May Lunch: The Link Between Reputation Management and Social Marketing

WHEN: Wednesday, May 19, 2010 from noon - 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Bar Louie, 701 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
COST: $22

The U.S. Census Bureau is currently taking on the massive effort of enumerating the entire American population as is constitutionally mandated. Part of this effort is an unprecedented social marketing campaign to increase awareness of the Census with the ultimate objective of ensuring that people fill out their census forms.

This effort is an excellent case study of the interplay between social marketing and reputation management. On the one hand, the media exposure must be sufficiently consistent to ensure that the message gets across and 'sticks' in people's minds. On the other hand, the messenger must be credible in order to ensure that the message will not be summarily discounted. In other words, social marketing and reputation management go hand-in-hand.

May's speakers will discuss the social marketing campaign being conducted by the Census Bureau and then take a step back to look at reputation and reputation management from a conceptual standpoint, using the 2010 Census as a case study.

Speakers:

• Nancy Bates, U.S. Census Bureau
• Clifford Young, Ipsos Public Affairs

RSVP required: CapitalCommunicator (at) gmail (dot) com

April Lunch Recap: Tourism Communications and Reaching New Audiences

CCG members were treated to a lively luncheon talk in April with Pat Wheeler, Director of Marketing, Cultural Tourism DC; Barbara Bahny David, Director of Public Relations, InterContinental Hotel Group and Danielle Piacente, Publicist, & Manager for the National Cherry Blossom Festival who’s with Linda Roth Associates.

All three speakers focused on one of their newer challenges: tourism marketing and communications that no longer focuses just on reaching the out-of-towners. Each shared tips and hints about how they're really rooted in letting locals know what's going on. One reason for the change in focus? All of us locals play host to out-of-town family and friends who want to know "what are you taking me to see and do in D.C. when I visit?"

Pat kicked off by sharing the host of opportunities to experience the history and culture of D.C. and the tactics they employed including visible signs posted throughout the city highlighting the DC Heritage Trails. She also talked about what sort of events the local community turns out for, such as the Passport DC program. A wonderful partnership with Ben’s Chili Bowl owners resulted in Cultural Tourism DC being gifted with space for a visitor center. (You never know how a partnership can benefit you!)

Barbara built on this discussion of partnerships by explaining their anniversary celebration strategy. To demonstrate the reach of the Willard as an icon of D.C. she worked with organizations such as the Shakespeare Theatre Company, the National Building Museum and the American Institute of Architects to host off-site events but all focused on the Willard, including a costume gallery, building renovation talks and artistic photo gallery of the Willard. These events-around-town successfully demonstrated the status and role of the hotel within the D.C. society. Barbara also spoke about keeping this sense of community strong with programming designed to be inviting to all ages from holiday festivities involving local choirs performing free concerts to wine tastings with local bands. She advised leveraging the myriad of talented people in D.C. who could bring something special to your event.

Barbara also addressed using social media (Facebook and Twitter) to reach those in town and out-of-town and advised that communicators pay attention to ensuring a company's brand goes across all channels. For example, on Twitter, each tweet from the Willard imparts the personality of an ageless, worldly, sophisticated grand dame, a hip aunt sharing advice with her circle of friends.

Danielle rounded out the presentations by first sharing interesting statistics about the percentage of people visiting the Festival are actually within the D.C. Region. (Hmmm, I must run into the other 45% who are out-of-towners on the Metro then!) She talked about their efforts to highlight a host of activities under the Cherry Blossom Festival umbrella that appealed to those interested in the history, rich culture of the event but also to all ages from families to the young hipster crowd. Connecting to the community that calls D.C. home, she mentioned tree plantings (hyperlocal!) and the local restaurants embracing of cherry-infused and inspired cuisine -- ingraining the Spring time celebration into D.C. culture.

You can follow our April speakers/organizations on Twitter at @dcculture,
@willardhotel and @CherryBlossFest.

Thanks to our speakers and Elephant & Castle!

And make sure you check out the blog post from member Susan Rink that talks about this lunch!

