Daniel Johnson, Jr.

My friend and independent musician Drew LaPlante likes to use the phrase, “It’s a beautiful thing.” I could say that about Twitter and Twitter search.

Using Twitter Search to track trends

One way I use Twitter is to track the presence of certain phrases over time. I subscribe to the RSS feeds for searches in Google Reader and let them sit for at least 30 days.  I’m not as much interested in the content of the individual Twitter updates(tweets) as the aggregated information. I find this exercise to be instructive in understanding trends.

What’s being said and how I might help

I had thought of doing this to identify opportunities to promote the How I Got My Job job-hunting success stories podcast. My original hypothesis was that people might be more interested in knowing about the series right when they’ve lost their jobs.

Understanding the stories data can tell

In all the data analysis I’ve ever done at work and in other projects, to better understand the stories data tell, I’ve realized it’s vital to check and verify the underlying data, and make sure assumptions are clear. That way I and others can make better business decisions.

Analyzing Twitter search trends definitely comes with a caveat.  Take this snapshot of Twitter search data, as shown by day of the week, for example:

This chart shows that, over the past 30 days, the phrases “just lost my job” and “lost my job today” have showed up on the Twitter public timeline on Wednesday the most.  Does this mean that more people are losing their jobs on Wednesdays the most? Maybe, but you cannot be sure from this visual alone.

Why? Because aggregate information like this, a gross overview of the presence of phrases or terms, ignores context. What does “just lost my job” mean to you? Does it mean today? Last week? A couple weeks ago? What about those who do not report their job loss on Twitter with these words?

Even so, Twitter search trend analysis like this is instructive to know that people are talking about losing jobs, and it identifies opportunities to share about the series.

The visual above shows the same Twitter search data over the past 30 days, but in this case by time of day. The orange bar shows what time I’ve marked the items as read in Google Reader and can be ignored.  The chart indicates more people mentioning “lost my job today” or “just lost my job” in the afternoon or evening, perhaps, after coming home from their last day of work.

How I use the data

So, what does this mean for me? It seems that promoting the show on Twitter in the afternoon would perhaps reach the largest audience that might be most receptive, and maybe doing this on Wednesday would be best.  I still need to find a way to measure whether these efforts are successful, and this could be done by checking web analytics.

What say you?

I don’t claim that this approach is without flaws, and would love to see how it could be improved.  I would like to better track the effectiveness of promotions and welcome your thoughts.  What do you think of this approach?  What would you do differently? Have you ever taken a similar approach?

April 13, 2001 UPDATE: Christopher Penn shares some additional insight into timing Twitter updates that you should read. Check out “When is the best time to tweet?”

Related articles by Zemanta

• Using Google Reader As A Twitter Search Engine (philbaumann.com)
• FriendFeed: Still Great At Social Search (philbaumann.com)
• How Do You Prioritize Your Social Media? (socialmediatoday.com)

Last Saturday, as well as back in June, we did Questions from a Hat at New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday.  I told the group to ask any questions they wanted, whether related to social media or technology or not.  The questions were as varied as the group.

You can find some answers the group came up with via the UStream recorded videos, including ones from yesterday’s blog post.  But, I’d like to know what you think, so I’m including the questions people at last Saturday’s event asked. Pick one or more of these and share your thoughts. Feel free to add your answers in the comments or trackback via your own website.

Thanks in advance! Ready? Here we go:

1. Is anyone interfacing social media with the traditional media outlets? (i.e., combining social media with traditional media. Examples?)
2. Is Classmates.com a viable value proposition for social media in the future?
3. What was Twitter like in 2006?
4. Best place to start: Twitter, Facebook, blog, or other?
5. What WordPress plugins are you using, and what do you like best about them?
6. Explain FriendFeed.
7. Has anyone created a realistic R.O.I. (Return on Investment) measurement for social media?
8. What’s the best social media tool for a portfolio?
9. How can I drive traffic to my WordPress blog?
10. LinkedIn or Facebook? Or both?
11. Does anyone have the ability to coax info off a mostly dead laptop’s hard drive for less than 12 zillion dollars?
12. Do you see mobile marketing on the increase in US?
13. Why do you still have that profile pic? Need a new one?
14. How much networking is too much?
15. What are some tips for starting a social media community like New Media Cincinnati in an area that doesn’t have much going on?
16. Is The Pub at Rookwood Mews (where we held New Media Cincinnati) a good place to get fish and chips?
17. What is a virtual business card, and how can someone create one?
18. How can you measure Twitter conversation?
19. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck could chuck wood?
20. What are some tips for an aspiring blogger to get started?
21. How do I record video from my Firewire camera and audio from a separate microphone into my Mac computer?
22. What tools do you recommend for cleaning up your Twitter follower list?
23. What are the best Twitter applications for Blackberries?
24. How can we best monitor our children’s activities on the internet?

Related articles by Zemanta

• New Media Cincinnati August 2009 Second Saturday Recap (danieljohnsonjr.com)
• 3 Steps to Being Productive in Social Media (kylelacy.com)
• Social Media is not about your company. It IS about YOU. (insights-group.com)

(Cross-posted to newmediacincinnati.com)

Chances are, if you were following Twitter on Saturday, August 8, 2009, between 4 and 7 PM Cincinnati time, you saw updates from this month’s New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday.

