LinkedIn - Social Media Week New York (SMWNYC) - MAY 4

8 Great Social Media Tips for Journalists

Posted on March 19, 2014July 11, 2014 by Deanna Utroske

Skilled media professionals have the ethics and workflow strategies in place to excel in the digital age. It’s simply a matter of translating existing best practices to your platforms of choice.

Make the most of your social media presence by following these recommendations:

Sign up for Google+ authorship.
Make your byline work harder for you. Once you’ve signed up for Google+ authorship, your articles will be personalized with your Google+ profile photo in search results. And, you’ll have access to some useful analytics too. Learn more here.
Link to your other social platform in your Google+ About section.
Be sure Google knows how relevant you are across the social media universe and your readers know where else to find your insightful posts. Include all your social media accounts in the Links section of your Google+ About page.
Link to your website above the fold of your Facebook profile.
Drive traffic to your site by including a link to your homepage in the first two lines of your publication’s About section on Facebook. Readers are more likely to visit and bookmark your site if it’s one click away.
Turn on your Facebook subscription feed.
Encourage readers to follow your posts without needing to Friend you. Add a Follow button to your personal Facebook page by clicking on Settings, Followers, then Who Can Follow Me, and from there selecting Everybody.
Make LinkedIn posts using the share button on your site.
This lets LinkedIn know that your site content is the first stop online for the latest and greatest information in your field and that it’s share worthy. The LinkedIn share button on your site also conveniently lets you use one click to share the same link as an update, as a post to multiple LinkedIn groups and to Twitter as well.
Personalize your LinkedIn URL.
Customize the URL for your LinkedIn profile to match your byline. This creates a stronger affiliation between your profile and your personal brand and helps turn up your profile in search results as well.
Filter your LinkedIn contacts.
Connect with experts more quickly by filtering your contacts into useful categories. Get started by hovering your cursor over Network, clicking Contacts, hovering over a single contact and clicking Tag. You can assign multiple tags to any given contact and of course many contacts to each tag.
Become a LinkedIn Influencer.
Soon, influencers won’t be limited to the 500 leaders and motivators that LinkedIn hand-selected. You’ll be able to publish blog-style content on the site and become recognized as a thought leader in your field too. LinkedIn is rolling out this feature for users gradually; so watch for it on your page.

And one more helpful reminder:
Each platform preferences complete profiles when in returns search results. More of the people you want to find you will be able to do so faster when your profiles are complete.

Media pros who took part in a recent workshop that I led found these particular tips worthwhile. Feel free to leave a comment with your best social media advice for journalists and editors.

Deanna Utroske is the Social Media Brand Director for New York Women in Communications and writes on women’s career issues, lifestyle topics and more. Follow her on Twitter @DeannaUtroske

Social Matchmaking for Startups & Job Seekers

Posted on February 16, 2014July 11, 2014 by Jess Seilheimer

Social technology startups are one of the highest growth verticals in the emerging technology space. So, it’s no wonder there’s a larger focus on startups at SMW this year than we’ve seen in the past.

Companies are looking for the right match of talent and personality. Job seekers are looking for the right blend of security and “Awesome Sauce.” There is no Tinder for job seekers…..yet. But it’s coming. Until then, how can social startups + job seekers = match made in heaven?

If you’re a job seeker, you might love these SMW sessions

Beyond LinkedIn: Using Niche Social Media Platforms in the Job Hunt
Sure, Twitter and LinkedIn are the go-to platforms for keeping up with news and staying in touch with professional contacts, but have you considered using niche social media platforms to help you get a job?

Startups to Watch in 2014 presented by Entrepreneur.com

It’s imperative to stay on top of new social technologies and startups who are redefining communication. Social Media Week and Entrepreneur.com are bringing together a carefully selected group of startups that show the greatest potentially to break through to the mainstream in 2014.

Where else you can look for credible startup jobs

Aside from attending Social Media Week for panels, POVS, and networking opportunities where and how can you endure your plan beyond the business card/handshake game….which if you’re a social start up, Twitter IS your business card and virtual handshake. In addition to platforms we’ve all come to know and love (i.e., LinkedIn), where else can you find startup job opportunities?

