Tipped Off to the Google Ad, a Follower Knows All

As I fell asleep after one of the best Superbowls I’ve ever watched, I thought about the connections and the various lines that bind people together. There was a commercial during the game’s third quarter for Google, perhaps spurred on by the early success of rival search engine Bing.

I knew it was coming because I follow John Battelle, who wrote a book about Google and runs Federated Media, the people who publish one of the top blogs on the web called BoingBoing.net. He had mentioned that it was coming, so I was ready when I saw them up on the screen.

Google’s ad followed a series of searches about France. One of the top results was for “How to Make a French Woman Happy” and referenced a website knew well–Paris logue. The site was created by my friend Sean Keener’s company, Bootsnall.com, and I was proud that they got such a high-profile shout out on the world’s biggest stage. Good on ya Boots!

Saturday’s Podcamp ended with a few beers at the Tavern in Westfield, where my seat at the bar brought the charming Rebecca Caplice, President of Greenfield Savings Bank, and two other women gathered around. Rebecca talked about the restaurant she and her husband opened, and how they’ve got more than 1000 fans on its Facebook Page. The funny thing is since I’m one of them I knew the whole story about the place and some of the former Greenfieldites who have given the place their blessing. Once again, social media brought me insights and backstories that made our face-to-face time more enriching.