How to get listed on Twitter

We've all been twittering for some time now. My first tweet was in February of 2008, thank you, thank you very much. (Of course my first tweet, like so many new users, was "werkin" and then I didn't tweet for another 10 months.)

But anyway, Twitter's not new anymore. And you've probably started to notice some things about how it works. That, for example, you're probably not reading everything from the people you follow, or even interacting with them at all. Like wearing a t-shirt or slapping on a bumper sticker or joining a Facebook fan page, we use Twitter to identify ourselves by brands that we like or celebrities they look up to. (I'm following @baconsalt, for example.) We also use Twitter to make weak connections with associates. The result is that we also use Twitter in many ways that are *not* interactive at all. I bet you only pay attention to a small sliver of your Twitter stream. Heard of the "million follower fallacy"?

A group of researchers have proven something we already expected to be the case: your Twitter follower count is somewhat of a meaningless metric when it comes to determining influence. To reach this conclusion, the researchers examined the Twitter accounts of over 54 million active users, out of some 80 million accounts crawled by their servers. They then went on to measure various statistics about these accounts, including audience size, retweet influence and mention influence. The conclusion? Those with the largest number of followers may be "popular" Twitterers, but that's not necessarily related to their influence. High follower counts don't always mean someone is being retweeted or mentioned in any meaningful ways. -ReadWriteWeb

Don't tell Ashton. But there is a new metric for evaluating your level of influence on Twitter. Besides retweets, mentions and the unofficial #Follow Fridays, Twitter now has lists. Since users create lists of users in order to make them easier to read -- as in a "news" list for the morning, "friends" list for the weekends and "funny" list for when you need a chuckle -- you can gauge the usefulness of a Twitter feed by the number of lists that user has got herself onto.

I'm on 9 lists, for example, ranging from "Portland tweeters" to "PR tweeps." But @shitmydadsays is on no less than 30,100 lists.

So how can social people like ourselves make use of this new tool? How do we GET LISTED ON TWITTER?

1. Get registered. Putting yourself into directories like Twellow and WeFollow.com under the appropriate keywords will help get you discovered by users who will be interested in your stream and add you to their Twitter lists.

2. Be a celebrity. Obvious. We'll skip telling you how to become a celebrity -- but if you can harness your own personal celebrity or the celebrity of your hometown or brand, you're in! Tweet your hardest and watch your Twitter list count go up.

3. Tweet often about a unique topic or topics. Although the research shows that many influential users could tweet about a variety of topics -- @zappos, for example, whose tweets are very random -- and still get retweeted, this is the easy way to establish yourself and find a place on other users' Twitter lists. Users that limit their tweets to a single topic gain the most influence, fastest.

4. Be an active list-maker. Make your own Twitter lists for related topics and include yourself and other uses you'd like to connect with. This is another way to get users to associate you with certain topics.

5. Stay involved. The researchers who discovered the million follower fallacy found that "influence is not gained spontaneously or accidentally, but through concerted effort." In order to gain and maintain influence over followers and fellow Twitterers, users need to keep great personal involvement. Remember these catchphrases still apply: "content is king" but also "query deserves freshness." You not only need good content, you need to constantly be making new content if you want to be influential and get listed on Twitter. 6. Show your appreciation. Tweet a link to each list you get added to. The list-maker will appreciate it and it turns your followers on to new lists as well.

***UPDATE, 3/26: More good stats and analysis from ReadWriteWeb on how influencers tweet.

-Adrianne (@msfener)

Signs you tweet too much.

We're not admitting anything... -Campbell Consulting (@ccgpr)

Customer service at the IRS

I had my first human contact with the IRS today!

I had registered an Oregon business corporation to channel my freelance activities through, and I needed to file for a subchapter S tax election by the end of the day, so I rode down to the Federal Building in downtown Portland. The bike ride was glorious -- beautiful sunny day, cherry blossoms, 60 degrees -- but the Federal Building is a soulless high rise guarded by a metal detector.

I waited in a longish line for the receptionist in the ground floor IRS suite. I expected the receptionist to look something like this guy:

Not at all. My receptionist was a smiling clerk in jeans and a white collared shirt. "Welcome to the IRS," he chirped. I could tell my experience was going to be easy. I handed him over my forms and he made jokes as he stamped and filed them.

