If you thought that New Yorkers were a tough bunch to sell to, Seoul Korea is going to surprise you. Seoul “is the largest city proper in the developed world” according to wikipedia. The city itself has 10 million people in it. And the greater metropolitan area has over 25,000,000.

The competition in seoul is the harshest in the world. 

Recently the minister of education banned late night studying for school age children as it was common for kids to get 3-5 hours of sleep per night.

So you can imagine how hard it would be to sell to this stressed out, frenetic, jaded, and harsh crowd. The Social Media Expert in Seoul, Bob Wan Kim Reveals Twitter Facebook and Naver Secrets in the Above Video. You may find them intriguing. 

]]> http://sparkah.com/2011/11/15/social-media-expert-agency-seoul-reveals-how-to-sell-to-seoul-koreans/feed/ 0 http://sparkah.com/2010/12/19/top-100-designers-graphic-industrial-interior-on-earth/ http://sparkah.com/2010/12/19/top-100-designers-graphic-industrial-interior-on-earth/#comments Sun, 19 Dec 2010 16:21:39 +0000 admin http://sparkah.com/2010/12/19/top-100-designers-graphic-industrial-interior-on-earth/

Tyler, A close friend of mine in Seattle is 6 months behind and $12,000USD over budget on his design project. Crabby, tired, and frustrated, he’d skype his designers at 3am. He literally went out drinking just to pass the time and be up for the call. He sourced out to a team in India or Malaysia or was it Chile? Their rates were too good to pass up.

There was a time when you would only do business with people who were already in your life. You’d do business with parents who send their kids to the same school. You’d do business with people in your church (or atheist meetups). You’d do business with people on your block. And you’d do business with people related to co-workers and clients.

This was smart for several reasons. First, you’d already start off with a common cultural base. Your architect, graphic designer, product designer, or interior designer wouldn’t pull some weird scheiBBe out of their hat (that was totally cool where they were from). Secondly, you’d have social and political leverage.

[TBA: The Most Popular Designer from http://Plurban.com/design Will Be Featured Here]

Nobody who works for you wants to do a poor job when they see you every day. Nobody wants someone who knows all their friends to say anything embarrassing to any one of them. And absolutely nobody wants their kids openly scolding them about settling differences because of some unresolved issue that becomes glaringly obvious at the school open house. It would cost too much to leave you, the client, anything less than 100% Happy.

Recently, all that has changed. I suspect that you, with my buddy Tyler, have sailed into exploring the international outsourcing option based on the price tag. And I suspect you’ve heard of a friend who has or have personally been sunk out in the high seas. The fatal mistake you made, that everyone makes, is that you traded in social and personal leverage for a low price tag that ended up costing you much more in the end.

To prevent that sour mistake from ever happening again, http://sparkah.com has assembled the Top 100 Designers Around The World Who Are Your Neighbors. No, you don’t have to select a designer who lives in your town. Everyone below is in your neighborhood–no matter what time zone they’re in. They are all people who are online on Twitter, Linkedin and facebook near 24 hours a day.

Think about it. If you work with any of the Top Designers below, you’ll have 100% redundant access to them near 24/7. More confidence inspiring than that, you’ll be able to network and friend their subcontractors, employees, and even their other clients via Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. You’ll be personally be closer to the geographically furthest designer on this list than with Gary from the Golf Club.

But the best part, we’ve hand picked the below designers from several hundred more. The criteria we used makes us confident that each of these designers below are operationally transparent, manage their business relationships with the highest integrity, and won’t nickel and dime you do death (although some may slip on deadline here and there–who doesn’t?!). In other words, while your global neighbors below may be more accessible than designers who are physical neighbors, you most probably won’t have to do any politicking to get them to take good care of you.

Before we introduce you to the top designers on earth who are closer than your neighbors, we want to interject a quick “How to Select A Designer Checklist:”

1) Deadline your project long before you actually need it
The creative process is temperamental and designers are even worse when you don’t give them enough time.

2) Talk to a designer long before you commission a project
The most common problem designers experience is that you, the client, will deliver necessary components and pieces long after the designer needs it. To compound this problem, you tend to give designers partial information and interject (derail) the design process with unforecasted  additions and changes. This is fine if you get the designer involved long before the project begins. This way, the designer can account for possible changes.

3) Ask a designer for help pre-design
Ask a designer how he / she wants files named. Let the designer know that you’re having a hard time with verbage, copy, ergonomics, feng-shui, etc. Your designer has lots of friends and connections. He / she can refer a professional writer / Feng Shui Master, erg expert, etc who will get all the components prepped perfectly and on time for design commencement.

