Want to work for the coolest company on the interwebz?

No, not Google.

No, not Facebook!

Sheesh!

Let me rephrase the question: want to work at Trackur?

We’re looking to hire a full time entry level Front End Web Developer to help us with our continued development and improvement of Trackur’s dashboard design. You should have the following skilz:

• HTML5
• CSS3
• JQuery
• PHP & MySQL a plus.
• Experience working with application/software UIs also a plus.
• Be able to play the ukulele

Ideally you’ll be in Raleigh, but then again we have a virtual office environment, so we’ll consider you even if you live elsewhere.

You are not: a design firm fishing for clients, a scammer phishing for shmucks, a UNC grad….OK, we’re kidding about that last one.

Interested?

Send a note, resume, and examples of previous work to: andyDOTbealATgmailDOTcom

Just a quick note to let you know about a super easy contest Trackur just launched on Facebook.

How easy?

Super easy!

Just tell us the last time you “Googled” your own name. That’s it! Tell us the last time you checked on your Google reputation and you might just win a brand new Apple iPad.

Check out the contest entry page for further details and rules.

Good luck!

Click Here to Enter!

I’m using @Trackur‘s free social media monitoring software and entering to win the upcoming Apple iPad 3! You can too: trackur.com/monitoring

— Laurel Zacher (@LaurelZacher) October 21, 2011

Laurel Zacher wins the winter contest and we’ll get her brand new iPad 3 in her hands ASAP!

Thanks to everyone that entered our contest. Please stay tuned for the next amazing Trackur prize giveaway–which we’ll announce soon.

In the meantime, there’s still one way to get a free iPad 3 from us.

There are a whole host of good reasons for monitoring your online reputation. Add to the list: identity jacking.

It happened to me just this past weekend! Take a look at this review “I” wrote:

Looks pretty convincing right? Except, I never left that review.

Unfortunately, all it takes is to know the email I use when commenting and, if the host pulls avatars from a service such as Gravatar, you can convince the world that even Andy Beal loves your crappy affiliate network.

So, if you have any kind of online presence. If you’ve built a reputation as an expert in your niche. Be sure to monitor for brandjacking and abuse of your name. Fortunately for me, I was able to jump on this quickly and the review site took down the review and blocked further reviews from my email.

We’ve gone iPad crazy at Trackur this week.

The newly announced iPad–do we call it 3, 3rd Generation, or the 2012 model?–has just been announced and we want to help you be one of the first to get hold of the hottest product for 2012.

So, we’re running a very special promotion that will end March 31st 2012. Here it is…

Prepay for any Trackur Premium or Ultimate plan and get a free iPad 16GB WiFi tablet AND get 12 months for the price of 10!!!!

You heard us! Not only do you get the latest edition of Apple’s iPad–which will make you the coolest kid on the block–but you get our amazing social media monitoring services at a discount!

Want in? Simply head to the iPad promotion page and complete the inquiry form.

Hurry though, this offer must end March 31st!

We’ve always offered a 10-day moneyback guarantee on all paid Trackur plans, but we’ve just made it even easier for you to test out one of Trackur’s many affordable paid plans.

Starting today this very minute, you can enjoy a 10-day free trial on any paid social media monitoring plan. Yes, that even includes test driving our white-labeled, awesometastic Ultimate plan! You’ll set up a PayPal subscription, but as long as you cancel anytime in the first 10 days, you won’t get billed a single penny!

How cool is that?

And, we’ve also made it easier for you to upgrade, downgrade, or, heaven forbid, cancel your Trackur subscription, with a revised Billing tab in your account Settings.

So, what are you waiting for? There’s no excuse, and now no cost, to test out Trackur’s leading social media monitoring dashboard!

Enjoy!

Very few people seem interested in proactive reputation management. The big bucks are often reserved for cleaning up a mess. However, being proactive is not only cheaper, but can result in preempting any negative issues that might get raised. Setting the scene is a crucial tactic that more businesses should follow.

And, if a little town in North Carolina can do it, so can you!

The email below was sent to me 48 hours before the start of ukulele legend Jake Shimabukuro’s concert in Clayton, NC. I’m a huge fan–don’t get me started–but I have never been to Clayton before and, to be honest, considered the trip a minor inconvenience in order to see one of my favorite artists. After receiving this email, I now know what to expect when I arrive, where to park, where to eat, and even how to get Jake’s autograph!

