Our next SMC-DC meeting will be May 15 at Viget Labs. We welcome Chris Dorobek, Editor-in-Chief of Federal Computer Week. Chris is no stranger to social media, and he will share his experience with blogging and social networks (visit him on Twitter and Facebook), as well as his opinion of government and military use of Web 2.0.

The federal government strives for collaboration between the different departments and units it holds. The government is still experimenting with social media, with the wiki Intellipedia already in use for the intelligence community, and even the Department of the Navy’s CIO dipping his toes into blogging.

So how else is the government using social media? Are they ready for it, and what’s the value for them? Come discuss the current and future state of Web 2.0 as the government views it.

More details:

Please RSVP by Tuesday, May 13 to Larissa Fair.

Special thanks to Viget Labs for hosting the event.

Date: Thursday, May 15, 2008

Time: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Location:

Viget Labs headquarters

400 S. Maple Avenue, Suite 200
Falls Church, VA 22046

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=19100475790

Today represents the two year anniversary of this blog (image by Matt McGee). The first post was written the night before the launch of Livingston Communications. Here is an excerpt:

This NewCo is an experimental mix of marketing excellence and ethical principles, similar to those that a classically trained journalist would deploy. The foundation is honesty in marketing and public relations, a dignified approach to doing business in the modern world. Mixed with aggressive, intelligent strategies, tactical marketing works better under these conditions.

With the marketplace becoming increasingly skeptical of marketing and PR messaging, honest communications may be the one of the best ways to succeed in the future. It will at least separate many companies from the mediocre marketing that is commonly used today. I believe in this theory because in my past practices it has worked with resounding success. As a sole proprietor, I can offer this kind of strategic and successful marketing all of the time.

After two years, four additional full-time employees (one of which has yet to identify themselves), permanent offices on the way, 679 Buzz Bin posts and one book, I can say we’ve done a lot to prove this vision. Perhaps the best thing about this blog is all of the many like-minded individuals it has introduced me to. It’s been an honor. Thank you for your support.

What better way to celebrate two years than provide access to the powerpoints that Kami Huyse and I developed for NewComm Forum. There is some overlapping content between the two, but the first one is from our three hour session on integrating social media. The second powerpoint is being given today and discusses how to build a brand using social media.

Once in a while I get a client who will let me talk about our work.  Tomorrow my client FindWhere starts a beta for a free buddy finder service at Livecontacts (actually the lights are already on). The special thing about this launch is it changes a paradigm, making GPS location information on smart phones available to its users for free, a natural evolution from Web 2.0’s democratization of content.

The successful integration of location data into social applications could have far-reaching implications for the web. Everything we do will have context, suddenly providing real geographic presence to our activities. Tweeting that you are going to Barnes & Noble could result in an informal meet-up. Conferences like SxSW could become veritable geek-meet fests. Finding teenage children?  Locating lost phones? Location-based social ads?Etc., etc.

Buddy finders and find-me, follow-me services have been talked about for some time. There have been several barriers to success, which have now been overcome:

1) Freeing GPS location charges.  You cannot underestimate how important this is.  Because Internet users expect location information for free, pay-for-use plans have dramatically inhibited the growth of location-based applications.

2) Phones did not have GPS chips enabled

3) Social networks were not as predominant a concept. Now social web technologies make networking mobile phones together a real possibility.

Several other companies are trying to do this, too, usually for a small fee (Loopt, Rummble, and Whrrl).  All systems have their challenges and limitations based on the technology they use to track and to visualize.

For example, Livecontacts has a global approach using GSM networks (based on more than 200k apps tracked with FindWhere’s main service), but in the U.S.A. that means cdma users (Sprint and Verizon) are out of the picture.  You can thank a bad FCC decision in the early 90s for that one. Also, the phones that are actually capable of GPS location tracking are also limited, though expanding all the time.

Livecontacts will evolve over the next few months, making it a much more socially catalized application.  Badges for blogs and widgets for social networks plus the ability to see Livecontacts maps from your handset (currently on PC only).

It’s going to be exciting to see how far this location movement can go. To me, mobile and localization represent significant aspects of the true next generation of the Web, and I’m thrilled to be part of it. Anyone who wants to join in can friend  me on Livecontacts.

