[fblike layout_style='standard' show_faces='false' verb='like' font='segoe ui' color_scheme='light']From time to time I like to review websites and blogs. Because building and more often redesigning websites is one of the key functions of my consulting business, website design and functionality is always on my mind. One of my absolute favorite sites over the past few months has been HyperAllergic.com. (Full Disclosure: I know and am basically in love with the dynamic duo behind the site, Hrag Vartanian, HyperAllergic’s editor and Veken Gueyikian, the magazine’s publisher)

Simple But Sophisticated Site Design

HyperAllergic’s efficiency is in how simply it features its wonderful content. (Image Clip Below)Lots of websites have yet to figure out how to get out of the way of their content. From a design standpoint, there is very little to distract the eye from the proper focus of the site. The front page of the site is basically a text book example of how a content-heavy site should look and behave.

The header is basic and aligned to the left giving a viewer’s eye a focal point. Directly below this is a well-styled but minimalist navigation menu. And then the content. The manner in which HyperAllergic features their content is really intuitive. By aligning an image to the left of the content box they’ve left themselves the room to provide an excerpt to the text. In this way, one can get a complete sweep of the last few posts without having to scroll.

On top of that, one can quickly assess the popularity of each post because they have gone to the trouble of seamlessly installing sharing functionality, in the form of a Retweet button, a Facebook share icon and the number of comments each post has received. All this on top of the name of the author and publish date of each post. It may be one of the ugly truths of the democratic web that people tend to like more popular stories so when someone gleans that something has been shared on Facebook 50+ times, as many of HyperAllergic’s stories are, they are more likely to a) read it and b) share it as well. Encouraging this viral behavior is one of the best things a website can do. But doing it with class is more difficult than it would seem. I am sure we have all seen blogs and websites with dozes of sharing buttons, all in the wrong places, overwhelming the text and design. Thankfully, that is not the case with HyperAllergic.

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HyperAllergic’s Functionality is Second to None

They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. Well, I was so impressed with elements of HyperAllergic’s design that I have borrowed (alright stolen!) certain elements here and there (my byline also contains my sharing buttons). Not only were Hrag and Veken welcoming, they encouraged it which I think speaks to an understanding on their part that if you build something really great, if you make the investment, you are going to get it back in spades.

The last thing that I have to say about the site and its administration is that Veken and Hrag have been incredibly nimble and flexible with the site. For instance, it was less than a week after Facebook released its new social plugins that HyperAllergic implemented and embedded their new plugins on the site which shows readers which of their friends have been on the site, and what they’ve shared or liked. Reacting quickly like this to events on the ground is a hallmark of great websites. The social web is not a static thing, its constantly in flux. There are new tools and techniques, functions and plugins evolving all the time. Staying current and experimenting with the latest tools is one way to remain relevant.

Recently, HyperAllergic has started to host events and parties at their headquarters in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. In fact, their latest event took place on Friday and they had the perspicacity to use the mobile app “Hot Potato” to livestream the event onto the internet. This did several things: it allowed over 100 people to tune in who couldn’t be there in person, and it also enabled live threaded commenting and sharing (of photos, videos, links) into the experience. I love this kind of experimentation and I expect to see them continue to employ this kind of thing. It’s a great way to encourage the community to come together around offline events.

So head on over to HyperAllergic, even if you aren’t an art-world ingénue, take a look and subscribe to their site.

It would be funny if it weren’t so sad. The number of websites out there who pay absolutely NO attention to how their site works. It really is a damn shame, because as someone who likes to share a lot, likes to comment all over the web, there is nothing that will interrupt that flow, that willingness to contribute and engage as much as I’d like, than a site that screws up their social media activity.

Today’s Victim?

The New York Observer. The lovely pink sheet gossip newspaper known to all snooty New Yorkers. It’s something of a cross between the New Yorker, Crain’s (a prominent real estate publication) and Gawker. The Observer is one of those papers that lots of young writers always want to write for, because they get to cover the very things those young writer’s want to become: powerful, influential and rich.