Really, don’t try and do anything you’re not a pro at. It’ll sabotage everyone down the line and ultimately, you.

4) Select a designer for their style then let them do their job
We all know that you don’t try and change your mate. Design is no different. Industrial design, graphic design, interior design, and family design are all the same. They are all temporary living collaborations. Don’t work with a designer who you think is close to your design-soul-mate and try to change him/her (unless the designer accepts the challenge). Start with a designer who you can fully entrust with your vision. You do it with marriage. You marry your favorite person because in the end, you don’t have any idea what kind of kids will pop out.

Sure, you’ll have much more in-utero molding influence with a designer than with your zygotes. But in the end, the core principles are universal. Don’t plan on micromanaging. Plan of doing your best job during the courtship process, then surrender. Let the pros do their job.

5) Only work with a designer with a baseline interview checklist/questionaire
It’s the designer’s job to guide your project. If they forget to ask you basic things like, “is this for left or right handed people?” You’ll both abruptly run into that nose-breaking brick wall. Professionals have general “client interview and discovery questionaires and checklists.” They will start asking you personalized questions that will only apply to your account after they’ve covered all the basics.

6) Only work with a designer who stays in touch daily as a policy
All the biggest and most successful firms hold this policy as a sacred duty. They realise that not only is it their job to manage your project, it’s their job to manage your expections and delivery room anxiety. Even if it’s just a quick, “still working on your project. In the thick of it, going well. so can we talk friday? Will do another status update tomorrow,” email or text, it’s the lowest professional courtesy a design firm can provide.

7)  Pay on time. Pay 10% more.
It’s true. Many designers are emotional people. You have to be to communicate and transmit something as amorphous as emotion via a 2d or 3d medium. Designers have multiple demanding clients. Do not try and bargain them down. This is an economical tactic you use on commodities like potatoes. With services, if you want to get 200% your value, pay on time and pay 10% more. 200% for 10 ain’t bad.

PS… We’re Creating a Full Twitter List of Everyone Below. If You Want to Contact All of Them, Follow http://twitter.com/journik (most of them are already following us) and ask for a RT. And, If you want to be alerted when that Twitter list is ready, just click “Like,” HERE on this Facebook Page.

Finally, we’re good letting you go loose on the 100 Top Designers Around The World, All of Whom Are Your Neighbors:

