Comments on: A View of Social Media From the Inside: The Cat Hasn’t Meowed Just Yet

By: Starbucker

Starbucker — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:43:56 +0000

Hi Techgirl – thanks for your comment; and no worries about its length.
To your question, no, my thoughts have not changed. I still don’t think the cat has meowed yet, from the standpoint of whether or not social media can be a universal game-changer for businesses. I still think, “it depends”. I still think the business itself needs to be the primary focus. I think caution is still a good strategy – if regular good ‘ol word of mouth is working well, and that’s a good “network” for you, perhaps adding Social Media could enhance it, but who knows, maybe the folks that you are attracting are not particularly fond of SM, and might actually have the kind of reaction you had to Jimboy’s Tacos.

This CAN be overdone. But, if you take your time, observe and learn, put your toe in the water, observe and learn again, then put your whole foot, etc, etc, you can find out that right middle ground that keeps you out of the parasite category, but well into the “beneficial to my business or profession” category.

Good luck, and thanks again for stopping by!

All the best,
Terry

By: Techgirl

Techgirl — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:16:50 +0000

I realize this post is a year old, almost to the day, but I’d love to hear if any of your thoughts have changed or if you have comments based on the explosion that seems to have taken place just in the last year. In our own company we began to explore the SM arena about a year ago and there were definitely some of us who were skeptical and really wanting to proceed with caution. I believe we do have a great product and we get tons of business from customer referrals as a testament to that.

On the other hand, as a consumer, I find myself getting annoyed when I see businesses with twitter and facebook pages. For example, I went to Jimboy’s Tacos (a chain in my area, not sure if they exist outside of California) and at the drive-thru there was a sticker that said “Follow us on twitter”. And I thought, “why the heck would I want to follow Jimboy’s Tacos on Twitter!” While I was waiting for my order I had a quick sec to check my iPhone for any Facebook updates I might have received since the last time I had checked about three minutes before.

Is it the idea not so much that people will actually follow these things (Jimboy’s just sold another combo meal!) but just the opportunity to get into the collective unconscious of the consumer through this kind of constant exposure?

Sorry this is so long but I also use FB to spread the word to people about my yoga classes. I hope that doesn’t make me a parasite! I am connected to my master teacher who is world renowned in our area of yoga. I was shocked to see that he has over 1000 friends on his page. He has emphasized the importance of using the technology and not letting the technology use you.

By: Mountain Social » Blog Archive » Business 2.0: Social Media Projects (part 3)

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:17:01 +0000

[...] “A View of Social Media From The Inside: The Cat Hasn’t Meowed Yet” Terry Starbucker writes about the pros and cons of using social media in regards to business, asking the questions “Where does Social Media fit in there? Are we embracing it wholeheartedly as a game-changing way to improve our business?” And his answer is, in short- Not Yet. Terry writes about how there is a lot to learn before jumping into social media head first on behalf of a business, and gives an outline of some important questions businesses should ask before diving in to social media. [...]

By: Nathan Cheeley

Nathan Cheeley — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:21:58 +0000

Isn’t it unfortunate that something as fun as SM has to be protected from the parasitic effects of internet marketers trying to leverage it to their advantage? :/

By: Middle Zone Musings » What I Learned From 2008 - Terry Starbucker

Middle Zone Musings » What I Learned From 2008 - Terry Starbucker — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:03:16 +0000

[...] – A View of Social Media From the Inside: The Cat Hasn’t Meowed Just Yet Don’t dive into a deep pool when you can’t swim – [...]

By: A Personal Look at Social Media: Same Humans, Different Venue | TerryStarbucker.com

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 04:44:07 +0000

[...] A few weeks ago I took a look at social media from the business perspective – today, I approach it from the personal [...]

By: Five in the Morning 112008 « StickyFigure

Five in the Morning 112008 « StickyFigure — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:31:33 +0000

[...] 20, 2008 by Steve Woodruff Has your company’s social media cat meow’ed yet? The glass-half-full guy, Terry Starbucker, has some valuable thoughts on [...]

By: Vicky H

Vicky H — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:54:03 +0000

Great questions Terry. I’m using them (not verbatim), but my own flavor of them in a proposal for work about SM.

Good food for thought.

By: The ROI of Social Media: Get the Biggest Bang for Your Buck | claremunn.com

The ROI of Social Media: Get the Biggest Bang for Your Buck | claremunn.com — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:00:38 +0000

[...] social media campaign into your entire organization (get buy in). Terry Starbucker has written a good blog post about the effectiveness of social media in a business context. His view concentrates on SMO [...]

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Hump Day Reading for the Restless Soul — Write From Home — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 07:57:14 +0000

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