second in a series

Getting involved in Social Media can be intimidating. So much so that you might not know where to begin. Here, we’ll uncover some of the myths and truths about today’s hottest marketing medium.

Myth: Build it and they will come.
Truth: Success in social media requires relationship building and time!

In the early days of the Internet, companies created billboards or websites in cyberspace. Unfortunately, these same companies thought that customers and prospects would flock to the websites. Many learned the hard lesson that 'build it and they will come' doesn't play well on the Internet. The same philosophy holds true for social networking communities like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Outreach to similar groups, joining online conversations, and offering value to participants are some of the ways that you can drive traffic.

first in a series

Myth: Social media is Facebook and Twitter
Truth: Social media is web forums, e-mail lists, video, photo sharing, wikis, social networking and social bookmarking.

Many people falsely believe that 'social media' is defined by websites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Social media certainly includes these social networking services but also encompass other content channels. Wikipedia defines social media as "media which are formed mainly by the public as a group, in a social way, rather than media produced by journalists, editors and media conglomerates."

Using social media is vital to your marketing plans today, especially for increasing attendance at your association’s events. Here are some tips for success.

Should a 10 yr old have a Facebook account?

I asked, in an early morning tweet, if our 10 yr old son should have a Facebook acct. The tweet also appeared on my Facebook status update. A Facebook friend then picked up the conversation and, it took off. You can read the rest of the story and updates here.

The one thing I left out was probably the most interesting. Right before the chat began, our e-mail server went down. Instead of putting on the oxygen mask though, I took a deep breathe and thought about it. Reality was that modes of communication for the evening were IM, DM, text, gchat, skype, anything else that was quick. Sure e-mail is important but I didn't loose sleep over it. We were running a Twitter chat so one might expect that participants would be doing the instant communication thing. I'm not sure though. Articles like this on passive-aggressive communication and this might tell a different story.

I wanted to get lessons learned down on digital paper before we forget! Our chat was held on July 30 with a moderator and panel of 5. See the details here.

Before continuing though, I must thank some very smart Internet folks whom we learned a great deal from. Jeff Hurt is an assn. guy and involved with Twitter chats #eventprofs and #assnchat. Sarah Evans runs her own PR shop and the #journchat twitter chat. Robert Swanwick runs #SpkrChat and all of it's parts. And, of course there's Carissa Rogers who runs the wildly popular #gno/Girls Night Out chat. You can check out a more complete listing of Twitter chats and their corresponding schedules here.

From these folks and others, we learned about moderating chats, setting up chat rooms, chat wikis and topic polls. We also learned more by reading this and this. We actually created and even distributed our own #sosfood chat guide.

One of the biggest lessons we learned was that an online chat takes as much preparation as a traditional event! Here are some of the other things that we learned from our first Twitter chat:

Elan has been praised and written about. As if that weren't enough, Elan now has a direct connection to The Beatles.

There, of course, has been much written about social media metrics. The topic has come up lately with a couple of our clients. Following are the metrics or measurements that we use. I know what the experts say but am more interested in your opinions.

How do you define social media success? What measurements do you use? Can you add to or revise this list?

The list has been quiet for wayyyy to long. I trust this note finds everyone doing well and getting ready to enjoy the summer!

Interesting topic lately is (of course) twitter. Many are saying that celebs have tarnished the landscape.
Others are saying that its demise will be caused by newer collaborative tools coming onto the market, like Google wave. Still others point to #iranelections as an example of twitter's prominence.

So, what say you? Is twitter the future, part of the past or a present day tactic used in your day-day activity?

More:

Why Twitter will soon become obsolete

How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live

Over the past year, we have become involved in online support groups. This weekend, there was a pool party for local families that are involved in one of the groups.

Homeland security and law enforcement professionals have an exciting new resource for building community among colleagues and increasing involvement in one of their leading annual events, thanks to the technical expertise of a Washington, DC-area communications firm that specializes in social media and networking.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) May 26, 2009 -- Homeland security and law enforcement professionals have an exciting new resource for building community among colleagues and increasing involvement in one of their leading annual events, thanks to the technical expertise of Tuvel Communications, a Washington, DC-area communications firm that specializes in social media and networking.

Read the rest of the Press Release here or here: