Twitter Creates Full-Time Jobs

I hope by including Twitter in the title of this post you don't automatically dismiss this article. Even though it's mostly about the social craze and microblogging site, it's also about companies reaching out to their customers in unique ways and providing a valuable resource in the process.

A large part of my job is digital marketing via the Menace's website, email newsletters, facebook, and Twitter. I add new stories to our site, update photo galleries, sent out invites and post tweets about upcoming Menace events and promotions. I like to think that I do a pretty good job at what I do, but there is always room for improvement. This was very apparent to me when I stumbled upon Panchero's Twitter page.

Reid is the social marketing guru for Panchero's and his full-time job revolves around Twitter. Although "tweeting" isn't the only thing he does, it seems to me that his job wouldn't exist without Twitter. In addition to connecting to Panchero's fans via Twitter, Reid also runs a blog for Panchero's which contained a few interesting marketing initiatives:

• Vlogs (video blogs) of weekly trivia questions and the winners who receive free gift cards
• Free Burrito Tour: Reid includes details about where the Panchero's Hummer will be each week to hand out free burritos
• Burrito Eating Contest: There was also a story about Panchero's third annual eating contest where the winner won free burritos for a year!

Each of these are simple ideas that Panchero's carried out using Twitter and a blog and is creating some great marketing opportunities for their organization.



Best Buy has also started a Twitter initiative with the creation of the Twelpforce that consists of Best Buy associates answering any and every question submitted through Twitter. It's free to use, and a great way to connect with customers who are in need of technology support. The twelpforce also helps to highlight Best Buy's major strengths, knowledge and customer service, compared to other electronic retailers (ie: Wal-Mart) who exhibit little to no knowledge about the products they sell.

Best Buy and Panchero's are just two examples of companies who have used social networking to their advantage and helped them connect to their customers. It's more than just tweeting but developing creative ways to connect via Twitter. Because Twitter provides a way to connect to many customers in an effective way, social networking jobs have been created at many companies.

Thumbs up to both companies for their use of social networking, and thanks to Panchero's for the free steak burrito!

TetherBerry

We have all seen the iPhone commercials that highlight the many amazing apps (applications) for the iPhone. It is truly a remarkable device that seems to have no limits. I don't care what phone you own or where your smart phone loyalty lies, you can't not be impressed with the iPhone.

With that being said, I have discovered an amazing BlackBerry tool that I hope other BlackBerry users or "CrackBerrys" will try out. It's called TetherBerry and it's an application that you can download on your BlackBerry. TetherBerry allows you to connect your BlackBerry to your Mac or PC laptop and receive an internet connection through your phone. It works anywhere as long as you have a signal on your phone. I have only tried this on my MacBook Pro, so I'm assuming it will work just as well on a crappy PC.

I realize that tethering is also a feature on the iPhone but there are a couple of major differences. First off, AT&T has yet to offer tethering to iPhone users in the U.S. Secondly, when it does become available, you will most likely have to pay an additional monthly fee to use this feature. This is not the case with TetherBerry.

TetherBerry has released a Beta version that will be free to use for 7 days, after that you will have to fork over $50 (well worth it in my opinion), to get the full version. The $50 is a ONE-TIME fee for the application and won't be a monthly charge. For those of you who travel or take your laptop everywhere you go, this is a must-have for your BlackBerry.

Time for an Actual Laugh

Dan's most recent post entitled "Funny Joke," did nothing for me and probably didn't bring much laughter in your life either. Well hopefully this post will.

I watch a lot of Seinfeld reruns during the late hours of the night and caught one of my favorite episodes last week. While it's impossible to label my one favorite Seinfeld episode, I can say that the rental car clip is one of my favorite all-time Seinfeld scenes. Enjoy.

My Apologies

So I feel awful about neglecting the blog for the past few weeks and as far as my co-contributor goes, don't get me started. But I would like to say that I have some legitimate excuses for depriving you of all the fascinating and interesting stuff that NoBigShake.com usually offers.

A. It's Menace season:
So this is an obvious one and it hasn't stopped me before, but this weekend is playoffs so it's been pretty crazy around the office and I've had a few late nights. When you add Menace season to a second job it equals 3 days off in two months. I would love to hear if anyone has gone on a similar working stretch. It's kind of nuts, but I feel like it's preparing me for something bigger and better down the road.

B. Real World, Rescue Me, & NetFlix
A new season of Real World has begun, so I once again have a show that I like to watch religiously along with Rescue Me. For a guy who has as little free time as I, spending it on TV isn't a great idea, but I enjoy being lazy when I can.

C. Sand Volleyball
7 more weeks of sand volleyball make a total of 14 weeks this summer. It's been an amazing summer meeting a few new people out at Sand's and continuing new friendships with teammates who I barely new 2 months ago.


So that's all I have for now. I hope to be posting soon about something crazy, awesome and exciting such as a possible vacation to Colorado and Chicago in the same week. Don't give up on this blog just yet. NBS

Funny Joke

My wife and I are watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire while we were in bed. I turned to her and said, "Do you want to have sex?"

"No," she answered.

I then said, "Is that your final answer?"

She didn't even look at me this time, simply saying "Yes."

So I said, "Then I'd like to phone a friend."

And that's when the fight started....

Musical Insight

I'm taking a page out of the Les & Nic playbook to share some musical insight to those willing to listen. I've been expanding my music collection lately and iTunes has been my primary source for downloading.

You may not believe me but I recently stole music off of iTunes. Well, I didn't actually steal it, but it felt illegal to pay only $16.99 for 38 of Michael Jackson's hits on The Essential. The Essential contains many of MJ's hits including tracks from the Jackson 5, the Jackson's and his many solo albums. It's no surprise that this album is currently #1 on the top albums list on iTunes.

While I can't single out my favorite all-time MJ song, I can leave you with the song i've been jamming to most recently...(warning: this is just the music, he never made a video for this song)

MyLifeIsAverage.com

"I'm not that interesting and I don't think people want to read about how lame my life is." This is exactly what I told a friend of mine regarding my blog. When Dan and I first decided to turn NoBigShake.com into a blog, I told him I had no clue what I would write about but I wanted to keep it interesting and fun. My life, at it's best, is mildly entertaining. This is why I spare the audience about stories of taking a mascot costume to the dry cleaners or what it's like to share a cubicle with a guy who only speaks in puns.

Yesterday, I was told about MyLifeIsAverage.com and it instantly hit home with me. It's similar to TFLN (textsfromlastnight.com) & FML (fmylife.com), only nothing exciting happens (just like my life). Some posts will make you laugh out loud while others will leave you wondering why someone took the time to submit their story. Either way, I thought I should share this website with others who feel their life is as average or lame as mine.

Thanks for reading,
Bobby