How One Entrepreneur Is Profiting From March Madness

When the men of Kentucky try to drive through Kansas’s powerful defense tonight, the cheers and groans of March Madness fans will be easily known, thanks partly to Kevin S. Ryan.
The former newspaper editor and publishing exec has built a business consulting and teaching how to create social media strategies. March is madness for him. His company, KSRyan Group, partners with Turner Sports Interactive to manage social media features for March Madness Live, the video app that lets fans watch the NCAA tournament on their computers and mobile devices. Viewers can see Ryan’s work, a torrent of fans’ comments on each matchup, flowing alongside game video.
"These are fans interacting with fans," says Ryan, 48, who lives and works in New Hyde Park, N.Y. "It’s analogous to a viewing party or the bar stool conversation people have while you’re watching the game. You want to talk about what you’re seeing…It allows viewers to participate in ways they hadn’t before."
It’s an incredible gig for someone who’s been working on his own for just two years. He started out as a newspaper reporter and editor before joining Barnesandnoble.com in 2000 as a vice president and web editor. "When I left The New York Times in early ‘97, it was somewhat of a risky move," Ryan says. “I remember people saying, ‘why would you want to leave The Times?’ But the fast pace, always moving Internet schedule, was very similar to what I lived with in my journalism days.’’
He learned about marketing and online content, working on ways authors and readers could interact. He created online book clubs at the moment when people were starting to blog. He plunged into social media, building the book conglomerate’s presence among Facebook and Twitter users.
Ryan began to think about how he could marshal this new technology in his own business that would let him spend more time with his wife and three children. He realized that social media is just another way to tell stories and that he could help a business “build a narrative for customers.’’
Ryan consults and trains, getting businesses to understand and build a social media strategy. “A lot of companies are still trying to figure out what they should do on a Facebook page,’’ he says. “If you’re not paying attention to what that conversation is, then you’re at risk of allowing brand damage to be done without you knowing about it.’’
March Madness work is Ryan’s most intensive part of the job. He helped define the social product features for the March Madness Live app, organized the social arena features on Facebook, worked with vendors and managed the kit and caboodle throughout the tournament.
Ryan’s work with customers through social media had trained him well to judge when someone’s comments were helpful and when they were made just to get noticed, says Michael Adamson, Turner interactive vice president for new products.
For the fan chatter, Ryan and his March Madness colleagues set up Twitter feeds for each of the 68 college teams that played, filtering out swear words and insensitive or inaccurate remarks.
Monitoring is important, he says. "Social media is a no-holds-barred kind of enterprise and people will push the envelope with what they can say," Ryan says.
Take for example the NCAA’s decision to suspend Syracuse starter Fab Melo for academic reasons. “The Twittersphere just blew up,’’  Adamson says. Turner and NCAA relied on Ryan’s journalism training to filter through the posts. "We wanted to make sure we were filtering out the ‘you sons of b--ches’’’ and included what most fans were writing:  “Holy Cow! I need to change my bracket!”
A 1985 graduate of Syracuse University, Ryan says the Orange men’s loss on March 24 to Ohio State didn’t crush him. “They’re going to break your heart at some point,’’ he says. “Now it’s easier to focus on the work.’’
The folks at Turner hope the conversation will be “absolutely crazy,’’ Adamson says. “I hope [Ryan] gets slammed. That means there are interesting stories and the fans are talking.’’

Would You Fire Someone for Trying to Make a Co-Worker Laugh?

