about internet marketing

style="text-align: center;">

If you’re seeking a job in social media, we’d like to help out. For starters, Mashable’s Job Lists section gathers together all of our resource lists, how-tos and expert guides to help you get hired. In particular, you might want to see our articles on How to Leverage Social Media for Career Success and How to Find a Job on Twitter.

But we’d like to help in a more direct way, too. Mashable’s job boards are a place for socially savvy companies to find people like you. This week and every week, Mashable features its coveted job board listings for a variety of positions in the web, social media space and beyond. Have a look at what’s good and new on our job boards:

Mashable Job Board Listings

Senior Manager, Social Media & Marketing at Electronic Arts in Redwood City, CA.

The Senior Manager, Social Media & Marketing is responsible for developing, communicating and implementing a comprehensive social marketing strategy against EA’s priority titles and initiatives.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Area Sales Manager at AT&T in Tulsa, OK.

Join us as an Area Sales Manager-Internet.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Account Executive at Social Media Link in New York, NY.

This position demands a skilled and creative strategist, able to communicate technical topics in a clear and concise manner.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Social Media Strategist at iCrossing in New York, NY.

As a Senior Analyst in this group, you will help plan and execute social media marketing programs for clients.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Digital Strategy at Hill Holiday in Fairhaven, MA.

While serving as the digital marketing lead for a set of clients, you will build the case for digital solutions and help conceive and execute marketing programs that cross digital channels, integrate with offline media and push interactive innovation.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Art Director at Digitas in Philadelphia, PA.

The Art Director at Digitas will be responsible for the conception, design, and execution of innovative visual materials for integrated, cross channel initiatives including: large web initiatives, online advertising, digital marketing, direct marketing and/or print advertising.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Web Developer at Clorox Creative in Oakland, CA.

We are looking for a contract Senior Web Developer experienced in building modern web sites and web apps utilizing OO PHP5 and Javascript/Ajax functionality.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Experienced Front End Developer at Clorox Creative in Oakland, CA.

Looking for a true front-end HTML and CSS guru that hand codes.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Project Manager at Infuse Creative in Santa Monica, CA.

The Project Manager’s role is a mission critical client interface and project management role.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Vice President, Digital Strategy at Ketchum in New York, NY.

We’re looking for a Vice President/Digital Strategy to join our ranks, an individual deeply ingrained in media culture, “pull-not-push” marketing and the dynamics of on- and off-line community building.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Social Media Ambassador at Buick in Chicago, IL.

To kick-off this program, Buick is seeking three Brand Ambassadors in Chicago who will serve as the in-car Buick representatives during Tweet to Drive.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Facebook Engineer at Demandforce in San Francisco, CA.

Demandforce is looking for an outstanding individual to join the engineering team, reporting directly to the CTO.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Engineering Manager at Synacor in Buffalo, NY.

We are seeking an Engineering Manager to direct the development, creation, and modification of computer applications software and specialized utility programs.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Online Marketing and Engagement Manager at Make-A-Wish Foundation in Phoenix, AZ.

This position is responsible for the tactical implementation of online marketing and key audience engagement functions at the National Office to advance the Foundation’s goals in corporate and individual fundraising, mission delivery, chapter support and brand advancement.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Social Media Manager at PETA in Los Angeles, CA.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) seeks a social media manager to lead PETA’s award-winning social media efforts which include PETA’s Facebook and Twitter presences, PETA’s popular blog, The PETA Files, and online activism efforts.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Community Editor at AOL in New York, NY.

Urlesque.com, AOL’s internet trends and web humor site, is looking for a NYC-based temporary freelance community editor to engage, grow and interact with the Urlesque audience.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Director of Engineering at Synacor in San Francisco, CA.

We are seeking a Director of Engineering who will be responsible for leading a team of Internet developers and architects in a fast-paced and quickly growing company.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Social Media Intern at All Wet Beachwear in Hollywood, FL.

We are seeking a Social Media Public Relations Intern who has the passion, drive and knowledge to develop an effective and cutting edge social media campaign.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Director of Engineering at Synacor in Buffalo, NY.

We are seeking a Director of Engineering who will be responsible for leading a team of Internet developers and architects in a fast-paced and quickly growing company.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Editor in Chief, Startup at Life and Home Style Digital Network in Los Angeles, CA.

You must have digital exp., knowledge and interest in consumer/lifestyle, emerging home design and its customers.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Manager, Marketing at Digitas in New York, NY.

Day-to-day management of all digital media (online advertising), offline media (print, direct mail) strategy, production and execution through strong partnership with extended teams.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Senior Platform Engineer at Gilt Groupe in New York, NY.