	Doug Bowman contact Name Doug Bowman location San Francisco, CA Web stopdesign… Bio Designer, thinker, speaker, Creative Director at Twitter. … twitter.com/stop
	Mike Kruzeniski contact New post: Some thoughts on Advanced Design, the workshop I’m hosting at the IxDA 2011 … Name Mike Kruzeniski location Seattle Bio designer / regular guy … twitter.com/mkruzeniski
	Kasovitz contact Name Kasovitz Designer location Portugal Web multit… Bio Designer, movieAolic, comicAolic – Love to see, love to listen, love to think. … twitter.com/kasovitz
	Anderson Finn Design contact Name Anderson Finn Design location South Florida Web anders… Bio Design & marketing with your company’s growth in mind. … twitter.com/andersonfinn
	On Point Design contact x Name On Point Design location Las Vegas, Los Angeles Web weblex… Bio Design + Marketing Firm. Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orange County … twitter.com/WEBLEX
	Jason Santa Maria contact Name Jason Santa Maria location Brooklyn, NY Web jasonsanta… Bio Designer by day, designer by night. 235 Following · 120012 Followers … twitter.com/jasonsantamaria
	RMAC Brand Design contact 11:48 AM Mar 8th, 2009 via web. more. Name RMAC Brand Design location iPhone: 38.570801,-7.910202 Web rmac.pt/ Bio Design from Portugal … twitter.com/rmacdesign
	Brian Hoff contact Name Brian Hoff location Philadelphia, PA Web thedes… Bio Designer, writer, speaker and design thinker. Founder of thedesigncubicle. … https://twitter.com/behoff
	Bre Roz [Web Design] contact Name Bre Roz [Web Design] location Rochester, NY Web BreRoz… Bio Web Designer/Front-end Programmer. I love the social internet! … twitter.com/breroz
	Jim Hill contact Name Jim Hill location Cape Cod Web heyjimhill… Bio Designer by day. Aspiring children’s book writer and illustrator by night. … twitter.com/jimhill
	Josh Brewer contact Designer at Twitter, Co-author of 52WeeksOfUX.com. … Name Josh Brewer location San Francisco Web jbrewer.me Bio Designer at Twitter, … twitter.com/jbrewer
	Ellen Lupton contact designer, writer, curator. … Name Ellen Lupton location Baltimore, MD, USA Web elupton.com Bio designer, writer, curator … twitter.com/ellenlupton
	April Guzik contact Name April Guzik location ÜT: 29.733321,-95.407386 Bio Design is not just a job, it’s a lifestyle for me! I am President of AIGA Houston, … twitter.com/alguzik
	Tyler Finck contact Designer, dad and dude in upstate New York. … You? 4:17 PM Dec 12th via web in reply to DaveCameron · more. Name Tyler Finck location Ithaca, NY Web sursly… Bio Designer, dad and dude in upstate New York. … twitter.com/sursly
	Dan Rubin contact Name Dan Rubin location Always moving. Web superfluou… Bio designer, singer, photographer, barbershop harmony aficionado, philosopher, polymath … twitter.com/danrubin
	The Art Of Design contact 6:19 AM Jun 17th via web. more. Name The Art Of Design location Kent Web theart… Bio Design consultancy based in Ashford, Kent … twitter.com/ArtOfDesign
	Splinter Design contact Name Splinter Design location Liverpool Web splint… Bio Design studio with clients including Sony, BBC, Museum of London and Edge Hill Uni … twitter.com/splinterdesign
	Nathan M. contact 8:30 PM Dec 12th via Echofon in reply to aquinnm · more. Name Nathan M. location San Francisco, CA, USA Web nathanmano… Bio designer of echofon … twitter.com/trafnar
	David Wright contact Designer at NPR. Long live rockathon. … Name David Wright location Washington, D.C. Web davewright… Bio Designer at NPR. Long live rockathon. … twitter.com/davewrightjr
	Stephen Caver contact Name Stephen Caver location Piñon Hills, CA Web stephencav… Bio Designer for Happy Cog. Fan of Dodgers baseball, Science, and Bob Dylan. … twitter.com/deadgraviti
	ouno contact Name ouno location Vancouver Web blog.ounod… Bio Design, architecture, urban planning, politics, interiors & the kitchen sink. … twitter.com/ounodesign
	Joey Marburger contact Name Joey Marburger location Washington DC Web joeymarbur… Bio Designer for Mobile and New Digital Products @washingtonpost. … twitter.com/josephjames
	Danny Trinh contact Name Danny Trinh location Hayes Valley, San Francisco Web dannytrinh… Bio Designer at @Path, formerly designer at Digg and learner at UNC. … https://twitter.com/dtrinh
	Holly Peterson contact Name Holly Peterson location San Diego Web design… Bio Design Diva Interiors is a full-service Interior Design Studio based in San Diego, CA. … twitter.com/hollypeterson
	Paul Carew contact Design for Print + Web. … Glaser: To Inform and Delight is on Netflix Instant: j.mp/eitM0h 8:42 AM Dec 1st via TweetDeck · more. Name Paul Carew location Boise, Idaho, USA Web carewc… Bio Design for Print + Web … twitter.com/pcarew
	NextBigDesign contact Name NextBigDesign location NYC Web nextbigdes… Bio Design & Culture, Brand Identity & Packaging. 670 Following · 557 Followers · 39 Listed … twitter.com/nextbigdesign
	Scott @ Cube Studio contact Name Scott @ Cube Studio location San Diego, CA Web cubest… Bio Design, Rendering, Photo. We focus on the architecture and trade show … twitter.com/cubestudioviz
	Design Packaging contact Name Design Packaging location Scottsdale, AZ Web design… Bio Design Packaging an international luxury retail packaging design firm, … twitter.com/designpackaging
	Cameron Moll contact Name Cameron Moll location Sarasota, FL Web cameronmol… Bio Designer, Speaker, Author, Husband, Dad. 501 Following · 24355 Followers … twitter.com/cameronmoll
	Andrew Dahley contact designer, thinker, all around nice guy. … Name Andrew Dahley location san francisco Bio designer, thinker, all around nice guy … twitter.com/andrewmd
	Design Devise contact Name Design Devise location United States Bio design, web design, graphics, photography, fonts, logos, templates, wallpapers, icons, themes, tutorials, … twitter.com/DesignDevise
	Baby Fab CEO – Amber contact Name Baby Fab CEO – Amber location San Diego Web babyfabulo… Bio Designer. Mom. Writer. Owner of infant lifestyle brand Baby Fabulous … twitter.com/babyfabulous
	Tiago Almeida contact Free Stuff: Design Cocktail Bundle 3 by Bitbox > bit.ly/eOCtuK 11:42 AM … location Lisbon Web menosk… Bio Designer and Illustrator … twitter.com/menosketiago
