I have been reading up on word of mouth marketing and found an interesting conversation on the word of mouth marketing association’s website.

The organization has a ethics code review comment section, where they ask, answer and accept comments on great questions like:

Is it ok to have multiple identities while conducting online WOM?
Should people be paid to review or comment on blogs?

The second questions sparked a lively debate. In the comments, Yvonne DiVita make a compelling argument that draws a parallel between author’s getting paid to review books and people getting paid to review blogs.
What do you think about the issue?

As an marketer, there are several word of mouth networks I would love to access.  Here are my top 10.

1. The Barber & beauty shop Word of Mouth network
2. The flight attendant Word of Mouth network
3. The concierge and doorperson Word of Mouth network
4. The realtor Word of Mouth network
5. The administrative assistant Word of Mouth network
6. Religious & community leadership Word of Mouth network
7. The better business association members Word of Mouth network
8. Local bands Word of Mouth network
9. Support staff in dentist office Word of Mouth network
10. High school athletic directors Word of Mouth network

I know many of these networks don’t exist—as networks; however, from a local marketing perspective that is who I would love to reach.

I am interested in great “About Us” pages. Every time we craft one for a client, we access so much about the company, both about how they perceive themselves and about how they want others to perceive them.

When I evaluate a company’s “About Us” page my two criteria are credibility and personality.

For credibility, I scan bios of their leadership team to see where they’ve worked, attended school and when they’ve spoken at conferences. What makes them uniquely qualified?

Evaluating personality, on the other hand, is more of an art than a science.
I start by seeing whether the company has a clear vision, expressed as a story, which I can easily follow.
Why was the company established and what is its mantra?
Then I look at how effectively their design brings that story to life.
I next scan for involvement, and this will vary depending on the industry. For instance, if I am on an agency’s website, I want to see what social networks their employees are on and how they are using them.
Finally, I look for the personal touch: Who are the principals as people? Do I want to work with them? Video interviews, quotes, funny and intriguing stats help here.

I have shared a few examples below that illustrate intriguing about us pages:

1. Meebo – Instant messaging site

A nice mix of credibility and personality with short, descriptive bios visible when you click the arrow.

2. Zappos – The customer service company that happens to sell shoes

A good example of the use of narrative and intertwining the company’s initiatives into the overall story

3. Design Continuum – A design & marketing company

A good example of personality. Reading these pages gives me a sense of who they are—as people.

4. Headwaters – A Merchant Bank

The “About Us” page is a clear cut example of credibility, and the site exemplifies personality. It’s a gem amongst financial services sites.

5. Elastic Lab – A marketing agency

Although their video bios aren’t complete at the time of this entry, I like how they have positioned them on the site. If I want to learn more, or see their people, I can do so with one click.

6. Forty Media – Another marketing agency

Their whole site lives on one page, and their credibility derives from their involvement. Click under any of their team’s photos to see where they are active online. I love it.

I asked friends on Twitter for their feedback on about us pages. Here’s what they said:

@central_nm  on about us page – what is look and feel? does it convey a sense of person/company/service in honest & authentic? current?

@solobasssteve context, background info, links, credentials, personal info, photos, interests, friendliness.

@nwjerseyliz If biz, a BRIEF statement about goals whether that is a mission statement or a promise to customers to provide good service

@kirbstr I look for the 5 w’s. Who are they? Where are they? (this sticks in my mind even as it seems less relevant) what, when, why

UPDATE: @solskinner Check out DanSko’s “About Us” page. http://tinyurl.com/6pghnk

I have an idea for an “About Us” page I am considering for my agency’s website. The page would have two buttons. The first would be called “Just the Facts,” and the second, “Our Story & More…”

This would give visitors the ability to select how much information they want to know.

Want to read more on the subject? Check out:

The Power of the About Us Page, ClickZ, by Bryan Eisenberg
Your About Page is a Robot, A List Apart, by Erin Kissane
Calling for a Ban on “About Us” Pages, AdAge, by B. L. Ochman

Do you have an “About Us” page you love? Please leave it as a link in the comments below.

I am interested in great “About Us” pages. Every time we craft one for a client, we access so much about the company, both about how they perceive themselves and about how they want others to perceive them.

When I evaluate a company’s “About Us” page my two criteria are credibility and personality.

For credibility, I scan bios of their leadership team to see where they’ve worked, attended school and when they’ve spoken at conferences. What makes them uniquely qualified?