We look forward to seeing you this Saturday, Jan. 28, at The Clayton Center for the Jake Shimabukuro concert. We wanted to make you aware of a few things so that you have the best experience possible at The Clayton Center.

The show has sold out, so we are expecting a full house. Showtime is at 8:00 p.m. The Clayton Center will open at
7:00 pm, and seating in the auditorium will begin at 7:30 pm. Concessions, including beer, wine, mixed drinks, soft drinks and coffee, will be available throughout the evening. Cash and credit cards are accepted at all of our bars except the coffee bar (cash only) and beverages are allowed in the auditorium.

Parking at The Clayton Center is always free. There are two parking lots — one is located behind the building (Horne Street entrance) and one is on the corner of East Second and Fayetteville streets. Once parking in these lots is full, you may park on the street as long as you park legally. Please avoid any “No Parking” areas marked by signs or “yellow” zones.

Prior to the show, we encourage you to enjoy dinner at one of the following independently operated downtown Clayton restaurants — Clayton Steakhouse; Mulberry on Main; Lucky Chicken Peruvian Restaurant and Festejos Mexican Restaurant. But be sure to save room for dessert – we serve homemade whoopie pies fresh from Clayton Bakery and Cafe at our coffee bar.

You may also want to stick around post-show for an opportunity to meet Jake and have him sign a CD or other merchandise!

If you have any questions about this performance or about The Clayton Center, please feel free to call the Box Office at 919-553-1737, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m.

Peace, Love and Ukulele!

The Clayton Center Staff

Again, this is an excellent example of proactive reputation management, from a small theater, in Clayton, in North Carolina. Does your hotel send out a similar email to guests before they arrive? Does your restaurant email reservation holders with the night’s specials? Does your auto repair shop send out reminders of oil changes?

Take a look at your business and ask yourself, what questions might a new customer have before they [fill in the blank]. Preempt their questions or concerns and you’ll create a positive environment from the get-go!

Did you know that when you tweet, people can generally read each of your 140 characters?

Not sure if the, now former, Leicester City player Michael Ball realized that or not, but his attack on homosexual British actor Antony Cotton just cost him a £6,000 fine, and apparently his job.

Ball messaged the Coronation Street actor Antony Cotton, who is openly gay and plays the factory worker Sean Tully in the long-running soap opera. Cotton was at the time appearing in I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! “That ******* queer,” Ball wrote. “Get back to your sewing machine in Corrie you moaning *******.” The message has since been deleted.

Being somewhat “high profile” Ball’s Twitter feed likely didn’t need much in the way of expert monitoring, but your business is likely not as lucky. Are you keeping an eye on your employee’s tweets? Of course, you don’t want to sit and watch every single tweet they vomit up each day, but you should be aware of any tweet that mentions your brand, right? You should know if they talk badly about your clients, their fellow employees, or your own products.

Trackur’s social media monitoring includes Twitter (and Facebook, and Google+) so you don’t have to stand over the shoulder of each and every employee. If they’re talking about your company–good or bad–you’ll know about it.

(hat tip Simon Heseltine)

I have a rule when it comes to customer service. I don’t privately talk about a customer in a manner I wouldn’t feel comfortable them seeing or hearing. That means no “Mr Needy” or “Mrs PITA” references–not even in a private CRM note.

Not only is it disrespectful, but that internal note could easily present itself to the customer. Case in point, Exhibit A:

Yeah, not good. Take the stance to not belittle your customers, ever! Not even those vague Tweets you think are just a harmless way of letting off steam. Even if the customer is not following you, potential customers may avoid your business lest you bad mouth them too!

So, to recap. Papa John’s? You need better ingredients, better pizza, and better manners! Corporately you may be in shock at this behavior, but the customer doesn’t interact with “corporate” they interact with the local store. Time for staff re-training methinks!

Thanks to Minhee Cho for tweeting and Ed for sharing.

UPDATE: Kudos to @PapaJohns for a swift and sincere response:

From everyone at Trackur, we wish all of our wonderful customers a very merry Christmas!

We hope you and your family have a very blessed Christmas and New Year.