And I’m in Los Angeles at BlogWorld, and it has been an exhausting blast. I’m going to talk in more detail about some specific highlights/best hits of the conference in a later post. But for now, just want to offer a word about the conference. But I wanted to  say a few things i’ve learned overall:

1. Blogging is alive and well, and the ladies are starting to infiltrate the blogosphere moreso than in the past.

2. Social media is growing up fast, gaining steam and making A LOT of people A LOT of money.

3. Metrics in social media is only the beginning of the story – they do not tell the entire story.

4. If you’re gonna “do” social media, fold it into overall efforts; it should not be treated as an afterthought, but a major channel of communique (I like using the word “communique”)

5. Video is an incredible opportunity, but is beginning to become segmented – and this is a good thing; there’s more to online video than YouTube.

6. The opportunities continue to be endless (as far as growing and building in the social media realm), and new stuff keeps coming.

So that’s the overall — stay tuned for the more detailed stuff. #bwela! Woot!

Oh, and as of right now, I’m still at BlogWorld . . . so who knows what else I’ll learn by the end of the day. More to come . . . .

Thank you to everyone who has registered so far. If you have not, please do so as soon as possible:
http://scs.richmond.edu/professional/communications/index.html

If you have registered, please share with other colleagues in your department and in other departments on your campus. This workshop will cover all things social media, from the basics to advanced metrics analysis to even doing social media abroad – with a specific focus on the unique challenges facing social media communicators in higher education and non-profits.

The keynote speaker is Jon Newman from The Hodges Partnership (http://www.hodgespart.com/) and Hodges Digital Strategies (http://hodgesdigital.com/) – a social media innovator who has worked with colleges and universities, and also has his hand on the pulse on the ever-evolving landscape of social media. No matter your level of experience, you can always learn something from Jon.

Below  is the program for the day to give you a preview of what you can look forward to.

We’ll see  you on June 8!

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Social Media for Higher Ed Communicators Program
June 8, 2011
University of Richmond
Jepson Alumni Center

8:30 – 9:15 a.m.: Registration, Networking, Breakfast

9:15 – 10:15 a.m.: Keynote Speaker
Jon Newman, Founder, Hodges Partnership and Hodges Digital Strategies

10:15 – 10:30 a.m.: Morning Break/Snack

10:30 – 11:45 a.m.: Panel Discussion
Subject: Where are we now, where are we going: Higher Ed & Social Media
Moderator + 4 Panelists
Moderator
Sarah Tyler Moore, Writer, University of Richmond

Four Communicators
Yuri Rodgers Milligan, Director of University Relations, Hampton University
Virginia Sowers, Community Manager, Child Fund International
Daniel Hocutt, Web Manager, University of Richmond
Leila Ugincius, PR Specialist & Social Media Manager, Virginia Commonwealth University

One Social Media Expert
Sonali Shetty, Partner, Hodges Digital

11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Lunch

1 – 2:30 p.m.: Roundtable Discussions
Two 40-minute sessions
Topics Addressing Higher Ed & Social Media
Analytics: The Freebies & Digging Deeper
Holly Rodriguez, Online & Social Media Officer, University of Richmond
& Kenyada Jones, Web Trainer, University of Richmond

Creating a Social Media Strategy
Susan Evans, Director of Creative Services, William & Mary

Get Found: Geo-Social & Your School’s Brand
Tammy Berwanger, Social Media and Marketing Manager, VCU

Snapping and Rolling: Photo and Video Basics
Gordon Schmidt, Graphic Designer, University of Richmond &
Kevin Heraldo, Videographer, University of Richmond

News and Social Media
Amie McLain. News Anchor, WRIC-TV8

Social Media Abroad
Kirsten McKinney, Web & Graphic Coordinator, University of Richmond

The Power of Facebook Ads & Online Promotions
Rachel Beanland, Director of Communications, University of Richmond

2:30 – 2:45 p.m.: Afternoon Break/Snack

2:45 – 3:30 p.m.: Wrap-up and 30 in 30
Thirty Ideas in 30 Minutes from the group

In ” Five Tips From the Social Media Expert You Called Mom”, blogger Bill Lublin reminds us to follow the basics of a well-mannered individual – those lessons that mom taught us about our behavior – as best practice in the social media world.

