I just had the opportunity to give two colleagues a raise. That’s one of the greatest joys of being a manager: rewarding talent and hard work with good ol’ fashioned cash. What makes it especially gratifying is knowing that at least a portion of their new-found income will no doubt be spent on things they rocket for. That means that the real reward for smart work here at Barefoot is not only the satisaction of a job well done, but also the happiness it allows you to afford. And that’s the way it should be.
Our resident blogfather sent me a link this morning from Managing the Gray called “Twittering Beyond the Box.” Before we get to Chapman’s article, Brendon Connelly at Slacker Manager wrote the best synopsis I’ve read on what exactly Twitter is:
If you’re not familar with Twitter, it’s pretty easy to describe. It’s instant messaging with a group. You post a short message via IM, web or other utility (see below) and other Twitterers who are “following” you will see your message. Some have called Twitter a form of microblogging and I think that’s a helpful way of looking at it.
Right on the money. Besides the fun technology, you have to ask yourself, “Who would I Twitter?” If you could follow someone around for a day to see life through their eyes, who would that be? Chapman points out that presidential candidate John Edwards is twittering. One of my favorites is Steve Jobs. I’d love to see how different a day in the life of the guys at 37signals is from my own. The point is this, marketers: people love to get “inside scoop” on people they’re interested in (otherwise Us Weekly would be out of business), so why not use it to get your consumers closer to your brand? Hired a UFC fighter to promote your brand? Get him Twittering.
