Comments on: Twitter? Priceless. Dell makes a million on Twitter? Meaningless.

By: JoeDuck

JoeDuck — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:58:45 +0000

FoolsGold I think it’s getting harder to draw distinctions between information, analysis, opinion, journalism, commercialism. Although I agree that in the wine tasting example it would be different if it was spontaneous vs a PR ploy, the info might in that case have exactly the same value, so the question becomes how do we process that info. For me I’m more concerned about transparency than other factors. I’m OK with somebody blogging about an iPhone after they got one free, but want to know they didn’t pay for the phone they are discussing. Stock discussions, I think, deserve high transparency though TV seems only to do disclosures over the past few years. Hmmm – I’m now wondering if I have been transparent enough with some of my travel writing where I had free hotel rooms or meals and blogged about the experiences …..

By: FoolsGold

FoolsGold — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:48:00 +0000

One blogger recently attended a wine tasting event and thoroughly discussed several liqueurs and wines. It was not some sort of viral marketing and it wasn’t corporate sponsored, he just likes his booze and wrote about his experience. Now if something like that is concocted by the publicity department of the liquor importer that is different. Well, I don’ think I like those grass roots “front organizations” that sponsor political stuff and have really been created by lobbyists. So I don’t think I’ll like conversational marketing either.

By: JoeDuck

JoeDuck — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:13:40 +0000

FoolsGold you could join the nearly 7,000 people who follow Tanqueray on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tanqueray/10621412548

This is a part of the mildly controversial new concept called “conversational marketing” where advertisers work with publishers and social sites to spark reader interest and product buzz. Unlike regular ads the idea is to bring the product into the dialog.

By: FoolsGold

FoolsGold — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:22:12 +0000

If a gin manufacturer establishes a Twitter Presence, I will surely arrange to follow them. Otherwise I’ve no interest in following a commercial enterprise at all.

Half the internet seems to be Hype about some latest stock, software platform or silly video. Hyped dollar values about such hype seems to be par for the course. Ain’t nobody going to really value all that hype so generously.

By: ian k

ian k — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 04:32:12 +0000

how long before richard@dell shows up?

By: JoeDuck

JoeDuck — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 03:12:20 +0000

People actually follow Dell?

Twitter and also Facebook, where folks now follow their favorite “brands” for reasons I do not really understand though one of my few Myspace friends …. is Burger King…for reasons I don’t fully understand.

My point is not that social media and branding won’t mix at some level – they already do – but that people need to get a better sense of scale when they are talking money math. This is a non-event, hyped by those who benefit from hyping.

By: FoolsGold

FoolsGold — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:24:57 +0000

A comment from the Ignorant:
I did not know Dell had some sort of ‘presence’ on twitter and do not now know just what is meant by that anyway.
I agree that revenue and profit differ though obviously without revenue there ain’t gonna be much profit.
I know that often a catchy phone number has value, so do fax numbers, 800 numbers, etc. Firms rarely mention any sort of ‘telephone presence’. What on earth is a Twitter presence?
Twitter is letting Dell enroll followers? People actually follow Dell? Beats me.
Valuation? Well, Dell ascribes value to it. So maybe Dell believes it. Ofcourse if others believed it, then others would have a Twitter presence as well and the value, if any, would be diluted by the competion’s presence.
I send emails from time to time. Do I have an email presence? There is a guy in Nigeria who will send me seventeen million dollars in unclaimed funds. Does he have an email presence? Does it have any monetary value?