Our new generation of media forms is filled with ideals and principles; honesty, community, two way conversation, giving, etc. And we have lots of superstars. masters of social media who speak profound marketing truths. But great leaders do more than talk, they act and set an example. Enter Josh Hallett.

This weekend one of the most respected, soft-spoken minds in our business did just that. Josh Hallett led several social media greats to Orlando for an unconference at Rollins College. There more than 125-175 blogging and social media types gathered. Knowledge was transferred, friends were made, and relationships were strengthened.

The conversation moved offline into good old-fashioned relationship development. And it happened because a man - who has nothing to prove in the social media realm –wants to give to his community. Sure Josh quips that it’s because he doesn’t want to fly west. But he does that all the time. No, this unconference is a labor of love.

Though I didn’t get to talk with Josh very much (he was busy herding cats), it’s obvious that he is a man of the community, both online and offline. Nationally and locally. And it’s really great to see someone carry the social media principles we hold dear to our hearts into his daily life and actions. It’s easy to talk a good game, it’s much harder to play one.

I’m not the only one who thinks so either. Listen to what Josh’s peers have to say about his efforts at BlogOrlando:

Thanks, Josh, for showing us what social media really means. In more ways than one.

Burson-Marsteller represents Microsoft, but they might not have told you that. They might not have told you that for weeks they’ve been sending out emails to companies and organizations interested in creating a dynamic online marketplace.

The idea is to get them behind the Initiative for Competitive Online Marketplace, or iCOMP, that apparently The Washington Post reports right now only the two of them are behind. Its Web site says its mission is to highlight important principles in online services and begin important industry discussions around copyright, privacy and competition.

Shel Holtz details the logistics of the story here, but their relationship isn’t what is at question. A Microsoft spokesman admitted they had a relationship, but denied they were lobbying on their behalf. All the while Burson director Jonathan Dinkeldein said they were indeed working together and the organization had been formed.

The ‘he said she said, yes we work together, no we don’t, well maybe only sometimes,’ is so utterly ridiculous. And so very, very wrong. The public relations profession already suffers from a not so stellar reputation. Failing to disclose those relationships is unethical and sends a bad message about us as a whole.

And that perception will never change as long as there’s firms trying to deceive.

Burson will deliver the crisis pr that Microsoft needs, and it will probably do the trick. But what about us? Who’s going to perform the crisis pr that we need as a profession — the crisis pr stating, simply, that you can trust us.

As promised, we’re going to let our readers decide which of our final redesigns will become the next Buzz Bin. This phase two of our optimization experiment with Viget Labs. Please vote in the comments section. Thank you for your help!!! And special thanks to Viget Labs for these excellent designs.

The first entry is the red template with white text. It features a new masthead with easier navigation. To see a full size version, click on the image.

The second template features a similar red background, but each post has a white background with dark text and larger logo and masthead.

So if you had to have one or the other, which would you choose?

Guest post by Joe Zuccaro, The Marketing Consigliere.

I just read The Center for Media Research’s latest Research Brief.They are reporting on an American Pulse Survey by BIGresearch, regarding American’s trust in the establishment. The statistics staring at me in the face say that twice as many people trust Bloggers more than Congress, and most age groups trust Bloggers more than the mainstream Media. Yikes!

I wonder what the stats would have been for “Corporations.�

What Marketers need to learn from this (I admit I’m not the first to say this but I’m definitely in the chorus) is the power of Blogs and the how the “wisdom of the crowds� is disrupting the communication monopolies controlled by the political and media worlds. And since advertising is part of the media world and corporations play a major part in that, Marketers need to step up to the plate and proactively engage Bloggers in an open, amicable way.

There have already been too many faux pas committed by corporations approaching blogging as merely another PR tool; Marketers must humbly accept even the largest of corporations is a peer in the blogging world. Once the “fear of equality� is overcome, blogging will allow Marketers to engage is worthwhile, live dialogue with audiences.

