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.

Every day you get dressed and consult a mirror before stepping out into the business world. But what about how you look online? Are you looking your very best, virtually speaking? Here’s a few fashionable ways to dress up your business profile style.

Email

Now, many may consider email “casual wear” as far as the look of it goes. But every email (and most of us zip through dozens every day) is an opportunity to make a statement.
•    Check Your Signature: Do you have all relevant contact info presented in an attractive format? If not, there are surely a few folks around the cubicle who are handy with a mouse. Add some color. Make your name bold. Every email leaves an impression; why not make it your electronic best?
•    HTML or Text: Most email clients can handle html code adeptly, so please don’t let yourself be seen in plain text. (It’s so ‘80’s.)
•    Accessorize: Go crazy, if your corporate culture allows, and add an image to your signature. Nothing unseemly. Ideally it’s your company logo, which, hopefully, was professionally done. If so, by all means, work it!

LinkedIn

This is solid online business networking. Don’t show up to the event with the wrong profile picture. C-level executives rub elbows in this space and people will be expecting to see professionalism. It’s like putting your resume on a runway…lots of eyes looking at your business outfit (literally) and a few curious folks watching to see if you’ll trip.
•    Portrait: One word: retouch. I’m not saying you don’t look good au naturale, I’m just saying, if you haven’t had your portrait taken professionally, at least find a Photoshopper to point and click you toward absolute perfection.
•    Resume: One more word: proofread. Seriously. A typo in an email is one thing. No excuse for it here. Have someone else look your profile over to check grammar and spelling on everything you input. No matter how far up the ladder you are, grammatical errors on your resume don’t fly and they could cost you a really good sale.
•    Groups: Two words: join some. This is where you can really show your stripes and meet some new people. Do a search for groups related to your industry. Peruse the weekly email digest. Contribute and converse. The big plus here is that you can do it all without having to wear a nametag on your suit. A note of caution however, when you decide which group logos to make visible at the bottom of your profile, consider that you are showcasing your professional associations and affiliations. Sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised what some people put on.

Twitter

Imagine every business dinner you’ve ever been to…got it? Okay, now imagine them all happening at the same time. Welcome to twitter. Step lively.
•    Profile Picture: It’s okay to go casual, but remember, if you’re representing a business you want to look buttoned up, whether you’re on the deck of your fishing boat or at the megapixel mercy of your webcam. Choose wisely.
•    Bio: Be interesting. This is akin to “speed networking,” so whatever you have to say about yourself, say it succinctly and memorably. Don’t want to pressure you here, but for many, the bio decides the follow/unfollow fate of your relationship with other tweeters. Be original. Be yourself. Be smart. Be your absolute best in 160 characters or less. (And if you’re not tweeting for a business, you still should consider your “personal brand” and tweet accordingly.)
•    Site Link: Who doesn’t love a link? Twitter is a fabulous traffic generator. Drive your tweeps to your blog or your business web site…the point is, drive them somewhere. Show them the rest of your professional wardrobe.
•    Colors: I know this is subjective. But some colors have absolutely no business being on a twitter page. If it hurts your eyes in real life, imagine how it looks on the monitor in all its 1280 x 1024 glory. Sunglasses, please.
•    Background: Customize, customize, customize. Toss that old twitter template for a custom design (that you can acquire at any of the online twitter background design websites, (if you don’t have an ad agency or design firm already on retainer, that is). It’s inexpensive and the visual impression you make can go a long, long way. Even if you choose not to have a twitter profile page designed, make sure the image you use sets you apart from the masses. This is one instance where it pays to stand out in the crowd.

There you have it. A few simple tips for looking as good online as you do off…and for people like me, maybe even better!

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So, get this: the number of unique visitors to twitter jumped from 8 million in the month of February to 14 million in the month of March (Source: compete.com). If I were standing in front of you, I’d repeat that for emphasis with wide eyes, a series of explosive hand gyrations and a giant grin, blinding you with my recently whitened teeth.

While I’ve heard a bit of grumbling from long-time twitter users (using since 2007!), worried that twitter would be ruined (somehow made less useful and/or less cool) now that it’s being investigated and embraced by the mainstream, I am ECSTATIC! (I’d also love a break from the trend I’m seeing in blog posts about why you’re unfollowing people…our apologies for creating so much “noise.”)

Only in mainstream understanding and adoption will ANY type of social media gain more versatility and usability for businesses.

