For those that follow us on Twitter and Facebook - you know that yesterday I attended The Art of Marketing. It was a great event - but what I really enjoyed was the ability to SHARE with others – some of the many take-aways that I received from each speaker by Tweeting – better yet were the retweets I received from those that loved what I was SHARING. It adds a new dimension to be able to use your mobile device and be connected not just by email but in real-time to the social networks that are part of your day – to – day or I should re phrase that to say my day- to- day life.
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I got this link from Twitter via @thepowerofsmall author Lynda Thaler and CEO of  The Kaplan Thaler Group.

We are working on all sorts of digital projects these days—many of them are contests—with the plan to build a fan base, so they can begin to engage and connect with their clients one-on-one. As we continue to guide and educate our current clients with social media strategies and execution – we are always trying to sell new clients who have yet to really get engaged. As a women owned and run business – I always use the analogy that social media is a natural for women. It is focused on how we communicate. We like to tell stories and share our ideas. If we have a great experience we want the world to know and when we don’t we want the world to to know that too.
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In all relationships there is give and take.  In the world of social media, many companies are now eager to leap into the world of social media networking—in particular Facebook and Twitter—to build their communities. There are many vehicles to do this and many businesses are giving away free coupons, for products and services, as a reward to those that join their fan page or tweet about their products and services. Others are making donations for charities that they support (e.g. we will donate $1.00 for each Facebook fan that signs up).
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When I began my education into the world of social media a few years ago, my beacon of expertise and guidence was the book I have spoken of often, “Groundswell”. In the book, Josh Bernoff and Christine Li talk about understanding social computing behaviours in order to be able to engage your target market and connect in a way that is in line with the goals that you plan to reach by implementing a digital strategy.
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Last night, one of my close friend’s 14 yr old daughters messaged me (via MSN) with links to the much hyped, “Kardashian Reality Show Wedding”. As far as I know, the show has yet to air here in Canada (but I stand to be corrected on this). As fast as it was promoted—via word of mouth—I found out where I could watch the show online right now. She provided me with a couple of options and  the link I picked was via Youtube.
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As many of you know, this past summer I was confronted with several technological challenges—including the end of the PC that I had come to rely on for everything. After some consideration, I chose to have my technical architect construct a PC from individual component parts—rather than purchase a branded product such as Dell or Hp—with the hopes that if some of the parts died, I could replace them or upgrade them as my needs and business changed. I also decided it was now time to add a lap top to my business tools so that I could be more mobile. I do own and use a Black Berry—which I now cannot live without—but it’s still limited when it comes to handling documents and other things I use for business on a daily basis.
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When it comes to my understanding of “Social Media” (or should I be saying, Social Networking Communities) one of the pivotal sources of information for me was a book entitled, Groundswell. The authors, Josh Bernoff and Christine Li, were both at Forrester Research and they really clarified this new digital medium for me while providing a spectacular argument, with many case studies sited for reference, to substantiate its relevance and the importance to engaging NOW.
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In the last couple of weeks I have been talking to several potential clients about how they can integrate social media into their marketing mix and how will they determine whether it is beneficial or not. Linkedin is turning out to be very beneficial for me as I connect with businesses both here and abroad and find ways for us to partner with one another. The article below provides the most superb overview regarding social media and measurement steps. I got this from Ed Stilava who posted the article on Linkedin—a social media community for professionals—and he got it from  Econsultancy Digital Marketers United. It is this vast net of engagement with like minded people, who can share an infinate amount of info relevant to YOU, that can then be shared as I am doing with this post. That’s what makes social media so powerful.
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One of the things that I have not written about is Facebook. It is now growing bigger than a tall building, faster than a speeding bullet and making in-roads into other social media applications. Most of us now have a Facebook page or know of someone that does. We all know that Facebook became one of the key operatives in the Obama Presidential campaign. It has now gone from a way to connect with friends, to a viable tool for businesses to share information, values and build that all important brand equity that is now becoming a best asset in this new economy.
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In a world of technology, creating a safe environment for all children is paramount. Protecting people from those that choose to create opportunities that can lead to danger or cyber bullying, especially in the case of girls, must be prevented. The Girl Scouts are putting their money where their mouths are; this article provides a great outline of what they and Microsoft have in store as they work together to represent values that will help young girls and their parents engage one-to-one online. Safely.
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