We recently asked our wonderful advisory board to pick out their top tips for SMWLDN and share what they’re doing too. This blog is by the lovely Charlotte Beckett, Head of Digital at The Good Agency (@londoncharlotte).

We had such a ball in February’s Social Media Week that we jumped at the chance to do it again this time around. The 2012 theme, “Empowering Change through Collaboration”, is right up The Good Agency’s alley. We talk and talk in public and private of the potential of social media to have a real world impact, especially when it’s part of an integrated approach. We’ve picked up the theme by hosting an event that’s a retrospective look at how that works.

Our event on Tuesday, “Social TV: speaking the unspeakable” will explore how, when Channel4 launched 4 Goes Mad, a bold season challenging mental health stigma and discrimination, Rethink Mental Illness and Mind used social media to get people talking about an often tricky topic.

But we’re not the only ones looking at “social for good”. My ideal week would run something like this:

• “Crowdfunding – success is sweetest when shared” on Tuesday covers a topic we touched on last Social Media Week, and is something we’re working on for various clients. And from first hand experience of doing it for Occupation Records, I concur with the title.
• Ecotubes’s “Can we save the world using social media?”, also on Tuesday, is discussing how to stimulate behaviour change from an environmental and ethical perspective using social media.
• Positive Deviants’ “Leading Culture Change Through Collaboration” on Wednesday looks well worth getting up early for, if only to find out what exactly is a “change artist” and how I become one. It’s looking at things from a corporate perspective, but I think there’s some thoughts there for all sectors.
• Later on Wednesday is “Sustainable brands doing good by doing well in social” is covering how social media changed the way brands approach CSR and sustainability initiatives, how corporates are doing “social for good”
• On Thursday, “10 principles for an open, connected and collaborative world” is mixing examples from individuals and organisations using social media to get extraordinary outcomes. The speaker is Toby Daniels, Founder & Executive Director of Social Media Week, who’s worth the trip alone.
• Finally, on Friday, the Not For Profit Barcamp, has set up a panel debate around “Social Collaboration” All four panelists are great speakers, full of ideas and inspiration.

I’m looking forward to putting the 2012 theme to the test over the week. Whether you fancy ours or others, I hope you’ll join me.