The Fisherman’s Secret - Online Marketing Tips For Real Estate Agents and Other Social Cultivators Call 027 86 026 3333
Tags



December 30, 2009

Can Civic Associations Remain Faceless?

Organizations thrive on their ability to allow individuals to remain faceless. It permits them to act badly, not in the interest of their customers [constituency]. Seth Godin

I cannot agree more with Seth. Although Seth aimed this at business the same is true for any organization that represent the public or community like civic associations. 

More than two years ago I joined the local civic association's exec to see if I can add some value. My aim was to observe and then introduce new and open ways to communicate. Nothing more than that. I was excited, started training sessions, created a blog and a friendfeed group. 

For example during a heated debate around baboons harassing the community I decided to, again promote open communication. I said that:
  • Email is underground
  • Email is exclusive
  • Email discriminates
If I read what Seth said, above, then I can add:
  • Email permits civic associations and representatives to act badly. Therefore...
  • Email permits them to not act in the interest of their constituency. 
Note: I am saying email permits. I am not saying it does.

To make a long story short; My attempts to introduce open communication at the Civic Association failed. And email communication prevails. As my naive and optimistic attempts failed I decided to call it a day.    

When I left, I was kept on the Civic Exec's e-mailing list. Well until ........

A few days ago an exec member decided to email the Civic association group about an issue. I read the email, decided to comment on it and add more business people to the email for their comment. I should have expected an attack. I got support as well. But this exec member has not responded. He emailed us all back with relevant comments, until he exposed his true colours and said to me:

Your unwarranted disclosure of an email to numerous other addressees is uncalled for and indicates that emails to you are not treated as within the [Civic Association]. I will thus refrain from including you in any further correspondence [Civic Exec Member]

Let me use a cliché: I arrest my case!
This is a public representative hiding behind emails.

Now, I am asking you; 
  • Can you continue to allow Civic associations to remain faceless? 
  • Can you allow civic associations to not act your the best interest (while they discuss your issues underground)?
  • Can you allow your civic associations to not use the latest public tools to communicate in public?
When you read this and you agree then thank you. If you read this and you feel the pain then that's good. The fact that civic exec members intent is to only do good is not the issues here. They are doing it voluntary. But nothing gives them the excuse to resist change. They need to never send  any email under the Civic Association's name if they not also publish the content...... making it available for the community.

When will this happen?

Soon enough 

Hope all civic exec members have the courage to communicate in public.

Have fun

Johan Horak
P.S. If you want to know how to setup a public communication platform for your civic association and your community then just ask.

Loading mentions Retweet

Comments [0]

December 30, 2009

Baboons in my house!

The following is an email that I wrote. We have baboons in Simon's Town and some people hate them. Because of all the free internet communication tools I decided introduce these tools to the community and the civic association. This email use the baboon issue to share with these parties an alternative to email. Let me tell you that I was not successful in converting the Civic in using public communication tools.  


From: Johan Horak 
Date: Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 9:27 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: Baboons in my house!

Baboons are baboons and sometimes people are more baboon than people. 

But/And that does not resolve the Baboon issue. 

My issue is not only the baboons and the people involved but also our lack of connectedness, sharing and communications within a community of people and baboons. 

I am all for public communication and below you will find a room where we discus Simon's Town and other baboons. 

You can read the room but I want you to join the room and I want you to start contributing your frustrations and news in public at the room. Here's the baboon story at the Simon's Town room:

http://friendfeed.com/e/326fcc9f-1231-4641-947f-449fef0efd8e/Baboons-in-my-house/

Let me continue:

When you have an issue and you use email then

Email is underground
Email is exclusive
Email discriminates

When you have a baboon problem, like we all do, then we need to make it public.

And the Simon's Town room, or for that matter your own online room, is the place to send people to go and read and join.

Share your info online

And if you don't know how to share your info online then contact me as I help groups, for free, to become WHALES;

Whales learn how to connect, communicate and share with the community using new communication tools.

The people out there need people like you.

