Houston Social Marketing Training Seminar

3 Spots left. Register for this class here today!

This Houston Social Marketing Training Seminar will highlight pillars of success for a social media initiative:

We will cover the following:

1. “What is Social Media?” explained
2. What Social Marketing Venues are right for you?
3. Learn Social Media before you practice
4. Get the right people involved in your social media initiative
5. Promote and Connect

Speaker Kim Lange

Kim Lange is the Production Team Lead at Schipul – The Web Marketing Company. Before taking the position on the production team, Kim spent 3 years on the graphics team.  Her duties on the graphics team included: project management and web site design/development.

Kim now assists the Production Team Manager Kerry Gayle with innovation for the Tendenci software and production team.  Her duties include: project management, tendenci web site support and social media strategies for the a wide range of clients.

First week of work “prego”

So it is the first week in my life to live knowing that I am pregnant. I think I am about 4 – 5 weeks which means that the little zygote has just completed it’s 6-day journey through the fallopian tube.

Last week at this time I was getting ready to have Margaritas. Life has changed so dramatically and now I just keep playing Landslide by Stevie Nicks. I am afraid of change. I want to embrace it and will but for now my hormones have me trapped.

I found out Monday 3/17 St. Patrick’s day. I feel like I was a kid until now. Even with a mortgage and engaged to the best man ever I was still a kid until 3/17. Not anymore. I am officially going to be a MOM.

Sorry I sound like a pessimist but my heart breaks as I type and I think about how I got to this point my life and all the ways (good and bad) my parents helped to mold me. My dad is gone and I all I ever hoped is that he would straighten himself out so he could be here for this day. Then Josh (my love) … his mom died in 2004.

I know that Josh and I will make it but the 2 people that should be here aren’t and I MISS them so much. Life is changing and I hope that I can take the love these people put into me and give it right back x 10 to my child and all who I meet. Because of my child I know that will be a better person.

But this week… My mind is like a landslide. If you want to swim for a second into my soul visit my myspace page to listen.

– Daddy and Kat in Heaven – I will miss you so much but this is for you. My life is for you. I will do my best to make sure this child knows you and all your stories. You created me because you loved and now you live on through me. One day we will all meet. I believe that.

Okay – I am done but I promise to keep my blog up more now that my life will never be dull.

Image courtesy of Laureneto

iphone madness

Now I have an iPhone. Yes I will appear to be one of those trendy nerds that you envy. 🙂 But whatever, it is cool to be connected from just about anywhere. From a social marketing standpoint I can now tweet, blog, email etc. all of my life’s experiences straight from my iPhone. So if you give me good customer service then hooray for you. I may just tweet it. But Larry Winget from “It’s Called Work for a Reason“, has inspired me to point out bad customer service every time. Even if it makes me the Asshole. Thanks Ed Schipul for recommending this book. It is way better then Storytelling. heh!

If you would like to share your iPhone finds with me. Hit me up!

Happy Spring!

Real Non-Profits Kicking Ass with Online Technology – SXSW 2008

“Pimp My Non-Profit” SXSW 2008
Rachel Weidinger, Erin Denny, Ed Schipul, Hackner, Beth Kanter

Ed wants more non-profits at SXSW in 2009.

Non-profits need a user oriented experience , caused based design, tools for change is a fully pimped non-profit.

 Image by happykatie

 

Case Studies for Non-profits

ILOVEMOUNTAINS.ORG

1. Ilovemountains.org – stop the removal of mountain tops. There is map that shows a visual representation of users. This is good to get people excited if you have the user base. This map shows connection to the problem.
2. Visualize your connection to the problem

IFAW

1. ifaw.org – stop the seal hunt – podcast blogging, pr rap. You can see voices of passion here on the site.
2. The power of the voice – enabling people to speak for themselves.

SHARE YOUR STORY

1. Share your story – Is an online social network for babies that have health issues. This is a support network.
2. Text their own story, email/write their own stories, youth powered voice.
3. They create a space where conversations and support groups take place

BROOKLYN MUSEUM

1. Brooklyn museum – There is a Facebook application where you can share Brooklyn Museum Art

NETSQUARED

1. Netsquared – connect non-profits with technology
2. There is a mashup challenge and they are giving away up to 100,000 in prizes to further promote, award, and connect.

Preparing to Pimp – How to work your non-profit

1. Buy in – proper funding and internal ownership. Include IT department in managing resources.
2. Technical Resources – in-house or contracting people to be the webmaster for troubleshooting issues etc.
3. Human resources – get staff familiar and passionate about the technology
4. Time – People in non-profits where a lot of hats. Get people to contribute to the site and social network to help them promote. Integrate these things into job descriptions.
5. Access – make sure your sites are accessible. If you can have people blog, make sure they are accessible and get onto the internet regularly.
6. Proximity – make sure have community if you can within the virtual world.
7. Replicable – Make sure of someone leaves there is a contingency plan. Train people and make your job transparent.
8. Empowerment – make sure others are empowered.
9. Capacity – Make realistic decisions in technology. Choose technology that you can be the most creative with.