There are hundreds of job postings to read and Meetups to attend, but the most credible early stage startups are on AngelList, whereas more of the mid-full funded startup opportunities are listed opportunities on VentureLoop (syndicated from multiple sources). These sites have company history so you can vet their history, funding status, financial stability, and other team members.

You can also vet these companies via CrunchBase. Any legit startup will be listed on CrunchBase and AngelList— Google them– what kind of press coverage do they have and what’s the general POV on them?

How to get a job at a startup

Startups hire inspired, energetic, creative, and personable individuals.
Be creative and concise in your attempt to gain their attention (no one has time/or wants to read a traditional CV). Vanilla need not apply
Use data visualization to your advantage
Create an infographic, one-page scroll website, a custom FB page, or Pinterest board. Or make a video about who you are, your skills, and your experience. Be Different. DO YOUR HOMEWORK, and personalize it each startup you’re approaching. Attach a POV on what you’ve gleaned and what you can bring to the table to optimize their existing efforts and team.
Make sure you have relevant case studies/experience to share on demand.
Be discoverable across social platforms, and make sure your “personal brand” is well represented.
Most startup founders are active across all social channels. Opening a dialogue with them that way is a GREAT first impression — just be careful what you openly share and be mindful of embargoes
Most importantly: be active in the startup community in your city.
Set up a Google Alerts for the list of startups your interested in, and pay attention if they are speaking at an event or Meetup. GO THERE! Meet them. Get in front of them and show your personality. Team/personality chemistry is everything.

So if you’re a job seeker, make sure to join SMW and get more tips!

Jess Seilheimer runs a consultancy called Cretegic– your insight-driven partner for a digital world. We accelerate strategic planning into actionable ideas & marketing for brands and startups. She is also the Strategy & Marketing lead for a startup Birdi. Prior, she was the SVP of Digital Innovation and Strategic Planning at Havas.

The Millennial’s Guide to Social Media Week

Posted on February 14, 2014July 11, 2014 by Sara Adam

Because of the way Social Media Week is set up this year, it can be tough to justify the expense of a campus pass if you are a recent post-grad with a laughable bank account balance. From one millennial to another, here are a few reasons why it’s worth it to shell out to come to SMW this year. It’s actually quite the steal for access to these amazing sessions and more.

Beyond LinkedIn: Using Niche Social Media Platforms in the Job Hunt
If you already have a job and aren’t living on your parent’s couch, you might not be a millennial. Jokes aside, landing your first “real job” is not an easy task, event if you did all the things you were told to- like go to a good school and get good grades. It takes a multi-lateral effort to get your foot in the door and this is a good place to start.
7×7 Mentor Session: Industry Leaders Share Career Advice on Getting Ahead
And when we do finally get that job, how can we make sure that we are staying on the right track? Through mentorship. All good millennials have a copy of Lean In and know we need a mentor who can help us talk through the difficult situations in that life throws us as well as how we want to move in our careers.
Secrets of Not-For-Profit Tech Success: Nancy Lublin, CEO of Do Something and Charles Best, Founder & CEO of DonorsChoose
Having grown up hearing stories and watching documentaries about how terrible the education system is in the US, it is difficult to know how to respond. When the only option is to turn to the political system, it can feel like your small voice has no impact. I love Charles Best’s work to connect people who want to help directly with educators who need resources to continue their amazing work.
The New Frontier of (Un)Branded Content: A Screening and Discussion of Farmed and Dangerous, Hosted by Chipotle
With the unbelievable increase in connection through social media, how is it that we are still so disconnected with the sources of our food? I barely even buy groceries, and when I do I don’t have a good idea of where they are coming from and what the worker conditions were like. Though this web series is a humorous take on the idea of disconnection from our food, it is good that Chipotle is asking us think more critically about where our food is actually coming from.
Hood to Hipster: Silicon Alley’s Impact on NYC’s Underserved Communities
Not just because it has the word hipster in the title, but as wealth is created through innovation, how do we prevent this wealth from merely circulating through pre-existing networks of privilege? I’d definitely be interested in hearing about this- plus the title is great.

There’s only a few more days to go before the event so register now!

