Gist Acquired by Research In Motion (RIM)

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  RIM_black
I am very pleased to share that Gist, where I have been working for the past 2+ years, has been acquired by Research In Motion – the folks who make the BlackBerry.

Here is the Gist blog post about it and here is the post on the Inside BlackBerry blog.

This is a great outcome for everyone and we are all very excited about joining RIM and charting out a path forward.  I have spent many years working in the space where messaging meets people meets the enterprise and am very excited about what lies ahead.

I still remember my first BlackBerry device. Anybody remember this beauty – the 950?

BlackBerry950
It was the one about the size of a fist that looked more like a pager than the smartphones of today.  Here is a great historical view of the evolution of their device dating back a whopping 10 years.

Thanks to all who have helped and supported me over the past couple years!

Connected people really do change history

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Connect

We use the phrase "connected people change history" as part of our message at Gist and the events over the past couple weeks show that to be the case in Tunisia, Egypt, and now Algeria.

The desire for freedom and liberty is not new but the ability to connect and reach for it has become easier due to mobile devices, social technologies, and a younger population that understands how to combine them for maximum effect.

It took the United States 10 years to become a free country governed by democratic ideals starting with the Boston Tea Party in 1773 and culminating with the Treaty of Paris in 1783.  It was messy at times but we achieved it and have maintained it for over 200 years.  Current democratic movements may happen faster than 200 years ago thanks to our new connectedness but the process will be every bit as messy and challenging.

I am a true believer that the cell phone is changing the world and we are seeing the next chapter of that change happening now.  I'm not sure anything but governments that truly represent the will of their citizens will survive in our social networked world…and that is a good thing.

Timely is a great tool for the social marketing playbook

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Timely_twitter_logo

We have been using Timely in its early stages for a while at Gist and I can't say enough good things about Dan and Ethan and this product.

We continue to look for "marketing hacks" using new tools, techniques, and approaches to become super efficient in getting the word out and attracting the attention of new users.  What is great about Timely is that is a way to quickly grab and then post great content through a Twitter account without having to load in a specific time. 

There are lots of studies and opinions out there about the best time to post social updates and Timely is designed to do this for you.  Unlike Cotweet which we used early on, you don't have to manually schedule a tweet with a content input.  Just add the Chrome browser extension, read something worth sharing, and then auto-schedule it with Timely.

They then provide useful analytics like clicks, retweets, reach, etc.

I am a huge fan of new technologies and approaches and Dan and Ethan have made me a huge fan of Timely.  Definitely check it out for your social marketing needs.

Twitter provides self-organizing psychographic market segments

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3buckets
 
Wow, that's a mouthful huh?  Ok, so let me explain…

The follow/follower model in social technologies creates self-organizing communities where those who "follow" someone or something are publicly stating a preference or interest in what that person says/does or what that brand provides.  This is not limited to Twitter but also applies to Facebook fan pages, LinkedIn company pages, etc.

Psychographics are "attributes relating to personality, values, attitudes, interests, or lifestyles" and cut across traditional demographic segments (industry, role, geography, etc.). 

Reaching a target segment based on psychographic attributes can be tricky as that is not what the traditional marketing playbook is designed to support.  The key is to identify where those with these attributes gather, share, and collaborate with each other and then to engage in a way that utilizes the same attributes.  In other words, don't be stupid once you identify who you want to reach and engage with shallow ads, cheesy promotions, etc.  Know your audience and what makes them tick – that is why you are doing psychographic segmenting in the first place.

So back to the title of this post and "self-organizing psychographic market segments" for a moment.  Let's say you have a productivity product that will completely revolutionize task management – the "next generation to do list."  That's awesome.  Who uses "to do lists?"  Well, just about eveyrbody so demographic segmentation will not be overly effective.

Try this – go to Twitter search and identify a few folks who talk about productivity, discuss workplace efficiency, or preach David Allen's getting things done (GTD) gospel.  How?  Start with searching on #gtd, #productivity, and #work and see where that takes you. 

Using David Allen as an example, he has over 1.3 million Twitter followers who cut across demographic segments but who have self-organized around an influencer and possess the psychographic attributes you are seeking.