Non-CCG Event: Social Media for Recruiting in Government & Defense Conference

Using Web 2.0 Technologies To Attract, Retain, And Engage Top Talent To Become An Employer Of Choice

WHEN: April 12-15, 2010
WHERE: Washington, DC

WHY: Attend this conference to learn how to incorporate the power of social media into your organization's recruiting strategy.

DETAILS: Hear practical advice, firsthand, on how to attract, retain and engage top talent by using social media from leading government agencies and organizations, including Internal
Revenue Service, U.S. Army, Peace Corps, The Library of Congress, and many others.

Find out more.

Lunch Recap: Deploying with 'New' Gear: How the Department of Defense is Using Social Media

Yesterday was the FABULOUS CCG lunch with Price Floyd, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs for the Department of Defense. I can't say enough good things about this lunch and our speaker. Mr. Floyd captivated our audience for the entire presentation and Q&A session, during which he spoke about how the DoD is using social media tools to get its message to both internal and external audiences. He showed us examples of what they're doing, talked about guidelines he follows, and shared lessons learned.

Highlights:

• Ask yourself four questions with any communications / outreach effort: What is the message? Who is the audience? How are you going to reach that audience? Who is the speaker?
• "Non-approved messaging" -- i.e., letting people onto your website to publicly post comments, respond to questions, etc. -- gives credibility to the rest of your site and the content on it.
• Make sure you TRAIN and EDUCATE your employees as to "responsible and effective" use of social media tools. One way the DoD does so is via fun (and short) videos, including a popular "what not to do" video.
• Realize the importance of having personal voices (which can be more engaging) as well as institutional voices (which are more official). One example: On Twitter, he does this via multiple accounts -- @pricefloyd, which is his personal account and is a mix of work and personal updates, and @DefenseGov, which is the official DoD account.
• Realize your goal... One of DoD's goals with social media was to reach a new audience. The department knew that the website audience skewed "older" (i.e., 50+), so the focus with the social media presence was to reach a new audience (i.e., 18-25).
• Know that social media is only one component of a larger campaign. The audience on social media channels is growing, but it's still small. (For example, the viewers of the least watched Sunday talk show are more than the numbers you'll reach via social media. But they're different audiences, so you need to be reaching both.)
• Having problems convincing the boss your company needs a social media presence? Go tell him to himself or the company. She'll see firsthand that the company likely is already there, being talked about. Then ask: "Do you want any say in what is being said about you and the company?"
• Your social media policies and your general communications policies shouldn't be that different. What that means in the case of DoD, for example, is this: What a soldier can't include in a letter home, can't be online. In the case of companies... what you can't talk about to a reporter, shouldn't be talked about online.
• There's nothing more credible than the voices of the people doing the work (in the case of the DoD, the people in the field). So make sure your social media voice isn't just the CEO, Senior VPs, etc.

And perhaps my favorite piece of advice from the day, which is advice he gives to DoD employees engaging in social media: "Don't post something online if it's not something you'd say to or show your boss or your grandmother."

Thanks, Mr. Floyd, for such great advice. And thank you to District Chophouse for the great location with the top-notch technology.

Is it really social media if …

A recent move by an online site/service that has received many accolades for being a great “social media tool” for PR professionals and journalists recently underwent an upgrade. (Caveat: There are some who say the tool, while enormously helpful, never embodied the true meaning of social media because it did not include a way for community members to communicate with each other as a group. Please feel free to debate that point, as well, in the comments section of this post, though it's not the direct topic.) Now, let me just say that I’m all about making products, services, social media tools, etc., better; however, the recent upgrade to this service left me a little bit baffled.

The particular service in question helps reporters find sources. In the “1.0 version,” the site sent out emails that included what story a reporter was working on and the reporter’s contact information. The new version – and those of you familiar with the service can debate amongst yourself whether or not it’s truly improved – now masks reporters’ email addresses and instead provides end users with temporary email addresses that stop working after a query deadline is reached.

