Is there a more beautiful downtown than #Chicago? #InstagramYourCity

To help celebrate Social Media Week, organizers Crowdcentric, are asking people to Instagram Your City. Starting this week, anyone can upload  photographs that capture the uniqueness of each of the participating cities–Barcelona, Berlin, Bogota, Chicago, Doha, Glasgow, Hong Kong, Jeddah, London, Los Angeles, Torino, São Paulo, Seoul and Vancouver. Tag that photo with #InstagramYourCity, and be entered to win a trip to any Social Media Week city of your choosing during the September 24-28 event.

It’s easy to enter:

• Take a photo with your smartphone that captures the uniqueness of Chicago, or any other of the 14 host cities, and submit it after adding a filter with an app like Instagram, Lightbox, StreamZoo or Hipstamatic
• Tag the photo using #InstagramYourCity along with the name of your city.
• Share your photo on Twitter. Your Tweet might look something like this: @SocialMediaWeek’s #InstagramYourCity for #Chicago. Keep the Chicago conversation going by including @smwchicago or #smwchicago as well.

For complete details and contest rules, check out the Social Media Week blog.

In early May, the the full line up of cities for September’s Social Media Week will be announced, but for now, we are excited to share some of the other returning cities for what will be an impressive global lineup of social media expertise.

September’s returning cities will be:

• Berlin: hosted by DeskWanted
• Bogota: hosted by Zemoga
• Glasgow: hosted by Twintangibles
• Los Angeles: hosted by Crowdcentric
• Vancouver: hosted by Socialized!
• Sao Paulo: hosted by SixPix

Joining this initial lineup of cities will also be London, Social Media Week’s second largest city, which will move from February to its new September home from 2012 onwards. London has hosted Social Media Week for three consecutive years, with more than 8k attendees participating in over 150 events this past February.  By moving to September, London hopes to enjoy more future success and enable more people to take part.

Global Theme for 2012
Throughout 2012, Social Media Week is focusing on a global theme of Empowering Change through Collaboration. This theme is designed to help us reflect on the global impact of social media and its role as a catalyst in driving cultural, political, economic and social change.  It’s also designed as call to action, empowering individuals- like you- and organizations around the world to understand how to leverage social media as a force for good.

If you’re new to Social Media Week and want to learn more or a veteran just hoping to go deeper, we suggest you take a look at the About section at www.socialmediaweek.org where Social Media Week’s official mission and vision is shared. If you’d like to know how you can participate, as a brand partner, local or global advisory board member, speaker or event partner, please visit the Get Involved section of our website.

To give you a sense of what to expect, check out what took place this past February.

Social Media Week Feb. 2012 Recap

Wherever you are, be sure to check out your local conference agenda by visiting www.socialmediaweek.org. Can’t make it in person? Social Media Week has made it easy to get involved so you don’t miss a minute of the week’s excitement.

Join the global conversation around best practices in social and mobile media by tweeting @socialmediaweek or following #SMW12. Or, visit the SMW blog for a guide to Livestreaming and city-by-city coverage.

Need even more play-by-play? This week’s event also features the SMW RealTime dashboard which pulls global and local data from Social Media Week in real-time.

Share your favorite events and be sure to stay connected throughout the week!

Details on @SMWChicago coming soon.

It’s no surprise that businesses are adapting their current business strategies to adopt social media practices. Businesses are no longer using strictly traditional channels to interact with their employees and consumers. Rather, most companies, if not all, are using social media to have conversations with customers, business partners, stakeholders, employees, and more. This high level of social interaction between consumers, brands, and employees exemplifies the need to formulate open lines of communication, provide better on-demand customer assistance, and allow for friendly yet informative discussions.

In order for businesses to progress in The Social Movement, they must adopt social channels and utilize social conversations to build a loyal fan base, create evangelists, streamline communication, provide better customer service, and most importantly, increase sales and maintain a positive reputation.

According to Ben Foster, Vice President and Digital Strategist of Ketchum, “a Social Business is a long-term strategy that will have many phases and iterations.” Keeping this in mind, panelists from Ketchum, Zcalo Group, Allstate, and Motorola Mobility of Social Media Week Chicago recommend some important steps for leveraging social business strategies.

Ways to Leverage Social Business Strategies

1. Executive Buy-In:  It’s important to gain approval and support from the executive team. Without this, you have no base to stand on.