The community needs people who can pop balloons in balloon factory.

Pop the Baboon balloon. [Take this as you may].

Join the Room and educate the community
 

Regards

Johan

Loading mentions Retweet

Comments [0]

December 30, 2009

Coffee News Opportunity South Africa

Dear Friend of Coffee News. 

Here's most of the information that you will need today. If you need more information then please use the contact form. 
The cash flow scenario is not included and is available when you contact Coffee News South Africa.
Many people want to know what Coffee News looks like. This is what it looks like. Printed on both sides.
Front.jpg


(download)

(download)

(download)

(download)

(download)

Loading mentions Retweet

Comments [0]

December 1, 2009

How To Empower The Individual To Tell & Amplify The Wild Dog's Story

The request to help in counting the Kruger's wild dogs and cheetahs reminded of the plight of these animals and the task organisations like Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) have in ensuring that these beautiful animals can live a happy life (Getaway, January 2009).



I am writing to share an idea and a possible solution with you. My concern, with organisations like EWT, SANParks and other conservation bodies, is their general slow adoption of new technology to amplify the animal’s plight. Not only amplify it, but also giving followers (supporters), tools to get involved. Involved in telling the wild dog and cheetah story. (Somewhere I read that story telling is the most underrated business skill).


I am aware of the great work being done by EWT. But due to their nature .... I can include many large businesses.... they find it difficult to adopt new media tools.
 

Let me refresh your memory on EWT suggestion on the wild dog and cheetah census; "Sightings can be reported on 076-725-5242 or email census@ewt.org.za."


This effort, designed to include the public, is commendable.

According to EWT, "The census ran from the beginning of August 2008 to the end of April 2009 and we were extremely fortunate to receive a record number of 1,131 entries from members of the public". I believe that this should be the foundation for more such exercises. But this effort should or could be self driven (self sustainable) by the concerned and involved public.  

If you have a look at the way EWT arranged the census they created tools to communicate. The next step is to create tools to socially discuss these issues.

Let me try and explain the difference between communicate and socially discuss. The email address and phone number, provided by EWT, allowed one way communication. As soon as the spotter left the sighting info, that was that. The spotter and his friends could not join the communication because the sightings were not made public as they were reported.... because of the inherent inability of the communication tools used.

I believe the real opportunity lies right here.

Instead....

When we use social media tools, the supporting public (followers) can start communicating in various directions ... creating  many discussion.


For example, one follower may have 10 000 people in her social-media-sphere-of-influence. When she supports the wild dog’s plight, she can now amplify the story to her followers. And, potentially, the wild dogs can have 10 000 more followers joining the conversation.

Today social media tools like Twitter and Facebook allow you to post videos, photos and comments, online, via email or from your phone.


This is what I will do if I had to set-up such a social media discussion tool:

I provide the public with an email address and a cell phone number. They will take photos - with their cells phones, if they like - of the wild dogs or cheetahs, even with GPS co-ordinates, they can include a short text summary and email it to a blog, via the given email address. Or they can just sms a text message via the cell number that will also update the blog.

As soon as I have authorised the post, this blog tool will auto-post the story to ten or more social media sites. All the followers, on the various social media sites, get the update and have the option to share the story with their followers. Some of these followers will now also visit the blog and join the cause. More people, more stories, more photos, more discussions and more wild dogs awareness. 

As I have said, Story telling is the most underrated business skill. The wild dogs and the cheetahs have a story to tell. And we can tell that story by empowering people to become (social media) followers. I believe we can empower the individual when we make the individual an integral part of the story being told.    

 
http://cultivation.posterous.com | Online Marketing Tips Newsletter Using Social Media Like Twitter.



Loading mentions Retweet
Filed under  //   cheetahs   wild dogs   wildlife  

Comments [0]

December 1, 2009

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure..

COURAGE.jpg
"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there's no real security in what's no longer meaningful. There's more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there's life, and in change there's power." Margaret Stortz

Loading mentions Retweet
Filed under  //   joke   quotation  

Comments [0]

November 21, 2009

Will you be given a favourable judgement in the absence of full evidence?

