Tag Archives: social media

How to Host a Tweetup

I’ll admit it, this isn’t a topic that really requires much writing – unlike my first book on mountain biking. So I spent about 37 minutes tonight writing the attached eBook before settling down to watch Downton Abbey on PBS.

This shot taken by Derek Peplau at Nogup3 - a Boston Tweetup - you can find more of Derek's shots at http://www.flickr.com/photos/peplau

The title is self-explanatory. If you don’t know how to host a tweetup, this is the book for you. Just click on the link below and it will download for you. You will know how to host a tweetup and you’ll be the envy of all your friends and business colleagues. This is really Tweetups made easy, and the mystery of successful Tweetups will be solved.

I welcome your comments and ideas for future books. Enjoy!

How To Host A Tweetup

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Content Strategy

Have you seen the site XtraNormal yet? If not, I’ll wait while you go take a look. Essentially, it’s a site that allows you to create little skits using a variety of characters and then record that skit to video. THEN, you can upload that skit to YouTube and suddenly have a viral video on your hands.

Well, if it were that simple, everyone would be doing it. But I’ve had a series of clients find some value in the light, easy-to-create skits and I’ve also taken to doing a few myself – see my YouTube channel for an example or two.

The reason I mention XtraNormal is because 2012 looks to be the year of content strategy for a lot of companies. No matter what channel you operate or with whom you communicate (B2B, B2C, public sector, media), the use of content to achieve your goals has never been more important. You want eyeballs, audiences want information. The sticking point is finding the best way to deliver that content so everyone emerges from the content orgy satisfied.

Suffice it to say, there’s no silver bullet. This is still the misunderstood world of social media where everyone things content is free on the Internet and that social tools and engagement are also low- or no-cost. At the end of 2011, that belief took a hit as some agencies jettisoned their smoke-and-mirrors social media practitioners and went back to the hard work and clear communication that had proved successful in the past.

I expect more of this happen in the early part of 2012 and then I think Q2 will be the golden age of content strategy. Companies will be working toward establishing new channels in which to engage their audiences and they’ll require great writers, interviewers and communicators to help them do that.

Over the next couple weeks, I’ll do a few posts on how content strategy works and how anyone can use it to reach their target market. Until then, take a look around your office and see who’s just faking it until they get lucky. The trick isn’t knowing how to schedule a status update, sent an e-press release or host a tweetup, it’s knowing how to identify audiences, craft messages and then communicate those messages in the appropriate channels.

What are your thoughts on how social media will shake out in 2012?

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Girl Bloggers and Boy Bloggers

Right now, everyone in social media is doing content marketing. They’re either getting paid well for it or they’re struggling to find work and keep getting fired because they overpromised the returns companies would see from social. I fall into the former category, but I still consider myself a struggling author/content marketer/SocMed Guru because I’m doing the cobbler’s kids routine. I don’t write enough on my own sites to keep people coming back – some people say you need to do something daily and do it well every day to get people to notice…like what the sun does over the water each evening.

Maybe you’ve done it too. You write some magnificent posts that get people thinking. You get some comments rolling and think you’ve got it made. Then you wander away for a few minutes and suddenly months have gone by and the blog is stagnating.

Happens to everyone. But the approach upon return is dictated by your gender. Seriously. Think about men and women and how we cultivate and maintain our friendships. We’re drastically different and I posit we’re the same way online. To wit…

Women agonize over seeing old friends again. They bear the weight of the world on their soul when trying to figure out the right things to say and the right way to break into conversation with friends from ages ago. Maybe these women have shared secrets and fears and more…but separate them for a while and it’s like recreating the relationship.

Men are not that complex. Separate us for four minutes or for four score and you get the same result. “Hey dickface, your Astros still blow. How’s work? Want a beer?” That’s it. If men are real lucky, they’ll get a man hug and maybe some chicken wings…but the angst isn’t there when guys reconnect.

That brings me to my point about blogging hiatuses. When a woman abandons her blog for a bit, she apologizes like a repentant mass murderer when she returns. A guy just jumps back in and says, “here’s what’s going on, enjoy!”

So, read the above one more time so you didn’t miss any nuance or sarcasm and then hear me clearly, “Here’s what’s going on, enjoy!”

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Books We Don’t Need to See. Social Media Musing.

