Visual Social Media Policy

One of the most creative ways I have ever seen to share a corporate social media policy with employees. It captures your attention and is clear and to the point. The intended audience was for a government agency in Victoria, Australia. Thankfully,  fellow Xavier University Alum and social media colleague, Matthew Dooley was kind enough to share it on the Cincinnati Social Media Facebook Group Page.

Love to know your thoughts…..

Social Media Policy

Not Feeling Intimate With the new Facebook Groups

 

Facebook Groups- Friends or Foe

 

Not really getting that warm intimate feeling with Facebook today. Facebook released an update yesterday packing a fairly large punch with new functionality. The update includes:

• Newly-formatted Groups tool
• Ability to easily download content to a computer
• New Dashboard that clearly shows applications use of your private data

Facebook has been under fire lately by the privacy police and these changes are a nod in their direction.  The focus of this post will be on the Groups tool.  Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook feels that the Groups capability will allow people to have a more intimate experience with Facebook as they interact with a smaller subset of friends.  In theory this may sound like a great idea, but real world application may paint a different picture of user experience.

Zuckerberg states:

“From this space, you can quickly post photos, make plans and keep up with ongoing conversations. You can also group chat with members who are online right now. You can even use each group as an email list to quickly share things when you’re not on Facebook. The net effect is your whole experience is organized around spaces of the people you care most about.”

Groups are very easy to set up. Click on the ‘Create Group’ link in the upper-left hand corner of the home page and you are taken to a screen in which you can automatically add anyone from your Friends list to the group without them initially knowing it. Only you, as group creator, have the ability to delete the group, but group members can add their friends at any time without your approval. Other Facebook users can send a request to the Group creator to be added.

With your friends adding sub-sets of their friends (which in Facebook-speak means ‘Friends of Friends’) to the group at will, and that set adding their friends to the group, not sure how this newly formed group will be a space made up “of the people you care most about”…. The Group creator does have the ability to remove someone from the group; however this could raise some issues as well.

Groups can be created in three different ways:

• Open-Members & Content are publicly viewable
• Closed-Members are public, content is private (this is the default)
• Secret- Members and content are private

This is only Day 1 of the launch, but my gut instinct is telling me that some of the features of Groups could cause the tool to be disastrous. I have already seen Groups being created by Facebook users who are not the official voice of the organization.  Imagine if you own a small company and a very excited and tech savvy fan creates a Group in your company name and begins to add friends.  What happens if the content and conversations turn ugly and do a number on your brand reputation?

I sit on the board for local non-profit, Authentic Leadership Cincinnati.  I grabbed our spot among Groups at midnight last night, to ensure that we have our official place on Facebook.  Would love to hear your opinion of Groups or the other parts of the new Facebook update.  Drop me a line or share your comments below. Read more about Facebook Groups here.

Experiencing The Social Network Movie with Facebook Friends

I spent Friday evening with some good friends from the Cincinnati Social Media Community. We met at trendy Habeneros for an early evening repast of burritos and margaritas prior to walking down Ludlow Avenue to the historic Esquire Theater. The air felt cool and crisp and the leaves along the tree-lined street were beginning to show their colorful hand. Sidewalk musicians shared their soul with us as we took in the haunting melodies mixing with conversation and laughter around us.

Despite the breath-taking surroundings, we were on a mission. I finished my drink quickly and massaged away the brain freeze so that we could set out to see the premier of The Social Network, commonly referred to as the “Facebook Movie”. The movie chronicles the life of Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and founder of Facebook as he creates the beginnings of the social networking behemoth from his dorm room at Harvard and continues with some personal and legal complications that erupt into a series of law-suits. The movie was NOT endorsed by Zuckerberg.