Seth Godin discus the benefit of the doubt:

The challenge, then, is to earn the benefit of the doubt. How many of your customers, prospects, vendors, regulators and colleagues give you the benefit of the doubt?

evidence%20yellow%20evidence%20tape%20crime%20scene.jpg 

Say you are being judged will you be given a favourable judgement in the absence of full evidence?

This reminds of the The Fisherman's Secret; a short story that I wrote, believing it will help you earn the benefit of the doubt:

Traditionally we went for the kill. We invested money to make a killing.

Today, however, we need to earn trust, a favourable judgement when things go wrong. And they do go wrong. The past has shown us, that going for the kill is risky and not effective. Because of social amplification (facebook, twiiter,etc), going-for-the-kill is risky, and more-and-more traditional businesses are being judged and exposed.

Even if they are not wrong, they have no good will, and in  most cases the judgement is not favourable.

As we e-evolve more and more businesses will adopt new cultivation pools where they can earn the benefit of the doubt... before unfair judgement surprise them.


Johan Horak
Online Marketing Tips Newsletter Using Social Media Like Twitter.

Loading mentions Retweet
Filed under  //   cultivation   seth godin   trust  

Comments [0]

November 17, 2009

If Social Media Is Like Teen Sex Why Not Use A Signature?

It many not surprise you that Avinash Kaushik (Google) said:


watch this slide show on what is social media

Well, not knowing how to "social media" is an excuse. But not having a email signature in all your outbound email is not excusable. At least that's what I think. You may be surprised to know that your email recipients may be more interested in what you do than what you think. Tell them via your email signature. They may just be surprised to know more about you.

Here's a few rules from WiseStamp on how to optimise your email signature:

  • You should have no more than 7 lines. The best email signatures are short and to the point.
  • Don’t throw in any images or anything that distracts from the message. There is also the fact that images and other “cutesy” things will cause your email to be tagged as spam and placed in the recipient’s spam folder.
  • Don’t use hyperlinks to websites because the hyperlinks can become broken. You can spell out the web address. If it is click-able, that is great. If not, they can copy and paste it into their browser’s address bar. They can’t do that if you create a hyper-link that simply says, “My Website.” A professional email signature is a functional one. [use http://cultivation.posterous.com/ instead of My Website].
  • Make sure the contact info you include is information that is needed by the email recipient. Don’t include contact information that is personal or you will never leave work. It will always find you.
  • Throw something promotional in there. This means give something away for free to your recipients.
  • You can use a border to separate your signature from your actual email. That way the recipient knows the difference.
  • You can get more info on email signatures here.
Personally, I use gmail.com to manage all my email addresses, I also use www.firefox.com instead of Internet Explorer. And top of it all I fine tune my email signatures with http://www.wisestamp.com/.

All these products will make your marketing life a breeze.


Johan Horak
Online Marketing Tips Newsletter Using Social Media Like Twitter.

Loading mentions Retweet
Filed under  //   joke   quotation  

Comments [0]

November 14, 2009

The Device Is Inherently Of No Value To Us & Quotes By Ryan Opaz

telephone.jpg
  1. On Social Media: "The device is inherently of no value to us.” This was Western Unions response to the telephones invention. Ryan Opaz
  2. The truth is that we are seeing the fading away of yesterdays’ tools of communication, giving way to a new way of looking....Ryan Opaz
  3. Go ahead stick your head in the sand, pretend it’s a silly fad and that it is just a “phase”. Ryan Opaz
  4. Your choice is either to adapt and take advantage of the opportunities it offers, or you can sit there and complain, and let it pass you by. Ryan Opaz
  5. Today’s consumers have voices. The internet have given them voices, And these voices are not your competitors or enemies, but rather clients, readers, buyers, and sometimes new friends. Ryan Opaz
  6. Today these conversations are online. They are searchable, they are contextual, they are everywhere. But most importantly they are offering you a chance to join in.Ryan Opaz
  7. Today you can drive your own sales, rather than waiting for the critic to do it for you. But only if your honest, open and real. The internet is not a place to sell BS, it’s a place to have a dialog…join in and you will win. Ryan Opaz

