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I was excited to be part ot the Seesmic Look launch at The Times Center last week in New York. Red Bull is one of the original channel sponsors and I was there to show our channel and talk a little about why I think Look is a great app and why Red Bull is engaged with twitter and Look. The launch event video is available here on Loic's YouTube channel if you want to check it out. The video contains two good general ppt presentations from Shiv Singh and Steve Rubel that bookend Loic showing off the Seesmic Look application with launch channel partners: me (Red Bull), (Josh Young) Huffington Post, and (Jennifer Cisney) Kodak. I particularly liked Rubel's views on "embassies" and "curation". Good stuff. Steve has a super understanding of what's happening, what will likely happen in the future, and what brands can do today to prepare.

Here's a photo of me sharing the Red Bull channel with the audience live onsite & streaming online.

I was honored to share the stage with: @adamse, @jny2, @loic, @kodakcb, @daryllmc, @shivsingh, and @steverubel. Here is a photo of the group after the event. Sorry Shiv. Looks like you may be blinded by the light in this one.

Much has been written recently about twitter and slowing growth. A recent headline at ClickZ says twitter has 75 million users but most are inactive. CNN asks: Has twitter peaked? I think these headlines can drive article views but they are potentially missing what's really important on twitter. Browsing tweets is magic. Watching what's happening LIVE in twitter is important. People registering and tweeting isn't important. There is enough of a critical mass already of people, brands, and media companies tweeting. What's needed is a good way for consumers to browse, curate, and consume tweets. That's what Seesmic Look offers and that's why I'm excited about it and future apps that will make easy browsing of curated feeds the primary focus.

Immerse yourself in the real-time web by downloading your own copy of Seesmic Look. @shawnw suggests that if you don't use twitter or actively use your twitter account, you should take his 30 day challenge and twitter will be a more fun & easy experience.  For me, Seesmic Web and Seesmic Desktop are superior experiences but I'm an actively tweeting geek (and proud of it). To reach the masses, tools like Seesmic Look are needed. I'm excited about being part of making that happen.

The Whuffie Factor by Tara Hunt

I just finished reading the Whuffie Factor and it had an unexpectedly important impact on my thinking.

I breezed through the book. I was already familiar with many of the examples and principles. It didn’t seem to be making a big impact on me and then BAM! I hit pages 254-255. On those pages is a list of flags that signal you are not thinking customer-centrically. I have to admit that many of the items sound familiar. I’ve centered my recent thinking around my company’s needs more than I thought (or at least would care to admit). For me, the thinking that the "customer-centric thinking" list inspired was worth the purchase price of the book. No doubt about it.

The bullets were a nice reminder for me to stay focused on the consumer. The thinking they inspired has changed my perspective on a couple of big projects I was planning for 2010. The projects made sense in an old school strategy kind of way. They would surely generate consumer engagement and are strategically aligned with the brand. But..they’re a little company-centric. I can deliver on the same objectives in a more customer-centric way by choosing a different direction. That’s what I’m going to do. The approach will be unusual but I bet the results will be better than I originally imagined. I thank Tara for the inspiration today and, in advance, for the improved results I expect in the future.

The Whuffie Factor is a good read. I recommend it for marketers who are newer to social media or digital marketing and for veterans that just want an entertaining read from someone who understands social media principles. Logical references to real world examples are shared throughout the book and Tara clearly gets the new dynamic of marketing. In a sentence, I'd summarize the new marketing approach as succeeding through being a trustworthy and generous friend. That's what generates whuffie. Good stuff.