In true social media fashion PR guy, Dan O’Keeffe created an event that included a screening of the movie followed by a social media panel discussion.  I happened to get a link on Facebook to the information as it was listed on the LinkedIn group discussion page for social media networking group CincySM and thought it would be a great thing to participate in with my friends. Dan hosted the panel that included digital media friends and colleagues Kevin Dugan and Krista Neher. They did a nice job addressing Dan’s questions as well as questions from the theater audience.

Discussion broke out on LinkedIn prior to the movie and following the event on Twitter and on my C3 Facebook Business Page. Here are my thoughts surrounding the movie as posted before and after the event:

On LinkedIn;

“Btw, great review in today’s Enquirer for the movie. Can’t wait to delve into the complexities and determine on my own how I view Zuckerberg (at least based on this “fictional” portrayal). As a marketer and social scientist (dual Psychology & MBA degrees), I am all for data-mining and understanding the intricate relationships that exist between friends, family and acquaintances. As Erik Qualman, in his book Socialnomics ( http://socialnomics.net/the-book/ ), states, “we’ve gone beyond word of mouth to world of mouth” and that is powerful stuff; especially given consumer behavior and purchasing power.

On the flip side, the privacy issues raised give me deep concern…..

Can’t wait for the discussion!”

On Facebook in a series of separate posts:

“…to experience it (the movie) with friends who “get” social media was even better. I would have loved to delve into what makes Zuckerberg tick some more, as this obviously played into his creation. I’m still really struck by the movie portraying him… as having no interest in Facebook as a profit center…..and now it’s valued in the billions…

I thought it was sad to see the movie fade into its ending with Mark constantly hitting refresh on FB to see if his Friend request was accepted. I think he was truly clueless as to the damage he had inflicted upon that relationship.

There are many people who lack the social skills necessary to effectively communicate with others, as evidenced by the opening dialogue with his girlfriend in the bar.

My worry is for the millennials who communicate pretty exclusively through texting. They are growing up lacking in the analysis of body language and tone of voice. The written word can have so many meanings that are left to be deciphered……”

I enjoyed the movie, not from a cinematography perspective, but from a sociological/behavioral perspective.  It seems like all Zuckerberg truly wanted was to belong and to fit in, unfortunately he didn’t seem to have the innate tools to help him navigate through human relationships.  I found it odd that his only good friend, Eduardo, continued to stick by him despite the “punishment” Mark would dish out. Eduardo was portrayed as the good guy, standing by Mark despite all that goes on in the early years which makes me a little suspicious.  Wonder if he was involved with the creation of the movie in any way….

The following day I ran into a good friend, who is a liaison between my former company, P&G and the global internet companies like Google, Facebook and Yahoo. He shared with me that he has met Mark Zuckerberg several times and  the description of his personality as portrayed in the movie seemed quite accurate. I certainly would love the chance to pull the fiction away from the facts,  as his story fascinates me on so many levels….

Do you plan on seeing the film? Why or Why not?

SO MANY STORIES, SO LITTLE TIME

Stories waiting to be birthed... (image via C3: Creating Connections Consulting)

Warning: coffee overload alert!!! Had too much java this morning and skipped my early a.m. spinning class, so I am high on adrenaline and caffeine this morning. Dang, can I say that??  Will big brother Google catalog this post under addiction searches?? Rob Bunting runs the Cincinnati  I-marketing Group and could answer that question with one hand tied behind his back.  He is my go-to-guy for all things SEO (search engine optimization) and one heck of a nice guy in addition to being incredibly knowledgeable.

There are so many topics that are resonating with me this morning and my hope is that at least a few of them will make it on the pages of one of my blogs in-depth.

Here’s a look at some of them:

Leap from a bridge:

The suicide of an 18 yr old college freshman who’s roommate filmed him having a sexual encounter with another male and broadcast it live to the internet via webcam. This is straight out of a scene from the 1999 film American Pie, but with horribly sad results and the perception that this could be classified as a hate crime due to the homosexual encounter. The epitome of cyber-bullying.