With the net-centricity of blogging, these dialogues can be gathered into digital warehouses of information for use by Marketers with data mining and other BI tools. While such perceived exploitation of Blogs may create a backlash of distrust towards corporations and marketers, the promise of greater mindshare, improved products, new markets, and more revenue will fuel the evolution of blogging by Marketers.

These efforts at blogging must carefully establish trust with extensions of privacy policy and adherence to those policies.Those that earn trust will flourish; those that do not will not blog for long… or at least with any valuable audience.

C.C. Chapman, grounded futurist, is a very well known social media expert and podcaster. His experiences in the social media world are deep (six years make him a true veteran out here) and extensive. Now the former crayonista is out on his own and he is one of the keynotes (joining Valeria Maltoni) at next week’s New Media Marketing Day: Era of Conversation conference in Washington, DC. In advance, he dropped by and had a chat with the Buzz Bin.

BB: How do you like Podcasting versus blogging: Which do you like better?

CC: They are two different beasts. I’ve been blogging for over six years now and I’ve always treated it as a personal journal. As more people began to know who I was and pay attention it was strange to have to censor myself a bit. It was a weird evolution, but at the end of the day I blog because I want to, not to get readers or for any other reason.

Podcasting is the same. I do it because I love doing it. If it ever becomes not fun I’d have to stop. I hate post production so that is why I always do live recording using CastBlaster because it makes it easy and fun for me.

BB: What matters most to businesses trying to engage in social media?

CC: Figure out the space and why you want to be there. Don’t do it just because everyone else is and it is the latest hot thing. Work with someone who knows the space and who can guide you through the first mistakes. Anyone who thinks they won’t make mistakes is in for a rude awakening. This space is changing too fast for anyone to be an expert in it, so don’t be afraid to experiment and fall down. Just make sure you learn from the mistakes and never make them twice.

And please be honest with the community. Honesty will go a long way with everyone. If you lie or try to be something you are not, people will sniff you out and not give you a second chance. But, if you come right out and say what you are and what you want to do people might still not like it, but at least they know up front and will move on.

BB: Social networks are all the rage right now. Will this continue?

CC: Sure. They’ve been the rage for longer then most people think. We’ve been forming tribes since we learned to walk upright and these are another example of that drive.

Will they be as hyped as they are now? Who knows. I think it’s going to shift to even closer networks that focus on niche content or locations. I’d love a social network for just my local area so that I could find out what people are doing and liking in the community. Sort of a virtual small town. Granted, I grew up in a small town and know the drama that can happen when everyone knows what everyone is doing, but in the end I think an open community is a happy one.

BB: What are businesses biggest challenges in social media?

CC: Staying on top of it all has got to be the most obvious challenge.

Every day there is something new out there that people are getting excited about and you could spend every hour of every day checking them all out and still not get anything done.

Personally I’ve gotten into a routine that works for me, but it does involve a lot of time connecting with people and services to find out what is important to keep an eye on and be part of.

BB: What was it like working on Virtual Thirst?

CC: It was my first project working with a brand the size of The Coca-Cola Company so I learned a lot. They were so into learning the space and working with us to develop strategy and outreach. They were not afraid to try new things and when mistakes were made they did learn from them and we course corrected. What we learned is that any campaign like this has to be very organic and allowed to change and evolve as it goes on in order to be successful. When the community didn’t like some things, we looked at it and found ways that we could change to take care of some of those complaints. Not all companies work that way.

BB: Boston seems to have vibrant social media community, probably second most active next to Silicon Valley. Why is that?

CC: Second you say? Hmmm….I like to think of New England as one of the most vibrant ones and prefer not to compare. *grin*

That being said I think it has a lot to do with just how people are raised in this area. People actually say “hiâ€? to each other on the street and will help a complete stranger in need. Add to that the large number of colleges in the area and thus a huge talent pool of young, smart and energetic people. Take all that and bring it to the web and you’ve got the makings of social networking from the start.