The Observer has not been great about keeping up with trends about social media but I’ve noticed them slowly catching up, turning their popular columns, like the Daily Transom, into blog-like formats. What’s funny is that in many ways the Observer was the progenitor of this style of quick fire reporting and comment. And yet, as the rest of the media world shuffled past them, they stood idly by, unwilling to make the rather small investment to get their social media functionality correct. It’s really not that hard folks. Look at how the best do it. NY Times has a Twitter button next to every story. GigaOm’s retweet button immediately takes you to Twitter’s home page, appends the Title of the post to the tweet, shorten’s the URL for you, and even adds the “via @gigaom.” This is an example of exactly what you want to do.

The Observer screws this up in a number of ways. And the result is that people aren’t sharing their stories. Unless you make it exceptionally easy to share things on the web, you are done. People just won’t do it. That is all there is to it. In fact, I won’t retweet a story if the URL isn’t shortened. I see big organizations (looking at you Nylon Mag) that to this day won’t shorten their URL’s.

Let’s take a look at the image below:

New York Observer Retweet Fail

So far so good right? Yep, ok cool, got a little teaser for a blog post. It’s on the front page of their Daily Transom blog/ column. Oh lovely I can tweet right from this teaser. Lovely.

Except, shit, wait, when I hit the retweet button, it takes me to Twitter’s homepage. And what does it have there? The post title and a shortened link ready to go? NOPE!

This is the message it readies Twitter to send: “http://www.observer.com/2010/daily-transom/museum-invites-you-take-bat-warhol”

Oy vey. So you simply want  me to Tweet out the URL? No title, no via @newyorkobserver? Are you kidding me?

So for someone like me, I don’t do anything, I close the tab. And then I close the tab that has the Observer open in it. And I vow never to come back. Does it seem silly to you? Well it doesn’t to me. For someone who spends as much time around the web, my next activity is only a click away. If I get any kind of disruption in the flow of social media, I get pissed. I blame the entity that is doing the disrupting. It would cost nothing for the Observer to fix this. I hope they do. Take a look at GigaOm or the Times. Just copy them! Seriously.

ok, rant over.

In my evolution towards becoming a bit of a skeptic of social media, I’ve found a community online of people who have similarly rejected the Kool-Aid of social media marketing. It took just a few blog posts and several hours of tweeting until I realized that there was a mass of people who were gazing at this big spaceship called social media, hovering overhead, promising all sorts of things to all sorts of people, and they were taking aim at it.

One of the sites I stumbled upon is a relatively new one called Social Triggers, authored by Derek Helpern. Beginning with the simple premise that:

You must learn about human psychology to get traffic and sales online.If you know what makes people “tick,” it’s easier to get their attention and keep it. It’s also easier to get them to take some form of action (like buying or talking). How do we find out what goes on inside the mind of people?

I’ll break down psychological research and business case studies into simple, actionable steps that can help you improve your online business.

I’ve had the chance to chat with Derek a bit over email and on Twitter. We even Skyped together one evening and I can tell that Derek is a smart cat. He’s not necessarily a social media skeptic, he’s just too smart to fall for all the B.S. that gets peddled around the internet everyday by dubious marketers. And actually that is something I have found among this new community I’ve tapped into. It’s not that these skeptics or critics don’t value social media, its more that they don’t see it as that revolutionary. It is a new tool, powerful and necessary for businesses and brands to engage.

But social media isn’t going to save your business. Especially if your business is struggling anyway. And that is what a lot of people have been saying, over and over again, perhaps in the belief that if they say it enough they can will it into truth.

Selling things is selling things, whether its online or at a hot dog stand. And in order to be a great salesman, you have to understand the psychology behind purchasing. That is the point of Derek’s website, to pinpoint proven psychological tactics that can help your business thrive in the online setting.

I asked Derek if there was a different psychological framework in social media. He told me that,

“Psychology is the same in social media and traditional marketing. People want what they want and nothing else. Smart marketers will continue to use psychology as they have used it. They will continue to look for new advancements of psychological theory, put the stuff to the test, and see if it helps them sell more stuff.

Derek’s goals with Social Triggers are a bit hidden right now, but in a very short amount of time, he’s been able to get some very influential people to not only recognize him but to laud him. Chris Brogan and Jason Falls, two leaders in the social media marketing space, rave after the guy. Derek is a builder. Of websites, of relationships, and of the connections that smart marketers will need to make in order to be achieve their goals.