As a hands-on Senior Software Engineer for Gilt Groupe on our platform team, you’ll help develop and maintain the scalable data and services platform upon with the Gilt Group sites are built.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Application Engineer at Gilt Groupe in New York, NY.

The Application Engineer is responsible for developing applications for the production websites ranging from search, product presentation, usability etc.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Multiple Job Openings via UrgentCareer in New York, NY, Silicon Valley and elsewhere.

We currently are managing over 80 positions from more than 50 top companies.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Director, Social Media at National Association of Home Builders in Washington DC.

This position serves as the technical point of contact for the NAHB social media and social networking activities.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Social Media Applications Engineer at Triton Digital Media in Kentucky.

Triton Digital Media, a quickly growing media company,is looking for experienced social media application developers in Cincinnati, Ohio and the surrounding area.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Director, Online Content at National Association of Home Builders in Washington DC.

This newly created position is responsible for ensuring that NAHB’s website and social media networks clearly and effectively communicate the association’s messages, promotes its products and services and provides high-quality information and content to numerous publics.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Online Marketing Specialist at Quikbook.com in New York, NY.

Group of successful ecommerce travel websites seeks a new team member to head customer acquisition efforts.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Director of Engineering at Gilt Groupe in New York, NY.

Lead software development activities such as software design, development, unit testing, documentation, integration testing, deployment documentation, code reviews, adherence to software development standards

Read more about this opportunity here.

Senior Planner at Wunderman in New York, NY.

The Senior Planner (eCommerce) will articulate consumer insights to drive digital demand generation communications strategies and programs related to eCommerce for local sales units.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Youth Marketing Manager at PETA in Los Angeles, CA.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) seeks a youth marketing manager to build awareness and recognition of PETA’s campaigns and reach the youth (teen, high school and college) audience with PETA’s message through media, special events and peer-to-peer marketing.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Manager of Creative Media Design and Development at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in Indianapolis, IN.

The Manager of Creative Media Design & Development is a hands-on management position responsible for the design, development, implementation and maintenance of gallery creative media to drive significant new and repeat visitation to the museum and to enhance the visitor experience.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Social Media Intern, Marketing at The Walt Disney Company – Disney Retail in Los Angeles.

The successful candidate will join our internal marketing team as an intern to monitor our social media presence, become an ‘intra-preneuer’ serve as a customer service agent, develop, implement and monitor successful campaigns resulting in real world results and author social media activities.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Sr Software Engineer at IGN Entertainment in San Francisco, CA.

IGN Entertainment is looking for a passionate Rails engineer who believes an agile development and believes in vertical ownership of technology stack. Experience with large scale production systems and Java is a plus.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Senior Digital Communications at Bayada Nurses in New Jersey.

We seek an experienced and results-driven Senior Digital Manager to join our Communications team to develop and direct digital strategies for Bayada Nurses.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Senior Storage Administrator at Synacor in San Francisco, CA.

We are seeking a Senior Storage Administrator who will work under limited supervision, administer all aspects of an advanced storage area network.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Senior Storage Administrator at Synacor in Los Angeles, CA.

We are seeking a Senior Storage Administrator who will work under limited supervision, administer all aspects of an advanced storage area network.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Webmaster at Pacific-10 Conference in Walnut Creek, CA.

The webmaster will oversee the editorial and technical operation of Pac-10.org and also contribute to our long-range site strategy and planning.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Analyst, Strategy and Analysis at Digitas in Detroit, MI.

The Digitas Strategy & Analysis Group is responsible for driving strategic thinking and economic insight across multiple client engagements

Read more about this opportunity here.

Sr Copywriter at Digitas in Philadelphia, PA.

As an Integrated Sr. Copywriter for Digitas you are responsible for the conception and execution of innovative copy for integrated, cross channel initiatives including large web initiatives, online advertising, digital marketing, print advertising and/or direct mail.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Customer Experience Manager at GigMasters.com in Redding, CT.

GigMasters.com, based in Redding, CT, is seeking an experienced manager to supervise our dynamic Customer Experience Team.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Product Manager, Mobile at HealthCentral in Arlington, VA.

Understand the company’s vision and lead product and business development for our mobile services in tracking health symptoms and care.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Front End Developers at Modea in Blacksburg, VA.

Modea is looking for developers who can create engaging, interactive experiences on platforms ranging from small micro-sites to large, global, multilingual enterprise systems.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Interactive Website Project Manager at TIG Global in Chevy Chase, MD.

As a result of continued growth and expansion, we are currently seeking an Interactive Website Project Manager

Read more about this opportunity here.