	Dina Manzo contact Name Designer Affair location New Jersey Web design… Bio Designer Affair is a boutique event planning company owned by Designer Dina Manzo. … twitter.com/DesignerAffair
	Jason Morrow contact Name Jason Morrow location Brooklyn Web betaworks.com Bio Designer @ betaworks/bitly, xoogler, living in Brooklyn. … twitter.com/jason_morrow
	content design group contact Name content design group location jacksonville, florida Web conten… Bio Design firm that is always leaning towards the more modern and … twitter.com/contentdg
	Logotipo Design contact Get short, timely messages from Logotipo Design. …. Name Logotipo Design location Portugal Web logoti… Bio Design de Logotipos … twitter.com/logotipodesign
	SuperLemz contact Name SuperLemz location Sydney Bio Design student. Member of Creative Splat team. Aspiring modern day scribe & artist of the ancient Filipino script. … twitter.com/superlemz
	Hillary Fisher contact skiheavenly On location now! Hit up the corner of Stockton and Post for the free snowcone of your … Bio Designer / Art Director at BBDO San Francisco … twitter.com/hillaryfisher
	drilone contact Name drilone location San Francisco Web drils.com Bio Designer, Vinyl Toy Customizer, skulls, Day of the Dead, Robots,Decay, military, … twitter.com/drilone
	Design Womb contact Name Design Womb location San Francisco, CA Web nicolelafa… Bio Design Womb is the independent design studio of Nicole LaFave in San Francisco. … twitter.com/designwomb
	Doug March contact Design, Development and Music Intelligence. … Name Doug March location Washington DC Web doug-m… Bio Design, Development and Music Intelligence … twitter.com/marchdoe
	henry ryder contact designer,animator,artist,dad. … location location. Brighton graf twitpic.com/3b2pwc 8:12 AM Nov … Name henry ryder Web henryr… Bio designer,animator,artist,dad … twitter.com/henryryder
	Cesar Torres contact Designer · @Conjunctured Founder · Compulsive Traveler. … Name Cesar Torres location Austin Web cesart.me Bio Designer · @Conjunctured Founder … twitter.com/cesart
	Design Jewelry contact Name Design Jewelry location California Bio Design Jewelry emphasizes socially conscious jewelry, designers and jewelry design tools to promote sharing … twitter.com/mydesignjewelry
	Greg Power contact Name Greg Power location Los Angeles Web dwpbus… Bio Design and Manufacture energy saving devices for homes and business. … twitter.com/DWPBusters
	Keegan Jones contact Name Keegan Jones location Austin, Texas Web keeganjone… Bio Designer at @Gowalla. I like longboarding, music, and photography. … twitter.com/keeg
	Design Snack contact Name Design Snack location United States Web design… Bio Design Snack: The ultimate inspiration tool. … twitter.com/designsnack
	Herman Manson contact Name Herman Manson location Cape Town Web markli… Bio Design, advertising, marketing and media blog Marklives.com on Twitter. … twitter.com/marklives
	Artist / Designer contact Name Artist / Designer location Eco Potential Consciousness Web rickbi… Bio Artist / Designer of Rustic Contemporary Spirit …on a journey … twitter.com/rickbischoff
	Michael Wood contact Name Michael Wood location Portland & in your pants Web tinymeat.e… Bio Designer/Manufacturer of handmade vinyl accessories. … twitter.com/tinymeat
	Ben Sawyer contact Name Ben Sawyer location Maine Web dmill.com Bio Design, produce, research, advocate use of games & game technologies beyond entertainment. … twitter.com/bensawyer
	GoodTwin contact Name GoodTwin location Omaha, Nebraska Web good-t… Bio Design studio in Omaha, that is focused on branding and web design. … twitter.com/goodtwindesign
	Aaron Perry-Zucker contact Name Aaron Perry-Zucker location San Francisco, CA Web aaronp… Bio Designer, Community Organizer, RISD Alum, partner at Big New Ideas design … twitter.com/aperryz
	Adam Polselli contact Name Adam Polselli location San Francisco Web adampolsel… Bio Designer at Rdio with a special place in his heart for Stanley Kubrick and Lady … https://twitter.com/adampolselli
	Jeff Andrews-Design contact 12:21 PM Nov 24th via Echofon · more. Name Jeff Andrews-Design location Los Angeles Web jeffan… Bio Interior Designer … twitter.com/jeffandrewsdsgn
	Mike Harding contact Name Mike Harding location Auckland, New Zealand Web sneak.co.nz Bio Designer, collector of pretty things, sometime musician, and one of those web … twitter.com/SNEAK
	Designsite contact Name Designsite location Fairfield, CT Web design… Bio Design and Marketing Communications. 55 Following · 65 Followers · 5 Listed … twitter.com/designsite
	James Chiu contact Name James Chiu location London Web blog.stemr… Bio Design Director at Leo Burnett London. My tweets are what I see, love and feel. … twitter.com/jmhchiu
	Jacob Cass contact Name Jacob Cass location Midtown, New York Web justcreati… Bio Graphic Designer, Logo Designer, Web Designer, Blogger, Creative Thinker, … twitter.com/justcreative
	Brady Bone contact Name Brady Bone location Charlotte, NC Web bradyb… Bio Design Director/Strategist for Brand/ID/Collateral @therepublik. … twitter.com/bradybone
	~ Reeve Jolliffe ~ contact Color Theory for Designer, Part 3: Creating Your Own Color Palettes: bit.ly/bYhggi … location 33.436034, -112.003623 Bio Designer/Web Developer … twitter.com/twitchy
	Kevin Burg contact Design Director at thoughtbot, inc. … Name Kevin Burg location NYC Web kevin.tumb… Bio Design Director at thoughtbot, inc … twitter.com/kevinburg
	Hongkiat contact Designer, pro-blogger from Malaysia. … Contest: We’ve got winners! bit.ly/ezFmh5 9:15 PM Dec 5th via Tweetie for Mac · more. Name Hongkiat location Malaysia Web hongki… Bio Designer, pro-blogger from Malaysia. … twitter.com/hongkiat
	Grace Bonney contact Name Grace Bonney location brooklyn, ny Web design… Bio design blogstress designsponge.com. 245 Following · 147884 Followers … https://twitter.com/designsponge
	Rebecca Goldberg contact Name Rebecca Goldberg location New York Web dmdinsight… Bio Design junkie. Ex-editor. Expert in hotel interiors. Naturally curious. … twitter.com/rebeccagoldberg
	Kayd Mustonen contact 8:51 AM Nov 18th via TweetDeck · more. Name Kayd Mustonen location Minneapolis Web kayddesign… Bio Designer, Food Enthusiast, Paper Lover … twitter.com/kaydmustonen