Evaluating personality, on the other hand, is more of an art than a science.
I start by seeing whether the company has a clear vision, expressed as a story, which I can easily follow.
Why was the company established and what is its mantra?
Then I look at how effectively their design brings that story to life.
I next scan for involvement, and this will vary depending on the industry. For instance, if I am on an agency’s website, I want to see what social networks their employees are on and how they are using them.
Finally, I look for the personal touch: Who are the principals as people? Do I want to work with them? Video interviews, quotes, funny and intriguing stats help here.

I have shared a few examples below that illustrate intriguing about us pages:

1. Meebo – Instant messaging site

A nice mix of credibility and personality with short, descriptive bios visible when you click the arrow.

2. Zappos – The customer service company that happens to sell shoes

A good example of the use of narrative and intertwining the company’s initiatives into the overall story

3. Design Continuum – A design & marketing company

A good example of personality. Reading these pages gives me a sense of who they are—as people.

4. Headwaters – A Merchant Bank

The “About Us” page is a clear cut example of credibility, and the site exemplifies personality. It’s a gem amongst financial services sites.

5. Elastic Lab – A marketing agency

Although their video bios aren’t complete at the time of this entry, I like how they have positioned them on the site. If I want to learn more, or see their people, I can do so with one click.

6. Forty Media – Another marketing agency

Their whole site lives on one page, and their credibility derives from their involvement. Click under any of their team’s photos to see where they are active online. I love it.

I asked friends on Twitter for their feedback on about us pages. Here’s what they said:

@central_nm  on about us page – what is look and feel? does it convey a sense of person/company/service in honest & authentic? current?

@solobasssteve context, background info, links, credentials, personal info, photos, interests, friendliness.

@nwjerseyliz If biz, a BRIEF statement about goals whether that is a mission statement or a promise to customers to provide good service

@kirbstr I look for the 5 w’s. Who are they? Where are they? (this sticks in my mind even as it seems less relevant) what, when, why

UPDATE: @solskinner Check out DanSko’s “About Us” page. http://tinyurl.com/6pghnk

I have an idea for an “About Us” page I am considering for my agency’s website. The page would have two buttons. The first would be called “Just the Facts,” and the second, “Our Story & More…”

This would give visitors the ability to select how much information they want to know.

Want to read more on the subject? Check out:

The Power of the About Us Page, ClickZ, by Bryan Eisenberg
Your About Page is a Robot, A List Apart, by Erin Kissane
Calling for a Ban on “About Us” Pages, AdAge, by B. L. Ochman

Do you have an “About Us” page you love? Please leave it as a link in the comments below.

The recent Mortin issue underscored how powerful mommy bloggers are in influencing opinion. On twitter, blogger, and social networking profiles I have observed a tremendous outpouring of mom pride and affinity. In exploring this further, I came across MomForce  — a new service that connects employers and marketers to the mom experts for hire—they promise to help you “reach mom..with moms.”

I interviewed Jessica Smith, its founder, recently and have posted our discussion below:

Who should use MomForce.com?

Moms, Dads, anyone that has an authentic understanding of moms and who has marketing experience.  Companies that are targeting moms and want to successfully introduce their brand and establish brand loyalty in the “mom community”.

As a marketing agency, how can I use MomForce to communicate with mom’s in social networks?

MomForce.com gives agencies, start-ups, and large corporations the ability to bring an authentic voice to the social networks by hiring a social media and marketing savvy mom on either a project or long term basis. By doing this, you take away the megaphone of traditional marketing, the talking at a community and instead give them the ability to listen and to share…thus becoming a conversation.!

How are you marketing MomForce?

I’m marketing MomForce.com through word of mouth marketing, my 15 Days Series on my personal blog, JessicaKnows.com and through Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

What do you wish more employers knew about MomForce?

That it is designed specifically for hiring social media and marketing savvy moms (and dads) to complement their existing marketing and PR efforts while allowing for little to no overhead and flexibility around the logistics of making it a win-win situation for both the company and the mom.

What is your background—how did you get involved in MomForce?

I have a BA Communications and 8 years in marketing, business development, and recruiting.  I was hired as Chief Mom Officer for Wishpot.com this past summer and quickly realized that there are so many moms that can add value through their authentic voice and understanding of how social media is changing the way moms access and share information.  I shared my vision of promoting this concept with Care.com’s Sheila Marcelo and together we hatched MomForce.com with the talented Care.com team.

Learn more about Jessica on her blog here and her LinkedIn profile here.

I attended the Project East Fashion Show that featured works from the famous designer Issey Miyake.
Hundreds of students and fashionable Bostonians attended.
Red Bull also attended with models wearing considerably less than those on the runway.
They handed out free drinks to the VIPS, were included in hundreds of fan photos and contributed to the uber-chic atmosphere.
A nice showing by team Red Bull.
For more on Red Bull, check out their presence on Flickr.