Director, Social Marketing at Yahoo! in Sunnyvale, CA.

We are seeking a dynamic, creative and innovative leader to drive social marketing programs at Yahoo!

Read more about this opportunity here.

Social Media Manager at Milestone Internet Marketing in Santa Clara, CA.

Milestone Internet Marketing in Santa Clara, CA is seeking a Social Media Manager within the travel vertical.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Intern – Social Media at Vans in Cypress, CA.

The Vans Direct to Consumer Communications intern assists the department with social media efforts both internally and externally

Read more about this opportunity here.

CSS Producer at Buddy Media in New York, NY.

Work extensively implementing sites into our Platform/CMS from HTML/CSS templates.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Mashable’s Job Board has a variety of web 2.0, application development, business development and social networking job opportunities available. Check them out at here.

style="text-align: center;">

Got a job posting to share with our readers? Post a job to Mashable today ($99 for a 30 day listing) and get it highlighted every week on Mashable.com (in addition to exposure all day every day in the Mashable marketplace).

/>

For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

/>style="text-align: center;">

If you’re seeking a job in social media, we’d like to help out. For starters, Mashable’s Job Lists section gathers together all of our resource lists, how-tos and expert guides to help you get hired. In particular, you might want to see our articles on How to Leverage Social Media for Career Success and How to Find a Job on Twitter.

But we’d like to help in a more direct way, too. Mashable’s job boards are a place for socially savvy companies to find people like you. This week and every week, Mashable features its coveted job board listings for a variety of positions in the web, social media space and beyond. Have a look at what’s good and new on our job boards:

Mashable Job Board Listings

Senior Manager, Social Media & Marketing at Electronic Arts in Redwood City, CA.

The Senior Manager, Social Media & Marketing is responsible for developing, communicating and implementing a comprehensive social marketing strategy against EA’s priority titles and initiatives.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Area Sales Manager at AT&T in Tulsa, OK.

Join us as an Area Sales Manager-Internet.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Account Executive at Social Media Link in New York, NY.

This position demands a skilled and creative strategist, able to communicate technical topics in a clear and concise manner.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Social Media Strategist at iCrossing in New York, NY.

As a Senior Analyst in this group, you will help plan and execute social media marketing programs for clients.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Digital Strategy at Hill Holiday in Fairhaven, MA.

While serving as the digital marketing lead for a set of clients, you will build the case for digital solutions and help conceive and execute marketing programs that cross digital channels, integrate with offline media and push interactive innovation.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Art Director at Digitas in Philadelphia, PA.

The Art Director at Digitas will be responsible for the conception, design, and execution of innovative visual materials for integrated, cross channel initiatives including: large web initiatives, online advertising, digital marketing, direct marketing and/or print advertising.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Web Developer at Clorox Creative in Oakland, CA.

We are looking for a contract Senior Web Developer experienced in building modern web sites and web apps utilizing OO PHP5 and Javascript/Ajax functionality.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Experienced Front End Developer at Clorox Creative in Oakland, CA.

Looking for a true front-end HTML and CSS guru that hand codes.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Project Manager at Infuse Creative in Santa Monica, CA.

The Project Manager’s role is a mission critical client interface and project management role.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Vice President, Digital Strategy at Ketchum in New York, NY.

We’re looking for a Vice President/Digital Strategy to join our ranks, an individual deeply ingrained in media culture, “pull-not-push” marketing and the dynamics of on- and off-line community building.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Social Media Ambassador at Buick in Chicago, IL.

To kick-off this program, Buick is seeking three Brand Ambassadors in Chicago who will serve as the in-car Buick representatives during Tweet to Drive.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Facebook Engineer at Demandforce in San Francisco, CA.

Demandforce is looking for an outstanding individual to join the engineering team, reporting directly to the CTO.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Engineering Manager at Synacor in Buffalo, NY.

We are seeking an Engineering Manager to direct the development, creation, and modification of computer applications software and specialized utility programs.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Online Marketing and Engagement Manager at Make-A-Wish Foundation in Phoenix, AZ.

This position is responsible for the tactical implementation of online marketing and key audience engagement functions at the National Office to advance the Foundation’s goals in corporate and individual fundraising, mission delivery, chapter support and brand advancement.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Social Media Manager at PETA in Los Angeles, CA.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) seeks a social media manager to lead PETA’s award-winning social media efforts which include PETA’s Facebook and Twitter presences, PETA’s popular blog, The PETA Files, and online activism efforts.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Community Editor at AOL in New York, NY.

Urlesque.com, AOL’s internet trends and web humor site, is looking for a NYC-based temporary freelance community editor to engage, grow and interact with the Urlesque audience.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Director of Engineering at Synacor in San Francisco, CA.

