The Buzz Bin

In a great post on Search Engine Guide, Jennifer Laycock says, “social media is not about marketing, it’s about the conversations.” Laycock says that similarly to traditional business development, social media is about knowing customers and anticipating their needs. It’s also treating them with respect and doing the right thing. Check out Jennifer’s post to find out more about how your company can and should participate in social media.

At times there is a gap between those who theorize about social media, and those who practice it. On Shannon Paul’s Very Official Blog she discusses why there is this disconnect, and why both the consultants and the practitioners need each other. Though both disciplines are quite different, Shannon says, “I think there’s a place for both and that the venerated experts and savvy professionals are more dependent on one another than either would like to admit.”

Doug Caverly of WebProNews relays a message on how PR departments should interact with bloggers. The message from Jason Falls at the BlogWorldExpo is to create a relationship first and deliver the pitch second. Similarly, Chris Brogan suggests to keep pitches short, and to stay human. Check out Doug’s post, and share your thoughts.

Commenting on a presentation by Julien Smith, Daryl Tay puts blogging into prospective and reminds us why it’s so important to be socially engaged. The answer – it makes the world a better place for doing it. On Unique-Frequency Tay suggests to, “think back and remember why you got into this space to begin with, and [consider] if where you are now is a far cry from that beginning.”

Beth Kanter offers an excellent case study from WeAreMedia on how nonprofits are able to use social media to better share their stories. The LOL Seals campaign was a photo contest that got participants to write humorous captions about harp seals while taking time to learn about them. Gain insight into why this project was successful on Beth’s Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media.

Florida, Louisiana and especially Texas are in dire need of aid. Yet, the fundraising efforts have been drastically below expectations, with only a total of approximately $25 million raised. These figures are dwarfed by efforts for Hurricane Katrina. As a result, last Friday the American Red Cross called on the social media savvy to spread the word and help those in need. Visit Amy Sample Ward’s post on Net Squared to find out how you can help.