Conversational Media Marketing

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.

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!

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.

Move over webinars and workshops...Twebinars and Plurkshops* are the new, fun ways to facilitate familiar business interactions.

Webinars and workshops are common business meeting practices. What if you could take these very familiar forms of interaction and combine them with the coolest, quirkiest, geekiest apps available today, and Plurk?

It's already being done. People are finding ingenious new ways to use these apps to congregate around topics of shared interest and have meaningful, even in-depth discussions in 140 characters or less!

(*I just reserved the domain name so you'll see a parked page.)

Something my boss said recently in regard to a weekly Internet radio show we started for Bizzuka got me thinking. "What you're doing (in terms of the show) will not just help us create greater awareness among prospects, but among those considering coming to work for us," he said.

It caused me to realize that marketing, especially social media marketing, is not just about building a prospect list. Sometimes, whether intentional or not, it's also about attracting quality talent and/or wealthy investors.

Andy Kaufman and I go way back. We even worked for the same company at one time. Of all the Realtors I know, Andy is one who really gets social media marketing and at a granular level. Here are his responses to some interview questions I shot his way.

What is your opinion on Realtors and blogging? Is it a useful tool
to generate leads? Why?

It's tough, but if you can pull it off, it's a great tool to generate business. In addition to the obvious SEO benefits, it provides an amazing opportunity to build your brand in order to stand out from the crowd.

It's official...the IBNMA has relaunched and I am its president.

Several months ago I was approached by Rick Calvert and Jim Turner who asked me to consider becoming president of the International Blogging and New Media Association. After taking time to "count the cost" and after consulting with several trusted friends, I accepted the position.

But, there's more to this than meets the eye and I'd like to share the story if you're of a mind to read it.

Less than one-quarter of US Internet users ages 40 and over use social networking Web sites, so says a JWT BOOM/ThirdAge study conducted last month called "Boomers, Healthcare and Interactive Media."

This, at the same time a study by Interpublic's Universal McCann unit indicated "text messaging, blogging and social networking have reached critical mass with more than half of adults now relying on at least one of these Web 2.0 platforms for communicating with friends, family, or colleagues on a regular basis."

Why the disparity? Oldsters indicate privacy issues, lack of time and just not seeing the point as contributing factors.

When it comes to the use of social media tools like blogs, social networks and even Twitter for marketing purposes, Realtors get it. Well, at least some do. Let's put it this way -- those who get it really get it!

I'm starting a series of posts containing interviews done with some of real estate's cream of the crop. The first is with my dear friend and protege, Ines Hegedus-Garcia.

Ines and I have a special relationship. I was her coach for Project Blogger, a contest sponsored by Active Rain where veteran bloggers were paired with newbies.

While we didn't win, the contest provided us ample opportunity to learn from each other about how to use blogs for marketing purposes. I have to say I learned as much from Ines as she did from me.

Here's the interview...

I had the privilege of sitting in on a two-hour webinar led by , the CEO of WordFrame, where he demoed the enterprise level social networking/online community platform. And, two hours wasn't long enough!

I was amazed, not only by the extensive number of components that make up the platform (with more to come), but its ease-of-use. I've had experience with a number of both open-source and .NET social networking platforms and found none of them as simple to use as this. The logic, the workflow...everything made sense.

I'm not the only one who thinks highly of the product either. Just announced, one of the WordFrame sites, IT Counts, won the "Best New Web 2.0 Initiative" at the Web 2.0 Strategies 2008 conference held in the UK. How's that for industry credibility!

Not only is WordFrame a platform for the future, George is a genuinely nice guy who thoroughly believes in his product. You can tell he's proud to show it off.  And I was proud to be in attendance.