Think about it in terms of the introduction of email, whose mainstream and mass adoption led to exciting (and ongoing) opportunities to advance communication, productivity and content sharing on both professional and personal levels. That said, utilization by the masses always comes with a few extras we’d all prefer to do without, such as SPAM, get-rich-quick schemes and abusive/annoying marketing tactics (hence the grumbling by the early adopters)…but you have to take the good with the bad, no? That’s just how life is. Accept it. And if you feel like getting your zen on, embrace it.

I want to extend a WARM WELCOME to the masses.

Welcome to twitter. Welcome to LinkedIn. Welcome to facebook. Welcome to youtube, ning, flickr and digg. Welcome to Web 2.0. Thank you for coming. Because YOU are here, we (the collective “we”) will be able to advance the power of these platforms.

YOU are driving “traditional” businesses to shift in their seats, sit up, take notice and evolve. Thank you!

This communication evolution will…scratch that…IS creating an abundance of personal and professional opportunities for us all. Each social platform offers something unique; so come one, come all and ask for help whenever you need it. Don’t “get” something? Google it. Everything you ever wanted to know is at your fingertips, the trick is in finding the platforms and tools to navigate through all of the excitement to find what you are looking for. Don’t look for social media “experts” busy building up their egos…look for businesspeople who can help you help yourself.

The cost of entry here begins with your time.

If you’re a small business owner, you should be doing cartwheels right now (right after you make sure your LinkedIn profile is 100% complete). Spend a few minutes asking someone who is using online social tools a few questions. Educate yourself, grow your business.

In January of this year, Peter Kim asked social media thought leaders to help move us all toward tactical solutions for social businesses. So while the masses are amassing online, I want to tip my hat to all of the businesses that are busy about developing their internal social media policies, plans and guidelines to expand their methods of external outreach. I’m thrilled to be working with clients and companies who are focused on finding ways to overcome some of the actual and perceived barriers that other businesses are using as excuses to keep their heads in the social sand.

“I don’t have time for it” is simply shortsighted; successful businesses find ways to overcome barriers, of time and tactics, period.

If you want to learn more about some practical solutions for engaging in social business, Amber Naslund is doing an amazing job right now on her blog, Altitude Branding, providing blueprints for moving forward. Another practical person to tune into is Kyle Lacy, whose blogging offers post after post of socially creative insights.

Me? I’m seeing the virtual rubber hitting the road all over the place and I know EXACTLY who we have to thank for it.

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Twitter Mosaic by http://sxoop.com/twitter/mosaic.pl
Get your twitter mosaic here.

#D10T

These are any given day’s 10 TopicalTweets (D10T) posted to twitter. A series of 10 interesting (to me, anyway) factoids or tidbits for your gray matter.

#Unday

These are MONDAY tweets about how Monday always feels like an Unday with something UNcool that happens to get your week off to an UNremarkable start. HOWEVER, together, I think we can make Monday a more Fun day by using #Unday.

More to come…

What is this page about?

• How I learned to use twitter hashtags
  

Resources for You

• An Intro to Twitter Hashtags
• TwiTag.com
• How to Start a Twitter Hashtag
• Explore the Twitter Hashtag
• Twitter Words Definition
• YouTube – Twitter Hashtags – What Are They, How To Create Your Own – by Mari Smith
• Explore the Power of TweetGrid Search Engine for Twitter
• Twitter Syntax
• Twitter Support & FAQs
• See how Twitter covers breaking news using hashtags
  
• Mining The Thought Stream

If you’d like to follow me on twitter, you can find me @usegraymatter.

Today, the twitter hashtag thunderbolt finally hit me.

I mean, I understand “what” it is, and yet I’ve never really used it for my own purposes. All of that has changed as of today…

Feeling a dash whimsical when I woke up this morning, I had a single factoid in my head that I wanted to share. So I went online to confirm it before sending it out. That’s when I found a site with a whole slew of interesting and related factoids. It was right then that the window of opportunity opened and I tweeted right through it:

And so it began. A series of posts that I created virtually by accident.

And when I had finished, I thought, well, would you just look at that – a series. Haven’t done that before. Then another idea: I could do “a series” every now and again and make it that day’s “10 TopicalTweets.” I can choose a topic that I have questions or thoughts about and then tweet them into a series – all of this doable in five minutes or less (for those already thinking “I don’t have time for that”). I realize the use of the hashtag and/or posting in a series is not revolutionary to the twitterverse, but it was a shazam moment for me, personally. And that’s revolution enough to make me happy. (It doesn’t take much these days.)

