Jive_From_The_Hive~Elizabeth_Hannan

Who Do You Want To Meet At South By South West ? SXSW 2010

2010-03-11T06:32:37Z

It is the night before I fly out to Austin for SXSW Interactive Festival and I am so excited. SXSW 2010 is sure to be a blast and I'm eager to meet those I have not met before. I totally encourage you to come say "Hello" if you see me. I have more than a handful of appointments, brain storming sessions lined up which always turns in impromptu meetings in the hallway! I also own Blue Blazing Media and we are growing digital marketing group. I definitely will be scouting for cutting edge individuals making waves in their own specialities. Blue Blazing Media is looking build some professional relationships as well.

Who do you want to meet at SXSW? Why do you want to meet them? Do you have a meeting setup already?

Social Events:

MY. SXSW is a good start if you are looking for a list but most sponsers are all running their own events. Here are some good links to events but it has been my experience the best events are the ones you find out about while you are on site. I will be Foursquare -ing and Gowalla- ing my location most places that I end up. FourWhere looks quite interesting as well. Upcoming.com has a great search tool and of course Googling will give you excellent results.

So ... lets connect up! Twitter, Facebook, Email (I respond quickest to tweets at conferences)

Influential Women of the Web in 2010

2009-12-17T18:00:47Z

(Disclaimer: No one on this list willingly grows social media facial hair.)

It's January and I despise the "2010 lists" as they all end up being popularity lists with no value. This list crosses many verticals but all use online technologies to benefit their particular brand.

This list is unique as it is a collection of women who are in technology or are using an array of tech tools online including social media. They are implementing their ideas and strategies across other verticals. They understand the value that they offer, they have a passion for their ideals and finally they implement these concepts daily. These are the women who will push past the pack in 2010. You should pay attention. They are making their own rules and boundaries. Most will also present at your event or conference.

They are "Game Changers". (Upcoming interview series)

It is up to you to find valuable content online and to be objective when you consume such content. This list consists of many women you may never have heard of. They are not focused on gaining popularity they are focused on their vertical and content. Some are entrepreneurial and some are corporate based, but all are implementing their concepts daily. It is up to you to recognize their talents.

You can also find more influential women at the Women Of Web 3.0 Group.

Did I miss someone? You can add more women worth recognizing to this list in the comment section below.

Entrepreneurial

Elise Bauer

Twitter: @simplyrecipes
Platform: Simply Recipes
http://simplyrecipes.com/

Carla Binberg

Twitter: @MizFitOnline
Platform: MizFitOnline.
http://mizfitonline.com/

Deirdre Breakenridge

Twitter: @dbreakenridge
Platform: New PR
http://www.deirdrebreakenridge.com/

Rhea Drysdale

Twitter: @rhea
Platform: CoFounder, Outspoken media
http://outspokenmedia.com/

April Dunford

Twitter:@aprildunford
Platform: Product Marketing, VersePoint
http://www.rocketwatcher.com/

Ree Drummond

Twitter: @thepioneerwoman
Platform: The Pioneer Woman.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/

Katrin Eismann
Platform: Photoshop Diva, Photographer
http://www.photoshopdiva.com/index.html

Sarah Evans
Twitter: @prsarahevans
Platform: PR, Sevans Strategy
http://www.sevansstrategy.com/

Laura Fitton

Twitter: @Pistachio
Platform: Cofounder, OneForty
http://oneforty.com/Pistachio

Elizabeth Hannan

Twitter: @ElizabethHannan
Platform: Search Marketing & Community Architect
http://www.BlueBlazingMedia.com

Tara Hunt

Twitter: @missrogue
Platform: Owner, Citizen Space
http://www.horsepigcow.com/

Ariel Hyatt

Twitter: @CyberPR
Platform: Music Industry
http://arielpublicity.com/blog/

Nicole Jordan
Platform: Start ups
http://kickingsand.com/

Beth Kanter

Twitter: @Kanter

Platform: Non- Profit
http://beth.typepad.com/

Donna Krstec
Twitter: @DonnaKrstec

Platform: CEO, www.AJIS.com
http://newjerseylawyers.blogspot.com/

Jennier Leggio

Twitter: @mediaphyter
Platform:Corporate,network security appliance, Fortinet
http://mediaphyter.wordpress.com/

