Pssst! I’m over here!

Hey check out my new digs at mab397.com! Yes, moving twice in one year is a hassle but this time I’m settling in for a stretch. There’s even a new blog post waiting for you!

MC Hammer vs SMCSYD

So in a previous post I rambled on about the imbalance of passion and reason when talking social media. Last night at Sydney’s Social Media Club, MC Hammer spoke to an auditorium of social media types who probably would have admitted to being there merely for the retro kick. Mr Hammer won over (the majority of) the crowd with a balance of passion and reason, in a style that proved that he gets it, so he shares it.

Comfortable with his commercial intentions, Hammerpants talked sponsorship, personal branding, citizen journalism, the entrepreneurial spirit, gadgets, offspring hammerpants, social media heroes, ghost-twittering, blocking and even managed to slip in the crowd pleasing “you can’t touch the concept of hammertime”. It may not have been polished and some of his ideas may have seemed disconnected as he sidestepped off on tangents (not that there’s anything wrong with that!) but in the end he spoke with a lot of passion and a lot of reason. Yup, Stanley Kirk Burrell is 2 legit 2 quit. Break it down.

SMCSYD

EnergyAustralia cash for comment

EnergyAustralia have sent customers a request to join online community Chatterbox, with a $10 incentive for registration and regular contribution.

Customers can earn $10 a month for posting two comments each week. To register, customers are asked to complete a survey which also offers a $10 reward.

Are you helping or hindering the social media brand?

Attending a social media conference/seminar/workshop these days can be hit or miss. While the program can outline what topics will be discussed it is often difficult to know at what level of experience/interest these discussions will be pitched – a mixed audience of those looking for an introduction; those after the finer points in creating or delivering a strategy; those wanting case studies; those wanting new ideas – it seems a group is always going to leave disappointed. [Sidenote: this can be a costly exercise and each wasted event means missing out on more relevant events down the path, particularly in corporate environments where professional development plans are capped - please be more clear!!]

Considering the diverse opinions surrounding social media, some of the more thought provoking and interesting events I have been to have pitted two adversaries against each other on something topical. Often one point of view fails to impress if only because the advocate is unable to articulate and justify their argument. I see this all to often within the industry so it stands to reason that as we struggle to present social media as a viable and relevant marketing channel, our collective voice can falter if we don’t consistently present a reasonable and justified case.

Amber Naslund has written a great post on altitudebranding.com, Critics and Evangelists: A Communication Starter. It aims to facilitate constructive discussions with gentle reminders for both sides of the table to take the time to understand where the opposing opinion is founded.

Are we going into the discussion with passion or reason?

Amber suggests the following points of discussion:

1. What perceptions do you have about the usefulness of social media within a business? What have you heard that reinforces those notions, for better or worse?
2. What information would help you feel more comfortable about considering social media strategies as a part of our mix?
3. What are you most concerned about regarding the risks or implications of social media? What’s the worst case scenario you can imagine, should we undertake such a thing?
4. Why are these concerns top of mind? Is there anything else we do as a company that has similar risks?
5. Have you undertaken new or unfamiliar strategies in your role previously? How did you establish a foundation for that and mitigate risk?
6. Are you concerned that this will somehow negatively impact your role? That of your team? Your available resources? Why or why not?

altitudebranding.com, Critics and Evangelists: A Communication Starter

This may seem like basic stuff but even the most talented marketer (social media or otherwise) can trip over themselves when it comes to broader business skills.

So I actually have a few ideas muddled in here, primarily that we are all responsible for the development of social media’s brand and reputation – are you helping or hindering?

Want to become a Twitter (Fav)star?

What makes a great tweet? Take look at some popular tweets and the tweeple behind them and decide for yourself.

Hiring now

Social Media Comms Coordinator

Daemon Digital

Sydney, Australia

Fan of Facebook? Do your friends think you’re a Twit? Do you check your RSS feeds before you check your emails? In need of a job?

Remember Ruby

How did I find Ruby Siketa? Pretty simple. A fan of Harry Potter and more specifically the character Neville Longbottom, Ruby connected with actor Matthew Lewis and his mate Chris “Cuzzy” Cousins (who face off on the blog Lewis vs Cuzzy) who spent 7 days in Sydney in June/July. Cuzzy had tweeted a link to Ruby’s blog and over the next two months I’ve silently followed her posts and watched fellow Harry Potter and Cuzzy fans (there are t-shirts…) rally around someone they’d never met as she continued her battle with leukemia.

7 days in Sydney campaign wins silver

Great news from the W³ team – Daemon Digital’s 7 days in Sydney campaign for Tourism NSW has won a silver award!

The W³ Awards honours creative excellence on the web including outstanding websites, web advertising and web video. Read more about the awards here.

What someone else thinks about B2B relationships: I concur

You know how people write blog posts that are really just linking to what other people have written? I want in on that.

I just read Market Relationships, Social Relationships and B2B Marketing in Social Media by Steve Woods. Ok, it’s nothing new but it hit the mark for me.

Case Study: creative for 7 days in Sydney

It’s time to share our successes! Daemon Digital recently ran a social media campaign aimed at the youth market for Tourism NSW and we’ll be sharing how we approached the content generation and metrics wth you soon. But first check out the creative efforts plastered over Facebook, Twitter, WordPress and You Tube.