And then it hit me:

WHY didn’t I think of using a hash mark to tag those tweets?

If I had put a #D10T within each of those individual posts to reference my Day’s 10 TopicalTweets, the following page would have been full of my eco-factoids, available for easy reference and search. [One more time for the business tweeps out there: easy reference and search. As in, apply the hashtag whenever you post on twitter about your business, products, brand, etc. Tags can also be used to follow discussions, tweet events, seminars and breaking news in real time (live) and more.]

But instead, my “search page” for #D10T looks like this:

Well. I now see how the twitter hashtag can work for me (and my business). And for all those who have ever asked, “What does that hash mark mean?” I’m happy to share my thunderbolt of a moment here for posterity.

So when you see me post a series of tweets with the following tag:you’ll know I have a Day’s 10 TopicalTweets going out that you can view in all their glory, if you are so inclined, by using the twitter search engine, any time – well, any time except today, of course – and typing in #D10T (or whatever other hashtag you might be interested in looking into) where it says “this hashtag” as shown below.

This is one of the things I love most about twitter.

I learn something new every day.

#Literally.

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• Explore the Power of TweetGrid Search Engine for Twitter
• Twitter Syntax
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• Mining The Thought Stream

If you’d like to follow me on twitter, you can find me @usegraymatter.

A Deeper Dive into Twitter Follow Strategies

Maybe not everyone would call the choice to click follow or unfollow a “strategy,” but when you click that button, it’s a conscious choice. Even setting up one of those awful auto-DM services is a conscious choice, and I would thereby suggest, a strategy.

“It’s not about the numbers.”

Baloney, I say. While I may not care how many followers I have, I do care who I follow. And I can’t help but notice their numbers. Who of us doesn’t look at a person’s “numbers” when reviewing his/her twitter profile. (Auto-DMers excluded, of course.)

Here are a few follow strategies I’ve identified in my twitter travels…

THE AUTO-FOLLOW STRATEGY

APPLICATION: You have 10,000 followers and the number grows every day. No way you could respond personally. It just doesn’t scale.

PROS: Time-efficient

CONS: Impersonal

TOOLS: Socialtoo.com

THE EVEN-STEVEN FOLLOW STRATEGY

APPLICATION: A) You feel that if people follow you, you’d like to follow back, but you’d first like to (manually) view their twitter profiles to determine if the mutual follow will be mutually beneficial. AND/OR, B) you want to follow people ONLY if they follow you back and you (may or may not) want to automate that process.

PROS: A) Improves the quality of your personal twitter community and offers the opportunity to send a personal Thank You DM, which can lead to some great extended conversations; B) Nice even numbers, process can be automated

CONS: A) Time-consuming if manual; B) Questionable quality if automated

TOOLS: A) You and your computer; B) Socialtoo.com

THE DOUBLE TAKE FOLLOW STRATEGY

APPLICATION: I had at first suspected hubris until I inquired further on this one. Turns out that some people whose numbers are heavy on the followers side and light on the follow side only follow back people who @, DM or RT them. So you can get their attention, and they may be more than willing to follow back or connect via email, but it’s a 2-step outreach for you either way.

PROS: Time-efficient

CONS: One-sided

TOOLS: With @, DM and RT alerts via tweetdeck or email alerts via tweetbeep you get a ping when you are mentioned

THE UNEQUIVOCALLY UNRECIPROCATED FOLLOW STRATEGY

APPLICATION: UberTwitterati and VIPs want to provide you with their insights but have no interest in following just anyone. That is, why follow? Why not lead? (It’s all the rage, these days.)

PROS: A very uncrowded twitter stream

CONS: A very unrequited exchange

TOOLS: Unecessary

THE RANDOM FOLLOW STRATEGY

APPLICATION: Spam.

PROS: None

CONS: Bad Karma

TOOLS: The people who do this

Those are my observations. Personally, I opt for balance in my follow strategy. I still look for quality new people to follow and if someone follows me, I still manually check every twitter profile before I follow back. If I choose not to follow someone back, then I would find it more than reasonable for that person to stop following me, if they so choose. I’m in this for the give and take. I am as delighted to Retweet as I am to be Retweeted.  I realize that I’m not going to have regular conversations with every single person in my twitter community, but I know they’re there because we have something in common and the door to direct two-way communication remains wide open…just like in real life.