We are seeking a Director of Engineering who will be responsible for leading a team of Internet developers and architects in a fast-paced and quickly growing company.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Social Media Intern at All Wet Beachwear in Hollywood, FL.

We are seeking a Social Media Public Relations Intern who has the passion, drive and knowledge to develop an effective and cutting edge social media campaign.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Director of Engineering at Synacor in Buffalo, NY.

We are seeking a Director of Engineering who will be responsible for leading a team of Internet developers and architects in a fast-paced and quickly growing company.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Editor in Chief, Startup at Life and Home Style Digital Network in Los Angeles, CA.

You must have digital exp., knowledge and interest in consumer/lifestyle, emerging home design and its customers.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Manager, Marketing at Digitas in New York, NY.

Day-to-day management of all digital media (online advertising), offline media (print, direct mail) strategy, production and execution through strong partnership with extended teams.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Senior Platform Engineer at Gilt Groupe in New York, NY.

As a hands-on Senior Software Engineer for Gilt Groupe on our platform team, you’ll help develop and maintain the scalable data and services platform upon with the Gilt Group sites are built.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Application Engineer at Gilt Groupe in New York, NY.

The Application Engineer is responsible for developing applications for the production websites ranging from search, product presentation, usability etc.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Multiple Job Openings via UrgentCareer in New York, NY, Silicon Valley and elsewhere.

We currently are managing over 80 positions from more than 50 top companies.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Director, Social Media at National Association of Home Builders in Washington DC.

This position serves as the technical point of contact for the NAHB social media and social networking activities.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Social Media Applications Engineer at Triton Digital Media in Kentucky.

Triton Digital Media, a quickly growing media company,is looking for experienced social media application developers in Cincinnati, Ohio and the surrounding area.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Director, Online Content at National Association of Home Builders in Washington DC.

This newly created position is responsible for ensuring that NAHB’s website and social media networks clearly and effectively communicate the association’s messages, promotes its products and services and provides high-quality information and content to numerous publics.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Online Marketing Specialist at Quikbook.com in New York, NY.

Group of successful ecommerce travel websites seeks a new team member to head customer acquisition efforts.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Director of Engineering at Gilt Groupe in New York, NY.

Lead software development activities such as software design, development, unit testing, documentation, integration testing, deployment documentation, code reviews, adherence to software development standards

Read more about this opportunity here.

Senior Planner at Wunderman in New York, NY.

The Senior Planner (eCommerce) will articulate consumer insights to drive digital demand generation communications strategies and programs related to eCommerce for local sales units.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Youth Marketing Manager at PETA in Los Angeles, CA.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) seeks a youth marketing manager to build awareness and recognition of PETA’s campaigns and reach the youth (teen, high school and college) audience with PETA’s message through media, special events and peer-to-peer marketing.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Manager of Creative Media Design and Development at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in Indianapolis, IN.

The Manager of Creative Media Design & Development is a hands-on management position responsible for the design, development, implementation and maintenance of gallery creative media to drive significant new and repeat visitation to the museum and to enhance the visitor experience.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Social Media Intern, Marketing at The Walt Disney Company – Disney Retail in Los Angeles.

The successful candidate will join our internal marketing team as an intern to monitor our social media presence, become an ‘intra-preneuer’ serve as a customer service agent, develop, implement and monitor successful campaigns resulting in real world results and author social media activities.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Sr Software Engineer at IGN Entertainment in San Francisco, CA.

IGN Entertainment is looking for a passionate Rails engineer who believes an agile development and believes in vertical ownership of technology stack. Experience with large scale production systems and Java is a plus.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Senior Digital Communications at Bayada Nurses in New Jersey.

We seek an experienced and results-driven Senior Digital Manager to join our Communications team to develop and direct digital strategies for Bayada Nurses.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Senior Storage Administrator at Synacor in San Francisco, CA.

We are seeking a Senior Storage Administrator who will work under limited supervision, administer all aspects of an advanced storage area network.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Senior Storage Administrator at Synacor in Los Angeles, CA.

We are seeking a Senior Storage Administrator who will work under limited supervision, administer all aspects of an advanced storage area network.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Webmaster at Pacific-10 Conference in Walnut Creek, CA.

The webmaster will oversee the editorial and technical operation of Pac-10.org and also contribute to our long-range site strategy and planning.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Analyst, Strategy and Analysis at Digitas in Detroit, MI.

The Digitas Strategy & Analysis Group is responsible for driving strategic thinking and economic insight across multiple client engagements

Read more about this opportunity here.

Sr Copywriter at Digitas in Philadelphia, PA.

