The first event to give Memphis some much-deserved national attention was the LaunchMemphis TechFuel night featuring Business Week writer, Yahoo! TechTicker host, and blogger, Sarah Lacy.  Sarah, being a Memphis native, was already familiar with the local business climate.  After interacting with a full host of entrepreneurs during the stop on her User Generated Book Tour, Sarah wrote an epic blog post about what Memphis is doing right.

The Geoff Livingston tweetup on the 22nd was the second event to spawn great press from a better source.  Geoff, author of Now is Gone and top ranked PR blog The Buzz Bin, met with a group of Memphis entrepreneurs and Social Media proponents at Quetzal cafe, where he got to know several members of the business community, and shared some great conversations everyone there.  Afterwards, The Buzz Bin interviewed LunaWeb President and LaunchMemphis co-founder, Dave Barger, about the future of entrepreneurial Memphis and Social Media.  You can see the post here.

If you missed Sarah and Geoff, there's still more on the horizon in Social Media.  Upcoming on the calendar is the Social Media Breakfast on October 1.  As well as Barcamp Memphis on November 7-8

It's an exciting time to be a Memphian!  Let's keep up the good work and continue to make Memphis great.

Monday night, Geoff Livingston, author of Now is Gone and his PR blog, "The Buzz Bin," met for a tweetup at Quetzal cafe in downtown Memphis.  Attendees included everyone from seasoned Social Media veterans, to several fresh faces looking to see what the web has to offer their business.

Despite the excitement surrounding Geoff's attendance, the evening took on a very relaxed tone as the crowd mixed through the room networking, finding familiar faces, and engaging the featured guest in conversations about the state of the blogosphere and the benefits of Social Media for business.

As the evening progressed, the tweetup culminated in a Geoff becoming the centerpiece of a group discussion, moderated by LunaWeb's Dave Barger, where an eager group shared their ideas and questions about Social Media, while the Washington D.C. based PR and blogging guru addressed each topic, drawing from his own experience for examples and anecdotes.

The event was a huge success for LaunchMemphis and a great experience for all of the attendees.  Upcoming on the Social Media horizon is the Socia Media Breakfast on October 1st at the Crescent Club.  The breakfast is open to everyone!  See details on the Meetup page.

From Search Marketing Gurus we have the following:

1. Social Media Isn't:  Easy
2. Social Media Isn't:  Fast
3. Social Media Isn't:  A Substitute for Sound SEO Practices
4. Social Media Isn't:  A Substitute for Sound PPC Practices
5. Social Media Isn't:  A Practice to be Done by Interns
6. Social Media Isn't:  Another Place to Distribute Your Press Release
7. Social Media Isn't:  Something That Will Work if Your Site is "Broken"
8. Social Media Isn't:  Something To Send Out Mass Emails For
9. Social Media Isn't:  Something You Can Do Without Participation
10. Social Media Isn't:  Something You Can Do in Disguise

Courtesy of Rachel Happe we have: 11. Social media is not community

B.L. Ochman says that:

12. Social media isn't a one-shot deal 

13. Social media isn't a technique

14.  It's not a short-term project

15.  It's not an experiment, 

16.  It's not an event, 

17. It's not a quick fix.  and 

18. It's not something you throw money at.

Brian Solis tells us that Social media is not:

19. The final frontier

Robert Young from GigaOm, mentioned 2 years ago that 

20. Social Media is not Mass Media.

Is that still true? I think it's not true any longer, nor might have never been. Its perhaps a function or channel of mass media though, or slowly becoming that.

John Gray writing for imediaconnection wrote that: 

21. Social media is not just for kids, and I'm down with that!

Don Schindler from Media Sauce Blog tells us that:

 22. Social media is not advertising or

23. It's not marketing, it's about connections.

Ike Piggot over at the Now is Gone blog mentions that, 

24. Social media is not a commodity.

According to the Deal,

25. Social media is not the next bubble. But that was 3 years ago.

26. Social media is not a direct response marketing channel according to the 10e20 blog

27. Social Media may not be all that it's cracked up to be, this from Jennifer Laycock over at searchengineguide. What the hell does "all that it's cracked up to be" actually mean? I never really understood that statement.

