How successful has 22seven been so far?

It has bowled us over. Embarrassingly so, because our structure couldn’t handle the mass of people to the site. It is open to the public but still in the initial stage and it is still free at this point. This is primarily so that we can see our weaknesses and boost up the service and be aware of the mistakes. Then we can make some radical improvements.

How do you deal with the mammoth challenge of gaining trust amongst people hesitant to use 22seven, for security reasons?

The best way to deal with that is just by being true to what we do. We are not surprised at all because South African consumers are wary by nature. Give them something new and it raises a flag. People are naturally cautious. But we were surprised by the amount of trust people have had, and the sign ups. As for trust with the banks, Yodlee and ourselves are in discussions with them; and they will eventually understand there is no additional risks. So once opinions are formed, that wariness will die off.

Do you offer any financial insurance, if there were to be a security crisis?

No we don’t and we were overt about that. But we are no different to that of a bank. I’m hoping that investigators will expose that. Because banks don’t really offer insurance either. The guarantee that we offer is implicit. Here you have a new company starting, that is being run by people that have being doing this forever and who are funded by blue chip investors. The techies understand that Yodlee is international, with an impeccable track record.

20twenty online banking was very popular amongst South Africans. What lessons from 20twenty will you take and apply to 22seven?

Hundreds. Although they are different, that was in the transactional banking space in the front and centre. And it was a David and Goliath case where the customers sympathised. But a lesson I personally learned was that you are exposed to true human behaviour in crisis. Everyone, including the team and the customers, cannot predict how humans react. I learnt what to be aware of, and most importantly, if you have a noble intent, a product that can improve lives, you will win in the end.

Were there any discussions with the banks beforehand about your venture and what it would entail?

No there were no discussions before. That decision was made to protect our product and also because we anticipated a competitive backlash. And that is exactly what happened. To be honest I would have been disappointed if there wasn’t one. So is their response because they themselves are building similar platforms? Well Absa admitted that. So how much of their reaction is based on that fact and how much is actually about protecting their customers? Some banks want to roll out their own solutions.

Do you think South Africans will go so far as to change banks in order to receive your service?

Sure. But that is not for me to predict. But I feel we have the right to make informed decisions. Not a bank making decisions on my behalf. There are lots of people who have similar views and who have the savvy to ask whether something is worthwhile and decide for themselves.

Do you offer this service to large businesses?

Not yet, no. But some test pilots have used it for own small businesses. We can’t stop them putting in business account details. However that is not our aim. It is meant for personal use, for the average person in the street.

Do you think this service has a life span?

Our strategy is a service that is a life-long tool. It is not to help you with a budget and then you are sorted. We as people are emotional and that is on-going. Your life is a constant rollercoaster. We learnt in our research that we need to become aware of how impulsively we act. We need to learn how to look after our money and that is for life. We will always be emotional and impulsive and we embrace that fact. It doesn’t go away.

You stated that this will never be a sales channel for products or services. Will that always be the case?

Our aim is to grow a trusted brand. A customer has trust and if we become a sales channel we will lose that trust. And so for as long as I live, no, we will never do it. Over my dead body. Our long term view is leading a business that lasts. A business where trust lasts. Sales is short term business and then it is gone. That is not what our brand stands for.

Thank you for talking with us Christo. We truly hope that 22Seven is a great success. View the 22seven website here. Take a look at their press release here.

What are your thoughts about this financial management service?

You feel strongly about walking away from a brand approach when it is not working. What should a business keep in mind when deciding whether to continue trying a new approach and when to drop it?

Absolutely. You’ll know. Much as the saying goes, smooth sailing does not a good sailor make. As such, one picks up on the ebb and flow of business. There are tell-tale signs. Firstly, the community or consumers constantly complain or ask for similar requests that are contrary to your position or offerings. Secondly, cash flow can constantly get tied up with stock that doesn’t move. Thirdly, all the suppliers you approach tell you that they cannot take on your work as it will cost them more to produce and it will be too much of a headache. And lastly, no matter how much marketing you throw at the product, you have no takers or the takers do not behave in the manner or have the fervor that you anticipated.

