So I bought a "book."

In case you never heard of the term, I looked it up.

book  Pronunciation: \ˈbu̇k\ Function: noun  Etymology: Middle English, from Old English bōc; akin to Old High German buoh book, Gothic boka letter  Date: before 12th century
1 a : a set of written sheets of skin or paper or tablets of wood or ivory b : a set of written, printed, or blank sheets bound together into a volume c : a long written or printed literary composition d : a major division of a treatise or literary work

It's great to see someone you like and respect have success.  Susan Getgood not only has the best name in social media marketing, she's also very smart.  She put together a valuable and clear guide for people who want to write, publish online, and maybe make a little coin while they're at it.  Susan sets herself from competitors by being an effective advocate for bloggers - as a co-founder of Blog With Integrity and the author of i-don't-know-how-many posts on how (and how not) brands and bloggers should interact, she really sets the standard for the rest of us.

In addition to the bloggers many people knew she'd highlight in the book - smart, entrepreneurial moms like Liz, Kristen, Julie, Joanne, Devra & Aviva, Mir, and a bunch of others - I was very pleased that she went beyond the mom-o-sphere and looked at some pals of mine like Chris, Preston & Jeff.  The book blends the case studies with the useful advice quite well, and it's worth a read for anyone who wants to do this social media stuff for real.

Congrats Susan!

Activists' New Secret Weapon: Databases

A while back I wrote about the "scariest mobile application EVAH," Good Guide.  It's a leader in a new and growing field of mobile applications that use barcode-scanning technology, GPS, and a variety of databases to tell consumers about the product they just scanned. These applications give consumers unprecedented information about products, brands, manufacturers, retailers, and pretty much anything else at the point of purchase.  They include the popular Red Laser, which lets you compare prices among stores in your area and online, and Label Lookup, a production of the Natural Resources Defense Council that helps you "find labels you can trust."

Tech-savvy and issue-conscious consumers will be getting information not only about how a given product is a buck cheaper down the road or online, but also anything a database of that consumer's choosing says about the product, brand, or company.  And remember, this information comes just moments before the point of purchase, giving the company almost no time to share its side of the story.  So when I tried Good Guide I learned that the makers of my breakfast cereal "violated the Clean Water Act."   I never got a link to the company's explanation.

So think about the databases out there. Think about current events and politics. It's not just review sites/apps like Yelp (dealing with a somewhat iffy reputation lately). It's not hard to imagine a mobile app that tells you:

• If the CEO of the company that made a product contributed to Proposition 8 (Human Rights Campaign could probably tell you)
• If the manufacturer is headquartered in Arizona, where you can now be pulled over for looking Hispanic (I'm thinking National Council of La Raza might be interested)
• If a company is a "union buster" (just a matter of time before SEIU launches this bad boy)
• Class action lawsuits filed against a company (ATLA, anyone?)

Building a comprehensive, accurate, and huge database for mobile apps to access takes time, talent, and resources.  Even the Red Laser database isn't all-encompassing. However, it's not nearly as hard as it used to be. Some database developers may sacrifice a bit of accuracy to get more volume or speed.  Some will probably be built by crowdsourcing - my favorite crowdsourced database comes from the brainiacs at Cornell who helped put the Great Backyard Bird Count online.   In the not-too-distant future, government databases will be accessible from your phone - a company's EDGAR filings with the SEC, actions brought by the EPA, and so on. 

So there are a few things companies should be doing YESTERDAY to protect their reputations and their brands:

• Upgrade your social media monitoring efforts to see what's written about you in all these mobile-accessed databases.  Good Guide is a start.  Make sure the info is accurate. Contact them if it's not.
• Build relationships with the folks who make these databases and these apps.  Understand their motivation, work with them to make sure you're presented in the best possible light.
• Partner with credible organizations to build your own databases and applications.  Support some of these groups by underwriting some of the cost, providing technical support, and letting them know they can work with you. 
• Promote responsible efforts to give consumers all the information they want and need to make smart decisions.  Consumers reward the companies that advocate for them.

Or, sit back and wonder why people stopped buying your stuff.

Bridging Brands and Bloggers

Susan Getgood asked me to participate in a webinar next month called "Bridging Brands & Bloggers." I've sung Susan's praises here before but I think she's really outdone herself this time.

The Council of PR Firms is sponsoring the webinar and Susan is representing Blog With Integrity. (I'm a member of BWI's Advisory Board.) The webinar will look at best practices in social media outreach and also examine the impact that new FTC rules have had on the industry. CPRF is really leading the way here, and I'm very pleased they've tapped Susan to lead the development of this.

What really excites me about the webinar, however, is the panel of bloggers she's lined up:

Beth Blecherman is the force behind Tech Mamas;
Michelle Madhok leads SHEfinds; and
Tim Hurst, my editor at Earth & Industry and at Ecopolitology.

It's very rare that someone brings bloggers together from three huge sectors - tech, retail, and environment - on a single panel to talk about PR, but she pulled it off. I'm really grateful for the opportunity to participate, and I hope you'll join us...