So what’s your twitter follow strategy? What are the pros and cons you face? What tools do you use to make it all work?

Just don’t tell me you don’t look at the numbers. Because I’m not buyin’ it. The numbers count. And it should be clear by now that I’m not talking about quantity.

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I’m not criticizing.

Seriously. Just asking.

• Did you set up that twitter account months ago and then never return?
• Are you on facebook but never post about your status…or never comment on others’ posts?
• Are you on LinkedIn but you don’t invite people to join your network; you just accept invites?

I’m not calling you out, here.

I’m calling you in.

I want to know what is stopping you from joining in.

I’ll go first…I’m anti-social by nature. But here I am, rallying like a lunatic for social media. What was the thing that had been stopping me from getting into it sooner? Time. I didn’t think I had the time to engage. It’s also a little scary putting yourself “out there.” Few of us are immune to the fear of criticism. (And I’m not sure I believe those who say they are.)

So, “time” and “fear” were my personal obstacles. BUT, my drive to overcome obstacles was and is stronger than the two of those “stoppers” combined.

So, tell me, what’s stopping you?

I happen to think that, together, we can overcome just about anything. But, first, you need to speak up. I’m here for ya, listening… But I’m getting old. So you’re going to need to speak louder.

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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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Alright people. Party’s over. Time to dig into 2009. Set the course. Adjust the steering. Power ahead.

Up until now, my posts have illustrated my obvious enthusiasm about engaging in various communication platforms which we’ll call “social media” for the time being. And doing so has made my world so much bigger, so very quickly.

Consider That Networking Now Means Getting the ‘Net Working For You

The very fact that most of my subscribers are NOT friends and family tells me (and thus, you) how much bigger a person’s world can get when you put yourself out there. This was not how I thought things would get going. Believe me, I’ve been doing virtual handstands to get my friends and family to jump on the party bus with me. I finally had to pay a few of them off, although I think they would have been willing to pay me to leave them alone…could this be a new strategy for monetizing my blog? (Hmm, may have to give that strategy some serious thought.)

You Learn Something New Every Day.

How could you not? At any given time I know that if I have a question about something, I can Tweet it to HUNDREDS of people and they will share their answers and ideas. I know that by using my RSS feed to follow the blogs of DOZENS of businesspeople, designers, artists, authors, up-and-comers, motivators and innovators, I will get the content I’m most interested in delivered right to me, automatically.

Social media is about opening the door to one-to-one conversations, but it’s also open to the masses.

If my efforts thus far have inspired you to take a new look at your LinkedIn profile, join facebook or sign up for a twitter account, then a big “Ta-Da” goes out to you, right here and now. If you’ve invested the time to understand how these platforms work, you’ll probably agree that they enable us to converge, en masse, only to organically and, rather efficiently, find other people who share common interests and can enhance your/our thinking. I mean people you really want to talk to…people who are happy to share information and expertise.

I’ve had my “Ta-Da” moment.

After much, much, much, much ado, GrayMatter Minute is designed, coded, redesigned, recoded, tweaked, recoded, tested, recoded, officially launched, live and fully functional, even in blankety-blank Internet Explorer, (hence the need for all the aforementioned recoding).

“Ta-Da!”

Now it’s time to move my conversation forward. Please join me. This is going to be fun. So…what would you like to talk about next?

Ask a question. Go ahead, I’m serious. Or am I going to have to break out that “triple dog dare” again?

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Friends don’t let friends use Internet Explorer.

Having been entrenched in the redesign of this blog for the past month, I was suffering “blog-posting withdrawal.” And while I recognize that starting off here by “reposting” Darren Rowse’s TwiTip guest post by Jenny Cromie (“8 Ways that Twitter Can Grow Your Freelance Business“) isn’t quite as rewarding as getting original content on the boards, it does give me a chance to test my rockin’ new template, as well as remote posting using ShareThis.

It also provided me with the light bulb that I now have a TWITTER FOR BUSINESS case study to tout (or tweet, if you like).

Before I dive into that, I want to take this opportunity to thank Shane Poteete at BUILT CREATIVE for his collaboration, patience, dedication and determination in what started as a “little blog-building project” that wasn’t little at all, it turns out. (After all, blogs often do build big communities.) So a deep-hearted thanks to Shane and his team for their design and (far-beyond-the-initial-scope) code work.