These are but a few of the tell-tale signs that a pivot may be necessary. Some pivots can actually be as subtle as a change on the homepage and the pitch you give. Others can be quite a bit more significant and change every aspect that stems from a core business model that needs serious reinventing or reinterpretation.

When do brands need to ignore ’stupidity of the masses’ and listen to ‘the glowing crowds’?

The real question is, what is the stupidity of the masses? What is the nature of the sea of mediocrity? From whence do these phenomena arise?

Generally the brand or brand custodian is responsible for not putting certain parameters or outlying a process well enough in a brief or plan. Take American Idol, for example. The crowd serves up the talent, shares and celebrates the talent and acts as a focus group to sift through the talent. Thereafter, a board with a keen understanding of commercial viability of that talent has a powerful say in the final choice.

Crowds often do not understand the concept of commercial viability or the ramifications of commercializing or actualizing the winner into product. That’s where seasoned professionals come in.

At Springleap we use the crowd to supply the design talent, popularize the brief, client, platform, themselves and their connections and then vote to help us decide which ones are the best choices. But at the end of the process the client or brand custodian has the final say with the Springleap team as a panel.

Tell us about iCanHazSocial. What is it about?

iCanHazSocial is a service Springleap launched at the end of 2011 as a result of pressure from brands in the social marketing space to consult around Facebook ad spend and social strategies.

Springleap grew its own Facebook group from 6,000 to 60,000 fans in only 10 weeks. From August 2011 to February 2012 we grew from 6,000 fans to 154,000 on a ludicrously low ad spend with an average conversion rate of 85 to 91 per cent.

In actuality, we discovered that a dynamic of the Facebook ad marketing engine is that you can actually get more conversions than clicks. Yep, over 100 per cent conversion. More likes than clicks. We get quite a lot of that on our ads. I guess that from running a company that is pretty much only crowdsourcing and social. We see the space in a different light which leads us to running very successful ad campaigns on Facebook.

Here are some screen shots from a couple of our ads that we run currently on Facebook, for more insight. The green line represents likes and the blue line represents clicks. We grow at about 1000 to 1500 likes a day now.

iCanHazSocial is a division of Springleap that manages client ad spend and strategy on Facebook and social platforms only. For SEO or Google Ad Words we refer clients to experts in those areas.

You have mentioned that community is what counts, no matter what technology you have. Being able to increase your Facebook community by 500 to 1000 people a day; what tips would you give other brands struggling to increase their online community?

You’re right on there. There are people with very small communities doing great things and achieving excellent results or profitability.

My tips are simple. First of all, stop talking about impressions and click-through rates. Talk conversion. Secondly, it’s not just the size of the community but the quality and consistency of the engagement. Also, 153,000 may sound big, but look at the guys from Motribe. Over 1 million users. How about Alan Knot Craig and the MXIT crew with 44 million users. We’re just enjoying what we’re doing, and letting others join in on the fun. That’s pretty much it.

Lastly, we have a pretty strong message powering our growth. We empower artists and brands. It’s that which supports the growth. Have a great story that’s authentic and that you’re passionate about. People love a good story. When they see one they like it and they tell their pals.

What do you consider to be the most important points to remember when it comes to online crowdsourcing?

The power of the crowds can turn against you if you don’t stay authentic and transparent. The best crowd is an engaged crowd. So engage them. It’s that simple. But engagement is a two way process. Be prepared to listen to what comes out of the engagement and act positively on that information to create more meaningful engagement.

One other matter. Don’t be arrogant or cocky. It will come back to bite you in the buns. All the stats and maths in the world can’t prepare you for the surprises the crowd has in store for you.

Thank you for sharing your lessons with us regarding crowdsourcing, Eran. We hope others can learn from this about building a brand utilising the power of crowds.

Follow Eran on Twitter here.

You have been involved in online community consulting for massive organisations such as The United Nations. Does the strategy differ in comparison to consulting for smaller scale companies? If so, how?