Giving Good Poke – Personal socially networked fund raising campaigns

Sharing Foundation – helping to care for Cambodian children.

1. America’s challenge – people could go out and champion a cause through Facebook etc.
2. Make the campaign personal, we share experience, or you love me
3. This is Beth’s family -she lives this cause
4. Passion to support the cause – Will passion scale?
5. Donors are more likely to donate if they know about the kid not the cause
6. Tell stories to engage. Give them a lesson learned.
7. Relationship building – you get to know people
8. Reward the people who act
9. Reciprocity

Elements of the campaign

1. She did a birthday on Facebook.
2. She tagged people who where into the cause
3. Kids went on Youtube to ask for donation -> humor worked the best
4. Blog post spread the word
5. Twitter to spread the work and click through
6. Connected stories by distributing shirts
7. Ladder of engagement, blog, tweets, etc.
8. twitter rally – retweet, don’t do this so often because it becomes annoying
9. what keeps people from donating – make it easy, get online credit card payment
10. she blogged the 5th place and the hard work of the network responded, fanclub was setup on Facebook, and kids went out and recruited
11. Cussing on the Facebook page to drive passionate hype

Beth Kanter kicks ass and the love in her heart is most inspiring.

 

10 Tips for Managing a Creative Enviroment – SXSW 2008

10 Tips for Managing a Creative Environment – SXSW 2008
Brain Mason & Sarah Nelson from Adaptive Path

Image by Deneyterrio

Brain Mason was an actor 20 years ago in NY. His path helped influence management.

How to get people to do there best work is what he will discuss in today’s panel – “10 tips for managing a creative environment”.

Sarah Nelson is a photographer and an artist. She has seeked out for clarity and structure which is what has prompted her to develop”10 tips for Managing a creative environment”.

6 Organizations observed for research of the management within creative environments:

1. The Neo-Futurist – Chicago based Theater Company. They write plays. They want a cohesiveness for there groups.
2. Orchestra – They have to turn around concerts every week. There are about 100 people that must work together. They are highly stabled and loyal.
3. The Job Factory – Produces movies with no real structure.
4. Steppenwolf – Who’s who of televisions movie actors.
5. Avenue Q – Broadway Musical starting puppets
6. Web Techniques/New Architects – help people express themselves

Principles to manage creative environments that help to deal with management issues:

1. Cross train the entire team– gives administrative assignments to all. Expose them to other areas of the spectrum in the work place. Play multiple rolls. Teaches you possibilities for what could exist.
2. Rotate Creative Leadership – Let them play creative director and project manager.
3. Actively Turn the Corner – Period of Divergence and a period of convergence. The divergent period is the creative period. Unlock thinking, no bad ideas… Turn the corner at the same time. Convergence is the production phase. Know when the divergence period is over. Physical breaks actually help to migrate into convergence when designing.
4. Know your roles – Know what to do once you turn into the convergence (production) phase. Know what part you play and when you need to play it.
   (At Schipul it is usually everyone’s job so I think balls get dropped in the convergence phase.)
5. Practice, Practice, practice – In crunch time, know what is supposed to happen is going to happen. Be prepared for stress. Look for opportunities to practice. Make sure it is the right time for the team to work together. (Not in a restaurant kitchen on a Friday night).
6. Makes sure everyone knows the mission – The group needs to know exactly what the mission it. Mission statements are good. Live them. Clearly state values.
7. Killing your darlings – Know what is good but when to use it and when not too. Do this respectfully. Some people take this as kicking babies down. Vote on it. What is the first reaction of the presentation? Eliminate without debate if possible. If there is a middle ground spend time talking about it.
8. Leadership is a circus – When successful it is ULTIMATE! Good leaders take someone’s words and ideas and help them share them with the world. View yourself as the facilitator. Give people space to do their work.
9. Generate project around – What is the relationship between project and the project manager? If you are working on something you want to work on, you will do better. If you are working doing something you love, money will follow. Give people challenges. Keep them engaged.
10. Remember your Audience – kitchen segment their audiences into new dinners and regulars. Then they cater to each positively.
11. Celebrate failure – Make sure people know that it is okay to fail. In successful projects, discuss what went wrong. Have an after party, What worked, what didn’t and what went well. Don’t ever blame screw-ups on people.

This panel was great because it was very organized. Thanks Brain Mason and Sarah Nelson!!!

Frank Warren – Keynote at SXSW 2008

Secret sharing – postsecret.com – Postscrect is a blog where people can share secrets real time.

You can post your secret to the site. This would be a brilliant most interesting job to have. You get to know secrets from many. That only happens in dreams.