28. Social media is not about Links, this from Li Evans

29. For teens, social media is not technology, it's life!

30.  Social media is not a free for all, thanks Luke Armour

Brian Magierski mentions that:

31. Social media is not just another marketing channel. 

Laura Porto Stockwell  believes that

32. Social media is not new

Thanks in part to Scoble we know that Social Media is not:

33. Newspapers

34. Magazines

35. Television

36. Radio

37. Books

38. CDs

39. DVDs

40. A box of photos

50. Physical, paper mail and catalogs and

51. Yellow Pages

And here are mine:

52. Social media is not up to them, it is up to you and your voice

53. Social media is not predicated on many to many

54. Social media is not one to one, but it can be.

55. Social media is not closed to anyone

56. Social media is not calm, sedate, unresponsive.

57. Social media is not passive

58. Social media is not laryngitis

59. Social media is not mainstream, yet

60.  Social media is not static

And here are Amber Naslund's:

61. Social media is not Show and Tell

62. Social media is not a Popularity and Numbers Contest

63. Social media is not a Silver Bulllet

64. Social media is not just for “Experts”
 

Ok so I think 64 is a pretty good start. What am I missing here? Feel free to add yours or, feel free to tell me where some of these might actually be wrong. Let's talk about it!

• You're in a dialogue with your community. You're only one stakeholder in a community that involves your customers, investors, and others. That being said, don't look to manage the message, because you can't. If you get slammed by a major blog, deal with it graciously. Most don't, and therefore don't understand the basic principles of social media. Managing message out. Listening in!
• If you're unsure about that, listen first. Before you participate and intend to start blogging about your company, start listening first. If it's too rough out there, you really don't have to start participating in the conversation around your product or site. In some cases, no participation is better than really bad participation.
• Human feedback is important. You have to have human, distinctive, empathetic voice in helping your users tackle problems. All too often, startup websites disappear from their blog, and the replies to support emails are impersonal. Your customer wants to know that you care in a very human way.

In reading this book, the great, simple takeaway message is start listening and talking to your customers, and treat them as a stakeholder in your success. Answer their concerns, as if you were having a face-to-face discussion with them. Be credible. Don't fall into the old public relations strategy of controlling the message, and trying to keep a hard front in troubled times. Be straightforward and honest always. If you're interested in reading it, please do. It's a short, quick read.

I går la Solis ut en ny bok på sine nettsider, og den er gratis. "The Essential Guide to Social Media" ser ved første øyekast ut til å være ypperlig lesestoff. Boken inneholder både en oversikt over de mest brukte verktøyene og tjenestene i dagens nettverden, og en gjennomgang av hvordan bedrifter kan ta disse i bruk.

Boken er et svært godt utgangspunkt for å forstå sosiale medier, selv om den selvfølgelig har et amerikansk utgangspunkt.

Har du andre forslag til nyttig 2.0-lesing i sommervarmen? Bruk kommentarfeltet.

Det var derfor interessant at læse Morten Holm's (Direktør i Holm Kommunikation) artikel på Kommunikationsforum.dk, hvor han skriver om fremtidige udfordinger ved markedskommunikation:

I dag, hvor antallet af kanaler er næsten uendeligt, handler markedsføring om målrettet kommunikation. Vejen til målgrupperne er mikrokommunikation og smalle kanaler .... Kravet til kommunikatøren er indgående og lokal viden om målgrupper og kanaler. Da kommunikation sker via ikke-betalte medier, stiller det endnu større krav til substans, relevans og troværdighed. Nøgleord i denne forbindelse er desuden netbaserede medier, sociale medier, blogs m.v.

Der er ingen tvivl om, at denne ændring er en kæmpe udfordring for kommunikation, marketing og PR branchen i Danmark. Skiftet indeholder dog et kæmpe potentiale for branchen, og de bureauer der formår at løfte denne udfordring, vil stå stærkt.

