Scott Gow

1. Scott Gow Customer Advocate and Web 2.0 Cynic Thursday, October 2, 2008

2. Intro/Agenda 1. First Off, Let me explain the whole “Web 2.0 Cynic” thing 2. Web 2.0 Crash Course 3. What do crowd-surfing and success in the 2.0 World have in Common? 4. Customer Service 2.0 in the Wild: The Good, the Bad and The Ugly 5. What we Learned Today 6. Questions? Answers?

3. Hey Scott, why so cynical? First: There is great value in Wikis, Blogs etc. But: hype meter (for some) is off the charts And: How “New” is Web 2.0 or Social Networking, anyway? Challenge: sort through the garbage to find the real value, and resist the urge to “just do it” Your customers will appreciate it

4. Oh no, I’ve been poked by a zombie! OK, I’ve heard enough about: • Facebook & MySpace • Blogs • Wikis • Anything described as “cool” • The phrase “that’s the way the new generation does it”

5. Web 2.0 Crash Course The buzzwords we’re going to cover today (in general order of hype): • Blogs • Wikis • Twitter • Viral Video and YouTube • Mash-ups • Crowd-sourcing • Brand-jacking • Prediction Markets

6. To blog or not to blog Blogging’s not for everyone Are you ready for the risks of corporate blogs? • Negative Comments • Loss of control over the message • Neglect • Misunderstanding the culture of the Blogosphere If you answered no to any of the above, try something else Beware “flogs”, “Astroturfing” and “Sock Puppeteers”

7. Can we make this a wiki? Sound Familiar? Some “Anti-patterns” to avoid: • “All wiki, all the time”, and “One Hammer” • “Manager Lockdown” • “Vandals” • “Bullies” – opposite of champion – “Thou shalt wiki” • “WikiNoobs” –replicates pre-wiki ways of doing business Source: http://www.wikipatterns.org

8. Viral Video • Widespread Popularity (like a virus) • Some intended, some not • Every person with a cellphone is a budding Speilberg • The “new celebrities”: • “Afro Ninja” • “Star Wars Kid” • “Don’t Taze Me Bro” Guy • Diet Coke + Mentos

9. Twitter • “Micro-blogging” • 140-character max “tweets” • Web, Email, SMS • 2.2M Users (July 2008) • Follow and Be Followed

10. Mash-ups • Mash-up Types: Data, entertainment, etc. • Typical: Existing data + maps = Useful

11. Crowd surfing? • You are no longer in control of your brand… You can fight it, or ride it. • Understand the medium before you dive in • There’s more of them then there are of you • Avoid “flogs”, “astroturfing” and “sock puppeteering” • Support your evangelists

12. There’s More of Them Then There are of You • “Dell Hell” • I just want to cancel my AOL • The tale of the Comcast Technician • “Brand-jacking” • “Janet” poses as Exxon on Twitter • Burger King VP hacks daughter’s email to slight competition • Wholefoods CEO pumps stock on bulletin boards • I Heart Zappos • Slave to Target

13. Frauds Will be Trampled • Wal-Marting Across America • LonelyGirl15 • AllIWantForXMasisAPSP.com

14. Let The Crowd Carry You Four ways to leverage the crowd to do your heavy lifting: • Customer Feedback • Idea Generation • “Crowd-sourcing” • Prediction markets

15. Connecting, not directing Customers and Their Ideas • Customer, help thyself (and each other) • How do I get in the heads of my customers? • Where will my next great product come from? • don’t suppress communities, support them

16. Crowd-sourcing • Harness the creative talents of the crowd • The best ideas/products rise to the top • Broader source of ideas • Results-based payment • Better indication of product success before production • “Design a shirt” – “Solve a Problem” – “Make us better”

17. Prediction Markets • Leverage the “Wisdom” of the crowd • Knowledgeable speculators buy low, sell high • Reward for being “right”, punishment for “wrong” • Based on expectation, rather than opinion • Internal markets: Predict product launch dates, success of ideas, price points, etc. • DARPA’s Policy Analysis Market (i.e., “terrorism” mkt) In politics: • Defied polls and predicted: • Bush to beat Kerry in 2004 (and electoral votes) • Obama to win Iowa primary (January ’08)

18. Customer Service 2.0 in the Wild Just plain bad: • Coca-Cola • Surprising, one of the better “old Media” brands Hall of Shame: • “The Zero Movement” • “Save surge” • Vault • Diet Coke and Menthos

19. Customer Service 2.0 in the Wild Started off good: • “Slave to Target” • Unsolicited Brand Evangelist • Target Supported, active early on • Fell back on old ways • Result: One disillusioned brand evangelist

20. Customer Service 2.0 in the Wild Turned it Around: • From Sleeping Technician to “Comcast Cares” • From “Dell Hell” to Web 2.0 darling

21. Customer Service 2.0 in the Wild Somebody gets it: Does Tiger Woods Really Walk on Water?

22. What Have We Learned? • “The Best” leverage existing brands • 2.0 won’t work if you’re bad at 1.0 • You do not control your brand • There’s more of them then there are of you • The internet has a l-o-n-g memory • The Internet moves at break-neck speed • Your customers are talking – do you have what it takes to listen?

23. One Last Example

24. Questions? Answers? Scott Gow Manager, Strategy, Planning and Business Development E-Government Branch Office of the Corporate Chief Strategist Government of Ontario Email me at: Scott.Gow@Ontario.ca Or… Tweet me on twitter, Friend me on facebook, Read my blog (when I have one), join my network on LinkedIn, BlackBerry Messenger me… Just don’t poke me