Yes and no. Externally the process is still the same. Communities, whether launches by small organizations or large communities, still go through the same process. They begin small and grow big over time. Too many organizations try to rush this. They try to get too many people to join too quickly and then wonder why it doesn’t work out. The truth is it doesn’t work because communities take time to develop. It takes time for visiting a platform to become a habit. It takes time to build relationships with other people. The best thing organizations of any size can do is start really small and micro. Identify 50 to 150 people to reach out to. Build relationships with them, initiate discussions, invite these people to participate. Once activity is in place, then gradually grow from there.

The difference between small and large organization is the internal process. It’s usually difficult for larger organizations to have the time, enthusiasm, knowledge and resources they need to make a community successful. Smaller organizations should be able to do this much easier. It should take less time to build the internal community to make the external community a success.

In your experience, which would you say tends to be easier – creating a community around a good cause, such as UN or Greenpeace; or around a famous commercial brand like Lego?

It does depend on the commercial brand. Lego stands for a cause too, for example. However, in 99% of cases, it’s easier to build a community around a cause/purpose than around a brand. Most organizations seem determined to build a community of interest. But a community of interest is just one type of community, it’s also the most competitive. There are very few things we’re so interested in that we wish to spend our spare time talking about them with others. It’s actually far easier to build a community of place or a community of action.

In your book, “Online Community Manifesto”, you speak about planning for people, not machines. What would you suggest being the best way to find out where your communities are and how they use technology, before hastily jumping into the online space?

The book is 4 years old now, and a few things have changed. The best way to find out where your communities are is by reaching out to people individually. Ask them where and how they participate online. Do they talk to others about a shared interest? What is that interest? If you reach out to ten people and do in depth interviews in this manner, you will know far more about who you’re trying to reach. You want to know their demographics which is who they are; their habits which is what they do; and their psychographics which is what they think and feel about things.

Explain the message and goal for your initiative, The Pillar Summit. What is it about?

The way most community managers do their role is wrong. They guess what they should be doing with little proven theory or data to support their actions. We’re trying to change that with The Pillar Summit. The Pillar Summit is an advanced course in professional community management. We provide participants with skills, knowledge, and resources to be world class community managers. We teach them what to do in each situation, how to get a community started and how to sustain high levels of engagement, with reference to proven material from the realm of social sciences.

For example, most community managers completely ignore the huge wealth of information on conflict resolution techniques that would help them resolve disputes. They completely ignore the psychological and social-psychology reasons for community participation and engagement. We aim to change that. The course begins on February 20th, we’re accepting registrations now.

Lastly, we know you have worked on community projects with Seth Godin. In your unbiased opinion, would would you say is better looking between you two?

Seth’s face seems to be on far more bestselling books than mine, so that should tell you something. Seth’s a genius. He inspires me a terrific amount and it was an honour to have had the opportunity to work with him. My biggest regret is not seizing the opportunity as much as I should have done.

Thank you for your valuable insight, Richard. Follow Richard on Twitter here. Visit FeverBee here.

Hi Louis. There is such a variety of blogging platforms. Are different platforms more appropriate than others, depending on your goal?

To answer that question I will point out the main players in the blogging industry. There is Blogger which is a Google product. Wordpress has a very loyal following, and is a very relevant platform. It has done very well as a back end for content-heavy websites like magazines and newspapers . In recent years we have seen the rise of email-to-post websites like Tumblr and Posterous. These have come to the forefront because of their fast posting abilities.  Posterous and Tumblr are more for lifestyle blogging, while Wordpress works for content heavy blogging. Blogger is the middle ground between Wordpress and Tumblr.

How can one ensure that their blog stands out amongst all the others?

Well it is really difficult because there is so much competition. As a blogger you’re also competing with social networks and other blogs. It has become increasingly difficult and some people have taken extreme routes which are not sustainable . There is no quick way to build a reputation. My advice is write on a frequent basis and create quality content. If you want to launch a blog for a quick win then it is not the right platform for you. Take Seth Godin’s blog for example. Godin is a prominent marketing guy and his blog does really well. It has become a place where people can comment and interact. He didn’t set up his blog yesterday; through time he has delivered an innovative way of writing. He started as a writer, and his blog became a natural extension of that. A blog should be an extension of your brand and not the centre of it.

