Social Media Blog

Why Hollywood needs apps (they just don’t know it yet)!

March 23rd, 2012

10 reasons why Hollywood needs apps

The world is going “app” and Hollywood should pay attention. By developing meaningful and relevant apps, Hollywood can drive user acquisition, customer loyalty and revenue. Digital strategies for marketing and customer engagement must include apps. Tablet and smartphone adoption are off the charts, and we interface with these devices via apps. So it will be an app world, like it or not.

Here’s how Hollywood can benefit from apps:

1. There should be a rich, addictive app developed for each movie and TV series. These apps would enable viewers and fans to interact with the movie/TV series on a frequent and ongoing basis. By keeping users addicted to the production, branding, loyalty and revenue streams will develop

2. Apps should merchandise for monetization: it’s Should have ads which have merchandise, DVDs, past series, etc. available for download or acquisition. Think about a TV series advertising the ability to buy past series’ via one of the app stores. Make it simple for fans to buy things related to the show.

3. Apps should feature stars if possible, and allow customers to interact with “the likeness” of the stars. Of course this depends on rights, but the more the stars are available to the fans via smart phone and tablet apps, the better.

3. Apps should provide interaction for current shows and or productions where viewers can watch streaming content. This can be subscription-based or free.

4. User should be able to interact with other fans and friends via social media integration to each app. Let fans and friends discuss shows, talk about stars, and laugh together. Advanced technologies will allow more interaction in the future.

5. Apps should have games and other entertainment in and around the shows. For instance, “the hunger games” already launched a free downloadable game featuring the Jennifer Lawrence female character running around in the game.

6. Apps should have famous quotes or scenes which will keep users engaged for the long run

7. Apps can feature events and other happenings in order to build the fan base. By integrating real-time servers, these events can be posted immediately

9. Apps should have trivia games featured so that movie and TV trivia will be available and engaging.

10. Apps can integrate with other onboard mobile devices such as calendars to create custom versions where a user would have a “Hunger Games” calendar where each month it would feature a different character or scene. Integrated with the native calendar, this means that the production is in front of the viewer for every calendar event until they change.

These are just some of the ways that Hollywood could truly benefit from advanced apps. For more information see our app strategies here.

the-hunger-games-birdy__oPt

Here’s how Hollywood can benefit from apps:

2. Apps should merchandise for monetization: Apps Should have ads which merchandise DVDs, past series, etc. available for download or acquisition. Think about a TV series advertising the ability to buy past series’ via one of the app stores. Make it simple for fans to buy things related to the show.

3. Apps should provide interaction for current shows and or productions where viewers can watch streaming content. This can be subscription-based or free.

4. User should be able to interact with other fans and friends via social media integration with each app. Let fans and friends discuss shows, talk about stars, and laugh together. Advanced app technologies will allow more interaction in the future.

5. Apps should have games and other entertainment in and around the shows. For instance, “The Hunger Games” already launched a free downloadable game featuring the Jennifer Lawrence female character running around in the game.

6. Apps should have famous quotes or scenes which will keep users engaged for the long run. Fans love quotes.

7. Apps can feature events and other happenings in order to build the fan base. By integrating real-time servers, these events can be posted immediately. Think in terms of pre-sreening events, stars appearing on late night and talk shows etc.

9. Apps should have trivia games so that movie and TV trivia will be available and engaging.

These are just some of the ways that Hollywood could truly benefit from advanced apps. For more information see our app strategies here.

Tags: android app marketing, app marketing, app store marketing, app strategy mobile marketing strategy, marketing an app, marketing android app, marketing app, marketing your app, mobile app marketing, mobile application strategy, mobile marketing help, mobile phone strategy, mobile strategy, smartphone strategy, strategy mobile, tablet strategy
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App Choices – Welcome to Chaos

March 21st, 2012

In a recent joint survey of 2, 173 app developers from around the world, Appcelerator and IDC found that nearly 89% of the developers were interested in developing for the iPhone and another 88% were interested in developing for the iPad.

