Contributing to The 2.0 Life

I’m very excited to say that today marks my first contribution to The 2.0 Life.  I’ll be writing there weekly about new online services, the social web, and embracing the digital lifestyle from here on out!

First post: “How Transparency, Life and Twitter Fit Together”

The LacrosseAllStars Story

“LacrosseAllStars.com, dedicated to the lacrosse state of mind.”

Six months ago, Ryan Craven and I started an online lacrosse news rag.  We cleverly named it LacrosseAllStars.com and went to work, signing up for a free Tumblr account to host our content.

This is what LacrosseAllStars.com looked like from July 4, 2008 to Jan. 5, 2009:

We barely promoted the site, but little by little we saw significant increases in daily traffic.  This made us realize we had a real opportunity on hand, and we immediately got more invested in the project.  Ryan and I knew we possessed the skills and knowledge needed to make LacrosseAllStars big, but did we have the time?  Short answer: No, not really.  We also didn’t have the manpower.  However, after long talks about what to do, we both decided we could not pass this great opportunity up - that we would hate to lose this chance.  So, we decided to make time and devote ourselves to the project.

Beginning in November, I began working on a modest redesign of the site.  On January 5th, we launched it:

It’s not perfect (still a work in progress), but it has set the tone and cleared absolutely any doubt that what we’re doing won’t last.  In less that 3 weeks since it went live, we’ve doubled our total traffic from 6-months worth of content on the old site.

Now our Twitter account is rocking, our Facebook page is getting a redesign, and we’ve got a new logo in the works.  We’ve brought on additional writers, and we continue to search for more who are as dedicated to the game as we are.  Best of all, we’ve added two more members to our core team - two guys we’ve known a long time and can completely trust in. They don’t just get things done, they get them done the right way, and I’m ecstatic to have them on board.

We’ve established our vision and we’ve begun to make big plans for LacrosseAllStars, both as a site (LacrosseAllStars.com) and a content network.  I have high hopes for LacrosseAllStars as an entity, not just one website, and I truly believe we are on the verge of creating something very meaningful for the sport of lacrosse.

When you get a minute or two, feel free to explore the site and think about improvements that could be made.  We’d love any feedback you’d be willing to throw our way.  You can email me directly, or shoot a note to jw@lacrosseallstars.com.  Either way, we’ll all see it and use your input to fuel our output.

We’re not looking to be the best, most popular lacrosse destination overnight, nor do we plan to gauge our success solely on traffic.  We are looking to change the way fans and players interact with the sport on the internet.  This will take time, but the end result is going to be remarkable.

Circuit City’s I Wear Red 4U Campaign

I came across this video at Advertising and NewMedia.com yesterday while searching for evidence of big brands embracing Twitter and other new media.

Circuit City is coming out and saying, “We’re all about the customer, we’re here for you.” This is a great example of a big brand positively and smoothly entering the social web.

Social Media Marketing, they call it.  It is indeed marketing, but the web is a customer-centric place, where connections and content are kings.  There is little room nor tolerance for intrusive direct marketing.  “Social Media Marketing” has more to do with customer experience, service and satisfaction than it does with traditional marketing means.

The social web enables companies to openly communicate with consumers on a more personal level. With Twitter, for example, Circuit City has the ability to always reach an end-user directly. Because Twitter is essentially a public conversation, Circuit City can connect on a 1:1 level with the consumer while simultaneously being observed by the entire social community. This is another reason why Twitter is such a powerful communication tool: It holds each individual user accountable. Circuit City must leave a positive footprint every time it ends a conversation.

Comcast, Zappos and others have already jumped in and successfully connected with their customers via Twitter. They create relationships that go further than just a trip to the store, visit to the website, or call to the customer service hotline.  One way to look at this is that they’re practicing active customer service.  Pre-purchase, mid-, and post-purchase, @Circuit_City has the ability to make the overall experience just a little better for a customer who tweets about it on Twitter.

Do you want to just sell it to the customer and let them take it home and open it, not knowing what’ll happen next? OR do you want to be there when they open it and help them try it out? The most valuable interaction comes with the second question. People want to feel good about their purchase and a great way to make them feel good is to be there for them. Considering today’s economy and the quickly changing media landscape, it only makes sense to help your customer as much as you can - making sure they are satisfied and creating loyalty. Social media gets companies one step closer to doing just that.

In the end, I think Circuit City’s campaign and use of social media will turn out to prove that a large company (who’s known to be fairly traditional) can effectively utilize new technologies to gain nothing but positive results. If Circuit City can give each customer they connect with a reason to think of Red when they think electronics, an enhanced image will be born and revenue will flourish.

Circuit City w/ a customer-centric philosophy + Social Media = Very promising.

Nice work Red.