Influencers You Should Know: William McBee at remove the labels
When you think about influencers in the world of tech a few big names most likely spring to mind. But below that tier of huge tech blogs breaking every new story in the world of consumer electronics and gee whiz gadgetry is a layer of bloggers producing in depth, quality content consisting of personalized news, reviews, speculation and opinion.
One such blogger is William McBee, the man behind remove the labels, a valuable influencer in our Multiloguer database and to whom MSL has been pitching for several years. We caught up with William recently and asked him what motivates him and how agencies can better work with him.
Blogworks: You built a laser so it’s no surprise you started blogging. What got you started? I’m assuming you were active online at message boards and the like before the birth of remove the labels?
McBee: The laser came as a project as a kid. My father and my uncle, who just recently retired from IBM after 40 years of working with them, fostered my inner-tinkerer as a kid, which lead to my love of gadgets, computers and technology that continues today. My first time really doing anything on the Internet was the Sony PSX FAQ that was released way back in 1994 via Usenet when I was at the University of Colorado and I’ve been online since.
- Date: 04.08.2011
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A Report from WOMMA
By Melanie Seasons
Last month I had the opportunity to attend the Word of Mouth Marketing Association’s Third Annual Word of Mouth Summit. Hundreds of PR agency folks, marketers, private business owners and social media professionals met in Las Vegas to discuss the state of the industry as well as what’s to come. While there were many fantastic sessions, here’s what I thought were the most important points of the conference.
- Date: 12.20.2007
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“Passionistas” are your brand’s ambassadors
By Kai Blum
Consumers passionate about a certain issue are much more likely to create content, such as blog posts, about their passions and the associated brands and products than the average consumer, according to a study by Yahoo and MediaVest, “Passionistas: The New Empowered Consumers.”
They are also more likely to search for information related to their passion: According to the study, Passionistas search online for information about their passion 184 percent more than average users and conduct more than 100 passion-related searches per year. That’s exactly why smart search engine marketing is a great way to reach people who could become passionate about your products and services.
Once they have found your brand, 53 percent of Passionistas are willing to try your products even if they had not previously considered it and 52 percent of Passionistas are more likely than typical consumers to recommend your brand to others, for example through blog posts.
Actively identifying and reaching out to Passionistas could also make a huge difference in successfully launching a new product or brand. Our New Media Outreach department has done this successfully for many brands and has developed personal relationships with many Passionistas.
- Date: 10.04.2007
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Change Minds in the Classroom
Just to begin I’ll introduce myself. My name is Mike Schottelkotte. I am a senior at Ohio University, studying Online Journalism. This summer I was the digital intern with MS&L.
If you ask a group of interns what they most got out of their experience I imagine you would hear, “I learned a lot about real life work.” or “I met a bunch of really great people who helped teach me, but also pushed me to work hard and succeed.” At least that’s something I think on a large scale level I would say about working for MS&L this summer.
- Date: 08.15.2007
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Seth Godin set to visit Ann Arbor
In case you haven’t heard, author and entrepreneur Seth Godin will be in Ann Arbor, Mich., this May to speak about his new book, The Dip. Make sure to check out Connect in Ann Arbor for all the details, including the story of how this group was able to bring Godin to Michigan.
- Date: 04.20.2007
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The value of online media monitoring
By Mark Harvey
When you sell blog and or board/media monitoring, people may ask, “How bad can it be, I mean how fast can my reputation go south?”
Try seven hours.
- Date: 02.23.2007
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A digital Valentine’s Day
Thanks to a new online campaign by Clairol’s Herbal Essences shampoo, you can send a variety of digital Valentines, all featuring a somewhat overweight Cupid, to your “special someone” today.
I first found out about this site over at YouTube after doing a search for videos tagged “Valentine.” There are several videos available on the site that also double as video greeting cards, too. (Could this be the way of the future?!) Thanks to Clairol, my co-workers are being treated to a pole-dancing Cupid right about now…
- Date: 02.14.2007
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Fanpop: A Social Portal…
…That Wants to Change the Way Fans Congregate
By Charlie Kondek
Fanpop is a new online community portal that combines peer-generated content with social networking capabilities. It puts, all in one place, a user’s identity, interests and networking strands. When you visit a “spot” it not only shows you links and resources added by users to the spot, which you can rate, but related spots. (Example: the Bruce Lee spot also shows me the kung fu and Jean Claude Van Damme spots.)
I recently got a chance for some back and forth with Fanpop CEO Dave Lu on the site, the Fanpop entrepreneurial philosophy, and trends that will potentially shape the way people network online. Hope you find it insightful.
- Date: 01.30.2007
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What’ve you been reading on Shelfari?
Recently, BlogWorks joined the “bookish” social-networking craze with an account on Shelfari, an online library that joined the ranks of sites like Bibliophil and Library Thing recently.
- Date: 01.29.2007
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Be careful at your next office party…
In case you haven’t had the pleasure, and I mean that with the greatest of sarcasm, of watching the Bank of America rendition of U2′s “One” to describe a bank merger, you’re probably one of just a few. With more than 170,000 views so far, the video, shot by someone attending the merger celebration, has made its way around the Internet quickly. Take a look:
Advertising Age’s Jonah Bloom had a great story today, worth bookmarking, on how companies can avoid embarrassing moments like this one. In a world of cell phone cameras, just about anything can make its way online. Our own Jud Branam weighs in on the subject as well.
- While this stuff has always gotten out, it will happen more quickly, systematically and with greater effect. Internal rallying-cry stuff should be looked at from the standpoint: ‘How will we respond when this hits YouTube?
- Date: 12.05.2006
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