Jeg var derfor en smule skuffet over Morten Holm's svar, som godt kunne have været mere konstruktivt og løsningsorienteret. I USA er social media communikation en branche i stor vækst og når man kigger på jobopslag og nyoprettede stillinger, så ser man konstant virksomheder der søger Social media evagelists, community managers og new media marketing professionals. Titler som vi kommer til at se i Danmark inden for de næste år, da jeg vil mene, at Danmark er omkring 2 år begefter USA på dette område. Det skal dog siges, at jeg var meget positivt overrasket, da jeg hørte at Joseph Jaffe, som er en af fortalerne for social media communication, var hovedtaler på Direct Marketing Dagen som blev afholdt af Post Danmark.

For at komme tilbage til min samtale med Geoff Livingston, så svarede jeg ham, at den største udfordring i Danmark ikke ville være at få gjort social media marketing til en integreret del af virksomheds kommunikation, da dette nok skal komme med tiden, men hvordan man i et land med en befolkning på 5 millioner, kan få det optimale ud af sociale medier. Hvordan vil det give mening for en virksomhed, at bruge ressourcer på at kommunikere med en målgruppe, der kan være forsvindende lille og som ikke har det store vækstpotentiale. Livingston svar var interessant og meget brugbart for danskere der i fremtiden skal arbejde strategisk med social media communication.

1. Som med al marketing er det vigtigt at fokusere på ROI og det er specielt vigtigt, når markedet er så begrænset, som det danske. Social media er stærkt knyttet til nettet, hvilke give fantastiske muligheder får måling, hvilket er noget som traditionelle medier stadigvæk har problemer med.

2. Den social media toolbox, som i dag er tilrådighed, være det blogging, podcasting, RSS teknologi, user mashups af video på videodelings sites som youtube, microblogging services som Twitter, fotodeling sites som flickr, social bookmarking sites som Delicious, interaktion gennem Facebook eller Myspace applikationer, eller at være tilstede i Secondlife, så er det essentielt, at man vælger de rigtige værktøjer, der passer til sin målgruppe. For nogle kan en Facebook gruppe være den rigtige løsning og for andre ville det være spild af tid og penge. Jeg vil anbefale, at man læser Charlene Li's blog (Senoir analyst at Forrester) hvor hun blandt andet blogger omkring målgrupper ifm. social media.

3. Markedet boomer med tools der gør det muligt, at måle og optimere på ens social media kampagner. Det er vigtigt, at man har de rigtige måleredskaber med i sin værktøjskasse, så man er sikker på, at de ressourcer man bruger på dette område, er givet helt rigtigt ud. Her vil jeg anbefale, at man holder øje med Jeremiah Owyang's blog, der blandt andet tager fat i dette emne.

4. Vi må ikke glemme værdiene af den ægte relation. En realtion som umiddelbart ikke ser ud til at give afkast, kan vise sig at blive guld værd. Social media marketing og PR er en lang kampagne, der handler om åbenhed og dialog - en dialog, som kan brede sig og skabe værdi på flere niveauer. Flere og flere marketing profesionnelle og virksomheder har i dag fokus på forholdet mellem brand opfattelse og bundlinie, hvorfor et konstant strategisk arbejde med sociale medier er vigtigere ind nogensinde.

Jeg kan varmt anbefale, at man som ny inden for social media marketing/PR, læser Geoff Livingstons bog "Now is Gone", som udkom for ganske kort tid siden.

Every Thursday, socialTNT channels the spirit of citizen journalism by putting bloggers, reporters, PR pro’s or anyone with something to say about social media in front of the camera for a short, three minute interview. The videos are meant to encourage dialog between PR/communications practitioners, journalists and marketers on the future of media.

Last week while at Web 2.0, we caught up with Geoff Livingston from the Buzz Bin. From media relations to branding and online marketing, Geoff's fifteen-year career has covered the full gamut of communications. Geoff's blog is a must-read for anyone pursuing new media marketing and PR, and his book, "Now is Gone" should be required reading for marketing executives. In today's "3Q's in 3Min," Geoff breaks out his crystal ball to look into the future of marketing and PR, and gives some practical advice on strategy.

In the age of new media, the same principles for marketing and PR strategies remain, it's just the tools that have changed. Instead of trying to force the strategy to fit the tools (blog, twitter, video, etc), Geoff reminds us that it's important to choose the tools that best work with the strategy we implement.