As an Integrated Sr. Copywriter for Digitas you are responsible for the conception and execution of innovative copy for integrated, cross channel initiatives including large web initiatives, online advertising, digital marketing, print advertising and/or direct mail.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Customer Experience Manager at GigMasters.com in Redding, CT.

GigMasters.com, based in Redding, CT, is seeking an experienced manager to supervise our dynamic Customer Experience Team.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Product Manager, Mobile at HealthCentral in Arlington, VA.

Understand the company’s vision and lead product and business development for our mobile services in tracking health symptoms and care.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Front End Developers at Modea in Blacksburg, VA.

Modea is looking for developers who can create engaging, interactive experiences on platforms ranging from small micro-sites to large, global, multilingual enterprise systems.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Interactive Website Project Manager at TIG Global in Chevy Chase, MD.

As a result of continued growth and expansion, we are currently seeking an Interactive Website Project Manager

Read more about this opportunity here.

Director, Social Marketing at Yahoo! in Sunnyvale, CA.

We are seeking a dynamic, creative and innovative leader to drive social marketing programs at Yahoo!

Read more about this opportunity here.

Social Media Manager at Milestone Internet Marketing in Santa Clara, CA.

Milestone Internet Marketing in Santa Clara, CA is seeking a Social Media Manager within the travel vertical.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Intern – Social Media at Vans in Cypress, CA.

The Vans Direct to Consumer Communications intern assists the department with social media efforts both internally and externally

Read more about this opportunity here.

CSS Producer at Buddy Media in New York, NY.

Work extensively implementing sites into our Platform/CMS from HTML/CSS templates.

Read more about this opportunity here.

Mashable’s Job Board has a variety of web 2.0, application development, business development and social networking job opportunities available. Check them out at here.

style="text-align: center;">

Got a job posting to share with our readers? Post a job to Mashable today ($99 for a 30 day listing) and get it highlighted every week on Mashable.com (in addition to exposure all day every day in the Mashable marketplace).

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For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

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Howard Dean Lashes Out at Fox <b>News</b> ... During an Appearance on Fox <b>...</b>

"Fox News did something that was absolutely racist."

How Fox <b>News</b> Covered Shirley Sherrod Story | Fox <b>News</b> | Mediaite

Since we broke down how Fox News' coverage could not have possibly led to Shirley Sherrod's forced resignation, the story of FNC's coverage has remained a hot topic on cable news. Dan Abrams and Rick Sanchez debated it, Howard Dean and ...

Francine Hardaway: <b>News</b> Died This Week

But both the news and journalist Daniel Schorr died this week. Schorr died peacefully after a long and productive life. The news, however, was murdered. Unworthy commentators destroyed news.

about internet marketing

Susan Payton is the President of Egg Marketing & Public Relations, an Internet marketing firm. She blogs at The Marketing Eggspert Blog. Follow her on Twitter @eggmarketing. Download her newest e-book, “Content is Queen: How Article & Blog Writing Will Increase Your Sales.“

Companies love positive feedback. They share it on Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter, post it on their website and use it as marketing fodder. But what about when feedback is, well, less than pleasant? What can you do with a handful (or more) of irate customers? Do you ignore them? Bury them out back? Not in today’s social atmosphere.

Rather than try to sweep these unhappy customers under the rug, look at them as a challenge and an opportunity to improve your brand and leverage them for some publicity.

Why You Want Angry Customers

Well, maybe you don’t want angry customers, but let’s be honest — you’ll never have 100 percent customer satisfaction. No one does. So use those unhappy customers to better understand what you’re doing wrong, and learn from the experience. And while you’re at it, turn the angry customers into brand evangelists.

There are several ways to connect with unhappy customers in a meaningful way:

• Hold a panel or forum in person; give them a tour of your facility and hold a venting session
• Work virtually; host an online panel to get feedback from them
• Work one-on-one to understand their concerns and address them individually

In-Person Events

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Dell recently held its first Customer Advisory Panel event at their headquarters in Round Rock, TX. They invited two groups of 15 bloggers and social media gurus. One group was full of people who had negative experiences with the company and who were vocal about their displeasure. The second group was made up of people that Dell considered brand evangelists; people who loved Dell and told others.

The attendees started the morning with their gripes; customer service issues came up again and again. The heads of customer service and marketing were present and actively engaged. As they listened, they took notes, then asked questions and they promised they would make changes.

That type of customer empowerment is important. Now, whether they’ll go through with the promised changes is another story, but it was clear that Dell understood it was time to start paying attention to the public’s perception of its brand, and make some changes to keep their customers.