Which left me wondering…

Is it really social media if the site/service not only keeps its users from knowing who one another are and how to reach each other but stymies future contact between its members? Isn’t the whole point of social media to facilitate conversation? And does this “cloaked email” feature prevent the spirit of social media from being realized?

Weigh in below with your thoughts.

UPDATE: For those of you who know the service I'm talking about, if you have any issues with the new service, make sure you express them at the service's GetSatisfaction site.

January CCG Lunch: How the Department of Defense is Using Social Media

WHAT: Deploying with "New" Gear: How the Department of Defense is Using Social Media
Learn more about how the Department of Defense is using social media to connect with both internal and external audiences.

SPEAKER: Price Floyd, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, Department of Defense

WHEN: Wednesday, January 20, 2010, from noon - 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: District Chophouse, 509 7th Street, NW, Washington, DC
Metro Stop: Gallery Place/Chinatown on the Red Line

COST: $28
Cash only. Exact Change Preferred.

RSVP required.

RECAP: December CCG Lunch, "It's All in the Spirit of Giving"

First off, let me just give a HUGE "thanks" to all my members who attended yesterday's lunch. We managed to collect 43 toys for Toys for Tots (plus one monetary donation) from our 37 attendees. Great job, everyone!!

Second note: Did you know that one of Toys for Tots biggest challenges is getting enough gifts for the 10-14 age range? If you haven't yet donated this year, think about choosing something for these older kids. (Even better, Tweet and Facebook this fact to your networks and help us start our own mini campaign to address this challenge.)

Okay. Now, on to the lunch recap...

December's lunch was about handling PR and communications for a charity or a charitable giving campaign. Our distinguished speakers were:

• Sergeant Matthew R. Johnson, who is in his fourth year as a Toys for Tots Events Coordinator... and was looking quite dapper in his Marine uniform
  
• Wendy Beach, Director of Communications, Global Impact. (In addition to raising funds to support international relief and development programs, Global Impact manages the Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area and Overseas.)

Key messages from our speakers:

• Evaluation is key: Before starting this year's campaign, Global Impact evaluated past CFC campaigns. Staff used that feedback when creating key messages, revamping collateral materials, crafting a new "theme," and creating goals for this year (such as generating more participation from the the younger government employees and new government employees). This is great advice. I think a lot of us focus so hard on a particular project, and when that project is complete we move right on to the next one. As a result, we often don't take the time afterward to evaluate the project, collect feedback, etc. And there's so much to learn from evaluating what you've done... both good and bad.
  
• You Can't Ignore Social Media: I know. It sounds like a no brainer, right? But what do you do when you're in an environment that doesn't embrace social media, which is the case with many federal agencies that block access to Twitter, Facebook, etc.? Global Impact solved this dilemma by using the (social media) tools they knew government employees could access, such as GovLoop, which is a social media tool specifically for the government.
  
• Know Your Audience: Global Impact realized it was important that any collateral materials created for the campaign be customizable by the volunteers so that materials would speak to particular communities.
• Social Media Isn't Everything: For the Marine Corps, having Marines in blues on the street talking to people directly is the best advertising. So one of the top goals is to get as many Marines out there as possible. It beats any other advertising channel they could use. (Of course, my CCG members already understand the importance of direct person-to-person contact. After all, we're a group that thrives during our in-person monthly meetings.)
• Coordination, Coordination, Coordination: Toys for Tots is a HUGE campaign that always gets national and local media attention. When that's the case, communication is key. You need to make sure everyone has all the information available... after all, you never know when someone might end up being an "unofficial" spokesperson for your cause.

So those were my biggest lessons learned from yesterday. Sure, some of them weren't exactly "lessons learned" -- because they were strategies I already knew -- but I love when our speakers reinforce conventional wisdom and remind me that sometimes I need to go "back to basics."

For my fellow CCG'ers who attended yesterday's lunch... what did you learn from our speakers?

Non-CCG EVENT: Social Media & Consumer Protection: Finding a Balance

Social media is a way of life and here to stay. Whether it’s Facebook, LinkedIn or twitter, businesses value these tools as a way to reach consumers and build trust, as well as increase their brand presence in a crowded marketplace. However, companies are grappling with how to best use these social media tools, while at the same time take into consideration the ethical and legal issues around consumer protection and privacy.