To Endorse or Not Endorse? The Value of a LinkedIn Endorsement

Posted on January 31, 2014July 11, 2014 by Vilma Sierra

I was confused and flattered when I first received an “Endorsement” notification from a connection, which happened to be my friend and from someone who I didn’t really know. Some of my endorsements such as writing and editing matched my skills. However, it was given by most of my close friends instead of my former coworkers or college classmates. I must admit that I felt content that they were considering me a talented writer or editor. Even though, they never read any of my works, and I never had a chance to edit their papers. Were they just being good friends or maybe they just want me to return the favor by endorsing their skills?

I was also endorsed by unknown connections, which was strange and confusing. Yet, I still accept the endorsements and left them in my profile because, I thought that it was going to attract recruiters. However, after researching about LinkedIn Endorsements, I ended up with mixed feeling about my endorsements. According to the article “Everything You Need To KnowAbout LinkedIn Endorsements” from Forbes, endorsements make it easy to put in a positive word for a connection without going to the trouble of writing a recommendation.

But at the same time many recruiters are not impressed by the given endorsements of their potential candidates. They tend to pay more attention to the elaborated written recommendations.

However, who has time to sit and write recommendations? Therefore, LinkedIn had the confusing and practical idea of the endorsements, which is considered the Facebook Poke of professional marketing, according to the article “LinkedIn: Thanks for the Endorsement, Do I know you?.

LinkedIn tried to save us some time when it comes to recommend our connections by endorsing their skills. They should have developed this feature in an efficient and reliable manner, such as describing briefly (perhaps in less than sixty words) why are we endorsing our connections. In other words, ask their users to be more descriptive at the time they endorse their connections. Lastly, endorsements should be exclusive for people that work with each other or were involved either in a college project or freelancing project. It is time for LinkedIn to develop a feature that’s more professional and reliable in order to keep their reputation as the professional social network.

Want more on your online reputation? We recommend keeping an eye on this during SMW14.

Featured image courtesy Sheila Scarborough.

MLK Day of Service: Finding Volunteer Opportunities Via Social Media

Posted on January 20, 2014July 11, 2014 by Lane Blackmer

The third Monday of every January marks the federal holiday to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday.

But it wasn’t until 1994 — due to former Pennsylvania Senator Harris Wofford and Georgia Congressman John Lewis’s King Holiday and Service Act — that the day was dubbed “Day of Service.”

Suddenly, MLK Day was no longer just time off from work and school, it actually lived up to Dr. King’s legacy by encouraging volunteerism. It was he, after all, who once said “life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘what are we doing for others?’”

(As a side note and fun fact: Philadelphia, where I reside, has the largest MLK Day of Service in the nation. See? We’re not just a city of angry sports fans.)

Luckily, LinkedIn has a new function to help you with volunteering — both on MLK Day of Service and on the daily. But there’s also a couple of other ways you can find volunteer opportunities via the interwebs.

*Volunteers in Philadelphia spread mulch on a playground on Martin Luther King Day of Service.*

LinkedIn’s Volunteer Marketplace

The professional networking site launched its much-demanded Volunteer Marketplace last Wednesday. So rather than picking up trash in a park, you can use your professional skill set to volunteer and perhaps have resume material! Two birds, one stone.

More than 600,000 people have voiced interest in volunteer opportunities since August alone, a LinkedIn spokesperson told Mashable. Furthermore, over 3 million users added volunteer experiences to their profiles since 2011.

Volunteer positions or board seats can be posted to the search option — for a fee. But the good news is that these job postings only cost 10% of normal LinkedIn job postings. Those tend to run between $20-40.

What’s better yet is that the company will reinvest revenues back into the program, head of LinkedIn for Good Meg Garlinghouse said. If you haven’t heard of LinkedIn for Good, it’s a part of LinkedIn that connects professionals with “opportunities for social impact.”

I realize that the volunteer opportunities on LinkedIn have a little bit more permanency than desired for participating in MLK Day of Service. However, if you’re planning on living up to what Dr. King said about enhancing others’ lives — you know, every day — then this is a good option for you.

Another benefit to this new search option? I think long-term, it’ll help eliminate those from the full-time job pool. Let’s face it. It’s kind of disappointing to be looking for a job, come across a really cool non-profit one, and then realize it’s an unpaid volunteer gig.