Charlene Li

Twitter: @CharleneLI

Platform: Business Development, Altimeter Group
http://www.altimetergroup.com/

Valeria Maltoni

Twitter: @ConversationAge

Platform: Conversation Agent

http://www.conversationagent.com/

Kate Morris

Twitter: @katemorris

          Platform: Search Marketing & Social, Marketing Demons
      http://www.katemorris.com/category/personal

Katie Paine

Twitter: @kdpaine
Platform: Metrics, Founder, KDPaine & Partners
http://www.measuresofsuccess.com/

Jane Quigley

Twitter: @jquig99
Corporate: VP of Client Relations, Crayon
http://socialdays.com/

Stephaie Quilao

Twitter: @SkinnyJeans

Platform: Founder, Noshtopia
http://www.noshtopia.com/

Kathy Sacks

Twitter: @KathySacks

Platform: KathSacksPR

http://www.sackspr.com/

Leni Schwendinger

Platform: Fusing Art Lighting Design Projects

http://lenischwendinger.wordpress.com/about/

SugarRae

Twitter: @sugarrae
Platform: Founder, MFE Interactive
http://www.sugarrae.com/

Pam Slim

Twitter: @pamslim
Platform: Founder, Ganas Consulting
http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com/

Ria Sharon

Twitter: @riasharon
Platform: Co-Founder, My Mommy Manual
http://mymommymanual.com/

Liz Strauss

Twitter: @LizStrauss

Platform: LizStrauss.com

http://www.lizstrauss.com/

Suzanne Tucker

Twitter: @zenmommy
Platform: Co-Founder, My Mommy Manual
http://mymommymanual.com/

Wendy Suto

Twitter: @searchcircus
Platform: Ceo, SearchCircus
http://www.searchcircus.com/

Corporate or Institutional

Reem Abeidoh

Twitter: @rabeidoh
Platform: Director of Social Media, GroupM Search
http://www.reemabeidoh.com/

Lisa Barone

Twitter: @lisaBarone
Platform: Outspoken Media
http://outspokenmedia.com/

Kristy Bolsinger

Twitter: @kristy
Platform: Real Networks
http://www.kristybolsinger.com/

Michelle Conlon

Twitter: @michelleconlon
Platform: Web Media Manager, Pragmatic Marketing
http://www.PragmaticMarketing.com

Candace Flemming
Platform: CEO, Crimson Hexagon
http://www.crimsonhexagon.com/about/fleming.php

Heather Herr

Twitter: @MsHerr
Platform: Social Media Specialist, Terralever
http://msherrwhenonline.com/

Rebecca Kelley

Twitter: @rebeccakelley
Platform: Director of Social Media
http://www.10e20.com/

Cindy Kim

Twitter: @cindykimpr
Platform: Dir. of Corp Comm & Social Media for Lumension
http://cindykimblog.wordpress.com

Joanna Lord

Twitter: @joannalord
Platform: CMO at YourJobStop
http://www.yourjobstop.com/

Stephanie Miller

Twitter: @StephanieSAM

Platform:Return Path

http://www.returnpath.net/

Amber Nashlund

Twitter: @ambercadabra
Platform: Community Director, Radian6
http://altitudebranding.com/

Alicia O'Brien

Twitter: @aobrien
Platform: Marketing Director, DNA 13
http://www.dna13.com

Debbie Qaqish

Twitter: @DebbieQaqish
Platform: B2B Marketing, Principal, Pedowitz Group
http://www.pedowitzgroup.com

Jane Quigley

Twitter: @jquig99
Platform: Crayon
http://socialdays.com/

Debbie Stier

Twitter: @DebbieStier
Platform: Harper Collins
http://www.26thstory.com/

Diane Sullivan

Twitter: @pilotpentennis

Platform: Sports Sponsorship & Social Media, Yale Pilot Pen Tennis
http://www.pilotpentennis.com

