Meet Michele Price. She queried me before I tweeted!

Michele is the host of Breakthrough Business, and on her BlogTalkRadio show we talk about Twitter, about my job at Intersections Inc (which you will find out more later on this blog), and about approaches that go against the grain of the marketing books. We talk about how “old school marketing” just doesn’t work with Social Media, and how businesses need to understand that Twitter (and Social Media, on a whole) is about people.

We had a blast on this interview, and there are more slated for the month. Keep an eye on my RSS feed for more!

In this posting, I intend to do both. While I never intended to use this blog to wax nostalgic or gaze into a crystal ball and pass along my visions of the future, a tweet did make me stop, think, and write this post.

“I am not a personal brand. I am a person.”

There is a touch of irony in what seems to be a very passionate cry amongst a deluge of noise on Twitter when you consider:

• The Twitter in question is a professional marketer.
• The Twitter in question runs a marketing firm based around online branding through Social Media.
• The Twitter in question tweets under a handle that is the name of their marketing firm.

To coin the iconic, one-word observation from Star Trek: “Fascinating.”

My prediction for Social Media in 2010 is it will struggle against acne, cringe at the sound of its own changing voice, and start to notice the opposite sex. Yes, Social Media will grow up; and its deeply entrenched Snake Oil Sales Staff will be forced to re-evaluate their place in it.

What started as a whisper at the beginning of the year has now becoming quite the trend. Here’s a cross-section of observations my Google-search “Social Media Snake Oil Salesmen” revealed:

• May 26, 2009 from Communications Catalyst. Managed by marketing strategist David Mullen, the Communication Catalyst offered at the beginning of the summer a checklist of things to be wary of when a Social Media Expert comes calling.
• September 21, 2009 from The Buzz Bin. This blog offers commentary on integrated communications (PR, social media, interactive marketing, etc.) and offers their own opinion of “Social Media Experts” and how many of them know very little.
• October 13, 2009 from BillCrosby.com where Real Estate Investor and Social Media Evangelist Bill Crosby comes out and rants about how no one is making any real money in Social Media. (Again I feel the touch of irony that this guy came out against Social Media as an economic fix as he was one of the “brains” behind Twitter Traffic Machine, an application that completely automated Twitter. And this guy calls himself a Social Media evangelist.)
• December 5, 2009 from Logic+Emotion. This sums it all up for me, and is entitled “Life After Social Media Snake Oil”. This is a brilliant post.

These wake-up calls appearing as blogposts, tweets, and rants on Facebook appeared to gain momentum in December, the more vocal being those who led the masses blindly under the Social Media banner. This message (and this is the “I told you so” part of this post/rant…) is hardly a new one as I have spoken internationally on this subject.

After attending a Social Media event in January 2009 (that was nothing more than a tedious exercise of self-gratification), I developed a talk called ANTI-Social Media, a seminar that ruffled a few feathers in Washington D.C. but went on to be syndicated across the blogosphere and served as my audition reel for what would become my 2009 New Zealand tour.  I have struggled against the grain with this message, a message that went to print in All a Twitter. This message came under fire from some “experts” back in the Fall…

Now, only months later, these same experts have cleaned off their respective Looking Glasses and do not like the reflections thrown back at them. And as recent as yesterday, TechCrunch revealed an option that the disillusioned may take in order to truly cope with the Social Media personas they have made for themselves.

Social Media has reached a turning point; and with more businesses stepping into the arena, Old School policies are now coming into play. What does this mean? This means that having a second account focusing on just your business and less on you will be in order. There is something nice about being able to speak your mind freely while preserving your professional identity. Perhaps that footloose-and-seat-of-your-pants approach to marketing (what the gurus label as “rebellious” or “radical”) isn’t going to work so well here. This also means that removing the line between business and casual will carry consequences. Yes, there will be times, opportunities, and moments in Social Media that will allow you to get personal with your audience; but if you are not willing to draw a line between you on-the-clock and off-the-clock, you cannot cry “Foul!” when criticism flies.

2010 will be the year that Social Media will be taken seriously, and those serious about it will remain practicing it while those who have been crowning themselves as experts, oracles and mavens will be called to task. What are they doing in Social Media now? Where are the blogs they manage? What podcasts are they currently producing? What is their presence within Social Networks? Credibility and accomplishments in Social Media efforts will have to extend beyond “Chris Brogan is my friend on Facebook…” or “Robert Scoble and Jeff Pulver are part of my LinkedIn network.” What is it that establishes the expert as an expert? A true understanding of Social Media, or the fact you have a blog and a Twitter account? Finally, Social Media in 2010 will not be implemented simply to be trendy. Clients will want — nay, demand — a strategy, a plan. No longer will the mavens be taken at face value and at their word. Yes, we know Social Media is full of win, but how do you plan to implement this initiative of awesome? There must be a purpose and a goal for what you want to accomplish. Without these changes, changes that need to happen and appear to be already, Social Media will never reach beyond this Not Safe for Work (NSFW) video:

Welcome to 2010. A new year, a clean slate. Good hunting.

To whet your appetites and pique your interests on what I have in the works, I did want to share with you something that I just realized has been available over at Blip.TV but did not make it to the blog…

Why have I kept this presentation a secret? Believe me — it was not intentional. I think between my return from New Zealand, my new job, my completion of Books & Braun, and the completion (and updating) of Sams Teach Yourself Twitter in Ten Minutes, the intent to post this introduction of the New Zealand edition of “Speak Geek to Me” simply slipped my mind. Now, with Christmas looming ahead, I wanted to give you this little holiday teaser of my “Finish Before the End of 2009″ project.

Will I be podcasting the rest of the talk? Oh you can count on it, but right now I am editing over two hours of video footage. I’m going to be releasing this talk as I did ANTI-Social Media and intend to offer up clips on YouTube as well.

So yes, Imagine That! may be quiet, but it is hardly standing still. While others may be looking at Social Media retrospectively at this time of the year, I am looking ahead. The journey is beginning anew and I hope you are as excited as I am on what awaits up ahead.

Come with me.

From Bird House Rules comes a special In Your Right Mind episode, co-produced with Whispers at the Edge. Three times the size of a usual In Your Right Mind, this special edition is part-Social Media discussion/part-Arts Review of Cirque Du Soleil. Cirque offered to Blogworld attendees free tickets to any of their shows in exchange for reviews of whatever show they saw.

Special guest Philippa Ballantine and I are reviewing three:

• Zumanity
• O
• Ká

Yes, Ká was that good!

We wanted to say “Thank you” and go above and beyond what Cirque asked of us. Enjoy this special edition of Bird House Rules and Whispers at the Edge, and make plans to catch a Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas.

Bird House Rules Artwork by Paul Fischer of Dancing Cat Studios

Feel free to syndicate this audio, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on Bird House Rules at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, Twitter, or here at the Bird House Rules Blog!

Is there such a thing as a full time job in Social Media? Of course, there are many job listings out there calling for it, and for those of you who are also following me on TeeMorris.com, you know that an influence on my posts and podcasts here growing further and further off can be attributed to my new position at Intersections in Chantilly, Virginia. I intend to address this lifestyle change in a later post; but for now, I’d like to take a moment to look closer at this elusive brass ring: the full time Social Media gig.