DavidAllen_GTD_Twitter
This is, of course, only the beginning of the process with reach and engagement being the next and more quantifiable activity.  A topic for another post.

Hope this is helpful and happy to discuss further.  Email me, leave a comment below, or reach me on Twitter @ReplyToAll.

Photo from Flickr:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/florianpainke/4500254335/

 

First Job – Gary Palgon

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Another great first job story today this time from friend and former co-worker Gary Palgon from Atlanta.  Gary and I worked together on a couple ventures while I lived in Atlanta including nuBridges where he is currently Vice President of Product Management.  I love receiving these stories so please keep sending them to me and I'll keep posting them here.  Read my first job story.

From Gary:

My First Job

If you ask my mother what my first job was, she’ll tell you it was to make my bed every day before school in exchange for my weekly allowance.  But let’s be real, I don’t really count that job and I never did a very good job at making my bed.  My reasoning, of course, was why make it if I’m just going to climb back in it at the end of the day! To be perfectly honest, I still don’t do a very good job at it though I do at least try since it makes my wife happy!

Lendl

First Real Paycheck

My first real paycheck came in 1977 from the City of Miami Beach, Florida for working at the Junior Orange Bowl Tennis Tournament.  While I was only 10 years old, I had to wear many hats.  My job consisted of (1) picking up trash around the bleachers, (2) cleaning the lines on the clay tennis courts before a match and (3) working at the tennis counter storing and retrieving tennis bags for the tennis players.

None of it was very exciting since I had not interest in tennis at the time, but looking back at it many years later, I came to realize I was actually interacting with the future stars of the tennis world.  The winners of the tournament in 1977 were Ivan Lendl and Anne Smith.  Other famous-to-be players whose bags I stored and whose spectators’ trash I picked up included Yannick Noah and Andrea Jaegar from what I remember.  According to their 60th anniversary story, “The 1977 final developed into one of the most dramatic in Orange Bowl history as Lendl, two points from losing in the second set, outlasted Noah 3-6, 7-6, 6-3”.  What I difference I must have made in making it a memorable year!

Second “First Job”

While I’m quite sure I was offered the job again the following year, I found other things to keep me busy.  It wasn’t until my first summer during college that I returned to my hometown in Miami and started my second “first job”, this time working behind the counter in a sub shop, Subs $1.29.  This job I remember a bit more clearly given I was 19 years old. Personally I think I did a pretty good job of being helpful to the customers, making their sandwiches on-demand after spending several hours before the store opened to prepare the goods.

I learned a lot about how many businesses operate, though they are not necessarily how business should be conducted.  First, there were only four subs on the menu for $1.29 and a plain cheese sub was one of them – my first exposure to marketing! While the owner had all these fancy tins of olive oil displayed, I remember being asked to fill the fancy bottles we used on the sandwiches with Mazola oil in the back – while not necessarily bad, this was another example of deceptive advertising in my opinion.  And then there was the canisters of Coke syrup which were delivered in a non-descript truck out back for pennies on the dollar – obviously shorted from the distribution center so someone else along the way could earn some extra cash on the side.

Jobs from that point forward

It was not long after that I decided to take control of my career path for the remainder of college and picked up some computer programming jobs and later assisted a small company in selling software to small businesses.

Lots to learn from my first jobs. And no more picking up trash or deceptive retail advertising for me with my “second jobs”!

Thanks Gary!

Do you have a first job story?  Email me and I'll post it.

First Job – Shane Mac

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Happy New Year everyone!  Continuing my series of posts on first jobs with one today from Shane McSimov (ShaneMac).  Shane is on my marketing team at Gist and is pretty much a rock star (literally).  You know anyone who has sung the National Anthem before a motocross event?  Check out his work and many pursuits here and follow him on Twitter @shanemacsays.

These first job stories are great and if you have one to share, please send it to me.  Also, be sure to read my first job story.

 

Corn

From Shane:

First jobs always bring back some great (and not so great) memories. My first job was none else than good old detasseling. I would say it was a great and horrible experience at the same time. Here's a few different observations from the experience.

What was great?

Learning to be an early bird ain't so bad. Getting up at 4 a.m. when I was 13 helped set a pattern in my daily routine and actually made me realize that I am a morning person. I learned that between the hours of 4-7 a.m. I can get more done and have better focus than any other time. I had never been up before 7a.m. prior to this job.

