If you’re not on @twitter, then you’ve missed a great conversation today about how events such as Highball Halloween and the Gallery Hop DESTROYS businesses and hurts residents. So, in the interest of preserving the conversation, @the270 is publishing a select tweets from the conversation.

@hunegnaw – That’s it, I’m saying it… Highball Halloween is a terrible idea for the Short North and hope it never happens again.

@rockson – @hunegnaw What was wrong with it?

@hunegnaw – @rockson it truly kills all business in the short north. ask @rigsbyskitchen, Black Olive, Hyde Park, @tigertree how their night was…

@repmekevets – @hunegnaw what makes you say that?

@ChristianGAdams – @rockson @hunegnaw I’m guessing the aftermath. Same thing happens when Comfest.

@Tigertree – @repmekevets @hunegnaw is right…

@Tigertree – @hunegnaw Or day…

@hunegnaw – @rockson and then ask every homeowner how they feel about the event….

@rockson – @hunegnaw Good point! Just curious since I was not there.

@hunegnaw – @rockson restaurants don’t get reservations because of High St closures. Retailers don’t make money because closures…

@rockson – @hunegnaw sounds like the beginings of a blog post… Ideas for solutions? [editor's note: great idea Rocky!]

@hunegnaw – @rockson and the people (like me) who actually own/live in SN are over the parking issues, drunk folks, etc taking over the neighborhood.

@hunegnaw – I hate Comfest, Highball and all the other events that jeopardize the ongoing success of MY Short North.

@darrah1 – @hunegnaw that’s an interesting perspective on Highball. You would think it would drive money to the short north, but I can see your point.

@Mrs_PJs – @hunegnaw Yep, I totally get your point.

@lisathewaitress – @hunegnaw @rockson @rigsbyskitchen @tigertree would it be better on a sunday or would no one come?

@hunegnaw – All, @darrah1 @tigertree @rockson @rigsbyskitchen, etc, we are dangerously close to becoming another brewery district, is that what we want?

@lisathewaitress – @hunegnaw @rockson @rigsbyskitchen @tigertree having worked in the SN, I agree it kills business, but I still like the idea.

@hunegnaw – @lisathewaitress (@rockson @rigsbyskitchen @tigertree) we don’t need this shit is my point, I don’t care what day of week.

@hunegnaw – The Short North is an amazing community that is lucky enough to not need the gimmicky events that we continue to dream up and promote…

@lisathewaitress – @hunegnaw it seems as though it’s a good “attraction” for columbus. seems like something if Austin had, we’d be asking why don’t we?

@MissNatalieLynn – @hunegnaw Interesting perspective on Highball. I honestly didn’t think about all of that until your tweets..

@hunegnaw – @lisathewaitress Don’t get me wrong, we need Highball, but do we need it to be on the most successful main drag in Central Ohio?

@Tigertree – @lisathewaitress @hunegnaw @MissNatalieLynn we just have too many events in general. The “its just one day” argument is getting old…

… word! I love community engagement on Twitter.

Hard to believe that on January 26, 2008 I proclaimed that I was late in the Twitter game. I think I was channeling Fergie sining “I’m so two thousand and eight, you’re so two thousand and late”. But truly I was a Johnny Come Lately. Twitter was new to Columbus and not that many people were on and actively using it. I was just exploring it then.

We now know that Twitter has exploded. And Columbus has embraced it. I think.

Columbus Business is using Twitter in droves now. All you need is a way to find them. Enter twitter lists. I’ve collected, and continue to collect, a list of Columbus businesses on Twitter. Check the list periodically to see what’s going on in Columbus and what deals businesses are offering.

Please feel free to suggest other Columbus businesses to add to the list.

Okay my twitter followers. Henceforth, some of my tweets will have the acronym OGFY, which stands for “Oh Good For You”.

What’s the significance? Those words were sarcastically uttered by Christian Bale in his famous Terminator outrage. Here’s a clip:

And here’s a clip of the full outburst (NSFW):

Just consider it my snarky contribution to twitter.

Are you on Facebook? I am. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been tagged by my friends about “25 things you don’t know about me”. In tagging me, they asked me to also write 25 things. I tell you, I’m just too freaking lazy to write that many things about myself. 