"What do you get when you cross a vampire with frosty the snowman?"

I said I gave up.

"Frostbite!"

I laughed and said, "I think that one's out of season! You need one about the Easter Bunny."

"Well, is it still flu season?" he asked. "What's the difference between bird flu and swine flu?"

I gave up.

"There are different remedies," he said. "With bird flu, you have to tweet it. With swine flu, you need oinkment." He smiled and handed me a copy of my form and sent me on my way.

Seriously, who expected that?

-Adrianne (@msfener)

Oregon Chai Slighty Sweet featured in First For Women Magazine

Our client, Oregon Chai, was featured in the March 2010 issue of First for Women Magazine as a slim and satisfying beverage choice in "Comfort Drinks - hold the hidden fat." Read and enjoy!

-Campbell Consulting (@ccgPR)

Deschutes Brewery Releases New “Hop in the Dark” Cascadian Dark Ale

The latest from our client, Deschutes Brewery (@DeschutesBeer).

Deschutes Brewery Releases New “Hop in the Dark” Cascadian Dark Ale 
New “Black I.P.A.” style beer has been under development for more than one year Bend, Oregon - What takes 22 brews and more than a year of experiments to reach perfection? Deschutes Brewery’s newest Bond Street Series release: Hop in the Dark Cascadian Dark Ale (C.D.A.). C.D.A. is a new style of beer that emerged recently in the Pacific Northwest, more widely known as a Black I.P.A. There has been a significant movement and debate in the region to call the style C.D.A., and Deschutes Brewery leads the way with Hop in the Dark. This ominous looking liquid combines prominent Northwest hops with roasted malts to create a black tinted India Pale Ale type beer. Hop in the Dark aromas come from Cascade, Amarillo, Citra and Centennial hops that float over a gentle undercurrent of velvet malt complexities. “We’ve been serving renditions of this beer in both our Bend and Portland pubs for over a year, experimenting on our customers as we perfected the recipe,” said Brewmaster Larry Sidor. “This beer has subtle coffee undertones born from a blend of oats with dark, Munich and crystal malts. Classic IPA flavors and aromas are due to courageous additions of various hops.” Hop in the Dark is the latest to join Deschutes Brewery’s Bond Street Series, which originally rose up from the hundreds of beers the brewery has tried out on friends and critics at the Downtown Bend Pub. These local favorites, old and new, are brewed in small batches a few times a year, displaying Deschutes Brewery’s diversity and creativity. Deschutes Brewery invites beer lovers to take the plunge – a hop, if you will – into this new Dark Cascadian Ale. Many may never even try to swim for shore. Available across the western U.S. in 22 oz bottles and on draft from late May through September. About Deschutes Brewery Located in beautiful Bend, Oregon, Deschutes Brewery is in the business of daring people to expect more from their beer. That's why we started off in 1988, on the banks of the Deschutes River here in Bend, Oregon, by selling Black Butte Porter at a time when others were sure a dark beer would never catch on. Our brewers love to push the envelope, especially if it makes someone nervous. But for us, the highest praise is a raised glass and a toast of "Bravely Done!" For more information about Deschutes Brewery and its courageously crafted beers, please visit www.DeschutesBrewery.com.

-Campbell Consulting (@ccgpr) Please email marie@campbellconsulting.com for images.

Do you Run Like A Mother? #RLAM

Below is the latest press release from writer and friend, Sarah Bowen Shea, about her new collaborative book, Run Like A Mother. This book of over 100 short essays from running mothers is available at Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, Borders and Indie Bound. Enjoy!

-Campbell Consulting (@ccgpr)

Pepsi's new social public relations campaign

Last month, Pepsi launched a truly social PR campaign. It's on every social network, it's all over the Google -- and it requires participation from the masses. The premise of the project is this: Pepsi earmarked $20 million to give away to innovative projects, submitted by anyone through its web site, www.refresheverything.com. Then everybody votes on the best ideas in open online voting.

We're looking for people, businesses, and non-profits with ideas that will have a positive impact. Look around your community and think about how you want to change it. -Pepsi Refresh Project

Imagine all the innovations that could get their start from this funding. Ten years down the road, a successful program to say, build a school for girls in a bad neighborhood, blossoms and names a building after Pepsi. It's a great PR campaign that will keep on giving -- in many ways. Is anyone else noticing a correlation between the mounting relevance of the social world and the tendency for major PR campaigns to be philanthropic?