Just back from the #bbf2011 (Boston Book Festival), I sat down to think about my books. While this connects peripherally to my girlfriend’s new job at Raising a Reader, it was more of an angst-ridden veiled confession that I have too many books.

And I do. Just take a quick look in this shelf among the “Dummies” books and the books I’ve written (see poster on top), there are multiple social media, classic literary and just plain fun books. But are they really all useful? Should they have been published at the expense of wasting paper, inflating egos and eventually filling landfills and wood stoves?

I say not. But it’s too late for the selection of books on these shelves – I’ll gladly pass some of the good ones along to friends and family who want to read them. Today, I’m going to give you a quick list of fictional social media titles that should never be written (even though some publishers will feel compelled to do so).

Bear in mind that some books that are already out there have some very real value. I’ve even had session attendees ask me for the best books on Twitter – so there is a market for more than you realize. Here we go…

Facebook Status Updates 101 – How to Leverage Facebook to Gain Friends and Influence People

Checking In – Using Foursquare to Get Your House Robbed

Wijacking Your Way to the Top – Using Free Wifi to Save $60 a Month on Fios

Tweetups – Using Twitter to Invite People to a Party

Hashtags and the Rules to Follow

NSFW! The Most Popular Videos on YouTube

Always Be Charging. Why Dead iPhones Happen to Good People.

The Social Media Fishbowl and How to Avoid the Toilet

So, what are some of your favorites of the books already out there? What book would you buy to demystify the Internet – or would you just Google it? And what are some of the subjects and tools you think need no special explanation in today’s socially connected community?

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Marketing THROUGH Influencers, Not Marketing TO Them.

Interesting comments today from Matt Britton of Mr. Youth. The company was formed as an “antidote for traditional media burnout in the youth market.” The company is working with BING to create brand success by “marketing THROUGH influencers” and not by … —yes, there’s more—

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Gravity Summit – Fewer Tweets, More Content

Ever have someone in your Twitter stream who seems to clog your life with a bunch of inconsequential crap over the course of a day? You know the people…folks who tweet from a #redsox game and give info on every … —yes, there’s more—

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When was May? Training and Travel Begin Again…SocMed Style.

Earlier this year, my father died. It was as bad as you can imagine and like other humans, I’m dealing with it. What I miss most about him is actually his presence as a sounding board and as someone with whom to discuss my travels and travails.

It’s been almost four years since a good portion of my professional income started coming in via keynotes, panels and professional training sessions. In that time, I’ve given around 100 presentations and spoken to audiences as varied as bloggers and professional journalists; housewives and university presidents; Fortune 100 CMOs and hobbyist podcasters. And with each audience came a different story.

Now, three months after his death on April 5, I take pause to think about how I might share my upcoming adventures. To rattle it off, I have a Lesbian and Gay Journalist Conference in August, The Social Media Integration event in September, SPJ/RTDNA also in September, Cable Communicators of America in October, Tech Day Camp in October, Journalism Interactive in October, BlogWorld in November and a few ‘camps’ in the middle.

Most recently, I even did an impromptu fill-in role at WordCamp Boston for a speaker who was running a little late.

Ultimately, I think it’s the excitement of teaching others about content, communication, social media and marketing that makes it all fun. It really brings out the kid in me because I valued the teachers I had all through my life. But that brings me full circle to one of the best teachers I ever had and the realization that at a time when I could be teaching him stuff and sharing my adventures, he’s no longer around.

And I’m just a kid who still wants to share a smile and a story.

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Today Show, Sudan, Morris Michael, Social Media

Today I sent out a tweet to find out if the folks at the Today Show had archived a segment I didn’t get to watch about my quasi foster brother-in-law. This kid, Morris Michael, came from the Sudan to graduate … —yes, there’s more—

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eWeek Interview at New England Xpo for Business

Last week I was presenting social media sessions to multiple audiences and had a great time doing so. But one of the really cool things that occurs when you’re at a conference or event is the confluence of media makers. … —yes, there’s more—

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Memorial Day Cookout – Food is Good Content

This week, I spoke at the New England Xpo for Business – or is it Expo for Business? Whatever it was, the turnout was great and the response to my multiple sessions was flattering. My topics were content, blogging and … —yes, there’s more—

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