How "Social" Will The Motivation Show 2010 Be?

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The Motivation Show will see a lot of huge displays on hand from some of the heavy players in the incentives business (including ourselves of course). BUT - what will the display of social media look like during that week?

So many conferences are almost as easily followed via a Twitter hashtag as they are by physically attending them. People who either can't make it to certain seminars because of being in another one or not being able to attend the event period are able to catch some of the highlights through social sharing. The social media is losing its buzz but not because of a lack of importance - because it is becoming mainstream enough to lose "buzzworthiness." It's transitioning from a "new shiny tool" to a true communication medium for businesses and the people who run them.

How will we see social being used at the show?

Using Twitter, a hashtag has evolved for the show using #moti. For those not completely familiar with Twitter, a hashtag is an easy way to filter out conversations around an event. One would be able to save a Twitter search for #moti and see only tweets with this hashtag. Hear something noteworthy in a presentation? Quote it and tag it with #moti at the end. See something worth talking about at a certain booth? Tell everyone about it - adding #moti at the end.

You get the picture right?

The Motivation Show itself is active on social media this year. In addition to their website, they have set up a group on LinkedIn filled with discussions and updates about the show and its attendees. The Motivation Show is also active on Twitter (see @MotivationShow), helping retweet and promote attendees out in the Twittersphere talking about the show and also adopting the #moti show hashtag.

Others have even started a discussion on the show, even suggesting having a tweetup for the active social media participants (initially sparked by @kmillersmith I believe). Aside from promoting booths and presentaions, other people plan on taking other initiatives outside of Twitter. Some will write up blog posts about their experiences. Viral video will most likely be a result of the show as well, as interviews and recaps will begin to appear on YouTube following the show. Paul Hebert of i2i spoke on his blog of streaming live video from the show and possibly even broadcasting his monthly podcast "Influence Insiders" from the show floor.

Into geolocation? Be prepared to see some interesting useage of applications like Foursquare, Gowalla and/or SCVNGR while walking the floor.

What will we we doing?

Us along with Helping Hand Rewards will be active in the above mentioned activities. We'll be jumping in on discussions about the show through Twitter hashtags. If you take a look in the right column of this page, you'll see a constant stream of #moti tweets (under Motivation Show Convo). If anything else, keep coming back to this page and see what attendees are saying in the stream. 

Along with some post-show blog reflections (found here and on HHR's blog as well) you may see some other tricks up our sleeve (potentially viral video, geolocation fun etc). Keep your eye on this blog and Twitter (@hinda_incentive) to see what's happening!

Those are just some of the emerging technologies to keep an eye out for whether you're browsing the show floor or watching from afar online.

Who else will be jumping in the social media pool with us? What other technologies do you see being used during show week?

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Lower Price Points Help Raise Kindle's Value: Merch Monday

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Just like it's in a limbo competition, consumers are asking Kindle "How low can you go?"

It's not just the size of the Kindle that is reducing these days. In the continuing battle of e-reader supremacy (something we talked about last January here) Amazon is taking strides attempting to make the Kindle the best bang for its buck.

The newest edition, the Kindle 3, currently has a retail value of $139 and some commentary is leading many to believe that price will drop below $100 by Christmas - an answer to Barnes and Noble's most recent move of dropping their e-reader down to $99.

Like most electronics, lower prices don't always mean less features. As technology grows, consumers gradually get more for their money.  The new Kindle design provides a 21% reduction in size while still maintaining it's 6-inch reading surface. This allows the device to feel lighter than your average paperback book, wi-fi capabilities and darker contrasting text with a no-glare screen to improve the ease of reading for its users. 

Will the Kindle 3 win the battle of the e-readers for the impending holiday season. Amazon will have its work cut out for them but with greater portability and a wide distribution of content via smartphone and tablet applications, they are off to a pretty good start.

 

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An Office Food Culture

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This past Wednesday we celebrated our CEO Michael Arkes's **th birthday. As a result of this Ribs on the grillcelebration we were able to take part in another time honored Hinda tradition:

Food.

I learned that if one wants to try and lose weight, they're working at the wrong company. Company potlucks and cookouts are a staple of the Hinda Incentives office. We seem to find any reason possible to celebrate an event and eating awesome food in the process. We've talked before on this blog in regards to using food as an engagement tool and here at Hinda - we certainly practice what we preach. 

Michael's birthday was celebrated by a fanfare of grilling. We had piles of ribs with roasted chicken to accompany it. Sides of seasoned rice and homemade mac and cheese complimented the main meat dish extremely well, leaving barely any room for the ice cream cake that was to come.

Being the quiet-natured guy that he is, there wasn't a speech to accompany the pre-cake birthday song. Michael Arkes is the kind of guy that likes to get right down to business. Fortunately for us, the business at hand was multiple-layered ice cream cake.

This is just a slice of life inside the walls of Hinda. How do your companies celebrate special occasions?

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Naps Boost Productivity?

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What's a potential yet unusual way to engage employees and increase productivity that most companies haven't tried? It's an idea as original as the the fold up mats from your old kindergarten class.

It's the fine art of napping.Sleep Pod by MetroNap

According to an older article by TIME magazine, naptime could become the new coffee break. Studies by the National Sleep Federation have shown that the average working adult gets six hours and 58 minutes of sleep, which is about an hour under the recommended amount. The increased rate in drowsiness in the office has cost businesses an estimated $100 billion in lost productivity, not to mention the added health risks that go along with sleep deprivation. Due to increased traveling and commuting and having to do business in multiple time zones, sleep has become harder and harder to come by for the average worker.


