#socStardom2... a much belated recap

So... a few weeks ago my campus (Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus) hosted #socStardom2, a "fireside chat" with SocMed superstar Dave Evans. I had every intention of writing up about the event the next day... but things at my day job have been crazy busy. (First rule of social media: Don't do a blog if you're not going to update it regularly. And I fail at that rule ALL THE TIME. So if any of you readers are also CCG members and you'd like to submit some guest posts on relevant issues, send them my way. Please!!)

Anyway... some highlights from our chat with Dave. (And no promises that any or all of my "takeaways" are revolutionary. In many cases, they're merely reinforcements of what we should already know.):

• People today want to be left alone to figure things out on their own. They want to talk with people who've done it, used the product, etc. [MY TAKEAWAY: Cultivate your faithful followers and give them not only a reason to talk you up, but a forum in which to do so.]
• The social web changes purchasing dynamics. It used to be: be aware – consider – buy. Not, after buy, people form their opinion and talk about the product, which folds them back into the purchasing cycle as they can influence others at the "consider" phase. [MY TAKEAWAY: Your interaction with your customer isn't done after they purchase the product.]
• Some of today's biggest eAdvocates are those in the 50- to 60-year-old range. This community actively follows legislation, and when anything happens, they are the people who are advocating at the local levels, who show up at courthouses, etc. [MY TAKEAWAY: This generation is important and you'd better have them on your side.]
• Why enter this realm? If you don’t know what people are saying, how are you going to manage it? Plus, the conversations are going on without you. [MY TAKEAWAY: You can't afford to not be there.]
• LinkedIn: You'd better have a complete profile. You'd better put thought into your default message. You'd better put thought into who you accept as your friend because everyone you add is a reflection of you.
• Honesty is key. You must be genuine. 'Nuff said.
• If you're out there, you'd better be telling people who you are. Richard at Dell always tells people he's with Dell. You can write from the biased POV of being with a company, as long as you tell me you're from that company so I know how to read your blog or your comments. You must take the extra step to ensure transparency. (This one is kind of a subset to the bullet above. And while it seems obvious, we all have heard the stories about people who ignored this rule. And every time, it came back to bite them in the a**.)
• Make sure your company has a social media policy that prevents the above from happening. (Your SocMed policy should require people disclose who they are when they're in the SocMed world, whether they're there in their personal time or business time.)
  
• When trying to convince the C-suite that the social media world is important, always lead with the business objectives and then tie the social media activities to those objectives.
• Have a personal networking strategy for your use of social media (just like your business has a business strategy for use of social media). Don't use it just to use it. Don't be somewhere because you think you have to be there. Be on the sites where you think you'll benefit.
  
• Dave on Twitter: "On Twitter, I'm looking for people who could possibly answer questions I don't know I have yet."

For other primers on #socStardom2, try these sites:

• Dave's column on ClickZ
• Mayra Ruiz's Marketing Misfit blog, part 1 and part 2
• Network Solutions recap

If you're interested in hearing about future #socStardom events -- and there will be future events -- your best bet is to follow us on Twitter at @socStardom. Or let me know and I'll add you to the mailing list for future invites.

-- Robin