So when it comes to finding a hilarious photo or video, who should we thank?  I say social media.  Social media is a growing and contagious hobby that young and old have picked up on. While you’re reading this you’re probably logged into Twitter or refreshing your Facebook feed as we speak.

We weren’t always this lucky though.  Back in the day, there was no Google or Joke.com.  As a matter of fact, there was no internet at all!  Can you imagine having to sit in front of a radio and listen to a voice just to get some entertainment?

Luckily technology has made it possible to enjoy all those same things, but more quickly and efficiently. Best of all, we can share our laughs with our friends and family within seconds!  What would George Carlin say about all of this, he probably would have had some attitude about humor on social media.  I am certain even George would have enjoyed the myriad of hilarity on the net.

So where do you all run to when you need a good chuckle? YouTube?  MySpace? Urban Dictionary?  Not only are those sites conveniently there, but the supply of jokes seem endless!  When all else fails, we can even subscribe to the “Joke of the Day” and have it sent directly to us.

I certainly enjoy my intake of comical indulgence, and encourage others to share theirs.  Speaking of which, I figured I would share with you what a friend sent me today to brighten my day!

Start every day with a good laugh!

Got something you want to share with us?  Feel free to Tweet it to us at @metav3rse so we can add it to our daily laughs!  Let’s not forget to thank all those websites who’ve made it possible to enjoy our hearty laughter and the people who have made our days that much easier!

- Laura Wiese

Whether you are a small business just starting out or a global brand ready for action, Facebook’s value really is the ability to listen and engage with customers.  Often I tell our clients that managing a Facebook community is like being the host of a successful dinner party, you can talk about yourself a little bit, but at some point you need to engage with the rest of the room.

No doubt, it can seem daunting getting started.  But don’t fret.  Last year, The Advocate magazine and Wells Fargo asked me to record video tips about how gay and lesbian-owned small businesses can effectively use social media tools like Facebook to help them grow.

And while you don’t have to be gay to find these tips useful, hopefully the results will make you happy (and engaged).

As much as I love the conveniences that technology has to offer, I often fail to recognize that as a human being, I can only do so much at one time….EFFECTIVELY! One evening, I caught myself watching TV, sending a text message, checking my email, cooking dinner, and talking to my son – all at the same time.

Of course, I did a horrible job with all of the above.

In most jobs, the ability to multi-task is a requirement. I always have about 6 web browser windows open at one time during my work day, each window having about 5 – 8 different tabs. And yes, I use them all. It takes a lot of discipline and good time-management skills to manage your work tasks effectively, especially when working from home. It’s very easy to burn yourself out trying to do too many things at once. Always focus on one thing at a time and do it well, rather than trying to do five different things at once, and doing a poor job on all of them.

When interacting with customers, it is especially important that you give them your full attention. Absolutely no multi-tasking allowed when responding to a customer’s email and also when you’re on the phone with a customer!

When I was a brand new Customer Service rep, I was responding to a customer’s email and listening to music at the same time. Yes, of course I was singing along! At the end of my email, I realized that I had typed, “Please don’t contact us if we may be of further assistance.” I had intended to type, “Please don’t hesitate to contact us….” Fortunately, I did catch it before hitting “Send,” and corrected the error! Phew! Can you imagine the consequences if I did not correct that mistake?

I used to work at a call center. One day, the call volume was very low so my coworker decided to pick up a magazine and started to read. She was reading an article about some famous Hollywood couple’s divorce or something of that nature. She was so immersed in the article that when her phone rang, she picked it up and while doing her typical “intro,” she said “how may I hurt you,” instead of “how may I help you?” It was a good thing that the person on the other end of the line was a customer that she had spoken with frequently so they both had a good laugh. If it had been an irate customer, the situation could have been a lot worse!

Give yourself a break! Don’t try to do too much at once. Find a good time-management system and to-do list that works for you to help you stay on track. Please feel free to leave your own time-management tips as a comment.

-Char Ferrara

Our Phone IVR Technology partner, Angel, is a leading provider of cloud-based customer experience solutions involving interactive voice response and virtual call centers.  Angel is an extremely valuable partner of ours because it enables us to provide seamless managed telephone support for our customers from both our Sacramento operation center and with our teams of remote agents across North America.

Recently, our friends at Angel gave a group of our management team and customer support staff a virtual demo of the many features they have to offer.  They demonstrated how easy it is to build a phone tree by utilizing Angel’s SiteBuilder tool.  It is amazingly simple to build pages that walk a customer through the progressions of a call.  It also has the ability to capture valuable information from the customer and other external sources.  If necessary, the tool directs the customer to where they can get the information or support they need.

It was incredible to see how simple it is to customize this process, right down to how much “pause time” is desired between responses from a customer.  This customization may be particularly useful depending on the target audience and the information being requested.  If the system requests a birthdate, the pause time needed is minimal because people know this information off the top of their head.  On the other hand, if a Medicare number or prescription number is requested, the system can allow a longer response time, as that the caller may be elderly or reading from a card or bottle and need a longer amount of time to enter it via the phone keypad.  The ability to customize this setting, among a myriad of others, at the global and individual page level is extremely beneficial.