-Adrianne (@msfener)

Some Puccini with that pilsner?

On a recent trip to the Bay Area with Jason Randles and Larry Sidor of Deschutes Brewery, I thought it might be nice to chauffeur my companions about in my twin sister’s Audi Q5. This meant that she had to retrieve her beloved car after an arduous work day at the San Francisco Opera, and thus join me for some scintillating conversation about ale. Who knew that lending her car would provide such insights into the endless possibilities of beer and opera?

-Marie (@mariefayandre)

Marketing Firm Buzztag Launches With Buzzworthy Ideas, Global Client List

It's official... Buzztag is in business!

Agency focuses on branded merch fused with new media; clients includes HP, Pepsi Bend, Oregon – Buzztag, a new international sales and marketing company, has launched to provide firms with creative methods of acquiring and connecting with new customers. "Many businesses haven't cracked the social media code," says Brenda Speirs, co-founder of Buzztag. "They either haven't taken full advantage of it or they don't understand what it could do for them. We show them that it's not so confusing -- it's just all about engaging customers and strengthening the relationship, critical to any business today. We help clients break into the social media space with a bang.” Buzztag combines cross-promotions, branded merchandise and social media to help its clients connect with new customers and build excitement around a client’s brand. The company’s official launch took place this past weekend with an online video contest, text message contests and a host of interactive activities with Bend’s WinterFest as a backdrop. Buzztag’s clients include global companies Cisco Systems, HP, Oracle, Pepsi as well as smaller businesses. Buzztag blends a unique set of services including branded merchandise development, social media and collaborative Web 2.0 tools to create innovative outreach solutions for clients. Queen Bee Brenda Speirs developed branded merchandise for global Fortune 500 companies for 10 years before she co-founded Buzztag with the goal of providing branded items that are both unique and useful as part of a comprehensive marketing program. Chief Buzzbomb Lyle Speirs co-founded the company with his wife, Brenda, after years in senior management at Wang Laboratories, Apple Computer, KPMG/ExIS, Black Diamond Consulting and Cisco Systems. About Buzztag Based in Bend, Oregon, Buzztag is an innovative sales and marketing company that provides creative, integrated outreach solutions for a variety of client companies. Buzztag utilizes social media, branded merchandise and interactive, collaborative technology, drawing on its team’s years in related fields. To find out more about the buzz Buzztag is creating, go to www.buzz-tag.com, @buzztag or find and become a fan of the company on Facebook.

-Campbell Consulting (@ccgpr)

Central Oregon Builders' Association Honors Brooks Resources Corporation

Here's some news from our Bend, Ore. client, Brooks Resources Corporation... -- Central Oregon Builders’ Association Names Brooks Resources Corporation Green Developer of the Year
 Bend, Oregon real estate company is honored for sustainable practices Bend, Oregon – The Central Oregon Builders’ Association (COBA) honored Brooks Resources Corporation “Green Developer of the Year” at its annual Awards of Excellence gala earlier this month. The award was based on several criteria, including community service, sustainable practices, industry recognition and involvement with COBA activities. “Sustainable practices in developing the land we’ve called home for many decades is one of the core objectives of our company,” said Romy Mortensen, vice president of sales and marketing for Brooks Resources Corporation. “From master-planning our communities based on natural features and mature trees, all the way to restoration of native landscape, we keep our delicate high desert environment in mind. We are honored to be recognized by COBA for this commitment.” Along with the development of premier neighborhoods that meet the needs of a diverse population, Brooks Resources Corporation takes special care to conserve natural surroundings around home sites and encourage positive, sustainable community growth. To continue nurturing an active relationship with Central Oregon, the corporation formed the Bend Foundation, which supports education, arts and cultural institutions, parks and other endeavors that improve the quality of life in this very special area. The annual COBA awards ceremony honors the best of the best, recognizing those members who have stood out over the previous year in COBA, in their business and in the community. About Brooks Resources Corporation
 Brooks Resources Corporation, based in Bend, Oregon, is a real estate development company that delivers quality real estate products and services in Central Oregon. With roots in the original 1916 Brooks-Scanlon lumber company that sparked a boom in Bend’s growth for the next half century, Brooks Resources is one of the oldest and most respected developers in the area. Offering a diverse choice of premier neighborhoods in Central Oregon, Brooks Resources Corporation is committed to the preservation of natural environment around home sites, positive growth of communities and an active relationship with the communities of Central Oregon. Its current developments include North Rim on Awbrey Butte, RiverWild at Mount Bachelor Village Resort, Awbrey Park, Century Washington Center, IronHorse, NorthWest Crossing (a joint venture with Tennant Family Limited Partnership) and Yarrow in Madras through a joint partnership with JELD-WEN Communities and Taylor Northwest. In addition it operates Mount Bachelor Village Resort, Botanical Developments and Brooks Resources Realty. For more information, visit www.brooksresources.com.

