authenticity

Beyond Positioning: Establishing Authentic Optimal Distinctiveness

February 23, 2011

Tweet Every organization needs to establish optimal distinctiveness – a competitive position within your field, where you are similar enough to other organizations to be seen as legitimate, but different enough that you’re seen as having something unique to offer.  But, optimal distinctiveness is more than being in a competitive place in your field. Optimal […]

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How Social Media Reveals Invisible Work

January 27, 2011

Tweet Social Media helps us get work done. And, Social Media has a unique ability to show us something about how we get work done that we often overlook. It allows us to see both conventional work and “invisible work”. What is invisible work? Invisible work includes all kinds of energy and tasks that contribute […]

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How Social Media Create Organizational Meaning

January 18, 2011

Tweet Social media tools can transform an organization. One of the things I enjoy so much about social media is the chance to be (more often) the person I am, with my specific sets of talents, interests, and goals. Every time I extend myself out on social media, I get to choose what I’ll say, […]

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Measuring Meaningful Differences: College Rankings and Identity

September 16, 2010

Tweet Here’s a mini-exam for you. College ranking systems are: A. A great way to sell magazines and get your publication’s name in the news B. A scam that preys on the social and economic insecurities of educational organizations C. A somewhat-helpful guide to prospective students D. A process that is entirely gamed by the […]

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Authentic Student Entrepreneurs: Embedding Personal, Product and Organizational Brand

February 17, 2010

Tweet What do fledgling entrepreneurs need to know about creating authenticity? And what, if anything, does this have to do with cupcakes? I had a chance to try to boil it all down to a few key ideas when I taught two classes of an undergraduate Entrepreneurship course at NYU’s Stern School of Business. My […]

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When Will “Social Business” Become Social Change Business?

January 7, 2010

Tweet Why aren’t we be re-creating the worlds of work and commerce, as we implement and develop the social media tools that make it easier to work- together? Just a quick rant here, triggered by and not quite in response to Rachel Happe‘s post on The Social Organization & Womenomics. In her post, Rachel wonders […]

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Amazon’s Pay Phrase: Behavioral Targeting or Identity Aspiration?

November 18, 2009

Tweet Has Amazon.com figured out something really personal about me? I’m wondering, because Amazon’s new Pay Phrase feature has me a bit disconcerted puzzled. Pay Phrase: Two words that mean….what, exactly? Amazon has this new feature, called “pay phrase”, where you pick out a unique phrase, attach it to a pin number, and then use […]

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Crafting Business Avatars: An Authenticity Exercise

October 19, 2009

Tweet We all need to stop playing around with how we represent ourselves visually online, at least where work is concerned. That’s what Gartner Consulting advises. They released a report last week proclaiming that Enterprises Must Get Control of Their Avatars. The animated avatars that an organization’s employees use when they participate as organization members […]

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Why We Want Brandividuals on Social Media

June 11, 2009

Tweet Brandividuals are an important tactic for representing an organization online. Yes, I know, the term “Brandividual” is kind of funky, and maybe even has an annoying buzz, but as a concept it’s here to stay. Why? Because brandividuals are the most transparent, authentic and ultimately effective way of representing an organization in an online […]

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7 Tips for Rendering Authenticity Through Social Media

March 12, 2009

Tweet As part of a presentation I’m giving on “Rendering Authenticity Through Social Media, ” I’ve been distilling advice for from around the online conversation on how organizations can use social media to present themselves authentically. The audience will be a group of managers (practitioners, not professors) who are not themselves directly responsible for social […]

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