See the Heart?
I was actually taking a “blind” picture of the sun and noticed the heart shape created by the clouds. Completely lucky.
hawaii
The Secret of Social Media Success
I attended the Social Media Summit Hawaii 2011 and gleaned the secret of social media success. Do you want to know what the secret is? Do you? Are you ready for it?
Okay, here goes. The secret of social media success is hard work.
What?! That’s it? That’s what you learned from a day-long seminar with social media elite you ask? Well, yes, but not in those exact words.
In this post, I am not going to recap topic sessions. You can harvest the power of Twitter for that by searching for the hashtag of #SMSHI (or #HISMS). Mari Smith taught the audience How to Build a Large, Loyal, and Profitable Network, Erin Blaskie explained how companies can outsource their social media, NEENZ provided her insights about building communities, Mike Prasad presented self-experienced case studies, and Yancy Unequivocally Jim convinced the audience to create viral presentations. These sessions I attended were filled with tips and insights, but one underlying lesson resonated from each speaker and each topic – you have to invest hard work to realize success.
Hard work includes discipline. Do you reach out to your social media communities every day, every week, every month? NEENZ does.
Hard work includes consistency. Are you consistently listening to your clients, customers, and audience and consistently using their feedback? Mari Smith implores you to do so.
Hard work includes organization. Do you use a project management system such as Basecamp to organize your social media replies and conversations? Erin Blaskie recommends it.
Hard work includes dedication of time. Do you spend 60-80 hours of work and research to create a one-hour presentation slide deck? Yancey Unequivocally Jim of Empowered Presentations does.
Hard work includes being methodical. Do you dissect your target audience into focused seed groups? That’s what Mike Prasad did for Kogi BBQ and sold over $2M of $2 fusion tacos.
So success doesn’t hinge upon the social media tools, tips, or resources. The differentiator is the hard work you bring, and that my friends is the secret of social media success.
Thanks to the Social Media Club Hawaii for organizing a great event!
Bonus
About the tools and resources mentioned during the Summit? Here are a few I jotted down:
- kurrently.com – a real-time search engine for Facebook and Twitter
- twellow.com – a directory for Twitter
- noteandpoint.com – a gallery of killer slide decks
- fotolia.com – low cost online images
- Apple Keynote – you too can create the World’s Best Presentation for 2010 🙂
- arkli.com – manage a social campaign
Double Bonus
Here are just a few random shots taken from the event and venue.
Tasha Kobashigawa Is Still Flying
A chance encounter. Standing in line at the Honolulu International Airport, waiting to depart to LAX. I turn around and see a face, a familiar face. Same but different. Then it hits me:
It’s none other than former-KITV-news-anchor-turned-pilot Tasha Kobashigawa. Although she wasn’t piloting this United flight, it appeared she was on her way to meet up with another flight. Yes, Tasha Kobashigawa is still flying.
Goodies at Costco
Spotted these goodies at Costco recently.
Hansgrohe Talis E Faucet
The kitchen Allegro E faucet is still available, and now you can have the Talis E in the bathroom.
Street Tacos
It’s now official. Food truck fare is mainstream with Costco offering Korean street tacos in bulk.
Get Schweddy Balls in Hawaii!
The search for Ben & Jerry’s Schweddy Balls in Hawaii is joyfully over. Go to the Ben & Jerry’s location in Windward Mall and sample yourself some Schweddy Balls. Are malt balls loaded with fudge really that delicious? Find out for yourself at the mall that cares.
As a missionary for Schweddy Balls, I’m sure @abaggy will soon enough sample the Schweddy and provide a lick-by-lick review for the pulpy fans. Until then, I am told that this ice cream is “surprisingly good” by an actual taster of Schweddy Balls.
Crepuscular Rays at Portlock
Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to watch the sunset from Portlock in Hawaii Kai. Here’s the view that includes crepuscular rays.
T.J. Maxx Is Coming Back
On the radio this morning, I heard that T.J. Maxx is hiring workers for it Hawaii location. Wasn’t this discount store in Hawaii before? I thought it was by the Stadium where Office Max is now located?
Anyways, Maxx is coming back and will be opening shop in Pearl City. Wonder if the store will carry cheap, outlandish kicks like these pink TL2s I almost got from Marshalls?
A Sexist Sign?
“Sex sells” is the popular adage in advertising, I get that. So what do you make of this van’s advertising for Isle Discount? I understand the artwork is a caricature, but what is she wearing or not wearing?  Okay or over the top?
But fret not for there is an iPhone and Android app for that!
And while you ponder the correctness of this signage, can you identify the neighborhood the van was spotted in?
Who Has Schweddy Balls?
It’s hot outside, reaching 90-degrees. The tradewinds have stopped, and the humidity clings to your skin. All you can uncomfortably think about are Schweddy Balls, Ben and Jerry’s Schweddy Balls, and how good they’re going to taste.
But who has Schweddy Balls in Hawaii?
Get Your Hawaii’s Ohana Cookbook
Available at the end of September is the new Hawaii’s Ohana Cookbook. Here’s what you can expect from this collection of local recipes:
There are time-saving dishes created by working moms and dads so other families can have an easier time finding that special balance between work and play.
If you look good, you’ll see a contribution or two from Wokintime, now known as The Unseasoned Wok. You can get a copy from the Mutual Publishing store location or order one through the mail.
Pictures from the Closing Sale at Borders
As the eventual end of the Borders empire looms, there’s a lot of activity and shopping underway. And it’s not just books but everything within the store walls that’s being sold. Here are some pictures from the Windward Mall location and some of the memorabilia I picked up.
Here’s what the inside of the store looks like. Panorama created by 360 Panorama. Be sure to pan and zoom around.
Extreme Speed!
Have you heard of Oceanic’s new Road Runner Broadband Extreme service? That’s 30 Mbps of download speed to go with 5 Mbps upload speed. Now that’s extreme (at least for Hawaii)!
But does it work as advertised? Check out this speed test result.
Looks like RR Extreme is holding up to its promises. But does extreme speed equal extreme costs? Oceanic is advertising this extreme service for “$35.95 more per month, for Standard Road Runner customers.” Whoa, that does seem extreme! An additional $36 per month on top of current RR costs? Not so fast. Talk with Oceanic reps and see if they can get discounted pricing for you. I’m not sure what factors come into play, but it is possible. Without giving out details, I’m paying between $10 and $17 a month for Extreme service, definitely not $35.95. There is on contract so you can always return to Road Runner Residential speeds and costs.
And if you’re hedging on this, one word of caution. This is a new service for Oceanic and is not optimized for its existing network. As such, Oceanic is limiting this service to two Extreme customers in an area. I don’t know what an area is, a neighborhood, a block, a network segment, but once there are two Extreme customers in your area, Oceanic won’t add any more. This will definitely change when Oceanic can ensure acceptable performance for all customers, but there’s no timetable. So if you want Road Runner Extreme, be sure to get it before your neighbors do.