However, interest has decreased for Google’s Android operating system which at one point was growing at an equivalent pace with Apple’s operating system, iOS, but now has dropped and fallen behind. It seems that about 78% of developers are interested in developing for the android operating system, and only 65% of developers are interested in developing for android tablets.

These “App Wars,” are very important and need significant scrutiny for any companies interested in developing apps. The reason is that this becomes a game of “winners outs”. Remember when you would play basketball and whomever scored would get the ball back? Well in the case of apps, as more and more developers standardize on one platform for whatever reason, that platform could develop an insurmountable lead.

Developers choose to develop on certain platforms for a lot of reasons. The first of which is financial, if they build an app for a certain platform, (and each app requires a custom amount of building for each platform), they are placing a bet that they will have some revenue return. This is similar to building videogames, where Microsoft’s Xbox battles with Sony’s PlayStation and Nintendo’s Wii. Developers have to make choices on the platform that will provide the best opportunity for distribution of their game.

Sometimes developers will choose a platform just because they know it best. Whenever a company or developer chooses a platform, they are making a relatively long-term and expensive financial commitment to that platform. In the case of apps, it’s obvious that Apple is a strong bet just do the overall successes of the iPhones and the iPads. In fact in a recent article, Apple’s market cap as of March 21, 2012 is larger than the entire retail sector. However, Google could rebound at any time. Google innovates as well as any company in the world, and they will find a way to compete. Blackberry, which is the third-largest platform as of now, is playing catch-up.

So in determining what you would like to do with an app for your company, there are choices to be made based on the types of platforms available to your users. Be sure to do some research before you start developing your app. Also, keep your research current because the shifts and changes are nothing more than pure chaos. On a given day, anything can happen and if you are up-to-date, you will be sure to have the best possible application of your resources when building mobile/smartphones/tablet apps.

In a recent joint survey of 2,173 app developers from around the world, Appcelerator and IDC found that nearly 89% of the developers were interested in developing for the iPhone and another 88% were interested in developing for the iPad.

Ipad 2

Top Mobile App Strategies and Trends

March 14th, 2012

Okay, quick… Name five mobile app trends we should see over the next 18 months. Don’t read below, don’t peek…

1. HTML 5 – publishers and developers are going to be deploying HTML 5 and greater rates over the next 12 months. The reason is that HTML 5 enables apps to avoid app stores and therefore avoid the 30% fees that app stores charge. Typically, app stores will take 30% of all transactions including initial downloads, subscription fees, ongoing purchases and more.

By deploying an HTML 5 app, a user can navigate to the HTML 5 app via a browser and download the app to their device. It actually is less of a download, and more of a bookmark, but it can still feel like a typical lap on the device.

At the same time, you need just think strategically about whether you’ll use HTML 5 are not. One of the disadvantages is that if you are not in an App Store, you don’t get the exposure, or the brand credibility. Apps that are delivered from App Store’s usually are tested and approved in a variety of ways, let alone security. Think about security with all of your mobile marketing strategies, whether tablet, smart phone or other.

2. Targeting – businesses will need to determine where to place apps based on the types of user behaviors that are seen with app stores. For instance the android App Store may see different user behaviors than the Apple App Store. It behooves app developers to determine which stores will best serve their customers needs. Obviously the more stores the app is in could lead to more business and downloads, however at the same time it’s more maintenance and overhead. Targeting has to be part of your mobile strategy.

In addition, users are going to start demanding more personalization within apps. We’ve seen this with the web where everything of value leads to more personalization and relevance. The more relevant the information, the better chance a business will have of eliciting the behaviors necessary for their app. Of course the endgame is monetization and advertising, so any behavioral benefits via personalization is a boon. Expect to see targeted apps and targeted ads based on tracking of user behaviors.