The Social Network movie:

I will be attending the premier with a group of friends from the Cincinnati Digital Hub community and the film will be followed by a panel discussion with thought leaders from our social media community.  Really curious about Mark Zuckerburg’s soul.

CoupSmart:

Want to talk about the Cincy startup that has developed a coupon app and has raised over $400K in venture capital funds to jump start the biz. The founder of CoupSmart, Blake Shipley,  is all of 26 years old.  Don’t think I quite knew what I wanted to be at that age while at P&G…..

NEW FAMILY:

And one of these days, I’m going to write about how social media led me to discover a huge network of relatives that I never knew existed and the journey of discovery about our vast genealogical past and the part that the founding families played in establishing the state of Louisiana.

Lots of meaty stories to write about in addition to the poetry that tugs at my soul everytime I witness the beauty of nature or hear a song that takes me back to a time that was incredibly poignant in my life.

And, oh yeah…. I have a company to run.  I only play a writer on YouTube…….

So seize your day and look for some additional posts from me here or here.

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

Banishing Social Media From My Life

I tried to ban social media from my life for one day last week.  It was an interesting exercise in awareness.  While I did have more “free time” to engage in other activities and become more aware of the concrete world around me, I still missed my connection to all things digital.

I realized that I have come to depend upon social media for a variety of tasks beyond transmission of my thoughts & ideas.  I use Twitter as a great source for tech news and trending subjects on a daily basis.  I grab articles of interest from my Facebook Newsfeed if they happen to hit in the space it takes to scroll down once.  I find it much quicker to send a DM Tweet (direct message) to someone I need to hear from quickly, rather than to text or call and get their voicemail.

I am also a lurker; a voyeur of sorts and I like to hang out on certain Facebook Pages that have incredible content and spirited discussions.  I can even occasionally be found contributing to discussions on various LinkedIn Group boards like Authentic Leadership Cincinnati and Cincinnati Social Media.

I begin each day with a virtual rooster crowing me awake from my bedside mobile phone. I upload my daily appointments and meetings on Google Calendar with access from my Droid and I tend to document photos of the weird and unusual in my world via instant upload to Twitpic and Twitter with some of the best transported to my Flickr stream. And yes, I check-in…..occasionally.

So did you take last week’s challenge?  How did it go?

Cincinnati’s own Mashable Meetup on Social Media Day 2010

Michelle contemplating Social Media Day Festivities

It’s finally here: the first annual Social Media Day world-wide celebration. Activities planned for this day by local Social Media Networking group, Cincinnati Social Media,  have quickly sold-out, but you can stay in the loop by following the #cincysm hashtag while enjoying your own celebration.

Pete Cashmore, of Mashable has recorded a video greeting that you can view below. Pete hopes that today will be the start of communities coming together on a monthly basis to host Mahable meet-ups and further social dialogue in the community.

On-line relationships are great and can be wonderful begiinnings, but the real deal occurs when we can meet in the flesh and begin a more personal dialogue with one another. I have seen this happen over and over in my own relationships and business endeavors which are made all the more rich through our mulit-layered connections and conversations.

I would love to hear your story of an on-line business relationship or friendship that led to a meeting where you achieved an outcome that might not have occurred without the initial social media connection.  I will share the most intriguing stories on the Blog.  Send your story to michelle@creatingconnectionsconsulting.com

Remember being social is all about the conversation!

Update:

Here are some shots of today’s event at Lavomatic in OTR (Over the Rhine).  Felt like a reunion of the local social media community movers and shakers.

Lavomatic, Over the Rhine- Cincinnati

What's a Social Media Meetup without Great Food! Thanks Lavomatic & Vitrue

Social Media Day Gourmet Goodies

Cincinnati Does Social Media Day Right

Social Media Day 6/30/10- image via Flickr Creative Commons

Imagine setting aside one day out of the year to celebrate and build awareness around social media across the world. Top Social Media Blogger Mashable has declared Wednesday, June 30th, 2010: Social Media Day. Mashable states that this day was created “to celebrate the revolution of media becoming a social dialogue.”

