#bwe09, opening keynote, parte dos

Continuing an awesome and awfully insightful discussion between Brian Solis and some of our fave celebs who are connecting with the world using social media, Anthony Edwards (in talking about how the old way of doing things pales in the face of social media) equated a white person coming into an African slum with a camera to Godzilla walking through their village (this is the old way of doing things).

You give the women of the village  (he was informing us about a slum in Africa that has 1.2 million people living in a place the size of Central Park, essentially) Flip cameras though, he says, and let them do the flimling, you’re going to get a more authentic perspective.

He later talked about how, after finishing his talk on the panel, he was going to tweet for the first time to support an effort to raise money for a hospital in Africa — he’s @anthonyedwards4 on Twitter.

When asked if there were instances where anyone had created a relationship from social media, Jermaine Dupri explained the story of an amateur singer who was a singer, videotaped herself singing everyday, and posted the videos to YouTube. She had 2 million followers. Someone on JD’s staff brought his attention to the girl, and she is now a signed artist with him. When her biggest YouTube fan told JD that she knew more than anyone else about the artist because she’d followed her form the beginning, JD gave her a job.

Robin Antin says that she actually checks out videos of dancers and choreographers when they let her know about them.

A woman from the audience with a question got into an exchange with Jermaine Dupri about a celeb’s responsibility to engage with followers. J.D. quickly reiterated that he’s not going to tweet or follow anyone just to be polite. The woman from the audience said that whether he responded or not, as a follower, she had the write to post anything she wanted. JD’s point – in the realm of social media, he makes the rules of engagement for his involvement in SM tools – nobody else.

The session wrapped with a bunch of iPhones, digital cameras and video cameras doing the paparazzi thing. I asked JD: How do you convince non-believers that social media is legit? His answer: You can’t. Keep doing your thing.

BlogWorld Expo 2009 is hot, energy is infectious. Check it: http://www.blogworldexpo.com/

#bwe09 – opening keynote today

Brian Solis, PR genius & extraordinaire is moderating a panel of celebrities talking about celebrities on Twitter, and using Twitter & social media to connect with the public.

First things first, none of the seemed jazzed about getting other people to handle their SM efforts — authenticity is king.

Anthony Edwards equated social media to frosting on the cake — meaning, the content, not the medium, is the most important element of connecting and communicating. Referring to this analogy later in the conversation, Edwards said that just like icing, you can get sick of it.

When Solis asked Robin Antin about celebrities’ exodus of Twitter — such as Trent Reznor and Mylie Cyrus – she said that she understands why some celebrities are exhausted with social media b/c you are so exposed, and with everything else on their plate, it can feel like you’re too exposed.

Jermaine Dupri, who earlier said that he doesn’t tweet while he’s in the bathroom. said that his take on celebrities exiting Twitter or not doing SM = those celebrities are missing out and need to learn to take control of their lives. Dupri said that if a follower says something he doesn’t like, such as asking questions about girlfriend Janet Jackson, he will “unfollow” you on Twitter or delete your post. “I’m doing this,” he said, and celebrities need to understand that they have some control and use it to control who they communicate with or not.

Matt Goss = don’t take it too seriously.

More to come . . .

–HotRod

#bwe09

Okay, yes, I’m guilty. I just taught a class on PR, SEO & Social Media this week, and I explicitly told my students that they MUST keep their blogs up to date, updating at least once a week, and I myself have failed. I realize this makes me a hypocrite.

But I’m back on the wagon again, at the Blog World Expo 2009 in las Vegas, NV Right now, listening to Leo Laporte, the man responsible for The Tech Guy Labs. Used to be/work for ZDNet.

Next big thing he says for his company — making live webstreaming and watching video online as easy as watching television. “Make content cheaply and distribute it over the Internet for free – you all could do the next ‘LOST’.”

He’s launching a new platform, Twit.tv, to show his weekly TV shows easily & efficiently through a Roku box.

Sounds complex – check it out for more info: http://twit.tv/

He says the dollars that went to advertising with big media companies will be directed toward smaller niche mediums that demonstrate consistent following. Like his innovative technology, Twit TV.

Lastly, he says, if you’re just doing blogging, should be podcasting and/or webcasting too — b/c we’re all multimedia nerds, essentially. I threw in the nerd part he didn’t.

Big decision to make tonight – hit the club or the slot machines??? Hmmmm … What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, so I’m not tellin’.

Tweets of Inspiration

Adding to the laundry list of fantastic uses for Twitter, beyond personal updates about the latest purchase of a fabu pair of shoes, or a business promoting a one-day sale or a political outlet for the oppressed (remember the Iran election coverage? That was mostly Twitter – http://twitter.com/IranElectioN), Twitter can also inspire.

Beliefnet SEM and Social Media Manager Qiana Mestrich lists the organization’s 25 motivational tweeters in the following article. Many of them my favorites, as I’m into that kind of thing.

The list includes people like Deepak Chopra, Louise Hay, Sonia Choquette, Anthony Robbins, Marci Shimoff,  Dr. Wayne Dyer and Byron Katie.

Mmm-mmm. Can’t get much better than merging two things that I love – inspiration and social media. Can 140 characters change your life? You bet it can:

Motivational Tweets: 25 of the Most Inspiring Users on Twitter
by: Qiana Mestrich
Many motivational leaders are harnessing the social power of Twitter to spread their philosophies – perhaps because when their speaking engagements are over, tweeting becomes a way to reinforce their message daily and reach their audience beyond the stage.

Read the rest of the article: http://mashable.com/2009/09/17/motivational-twitter-users/

October 8 & 15 – Mark Ye Calendars!

The University of Richmond is allowing me to share my knowledge through teaching a course – YES! I’m so unbelievably excited. On October 8 and October 15, I will be teaching – “Pitch, Link, Tweet!”

As of today, Aug. 3, you can enroll. C’mon – do it! You know you wanna . . .

Here’s a quick overview.

The first night, we’ll cover the “Pitch” (public/media relations) and “Link” (SEO – search engine optimization) parts of the course, including how newspaper layoffs present an opportunity for P.R. professionals, the do’s and don’ts of effective media relations strategy, the basics of SEO, identifying legitimate online press release distribution sites and general  search engine marketing strategy principles.

The second night, we’ll cover the “Tweet” (Twitter and other social media tools and strategies) part. We’ll cover how and why your company or organization should be “Tweeting,” the value of FaceBook and MySpace, how to navigate  the world of YouTube, social bookmarking and anything else I can come up with.

Other than “because I said so,” what makes me qualified to teach this course? Well, I have a P.R. degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, I worked as a reporter for several years before dabbling in marketing and SEO and finally settling into media and public relations at University of Richmond. In addition, I am an instrumental part of the university’s social media strategy and execution team.

‘Nuff said.

If you’re in Richmond, or will be, on Oct. 8 & 15, sign up for my class –  at the very least, you’ll have a good time, and, hopefully, you’ll learn something.

Thanks for your support.