3. Security – users are consistently entering personal information, credit card numbers and more into mobile apps. With the onslaught of tablets, and the large screen interface, it makes it very easy to deal with e-commerce, and all of the confidential information that goes along with it. Of course this also begs the question of security. Whatever app you are developing, security needs to be at the forefront when determining architecture, usability and data elements.

4. Monetization – when developing a nap, think of monetization first and functionality later. How will you monetize your app? Are you going to live off of $.99 downloads? Or are you going to install micro-payment software to get $.99 per month from each user? Will you have add-on products? Or will you deliver advertising? What is the lifetime value of your app with the user base? Is your app addictive and sticky? Or is it a one-time download with infrequent use? What sorts of add-on products or services should you consider while thinking of monetization? These are all questions you should think about before building your app.

5. App Analytics – all of our web activity is analyzed more than we know. Advertisers are capturing data and tracking us at every step. Their argument… Deliver more relevant ads which we should all enjoy, right? Well the same thing is happening with apps. Be sure to consider in app analytics while building your app. How will you track usage? Frequency of visit? Time in app? App click path? Monetization and revenue? Upgrades, add-on product purchases? It’s clear that the more you know about your users behaviors within the app, the more you will be able to deliver a better experience. And it will also help you as you improve the app or launch new apps to your user base.

Okay, quick… Name five mobile app trends we should see over the next 12 months. Don’t read below, don’t peek…

samsung-galaxy-tab

1. HTML 5 – publishers and developers are deploying HTML 5 at greater rates over the next 12 months. The reason is that HTML 5 enables apps to avoid app stores and therefore avoid the 30% fees that app stores charge. Typically, app stores will take 30% of all transactions including initial downloads, subscription fees, ongoing purchases and more.

At the same time, you need to think strategically about whether you’ll use HTML 5 or not. One of the disadvantages is that if you are not in an App Store, you don’t get the exposure, or the brand credibility. Apps that are delivered from App Store’s usually are tested and approved in a variety of ways, let alone security. Think about security with all of your mobile marketing strategies, whether tablet, smart phone or other.

In addition, users are going to start demanding more personalization within apps. We’ve seen this with the web where everything of value leads to more personalization and relevance. The more relevant the information, the better chance a business will have of eliciting the behaviors necessary for their site or app. Of course the endgame is monetization and advertising, so any behavioral benefits via personalization is a boon. Expect to see targeted apps and targeted ads based on tracking of user behaviors.

4. Monetization – when developing an app, think of monetization first and functionality later. How will you monetize your app? Are you going to live off of $.99 downloads? Or are you going to install micro-payment software to get $.99 per month from each user? Will you have add-on products? Or will you deliver advertising? What is the lifetime value of your app with the user base? Is your app addictive and sticky? Or is it a one-time download with infrequent use? What sorts of add-on products or services should you consider while thinking of monetization? These are all questions you should think about before building your app.

5. App Analytics – all of our web activity is analyzed more than we know. Advertisers are capturing data and tracking us at every step. Their argument… Deliver more relevant ads which we should all enjoy, right? Well the same thing is happening with apps. Be sure to consider in-app analytics while building your app. How will you track usage? Frequency of visit? Time in app? App click path? Monetization and revenue? Upgrades, add-on product purchases? It’s clear that the more you know about your users behaviors within the app, the more you will be able to deliver a better experience. And it will also help you as you improve the app or launch new apps to your user base.

Tags: android app marketing, app marketing, app strategy, marketing an app, marketing android app, marketing app, mobile app marketing, mobile marketing help, mobile marketing strategy, mobile phone strategy, mobile strategy, smartphone strategy, strategy mobile, tablet strategy
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Think you need an App for your business? Are you sure?

February 28th, 2012

Challenging title eh?

We may as well be provocative if nothing else. The fact is that most companies don’t think through the reasons to go mobile, build a map, or create a tablet strategy. We hear from our friends that it’s probably a good idea to have a mobile lab, or be in the iTunes Store, but have we really discovered why we need to do this?

Prove it.