There was a great turnout at last night’s Social Media Club DC event featuring Ann Bernard of Why Go Solo. We had a lively discussion about social media platforms, and Ann shared a bit more of her vision of where Why Go Solo was headed.

Thanks again to Viget Labs for offering their space to host the event, and to Aaron Brazell for streaming the presentation.

If you’re posting about the event or have pictures to share, please comment, message me on Twitter or e-mail me.

Many old and new faces were in attendance, including:

• Jared Goralnick
• Arthur Supsiri
• D. Keith Casey, Jr.
• Nick Whitmoyer
• Jimmy Gardner
• Steve Fisher
• George Brett
• Patrick Riley
• Victoria Pickering
• Jonny Goldstein
• Doug Hadden
• Nicholas Tolson
• Anna Hadden
• Marty Stake
• Don Lair
• Adam Reyer
• Petra Kahn
• Mary Fletcher Jones
• David Hyson
• Justin Thorp
• Karen Snyder
• David Schnedar
• Scott Tranter
• Stu Miller
• Bill Allman
• Joe Zuccaro
• Amy Senger
• Frank Gruber
• Joe Loong
• Ray Capeece
• Ralph Sklarew

Thanks to all for attending. Some additional photos can be seen on Flickr.

Head crayonista Joe Jaffe pulled the diva move and stood-up 80 brilliant marketing bloggers at Blogger Social. He feigned illlness.  In playful vengeance we auctioned his name tag for the rights to be Joe Jaffe (photo by Shashi).

Livingston Communications won at a well priced $500.  Ahem:

Did I tell you my podcast receives two million downloads? Want to hang out on my private Second Life island? I’ll give you a free copy of my book “Join the Conversation” (although I didn’t), but only if you review it. Enough about me, what do you think about me?!?

Like that?  More on Twitter for the remainder of the day.

Proceeds benefited the Frozen Pea Fund for breast cancer research (See Buzz Bin interview).  Frozen Pea Fund members Connie Reece, Cathleen Rittereiser and members of Susan Reynolds‘ family received a $30,000 check last night from crayon and ooVoo, a result of my ooVoo day (in which Livingston Communications also participated, yielding $1500 of the larger sum).

Moving forward, I Am Joe Jaffe won’t end here.  Several of us agreed, it’s too priceless for just one. Let the “I Am Joe Jaffe for a Day” meme begin!

Here’s the deal, receivers of the Joe Jaffe name tag agree to donate $25 to Frozen Pea Fund, create a ridiculous photo and blog post in the spirit of “I am Joe Jaffe,” and FedEx the tag to the next blogger who agrees to be I Am  Joe Jaffe for a day.  Tomorrow I will FedEx the Joe Jaffe name tag to Cam Beck, who has agreed to be the next Joe Jaffe.

Overall, BloggerSocial was a blast. It was really great to meet so many of my heroes who write outstanding thought leadership and fun posts every week. The Blogger Social ‘08 attendees: Susan Bird Tim Brunelle Katie Chatfield Matt Dickman Luc Debaisieux Gianandrea Facchini Mark Goren Gavin Heaton Sean Howard CK Valeria Maltoni Drew McLellan Doug Meacham Marilyn Pratt Steve Roesler Greg Verdino CB Whittemore Steve Woodruff Paul McEnany Ann Handley David Reich Tangerine Toad Kristin Gorski Mack Collier David Armano Ryan Barrett Lori Magno Tim McHale Gene DeWitt Mario Vellandi Arun Rajagopal Rohit Bhargava Anna Farmery Marianne Richmond Thomas Clifford Lewis Green Geoff Livingston Kris Hoet  CeCe Lee Toby Bloomberg Seni Thomas Darryl Ohrt Joe Kutchera Paul Dunay Marshall Sponder Chris Kieff Tara Anderson Jason Falls Paul Soldera Roberta Rosenberg Saul Colt Todd Andrlik Nathan Snell Ryan Karpeles Mike Sansone Jennifer Laycock Neil Vineberg Cam Beck Mike Arauz Matthew Bailey Heather Gorringe John Rosen  Tamar Weinberg Rita Perea Linda Sherman Matthew McDonald Kaitlyn Wilkins Terry Starbucker Jennifer Berk Jane Quigley John Wall Scott Monty Kevin Horne Virginia Miracle Amanda Gravel  David Polinchock Shashi Bellamkonda David Berkowitz Vahe Habeshian

Over the next three weeks, I will attend two events that promise to knock my socks off.  Some of the greatest marketing and communications minds in the business will be attending Blogger Social this weekend in NYC and New Communications Forum in Sonoma County, CA on April 22-25.

