will speak to a group of Topeka business owners at The Blind Tiger Brewery and Restaurant about why Twitter is important to them.
It is easy to see that television, radio, and print media have found usefulness in Twitter, and Hollywood clearly loves “tweeting”. Last fall, presidential candidates rushed to the service, and during an outbreak of Swine Flu, the Centers for Disease Control used Twitter to send and receive updates on the impending threat. All of this publicity leads many people to Twitter.com each day to find out what it is all about. Many are still left with a lot of questions on how it can be useful to them.
Murnahan says: “The simplicity of Twitter makes it very attractive. That same simplicity also leaves many people with questions of how it can be useful in their business and personal lives. I want to answer those questions, because when more people understand Twitter, we all benefit.”
“Twitter for Business: Twitter for Friends” is available on Amazon.com or at tfbtff.com and is expected to be released in major retail outlets soon.
About the Author
Mark’s background in Internet technology reaches back to the mid-1990’s, and he is the CEO of YourNew.com, Inc. He has used Twitter to engage with thousands of people around the world. It has been a study in people, cultures, current events, friendship, business development, and public relations. With over 22,000 Twitter updates to-date, hundreds of thousands reading his “tweets”, and frequently topping the charts at third party user rating services, it is easy to see that this book was written by a true fan of Twitter.
For more information, please contact Mark Aaron Murnahan toll free at 866-293-2489, by Twitter @murnahan or visit http://twitterforbusinesstwitterforfriends.com.
###
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Topeka Author Talks With Local Business Owners About Using Twitter
Why is the whole world talking about Twitter? Author Mark Aaron Murnahan (Twitter @murnahan) answered many questions about Twitter each day, until the Twitter community asked him to write a book about it.
Today, Mark will speak to Topeka Business owners about benefits of using Twitter.
Topeka, Kansas – 3 August 2009: Twitter has created a communication style that cannot be denied. With millions of users “tweeting” the latest happenings, it is hard to call it a fad. After learning of a structure fire one hundred yards away from home that was reported on Twitter by a local television station, Murnahan was convinced that Twitter deserved a closer look. At noon today, Mark will speak to a group of Topeka business owners at The Blind Tiger Brewery and Restaurant about why Twitter is important to them.
It is easy to see that television, radio, and print media have found usefulness in Twitter, and Hollywood clearly loves “tweeting”. Last fall, presidential candidates rushed to the service, and during an outbreak of Swine Flu, the Centers for Disease Control used Twitter to send and receive updates on the impending threat. All of this publicity leads many people to Twitter.com each day to find out what it is all about. Many are still left with a lot of questions on how it can be useful to them.
Murnahan says: “The simplicity of Twitter makes it very attractive. That same simplicity also leaves many people with questions of how it can be useful in their business and personal lives. I want to answer those questions, because when more people understand Twitter, we all benefit.”
“Twitter for Business: Twitter for Friends” is available on Amazon.com or at tfbtff.com and is expected to be released in major retail outlets soon.
About the Author
Mark’s background in Internet technology reaches back to the mid-1990’s, and he is the CEO of YourNew.com, Inc. He has used Twitter to engage with thousands of people around the world. It has been a study in people, cultures, current events, friendship, business development, and public relations. With over 22,000 Twitter updates to-date, hundreds of thousands reading his “tweets”, and frequently topping the charts at third party user rating services, it is easy to see that this book was written by a true fan of Twitter.
For more information, please contact Mark Aaron Murnahan toll free at 866-293-2489, locally at 785-608-9456, by Twitter @murnahan or visit http://twitterforbusinesstwitterforfriends.com.
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May 31 2010
