Twitter

“Depending on how mentions are used, there may even be an expectation that the person tagged in a comment comes and leaves a reply of their own (in other words, you can call people out).”

- Jason Kincaid, “Disqus Brings @Mentions To Comment Threads” from Techcrunch

Comments have been one of the slowest components of Web 2.0 to evolve. For what felt like forever, you had to register (often times exposing yourself to unsolicited emails) to leave a comment (for approval) that you would eventually forget about. Even the notification system of an email when someone commented on your comment, seemed roundabout.

Recently, the two largest social networks on the web have been leveraged to take comments to the level they should have been at years ago. Both Facebook’s “Comments” social plugin and Disqus (which now includes a more robust Twitter integration, including @mentions) have improved comment systems by leaps and bounds to offer social commenting.

Not only are these new improvements to the comment sphere great for marketers looking to make (tasteful) product or service plugs, but they also present a greater opportunity to unearth true influencers.

Gone are the days of counting Twitter followers and deeming someone an expert. Places like Quora and the recent comment platform improvements reveal not only who engages with the latest news or opinion bits on the web, but who now becomes an ongoing participant in a discussion and can offers insights. Consider it an additional (or even more heavily weighed) metric for the ongoing influencer algorithm. Vocal topic enthusiasts can often be the first to become vocal brand enthusiasts after they are introduced to a product or service give the stamp of approval.

Discussions online are becoming more authentic and more useful everyday. Brands should begin to consider combing comment threads as a community management best practice and use them as a place for marketing outreach and influencer discovery.

• But now that we are back, we're thankful that we can now sip a cheeseburger! http://bit.ly/d3bTUD #thankfulthursday #
• We're looking for a creative space on the west side of LA. Preferably within striking distance of a decent surf break. #
• We've been busy busy with client work and looking for new office space. #
• We've been awfully quiet on the tweet front. #

• Design your Own Electric Vehicle: Great @inhabitat article about @trexa. We're fans, they're local & friends of GMS! http://bit.ly/6WeBOt #

• My oh my: we do like http://trendspotting.com, but the buzzword bingo makes our head spin. Gonna have to chase that w/ some http://psfk.com #
• Any good recommendations of social media done right by luxury brands? (I swear I will stop hammering the luxury if you've got a good few.) #
• The Art & Science of Luxury from Luxury Lab and @profgalloway is a great brand resource http://luxurylab.org/ #
• A list of course: 9 Ways For Luxury Brands To Use Social Media @rohitbhargava offers up some good advice: http://bit.ly/4LDWy0 #
• Forbes: @d4gers offers a few points for luxury fashion brands to consider before jumping in http://bit.ly/6RQGQe #
• The Art of the Trench: The Sartorialist, Magmum Photos and You by Burberry http://artofthetrench.com/ #
• Luxury vs. Premium: "Sending a signal is valuable if that signal is important to you." http://bit.ly/8mx43q #
• And @jowyang suggests luxury brands do some toe-dipping tactics http://bit.ly/7xp31b #
• Where did we start? The industry heavies at Mashable offered some a cursory introduction and examples: http://bit.ly/4st9LJ #
• We've had our sleeves rolled for most of the month doing recon & research on luxury brands doing digital and social media. #

• Interesting Stats from @comscore: 28% of Holiday Shoppers Say Social Media has Influenced Holiday Purchases http://bit.ly/4EDg4u #

• What is a knowledge game? How to apply game thinking to your business challenges. http://bit.ly/7wQgsp #
• Four key areas that companies who are successful at measuring marketing pursue relentlessly: http://bit.ly/5H9fW0 #
• Inside Facebook Pages: @sysomos breaks it down with an in-depth study. http://bit.ly/79xU9V #

• Simply stated: "Content strategy plans for the creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content." @halvorson #
• Mobius is an invitation-only community of the world's most influential technology pundits and online writers. http://mobiussite.com/ #
• Patagonia's benchmark for PR-driven product placement in magazines is 65 monthly mentions. #womma #
• "We would rather earn our credibility than get it through paid promotion." Rob BonDurant VP Marketing Patagonia #womma #
• Great stuff coming thru the #w2e & #womma channels the past couple of days. Watch: http://tv.web2expo.com/ Grab the feed: http://womma.org/ #
• Keeping an eye on @alistapart Topics: Content: Content Strategy. http://bit.ly/1aXEj #
• Content Strategy is a core discipline of user experience design. We've discovered that it's the cornerstone of good Digital Media Strategy. #
• Speaking of nonprofits, @kivilm is a fantastic marketing resource. So good we signed up: http://bit.ly/2uTGa6 #
• WeAreMedia: What's Your Social Content Strategy? Not just for Nonprofits. A good read for everyone. http://bit.ly/44c0ns #
• WeAreMedia: What's Your Social Content Strategy? Not just for Nonprofits. A goog read for everyone. http://bit.ly/44c0ns #
• We've been hearing that it's the mantra of the whole Web Expo NYC this week: "do what you do best and link to the rest" #w2e #
• "Cover what you do best. Link to the rest" Might be the best advice for anyone in any media business right now. @jeffjarvis #
• We went back and reread Jeff Jarvis' New Rule post from well over 2 years ago and find it more relevant than ever. http://bit.ly/KWZwo #
• Does this old Leverhulme quote still apply? "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, and the problem is I do not know which half." #
• We've been finding ourselves bringing more structure and discipline to our client work that focusing on delivering specific tactics. #
• We've been testing out some new taglines over the past couple of weeks. We kind of like, "We help you not waste time marketing" #

• We're not big on the conference circuit, but got heavy doses of inspiration from opposite ends of the spectrum at both #svnetwork & #140conf #
• RT @chrisbrogan: Who could you encourage today? One message, a quick phone call, a comment on a blog. Help someone advance today. <doing it> #
• Would love to hear about unique challenges that non-profits and social ventures face generating conversation in the social media channel. #
• We've developing a social media toolkit & best practices for non-profits and social ventures Want to share with the #svnetwork folks. #
• Great to meet such a diverse group of people @svnetwork including @MarkMWorldways @kimandscotts @orphansofapollo. More to come. #
• Posted some thoughts and insights from my experience at the #svnetwork conference. Would love to connect and discuss: http://bit.ly/1y2z1B #
• Had a truly remarkable experience at #svnetwork conference this past weekend. Amazing people, amazing work. Inspiring and motivating. #

• RT @jaybaer: To me, most pervasive takeaway from #mpdm is that trial and testing is at the center of the new marketing. #