Because, surely, you want to know, right? Plus, I’m seeing a trend for blog posts that offer lists…so why not? Here ya go…my Top 5 iPhone Apps for “Social” Business:

1.) Facebook App: This seems almost too obvious. But there might be one human in a cave somewhere who hasn’t downloaded it yet who I’d like to enlighten. This app offers a great opportunity to stay connected with your contacts/network while you’re standing in line somewhere, sitting in a waiting room or stuck in a car (as a passenger of course).

2.) Analytics App: If you blog, this is handy when you’re feeling lonely or unloved. It gives you mobile access to all of your Google Analytics data. (No guarantees that seeing your stats will turn your mood around.)

3.) U.S. Postage App: But this isn’t “social,” you’re saying to yourself. Sure it is. Ever send things out to your network via snail mail? This helps you do it without having to stand in line at the post office. Tell your friends. I love this app. Seriously. If I had a stamp for every time I used it…

4.) Mashable App: All the cool kids have it on their iPhones. (The uncool ones, like me, have it on their iPod Touches.)

5.) E! Online App: How else is a busy businessperson supposed to keep up with pop culture? Besides, what makes for better small talk before a meeting?

Why didn’t I list other social business apps on my iPod Touch (that’s right, I STILL don’t have an iPhone because of my stubborn refusal to be told which service provider I must use…take that Steve Jobs), like the Hootsuite App, Tweetdeck App, AP Mobile App, LinkedIn App and the like? The truth is — and please don’t let this get around — I find them cumbersome to maneuver through on that tiny little touchscreen.

Is it possible that the only solution to my problem is an iPad?

Until then, there you have it…a Top 5 list in 60 seconds or less. I aim to please. In case you don’t already have them installed, here are the links to download these babies:

• Facebook App
• Analytics App
• U.S. Postage App
• Mashable App
• E! Online App

Oh, and yes, I realize that technically these are not my top 5 “iPhone Apps,” but using “My Top 5 iPod Touch Apps” as a title sounded way less sexy, so be a sport and go with me on this. Thanks.

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When discussing social media for business with clients, three questions inevitably arise regarding business risk. I’m certainly not the first to post about them, but it’s info that bears repeating, especially for the uninitiated. You know what they say, “the best defense, is a good offense” or something like that. Without further ado, here are my answers…

1.) How will we maintain control over our brand in the social sphere?
The most cited answer to this is: You don’t own your brand in the social spheres – you own the ability to share your brand in the social spheres. You won’t have control over what people say about your brand, but you can control how you respond to what is said about your brand. Control can also come in the form of a continuous commitment to publishing your own new content. Quality content that is industry-specific, keyword-rich, relevant and recent can help you rank better in search results, so in that way you can leverage some control over what comes up in organic search results. Another question a business might consider is, how can we lose control over our brand in the social sphere? The answer to that is to jump in without a strategy, without a community manager and with a hyper acute need to “control” your community. If you deliver value, your community will reward you – for, online, it is they who are in control. But that certainly doesn’t mean you shouldn’t participate. And, as already mentioned, make sure you have a social media policy firmly in place before you publish. For legal considerations, read what Cobalt Law has to say.

2.) If we allow broad employee access to social sites, how will we manage threats to productivity?
Before you can address this concern, another issue should be addressed post haste, if it has not been already: Does your company have a social media policy in place? Even if you have blocked Internet access and your brand is not engaged in social media, it is likely your employees are on the socialwebs in their off time. It’s been said, there’s no such thing as free speech in the workplace. If they work for you, you need to provide clear policies about social media conduct (I’m sure legal would agree – for more on legal considerations, read this blog post about legal issues and social media from Houchin & Associates). Here is a Social Media Policies Superlist that can provide insight into how other companies manage their social media policies. Productivity concerns should be addressed in your social media policy (and the training that should follow it) in the same way you address/manage employee conduct/usage of phone and email. You need to legally protect your company, its proprietary information and logo usage. Abuses should be managed/addressed should they occur. This post from Guy Clapperton provides additional considerations about social media and productivity concerns.

3.) How will we manage negative comments?
The same way you manage them offline – professionally and politely. It really is that simple. Read more about handling negative comments in posts by Matt Collier and Amber Naslund, or google it. This is where your customer service skills should (and will surely) kick in. Fear not.

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Thinking about starting a corporate blog? Here’s a look at the business blogging landscape from the marketing and operations viewpoints. This is a “back to basics” post to assist those who’ve been asking me about corporate blogging offline. Hope it’s helpful.

Why Create A Corporate Blog?

An organization publishes a corporate blog to meet its defined communication objectives and goals, which can include relationship building with target groups, positioning itself (or one or more of its employees) as industry experts, providing industry news/education, recruitment and media relations. Corporate blogging has evolved as an increasingly useful business technology over the past several years (as shown below in Gartner’s Technology Hype Cycle) and is becoming increasingly valuable as a communication and marketing tool for businesses who are willing to make the commitment – and it is a commitment.

Here are some key considerations…

Objective

What is the purpose of your blog and how will it deliver value/interest to your target audience?

Voice

Who is going to write it? Will the CEO make/have the time? Does accommodating/managing multiple contributors make sense for your business (i.e. employee contributors, guest contributors)? Who will manage the online community that forms around your blog (and other related online “outposts” in the social spheres that can work to help promote your blog and support your objectives)?

Protocol

Once objectives are defined, blogging guidelines and a commenting policy will need to be set up and the company will need to be prepared to set up interdepartmental response channels to manage comments that require follow up. (There are a variety of free and paid tools that can support this workflow.)

Content / Editorial Calendar

Content is king in that if your content isn’t of value, the traffic will not come. If you deliver valuable content, your community will rise up and help promote your content and boost your WOM (word of mouth). Strategic (and ongoing) discussions around content frequency, quality, resources, workflow and purpose are critical to successful blogging.

Benefits

“Corporate blogging is the best way to get information into the hands of your prospects. Those who benefit most from your services are those who are actively searching for your solution.” (Source: Compendium Blogware, Third Generation Corporate Blogging) Traditional marketing “pushes” or broadcasts messaging and information to targets in mass markets, whereas niche blogging “pulls” targets to your content. Traditional marketing is one-sided, whereas blogging can work as a two-way communication platform, enabling greater opportunities to build relationships with those most interested in your industry, your products/services and your ideas – and to create lead generation opportunities. (Consumers often seek your blog out online – and subscribe to it – because it provides them with a “solution” to whatever they are searching for online.)

Challenges

In short, it is my opinion that the biggest challenges to corporate blogging are time, traffic and legal. The internal operational logistics behind blogging can bog some corporate workflows down – from content generation to blog post approval processes to real-time responsiveness (when it comes to comments or other online mentions of your brand). Issue number one (time), drives issue number two (traffic). Without consistent, quality content (posts at least once or twice a week), the traffic you’re hoping for won’t be there. And in some cases, legal likes to take a look at content before it posts, so that can slow things down a bit – but it’s also critical to include legal early on as you establish rules, policies and guidelines. Ultimately, you want to empower and provide your community manager with the flexibility to respond to comments in real time without legal or management approval. Guidelines need to be set first so as not to hinder prompt responses to your community, who will expect it of you.

Comment Management

Some businesses might feel concerned about managing negative comments. The first question to consider is, what volume of negative comment traffic are you currently getting via traditional mediums? The next question is, how much negative content is there about your brand online right now (you should be monitoring for this regardless of whether or not you are blogging)? Many businesses feel it is more important to be proactive in addressing negative content should it occur online. As part of your online strategic plan, you can prepare for negative comments and you can address them professionally as they may occur. If people have really negative things to say, they’ll say them regardless of whether or not you have a blog, so the perceived risk can alternatively be considered an opportunity to address issues should they arise. In this way businesses can work to nip problems in the bud. If you’ve done a good job at building a good rapport with your community, you may find that they are willing to respond to negative comments on your behalf, as well. Negative comments may very well be surrounded by positive comments; businesses should be prepared to trust their community to spot “complainers” in comment threads and only give serious weight to serious concerns that may (or may not!) be raised on your business blog.

Want More Info?

15 Companies That Really Get Corporate Blogging
Dealing with Detractors
Corporate Blog Trends and Samples

In Conclusion

Corporate blogging can create or extend opportunities for cross-channel marketing, organic SEO, email marketing, lead generation, brand awareness, brand loyalty, multi-channel customer service — you may even benefit by working with an affiliate marketing program to monetize your blog. The marketing case is easy to make, but it’s important to ask — and answer — the strategic and operational questions first.

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“Privacy is dead.” Really?

Over the past year, I’ve had countless conversations with people about online privacy (or the lack thereof). What does the vast amount of information that we put online every day mean for us as individuals and as a society? Why does it feel like nothing is private anymore? Is it generational? Is it cultural? What does it mean for getting hired or fired? How can you protect yourself in today’s VERY transparent world?

I’ve been writing, rewriting and rethinking this post since last year (yes, it’s caused me a bit of blogger’s block).  Here’s what started the ball rolling: I wrote a post about how I used social media to connect and reconnect with things I care about. I received a comment expressing deep concerns about such online transparency and referencing a site called 123people.com.  (This website is actually one that I list as a link on my Resources page. It aggregates both real-time and crawl search data on people. In short, when you type in a name, you get a picture of that person’s digital footprint.)