Off at 2 p.m. Starting so early in the morning do have some benefits too. I was done by 2 o'clock everyday which was awesome for someone who loved playing sports and doing other things outside of my job.

Three dollars an hour! I still remember getting paychecks for 2 weeks of work that were around $200 and thinking that I was rich. It is amazing how times change but still was awesome to have some cash and buy all those things I thought I needed.

What wasn't so great?

Wet, cold and bugs. I can still remember wearing 5 layers with a rain coat over all of them. It was cold and wet from the dew in the morning but by noon would be humid and in the 90's. I really don't remember the details but one word sticks out from it: Miserable. Peel off layer after layer each pass through the field which then exposed you to little mites and bugs that would attack in swarms. It reminded me of a horror film.

Three dollars an hour! I don't even know how this was legal! 🙂

I was basically a human machine. I know, I know, I was 13 and I have to put in the time. I get it. But really, it seemed like something that could have automatically did the work I was doing without a problem. I held my hands above my head for hours pulling the tassels at the exact same height, in the exact same fashion, over and over and over again. Phew, I am glad I don't do that anymore although it was a good shoulder work out.

Some final thoughts…

All in all, it was a great first job. It was hard work and taught me a lot about discipline. 

Any experience is better than no experience and I am always a fan of learning by doing and getting my hands dirty. I just hope I never have to do this one again! 

Picture from Flickr 

First Job – Greg Meyer

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Today's story is from Greg Meyer who is on my team at Gist and leads our Customer Experience group. Check his personal blog – Information Maven for thoughtful posts and great pictures.  Also, his wife makes awesome donuts!

The first job stories continue to find their way to me and I continue to share them here.  I hope you are enjoying them as much as I am and if you have one to share, please send it to me.  Also, be sure to read my first job story.

Washing dishes
From Greg:

My first job (at age 15) was at the Night Kitchen, a bakery near my house which needed a dishwasher.  I thought it would be easy (nice short bike ride away, extra treats when done) and not too hard to do well — much better than the idea of being a dishwasher in a restaurant.  

I have never hated sticky buns as much as I did after scrubbing muffin tins, cookie sheets, and bread pans.  And my hands never really got clean after hours of contact with dough.
 

My takeaways?

Having a system helps – a lot.  After seeing the same muffin tins and bread pans, I figured out the best way to scrub them so they got clean.  

Understanding the workflow of the operation also is key to finding the right solution to the problem – in this case, knowing to start with the dirtiest burnt pans and soak them while cleaning the other cookie sheets later.  

Finally, learn to appreciate the labor and love that go into a product.  I can now fully understand the end-to-end process of making bread, muffins, and other goodies, and I save the dishwashing for home.

Thanks Greg!

First Job – Matt Heinz

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Here's another great first job story to start your week.  This one is from Matt Heinz who runs Heinz Marketing here in Seattle.  He is a great guy and if you have needs in the areas of sales pipeline development or marketing effectiveness, give him a call.  

From Matt:

Grocery_storefront

My first job was a courtesy clerk at a local food market.  It was a small family-owned market in the middle of the town I grew up in.  I could walk there after school, and bike there in the summer, so it was a relatively easy job to get to.

My job was varied.  In addition to bagging groceries and helping people get bags to their cars, I was in charge of stocking soda, dairy, beer, chips and occasionally produce.  I also cleaned everything, broke up boxes, mopped up (the whole store) every night after close, etc.  There was a hierarchy of kids doing my kind of work there, and I was always at the bottom rung – hence why I always got stuck with mopping and other crap jobs.

The market had two managers.  One liked me and the other hated me.  The one who liked me was this old Italian guy, and I think he still works there.  On a busy summer day when beer and soda was flying off the shelves, he'd yell (from wherever in the store he was), "Matt, we're getting BLASTED!".  I'd dutifully come running with reinforcements of whatever was low from the back.

I'll never forget the one night we were closing down, and the old Italian guy was taking the tills from the cash register up to the safe.  The market was small, and one story except for a small store room and office up these rickety stairs in the back.  So the manager heads up the stairs, takes a few steps, then there's this enormous bang followed by the sound of change rolling everywhere.  Following a few moments of what can only be described as "Profanity 201" education, I was called up to chase after loose quarters for what felt like forever.