2. Align with Business Objectives:  Keep your social goals, strategies, tone, and objectives in line with the company’s overall vision.

3. Have Clear Objectives: Foster indicates that “in order to be successful, companies must ensure they have clear business objectives so that social technologies provide value and aren’t treated as a Cure Chasing a Disease.  Once clear objectives are defined and adopted by top leadership, it becomes much easier to set employee social communication guidelines and outline the path to a social business.” Keep this in mind when planning your company’s objectives.

 4. Social Playbook: Most of us have played a team sport, and understand what a playbook is. Practice this in your social business strategies as well.

 5. Educate, Train, and Reinforce: Salesmen can’t be great salesmen unless they understand the product, know how to sell it, and are constantly improving their method. Take these principles and apply them to social media. Do your homework, walk the talk, and constantly adapt to fit the needs of your consumers.

6. And last but not lease… centralize and collaborate.

For more work by me, please visit Womensforum.

We’ve heard that those over 50 are one of the fastest growing demographics on social networks, but what exactly are older adults doing online? Besides looking at photos of their kids and grandkids, they are using social media for advocacy, healthcare and job hunting. Take a look below to view our live Twitter Q&A exchange to find out more about what’s getting some seniors plugged in and what’s still keeping some offline.

kaitlin_doody: Hi @nanifu from @aarpillinois! Thanks for taking the time to chat today about social media for seniors. #smwchicago #socialmedia101

aarpillinois: @kaitlin_doody No problem glad for the opportunity – we love to talk #socialmedia101 and #smwchicago was awesome!

kaitlin_doody: We’re doing a follow up “Twitterview” to her presentation during @SMWChicago’s Demystifying Social Media for Seniors and Beyond. #smwchicago

kaitlin_doody: If anyone else has questions for @aarpillinois, feel free to chime in or DM me! #smwchicago #socialmedia101

kaitlin_doody: @aarpillinois Q1: To start, tell us what you, @nanifu, do for AARP. #smwchicago #socialmedia101

aarpillinois: .@kaitlin_doody A1: I do “digital technology” train our staff and members on using Social Media ie Facebook & Twitter #socialmedia101 #twill

kaitlin_doody: @aarpillinois Q2: What is the fastest growing demographic on Facebook? #smwchicago #socialmedia101 #fb

aarpillinois: .@kaitlin_doody A2: According to PEW those over 50 are the fastest growing Twitter and FB demographic! http://ow.ly/6Nzlb #socialmedia101

aarpillinois: .@kaitlin_doody A2 they want to keep in touch with their kids and grandkids! Makes sense

kaitlin_doody: @aarpillinois Q3: Great article from @pewinternet! But why are some seniors reluctant to get involved? #smwchicago #socialmedia101 #SMW11

aarpillinois: .@kaitlin_doody A3: The #1 reason we hear is privacy concerns. We go through privacy settings in each training session. #socialmedia101 #fb

aarpillinois: @kaitlin_doody A3 sometimes it’s just a fear of the unknown or thinking there’s really nothing in it for them #socialmedia101

kaitlin_doody: @aarpillinois Q4: Good point, so what usually gets seniors to “take the plunge” and sign up for FB or Twitter? #smwchicago #socialmedia101

aarpillinois: .@kaitlin_doody A4 cute and adorable #grandchildren online #job hunting and ability to do online #advocacy #socialmedia101 #smw11

kaitlin_doody: @aarpillinois Q5: Once they get signed up, what are seniors’ favorite online activities? #smwchicago # socialmedia101 #SMW11

aarpillinois: .@kaitlin_doody A5: Connecting with family and friends is a big one. Our members are also very involved in online advocacy #socialmedia101

aarpillinois: .@kaitlin_doody A5 you probably know that the biggest voting block is the 50+ they’re paying attention to their legislators! #socialmedia101

kaitlin_doody: @aarpillinois Q6: Ah ok, that’s interesting! Can you give example of how they use social media for advocacy? #smwchicago #socialmedia101

aarpillinois: @kaitlin_doody A6: Lots! They fill out online #petitions reply to action alerts and send lots and lots of emails.

