Search on Google and you’ll note a big change in the results page about 1/3 of the way down: a scrolling list of results that appear just minutes and seconds after they’re posted online — and that includes results from Twitter (just note the post from “deckard256″ in the image above).

What does it mean to you a business owner? A company? A marketing department? There’s no longer any delay whatsoever between a customer’s experience and what the world will learn about that experience should it be posted anywhere online.

Of course, these scrolling results won’t be available if there isn’t a lot of online chatter about that term. But the more opinions, insights, emotions people share over time about their everyday lives, the more your chances of appearing there, or on Bing, or on Yahoo! or anywhere else online for that matter — immediately.

Technology’s leaps and bounds are prodding and nudging for companies to do what’s been prescribed for years: Be there. Be vigilant. Be responsive. (The thing is, now you’ll have to add quicker than ever to the mix, too.)

What do you think about Google gone real-time?

We just have to realize that some customers will never be good customers.

They take advantage of our generosity because hey, times are tough, and we’re supposed to bend over backwards for the sale because then, if we do, they’ll tell people how much we did and wasn’t that sooooo nice of us? And besides, don’t we always talk about how social media is about generosity? About giving of yourself to the community? And about how generosity itself is a business model?

Yes, we will go out of our way for you. Yes, we hope you like what we do for you so much that you’ll tell people about what we can do for them. And yes, it is about generosity.

But it should work both ways. Aren’t our customers part of that community too?

So when we’re generous with you, we expect a little generosity in return. At the very least a little fairness.

Is that too much to ask? What do you think?

On November 5, I published this post about The Red Elephant’s Manager, Jeff Hanson, going out of his way to please a long-time customer (me).

The next day, at 11:30am, just moments before our Conversation Friday guests began arriving, Brandon (pictured at right) showed up at The Conversation Factory. He held out a brown bag, and said he was from Uptown Cafe. He said Fred Tedio had seen my post from the day before and wanted me to see how his Chicken Salad Wrap compared.

I laughed. Not only did Fred send the wrap, he posted a photo of the sandwich on my Facebook wall with the note:

Mike – Please enjoy our Uptown Cafe Chutney Chicken Salad Wrap. We’ve been making it from scratch for over 15 years and have many customers say it’s the best in town. You be the judge.

It was a good wrap, but I’m not here to judge food, I’m here to report on how Fred used social media to make something happen. He saw an opportunity on his Facebook news feed and took it.

What Fred did became part of our Conversation Friday discussion.

Three of us at the session tried the wrap, and agreed  it was tasty, but it wasn’t as important as the gesture itself (there’s certainly a lesson in that statement alone). I explained how I met Fred at the Tallahassee Chamber’s Annual Conference in August; how he prepared and delivered the sandwiches at our first Conversation Friday; and how I’ve become a fan of his smoked salmon with apricot glaze. I’m almost 100% sure that Fred Tedio and Uptown Cafe gained three new fans on Friday (and one blog post today). Although the wrap was very good, the gesture was infinitely more powerful.

All from seeing a post on Facebook, and responding in a timely and appropriate fashion.

Well done, Fred. Well done.

Whether you want to explore social media tools or discuss how you can more effectively market your business in today’s quickly evolving marketplace, The Conversation Factory can be your learning center. From facebook, twitter, and other social media applications to establishing a trustworthy online presence and managing your time, we’ll tailor one or a series of Custom Conversation sessions that can get you moving in the right direction with clarity and focus. Fast.

1-on-1 Conversation:*
$70 per hour

2-on-1 Conversation (bring a friend, save a few bucks):
$50 per person per hour

3-on-1 Conversation (bring two friends, save a few more):
$40 per person per hour

Please email me for groups of more than three.

Book your Custom Conversation by simply emailing me or calling 850.459.8192.

If you’d like to learn more about the kinds of ideas and guidance we can offer, consider attending one of our fun, electric Conversation Friday sessions held every Friday (unless otherwise noted) from 12-1pm at The Conversation Factory, just off Capital Circle and Mahan. More about those sessions here.

*Previous guests of Conversation Fridays will receive 1-on-1 sessions for $60 per hour. Discounts available for non-profit organizations.

Posted via email from michaelcalienes’s posterous

Conversation Fridays at the conversation factory weren’t meant to be networking sessions in the traditional sense. We certainly don’t exist for the purpose of pitching business to each other. But what’s happening is exactly what I hoped would happen: guests are beginning to earn trust and business by sharing their perspectives and ideas. After all, sharing ideas IS pitching business, but doing it like this is so much more powerful, genuine, and human than traditional sales approaches.

By the time each session ends, everyone knows who you are, what you do, and what makes you unique in your space. Of course, this last part depends greatly on your participation during our one-hour session.

If you’re interested in attending, email me or just post a message on the conversation factory’s wall on facebook. We encourage reservations because we limit our sessions to 9 people so that everyone can participate, though we certainly don’t frown on you if you’re a serial listener.