#MLKDay

This is the magic hashtag for MLK Day of Service opportunities. Although, you can probably bet people who are not volunteering will use this tag on Monday. For now, though, most tweets using this hashtag are from non-profits and workday opportunities.

I tried to see if there was a more general volunteer hashtag like “VolunteerPhilly” or “VolunteerNYC,” but those aren’t used very often. (Can we get some influential non-profits to popularize these? It seems like it would be handy!)

If you’re an organization, I also suggest using this hashtag while tweeting photos of volunteers throughout the day on Monday (both live tweet and save some to put on Hootsuite later). Because #MLKDay is being used pretty often, it would be a great way to get your organization’s name out there. Be sure to have a link to your organization in your bio and occasionally tweet a message about what others who couldn’t volunteer on Monday can do to contribute.

Another quick tip for organizations when tweeting on Monday: get and use the volunteers’ Twitter handles. Most people love pictures of themselves. This means a retweet and increased exposure for your organization.

The .gov site

While social media certainly is handy, you can check out the official government website for MLK Day volunteer opportunities.

There’s a handy search option where you can put in your area code and find volunteer opportunities near you. You can also register your organization on the site to ensure volunteerism-seekers will be able to find you.

But I cannot emphasize this enough, whether you’re a volunteer or an organization seeking volunteers: use the #MLKDay hashtag!

Lane Blackmer is a self-employed former journalist. Although she’s no longer a newsie, Lane since discovered other uses for social media such as public relations, marketing, job searching, and trying to win gift cards from her favorite local businesses through contests. Lane inhabits Philadelphia, where’s it’s not always sunny…but at least there’s cheese steaks. You can follow her on Twitter at @LaneBlackmer.

Social Media Does, In Fact, Matter — To Every Kind Of Business

Posted on January 6, 2014July 11, 2014 by Lane Blackmer

Let me be honest: I’m sick of seeing posts on LinkedIn looking for volunteers or interns to run social media. Furthermore, many of those that do offer pay, they are only suggesting a $30,000 salary.

The fact is this: those businesses misunderstand what social media is about — as do plenty of fresh-faced college graduates who think the job description consists of tweeting.

Social media managers and strategists don’t post on social media. They create, plan and execute marketing campaigns.

It’s all about social media strategy. Social media matters simply because of this fact — it’s new-age savvy marketing, not a just social tool.

2014: the year of salaried social media jobs

OK, so many businesses aren’t understanding the full importance of social media, but it’s at least important that businesses of every kind — non-profits, corporate and small businesses — recognize its potential. A staggering 88% of marketers would like to know the most effective social media uses.

Forbes declared last month that in 2014, investment in social media would be more than just a luxury — it will become necessary. A quick scan of social media-related postings on LinkedIn show that it’s true — many listings have the words “new position” embedded in there somewhere.

And there’s even data to back up that claim: Business Insider cited Constant Contact’s Small Businesses: Then and Now Survey saying that 87% of small businesses are using social media as a legitimate marketing tool.

The publication also predicted there’d be a vast expansion in these six social media-related jobs: SEO Specialist, Social Media Strategist, Online Community Manger, Social Media Marketing Manager, Social Media Marketing Coordinator, and Blogger or Social Media Copywriter.

This expansion makes sense. The Internet is accessible almost everywhere and folks are consuming more tidbits of information than ever.

People certainly take advantage of it.

According to Chelsea Krost, the average person has their smartphone with them 20 hours out of the entire day. And 80% of people reach for their smartphone when they wake up.

But why are so many skeptical to jump on the bandwagon?

Here’s the big question in social media for businesses: how do I measure the return on investment (ROI)?

That question isn’t easily answered — because there’s no way to be 100% sure you’re tracking the right data to prove this… or that you even can track the right data.

Every company is different. And sometimes it’s about trial and error to figure out which platform is most effective for your business. B2B companies seem to have a lot of success on LinkedIn; while B2C companies, depending on what they do and if they’re business or service oriented, can see great success on Twitter or Instagram.

Regardless, Social Media Examiner reported that some businesses actually have mastered tracking ROI. It seems like most of those businesses don’t have direct proof per se, but use of social media is the differing variable when the company started to see decreases in spending or increases in sales.