The format once again was Questions from a Hat, similar to the “Scenes from a Hat” party game on Drew Carey‘s “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”. I can tell you emphatically that this format WORKS with this group! Not only does it appeal to our social natures, but it also helps spread a lot of information around in a relatively short amount of time. I’d like to say special thanks to Amybeth Hale, who live-tweeted the questions and answers on Twitter. We’re going to miss you, Amybeth, as you move to Washington state. You’re always welcome back whenever you visit!

This first video is 38:39 long.

I am SO thankful for Don and Vickie Sceifers and Tom Rockhold, who have taken over the UStream channel during the Second Saturday events. They’ve done a fantastic job managing this aspect of the event so that I don’t have to. This second video is 14:16 long.

My primary goal in using social media is to connect with as many people as possible in the Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky areas in order to find work much closer to home in Cincinnati.

Your use of social media will vary from mine and others, and that’s okay. Really. Let that sink in because it’s important. Don’t let others tell you how you SHOULD be using social media unless they really know what your goals are.

Did you catch that last part? That’s right. I mentioned goals. Objectives. Who would have thought that in this social media playground that goals were important?

I bet you already have goals, even though they may not clearly be defined yet. It may be something simple like exploring and learning how things work. That is perfectly fine. Seriously. Just be careful not to get caught up in the latest shiny object that comes around. Soon you’ll be wondering where the days have gone. If that has already happened to you, I’m sorry. Now is the best time to get some focus.

How I Use Social Media

I have been around this space since 2002, so in once sense that makes me feel a little bit old. But the social technology landscape has been constantly evolving, so I still consider myself as a learner.

Nevertheless, I have been able to develop some dexterity with some of the social technology tools that exist like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, podcasting, blogging, and others. I set up a page at my website, my About page, as a Virtual Business Card/Social Media Resume to indicate what I’m up to and where you can find me.

Amid all the channel fragmentation (TV, Radio, Internet), it’s important to know what your goals are in using social media. They don’t need to be the same as someone else; it’s okay if they are unique to you. I know I’m repeating myself, but it bears repeating.

My goals are selfish: I want to find work closer to home.
My goals are also unselfish: I know that in order to find the opportunities closer to home, I need to reach out and connect with those near where I am (Greater Cincinnati, OH area). I believe that the more I know about you and vice versa, the more we can help one another. The more I’m able to communicate my brand message – consistently, the more they’ll be able to take that with them and share with their connections, too.

What I Do

If you’ve connected with me on LinkedIn or Facebook, chances are you’ve received a note where I share a bit more background about myself; namely something like the following:

At my last job, I would pull information out of the business system to help other people do their jobs and make better business decisions. I did business intelligence work for a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) in Dayton, Ohio, using mainly Microsoft Office tools.

The company served as a corporate HR department for small- to medium-sized businesses. It uses a version of Microsoft Great Plains Dynamics customized by ThinkWare out of Cincinnati for the PEO industry, and it used the SQL Server database platform, where I’ve tended to spend a lot of my time.

All IT keywords aside, I was laid off last month and have a bit more time for my new and social media efforts, one of which is the New Media Cincinnati group, which I founded in October 2007. My primary goal in using social media is to connect with as many people as possible, especially in the Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky areas to find my next gig closer to home, whether it’s using my business intelligence expertise, social media skills, or a combination of both. It’s been an interesting journey so far.

Of course, I customize the message for the specific individuals I’m connecting with, but that’s the basic message. That’s my story and how I’m using social media: for connecting online and offline to find my next job.

How are you using social media to accomplish your goals? What advice would you give to help me and others on how to better use social media to reach our goals?

Possible related articles by Zemanta

• No doom and gloom at these 5 thriving firms (news.cincinnati.com)
• Employers Use LinkedIn Over Facebook and Twitter in the Hiring Process (sociableblog.com)
• Should a qualification in social media have more on-the-job focus? (fasterfuture.blogspot.com)
• Recruiting Controversey: Job Boards v. Social Media (punkrockhr.com)
• Use Social Media to land a job (WWW.BUSINESS901.COM)

I have had my iPod touch for about nine months now, and I have been really loving mobile computing.

One of the first applications I downloaded from the App Store was the WordPress tool. I’m actually composing this post via that tool right now!

I can’t count how many times I’ve had blog topics in my head but wasn’t near a computer to record them. Some other mobile blogging tools I’ve used include (most of these are available for use with your mobile phone)

• Twitter, still my favorite microblogging tool
• Audioblogger, a phone-blogging service that existed in 2005
• Utterli, formerly called Utterz. I haven’t used it as much lately
• Jott, now a paid service
• Brightkite, a location-based microblogging tool

What are some of your favorite tools for blogging on the go?

Related articles by Zemanta

• Easy Mobile and Email Blogging with Blogger! (netwala.blogspot.com)
• How To Email Photos From Your Mobile To Facebook Account (makeuseof.com)
• Three Killer Free Blackberry Applications (pajamaprofessional.com)