So does taking time out to snooze really help productivity? According to a NASA study it does. They proved through experiments that a 26 minute nap by their astronauts resulted in a 34% increase in productivity. Some corporations have seen the benefit of naptimes, setting up sleeping rooms or adding sleep pods to their supply of office furniture.

What's the point? Most businesses are using naptime not really for productivity purposes but for employee retention. However, most of these companies have seen a positive trend in productivity as result. So should a naptime be considered as an employee engagement technique? If it improves productivity, loyalty and retention among your workforce, it definitely seems to meet a lot of the same goals most engagement and employee motivation programs strive for. Just a hypothetical thought.

What do you all think? While you're responding, I'm going to roll out a mat under my desk. Be back in 30 minutes.

 

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The New iPod Family: Merch Monday

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Apple is at it again. They've taken the time to update not just one iPod but made changes to most of their iPod family in some form or another. 

The new iPod touch received what was probably the most intriguing new feature, though it wasn't a cosmetic addition. Remember how the new iPhone 4 had this clever little front-facing camera with an application called "FaceTime" attached to it? You guessed it, the new iPod Touch now boasts that same feature (accessible only through a Wi-Fi service of course). 

The most dramatic changes were probably seen by the newest version of the Nano. The last time we featured a Nano update, the new device featured a video camera but still kept it's same basic aesthetic look. However this new version has seem almost an entire overhaul. The Nano has not only been significantly reduced in size (now a 1.54 inch display) but has an added touch screen feature. Even though there is that additional feature, it lacks it's once awesome video camera. 

Could the Nano realistically get any smaller? Especially with a touchscreen? What are your thoughts on the new Apple updates?

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Games Incentives Play

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Video games aren't just for obese kids on the couch eating Cheetos all day.

There are some genius ideas behind the development of these games that have applications beyond just the games themselves. This last week we've taken a look at how these video game dynamics and reward systems could be applied to incentive programs. Not only recognition program design but even using abstract awards in lieu of more "traditional" merchandise. Here's a brief recap with links of what we discussed:

Social Gaming and Incentive Rewards: Merch Monday

Farmville seems like a silly fad right? Well it's a silly fad that has generated hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue. Farmville along with other virtual ecosystems found on Facebook are keen on modifying the behavior of their users. So much so that giftcards are available for purchase in brick and mortar establishments for further success in these games. How could incentive programs use this new obsession to their advantage? Click here to learn how.

The Game Layer of Incentives (Part 1)

This is part one of a two part series investigating how video game dynamics could be applied to incentive programs. This post includes a TED Talk from Seth Priebatsch of geolocation service SCVNGR talking about four video game dynamics. We dissect two of those dynamics here.

The Game Layer of Incentives (Part 2)

This is the second half of breaking down the game dynamics presented by Priebatsch and correlating those ideas to incentive program design. We take a look at the Progressive Dynamic and Communal Discovery. Learn more about these ideals by clicking here.

That's just a brief glimpse of how social gaming could be used within future employee recognition programs. On our blog we also investigate other examples of successful award programs, how social media could be applied to recognition along with other trends and future examples of where the industry may go from here.

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The Game Layer of Incentives (Part 2)

Yesterday, we discussed how Seth Priebatsch's TED talk about games was applicable in an incentive mindset (click here to view the video). We mentioned how two of the dynamics mentioned in the talk - the Appointment Dynamic and Influence and Status - could be used to influence behavior. Today, we pick up where we left off. 

Progression Dynamic

LinkedIn progress barPriebatsch defines this dynamic as one in which success is granularly displayed and measured through the process of itemized tasks. He uses the progress bar of Facebook and LinkedIn as far as filling out a complete profile. It shows how far a user has come in having a complete profile and encourages the user to take the necessary steps to achieve that completion. 

Now let's take a look at an average points-based incentive program. Sticking with the HDTV example from the previous post, Jack wants to earn enough reward points to be able to bring home that prize. Assuming the incentive program has clearly defined goals in place that makes Jack aware of how to earn rewards, he knows which steps he needs to take in order to earn those points. It's not just one large task that makes him eligible for the TV but a series of several tasks, goals, and accomplishments that reward him incrementally over time to help him reach that desired outcome.

Communal Discovery

In the video here, Priebatsch describes this dynamic as one wherein an entire community is rallied to work together to solve a challenge. He uses several examples including one where MIT students were challenged to find hidden balloons across the country - and how this dynamic helped them succeed. Social media is another great example of this and this is mentioned in the talk. Digg is the noted example but even sites like Twitter or even clicking a "Like" button on a blog or webpage is a way that many people help others achieve a goal of finding good web content.

There's not necessarily a "Like" button plug-in on an incentive program but the same principles could be applied. A well-designed incentive program should have an option for a peer-to-peer recognition layer. Part of knowing you are doing a good job or on track for your achievements involves feedback along the way. Using a peer-to-peer form of recognition (allowing employees to award points to one another) is a great crowdsourcing way of getting things done. It gives employees the opportunity for constant feedback on their tasks while rewarding them along the way for participating.

We can learn a TON about modifying behaviors from game experts. Their ability to keep users engaged is what keeps their business successful year after year.

In what other ways do you all see incentives having "game" layers?

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