I also want to thank the folks at We Fix WP, a business I met on TWITTER!!! (Thus begins my case study on how Twitter can help your business!)

The folks at We Fix WP saw a post I made on Twitter about WordPress, the platform for this blog. (Well, it was actually a post about how Internet Explorer is destroying the universe, which resulted in a contact from a website dedicated to freeing the web from the ruinous force that is IE6, but I digress.) We Fix WP returned a tweet offering assistance. We moved our discussion offline and they rounded out our effort swiftly and seamlessly. After working with them, I now consider them my go-to WordPress resource.

But the story doesn’t end there!

Along the way, I reached out to a few other Twitter friends (@rjleaman, @jamesdickey, @niknaz, @discocowboy, @afhill, @atwookie, @mousewords, @calebhays, @jaskeg, @coreymade, @afhill to name a few) and received valuable feedback and support throughout the redesign/recoding phase of my blog relaunch—all communicated via Twitter. I then twansmitted (sorry, couldn’t help myself) their feedback along to the team at Built Creative and, together, we processed it all accordingly.

So the next time you see me and ask me what Twitter has done for my business…sit down and make yourself comfortable, because my answer will be anything but brief. But that should come as no surprise to anyone who has ever chatted with me, online or off. Which reminds me, if you’d like to share the gift of gab, my twitter handle is @usegraymatter.

Thanks again to everyone who supported my design, technical, creative, branding and social media objectives. And especially to Shane who NEVER got mad at me for messing with the code. Even though, he was given VERY good reason to—often.

I promise not to touch it. Much.

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Adobe AIR Apps

17 Adobe AIR Apps That Can Save You Time by AN Jay at Smashing Apps

Alerts and Analytics for Social Media

See “Search, Monitor & Measure” further down on the list.

Blogging

AP Style Guide

Web Style Guide

htmlText Editor An Adobe AIR app that provides a shortcut to generating basic HTML code, a tool particularly valuable to those of us who should probably otherwise not be trying to generate basic HTML code.

Share, Remix, Reuse — Legally: Creative Commons provides free tools that let authors, scientists, artists, and educators easily mark their creative work with the freedoms they want it to carry. You can use CC to change your copyright terms from “All Rights Reserved” to “Some Rights Reserved.”

200 Blog Post Ideas for Your Company Blog

101 Blog Posting Ideas from SEOblog

3 High-Powered Reader Engagement Tactics, from ProBlogger

200 Must-have Professional Blogging Tools and Services, from a 14-yr old blogger !

David Armano’s Blogging Secrets Revealed

How To Write a Backlink by Matt Waterman

Get Clicky Web Analytics: monitor, analyze & react to your blog or web site’s traffic in real time

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FREE Online Link Checkers: W3C, Dead-Links.com, Website Goodies’ LinkCheck

Blog Uptime Monitor: via WebHostingPages

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What you can learn from unsubscribes

How To: Blog Anonymously And Maintain Control Of Your Personal Privacy

WORDPRESS

• 10 WordPress Plugins to Help Build Community
• Top 25 Wordpress Statistics Plugins
• 35 creative and colorful wordpress themes

Blogging Communities

IMPORTANT: Be sure to register new blogs at Blog Top Sites

Blog Listings and Directories:

BlogCouncil: A community of senior executives in charge of social media at the largest corporations in the world.

Business Blogging

Corporate Blogging Policy Samples (PDF) from Altitude Branding

Why Is Your Business Afraid of Negative Blog Posts?

ProBlogger: Building an Empire Around Your Blog and Setting Up ‘Alerts’ to Monitor What is Happening in Your Niche

Business & Social Media

Starter Kit from Altitude Branding

80+ Social Media Policies from Mashable.com (Social Media Governance Database)

MASHABLE’s HOW TO 2008: How To Do Almost Anything With Social Media

MASHABLE’s 20+ Tools to Make Any Email Inbox More Sociable

12 Step Plan to Getting Started in Social Media: by Jane Hart

25 Tools and Tips for Following Your Brand Online, by Kyle Lacy

Ray Schiel’s Social Media Marketing: Resources

Social Media 404’s MONSTER Social Media List of Lists

Jane Hart’s ToolBox: 2009 Top 100 Tools for Learning. Includes the 25 FREE Tools learning professionals should have in their Toolbox. I find this to be a HIGHLY VALUABLE RESOURCE.