Either way, Social Media Examiner’s 2013 Report finds 89% of marketers surveyed claimed increased social media marketing increased exposure and site traffic.

Social media matters — and here’s why

When I talk about social media use I don’t mean quoting eccentric family members at Thanksgiving dinner on Twitter (though I’m guilty of this). I mean using it for marketing, branding, developing brand trust, hearing from individual customers, and doing damage control.

It’s pretty much a given that businesses, marketers, and even individuals (in a lot of fields, you market yourself) should care about these things.

A lot of businesses may not see an ROI on their social media, but the question should be this: why?

Sometimes it’s not about the use of social media as much as how it’s used. Social media can be used poorly or used well. Someone doing a company’s social media should be paid for their expertise — because social media is not just about posting on the platforms, it’s about posting content to the platforms.

According to HubSpot, companies that blog 15 times or more per month see an increase of five times the traffic on their site.

The other key to social media is persistence. Social Media Examiner’s 2013 Report also cited that companies using social media for three or more years said it helped by improving search rankings, creating more partnerships, generating ideas, increasing traffic, providing marketplace insight, and reducing marketing expenses — to name a few things.

Social media in use — effectively — isn’t just about posting. It’s about executing a strategy specifically tailored to a company — and it is proven to help marketing efforts.

So why aren’t you investing in social media?

Lane Blackmer is a self-employed former journalist. Although she’s no longer a newsie, Lane since discovered other uses for social media such as public relations, marketing, job searching and trying to win gift cards from her favorite local businesses through contests. Lane inhabits Philadelphia, where’s it’s not always sunny…but at least there’s cheese steaks. You can follow her on Twitter at @LaneBlackmer.

Image courtesy Social Media Examiner 2013 Report. Featured image courtesy Dan Meyers.

LinkedIn Advice from a Career Coach

Posted on September 11, 2012November 8, 2012 by Lisa Chau

Melissa Llarena has been coaching entry-level, mid-level and seasoned professionals for more than 10 years. In 2012, she decided to officially incorporate Career Outcomes Matter LLC (i.e., the firm), which is headquartered in Astoria, NY, and certified as a Minority Business Enterprise by the New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. Her client base has included professionals across a variety of sectors who were ready to change roles, explore new sectors, or work in new countries to accelerate their careers. As coach, Melissa has often championed “least likely” candidates as best contenders for the exact stretch roles that changed their career paths.

Melissa earned an undergraduate psychology degree from NYU and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. She received more than $200K in scholarships to fully fund both degrees. Melissa started her career at JPMorgan Chase working in HR, and then continued at Reuters as a trainer. She later successfully transitioned into internet marketing, which positioned her well for her subsequent roles promoting mega brands such as American Express, IBM and Charmin. Parallel with her business ventures, Melissa has successfully coached peers since 1997, including as a student at Tuck working as a career development fellow. Her interest in professional development education led her to develop and conduct an interviewing workshop for Harvard University, helping undergraduates and graduates interested in finance careers. She also created and delivered the “Emergency Kit for Thought Leaders” seminar for MBA students at Baruch College in NYC.

Melissa, many of today’s job seekers are not prolific social media users, how should they begin to incorporate this practice more into their process of landing a job?

ML: Start by assessing your Google footprint. Google yourself. This will help you prioritize where you need to clean up your image and then you can start introducing the best social media vehicles into your job search. LinkedIn is the clear winner (for now) when it comes to the one tool you must incorporate immediately into your job search process because recruiters are there and actively seeking candidates 24/7. Spend time completing your profile with an emphasis on your headline. Your headline is what everyone can see (including folks not connected to you) so spruce it up by making it clear what you do and if space allows include your point of differentiation e.g. Remarkably Collaborative GAAP Accounting Director at Citicorp.

How can job seekers resolve the conflict of social media’s very public platform with the need for confidentiality while searching for a job?