Many listings tend to make Social Media part of another position. Public Relations Manager. Communications Manager. Marketing Manager. This insinuates that Social Media, while important, could not really be that time consuming. Such insinuation you also get from employers looking for experienced Social Media producers, offering their available positions as internships.

The internships don’t bother me as much as the businesses looking for Social Media Gurus, Oracles, and (no kidding) Buckaroos.

This difficulty in finding the full time Social Media job can be attributed to the corporate sector’s lack of understanding what it is and how it works.  Many companies post listings for Social Media experts possessing 5-10 years of experience. That is quite the request, considering the term Social Media was first referenced in Yochai Benkler’s 2006 book The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom, according to Wikipedia. In my own job search, a potential employer, on asking me to train a new hire in podcasting, assumed “We figured you’d come in here. Half-an-hour, two hours tops. Show us what you know, and that would be it.” This is the cold, hard reality of Social Media in Corporate America.

Or is it?

True, Marketing and PR does make sense to be the “best” application of Social Media, but these are merely two potential avenues Social Media can pursue in business.

• Communications. Social Media, at its core, is a communications tool. Corporate Communications could easily apply Social Media as a means of outreach and internal communications between executives and associates. For news and media outlets, Social Media is still undiscovered country; but CNN is showing that user-generated content, provided it is an addendum and not the core of their reporting, provides extended coverage in their features.
• Education and Training. Whether it is new hire training or continuing education for current associates, blogs, podcasts, and social networking initiatives can bring your staff up to speed quick on any new policies, systems, or procedures in keeping business on track. IBM , the International Monetary Fund, and even the United States Military branches have implemented podcasting as tools for training and orientation purposes.
• Customer Service. Comcast. Air New Zealand. Zoom. These are only a few businesses that are applying Social Media to help, not hawk (constantly), consumers with their products. In a unique way, Social Media as Customer Service also serves as an indirect approach to promotion and marketing a company with the personal approach these initiatives provide customers.
• Recruiting. Coast-to-coast and around the world, professional job hunters have been tapping into Social Media to reach out to potential clients, both looking for employment and those in search of associates. From LinkedIn which is the self-guided, self-motivated means of networking with professionals, to individuals like Craig Fisher who are making connections both for his own business and for others actively seeking the right job for themselves, Recruiting has a new avenue in providing Human Resources the right people for the right jobs.

Full time Social Media opportunities are out there. If you are on the job hunt, widen your search parameters and consider all outlets, not just Marketing and PR. If currently employed, opportunities may exist where you can create a job specifically geared for Social Media. Consider the best approach your business can take, and query supervisors on the interest level of such initiatives.

Businesses also need to look beyond Social Media as the Holy Grail within a crappy economy. It’s not a switch thrown and then the trucks of money roll in, and it is not business as usual. To do business with Social Media, it comes back to your participation level, not your promotion savvy. You promote yourself and your products through the level of participation you invest into a community you have built. Your content and its originality will win loyalty and trust, something business prides itself in nurturing.

Social Media truly tests that. How high is your grade?

Whether you are searching for that full time position or actively seeking a Social Media Manager, consider the strategy that works best for you and for what you accomplish. Good luck and good hunting.

My article about Podcast Authors is up on Wired ! @scottsigler, @sethharwood, @jchutchins, @teemonster all appear. http://bit.ly/Pv53w

If there are true Renaissance Men among us, then Martyn Casserly is one of them. He is an accomplished writer, an accomplished musician, and now he is an award-nominated podcaster with his one-minute Movie Mantras podcast. (Martyn is also a dad and a good mate to boot.) It was Martyn’s tweet that alerted to me Wired Magagine (UK) ran on their site “Novels by Podcast” where he discusses how authors are giving away (yes, giving away for free) their works in audio format and finding success:

Rather than just putting their work online and hoping people would find it, the growing band of authors threw themselves into new media and social networking sites like Facebook, building large followers of fans and talking to them on an almost daily basis. A new website, Podiobooks.com, was set up so that all the authors could host their work in one place and increase the sense of community between them and their audience.

This close relationship enabled them to set innovative ‘challenges’ that helped promote their work. These included fans going into bookshops and slipping home-made adverts into the books of big-name authors, burning CDs of the podcasts and leaving them in public places like libraries, coffee shops, or trains, and co-ordinated buying of small press editions of the books to push them to the top of the Amazon charts.

When it comes to creative thinking, a hint of risk may be conceived as part of the equation; but this article and the success stories featured in it are proof positive that you can win audiences and, most importantly, brand loyalty if you are willing to offer to your potential clientele quality content. Not a sample of quality content, mind you, but the whole thing. Innovators like Earl Newton, Scott Sigler, George Hrab, The International Spy Museum, and Marc Gunn have all given away their hard work and found success on both independent and mainstream markets, and all of them — along with other content producers following this approach — are achieving success on a global market. Podcasting should not be dismissed as simply a hobby, but a viable means of reaching out to potential clientele. Focusing more on the product and less on promotion, businesses can win a new and dedicated fan base by opening a dialogue whether it be with blogging, podcasting, or some other Social Media outlet.

Think about it: You offer to your audiences something of quality and substance, and you say “With my compliments.” What kind of impression would that make?

I can tell you: a lasting one.

No, I am not shutting down my Twitter feed nor am I totally burned out (as my pal, Gennefer Snowfield, has vented with me before…) on posts about Twitter. I have decided that I will no longer be posting my thoughts on Twitter here.

Instead, I will be posting on Twitter here.

Birdhouse Rules is my new blog, just launched this week and still growing (comments and critiques are most welcome), that will serve as the official home of this book:

Yes, All a Twitter from myself and Que Publishing — and sporting one snappy foreword from Social Media juggernaut Chris Brogan — is now out! You can go into any Barnes & Noble bookstore and pick up a copy.

Birdhouse Rules is the official companion blog and podcast for both All a Twitter and (coming soon) Teach Yourself Twitter in 10 Minutes. The blog and podcast (also coming soon) will focus on developments with the book, new issues with Twitter, upgrades with popular clients, Twitter in the News, and questions & answers asked by readers and listeners. And just like In Your Right Mind, the episodes will be under ten minutes, exceptions being the good interview, round table discussion, or SVEs (Special Video Editions). Since Birdhouse Rules is going to be all things Twitter, I have decided to direct traffic there for people who want to find answers concerning Social Media’s unstoppable (and dare I say, unflappable) network.

Another reason why I will no longer be posting Twitter items on this blog is that I tend to find regurgitation in the blogosphere somewhat questionable and somewhat lazy. What do I mean? I have seem some “professional, successful bloggers” boast that they host several blogs and manage content with a master’s Fu. Visit this “network” of blogs, though, and the postings tend to be links to other blogs, or (I love this one) the same blogpost merely copied-and-pasted into a different location. “Content for Content’s Sake” does not work for me as a sound blogging ethic. If I want to set up a blog for Twitter, then I’ll generate content original and exclusive for that blog. Sure, I can borrow segments and even media from other blogposts, but I will still generate something new and original around the segments I cite from other sources. That is quality content management. Otherwise, I become no better than — to use an example from All a Twitter — the yahoo who is merely retweeting others and defining that as “participation” on a social network.