Whenever you are around this many brilliant minds, it’s hard not to walk away with great new insights. I look forward to meeting many of my peers and teachers, from whom I am sure to learn quite a bit. A quick breakdown of each event…

Blogger Social

Put 80 brilliant marketing bloggers together in three well organized events for fun, and what do you have?  A blast?  Put them in New York City, and the fund gets exponentially better putting the caps in Blogger Social.

This weekend’s events promise to be outstanding, and I look forward to pow-wowing with many of my colleagues and friends and meeting new ones. The fun starts early as Shashi and I hitch a ride together on Amtrak!

The Blogger Social ‘08 attendees:
Susan Bird Tim Brunelle Katie Chatfield Matt Dickman Luc Debaisieux Gianandrea Facchini Mark Goren Gavin Heaton Sean Howard CK Valeria Maltoni Drew McLellan Doug Meacham Marilyn Pratt Steve Roesler Greg Verdino CB Whittemore Steve Woodruff Paul McEnany Ann Handley David Reich Tangerine Toad Kristin Gorski Mack Collier David Armano Ryan Barrett Lori Magno Tim McHale Gene DeWitt Mario Vellandi Arun Rajagopal Joseph Jaffe Rohit Bhargava Anna Farmery Marianne Richmond Thomas Clifford Lewis Green Geoff Livingston Kris Hoet Connie Reece CeCe Lee Toby Bloomberg Seni Thomas Darryl Ohrt Joe Kutchera Paul Dunay Marshall Sponder Chris Kieff Tara Anderson Jason Falls Paul Soldera Roberta Rosenberg Saul Colt Todd Andrlik Nathan Snell Ryan Karpeles Mike Sansone Jennifer Laycock Neil Vineberg Cam Beck Mike Arauz Matthew Bailey Heather Gorringe John Rosen Cathleen Rittereiser Tamar Weinberg Rita Perea Linda Sherman Matthew McDonald Kaitlyn Wilkins Terry Starbucker Jennifer Berk Jane Quigley John Wall Scott Monty Kevin Horne Virginia Miracle Amanda Gravel Susan Reynolds David Polinchock Shashi Bellamkonda David Berkowitz Vahe Habeshian

NewComm Forum

Many of the industry’s most brilliant members are attending the NewComm Forum this April 22-25th in Sonoma County, CA. There so many great communications speakers, it’s insane.

One of Now Is Gone’s primary sources Communications Overtone’s Kami Huyse has kindly asked me to join here one pre-conference workshop on the 22nd as well as main conference session on the 24th. Here’s what you can expect…

Pre-Conference Session: Tuesday, April 22 - 1:00 - 4:30 pm: Building Integrated Social Media Campaigns: How to Leverage New Media in Existing Communication Plans

This should be interesting because integrating social media into a larger marketing plan only makes sense, yet many folks still struggle with how to engage in social media correctly. We are already modifying several of our past processes to deliver something completely new for NewComm Forum pre-con attendees.

On Thursday morning, April 24 at 10 a.m Kami and I pick up the beat again for, “Building Your Brand with Conversational Media.”

Hear how other companies have used social media to position themselves as thought leaders in their field. You will:

• Learn about the latest social media tools and techniques
• Take away a three-step process to begin engage right away
• Understand how micro content will help you to position your brand
• Hear about case studies that you can apply to your own business needs

Bonus Miles

Bay Area friends should be aware that a Chris Heuer organized Tweet-up in SF may be in the works on the 21st…  More details coming soon.