ML: There are different solutions to staying private during a job search depending on the platforms in which you are operating. In Facebook, create a group and invite only folks that can help you land your next role. This allows you to keep your job hunt talks within an intimate group of people whom you trust. In LinkedIn, change your privacy controls. Turn off your activity broadcasts so that your current boss does not see in their newsfeed that you connected with 15+ recruiters or are now following a peer company. While using Twitter, you can control who sees your tweets. The big lesson here is make adjust these settings before embarking on any social media campaign. Learn how you can remain as anonymous as you need to be to retain your current job yet be findable so that you can attract the right opportunities; there are ways to accomplish this balance — It just takes homework.

What are some general best practices in using social media when looking for employment?

ML: Use social media to…

– Get to know your audience firsthand (i.e. from the horse’s mouth) before chatting with them to have richer and more successful conversations.

– Learn about prospective organizations to identify the areas of opportunities where you can best contribute your skills (e.g. consumer discussion boards, Facebook comments).

– Position your experiences, interests, and skills in light of the jobs that you desire. Blogging is a great way to start repositioning yourself for a new field.

– Garner brand advocates during your job search by highlighting your strengths, viewpoints, etc. via social media so that your network can confidently endorse your candidacy.

– Accelerate a job search by updating your status to efficiently reach a wider net of people more quickly than having to call all 500 of your contacts (of course, be aware who can see that status update).

Does social media level the field for people trying to get jobs in completely different geographic locations?

ML: Yes, social media opens the world to job applicants. However, I wouldn’t say social media levels the playing field completely. Instead, social media facilitates a job hunt for people seeking opportunities in completely different geographic locations. For instance, if you want to work in Argentina then you can leverage your social networks to learn about the opportunities there as well as what an Argentine CV looks like.

However, just as you can use social media to find great jobs and prepare for them, so can others around the world (of course, those with internet access) because they are also on social media. As a result, social media has also made the job search process more competitive because applicants can come from a wider geographic footprint. At the same time, there are still very real hindrances that social media does not resolve including the need for work authorization in relevant countries and oftentimes the need to conduct in person interviews. In terms of the latter, there are both US firms as well as non-US firms that will not accept a Skype video interview as a substitution for an in person interview– They still want to meet a job candidate in person before making an employment decision.

Please tell us how to leverage groups on LinkedIn.

ML: Join up to 50 groups then prioritize your top three LinkedIn groups and actively start or join in on discussions within these three groups at least once a week. LinkedIn groups enable you to demonstrate your thought leadership amongst seasoned professionals in your desired field. However, it only works if you are more than just a passive LinkedIn group member. Instead, rise to the top and become an influencer. Share compelling articles, provide your viewpoint and make suggestions. Once you are an influential contributor then you can connect with group members and they will accept your invitations based on your credibility as an influential group member. With regards to your other 47 LinkedIn groups, keep an eye on them by receiving weekly emails that outline new discussions, comments, jobs, etc. Engage in those other 47 groups as appropriate and read suitable content to increase your sector expertise. To learn more about how to optimize your LinkedIn groups going forward read my blog that talks about how to avoid missing out on the weekly opportunities LinkedIn Groups present to job seekers: http://bit.ly/Lcu15f

Do you have other advice on using LinkedIn?

ML: Credible LinkedIn recommendations are critical yet underutilized. LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to showcase endorsements from your colleagues, former bosses, and clients. Here are some best practices to consider when thinking about LinkedIn recommendations.

A great recommendation is:

Specific. When asking for recommendations give your endorser ammunition i.e. relevant information to make it easy for them to write a specific recommendation.

Strategic. Think about the gaps in your candidacy for your desired job. For instance, if you’ve never had a direct report then ask for a recommendation from a team member within a team that you led — Have them highlight a skill you exhibited, a skill associated with managing a direct report e.g. giving clear directions.

Supportive. It validates your greatest strengths. Be wary of accepting and displaying a recommendation that contradicts your greatest strengths.

Reciprocated. If someone recommends you and you have great things to say about them, volunteer to write a recommendation for them. This strengthens existing bonds.

Is Facebook useful at all for job seeking? Do you know anyone who landed a job using Facebook?

ML: You can never tell where you’ll hear about an opportunity and Facebook could just be the medium in which an opening is announced by one of your friends or even a company. Think about the sector in which you’d like to work and then consider if they are looking for a social media savvy hire. If the answer to that question is YES then expect to find information about jobs across social media platforms including Twitter. For example, if you desired a job at Gary Vaynerchuk’s media firm then expect to learn about the opening on Facebook amongst other channels.

