If you look around everyone is on their blackberry or smartphone. It seems like everyone is making a call, responding to an email, sending a text message or tweeting. However, there are a few places that frowned upon using your smartphone. Announcements are made at Broadway shows, movie theatres and the ballet requesting that you turn off your electronic device and don’t send any communication while you are in the performance.

Well, that may change in the future and in fact in a few spots is has already changed! Connecticut’s Norma Terris Theater, Raleigh’s Carolina Ballet, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Dayton Opera have all set aside seats for those who wish to live-tweet performances.

I understand technology of today and the need for speed but tweeting during a symphony? Seriously! These theatres might be ok with it now ASSUMING all of the tweets are positive! What if the people send negative tweets? Are the ushers going to go down and take them out of these “special” seats? Are these “special” seats the best seats in the house? If they are isn’t that creating bias with the people tweeting?

To me cell phones, texting, etc. takes away from a performance and doesn’t add any value at all!

I think this is a horrible idea and one that I hope doesn’t work! Can you imagine the announcement that is made prior to the curtain coming up? ‘Everyone please turn off their electronics device except the special 6 people in the second row who are allowed to tweet during the performance!’

• What do you think?

• Would you like someone sitting in special seats and tweeting at a performance that you attend?

• Would you buy seats so you can tweet?

• Would you not attend a performance if people were allowed to tweet?

I look forward to reading your comments.

I must admit I am on Google every day and sometimes every hour. Well Google has a new feature that is called Google+. Since I am not an expert on this and I know someone who knows 10 times more than I do about the social space and world I thought it would be a great time to tap into the brilliant, creative and big brain of Eric Swayne.

With that said, here are a few burning questions I had for Eric…

It’s been reported that Google+ has over 25 million users – is that significant compared to Facebook’s 750 million?

Of course Facebook has the larger total audience right now, but there are a few reasons why Google+’s numbers are captivating:

• Google+ is far and away the fastest growing social network ever, and could even be the fastest growing website in history: http://www.businessinsider.com/google-plus-growth-25-million-users-2011-8
• G+ is still in a beta testing phase – meaning Google is throttling the number of invites handed out and limiting new signups.  Meaning, this network isn’t yet growing at the rate it could be
• Right now, G+ is attracting almost all of the most socially active users on the web – practically everyone any measure would label as an “influencer” is on there.  Now is a great time to learn this platform and interact with these voices.

What’s the coolest feature of G+?

I’d say it’s a tie.  First, G+ is based around Circles, which are groups of friends you create.  If you include me in your “Friends” Circle, and then post content on G+ just for “Friends”, I’ll get to see it but others that aren’t in that circle won’t.  Moreover, you can include me in a Circle without me  doing the same – we can follow each other’s’ content at different levels.  It’s this understanding of the varying levels of friendship we all have that makes G+ really powerful. 

Hangouts is another feature just as fascinating – this enables real-time video chat between up to 10 G+ users at once.  This feature brings some high-end telepresence features to the masses, and all for free through a very light-weight browser plugin.  Facebook has video chat as well, but right now it’s only one-to-one – so there’s no way to invite others to join you.  With G+ you can announce to any of your Circles that you’re in a Hangout, and they can come join at any time.

Is G+ the next Facebook?

G+ has a lot of similarities to both Facebook and Twitter, but I don’t think you’ll see it completely supplant either of those.  I’ve heard many stories from other G+ users that they’ve started spending less time on Facebook or Twitter, but they still see the utility of each.  G+ also offers brands some very different opportunities from Facebook with Circles and Hangouts  – tools that will enable brands to become really effective Community Managers and interact with consumers at a very personal level.  I think you’ll see brand campaigns span multiple platforms, and smart social marketers will take advantage of the best capabilities within each.

I thought I heard that brands weren’t yet allowed on G+ – is that true?