Please join us for our next Social Media Club DC (SMC-DC) event on Thursday, April 10 at 6:30 pm. We will gather at Viget Labs to hear some insight from Ann Bernard, Founder and CEO of WhyGoSolo.

Ann will show us how a local start-up company has created a social media platform that leverages the web from one click of a button. WhyGoSolo has the solution to bridge our online worlds to offline real world connections but that’s only a small part of the story. The more involved and complex social media becomes, the more critical it is to keep it simple and user-friendly for both businesses and web users to leverage. Ann will explain more about the key factors of creating a platform that is fully integrated in everyone’s online worlds and that works has a hub of information that gathers and delivers information where people want to receive it and view it.

This is a fabulous opportunity to get a behind the scenes look at the perspective of a web start-up CEO and how to develop a platform that is built to meet the social media needs of event promoters, planners and entertainment venues.

More details:

Please RSVP by Tuesday, April 8 to Larissa Fair.

Special thanks to Viget Labs for hosting the event.

Date: Thursday, April 10, 2008

Time: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Location:

Viget Labs headquarters

400 S. Maple Avenue, Suite 200
Falls Church, VA 22046

WhyGoSolo Group: Join the WhyGoSolo Social Media Club DC Group and find someone to attend this event and future events with you!

Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=29723725382

Last week we introduced Qui Diaz as the Director of Strategy for Livingston Communications. We decided to share a little more about this rockstar.

BB: We noticed that you belong to various online social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Which one is your favorite and why?

QD: I used to be skeptical about online social networks and was a total late bloomer. Now they provide an outlet for my fascination with sociological behavior in the workplace.

LinkedIn is becoming more versatile; it’s evident they’re aiming to adapt to user desires. I like that something new is happening every day that isn’t too divergent from the network’s core objective.

But in truth, my heart belongs to Idealist.org. There’s this joke that my blood type is 501(3)(3), and Idealist (and the many other do good social networks) feed that need for hundreds of thousands of people.

BB: As an avid blogger and social media enthusiast, what inspires you to engage?

QD: Smart people and ideas that compel me to action. The promise of change and the boundless catalysts offered in the digital space. The possibility that something I say might help someone else. And not wanting to be left out.

BB: For up and coming communicators, why do you think they should embrace Web 2.0? Any advice?

QD: As with anything, there is a lot of hype and pressure in the online space. Perspective is key. Take what you need and want, share it with others, and know that you’ve acquired transferable and highly marketable qualities necessary for today’s integrated communications world.

BB: One of your charges is integrating digital strategies into larger public relations campaigns. What’s the key to success?

QD: Admitting that both approaches go together! Public relations has always been about relationships. Strategic PR flourishes through endeavors that create and cultivate two-way affiliations and connection points between your target audience and you (your goal). An integrated approach must meet your audience where it’s at, online or off-line.

Anything you plan that doesn’t do this is probably off the mark, excessive, and/or for your own entertainment. Not that there’s anything wrong with having some fun.

BB: What was your favorite communications experience?

QD: One that has to do with discovery and adaptation. While with 360° Digital Influence, I was heavily involved with developing and promoting the Pandemic Flu Leadership Blog with the Department of Health and Human Services. It was a 5-week blog intended to help start the conversation about pandemic preparedness among high-profile national leaders and others.

Talk about a tough message, and when we started, HHS was still very conservative when it came to the online space. Through it all, we found a community of potential advocates and engaged them in a conversation through the blog. HHS has continued to evolve their efforts and identify clever ways to build trust with the online pandemic flu community. And incorporate what they’re learning into their larger strategies on a holistic level. That takes courage, perseverance and time. Every organization and marcomm professional can learn from their experience.

BB: Your least favorite?

QD: Most small-group discussions. I have this ongoing paranoia that everyone in the room thinks I’m a moron. It keeps me humble, and gives me a personal communications obstacle to overcome – everybody has their hurdle.

BB: What’s your biggest hope?

QD: Perhaps it’s because I’m a complete bleeding heart – feel like I’m in training to contribute my all to a great cause. To me, the greatest cause is kicking poverty’s A. The hope is that we’ll all do something to help. Start here.