One of the first steps to developing any strategy is knowing your audience. With social media we have more chances to form conversations and relationships with our audience. Geoff stresses that we have to meet them on their turf, using the tools and platforms they use. It's part of Geoff's theory of learning to "think liquid"--move with the community without getting hung up on one particular tool.

In the video below (probably sTNT's most raw video to date), Geoff postulates the future of communications and the steady march towards humanization of marketing. Oh, and he's tired of talking about blogs.

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.526210&w=425&h=350&fv=]

So how do you perceive the future of PR and marketing? Is it more humanized? Let us know in the comments!

No time to watch the video at work? Get “3Q’s in 3Min” free from iTunes and watch it on the go!

Also, don’t miss out: Got RSS? [what’s that?]. Or, start your morning with socialTNT in your InBox!

[The above photo, "You Da Man" by CC Chapman used under Creative Commons]

"Conversations are driving the new social economy...Messages are not conversations. This is where most companies and PR people fall down. People just don't communicate that way...Markets are not comprised of audiences...This is about speaking with, not "to" or "at" people."

I couldn't agree more and it got me thinking - what's the difference between a message and a conversation?

Obviously, a message is one-way communication and a conversation is not. Rather, a conversation is like verbal tennis where words and ideas bounce back and forth between both parties.

Think of it this way...

A "message" is like playing shotput. You put all your effort into forcing information forward. It's not about having the ball returned, instead it's about pushing as hard and far as you can. The problem with verbal shot put is that there's little room for feedback or interaction with your customers, which increases the risk of a missed message.

Shotput is not about being accurate, it's about using your energy to blast your message far and long. While this strategy used to work when the landscape was less competitive, the goal of communication in this new paradigm is to make your message bounce.

How to do this?

1. Statements vs. Questions - A simple way to encourage conversation is by asking a question instead of a making a statement.

Example:
Shotput: You'll save money and time with Product X
Tennis: What would you do with an extra 30 minutes a day? Use Product X, find out, and then tell us about it!

2. Yes/No vs. Open-Ended - The type of question also determines the game you're playing. Yes/No questions solicit short and boring responses. While traditional sales training encourages the use of questions that "will always result in a yes," I believe consumers are smart enough to pick up on this sales tactic and quickly pack up their attention and leave when they sense its use. Opting for honest and conversational open-ended questions is a successful strategy.

Example:
Shotput: Are you looking to save money and time? Then buy Product X.
Tennis: What would you do with an extra 30 minutes a day? Use Product X, find out, and then tell us what you did! (Imagine coupling this with a prize to entice customers to submit stories)

3. Go beyond WWWWW&H - Questions aren't the only way to get the ball bouncing. Using "feeling" verbs is a great way to encourage your customer's imagination. Try peppering your copy with words like "imagine" or "discover" and allow your reader's mind to soar.

Example:
Shotput: Product X will make you feel 10 years younger.
Tennis: Remember how you felt when you were 10 years younger? Imagine feeling that way again. Product X can help.

Ready to return the serve? Just write a comment below. :)

Related Links

Why Great Copy Is a Conversation, Not a Soliloquy - Dan O'Sullivan

Beware of Self Congratulatory Web Copy - Laura Bergells

Ad Copy That Attempts to Say Everything - Sometimes Says Nothing - Marc Davison

When I first boarded the flight it had completely slipped my mind that you could pick your own seat! Too cool… I was still a little spun around by the new way they call you to board the plane. It's sectioned somehow, for some reason that still elludes me. Maybe people that pay more, get to board first? I didn't meet a passenger that wasn't confused by it (so maybe a better job of letting folks know would be SWEEET).

I thought while on the flight, I'd ask the attendants about the blog mentioned in Now Is Gone. On the Nashville-to-Denver, none of the three I spoke with could remember hearing of the blog. Two were mid-20's and both pretty hip looking (guy and gal). They had never been on Facebook either. The 3rd attendant was in her early 30's as well. The length of employment with Southwest was 1, 5, and 6 years. They all love their jobs and are at Southwest for the long-haul.