A local example is South African blog KEO which is very popular. It is run by a Rugby journalist and was started a number of years ago. This blog exposed the Rugby Kamp Staaldraad in 2001 and 2002. From this, he wrote a book which got a lot of attention and this attention led to a successful blog and a loyal community. It is one of South Africa’s most successful blogs with about 120 comments on each article. This blog picked up on something and went with it. The message is, creating a successful blog is a long process and requires a lot of hard work.

What about creating a general blog versus a niche blog?

Specialized blogs will always do better. A blog has to speak to certain people and say loud and clear what it stands for. A blogger needs to focus on a specific category.

Would it make sense to make your blog search engine friendly?

Yes it definitely makes a difference. All roads lead to Google, so focus your content on topics that people would want to read. You can also do off-site work like utilizing Twitter, Facebook as well as other blogs. If you want to get into the dark arts of blog marketing you would need to speak to an SEO guru, but on a basic level make sure your blog appears on Google and that you have links to other blogs.

Any other words of advice for keen bloggers?

Blogging gives a massive opportunity to set up a profile online. There is nothing more powerful than the written, or typed, word. I would advise students and graduates to set up a blog as a way to create your own portfolio and start building a brand. When you apply for jobs, people research you before they meet you and a prospective employer will Google you. Telling people to look at your blog is a compelling argument to prospective employers these days.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, Louis. We look forward to many hours of productive and successful blogging in the future. Follow Louis on Twitter here.

Hi Will. So Distilled began as a web development agency. How did the focus shift to SEO and PPC?

We have always been very focussed on the business benefits of what we do. Back when we were building websites for small businesses, we built our USP around the commercial awareness that was sadly lacking in so many of our competitors.

That naturally led us to talk to our clients about how they could make the most out of their websites and we started offering them SEO advice and running marketing campaigns. As our confidence and skills grew, we started offering stand alone services in these areas. It was around this time that Tom, my brother, joined to head up our new search department. It grew quickly and we found ourselves growing our profile and working with larger and larger clients.

Quitting the web development business was a hard decision, it was how we got our start, after all. But from a pure business perspective, it was pretty straight forward when you looked at the numbers.

In your opinion, when is it best to use SEO over PPC and vice versa? Do you follow a basic checklist when deciding which will be more appropriate?

I don’t see them as alternatives particularly. Many businesses use both with great success, and it’s worth noting that even if you don’t do SEO, you still are likely getting organic traffic from the search engines.

The biggest times where I tend to advise avoiding a specific channel are where overnight success is important, and budget is not a problem, as only paid channels can bring you instant results. And secondly, where revenue models work on the basis of very low amounts per visitor. For example, ad-supported business models, where it is rare to find paid visitor acquisition successful.

What challenges have you faced in this business that you have learnt a valuable lesson from?

As described above, quitting the web design business was a very tough decision, as it was where we started from. We were very worried about many of the details but as soon as we actually did it, we knew it was the right answer. This was an example of a lesson we are still learning. As soon as you are 70% sure about something, you should go for it.

We know that you teamed up with SEOmoz. Can you explain what this partnership meant for Distilled?

The SEOmoz partnership has been huge for us. Here is some more information from back when we announced various parts of the evolution. The biggest and most exciting part of the whole thing is that we continue to see the future of online marketing in very much the same way as the SEOmoz crew. That makes me happy as we look to the future.

Do you have any advice for people wanting to start a digitally focused business in an industry that is always changing and evolving?

Hire the smartest people you can. Things change so fast that you need people who can keep up. I explained this to someone the other day as specialist generalists. You need people who can broadly do anything, but who focus on becoming specialist in a chosen area at a time.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us at Heavy Chef, Will. You continue to inspire us as Distilled grows from strength to strength. Follow Will on Twitter here.

Hi Glenn. So can you explain to us what exactly Ruby on Rails is?