This is a story about a Michigan teacher's aide who was fired, she claims, for trying to crack up a co-worker–and out of hours, too.
But like many workplace-related giggles gone awry in the 21st century, this one begins in social media, or more specifically, Facebook.
In April 2011 Kimberly Hester, a teacher's aide at Frank Squires Elementary in the village of Cassopolis, Michigan, posted to Facebook a photo of a co-worker's pants around her ankles and a pair of shoes. The caption: “Thinking of you." (See the photo here.)
“It was very mild, no pornography,” Hester told Michigan's WSBT TV station. She added: “It wasn't at work, it was off work time."
A parent at Lewis Cass Intermediate who was friends with Hester on the social network promptly alerted the school to the photo. (Hester's aide job was at the elementary school, but she technically was employed by Lewis-Cass Intermediate.)
Lewis Cass Intermediate superintendent Robert Colby called Hester into his office a few days later and, according to her, asked her three times for access to her Facebook page, which was private.
"I repeatedly said I was not OK with that,” Hester told WSBT.
Within days, Hester received a letter from the Lewis Cass ISD Special Education Director, which she provided the TV station. It read, in part: “…in the absence of you voluntarily granting Lewis Cass ISD administration access to you[r] Facebook page, we will assume the worst and act accordingly."
She was put on administrative leave and eventually suspended.
“I have the right to privacy,” she told WSBT.
Hester has taken legal action.
“I stand by it,” she said. “I did nothing wrong. And I would not, still to this day, let them in my Facebook. And I don’t think it’s OK for an employer to ask you.”
But University of Notre Dame labor law professor Barbara Frick told the TV station that the school didn’t break any laws by asking for Hester’s Facebook information.
Right now there are no state or federal laws protecting social media privacy in the workplace, Frick said. Michigan currently is one of several states pushing for legislation that would make an employer's asking for a Facebook password illegal, though–and the social network itself has said it will seek legal action against offending employers.
Both sides are scheduled to go to arbitration in May.
Last week, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives defeated an amendment titled "Mind Your Own Business on Passwords", that would have banned employers demanding access to Facebook accounts. (Democrats had added the provision to a larger Federal Communications Commission reform package.) It can still return as separate legislation.
Also last week, a pair of senators (Democrats Charles Schumer of New York and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut) called for an investigation to determine whether employers asking for Facebook passwords are breaking the law. They sent letters to the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, questioning whether the practice is in violation of laws prohibiting intentional unauthorized access to electronic information.

Should You Focus on Facebook or Twitter?

A new poll of small-business owners found that entrepreneurs ranked their time as their business's most valuable asset (yes, even ahead of their computers).
So with time scarce, and with business owners performing multiple roles, something has to give. Should it be Facebook or Twitter? (Sproutsocial, a startup that builds social media management tools for small businesses, suggests as a rule of thumb that Facebook is better for business-to-consumer marketing, while Twitter trumps for business-to-business.)
A new study suggests Facebook engages fans better than Twitter, at least if the biggest brands on the Internet are any guide.
Social media analytics company SocialBakers compared top brands' Facebook and Twitter presences over a month-long period. It concluded that brands such as Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Playstation and McDonalds were getting better results—sometimes dramatically better results—on Facebook.
Starbucks, for example, which has spent millions on Twitter efforts, gets 80 percent engagement on Facebook but less than 5 percent engagement on the microblogging site.
Of the 10 brands studied, just one—Oreo—got eye-popping numbers on Twitter: Nearly 80 percent engagement. Oreo gets just under 20 percent on Facebook. It and Skittles are the only two of the 10 brands that do better on Twitter than on Facebook. (Check out Oreos' Tweets, which seem heavy on chances to win some free sandwich cookies.)
Coca-Cola and Pringles did equally well with Twitter and with Facebook, though "well" is a relative term; Coca-Cola's engagement rate was about 5 percent, while Pringles's was 10 percent.
The study did not offer analysis of the results, though mediabistro's AllTwitter found them surprising.
Observed Lauren Dugan: "McDonalds and Starbucks, for instance, have been among the beta testers for Twitter’s advertising products, Promoted Products, since they launched. Both brands have spent millions on advertising on Twitter, offering coupons, free coffees and discounts—but their engagement rates are between 1 and 5 percent on Twitter, while they’re seeing between 30 and 80 percent engagement on Facebook."
How to improve your own engagement rates on Facebook? Socialbakers suggests taking advantage of the site's new "Facebook questions" feature, which can be used to ask questions of fans without forcing them to add any applications to answer them (a deterrent).
Socialbakers gives the feature's "viral-ability" a thumbs up, observing: Questions appear not only on your page’s wall as full stories but each time one of your fans answers the question, it appears as a full story on all of their friends feeds. If their friend answers, then it also shows as a full story in their feed and so on. Anyone who sees the poll can also post comments and “follow” the question to be alerted of future comments and outcomes.

