The Winner of the 2009 Easter Twegg Drop

Here's the guy who won.



Find out how he was picked out of 260 egg entries (and 1,980 other ones)!

3 Common Misconceptions with Twitter Spelled Out in Real-Life Scenarios

Advocates of Twitter usage have long been pointing that it’s great for shorthand media pitches and a great alternative to SMS or texting. But what it lacks lies in the very thing that made it such a household name: 140 characters or less.

Having specifics to communicate on Twitter is impossible—even in a DM, because that will only take you so far in characters. If your goal is to pitch an event or product, you have to be very general but still include a call to action. Chances are the recipient will either ignore your @reply, not see it, or DM you with their e-mail address to send more info their way. A person’s amount of followers depends of whether or not they’ll see the pitch, unless they’re hungry for searching out their Twitter ID, who’s used it and how.

The other side of the specifics argument is using Twitter as an alternative to e-mail, text or the telephone. You can’t have long-running conversations on microblogging platforms such as Twitter and I’m really not sure why social media consultants have Twitterviews (interviews via Twitter) because the back-and-forth seems to be tedious and long-winded at best. No one wants to see a blog post detailing an interview conducted on Twitter provided a twitter feed screen grab showing drivel in every tweet. As you move along reading the tweets, you’re thinking, “get to the point already!”

@Comcastcares is also a great example of the specifics problem. Here’s the tweet and response scenario on Twitter:

@person1 Comcast sucks. Charged me $200 for installation fee and still my Internet doesn’t work. Not happy.
@Comcastbob Hi, how can I help?
@person1 My internet is not working and I’ve had a service rep come out to my house 3 times and it still isn’t fixed.
@ComcastBob Please DM me your home phone number and I’ll take a look.

Even @ComcastBob (and other @Comcastcares staff) realizes that this problem is going to take a lot more than Twitter dialogue to document, so the DM with a phone number follows. This shows us that Twitter is simply a means to an end but cannot provide the nitty-gritty of ISP server trouble-shooting. After all, who would want to in 140 characters or less? Why not just handle it in a phone call.

Short-lived share of information. One of my biggest irks with Twitter is that the Axiom account has over 2,000 followers and every ‘refresh’ equals a new Twitter feed that replaces the 2-minute-ago tweets. I know I can hit the back button, but that’s somewhat irritating. Sometimes you just miss information altogether because Twitter is too fast. This is like someone talking excessively at you and you aren’t allowed the time to soak in the information. You then say, “I’m sorry. Can you repeat that?” To which they reply “Huh?” because they don’t understand that question in this new environment. Twitter understands a person’s desire to keep it relevant and offers services like ‘favorites’ or Tweetdeck, but still, I’d much prefer a feed that represents all of what I’m into, as opposed to having to seek it out. (If there are other services out there that completely do away with this argument, please let me know in comments. I’d love to check them out.)

Word-of-mouth (WOM) can reach a stand still. So you just figured out that Twitter is a great tool to communicate your contest or promotion. You think the WOM will spread like wildfire because Twitter is fast and offers residual networks that will just take off in promotion-push stride. Wrong. Pushing out a contest has its limits on Twitter and it’s primarily due to this: the more popular someone is, the more likely they will miss your general message. This tells us that, like mass e-mail distribution, general tweets are not good to push a contest or promotion. You need to personalize it if you want to garner longevity—the type of longevity that leads to a blog post or publicity for the promotion. True, you will see people RT your general announcement, BUT it has only grabbed them for 2 minutes and 20 seconds (140 characters) or less. And if you think 15,000 followers equates to 15,000 promotion/contest tweets you’ll monitor and bring back to the client-- wrong again. You will never know what the person is thinking, and furthermore, how the person will use the info. The more personal you make a push for a promotion or contest, the better.

While I’ve mentioned three problems with Twitter’s short-hand style, one thing always rings true and involves this great rule of thumb when working in any social network: focus on the relationships, not the quantity.

Twegg Drop Contest Closed. Winner Announced Today

UPDATE: A couple of donations have yet to be accounted for and we want to give everyone a fair and equal shot at winning the Kindle 2-- which will be presented to the winner by Mobile Loaves & Fishes' President Alan Graham. I will let you know when we're ready...

After two weeks of non-stop tweeting and hard-boiled egg donations, the 2009 Easter Twegg Drop is now closed and the winner of the Kindle 2 will be picked today when the eggs roll out! But if you're interested (and we meant to have this up on Monday), here are the names of all of those who have been entered into #tweggdrop. If you see that someone has more than one entry next to their name, they followed our instructions on how to double and triple their chances of winning the Kindle 2. Any disputes, let me know and I will look into it for you.

