Tag Archives: Social Media

Find me in print and on the road this summer

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I’ll be hitting the road quite a bit this summer attending various communications conferences. A few organizers are even crazy enough to let me speak!

First on the schedule is ALI’s Social Media for Government conference (#smgov) in July in Washington, DC. I’ll be presenting a three-hour (yikes!) pre-conference workshop about “How to blend traditional and non-traditional new media into your government communications plan” on July 12. I plan to share several examples of readMedia clients and other organizations who are successfully adopting modern public relations strategies that incorporate web communications, social media, traditional media relations and multimedia. The rest of the conference kicks off the next day and features a variety of sessions and speakers from local, state and federal government organizations.

If you’re interested in attending the conference, you can save $400 off current registration rates if you sign up by next Thursday, May 20. Click here for more info.

At the end of July, I’m heading to the Windy City to drink good beer with Allan Schoenberg and Mike Pilarz speak at the eduWeb conference about how colleges and universities can generate hyperlocal media coverage in print and online by publicizing student accomplishments in their hometowns. I’ll go over the results of the recent study readMedia conducted that asked editors and publishers of community newspapers for their opinions about hometown news content, and I’ll also discuss how to get more of this content to live online (currently only half of hometown news is published to the web, even though editors say that it’s engaging and important to their audience).

If you work in higher education PR or web communications, you won’t want to miss eduWeb. The schedule is packed and there will be something for everyone. Click here for more info.

Lastly, the Age of Conversation 3 is finally on sale at Amazon! The book is a collaborative effort of more than 171 authors, each contributing an essay on a particular aspect of how to implement social media strategy. All proceeds benefit the Make-a-Wish foundation. You can grab your copy using the widget below:

Where are you headed this summer? What conferences and meetings are on your radar?

Making government open, social and interesting: SMBTV 6

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Last Friday was the sixth installment of Social Media Breakfast Tech Valley, an event that continues to grow and attract smart and interesting people from the area to gather, talk and tweet about social media. I invited Noel Hidalgo and Ken Zalewski from the New York State Senate CIO’s office to share how they’re pulling state government out of the DOS-ages and into the world of participative, open government.

I’m not remotely wonky (at least when it comes to politics), so I wasn’t even sure if I was going to find the breakfast interesting. But, seeing as how Albany is a government town and many of the attendees work in state government, talking about how technology and social media are transforming what’s often thought of (and is) as a slow, stodgy bureaucracy seemed like it might generate some good discussion.

Noel and Ken didn’t disappoint.

I was fascinated during the entire presentation, which was much more technical and talked a lot more about software code and technology policy and a lot less about Facebook and Twitter than previous SMBTV events (which I think is a good thing). Noel shared the three components of open government:

    • Transparent: Promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what government is doing.
    • Participatory: Should use innovative tools, methods and systems to cooperate among themselves. Should also solicit public input for how we can increase and improve opportunities for public participation.
    • Collaborative: Actively engages New Yorkers in the work of their government.

    In the New York State Senate, Noel and his team are working to make sure that all legislators have access to the same tools and can use technology to engage in two-way dialogue with constituents about important issues. They are using open-source software like Drupal to rebuild constituent management systems and open up data so that citizens can create applications to access information about their government.

    The New York State Senate is the first state house to adopt Creative Commons license for all content it produces. Through the Open Legislation platform, all bills since 2009 are now online and searchable, and anyone can create applications that access information in this database – one resident developed an SMS short code app where anyone can text message a bill number and receive information back about the bill.

    The presentation, held in the very cool EMPAC at Rensselaer building in Troy, was recorded and livestreamed by Annemarie Lanesey of MZA Multimedia:

    If you’re even remotely interested in how governments can and are using technology to more effectively reach citizens, I’d encourage you to watch the presentation. If you’re not, watch it anyway – I didn’t think I would be interested either!

    Thanks again to Noel and Ken for speaking, and to EMPAC and their fantastic staff for hosting SMBTV 6.

    Age of Conversation 3: It’s Time to Get Busy

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    If 2009 was the year we all sat around talking about social media, then 2010 is the year that we start doing it. It’s time to get busy! That’s the subtitle of the third installment of the Age of Conversation, a book that features the collaborative, crowdsourced effort of more than 200 authors, including yours truly.

    Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton headed up the project and have assembled quite a group of social media smarties. I’m not sure how I managed to be included with the likes of Joseph Jaffe, Amber Naslund, Jacob Morgan and Karen Swim, but I’m glad to be part of an effort where 100 percent of the profits will be donated to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

    The book is broken into several sections with each author contributing a short essay or chapter. My contribution is part of the “corporate conversations” chapter and is an adaptation of a post about enhancing internal communications with social media. Other sections include “conversational branding”, “in the boardroom”, and “innovation and execution”.

    Age of Conversation 3 will be available by mid-April in hardback, paperback, Kindle and iPad versions. Purchase details will be posted here.

    The book’s contributors span marketing, communications, PR, branding, measurement, HR and community management functions from across the globe and from a variety of different organizations. Check out the list below:

    Adam Joseph Priyanka Sachar Mark Earls
    Cory Coley-Christakos Stefan Erschwendner Paul Hebert
    Jeff De Cagna Thomas Clifford Phil Gerbyshak
    Jon Burg Toby Bloomberg Shambhu Neil Vineberg
    Joseph Jaffe Uwe Hook Steve Roesler
    Michael E. Rubin anibal casso Steve Woodruff
    Steve Sponder Becky Carroll Tim Tyler
    Chris Wilson Beth Harte Tinu Abayomi-Paul
    Dan Schawbel Carol Bodensteiner Trey Pennington
    David Weinfeld Dan Sitter Vanessa DiMauro
    Ed Brenegar David Zinger Brett T. T. Macfarlane
    Efrain Mendicuti Deb Brown Brian Reich
    Gaurav Mishra Dennis Deery C.B. Whittemore
    Gordon Whitehead Heather Rast Cam Beck
    Hajj E. Flemings Joan Endicott Cathryn Hrudicka
    Jeroen Verkroost Karen D. Swim Christopher Morris
    Joe Pulizzi Leah Otto Corentin Monot
    Karalee Evans Leigh Durst David Berkowitz
    Kevin Jessop Lesley Lambert Duane Brown
    Peter Korchnak Mark Price Dustin Jacobsen
    Piet Wulleman Mike Maddaloni Ernie Mosteller
    Scott Townsend Nick Burcher Frank Stiefler
    Steve Olenski Rich Nadworny John Rosen
    Tim Jackson Suzanne Hull Len Kendall
    Amber Naslund Wayne Buckhanan Mark McGuinness
    Caroline Melberg Andy Drish Oleksandr Skorokhod
    Claire Grinton Angela Maiers Paul Williams
    Gary Cohen Armando Alves Sam Ismail
    Gautam Ramdurai B.J. Smith Tamera Kremer
    Eaon Pritchard Brendan Tripp Adelino de Almeida
    Jacob Morgan Casey Hibbard Andy Hunter
    Julian Cole Debra Helwig Anjali Ramachandran
    Jye Smith Drew McLellan Craig Wilson
    Karin Hermans Emily Reed David Petherick
    Katie Harris Gavin Heaton Dennis Price
    Mark Levy George Jenkins Doug Mitchell
    Mark W. Schaefer Helge Tenno Douglas Hanna
    Marshall Sponder James Stevens Ian Lurie
    Ryan Hanser Jenny Meade Jeff Larche
    Sacha Tueni and Katherine Maher David Svet Jessica Hagy
    Simon Payn Joanne Austin-Olsen Mark Avnet
    Stanley Johnson Marilyn Pratt Mark Hancock
    Steve Kellogg Michelle Beckham-Corbin Michelle Chmielewski
    Amy Mengel Veronique Rabuteau Peter Komendowski
    Andrea Vascellari Timothy L Johnson Phil Osborne
    Beth Wampler Amy Jussel Rick Liebling
    Eric Brody Arun Rajagopal Dr Letitia Wright
    Hugh de Winton David Koopmans Aki Spicer
    Jeff Wallace Don Frederiksen Charles Sipe
    Katie McIntyre James G Lindberg & Sandra Renshaw David Reich
    Lynae Johnson Jasmin Tragas Deborah Chaddock Brown
    Mike O’Toole Jeanne Dininni Iqbal Mohammed
    Morriss M. Partee Katie Chatfield Jeff Cutler
    Pete Jones Riku Vassinen Jeff Garrison
    Kevin Dugan Tiphereth Gloria Mike Sansone
    Lori Magno Valerie Simon Nettie Hartsock
    Mark Goren Peter Salvitti

    A pretty impressive collection. Don’t miss out on your chance to own Age of Conversation 3 and support a great charity.