Cities around the world are creating their own unique twists around the day and communities everywhere will be able to link their content on Twitter, Flickr and YouTube via the common hash tag #smday. You can keep tabs on the global celebration by connecting to the Social Media Day Facebook Page or Twitter feed.

Here in Cincinnati, the day is being organized by local social media networking group Cincinnati Social Media (#CincySM on twitter) founded by Kevin Dugan, Dan Lally and Dave Knox in partnership with Ignite Cincinnati. Ignite is a cool presentation concept with a quirk. The Ignite website describes it as:

“…a night of presentations with a twist. 14 presenters each get 5 minutes to talk about their subject. 20 slides that auto advance after 15 seconds. It is quick, fun, smart and fills the Know Theater.“

Cincinnati Social Media is known for sponsoring topical, thought-provoking seminars in cool spaces across the city which sell-out within an hour or two of posting. Read more about previous CincySm events here.

Wednesday’s event will occur at the Lavomatic Cafe in the OTR Gateway (Cincinnati’s historic Over the Rhine district) from 5:00 p.m.- 6:15 p.m. According to the event page, free drinks and appetizers will be available until the tab has been reached. This will be followed by the Ignite 3 presentations at close-by Know Theater. The event sponsor is Vitrue, a company focused on technology solutions for social media management.

Here’s an example of a recent Cincinnati Ignite presentation featuring Candace Klein, attorney and founder of the micro-lending program for women: Bad Girl Ventures.

All are welcome to attend Social Media Day Cincinnati, but you will need to pre-register here.

Connecting with LinkedIn

Connecting with LinkedIn

Finally starting to see LinkedIn become a living, breathing social media platform and not just a place for people to park their resume.  LinkedIn has so many incredible capabilities that a lot of people don’t know about.  For those that do, there is a 60 million + network of professionals to tap into.  Here are some of the ways that I use LinkedIn in my daily life:

Status Update- I add a direct update about once week and have Twitter update automatically to the LI status on an ongoing basis

Net result:  Brand awareness- people in my network keep up with what I am working on and my name becomes top of mind.  Have run into several people who state that they “see” my name everywhere.

Groups- I post articles to key groups that I am involved with and also stay on top of discussions to see if there is anything I can add of value to the discourse.

Net result:  lately I have seen some great questions asked and lengthy conversations among group members on the following local Groups:  New Media Cincinnati, Girlfriendology, CincySM and Social Pt Networking.  Some of the discussions have been so spirited that they have moved off-line to an in-person meet-up.  This off-line movement is precisely what social media is all about: begin the conversation and then deepen your connection and make things happen by meeting live.  Authentic Leadership in Cincinnati is a great example of a LI group that has regular meetings and has gone on to gain 501(c) (3)  status as a non-profit organization.

Search- I look up EVERYONE that I will be doing business with as well as company profiles.

Net result- start out your in-person meeting with points of commonality gleaned from your stealth research

Adding Contacts- I make sure I get a business card and I try to send an invitation request to people I want to have a deeper connection with soon after the event.

Net result- You add folks while the reason to connect is fresh in your mind and obtaining  a business card ensures  an email address in case their invite settings require this information.

Do I add everyone I meet? NO

Do I accept every request that comes my way? NO

Do I have a distinct strategy for how I use LinkedIn?  YES!  and that’s the basis of a future post!

Check out my LinkedIn Profile.

Googlenati Catches the High Speed Network Wave

Photo courtesy of Googlenati Facebook Fan Page

Google is looking for a test community to run an ultra- high speed fiber optics network for up to 500,000 users with speeds of up to one gigabyte/second (about 100X faster than what most people experience today).  Many in the Queen City feel that Cincinnati would be the ultimate testing ground.  Cincinnati has made a name for itself as a hotbed for social media action; a digital hub of sorts, over  the last several years.  There are many prominent social/digital media networking groups in the city, among them New Media Cincinnati founded by Daniel Johnson, Jr. and Cincinnati Social Media (CincySM) founded by Kevin Dugan, Dave Knox and Daniel Lally who all have PR/Comm/Digital/Soc Media roles within their respective companies (Empower MediaMarketing, Procter & Gamble, Pinger PR at Powers Agency). Marketing giant Procter & Gamble has its world HQs here.