Three well-respected panelists in the social media and consumer protection areas will address the rise of social media tools and discuss the important issues in order to continue its growth and widespread adoption as a business tool. Attendees will gain a perspective on what their idea of social media is; the business, legal and ethical issues associated with making social media tools available to consumers; privacy-related considerations; and thoughts on best practices and behaviors to help ensure continued growth.

Moderator: Gerard M. Stegmaier, Attorney, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Panelists:

• Pablo Chavez, Head of D.C. Policy Operations, Google
• Tim Sparapani, Director of Public Policy, Facebook
• Ari Schwartz, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT)

WHEN: December 1, 2009, from 7:30-9:30 a.m.
WHERE: The Tower Club, 8000 Towers Crescent Drive, Vienna, VA

COST: Member: $ 45.00; Non-Member: $ 75.00; $10 more at the door

Walk-ins will be accepted on a space-available basis.

Register at www.nvtc.org/events

The Twitter-LinkedIn Connection

I've seen a lot of tweets today about how you can now feed your Twitter updates into your LinkedIn profile. (Here's the Reuters piece on it.) And a lot of people sound excited about this new development.

I'm not.

I also don't like that you can link your Twitter and your Facebook account. (Is it blasphemy to say that?)

Here's the thing... Yes, I often post very similar updates to one, two, or even all three sites. But I also often post Twitter updates that, to me, aren't "Facebook worthy." And I post Facebook updates that never make it onto Twitter. Ditto, LinkedIn.

For me, the three outlets -- and their uses -- are distinct, though sometimes overlapping. That said, in many cases, I'm friends with someone on Facebook, connected to that same person on LinkedIn and follow his/her tweets on Twitter. And especially in the Facebook-Twitter connection, having the same updates to both locations can be overwhelming.

I think one reason I feel this way is because Twitter seems like a much more "now" phenomenon. I may tweet updates from an event I'm attending. Or post random updates about what I'm doing or something I just read. In contrast, I look to Facebook status updates to promote events, post random thoughts, etc. I think of Facebook status updates as being a little less frequent because it's not as easy to stay up-to-date on new posts. (New tweets pop up in the bottom right corner of my screen. I can read them, click on them, ignore them, etc., while continuing with what I'm doing.) So when people link their Twitter and Facebook status updates, I often find that my "status updates" on Facebook become overrun with one person's updates at the expense of everyone else. And it's frustrating.

What say you? (Oh, and by the way, if you want to follow me on Twitter, it's @rferrier. As to Facebook and LinkedIn, I have to have some noticeable connection to you to connect on LinkedIn. And Facebook, well, that's for people I really know.)

-- Robin

NON-CCG EVENT: Meet the Press Event with Walt Mossberg

WHO: Tech Council of Maryland

WHAT: Meet the Press: Leading Journalists Speak on What's News, What's Not and Changes in the Media... with keynote speaker Walt Mossberg, personal technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal

WHEN: November 2 from 8-10:30 a.m.

WHERE: Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center

ADDITIONAL DETAILS: Walt Mossberg will share his thoughts on the Cell Phone and the Future of the Internet. Mossberg is the author and creator of the weekly Personal Technology column and is one of the most widely-read columns on technology products and services in the world. He is also the co-creator and co-producer of the technology industry's most prestigious annual conference, D: All Things Digital, and is the co-executive editor of the technology web site, allthingsd.com, which extends the experience of the D Conference to the Web.

You will also hear from a panel of distinguished journalists that cover technology, biotech, telecommunications and general business issues to help explain what they cover, how they do it and educate us on the changing world of journalism.

More info or to register.

socStardom4 w/ Jibber Jobber Creater Jason Alba

So I could sit here and write a nice recap of the socStardom4 event, but I've already done so. I just didn't post it here. It's over at the Network Solutions blog. So curious what socStardom 4 was all about? Then read my recap.