Ruby on Rails is a web application development framework built on the Ruby programming language. Rails is a Model View Controller or MVC framework which means that its easy to keep your business logic out of the presentation layer, thus reducing bloat and development costs. Frameworks like Rails come with a set of reusable components and conventions that make building web applications much easier, and therefore read faster. Rails takes away the pain of lots of stuff, like setting up how your data is stored, doing low level browser interactions and securing a site against common web attacks.

There’s a growing demand for the simplicity that Ruby On Rails offers, driven by businesses, and programmers, who want speed and agility in building applications. This is evidenced by Ruby on Rails being used for some 235,000 websites, including top companies such as Amazon, Groupon, Shopify, Basecamp, Highrise, Hulu, Slideshare, Zendesk, YellowPages and GetSatisfaction, to name a few.

What we really like about Rails is that it’s Open Source software, with a very talented and active community. On the language side, Ruby itself is a dynamic, object-oriented language, whose popularity has soared, partly because of Rails, and partly because it’s terrific to program with. Ruby  applications are now serving hundreds of millions of web users, so it’s a serious alternative to Java, PHP and Python.

Why did you decide to specialize in Ruby on Rails development?

Professionally, I think that once I saw how productive I was in building web apps in Ruby on Rails, I was hooked. Coming from a Perl background, I found Ruby had many similarities and many wonderful extras. I went from an Angry Perl Developer to a Happy Ruby Bloke. Plus the Ruby Rails community continues to impress me with it’s breadth of projects, depth of talent and willingness to help others.

From a business perspective, I find Rails allows us to focus on solving the business problems that customers are facing, rather than a lot of low-level busywork. Savvy clients don’t want to manage a bunch of techies, they want to work people who can bridge the gap between their business and technology.

Tell us why a strong community around Ruby and Ruby on Rails is important to you as a developer?

Having a strong community for your chosen technology gives you a lot of confidence in tackling a problem with it. Either someone has partially solved it and made it available to others, thanks to Open Source, or you’ll quickly find relevant resources with a modicum of research. Or you can dig deeper yourself, since the documentation or code is often of a very high standard, possibly due to the strong culture of testing in the Ruby Rails community.

If all else fails, you always get help from other developers. The technology and the community are possible because of these people who give up their time to write awesome software and share it with others. These people make me warm and fuzzy, and challenge me to become a better developer.

Okay, so tell us a bit about the work that you do?

At Siyelo, we use the web to help create new companies, and to improve the technology of existing ones. We’re a team of developers and designers who love to build web products that scratch an itch. We’re geeks for hire, if you will.

We work a lot with internet startups and with businesses that want to streamline an internal process. Recently we’ve also done a lot of interesting work in the health sector in Africa, building web-based financial applications that help improve oversight and reporting.

From your experience, what do you think are some of the key ingredients for developing a successful web application?

I spent many years struggling on IT projects where developers were too far removed from the business side of things. Firstly, to deliver what the client really wanted, and secondly, innovate. From this experience I found that to build a successful web app, or any reasonably sized software product, you’ve got to create an environment of open communication and regular feedback. To the point that the client and the development team communicate directly. It’s not always easy, and often needs to be facilitated, but there’s nothing like being in a product demonstration meeting where the client says to the team “Yes, that’s exactly what I wanted”.

Also remember, design is important. The user interface is the software. Write tests first before you code, automate everything, and hire good developers that understand all these points.

You have a team of developers in Europe and a team in Cape Town. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of working in a distributed fashion?

That’s correct, Siyelo started in Skopje, Macedonia, over three years ago, and we’ve grown to work really well as a distributed team. It has the advantage of allowing us to tap into two talent pools of highly skilled people; and forcing us early on to develop the systems for distributed development, which are also used to coordinate with our overseas clients. Some of the tools include lean project management practices like SCRUM and XP, Pivotal Tracker, Balsamiq, Campfire, Skype, Google Hangouts, git and GitHub.

Of course, distributed teams have their challenges and solutions. Different time zones, yet luckily our flexi-time policy helps. Communication, including plenty of Skype video chats; and cohesion so that we share as many projects across geographical boundaries as we can, helping us to develop that mutual respect for each other.