Of course there is a plethora of reporting tools available as well that allow clients to drill down into their call data, further assisting them in refining their application and helping to reduce those that “zero out” of the automated process.  It’s all about making a better phone experience for the customer and Angel certainly provides the tool set to do just that.  Thanks Angel!

To learn more about Angel’s full suite of products, visit www.angel.com and you can follow them on Twitter at @angelcorporate

Gina Miller | Director of Personnel | Metaverse Mod Squad

View of Manhattan Bridge from our NYC offices.

There’s a bright spot on the economic horizon, especially as it rises on the Big Apple.  According to the Bloomberg administration, high tech employment in New York City has increased nearly 30% in less than 5 years.  In fact, the city reports that Silicon Alley will surpass Wall Street in job creation by the end of 2012. Now even better news: you can be part of that trend by joining Metaverse Mod Squad’s booming East Coast operations!

From hospitality to retail, entertainment to technology, Metaverse works with marquee companies and operators to promote brands, engage users and protect the safety of children.  We’re looking for part-time or full-time Social Media Managers in the New York City area that have a passion for social media, excellent writing skills, and a background in marketing/public relations.  Need flexibility?  This gig is perfect for writer/artists who desire some flexibility—including working from home!  Think we’re kidding?  Our VP Digital Engagement who heads up our East Coast operations is also a writer/journalist!  That’s just a little taste of the passionate, smart, groovy team you’ll join.

Here’s what we’re looking for:

• Successful community development expertise, hospitality or retail experience preferred.
• Experience managing social media accounts and the creation of engaging content for clients on social networks, including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Foursquare and blogs.
• Understand how to embody the voice of client brands online, regularly engaging with their core consumers on digital platforms.
• Talent for writing—and flexible enough to create content for tweens one day and boomer moms the next.
• Self-starter: ability to organize yourself (and others), juggle various personalities and organizational cultures.
• Brand development experience is preferred; knowledge of PR/communications.
• Analytics experience is a plus, decisions need be data-driven.
• Ability to interpret and analyze data to make strategic decisions.
• Experience reporting to senior executives.

Here’s what you’ll do:

• Brainstorm and implement strategy and direction for community engagement & management
• Interact with clients’ communities—and train & supervise others to do so effectively.
• Client Management
• Community support of marketing efforts
• Competitive Analysis
• Planning and execution of events, promotions, engagement efforts
• Leadership of community team members
• Working with production, engineering, art, and design teams to ensure community needs are met

Here’s what you have:

• Bachelors Degree.
• 2 – 4 years working with a team, preferably managing some team members
• 1 – 3 years community development & engagement

Here’s what you need to do:
Send resumé and cover letter with links to communities/sites that you’ve managed, moderated and/or to which you’ve contributed engaging content to hr[at]metaversemodsquad.com with the subject line: East Coast Social Media Manager.

“Our East Coast business is booming, especially our social media management services, so it makes sense to hire someone with Jon Paul’s wide-ranging skills and talents,” said Amy Pritchard, Metaverse CEO. “His background with top tier agencies leading marketing communications for some of the world’s greatest brands makes him a terrific addition to the Metaverse team.”

Prior to joining Metaverse, Buchmeyer developed social media expertise through his popular blog Poptimistic.com, working with clients that included Wells Fargo and Loews Hotels. Previously, he was a founder of marketing communications firm Tentpole NY whose clients included Condé Nast Traveler, The Economist, and MICHELIN guides, among others. Before starting his own agency, he lead the Brand Marketing practice at top-10 agency Ketchum overseeing award-winning work for clients including Absolut, Canyon Ranch, Hyatt Hotels, Samsonite and Santa Margherita Wines. For nearly seven years, he was a Communications Director at Condé Nast Publications.

“Having worked with a diverse range of brands—from wine and spirits to travel and leisure—I knew immediately that Metaverse Mod Squad offers unique services for companies looking to expand their social media presence,” says Jon Paul. “After working with them on a Carnegie Hall youth social media project, I’m thrilled to add my strategic marketing skills full-time to Metaverse’s repertoire, helping brands effectively engage with their customers in the digital space.”

Buchmeyer is also an accomplished writer, with work published in Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveler, Afar, American Way, EnRoute and Food & Wine. He was a finalist for the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Award for his humorous memoir Alphabet City: My So-Called Sitcom Life about life as a gay Mary Tyler Moore. He graduated from the University of Texas-Austin, and lives in New York City with his husband and little dog Frida.

Metaverse Mod Squad is the leader in managed digital services for social, enterprise, and gaming communities. From community management to moderation and customer support, Metaverse works with marquee brands and operators to promote brands, engage users, and protect the safety of children. It maintains a team of professional staffers around the world in several languages. It also has a 24/7 operations center in Sacramento, California and an office in Brooklyn, New York. http://www.metaversemodsquad.com

The press release on PRWEB can be found here.

As a managed digital services provider, we’re always on the lookout for tools that make us more efficient, intelligent, and insightful.  We have some terrific tech partners in that regard, from CRMs for our customer support agents to filtering tools for our moderators.  Now we’re excited to announce a new partnership with CLARA, a company that has developed a revolutionary analytics platform specially designed for community managers like ours.

Today’s community managers not only interact with users and customers, but they also interpret communications that when identified and used properly, can increase revenue, improve product development and support, and drive new marketing campaigns.  CLARA Insight makes their jobs a whole lot easier.  It uses artificial intelligence to categorize the sentiment of each post, creates detailed profiles for every member, and identifies hot trends, all in one simple and beautiful interface.  Community managers can also set alerts, assign tasks to team members, and most importantly, generate customized reports with the click of a button.  That means our community managers are that much more efficient, smart, and savvy, and we’re all for that.

To learn more, you can check out CLARA’s website, e-mail us at hi@metaversemodsquad.com, or contact CLARA’s Rick Vidrio at rick@clarahq.com.  Take him up on the free trial and let us know what you think!

–Mike Pinkerton

Be Empathetic: Some people can remember the person they wished they were most like in high school, but everyone remembers the one person that was there to help them through the scholastic social jungle. If you really want to soar to the top of the social stratosphere, make sure you’re empathetic to your board members’ needs and feelings. It’s easy to drop the ban hammer and give the boot to an inappropriate member, but what sets a drum major apart from the fourth seat bass drum player is an ability to understand that uncharacteristic lashing out can be a call for help. Be the listening ear that your best friend from high school was when you were dumped; chances are, the person that causes you the most trouble in your community may have something hard going on in their personal lives, that causes them to in turn give you a hard time. Exercising patience and empathy can not only boost your social credibility and status, but helps to foster a supportive community.

Be Entertaining: While being a forum or community moderator does have its share of class clowns, evil bullies, and groups that are “too cool to talk to you,” you’ll fare well by letting your personality shine. Perhaps you weren’t the prom queen or star quarterback, but chances are you have charisma to spare and a flair for finessing the English (or other) language in a way that both delights and entertains your community. Parlay this experience into entertainment; if permitted, feel free to let your hair down a bit and joke with your users! Have a laugh, share a smile or give virtual hug. Perform as the lead cheerleader would for a rowdy football audience, taking care not to do too many back flips; no one likes a show-off, but being yourself and being excited about the product or service you represent aids a new mod’s social acceptance amongst permanent board or community members.

As a forum or community moderator, you’re like the kid from out of town that everyone’s heard about; use this buzz to delight your users with your knowledge of the product or service you represent, your acutely tuned listening ear, your love of sharing engaging content and your awesome personality. If you were previously dubbed the “Most Likely To Scrub Toilets” or the “Class Nerd”, this is your chance for vindication; after following these steps you’ll be prepared to be the community or forum moderation rockstar that you’re born to be! Make sure a space is cleared off at the cool kids table for you, because soon you’ll have permanent residence with the social elite.

- Lyn Muldrow

Be Educated: Because you’re a mod, you’ll have a reputation coming through the door; much like the scrawny kid with taped glasses or the super tall and thick guy with the flat top haircut, a moderator is often times sized up before they introduce themselves to the community. Given that you might not be the first or only mod, its up to you to not only get in there and hit the ground running, but to come in with a wealth of knowledge about the product or service the community surrounds. If you’re the forum moderator for a game, by all means play the game and familiarize yourself with the game you’ll cheer-lead for. Knowing the product or service inside and out, including common “message board lingo,” will do wonders for your credibility and likeability as well; users love to feel that staff has the same enthusiasm when talking about the product or service as they have.

Be Engaging: It’s one thing to be a cool kid, but quite another to be the kid everyone wants to hang around. In online communities, its not enough for a moderator to know their stuff; getting in there and providing insight and relevant content for users to consider and chat about is what distinguishes the yearbook layout girl from the yearbook staff leader. While one is in charge of cleaning up and laying down pictures, the other helps to shape and mold the total experience for others to enjoy. Guide conversations as they adhere to your company’s standards, and give users content to come back to daily.

Understanding your product or service and sharing that knowledge with your community in a way that is engaging are two surefire ways to help you break in to the social stratosphere. Show that you’re interested in not only keeping the communities you moderate safe, but in being a contributing and lasting member of the community as a whole. It’s not enough to be on the sidelines as a mod; you’ll have to get out there and be the star player if you want to really make an impact on your community! Stay tuned- tomorrow I’ll share two additional steps that will help you get that coveted seat at the cool kid’s table.

-Lyn Muldrow

Happy Holidays from the NFL

From the good counselors at Pillsbury

If you dare, here’s a link to the Inversoft elves

And finally, a hilarious holiday video from Zendesk (for a terrific cause):