Now, 123people.com is doing what every business should: monitoring their brand online. Following the best practices of online brand monitoring — which, FYI, can be as simple as setting up a Google Alert for starters — a gentleman from 123people.com received an alert that his brand name was mentioned on my blog. Upon further review, he realized that the mention included misinformation, so he posted a follow-up comment to correct the false assertion that 123people.com purchased individuals’ private information. The presence of an information industry professional on my blog gave me the opportunity to ask some specific questions about privacy to someone from one of the very sites that are often vilified for the search/data services they provide.

The next thing I knew, I was on the phone interviewing Russel Perry, CEO of 123people.com, who was generous enough to take the time to answer my questions. What I learned during the call was eye opening and it encouraged me to read more about the topic myself.

This is, of course, an ENORMOUS discussion, so I’m just going to tackle a few points here that seem to speak most directly to major fears and concerns:

Guess What? Privacy Laws in the U.S. Do NOT Protect You.

123people.com collects information and functions differently in the European Union (EU) than it does here, as do other social networking sites and data collection organizations. This is due to one simple difference – in Europe people OWN their own data. The EU has “an independent supervisory authority devoted to protecting personal data and privacy any promoting good practice in the EU institutions and bodies.”  It also has drawn up an article that directly addresses privacy concerns specifically on social networking sites.  If long inter-governmental papers aren’t really your favorite read, here is a great article that breaks down the purpose of Article 29 and its implications.

What does all of this mean for Americans? Well I’m no privacy law expert, but if we want to catch up with the EU in terms of online privacy protection, we need to contact our lawmakers and tell them that this is important to us. Perhaps we can even use our social networking sites to contact others of like mind! We can tell them that in Europe a citizen has the right to his or her own data and that we want the same ownership in the U.S. There’s been some recent movement on this in regards to reforming the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), which is from 1986 and is in need of some serious updating. But I’m not sure it stops there (if that reform even happens). Here’s a quick video on that (click here to see it on YouTube if it does not appear below)…

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – How People Search is Actually Used

We all know that if we leave our valuables unattended in the “real” world, we open ourselves up to risk. The same is true in our online lives. We wouldn’t write our cell phone number on a bathroom stall (I hope…), so leave it off your “about me” page. If you wouldn’t put a photo from a bachelor party in a frame on your desk at work, there is no place for it on your Facebook or MySpace page either.

This being said, if you have protected yourself, a website that does a quick search of everything about you online could be as useful to you as knowing your credit score. It can be a way to monitor your online reputation.

But why would anyone but the most nefarious ever search someone else’s name, you ask? Well, “people search” can be used in beneficial ways and I’d be remiss if I didn’t provide a few scenarios:

• For Human Resources purposes
• To learn more about docs/lawyers/specialists
• By respected news organizations to find experts in various fields
• Education (research and references)
• To check into an online date (to see if Mr./Ms. Wonderful is who he/she promises to be)

You should know what is out there about you and know the source. Also remember that a name search in and of itself is not harmful.

How Can You Protect Yourself?

So what are you supposed to do until the U.S. gets with the privacy program? (And there’s no guarantee that they will!) Get educated and smarter about monitoring your important information. Check the privacy settings on all of your social networking sites.  These sites provide their users with control over their information, but don’t just rely on the default settings. If you do, then political opinions, in-jokes on a friend’s wall and “funny” pictures may be open not only to your friends, but also to your networks – sharing that information with hundreds or thousands of strangers! Don’t tell people in a post when you’re about to leave your house unattended — PleaseRobMe.com recently ran an important awareness campaign about this potential risk. (Read more about LOCATIONAL PRIVACY and CONSUMER PRIVACY.)

Is Privacy Dead Or Does It Just Require More Effort?

For as much as is out there about me, with this blog and my social profiles, I still maintain a strong awareness and boundaries around my privacy. How is that? Well, I follow a few basic personal posting policy guidelines (which is not to say I don’t occasionally stray). Those personal posting policies will vary from one person to another based on one’s comfort zone with information-sharing. Bottom line: set up alerts on your name and do an occasional search on yourself to ensure that any data about you “out there” is accurate. (At least then you can correct misinformation giving you a sliver of control in an online world that may feel out of your control.)

Second, and I know it seems obvious, but enough people have gotten themselves into trouble with an inappropriate tweet or post…THINK before you POST and IF YOU DON’T WANT IT OUT THERE, DON’T POST IT! Get to know your internal editor. If you don’t have one, conjure one up if you plan to sit in front of a keyboard and type something to the masses (even if you think you’re only sharing it with a small group of friends). Want to turn off your editor? Pick up the phone or go meet for a beer. Take your unedited self offline. It’s not about pretending to be someone you’re not online, it’s about being SMART about your reputation when you’re online.

What Are You Afraid Of?

I had to ask myself this question when I decided to get on my very first social network, and then again when I decided to start blogging. Fear is not a terribly useful emotion, but it sure can be a rampant one. Education usually overpowers (and quashes) fear. Once I learned about my options and did everything within my power to protect my personal data and set up tools for monitoring my name (and my brand) online, there wasn’t much left to my fears. Hope the same holds true for you so that you can enjoy the rewards of using today’s online technology to strengthen our offline relationships.

Thanks for your time and I urge you not to be afraid, but instead, to be smart online.

A special word of thanks to Cameron Barry and Colleen Hughes for helping me edit, rewrite and (repeatedly) revise this post. I’ve sat on it for many months because it feels like such an overwhelming topic to tackle. I know this post is longer than it should be…frankly, this topic is worthy of a white paper, and if I could find a few more hours in a day, I’d be busy about turning it into one.

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The pressure to post an all-encompassing review/recap of 2009 or a big social media prediction/pronouncement for 2010 was not lost on me.

However I opted to step aside and let it pass me by. (Traffic schmaffic.)

When I look back and consider my time in social media in 2009, it’s not the cool marketing tools I’ve experimented with, the great content that I’ve consumed or even the new business opportunities it has created — it’s with complete humility that this anti-social curmudgeon confesses (with uncharacteristic optimism and utter embarrassment at my public display of “joie de vivre”) it’s the people I’ve met and reconnected with that made my 2009 brighter, more interactive, more professionally rewarding and, even, more entertaining.

So as I look at 2010, I hope to continue to experience all of the spectacular and unexpected side effects social media, social business and social networking put before me each and every day.

We are all of us so much more than the sum of our work and it is the people with whom we work that make the work itself more pleasant…or unpleasant.

Social business provides more consistent, personal and direct access to people we like — people we want to be around and work with — which can bring greater value and meaning to how we spend our workdays.

If you’ve interacted with me here on this blog, on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr, meetup.com, blip.fm, slideshare.net, at a local Panera, at a conference, at a seminar or event, through email, on google wave, by phone, at one of my presentations, on a sailboat or through Social Gets Local… I just want to say thank you.

You have enriched my life — online and off.

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Been waiting for the post where I summarize my experience at TEDx MidAtlantic? The wait is over. You’ll be most impressed, I hope, with how uncharacteristically brief I am in my recap.

TEDx was an inspirational “conference – concert – workshop – performance – therapy.”

That’s it. That’s my recap.

It was simply great to be in a room with so much positive energy floating around in it. I’ll leave the lengthier, more in-depth TEDx reviews to others. If that’s all you’d like to know about TEDx, that’s my very best summation. If you want to see what you missed, click here to view the TEDx MidAtlantic videos. Now I’d like to seamlessly segue into a question:

What inspires you?

After listening to the speakers cover a vast array of topics at TEDx, I felt as though there was absolutely something there for everyone to walk away with…the odds were highly in your favor that someone there said something inspirational at some point in the day with enough gusto to inspire you for weeks to come, so no one had to leave empty-headed…er, handed.

What inspired me?

Simply put, bones and eggs inspired me to get a cow.

My TEDx takeaway turned out to be a fusion of two ideas from two different speakers.

1. Naomi Natale, a TED Fellow, is the founder of a new project titled “One Million Bones.” To me, what was most striking about Ms. Natale’s TEDx talk was that she saw a problem and did something about it. What she’s doing is amazing, and you can read about it here and follow the project on Facebook and Twitter. The connection she created in my mind was instant. She reminded me of how I felt after I read The Translator by Daoud Hari this past summer (I even wrote about its impact on me in a blog post). After reading the book, I felt impotent because I now have all of Hari’s stories in my head (TEDx MidAtlantic was about “The Power of Stories”) and I didn’t see where in my world I would be able to do anything about it. Naomi, however, has found ways to do something about the problems she sees or hears about.  I’m pretty sure that’s what TED — and life — is all about. Doing.
2. Joel Salatin is an organic farmer. Many will remember Mr. Salatin’s TEDx talk for how he described how he helped his chickens achieve their complete “chicken-ness” which then turned into a highly successful agri-business. As it turns out, I raise backyard chickens — Polish crested hens. (Didn’t know that about me, did you?) So I thoroughly enjoyed and understood what he meant when he described the “essence of an egg.” But what I will remember most from his talk is one very simple thing he said that should be on a bumper sticker or T-shirt or something, “If it’s gonna be, it’s up to me.” I like that. It’s a personal call to action and I dig it.