I eventually worked there long enough to take a turn behind the meat counter.  I want to take this moment to apologize to anyone who had to cook or eat the chicken breasts I attempted to split for customers on request.

Thanks for sharing this Matt!  If you have a first job story you'd like to share, send it to me and I will post it.  Also, check out my first job.   

Merry Christmas!

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Mitch Miller was always part of Christmas mornings growing up and sharing one of the songs here that is Christmas to me – Must Be Santa.  File it in the strange but true Christmas memories file along with Elvis singing Christmas songs…

Merry Christmas everyone! Hug your children, kiss your spouse/partner/special friend, tell your Mom & Dad you love them, and do something selfless for someone today…and everyday thereafter.

 

First Job – Ron Ward

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More first job goodness today.  I love receiving and reading these and hope you do too.  Today's is from Ron Ward who is a college friend now living in Columbus, GA. This is a great one because it will make think about Summer while most of us are dealing with cold, snow and rain these days.  

Sprinkler


From Ron:

My first job, I mean very first paid position was as an assistant/errand boy for the grounds and maintenance department at the school I attended when I was 13.  It was summertime, and since I lived about a block from the school grounds I was perfect for the job.  Duties included lugging these heavy brass sprinkler heads around to the football, baseball and soccer fields.  These things were 20" tall and at least as wide and were shaped like a T with a short side.  The bottom of the T would be pushed down into the sprinkler fitting that is flush with the turf under a hinged metal cap.  (As I sit in the stands watching football games now I wonder about those metal hinged caps on the surface of the turf and when some player is going to land on one.)  The trick was to open the water valve by twisting this steering-wheel sized knob beside the field you wanted to water, then traipse out with the sprinkler heads to the fittings.  Finding these fittings was a challenge sometimes…imagine me in cut-off shorts and soaking wet t-shirt on hands and knees picking through the grass for a brass cap the size of a deck of cards.  Anyway, holding the sprinkler head in both hands like a short po-go stick I'd guide the base down into the fitting making sure it hit home, then rotate it about half a turn like a giant keg tap and BOOM!!
 
The water coming out of the business-end of that sprinkler head was like hot fire.  It would take the hair, and skin with it, off the inside of your thigh if it was pointed at you when engaged.  Once seated and running, these giant sprinklers would hammer away with their weighted arms swinging in time with one another.  Whack whack whack whack.  The amount of water laid down on those fields was immense and the thirsty grass would almost reach up to catch the deluge as it fell each night.
 
Vivid memories of this experience have to do with the sensations and sounds of that summer long ago.  I don't remember what I got paid, only that I got paid enough to buy some cassette tapes (The Police's Ghost in the Machine was one, I know for certain) and a Sony walkman (the pimped out yellow "waterproof" SPORTS model).  What I remember most is the sound of the whacking sprinkler heads on those hot July nights.  There was a variety of bird, big and dark grey that would fly over the fields and eat insects.  Their call was a high whistle that in those wide spaces above the large fields had an echoing effect.  I remember I had access to the maintenance departments white Ford work truck and I would load my sprinkler heads into the bed and drive down to the football field to start watering.  I guess that was the first time I ever drove a vehicle, let alone a work truck. 
 
Today, I am the master gardener in my own home and I specialize in sprinkler maintenance and operation.  Each spring and fall I do the work of inspecting, cleaning, adjusting and replacing heads in my residential grade RainBird automatic sprinkler system and I will stand there all afternoon watching the ballet of water to the clickclickclick beat of the heads.  My wife thinks I'm nuts.
 
I only worked that job one summer but it had a big impact on me.  My first fist fight took place on the job that summer, too.  My 14th summer I went away to a boarding school to try and get my grades up to snuff, and by the time of my 15th summer vacation I was good for nothing anyway.  At 16 I was working at a local members-only dinner club parking cars and waiting tables but I'll save that experience for your post about "Worst Jobs."

Great story and nicely written!  Do you have a first job story you'd like to share? Send it to me and I'll post it here.  Also, be sure to check out my first job.