What new technologies are you looking forward to experimenting with in 2012?

Rails 3.2, Redis, Resque, Responsive design, improving user experiences with Javascript/jQuery.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Glenn. We look forward to seeing more great things from Siyelo this year. Follow Glenn on Twitter here.

Hi Anny. What does your job at Ogilvy Namibia entail?

As Managing Director, my role shares many similarities with that of a ship’s captain. I set the co-ordinates for where our business is headed, then I make sure that we’re not thrown off course, regardless of how stormy the seas may be. Sure, it’s a volatile industry and heavy winds are par for the course, but my job is to turn any obstacles into stepping stones. Although I’m not supposed to be too heavily involved in the day to day nitty gritties, sometimes I can’t help myself if I pass through our Studio and see a great ad. I’ve seen countless ads but I’m still addicted to the adrenalin rush of The Next Big Thing.

How do you think the marketing scene differs in Namibia compared to developed countries?

The gap is definitely narrowing, and I attribute that to the ever-increasing influence of media in our daily lives. Our target audience now has greater access to the latest trends in developed countries. They know what’s hot and what’s not. So we have to give them our best, instead of dumbing it down, because they are sophisticated enough to know the difference. Having said that, we can’t copy-paste what worked in developed countries, forcefeed the local market and still expect identical results here. We have to give it a local, home-baked flavour. It all comes down to intimately knowing your audience, speaking their language and breathing their air.

What challenges do you face when it comes to trying to integrate Ogilvy Namibia with Ogilvy universally? How do you keep a seamless front?

I’ve been fortunate enough to travel widely, and I can tell you that even between neighbouring African countries, the cultural truths can be poles apart. Even in Namibia itself, the diversity is immense, so you can imagine how challenging it is to create a seamless golden thread across a gigantic global corporation. But as sister agencies we’re united by a shared passion for creativity, and an innate need to do things differently. By identifying the things that make Ogilvy stand out from the rest, we make the advertising world smaller, and think bigger.

What tips could you give to small businesses trying to gain momentum in the Namibian online marketplace?

I would say don’t be daunted by the country’s weaknesses and start focusing on its strengths. Yes, online usage has been slow to take off; but we also have one of the world’s highest mobile penetration rates, even higher than many developed countries. So use that to your advantage. If your customers can access the internet on their cellphones, you’ve won half the battle already. Be realistic. You won’t be able to change the world overnight. But you can certainly change your customers’ world.

Who else do you admire in the industry that you think others can learn from?

Obviously I’m biased, but I would say David Ogilvy. He grew up at a time when a TV was like magic to most people, yet his principles are still valid today. That’s something neither Nostradamus nor the Mayans could have foreseen. The fact that we’re even mentioning his name a century later, makes him a more timeless visionary than today’s Silicon Valley whizz kids, geniuses though they are.

Thank you for sharing your time with us Anny. You can check out Ogilvy Namibia’s Facebook page here.

Hi Gio. When it comes to being a person behind a major brand, how does one integrate themselves into the brand,  and at other times separate themselves from the brand?

I’ve been part of Virgin Active for the past 12 years, so my integration is pretty solid. For those who are starting out, it’s imperative to be soaked up in the brand culture. Always spend a good amount of time watching, listening and learning how things are done and have those frank discussions where you question the processes currently in place. If they’re serving the customer well, then great, but if not, then try change them for the better. At Virgin Active our brand values of fun, value for money, innovation, challenging the norm and great customer service underpin all our efforts and we’ve actually summed them all up into one golden rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated. Your brand’s culture will build your moral compass and give you the instinctual decision making required for the role. In our case, the golden rule. This compass is imperative as you will be the voice of a brand and won’t always have time to pass comments through marketing, PR or customer service teams. You will need to know where to push brand boundaries and when to reign them in.