Voila! Together, those ideas gave shape to my TEDx takeaway.

You may not think you can change the world, but I think what matters is that you think you can change your world. Your day to day. Your life experience.

I’m on it. You see, it occurred to me that there are a lot of people who speak at all of the TED events who are busy about changing the world. And thank goodness for them! But that is a tall order: change the world. I mean some days I’m lucky to remember to change the sheets, let alone the world. Now as a rule, I generally like to set “achievable goals” for myself. So here’s what I’m doing with all that TEDx inspiration I soaked up.

I want to buy a cow.

More precisely, I want to facilitate the purchase of a heifer through Heifer International leveraging the power of social media and the inspiration I drew from TEDx MidAtlantic.

I’ll post about this in more detail in a few days as I suspect few people have read this far down into my thought-thread. But here’s the general idea:

100 People, $5 Each, 1 Happy Cow

I plan to use Twitter and Twibbon.com, my blogs, ChipIn and Facebook to spread the word and mooooove (sorry) my little social network community toward a collaborative gift for another little community in the world.

So, thanks Naomi. Thanks Joel. Thanks TEDx MidAtlantic speakers all.

Inspiration is a happy little thing — regardless of whether you’re giving or receiving.

And it need not begin — or end — with a cow. There are people you meet and stories you hear every day that can serve as inspiration — to influence your ideas about your job or your personal life or a goal that you might finally see a path to achieve. Might be a big thing, or it might be a tiny, itty-bitty step in a different direction. What inspires you and what you do with all that inspiration is uniquely yours. With all of the new ways we have of connecting with people these days, it seems one could never run out of inspirational resources.

I say, we milk them for all they’re worth.

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Written by Cameron Barry, senior communications specialist at Strategic Conversations.

The fourth and last Blog Potomac, a social media marketing event organized by Geoff Livingston and Debbie Weil, was held on Friday, October 23. From the time this event was first announced, Livingston had made it clear that it would be his last. Livingston has since announced the sale of his company Livingston Communications to CRT/tanaka and his subsequent plans to take time off before launching a new venture (as yet to be disclosed) later next year.

Geoff Livingston (Flickr photo by: lunaweb)

Livingston further explained in his opening remarks that since the first Blog Potomac was held, the social media community in the D.C. area had become well established and that there were lots of other events to attend. The title of this post, by the way, is taken from the “primer on new media” that Livingston wrote with Brian Solis. Published in 2007, the book is still worth reading.

More of a taste of what was to come was evident from the agenda, which divided the day into two parts:

1. Traditional Social Media Keynotes
2. The Future of Online Media Sessions

Greeting the attendees, Livingston said we were not a “101 crowd,” but for anyone who’s just starting to get their feet wet in social media (and that’s way more than the 100 or so people at BlogPotomac), the idea that we can already consider some of it “traditional” may come as a surprise.

I agree with conference co-organizer Debbie Weil: Social media is not yet widely adopted, but it is widely discussed.

To further this discussion, I’ve organized my review of the conference into seven key takeaways:

1.) Pass the Rhizomes, Please

The day’s first speaker was Beth Kanter, a consultant to non-profits in the area of effective technology use and scholar in residence at the Packard Foundation.

While Kanter’s focus is on non-profits and “movement building,” her approach – working in a networked way, network weaving, creating social cultures within organizations, and transparency – is equally relevant for the private sector.

KEY TAKEAWAY: While for-profit businesses may not be focused on movement building per se, they are (or should be) creating a culture around their brands and fostering connections with and among internal and external communities with shared interests.

Think beyond a blog and the blogging community, Kanter urged, think beyond what technology can do, think beyond what you as an individual can do. Focus instead on “network weaving” to make a culture of creating connections and spreading ideas.

Within an organizational setting, however, this can only be done within a “social” culture where the spread of ideas is supported by open leadership (like rhizomes, which are underground, horizontal stems that send out roots and shoots from their nodes). Transparency doesn’t mean a lack of respect for what’s confidential or violating privacy; it does mean being open to comment or criticism – “being comfortable with discomfort,” as Kanter said. She urged organizations not to view a social culture as one where employees are “wasting time on Facebook,” but rather where the sharing of ideas is seen as beneficial to the cause or brand.

2.) Tools Change, People Remain the Same

Flickr photo by: elstudio (www.elstudio.us)

Shel Israel, author of the newly published Twitterville, was next on the agenda. He says he first realized the power of Twitter in 2008, when he heard about James Buck, a photojournalism student who was arrested in Egypt and subsequently released, largely owing to the efforts of his Twitter network. Shel’s book is about “how businesses can thrive in the new global neighborhoods,” but he gave examples of social media success that went well beyond traditional business, from San Francisco’s BART public transportation system to a village in England that uses Twitter to update residents on weather conditions and school closings far faster than the BBC.

KEY TAKEAWAY: Asked for some ideas about the future, Shel said he thinks we are at the end of the “beginning era” of social media, a period of enormous innovation and disruption that has forced people to do things differently. As the best practices of social media become the norm, we will enter a long steady period of slower growth that may lack the excitement of the early days.

Where will Twitter’s next million users come from? Will Twitter still be around in another year? While these are reasonable questions to ask, the point is more about listening, responding and connecting. The rise of social media has shown us that these are things we all long for because, as Shel said, “the tools change, but people remain the same.”

3. ) Social Gets Mobile

Two very different speakers, Natalia Luckyanova from Imangi Studios and NPR’s Andy Carvin were up next.

Luckyanova’s company develops iPhone games and applications. In such a competitive market, she has to think of ways to get her message out quickly and effectively. Pre-launch publicity is crucial, because after the actual launch, Imangi has just a few hours before the market turns its attention to something else. Not surprisingly, she uses the full range of social media tools to promote her products, from YouTube videos to gaming forums, to encourage connections among players.

KEY TAKEAWAY: According to just about every BlogPotomac speaker, mobile is major, with gaming just one of many uses — some potentially groundbreaking — of this rapidly evolving technology.

4.) It’s Still About Who You Know

Andy Carvin, who describes himself as “NPR’s social media guy,” is also an activist working to bridge the digital divide.

Stephen Ambrose (Flickr photo by: bgrax)

The public can play a role in reporting news, using tools like Twitter that allow people to share information. Stories and details that fall through the cracks are often kept alive using social media channels. However, just as genuine dialogue has become harder to find on increasingly crowded social networks, so too has separating truth from fiction.

The same can certainly be said for traditional media, especially broadcast, which increasingly reports on rumors and then is forced to make corrections. Twitter, Carvin said, can easily start rumors, but it is also a place where rumors go to die.

KEY TAKEAWAY: The issue, as Beth Kanter noted, is knowing whom to trust and that brings us back to the most time-honored connection of all – human relationships.

5.) Social Gets Local

The afternoon’s first speaker, Crayon’s Jane Quigley, turned the discussion to the future in a presentation that focused mostly on the localization of the web.

Ironically, as the “world wide” web continues to grow and change, the excitement most of us felt at having greater access to a larger world is now becoming highly localized. Local, however, can mean anything from using foursquare to explore our neighborhoods, building communities of interest on Ning or using Groupon to drive customers to local businesses.

KEY TAKEAWAY: According to Quigley, social media is dead from an innovator’s standpoint. It’s becoming widely adopted, and in her view tech tools tend to foster shallow relationships. Verticalization and specialization are two trends to keep your eyes on, she said, suggesting, “instead of having more relationships, focus on the depth of those relationships.”

Now, doesn’t @usegraymatter always tell us to get off our duffs and meet each other IRL? (Also see how GrayMatter Minute is working to make sure Social Gets Local in Baltimore-Washington-Annapolis.)

6.) Map It!

Fortius One

Maps, said FortiusOne CEO Sean Gorman, personalize data. As technology and location become more tightly linked, there seems to be no limit to the meaningful things that can happen in the real world. This is especially true of developing countries, where the powerful combination of social media and geo-location has led to improvements in education, agriculture and housing.

KEY TAKEAWAY: In the developed world, where monetizing opportunities abound, the challenge for consumers will be getting smart about privacy versus convenience. As businesses engage in more efficient and effective targeting, at least some of us are going to want tools that help limit constant access to where we are.

I’m directionally illiterate, but I love maps. If you do too, check out FortiusOne’s blog, Off the Map.

7) Local Is Wherever You Are

According to Ning’s Peter Slutsky, the last speaker of the day, the next generation of social media will be social platforms that bring context to people and their interests and passions.

KEY TAKEAWAY: If Facebook connects you to people you know, LinkedIn connects you to professional colleagues and Twitter connects you to real-time news and events, the next generation of media (remember, it’s not “new” media any more) will offer platforms for creating community.

Ning’s research indicates that there is a less than 50 percent overlap between people you know or work with and your interests and passions. In my view, that’s why local can mean more than just your location and what might be nearby; it can mean the neighborhood of cyclists, activists or gardeners that you want to live among.