Posted via email from Social Media Marketing Strategies for the Closet Revolutionary

Personally, I think this graph, as reassuring and emboldening as it is, is totally bunk, (couple more commas, thrown in, for good measure).

Image via two sites I highly recommend following religiously if you are even remotely involved in web business or like cilantro: http://www.copyblogger.com/seo-copywriting-matter/ and http://www.seomoz.org/blog/perfecting-keyword-targeting-on-page-optimization

Here’s why:

1. The wedges, “Anchor text” and “Link popularity” are exactly the same thingGoogle bases PageRank based on external links (base! (one more thrown in for good measure)).

2. This is a SEO (search engine optimizers’) poll — NOT based on a Google engineer’s leaked data
Let this be very clear. This chart is built on the OPINIONS of SEO Expert Ninjas

3. Matt Cutts is reaching for a muscle relaxant due stomach cramping from laughing so hard at #2 (above)

4. Wedge “Traffic + CTR data” are exactly the same thing — WRONG.
Google measures repeat CTR from THEIR pages not YOUR server traffic. Google doesn’t care how much traffic you get. It bears ZERO weight on relevancy of your page to search query. Think logically. If your stomach Googled “hamburger,” would you rather get a McDonald’s or an In-N-Out? McD’s gets far more traffic in their drive thrus but the QUALITY of the result is what matters to Google.

5. Meta Tags!
I know, the graphic does not cite meta-tags and it shouldn’t. Because, to the credit of the graphic and those surveyed, meta tags went out with the Macarena. BUT you and I both know that these SEO Expert Ninja Samurais still use meta keyword tags. So not citing them as a 50% factor is totally disingenuous.

#6 BONUS: They left out the most import part…
Among Google’s BIGGEST ranking factors is whether or not the content is on a page that is within a property OWNED by GOOGLE. It’s true. Google would rather you visit a Youtube, Knol, or Blogspot web result. It’s further true that they’d rather you visited a Google result that has a Google adwords ad on it. I mean, come on, wouldn’t you?

If you want to team up with Bob Wan Kim on your corporate marketing and business proliferation, Contact him at http://sparkah.com

Posted via web from journik’s posterous – a grade A shouldery. (social media agencies / marketing wise)