Before I return to the final two chapters of Teach Yourself Twitter in 10 Minutes,  I did want to bring to light a recent revelation, something that — yes — I did blog about on Birdhouse Rules but wanted to share with you here as part of my “final” Twitter post. In the first week of All a Twitter‘s release, people are tweeting it up and giving it a nice, solid introduction to the world. I’ve been treading lightly when it comes to promoting the book on Twitter as I do not want to become “that guy” on Twitter pushing their latest book/software/hardware/crap on to the network. However, the book won’t sell itself.

Then it dawned on me: hashtags. You know — hashtags? From Chapter Six, page 123? Hashtags (a keyword preceded by a pound sign, such as #allatwitter, for example) are convenient tracking devices for tweets. If enough people use a particular hashtag of my creation, All a Twitter could easily creep into the Trending Topics of Twitter alongside Harry Potter, Firefox 3, and New Zealand. This way, I can promote (and so can you) in a fashion that won’t be considered abusive or obtrusive.

So please, when you are talking about All a Twitter or if you have a question for me concerning Twitter, use this hashtag:

#allatwitter

Thank you again for all the support, kind words, and “At-a-boy’s” for this week’s premiere. Keep talking, keep tweeting, and if you would care to have me on your blog or podcast to talk Twitter, drop me a line!

And here is the conclusion of my morning at Radio New Zealand and Chris Laidlaw of Sunday Morning. Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand, arranged this interview with Chris, and here we wrap up with the addiction of Social Media and the best way to handle it.

While you can find the audio here, Imagine That! presents (with gracious permission from RNZ) an exclusive video of our morning in Wellington, NZ.

Feel free to share this video, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, on Twitter, or here at Imagine That!

With special thanks to Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand, for making this interview happen, here is Part Two of my morning at Radio New Zealand and Chris Laidlaw of Sunday Morning. On the “National Public Radio” for the Land of the Long White Cloud, Chris and I focus a bit on Twitter and Facebook and we discuss when “so much information” is “too much information.”

While you can find the audio here, Imagine That! presents (with gracious permission from RNZ) an exclusive video of our morning in Wellington, NZ.

Part Three (and maybe some pre-interview banter) will becoming shortly. Feel free to share this video, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, on Twitter, or here at Imagine That!

Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand, introduced me to Radio New Zealand who, in turn, introduced me to Chris Laidlaw of Sunday Morning. RNZ is the “National Public Radio” for the Land of the Long White Cloud, and Chris opened his mics up for me to talk about being geek, the impact of podcasting, and a few things concerning Twitter.

This was a fun interview; and while you can find the audio here, Imagine That! presents (with gracious permission from RNZ) an exclusive video of our morning in Wellington, NZ.

Part Two (and maybe some pre-interview banter) will becoming shortly. Feel free to share this video, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, on Twitter, or here at Imagine That!

This will close Imagine That! Studios’ 2009 New Zealand tour. It has been a fantastic few weeks, and the final week will include:

June 15
ANTI-Social Media, presented for LIANZA, 12pm-2pm
Seminar Room, Reserve Bank of NZ
2 The Terrace
Report at ground floor reception no later than 11.45am

All a Twitter, presented for LIANZA, 5pm-7pm
Conference Room, Department of Conservation
18-32 Manners Street
Report at ground floor reception no later than 4.45pm

June 16
Social Media Mainline Workshop for LIANZA, 9am-5pm
SOLD OUT (Waiting List available)
Computer lab 510, Level 5, WelTec Wellington Campus
11-17 Church Street (off Boulcott Street)

June 17
Speak Geek to Me, for Te Papa Tongarewa: The Museum of New Zealand, 10am-12pm
Location: Soundings Theatre
Wellington, NZ
(The current showing for this is somewhere around 150, but it’s a big theatre. Let’s see if we can fill it!)

This tweet-up is also going to have a few surprises related to my upcoming title, All a Twitter. Come on out, say “Hi!”, and have a beer with me as I says “Farewell” (but not “Goodbye”) to New Zealand. Swing by TWTvite and RSVP!

Now, take a look at this schedule. This is where I will be in the upcoming weeks:

May 22-25
Balticon 43 in Hunt Valley, MD

May 29-June 1
Conscription in Auckland, New Zealand

June 2
ANTI-Social Media, presented for LIANZA, 12pm-2pm
Room 420 Kate Edgar Information Commons Building #315
2 Alfred Street, University of Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand

All a Twitter, presented for LIANZA, 3pm-5pm
Room 420 Kate Edgar Information Commons Building #315
2 Alfred Street, University of Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand

June 3
Social Media Mainline Workshop for LIANZA, 9am-5pm
Computer Lab Room 433, Kate Edgar Information Commons Building #315
2 Alfred Street, University of Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand

June 6 (JUST ADDED!!!)
Podiobooks: The Best Audiobooks FOR FREE Online for Tararua District Library, 1pm-2pm
Dannevirke, New Zealand

June 15
ANTI-Social Media, presented for LIANZA, 12pm-2pm
Seminar Room, Reserve Bank of NZ
2 The Terrace
Report at ground floor reception no later than 11.45am
Wellington, New Zealand

All a Twitter, presented for LIANZA, 5pm-7pm
Conference Room, Department of Conservation
18-32 Manners Street
Report at ground floor reception no later than 4.45pm
Wellington, New Zealand

June 16
Social Media Mainline Workshop for LIANZA, 9am-5pm
SOLD OUT (Waiting List available)
Computer lab 510, Level 5, WelTec Wellington Campus
11-17 Church Street (off Boulcott Street)
Wellington, New Zealand

June 17

Speak Geek to Me, for Te Papa Tongarewa: The Museum of New Zealand, 10am-12pm
Location: TBA
Wellington, NZ

The June 16 workshop sold out in three days (WOW!) but if you are in New Zealand and looking for a primer on Social Media, you can still sign-up for the Auckland workshop. I could not be more excited about these opportunities the Land of the Great White Cloud is offering and I look forward to what is to come during my stay in New Zealand.

Thanks for paying me a visit here, and I will be talking to you all very soon from the Southern Hemisphere.

Welcome to the conclusion of my video miniseries, ANTI-Social Media: What NOT to Do with Web 2.0. This is the final segment where I go into the common assumptions and poor judgment calls the “mainstream” (defined here as those not willing to give Social Media attention) has made concerning the potential in blogging, podcasting, and social networking tools. I admit there was a huge gap between Part Three and the final part, but keep an eye here for the reasons (all good) as to why!

Filmed at the Merrill-Lynch Conference Center in Washington, DC and hosted by the Washington Network Group, ANTI-Social Media: What NOT to Do with Web 2.0 are case studies on Social Media when initiatives fall short. It is clear from the demand for Social Media in the professional sector and the popularity of Facebook and Twitter that companies and organizations are anxious to tap into this potential and promising outlet. Unfortunately there are many failures that cast doubt on whether or not these initiatives truly work.

The problem isn’t the media, but how it is handled.

Featured in this final segment are the success stories of Social Media (and the nod to CNN was before their Race to 1M followers which still disappoints me…) as well as my own personal secret in achieving success with Web 2.0 initiatives.

Thank you, all, for joining me in this mini-series. If you liked what you saw, rest assured: More is on the horizon here at Imagine That! Studios.