The people here are great. I’ve said over and over that I did some time outside of New England and I never want to do it again because I have not found the vibe and community feeling that I have here anywhere else.

BB: What’s next for CC Chapman?

CC: World domination? *laugh* No, I don’t quite know yet to be honest. I am working on a book right now that I’d very much like to see finished and out there. I’m also extremely excited about being freelance at the moment and the opportunity to help a variety of different companies and individuals to figure out this space. I’m hoping to work on some self branding type projects, movies, music and other great organizations who are trying to make a difference.

I also think it would be fun to get involved with a political campaign in some fashion. None have come knocking yet, but there is so much more that politicians could be doing and it would be a blast to help them.

C.C. Chapman is all about community and helping others. That’s what I’d like people to think of me and I hope that I can continue to build that in the future.

Blogging luminary and fellow Co-Chair of BlogPotomac Debbie Weil spoke on Monday morning in front of the lady CEOs at Success in the City. Grits and grapefruit were the fare, and blogging and social media was the discussion.

No matter how many times you attend an event like this, business folks need these discussions. Again and again — while the general knowledge level is increasing — there is a great knowledge gap in the mind of the everyday CEO.

Debbie fielded questions from negative commenting and blogging frequency to social networks and prior experiences. And like a champ Debbie handled them.

I have to say, out of all the bloggerati I have met so far, Debbie is one of the most intelligent. Within five minutes it becomes apparent that she is extremely bright and savvy. Just talking to her is a thought provoking endeavor. And watching her speak, I can tell you she knows her stuff.

BlogPotomac will be a blast. In the interim, it’s time go and meet some other brilliant bloggers at BlogOrlando!

Social media is hot these days. Open up any recent issue of Time, Newsweek, The New York Times or Wall Street Journal, and there is sure to be an article about blogging, Facebook, or YouTube. From Mark Zuckerberg’s supposed genius (and potential liability) to everyday people earning accidental fame on Flickr, it seems to be all anyone can talk about. Everyone wants a piece of the action, as businesses scramble to implement blogs and create Facebook profiles.

But, what does the buzz boil down to? In business, we often look to the bottom line, what’s the ROI and how does it affect growth? Social media is hot because not only can it positively affect businesses from a financial and business development standpoint, but it creates COMMUNITY. The most important factor of social media is the SOCIAL part of it.

The community aspect of social media is what makes it special. The World Wide Web is a big place, and blogs and social networking sites help to make it smaller.

Take the Washington, D.C. area for example. According to DCBlogs, there are currently over 1,500 (and counting) regularly updated blogs in the D.C. metro area alone, not including any Myspace type blogs. These local independent blogs include neighborhood focused blogs, dating blogs, foodie blogs, theater blogs, technical blogs, and a host of others. And those are just the ones that have opted to be a part of this particular blogging community.

How do you find or create a community? It can be as simple as developing a strategically linked blogroll, or going a step further and creating a group on a site like Ning, which allows users to create a personalized social network (currently there are over 100,000), based on any interest from knitting to Sam Adams beer to American Idol. In fact, many entertainment and consumer focused companies are utilizing Ning to create groups to promote their products and shows.

These tools make it easier than ever to find groups with common interests and to share experiences with. For a small business, that is instrumental to establishing valuable relationships.

Who You Know: The Art of Networking

At the core, it’s not what you know; it’s who you know that makes you successful. Networking has always been important, as any PR professional and business entrepreneur will tell you. Social media is just making it easier to do that, and providing a way to narrow your networks to best benefit your business.

Social media is going to continue to affect the way that businesses approach marketing and public relations. It’s rare now to find a campaign that is not driven and influenced by social media. In order to successfully launch a website, companies now are also considering including a blog, a Myspace and/or Facebook profile, and even YouTube videos or podcasts as part of an integrated and accessible brand. The key is interaction, and allowing your consumers to be included in the business, and care about it as much as you do.

