From the desk (and BlackBerry) of Keith Parnell

I say that Facebook is retarded in the most loving sense of the word. But among many things that Facebook does that are jacked up, this one may take the cake.

I understand the need for CAPTCHA checks. I understand that they need to be out-of-the-ordinary. But really? This out-of-the-ordinary?

What is the most jacked CAPTCHA check you have seen?

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On Twitter? Follow me at @parnellk63.

Listening to Pearl Necklace by ZZ Top.

Many consultants have many varying views of video blogging. But one thing is for sure - understanding your audience is a must.

Are you video blogging for your friends and family?
Are you video blogging for your current clients?
Are you video blogging as business development for potential clients?

Do your demographic and socialgraphic research first to understand if and how you should video blog.

Here is a list of pros and cons of video blogging to get you started. Do you have others?

Pros of Video Blogging:

1. Visuals, as opposed to plain text (blogging), do excite a lot of blog readers.
2. Video naturally encourages word-of-mouth traffic.
3. Some people (bloggers) can talk better than they can write.
4. Video assists strongly in building your visual brand.
5. Video blogging still holds a uniqueness factor. The majority of bloggers are not producing video.
6. Video can set you apart from the crowd of others in your vertical.
7. Video is much more personal than text blogging.
8. Video blogging reaches additional online channels such as YouTube, Viddler, Vimeo, Blip.TV, Ustream.TV, Qik, etc.

Cons of Video Blogging:

1. If you are self-hosting your video blog, server space can be expensive for serving up video.
2. Video shooting is much more difficult and complex than text blogging.
3. Video blogging can be very time consuming.
4. Video equipment could be expensive, depending on the scale of your shoots and production.
5. Video blogging requires much more preparation time than text blogging.
6. Videos are not optimal for search engines (SEO).
7. Not all viewers like to watch video.
8. Not all viewers can watch video. Think government installations, large corporations, educational institutions that do not allow video (flash) plugins to be installed on their workstations.

I recently presented the topic of Video Blogging for Business to a group of professionals in Hampton Roads. Click here to see the slidedeck and video from the presentaton.

Photo credit: George D Thompson

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On Twitter? Follow me at @parnellk63.

Listening to Fire by Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Earlier this week we launched the new Digital Media Seminar portal. The concept has been in the works for a while and through lots of hard work we are finally live.

What is Digital Media Seminar?

Digital Media Seminar is a series of seminars, training, conventions, meetings, and general gatherings about the digital media world. See more about what Digital Media Seminar is here.

See a list of all digital media upcoming events that may interest you here. Included in the events list are our Coffee with the CEO sessions.

See videos, slidedecks, agendas, etc. from 2009 digital media events here.

See videos, slidedecks, agendas, etc. from past 2010 digital media events here.

For a sample list of topics that we’ve discussed in past Digital Media Seminar events, click here. I think you’ll like these.

And of course, if you would like to request a new digital media event or would like to host an event, let me know here.

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On Twitter? Follow me at @parnellk63.

Listening to Fire and Rain by James Taylor.

I just ran across a nice article by Lewis Howes written for Social Media Examiner. Lewis talks about his top 5 ways he recommends using LinkedIn to market your business.

1. Use LinkedIn Groups & Receive Tons of New Leads Daily. …creating a LinkedIn group gives you the ability to generate an amazing number of leads from high-end decision makers.
2. Ask Questions & Build Your Credibility. …using LinkedIn Answers because it’s a great way to get the answers you need from some of the top experts in the world.
3. Create Powerful Events. Hosting an event is a great way to build your business (see events under the ‘More…’ news in the LinkedIn navigation bar). LinkedIn has an events platform that allows you to target thousands of professionals for free.
4. Run an Advanced Search in Your Target Market. Simply click on “advanced” on the top right side of your home page next to the search box. This will take you to a clean page where you can input anything you need to find the exact lead you are seeking. You can search by industry, keywords, company and title, to mention a few.
5. Send Personal Messages. Once you find leads, you want to send them personalized messages. The best way to drop any walls—and give yourself the best chance of making a sale—is to connect with someone on as many personal levels as possible.

What other ways have you found successful for marketing your business on LinkedIn?

RSS and Facebook readers: click here to view and enter comments.

On Twitter? Follow me at @parnellk63.

Listening to Steamroller by James Taylor.

Does private messaging work with social media friends?

Private Messaging = email (no CC, no BCC), Instant message, Twitter direct message, Facebook inbox message, etc.

Social Media Messaging = email (to a group), Chat message, Twitter tweets, Facebook status, etc.

Relationship / Friend = business associate, family member, friend, etc.

So, back to my question. If you have a group of friends that you converse with in a public forum such as Twitter, then you slide one of them a private message, is it a correct assumption that they will make public your communication because your friendship is public in nature? Or should the morality of communication in general dictate that a private message should always stay private no matter the nature of the relationship?