Feel free to share this video, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, or here at Imagine That!

Say hello to “Flutter.”

I hope this starts out your Monday with a smile. Make it a creative and productive week!

Welcome to Part Three of my video miniseries, ANTI-Social Media: What NOT to Do with Web 2.0. This segment is the longest one yet (close around the 20-minute mark!) as I talk about two social networking sites, Facebook and Twitter. I also give some playful shout-outs to Chris Brogan, Robert Scoble, and Jeff Pulver. For those of you who are subscribed to the high-resolution downloads, the video is going to be a good chunk of data (the joys of video podcasting) but worth the time and space!

Filmed at the Merrill-Lynch Conference Center in Washington, DC and hosted by the Washington Network Group, ANTI-Social Media: What NOT to Do with Web 2.0 are case studies on Social Media when initiatives fall short. It is clear from the demand for Social Media in the professional sector and the popularity of Facebook and Twitter that companies and organizations are anxious to tap into this potential and promising outlet. Unfortunately there are many failures that cast doubt on whether or not these initiatives truly work.

The problem isn’t the media, but how it is handled.

I put myself under the microscope in Part Three as I talk about the blurring lines between the professional life and the personal one. From Facebook, I move to Twitter where I make a connection between new school Twitter tech, old school marketing, and high school hijinx.

Feel free to share this video, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, or here at Imagine That!

Presented by the In Your Right Mind podcast, this is Part Two of my video miniseries, ANTI-Social Media: What NOT to Do with Web 2.0. I could not be happier with the reactions from Part One (which included a shout-out from Wellington, New Zealand) and I’m thrilled to share this event with you.

Filmed at the Merrill-Lynch Conference Center in Washington, DC and hosted by the Washington Network Group, ANTI-Social Media: What NOT to Do with Web 2.0 is my seminar on where Social Media falls short. It is clear from the demand for Social Media in the professional sector and the popularity of Facebook and Twitter that companies and organizations are anxious to tap into this potential and promising outlet. Unfortunately there are many failures that cast doubt on whether or not these initiatives truly work.

The problem isn’t the media, but how it is handled.

Part Two takes delves into podcasting and three case studies where expectations and results fell far from the intended goals…assuming there was a “goal” in place to begin with.

Feel free to share this video, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, or here at Imagine That!

Welcome to what will be special video features from In Your Right Mind. Anytime I speak, I intend to film the event and then edit the footage together to create a miniseries for your iPod or iTouch. This event turned out great, and I’m thrilled to be able to share this event with you.

Filmed at the Merrill-Lynch Conference Center in Washington, DC and hosted by the Washington Network Group, ANTI-Social Media: What NOT to Do with Web 2.0 is my seminar on where Social Media falls short. It is clear in the demand for Social Media in the professional sector and the popularity of Facebook and Twitter that companies and organizations are anxious to tap into this potential and promising outlet, yet there are many failures that cast doubt on whether or not these initiatives work.

The problem isn’t the media, but how it is handled.

In the opening of this seminar I look at blogs and go into two instances where the marketing plan behind two corporate blogs backfired. I also go into the lessons learned from these case studies.

Feel free to provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, or here at Imagine That!

“When Does a Blog Go Bad?”

-and-

“Facebook Faux Pas”

I have two more planned before presenting the entire seminar here, on Imagine That! Studios. As the seminar was over an hour, I will be presenting it in a serialized format, but you can expect more video (and commentary) on this site, beginning this Monday.

Now, I must wrap up a podcasting class. Have a great weekend everyone, and enjoy the taste of my “ANTI-Social Media” seminar!

What does your profile picture on your blogs, on Facebook, or elsewhere on the web, say about you? In this episode of In Your Right Mind, we look at avatars, the images associated with your online presence. While some businesses tend to lean toward their logo as an avatar, you can allow yourself a personal touch while still staying professional…

Avatar for Imagine That! on Twitter

Or make a statement as Imagine That! did concerning the Internet Blackout for New Zealand:

Here were other creative statements made during Blackout:

top row (l to r): author and podcaster P.G. Holyfield,
podcaster Brandon Hill, web designer Rita Lewis
bottom row (l to r): David Van Sunder of Flying Squirrel Media,
open avatar as used by Leo LaPorte, Neil Gaiman, and Stephen Fry,
attorney and podcaster Kevin Crosby

So while images can speak a thousand words, avatars can go even further online. So what would you want you avatar to say?

Feel free to provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, or here at Imagine That!

photo by Kreg Steppe

Are you in the Washington D.C. area, within driving distance of the Nation’s capital, or happen to be in my stomping grounds next week? If you are, you have two chances to catch me speaking on Social Media. The Washington Network Group and The Washington DC Write to Publish Group have invited me to come in and speak, and I am thrilled to present:

ANTI-Social Media: What Not to Do in Web 2.0

Thursday, February 26
4:30 PM – 6:30 PM

hosted by
The Washington Network Group
Merrill Lynch Conference Center, 6th Floor
1152 Fifteenth Street, NW

Ξ

Social Media for Writers: Making Web 2.0 Your Marketing Machine

Saturday, February 28
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

hosted by
The Washington DC Write to Publish Group
Arlington Central Library
1015 N. Quincy St., 2nd Floor Meeting Room
Arlington, VA

If you are in the area, I hope you can make it for the discussions. Feel free to pass along the appearance links on your own feeds, and I hope to talk to you then!

If you follow me on either of my Twitter accounts, you might have noticed that my updates averaging 50 – 100 a day tapered off for a while…

Well, okay, they dropped off rather suddenly. Two weeks ago, as a matter of fact.

If you missed at TeeMorris.com my interview on Conversations with Coach Ian Scott, I can sum it up as “the last week of January.” A series of events that week suggested I step away from Twitter for a spell. I needed some downtime, some time online where there was no signal as well as no noise. What was odd about this “Twitter Moratorium” was I remained plugged in to Facebook. I took some time to get to know the networking platform a bit better. (Sadly, this was before Facebook came out with their somewhat broad Terms of Service update. Not sure if there is a blogpost from me in there, but I am now looking at them with a cautious eye.) During my break from the community, I was still working on expending my network by attending Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfast here in Washington D.C. Even with keeping my toe dipped in the Social Media pool, this Twitter hiatus I found liberating. I found it educational. I also found it a bit ironic.

Why “ironic” you ask? The other reason I took a break from Twitter was because I had just closed negotiations with Que Publishing to write All a Twitter. Yes, my next book will be out this summer and it will cover something I am truly passionate over: Twitter. I guess my 28,000 updates on TeeMonster are finally going to amount to something.

Oh, you didn’t misread me — the book will be out this summer. As in June. As in to make sure we have time and ability to polish and edit the manuscript, I have roughly two months to write this book. Two months. Why the rush? Let’s just say, much like with Twitter itself, it’s a personal issue and an accomplishment I would love to achieve.

Back to that “Cone of Silence” I took a brief getaway in…

So I stepped back from Twitter to ask myself if I could seriously do this. A solid resource for both the experienced and novice user, in two months time. Was something like that possible? Could I have that much to say about Twitter? I figured I would find out soon enough as I took a seat in my studio, installed Que’s Word template, and started Chapter One.