Every technology strategy needs to have a probable endgame. Before you launch into some new project just because somebody says it’s a good idea, take some time to understand why you are doing it in the first place. The problem is these strategies cost a lot of money, and in most cases more money than people expect. Without solid project management, time is wasted, budgets are overrun, and we don’t even begin to calculate opportunity cost. Before decide on anything, develop your answers to these questions:

Why do you need an app?

Who is going to use it? And at what rate (how many visits per month, how much time per visit)?

Will you monetize this or will it have another payoff? And if so, what are the metrics you expect?

Are you trying to create revenue, build brand or both?

How will your internal customers, or your staff use the app, if at all?

Have you conducted any market research? Have you talked to potential end-users about what they might like in that? Or are you going about it backwards, first building it then hoping that users like it?

What user behaviors are expected? What are users supposed to do with each screen?

What incentive do users have to spend time with your app? What problem of theirs does it solve?

Have you done an ROI analysis? How much does the app cost against its potential positive outcome?

Have you studied all of the mobile and tablet trends? Are you sure that this is the right move to align yourself with those trends?

Once the app is built, do you have a team that can market the app to your current customers? Who will work with the app after it’s done?

Have you thought about advertising within the app? Is outside advertising a good strategy for you? Or should you use ads to promote internal products or services?

Will the app support any of your company events?

Is the app designed to support one of your products or services? Have you determined that the app is not too self-serving?

How can you make your app addictive? How can you make it something where people will come back many times per week to use it?

Have you thought about the content to put in your app? Are you going to build a game? What a contest work? What other ideas would make sense?

Is Geo location of factor? Would it help if the app located stores, or other landmarks for your users?

Have you thought about all of the different platforms for the app? Tablets, smart phones, mobile phones?

And within all of these platforms, have you thought about the different operating systems necessary?

Have you studied your user groups understand which operating system, device or company you should launch first?

Anyway, you can see by the above that there is a lot to think about before dedicating resources towards an app. However, with the right strategic thinking beforehand, you can lower your risk and increase potential gains.

skull 1

We may as well be provocative if nothing else. The fact is that most companies don’t think through the reasons to go mobile, build an app, or create a tablet strategy before they commit resources. Our clients tell us that they hear it’s probably a good idea to have a mobile app, or be in the iTunes Store, but have they really thought through this???

Be Sure.

Every technology strategy needs to have a probable endgame. Before you launch into some new project just because somebody says it’s a good idea, take some time to understand why you are doing it in the first place. The problem mobile and app builds cost a lot of money, and in most cases more money than people expect. Without solid project management, time is wasted, budgets are overrun, and we don’t even begin to calculate opportunity cost. Before you decide on anything, develop your answers to these questions:

Why do you need an app?
Who is going to use it? And at what rate (how many visits per month, how much time per visit)?
Will you monetize this or will it have another payoff? And if so, what are the metrics you expect?
Are you trying to create revenue, build brand or both?
How will your internal customers, or your staff use the app, if at all?
Have you conducted any market research? Have you talked to potential end-users about what they might like in the app? Or are you going about it backwards, first building it then hoping that users like it?
What user behaviors are expected? What are users supposed to do with each screen?
What incentives do users have to spend time with your app? What problem of theirs does it solve?
Have you done an ROI analysis? How much does the app cost against its potential positive outcome?
Have you studied all of the mobile and tablet trends? Are you sure that this is the right move to align yourself with those trends?
Once the app is built, do you have a team that can market the app to your current customers? Who will work with the app after it’s done?
Have you thought about advertising within the app? Is outside advertising a good strategy for you? Or should you use ads to promote internal products or services?
Will the app support any of your company events?
Is the app designed to support one of your products or services? Have you determined that the app is not too self-serving?
How can you make your app addictive? How can you make it something where people will come back many times per week to use it?
Have you thought about the content to put in your app? Are you going to build a game? What a contest work? What other ideas would make sense?
Is Geo location of factor? Would it help if the app located stores, or other landmarks for your users?
Have you thought about all of the different platforms for the app? Tablets, smart phones, mobile phones?
And within all of these platforms, have you thought about the different operating systems necessary?
Have you studied your user groups understand which operating system, device or company you should launch first?