Nestlé is another company that has been successful at holding an event to let people engage with its brand directly. After a resurgence in interest in the Nestle Boycott a few years ago, Nestlé decided to invite a group of bloggers to what it called its “Happy, Healthy Gathering” in 2009. Mommy bloggers, who’d been tweeting up a storm about the company’s stance on breastfeeding in third world countries, were invited to tour the facilities and give their input on the company.

Whether the event truly changed perceptions remains to be seen, but it did a great deal to show that Nestlé was putting in the effort to reach its audience.

Disclosure: I was one of the bloggers invited to participate Dell’s Customer Advisory Panel.

Virtual Panels

Virtual panels are decidedly less effective than in-person ones. But they can be good replacements for focus groups. Pssst is General Mills’ online testing ground for new products. The company sends participants coupons and free products to try, and in return they are asked to fill out surveys. The program is so successful that bloggers who write about saving money are gladly turning others onto joining Pssst.

Similarly, the Starbucks Passion Panel was designed to get customer feedback — for better or worse. The community of Starbucks drinkers gives their input via surveys and forums.

Passion Panel member Jennifer Boyd said, “Being on the Passion Panel means that I have access to direct input and discussion with other members. It enables me to give my opinion on Starbucks’ current and future products through surveys. The panel is a great way to engage with their loyal customers and solidifies a relationship with a consumer to a brand.”

Wal-Mart’s Elevenmoms platform is another example of how a mix of online community, shopper experience and in-person visits can work together to help the company gather new insights. John Andrews, former Senior Manager of Emerging Media for Wal-Mart and founder of the Elevenmoms, said the community succeeded in getting Wal-Mart’s attention in a few areas where it was lacking.

When the iPhone was launched in Wal-Mart stores, the Elevenmoms were invited to go through the purchase process. Some had no problems, but others did. It took one blogger two hours to buy a phone. Each blogger published her experience, and Wal-Mart took the feedback to its operations staff, who took notes and improved the purchase process.

“The Elevenmoms used direct social media interaction to improve the shopping process,” said Andrews.

Other feedback caused Wal-Mart to reconsider its layaway strategy. Having canceled the layaway plan due to costs, Wal-Mart got some flack from the Elevenmoms, who felt it made it easier to make big purchases. As a result, Wal-Mart developed its Site to Store platform, which provided the benefit of layaway online, so that local stores didn’t incur extra costs.

Disclosure: John Andrews now works with Collective Bias, a company with which I have collaborated on projects.

One-on-One

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Solving a customer’s problems and changing their perception individually is the least cost-effective method, but a little work goes a long way. And it starts with customer service personnel being properly trained to solve problems, and not to simply stick to “the script” at all costs. Look at Zappos or Disney for great examples of how service reps are empowered to solve problems.

Disney empowers each of its “cast members” (staff) to solve a guest’s problem. From the street sweeper to the reservation specialist, everyone has the ability to turn a negative situation into a good one. That might mean replacing a fallen ice cream cone, upgrading a guest’s hotel room, or simply answering politely the most commonly asked question on Disney property: what time is the three o’clock parade?

Disney is so good at customer service, they’ve opened the Disney Institute, a customer service training program helps other corporations use the same techniques that has made Disney such a success.

Likewise, Zappos is also famous for its customer service tactics. The reps don’t use scripts, and seem to genuinely care about solving problems. Many customers are pleasantly surprised when their shipping gets upgraded and they get their shoes even faster – at no additional charge.

By providing instant happiness to the customer, these brands can prevent a lot of the bad karma that comes down the road when an unhappy customer becomes an enraged customer who tells everyone he knows about how bad the company is (no one wants their own version of DellHell).

Conclusion

No matter how you interact with unhappy customers, the point is not to brush them off, and make sure you learn from it. Don’t just pretend to listen and then go on doing business as usual. Take the feedback as constructive criticism that can help you determine your company’s future. How you handle your failures could make you or break you.

More Business Resources from Mashable

- HOW TO: Evaluate Your Social Media Plan/> - Why Your Next Business Card May Be Virtual/> - HOW TO: Improve B2B Sales Productivity with Social Media/> - HOW TO: Use Social Media for Lead Generation/> - HOW TO: Use QR Codes for Small Business Marketing

Stock: Image courtesy of iStockphotoclass="blippr-nobr">iStockphoto, biffspandex

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I’m Neil Glassman and my beats for Social Times include social media marketing and advertising tools, techniques and success stories. Sometimes my posts go off on a tangent, focusing on small business social media issues or research with broader implications.

How did I get the gig? Well, I certainly did not tell Nick O’Neill the whole story that follows.