Linda Thor

Platform: Presidnet, Rio Salado College

http://www.riosalado.edu

Entrepreneurial

Elise Bauer

Twitter: @simplyrecipes
Platform: Simply Recipes
http://simplyrecipes.com/

Carla Binberg

Twitter: @MizFitOnline
Platform: MizFitOnline.
http://mizfitonline.com/

Deirdre Breakenridge

Twitter: @dbreakenridge
Platform: New PR
http://www.deirdrebreakenridge.com/

Rhea Drysdale

Twitter: @rhea
Platform: CoFounder, Outspoken media
http://outspokenmedia.com/

April Dunford

Twitter:@aprildunford
Platform: Product Marketing, VersePoint
http://www.rocketwatcher.com/

Ree Drummond

Twitter:@thepioneerwoman
Platform: The Pioneer Woman.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/

Katrin Eismann
Platform: Photoshop Diva, Photographer
http://www.photoshopdiva.com/index.html

Sarah Evans

Twitter: @prsarahevans
Platform: PR, Sevans Strategy
http://www.sevansstrategy.com/

Laura Fitton

Twitter: @Pistachio
Platform: Cofounder, OneForty
http://oneforty.com/Pistachio

Elizabeth Hannan

Twitter: @ElizabethHannan
Platform: Search Marketing & Community Architect, Blue Blazing Media
http://www.BlueBlazingMedia.com

Tara Hunt

Twitter: @missrogue
Platform: Owner, Citizen Space
http://www.horsepigcow.com/

Ariel Hyatt

Twitter: @CyberPR

    Platform: Music Industry

    http://arielpublicity.com/blog/



    Nicole Jordan

    Platform: Start ups

http://kickingsand.com/

Beth Kanter

Twitter: @Kanter

Platform: Non- Profit
http://beth.typepad.com/

Donna Krstec
Twitter: @DonnaKrstec

Platform: CEO, www.AJIS.com
http://newjerseylawyers.blogspot.com/

Jennier Leggio

Twitter: @mediaphyter
Platform:Corporate,network security appliance, Fortinet
http://mediaphyter.wordpress.com/

Charlene Li

Twitter: @CharleneLI

Platform: Business Development, Altimeter Group
http://www.altimetergroup.com/

Valeria Maltoni

Twitter: @ConversationAge

Platform: Conversation Agent

http://www.conversationagent.com/

Kate Morris

Twitter: @katemorris

          Platform: Search Marketing & Social, Marketing Demons
      http://www.katemorris.com/category/personal

Katie Paine

Twitter: @kdpaine
Platform: Metrics, Founder, KDPaine & Partners
http://www.measuresofsuccess.com/

Jane Quigley

Twitter: @jquig99
Corporate: VP of Client Relations, Crayon
http://socialdays.com/

Stephaie Quilao

Twitter: @SkinnyJeans

Platform: Founder, Noshtopia

http://www.noshtopia.com/

Kathy Sacks

Twitter: @KathySacks

Platform: KathSacksPR

http://www.sackspr.com/

Leni Schwendinger

Platform: Fusing Art Lighting Design Projects

http://lenischwendinger.wordpress.com/about/

SugarRae

Twitter: @sugarrae
Platform: Founder, MFE Interactive
http://www.sugarrae.com/

Pam Slim

Twitter: @pamslim
Platform: Founder, Ganas Consulting
http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com/

Ria Sharon

Twitter: @riasharon
Platform: Co-Founder, My Mommy Manual
http://mymommymanual.com/

Suzanne Tucker

Twitter: @zenmommy
Platform: Co-Founder, My Mommy Manual
http://mymommymanual.com/

Wendy Suto

Twitter: @searchcircus
Platform: Ceo, SearchCircus
http://www.searchcircus.com/

Corporate or Institutional

Reem Abeidoh

Twitter: @rabeidoh
Platform: Director of Social Media, GroupM Search
http://www.reemabeidoh.com/

Lisa Barone

Twitter: @lisaBarone
Platform: Outspoken Media
http://outspokenmedia.com/

Kristy Bolsinger

Twitter: @kristy
Platform: Real Networks
http://www.kristybolsinger.com/

Michelle Conlon

Twitter: @MsHerr
Platform: Social Media Specialist, Terralever
http://msherrwhenonline.com/

