Especially honoured that my favourite conversation of the year was part of Mick Sharpe's FridayFavourites.

Especially honoured that my favourite conversation of the year was part of Mick Sharpe's FridayFavourites.

Now for my weekend catchup!

#fridayfavourites   #googleplustips  

Originally shared by Mick Sharpe

Looking forward

I’ve been amazed at just how much activity is still taking place, both on and offline. ♫  Do they know it’s Christmas...? ♫♪. It’s a good thing but it does make it difficult to give as much time to the conversation here as I would like.

One thing I really enjoy about this time of year are the Crystal Ball shows making predictions of the trends for next year. The #RayBunch crew give their views in What Will Social Media Look Like in 2015? (http://goo.gl/39eXfz) and I have to say I’ll never look at an Olivia Newton-John video in the same way again! As well as their predictions, the panel share their hopes for next year. I have to say I would also really like to see more companies empowering their employees to be a more human front. Enjoy the 30 minute lunch break offered here. [Late edit - you may also want to check out Ray’s wishlist post (http://goo.gl/CyyQ0J) that sums up much of what was talked about here]

The Great British Hangout joined the prediction party with Looking Back to the Future (http://goo.gl/V1fMKO). Hosted by Kath Dawson and Peter Lunn, martin shervington, David Amerland, James Dearsley and Amy Harrison share their views on the current state of Google+, brand engagement and, NDAs permitting, some predictions for next year. Watch out for the Christmas jokes - you may chuckle or feel the urge to run and hide! This is also worth watching for the sound advice about content marketing and strategy from all the panel. James then talks us through the rise of wearables and virtual reality. Based on his experience I think I’ll be holding off Google Glass. That’s me almost set for Christmas now!

If you’re still doubting the value of mobile then do watch the latest #ContentWarfare HOA Mobile, Commerce and the Coming Revolution (http://goo.gl/whZQEr) with Ryan Hanley interviewing Tom Webster, co-author of the The Mobile Commerce Revolution. There were some very interesting points raised in this show including the misinterpretation of some of the standard data available to business. Forget about the mobile element for a minute this will get you thinking about the needs of your customer, which should be your primary focus. There are some great takeaways for the small business that can really enhance the relationships with their customers through an effective mobile strategy. It’s as well to point out that this is easiest for your existing customers - as Tom says, You’re not going to get to fourth base without that first kiss but you’ll always be able to make improvements by thinking about the needs and behaviours of mobile humans.

Fond farewell

The final Social Media Today PowerTalk: Cooperation in Social Media (http://goo.gl/462at6) aired this week and what a way to go out. David Amerland in conversation with the host of the Mid Week Zap Zara Altair and the man behind the Conversation Community (http://goo.gl/b18jdH) John Kellden. For me the cooperation of the community on this platform is the very thing that made me take notice and participate. As you’ll find out from watching this that cooperation doesn’t mean that you give away the Crown Jewels but you do bring value to the wider community. A fantastic finale to a great series. Well done to all involved and looking forward to seeing what might arise next year. A helpful #timestamp post courtesy of Vivekananda Baindoor Rao can be found here (http://goo.gl/Qie1Zd). Cheers Vivek.

Time Management and Tools

Some high class #infotainment from the Ask The Experts edition of The Mia Connect Power Chat (http://goo.gl/PKhvWA) Mia Voss, Denise Wakeman, Lany Sullivan and Joe Romeo share thoughts on time management - who doesn’t need to get to grips with that? Some top tips on the tools that can help you in your daily tasks - I’ve tried a few including Smartsheet but now just tend to stick with vanilla Google Docs. Great information delivered in that relaxed, friendly atmosphere. And for the time-challenged Mia has put together the ever helpful #timestamp post here (http://goo.gl/OqlpRq).

Let it go. Let it go.

I always enjoy the ensuing conversation when Stephanie Sims, Gina Fiedel and Alexandra Riecke-Gonzales get together and this latest Codebreakers: The Pandemic Code show: Are we "Frozen" in the Princess Paradigm? (http://goo.gl/aDsPt5) is no exception. Fill your coffee cup and sit back as the trio discuss gender norms, culture and pink. Deeply engaging discussion.

Art of Social Media catchups

If you missed any of the shows last week featuring Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick and the launch of their new book then take the opportunity to catch up with The Art of Becoming a Social Media Superstar (http://goo.gl/w78N1K) hosted by Rebekah Radice. Always a fun conversation but some great tips shared about how any business can make Social Media work for them.

If you like your shows with a little more testerone then you can also catch Peg and Guy on the Manly Pinterest Tips show (http://goo.gl/FUAgD0) with Jeff Sieh. Another look at the practical and tactical tips contained within the book. If you haven’t bought the book yet - what are you waiting for?

Passionate Plussers

There was a good discussion about Google+ and Social Media in Yifat Cohen’s Google Rebuttal - Chris Messina's Perspective (http://goo.gl/0H0Pj5) Yifat invited Chris Messina to debate some of the points he raised in his Thoughts on Google+ post. It’s sometimes difficult to hear criticism of anything in which you are heavily invested but Chris raises some interesting points about the future (when millions of additional users enter the Social Media arena) and some well known Plussers also share some salient points. It’s a long one (1 hour 44 minutes) but worth watching. If you want to follow the comments go directly to Yifat’s blog (http://goo.gl/9LSQzO) where the video and comments are embedded on the page.

Thinkers corner

A couple of gems from thinkers corner regular Colin Walker. Tired (http://goo.gl/wQSFCq) and As we sow (http://goo.gl/0bwY3M) are two somewhat related posts that really struck a chord with me this week as I’ve been burning the candle from both ends, and sometimes the middle as well! If you’ve been doing the same then do take the opportunity to put that right this weekend and over the holiday season. Sometimes it’s too easy to get caught up in the grind and forget to live in the meantime. Break out of the loop and reset your sails.

And finally…

I’m sold on research and data so it’s no surprise that I follow the work of Eric Enge and Stone Temple Consulting. This week Eric revealed the latest: Twitter Engagement Unmasked: A study of Over 4M Tweets (http://goo.gl/FuhTeH) A massive amount of work went into this study and some of the revelations may surprise you while others will have you nodding, Yeah, that’s what I suspected. Put it on your reading list now.


Have a great weekend wherever you are

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Created by Mick Sharpe of Bitingedge