On Denver-to-Seattle however, I spoke with one mid-20's attendant who had recently read the blog as she' s been with Southwest in an office job and wanted to become an attendant. Her interest in the blog was to find out more about what the profession was like. She does have a MySpace page, has heard of Facebook in that it's not as junkie, but will be staying put for a while. She also likes to read blogs from other stewardesses and pilots sharing their "stories" of encounters.

Another attendant in her mid-30's had only recently been on the blog to read more about the lady with the short skirt incident. They thought it was great that the company president had read all the many posts and then posted an appreciated comment about the whole ordeal.

This flight is excellent and I have an entire row all to myself. My only problem is the elderly couple who I believe are engaged in an all-out gas passing competition … while they nap. Good moment for a parachute…
I've never been to "Nuts about Southwest", but am committed to stopping by next time I have a connection. Southwest is still the darling of the sky.

Hardest part about running your own shop?
Operations, no doubt.

Best part about running your own shop?
Saying no to clients and opportunities that aren't worth doing.

What time did you wake up this morning?
6:10 a.m.

How many emails do you receive a day?
200

What is your opinion of NYC?
Philadelphia plus a white collar

Favorite holiday season tradition?
Taking the week between Xmas and New Years off.

Nationals or Orioles?
Nats, are you kidding me? Angelos? Geez.

Redskins or Ravens?
God, Redskins in spite of Snyder.

Google is:
A lot less intelligent than everyone thinks. Sort of like the CIA.

Cyber Monday: Real deal or don't believe the hype?
Real deal.

What led you to work in PR?
I sold out as a journalist to make more money. In that sense, blogging has brought back a lot of joy in the professional day-to-day life.

What single person played the biggest role / had the biggest influence on your PR career?
Victor Watts, I actually just blogged about this.

What made you want to write the book? Can you give us a bit of what readers can expect?
It was actually based on the amount of requests I was getting locally to sit down and have lunch with people to explain new media. Long story short I couldn't keep up with it and run my business. I would save them money and me time by writing a book and codifying basic types of information.

I wanted to write novels for a long time. I had a couple novels written that I tried to market and get published and had not succeeded. But I had learned about the industry and talked to publishers. As a result of those experiences I had knowledge of how to get into non-fiction books. First you have to write a marketing plan, first chapter, and an editorial outline. A lot of folks are looking to publish non-fiction, that is where money is at. I went to Bartleby because they were a client and it was the right thing to do for me. They just snapped it up.

A book that is great for anyone thinking about doing this is Jeff Herman's Guide To Book Publishers.

How has the reaction been?
It's been positive. There are a bunch of reviews out there already.

Did you do a PR tour, or mostly just interviews as they come?

I'm handling it more from word of mouth standpoint. The idea was to create a book that would be a service to people. If that really happens, hopefully it will take off. When we talk to media outlets, they look at the book and they ask, "Can you write something for us on Facebook, or social media principles?"

Is that how the Washington Post story came about?
Yes. I met Dan Beyers speaking at the Board of Trade, before that conference [of local execs on green pr]. The reason I was on the panel, was because of the book. But sometimes, when bloggers get their 15 minutes of fame, they think they can buy the hype. The reality is, the story isn't, "we wrote this book." The story is "businesses want info on social media and this book is one way to get that." We are proud to service people; however we can help.

Do you believe PR will get to the carry the social media flag?
No, I don't think PR will get as much of a role as they should. The reason why is PR has become media relations. That's not what PR is, but it's what people associate with it. It has become perception and perception is reality. Social media is not media relations. Most PR folks that approach it that way are going away.

Does PR even belong in social media?
Practitioners that understand it are the ideal people to carry the torch. You look at John Bell at Ogilvy, for example, they are creating this whole new word of mouth practice for social media. They really understand it and PR is a phenomenal skill set to do it. Ideally the right skill set is in the PR profession.

Are there any clients you've told NOT to blog?
Yes, I've told several clients not to blog. We're also launching a social media tool for some clients. Sometimes a company offers value in a very vertical way. Lets say XM satellite. They only thing they add is greater radio. Do they really belong in the blogosphere talking about automobiles? But, they could maybe talk about great road trips, and then have a blog about it. It's all about knowing where your place is in the larger picture.

What is #1 thing clients have asked for over last 6 months?
Facebook app. If I hear another Facebook app I'm gonna jump off the roof.