-Campbell Consulting (@ccgpr)

Photo from North Rim.

The Whuffie Bank

Recognized by TechCrunch as one of the 50 most innovative startups of 2009, The Whuffie Bank is about measuring social capital. As the internet becomes increasingly saturated with personalities and web sites, Whuffie Bank turns that capital into a currency. "In a world where reputation is wealth, only those who do good and well unto others are the richest." Use your social reputation to build credit, then donate or pay that credit to others to boost their reputations and make it easier for everyone to find insightful/helpful/trustworthy people on the web. Video here.

-Adrianne (@msfener)

21st Amendment Tells Pittsburgh: CAN IT!

Our Client, 21st Amendment Brewery located in San Francisco, CA, launches distribution to Pittsburgh, PA....

SAN FRANCISCO’S 21ST AMENDMENT BREWERY TELLS PITTSBURGH: CAN IT! Pittsburgh, Penn. – Shaun O’Sullivan and Nico Freccia have family roots in Pittsburgh. Now they’re coming home and they’re bringing beer. The co-founders of San Francisco’s 21st Amendment Brewery tell Pittsburgh craft beer fans, "We Drink What We Can, We Can What We Drink." Beginning February 1, 21st Amendment beers will be available for the first time throughout Pittsburgh in cans and on draft at better bars and stores. Chief Watermelon Officer Freccia says, "My mom grew up in Pittsburgh, going to Pirates games with my grandfather. He knew beer and used to collect cans from all the great local Pittsburgh breweries." Adds Chief Hop Head O’Sullivan, "My grandfather owned a bar in Mt. Oliver called O’Sullivan’s Café and Chatter Dine. He loved being a part of the local beer scene. Pittsburgh is one of the great craft beer cities in America and we are really excited to be a part of that." Craft beer in a can? Why not? Cans keep beer fresher, they’re better for the environment, and they’re easier to take with you. 21st Amendment’s canned brews include: Brew Free! Or Die IPA, which is brewed with some serious west coast attitude. This aromatic golden IPA starts with a sucker punch of six different hops to the nose, quickly balanced by a solid malt backbone. It was just named one of the 25 top new beers of 2009 by Maxim magazine. Hell or High Watermelon Wheat, a classic American wheat beer that undergoes a traditional secondary fermentation using fresh watermelon and yielding a straw-colored, refreshing beer with a kiss of watermelon aroma and flavor. It was recently rated "#1 Beer to Drink from a Can" by Draft magazine. Monk’s Blood, 21st Amendment’s newest beer and the first beer in the brewery’s Insurrection Series, a once-in-a-while, limited release offering. It’s designed to rise up in revolt against common notions of what craft beer in a can can be. A Belgian-style Strong Dark Ale at 8.3% alcohol, the beer is brewed with cinnamon and vanilla bean and aged on dried black mission figs and oak. About 21st Amendment Brewery 
Hey, we’re Nico & Shaun and we live for great beer. To us, the 21st Amendment means much more than just an end to Prohibition. It means the right to brew beer, the freedom to be innovative, and the obligation to have fun. When we opened the 21st Amendment Brewpub in San Francisco ten years ago in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood, we vowed to do things differently or not do them at all. For up to date availability, events and promotions, visit 21A’s website at www.21st-Amendment.com.