Ning can be branded, and unlike Facebook you own your data. You can create custom data feeds, and there are already opportunities for monetization in gift stores or using a new virtual gifts platform.

You can find out more at www.ning.com or follow @ning on Twitter.

That’s All Folks

All in all, BlogPotomac offered an inspiring mix of ideas and tools that can help us create, curate and share information that, used to foster connections among real people, could help make the world a better place. So why has Facebook decided to aggregate my news, without asking what I want to see? That seems pretty old media to me.

Cameron Barry, a regular contributor to GrayMatter Minute, is a communications specialist at Strategic Conversations. You can follow her on twitter at @cameronbarry.

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• Final thought on BlogPotomac (socialfish.org)
• Ning Apps Launches on 1.5 Million Social Networks (mashable.com)
• Ning Gets $15 Million for Niche Online Social Networks (jonggunlee.tistory.com)
• Facebook users protest over news feed (guardian.co.uk)

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who voted in the Baltimore Sun’s Mobbie Awards for Maryland’s Outstanding Blogs (and to my “mob,” in particular).

If you are local to the Maryland area and want to find some great local blogs, all of the nominees on the list are worth a peek.

Categories included: foodie, humor, pop culture, music and nightlife, neighborhood, news, politics, sports, Ravens, Orioles, Terps, family, personal, photography, art and DIY, business and technology, as well as a category for those blogs that defy categorization.

I thought this awards event did a great job of raising awareness about Maryland’s local blogs and bloggers. (Hat tip to the brainchild on this at the Sun.) It was great to see people rally around the blogging community here and I was thrilled to discover a few new finds to add to my RSS feed reader.

Congrats to all of the winners in each of the categories and to everyone in the top 10 best overall list.

Click here for a full listing of all Mobbies nominees and here to learn more about “the Social Sun.” Oh, and if you want to check out The Baltimore Sun’s list of news blogs, just click on through… http://www.baltimoresun.com/about/blogs/

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Coming soon…

I’m working on a post about privacy online to address the many, many, many, many questions and concerns people have brought to me over the past few months during presentations I’ve given and subsequent to some of my blog posts. It’s a big topic to tackle — but I’m on the case.

I invite you to send in your “privacy questions” now so I can incorporate them into my article.

In the meantime, I have this pearl of wisdom to share: if you don’t want something made public, don’t post it — EVEN IF you have all of your “privacy settings” on lock down on any given site or social platform. That’s just one woman’s opinion, but it’s a good preemptive privacy policy, no?

I’m going to take a closer look at the laws, the culture, and the best practices so that, together, we can figure out how to maneuver comfortably in the transparent, social online world without losing our individual senses of privacy.

Until then…

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the launch of GrayMatter Minute. Just another day to many, but a milestone to little old me. First up is a thank you to everyone who has supported me, from my original designer to my blog programming gurus to my virtual mentors, influencers, subscribers, Twitter pals, guest posters, commenters, linkers, proofers, interviewees and other participants.

You are one rockin’ community.

This blog is focused on social media, yes…but I’ve come to realize more and more that it’s really about time — my time, your time, our collective time using social tools to communicate with each other.

So what has the year taught me about time? About blogging? About social media?

Let’s start with time:

1. It flies. I try to make the most of it by doing what I enjoy doing whenever and as often I can – at work and at play.
2. If you think there’s a faster way to do something online, there probably is — just ask someone. (Wish this had occurred to me sooner.) Or simply google it…anything you want to know is only ever just a few clicks away.
3. Social media and social technology, when used properly and with discipline, can maximize your time in 1,000 different ways, personally and professionally. But you’ve got to be willing to accommodate the time it takes for the learning curve to run its course.

What have I learned about blogging?

1. It’s bleepin’ hard (because it’s so time-consuming).
2. It’s an amazing creative outlet.
3. It’s a great way to meet new people and learn new things. I’m doing what I can to share this part of my experience through my Social Gets Local (social media case study) directory, which remains immensely important to me, even as I struggle to find the time to work on it.

And what pearls of wisdom can I share about social media as it has evolved all around me over the course of the past year?

photo by Michael Dawes via Flickr

1. Input equals output. Period. If you’re not getting anything out of your time in social media, then you either need a quick lesson on a few basic tools (you surely know someone you can ask!) or you’re simply not putting the time/effort into it. At the end of the day, what is it all about? What’s in it for you? Information. Education. (Which is why my Social Media RESOURCES page is the most visited page on my blog — people love learning new things, my list just makes finding what they want to know a bit easier.) If you have the right disposition, then you’ll earn new friendships and business connections, too. But at the very least, there is something to be learned on the social webs. Every day. I kid you not. And that’s just if you’re a regular civilian! If you’re in marketing, then it’s like being in the green room of a great wave that never closes out. Now if you’re a business owner and you haven’t dipped your toe in the water, I’m telling you, you’re missing the “opportunity boat” altogether.
2. We learn the most from our mistakes. In this case, I owe Mr. Peter Kim a thank you, (a humble and sincere thank you), for unknowingly teaching me an important online life lesson through the course of 1 tweet, 1 email and 1 phone call — lessons that have stayed with me and guided my personal social media policies and best practices ever since. Through his blog, he is also responsible for shifting my approach and thinking about social media toward social business. As a marketer, this idea remains critical to leading with and leveraging the power of the social technologies currently being developed.
3. Go online to get offline. It’s not about sitting in front of your computer every day, posting what you had for lunch to your Twitter account. The point is to move your conversations offline. Get out and about on your terms. Social media has led me to attend some great events, like the Ignite Events. (These are not your grandfather’s networking events. They’re the most fun I’ve ever had in a room full of strangers…well, unless I count that hostel in Budapest — but that’s another story altogether.) BlogPotomac was also fantastic. And, if you haven’t heard, TED is coming to Baltimore. This is HUGE! (Thanks for the head’s up Mr. D.) Because of social media, “networking” has been forever redefined for me and the bar has been irrevocably raised for “networking events” in general. The “cold call” is dead (with the social tools available to you today, you can warm almost any lead or call effectively) and the content and appeal of a networking event truly needs to skyrocket past the quality of the venue and/or the hors d’oeuvres.

It just keeps getting better.

This blog has been a remarkable tool for me, for my business, for my creativity and for networking on my terms. I have been empowered. And I love giving talks and presentations (something I would not have even considered before I started this blog) because I love watching that glimmer of empowerment light up in someone else’s eyes. When I share what I have learned with others, be it businesses or individuals, I am not ever pitching to do the work for anyone…rather, I’m teaching other people to do the work for themselves. THAT has been the biggest reward this blog has brought to my life.

With your valued support, I look forward to continuing to expand my gray matter in the years to come.

Naturally, I don’t think Social Media is a fad anymore than the telephone, the fax machine or email. The communication tools and platforms (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) we use may evolve and change but the concept of social connectivity that is “social media” is here to stay.

Rise Up Right-Brain Thinkers!

The fact is, we are still in the very early stages of a period of virtually unfettered creativity in how we communicate — whether it’s with friends and/or business prospects. Opportunity is everywhere and accessibility is only increasing via the Internet. I’ve been reading a book that, astride the following video (below), make for a compelling look at the future for creative, right-brain thinkers…A Whole New Mind, by Daniel Pink (Audible.com link, Amazon.com link). And while I know there are many people struggling right now with unemployment rates so high, I also know many people who are seizing this very moment in their lives to reinvent themselves by way of reinventing their career identities by engaging their right-brain thinking.

The Right-Brain Revolution Is On!

It is with that spirit of optimism and opportunity that I post today’s FileShare, “Social Media Revolution.”

If you are unable to view the image above, you can watch the video on YouTube. Here’s a link to the original Socialnomics blog post which provides sources for the stats in the video. Shout out to Kyle Lacy who featured the stats from this video in his recent blog post. If you’re not a subscriber of Kyle’s blog, I highly recommend it for high-quality content if you’re interested in social media for business.

Are you a left-brain thinker or a right-brain thinker?

Here’s a fun little test to see which hemisphere of your brain is more dominant (source: The Herald Sun).

The Right Brain vs Left Brain Test

Do you see the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise?

If clockwise, then you use more of the right side of the brain and vice versa. Most of us would see the dancer turning anti-clockwise though you can try to focus and change the direction; see if you can do it.

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS	RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses logic detail oriented facts rule words and language present and past math and science can comprehend knowing acknowledges order/pattern perception knows object name reality based forms strategies practical safe	uses feeling “big picture” oriented imagination rules symbols and images present and future philosophy & religion can “get it” (i.e. meaning) believes appreciates spatial perception knows object function fantasy based presents possibilities impetuous risk taking

I’m back. Did ya miss me? (Don’t answer that.) Been off the blog for almost 30 days.

Where did the time go?

Well, I’ll tell you. I was still plugged in, but to a bunch of new stuff…spent some time exploring tools and technology I hadn’t before so as to expand my social repertoire. I invite you to walk with me for a minute to see where I’ve been, in case you’d like to go a-wanderin’, too.