As someone enamored with psychology, and the infinite possibilities that psychological manipulation allows, I think a site like Social Trigger is just what the eco-system needs. I look forward to seeing and hearing more from Derek in the coming months.

Image Source: Hryck. on Flickr

Consider this a shameless post to get you to subscribe to my blog. Many people aren’t even aware that one can subscribe to blogs. Like a newspaper? Yep, but free! And if you do keep on reading, you might decide that behind the shamelessness, the creative promiscuity and the provocations that shame doesn’t really enter into the equation of this project.

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Why You Should Subscribe To My Blog

First things first, I write every single day. Consistency is crucial as many blogs are not taken seriously enough by their authors. They are hobbies and passions for all of us, but simply put, some of them too often let our blogs hang for days, even weeks, without an update. There are many reasons for this of course. Life gets in the way.

But for me, this blog is my life. It is one of the main motivators in my life. It is why I get up in the morning and it usually is the first and last thing I tend to every single day. I have a day job, and one that I am committed to. But if I could write all day every day, I would. As of now, that is not possible and for now, is probably isn’t desirable. I still need structure and space to involve myself in other activities. I believe I have found a way to effectively create compelling content from those other activities. In one form or another, everything comes back to the blog.

To explain a bit more, I have always been a writer. Always wanted to be a writer. I studied writing in high school and college. When I graduated, I surveyed the landscape and considered the prospects of writing for a living, and in a word, I was scared. I didn’t think I could do it. Too much struggle. Not enough chance for success.

This blog, and the ones I started and administered before it, saved my life. Really. After writing for ten years, I left it behind me and ventured into a completely different career. Mostly it was fear and cowardice. This blog is my apology. To myself.

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What You’ll Get By Subscribing To My Blog

You will get a peek into one individuals life. One out of 5 billion. Whether you learn anything or not, whether you will be entertained, is not for me to say. Worse comes to worse, you can always unsubscribe. But there is something to be said to connecting with another person in this world, even someone we don’t personally know and might not ever meet. My blog is the tool with which I use most often to connect, on a deep level, with the people around me. It is where I investigate myself, my interests, my fears, failures and successes.

It is also where I talk about social media and the effects of this massively powerful set of tools and philosophies. I talk about my work consulting for businesses and brands. I talk about the difficulties that social media presents to companies. I believe there is wisdom in a targeted, unabashed look at the realities on the ground.

It is true I am building a business and that I use this blog partially as a marketing tool. That is the decision I have made, and I am OK with that. You may not be. I respect that. But I feel that I write often enough about more general ideas and feelings that there is something for everyone here.

There is something to be said to watching one person’s development and evolution. It puts in perspective all the general information we receive all day, every day. This blog is my story. It certainly is presumptuous of me to think you’d even be interested. One of the things that I have been exploring on this blog is my value. Like any other modern human being, I constantly question my value. I constantly question my goodness. I am so keenly aware of my faults, my failures, the things I don’t have, the things I want.

So if you are looking for an honest look into one person’s life. Here is your chance. I would love you to subscribe here. I don’t make money off this blog, I don’t have ads here so I don’t get anything directly from a higher number of subscribers. Indirectly, I gain the knowledge that more people are interested in me, in my life. That although I am but one person, I still have the ability and the desire to connect with my fellow human beings.

So here is what you do if you want to subscribe:

To get my posts delivered by email, click this button and fill out the one-word form so that Google knows you are not a robot. You’ll receive an email in your inbox which you have to click. That is it,you’ll be all good to go. If you do choose to subscribe, I would love for you to leave a comment introducing yourself. Feel free to put your own website, blog or Twitter handle in the comments and I’ll be more than happy to subscribe or follow you.

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Image Source: marcusrg on Flickr

Ben Leventhal and NBC Local Launch Feast!