An example given last night by our own Geoff Livingston, speaking at the Smart Business Ideas Magazine Ready, Set, Grow! event, summarizes the benefit of creating community for business. Take two businesses, one that is wildly successful, and one that is doing mediocre sales. The successful business has owners that greet you at the door, remember your name, donate to the community, and create a friendly, personable and — most of all — memorable experience for their customers. Not only do they provide a service, but they develop a relationship. The mediocre store doesn’t do any of that.

Social media and social networking give people a sense of community and belonging. It’s a virtual support network, interactive message board, audience and consumer driven way to leave your footprint on the internet. The reason that social media and networking sites have taken off, is simply because people want to be heard. And, isn’t that the basis of what marketing is?

Our final Era of Conversation (October 4, 2007 in Washington) speaker is Mindshare’s Colin Moffett who will be talking about the Gates Foundation’s campaign “ED in ‘08″ campaign. For those of you that don’t know Mindshare, it is one of the leading interactive marketing firms in the DC region. Work includes Ebay, the Business Software Alliance and HP.

In a world where presidential debates and candidates’ issues are largely dictated by public opinion polls, theoretically the American people have the power to decide which issues will be tackled not only during the campaigns and elections, but also once a candidate is put into power.

The Bill & Melinda Gates and Eli Broad foundations, with the help of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, conceived Strong American Schools—a project that seeks to promote sound education policies for all Americans. Strong American Schools engaged Mindshare to create a brand identity that would mobilize support, with appeal across the demographic board.

The Gates Foundation’s Approach to Social Media

Moffett and the Mindshare team recognized early on that interactive platforms and their young, edgy audiences would be the crucial spring board for this election’s candidates and issues. Mindshare started by dropping the long “Strong American Schools� name, and proposed that a faux candidate be created to run alongside the presidential hopefuls and take the election in ’08. “ED� was born, gracing the Foundations’ campaign with the fun, easy-to-remember name, “ED in ’08.�

The rest of the “ED in ‘08� campaign followed from the same logic. To stand out among the candidates’ logos, “ED in ‘08� assumed a cool logo that breaks from the traditional red, white, & blue themes.

With the proper mood set, the “ED in ‘08� logo was rocketed into the public realm via rallies, social networks, viral media, photo galleries, email, the campaign website, and with multiple micro-campaigns.

The Results

The campaign’s carefully crafted, smooth personality meshed, not only with teachers, parents, and concerned politicians, but also with the coveted 14-24 y/o demographic. With intelligent placement strategy, ED in ‘08 leveraged channels such as MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, and Eventful.

The solid “ED in ‘08″ website served as a base, providing information and a central meeting point, while social media outreach enabled the “ED in ‘08â€? campaign to spider and spread across the online community, garnering staggering support along the way.

In the first 3 months of the campaign, ED in 08 has enjoyed:

• 541 MySpace friends
• 1,375 Facebook friends
• Almost 3,000 views on YouTube

And the numbers keep growing…

• A recent partnership video with Kanye West has seen over 80,000 views on YouTube in the first 2 days.
• ED in ‘08 is launching its own social networking functionality this month which will allow supporters to link together and form groups
• The I am ED campaign has received over 20,000 orders for a limited 4,000 endorsement kits
• ED in ‘08 have amassed a list of over 100,000 supporters in 4 months

Yesterday on Now Is Gone, we discussed ROI and the need to measure success in corporate social media. The bottom line: Participation principles are the rules of engagement. Return on investment (ROI) is the raison d’etre for organizational social media.

In the the new world of conversation, negative comments are a reality. A lot of negative comments probably means it’s time for an internal gut check, but every persona and organization who has been blogging for a while has gotten a little egg in their face. That’s where online reputation management steps in. Here are some tips from the Online Reputation Management blog on how to combat that wayward comment.