Interested in staying "in the loop" on future socStardom events? Become a Facebook fan. Or send me your contact information.

NON-CCG EVENT: socStardom 4 with Jason Alba

Don't miss this opportunity to hear social media superstar Jason Alba talk about how to use social media to grow your business!

Jason will talk about how he's used social media to grow his business, and share examples of success stories with Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, blogging, Yahoo Groups, etc.

DATE: Tuesday, September 22
TIME: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus, 9605 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850

Read more about why you don't want to miss this opportunity to chat with Social Media Superstar Jason Alba

(Psst... if you don't know who Jason is, here's the quick version: Jason is the creator of JibberJobber -- an online tool that can be used to manage job searches... and your entire career. He is also the author of I'm on Facebook -- Now What?? and I'm on Linked In -- Now What??)

Let us know if you're planning on attending. (We want to make sure we have enough food!)

NON-CCG EVENT: Social Media for Crisis Communications in Government

Social Media For Crisis Communications in Government: How To Integrate The Latest Web 2.0 Technologies To Maximize Effectiveness Before, During, And After A Crisis

WHEN: November 2-5, 2009 – Washington, DC

Attend this conference to learn how to incorporate the power of social media into your organization's crisis communications strategy, along with helpful tools, tips and techniques to get started. Hear practical advice, firsthand, from leading experts including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, City of Plano, Texas, University of Oklahoma, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, and many more.

Conference Only: $1299+
Conference Plus One Workshop: $1699+
Conference Plus Two Workshops: $1999+
Conference Plus Three Workshops: $2199+
Conference Plus Four Workshops: $2299+

Conference Hotel & Venue: TBD. (Shortly.)

Presented by the Advanced Learning Institute.

Call for Speakers: Social Media for Government Conference

Call for Speakers: Social Media for Government Conference
December 7-10
Washington, DC

Looking for speakers to share best practices and successful case studies on the use of social media in government.

December 7-10, 2009 in Washington, DC

Organized by the Advanced Learning Institute.

Interested? Please contact Amy Gerstein at amy.gerstein@aliconferences.com or 773-695-9400, x20.

Speaker referrals are welcome and most appreciated!

From the Influential Marketing Blog: 10 Stunning (And Useful) Stats About Twitter

Rohit Bhargava -- who graced JHU with his presence at one of the first socStardom events we hosted -- has a great blog, the Influential Marketing Blog. You should read it. I became especially interested in today's post about a recent Twitter report from social media analytics provider named Sysomos. You need to go to his blog to read the whole thing, but here are a few of the stats Rohit pointed out that got me thinking...

[note: bolded text is quoted directly from Rohit's blog.]

1. 21% of Twitter accounts are empty placeholders. These are the percentage of Twitter accounts that have never posted a single tweet.They may either be registered simply to hold a username for later use, or be experimental accounts started up but never used. I disagree on the idea that these are all "inactive" accounts. (Or maybe I just disagree with the definition of active. Or don't understand what they mean by placeholder.) I know of many people who are on Twitter because they're interested in following certain people or certain issues. For example, I have a neighbor who found out a sports columnist he likes tweets. He wants to get the tweets. So he wants me to set him up with a Twitter account so he can follow people, even if he doesn't ever plan to send out a tweet. So how many of those 21% are "active" in terms of following the conversations, even if they don't ever tweet themselves.

2. Nearly 94% of all Twitter accounts have less than 100 followers. Personal note: I currently have 186 (@rferrier). Yay! I'm above average!

3. Tuesday is the most active Twitter day. One of the most useful data points from the report is that it clears up the common question of which day of the week is the best day to tweet something. Sysomos found that Tuesday stood out as the most popular day for tweets and retweets, followed by Wednesday and then Friday. It's interesting that the assumption here seems to be that if Tuesday is the most active day, it's the best day to tweet. I'd argue you're better off tweeting on Wed. or Thurs. There's less competition for your followers' eyes on those days because, according to the report, you're followers are getting fewer tweets from others.

Just my thoughts. Go to Rohit's blog and read what he said. Post a comment there. Or post one here. Either way, keep the conversation going.