Sailing Out Of Twitter
Would you believe I have Twitter to thank for reconnecting me to a love of sailing that I lost track of more than a decade ago? A Twitter contact put the idea back in my head. And, as these things do, the cosmic connections started to stir around me. Twitter sailors started popping up everywhere, and the next thing I knew I was back on a boat trying to remember my topping lift from my twing. Because of Twitter, I rediscovered a little piece of me I thought was gone forever. Cool, huh? (And people think it’s just full of people talking about what they ate for lunch.) And then…

CafePress
I needed a red shirt to wear for the next sailing race. So I figured, why not get one with the name of the sailing team with whom I was racing on the front pocket? Of course I’ve known about CafePress for quite some time, bought from it and recommended it, but I wanted to figure out how it worked from a creator’s standpoint. So I set up my own storefronts at www.cafepress.com/GrayMatterPress and www.cafepress.com/GrayPicturesLLC for no other reason than because I could. And then…

A Very Social Snow Cone
As serendipity would have it, I got together with an old friend and fellow entrepreneur to chat about life and biz and sailing-thanks-to-Twitter, and before I had finished my snow cone (coconut flavor with marshmallow in the middle), she had decided to start a new networking group and a blog to boot. The first event she hosted was a smashing success. It is my pleasure to introduce www.FreeBirdsUnited.com/blog, a blog for women entrepreneurs. (Go Betty, go!) As I scraped the marshmallow from the bottom of my cup, I suggested she set up a store at CafePress (having just done so myself), so we could buy FreeBird stuff to showcase our affiliation. And then…

Flip Mino HD
I thought I should go back in and actually add some products to my stores on CafePress, and that’s when I saw that you can put your logo on those cool little flip mino HD digital video cameras. So, naturally, I did. Then I bought one. And then…

YouTube
With my hot little (branded) flip mino HD cam in hand, I realized how easy it would be to shoot and post something to YouTube. So I did that, too. And it was fun. Fun, I tell you. So much fun that I decided I could have even more fun if I had a little something (and I do mean “little”) to sail myself, from which I could shoot more fun stuff. And then…

Craigslist
As with all other things in my world, I realize that hands-on experience (whether you’re building a blog or sailing a boat) is the best kind. I was always a bit of an eBay snob, but search results for little sailboats kept churning up Craigslist links (anyone who has heard me talk about social media, has heard me talk about the power of “search”…this being a case in point). And, it turns out, I ended up having a very positive Craigslist experience. Saw a good listing, chatted with the seller by phone, met him and then bought a little tiny itty-bitty Sunfish.  And then…

Audible.com
I had to go pick up the little itty-bitty boat, so I downloaded a book — a memoir — to my iPod to listen to on the drive that broke my heart and reminded me, yet again, that life is short and every day is a gift. It also reminded me that you never know where new connections may take place or where those connections may take you. It’s hard to put the power of this book in the context of anything else because it tells a story that is more important than anything I will ever say or do in my lifetime. I will carry it with me in my mind forever, count my blessings and continue on…

Facebook
I then posted a wall-to-wall “thank you” to the friend who recommended the abovementioned book, and then I joined a few sailing groups on Facebook in case I have questions while fixing up my little Sunfish. I also connected with the new sailors I have met racing so we can stay in touch on shore, virtually speaking. Facebook has helped me get to know each of them a bit better beyond our chatter between tacking and jibing. And then…

I realized it’s been a month since I posted to GrayMatter Minute!

So as I settle back down into blog business, I’m looking forward to refocusing my efforts on Social Gets Local, where I am sharing case studies about how local Baltimore-Washington-Annapolis area businesses are using social media successfully. (Ping me if you’d like to be added to the directory.)

Why do I think any of you care about what I’ve been doing over the past 30 days?

Well, I don’t. However, I do think my adventure presents an interesting example of how social media connections you make online can move offline and then back online again and take you to places you might not otherwise have traveled.

Meet online. Move offline. Maintain your network.

Technology doesn’t have to be overwhelming or all-consuming. It’s what you make it. All of these social tools are there to make it easier for you to connect to the things that matter to you — from business to blogging to boating to books or whatever moves your needle. I LOVE being plugged in because doors keep opening all around me. So if you aren’t getting anything out of Twitter or you think Facebook is stupid (and that’s cool if you do…it’s your dime), I just want to suggest that if you explore them in earnest you can learn a lot about whatever you want.

I was in this for the FYI, not the ROI.

We’re each the skipper of our own little boat and that can be rather empowering. I’ll save the “ROI of Social Media” discussions for Social Gets Local. In this post, I just wanted to make the point that when you make the investment in filling your own social sails, you may be surprised (and delighted) to see where the wind might take you.

Sometimes the journey itself is the destination — and the reward.

No time for social media? Not interested? Overwhelmed? Think it’s a fad? Too busy? Prefer not to be “friended”? Nothin’ to tweet?

I’ve heard it all.

And I’m not here to convince you otherwise unless you ask me to…so feel free to sidestep social media if you’d like, but there’s a 3-step strategy that anyone who has a name, social security number, personal or professional interest, and a resume should know.

These are 3 simple steps that will keep you in step with “the latest technology,” even if you want to sidestep social media.

I always bring these three things up when I speak to a group about anything that’s going on online, and the pens/pencils always come out. (Oh, who am I kidding? No one uses pencils anymore.) These are pearls of Web 2.0 wisdom folks, three easy essentials that will cover you on the basics until you accept the power of social technology into your hearts and minds (and businesses).

1. MONITOR: Set up Google Alerts. This is so easy; I almost didn’t include it but for the fact that it always surprises me how many people haven’t done it. If you want to be alerted ANYTIME your name (or your family members’ names or any other keywords that are important to your personal security or professional development) is published online, anywhere in the world, set up an “alert” using Google’s FREE Google Alerts tool and you’ll get an email notification. THE QUESTION: I have been asked, “Why would I want to know when my name is published?” THE ANSWER: My response is always the same, why wouldn’t you? Always a good idea to do regular vanity searches by googling yourself so you can see what other people would see if they googled you, but even better to set up an automated system to alert you and keep you informed and aware of your digital trail. (And these days, we ALL have a digital trail.) While you’re at it, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have some kind of identity fraud protection on your SSN. It would cost less per month than what you might spend at Starbucks and delivers peace of mind without the caffeine.
2. MANAGE: Set up an RSS feed reader. I’ve talked about this before. I even put together a handy “how to set up an RSS feed reader” step-by-step guide that you can download for free. Gratis. That’s how much this means to me. It’s my little gift to you. THE QUESTION: How do you get the information that interests you most? THE ANSWER: You do an online search. Everything is about SEARCH these days. THE NEXT QUESTION: Are you controlling the flow of information in your life or are you overwhelmed by noise, a slave to pages and pages of search results? THE REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION: Do you only seek information when you need it, or have you set up an RSS feed reader so the information you desire most comes to you AUTOMATICALLY and is thus available to you to peruse or share at your convenience? THE DRIVE-MY-POINT-HOME QUESTION: In the Web 2.0 world of information overload, are you a victim of the volume or in control of your content consumption? THE EASY ANSWER TO ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS: Manage the content, kids — set up an RSS feed reader and live a happier online existence.
3. MAINTAIN: Set up your LinkedIn profile. Got a phone? Got email? How about a job or a desire to have a job? THE QUESTION: How can you have all of that and not have a LinkedIn profile set up in the year 2009? THE ANSWER: Sorry, but you’re going to have to tell me the answer because I cannot come up with one! I’m not saying LinkedIn will revolutionize your life, but gee-whiz, it sure can serve to make your life easier. (Yes, I still say “gee-whiz.”) There are lots of ways to use LinkedIn. Use it as an online, access-from-anywhere Rolodex of contacts; use it as an online resume you can refer people to quickly and simply; and use it to throw your hat in the virtual ring because people who you liked once upon a time and lost track of might love to send some business your way. You don’t have to post status updates if you don’t want to in this space. (Though it is recommended.) You don’t have to post photos of your kids. You don’t have to connect with anyone with whom you don’t wish to connect. You don’t have to post what you ate for lunch on anyone’s “wall.” You don’t have to tweet anything. But you do have to be there and properly maintain your presence and your profile. It’s your online “web cred” and, all things considered, it’s pretty low maintenance. Seriously, not being there is like going to a meeting without a business card. You can sidestep Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed, YouTube, etc., but I can’t figure out why one would opt out of LinkedIn if you’re in business. IF someone looks for you there for professional purposes and you’re not there, you miss the chance to make or enhance an impression. Being there is one more way to make it easier for business contacts to reach you if they haven’t seen you in a while or refer you to people within their networks in a few simple clicks. How is this a bad idea? I don’t see LinkedIn as being about social media as much as I see it as being about good business. Furthermore, should you ever find yourself in a position of needing to change jobs, LinkedIn ensures your network is quite literally at your fingertips. The big question here is: what impression do you think it leaves on prospects if you’re not on LinkedIn?

These are technology basics that EVERYONE in these curious times should consider, IMHO.

You can snub the social media mania for a while longer, if you’d like. As it was with the telephone and email, new communication tools are scary to some folks, and I’m down with that. But I swear by my Technology 3-Step.

Monitor, Manage, Maintain. It’s the very least you can do — for you.

