Google Alerts is a great way to keep track of the latest news on your favourite subject. It probably doesn’t take much to guess that one of my alerts is for WalesCymru, and this is why …
According to Alexa WalesCymru.com is the 510,882th largest site within .COM and has a Global traffic ranking of 951,345. Not bad I suppose being in the top 1m websites in the world.
If you are a member of Facebook you will know they are going to drop Regional Networks. Their argument is that to provide the level of privacy users now demand they need to remove a feature which, in my view, provided a great attraction. The argument goes … “Almost 50 percent of all Facebook users are members of regional networks …”, but this doesn’t matter to so we have come up with a “plan” and this is “to remove regional networks completely …”. Huh?
I don’t get this, how is something that was used by 50% of users a bad thing?
Personally I think Regions are an important feature that defines a community, even virtual ones. True I share interests which cross global boundaries, but I also share interests which can only be expressed in social interaction, and in ‘locally focused’ world, this means shared with people who live close by. To me, some of the most interesting aspects of Facebook were the local groups I found by accident, because they were local. With the removal of regions, how will I find these now?
This naturally brings me to the role WalesCymru has, or should have. Are we a regionally focused Social Network? Should we be?
This was the ambition we had in 2007, but is still some way off. Should this be pursued as our goal now, or should Regional Networks, as Facebook thinks, be consigned to the past?
What do you think?
Running a website is time consuming and sometimes you just don’t have enough time. Friends will know I’ve been busy helping others progress their use of blogs and social media activities, and hope to be able to make some announcements about these shortly. I’m now also working on a full-time contract with a Welsh Government Agency helping them ‘go digital’ - but again can’t say much more at this time; which means I have little time for other activities.
In the coming weeks I hope to make a few minor updates to WalesCymru and remove some of the out of date listings that have built up over the last two years. If I delete your listing by accident, please restore it immediately, as I’m sure listed businesses and users are getting some value from the site.
Being FREE helps at one level, in that it has no barrier to entry; but also means you have no income to pay for any resources or updates. The site is still seeing around 5000 visitors a month and around 20,000 page views - so I’m hoping some Welsh businesses are seeing real benefits of a WalesCymru list and positive review. If you’re one of these businesses and have any suggestions on how this site might progress, please drop me a line.
Have you ever been wondered what it’s like to cross wild and open country on horseback? If you’ve answered yes, then you MUST try Trail Riding.
This three and a half minute YouTube video follows Equitrekking.com host and travel expert Darley Newman as she joins Charlie Pollack of Caeiago for an equestrian adventure in Wales’ Cambrian Mountains.
If this inspires you Equitrekking.com features other Welsh rides, and WalesCymru features a long list of equine holiday operators. Autumn is a great time to do this, while the weather is still mild. What’s holding you back?
Today e-Crime Wales announced a half-day Creative Industries Workshop in advance of the e-Crime Wales Summit, which this year takes place on 21 October 2009 in Llandudno.
This half day e-Security Workshop - Lock it down or give it away? - is a first in Wales and aims to open up a bigger discussion around the creation and protection of Digital Content by companies and individual creators working in Wales’ Creative Industries - an area that is very topically and generating a lot of media attention. In fact, only today Lilly Allen add her contribution to the debate on illegal music download, which up to now has been lead by the Featured Artists Coalition.
Speakers for the Creative Industries Workshop are drawn from the fields of Digital Security, Content Management, Broadcast commissioning and Independent Music and will offer their views on the ongoing evolution of Digital Content, tracking media assets, copyright and online sales and distribution. Key findings from a new report on Digitally Networked Businesses (one of the topics I’ve been featuring in this blog) will be shared during the Workshop.
Greg Cannon: 41 Days from e-Crime Wales on Vimeo.
If you’re involved in the Creative Industries this workshop is bound to offer some thought provoking views and hopefully encourage Welsh business to think seriously about their IP and how to maximise the value of their work. Let’s hope a similar event is also organised for South Wales, as I doubt few companies based in this part of the country will make the four hour trip north.
Twitter is gaining ground as a corporate communication tool, but is still a long way behind Facebook which has just past 300m users. Like every communication tool Twitter needs some knowledge of how it works and it’s own set of skills to be effective; but it is also just one of the many social media tools available to business. In fact, in my view, the choice of social media tools is already outside the skill set of most companies and now requires specialist marketing, creative, technical & customer facing skills to be used effectively.
The Social Media tools available today include: blogs, Twitter, social networks (Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, etc.), photo and video sharing sites, rating and review sites, forums, User Generated Content (on your own site and elsewhere), File sharing (Slideshare, Scribd, etc.), Music sharing, Professional networks (Linkedin, etc.), Bespoke Online communities, Widgets / Applications, mobile Applications (for iPhone, Android), RSS, Social Bookmarks, etc.
Needless to say, few companies are using this full set and even fewer are using these effectively. This is because most marketing professionals, those assigned the job of implementing the company’s Social Media Strategy, lack some of the skills required.
The skills needed to be successful (i.e. professional) include:
I’m sure I’m missed some out; but you get the picture.
Conclusions
Hope this helps.
You’ve probably heard about this video already, if not the idea is simple. Take a young attractive Danish women who likes to drink, add a one night stand with a visiting tourist and the ‘inevitable’ result 9 moths later. The women of course is an actress and the video a hoax, but enough people believed it to be real to now feel very annoyed and cheated - OK they’re really pissed off with the Danish Tourist Board.
We know this sort of thing happens ‘all the time’, in-fact (in Wales) you don’t even need to be tourist to have a drunken one night stand; but should a country use free unprotected sex to market itself?