How to Master Online Marketing

In today's world, where consumers live on their laptops and mobile devices, most small businesses know the importance of online marketing—a valuable and often cheaper way to reach customers.
"When done well, online marketing can save failing businesses, create profitable new opportunities, and find talent for both small businesses and nonprofits," says says Geri Stengel, a marketing expert and founder of Ventureneer.com, a firm that provides advice to "socially-responsible" small businesses and nonprofits.
But while many small businesses dabble in the area—by taking out an odd ad here and there or starting a company Facebook account—few are using it effectively, says Stengel.
"Much of the skepticism about online marketing seems to come from a lack of training in using tactics effectively and from not understanding and using metrics in a way that guides good decision-making," she said. "Power-users—those who devote more than 25 hours per week to social media—have done their homework and are confident that their investment of time reaps benefits."
So how can your firm become an effective "power-user" of online marketing tools? Stengel cited these five questions to help guide the way.
Who do you want to reach?
This is important. Are you hoping to hone in on a small local audience or are you hoping to attract customers from farther away? Is your target audience young or old? Male or female? Web saavy or not so much? Different target audiences will be best reached through different methods so its very important to first know your target audience.
What are your goals and objectives?
Do you want to generate new business? Retain current customers? These goals will likely be best served by different tools and methods like knowing you're target audience—figure out this first.
Which platform or medium is best suited to your goals and market?

Once you have determined your goals and target market, now think about the best way to reach them. Social media can be a smart way to target young people or promote customer service, while you would likely be best using e-mail to reach a more elderly audience.
How will you evaluate your campaign for continuous improvement?
Metrics, metrics, metrics. If you don't track your success (or lack thereof), you will have no way to know if your investment is working.

How much do you want to spend?
The cost of online marketing tools vary significantly so this is a big one. While one company may benefit from spending to advertise on a major news website, other companies may want to stick to smaller, cheaper methods.
Hiring people with the know-all for more complicated online marketing tools can also be a big investment.
Most importantly, don't be afraid to start small, taking one type of online marketing at a time, says Stengel.
"Small businesses have been using e-mail longer than other online marketing categories and rate themselves more effective at using it," she said. "It's easier to learn to do e-mail well compared to social media, search engine optimization or social networking advertising."
Photo credit: Ventureneer.com

Would You Fire Someone for Mocking Your Company Online?

Gailen David, an American Airlines flight attendant who mocked the beleaguered company in a series of online videos, has been fired, according to a post on his Facebook page.

David, a flight attendant for 24 years, also runs a website called DearSkySteward.com that includes company gossip.

David has long provoked the company, but the incidents that were his undoing, it seems, began when the American Airlines vice president for onboard services sent a letter to flight attendants David described as "patronizing."

The letter explained to workers the "joint" sacrifices that needed to be made at the company.

"I decided to make a video, so what I did was I dressed up," he told the Broward New Times. "All I did was read the letter, and I added a couple of y'alls and honeys."

He posted the video early last month; it now has more than 56,000 views. His success–he said it struck a chord with his fellow employees–spurred him to make a fake movie trailer called, in homage to Iron Lady, Aluminum Lady. That one featured a fictional (or so he said) vice president.

On his site, he described the video this way:

The Aluminum Lady [is] the most dangerous woman in aviation. She's skillfully taken American Airlines, one of the most admired airlines, to its lowest point and the morale of its flight attendants and their fellow employees right along with it. From their Dallas/Ft. Worth Headquarters to the lavish American Airlines London Townhouse, this historical drama will keep you on the edge of your seat and bring tears to your eyes.

The video received more than 52,000 views.

American Airlines asked him to take the video down. He refused.

"And they said, 'What do you want from us?'" he told the New Times.

The union told him they planned to fire him, but he says he told them: "It's worth it for me, because you would not believe how it's brought the workers together."

Still, he carried on making videos. On March 14, the company fired him.

According to the March 14 dismissal letter David posted on his Facebook page (view a photo of it here), he was fired for promoting rival airlines as well as for publishing private details about customers of the airline.

The letter said an American Airlines investigation found that Google had placed ads for competing airlines on David's website and that he was "making public the travel itineraries of passengers, including current and former members of the American Airlines management team. On the site, you stated that the travel information was being provided to you by 'moles' at American Airlines."

It said he was in violation of American Airlines Rules of Conduct 24,  which states: "Consider the welfare of the company and your fellow employees. Perform no act that is detrimental to either."

Bruce Hicks, a spokesman for AA, said in a statement that David had been warned previously about conflict of interest and passenger privacy violations. He added that AA was very serious about the privacy of its passengers and did not allow workers to violate that trust.

A posting on David's Facebook page said he planned to make a video in response to his firing.