Not literally. Figuratively, of course.

The fact is, I don’t get out much during the week. Monday through Friday is a tumbler of parenting, working full time, managing two businesses, running a household and maintaining our zoo of domesticated animals.

So when I do venture out, I have incredibly high expectations.

Repeatedly, Ignite Baltimore has delivered, as has Ignite DC. And I’m counting on nothing less than total satisfaction from Ignite Annapolis (now in early planning stages).

The palpable energy at these events lights me up every time.

Haven’t been to an Ignite event? Let me quickly tell you what it is: a cross between a stage performance, networking event, block party, lecture series, improv show and a local mixer. More specifically, it’s a collection of 15 or so people from any given city, each allotted 5 minutes on stage with 20 slides behind them that are automatically rotated every 15 seconds, ready or not.

Who are the speakers?

Every man and every woman. Artists, technologists, thinkers, entrepreneurs, employees, personalities, professionals, unprofessionals and students, to name a few – and all of them brave enough to stand up in front of the Baltimore-DC-Annapolis-Etc. communities and share something.

Ignite events (started in Seattle in 2006 by Brady Forrest and Bre Pettis) are the most valuable organized events I’ve ever attended, professionally speaking. I’ve been to three and walked away from each equally energized and entertained by people who weren’t trying to sell me anything, but just had something cool to share.

It’s NOT all about social media – it IS all about your local community.

While the local Twitter population came out in force, there were plenty of non-twitterers amidst the presenters and spectators at the Ignite events I’ve attended. It’s amazing to have the chance to see what other people in the community are doing as opposed to hearing what someone is pitching, proposing, or otherwise “pushing.” These events are absolutely about sharing interests and ideas. They also avoid the awkwardness that can occur at more traditional “forced networking” events (you know, the ones that start with “Hello My Name Is…” badges and end with a pocketful of business cards that you’re unlikely to follow up on).

For example, I was fascinated at Ignite Baltimore #3 last week to learn about “The Archimedes Palimpsest,” now on loan at The Walters Art Museum, from Curator of Manuscripts, Will Noel. The guy and the topic that ignites him were fascinating. And Matt Castner, a blogger and recent college grad made “the case for being a generalist” with a polished, practiced and perfect delivery that also included one of the best impromptu and spontaneous laughs of the night. Jim Kucher, Melody Hildebrandt and Peter Corbett dazzled in their ideasharing about capitalism, the bailout-free web and crappy web apps (respectively), Amanda Schwarz has me rethinking my relationship with tea (black, green, oolong and herbal!), Debra Rubino encouraged me to do more eavesdropping, and Anne Draddy forever changed the way I’ll look at the tree canopy in downtown Baltimore.

It was a pot-luck of information and entertainment.

And it was an absolute delight to be exposed to such bright and interesting people in such a unique and lively format. Even the most “offbeat” presentation of the night was interesting in its, well, “offbeatness.”

Tickets are free. And you can do as much or as little actual socializing as you want.

To learn more about the Ignite event in your area, visit ignite.oreilly.com or wikipedia. Find out if your city has one and by all means give attendance some serious consideration. DEFINITELY worth your time, IMHO.

Local to me? Check out:

• Ignite Baltimore (Next event on 10/22 at The Walters)
• Ignite DC
• Ignite Annapolis
• Ignite Philly
• Ignite Wilmington

You can follow Ignite events on Twitter, as well:

• @IgniteBaltimore
• @IgniteDC
• @IgniteAnnapolis
• @IgnitePhilly
• @IgniteWilm

Oftentimes these events are webcast live, in case the workload, laundry and litter box keep you housebound. Just check their respective websites for the deets.

Bottom line? Ignite events are good for anyone’s gray matter.

I appreciate inspiration wherever I find it – I bring the energy from Ignite events right back into my work, into my personal interests and into my creative pursuits. So I want to issue a formal thank you to Mike Subelsky and Patti Chan, Ignite Baltimore co-founders, for lighting things up for all of those attending the event on June 25.

I look forward to getting lit again…hope I’ve adequately communicated why I think you should, too!

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• Ignite YouTube Channel (Best of Ignites from around the world)

On Friday, June 12, I attended BlogPotomac, in Falls Church, Virginia. BlogPotomac is a social media marketing event held for the greater Washington, D.C. community. Attendees enjoy a one-day event with nationally renowned speakers and advanced discussion of best social media marketing practices.

Thought I’d share my top five takeaways from the day.

1. It’s Not About The Technology.

Scott Monty, head of social media at Ford (and on twitter @scottmonty), spoke in the morning and this particular statement of his turned out to be highly “tweetable.” He talked about how social media is not about any given technology, but about a culture shift. It’s a shift we watched take place when the telephone entered the business world and then again when email entered our every day experiences. To paraphrase, technology, he said, will continue to evolve and change; it’s merely a tool to facilitate conversation and an opportunity to leverage more communication channels.

2. If The Leadership Doesn’t “Get It,” Don’t “Get In It.”

This one’s a Scott Monty paraphrase, as well. Bottom line? His success in social media at Ford is owing to the commitment of the company’s leadership to “listen” and “become a better company.” He’s not online “to sell cars” but to build a reputation. He was very clear that he could not have accomplished all that he has without the absolute support and backing of Ford’s leadership. (To read more on this, visit: Buzzcast #71: Scott Monty / Ford Motor Company (Video) and Scott Monty, Ford’s Agent of Change or simply google scott monty and settle in for some good biz-reading.)

3. Don’t Fear Negative Comments; Trust Your Community.

Can I help it if Scott Monty said so much good stuff? His point here? Know when it’s appropriate to respond to negative comments and when it’s not. Once you’ve built a community, you will see that when someone says something negative or untrue about you (or your brand), your community will oftentimes step up and respond for you to set the record straight (because you’ve taken the time and effort to build those positive relationships). I would append to this a comment from the next speaker at BlogPotomac, Liz Strauss. Liz is on twitter @lizstrauss and she blogs at LizStrauss.com. I tweeted at the event that Liz was worth the price of admission. To this end, she made the point that it’s easier “to trust” when you know who you are as an individual and a business. As a small business owner, I get this. And I’ve watched companies (and individuals) with a strong “sense of self” make a smooth transition into the social webs, so the point was well taken. Liz drove it home by adding that “social” should be INTERNAL, first. That is, “you can’t be truly social with customers if you’re not an open-conversation company on the inside.” Think on this one for a sec: Is your company social internally? Is there a strong communication and relationship-building effort between employer and employee? It’s a GREAT question and has never been more timely. (And it speaks to a company’s cultural preparedness to engage in the broader culture shift that social media is ushering in.)

4. Do You Need To Get On An Airplane, Or Get On Twitter?

Well, it doesn’t have to be twitter…it could be a video phone, skype, email, or any other tool. (It’s not about the technology!) At BlogPotomac, Liz Strauss reminded us all that “you don’t lead with the tools, you lead with the relationship.” With social media, you can build those relationships in a handful of different ways these days. (Whereas 10 years ago, you might have had to get on a plane, repeatedly, to build a quality relationship, you can often do more online these days to reduce the time you spend flying the friendly skies.) No one is saying the vis-à-vis isn’t of value, but the virtual can do a heck of a lot for you in between those meetings, if you use it appropriately. If this statement doesn’t resonate with you, then you might ask yourself how you use the telephone or email to build, maintain and support relationships (they’re “virtual,” too) and consider that social media offers similar opportunities to “connect.” If it feels unfamiliar, it’s only a matter of spending the time to learn how to use them well to pull – and push – value.

5. You Don’t Own Your Reputation.

Okay. I like this one. So the same thing we say about a company’s brand can be said about your own reputation. What do we say? Well, we say that “you don’t own a brand, you earn a brand.” So, too, with your reputation. YOU don’t define your reputation – your COMMUNITY/NETWORK does. You know who you are and you live it. They affirm and share it. This was the topic of discussion when Amber Naslund (who works for Radian6, blogs at Altitude Branding and is building her reputation @AmberCadabra) and Aaron Brazell (a.k.a. @technosailor, blogging at technosailor.com) took the stage. Fascinating stuff to consider. Brands are managed by businesses, but “controlled” by customers. To this end, you can’t control what gets put out there about you. You can only do what you do and do it well. The reputation follows. I focused on this portion of the dialogue, though much time was also spent on the notion of “personal branding,” as well as the balance between the personal and the professional brand. To me, it all goes back to reputation – whether you’re a business or an individual working on building relationships – all you can do is be your best you, every day. (Oh, and if you don’t want something showing up online, don’t put it there!)

Blog on!

Thanks to Geoff Livingston for a putting on a really great BlogPotomac. If you missed it, there will be another held in October. I think I heard October 23rd, but you should check the official website for official deets.

One final thought for business leaders and marketing veeps…

When you consider that you “allow” employees to communicate with clients on the phone and via email every single day, “allowing” them to communicate on the social webs (with best practices guidelines in place, of course) is simply a matter of evolving and extending your trust in your employees. An inappropriate email could easily be made public and a phone conversation could be easily converted to an mp3 and posted online for all the world to hear. Employees don’t do those things (typically) because most don’t set out to betray the trust of the company that employs them – or jeopardize their own reputations.