Debra_Hamel 1
CollectedMisc 2
kevinfentonbiz 1
rehor 2
barbekresla 1
bennesvig 1
quick13 2
mnpr 2
RobinMarie 1
mgnelson 2
mmarteen 1
Obsession88 1
peterbokunet 1
jimakin 1
RosevilleWriter 2
Rmediavilla 1
katsushiro 1
morrischris 1
Ignitus 1
nathanrhansen 1
rwilson89 1
jojeda 1
ChristineCape 1
questionyou 1
Karen_Eden 1
amycrea 1
BryanPerson 1
TexansVsHunger 1
heatherjstrout 1
leslie_dippel 1
amymengel 1
elseash 1
ahanin 1
anvilcity 1
mambome 1
paigeorloff 1
sheenamiller 2
KathyPurdy 1
etechwriter 1
cvillemama 1
alanashley 1
jonl 1
poneal 1
churchlady4 1
cafecyan 1
StarAasved 1
derek_harris 1
phire42 1
Wilsonart 1
PyrateWench 1
denebir 1
ttrentham 1
avennerberg 1
hamblinj 1
StorlieDawg 1
foodbankrgv 1
Vertie 1
jefftaff 1
jcraiglewis 1
daveyank 1
webguypdx 1
CCahillMN 1
coreyehlert 1
TrishasTravels 1
Jen_Hanson 1
ramcosca 1
jesipr 1
Daleylickliter 1
laurajean 1
lafromboise 1
Jkarkula 1
dannybrown 1
deliriousgirl 1
robinwithani 1
mad_cow_chris 1
eliyet 1
cbreitling 1
judithsthoughts 1
rachieannie 1
CommanderNChef 1
hbobier 1
nocollars 1
inaeyaert 1
AprilAMiller 1
cjoien 1
Zpad 1
Crapdraz 1
kayjay15 1
Impeifer 1
txvoodoo 1
JustJon 1
JetWithAnya 1
adammika 1
HazelTwiggs 1
BigMikeInAustin 1

kmskala 1
pamkakes 2
TeresaWrites4U 2
DLRWriter 1
Tdbttrfly 1
gautieraustin 1
mommy_grrl 1
exactlythat 1
bsblchik 1
atxsarah 1
bouffee 1
sarahmcquilken 1
arikhanson 1
ellenm53 1
minnemom 1
modmama 1
comefollowme 1
Vicki_Test 1
MargieNewman 1
janetmom2maya 1
makasha 1
good concepts 1
luckytoddler 1

wanderingmn 1
ryanvanasse 1
laurynw 1
promising 1
tglwesttexas 1
comol1982 1
zealotonastick 1
harveydanger 1
Aaronstrout 1
CatherinVentura 1
Cassel 1
ryjo 1
asdeos 1

3kidsandus 2
KellyNeufeld 1
aLITTLEbitNUTTY 1
AsTheNight 1
Minneap 1
thomaskvamme 1
Aleksija 1

fingerscrossed 1
Laurie2008 1
Swtlilchick 1
LoneWolfMLS 1
sewcat 1
sewbird 1
lastnerve2000 1
twinbush 1
TheGrimmReaper 1
JamesFelder 1
SaraMama 1
hondaray6 1
jmd61 1
Hapysun 1
nickqueen 1
flinflan 1
1stopmom 1
vlbsweeps 1
easagredo 1
PrincessGill88 1
FantasyDreamer 1
tdfangirl 1
Gnome_King 1
NancyHolzner 1
donnalocklin 1
whammo52 1
src1964 1
ladyozma 1
lftcan 1
amezri 1
luke314pi 1
cammeiosis 1
Emisi 1
georgefiddler 1
buhfly 1
Auguris 1
1001cranes 1
amymessere 1
crazypoet 1
marvolosriddle 1
deberito 1
princessamymo 1
cassiejamie 1
lizdyer 1
CFitz 1

bbricke 1
animal_cracker 1
cheesygiraffe 1
tinkerbellehell 1
newtypegirlie 1
bettyrose 1
GothamGal 1
HyugaFenrir 1
TinkaTayla 1
modbebe 1
ebrenner 2
sarajhenry 1
charleneburke 1
princessrica 1
jodeit 3
wastebasket 1
ELLCteacher 1
BooksOnTheKnob 1
BeesOnTheKnob 1
drewperry 1
kandisprizza 1
mntruck 1
ecaron 1
MoreThanARoom 1

vrigsbee 1
SandDanz 1
BookstoreDeb 1
chennpug 1
sweepstakesgirl 1
madly59 1
TropicsZ4 1
goldone 2
SapphirePhelan 1
rj_edwards 1
renewbee 1
strawberryredx2 1
joannaonthelake 1
ladybug_3777 1
HomeArtCraftBiz 1
Jennmarie68 1
JessicaHyde 1
cbjones00 1
cjmartin 1
Jim_Seal 1

caragonza 1
pestkaj 1
Melsbb1985 1
apryll_lopez 1
annedoggett 1
ooodaisymaeooo 1
sumrthyme 1
jmd61 1
ithink_ican 1
KarinHousley 1
ellensNEWintern 1
mtheilmann 1
lily2423 1
lvelasco 1
SgtBV1 1
Krimsin 1

Twegg Drop: Triple Your Chances of Winning the Kindle 2!