Rebecca Kelley

Twitter: @rebeccakelley

Platform: Director of Social Media

http://www.10e20.com/

Cindy Kim

Twitter: @cindykimpr
Platform: Dir. of Corp Comm & Social Media for Lumension
http://cindykimblog.wordpress.com

Joanna Lord

Twitter: @joannalord

Platform: CMO at YourJobStop

http://www.yourjobstop.com/

Stephanie Miller

Twitter: @StephanieSAM

Platform:Return Path

http://www.returnpath.net/

Amber Nashlund

Twitter: @ambercadabra
Platform: Community Director, Radian6
http://altitudebranding.com/

Alicia O'Brien

Twitter: @aobrien
Platform: Marketing Director, DNA 13
http://www.dna13.com

Debbie Qaqish

Twitter: @DebbieQaqish
Platform: B2B Marketing, Principal, Pedowitz Group
http://www.pedowitzgroup.com

Jane Quigley

Twitter: @jquig99
Platform: Crayon
http://socialdays.com/

Debbie Stier

Twitter: @DebbieStier
Platform: Harper Collins
http://www.26thstory.com/

Diane Sullivan

Twitter: @pilotpentennis

Platform: Sports Sponsorship & Social Media, Yale Pilot Pen Tennis

http://www.pilotpentennis.com

Linda Thor

Platform: Presidnet, Rio Salado College

http://www.riosalado.edu

Photo Credit

Series: Finding Hidden Values In Your Community's Content In 2010

2009-12-13T05:53:44Z

Your community is diversified as your readers or viewers likes and dislikes differ. Everyone visits your site for different reasons with different expectations. A great community manager tests your content that works and content that does not. In conjunction with site traffic results it is easy to determine your community's content strengths and weaknesses. Another service that I am a fan of is CrazyEgg and ClickTale. Crazy Egg show heat maps over your site, Cick tale shows you a video of your site. There is no right or wrong in this situation. You learn and adapt the site for better traffic results. One other great product is Tim Ash's AttentionWizard. It tracks eye traffic when the site isn't even out of development. I give you permission to test away!

Below is a little video I recorded last month on the SocialFresh Cruise. Too pretty to not share with my readers. Also, includes a sneak peek into my new company.

Series: Finding Hidden Value - New Ebook - Creating Captivating Content Online

2009-12-01T21:37:50Z

Community building and management is one of those areas in which I excel at. The enjoyment that I get by creating a "buzz" around a brand online to me is just well the cat's meow. It is that raw talent that has inspired two other communities Women of Web 3.0 and RetailSherpa.org.

Recently, I attended the Social Fresh #SoCruise with a select group of distinguish group on individuals who are considered elite in their particular area of focus. It was a great opportunity to detox from the hustle and bustle of the daily activities of running an online media company. Amazingly the emails and texts were all still there when we pulled back into the Port of Miami.

The event held several hidden values. Most relevant would be the individuals on the trip. Face to face meetings always solidify the relationship. Another hidden value was the solitude and ability to create multiple blogs posts and content when the email quieted. Finally, living in Arizona I did not realize how much I missed the water and Catamaran sailing upon it. Multihulls watch out, here I come.

In summary, I'm going to write a couple ebooks in the next couple months around the concept of adding value to your community,creating captivating content, how creating content and products actually creates opportunities for you and your brand and finally finding who your community personas actually are and the business model that glues it all together.

Whats is your favorite type of content? What do you click on first when you come to a new site?

Blogging: You Are Doing It Wrong. Nine Steps To Improve Your Site

2009-11-28T20:40:56Z

Anniversaries catch up quickly. Yesterday was my my birthday but not just my own birthday it's my blog's birthday as well. I escaped the normal flow of things and disconnected to gain a little insight. A year ago i started my community building blog with the intent to share my knowledge, discoveries and experiences with other like minded individuals. A year has past and its time for some house cleaning and a bit of refreshing.

1. Find your foundation.

My blog is designed based on the algorithm that online communities are constructed of a diversify of individuals all requesting varying types of content in order to feel that connection. Communities need to compliment pre-established brands. They need to offer insight and education to build trusted relationships with the consumer. You need a strong background in traditional marketing fundamentals and hands-on knowledge of how to implement social media. Finally, you need time and the option of a social dashboard combined with SEO in which to measure your results against your goals. If you couldn't tell I "heart" social strategy and connecting the consumer's voice actively and efficiently with large brands and corporations.