Alternatively, there are appropriate pages including Mashable – Jobs which you can “like” to receive work information via your newsfeed including real opportunities. Also, be aware that there are rumors of an up and coming Facebook Jobs Board. According to Mashable, if such a job board is available via Facebook then you’ll need to include Facebook as a job hunting resource. Read more about this here. Lastly, I do know someone that launched her business because a friend put a request on Facebook: A request for a caterer to cook for a bridal shower she was hosting – This strictly a Facebook opportunity that she would not have known about if it were not for Facebook.

How does Twitter help break past gatekeepers?

ML: Aside from the situations in which a PR firm is handling a Twitter handle, there are some top executives that actually like tweeting on their own such as Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos as well as Dan Kim, Founder and Chief Concept Officer at Red Mango. You can follow them, engage in their conversations, retweet their messages and eventually you may find yourself engaging in a 1-on-1conversation with a top executive at a firm you’d like to work for, thereby making it past gatekeepers. Yes, this strategy takes time, however, if you really respect a leader you should be following him.

Lisa Chau has been involved with Web 2.0 since graduate school at Dartmouth College, where she completed an independent study on blogging. She was subsequently highlighted as a woman blogger in Wellesley Magazine, published by her alma mater. She has also been published in US News & Forbes. Since 2009, Lisa has worked as an Assistant Director at the Tuck School of Business. Follow her on Twitter.

Maximizing Your LinkedIn Presence

Posted on May 8, 2012November 8, 2012 by Lisa Chau

If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you? Maybe not.

If all your friends joined Facebook, would you? Maybe not.

But, if all the companies you wanted to work for are using LinkedIn to recruit, would you complete a profile? Probably.

Thus, began my 36-hour marathon of finally rounding out the LinkedIn profile I abandoned 5 years ago.

Conceptually, LinkedIn is great. It allows me to:

1. Share my resume with employers without attaching documents to my cover letter. No more worrying about viruses or document/ program compatibility.

2. Keep a live inventory of my professional experience. The link to my profile is permanent, but the information can be updated as often as necessary.

3. Collect endorsements from connections who have been vetted and recommended by others. I don’t make human resource departments do any more work than necessary to verify my profile.

Practically, LinkedIn has a few areas for improvement. I’ve encountered or heard about from my connections these problems:

1. It can be difficult for people to leave recommendations. People who run multi-million dollar departments / companies / investments can have a hard time figuring out how to leave me a recommendation. Yes, I am certain they are not just making excuses not to endorse me since I spent hours instructing about half a dozen people through the process.

2. Some people have two accounts and are not able to merge them. For these people, LinkedIn’s technical support group hasn’t been able to resolve the conflict. One person’s problem is attributed to having two emails with different middle initials; another has two accounts but only one email.

3. The algorithms aren’t always accurate. For example, LinkedIn suggested to one person they join the Dartmouth Class of 1987 group — She wasn’t even born, yet, in 1987!

LinkedIn was founded in December 2002, and launched in May 2003, and it’s growing faster than ever. And regardless of what problems some users might encounter, it is becoming more and more necessary to have a professional presence on LinkedIn. Here are some tips to maximizing your profile:

The Basics:

Include a professional but inviting photo of yourself. You should be neatly dressed in front of a plain background. Smile.
Provide a comprehensive outline of your work. Your resume should be up-to-date, with a focused summary.

Recommendations:

Recommendations are the most powerful piece of your virtual ecosystem. They will also take the most time and patience to cultivate. However, the reward is work the effort.

First and foremost, use these 2 rules when soliciting recommendations:

Always be polite. Even if you don’t get the recommendation.
Understand that people are busy. They are doing you a favor when they write you a public endorsement. If you don’t get a response after 2 reminders, move on to the next connection.

Try to get recommendations from people you reported to, people who report to you, and peers. Ideally, get three recommendations per position that you have held.

I have found that the best time to ask for an endorsement is at the time of initial contact- when you ask to connect. After the person has agreed to write something for you, use LinkedIn’s built-in tool for your request. The system auto-generates a link for your connection to follow and complete their testimonial of you.

Always make the process as easy as possible for the other person.