And to add to today’s relationship complexity, has the current social media landscape changed the way we communicate privately and with who?

Photo credit: {gman:DesignStudio}

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On Twitter? Follow me at @parnellk63.

Listening to Grace Like Rain by Todd Agnew.

Yep, I have to say that I like it. Check out the new Outlook Social Connector and LinkedIn plugin for Microsoft Outlook.

Download the Outlook Social Connector here for Outlook 2007 and 2003 (required pre-install).
Download the LinkedIn plugin here for Outlook 2010, 2007, and 2003.

RSS and Facebook readers: click here to view and enter comments.

On Twitter? Follow me at @parnellk63.

Listening to Life Less Ordinary by Carbon Leaf.

Things are changing. Times are changing. Not in all cases do we recommend to our clients to use email newsletter management software such as Constant Contact or email newsletters in general.

There are times when email newsletters are perfect, just know not in all situations is that the case. At times, RSS-to-email messaging from a category on your blog should be the delivery of choice. But that conversation is for another time.

Here are a few quick tips for creating powerful, attractive electronic newsletters.

1. Have an agenda. What is the purpose of your newsletter? Are you a thought leader? Is your message for customer retention purposes?
2. Provide usable, original content. Make sure your message is relevant to your audience.
3. Grab attention with your subject lines. I talk about this in depth here.
4. Remember short attentions spans. Design your newsletter for skimmers. Use catchy sub titles for eye-catching sections.
5. Publish on a schedule. Whatever schedule you create, stick to it so your readers know when to expect your juicy tidbits of info.

Have fun and happy publishing!

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On Twitter? Follow me at @parnellk63.

Listening to See the Sun by Dido.

I get people all the time tell me it’s hard to get up with me when they need. Well, it’s really not that hard. Today’s communications methods make it really easy. I’m on Twitter. I’m on Facebook. I’m on my blog. I’m on JASEzone. I’m on foursquare. I’m on LinkedIn. A lot! Between my PC in the office, my notebook in the coffee cafes, and my BlackBerry around the world, I would estimate I have online access at least 18 hours everyday.

I live in these social communications as a part of my business life and personal life. These are my network of choice.

But ultimately, there is one single way to ensure I return your personal message. In my world, my home base is my blog. Hit me up here on the contact webform and I’ll shoot you a message back everytime.

Google Docs supports the backend of this contact webform so I have traceability. I have history. I have a way to prioritize communication. And I have a way to control the staying power of the message you took the time to send me. I have a way to manage my time.

You can email me directly if I’ve given you my email address.
You can call me on the BlackBerry if I’ve given you my phone number.
You can text message me if I’ve given you the number.
You can DM me on Twitter if we are connected friends.
You can inbox message me on Facebook if we are friends.
You can send a message on LinkedIn if we are a connection.

But none of these methods guarantee a return message. I receive too many spammer type messages this way with no way to manage them efficiently. Example - I receive ~150 Twitter DM’s each day, ~25 Facebook inbox messages each day, ~250 emails each day, and ~35 text messages each day. I cannot manage all of them and still be productive.

That’s okay though. There is one single way to ensure I return your personal message. In my world, my home base is my blog. Hit me up here on the contact webform and I’ll shoot you a message back everytime.

Where are you available?

What about you? What’s your preference on initializing a new one-on-one communication channel?

Photo credit: hegarty_david

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On Twitter? Follow me at @parnellk63.

Listening to The Sun Is Shining by Third Day.

From the Google Buzz website -

Go beyond status messages. Share updates, photos, videos, and more. Start conversations about the things you find interesting.

No setup needed
Automatically follow the people you email and chat with the most in Gmail.

Share publicly or privately
Publish your ideas to the world or just to your closest friends.

Inbox integration
Comments get sent right to your inbox so it’s easy to keep the conversation going.

Photo friendly
See thumbnails with each post, and browse full-screen photos from popular sites.

Connect sites you already use
Import your stuff from Twitter, Picasa, Flickr, and Google Reader.

See updates in real time
New posts and comments pop in as they happen. No refresh required.

Just the good stuff
Buzz recommends interesting posts and weeds out ones you’re likely to skip.

Buzz from your phone
See buzz around you and tag posts with your location. Point your phone’s browser to: buzz.google.com.

RSS and Facebook readers: click here to view and enter comments.

On Twitter? Follow me at @parnellk63.

Listening to Walking on the Moon by The Police.

Looks like the Facebook team is at it again. Once again, another facelift for Facebook without notice and certainly not welcomed. At quick glance, it looks like I’ve lost my custom, filtered friends lists that were in the left sidebar. Ugh!

What do you think? Do you like the new interface?

RSS and Facebook readers: click here to view and enter comments.

On Twitter? Follow me at @parnellk63.

Listening to I Stand Accused by Isaac Hayes.