Spring is finally here. Sports fanatics create their March Madness brackets, spring cleaning gets bumped to the top of the priority list and college students prepare to graduate.

Most of these students –anxious to finally end their college career – are left with one door that leads to the world of employment. As a graduate who was recently hired, a few pre-graduation tips on how to get through that door would have been helpful. This is the first of a series of posts that will offer tips to others who are searching for advice on the transition from college to the infamous entry-level job.

Three tips to think about before graduating:
(Photo Credit: Flickr)

1. Create a profile on a few online job search engines like Careerbuilder, Monster and Craigslist. According to Careerbuilder, out of their 21 million users, 11.4% are within the ages of 18-24. Two million users are already getting their foot in the door just by uploading their resumes.

2. Network Online. Those not on social networks, such as Facebook or LinkedIn, can deem themselves as laggards. Joining these platforms allows people to build relationships with others and enhances networking within an online community of professionals. It’s all about who you know! A recent document from Careerbuilder on the industry trends stated that many employers are starting to screen candidates via the internet:

To ensure they are recruiting the right talent, more employers are leveraging the Internet as a vehicle for screening potential employees. Thirteen percent of employers report they always or usually use online search engines and social networking sites to research job candidates while 33 percent report they do so on occasion. Nearly one-in-five (19 percent) say they are likely to start using or increase their use of these resources to research job candidates in 2008.

3. Read. Whether it’s a book or a blog, reading will help fill your brain with knowledge; and as most know, knowledge is power. Many books and blogs offer tips and insights into the professional world. What better way to hear about the ups and downs of a job hunt than right from the horses’ mouths? Justin Driscoll’s 7 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Graduated provides excellent advice specifically for graduates.

These three tips are no-brainers. The real challenge is to set yourself apart from others by strategically using the resources available. Learn the new applications on LinkedIn. Read company blogs to fill your mind with more information about the person interviewing you. Use that “Google Juice” to research and embrace all that the internet has to offer because once that college door closes, all that’s left is to turn the knob on the next door.

Perhaps you saw Richard Edelman’s post last week on five key points we need to remind clients about in a recession. It was an interesting piece on the value of PR in the current media environment. Much was said, some of which was on par (image: prosperity symbol by sharlini). Perhaps the best comment in the whole post was:

We need to ensure clients are equipped to convey PR’s ROI and credibility advantages over other communications disciplines.

Last recession, I was in a tech heavy firm, and though times were tough, walked out of it with a promotion and a significant increase in wages. Recessions often create opportunities for those who can navigate the troubled waters.  Keys to success during this time:

1) A positive attitude no matter what. You cannot underestimate the importance of maintaining a we can attitude.
2) Redirecting business strategy to win away lower tier clients from the big agencies as well as stable industries sure to spend through the recession.
3)Finally, intrinsically tying our PR and marketing service to ROI.

Moving forward, PR and marketers have an opportunity to accelerate through the recession and differentiate themselves by focusing on ROI. Remember, companies are in business to generate revenue, and that’s the predominant reason why they hire us.  If communicators focus on intangibles like "credibility" or "conversations" that cannot be tied directly to their clients’ or company’s bottom lines… Well, they put themselves at risk. 

Yes, credibility is the primary benefit of PR services, and smart companies know this is necessary to survive and grow thorough a recession.  But unfortunately some companies can’t see beyond three months into the future. Others simply have to make cuts. These less visionary or unfortunate players will focus solely on the bottom line.

Here are just a few of the ways that PR (note this does not say media relations) and social media services impact the bottom line:

• Social media campaigns engineered correctly provide significantly more qualified contacts than advertising at a much lower cost per contact. Strong social media firms are likely to grow during the recession.
• Speaking engagements also create direct relationships, as well as many lead opportunities.
• Events created for stakeholders can create outstanding value… and leads
• Both traditional media hits and social media — if targeted with precision — can inspire leads, speaking engagements, and the right kind of SEO
• White papers can turn into calls-to-action on the web site, in turn creating leads

Get creative. Stay positive. Inspire your strategy to position you to win, and impact your clients’ or company’s bottom line. And prosper through the recession.