The Next Best Thing To A Sarcasm Hashtag

There's been more than a few times that a seemingly-benign text or email I sent was taken the wrong way, leaving me to wonder why the person I sent that "too busy to meet now" email to is glaring at me from across the office because they thought I was blowing them off.

Miscommunications like this have been an issue for many people, as more and more conversations take place through email and texts rather than face-to-face. The problem is that nonverbal communication, which is such a vital part of face-to-face conversations, is lost with email.

This means sarcasm rarely makes sense, jokes tend to be taken the wrong way, and quick responses often come off as terse or rude.

Well, there's a new download called ToneCheck that reviews your emails before you send them, checking specifically for phrases that may be perceived as angry or passive-aggressive.

The free download is still in beta testing, and is currently only available for Microsoft Outlook. I don't know how well it works or if it would be embraced by users, but it does illustrate the growing trend for social media (and yes, I'm including email in this category) management tools.

Think about the rise in programs like Your Twitter Karma, ReFollow, HootSuite, and now ToneCheck. Many of the new products and services we're seeing aren't necessarily new social networks, but new ways of working with and monitoring existing social media outlets.

Obviously, double-checking that email (especially to the coworker you're already on thin ice with) is equally effective. But if ToneCheck takes off, we could see plenty more social management tools hit the market, and ones that are geared towards the more popular text-based social networks like Twitter or Facebook.

Until then, if you have a clever pun or sarcastic comment you just have to get out, it's probably a good idea to make sure that sarcasm is made clear.

In Video Veritas

There are a lot of misconceptions about how to incorporate video into a business plan. Several companies will say that simply having video will generate traffic and revenue. Others will tell you that there are simple steps you can follow to make your videos go "viral" overnight.

However, there is no formula for making a video go "viral" because that type of viral or cult status depends entirely on how the audience receives it. That would be like guaranteeing a product will skyrocket in popularity in a week. If you want a successful product, you start by creating a quality product. Video production works the same way, which means that you need to make a quality video if you expect it to be successful.

And the truth is video can help your company, generate revenue and make a difference if it is done right.

Our very own video virtuoso, Dave Sniadak, recently had an article published in Videomaker Magazine (August 2010 issue). Here are a couple key points from Dave's article that you should consider with your next video project:

• Mix It Up - Be sure to incorporate some flavor into your shooting. Don't just adhere to the old "wide-medium-tight" theory and certainly don't just pan and zoom.

• Plug In - Always wear headphones to monitor audio levels. Having that perfectly-focused shot is pointless if the audio quality is lacking.
  

• Think Like an Editor - When shooting your video, determine if you're really going to use the shot.
  

There are many other great topics Dave covers in his article, and I strongly suggest checking it out. With so many subtle intricacies that go into video production, this post is just scratching the surface.

The most important point to take away is that the notion of simply having video and expecting it to be enough is an outdated way of thinking. Video production needs to be serious, because it can have a real impact and generate results.

What Were They Thinking?

Instead of trying to set the scene about today's blog post, I'll just start with the headline I saw and go from there.

Coca-Cola Pulls Facebook Promotion Amid Porn Complaints.

The Dr. Pepper-focused promotion required Facebook users to allow Dr. Pepper to "hijack" their Facebook status and post a funny or embarrassing message. In return, users received a chance to win $1,000 each week.

Problems arose when a few of the 160,000 people who volunteered their accounts were underage, including a 14-year old girl from England. Again, nothing too inappropriate, but anytime age limits aren't defined you're asking for trouble.

Some messages weren't all that offensive, like the one that read "Lost my special blankie. How will I go sleepies?" Other statuses edged closer away from the line of good taste, like, "Never heard of it described as cute before."

However, the message that Dr. Pepper placed on the 14- year old girl's Facebook wall was, "I watched 2 girls one cup and felt hungry afterwards." For those of you who don't know, 2 girls one cup is a hardcore pornographic film.

Now it's safe to say that a line was crossed. Not surprisingly, the girl's mother wasn't too happy about the status, and her complaints led to Coca-Cola pulling the Dr. Pepper promotion altogether.

This is a great example of not only knowing the target demographic of the promotion, but the target demographic of the medium as well. A status like that might be funny to someone a little older, but the age range of Facebook users extends into that younger demographic.

Some will ask how Dr. Pepper could let that status go unnoticed, while others may ask who was writing such risque status updates. But anytime a big corporation slips up this badly, there's only one thing we can all ask...

What were they thinking?

The New Look of Axiom

We pride ourselves on our social media know-how here at Axiom. But working so much with our clients' emerging media efforts, we admittedly let our own social media channels get placed on the backburner. That's why we have spent the last few weeks working to revamp and rebrand Axiom from a social media standpoint.

I'm sure you've already noticed some changes here on the Daily Axioms blog, with a new header and color scheme. We've also expanded from our six existing social media channels to nine, as you can see from our new buttons on the right sidebar.

We also wanted to have a consistent social media logo across the board. Consistency has been the main thing we've kept in mind with these changes.

There will also be big changes made to our @AxiomCom Twitter account. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, we decided to stick with @AxiomCom over the old @AxiomPR account. More importantly, we are in the process of adding a customized background with a sidebar to the Twitter page. Twitter's being stubborn so it's still in the works, but stay tuned and check it out later.

Finally, the catalyst for this overhaul is the launch of the new AxiomCom.com website, which will be going live today. We're aiming for a streamlined website that is easy to navigate but still looks nice.

This entire rebranding of Axiom's online presence has been a team effort, and we're very excited that its all finally ready to go public. As with any social media channel, it requires constant monitoring and engagement, so go check it out and let us know what you think!

Axiom Axes @AxiomPR

Back in mid-June, I wrote to you all about Axiom's Twitter troubles after our previously-hacked @AxiomPR account was returned to us. This left us with both the @AxiomPR and the @AxiomCom account that we had created in its place.

The problem we had was deciding between an account with over 3,000 followers (@AxiomPR) or an account with less than 250 followers, but ones that are more active and engaged (@AxiomCom).

Our fear with sticking to the @AxiomCom account was that we would lose a lot of blog traffic because of the lower number of followers. However, after a 2 week trial period with just that one account, we had some very surprising results. Daily Axiom's monthly blog traffic actually increased when using the @AxiomCom account.

That increase signaled the end of @AxiomPR. We decided to phase the account out, and we're currently in the process of mass unfollowing and making the switch. Additionally, the switch to @AxiomCom will maintain consistency with Axiom's big social media rebranding (which will be launching tomorrow by the way).

But this blog post isn't just me making a company announcement. Going through this decision process showed the importance of engagement with Twitter. Anyone who has worked with social media from an industry standpoint knows that it's no longer a race for fans or followers, and Axiom's Twitter problem proved that point for me on a personal level.