Doesn't "traditional media" still matter?
We have a chapter in the book about using traditional media to promote new media. There is a weird ping-pong match going on between traditional and new. To ignore either would be a mistake. The reality is there is always going to be a place for traditional media. Blogs drive info into the spotlight, forcing traditional media to pay attention. Once journalists report on what blogs have to say – it starts a ping-pong match.

The other thing is that, I know people say bloggers are citizen journalists, but they aren't.

Your column "Action, Not Just Words" in the Washington Post, attacked "green PR" for being all talk and no walk. You mentioned Dell as one company who is following up on its talk. Are there any others you'd like to highlight?

One is Marriott. They've been doing it for about ten years.

Do you see it changing?
I don't know. It's a strange world we're in with corporate America. That is really the issue. They're still being led by folks who will do whatever it takes to build business and be profitable. Social responsibility is being thrust upon these companes. Some will get it. Innovators will get it. Most will not 'till they start losing customers.

There was recently a big debate about Guy Kawasaki using Twitter to promote his website Truemors. What's your take on that?
Participation is marketing. Some guys get away with more promo than others, but eventually there is going to be a time when folks say no
thank you.

It was a powerful demonstration of the power of social media and the speed with which messages can be shared broadly. It was also the event that convinced Washington, DC PR guy Geoff Livingston that his world had forever changed.

In this new age of the empowered public, organizations have lost control of the conversation. People increasing turn to peers for opinions, news and even entertainment. Empowered by powerful new tools and social networks that are not bound by geography, the people formerly known as "the audience" are now in control. Livingston points out that:

"Businesses are realizing they will be forced to communicate to their customers in the consumers’ own preferred social media forms. Instead of businesses trying to find customers, this time businesses are trying to play catch-up with their customers."

....and that fundamentally changes the Public Relations game. The problem is most organizations don't know how to market through social media. Recognizing that opportunity, Livingston, a well respected blogger whose PR firm has real world experience applying social media principles to businesses, has taken the time to distill that experience into a set of ideas others can use.

In his new book, now is gone, Livingston discusses the general strategic principles and major aspects of social network marketing, providing executives a primer to begin their effort.

Start With the Right Attitude

The introduction (written by Brian Solis) does a great job of educating the reader about the new realities of marketing in the age of the hyper-connected, empowered consumer:

PR 2.0 starts with listening and reading, and leads to insight, understanding, and perspective. This inspires respect, which is the critical ante for participation in the social economy.

• Listening is marketing.
• Participation is marketing.
• Media is marketing.
• Conversations are marketing.

Understand and Apply The Basic Principles

Over the following chapters, Livingston discusses the increasing role of new media in consumers' lives helps the reader understand the basic principles of marketing effectively using social media. What makes this book so useful is that Livingston uses his background in traditional PR to explain these principles using terminology and strategies familiar to traditional marketers. Those Seven Principles of Social Media Communications are:

1. Relinquish message control -- Command and Control is dead. Businesses will have a hard time with this, but in a conversational marketplace, two-way communication rules. Organizations that refuse to give up control "will be met with anger, distrust and either rebellion or distrust"
2. Honesty, ethics, and transparencies are a must -- No one wants a relationship with someone who doesn't behave well. This is about "human relations" and applying The Golden Rule.
3. Participation within the community is marketing -- Just putting out content won't cut it. You have to participate withing the community, reading and commenting on other people's content.
4. Communication to audiences is an outdated 20th century concept -- Audiences receive one-way messages (as in mass communication). The audience has been replaced by the community and they are talking. You had better be listening and engaging.
5. Build value for the community -- The is about getting to know your community and what they care about through listening, reading and understanding. Then making a conscious decision to deliver content back that they will value.
6. Inspire your community with real, exciting information -- A press release to your stakeholders does not inspire them. Product details don't get them excited. Leverage you subject matter expertise to build intrinsic value.
7. Manage the media form with intelligence and you will build a community of people who become very loyal to you -- Here's a concept that shows up everywhere - Make it Easy for your community come back through calls to action, intelligent RSS feeds, a central landing point. Cultivate sustained interest through regular content updates.