In two weeks I produced over 20,000 words and over thirty screen captures, all based around Twitter. Today I turned in 25% of the manuscript to the publisher.

I think I’m off to a good start.

So what this means is that my MOREVI projects, both the podcast of Legacy of MOREVI and the writing of Exodus from MOREVI, have been put on hold until All a Twitter and another creative project (that I had begun developing only a few weeks before this request from Que) have been completed. I will still be on Twitter, taking notes on what’s happening around me as I forge ahead. I will also blog progress reports on All a Twitter, post forthcoming episodes of In Your Right Mind, and continue commentaries on creative solutions and ideas for the workplace. There will also be video and audio clips from speaking events that are starting to come in, and news on a future talk I will be giving in New Zealand. You can expect all that here.

You can also expect me to be ready to celebrate, come Balticon 43, the pending release of what will be the all-in-one-and-all-around-go-to-guide for Twitter.

This is going to be a fun ride, everybody. Strap in and hold on to something.

Jeff Pulver & Tee Morris at the Social Media Breakfast
Washington, D.C.

I have been called a “master of self-promotion” and sometimes been accused of being a “shameless promoter” but I look at what I do as just meeting people and having a good time doing so. Networking is something that, believe it or not, makes me nervous. When I am invited to networking opportunities, I always cringe. (Yes, it’s that same cringe when I’m called a “podcasting pioneer” which I am…but I cringe, nonetheless.) I do not necessarily want to be perceived as someone who has something to sell all the time, nor do I want to be pitched on things that I have no interest in whatsoever. Still, I love connecting with people and I love chatting with folks who are as passionate about subjects I’m passionate about. So when I RSVP-ed on Facebook to Jeff Pulver that I was going to attend his Social Media Breakfast at USTelecom in Washington D.C., I was as nervous as I was excited. Once again, I was connecting with Social Media enthusiasts as I did at Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Jungle in Las Vegas; but I was also heading into what I knew was going to be a networking event.

Now if you are not familiar with Jeff Pulver, you should check out his website where his schedule of appearances, his commentary on Social Media, and his photography are all featured. When it comes to Social Media, he is one of the pioneers and continues to spread the word about it through talks and sponsored events like the Social Media Breakfasts. If you are not familiar with Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfasts, I recommend you check out his orientation on Facebook where he explains to you exactly what they are all about. The breakfast starts with a few words from the sponsor (in this case, USTelecom who took great care of us!) and Jeff himself, where he introduces his Social Media Toolkit:

• A ball point pen
• Two blank name tags
• A sheet of smaller labels.

On one label, you write your name and a personal tagline, something that sums you up quickly and memorably. (I was particularly pleased with August Jackson’s tagline: I can haz Social Media.) The other label remains blank, but not for long as the breakfast attendees “tag” you with the smaller labels, creating a “real time-real world” tag cloud. The exercise is not only revealing in how you are perceived by others but a brilliant demonstration in how tag clouds work online.

It is also a wonderful icebreaker.

The Breakfast’s atmosphere, particularly with those who are playing along with the tagging, is extremely disarming. I never felt, at any point, with guards up or anxiety that I was coming across as overly aggressive. (Alright, maybe my networking tactics with Shireen Mitchell as captured in my Flickr account could be argued as “aggressive” but that is open to interpretation…) Those attending the breakfast had no agenda outside of connecting and communicating with others embracing Social Media; and while you might think that would be a given considering this was a Social Media Breakfast, I have attended other “social” events that were actually networking opportunities. Those best forgotten events made me want to shower under high-pressure nozzles afterward. Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfast was a great mixer, and never was the social aspect of it missing. I not only made connections, but I had a great time.

If Jeff is bringing this to a town near you, attend. Whether you are an active participant in Social Media, someone interested in implementing Social Media, or simply wanting to connect with others working with Social Media, this is unlike any networking opportunity you might attend. For that morning, I joined others unified under banners of blogging, podcasting, Twitter, and Facebook, making the Breakfast less networking and more of a homecoming. I felt very welcomed and met some really incredible people. Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfast also reminded me exactly why I enjoy Social Media so very much.

Jeff will be returning to Washington D.C. in April with his Social Media Jungle. After this terrific event on a very cold February morning, I look forward to warmer weather and even more promising opportunities coming in April.

So you’re listening to me and other Social Media experts and enthusiasts, and you’re leaning more towards producing a podcast. Before you hit record, it is crucial to create a plan for your podcast. What are your goals and how much time do you want to invest? Asking important questions before manning the microphone will help you achieve success with your production

Feel free to provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, or here at Imagine That!

As you read this posting or listen to this podcast, I will be on a plane heading west. Las Vegas, baby! I’ll be attending the Social Media Jungle, hosted by Jeff Pulver at the CES 2009 Expo. If you didn’t know about this event, you can still join us. If you are planning to be there, I would love to meet you! Don’t be shy.

And if you use the phrase…

“You’re Tee Morris? I’m all a Twitter.”

…on meeting me in Vegas, I’ll have a “special” moo card for you. I only have a few, so make sure you remember the special greeting.

Since I am heading out to Sin City to brave the Social Media Jungle, I thought building social communities would be a good topic for this episode. We take a look at the real costs of a Social Media initiative to your business. It’s not money. It’s not even resources of your workplace, or even your computer.

The cost is time.

Feel free to provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, or here at Imagine That!

Well, here it is!

Welcome to the beginning of the latest podcast project from Tee Morris. In Your Right Mind, officially launching on Tuesday, January 6, in celebration of the Social Media Jungle and CES 2009, is your monthly ten-minute visit to the right side of my brain. Along with the content featured here, In Your Right Mind will feature creative solutions for the workplace. I am very excited about this podcast, and after Tuesday’s launch, I hope you will be, too.

Also, I would like to announce my first appearance in 2009. I will be at CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 8-11, 2009, taking part in the Social Media Jungle on January 7th. Imagine That! will be making an impression on the attendees of Social Media as well as checking out all the new gadgets on the show floor. I hope to see you out there.

Thanks again for subscribing to Imagine That! Studios, and we will be talking soon!

No, this is not a sign of Twitter addiction. I can stop Twitter. Anytime. Just…not… today. Look, we’re getting off the point…

I joined to Twitter in July 2007 under the moniker “TeeMonster” more out of curiosity than peer pressure. Within a month I was well into my addic—investment into the community making an impression in 140 characters or less. It wasn’t until I noted other bloggers and podcasters using Twitter as a notification device that I took a more serious look at this unassuming Social Media site. The ability to “touch base” with a network that actively follows you? Promotional ideas started springing to mind. Networking possibilities came to light. Twitter as a cost-effective marketing tool made perfect sense to me.

Then I paused and considered how people knew me in this network. I watched the reactions to community members turning their feeds into 24-7 promotional opportunities, and the reaction was usually negative. Twitter’s line between promotion and participation was deceptively (if not dangerously) thin. Could I walk it without alienating my established audience? It was during the redesign and refocus of this website I thought “Why not a second Twitter account? It’s free and can focus entirely on what I’m doing here.” That solution sounded simple enough until new and established followers started asking, “Why do I want to follow ITStudios? Why not stick with TeeMonster? I mean, they’re both you, right?”

Well, yeah, they’re both me; but each account represents two very different personas.

