Posts Tagged ‘viral’

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@SocialMedia411: an expert who ‘doesn’t suck’


2012
11.16

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Posted in Social Media | No Comments »

Californian Jeff Pester has perfected the craft of utilizing social media to discuss, promote and critique social media.

It’s hardly redundant.

In fact, it’s genius: His market of adamant, interested people is already gathered in one place, ready and willing to ingest the information disseminated with a click of his mouse.

With a tagline touting the phrase “Highly recommended by people who like things that don’t suck,” most people wouldn’t expect Pester’s Twitter-based organization Social Media Insider (@SocialMedia411) has many insightful things to say.

It’s this sort of casual confidence, however, that makes his account so effective and well-received by a relatively young, tech-savvy audience eager to analyze today’s rapidly evolving technology.

Social Media Insider curates highly relevant content for more than 130,000 social media practitioners, according to Pester’s LinkedIn profile. The account congregates social media news, commentary and insight in one place, providing links to outside sources on a constantly updated news feed.

The account was named one of the “35 Influential People in Social Media” by The Poynter Institute and was ranked No. 5 on the list of “25 Twitter Accounts Corporate Communicators Should Follow.” Twitter Grader ranks Social Media Insider 100 out of a possible 100.

Although I’m not involved with corporate communications and I’m not a social media guru, I still found Social Media Insider interesting, entertaining and insightful. Its links ranged from quirky news stories to hard-hitting business news, as well as information of general interest to a Twitter-using community.

A few articles that caught my attention Friday while I was writing this post discussed the following topics: Facebook’s stock shares increasing, updates to Twitter resembling a visual format similar to Instagram and a Catholic Minnesota teen being denied the sacrament of confirmation due to a pro-gay marriage Facebook post.

I found all this information in a matter of minutes.

Simply put: I was impressed.

Anyone wishing to improve their online presence or stay up-to-date on social media trends should definitely follow Social Media Insider.

Expert insight like Pester’s will only become more valuable as social media continues to play a vital role in all aspects of our lives.

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YouTube gives homeless man a ‘golden’ opportunity


2012
10.20

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Posted in YouTube | 6 Comments »

Ted Williams is internationally known as “the man with the golden voice.”

But without modern-day social media and a chance encounter with a Columbus Dispatch videographer, Williams might still only be known as “the homeless man on Hudson Street” in northeast Columbus, Ohio.

Williams was plucked from obscurity and thrust into the limelight in January 2011, when the Dispatch’s Doral Chenoweth recorded an interview with him and posted it to the newspaper’s website. Once determined to become a radio personality, Williams, 53, had fallen victim to drugs, alcohol, criminal activity and apathy. Even though he was now clean of drugs and alcohol, he was left homeless, panhandling for change with a sign that claimed he had “a God given gift of voice.”

An anonymous user copied the video and posted it to YouTube, where it quickly went viral. (You can read the original Dispatch story and watch the video here.) The world was mesmerized by “the man with the golden voice” and his plea for a second chance. Williams soon received several job offers and donations while simultaneously garnering attention from mainstream media, bloggers and Twitter and Facebook users.

Williams ultimately landed a job with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena, who also offered him a home. He has also done other voice-over work on television including commercials for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. After getting a job and getting clean, he was reunited with his 90-year-old mother, whom he had lost contact with because of his addictions. You can learn more about his work and his story on his website.

Unfortunately, Williams’s story does have its setbacks. After achieving overwhelming popularity and success, he began drinking heavily again and lost his job with the Cavaliers. He is now clean of drugs and alcohol once again, thanks to the help of his girlfriend, a sober living coach and two trips to rehab.

Williams now works out of his home in Dublin, Ohio, a Columbus suburb, as the voice of New England Cable News. He also wrote a book about his struggles on the path to success, “A Golden Voice,” which debuted this May.

Without the assistance and receptivity of the Internet community, Williams would have probably been unable to get his life back on track and reunite with his family. In countless interviews he has said he is very grateful those who helped share his story. Williams’s story is a true tale of “social media success,” and it illustrates how much social media can change peoples’ lives for the better.

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