aarpillinois: .@kaitlin_doody A6 here’s an example of an action alert. It generated thousands of emails to IL legislators! action.aarp.org/il

kaitlin_doody: Cool, thx for sharing! MT @aarpillinois here’s example of action alert. It generated 1000s of emails to IL legislators! action.aarp.org/il

kaitlin_doody: @aarpillinois Q7: Are seniors using social media for health information? If so, how? #smwchicago #socialmedia101 #SMW11

aarpillinois: @kaitlin_doody A7 Absolutely! They ask their family and friends for advice in status updates some follow their docs on #fb or #twitter

aarpillinois: .@kaitlin_doody A7 they’re also using it to STAY healthy. They search for tips on #brain health and #active aging #socialmedia101

kaitlin_doody: @aarpillinois Q8: Can you think of any major brands (besides AARP) that are targeting seniors on #FB or Twitter? #smwchicago #socialmedia101

aarpillinois: @kaitlin_doody A8: Lots of companies are engaging with #boomers. They change the way we think and the way we do business. #socialmedia101

kaitlin_doody: @aarpillinois Q9: What advice should ppl my age give to our parents/g-parents who are reluctant to “go social”? #smwchicago #socialmedia101

aarpillinois: .@kaitlin_doody A9: It’s a great way to stay in touch. Privacy concerns are valid. #socialmedia101 #smwchicago

aarpillinois: .@kaitlin_doody A9: There are lots of free classes to get you started. It may not be for everyone but give it a shot! #socialmedia101

kaitlin_doody: @aarpillinois Q10: This has been great! Any other info to share? Or places for more info about social media for seniors/boomers? #smwchicago

aarpillinois: .@kaitlin_doody A10: Here’s a #fb101 to get them started http://bit.ly/o1xdxY @aarp has resource center http://ow.ly/6NBnQ #socialmedia101

aarpillinois: .@kaitlin_doody A10 the help centers of Facebook and twitter are very good too! Facebook.com/help and support.twitter.com

aarpillinois: .@kaitlin_doody A10: Facebook and Twitter friends love to help too! Just ask your friends if you get stuck! #socialmedia101 #smwchicago

aarpillinois: . @kaitlin_doody thanks for the opportunity to talk with you today, it’s been fun!

kaitlin_doody: Thank you @aarpillinois and @nanifu for your time tonight! Great “Twitterviewing” you! #smwchicago #socialmedia101 #SMW11

Back in the day, word of mouth recommendations were a golden currency. Proprietors got to know the people who came to their shops – they understood who they were and what their needs were. In turn, business owners relied on their customers to spread the word to their friends and family about the services they provided or the products they sold.

Today, the web is actually taking us back in time, according to Mark Britton, CEO of Avvo.com, the largest legal- and health-related Q&A website. Just like with Johnny the butcher, people today are usually using a good or service based on a friend’s or family member’s recommendation. And sometimes, it’s not just friends and family, but the random person on Yelp that helps you decide what hair salon to go to or which Mexican restaurant to eat at downtown.

Britton, who led the second half of the seminar on How to Manage Your Online Reputation, said the web has collapsed the boundaries between business owners and consumers. Businesses and brands cannot hide behind the web.

As Britton insightfully (yet obviously) points out: If you want to know more about a company, what do you do? You Google it!

It is important for brands and organizations to be online, and to have their web assets properly optimized for search engines like Google.  And, he’s pretty blunt about it: If businesses aren’t online and they don’t have a strategy behind their online presence, they will fail.

Britton calls it a “core web presence.” Not necessarily tons of bells, whistles and all of the social media platforms that exist, but rather a smart web presence that works best for your brand. He also notes that when you spend a lot of money on a website (which many companies do), you should be invested in it for the long run, updating regularly with fresh content and images.

However, your web presence needs to do more than just market your business. It also needs to be interesting to people by pointing them back to something informative or entertaining. A brand needs to contribute to the online conversation in a timely and productive way.

It really comes down to providing consumers that added value – whether it’s the friendly smile that goes along with the delicious roast from Johnny the butcher, or the strategic, informed web presence that only your brand can offer.

“It’s clear that if we want to be meaningful, we need to get into social media,” said Robert Feder of TimeOut Chicago and previously of a long career at the Chicago Sun-Times. But it’s not always that simple.

Steve Dahl, who has a long radio career and started podcasting as “something to do,” soon realized it was the perfect medium for him. He’s had his domain name since 1995, three years prior the Chicago Tribune purchasing theirs. He refers to it and his podcast as a lifeline to the listener.