TeeMonster: This is the Tee Morris that’s kicking back in cargo pants, an All Blacks jumper, and a Dogfish 90. My network is comprised of a variety of Twitters ranging from fellow authors, to podcast listeners, to old friends, to other Social Media enthusiasts. (Thanks, Chris Brogan!) My avatar fits my mood, but lately it’s floating between a J.R. Blackwell original of Rafe Rafton, and an image of me wearing bunny ears. My tweets in this feed are seasoned with snark, LOLCat speak, and (in some cases) utter inappropriateness. I still tend to promote blogposts and podcasts, answer questions concerning audio gear, and even cross-promote the ITStudios account via re-tweets; but that is becoming less and less as I build, refine, and encourage followers to join the ITStudios community.

ITStudios: Here, I am wearing khakis and an upscale shirt. The Dogfish is traded in for a glass of ice tea or a cup of coffee. My avatar always remains the Double Koru, my Imagine That! Studios branding on Twitter. This is the professional side of Tee Morris. All business. (Okay, 90% business. 10% of humor can go a long way!) My tweets focus on the status of my projects (MOREVI: Remastered, Podcasting for Dummies: The Companion Podcast, writing deadlines, etc.), give updates on where I will be, offer TwitReviews and TwitTips on software and hardware, and share technology and Social Media links. Under the Double Koru, the ITStudios feed is more about quality than quantity, and remains free of sarcasm. (Sometimes, yes, LOLCat speak does creep in. Call it the mischievous streak in me.)

Maybe it does appear on the outside as a split personality, and it could be argued that by managing multiple accounts I’m diluting my potential network impact. I am finding it is just the opposite. When I am in the Social Media zone, I believe in implementing solutions, getting the job done, and always providing results with a positive attitude. Off the clock, I’m unwinding with a scotch and stogie, inviting a good rant if the passion grabs me, and allowing myself a pat on the back for my time in the pool. It all depends on what you are looking for. Behind the scenes on a podcast? A quick review of audio hardware? Or a link to the latest Gizmodo toy? If that is what you crave, take a look at ITStudios. If you want something more relaxed, a little goofy, and slightly irreverent, then give TeeMonster a shot. Either way, you’ll know what to expect after a few tweets.

If you’re following both, all I can say is this: Thank you for being a fan.

Web 3.0. The next big thing. The future of the Internet. At least, that is what some supposed Social Media experts are claiming. The long and short of Web 3.0 involves taking our Web 2.0 endeavors — blogs, podcasts, and other social media initiatives — to “the next level”.

What is that next level, you ask? Making money.

Can Social Media really make money? Maybe one day, yes. At present, I see Social Media as a resource of cost-effective marketing and Public Relations solutions. However, these initiatives are not quite at the level the Web 3.0 innovators are claiming them to be. In this three-part series, I have been disarming a potential Dot-Bomb by taking a critical look at the hype surrounding what a vanguard of Internet-go-getting gurus are heralding as the direction Corporate America will be taking.

So far, we’ve cut the following wires:

• The Red Wire: Companies are being encouraged to go into Web 3.0, citing statistics that are unclear and uncorroborated, reminiscent of the financial panning behind Dot-Bombs of the Nineties.
• The Yellow Wire: Corporate America, without an understanding of Web 2.0 and still struggling with efficient Web 1.0 application, is being told to blindly invest into Web 3.0.
• The Green Wire: The people calling Web 3.0 the Next Big Thing are in the Web 3.0 “Business”…whatever that business is.

The clock is still ticking. One wire remains.

Blue Wire: Mainstream media advertising is based on probability. There’s a good chance, based on surveys, that audiences for a particular show fit in a demographic, a broad range of sex and age. Sponsors guess their products might appeal to this wide demographic, which explains why in one ad break you will see fast food advertisements and then in the following one you get bombarded with commercials for diets and home exercise equipment. One of the radical aspects of Web 3.0, though, is how it takes the interactivity of Web 2.0 — building communities and encouraging a dialog between vendors, media creators, and audience — and narrows sponsors on 100% of their target audience, offering the opportunity to personalize ads for community members. Web 3.0 will completely revolutionize how advertising is done, correct?

Well, no, not really. Other companies have been doing this, even before Web 2.0 came into being.

Amazon.com changed the way commerce was carried out online. It began most humbly with inviting their customers to leave reviews. Consumers could share with other visitors, other fans of a particular author, other buyers of electronic vendors, unbiased (in theory) thoughts, opinions, praise, and disappointments of a featured product. The success of Amazon’s Reviews led to the creation of other user-driven advertising such as Listmania and “May We Suggest…” and “Others Have Purchased…” links offered in homepages and periodical HTML-based e-mailings.

Another user-based, community-generated advertising triumph was Nike on their team up with Apple. Shortly after the release of the iPod Nano, the “Nike + iPod” package was offered. With this, consumers would purchase a small, wireless counter that fit in the pouch of a specific Nike shoe. Runners would be able to track their times through iPods; and online, enter in their times at a database Apple and Nike sponsored. Instead of hiring focus groups, consultants, and survey takers to find out who is buying what, Nike and Apple built a community of runners at the cost of hosting a website. Based on feedback, both companies could create a variety of products their target audience desired, from Nike + iPod running mixes to redesigned iPod headsets to runners’ accessories.

For many years, companies like Apple, Blizzard Entertainment, and Ben & Jerry’s have been building communities, both online and in the outside world, by actively seeking feedback and listening to their community in order to either improve their products or create new ones. So what is it that Web 3.0 offers that is so groundbreaking?

*snip*

Take a breath. Open your eyes. Good news — the timer has stopped.

The Social Media movement and how we do business in a digital environment continues to fascinate and excite me because of the potential that is there. What is the reality check then? Bringing businesses forward alongside us innovators, especially in such tricky economic times, has become a hard sell. For Corporate America, to bury their heads in the sand and say “Change bad! Change frighten us!” is no solution to where we currently reside. Neither is it a solution to drink the Digital Kool-Aid, slap on a blindfold, and let “innovators” take the lead. Asking questions and taking critical looks at trends is not a bad thing. Do your homework, look at how you’re doing business now, and understand the technology that is being pitched to you. The distance between Success and Failure can be measured by the time you take to research a trend and act upon it. Sure, you could research too much, wait too long, and miss an opportunity. On the same argument, you could also jump at a chance, learn as you go, and find yourself in a financial disaster.

Concerning Web 3.0, Corporate America should make more of an effort to understand Web 2.0 and its role in business. Researching a trend does not have to be a heavy financial investment. It may cost you an hour of your time hitting a few choice blogs, a day or two at the most if you decide to dig deep. That’s not a bad trade if you think of the price tag for following lemmings off a cliff.

So far, the red wire is snipped. Now, let’s take a look at the…

Yellow Wire: Web 3.0 is offering the ability to monetize (oh, how I hate that word!) Web 2.0, making advertisements a more personal experience. Sounds very cool and exciting, but to implement Web 3.0 you should have an intimate understanding of Web 2.0, right?

