Use Your Klout Or How About Don’t

Saturday I was mic wrangling for the Type-A Parent Blogger Townhall Meeting. Jim Lin took a moment to remind us that marketers are people, too. I know this. Yet I can’t just let this topic go. I think the problem may be that the mistakes are so visible and feel very personal due the delivery method.

Spam isn’t personal, it’s very obvious that the email isn’t for me. “Make her cry at your man meat,” yeah, I just can’t relate, this makes it easy to delete and forget.

Halfway decent marketers do a good job of making even an email blast feel personal and I think therein lies the danger. When a boneheaded or insulting pitch arrives, the insult is perceived differently than when it’s carried out through other media. It takes a colossally offensive advertisement to rile me up and I suppose even then they are still creating effective brand recognition.

Last night an email loaded with arrogant ways to use your Klout score landed in my inbox. I thought I could leave it alone. I thought it would just sit there with all the other emails collecting virtual dust, waiting for a response. I should have deleted it.

I didn’t and now it’s still rolling through my head.

Disclosure: I have a modest Klout score and I got to go to their party in Las Vegas during Blog World Expo. I had a lot of fun. Once in a while I check my Klout score. I do this as just another way to put off more productive work (Yes, much like this post is also a procrastination tactic). I don’t obsess and I don’t include it in any metrics because it just isn’t that great and I really don’t think it matters that much.

From the email’s suggested ways to use your Klout score:

5) Problem resolution.
Your car breaks down in the middle of a road trip… Having a high Klout Score will often get you speedier service and a potential refund/credit, saving you valuable time and money.

If I ever hear of someone using their Klout score to bully a customer service rep into an upgrade, I will think less of that individual.

It is tacky.

It is saying, “Do you know who I am?”

Don’t be that person.

Call me on it if I ever am that person.

Please.

Because I’m a Braggy Braggart

And if I can’t brag here, then what?

It tells me nothing in terms of actual sales, but this is from the Kindle Store’s Cleaning, Caretaking and Relocating section. Which has 800 books.

Currently it’s 58 in Home & Garden which has over 20k.

So I’m not complaining.

And a random shot from the other day:

Tags: Narcissism

Split Screen

On one screen I’m looking at Engadget, watching the Verizon iPhone announcement.
On the other. . .

I don’t even know how to process what went down in Arizona. It hurts my heart and while I joke about “the crazy” it’s out there and it hurts people. Sometimes in big ways, sometimes in small. Sometimes it creeps in when we just can’t manage to live up to what we think the standards are.

I can’t process it now, so I’m letting myself be distracted by the new and the shiny. Heck, I don’t even want an iphone.

I just don’t know how to even acknowledge things. Perhaps it’s ok for me to admit that I feel terribly for the families, but that I cannot focus on it. I don’t think the 24 hour news cycle of rehashing everything over and over is at all helpful. So for now, I am going to look at gadgets and maybe when heads are cooler it will be time to see what, if anything can be done.

New Year, New Start

A few months ago, I came out of the closet. Literally, not metaphorically. Almost since I began working seriously on Home Ec 101, I’ve been hiding away in our master closet.  It really wasn’t the best solution.

I took over the spare / play / school / what the heck do we do with it room. It’s still dual purpose, used for school work, but I finally got around to hanging some things and making it my own.

The white board is actually just an old, framed poster. I just turned the print over so only the white showed. What do you know… it works perfectly. I swiped that idea from Make and Takes. I’ve been wanting one for a while, I just never remembered to pick one up while I was out. I figured, since I was already destroying the dry wall, what’s a couple more screws?

What started it? I was picking up a few things the kids had drug out, including that mobile hanging in the corner. We moved into this house, 6.5 years ago and I never got around to hanging it. Inertia kicks my butt every time.

Oh yeah, that is my coffee from this morning.

Outside that window there’s a big old oak, with lots of squirrels and those guys have been busy ensuring there are plenty of squirrels next year, too.  Oh, that? They’re just wrestling. . .

Because this Is My Scrapbook

First of all, if you’re waiting for an email from me, here’s why it’s late. Thanks @rww

Really though, I just wanted to save this tweet from the iSocket team.

Thanks guys!

If you’re actually wondering what the heck is iSocket? They are an ad serving platform. They take care of all the piddly aspects of selling your own ads. It’s a monthly fee, not commission. You can also backfill what you haven’t sold (yet!) with AdSense or  something similar.

You can reclaim your self-worth and break up with your ad network, whenever you’re ready.

I’m happy with them.  If you do check them out, let them know I sent you. They don’t pay me, they just make and send pictures like the one above and that makes me happy.

You like it when I’m happy, right?

Let’s Talk About Me

That’s what this is for, right?

I was interviewed on Monday by Srini Rao of BlogCastFM. Feel free to check out the podcast.

Heather Solos on Book Deals, In-Person Events, and Building Your Speaking Resume.

I think it went decently, of course I can’t listen to it objectively. All I can do is cringe every time I say uh.

We Did. Again.

Tim and I finally were married within the Catholic Church.
Many thanks to Father Ed for the pictures.

And tomorrow?

There’s turkey.

I Have Fun.

Sneak Peek

Tomorrow I’ll be creating an email list for those who want to be notified of the book launch. My editor was kind enough to shoot over a jpg of the cover. I thought some of you might be interested.

Eek!

Sometimes

I look like I know what I’m doing.

You have to click through for the full version, sorry.

Don’t be fooled, I missed the shot.

Thank you for the pic, Dave.