 

Loading mentions Retweet
Filed under  //   traditional marketing  

Comments [0]

November 13, 2009

How To Use A Funnel To Get More Vistors

If you are a traditional marketer, you pay to interrupt your guest. If your a cultivator, using social media, your guest find you because, their friends (your social connections) recommended you, or because you have some advice for them ..... readily available on the internet. In other words, traditional marketers try to sell their rooms and social media cultivators try to establish trusting relationships. Relationships that are amplified using e-tools.

(Update) But where do you start the cultivation process? (image created by my fellow blogger Greg Balanko-Dickson)

funnel.png

 

You start by creating an online story funnel on every reason they want to visit.

Hang in there, you'll get the idea.

You start by identifying all the possible reasons why people come and stay at your guest house. Looking at the online-story-funnel, you'll realise that the reasons are the top of the funnel. The more reasons you have the more effective your funnel. Every reason is an opportunity to invite people into your guest house.

Let me list a few reasons for you and then discuss how you can funnel people into your guest house or business or (cultivation pool. Down load the free ebook on The Fisherman's Secret explaining the concept). 

  1. People visit your town because they are avid pelagic bird watchers
  2. People stay over in your suburb because it's close to the airport
  3. Leopard toad frogs bring many visitors to your community
  4. Your home is 5 minutes from the university
  5. A FIFA word cup soccer team will be based near you
  6. The flower season bring in many visitors
  7. You are way beyond nowhere and travellers need a place to stay for the night. With people, using cellphones to search the internet they can be 5 kilometres from your home, tired and willing to stay at your guest house. Give them an online funnel story so that they can find you.
Most visitors today use the internet to do research on their destination. They search for stories on pelagic birds, they search for a guest house between nowhere and hell. For every unique reason, you should write a story and publish it on your blog. Every story adds an entry point to the funnel. Every little bit makes it easier for your guest find your guest house online.

As they enter your story funnel they enter your cultivation pool (download the The Fisherman's Secret). Now, give them a reason to start a discussion.

Johan Horak
Online Marketing Tips Newsletter Using Social Media Like Twitter.
Holiday Home Management Tips Newsletter

Loading mentions Retweet
Filed under  //   cultivation   funnel  

Comments [0]

November 13, 2009

12 Steps In Creating An Internal Social Network For Business

Many businesses can improve their internal employee communication strategy with a closed internal social network using existing social media tools. I would look at social media tools like Friendfeed.com or Posterous.com to create such a internal social communication medium. I suppose Friendfeed.com is your best bet.

communicate.jpg


For the internal social network to work, I suggest the following:

  1. It must be easy to use. Employees must have access to computers and cell phones to publish content to the closed social network.
  2. The CEO must support the idea and use it.
  3. Initially the CEO and other senior managers must volunteer info, even if it's a little over the top.
  4. The postings should include social info associated with the members; sport teams, places they went to, nice things they do, etc.
  5. Then they need to share questions they have, answers to problems. Even the CEO must ask questions (with obvious answers) to get interaction.
  6. All participants (employees) must subscribe to the social network that you created, because a social tool like Friendfeed.com, will email subscribers the previous day's conversation. 
  7. All employees must be trained to use the social network.
  8. You need to propose a communication strategy, the; why, how, when, what, where and, as indicated, get agreement from the CEO.
  9. Get a team of people together who would be excited about the idea. Share your communication strategy with them and get them to panel beat it.
  10. Take your exited panel beating team and let them be the seeds of your internal social network.
  11. Ensure that this social network becomes the only source for important employee news.
  12. Communication must be open with no risk to the publisher. If people are afraid to post info that the boss don't like then you are wasting your time with the social network.


Good Luck and have fun


Johan

Loading mentions Retweet
Filed under  //   internal social network  

Comments [0]