I didn’t realize growing up that AM radio was one of the original social networks. It had Top 40 formats (mashups), DJ shout outs (tweets), contests to win logo T-shirts (badges) and exclusive clubs to which everyone belonged (Facebook groups).

I got into late night talk shows (blogs), which had an intimacy and affinity with listeners that radio has lost and web social networks have yet to fully discover. My parents didn’t think it was such a great idea for me to stay up late listening on school nights and took away my TV privileges for one night as punishment. That was the night of The Beatles’ first appearance on Ed Sullivan.

My luck with media improved over the years and I found myself marketing technology for media companies. My training was much like everyone else’s in the field: a box of Mad Magazine “best-of” books, learning how to touch-type and a brief career teaching emotionally disturbed junior high schoolers.

In the beginning, I worked with startups, turning underdogs into wonderdogs. Recently I’ve helped a few companies avoid a mid-life crisis. Whatever my responsibilities are for a particular company, my favorite part is finding ways to present a solution to the marketplace and having the marketplace react by saying, “Ah-Ha!”

Successful marketing means thinking outside the box while delivering campaigns inside the box. I leaped on the web-based and electronically delivered marketing platforms very early and with good success. When Nick put out a call for writers on marketing and advertising, I thought it was a cool opportunity and am grateful to have been chosen to contribute to Social Times. My posts are a great way to share my explorations of the potential of the social web, not just for marketers, but for the world’s cultures.

As marketers, our first priority is to develop campaigns that are effective. If we manage to leave a slogan, image or song in our collective unconscious in the process, that’s a great bonus. In my collaborations, I’ve had the chance to participate in some firsts — at least I think they were firsts. If you know something I don’t, teach me.

The first music video shown on TV that was shot and produced totally on video — no film conversion at any step. The Towel Tapes, February 1979.

Marketing the first hardware product to include mp3. Telos Zephyr, April 1993.

The first time the Internet ground to a halt because too many were trying to log in to a multimedia event. Streaming George Clinton concert audio to demonstrate Macromedia Shockwave, the precursor to Flash. November 1996.

On the personal front, I’m a New Yorker with a huge appetite for great songwriters and musicians of diverse genres. Tweet me and I’ll send you a link to my calendar of all the free concerts in town this summer.

Blogging works best when it’s participatory, so join in the conversation with the talented team on Social Times. Pitch me ideas for posts about using social media for marketing and advertising. Don’t forget to include how you are going to make the market say, “Ah-Ha!”

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Attention all members of the social media industry! Attention all members of the social media industry! It’s time to consider how the REST of the world uses social media in its various forms especially from a mobile phone perspective. I say this only because the chatter amongst social media experts, ninjas, gurus and Maharishi’s seems to lean toward the idea that everyone is accessing social media from mobile devices but reality may be very far from that.

The Pew Research Center’s Pew Internet and American Life Project puts out some great data n its report called Mobile Access 2010 and it seems (as best as I can tell at least) to be free of the influence of someone who is doing PR disguised as research (another popular industry practice that needs to end). Here are a few findings. Please note the last bullet point in particular.

Now, there is a lot more to this study like age specific breakdowns and also the use of cell phones for data applications amongst various ethnic groups which is fascinating. Please check out the report if you would like to learn more (PDF).

Honestly, I couldn’t get my mind off the 10% number because it seemed very low but at the same time seemed very real. At first I thought this can’t be right because everyone is using their mobile phones to access social media. Isn’t that the point? Being able to tell all of your ‘friends’ what you are up to at the moment and the place that you are up to it? If you read only industry media about this phenomenon you would suspect that this kind of thing is widespread and going mass market.

Whoa there big fella! It’s not there yet and likely won’t be for quite some time. As with most everything I have ever seen in the Internet space the hype is usually about 5 years ahead of that nasty thing called reality. We get all lathered up about what is happening even though it is only happening for a very small percentage of people.

This kind of overheating and over hyping is both annoying and dangerous. It’s annoying because it fuels the egos of those who are pushing this kind of irrational exuberance for their own gain (to be a quoted ‘expert’ etc). Secondly, it makes people lose sight of what they need to be doing right now to succeed.

There is no doubt that this kind of activity will be more pervasive moving forward. We all have to remember though that when we attend a conference with thousands of people walking around staring at their iPhones, Android devices or BlackBerrys that we are experience this activity in a bubble. It’s not how most of the world operates yet. It just feels like it because like attracts like. The people that are married to their smartphones and record everything at every moment are a small percentage of the overall population and it may not make sense at this point to be getting all giddy over just how impactful this all is.

