Data fudge is everywhere. But it seems particularly rampant in infographics shared on social media.

Okay, I love really good charts and graphs – and nerd out about elegant infographics like ones I grew up with in National Geographic, or those shared regularly in FastCoDesign.  But no matter how pretty the picture, what about the data shared in the random infographics I regularly see in my social streams?

Case in point. This week, Jim Dougherty shared this  Infographic, questioning the infographic’s data and particularly this statistic: “90% of all organizations use content in their marketing”. Hmm. Really?

Fight the fudge!

So I decided to do some digging. And before I knew it, I’d created an infographic of my own…

Here’s some advice based on only one data point: one awfully skewed statistic in a recent Demand Metric infographic.

Links:

• The offending  infographic by Demand Metric.
• TopRankBlog – the “source” they misquoted.
• The original presentation is here – and embedded below - by by Ann Handley of Marketing Profs and Joe Peluzzi of Content Marketing Institute

Dear brand managers: please get your heads out of the “cloud”.

Okay, I get it. The word “Cloud” is hot right now on planet Software Development. All the biggest online players in the world – from Google to Microsoft to Apple to Adobe – are launching “Cloud” versions of their software. But using the word ”Cloud” in a product name for a software brand? I Beg to Differ.

View from 30,000 feet: Ice Cream Castles

So, my brand manager friend. Before we talk clouds, give this song a listen: Both Sides Now, Joni Mitchell.

Hear that? Joni’s talking about clouds – your favourite topic! Now, she’s talking about old fashioned air-clouds not cool Internet clouds.  But listen when she describes them as “Bows and flows of angel hair/ And ice cream castles in the air”. See? She’s like you. She agrees that clouds are really, really cool.

And from way up there, those awesome, baroque cloud swirls look kind of like what the concept of “Cloud” software looks like to you technology brand managers, and especially the product developers you usually report to.

It’s a magical fairy tale kingdom of Internet-delivered goodness that just makes so gosh-darned much sense.

• Why wouldn’t people want the latest version of their software delivered by magic from the heavens?
• Why wouldn’t they want to switch from buying boxes of plastic disks to online subscriptions?
• Why wouldn’t people want to store their personal files in the wondrous land of “feather canyons”?
• Why wouldn’t people LOVE such a super-convenient, and low-cost method of delivery?

Why indeed?

Which explains why every Silicone Valley dog and his app-development team is moving towards the cloud. And they’re so excited, they’re adding the word “Cloud” to every product name in sight. Just a few examples: Adobe Creative Cloud; Apple iCloud; Microsoft Cloud Services; Rackspace Open Cloud; Google Cloud Platform.

One of the ugliest logo mashups in history. Or, the reason neither Sales-people nor techies should manage brands.

Or how about SalesForce.com? They love the word “Cloud” so much, they named all three of their most-promoted products “Sales Cloud,” “Service Cloud,” and “Marketing Cloud“. They even changed their logo (at right) so you couldn’t miss their cloudiness.

All for love of those amazing clouds…

View from the ground:  rain and snow on everyone

But as Joni said, clouds look very different when they are looming over your head: “But now they only block the sun./They rain and snow on everyone”. Funny, but that describes how I feel when I look at a name like “Adobe Creative Cloud” or “Sales Cloud”.

Think about the product name “Sales Cloud” by Salesforce for a moment. Salesforce.com virtually invented the market for Internet-subscription software for business – or “software-as-a-service” as we used to call it in high tech board rooms. Customer Relationship Management was the first “killer app” and it made Salesforce into a household name.

But Salesforce.com never needed to say “Cloud” before because they were all-cloud, all the time: cloud storage, cloud subscription, browser-based cloud usage.

So check out this copy from the “Sales Cloud” section of their site.

Get started with the world’s #1 CRM sales app: Improve sales productivity, boost win rates, grow revenue. With Salesforce Sales Cloud you get all the CRM capabilities you need to connect with customers…

Funny, in the olden days, they would have just said “Subscribe to Salesforce.com”. Because that’s their real product name. It’s not a cloud. It’s a subscription.

The problem with clouds? They’re bloody CLOUDY.

So let me say this once and for all: the cloud is not a software product. It’s not a place. And it’s certainly not a thing I can buy. It’s that murky Internet space between me as customer and you the vendor. And so it’s not something I want to focus on, it’s something I want to see through to the real value for me on the other side. And if you’re doing your job as a brand manager, you’ll use product names that help me understand – and buy – your stuff.