Throughout the book, Livingston uses real world examples to illustrate successes and failures. now is gone is a great tool for organizations who are ready to start participating in their communities. Are you ready? Chances are your competitors are. What are you waiting for? After all, now really is gone!

Or grassroots sleaze, to quote host Toby Bloomberg.

The goal is to simulate independent public reaction to a product, service, or cause by orchestrating the behavior of many diverse and geographically distributed individuals. Fakin' it.

Shel Israel, author of "Naked Conversations" and Geoff Livingston, author of "Now Is Gone" join host Toby on Diva Marketing Talks today at 6:30pm ET to talk about how astroturfing is impacting social media marketing.

For more information, an anti-astroturfing group started by Paull Young and Trevor Cook has developed a great resource and warehouse of information including case studies, commentary and links on The New PR Wiki.

Geoff Livingston gave an insightful introduction to new media - citing case studies from his upcoming book, Now Is Gone.

He started by mentioning the impact that social media has on today's society. Being in the Northern Virginia area, the audience is intimately aware of the change that viral video had on the fall Senatorial campaign. George Allen was literally the front runner for the US presidential seat - however, after the "mecaca" disaster, his career is over, the Virginia senatorial race was radically changed (I know I changed my vote because of the incident), and ultimately the shift of power in Congress changed from Republican to Democrat. So yes, this stuff matters.

The main focus of Geoff's talk was how pervasive social media is on our society and how it enforces a culture of transparency and honesty. It is an opportunity to engage your "community" (Geoff doesn't believe in the word "audience" because it gives the perception of a one sided conversation), get immediate feedback and implement innovative business strategies immediately.

He referenced GM as the first fortune 500 blog and how the CEO responds in video format to comments posted on the blog.

Southwest airlines also demonstrates how the comments of a corporate blog can change the course of a business plan. After Southwest posted a blog about how they were planning on changing their strategy and move to assigned seating, they received over 700 comments against this change. Southwest listened to their consumers, took them seriously and created more brand loyalty because of their response.

Businesses Who Are Using New Media

The first panel, led by Jen Sterling from Hinge (an award winning professional services branding firm) focused on the business impact of using new media.

Jill Stelfox, CEO and Cofounder of Defywire told the story of how her 13 year old son has had an influence on how her company uses new media. Defywire focuses on software and technology to keep children safe in school crises. After producing several videos on how to keep children safe (ex: how to prepare your kindergardener for their first day of school). The initial marketing strategy was to produce these videos to DVDs and distribute via mail. Instead, at the suggestion of Jill's son, the videos were put on YouTube and as a result, Defywire has built a strong viral message that has spun new product lines and increased business.

Kim Hart from The Washington Post gave insight on how the traditional media relies on new media. Let it be known - this is straight from the horse's mouth - the press release is dead. It does not work. Journalists are so busy, they do not have time to read a story with spin. Instead, a quick e-mail (literally a sentence or so long) with a link to a new story is the best way to peak this journalist's interest. She also gave insight as to how the success of a story may not be a "traditional article on page D4 in the business section." Now that more people are on blogs and the participation level is increasing exponentially, a company may very well have more success with a short blog post that can create viral buzz than they would in print.

Pamela Sorrensen, an active blogger on DC's social scene showed how you can turn your passion into a profitable platform. Her blog was created after friends requested updates of her intense social life. She constantly attends parties and events, rubbing shoulders with the who's who in the area. Her blog allows her to share her pithy posts without sending individual e-mails. Now her fans come to her and her readership is such that she can earn money from advertisements.

Strategists - How to Use Social Media

Ok, so I wasn't able to live blog this portion because I was the moderator. The panel consisted of Alice Marshall from Presto Vivace, Qui Diaz from Ogilvy PR, and Jennifer Cortner from EFX Media.

This was an interactive discussion of not only the panel, but the audience (wait - I mean community) as well. We discussed strategies for how to blog, whether or not to use Facebook or Myspace, how the government is using wikis, why del.icio.us is a great tool, how you can use videos and podcasts to promote your business, and the all important question - how to avoid burnout.

At the end of the fast paced discussion, Success in the City founder Cynthia De Lorenzi came up with the brilliant idea of creating a regional networking event digging deeper into each social media initiative. Be sure to check the calendar at successinthecity.org to learn when these events are happening.