Image by Denneyterrio 

Quotes from SXSW

1. “Web Celebes never work with clients” – SXSW Attendee
2. “Blog is the ugliest new word in the English Language” – Jerry Seinfeld
3. “When we think we are keeping a secret, secrets are keeping us” – Frank Warren
4. “Tools like blogging are very powerful.” – Frank Warren
5. “Blogs allow groups to grow organically. “ – Frank Warren
6. “The children broken by the world become the adults most likely to change it.” Anonymous (From Frank Warren’s Keynote at SXSW)
7. “There is an artist born in all of us” – Pablo Picasso
8. “Free your secrets and become who you are” – Frank Warren (in keynote closing)
9. When you are allowed to be anonymous you are more liberated and free to tell the truth. – inkoluv (rearranged by me but inspired from someone else)

Is this panel a little of a sales pitch? For some reason I don’t mind this time. I guess because it is about secrets. Secrets are interesting because we all have some.

The quotes from this panel where cool quotes from this panel more than anything else.

Someone proposed at the Frank Warren Keynote… My mad lunch feelings are gone.

Questions from Audience to Frank Warren:

Audience: Have you ever received a secret that related to a specific crime? If so, what would you do?

Frank Warren: Not many but there are many that are sexually related.

What is your secret you want to share with inkoluv? Email me. My skin this thick but needs love too. J

“Free your secrets and become who you are” – Frank Warren (in keynote closing)

True Stories from Social Media with Guy Kawasaki – SXSW 2008

Guy announces the all women panel. He is a brave man. Well there is a guy in there. YAY!

Image by Deneyterrio

Most amazing/surprising stories from Social Media from the panel are:

1. Sinha – Phone call in the middle of the night from a guy that says someone is personating me on the site. It’s only someone using a photo on the site.
2. Patricia – She has 12 days to sale a company. Patricia says she did not shower for 12 days. ??? I did not get this story.
3. Can’t see name tag person: Sarah Jessica Parker has a clothes line in Steve and Barry’s. She posted image of her clothes line on her blog. Steve and Barry’s contacts and ask her to take down photos of Sarah Jessica Parker’s clothes line on her blog. They where giving threats to sue her for negative comments. Sarah Jessica Parker goes on Oprah and really drove traffic back to the blog. Guy says anyone sends you images, POST them.
4. Laura (Pistachio) – She finds Guy though him slamming Twitter. They had an email/blog comments exchange but found him through twitter. Pistachio says be yourself on Twitter. Don’t try to be too strategic. Let it flow and things will happen. Find one things someone could do on Twitter and introduce them that way.
5. Christine – She writes stories about design and allowed for story submission and did some editing to them and then posted them. Then she started a Content management company. She talks about CMS systems and clients that suck because they all want something different. Non-profits are the worst clients as stated in her story.
6. Erica O’Grady – Opmoms launch and then issues press releases after the site is up and running in good shape. Investors called because the site was down after the press releases went out. They where reactionary in their launch. Don’t launch because of competition pressure.
7. Aaron – He launched a Tracy McGrady web site with comments allowed and someone posted something negative to the site then McGrady wanted the site taken down.

Tips to help with issues on social sites:

1. When blogging realize it is not always about me and more about the community
2. Twitter further connects people and let’s you talk to people. You create a site because you know the information useful.
3. Listen to the target audience instead of the internet Guru’s. The community will be more involved if you don’t force them to signup during beta versions etc.

Key factors of social media success:

 

1. engage offline to further promote

2. You can connect many medias/users using twitter. Just play on Twitter because you get so much exposure.

3. Brilliant Human Connections are made on Twitter.

4. Stay three steps ahead of the people you lean on because there passion will stray.

5. Research your networks. Know what the people are saying (the language) then position yourself accordingly. Decide what you want to be and how you want to say it.

 

Not too many take aways from this panel. Some of the questions where vague… Hopefully the questions from the audience with help purge the goodness from these brains.

Ed Schipul asks a question… Guy cuts Ed Off. He picks the wrong side for the last question. SUX.

 

 

 

 

The Art of Self Branding – SXSW 2008

2 blogs that are using their brand right and using their blog wrong.

1. Wesabe– It is bad to have a blog that does not match your brand. They have tons of funding yet still use a default WordPress blog. BAD!
2. Mint – Mint’s blog is good and matcher their site. People can now associate the 2.  The design quality helps to build that trust.

Understanding your customer and target.  Who are you trying to appeal to?

1. Wesabe targets 20 countries. You should only target a few audiences. If you target too many, your brand and message is spread to thin.
2. Mint only targets the U.S.   Targeting specific audiences allows you to push through with a powerful brand message.

Best personal brands…?

It is interesting that this panel did not use any exmples of personal brands.  She used  money mangement web sites.

I am out…

Quote of the Day to remember always

“I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.”

– William Allen White

Organic Yogurt that taste good

Today I was thinking what to blog about…Then I asked myself the question, “what is something that I love most”? I answered “FOOD”!  Well i am pleased to tell you that there is a yogurt that taste good and does not have high fructose corn syrup in it.  It is Horizon fat free organic yogurt.

 

I do believe the very think I love “FOOD” is the very thing making people sick now days.  So i am really happy to find natural foods without preservatives that taste good.  This is one of them.  Give it a try.

If you don’t understand organic… You can learn on the Horizon site here:  The videos here are really cool!