So, my blog needs a little love inside and out to adapt in 2010. Plus, who doesn't like a little change.So these are my steps to keep Jive From The Hive growing.

2. Hello? Is there anybody out there?

Very similar to fresh produce at the grocery store keeping the content fresh and post regularly is important. No one goes to the grocery to to buy the wilted and smelly produce. I myself am guilty of not putting my thoughts and experiences to paper often enough.

3. Step it up a notch. Does it still offer objective opinions and insight into you industry and or focus?

When creating content I am developing my own editorial calendar to keep up and on track with regularity. Breaking the content into seven types of topics that I feel will offer my readers a well rounded and objective information. Here are some ideas for content news, innovation, tools, case studies, how to's, reevaluating previous posts, brand evaluations and opinions.

4. Content Types - Expand to meet you diversified audience's desires
Be creative and experiment with varying types of content. We are not all readers, some of us take a lot more away from a diagram that four pages of text in less time. Your community will thank you.

5. Embrace where you came from. See the steps in front of you.

The last year has included lots of little steps to get up and running. But, slow and steady wins the race. I've found a new venue for conveying my passion of delivering information and a more hands on approach via speaking and presenting. Some of the mediums I've been sharing content through for years I can finally implement through my new company Blue Blazing Media. (site under development) Two new communities are also under development under the Blue Blazing Media umbrella. Sneak peak at Retailsherpa.org, Women of Web 3.0..

6. Call to Action. Where is your business model around your thoughts?

Jive From The Hive was developed as an outlet to demonstrate how lead generation through community building was a new way of fulfilling social business communications and building function ecosystems around brand awareness. Over the last year I have been able to define the products that I sell around my blog. I professionally speak to organizations and educate companies how to build, implement, and measure realistic social objectives around communities. I supply a call to action to the "next step". What do you offer to your readers.

7. What is in the future?

Define your goals and your algorithm to get there. I have mine and it is top secret. Sorry, you will have to define your own. It is important so do it. Jive From The Hive now has a news letter where more specific on point information is revealed. We will have more free educations products such as ebooks, videos and webinars in conjunction with Blue Blazing Media. The Jive From The Hive community will continue to grow and offer social community building objective advice.

8. Test Everything

Test all your links. I am personally guilty of breaking links regularly.

9. Design elements.

Argh! Why don't you have a search bar?

We are all guilty of this whether it is a website or it is a blog the design elements are critical to your success. Mike Smith offers a great deal of insight into required design processes over at DesignBump.

Here are some highlights:
-No search bar
-Too many advertisements (no one will click on anything on your page if you are pestered except the "X")
-Hard to find navigation bar
-No author information
-Poor content
-Contact page
-Blatant disregard for SEO - (former SEO girl here - this is my pet peeve)
-No way to share content to any other site
-No way for visitors to subscribe if they want more content. (BTW - totally lame)

I hope this offers insight into your own challenges if not just insight into creating blogging goals for 2010.

Legal Versus Social: 7 Steps To An Amicable Relationship

2009-10-26T02:58:02Z

7 Steps to integrate your corporate legal department and an evolving social business model seamlessly.

(This post is designed more for those deep in the corporate trenches, looking for guidance on how to plan out a new guidelines around social business practices policy).

As social business communications become more prevalent in your marketing strategy, it should be expected that legal will also become more adamant about creating documents to lock down your companies brand message.

Evolving integrations of social with current legal policies and communications can be difficult for many reasons. In an era of personal branding there is usually a cause-and-effect scenario. Legal documents with lots of legalese are in place for many reasons. Primarily to protect the best interests of the company from outside, legal is there to defend the fort.

Since legal has had some influence in every business practice since the beginning of time, they are very traditional in their ways the majority of the time. Legal acts as the big brother to every department within the company including all employees. Sometimes the associated legal document's commands can be excessive and unnecessarily wordy in an age of technology and even infiltrate evolving forms of communication mediums. It becomes a natural instinct to broadcast the message and lock it down with legalese.

