As I neared the fourth year authoring the Punxsutawney Phil Twitter account (@GroundhogPhil), I cut my losses on attempts to hand the account over to the Groundhog Club and just went for it.

Read previous year’s posts and subsequent coverage here:

• 2011: A big day for @groundhogphil
• 2010: Huffington Post, Good Morning America, National Geographic, Urlesque and more pick up @groundhogphil
• 2009: Punxsutawney Phil on Twitter: a lost opportunity?

For 2012, it is clear the growing interest in animal based Twitter accounts (see @BronxZooCobra and @NYTChicken) amplified the general public’s interest in chatting with a forecasting rodent via 140 characters or less.

Building on three years of prognostication-related tweets, this year’s momentum was strong and resulted in even more big name coverage of Phil’s tweets. Like doing an interview with Mashable in character, for starters.

Again this year, The Huffington Post, The National Post, local media and weather sites again retweeted and/or referred to @GroundhogPhil’s tweets.

And the data was just tremendous. The RT’s were flying!!

In the spirit of good faith, I again offer up the account to the top-hatted groundhog bunch. However, given they’ve ignored this offer and opportunity for four years now, I’ve decided I’m happy to keep it until Phil predicts Twitter is a relevant audience for their event.

Long live @groundhogphil!

Including a stop at Wollman Rink…

My colleague Wade tried to cast a spell on me with the magic wand he carries in his knapsack (for real)…

Our flight out of LaGuardia was cancelled. Took a speeding cab ride to JFK. Got the last seat on the last plane to MSP. Tiny plane, back row and Angie’s seat has no window! We are basically rock stars…

The floor drain in our 120 year-old house backed up…

And here it is after I removed the shower on top of it and snaked it out…

The kids helped me clean the kitchen…

And we cheered for the Vikings throughout the Super Bowl. Maybe next year!

Signed a treaty at work…

Annabelle had outpatient ear surgery for tubes at Children’s Hospital (client). The staff there is just great. Let her bring her car back to her room, even. And no complications is even better…

The “twins” now weigh only four pounds apart. They’re continually adorable…

And trouble…

The brothers trade off loving each other and fighting, too…

Oh, I had a lovely time at the dentist. No cavities, which earned me a high-five from the dentist. In your face, plaque…

The neighbor’s one dead Christmas tree turned into two…and then into three…

And a trip to New York. The Grand Hyatt is becoming a favorite hotel. The rooms have been completely revamped. It feels very “W” there now. And the views of Grand Central are truly special…

Taxis and ant people!

And I took Grant bowling…

Holy printing press, Batman!

The kids ate an entire box of macaroni and cheese…

“Sorry Mario, but your princess is in another castle…”

Annabelle and I took Grant to school…

Then we headed to Iowa for Thanksgiving. Lots of cousin time…

The kill Uncle AJ game…

The whole family hit Disney on Ice…

Grant on my lap…

Grayson on my lap…

Annabelle on my lap…

Ashlynn on my lap…

The view on Thanksgiving morning…

What the boys thought…

And a bonus, I saw Santa coming in late for work…

Batman + Jason Falls + Nathan Wright…

Batman + Oscar De La Hoya…

Batman + Magic Johnson…

Batman + Leonard DiCaprio at opening of J. Edgar at the Chinese Theater…

Santa Monica Pier at night…

Batman + Santa Monica Pier…

Batman + In-N-Out Burger…

Batman + the Hollywood Sign…

Astronomers Monument at Griffith Observatory…

Batman + Albert Einstein…

Batman + downtown Los Angeles from the Griffith Observatory…

Batman + Pacific Ocean…

And then hopped a flight from LA to NYC…

To attend the PR Week 40 Under 40 award luncheon…

And that was plenty for one week, eh?

I’m here at BlogWorld & New Media Expo in Los Angeles ignoring the beautiful palm trees and weather in favor of sitting inside and listening to compelling speakers present on the latest digital, social and interactive marketing trends.

Tom #1: Data-Driven Insights
I was impressed by the opening Social Media Business Summit keynote from Tom Webster at Edison Research, who leads exit-polling for elections, among other things. Tom’s focus was on ways to sort through sheer amounts of data, research, studies and trends.

Tom says social media is great for casual listening but isn’t quantitatively effective in driving research and insights. Essentially, social media is great for asking questions but isn’t the best at ascertaining answers.

Tom has found that reframing issues and questions allows for brands to achieve better answers. Rather than asking, “What do you want,” he suggests asking “How can XX make your life better?” Then brands can track those answers and map out a strategy. Notice, this doesn’t say rely on broad trends or generic studies.

While it’s fine to acknowledge the latest eMarketer hype, Tom says all the data coming out about the best time of day to tweet, publish a blog post, or the best place to place a link in an article makes him cringe. He says these types of question assumes that there is obviously a best time or a best place.

But what if it is an incorrect assumption these can or should have obvious results? Instead, Tom recommends conducting scientific studies to confirm or disconfirm these assumptions.

Data for “content creation” is inherently incurious, he says. It takes time and disconfirming things to find the right answer. And Tom uses the word “incurious” as a vulgarity!

For example, a study came out that showed press releases distributed at 1 a.m. were the most effective. This study spread like wildfire across the social web and quickly became folklore and accepted as fact. But this study made an assumption that there actually is a best time to distribute a press release, and (according to Tom) the people sharing the results of this study were relying upon flawed “science.”