Apps…almost didn’t happen.

February 25th, 2012

Steve Jobs was against apps… I’ll bet you didn’t know that.

But before we tell that story, let’s look at apps right now. Currently Apple is running a ticker on it’s website which indicates the number of downloads in a real-time fashion. Probably by the time you read this, the ticker will reach and exceed 25 billion downloads. You think that’s good? Google’s android platform has more than 400,000 apps and in December 2011 surpassed over 10 billion downloads.

All of this for an industry that’s barely 5 years old.

According to Juniper research, over 31 billion apps were downloaded to mobile devices in 2011… And Jupiter predicts that by 2016 mobile apps will generate around $52 billion in revenues from a combination of smart phones and tablets.

Top paid apps?

1 Angry Birds (game)

2 WhatsApp (social networking)

3 Doodle Jump (game)

4 Fruit Ninja (game)

5 Angry Birds Seasons (game)

6 Cut The Rope (game)

7 TuneIn Radio Pro (music/radio)

8 Monopoly (game)

9 Angry Birds Rio (game)

10 FatBooth (fun)

Top free apps?

1 Facebook (social network)

2 Skype (internet phone)

3 eBay (auctions)

4 Google Earth (mapping)

5 Google (search)

6 Twitter (social network)

7 Paper toss (game)

8 Bump (social network)

9 BBC (news)

10 Shazam (music identification)

So hopefully now you’re convinced that apps are an important part of our interactive lives. In fact they may become the most important part in the future.

Oh, and back to Steve Jobs… He feared that malicious apps would take down the entire network, but it seems that Apple, Google and others have this under control for now. It took two of Steve Jobs lieutenants to convince him to make the change to apps in October of 2007. Good thing for us… Now the world is in our hands.

Steve Jobs was first against apps… I’ll bet you didn’t know that.

Angry Birds App

All of this for an industry that’s barely 5 years old.

Top paid apps?

1 Angry Birds (game)

2 WhatsApp (social networking)

3 Doodle Jump (game)

4 Fruit Ninja (game)

5 Angry Birds Seasons (game)

6 Cut The Rope (game)

7 TuneIn Radio Pro (music/radio)

8 Monopoly (game)

9 Angry Birds Rio (game)

10 FatBooth (fun)

Top free apps?

1 Facebook (social network)

2 Skype (internet phone)

3 eBay (auctions)

4 Google Earth (mapping)

5 Google (search)

6 Twitter (social network)

7 Paper toss (game)

8 Bump (social network)

9 BBC (news)

10 Shazam (music identification)

So hopefully now you’re convinced that apps are an important part of our interactive lives. In fact they may become the most important part in the future.

Tablets….Only?

February 19th, 2012

It may sound crazy, but here is my prediction:

In the not too distant future, PCs, netbooks, laptops and other devices will cease to exist. In the future, we will only use smart phones and tablets for all of our computing needs.

While not scientific, we are starting to see plenty of evidence to prove this. My niece and nephew, ages two and four years old, have been required by their school to own and bring in iPads for all of their work.

No books, no paper, no pencils or pens, no calculators, or any other of the traditional school materials. The iPad will be there window (uh, sorry, no pun intended) to the world where they will conduct all of their school work.

Now aside from this single data point, let’s look at some other trends. According to a recent survey from the Pew research Center’s Project For Excellence in Journalism in collaboration with The Economist Group:

1. 11% of Americans report owning some brand of tablet device.

2. 77% of these people use their tablet on a daily basis

3. 53% view their news content on the tablet

4. 54% use their tablet for e-mail and 39% access their social networks the of the tablet. 30% play games, 17% read books and 13% watch all of their videos on the tablet.