You can bring your business cards and your ideas, just leave the sales pitch at the door. A one-hour conversation beats 10 second elevator speech any day of the week — especially Fridays.

Have a great weekend.

Posted via email from michaelcalienes’s posterous

It’s that time of year again when messages from business owners and staff  requesting a vote for their companies in the Tally Awards begin filling our inboxes and blanketing our newsfeeds.

Maybe your business will win; but, man, what if you get absolutely NOTHING?!

Before you go bunching your panties, think about what it takes to win a Tally Award. It takes getting more people to vote for your business than any other business in that category. I don’t know what that tells you, but that tells me it’s a popularity contest. It also tells me that a mediocre business with a well-networked staff can easily beat out an exceptional business whose staff prefers doing business beyond the perimeter of the spotlight.

I’m not saying don’t enter. I’m not saying don’t vote. I’m saying keep it in perspective. And seriously, if you have the ability to get a few hundred people to click some buttons on the internet, consider directing them here, here, or here. Maybe you can help change the world, or even a small part of it. Now that would be something deserving of an award.

We all know the calls. They interrupt our dinner, our weekend paper, our children’s bedtime. They make us shift our attention from what’s important to us for something someone deems important to them.

The wonderful news is these types of unwanted interruptions are migrating en masse to our social networks. The bigger Facebook gets, the more it will happen. The more “friends” we have on Facebook, the greater the odds one or more of them will treat us with the same disrespect unruly marketers treat people on purchased email lists. What’s worse, we gave these “friends” our permission to do it — absolutely free.

Just because we accept someone’s friend request (or vice versa) doesn’t give them — or us — free reign to email anything and everything at will. We have to remember that we can click the “block” button with the same ease as we clicked the “accept” button.

Before going to that extreme, however, it would be good to let them know. If we don’t, then we can’t complain when it continues to happen.

Tonight I received this 7-second message from Jim Bennight of Brian Barnard’s Flooring America Tallahassee. In it, he simply says, “Hello, Michael. You’re gonna make a technophile out of me yet. See you Friday.”

Why is that so exciting? Because it’s a big step for Jim, but I’m sure it’s just one of many many more. He’s been attending Conversation Fridays at The Conversation Factory since day one. He’s been curious all along — asking questions, participating in our discussions and really digging in. Now he’s tweeting, blogging, and digging deeper into his passion for rugs.

You’ll be seeing more from Jim I’m sure. Hopefully, so will I.

If you’ve got any questions about area rugs, well, Jim’s your man.

See you Friday, Jim.

I’d like to thank today’s Conversation Friday attendees (left to right) Howard Libin of Adventures in Advertising, Juli Puckett and Allie Merzer-Fleming of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, and Fred Addonizio and Jim Bennight of Brian Barnard’s Flooring America.

We got the Conversation going by playing Chris Brogan’s “Don’t be that guy” video, which sparked plenty of discussion about when to be human, and when to sell. We talked facebook and twitter strategies and pros and cons, what’s working in retail and what isn’t. By 1pm (from right to left), the facebook regulars had converted Fred from a member to user (here’s a quick before and after); we discussed how Jim could use his blog to cast a wider net and attract readership and and drive online conversation; talked about how, just yesterday, Allie’s facebook feed fed more ideas for next year’s Annual Chamber conference; discussed how Julie could use twitter hashtagging and explore twitter from a professional and personal standpoint; and how Howard’s love of the yard sale has inspired a weekly series of updates.

I’m grateful for everyone’s presence here today. I learned a heck of a lot about each of these people’s businesses and their points of view. It was a group effort that offered a human dynamic you just can’t get online. (We all know each other better than we did at 11:59am that’s for sure.)

If you’d like to join us next Conversation Friday, just leave a comment here or drop me a note at our facebook page.

Have a great weekend.

Last week at a conference I got a bag full of swag. It’s a business conference reality that would be more welcome if companies thought a little harder about what they’re putting their logo on. (Imagine thinking of something so cool, people don’t even consider it swag!)

Anyway, this one from Veolia Environmental Services put the frosting on the swag cake. It’s an energy saving light bulb made of foam.

I’ll repeat that: It’s an energy saving light bulb made of foam — from an environmental services company.

It does nothing but sit there with a logo, website, and phone number in tiny red print. Do you think it will emit a faint, muted glow if I screw it into a socket? It’s not an eraser, and I can’t give it to my dogs because they’ll rip it to shreds and eat it, causing further injury to the environment within hours. This thing is of absolutely no use. It would have been more environmentally conscious to give nothing at all.

I confess, however, that I may be speaking too soon. After all, their tagline is “turning waste into a resource.” Perhaps they’ve got a plan to turn this bad idea into a good one, but as far as I can tell, it’s just more landfill.

What do you think? Got any swag gripes? Love to read about ‘em.

Have a good one.