Instead, Tom recommends marketers “do their own work.” Rather than align strategy with another organization’s research or logic, he suggests analyzing where one’s customers are, determining what motivates them and driving your own research.

Tom #2: Mo-Money, Mo-Mobile

Another compelling session was Tom Hayden’s session on mobile engagement. Yes, another Tom. My schedule picking strategy was to only attend presentations from guys named Tom (or Thomas or Tommy), and I succeeded.

This Tom says marketers should focus on mobile behavior and not mobile technology. When you think of mobile behavior, consider what we do, how we live and why we use mobile in our lives.

Tom says humans are not designed to sit for long periods of time, to stare at screens full of synthetic illumination and host prolonged conversations through text. Mobile allows users to more natively incorporate brand integration into our normal lives.

Mobile integration is evolving to the tipping point (50 percent of users will have smart phones by January 2012). But when a new user acquires a smart phone for the first time, they aren’t installing FourSquare and Instagram. Rather, they are using it for what they are familiar with from their “desktop past” — email, web surfing and possibly chat.

And that web surfing? It’s mostly search. Tom says 70 percent of mobile search ends up in an offline action within two to three hours. Again, this goes back to mobile behavior, not the technology. Desktop surfing is rarely integrated with an offline action. This was a key takeaway for me as I consider mobile strategy for clients.

Below is Tom’s outline of mobile friendly sites and mobile ready sites:

What is mobile friendly?

• Condensed content (4-10x reduction of desktop site)
• Navigation limited to 2-3 actions beyond the landing page
• Quick load time (you have less than 30 seconds)

What is mobile ready?

• Responsive design (device detection and customized content based on user)
• Data feed (API – location, device, A-B testing, time/date) with CRM and/or profiling platform)
• Cross-platform tested (iOS, Android, RIM, Windows, Palm and across multiple years and OS updates)

Another variable to consider when planning mobile programs is that fact that humans are not only staring at screens less, they are typing less. Touch screens are harder to type but easy to facilitate face to face (e.g., FaceTime, Skype, facilitating an IRL meet-up). So we’re moving back to a preference of face to face while lessening our focus on the written word.

Of note, this is why people put “sorry for typos” on their mobile signature. Tom says we’re apologizing for bad technology and subconsciously will shift to avoid it. I know personally I have significant issues typing on my iPhone and iPad, and that’s why I’m actually typing this post on a bluetooth keyboard for my iPad.

Tom showed Forrester data that illustrates barcode scanners are the fastest growing app right now — beating weather, games, navigation and music apps. As native QR apps come out in operating systems, this is a technology that is happening and won’t go away anytime soon.

Humans are comfortable with the cameras on their phones and will understand how to scan a QR code as that technology grows. However, it’s important to include multiple mediums to reach the masses (URL, SMS, QR, etc.). Tom recommends including opportunities to scan, text and click in communications with potential or current customers, then keep good track of the metrics to adapt campaigns.

I asked a question about mobile commerce and its adoption. Tom says that even though Google Wallet and other start-ups have pioneered the space, there are technological barriers PLUS human behavior barriers that will delay widespread adoption of using your phone to purchase goods on a consistent basis.

Specifically, retail stores have one kind of credit card scanner that can scan every single brand of credit card, but the acquisition of unique technology for mobile commerce is complex and expensive. I personally think barcode technology will be a good stop-gap — allowing anyone with smart phone to scan and buy something, billed back to their phone plan. I guess we’ll see!

What’s your strategy for navigating data overload and trend-based laziness? How are you rethinking mobile strategy for a changing culture?

Leave comments over at Social Studies

I’ve been totally geeking out over Marco Tempest’s blend of technology and magic lately, and I keep thinking I need to make it to a Twin Cities Maker event.

The idea of partnering physical and digital (phygital, as my friends at Momentum would say) is truly inspiring.

I keep thinking if I get a breath at work I’m going to order an Arduino and figure out how to make a website ring a doorbell. Perhaps in 2012.

Here are two of Marco’s TED presentations that you absolutely must see…

Of the handful of MIMA Summit sessions I attended, I made certain to sit in on The Digital-Physical Connection: From Nike Chalkbot to Prius Roller Coaster with Eamae Mirkin from Deeplocal.

Deeplocal is known for employing creative engineers who use science and technology to build experiences, stunts and engagement opportunities to help a brand reach their audiences.

These guys cut up cars and make roller coasters and solar powered bio-tents out of the parts. They built the famous chalk-bot, which has now spun off its own company. They mounted millions of LED lights on a skyscraper in Africa and let the Internet write headlines. They built an entire miniature city and let users on the web pilot a camera-mounted train through the cityscapes seeking hidden artifacts.

Unfortunately the iOS 5 update on my iPad 2 completely wiped the notes I took on his session, but luckily Eamae let Deeplocal’s video case studies do most of the talking. And thus, so will I…

What do you think? How would you blend technology and the everyday if time, knowledge and budget weren’t an issue?

Brands have been educating consumers about the benefits of technology — from simple things like e-mail and photo attachments to more complex challenges like integrated devices and cloud storage — for decades.

In some ways, the education gap is larger than when the world was smaller and less connected. Where will we be in 15 years? Let’s look back to get a sense.

2011: “Now you can use your voice to use your iPhone.”

1998: “If you have a phone line, you can be online”

1993: “Have you ever sent someone a fax from the beach?”

I heartily look forward to the opportunity of mocking Siri as antiquated technology.

And I still can’t send a fax from the beach. Can you?