The Beauty of Twitter: Being Human

I'm inspired to write this post after reading "What's the Point of Twitter" on (non-DC based) communicator Sarah Morgan's blog. I hear people complaining all the time about Twitter... "what is it?" "why should I use it?" "why do I care what you're doing?" "people write about so many mundane, stupid things" and on... and on... and on...

Sarah captured the point of Twitter beautifully. With one word.

"Human"

Her point...

With Twitter, we see the human side of our colleagues, co-workers, and perhaps online-only friends. It allows us to see sides of people that make them who they are, not just what they do. It's relaly no different than the small talk you make when you attend a networking breakfast, formal dinner or other work-related event. Or one of our CCG lunches. Does your every conversation in these forums revolve around work topics? Probably not. You talk about what's going on in your personal life, a good book you read, a movie you disliked, a recent recipe you tried out and loved... any number of things. And after the lunch, you probably remember better the personal connections.

The point? If you're on Twitter, be human. Talk about your life, not just your work. People will remember you for it. And appreciate the "human" in those you follow. (It's a sentiment I've heard talked about not just by Sarah, but by our own CCG social media guru, Denise Graveline of don't get caught.)

socStardom3 w/Ten Golden Rules CEO Jay Berkowitz

I just realized that I never posted to this group about our upcoming socStardom3 event with Web Marketing and SEO expert Jay Berkowitz. Here are the details:

WHEN: June 1, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
WHERE: JHU Montgomery County Campus, 9605 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD
COST: Free

Wondering what Jay is all about? Trying to decide whether or not you're attending socStardom3? Listen to this podcast with Jay!

More details about the event.

Please RSVP if you plan on attending!!

Twitter: Follow Me? Follow U?

So I saw an interesting twitter trail today and I'm curious what others think. To explain the situation, i'll call my two twitter peeps @PR1 and @PR2.

@PR2 is following @PR1.
@PR1 isn't following @PR2.
So @PR2 asks @PR1 to follow her, and says if @PR1 doesn't start following her, she's going to stop follow @PR1.

I guess what's interesting to me is what people think of this whole debate. And it goes back to why people use Twitter. I use Twitter for three reasons: (a) to let people know about interesting events, articles, blog posts, etc.; (b) to quote Dave Evans, "I'm looking for people who could possibly answer questions I don't know I have yet; and (c) I'm looking to learn about what others are doing or recommending.

By that token, I follow those people who I find interesting. If someone starts following me, I'll go look at their updates and decide if I want to follow them back. And if I start to follow someone and they choose to follow me back, great. If they don't, their loss, right?

But am I alone in this mentality? Do others feel like it's a slap in the face if people they choose to follow don't follow them back? Is reciprocity necessary in this forum? What do others think? And where does ego come into play on this issue?

NON-CCG EVENT: Social Media for Government Training

Social Media for Government Training: How To Engage Your Employees And Citizens By Using The Latest WEB 2.0 Technologies To Drive Communication Results
July 13-16
Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, VA

Hear practical advice from leading government agencies and organizations — from the Department of State to the U.S. Army to the NIH — who are already using social media for better communication results, including:

Topics include:

• How To Maximize And Manage Your Blog: Promoting Your Organization's Message And Keeping Current With The Trends While Staying Within A Budget
• How To Use Podcasting To Engage Your Audience - - Even When Your Resources Are Limited
• Web 2.0: From Strategy To Implementation In 60 Days - A Roadmap For Success
• How Twitter And Other Social Media Tools Can Keep A Community Informed And Bring Citizens Together
• Harnessing The Power Of Social Media To Get Your Message To The Hard To Reach Communities
• How To Build And Leverage An Online Community To Foster Your Organization's Mission And Goals - While Protecting Your Online Reputation
• How To Maximize Your Mission's Mandate By Using The Latest Social Media Tools To Engage Your Audiences

And our own Joe Balintfy will be presenting on “How To Make The Audio To Video Jump: Getting Started With Vodcasting”

More agenda details or to register.

#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