In the spirit of this Holiday weekend, we’re giving Twegg Drop participants the opportunity to triple their chances of winning the Kindle 2! This Friday, recommend @MLFNOW as a non-profit to follow for #goodfollowfriday (instructions on how to do it are below). So to summarize, below is a listing of all the ways you can enter our 2009 Easter Twegg Drop. We'll pick a winner on Tuesday, April 14. List of all the entrants will be posted on Monday.

And remember, deadline for entries is Easter Sunday at midnight!

1. Tweet: Follow @MLFNOW because they are a social outreach ministry for the homeless and indigent working poor #goodfollowfriday
2. Tweet the message: Real Eggs for the Hungry. Win a Kindle 2! http://twurl.nl/maj4x6 #tweggdrop and your Twitter handle will be put into an egg in the Axiom phone booth.
3. Make a direct egg donation of $5 or more to Mobile Loaves & Fishes at their site (www.mlfnow.org/egg)

Alas-- one more Twegg video update, with the culmination of our live video streaming of the egg rollout next Tuesday. We have 230 Twegg entries now. Happy Passover, Easter... Holidays!

How to Avoid Facebook Fan Facades

Built into a social media tactic for a brand’s Facebook Page is the always-popular incentive: a contest, a giveaway, something really special. But what if it’s not incentive enough to keep fans actual fans?

Sure, word-of-mouth (WOM) contests are the tactic of choice for brands on Facebook, but the problem is it’s only stimulating one’s interest for a season—not a summer, winter or spring. What evidence is there to show for fan declines on Facebook? Plenty.

After Papa John’s free medium pizza push lost its edge, it started losing fans by the thousands. Its page pretty much went dormant after the Super Bowl. In its earlier Facebook Page years, Crest Whitestrips (Proctor & Gamble) dropped 4,000 of its fans after a launch ‘smile’ promotion left little WOM impressions. Having to report numbers to your respected client, I don’t think they’ll appreciate such declines. For most, a loss of fans or members in social networks is like seeing the Dow drop 777 points; it’s monumental and the problem is no one’s buying what you're selling.

There are many ways to avoid the dreaded brand fan decline. Here are some that I’ve used in conversation with clients looking to jump on Facebook with their brand:

• A call for C-suite level involvement- If a client thinks for one minute that I am going to respond to all of the brand comments, in particular, the quips with products or services, on wall posts and discussion boards, it is wrong for them to assume so. I may be a representative but I can’t talk about a brand the way the person behind the brand can. Putting a senior level official into the mix of conversation may open themselves up to ridicule, but it’s hands-off now and fans want to know C-suites are listening—and that it’s not some receptionist behind the desk trashing complaints. Sometimes the ridicules are just a test to see if someone is actually there and listening.

• Find your #1 brand fan- somewhere out there, someone loves your product, so why not crown him or her your #1 fan on Facebook? Companies are seeing the potential in categorizing brand fans in terms of activity, and are now offering their services to address the need. #1 fans can make a lot of headway on Facebook, which includes making their friends fans of your brand. From status updates about a company’s product or service working out in a certain situation, to subscribing to the monthly e-newsletter, you can be assured this person will work for you, not against you. Okay, so maybe your #1 brand fan doesn’t have that many friends, but give him or her the credit they deserve and be patient with the fan-building process.

• Leverage the Twitter base- I think Twitter is an absolute must to supplement Facebook brand-building efforts. Why? Anyone who’s active on Twitter is most certainly active on Facebook. Plus, Twitter has warp-speed response time, and a quick reply to someone bashing your brand may make a 180-degree difference. Who once was a brand antagonist now is touting your brand on Twitter and they’ve joined your Facebook page too. Twitter is also a long-lead base because it allows for long-term and continuous, and might I add that the interface is composed so effortlessly. It’s hard to justify long-winded dialogue on a Facebook Page. Try wall-to-wall but eh, no-- Twitter is better. If you haven’t already, create a Twitter account, start talking and link your “want more?” motive to your brand's Facebook Page.

• Themed days and events- This goes right along with the contest idea, and if you want contests or a way to keep fans hungry for more about your client's brand, make every month a new month for the Facebook page. This means coining a fun event name for that month that coincides with the brand’s key messages. To use a hypothetical example for Crest Whitestrips: Crest announces May as “wear your smile proud” month. Fans are invited to upload as many quirky pictures in different landmark locations where they’re showcasing their teeth smile. The best teeth smile in the most patriotic situation wins a year’s supply of Crest Whitestrips. That’s just one example of what Crest (or you) can do for your client. Go on—be creative.

If you’re having trouble figuring out how to build a brand’s Facebook page, use these suggestions as a strategic guide to planning your client’s next social media move.