Blog With Integrity hosts the FTC

On November 10 the folks who brought us Blog With Integrity will be hosting a free webinar featuring Mary Engle, the Associate Commissioner for Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission. They will be discussing the new FTC guidance on disclosure and endorsements - this is critical information for bloggers who talk about products and services, as well as the PR and marketing flacks who hock them. They're accepting questions ahead of time so if you want something to be answered within the time they have, you should ask it early. Just send an email to blogwithintegrity [at] gmail [dot] com.

I've said a bunch of times I really talk more about issues than products, but it's still an enormously valuable discussion. I've let everyone on my social media team know about it, and I hope you'll be able to check in.

Susan Getgood has been the unquestioned leader of this discussion from the marketing side. She's the first person I look to for guidance and perspective on this critical topic. It will have an enormous impact on how marketing and PR professionals work with bloggers and I'm grateful to her and Julie Marsh, Kristen Chase and Liz Gumbinner for their leadership on this.

The Interview: Chris Hogan

Chris Hogan is a family man, an exec at a major trade association in DC, and an old friend. If you really know Chris, you know he has a very strong interest in men's clothing - not really what's "hot" or what the latest boy band is wearing, but the cultural and historic aspects of classic style.

To the best of my knowledge Chris doesn't have "formal" training in textile science, marketing or design. He didn't have many contacts in the field and doesn't have a long resume in the fashion industry. He just really knows his stuff. So when Chris decided he wanted to make a contribution to the body of thought leadership in this community, he did what many people are doing now - he started a blog in late 2006 that focused on the issues that interest him. He calls it Off the Cuff.

He still has his "day job," and he never did much to publicize his work - when he had time, he just kept writing thoughtful posts that demonstrated his knowledge of the topic and reached out to just the right people online. His readership grew steadily as more people learned about the blog. Now he has major publications asking him for contributions and companies asking for his advice on marketing. He's an authentic, credible, and independent voice in this community.

I asked Chris to answer just a couple of questions about what he's doing - I think Off the Cuff serves as a nice case study about how it's possible to take simple, sustainable, and strategic steps to build and strengthen a reputation in a specific community. This is how it's done, folks. The Q&A:

Why did you start the blog?

I wanted to explore if I could actually become an acknowledged expert in the menswear field. I've always had the interest and felt that my more intellectual and culture-focused approach might be attractive. I didn't want to write about what was "hot" - I don't really care about that - I wanted to write about how classic and timelss style can easily be fit into modern life.

How has it evolved since you started it?

The core goal of becoming a leading voice in the menswear/lifestyle world is fairly unchanged, but as the site and brand evolved I found myself addressing weightier topics, like the mass luxury movement and how it destroyed the concept of craftsmanship in favor of profit. I still write about day-day topics, but overall, I'm the old timer in the men's style blogging space. In fact, most of the sites on my blog roles didn't even exist when I started.

At the same time I was being approach by several entities to provide content for some major sites like MensFlair and now Nivea For Men's corporate site. I also recently sent in my first major publication, a piece for The Rake magazine that will be in an upcoming issue. So, the bigest change for me is the level of attention and genuine benefit a lot of my readers get fromthe site and associated content.

What are the tangible benefits you've gotten from it?

Obviously being considered a leading voice, someone worth talking to, is a big plus. I originally wanted to see if I would ever be considered and expert in the area of interest and the answer appears to be "yes". That helps me gain access to a lot of interesting and knowledgeable people, but it also allows me to extend the OTC brand and refine my style of writing and presentation.

I never advertised and I've never really pushed the OTC site or brand on anyone. all the attention has been natural and organic - to me that means even more because it tells me that I have something to say that others want to hear. that matter the most, being useful and relevant. Pumping up site traffic means nothing to me because there is no value there. So, the attention I am getting gives me a sense of purpose - it really matters. I have gained in a umber of ways - OTC is a relevant advice and style guide brand in the classic/preppy/Ivy League segment of the menswear space. Niche, yes; but valued. I get tangible benefits like products for testing and evaluation and significant discounts in some cases so that I can purchase products to test and write about. I have been invited to attend several very cool events and have also been able to interview some talented in engaging personalities.

I have also been able to expend my own skill set, notably in branding and strategy, so much so that I have provided some rather extensive advice to a UK based apparel/lifestyle firm.

All of this flows back to reputation and value. On the web, and certainly in my postion, reputation is everything.

What would you like to gain from it next?

I would like to build the OTC brand into a real consultancy of some sort. Branding and style/lifestyle advice. I would also like to take the Monocle route and develop a highly edited co-branded line of products. If nothing else, and I just wrote about this, the whole concept of branding and the marketplace it fragmenting and becoming highly decentralized. While Mr. Blackwell's list is entertaining, today people make up their own mind about what's cool, what's in and how to best create their own look and sense of style.

I want OTC to be a leading resource in market shift.