What's coming Next?

So this is the big question - what's going to happen in the future. Although no one has a crystal ball, New Media Nouveaux featured the next best thing - a panel of experts who have their collective fingers on the pulses of the social media industry.

Sean Gorman from FortiusOne is the innovator of GeoCommons, a Web 2.o tool that allows users to create interactive visual maps.

Here are his definitions of the evolution of the Web:

• Web 1.o - Read - Brochure like websites with a one-sided point of view
• Web 2.0 - Read & Write - People can respond to information through comments and links.
• Web 3.0 - Read, Write & Execute - Driven by massive amounts of data. Most of this data is housed in the government level. Governments are notoriously slow in investing in technology - so this is a large roadblock to overcome. One example is how you can househunt. In web 1.0 you would view pictures online and research crime statistics, schools, and community resources on individual websites. Web 2.0 allows you to blog with individuals who live in communities and get feedback on their lifestyle. In web 3.0, Sean predicts applications that will allow you to enter all of your preferences for a community in one location. Then, the program will go out, automatically aggregate your requests and arrange the data in an intuitive manner.

He referenced the movie Minority Report is an example of where we can look to. For example, if you walk in front of a billboard, it will create a customized campaign based on your past purchase history. Technology will be more than mobile, it will be an integral part of every person's daily life (even more so than today).

Aaron Brazell is the Director of Technology at B5 Media and his professional blog, Technosailor is highly regarded in the industry. Aaron referenced an experience that demonstrates the influence bloggers have.

A friend ordered a laptop and realized that he made a mistake on which shipping option he chose. HP gave him the run-around and pointed him into walls and dead ends. Aaron took matters into his own hands and wrote a blog post called "HP Gives Consumer Middle Finger". The post ended up on the front page of Digg, the negative comments from the community flooded in and as a result, Aaron's friends issues were suddenly resolved.

In Aaron's opinion, Web 3.0 is "becoming untethered from your computer. Right now I'm tied to a 17" monitor. With the introduction of the iPhone (although I will never own one) it will force competitors to innovate and create new mobile devices." He also referenced smart homes, where you can walk into a room, say "it's cold in here" and the smart network automatically interprets and executes the function of turning up the heat.

Place your bets now - Aaron gave predictions of Sink & Swim companies to watch for.

Companies that will sink:

• Yahoo! - especially because of their recent corporate challenges (losing their CEO)
• Myspace - the developers are growing up and becoming more mature. The application is also too widespread with little niche value.
• Mahalo - A search engine that harnesses the power of humans. Aaron believes this technology is "very 1998".

Companies that will swim:

• Facebook - especially since they just opened their application to development - new plugins are going to create an ultrarich content.
• Concept Share - allows you to put graphic images, videos, etc. that allow you make comments and collaborate. Estimates this company will be acquired by Google.
• Twitter - While I agree that the concept of "micro-blogging" is a new wave, I think Pounce will outpace Twitter - especially since Pounce allows you to upload files, links, images, etc.

Brian Williams is the CEO of Viget Labs, a full-service web consulting, design and consulting firm who touts clients like Brittney Spears and Kenny Chesney.

Brian pointed out how younger audiences are less concerned about privacy issues as older generations. As more data is collected on individual users (ex: Amazon.com and their recommendation system) more customization will occur.

One member of the audience (damnit - I mean community - I'll get it eventually) posed this question - What advantage does the US have in this industry, are we a leader? Brian's response: "We are a country built around innovation and entrepreneurship. Look at YouTube - this is a new age of kids in their garages and new applications can be built with the collaborative brainpower of few individuals. You're not limited by resources - people who we have yet to hear from are going to be the superstars."

Lessons Learned

One of the biggest lessons I learned from this conference is how varied social media strategies can be. While a blog may be the best strategy for one company, a viral video initiative may be what works for another. It was also apparent just how new all this new media is. Even the experts are on their toes trying to keep up with the constantly changing technology.

I can't wait for the next event, which closing keynoter Toby Bloomberg called, "one of the best social media events I've attended."

I'd agree. Cheers to a great event and all the excellent panel experts.