5. 79% use their tablets for news and have completely switched from PCs

6. 55% choose to read longer content on the tablet as opposed to 20% who enjoy it on their PCs

According to Nielsen, in their 2011 “Mobile Connected Device Report”

The top three reasons to use a tablet versus a PC are:

1. Portability – easier to carry and take with you

2. Interface – touch screen and improved operating systems

3. Quick start up/shutdown – faster to start and stop using

According to Nielsen, a whopping 77% of tablet users report using their tablets now instead of their pc’s.

Do you have an App strategy? If not, get one.

etrade Baby...did they foresee the future???

It may sound crazy, but here is my prediction:

In the not too distant future, PCs, netbooks, laptops and other devices will cease to exist. Soon, we will only use smartphones and tablets for all of our computing needs.

1. 11% of Americans report owning some brand of tablet device.

2. 77% of these people use their tablet on a daily basis

3. 53% view their news content on the tablet

4. 54% use their tablet for e-mail and 39% access their social networks the of the tablet. 30% play games, 17% read books and 13% watch all of their videos on the tablet.

5. 79% use their tablets for news and have completely switched from PCs

6. 55% choose to read longer content on the tablet as opposed to 20% who enjoy it on their PCs

According to Nielsen, in their 2011 “Mobile Connected Device Report”

The top three reasons to use a tablet versus a PC are:

1. Portability – easier to carry and take with you

2. Interface – touch screen and improved operating systems

3. Quick start up/shutdown – faster to start and stop using

According to Nielsen, a whopping 77% of tablet users report using their tablets now instead of their pc’s.

Do you have an App strategy? If not, get one.

Facebook…right for you or a waste of time?

September 2nd, 2011

It’s obvious that Facebook has become one of the fastest-growing single communications mechanism in the history of humankind. Think back to the advent of newspaper, radio and television, and you will find that none of them grew as quickly as Facebook.

social media and facebook

Facebook now estimates that they have over 600 million users, all in a period of just a few short years.

So you should rush out and build a Facebook page right away for your business, correct?

Well, maybe not. Facebook is designed for socialization, and is commonly called “social media, or social networking.” The idea is it’s there for people to socialize with each other, collaborate, share videos, pictures, information and more.

Businesses that do not deal with consumers should really question whether or not they need to spend time on Facebook. For instance, if you are a plumbing supply company that sells to plumbers, do you really need a Facebook page? Are the plumbers living and dying every day waiting for your next Facebook post? I think you get the point. For business-to-business transactions, I don’t think Facebook is the right place.

on the other hand, if your business sells products or services to consumers, Facebook might be a reasonable option for you. However, again to be thoughtful in our approach. For instance, if you own an art gallery, and you have interesting art pieces coming in all the time, it might be worthwhile to let all of your Facebook friends know about the new art. Especially since art is best depicted in images, it’s a great way to get the word out.

However, if you provide carpet cleaning services, I doubt that you will build a strong fan base of people that want to follow you. It’s just a fact that some businesses are not that interesting. Again, before you rush out and invest a lot of time, energy and money in Facebook, think through the type of business you have, the type of customers who are trying to reach, and whether or not they would want to hear from you on a daily basis.

The exception to the above rule is Facebook advertising. We won’t cover Facebook advertising in depth here, but suffice to say that placing ads for your products or services is a separate strategy which has its own merits.

With f social media, we all believe that our customers cannot wait to hear our next announcement. The raw facts are that honestly, customers just don’t care that much. That is of course, unless they are currently in the market for the product or service you are providing. Facebook is designed for collaboration and communication however if your audience is not made up of consumers, I think Facebook is a waste of time for you. You might have better luck using other marketing mechanisms including search engine optimization, e-mail marketing, search engine marketing and more.

So before you invest in building a Facebook page, and then rushing out to post messages on a consistent basis, make sure that it fits within your marketing plan.