Separation of person and brand is something that we are still dealing with as I do have a personal life and with that comes it’s own personality. Because of the time spent with the business I’ve managed to align the values and ethos of the business with my own personal ones and thus negates any conflict of interest. If the business does anything that I feel divulges from those values, then we have the discussion internally and debate it thoroughly so that no matter the outcome, we are all on the same page and have a unified front.

Do you think having your name within the company name, such as Giovanni under Virgin Active SA on Twitter, can help or harm? Is it easier for people to feel a connection with a person than a brand? Or are there challenges to having your name attached to such a big brand name?

This decision was taken back when Frank Eliason was still running @ComcastCares and had his name behind the handle. I felt it gave the brand a real name and personality instead of a drone script reader behind the account. This does, of course, have it’s risks as whatever the person does in their personal capacity can be linked to the brand, and perhaps even supersede the brand identity, but the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to emotional connection with the brand. It does also limit the number of people servicing the twitter handle, but that can be dealt with when the team size increases by either signing off with a distinctive signature or creating specific twitter accounts for the different query types.

I would feel far more comfortable knowing the name of the person I’m dealing with than simply firing emails or tweets off into the great unknown as it creates accountability for the response and always allows customers to find you through other channels.

What do you think is the secret to keeping an online brand alive through social media? What is key to keeping conversations fresh and engaging within the community?

This boils down to knowing what they community is looking for. Whether it’s inclusion, knowledge, a place to vent, a place to meet other community members or simply look for deals. Finding the root attraction and keeping the focus on that is key. For us, we’ve started seeing trends away from the initial complaints to more of an advice seeking platform and so our next focus is providing content that is both proactive and reactive, thereby maintaining the connection, and adding more value to the community. Constant interaction is key. A community can sense neglect very quickly. Posting updates isn’t the only way to interact, so don’t feel pressured to have X number of posts per day, simply ensure that you interact and talk with your community through whichever channels they prefer and always keep it personal. I find that nothing quells anger and frustration like empathy and honesty from a real person.

Thanks Gio, you’ve been great! All the best from us. Heavy Chef readers, if you want to witness what great social media managing looks like, follow Gio on Twitter here.

Hi Mike. Can you tell us a bit about what you do, as the CEO of DigitLab?

As a CEO I would say that my primary role is to get the best out of people, to find out what they love and set that free in the work they do at DigitLab. If I can create an environment where people feel empowered, trusted and needed then I think I have done my job well.

Apart from that I spend most of my time traveling to meet new clients around the world, researching industry trends and trying to stay on top of the fast paced and incredibly exciting industry. Most of the team at DigitLab would probably tell you that my iPhone is permanently attached to my ear. So I guess I spend a lot of my time talking. I just hope someone is listening.

What does the role of a keynote speaker and a social media coach entail?

As a keynote speaker and social media coach I get to spread the word of how social media and the internet can be harnessed to help people and business. I love this part of the job because I constantly see the light bulb moments as people start to see the potential.

I spend much of my time researching the impact that these technologies have had on consumers, employees and business. My personal belief is that social media and the internet is only useful because it connects people, so we need to do our best to understand these people more. That opens doors to a multitude of new possibilities.

How would you sum up Generation Y in relation to technology and digital?

Generation Y are digital natives. They don’t know a world without the internet and digital technology. In general, they are pretty savvy on digital devices and using the internet. The main reason is because it is such an integral part of their world. Older generations are amazed at how technology has changed their lives but Generation Y take it for granted. They don’t know any different.

This has created a generation that multitasks constantly. It has been said that you will never actually be able to hold the entire attention of a Generation Y. They are constantly bombarded with messages from multiple sources demanding their attention. So this creates a great challenge in communicating to this generation. We need to speak through multiple levels and channels.

Most people believe that technology is the only way to speak to Generation Y but I would suggest that they need to be engaged on multiple fronts to catch their attention. They need events that are exciting in the physical experience and engaging in the digital. More than ever, digital, traditional and experiential marketing need to dove tail in order to create an experience that will actually grab the attention of a Generation Y.

As you are presenting the Web 2.0 conference, which I’m sure you are excited about – what would be your top tips when it comes to business reinvention in 2012?