Truth be told, Corporate America is still trying to get a strong grasp of Web 1.0. In my own experiences just this year I have encountered:

• Social Media opportunities on headhunter websites that re-route you to corporate homesites (of static design) with no listing of the position, a proper interface to search the site, and (in some cases) asking applicants to submit their resume in sections in order to adhere to their database, only to not offer an option to apply for the job after said resume has been painstakingly entered into their proprietary layout.
• Potential New Media clients that believe the skills behind Web 2.0 can be “picked up in half an hour, two hours tops.” (Yes, that is a direct quote from a potential client. And no, we didn’t work together in the end.)
• A belief that simply branding something Web 2.0 makes it Web 2.0. (A major financial entity based out of Washigton D.C., for example, claims to be podcasting. Their site, however, offers no RSS to subscribe to. They call it a podcast because IT has the audio clips featured on a single page labeled with a graphic that reads — you guessed it — “Podcast.”)

Yes, there are many corporations that have enjoyed wild and financially-mind-blowing success with the World Wide Web; but before you cite in your comments Yahoo!, ScotsTrade, and Amazon, consider that these companies are geared for the Internet and that have put forth the effort to study, understand, and implement Internet trends. How many other corporations truly grasp the potential of Web 2.0 initiatives? According to Peter Kim’s list, not as many as the Advance Guard of Web 3.0 claim.

Before pushing to the business world the wonders of Web 3.0, shouldn’t we focus on making Web 2.0 more mainstream, more accessible? It’s a good idea to know how the previous version of the Internet works before investing in an upgrade. *snip*

Green Wire: Who is telling us that Web 3.0 is the future of the Internet? According to this Web 3.0 Expo, it’s Amiad Solomon who stepped up as their keynote speaker. But what does Solomon do? He’s the CEO of Peer39, an agency that specializes in Web 3.0 initiatives. Not a Forbes 500 success story, not the head of Marketing from Google, not even Coach Deb, the Bourquin Brothers, or some other trademarked personality that has managed to turn Web 2.0 into a financial windfall for themselves. No, were being told at a Web 3.0 Expo that Web 3.0 is the next wave by the CEO of a company that specializes in Web 3.0 initiatives.

Isn’t this akin to an ice vendor selling snow to Eskimos?

I remember the 2006 New Media Expo (under a different name then) when the keynote speaker was Ron Moore, Executive Producer of the new Battlestar Galactica. After all, he was the target of the expo, a non-tech guy who went from “What is a podcast?” to a success story. He wasn’t selling any podcast services or using buzz words such as “monetize” and “leverage” in his keynote. It was a sincere, down-to-earth address to a room of podcasters, bloggers, audio and video specialists, and those anxious to know; and it was an idea of how you can embrace something new and make it work when starting from scratch.

In the case of Web 3.0, though, having someone selling these supposedly groundbreaking initiatives as a keynote speaker gives me pause. Before we all pile into the Social Media Clown Car, let’s stop and ask who’s driving? It may give us a better perspective before being pressed against the windshield. *snip*

One more wire remains. Don’t mind the trembling cutters in my hand. That’s just the adrenaline. Next week, I’ve got one last thing to consider about what some are calling the future of the Internet…

Sunday, on Twitter, I saw this post. As sailors acquiesce to the siren’s song, I clicked on the link and followed it to this photo. Based on Casey McKinnon‘s expression and her Flickr comment “The simple fact that it’s written by people I’ve never heard of makes me snear.” she is less than approving of this book. I felt compelled to slam on my brakes and put together my own reply here instead of on Flickr…

Just because you’re a Web 2.0 pioneer doesn’t make you a household name.

Now, in now way am I painting Casey with a brush of green here. She does say in her Flickr comments “I don’t REALLY have a problem with it… it was just a WTF? moment… nothing personal to the guys who worked their asses off making it!”, reaffirming her as a class act. I do think, though, we pioneers of this field need a reality check now and then.

Speaking as an author of two podcasting books (that feature chapters on video podcasting), I’ve also picked up books on podcasting by people I have never heard of. I have also seen seminars offered by “Web 2.0 and Social Media innovators” that I’ve not heard of. There are workshops corporations are paying top dollar to host, led by authorities I have no early idea who they are. Does that mean they are not qualified to speak on this topic I know so well? Of course not. These authors, speakers, and presenters are traveling in different circles than I am. While I could easily give a presentation or a keynote on podcasting, these expo organizers, publishers, or company CEO’s currently do not listen to any of my offerings. They were familiar with these other Web 2.0 illuminaries and therefore made the offers to them, not me. Opportunities are all about timing, but in some cases it is all about who you know.

However, it is a good idea to question street cred if the experience doesn’t back up the swagger. On discovering a new pioneer (which there seems to be an abundance of) in podcasting circles, I immediately look up the author’s/speaker’s bio to find out what makes them a leader in this emerging media. Was it their time in the trenches? Their accomplishments? Their various projects? More importantly, what are they working on now? Granted, my approval and six dollars will cover the morning coffee from Starbuck’s, but I do scoff at the Web 2.0 pioneers who sport a static HTML website, are not currently podcasting or blogging, and use Twitter as a spamming tool. In those instances, I have to wonder who are the watchmen on the corporate battlements, and if said watchmen are the French Knights from Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

The truth about the whole Web 2.0 movement is we are famous in our own social media circles. There are some independent podcasters (Scott Sigler, The Midwest Teen Sex Show, Ask a Ninja, and Grammar Girl to name the ones I know of…) that have managed to nudge their way into the mainstream. I say “nudge” because while the breakthroughs are high rollers in our eyes, ears, minds, and hearts, they are a far cry from established names like Dan Brown, Dr. Ruth, the cast of The Office, and Eats, Shoots & Leaves‘ Lynne Truss. It doesn’t mean it won’t or can’t happen, it just means it hasn’t yet. Whether or not we have heard of an author or an authority in Web 2.0 shouldn’t matter. What should matter is what their accomplishments — past, current, and future — are in this field. This is the real validation of someone’s expertise not just in Web 2.0 initiatives, but in any of life’s pursuits.

@carriegouldin Well….nobody’s perfect. #

@PhilippaJane If you need any last minute factoids/advice/pep talking, you can ping me! #

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@edgizmo LOOSEN UP!!! *boom* #

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@FletcherPrince Hi there — thanks for following me on Twitter! Have we met in the area? You’re quite close. #

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@PhilippaJane I know that at Panera’s there is such a thing as bagel karma. I believe in it…and Free WiFi as well. #

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@Disneynut68 Thanks for listening! Send out a thank you to @shayes as well. He is my editor/producer at Wiley Publishing. #

@fgcast Yes, the Double Koru is the new insignia for Imagine That! I thought it would be more professional than the “bunny ears” photo. #

@mplested My pleasure. Thanks for reading. #

@LeStew Enjoy the ride. #

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“A client isn’t satisfied with a class we began yesterday,” he told me. “We need someone to go in and give a seminar on Web 2.0 Initiatives. Kind of a ‘speed dating’ approach to what’s out there. Can you do it?”

A seminar on New Media. No background on the client. No preparation. No planning.

No problem.

Flying by the seat of your pants in giving a presentation isn’t a skill so much as it is a talent. You might be thinking “Woah, I could never do that!” My retort to that would be “Why not?” Think about it: The majority of planning and preparation a presentation happens the first time you give a talk. When you are called on again, you simply repeat your earlier performance, maybe with a touch more polish and finesse. Right?

