I guess I could be considered an “early adopter” in the Technology Adoption Lifecycle.
If I read about something cool, or someone I know has tried something
that they like, I’ll be more likely to try it out too. I’ve always
been on the frugal side of the fence, so if it’s free, I’m in! And on
the web, there’s plenty to choose from. After reading about Digg three
years ago, I signed up immediately
and began digging interesting articles. It was the same with YouTube,
Del.icio.us, and Plaxo, so it was very exciting for me when Breakaway
landed the Plaxo account in April 2006.
Working with the very talented, agile, fun and fast-paced team at Plaxo we were thrown into the deep end of the pool of social media at a time when Facebook wasn’t yet open to the public and Twitter was just sending its first tweets. In was quite exciting. Social networking, media and interaction was just starting to take off as everyday consumers began to flock to the web to stay connected to friends, family, business colleagues, and complete strangers. New “friendships” were forming all across the web and when Plaxo launched Plaxo Pulse in the summer of 2007, it was the next logical step in helping to connect all of these disparate worlds.
Plaxo Pulse pulled content from more than 20 different services, and I knew them all. I either had an account myself or had done extensive research to develop a clear understanding of how they worked. I even used the services themselves to spread the news about the launches or developments. John McCrea, VP of Marketing at Plaxo, had his own blog , Twitter account and even an online TV show. He proved that you can take advantage of social media tools to help further your company’s brand, develop a personality and interact with your fans, foes, and everyone in between.
Breakaway represented Plaxo for over 2 years, right up until they were acquired by Comcast. I continue to follow how people are using these various services and I certainly take advantage of social media tools for both our agency and our clients. Luckily, Breakaway Communications is extremely forward thinking, and sees how social media is another extension of the public in public relations. Everyone at the agency is eager to learn new Web 2.0 services and how our clients can take advantage of them, and we’re even luckier to have smart clients that are interested in learning the importance of social media and are ready to wade in. Soon they’ll all be swimming, taking laps, and inviting others to join them, and I’ll be looking over the side like a proud coach.
Watch this space … I’ll continue to share my explorations, findings and certainly our client successes!