The power of the message and contents is shifting out of the legacy from a singular mediated source to multiple channels. There is fear and panic at most levels of upper management, traveling down through the internal infrastructure. The response is either openness to learn about new communication or a total knee-jerk response which usually ends up in the form of shutting down and ignore the new tools available for monitoring conversations, with an extra Dollop of "do - not" from legal on top.

There's a new compromise in between individuals and corporate, that is worthwhile mentioning. It is an old fashion tactic and works every time. Open the doors of communication internally between current employees, legal and upper management. In this situation there is no point of too much communication, with so much to be gained.

Ideally, I would highly suggest hiring a consultant who understands brand awareness building communities and a showcase of social media tools. Years of hands on experience in building businesses and has a solid grasp of communications. You want the consultant to act as a go-between legal and to represent your employees as they evolve into social mavens. Through surveys, research and other forms of communication internally will provide insight into the internal employee community, culture and customer concerns. The consultant would compile the data and discuss the data with legal department.

1. Research

Be aware and observe the trends outside the company. How are your competitors using social media to affect their lead generation? How are other legal departments adapting their policies to social communications? Here's a great list of current social policies being used customized different business can indication styles. This a breif overview of some social Media concerns.

2. Monitor

Monitor using social tools to examine whom is discussing your brand online, your competition, your employees and the sentiment about your brand.

You can use the simplest systems as socialmention.com, objectivemarketer.com and others are mentioned in my slide deck here. If you would like to upgrade to a more through product I would suggest Radian 6, Techrigy or DNA 13. Any of those systems accumulate the data quickly to give you answers that you need quickly. You can discover whom is discussing your company, is discussing you, when, why and what. Are there any employees that are actively blogging? Who is acting as an evangelist for your brand for your type of product or service. Pay attention to who outside of your company is discussing your product or service. (We will discuss how to use this information for good in the next post in this series)

3. Fundamentals

Interview and ask questions. Take a census of your employees, what do they think of how your brand communicates their message? If they are familiar with social media how do they think that social media can be be used to increase their customer service? How could social tools improve your business?

Every lead is based on building a trusting relationship with a potential client and with you. There are approximately seven to eight touch points required to build a relationship before trust is capable. Social media connections allow for those doors to be open quicker and in smaller touch points. Distinctively less direct and less intrusive than an old fashioned regular phone call might be.

Employee departments that I would include in my research and census would be customer service, sales, technical, and marketing. This because all these departments are on the front line with your potential consumer establishing touch points before the sale is actually made. They nurture the lead and foster a relationship long before the potential lead can be quantified.

4. Accumulate and Translate

Translate the data accumulated. You would be surprised what you learn. You will obtain a much better idea of what's going on inside your company. Additionally, you will also get insight into common consumer questions, which should be redirected into your customer service model. Customer service reps should also be made aware of solutions to these issues regularly. In your company are evangelists for your organization.

5. The Sit Down

Bring all the data and research to the table and hash it out with legal. Legal should have collected some thoughts on key points that are major concerns to the companies infrastructure. Collects legal samples here and here.

Define the final key points legal wants to lock down. Define the guidelines for internally and externally alignment within the company. It is okay to source new talent from within your own company walls.

The CEO and upper management is not always the ideal candidate to represent the company in social engagement. Too often they end up being broadcasters and sales pitch experts.

Define clear guidelines to insure internal individuals or employees that blog and externally align employees that blog. What is the clear difference between the two roles? Responsibilities, company support alignment, value and content. What platforms do you decide to use and who is authorized to respond when a negative comment comes in? Determine the best response when the PR nightmare happens. Prepare ahead of time; and anticipate and avoid potential problems.

Define whom in your marketing department measures, the SEO traffic and the social search traffic and pulls numbers together monthly to determine the effect on site traffic, site sentiment, additional leads down the sales funnel, and engagement process. Poll numbers monthly or per campaign for the most efficient accuracy. Pay close attention to the engagement stats.(Refer to number two for monitoring tools).

