Connecting Tweets to Tell a Story and Build Community

While many companies are only connected with customers 'online', Starbucks is in a unique position to have connections 'offline' in the community of coffee shops (the "third place") and online.

Virtual interaction is bringing the Starbucks in-store experience online. As outlined in the story by Jeff Bullas, a report was conducted by Altimeter which identified four key elements crucial for online engagement between Starbucks and their customer base. First, success requires contact with customers through consistently updated engagements within blogs or Facebook. Second, interaction by multiple contacts and levels within an organization brings a wider customer reach.
Third, targeting what your industry and customer is looking for in an online experience and fourth, focus on key areas that work, don't spread yourself too thin.

The offline experience at Starbucks holds new opportunities in addition to the established retail outlets. Is it time to take it to the streets with mobile coffee options? With the recent emergence of food trucks, why not mobile coffee trucks or boats for that matter? This is the opportunity to blend directly into communities where needed, making market adjustments simply by going down a different street.

Howard Schultz is changing the face of how corporations think about social responsibility. He's taking charge with the Create jobs for USA fund, helping American's get back to work. Jobs need to be created and can be done through innovative approaches both online and offline.

Who knows, mobile coffee options could just be the answer that Starbucks customer, Kristen
Chase is looking for when she asks: "Why hasn't Starbucks invented delivery yet?

This story inspired by Tweets from @jeffbullas, @amberdaviseyes, @cnnsotu, and @thatkristen

Connecting the Community

Each time we log onto Facebook or any social networking site, we are observing the value of people through vast amounts of information, interactions, and especially pictures. Pictures of family, friends, interests, etc. We can associate even a stranger as a whole person who lives a full life; involved, giving, friendly, interested, loved. In fact, increased compassion and understanding for humanity is being created by Facebook and other social networking sites.

To illustrate, we recently had a tragedy in our local community where a fellow soccer coach died suddenly on the soccer field while coaching his young team. News of this tragedy spread immediately through texts, and posts on the community blog. Once the name of the individual was released, I was prompted to go out to Facebook, search, and see for myself who this individual was. What I found was a complete person, not just an anonymous stranger. This immediate connection to a member of my community was made specifically through the power of social networking. Pictures of this wife and family, daily interactions, vacations, interests, accomplishments, connections to local community, an online legacy. This person in a sense was no longer a stranger, but brought a greater sense of compassion for what his family and friends were going through with this terrible loss.

If I can be left with a sense of connection to a perfect stranger through small bits of information, how would this increased visibility effect those who I interact with every day. How could understanding someone's interests, and especially values, help with collaboratively accomplishing great things in the work place or community. Is social networking enriching our sense of humanity?