Feder was “completely out of the loop” with the Internet, and had to decide between quitting completely after leaving the Sun-Times, or starting something new. “It’s up to each of us,” he said. “We’re responsible for our own brands.”

Nancy Loo of WGN-TV has found a home and a strong audience via Twitter after jumping on three years ago. “It made TV a two-way street,” she said. “We are doing the work we enjoy. (It’s an) outlet.”

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper has seen the possibilities of social media, but it isn’t always what it seems. “Every time you see news break, it broke on Twitter… What they’re saying is that a reporter from the New York Times reported it,” he said.

With this proliferation of easy media, there is a lot of content, and much of it is free. “There’s only so much money in the universe and it’s being dissipated among so many outlets,” Dahl said. “People got pissed off (for paying for a podcast). What’s your time worth? I can deliver the essence of what I do in 90 minutes or two hours for less than 50 cents a day with virtually no commercials. For me it’s the perfect medium.”

Loo noted that she’s not paid for her blogging or social media work. But she considers it an investment in herself, while Feder cautioned “as soon as you give your work away for free, you’ve established your value at zero.”

Roeper takes questions at random via Twitter and his show and values the instant feedback.

Feder is very excited about Twitter: “Big public events – it’s like being in the room with the smartest, funniest people you know. They’re all chiming in on real time. Those events are a transcendent experience.”

Along with the good comes the bad. On the negative feedback, Feder says that you have to develop a thick skin. “That’s what being open means. I have my say, I start the conversation and I open it up. That’s the most dynamic and exciting part of the world of blogging,” he said.

Tools spanned the gamut but most were open source: Loo uses WordPress, while the Chicago Tribune uses P2P; Feder is using Drupal; Roeper is using WordPress and Tweetdeck. Dahl is on WordPress and Echofon.

Among their picks for whom they read, Dahl is a fan of Gapers Block, Frank Senate and TimeOut Chicago. Feder endorses Roger Simon, Roeper reads Eric and Justin Stengel, the head writers for the David Letterman Show, and other television show writers. All cited Roger Ebert.

For those who are looking to do the same as our panelists, Roeper cautioned, “It’s more difficult to break through. (We) had the advantage … to take the audience with us. My path is gone. I can tell you my story but it’s not there anymore. Find out what you love to do and the really, really, really hard part is to find someone to pay you for it. Find a specialty.”

Dahl said that a blog is good place to start. “Podcasting is pretty easy to do. Content has always been king and more so now.”

Roeper thinks we’ll see a wider gap of those who can communicate and those who can’t, no matter the device.

Said Feder, “It doesn’t matter who you are, it’s the quality of your content. It will rise to the top and millions of people will see it. When has media been so democratic, ever, in history?”

The newer, somewhat controversial set of FTC guidelines are meant to promote a competitive marketplace, and to protect consumers from false advertising and unfair business practices, especially in the age of blogs and new media.

Daliah Saper, of Saper Law Offices,  discussed this 2009 ruling, which requires endorsements to carry disclosures on the connections between advertisers and consumers, experts and celebrities. Simply put, it’s not easy to discern if a particular endorsement comes because the endorser was given money, a gift of the product or other incentive to write a positive review.

Bloggers aren’t journalists, per se, says Saper, so they aren’t often held to or aware of the standards journalists are usually held to. This has opened up other questions as to how much governmental interference is raised, and how it chills consumer free speech and limits business’ marketing tools.

The guidelines are rather vague, with no specifics as to what is a sufficient disclosure, or an endorsement.  The clear messages are that material connections between a blogger and a business must be disclosed, the post must reflect the writer’s honest opinion, and it’s all in response to bloggers who review or promote products while earning payments or freebies. Even a negative review, or one where the product is returned, should carry a disclosure.

Similarly troubling is “astroturfing,” when an employee of a company promotes it or seeds forum comments without disclosing they are from that business.

And though this is a concern for bloggers, it’s an even larger one for the companies themselves. Advertisers are liable for false statements by bloggers, even if they’ve previously trained them otherwise. Training and monitoring by the advertiser or its agency ensures they are following best practices, and that the information is correct.

