I was recently surprised and most honored to be 1 of 50 people selected for Seth Godin’s SXSW Pokes eBook as part of his “Poke the Box” Domino Project. The eBook is a collection of stories about taking initiative. I am on page 59. It will be available on Amazon Kindle in April, 2011. Thanks to Dave Weinberg for suggesting I enter a submission!

You may learn more about it at:

www.thedominoproject.com/2011/03/free-ebook-sxsw-pokes.html

Direct download:
thedominoproject.com/_/SXSW_Pokes.pdf [PDF]

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

Due to production issues, O.B. Tampons have recently been scarce on store shelves. This has caused a panic among loyal customers causing eBay auctions for a box of  O.B.’s to go up to $75.

Ask yourself, if your product or service became scarce, would its value increase by six times its worth? It is interesting how customer reaction is such a gauge of supply and demand.

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

I’m excited to go back behind the scenes to analyze what service providers like AT&T and Comcast are doing to try and provide affordable, cutting edge services to customers.

No, I’m not leaving social media. In fact, I look to incorporate it because, who knows, maybe someday you’ll be able to activate HBO through your Facebook page. And yes, I plan to look into that : )

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

UDATE: My grandmother passed away shortly after midnight. She lived a long, wonderful life of 98 years and was able to meet her four great grandchildren.

Back in the early 70s (when international adoption was by no means the norm) my grandmother (born in 1912) was not sure what to think when her daughter told her they were adopting a baby girl from another country.

But, when my parents took me out of the back seat of their 1974 Ford Pinto wagon, my grandmother took one look at me and said, “Oh Nancy, she’s beautiful!”  It was then that our bond began and it will last forever….

MY GRANDMOTHER TURNS 98 TODAY
(Originally published June 13, 2010)

My grandmother turns 98 today. When she was born, household refrigerators did not exist yet and in a few months, Woodrow Wilson would have defeated William Taft. And, next year Ford would start to roll out his Model-T assembly line.

Think of all the changes my grandmother has seen in her near century of living… the Depression (the REAL standing-in-bread-lines depression), world wars and the dawn of radio, TV, computers, internet and mobile phones.

So, today when you are complaining about your internet being slow or your digital cable pixelating, do a self-check and ask yourself, in the scope of things, will this matter 70 years from now?

Peace, and may we all be happy and healthy!
SJW

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

The number to get a hold of a real person at NameSecure is (312) 453-0769

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

Some find the thought of having to write something very daunting, painful like going to the dentist.

However, you’ll find if you make yourself sit down and just start, you’ll get involved with the process and may even enjoy putting your thoughts into words.

You may scoff at this notion but consider this… inspired writing doesn’t necessarily have to happen during traditional work hours. Some write best after the kids are in bed and some write best early morning. Try to write when you feel you are in the best frame of mind and you can give your writing your undivided attention.

Don’t worry about having it perfect immediately. Write/type all your thoughts and then rearrange and edit. When you think you’re getting to the final draft stage, read it out loud to see how it sounds.

I realize I’m biased, I enjoy writing as opposed to say… doing calculus… but know that it doesn’t have to be so painful, just sit down and do it and start with baby steps, the rest will follow.

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

Does someone already have the Twitter name you would like to use? If you see that their profile has been inactive for more than 9 months, Twitter may release the username if you request it. Note that results may vary but here’s how you contact Twitter to make the request.

Email username@twitter.com with the following information:

• The username you want
• Your existing username, if you have one
• Whether you want to change your username, or start a new account with the username you’re requesting

Good luck!

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

Udpate No. 2

Another interesting fact, when I wanted to tweet my “How to get rid of Who To Follow” post for the second time yesterday,  Twitter kept saying “Technical Error.” I then tweeted the word “test” and it went through fine. I then tried to tweet my blog post again and it said “Technical Error.” It wasn’t until I changed the text of my tweet to say “How to get Who to Follow off of your sidebar” that it finally let the tweet go through. Perhaps just coincidental but interesting…

POST FROM AUGUST 6, 2010

In case you want to get rid of the “Who To Follow” on Twitter, I found that clicking on “View All” then hitting the “x” button or “hide” on all of them makes them go away, even after I logged back onto Twitter.

Peace and happy weekend!
SW

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

Twitter's @earlybird logo

According to the Fast Company article “Twitter Offers First @earlybird Exclusive Deal”, Twitter launched its @earlybird account in which advertisers can offer exclusive deals on Twitter.

The first @earlybird special is a buy-one-get-one deal for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. In a blog post, Twitter said it will introduce a new @earlybird deal several times a week.

Twitter reports it has lined up tens of advertisers and hopes for hundreds by year’s end. Advertisers already on board include Groupon and Gilt Groupe.

The @earlybird Twitter account currently has around 54,000 followers. As word spreads I believe it will grow tremendously. People spend a lot of time on Twitter to network and learn. This is a way for users to get a little something back.