As of this moment, G+ users must be actual people using their actual names – brands are not supposed to use G+ from a personal profile.  This hasn’t prevented some brands from doing it, and Google has left some of these profile/brand hybrids up as “test cases”, such as Breaking News (https://plus.google.com/109610954243983229925/posts), Mashable (https://plus.google.com/101849747879612982297/posts), and Ford Motor Company (https://plus.google.com/114277687548103339609/posts).  Google has said they are working feverishly on a “Brand Page” type of profile, and will release that soon.  In the meantime, Google has actually received some flack for deactivating accounts that appeared to be using pseudonyms or brand names.

How will you use G+ in Marketing Research?  What are the implications of this platform for Researchers?

As with every new social network, G+ offers us new ways to connect with consumers and find out what marketing actions will best influence their behavior.  G+ will allow us to have very intimate and insightful conversations  by letting us limit sample groups through Circles, and interact with them through real-time tools like Hangouts.  I can easily see G+ being a great tool for interacting with a Consumer Advisory Panel on a regular, long-term basis.  G+ is also going to let us see new ethnographic behaviors – since users are coming to the network with a “clean slate,” we can see how users are conducting social actions now that they’ve had some training from Facebook, Twitter, and even MySpace.  For example, photographers have quickly gravitated to G+ over Flickr, because it provides them new (and free) ways to share their art, where Flickr wasn’t innovating. 

I think anyone in the Research field should grab an invite (click here to get one while supplies last: https://plus.google.com/_/notifications/ngemlink?path=%2F%3Fgpinv%3DY916-Gq043E%3A7CIErYxx3ro) and start using this network – and not just because I’m “the social media guy.”  What we have here is a brand new social platform that has a genuine chance of taking off and becoming every bit as relevant as Facebook.  Learning the lessons of what works here before it gets huge is an invaluable education, and the kind you can only learn for yourself.

Thanks Eric – I really appreciate your time, insight and comments.

Now your turn:

• Have you registered for Google+?
• What do you think of Google+?
• Do you agree with what Eric said?
• Do you have a specific question for Eric?

We look forward to reading your comments.

PS – Eric is Director, Social Analytics and Insights for M/A/R/C® Research

Like most of you I am on the social networking bandwagon. Yes I post on a blog, tweet, use Facebook and LinkedIn. Last week I noticed I got my 800th connection. First of all I am really excited about that! Here are a few reasons that I am excited:

• Industry contacts are changing/losing jobs at a record pace and with LinkedIn I find out about it really fast
   
• I can see what conferences people are attending in the future
   
• I find that contacts in social networking communities respond faster than regular email. I actually tested this last month and sent out the same email to 20 people in LinkedIn and 20 regular emails. I was amazed that everyone responded on LinkedIn while only 55% responded through regular email.
   
• In a fast and changing economy I find speed really important right now and I use LinkedIn to contact people about what is going on in the industry and the economy.
   
• It’s a great prospecting tool for new business
   
• It’s a great resource to find contacts you have lost touch with

Now your turn:

• Do you use LinkedIn?
   
• Do you like the community?
   
• What changes or enhancements would you like to see them make?
   
• How many connections do you have?

I look forward to reading your comments.

P.S. In case you were wondering, LinkedIn is not a CLIENT OF OURS AND DIDN’T PAY ME TO WRITE THIS BLOG.

I was reading the paper the other day and came across an interesting article about Kim Kardashian that I thought I would share. First of all I actually know who she is even though I don’t watch her show "Keeping Up with The Kardashians". The article mentioned that Kim has 2.7 million followers on Twitter. In terms of ranking that puts her 10th according to twitterholic.com — just ahead of Shaquille O’Neil. The article talks about how much Kim is paid for her tweets. Take a few seconds to think about it and then read on.  Kim is paid $10,000 every time she mentions a product in one of her tweets. Imagine if she said, "Hey I just stopped at a 7-11, bought a Coke and a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup."  I wonder if she gets $30,000?

Ok $10,000 seems like a lot of money to me but the real question is – is it worth it?

• Do consumers who are following Kim run out and buy products she buys?
   
• Since followers are getting Kim’s "Tweets" real time is there a bump in revenue after she tweets?
   
• What famous people do you follow?
   
• Have you personally bought any products based on people you are following on Twitter?
   
• Do you think this trend will be successful?

I look forward to reading your comments.