Because the disclosures themselves are left vague, Ruth Wagner of cmp.ly saw an opportunity. Risk management is a newer area to social media, and big brands have to be sure they are covering all bases — legal exposure, the court of public opinion and brand erosion are all easily affected by false or negative postings.

Cmp.ly is a tool that provides text, URLs and icons for bloggers to disclose any association and link to a longer disclosure. The URLs are trackable across social media and even video, making documentation and monitoring easier for agencies, advertisers, employees and the influencers themselves.

Wagner points to having a process in place in case of issues. Currently cmp.ly is the only company in this space, with surely more to come.

Though, for now, the FTC isn’t bothering Ashton.

Today’s Internet and social media users have an increasing appetite for hyper personalization, connectivity, and immediacy. Aware of this change, Howard Tullman, President and CEO of Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy, believes every business should be socially savvy and adapt their strategies to fit the needs of their super social consumers. Social media provides Internet users and consumers with an outlet to support, critique, and/or provide opinions about products and services they interact with. We’ve seen the pitfalls of social media, but we’ve also seen the dramatic improvements it can make on a business’s exposure, reputation, but most importantly, sales.

With that being said, there are a few rules businesses should consider and integrate when adopting, leveraging, and growing their social media marketing efforts:

1. Brands don’t belong to you: In social media, the brand belongs to the people. Nowadays, anything and everything a brand does has the potential to be analyzed, judged, applauded, and critiqued by the millions and millions of users on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks. The brand belongs to the people, not you.

2. You can’t control the conversations: Just like the saying “life is 10% what happens and 90% how you react to it”, social media is much the same. You can’t control what happens, what is said, or how people react. You can, however, change the way you deal with it. Damage control could be in store when leveraging social media. Practice damage control and don’t be afraid if you need to use it.

3. Find conversations and be present: How can you be a part of the group if you don’t know where the group is? Do research, set up Google Alerts, and know your audience. Get there, and participate.

4. Talk to current users rather than new ones: Sales classes always taught us that it’s easier to keep current customers than form new ones. Use this strategy in social media.

5. Think deeper, not wider: Focus on your target market, demographic, and product or service. Just like a specialty store, think vertical integration over horizontal.

Internet and social media users are speaking up about what they like, what they want, what they need, when they want it and where they want it – all without really asking for it directly. If companies want to survive in this new socially adept world, they need to recognize and accommodate. Remember, engagement, not numbers is key.

- For more work by me, please visit www.womensforum.com.

According to Comscore, in August 2011 there were 5.1 million users online in Chicago. 80% were on Facebook, and a whopping 17% were on Twitter. These statistics are a great indicator that people have an increasing appetite for social media.

Twitter in specific has changed the way reporters, writers, and journalists deliver information. Reporters, like Natasha Jorecki from the Chicago SunTimes, are tweeting from courtrooms. Journalists are sending short spurts of information on Facebook and writers are learning to prepare headlines under 140 characters.

While many reporters and journalist are continuing to use traditional methods for delivering news and information, the majority of reporters and journalists see real value in utilizing twitter as another channel for distribution. Still skeptical about a 140 character headline? See our top 5 reasons every journalist or reporter should be on twitter.

Top 5 Reasons Every Journalist Should Be on Twitter

1. New Outlet for News: Television, radio, and newspapers have continually provided multiple platforms for people to access the news and trending topics. Twitter is simply another outlet to deliver and obtain news.

2. Utilize the audience: Writing content based on actual news is one thing, but writing content based on what others are talking about is an entirely new method of delivering “what’s hot.” Twitter is a great tool for discovering what’s trending and what will get more eyeballs.

3. Availability: In this new digital age, people carry a “I want it, and I want it now” attitude. They seek a journalist or reporter who is always available to deliver the best news – Twitter now helps make this possible.

4. Relevancy and Credibility: Twitter is a great tool for journalists to provide relevant and credible information. Although gossip can spread on Twitter just as easily as it does in the hallways of a high school, you can sift through the noise of conversation to find the nuggets of compelling information.

5. Immediacy and Engagement: Readers love the interaction and immediacy provided by social media. Journalists take advantage of this to connect with readers and offer timely information.

Bottom line, journalism is as much a part of this new digital age as anything else is. It’s crucial for writers and journalists to embrace these changes and adopt new technologies as they come. So, let’s try journalism in the age of the tweet, literally.

- For more work by me, please visit www.womensforum.com.