Conversational Media Marketing

My company Bizzuka sent two press releases today via PRWeb, one at the Media Visibility level and one at the SEO Visibility level. If you google the phrase you'll notice that one is already on the front page just beneath the returns linking to our Website.

My latest article on Practical Ecommerce...

Trust in word-of-mouth recommendations is at an all-time high. Public relations firm Edleman says in its 2008 Trust Barometer study that “a person like me” is still the most trusted source for information about a company and its services or products.

While the most influential form of word of mouth recommendations come from those you know personally, such as family and friends, online ratings and reviews can have significant influence as well.

Read article>>

If you've become a fan of Chris Brogan and David Alston's Twebinars, you know it takes a bit of doing to get all the pieces in place to successfully participate. During yesterday's Twebinar, for example, several questions were asked about what was needed. This post is designed to answer that question and make the next Twebinar a walk in the park.

Twebinar how-to:

First, you'll need to log in to the "webinar" portion. That goes without saying. If you want to keep things basic, that's actually all you would need to do. Questions can be asked via the Q/A panel on the interface.

However, what makes Twebinars the fun, unique, interactive and social event they've become is the added layer that Twitter provides. Here's what you need for that:

1. Be logged in to your Twitter account so you can send tweets to Chris, panelists and other Twebinar attendees.

2. Have a second browser tab open to (used to be Summize until Twitter acquired it). That will give you the ability to follow the conversation timeline and enable you to interact with others. (I just switch back and forth between the two tabs. I'm sure evntually Twitter will incorporate both components into one interface.)

3. The glue that holds all of this together is the use of what are known as hashtags (#) specific to the event. In the case of yesterday's Twebinar it was #Tweb2.

Each time you post a tweet just include the hashtag associated with the particular Twebinar and your tweet will be added to the timeline.

That's all there is to it!

NOTE: Early on www.hashtags.org was the site used for tracking tagged conversations, but with the advent of Summize that seems to have changed.

BTW, Twebinars are great resources for meeting others who have similar interests as you and for building out your social network inside Twitter. I find interacting with others during the Twebinar is as informative and enjoyable as the webinar portion itself.

When it comes to faithfully consuming RSS feeds in , I suck! The things pile up after days of neglect to the point where I simply click "mark all as read" and be done with it.

I'm far from being without recourse however. , and to some degree Plurk, have become my new RSS feeders of choice. For example, just today I received the following tweets...

• To my 'dotcomrades': Check out these newly minted words: http://tinyurl.com/5ftgjm
• MarketingProfs Avoiding the CAN-SPAM buzz kill: http://tinyurl.com/65fzty
• This Conversation is Making me Dizzy: http://tinyurl.com/67mjtn
• Oldie but goodie: " How to Successfully Moderate a Conference Panel, A Comprehensive Guide" http://tinyurl.com/2kmnbt
• Traveling around the U.S.? Have time to kill between conferences? Check out Crocs' www.citiesbyfoot.com website for walking destinations! (I'm a big Crocs fan btw)

All that within just a few minutes. So, tell me, what do I need Google Reader for again? Has Twitter, Plurk, Friendfeed and other such apps changed the way you consume RSS feeds and gather your information?

Last week I received an email from Practical Ecommerce publisher Kerry Murdock regarding some changes he was making to the magazine, specfically as it pertained to the way in which it would be published going forward. For me, the news came as a mixed bag of good and bad.

The good news is that PE now has a dynamic, newly redesigned and developed Web site. It's built to function specifically as an online magazine and contains a number of social networking elements (shared user profiles, comments, ratings, reviews, etc).

The bad news (for me at least) is that the July/August edition will be the last one published in print form.

Kerry was willing to sit for an interview, which is available as a podcast. (It's about 29 minutes long, but is well worth the investment of time. Plus, it's tagged so you can pick and choose the sections you'd like to listen to.)

• Digital Influence Mapping Project: BlogHer 08: The Next Evolution of Media
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• International Blogging and New Media Association Relaunched to Serve Growing Demand
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• Texting4Health: Mobile’s role in healthcare - Mobile Marketer - Columns

We're officially announcing the relaunch of the International Blogging and New Media Association today. This has been long in coming and I'm elated to see the day finally arrive.

Check out the press release and the blog post. If you feel so inclined, please help us spread the message.

One more thing...

I know there may be talk about how the executive board is comprised only of men, and middle-aged white men at that. And I understand. I can promise you the Advisory Council, which we will announce next week, is far from that. It's a diverse group in many respects as you will see.

Again, help us spread the word, the IBNMA is back Jack!

Recently, a friend asked me to share my experience with Plurk saying that he needed some guidance through it. While not being a "plurkanista" just yet, I do spend my fair share of time there and, thus, am happy to comply with my friend's request.

First, this screenshot from Plurk's home page...

Note the line, "Tired of your existing Social Networks?" While I don't know if that's a direct shot across Twitter's bow, they hit the nail squarely on the head. (Sorry for mixed metaphors.)

I finished reading Groundswell last night, the book co-authored by Forrester analyst Josh Bernoff and former analyst Charlene Li. I have to say it's one of the most important books on the subject of social media that I've read this year.

Research - The opinions shared, suggestions made and advice given are based on solid research. What else would you expect from Forrester, right? Everything is well-documented and appended.

Case studies - Charlene and Josh support the research with real world examples showing how organizations both in the for-profit and non-profit sectors are using the tools of social media to accomplish marketing and business communication purposes. They showcase larger organizations like Dell, Best Buy and M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, but do include a few references to small business.

Writing - The book is very well-written. Again, you'd expect no less from Forrester analysts.

• Confirmed: Twitter Acquires Summize Search Engine
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• Twitter confirms Summize acquisition | Feeds | ZDNet.com
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• Top 10 Online Video Properties in May; 12 Billion Videos Viewed in All - MarketingVOX
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• More People Use Internet in New Ways, Embrace Web 2.0 - MarketingVOX
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• Online Spin » Blog Archive » A Different Perspective On Social Media Marketing
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• The De-Evolution of Advertising « Mediapirate’s Weblog
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