-Campbell Consulting (@ccgpr)

#yellowfail -- An Australian wine has an American PR crisis

Can you imagine donating $100,000 to charity and having it turn into BAD publicity? But that's exactly what happened Yellow Tail USA and their public relations team after the company donated $100K to the Humane Society in order to fund the adoption of kitties and puppies. Big mistake. The Humane Society has enemies -- American farmers and ranchers -- and they're up in arms about the Australian company's attempt to push its "tails for tails" feel-good PR campaign. People in the agriculture community are railing against the company on Twitter, tagging comments with #yellowfail and saying things like

@shaunhaney: Off to buy some wine for our super bowl party. Guess which brand I won't be buying. #yellowtail and @FarmerHaley: I used to like it, but alas, no more yellow tail 4 me RT @iam_me: #sidebar: remind me 2 NEVER buy yellow tail wine ever ...

And posting videos like this one and creating Facebook pages like this: http://www.facebook.com/yellowfail. What a nightmare. Here's my advice, though -- play some conservative defense. A survey of the internets shows that this scary public relations crisis is still contained. It's a small community that has any problem with the Humane Society. The message, "Yellow Tail donates lots of money to the Humane Society to rescue cute kitties" is much easier than the convoluted story about lobbyists and agricultural policy that the opponents are pushing. My advice would be, ignore the haters. The YouTube video has only 500 or so views. Deal with it if and only after it becomes viral -- don't help push it to the mainstream by responding. The real lesson, though, is do your research on charities in foreign markets before you decide to donate to them. Always do your research.

-Adrianne (@msfener)

@msfener

Buzztag "Buzz Blaster" at Bend Winterfest, in the Old Mill District

Have you been eying the Mino from FLIP? If you're planning on watching the Rail Jam at Bend Winterfest 2010 - have your phone unlocked and be ready to text answers to our client, Buzztag...

Bend, Oregon – Buzztag, a new, international sales and marketing company, announced today that it will celebrate its launch with fun and games, interactive media style, at Bend WinterFest from February 12-14, 2010.

Videos submitted from across Central Oregon with the theme of “Your Favorite Winter Sports” will compete and unfold before your eyes. Logo shirts will be launched from the “Buzz Blaster.” A free milk extravaganza with one of our favorite local markets will be announced for WinterFest weekend (cookies not included). A Twitter contest is already underway with prizes to “flip” you out. It’s all in a day’s work for Buzztag.

“We wanted to show Bend how excited we are to be launching Buzztag right now in this community,” said Brenda Speirs, Queen Bee and co-founder of Buzztag. “Having lived in Bend for ten years, we are confident that this is a great time and place to start our new company with a concept we believe in, in a community we love.”

Buzztag’s launch at WinterFest will spotlight local companies Newport Market and Atlas Smart Homes and demonstrate how Buzztag combines cross-promotion and social media to connect with new customers and build excitement around a client’s brand. Buzztag blends a unique set of services including branded merchandise development, social media and collaborative Web 2.0 tools to create innovative outreach solutions for clients throughout the Northwest and beyond.

Brenda Speirs has been in Bend for 10 years providing branded merchandise to global Fortune 500 companies. Brenda co-founded Buzztag with the goal of providing branded items as part of a comprehensive marketing program, that are both unique and useful. Lyle Speirs, Chief Buzzbomb, co-founded the company with his wife Brenda after years in senior management at Apple Computer, KPMG/ExIS, Black Diamond Consulting and most recently Cisco Systems, Inc. Buzztag’s clients include global companies Cisco Systems, HP, Oracle, Pepsi.

About Buzztag

Based in Bend, Oregon, Buzztag is an innovative sales and marketing company that provides creative, integrated outreach solutions for a variety of client companies. Buzztag utilizes social media, branded merchandise and interactive, collaborative technology, drawing on its team’s years in related fields. To find out more about the buzz Buzztag is creating, go to www.buzz-tag.com, and become a fan of the company on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

-Campbell Consulting (@ccgpr)

TOMS | one for one

If you love shoes like us ladies here at Campbell Consulting, then you should procure in the most recent shoe movement: TOMS Shoes. Unlike any other set of kicks you'll own. ;) For every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS will give a new pair of shoes to a child in need. You can even choose where your pair of donated shoes go (with information on your receipt), and track the progress online. Learn more and get involved.

-Jacq (@jacqsmith)