A Wordle Interpretation of the Social Media Ecosystem Explorer Blog

I tried out Wordle today. See below for what it made of my blog:

An anthropological introduction to YouTube

Excellent Professor Michael Wesch, Kansas State University, presentation on the Anthropology of YouTube.

Josh Bernoff, Forrester Consumer Forum 2008 and Social Media's Rapid Growth

I attended the Forrester Consumer Forum 2008 in Dallas, TX last week and had a great time being a sponge soaking up the insights, strategies and information. I also spent time listening to Josh Bernoff discuss the dramatic growth in social network and social media use over the last year. Insights on his most recent research report can be found in this Groundswell blog post - New 2008 Social Technographics data reveals rapid growth in adoption. I also spent time listening to a couple of Josh Bernoff's presentations and sat down with him for a face-to-face discussion on potential social media efforts for our Calphalon brand.

Here is a quote from Josh Bernoff's blog that clearly articulates the incredible trajectory of social media and its influence:

"Looking at the US data, the big news in 2008 is that, not unexpectedly, social technology participation has grown rapidly. Inactives -- people untouched by social technologies -- have shriveled from 44% down to 25% of the online population. Spectators -- those who read, watch, or consumer social content -- have ballooned from 48% to 69%. If you think social technology is about to become a universal phenomenon, we just handed you a nice little bundle of evidence."

It is an amazing time to be a part of the rapidly changing interactive marketing landscape...and the entire marketing landscape.

Atlanta Web Executive Rountable at Newell Rubbermaid

On November 6, 2008 I will be hosting the Atlanta Web Executive Round Table (AWERT) at Newell Rubbermaid's new headquarters in Atlanta, GA. I will be discussing Newell Rubbermaid's social media marketing efforts related to our Graco and Rubbermaid brands. Looking forward to meeting Atlanta area interactive marketing and ebusiness leaders. Attendance expectations are high with an estimate of 30-40 attendees.

Global Brands: Social Media Pays Off

I had the pleasure of being on a panel of Social Media experts from Coca Cola, UPS and CNN recently. An article was written about the panel on MediaPost's Online Media Daily website - Global Brands: Social Media Pays Off. Each of us has a very different competitive environment we are dealing with. I found CNN's environment to be the most competitive as they can see where they are leading or falling behind everyday on TV. Fox, ABC, NBC or CBS could try a new Social Media tactic each day that will fail, succeed or completely change the playing field. Speed and agility in constant motion with your competitors watching every move.

Atlanta Area Gas Shortage and Social Media

We are starting to see the real power of social media. As the gas shortage in the Atlanta area continues, traditional news media are unable to keep up with where you can actually find gas. Sites that tracked prices are no match to the speed of fuel showing up at stations and then running out. Some gas station managers have been quoted saying their supplies are lasting no longer than 7 hours. So, where does social media step in? Check out Twitter where Atlanta drivers are informing each other of gas stations that have fuel. A special hash tag #ATLGAS has been created so that drivers can track the conversation, post questions based on location, and, most importantly, see where gas is available.

The power of social media and the crowd is amazing and was even more exciting during the Obama vs. McCain debate. Twitter has a live feed Election 2008 page that is both fun to participate in and fun to watch.

Greater Atlanta Social Media Webcast to Showcase Leading Global Brands

I will be speaking at the Atlanta area Social Media roundtable on Oct. 2, 2008.

Videos from the University of Georgia, Grady School CONNECT 2008 Conference

Here are some videos from the Sept. 19-20 Connect 2008 conference.

University of Georgia CONNECT 2008 Conference

I presented today at the University of Georgia CONNECT 2008 conference. Presentation went very well and the questions from the students, professors and professional attendees was outstanding. I also enjoyed listening to the other speakers, particularly Lionel Menchaca of Dell, Kami Huyse of My PR Pro, Prof. Kaye Sweetser and Doug Isenberg. I also wanted to especially thank Prof. Karen Russell for having me present. Great day and hope to attend and participate next year.

CONNECT 2008 Blog

CONNECT 2008 Website

BusinessWeek Article on Corporations use of Twitter

It has been a while since I posted anything, but today I am posting two articles that I was interviewed for. The most recent is in BusinessWeek today: How Companies Use Twitter to Bolster Their Brands written by Rachael King. I was quoted as follows:

But social media sensations are like quicksilver. Today companies may need to pay attention to Twitter. Tomorrow, they may have to join Pownce, Jaiku, FriendFeed, or Plurk, especially if outages keep hobbling Twitter. Newell Rubbermaid (NWL), owner of more than 30 brands including Rubbermaid, Graco, and Sharpie, is hedging its bets by trying several different microblogging sites, including Twitter, FriendFeed, and Pownce. "Eventually we'll determine which ones work," says Bert DuMars, Newell Rubbermaid's vice-president for e-business and interactive marketing. Dumars cautions that brands can't expect instant results. "It's a long-term commitment," he says.

Jim Deitzel's efforts on behalf of Rubbermaid were also mentioned as part of the slide show portion of the BusinessWeek article.

The second article was in the Atlanta Constitution Journal where I was interviewed but not quoted. A co-worker and good friend, Lindsay Lebresco, was quoted and deserves the credit for the article coming out so well. The article is titled: Look Where Customers Are Talking Now written by Peralte C. Paul.

And yes, Lindsay, Jim and I all work for Newell Rubbermaid. I work in Corporate and Lindsay works in our Graco brand and runs the Graco blog; Jim works in our Rubbermaid brand and runs the Rubbermaid blog.