If “fear” feels like a barrier to social media, remember that businesses once feared email and, before that, the telephone. It’s simply not about the technology, it’s about trust and reputation. Social media is giving us all an opportunity to examine and extend the reach of both.

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Give a listen to this commencement speech given at Tulane University’s 2009 graduation. Why? Because it’s about taking chances. It’s about being true to yourself…being who you are, no matter who that is. It’s about not knowing, trusting and leaps of faith. It’s about passion. It’s about fear, overcoming fear and embracing personal freedom. It’s about success and failure and success again. It’s about what we all do every day: we take chances. And if we don’t, it’s about why we should.

Live every minute of your life with intention and share a laugh whenever you can.

Congrats to the graduating classes of 2009 and the parents who believe in you.

(NOTE: YouTube has pulled the video, however you can listen to the audio version at http://www.entertonement.com/clips/wfxbjlpnnh–Ellen-DeGeneres-Commencement-Speech-at-Tulane-University )

Tiffany Thomas Smith, who works in the strategic communications and public affairs unit of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, has enthusiastically taken on the challenge of introducing social media to one of the nation’s largest and most respected philanthropies.

In this (very first) “Social Gets Local” post, an interview with GrayMatter Minute contributor @cameronbarry, she shares the successes and challenges of adapting new communications tools in an organization with a social mission.

Q: How has social media impacted your marketing efforts?
A: The biggest change we’ve seen to date is in public relations.  Social media is where the journalists are. Sites like Twitter and Facebook are the new bridge to our media contacts and the answer to the question of what’s the best way to get in touch with them.  They also give us insights into the stories that journalists are talking about and covering. However, we’re about to launch a new social media campaign that I think is really going to change the way we communicate.

Q: What social media tool do you use the most?
A: Twitter, where I have both my own account and one for the Foundation.  We also have a Facebook page and I’ve been working with my colleagues on the benefits of using LinkedIn, but between listening and posting and answering questions about what it is and why my colleagues should care about it, Twitter definitely gets most of my attention.

Q: How much time each day do you spend using Twitter?
A: I worked with our IT department to install Twhirl on my desktop. Since then, I’ve been able to keep an eye on our accounts and post or respond quickly.  I can’t put an exact amount of time on it because it’s always kind of a low hum in the background.

Q: Do you consider your time on Twitter “time well spent?”
A: That’s a lot like asking a PR person if there’s a value in building a relationship with a reporter if the story you pitch doesn’t come out right away.  In other words, yes, especially in maintaining and managing relationships with journalists.  The Foundation tends to keep a low profile and now, because I’m in regular communication with reporters, they remember us.  We don’t have to constantly restart the conversation every time we have a story to share. In the area of policy and communications strategy, we see more and more members of Congress using social media to take the pulse of their constituencies.  They’ve discovered that there’s more than one way to have a conversation and maintain relationships and we’re going to be taking a look at social media from the policy perspective as well.

Q: Is the leadership of your organization supportive of your use of social media?
A: They are supportive and curious.  All foundations are on information overload, but as tools like Twitter get more and more mainstream media coverage, our leadership is realizing that we have to make an investment in learning about how to make good use of these tools to engage with all of our audiences.

Q: Do your colleagues use social media?  How and in what ways?
A: Yes.  In addition to the basic networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, we’re also using social media to help our grantees across the country stay in touch with each other.  The Foundation awards grants to address specific issues and our grantees have been asking for help in setting up their own smaller social networks.  We use ning, an online platform for creating, customizing and sharing your own social networks.

Q: How are you gauging “ROI?”
A: Right now, we’re being modest, but we’re getting smarter as fast as we can.  We’re still evaluating what success means, but we’re tracking how often bloggers write about us and how many tweets we get and of course, our website traffic. Our new social media campaign is going to give us a much clearer idea of how we can make social media engagement work for us.

Q: How is social media working for you on the…
Local level?
A: Our success is most visible locally, probably because I’m here in Baltimore.  I can see our message getting out via local channels, I hear from our grantees, the media can see our local programs at work….
Regional level?
A: We have offices in several cities around the country and from our headquarters here in Baltimore, we view a regional rollout of our social media efforts as a next step.  We’re going to take what we’ve learned here and share it with our offices in Atlanta, Seattle and New Haven so they can use social media to support their efforts.
National level?
A: Nationally, there’s a lot of internal recognition for our efforts, but extending our social media efforts nationwide is still a goal.

Q: What would you say to other area philanthropies about social media?
A: I would say that social media engagement is totally worth the effort if you’re willing to take the time to build relationships.  Social media is great for taking the pulse of what people are talking about, thinking about and listening to. It’s easy to get insulated – we all have a tendency to think that because we want to say something, people want to listen, but that’s not always the case.  Social media encourages you to listen and it gives you the quickest return on being a good listener.

Q: What question do you have about social media that you’d like to ask your local community?
A: I go right back to the question of ROI.  Even with the phenomenal growth of social media, how are folks out there figuring out when it’s worth doing?

Click here if you’d like to be a part of Social Gets Local, a FREE local directory supporting businesses located in Baltimore, Washington DC and Annapolis that are using social media effectively.

Content. It’s everywhere. Tons of it. Anytime you open your web browser, you are opening a virtual vortex.

You search. You learn. You connect. You are in control of your Internet adventure and you can type, click and link your way to anywhere. Sometimes you know where you want to go and sometimes you happen upon an new place after following an unexpected trail of clickthroughs.

The networking possibilities online are mind-numbing. The educational opportunities,  abundant. The chance to make quality connections simply rests in HOW you consume, manage and distribute content. Period.

There is so much information out there…you can truly get lost in it.

Or…you can do your best to manage it.

As the Internet grows and new content is published at incomprehensible volumes, how on Earth can you maximize your Internet experience—and your time? I think it all starts with a 3-step approach.

1. Search. EVERYTHING online comes down to search. That is, it’s all about how you find things and how you can optimize your own content so it can be found easily. There are search tools for everything. Use them. Want a list? Start here.
2. RSS. You guys, I’m telling you…this is the secret sauce to content management. If you do not know what an RSS feed is or if you DO NOT HAVE AN RSS FEED READER, PLEASE learn what it is and how to use it TODAY. Information is currency…whoever finds the best information (and shares it) WINS on so many levels. Find good content, automate its delivery, organize it and distribute it to your network. How? RSS. It takes WAAAAAAY less time than you think, if you take the time to learn how to use it. Speaking of your network, this brings me to my third key to being your own best content manager….
3. Networks/Communities. Still poo-poo the “social media craze?” Be my guest. But what good is having information if you don’t USE it. Write a book, tell a story, pass on a bad joke…whatever. The point is, you distribute content, somewhere and somehow. Every day. You know people – online and offline – you are connected to people. When you have a phone call to chat…there’s content in that call. When you send an email…again, you’ve created new content. When you have a face-to-face chat, your conversation is content. So, you see, you’ve been managing content your entire life – sharing it with your friends, family, coworkers…um…you know, your social circles. You don’t have to “join” a community, because you’re already part of one, or two or three. The question is, how are you managing the sharing of that content with those communities and how much time does it take you. You add an Internet connection to all of the content you were creating and sharing anyway, and you are suddenly positioned to share more content with more people in less time.

This all seems obvious, right?

Well if it were, I wouldn’t STILL be having discussions with people about why I don’t think twitter is stupid and why facebook is about so much more than “information I don’t care about from people I’m not really friends with…” Baloney, I say. I don’t care if you think twitter is a waste of time or if facebook is juvenile. You can use them or not. The fact is, if you have an Internet connection, you consciously or subconsciously manage the content you consume online in one way or another.

So pick your platform(s) – online or offline – and pay attention to managing your time and your content.

Doesn’t matter how you communicate, as far as I’m concerned. But recognize this: the web has put the power of information into the hands of anyone with an Internet connection. There’s content all around you. Do you feel overwhelmed? Or empowered? If you’re dismissive of “social media,” could it be because it overwhelms you? It doesn’t have to…just remember it’s all about three things, IMHO: 1) Search and the tools that enable quality search, 2) RSS automation, and 3) Sharing your content with your network.

Social Media is a contact sport. Get in the game and find out what’s behind door #3. You have nothing to lose…except some really great content.

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Image via Wikipedia

They’re not at odds. Nor are they even.

Differentiating between Corporate versus Small Business social usability may seem obvious to the trailblazers of Web 2.0 and the social media sphere, but it was a bit of an Oh 2.0 epiphany for me.

Lions, Tigers and Scales. Oh my!

“Does it scale? Does it scale?” Walk into a conference-room conversation about social media and the question of scale is bound to pop up. But what exactly does “does it scale” mean? Simply put, it’s a question of how a company (or an individual, for that matter) personalizes interaction with large-scale (tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands or millions) “fans,” “followers,” “friends,” “visitors,” “commenters,” etc. It’s a fundamental challenge in social media. I mean, how can you possibly keep up with that many conversations?

Well, that’s what the big companies are asking when they talk about “scale” in social media.