As the community of food blogging matures, it is refreshing to see some quality innovations taking place. The audience is ready for something else. For too long, the food blogging scene has been a top down pyramid, with you know who at the top, quickly followed by Serious Eats, Grub Street, and other assorted aggregators and networks. The bottom of the pyramid contains countless personal food blogs, many of dubious quality, derivative writing, and the photographic skills of retarded monkeys.

Of course, there are gems out there. I’ve been really enjoying Immaculate Infatutation tremendously and think the Stang/ Steinthal duo have hit upon a brand with some legs. Time to quit the day jobs boys! I did! (cough got fired cough) Another favorite is Always Hungry NY. Jeff Zalaznick and his team of cohorts know how to cover the entirety of a meal. Their experiments in video have been fun. More please.

The Next Evolution of Food Blogs

Last week was the real game changer when Ben Leventhal and the Corporatti over at NBC Local launched Feast. One would assume they are well-funded which makes comparisons to many other bootstrapped food blogs irrelevant, but its clear some serious thought has gone into Feast. The internet is paved with the bones of those who have underestimated Ben Leventhal.

The site looks great, which in an age of information overload is a serious must. How many bloggers have I coached on the importance of excellent design in the past 6 months? Dozens, though they don’t really listen, and they’re traffic shows it. Beyond design, the functionality of the site is crisply executed; seamless integration with Facebook, allowing one-click authentication, Twitter streaming, Google map integration and a funky little “Locals Are…” function that empowers one to append a feeling about a given story ranging from “intrigued to thrilled.” Glad to see this little tidbit imported over from the NBC Local site. Even though Feast is still technically in beta, the site feels finished in a way that some 4 year old blogs never will.

An Eater Beater?

The site competes with Eater only in the sense of filing quick stories and breaking news. As of 5pm EST, Feast had filed nearly 15 blog posts. Again, one can only do that with a team of bloggers and editors. But what seperates Feast from Eater is the richness of the content. In a sense, it is the Rich Man’s Eater. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. Growing up in NYC means coming to terms with the phrase, “You can never be too rich or too thin.” What a wonderful ethos! Since Eater has now gone national, Feast, even with plans to follow, is not really competing with Eater. I think it is more helpful to look at the sites as leading members of the food community online.

Feast really is a rich site in the sense that its a step up from the sheer abundance of Eater. The video content on the site, an absolute must for legitimate food blogs and content creators from here on out, is well-produced and edited. It is slick, streams without a hitch, and the content is engaging. Watching Daniel Boulud (formerly D-Biggity) subtly rip Nate Appleman over the upcoming Pulino’s at a charity event was easily worth the 2 minute investment. That’s the kind of insider access these guys can and will get. It is the kind of thing I want to see. Call me shallow if you must, it won’t be the first or last time.

What Does the Data Say?

Where Leventhal and his team really shine is in their Feast Rank system, described thusly:

Feast Rank was built to cull and navigate the staggering amount of content the web produces about restaurants. From the New York Times to The Miami Herald to indie blogs like Immaculate Infatuation to users on Citysearch, reviews, news and color comes unrelenting. This is a good thing so long as we can keep track of it, which is where Feast Rank comes in.

Ben is absolutely right to endow Feast with a curatorial mission. The range of information out there is completely overwhelming. Feast Rank allows for visual representation of that data in a way that is simple and powerful. Up and down arrows show trending topics, point scores show off what restaurants or chefs are receiving good or bad buzz, along with “Top Ranks, Featured Stories and Feast Watch.” As someone working with numerous clients negotiate the interwebs, the execution, even at this early stage, is impressive.

To be well-informed should not require tracking hundreds of food blogs, websites, projects and magazines. Instead, by curating that content, Feast can be the place to get the best of the best. Now of course, this means they have to get Feast Rank right, and that is far from assured. It could just be a gimmick. But Leventhal and his team know that if they don’t deliver on Feast Rank, they’ll just be another blog. Albeit, one with access and resources. Still, it won’t be enough, not to push the envelope which is what we’ve come to expect from Leventhal and his team, which by the way is quite the lineup. Former Eater writer Matt Duckor will be doing the heavy lifting, along with Rachel Syme, a lovely writer from the Daily Beast and Alex Vallis, of New York Magazine filling out the rotation.

So anyway, who’s hungry? Let’s Feast!