So instead, I’m starting a new thing. Get on 12seconds.tv (it’s free) and post a 12 second video about what you do and/or what your company does. I did two of them from my iPhone. Note, the iPhone doesn’t do videos, but the 12seconds app does a 12 second slideshow with three pictures. It’s actually fantastic. For the 12 seconds, I think it’s way more effective than video.

Getting back to the idea. Post your video and tag it #12secDo. Also post a link on twitter with the same #12secDo tag, and we can find your video via search.twitter.com. I’m really looking forward to seeing what you all do.

What I Do.
[iPhone] What I do. #12secDo on 12seconds.tv

What Sterling Commerce Does.
[iPhone] What Sterling Commerce does. #12secDo on 12seconds.tv

But I have plenty to say on twitter? (and things people say to me) Oh well.

Oh great, what the270 needs, another Twitter post (by the way follow me, I’m @wyliemac). But bear with me, this one’s a nice story about our interconnected world and about Columbus Twitterers.

A few weeks back, I wrote a blog post about DSW suing Zappos. That post got me looking at the Tracking for Zappos page, where everytime the word “Zappos” is mentioned in a tweet, that tweet appears on the site. Now I thought that was pretty cool. So in a tweet I asked “Anyone know how Zappos set up their aggregation site? Would be nice to do something like that for #Columbus.”

Later that night, I got a direct message from the CEO of Zappos, aka @Zappos, telling me that he could set a page up for me. After consulting with the Columbus Social Media Cafe, I came up with a few Columbus tracking words and now each time those words are on a tweet, the appear on the Tracking for Columbus page. There is also an “employee” page that collects tweets from those Columbus Twitterers that have agreed to be a part of the tracking site. (Note, we’re labeled employees because the template is built from Zappos’ employee tracking page.)

The site is freaking amazing if I must say. In a glance, I can see what people are saying about and doing in Columbus. Yes, there are some mishits, but for the most part most of the tweets are Columbus related. I encourage you to take a look at the site and keep track of the Columbus Twitterers. And if you want to be included on the list, just let me know and I’ll add you. The only thing I require is that you live in the Central Ohio area.

You know I hate to see Columbus businesses mess up. But it looks like Columbus based DSW has a PR nightmare on its hands.

Yesterday, DSW filed suit against online shoe retailer Zappos alleging that Zappos and it’s agents have infringed DSW’s service marks. The PR trouble is multiple.

1) The entity that allegedly infringed the service marks is an affiliate of Zappos, not Zappos itself. In Internet parlance, an affiliate is basically someone that puts a link to an online store and gets a commission whenever someone that clicks that link buys from the online store.

2) According to Zappos’ CEO, DSW never informed Zappos of their problem, and just sued them. Which is a perfectly valid move, except that …

3) Zappos has a HUGE Twitter presence and a HUGE fan base. DSW, your move strikes these folks as:

a) a PR stunt given that you just launched your competing online shoe site, and

b) a douchebag move given your lack of trying to work things out in advance.

Worse yet, there was a guy on Twitter with the screen name of, ugh, SEOColumbus (account since deleted) that bashed Zappos. Turns out, SEOColumbus was associated with DSW.

Run a search on Summize.com for Zappos and DSW. You’ll see that the masses are outraged and pledge to buy from Zappos and not DSW. That hurts.

Is there any way for DSW to contain the onslaught of bad PR? Perhaps some of my PR friends on Twitter can chime in. I for one have shopped at DSW and hope to continue shopping there. It’s just hard to see a Columbus business miscalculate so badly. It makes us all look like yokels. Like when Skybus went bust.

And if I may interject one more comment. For Pete’s sake, if you’re going to try to covertly muck up the social network world, please use another name that doesn’t sully our region’s name.

Update: Here’s the DSW complaint if you’re so inclined to read.

dsw-v-zappos-complaint

But doesn’t properly attribute the270 for noticing it first. Come on Other Paper, your you’re better than that. Sigh.

UPDATE: I just got an e-mail from the Other Paper author. Yes, don’t worry, I’m full of hot air sometimes, so when I jab at the Columbus media, even alternative media, I’m just having fun. Attribute me if you want. If you don’t, I’ll point out that I “scooped” you.

My new tagline: “Blogging with mock self-importance”

• Sorry for the lack of updates Columbus, but I’ve been pretty busy at work #

Powered by Twitter Tools.

• testing out twitter’s tracking – @wyliemac want to see if I get my @ replies to my phone #

Powered by Twitter Tools.