And it’s a great question, which I’d like to follow with another: Does social media scale a bit easier for small businesses because they’re a little lighter on their feet and better positioned to move/react more quickly? That is, if you’re a large corporation, with a national or international presence, the question of scale and how you can build 1:1 relationships with ever-growing audiences remains a weighty one, if you’ll allow me the pun. But if you’re a small business, do you have an edge maneuvering around in the socialspheres?

Small Business + Social Media = Perfect Scale?

I’d like to say I’ve done the math, but I don’t do math. So what I’m suggesting here, is that the smaller size of a small business, in comparison to larger corporations, enables more scaled down and targeted local (or even regional) efforts. I don’t want to suggest that it’s an easy or effortless process, but I truly believe that it’s refreshingly manageable when you can make a move without it requiring the approval of multiple departments or a Board of Directors.

Leverage your smaller size to build a more manageable community.

C’mon! This is exciting, no? Social media is something you can get your head (and your small business) around with a few less worries than the Fortune 500 folks. That’s something to feel good about in these trying economic times! You’re a small business. You’re nimble. You’re quick. You don’t own any red tape. It’s you and your customers. Oh, and your passion, (fantastically pre-built into most small businesses). Okay, now you’re all socially psyched. So what’s next?

Here’s my shortlist of small business social action steps.

1. You need to start with a strategic plan. Need help? Someone you know in your local community is surely über-motivated about social media. Find that person. Talk to her about what you want to do. (I might know a gal…)
2. Assess your current social presence and those of your competitors. Again, not sure how? Ask me. I know people. Heck, start with a good ol’ fashioned google search.
3. Identify your goals and objectives in entering the socialsphere. Not sure what they are? Hire someone to help you. Seriously. Do it right from the beginning. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to muck things up along the way…but at least get off to a good, solid, running start.
4. Do your homework! Find the right dot-com platform(s) by taking a look at them. Spend some TIME in the space. This isn’t for fun…this is for your business. (It’s just another plus that you’re likely to find it fun.) Check out twitter, linkedin and facebook for starters. Pick one or two to get your feet wet. Put your business hat on. Listen to the conversations taking place. Figure out how each space can work for your business before you start posting.
5. Set yourself up properly when you open up an account. Build solid profiles – if you write yourself a bio, give it some serious thought. Impressions are made quickly online. Be professional. Protect your brand. But, by all means, be you.
6. Identify your target audience within each platform. Use search tools to find the right people. (My Resources page offers a solid list of Twitter tools…just scroll to the bottom and take your pick.)
7. Engage and respond. Don’t be a lurker for long.
8. Learn, (MEASURE!), adjust and grow your network. Move those online conversations offline!
9. Do not be afraid to try.
10. Do not be afraid to try again.

    

    Image by edkohler

When your corporate ladder is a stepstool, it’s easier to make the move into social media.

I know I’m speaking in general terms here about “small business.” So let’s be clear: There’s nothing in social media that is “off the shelf.” No matter what size your business is, you still need to customize anything and everything you do to fit your brand, your products and services, as well as your employees, whose participation you may well want to enlist. Chances are they’re already engaged in the social Interwebs and might be able to bring some valuable intelligence to the conference room table.

Still not sure social media is for you? Or unclear about what it can do? Well, I’m on the case…

With the gracious help of @cameronbarry, I’m preparing a “Social Gets Local” directory of small business social media success stories. Any small business in the Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington, D.C. areas that wants to participate can share its social media success story in a quick interview that we’ll then turn into a blog post here on GrayMatter Minute. Meanwhile, I’ll compile all of these local case studies into a directory that should prove to be a really great tool for all of us to reference as we build our online communities.

If you’d like to participate, please click here to learn more or contact me on LinkedIn or Twitter. I’d love to talk with you and hear your story. Because I think any small business that’s made the leap into new media, deserves BIG kudos on every scale.

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Times sure have changed. But have the rules of social engagement?

What would Dale Carnegie say about all of this virtual networking and online social interaction. Does his methodology work in new media?

Sure it does. With a few minor updates, of course.

I broke Mr. Carnegie’s rules today in a comment thread on a prominent blogger’s post. (No links; that’s not the point of this post.) I let my guard down and my unpolished opinion out. And I spoke far too frankly. (Oddly, something I’d never allow myself to do on Facebook, where “everybody knows my name”…at least everybody with whom I’m “friends.”)

In an effort to be thought provoking, I provoked. And then I got called out on it. On twitter.

Welcome to REAL social media.

But here’s the turn: getting “called out” turned into an actual call. A phone call. With yet another very prominent blogger. And there was a real dialogue. A clarification. A new understanding. That very kind person reached out a virtual hand to me.  And we talked on the phone as we would in person.

Welcome to the POWER of real social media.

I learned a huge lesson today. Where I thought I saw a lack of humility, I found my own. My approach to commenting when I disagree with the content of a post will change. I will imagine that I’m standing right in front of that person speaking the very words I’m typing.

We all should. THAT is how you truly “friend” friends and twinfluence people.

Or at least I think that’s what Dale Carnegie would say.

What do you think?

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Whether You’re An Individual or a Business, Engaged in Social Media or Not, You Need to Consider the Quality and Consistency of Your Content.

Never Underestimate the Power of a Shower.

image via Wikipedia

If you’re like me and read other bloggers’ blogs, receive regular Webinar invites, get a weekly e-newsletter, or listen to a weekly podcast, you may sometimes think to yourself, “My word! When do they have the time to come up with all this CONTENT?”

Well, I have figured it out.

In the shower.

All great ideas come to you in the shower, no? Is it just me or is it being in perfect isolation with your thoughts, as warm (or scalding hot, as is my preference) water beats down on your head that really gets those inner content molecules colliding? I don’t know. But I do know there are a few other places where you can generate some really good ideas…

Twitter: the BirdBath of Idea Sharing.

Practice makes perfect, (approximately 10,000 hours of it according to Malcolm Gladwell). And while I’m no blogging “Outlier” and I’ve clearly spent my 10,000 hours with reckless abandon, I’m wise enough to know that in between blog posts I still need to preen my brain a bit. That’s why I twitter. It’s the birdbath of idea sharing, perfect for the time in between those high-shower-powered posts, so you stay engaged in the conversation and keep your thoughts percolating. If you’re using twitter effectively, you’re sure to see, hear, discuss, link to, tweet and retweet some really great ideas.

Showertime Fail Whale? Take another!

Twitter Fail Whale: image by Techcrunch

During stressful times, when the creative pressure is really on, I sometimes take a second shower, should the first result in a total Fail Whale. If a shower doesn’t do it for you, a few folks far more committed to water conservation than I am have created a handful of really helpful ideas to refresh your thinking and get you going again:

• 200 Blog Post Ideas for your Company Blog
• 101 Blog Posting Ideas
• 40 Sites for Writers
• Blogging Secrets Revealed
• A Blog About Getting Blog Ideas
• Time-tested, proven story ideas for your employee newsletter
• 31 content tips and ideas for your B2B email newsletter
• Small Biz: Know when to outsource your email marketing efforts

Good Conditioning for Your Business…

No one says you have to blog or tweet, but if you’re in business, you need to be connecting and conversing with your clients/customers/vendors/etc regularly, whether it’s in traditional media or new media (preferably, both). So whether you develop your content in-house or you outsource, take a minute to think about all of the “content” your business generates, in any/every medium, and ask yourself:

• In what ways are you maintaining meaningful business relationships?
• Do you have a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system in place?
• Do you have a process in place for internal or external communication that all employees are familiar with?
• How accessible are you and in how many different ways are you accessible to clients or employees?
• Do you broadcast messages or invite two-way communication that’s not always sales-driven?
• Are you letting your client base know you’re on top of the latest industry trends (even if you haven’t implemented them)?
• Have you empowered your employees to be ambassadors of your business or your brand? After all they’re out there developing content, too! What are they saying about you? Are you monitoring your “reputation” on the Internet? For example, is your business using Google Analytics and if so, who outside of IT is reviewing the data regularly?
• What is your Reputation Management strategy?
• How effectively are you using email and could your email be doing more?
• Is your business always ready to “pounce?”

So As Not To Water Down My Point, Here’s EXACTLY What I’m Trying To Say:

1. The best business communications often involve elements of two-way conversation (that is, a “call to action” is useless if you’re not ready to “respond” to it).
2. Creating truly valuable conversations requires a communication and CONTENT strategy.
3. Coming up with new content takes time and dedicated thought, and possibly multiple daily showers.
4. (NOTE: This is the big one.) If you’re not generating valuable content, are you at least monitoring the content being generated about you?

Rinse and Repeat.

The demand for new content is continuous, so I’ll never underestimate the power a shower will have on my creative process. And now that you know where I came up with this blog post idea, I would love to hear your favorite ways (or favorite place) for coming up with new content for your communications.

For those who have yet to try their hands at commenting, this is a great opportunity to get your feet wet. (Ba-dum-bump.) I’m not looking for any kind of huge comment-commitment here. Just the name of a place where you do some good thinking. It’s a word or two. No biggie.

Think about it. Your comment to this post could be the fastest, easiest and yet most thought-provoking content you’ll ever have to create.

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