Let’s face it, we are some 15 plus years into the commercial Internet era and A LOT of people are just starting to understand search marketing! We chuckle and say “Gee, I can’t believe that there are people that still don’t get search!” Huh? That’s pretty arrogant and actually stupid to say (you can complain that I may have called you stupid but I am first in line in having made that statement about search as well, so we are all in this together). Honestly, Google is still figuring out what is deemed ‘traditional’ search so why should we expect that everyone already has as well. Man, get with it, right? Search is so 2009! The masses haven’t caught up but we keep on running and leaving them further behind. That’s not good policy.

I am glad that there are voices of reason out there like Pew so we can all have a head slap of reality and really help each other to concentrate on things that will help us today to move this economy out of the crapper. Pie in the sky business idealism will not get it done. Believing that the whole world is going completely mobile and will do everything from their mobile devices in even the next few years is silly. Segments of society will adapt and grow faster but where a lot of consumers are and will remain to be will not be part of this revolution.

The truth is that there is a lot more money being held by people who are not part of this revolution than there are those who are. As marketers that should be your focus for today.

Well, thanks for allowing my rant. I would love to hear the opinions of our readers on this subject. Is the use of mobile and social more widespread than this study suggests? Are we stirring up a bunch of industry Kool Aid that is keeping many from making good decisions for their business in today’s reality? Let’s hear it please!

Social Media Monitoring in Just 60-Seconds. Guaranteed!

Today I was able to catch up with Gary Key who is a Technical Marketing Manager for ASUS to ask him a few questions about Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview 3.

James : Thanks for your time Gary. As a Technical Marketing Manager, how have you been involved with the release of Internet Explorer Platform Preview 3?

Gary : It’s really exciting to be involved! ASUS has been providing both mainstream and cutting edge hardware to Microsoft to ensure the best possible user experience with Internet Explorer 9. Not only have we been supplying exciting hardware for testing but we’ve also been providing input and feedback on how to make IE9 perform its absolute best on ASUS products.

James : You said that it’s been exciting being involved with Platform Preview 3. What’s been most exciting for you?

Gary : Here at ASUS we’ve been at the forefront of netbook and notebook innovation by providing the type of CPU and graphical processing power that Internet Explorer 9 thrives on. For example, we shipped the first Intel Atom dual-core with NVIDIA ION powered netbooks, NVIDIA 3D Vision enabled notebooks and one of the first DX11 gaming notebooks powered by ATI’s Mobility Radeon HD 5870 GPU. It’s this type of power that enables IE9 to provide an extremely responsive and interactive user experience on the Web. ASUS’ continued commitment to provide excellent CPU and GPU performance in its mobile products along with Microsoft’s innovative use of hardware acceleration in IE9 will help to create an unlimited possibilities for new Web applications that are both graphically and functionally rich.

James : You mentioned some of your innovative hardware. I’ve had my eye on your U30Jc or UL80Vt notebooks. How will they perform with the latest Platform Preview?

Gary : Thanks to the Intel dual-core processor and discreet graphics performance of the NVIDIA mobile GPU chipset in either notebook the user experience with Internet Explorer 9 will be incredible. In fact, even our AMD based Eee PC 1201T netbook will provide enough graphical and CPU processing power to ensure the user has a terrific web experience with IE9.

James : How about elsewhere in your range? Is there a price point or a particular type of machine I should be looking for?

Gary : We have a vast number of new mobile products launching this summer that are built with Internet Explorer 9 in mind. Everything from our upcoming Eee PC 1215N netbook and slim and light U35Jc notebook to the new 3D capable Republic of Gamers G53 gaming notebook will offer users a rich and interactive internet experience with IE9.

James : So do I need to buy a new notebook or workstation to take advantage of the hardware acceleration in Internet Explorer 9?

Gary : Not at all. We’ve been using discrete graphics and multi-core processors in most of our machines since we started shipping Windows Vista and Windows 7 machines so Internet Explorer 9 will be able to take advantage of that horsepower too. Of course, buying a new shiny notebook with an aluminum body never hurts does it?

James : You’re really trying to talk me into that U30Jc aren’t you? One last thing, what’s your favorite Platform Preview 3 demo on the www.ietestdrive.com site and why?

Gary : That’s a very difficult question to answer. I really do not have a single favorite Internet Explorer Platform Preview 3 demo as they all show how the combination of IE9 and the processing power available in ASUS mobile products will provide a uniquely rich, responsive and interactive Web experience for the user. However, I would have to say during testing that we probably ran the Flickr Explorer demo the most as it truly displayed the power of our current and upcoming mobile products when using IE9.

James : Gary thank you so much for your time.

Gary : It’s been a pleasure.

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