The two questions that come to mind: “How far would you go to market Wales?” and “Was there a Danish plan to deal with the fallout when this blew up in their faces?”
UPDATE: Between starting this blog entry and posting it the YouTube video was removed. The video link now goes to Mashable.com where I first saw this article. You can still see the original YouTube video here.
Despite, or maybe because of the current economic climate, companies (as well as government agencies & industry bodies) are investing in branded online communities (also known as social networks). The reasons why are simple; when compared to traditional marketing methods, managing customer relationships and fostering collaboration, online communities are highly efficient vehicles for better understanding, engaging and serving your audience. Many of these communities are, however, failing to achieve their potential (2008 report Deloitte).
These are some ways to avoid wasting resources and secure a better return on your investment in digital media.
Define the goals
When preparing for your online community project, first define your goals. Common goals for an online community include increasing awareness of your organization, improving customer or member retention, reducing customer support costs, elevating search engine optimization performance, growing advertising revenues and promoting thought leadership. Identifying the goals will help you make the business case for the community, by showing how it will bring value (both “hard” and “soft”) and save costs.
Define the target market
Is the digital community available to your entire customer or member base, or is it for a specific segment, such as a platinum-level membership or customers of a particular product line? Are there secondary target audiences that can coexist within your online community without diluting its overall direction, such as prospective customers or current employees?
With the target market defined, it’s time to focus on the members. You need to ask yourself the four “how and why” questions about your audience.
These questions are commonly referred to as acquisition, activity, retention and valued activity.
Don’t start with features and functions
Most web consultants can create a 20+ page list of cool widgets, features and functions they’ve seen on the Web and think would be great to include in “your community.” Resist the temptation and start with the four key questions listed above. The answers to these questions will drive your community; the sexy features can be added as and when they’re needed. The technology is simply a tool to help achieve your objectives.
Determine the metrics
If you aren’t measuring it, you can’t improve it. Create a list of metrics that measure both your business goals and online community goals. Many companies focus only on page views and member counts. However, it’s difficult to tie these numbers back to business goals. By defining particular metrics up front, you’ll enforce guidelines that will not only keep you apprised of the community’s progress, but will also come in handy when you request additional funding for future expansion. Some examples of metrics include:
Some examples of metrics used to measure an online community’s progress include the following:
Activity (general activity in the community)
Valued activity (activity that is more specific to what drives the business goals)
Place importance on community management
Many organizations underestimate the importance of having qualified personnel focused on managing and promoting the community. Building a successful online community is not a phenomenon where if you build it, they will come. You need people dedicated to its development and growth.
As online communities grow, they generally go through three phases of need: seeding, feeding and weeding. When a community starts, it needs to be seeded with content and people. After early members arrive, it’s important to start a dialogue with them. Listen and respond to their questions and requests. This makes them feel valued. Once a community’s membership base hits critical mass, it begins to self-perpetuate. At this point, it’s important to start weeding out destructive or non-constructive behavior so that the community’s health and focus are maintained.
Having a community manager who can create well-thought-out community guidelines helps to set the tone. We’ve found a direct correlation between community membership growth and allocated community management resources.
Gain executive buy-in
Creating a successful community often requires coordination with other groups and changes in behavior across the organization. Gaining buy-in from key executives up front will help as you launch, promote and grow your community. You may need assistance from your web team or marketing group, and executive buy-in can help align these resources. Additionally, you don’t want to find yourself at the eve of your launch date, only to discover that the legal department has just gotten wind of your project and is ordering a full review. Gaining support from key executives up front will help facilitate internal collaboration and give you cover when needed. Besides, social media is a hot area, and many executives like to be in the loop on what their company is doing to take advantage of it.
Building a successful online community takes a bit of work—planning, measuring and managing. However, when done well, an online community not only expands your organization’s position in the marketplace, but can also make a tangible difference to its bottom line.
Reproduced from an original article by Michael Wilson, the founder and CEO of Small World Labs. These are also the themes 41 Days covers in our Social Media Briefings.
A recent review of the Welsh Tourism Industry conducted by L&R Consulting on behalf of the Wales Tourism Alliance recommended that three task and finish groups be established. The one that is of particular interest to me is the “Digital tourism business framework for Wales task and finish group”.
This group is Jointly Chaired by Julian Burrell, of the Wales Tourism Alliance, and Roger Pride, of Visit Wales/WAG and comprises the great and the good of Welsh Tourism (see the full membership list here).
The role this group is to “consider, agree and be responsible for decisions taken in respect of the appropriate framework for digital tourism business for Wales”.
The Objective of group is:
To consider and agree a Digital Tourism Business Framework for Wales, to achieve this, the group will need to agree:-
With a total Project Cost circa £18,500,000; I advice everyone with an interest in Digital Tourism in Wales to keep up-to-date on the working of this group by reading their blog (something I’ve only just discovered myself today):
If anyone has any comments, observations of views on this, please feel free to post them here - I’d love to know what you all think; and esp. if WalesCymru ‘might’ have some role to play in this development.
Just watched “Blackout” by T.A. Williams and can’t decide if it’s pro or anti Welsh. What do you think?
Blackout, by T.A. Williams from Tracy Williams on Vimeo.
To escape the desolation of the Welsh Valleys a sacrifice must be made; but when this is your heritage and your chance for fame, is the price too high? Written and Directed by Tracy Williams (who plays Tessa), Blackout started life as a play, evolved into this 20 minute short film and is now a first novel seeking a publisher.
WalesCymru RSS