Be sure to register for these cool social media events at coffeewiththeceo.eventbrite.com so we can allow our hosts to plan for crowds.

February 2nd location:
Panera Bread
300 Constitution Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23462

February 9th location:
Bean There Cafe
733 Eden Way
Chesapeake, VA 23320

February 16th location:
Aromas Coffee
706 Towne Center Drive
Newport News, VA 23606

February 23rd location:
Fair Grounds Coffee
806 Baldwin Avenue
Norfolk, VA 23507

Coffee with the CEO: Let’s Live Social Media in Hampton Roads!

10:00am - 11:00am

Come out on Tuesday morning at 10:00 AM and have coffee with Keith Parnell, CEO of JASE Digital Media, CLO of NeedLocalHelp.com, and Co-Principal of New Media Conventions.

No agenda. No sales. Just sharing.

Talk social media.
Talk new media.
Talk about your business.
Talk about how to grow your business.

Let’s live social media!

Join the video series online at CoffeeWithTheCEO.com

RSS and Facebook readers: click here to view and enter comments.

On Twitter? Follow me at @parnellk63.

Listening to Baby I Love You by B.B. King & Bonnie Raitt.

It seems like each time I go out in public, I learn something new. Each time I attend a social networking event, I learn something new. Each time I speak at an event, I learn something new. Most times that I log into my online social media space, I learn something new.

Why does this happen? Because I listen. I want to listen. I want to be a sponge when I’m around smart people - you!

I think we must think that way to progress positively in our lives. I know we must think that way to progress in our business lives.

I tell you all this to get you to speak up. Blog about your thoughts. Blog about your business. Blog about mindmapping or brainstorming.

Technology has created this massive platform for you to be a rockstar. Use it. Let others see how freakin’ smart and innovative you are. Let me see how freakin’ smart and innovative you are. I want to read what you have to say.

photo credit: flickr.com/photos/phoebelina

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On Twitter? Follow me at @parnellk63.

Listening to One Headlight by The Wallflowers.

On Tuesday a group of professionals will gather over coffee to discuss business strategies, new media tactics, how inbound marketing can help small businesses in Hampton Roads, and many other hot topics.

Come out to Fair Grounds Coffee off Colley Avenue in Norfolk and join us in this open discussion. No agenda. No sales. Just sharing and free networking with other like-minded business folks.

Let’s live social media for business together!

Register for Tuesday’s Coffee with the CEO here.

RSS and Facebook readers: click here to view and enter comments.

On Twitter? Follow me at @parnellk63.

Listening to Low Rider by Barry White.

Pingdom, a service that monitors the uptime and performance of websites and servers on the Internet, recently published the results of a study they performed analyzing men vs. women and their use of social media.

Overwhelmingly, women outrank men. Does any of this data surprise you?

• Twitter and Facebook have almost the same male-female ratio; Twitter with 59% female users and Facebook with 57%.
• The most female-dominated site? Bebo (66% female users), closely followed by MySpace and Classmates.com (64%).
• The average ratio of all 19 sites was 47% male, 53% female.

RSS and Facebook readers: click here to view and enter comments.

On Twitter? Follow me at @parnellk63.

Listening to For the Good Times by Al Green.

I had the great privilege of being present last night for the Internet Law & Your Business seminar given by Bambi Faivre Walters, PC at the Hampton Roads Internet Marketing meeting.

Below is a review of my live tweets (in reverse time order) from the seminar.

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : Awesome presentation by Bambi Faivre Walters, PC on Internet Law & Your Biz! #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : You should register a DMCA Agent within your company. #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : The type of Copyright determines the amount of damages awarded in court. #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : Search Google Patents for a great list to start your research. #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : Virginia Inventors Forum meets next week in James City County (VA). #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : UIAUSO.org is a good resource. #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : Provisional Application Patent is very affordable. #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : Common Law Copyright always exists. #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : Creative Commons Licensing maybe a clean way to go for you - creativecommons.org #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : Copyright.gov is a good reference point. #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : Should have both a Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for your website. #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : Oops. Digital Millennium Copyright Act. #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : Millennium Copyright Act covers your image (photo of you) even if Copyright not filed. #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : chillingeffects.org - a fun consortium website on copyrights / trademarks. #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : Should copyright your website content. #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : TM’s are geographic. Should register in each region and/or go with USPTO.gov #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : TM applications online at USPTO.gov website. #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : TM turns into R once the gov’t has approved and the TM does not confuse consumers. #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : distinct difference between physical good TM and service TM. #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - HR Int Mktg (on Int Law) : Check trademark names before registering your URL. #hrva #hrbiz

@parnellk63 - At the Internet Marketing meetup on Internet Law & Your Business. #hrva #hrbiz #fb

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On Twitter? Follow me at @parnellk63.

Listening to Jackie Blue by Ozark Mountain Daredevils.