Our leading social media mind in Florida — Josh Hallett — continued his series on the impact of corporate blogging voices. This time he debates what to do if you lose the blogger, or the company can no longer continue its investment.

Todd Defren launched a new serial on PR Squared called Social Media Tactics. It’s always good to talk blocking and tackling. Check out this week’s entry on del.icio.us tagging.

BlogMill discusses the different types of blogs out there, including a break down of three corporate blogs: Blogs for brands, for sales and PR or customer interaction. And interesting discussion, though I think the lines between a brand and a PR blog can be quite soft.

We talk a good social media game here. But old school marketing tactics are still working. Why else would the email industry be $3 billion? Outperformance Marketing has the details.

One thing that became apparent in the great comment discussions in parts I and II (Advertising Age Uses a Yellow crayon w/ Toby Bloomberg and Yellow crayon Redux: Journalism versus Blogging) is that ethical journalism is falling to the way side. The media are reacting to lost advertising dollars and readership with increasingly gray forays into social media (Forbes Dan Lyons, Ad Age’s Jonah Bloom).

Readers and journalists realize there is no such thing as fair and balanced. Now ethics are enforced by the readers of news outlets and blogs, as opposed to editors.

In “The Road from Media Ethics to Information Anarchy,” by PC Magazine’s John Dvorak we find an explanation of journalistic ethics:

Telling the truth is always a good idea, but too often the truth is covered up by a smoke screen of facts that do not lead to the truth. Ethics codes don’t cover this. Generally speaking, ethics codes are designed to eliminate out-and-out corruption within a news organization. The bigger the organization, the more elaborate the ethics codes. What does that tell you?

This fascinating article really threw me off because it basically debunked any pretense that news organizations have fair and balanced reporting. Basically, we give power to the mastheads of old..Yet in reality the increasingly questionable media viewpoint — in large part exposed by bloggers — has created an anarchists environment of media creation where blogs can equally compete with traditional news outlets.

Another choice Dvorak quote:

…the only difference between a blogger and a reporter for the Times is that one makes a lot more money and prints on dead trees. Sure, Times reporters may have more skill, but from what I can tell, they might also not have more skill.

It’s a pretty hard hitting reality statement, isn’t it? Some organizations still hold more credibility than others due to significantly better professional training and experiences. But it seems that savoire faire cannot prevent biased content from hitting the pages. As a result, new media powers that can provide great reliable insights time-in, time-out will arise to have as much — if not more — power than the old “credible” journalism outlets.

Consider this, which is more powerful? eWeek or TechCrunch? It’s a very debatable comparison, and likely depends on the technology.

Six Possible Impact Points

The merger of journalism/blogging media forms seems to be accelerating, which means PR and social media pros will need to stay on top of this continuing evolution. Here are some likely outcomes of the continued growth of new media powers.

1) Trust will continue to erode. Enforcement of ethics and “good reporting” by media outlets new and old will fall to vigilante citizen journalists. They will also police themselves.

2) In some cases, the vigilantes won’t be right. But the wisdom of the crowd will rule.

3) Older outlets move towards hybrid new media formats, whether that’s with USA Today-esque social media tagging and commenting, or with op-eds that read more like rants than journals.

4) In turn, blogs and other social media forms will move towards hybridized media formats to seize more readers and command larger audiences.

5) Some older media forms will collapse as they find themselves unable to adapt and/or compete in the current environment.

6) The two forms — old and new media outlets — will become increasingly co-dependent reporting from and commenting on their respective coverage. For example, I had yet another start-up client get a big-time media opportunity from some blog-ink we garnered. That reporter would never have answered a direct phone call from us, but they read a blog post.

Perhaps we should start looking at new media as the Fifth Estate. The Fourth Estate (a nickname for the media) filled the role of policing the government. It seems to ensure democracy and the ability to discern some semblance of truth we need a Fifth Estate — citizen media — to keep the Fourth Estate in line.