Jane Hart’s 25 Must-Have FREE TOOLS

GEN-Y: SmallBizBee’s 5 Low Cost Ways to Reach Gen-Y Dollars & Mashable’s Top 10 Social Networks for Gen-Y

Download this state-of-the-industry snapshot by Michael Stelzner: Social Media Marketing Industry Report You can also follow Michael Stelzner on twitter @mike_stelzner

7 Articles about Strategic Planning and Social Media

Scalable Intimacy: Branding in the Age of Social Media - presentation by Michael Troiano

Case Studies: Social Business

Corporate Social Media Marketing Programs: A List by Peter Kim

3 Social Media Case Studies for the Pharmaceutical Industry

Social Media Marketing Best Practice Articles by Kim Woodbridge

Is it customer service? Sales? PR? Or all of them? Chris Brogan takes a deeper dive here.

Overcoming The Obstacles To Social Business

Common Craft Video Shows

Short, fun, simple, video-based education in “plain English.” This free (to view and share) video library is a great place to start when tackling a new concept, IMHO.

Events

Social Media & Marketing Conferences (List from Altitude Branding)

Facebook

Starter Kit

Facebook Groups and Pages – Features, Benefits And Killer Tips

How To: Create a Facebook Fan Page

8 Essential Apps for your brand’s facebook page

The 5 Phases Of The Facebook Sales Funnel

How To by Janet Fouts: Build Your Own Facebook Page (Part I) (Part II)

HOW TO: Build Your Personal Brand on Facebook

HOW TO: Make A Facebook Page In Less Than Four Minutes by John Haydon

HOW TO: How to add a Facebook Page Fanbox to your website (and customize it)

Video about Facebook Public Profile Pages from Wildfire

Here’s the FACEBOOK PAGE about FACEBOOK PAGES

Interested in Advertising on Facebook Pages?

Tips and Case Studies for Brand Marketers (article) OR go right to http://www.facebook.com/marketing

Facebook Can Get You Fired, Dumped, And Yes, Evicted

5 Tips for Optimizing Your Brand’s Facebook Presence

5 Elements of a Successful Facebook Fan Page

30+ Apps for Doing Business on Facebook

9 Top Companies That Provide Facebook Page Management Tools

FriendFeed

A Friendly Intro by Janet Fouts – Getting To Know FriendFeed

Gov 2.0

What’s the scoop on Government use of Web2.0 tools? Download this report from Bearing Point Consultants to learn more on the Federal, State and Local levels.

Crossing Over Technology With Government

U.S. Military Adapts Tactical Networking to Social Media

State Department Gets Hip to Social Media

WIKI: Web 2 0 Governance Policies and Best Practices

Social media policies from leading edge governments and corporations

How To Build An Online Community

Getting Started

Discover the power of NING to create your own social network online

101 Things You Should Know Before Starting Your Own Membership Website

50 simple ways to build trust online

Basic Premises For Every Community Manager

The Senior Side of Social Media: When it comes to the Web, many boomers and senior caretakers are just as tech-savvy as their younger counterparts–and senior-focused social media sites are quickly rising in response to the needs of this rapidly-growing segment of the population. This informative post is provided by Web Ad.vantage.

20 Do’s and Dont’s of successful Group Moderation

Keyword Tools & Tips

Free Keyword Research Tools (post by Kishau Rogers)

SEO Book Keyword Suggestion Tool

PPC Web Spy: Uncover Anyone’s Google-Adword Keywords While You Browse Google In Real-Time

Linked In

Starter Kit

LinkedIn Learning Center

Personal Branding: It’s Not An Option – It’s Crucial To Success

Why LinkedIn Is Essential for Brand Marketers

10 Ways to ROCK and NOT on LinkedIn

5 ways to get more from your LinkedIn Groups

Best Practices for LinkedIn Group Management: by Janet Fouts

Expert Positioning Using LinkedIn (Slideshare that drills down into actual “settings” for 100% profile completeness)

Marketing

How Does Affiliate Marketing Work

Not-for-Profit Organizations

Social Media for Social Causes Study: The Results

Wild Apricot: Membership software that brings together all the organizing and communication tools you need to run your association, group or community.

Free SEO Helper Tool for Non-Profits

5 Events That Have Used Social Media for a Good Cause

Case Study: Goodwill of Washington, DC “Put this in your ROI pipe and smoke it!”