Thanks Joni.

Suddenly, the cold wastes of space seem a bit more human again.

If you aren’t following Canadian astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield on Twitter, Facebook, or through the Canadian Space Agency YouTube channel, go, now, and follow this man. Share his stuff. He’s doing more to inspire a generation of star-struck kids than anyone since Neil Armstrong or that Russian dog.

The quote and the photo are from Canadian Astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield’s magnificent Facebook stream.

When I shared the Facebook update above, my old college buddy Lloyd responded with this:

Commander Hadfield is the best thing to happen to the Canadian space program since they put a bottle opener on the end of the Canadarm.

Actually the best thing to happen to space exploration period Lloyd. He’s the most articulate, personable, plugged-in astronaut ever. And he’s just so golly-gee-whiz THRILLED to be doing what he’s doing. It’s a nice change from the boring old business-as-usual.

And more importantly, he’s a storyteller. He’s a creative guy who shares his photos, his songs, and the wonders of weightless living with this incredibly, engagingly geeky, enthusiasm. It’s clear that he loves his job – and okay, that part is easy; he’s an astronaut after all. The thing he does better than anyone is bringing us along for the ride –  and making us fall in love with space all over again.

But as great as all of that is, I wonder: How far beyond Canada’s borders is Col. Hadfield’s social media brilliance reaching? I’ll put the word out to some social media analytics gurus for their thoughts – updates to follow.

In the meantime, below are two of my favourite Candiana moments from the growing space canon of Chris Hadfield -with William “rocket Man” Shatner and a space jam with the Barenaked  Ladies.

What are your favourite Hadfield moments? Please share links in the comments!

UPDATE Feb 13:  So it seems pretty clear that Hadfield hasn’t broken out as an international phenomenon yet. I received this update from my friend, the digital monitoring ninja Mark Blevis. Of 120,934 tweets mentioning @cmdr_hadfield (Feb 1-today).

Update Feb 14: Well, after some back and forth with Mark, and Twitter input from Commander Hadfield’s son Evan, Mark’s blog post provides some more numbers  that  confirm Hadfield hasn’t reached the “Justin-Bieber-sphere” yet.

For those of you who missed it last week, here is a link to my musical collaboration with the @barenakedladies: youtube.com/watch?v=AvAnfi…

— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) February 13, 2013

Crowdsourcing: helping new business in Canada get their start

Hey entrepreneurs, small business folks, and advisers. Today’s Beg to Differ post is one big question: as a business, what kind of video format is most helpful, informative, and shareable? See the examples below.

The reason we ask

I’m working with uber social content maven Susan Murphy to develop a series of new business videos for a client: the Canada Business Network. But more important, we’re building a strategy to develop *shareable* content – that is, video that actually helps business owners so much, they’re eager to share it with their peers.

There are three parts to the question of course:

1. Relevance of content / insights: Does the content teach a viewer something useful and new?
2. Tone and purpose of the content: Is it helpful and engaging, or just spouting off and / or selling itself?
3. Video format and packaging: Is the video well produced and is the production appropriate to the content?

The last point is what we’re focusing on today.

So what format for business videos works best for you?

Business video type: animated infographic

Animated words and images are interspersed with “factoids” and charts, and often a voice-over like the one below with extracts from an upcoming book by Dan Pink.

Example: TO SELL IS HUMAN by Daniel H. Pink

Business video type: white board / stop motion animation

Stop motion animation is used to create a more breezy / fun approach to the content. Less “serious”, but many videos like this have gotten serious sharing recently.

Example: How to Give an Awesome PowerPoint Presentation

Business video type: blended live action / animated graphic / voiceover

This format uses live actors along with animated illustrations, charts, and bulleted lists. But in this case, with a voiceover rather than audio from actors.

Example:  How to Perfect your Elevator Pitch

Business video type: produced story / with voiceover

Similar to the blended approach above with voiceover and real actors.  But the emphasis here is on the actors and the story being told. And this one from a government agency in Australia is very clever. Too clever?

Example: Business plan: The story of Albert McFlaherty, lemonade magnate.

Business video type: case study with live interviews

This example is from the Small Business Administration in the United States. It is a live interview with a real business owner. Does this work better for you?

Example: SBA Delivering Success: Entrepreneurial Spirit

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!