Purple Squirrl

Intuit awarded for Social Media Programs

Forrester awarded Intuit was presented with the Forrester Groundswell Award which recognize excellence from companies that accomplish business objectives using social applications and technologies. Intuit was recognized for their use of social media and user-contribution systems with submissions for its QuickBooks(R) Online Community, TurboTax(R) Live Community, TurboTax Inner Circle and QuickBooks Just Start Campaign.

Here’s some more info from their Press Release.

The awards focused on Intuits efforts to engage customers by embracing, listening and supporting through social media, and included:

– Intuit’s QuickBooks Online Community — Provides a place where small business owners can engage with each other. This Web site lets QuickBooks users ask and answer product-related questions and obtain general small business information. With three million visitors annually, the site offers a wealth of user-created content.

– Intuit’s Just Start campaign — Features YouTube-like video submissions and online voting, to energize people to start their own business. The nationwide, promotional campaign engaged new and aspiring entrepreneurs, and encouraged customers and bloggers to support those taking the next step to “Just Start.”

– The TurboTax Live Community — Makes getting answers to tax questions easier. This online forum is available to consumers as they prepare their returns. Going well beyond traditional in-product help and online support, the TurboTax Live Community delivers the most relevant answers when and where customers need them most.

– The TurboTax Inner Circle — Links some 17,000 customers with Intuit product managers, marketers and development teams, to spark innovation through collaboration. Customers submit their ideas through this Web-based community to improve TurboTax, and share ideas with Intuit employees through a variety of methods to bring their suggestions to life.

Intuit’s ‘Connected Services’ Strategy

Dan Maurer, Intuit chief marketing officer, said the award reflects the company’s commitment to connected services strategy that focuses on emerging social, mobile and global communications trends.

“Customers turn to us to help solve their important problems,” Maurer said. “We’re focused on giving them more ways to do that, whether it’s talking to us or providing forums where they can talk to each other. Being online — for customers and for Intuit — isn’t just an option. It’s a necessary component of success.”

Social Media now has a landscape

It’s interesting  that when things become so big a diagram is required to make sense of it. Well, that is the case with Social Media. People are not completely clear what should be considered a social media site. I found a great post by Fred Cavazza. In that post he showcases two great pieces that will help people get an idea of what he calls the Social Media Landscape.

From the graphic the different tools and services can be grouped into categories:

• Publication tools with blogs ( Typepad, Blogger…), wikis ( Wikipedia, Wikia, Wetpaint…) and citizen journalism portals ( Digg, Newsvine…)
• Sharing tools for videos ( YouTube…), pictures ( FlickR…), links ( del.icio.us, Ma.gnolia…), music ( Last.fm, iLike…), slideshows ( Slideshare), products reviews ( Crowdstorm, Stylehive…) or products feedbacks ( Feedback 2.0, GetSatisfaction…)
• Discussions tools like forums ( PHPbb, vBulletin, Phorum…), video forums ( Seesmic), instant messaging ( Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, Meebo…) and VoIP ( Skype, Google Talk…)
• Social networks ( Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Hi5, Orkut…), niche social networks ( LinkedIn, Boompa…) and tools for creating social networks ( Ning)
• Micropublication tools ( Twitter, Pownce, Jaiku, Plurk, Adocu…) and alike ( twitxr, tweetpeek)
• Social aggregation tools like lifestream ( FriendFeed, Socializr, Socialthing!, lifestrea.ms, Profilactic…)
• Platforms for livecast hosting ( Justin.tv, BlogTV, Yahoo! Live, UStream…) and there mobile equivalent ( Qik, Flixwagon, Kyte, LiveCastr…)
• Virtual worlds ( Second Life, Entropia Universe, There…), 3D chats ( Habbo, IMVU…) and teens dedicated virtual universes ( Stardoll, Club Penguin…)
• Social gaming platforms ( ImInLikeWithYou, Doof…), casual gaming portals ( Pogo, Cafe, Kongregate…) and social networks enabeled games ( Three Rings, SGN)
• MMO ( Neopets, Gaia Online, Kart Rider, Drift City, Maple Story) and MMORPG ( World of Warcraft, Age of Conan…)

Social Media Landscape [Fred Cavazza.net]

What’s the value of LinkedIn Groups?

I’ve been a member on LinkedIn for a long time. I’m one of the early adopter types. When the groups feature came out in July 2005 I was pretty excited. But 3 years later I still haven’t figured out what’s going on with it. I’m a member of 24 groups. I’ve applied to a lot more than that but for some reason I’m not in them. I don’t get that. Some random guy starts the “Social Media Marketing” group and then I need to beg him for approval. Why? Who’s he? If I’m in then how is that good for me.

LinkedIn is certainly proud of their groups - but does anybody else care. They announced that they had the Web’s Largest BlackBerry Community. So what? If I’m in that group how does it benefit me?

So far i have gained nothing from being in the groups on LinkedIn. Well, there are nice logos and it does spice up my profile up a bit. But I don’t gain anything material from the group. At least in Facebook the group owner unashamedly sends me group spam that I have to ignore. But not on LinkedIn, I’m a member of a club that does nothing.

Can somebody tell me any usefullness to this groups?