How To: Create A Powerful And Engaging Facebook Page

SOCIAL FUNDRAISING Tools: ChipIn & GiveZooks

Podcasts

This one is free and useful: This Week In Media

SEO: The Basics of Search Engine Optimization: Episode #35 of the Power to the Small Business podcast

Polls

LinkedIn Polls: You can view mine here…and you can create one that becomes a part of your LinkedIn Profile page.

Twtpoll.com: I’ve tried it and I like it because you can tweet it and get it ReTweeted quickly and easily. You can see my polls here.

PollDaddy: With your free account from PollDaddy you can create surveys and polls for your website, blog and social network profiles.

Presentations

Powerpoint & Twitter: FREE PowerPoint Twitter Tools… Ever wanted to make presentations a more interactive, Web 2.0 experience? The PowerPoint Twitter Tools prototypes are now available. Created using SAP BusinessObjects Xcelsius (but requiring only PowerPoint for Windows and Adobe Flash to run), the twitter tools allow presenters to see and react to tweets in real-time, embedded directly within their presentations, either as a ticker or refreshable comment page.

The Two Elements of a Great Presenter from Seth Godin’s Blog

How to give a Killer Presentation

Printing (Unique and/or Discounted)

Moo cards are very cool.

Privacy in Our “Transparent” Online Web 2.0 World

FACEBOOK FAIL: How to Use Facebook Privacy Settings and Avoid Disaster

Facebook: Protect Your Privacy VIDEO

Facebook: 10 ways to stay safe

Regardless of your privacy settings, your digital trail is accessible. Did you know there’s a Facebook app that makes it EASY to access public records about you?

LinkedIn: Quick Tips on Security and Privacy

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse BLOG: The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC) is a nonprofit consumer organization with a two-part mission — consumer information and consumer advocacy.

Removing information from Google

Public Relations & Social Media

4 easy steps to better PR measurement

Future of PR: Future of PR: When Agencies Represent Communities –Not Brands

Top Public Relations Blogs (PDF) from Altitude Branding

Search, Monitor & Measure

Alltop: an “online magazine rack” of popular topics. The most read stories on the Internet, updated every hour. Pick a topic by searching, news category, or name, and find the Top stories, 24/7. All the topics, all the time. All-top. Alltop. Get it? (Took me awhile.)

10 ways to brand yourself with Alltop

Social Media Team Toolkit: Listening

Facebook Search Tool: Lexicon Enables you to track trends on FB using keywords. Click here to link to a post that explains how it works

Google’s Blog Search

8 Essential Free Social Media Monitoring Tools from Andy Beal at Marketing Pilgrim

3 Search Tools to find Research Data, Statistics, Answers (article from Wild Apricot blog):

1. DeepDyve delivers fast, easy access to the vast amounts of expert information hidden in the Deep Web. Beta version focuses on just a few subject areas including Medical and Life Sciences but is rapidly expanding into additional markets. Use DeepDyve search for research.
2. Find public statistical data through Google
3. Wolfram Alpha Computational Knowledge Engine

Social Media Explorer: Quick ‘n Dirty Social Media Monitoring Guide: Intermediate Edition

Trend Search: Nielsen BuzzMetrics’ BlogPulse Icerocket This is an incredibly robust – AND incredibly FREE – blog search and tracking service. Access a full suite of analytics in an easy-to-read, use-friendly format with IceRocket’s BlogTracker. Sadly, their handy-dandy toolbar add-on, which would provide one-click access to stats only works with Internet Explorer. (Every silver lining has a cloud, no?) If you can get past their affinity for IE, which is going to take me quite some time to overcome, IceRocket also offers a great link-tracking feature so you can see (and show) how many people have linked to your blog posts.

Awesome List of free Social Media Measurement Tools

Tools and Metrics to Measure and Monitor Social Media Success, by Jacob Morgan

Social Media ROI Resource List, by Colin Browning

Using Social Media to Show ROI: by Connie Bensen

Get A Yardstick by Amber Naslund: As you embark on this list, you ought to work backwards. Start with your objective in mind, and from there, work back toward the measures and metrics most likely to drive toward that goal and support the intelligence you hope to gather. Measure those. You can’t and shouldn’t measure everything. You should measure the indicators and drivers of what you want to accomplish.

Analyzing Traffic Sources: