I read an article today that stated 60% of new Twitter users bail. This makes sense on several levels. Twitter has become the darling of celebrities and the media. This publicity has produced a spike in traffic and attracted new audiences to the social network. However, using Twitter is not intuitive.

There is a disconnect between the enthusiasm with which Twitter is described in the media and the confusion a new user may experience when signing up. Even though Twitter is in the process of becoming a mass market platform, it’s still not “as seen on TV,” simple yet. And I’m thankful for that. I’m thankful in the same way I’m thankful when I take a good friend to my favorite Italian restaurant before Daily Candy discovered it.

Meet Jake Karger. She’s my business partner, a management and marketing professional. I’ve learned much from her. My most important take-away has been clarifying results with a client prior to launching a campaign. Unless there is agreement on what outcomes you are trying to achieve, it does not matter how flawlessly the marketing is implemented. I’ve asked her 10 questions below for you to get to know her better.

1. Why should companies focus on “hiring” when we are in a recession?

Because good hiring = putting the right person in the right job to move a business forward. Managers can take all the principles and behaviors of “good hiring” and change them to “good management”. They are the same.

2. What is the difference between a good manager and a great manager?   

Good results v. great results.

3. When you are selling services, like coaching managers, how do you quantify results with your clients?

The coaching has to start with clear expectations. And the expectations have to be outcomes that can actually occur as the result of the work.

Example: a sales consultant doesn’t increase revenue; the sales staff increases revenue as a result of good coaching. The specific expectations of a sales consulting engagement might be:

• A set of repeatable actions by salespeople
• Each seller able to deliver a killer presentation
• Salesperson expertise in vertical channels
• 50 appointments with decision makers

4. I know you are active on Twitter. What do you enjoy most about it?

I love to follow professionals and experts who put learning and information out into the world in 140 character messages. So efficient. I LOVE following the links to great bites of information that make me smarter faster.

5. What’s a company whose marketing you respect?

Nike. They have clarity and Consistency. A real voice. When I think of Nike I instantly think of “just do it”. To me, it’s genius the way their “just do it” message is in everything they do, despite the fact that they have evolved that slogan.

6. What are a few things that make you laugh

Tiny rubber chickens; (I have hundreds of them. I am the Johnny Appleseed of rubber chickens); Ricky Gervais (everything); The Office – both US and Brit; Original SNL and especially Gilda Radner; Stupid movies like Harold & Kumar go to White Castle. And now…Harold works for Obama! (or is it Kumar?)

7. Why do you blog?

I am so damn bossy that I named my company “Just Tell Me How To Manage”.  Ergo, how can I NOT blog?  I am very busy telling everyone how to manage.

8. If you could interview anyone on your blog, who would that be and why?

All the crummy bosses that I have worked for; I would expose their crummy-ness to the world. And Peter Drucker. Always Peter Drucker. I would interview Peter Drucker over and over and over. Nobody else would be necessary.

9. What’s something that people who read your blog do not know about you?

I dated Jerry Seinfeld when I lived in LA and we were both young.

10. You often say, “if nothing changes, nothing changes.” What do you mean by that? And, do you think people are capable of change?

In other words, “wishing ain’t gonna make it so”.  YOU GOTTA DO SOMETHING…that’s what it means. I encourage people to change their
behavior, not who they are. If you’re bossy, admit it, embrace it, and work with it. Don’t  try to suppress it because it can’t be suppressed. I definitely do not try to change my clients. Instead, I encourage managers to use their strengths more often and their weaknesses less often. Change the behavior, not the person.

>>>If you like what you read, visit her on twitter, @JakeKarger and www.justtellmehowtomanage.com.

The freakishly beautiful Strata Center at MIT hosted BarCamp Boston 4. BarCamps are unconferences meaning attendees shape the agenda. The BarCamp wiki plays at major role in determining who attends. Often the first people who sign up attract similar people and determine the event’s audience.  According to one attendee, the Boston social media crowd split from the Boston technology crowd. The former flocked to Podcamps and the latter to BarCamps. Unaware of this, I signed up to teach a social media workshop at BarCamp entitled “Twitter for Business.”

I signed up 20 minutes before driving to MIT. And when I arrived, my name tag was printed and waiting for me. Sooz took my picture which was then printed on a sheet of paper and handed to me. On the paper were a few questions:
* Pick 3 tags that define you. (I selected: socialmediamarketing, blogger and rubberchicken)
* What idea which no one knows about will be hot in 5 years?
* What’s your favorite input?

There were two reasons why our picture was taken and responses used.

When everyone at the conference gathered together for the morning meeting, all 300+ people were asked to stand and introduce themselves. Rather than sitting through hours of elevator speeches, each person said their name and their three tags.  This let everyone in the room take note of others with similar interests.
Our picture and responses were posted against the wall for all attendees to see.

Sessions were also posted on the wall. Each was listed on sticky pad affixed to an oversized chalkboard. To gauge interest in a session, people wrote its title on a piece of paper then posted it to the proposed session board. Attendees grabbed markers and made a check on the sessions that interested them.

My session, Twitter for Business, offered strategies to help attendees develop their twitter accounts.
My primary recommendation was to start a business account for twitter focusing on a specific type of content or topic. Post content relevant to that topic, follow people who care about that topic and show them you’re paying attention by adding value, asking and answering questions.

I left BarCamp 4 with a few key take aways:

•  Let conference attendees vote on topics to increase interest and participation
• Ask people to select tags that define them to help others easily network
• Post attendees picture and interests to add to the networking experience

Since attendees shape an unconference, one expects it to be less organized than a planned conference; however, every BarCamp I’ve attended has been expertly managed.

I’ve noticed that many brands on twitter are using promotional codes in their autofollow messages. I know autofollow messages aren’t popular. However, I like this strategy for brands. If you’re a brand, it’s an immediate way to offer a benefit to a follower. And I do not simply dismiss autofollow messages as all bad. I think it’s a function of creativity and relevance. People don’t want to speak with a machine–that’s for sure–but there are ways to craft a message that reflects the personality of the brand. When in doubt, I wouldn’t use an autofollow message. However, if you can craft a message, and a promo code, that benefits your followers in real, tangible ways–makes them laugh or think–then go for it. Your thoughts?

I’ve always respected people who do. And it just so happens, that one of my clients, Trish Karter, is one of these people. She’s the CEO of Dancing Deer, an avid cyclist who runs a double bottom-line company. Dancing Deer’s corporate cause is family homelessness, and Trish Karter is advocating for that cause in a unique and real way.

From April 22-May 6 she’s climbing on her bike, travelling more than 1,500 and staying at homeless shelters along the way. The purpose of this ride is to raise awareness about family homelessness, and my company, refine+focus is helping introduce Trish to people on social networks for whom this cause is important.
Every day we’re learning more about family homelessness and the people it impacts. And over the next few weeks, I plan on sharing what I learn with you, both here on my blog, as well as everywhere I live online. I encourage you to check out Dancing Deer’s bike ride initiative, and if it interests you, join us in this cause (by tweeting, posting, asking questions, etc).

Here’s Dancing Deer’s blog, and I think this feature—that lets you track Trish in real-time, is especially cool.