Sarah Wallace is a freelance writer helping clients with blogging, Twitter, Facebook, web copy, SEO, e-newsletters and press releases. In addition to performing these writing services, she also provides editing and consulting. To learn more about her work experience and services, click on the tabs above or contact Sarah at sarah@sarahwallace.com

The foursquare Perspectives tool reports key statistics such as total venues, total check-ins, unique visitors and total mayorships, and presents that data through comprehensive charts, graphs and maps to help marketers easily visualize key market trends among Foursquare locations.

With this type of data, Starbucks or any merchant can pinpoint its most popular Foursquare venues and cater its marketing campaigns based on demand. Not only is this tool incredibly useful but it is also incredible that it is free.

This comes right after Awareness announced the addition of a Foursquare channel support to its flagship product, the Awareness Social Marketing Hub, to allow enterprise marketers to manage Foursquare venues and publish tips to all or a targeted segment of venues through a single interface.

Along with foursquare Perspectives, Awareness has published two eBooks available for free download (The State of foursquare2010 and Top 10 Ways Enterprise Marketers Can Leverage foursquare) to any enterprise marketer looking to learn more about foursquare and how they can include it as part of their marketing efforts.

You may follow foursquare Perspectives on Twitter at @4sqPerspectives.

You may also read my notes after seeing Foursquare Co-Founder Dennis Crowley speak about merchant relations at My Take Away From Eat, Drink, Be Social.

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

This is a big deal because if your business experiences staff changes, it is important to know who has access to your social media accounts. I have had clients who say they still have ex-employees attached to their fanpage or employees  have left and taken passwords with them rendering their social media sites useless.

Always make sure the appropriate people know your social media passwords and if you experience staff changes, change them for security reasons.

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.

Geolocation Glitches

First let’s rewind a bit to the social the night before hosted by DIALOGUE and Awareness, Inc. held at Dante Restaurant in Cambridge. Attendees were allowed to meet and mingle with the event’s speakers. At the social I had the chance to chat with Dennis Crowley, Co-Founder of Foursquare, a very nice guy who was doing a great job of fielding everyone’s Foursquare questions. At one point, he did clarify that  application glitches may be due to deadspots in your network or errors in the maps it is linking to. He explained that there are many pieces to the geolocation puzzle and that Foursquare is always working to improve the coordination of these pieces.

What Restaurants Think of Social Media

Fast forward to the first two panels of the symposium, a literal all-stars of the Boston restaurant scene with moderators and panelists from Zagat, Boston Globe, Yelp Boston, CitySearch, Boston Magazine, @eatboston and Cook’s Illustrated and restaurateurs Barbara Lynch (Menton), Jody Adams (Rialto and Top Chef Masters), Mary Catherine Deibel (Upstairs on the Square) and Jon Olinto of b.good. With these first two panels, my take away was that restaurants are well aware of the added pressure that rating sites bring and their emphasis on hospitality as well as food quality. The panelists said they are open to the feedback while Leighann Farrelly of Yelp Boston asked attendees to think about the words you use in your comments because they do effect livelihoods. I also found it interesting that Jon Olinto of b.good said that he was most responsive to feedback via e-mail and, in some cases, has even gone to customer homes to correct wrongs.

No Matter the Platform, It’s About the Customer

Props to Justin Levy of New Marketing Labs and Caminito Argentinean Restaurant who literally got off the red eye after one hour’s sleep to talk to us. He told the story of how he started helping his friend and eventually became co-owner of his restaurant. He reminded us that no matter what the platform, meeting the customers’ needs is what is most important and that is why his establishment has been successful.

Merchants and Existing Behaviors

The next panel was moderated by geolocation fanatic Mike Schneider (Allen & Gerritsen) and featured Dennis Crowley of Foursquare and Alexa Andrzejewski, founder of FoodSpotting. Dennis told us that Foursquare will be releasing its 2.0 version this summer and how they are trying to focus on working with merchants to offer specials and heightened awareness of the application. He brought with him hot-off-the-press window stickers that said “Check In Here” (see pic above) and “Foursquare Special Here.” He also spoke of trying to bridge the gap between enthusiastic mayors and establishments who have never heard of Foursquare. Alexa pointed out that FoodSpotting basically took an existing behavior and made it a little more formal and fun. I confess, I’m jealous she beat me to it. #foodporn

Mashable just posted an article about a tool called iPad peek which supposedly lets you preview your site through the eyes of the iPad, but it is inaccurate because it allows Flash. Further down in this article, Mashable gives instruction on how to dis-enable Flash in your browser so you can truly view your website through they eyes of the iPhone or iPad.

The reason this Mashable article caught my attention is because last week I was telling my friend about a company that I greatly admired and was trying to show her its website via my iPhone. Unfortunately, even the company’s basic description was not showing up because it was in Flash.  Here is the link to read the Mashable article iPad Peek: See How Your Website Looks on iPad.

Sarah Wallace is a research analyst, blogger and podcaster. To learn more about her, click on the tabs above.