Cincinnati city council submitted an application for the city in time for the Friday, March 26, 2010 deadline. James Pilcher, of the Cincinnati Enquirer, states in his 3/26 article, “Cincinnati to Google: please come here”, that the city undertook this task with very little hoopla. Fans of the project have taken matters into their own hands and in the strong social media spirit that surrounds the city, have created a Facebook Fan Page and a Twitter account to promote awareness.  The Fan page has nearly 2,400 fans as of this posting, and one can see clearly the calls for action  by the Page administrator to:

1. Nominate Cincinnati on the Google Site
2. Spread the message to at least 25 friends on FB
3. Upload home-grown Youtube Videos to showcase why Cincinnati would be a stellar choice

The active level of fans engaging with the Page and with other fans is encouraging to see.  No matter what Google ultimately decides, Cincinnati is clearly showing that it is plugged in, on-line and ready to share its message or cause via social media channels with the rest of the world.

Googlenati Facebook Fan Page

Social Media Skeptics Absent at CincySM

CincySM Hashtag Logo

CincySM began life as the digital/social media networking group Cincinnati Social Media Breakfast and was a part of the national network of Social Media Breakfast Groups founded by Bryan Person in August of 2007 to bring professionals, enthusiasts and newbies together to exchange ideas.  You can read about Bryan’s start HERE. Our local group was founded by Kevin Dugan, Director of Social Marketing-Empower MediaMarketing; Dan Lally,Vice President of Public Relations- Powers Agency & Dave Knox, Brand Manager – P&G Productions in 2008.  Stacy Cole, an attorney with Graydon Head & Ritchey joined the group in late 2009.  All powerhouses in their respective fields, the group has consistently brought excellent content to the local social media digital scape.

Events include nationally well-known speakers at unique venues around the city that allow for plenty of Q&A time and networking.  Hints are dropped about upcoming registration opps and if you aren’t plugged into one of the group member’s live feeds or connected directly to the CincySM LinkedIn Group, you are bound to miss out.  Some events have been known to sell-out within hours.  Reminds me of Buffet in the summer……. Each event has a sponsor that makes the event zero cost to participants and for those who are “locked” out and reside on the perpetual wait list, there is always the live-stream. Follow the hashtag above and you will feel as if you were in the room as this group does an excellent job of live-tweeting the meeting.

So here are some take-aways from yesterday’s “Social Media for Skeptics at LPK” Event.  Gotta tell you that of the 100 folks registered, I’m betting that there were few skeptics in the room.  Cruise the partip list and you will see some of the biggest names on the local social media scene.

CincySM recommends these key points when evaluating Social Media

Strategy:

RECONSIDER ON-LINE MODELS

BE YOURSELF

PARTICIPATE

FAIL

SET SOCIAL MARKETING

CONDUCT DUE DILIGENCE

REVISIT CREATIVE BRIEF

SHARE & MAKE YOUR CONTENT SHARABLE

REVISIT TOUCHPOINTS

Some great examples of Social Media Success Stories:

• Mentos & Diet Coke Experiment- user generated video went viral and the equivalent of $10 million in free publicity was obtained
• Pepsi- Iced Cucumber SKU introduction in Japan- Bloggers sang it’s praises, went viral and Pepsi moved 5 million bottles in 8 weeks

Look for case study info on these success stories:  Sharpie, SODEXO and our local Cincinnati Museum Center in an upcoming post.

If the group interests you- join the LinkedIn CincySM group NOW:  HERE!