Later on, you’re asked to give that slick presentation of yours. “But,” the seminar’s host will say, “could you make the focus less on Topic A and lean more towards Topic B?” After a quick scan of the web and personal collections for appropriate images, you return to the “Alpha Presentation” and create a variation on its theme. The same subject matter, but different focus point for varying audiences.

My own log of presentations dates back three years. While that may deem me something of a “digital packrat,” it actually provides me an invaluable resource pool for building brand new presentations. For my October 1st wake-up call, my (sleep-riddled) mind sifted through the numerous Keynote files on my laptop. From a series of seminars called Technology for the Technologically Challenged I had slides detailing various Social Media websites, specifically LinkedIn, Flickr, and MySpace. Using that talk as the Alpha, I pulled slides from a What is Blogging? and a What is Podcasting? talk. Ten minutes of editing and rearranging slides yielded the presentation Speak Geek to Me: Web 2.0 in a Nutshell.

EEI told me en route that I would probably wrapping up no later than 3:00 p.m. I did not leave the client until 6:00 p.m. on account of the questions, the answers, and the strategies that came from my seminar. One of the students was so energized, she walked me to my car, still talking up the potential of New Media in her workplace.

When you put together presentations, keep this in mind: Success hinges on how ready you are, not just for today but for tomorrow. Thinking quickly is essential in providing a client solutions; but results happen when you act, and the ability to act and react even faster on your feet is not a talent but a skill that can be honed and mastered. Give yourself time to rehearse a presentation but plan out variations of that Alpha seminar. Prepare two or three alternative versions of your talk, and keep them at the ready in a running log of Powerpoint/Keynote files. That way, when that call comes, you have a pool of resources to pull from.

Be prepared, because you never know when that wake-up call at 7:30 a.m. is Opportunity in need of your unique talents.

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@shayes What will you be submitting today, and good luck to you on whatever you are submitting! #

@shadowsedge Now that is cruel…. #

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@shadowsedge My pleasure. Passion is something I know. #

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@erkpod We will see, won’t we? #

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@TonyMast I like the way you think, Sir. #

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The Imagine That! production Billibub Baddings won a 2008 Parsec Award for Best Audio Drama (Long Form). #

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@DDog Royalty free music is the life’s blood of many a podcast. #

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Back home from a terrific road tour. Constellation Books a smash with only two books remaining from four titles in stock! #

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A lot of things were happening on the eighth of August. The Summer Olympics launched in Beijing, China. World Hula Hoop Day was being celebrated (well, in Washington D.C. at least) with quite the fanfare. A mixed media magazine, Verge of LA, was also launched. As 08.08.08 (on account of the natural repetition of the number) was considered a good omen of prosperity in Asian cultures, many things were happening on this date.

For those of you who listen to my podcasts, you all knew that last Friday marked the simultaneous launch of two new fiction titles from Dragon Moon Press, The Case of The Pitcher’s Pendant: A Billibub Baddings Mystery and Digital Magic. In a nutshell, author Philippa Ballantine and I decided instead of competing for readers and listeners on Amazon, we would pool our resources and host a “shared run” up the book vendor’s charts. This was a different kind of promotion — the first of its kind — as we were going to see how far we could make it up the charts together. To promote what we called “Double Trouble”, Pip and I appeared on many, many podcasts. A few of our hosts asked about the competition for numbers and whether or not we were worried about diluting sales by splitting support across two books. We both responded with “So long as people are buying our books, we’ll worry about the numbers later.” At the end of 08.08.08, Pip’s Digital Magic made it as high as #57 in the overall rankings while The Case of The Pitcher’s Pendant reached #48.

Did we crack the Top Five (or Top Ten) of Amazon’s overall ratings? No. Did we sell enough books to go full time in our writing? No. Was Double Trouble a success? Absolutely.

Competition can drive you to perform at your optimum best. Competition can also bring out the worst in people. Just look at the 2008 Democratic Primaries to see how nasty competition (a kissing cousin to ambition, if you think about it…) can get. Pip and I, however, took a different road, collaborating with one another to score success. We proved without question that a promotional collaboration was not only possible, but profitable. Pip and I had marketed this day as a shared event between two authors, made evident in our promotional avatars, the sidebar graphics, and our numerous interviews. By adopting this strategy, we focused our respective fan bases on each other’s works. In working together, both titles enjoyed a strong showing on Amazon’s individual charts:

• The Case of The Pitcher’s Pendant, #2, Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy
• Digital Magic, #3, Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy
• Digital Magic, #1, Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Magic & Wizards
• Digital Magic, #1, Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Contemporary
• The Case of The Pitcher’s Pendant, #2, Movers & Shakers on Amazon
• Digital Magic, #1, Movers & Shakers on Amazon

While our new titles remained at the top of these charts (The Case of The Pitcher’s Pendant topped only by the recent release in the Twilight series.), Double Trouble also enjoyed another accomplishment (predicted by J.C Hutchins in our interview on the Ultra-Creatives podcast): An unexpected rally of two other titles, Billibub Baddings and The Case of The Singing Sword (written by me, released in 2004) and Chasing the Bard (written by Pip, released in 2005). Seemingly from nowhere, these two books appeared in Amazon’s Fantasy Top 20 and stayed there for the day.

Many measure success by #1’s, gold medals, and sales profits. Success, however, is a matter of perspective. What did your promotion accomplish? Was your goal achieved? Were there any unexpected windfalls or setbacks? More importantly, what did you learn? Your answers to these questions will provide a brutally honest assessment of your business strategy, and give a perspective on your overall efforts. For Pip and myself, here is what we took from this joint promotion:

• The Case of The Pitcher’s Pendant and Digital Magic remained at the top of Amazon’s Fantasy charts for the day of 08.08.08, topped only by the new powerhouse of our genre, Stephanie Meyer.
• Digital Magic hit #1 across three charts on Amazon.com.
• The Case of The Singing Sword and Chasing the Bard joined Pitcher’s Pendant and Digital Magic in the day’s rally, bringing four of our books into Amazon’s Top 20 Fantasy.

For Pip, myself, and Dragon Moon Press, we were (and still are) the happiest #48 and #57 authors on Amazon.com, and are still enjoying places on Fantasy’s Top 100 at the writing of this post. I’ve been asked again and again “Are you happy with your performance on 08.08.08?”

Thrilled would be more accurate. Positively and utterly thrilled.

@sigmamedia I’m sure you will! #

@kaufkin, @sigmamedia, and @carriegoudlin thank you so much for the follow! #

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@PhilippaJane Ah…well, hang in there. No one will expect wrapping up http://chasingthebard.com to be easy. Wonderful work! #

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@_S_A_R_A_H_ Just saw the tweet to my personal Twitter account. From my pro account, I would like to apologize for the bot comment. #

@_S_A_R_A_H_ It is a real honor and pleasure to have a bot like you following ITStudios! Looking forward to Season Three. #

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Just recorded a “lost scene” for Chapter Sixteen. I am reminded why I’m doing this Remastered version. #

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This is when Grammar Girl becomes your best friend of the web.

One of the success stories from blogging and podcasting, Grammar Girl (a/k/a Mignon Fogarty) has a new book coming out on 07.08.08, and she has graciously offered the first chapter for downloading. Take a look at what Grammar Girl offers in Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.