8 Essential Blog Posts for May 2009

Just a reminder: These are blog posts that I enjoyed reading, for whatever reason. Perhaps they were valuable for me, merely entertaining, thought provoking, were about something I’m interested in (e.g. social media) or potentially something I thought my tribe would enjoy. As always, I would love feedback. Did you catch these posts during May? Did any of these resonate with you? What are some of your most recent favorite reads? Even better, what’s your favorite thing YOU wrote during May? Share it with me in the comments section.

Shut the Hell up you Self Promoting Turd – Chris Brogan
I loved this post because Chris sternly stated something I’m very passionate about. The cliffnotes = stop bragging about yourself and your company and give empower people, give customers the mic, and make them the center of your world. If you have to tell someone you’re the best, you’re not.

Saying ‘No’ – Seth Godin
I work with and associate with a lot of talented people in this space. On a rare occasion people mistake me for talented. This post is a great reminder that it’s okay to say no to some requests, in fact, sometime it’s a game changer.

How to Hit the Enterprise 2.0 Bullseye – Andrew McAfee
This is a very in-depth look at the different enterprise 2.0 tools people can use to connect with their constituents, from strong ties to someone without any connection (weak and potential ties in between.) It’s a great framework to understand the best way (and technology) to approach people, once you’ve determined which ring of the bullseye you’re targeting.

*Note: The article was written in Nov 2007, but I found it via David Armano during the month of May ’09. It’s still very relevant 1.5 years later.

35+ Examples of Corporate Social Media in Action – Aaron Uhrmacher
Let’s face it. Sometimes it gets hard to think up a brilliant new marketing strategy using these social tools; one that fits the brand you’re working with, but hasn’t been over done yet. These 35 corporate examples should spark some ideas as it represents a wide variety of businesses, industries and social media tools.

The Biggest Opportunity of All – Valeria Maltoni
I suspect this post resonated because it touched on three things I’ve been preaching a lot at RSM. 1.) “The biggest opportunity in fact is in listening for and finding those people who want and need your services.” 2.) “Too many focus on the tools – give me a blog, fan cast me on Facebook, I’ll raise you a Twitter.” 3.) “Remember it’s social. It allows you to more easily join or build a conversation that is about your customers – and not about you.”

Why Messages Aren’t Enough – Amber Naslund
Very insightful post about the differences in messages (which you can gather from the title aren’t enough) and the experiences we should create that will enable awareness and said messages to translate. Perhaps we want the consumer to create their own messages, and communicate it in their own way?

Getting Back to Your Desk – Chris Brogan
Starting to see a theme here? The dialogue HAS to start evolving, and thankfully Chris and others are taking the lead. This post basically explains that the shiny tool stage is over, and that we have to start measuring things that matter, and stop taking titles named after tools. (social media tools, not people that are tools) It’s a good wake up call.

Deeper or Wider – Seth Godin
This is a great analogy featuring buffets that really simplify two different business approaches that could significantly impact your business and attract more customers.