Manners are one thing – but what about personality? Curiosity may bring a person to your blog, Facebook profile or Twitter feed, but what keeps them coming back? If you provide information, entertainment, or a combo between the two, and add your own personality to it, people will come back. In addition to minding your manners when speaking to or about others, you must find a way to let your personality shine through. How to do that?

Well, here’s where HotRod’s advice comes in. Here are three principles for bringing your personality through to your social media presence.

1. Read and Take Notes – Whether it’s blogging or Facebooking or Tweeting, there are plenty of people interacting via social media. Do some research, poke around, and find some blogs, Facebook friends and TweetPeeps that you like. Follow them to see what they are posting, and how often. How do they craft their messages? Do they encourage feedback and engagement? Are they witty and funny, or more serious and analytical? Take notes about what works and what doesn’t with your faves, and you are off to a great start.

2. Find Your Sweet Spot – What are you interested in? The easiest way to find your flow is to talk about those things that are of most interest to you. Narrow the focus to about three or four topics that you are willing to frequently speak about, and, if you really want to bump up the savvy, relate something of interest to you with social media, if possible. Achieving this makes the practice of social media practically be effortless.

3. Trial and Error - You know the saying: “practice, practice, practice?” In social media, your practice includes two key elements – frequency and consistency are absolutely key. Do not allow analysis paralysis to set in because you are a novice, or even because you don’t “get it right” all of the time. None of us get it right all of the time – hence trial and error. Your social media presence is like cooking a dish for the first time – you add a little of info, a little fun, a little humor and some of the unique qualities that make you who you are, and you are bound to have a winner.

Let your personality shine through (may sound hokey, but ’tis true) and mind your manners like mama taught you to.

Happy Mother’s Day weekend to all of the moms out there!

From talking about basics of social media strategy, to ROI and analytics, to forecasting what’s next for social media and higher ed, we plan to cover it all – in just one day!

So, if you would like to come experience some social media brother & sisterhood at the University of Richmond this summer, join us for Social Media for Higher Ed Communicators on June 8. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Also, some food for thought from that hub of great social media insight, Mashable – a discussion on “The PR Pro’s Guide to Blogging”. Enjoy, and register for the workshop today!

(Given the parallels I see between the world of the Jedi and the world of the Social Media Professional, I was thinking about dressing up as Jedi Master Adi Gallia for the event, but I’m wondering if anybody else would know the significance of her awesomeness? )

From a professional standpoint, I learned that at the University of Richmond, we are on the right path of navigating the social media landscape with the social media efforts we have in place. There is room for us to grow, and I hope to implement some of what I’ve learned in my position as online and social media officer.

A shout out to some of my newfound friends – Ann from University of Buffalo and Kathy from USC, respectively – thank you for the great conversation at Annabelle’s last night. Did not make it to Haight Ashbury this trip, but gives me a GREAT reason to come back. Thanks to Michael of mStoner, Michael Trevino (and the other gentleman who works in Michael’s office) from UC Hastings, Katie  from Thunderbird and Benjamin from NIU for the great convo over drinks after the first day of the conference. Thanks to Leah from Monterey Institute of International Studies and Alyse from Rutgers for listening to my comments at the beginning of the conference.

A SPECIAL shout out to Katie and Ben for looking out for me over the past few days, pushing me to get out of my hotel room and making me laugh A LOT over the past few days. Both of you are fantastic and I’m looking forward to keeping up with you. Didn’t make it to Coit Tower Ben. But this creates ANOTHER excuse to have to come back to San Francisco.

In addition to the stimulating and validating conversation and interaction with colleagues who share many of the same challenges I do, the City of San Francisco has been just fantastic.

Last night, dinner at Annabelle’s was another divine meal, as were the appetizers and networking at the CASE Tweetup at Jillian’s prior to our meal. Today, following a sushi lunch, Ben and I headed to the San Francisco MOMA, which had so many pieces that took my breath away. From there, I headed to the Museum of the African Diaspora around the corner to see a quilting exhibit that honored the legends of jazz and the genre itself, with the quilt as the canvas of expression. AWESOME.

And then . . . there was UC Berkeley. I went to school as an undergrad at VCU, a rather urban campus, and Berkeley reminded me of it, but the beautiful landscape was similar to what I admire and absolutely love at the University of Richmond everyday, where I work now.

Now, off to bed for about 3 hours so I can catch that plane in the morning. Will make sure the iPhone is charged and I get my clock set for a change back to East Coast time.

So, bye-bye West Coast. Had a blast, and I have a feeling I’ll be back again soon.