Author Archive

The volume of social media content can be overwhelming, even with the best designed search strategy. And even then, there is the always ubiquitous spam problem…

Because of these challenges, focus is key in navigating your way through the social web. How do I focus my search to make sure that my results stay relevant? One of my favorite features in the Community Insights platform is called “Community Lists”.  This feature allows users to create discrete, spam free source lists, even across multiple content types (blogs, micro-blogs, forums, online news, etc.).  I use this feature to segment coverage so I can focus on tracking high impact industry influencers, another list of bloggers I want to engage with regularly and even internal sources so I can monitor our departmental activity levels.   In addition, there are many other possible use cases.

Clearly, there are times when I want to search across the full blogosphere, for example when using our discovery feature to surface emerging topics.  But day-to-day, using Community Lists saves me a great deal of time and increases precision of my analysis.

To find out how Biz360 can power your insights, visit us here, or get started here. Thanks for visiting!

Is being a leader something you are, or something you do?  Many people have asked this question.  I am not sure what the correct answer is, maybe it is both.  But it is something I have been thinking about since a recent business school grad asked me, “what makes a good leader?”.  So I made a list of the things I have seen effective leaders do over the years. 

• Leadership is respecting the past while being able to articulate a clear, concise vision of the future.
• Leadership is about being transparent and honest, especially when this is difficult.
• Leadership is building a competent, committed team.  Good leaders value a plow-horse over a show-horse.  Good leaders know they are no better than their team.
• Leadership is being laser-focused on priorities.  Good leaders insist on this behavior in their organizations.  At the same time, they are open minded; constantly probing, questioning, and learning.
• Leadership is setting clear, realistic, and challenging goals, and then holding people accountable.  
• Leadership is being a good coach.  Good leaders are teachers, mentors, supporters.  Good leaders must be good listeners.
• Leadership is making decisions based on principles rather than expediency.  Good decisions are based on facts, not hunches.  A good leader’s integrity is never challenged.
• Above all, I believe, leadership is about caring.  Caring deeply and sincerely about customers, owners, partners and employees; and not being afraid to show it.

I am sure I have missed some things.  Please share your favorite leadership traits.  If nothing else, this list reminds me how difficult it is to be a good leader!