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Social Media Marketing Quiz

September 2nd, 2011

We thought this quiz might prove interesting. Tabulate your answers and see how you and your company fare:

(Yes or No)

I have located all of the blogs, chat rooms, forums and news sites that are important for my company
I have a YouTube strategy to gain traffic and customers
I have fan blogs for my business which drive traffic and customers to my site
I am using Facebook and Twitter optimally
I use article marketing to put out content so my site will have better SEO
I have a blog that is updated frequently
I have installed analytics to gauge traffic and user behavior
I have all of the social media elements integrated into our main website
I have seen significant traffic, users and customers from our social media work
I have continually created back-links to my site from key social media sites

If you answered 8 or more with ‘Yes’ you are a social media Rockstar.

5 or less Yes’s means you are proficient at social media…so keep going!

3 or less means it’s time to buff up on Social Media Marketing Strategies (try some of these links):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media

http://www.thesocialmediabible.com/

http://socialnomics.net/

http://www.readthis.com/

1 or less? Ok – set up your Facebook and Twitter accounts quickly…then check the above links.

Happy Social Media Marketing!

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Unvarnished…Has Social Media Gone Too Far???

August 25th, 2011

By now, some of you have heard of Unvarnished. I’m not publishing their URL so as to not help their cause. Watch out, as this blog is rated RB13 – only those above the age of 13 business years of experience should read on.

Unvarnished is an insideous idea where, if someone in business makes you upset, you can permanently, publicly batter them and attempt to ruin their reputation. Like 1 bad business review in Yelp can harm a business for the long term…Unvarnished may hurt your reputation, permanently.

Now for my disclaimer above, about being in business for 13 years – those starting out in business think…sure, if someone cheats me in business, then their wrongdoings deserve to be made public. However, most business disagreements are not that extreme. They happen to be minor expectation misses, where one party expected something different that what they got. This happens all of the time. And usually it does not indicate that either party is malicious and out to get the other party. It’s just a business misunderstanding.

And, those of us that have been in business for more than a few years, have lived through many of these. But, if Unvarnished was around as I was growing up in business…I would probably be destitute from having my reputation ruined. Yes, we all make mistakes…and we learn from them…that’s how it goes. No-one is perfect, and while we think we are working in good faith, maybe we simply did not communicate to another correctly.

Worse yet, I fear that I would have probably ruined the reputation of a handful of business people who wronged me or missed my expectations. While I don’t like some business dealings others have parlayed in the past, only extreme cases deserve permanent public negative exposure.

Now some may argue that Unvarnished can help you build a postive reputation…where business associates can recommend you. Sure, sounds reasonable….right? Well, lets discuss human nature…If you buy something you end up disliking, or feel you were cheated by a company, do you tell more people than you would if you like a product? Is it easier to be critical, or complimentary?

I would argue that most of us are more critical – and number show we will tell 10 times the number of people if we feel that we have been cheated or harmed than we would if we feel good about a product or service. This means that people will not hesitate to be critical and use something like Unvarnished to post negative comments about another businessperson. Again, if unvarnished operates like other opinion sites, you will not be able to remove comments about your reputation.

We’ve all heard about how employers are looking at social media including Facebook and Twitter. Social media is clearly influencing hiring decisions. So we’re telling our sons and daughters to be careful about what they post on social media so that their reputations don’t get harmed. What would happen if a potential employer, or business partner ran a negative review about you? Without your ability to defend yourself, most likely that opportunity would go away. What if there was a reasonable explanation for the missed expectations? What if that was partially your responsibility, but you couldn’t see it? Maybe it was just unclear communication, where there was no malfeasance? Anyway, I think you get the point.

You can make your own decision on Unvarnished…I’m not only going to stay away from it, but I’m going to recommend that others do as well. I wonder how quickly the lawsuits will come when an individual is looking for a job and can prove that employers went to unvarnished subsequently deciding not to hire that person. Since postings will be public, they will be able to track the person who posted a negative review. While we live in a free-speech country, free speech does not include ruining reputations at will. Libel and slander, here we come.

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