6. Educate and Enable

Educate and train your employees in social business practices because you're externally and internally aligned social candidates will be dealing with leads on a one-to-one basis daily. It is important to maintain a set of guidelines and clearly and openly communicate them. An example, would be ten guidelines. So that confusion and miscommunication does not occur. Your new legal document can assist with this ,but your ten basic guidelines must be also clearly posted within the department. Marketing and sales departments should be aware of them as well.

Hire a consultant to come on site or send your externally aligned employees for basic training in how to use the variety of social tools to the benefit of the company without compromising their own situations. An educated consultant will teach social principles and how they wrap around the fundamentals of marketing and business communications that have existed for years. Most important, your social media instructor must must be a thought leader in the industry. It's very easy to track his or her record of accomplishments online nowadays. In addition, they must have a history of experience. All different types of marketing campaign including direct mail, SEO, SEM, community building, e-mail marketing, campaign, PPC, content development and other commonly used thought processes current with today's business practices. I highly advise sending your legal team to the same classes as well. Help legal get a better understanding of what is to come in the future as technology evolves and affects business the new business model.
(Sokolove Law is a firm the understands the social legal dynamic.)

7. Summary

At step seven you will have to determine within your organization and decide who is externally aligned and representing your initiative in to the social sphere. You will have to have a clear idea of whom those individuals are at this time.

They need to be active online with a trusted transparent presence. The signs of evangelists are their passion about your company, product, blog and a sense of the social business model will be definite signs. Content of value and insight should always be in mind. When they blog, are they conveying a message online that individuals engage and respond to? This externally aligned evangelist for the company must versed in social tools, social etiquette, and legal requirements deemed by the company after steps one through Four. Usually more than one candidate is ideal to offer a diversity of opinions.

Being externally aligned with the company as well as being an employee is a difficult and weighted position. The company needs to be supportive and open to creative online ideas in which to convey the companies message to outside potential clientele is important. This candidate must be versed in how the product or service the company sells, solves the problem of the consumer. Having a repetitive solution to the consumer's question builds a trusting relationship and brand over time.

Photo Credit

How Do You Overcome Communication Obstacles?

2009-10-17T19:36:23Z

Creating content that all of your network or community enjoys all of the time is nearly impossible. It is Fall and my favorite season of the year. Everything changes and abruptly. I'm taking advantage of this and I suggest you do as well.

The way I communicate through specific mediums is changing. I usually communicate directly through twitter, text messages or through speaking gigs. Apparently, I do loose of connection points by not following through after the first touch point. Most often this happens after events and conferences. So in attempt to ignite new friendships and to continue to build on past relationships I've started a newsletter.

Recipe - It will consist of the following:

(1) part "What is new in my world."

(usually secrets, or something new that I don't circulate openly. new sites, projects, etc.)

(1) part "Something helpful or tip related to online Marketing."

(1) part "Tell me about you. What's happening in your world? How can I be helpful?"

It is my new recipe to get to know my network better, establish more touch points and extend relationships. In all reality, I will only get to send a newsletter once every full moon.

My first attempt: "Falling Into Change" Newsletter

Definitely, express your thoughts and ideas. I would love to keep improving on it.

Questions:

How do you overcome communication obstacles?

How do you connect with your network? Build new trusting relationship?

Photo Credit

Re-Evaluating Your Strengths and Goals in Eleven Steps

2009-09-29T22:54:00Z

Updating my Blog
In the past month I've been terribly absent from my blog and my writing passion in general. Not for lack of love of my readers I needed to step back and address my own life goals and priorities and where I want to go. Thank you for all the emails I am still here:) I was just getting stuck on the small stuff and reevaluating how I can be better to my community and grow my own personal Business Blue Blazing Media. I stepped back and sought feedback from my inner circle of friends. I had lost my focus. After reading a significant post By @PamSlim I realized fall is just a time for change.

I strongly believe there is a sense of flow to personal branding, life and your business. Like tides, you can guide the water into channels but you can't control it. Your business has a flow. Your sales profit and loss are the most obvious indicators of how you affect your businesses flow.

Access the situation
The best way to view your personal brand is to step back and view the situation. Create a visual diagram of where you are at. Take the position of a stranger looking in for the first time.
1. Is there direction?
2. Is there a current working plan?
3. Is there new technology out there that might make this process more streamlined?
4. Is it time to restructure your staff? Do you need fresh blood? Maybe new partnerships?
5. Can you grow your network and gain new perspective?