I am excited about presenting at the conference. This Social Reinvention presentation is something that is close to my heart. I hope it inspires people to actively consider reinventing themselves and their businesses. The key to remember is that this is a social technology reinvention and not only a social media reinvention. The technology is what counts, social media is only one application of the concepts of social technology.
My top tips would be unlearn everything you think you know about business and social technology. Rethink social technology and your business. Approach social technology with a focus on how people use it. Approach your business with a focus on how people use it. Invent an offering that meets your clients and customers needs through the way they use social technology.

Who do you admire or see as a great example in your field that others can learn from?

I think there are many people we can learn from in this industry. I respect anyone who is willing to learn about this industry. Especially those who have a deep knowledge in specific area. Anton Koekemoer is a constant source of the application of more social media technology and SEO objectives. The SEO Cowboy is a wealth of SEO information. Quirk are doing a great job in educating our future industry professionals, and people like Fred Roed, Mike Stopforth and Angus Robinson are doing a good job of bringing credibility to this industry. I always enjoy the research that comes from Arthur Goldstuck and WorldWideWorx because it fits the South African context very well. Memeburn is doing a great job at reporting on the news in this space.

I must also say at this point that I have a deep respect for people in my industry. There are some very smart people doing some very cool things in the South African social media space.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us, Mike. We look forward to hearing the great things that will come out of the Web 2.0 Conference.

You describe a “plug-in agency”. Tell us about that concept?

Motribe has created a toolset that will assist agencies in their use of mobile and the Motribe platform. We’re seeing an increase in usage of the platform and tools that we have for brand campaigns on mobile and want to help agencies create better mobile campaigns. We’re educating them not only on the use of Motribe but of mobile as a medium.

You have had some customers that only want to target one platform. Yet as you have said before, you need to have a run through line, and be everywhere, all the time. Explain why choosing a singular platform does not work?

In the emerging markets it is tricky to know which platform is the right platform to choose to market on or to. If you choose Facebook then you ignore a significant portion of the population, if you choose Mxit you ignore another, if you go desktop then you forget about the majority, but if you ignore desktop you receive criticism.

I believe that there is value in owning the chosen platform and feeding the other media through a single portal. Creating a mobile web destination and connecting with Facebook, Twitter, your blog, website and Mxit can work due to the single marketing touch point. On all advertising you promote one destination as a landing point and in the emerging markets it’s probably smart to make that one destination a mobile website or community.

If you fragment your audience from the very start you will have a fragmented message and community throughout the campaign.

This is not a one size fits all approach though. Each campaign, brand and client needs to be considered individually and the outcomes of the campaign specifically targeted and understood.

What are the features for the Facebook app that you plan on using this year, that will help with integration?

We’ve devised a way to help brands create mobile-enabled apps for Facebook. As of right now it’s extremely difficult to build an application on Facebook for the mobile user. Using the Motribe platform we’ve managed to solve the problem for the brand and agency.

You made a great point about how First World countries are emphasizing that this is the year for mobile, yet in Africa mobile has always been the only way to reach the masses. Because of this, do you think that developed countries might actually be learning something from us for a change? Have we developed skills on this platform ahead of the rest?

I firmly believe that when it comes to building on the mobile web for the masses, the emerging markets are leading the way. Not only are we ahead but we are implementing and succeeding where developed markets are failing. Again this isn’t a generalized statement that everyone in the developed markets is losing to everyone the emerging markets. This is a specific statement that there are leaders in the emerging markets who are dominating mobile. Companies such as InMobi out of India are beacons of success for the developed markets to watch and follow.

When redirecting people to a site off of Facebook in order to allow them to engage with a community privately, does this limit the site management or control? Or is a separate registration encouraged once they arrive on the site?

If you are going to attempt to move users off of Facebook, firstly there should be a valid reason for this. Secondly, using Facebook Connect, the user shouldn’t need to reregister. The Facebook mobile API is sufficient to allow developers to integrate without destroying user experience.

Thank you for sharing your time with us Nic. Motribe can be emailed at sales@motribe.com and you can find Nic on Twitter here.