    Luring ‘Specialized’ candidates through social HR

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    I’m really fortunate to be in a job that I love at a company that’s a great fit for me. But so many people in a variety of industries and careers are struggling right now to find a job — and they also want to make sure it’s the right job. Likewise, companies want to hire the best candidates who can get the work done but who also fit in with the company culture. Often this matchmaking is difficult because each side doesn’t effectively articulate what it’s looking for — especially on the company side.

    Sure, plenty of corporate sites have dry and bland “Careers” sections that give a few paragraphs on the company environment with (sometimes stock) photos of happy looking people in generic conference rooms. Then they dump the job seeker into a dizzying maze of job search queries (function, business unit, department, location, etc.).

    If finding the right talent is so important to companies, why are so few taking advantage of social media and other avenues to help them communicate to job seekers what they’re looking for? It’s fairly quick and easy these days to add context to a careers Web site and give candidates a lot more information about what to expect.

    One company that is doing it right is Specialized (Disclaimer 1: I’m a loyal Jamis rider. But the Tarmac is one sexy bike. Disclaimer 2: Team Saxo Bank rides Specialized and I love Frank Schleck). The most prominent feature on the Careers section of its Web site? Videos. Embedded from YouTube, these videos interview employees and describe some of the interesting benefits Specialized employees receive. You get a nice sense of not only what the company offers, but also what the people who work there are like.

    What’s most impressive is this video interview with Specialized’s director of HR. She tells candidates exactly what the company is looking for and what job seekers need to do to land a gig there:

    She answers the real questions that most job seekers want to know. What kind of people are you looking for? What do you want to see in a cover letter? What are the steps in the hiring process? How can I impress you in the interview?

    Specialized could have easily listed out this information on its site, but the video interview makes a much greater impact. What’s more, the videos on the site can be easily shared and linked to. Maybe a job seeker realizes that the company isn’t a good fit for him or her, but knows of someone who would be great at Specialized. A few clicks and that person can post a link to the YouTube video to a friend’s Facebook page.

    Companies don’t have to dive headlong into a social media strategy before they’re ready, but quick hits like this are a relatively easy way to connect with an audience in a more personal and engaging way.

    Why I’ve quit reading “social media blogs”

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    I’ve spent the last year and a half reading and learning as much about social media as possible, going from a complete n00b with barely a Facebook profile to a recovering social media addict. I ravenously consumed blog posts about PR, communications and social media. But after awhile, a lot of the information begins to feel repetitive (and derivative). I get it at this point – it’s “about the conversation” and “engaging with people” and “being transparent.”

    My reading habits have changed over the last month or so. I’m no longer looking for basic social media information or more social media Kool-Aid and so I’ve purged my Google Reader of feeds I haven’t been getting much value from. I’m reading fewer and fewer personal or individual PR bloggers and instead gleaning more insight from collaborative blogs or blogs at major media outlets. My goal is less about the nuts-and-bolts or “how to” of social media and PR 2.0 and more about understanding the big picture — trends and successes in media, social networking, and the Web, and looking at how all of it impacts the way we will continue to consume news and information.

    Some blogs will always have a revered spot in my reader, because I’m always finding value and new ideas from them. However, a lot of what I’m reading now isn’t even necessarily PR-focused. I’m always open to discovering a post on someone’s blog that showcases great thinking or a new idea, and I still stumble across some of those via Twitter. But I’m being more discerning about which feeds make it into my RSS reader.

    Here’s what’s been recently added to my reader or what I’ve refocused on lately:

    Media Industry and Trends

    Hyperlocal News

    Social Media and PR 2.0 in Practice

    Business and Technology Insight

    It’s a lot of content, which wreaks havoc on my previous system of organizing Google Reader. I’m much better now about scanning headlines, using the “sort by magic” feature to see the best posts, and not agonizing anymore about trying to get to everything.

    What sites are you finding value in these days? Share in the comments.