Determine a road map.
6. How do you get from point A to point B with out losing focus?
Building communities don't happen over night. The grow like a garden. If you don't plant seeds only weeds grow and take over. In my case its multiple project and lack of focus.

Road bumps
7. What are your 3 month, 6 month, annual goals?
8. How can you quantify your results?
9. So what if it all fails by traditional standards. Is there a more intuitive way to measure ROI of your efforts?

Challenges are great! If you falter get up and try again.
10. Whats plan B?
11. Who do you know that can help you?

Give back and paying it forward.
Cause I'm a big believer in social karma it seems the natural order of things to connect individuals whom might benefit through knowing each other. These are all touch points that make it easy to build better relationships and relate to others through commonality.

How I remember who you are.
Jeff Pulver told me once "Your only as strong as your network". There is great depth in that statement and carries over between personal relationships and corporate communities. My personal goal is to introduce myself to four new individuals a day, more indiviuals if at conventions or event. In corporate communities its reaching out to strangers, providing solutions, offering more creative content on a site, keeping the flow, and connecting across various social platforms usually to strangers.

So, if we ever meet face to face tell me what you do in 4 sentences or less and give me your business card. It is those four sentences that really describe what you have a passion for and it is how I will remember you. In corporate communities your level of engagement determines the relationships you share with others. It controls how your brand is viewed and what people's initial impression is.

Starting Now
I'm jumping in. You may want to move at your own pace.
Evaluate your answers to the above eleven steps. Where are the gaping holes? What can you fix now and what can you build on for future goals? How can you use this new appetite for success and determination to improve yourself?

Photo Credit: Flowery

Affiliate Summit East 09 NYC

2009-08-18T14:00:05Z

Affiliate Summit East 2009 My adventures at affiliate summit have been vast. I set out at any conference with set goals.

To maximize my time and to grow my networks.
This was primarily done in the blogger lounge.
To meet influential individuals that have the potential to be game changers.
Listening to the pros and perils of other people's experiences.
Communicate with other like minded individuals and to discuss what processes are working and what processes are not working.
To quantify and calculate my time and actions online and find algorithms in online success.

Why Go?
I attended affiliate to meet all sorts of money minded individuals. Basically, see how the affiliates function on the other side of the fence. I spend all my time at social conferences deep diving into social marketing strategy and have been in the SEM world for ten years. So this event was a total change in the thinking process. Individuals come to affiliate to promote products, manage their affiliate programs and find new publishers. It is a good group of fast paced and educated individuals looking monetize. If you make money off your online endeavors this is an event you want to attend.

What I learned?
Top to bottom just about everything I could absorb from meeting with new industry connections. It is always best to think out of the box. Although, naive in the affiliate lifestyle I learned I was one of only a handful of social marketing individuals there. Conversations were plentiful between me and attendees. It is my opinion that melding concepts together for a greater module is where the money can be made.

Points of interest
The exhibit floor speaking with industry related companies. Both keynotes were extremely beneficial. They provided insight and interpretation to the world around us and how multiple industries are evolving. What trends that they see and how they go started. Chris Brogan,Jullien Smith and Peter Shankman aka @skydiver were the speakers at this event. Tech Karaoke was a great opportunity to meet a fun group of people I had not had the chance to meet during the day.

Check out the blogger lounge Affiliate Summit East (#ASE09) videos.

Special thanks to Missy Ward, Shawn Collins, Heather in BC, and Jen Goode for making my first time at Affiliate Summit East beneficial.

Digging Into the New "Trust Agents" Book

2009-08-17T07:36:06Z

I just received my copy of "Trust Agents" authored by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith last night. I am excited to dive into it. So far, I'm about 1/3 of the way through it and overwhelmed with just how applicable the content is across a variety of industries. With every page I read it inspires new thoughts of how trust is actually very visual in everyday business life. Trust Agents has got my interest and will probably read it more than once as it is jam packed with information.

But don't trust me; trust a pretty face:

Grab yourself a copy here:

Photo Credit Attribution