That said, the best method to help yourself is to help the other person.

1. Write a sincere and unique (Don’t call everyone a “rock star”. Be specific!) recommendation for the other person. This will give them an idea of what you expect them to write for you. It will also make them feel good.

2. Provide your connection with information they will need in writing your endorsement, like how and when did you meet, the kind of work you did together and what you’d like to have emphasized.

3. Offer to write a draft.

Make sure you know your way around LinkedIn enough to help your connections complete the process. Approximately one out of every three people I contacted needed some sort of further assistance.

Good luck, and let us know what tips work best for you!

Lisa Chau has been involved with Web 2.0 since graduate school at Dartmouth College, where she completed an independent study on blogging. She was subsequently highlighted as a woman blogger in Wellesley Magazine, published by her alma mater. Since 2009, Lisa has worked as an Assistant Director at the Tuck School of Business. In 2012, she launched GothamGreen212 to pursue social media strategy projects. You can follow her on Twitter.

Coverage of SMW12: Socializing the News

Posted on February 27, 2012March 20, 2012 by Lisa Chau

Who

Moderated by Peter Himler – President — Publicity Club of New York
With Panelists:
Anthony De Rosa — Social Media Editor, Thomson Reuters
Craig Kanalley — Social Media Editor, NBC News
Elizabeth Heron — Social Media Editor, The New York Times
Jake Porway — Data Scientist, The New York Times
Mat Yurow — Social Media Producer, Bloomberg News and BusinessWeek
Steve Krakauer— Senior Digital Producer, CNN/U.S

What

The Socializing the News luncheon began with Publicity Club of New York’s President, Peter Himler introducing Jake Porway, the Data Scientist at The New York Times’ Research & Development Labs to demonstrate his company’s Cascade app, which I must say is likely the most *beautiful* tool presented during Social Media Week 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQBOF7XeCE0

Project Cascade goes beyond the two dimensional graphs most companies currently use. It’s a three dimensional representation of how news is shared and how it spreads. The app uses data from the New York Times website and Twitter, well-worn territory but and it adds a key element: information from bit.ly, the URL shortener. By working with bit.ly, staff were able to see when New York Times links were shortened or expanded. Altogether, a full tapestry is exposed: Read; Share; Engage.

Person 1 browses the NYT site, reads an article of interest, uses bit.ly to shorten the URL, shares on Twitter; Person 2 clicks on the bit.ly link, expands the URL to read the story; Engagement via returning to the NYT website, retweets and conversation. A very powerful data set emerges from these actions. Using the tool developed at the NYT, researchers can see the cascade of events which happens whenever someone tweets one of their news stories.

Project Cascade shows all the sharing behavior based on a tweet. All the layers of retweets. The echo effect across Twitter. The degrees of separation from the original tweeter. Analysts can see the reach of an article by seeing how tall the graph gets, built by layers of retweets. They can also see when others enter and leave a conversation, streaming over time. Consequently, they can also pinpoint influence by large spikes in the data. Who are key players and what are they saying? The app allows analysts to understand the nature of a tweet and how it spreads by looking at the backbone of influential people. Does it help when someone asks a question or adds their thoughts? Do they use a certain hashtag? How does conversation evolve? On which branch do people enter the tapestry? How do things change over time? Using the tool, analysts have quantifiable data to ask questions like “When is the best time to tweet?” They can test the hypothesis and see what works best. They can see who are consistently bringing people back to the site. Which articles are likely to spread and why. What are the sections which affect the flow of conversation? How do journalists become a part of the conversation? Should we retweet ourselves? Should stories be managed or should they be allowed to grow organically? Now, all these questions can be looked at because Project Cascade offers a lens into what is happening in social media.

But Socializing the News wasn’t all apps. Steve Krakauer shared on how social media has a real impact on what companies do. What happens on the digital space translates into more viewers on CNN. Now, the question is how to harness that. Piers Morgan is a great example of how Twitter can build a brand. He is a personality with a strong following. And it really is Piers who tweets. Google+ doesn’t have a good metric or analytics system, yet, and it hasn’t opened up the same way Facebook and Twitter have. For those reasons, people hesitate. For big organizations to consider Google+, it will have to show more of the back end data. With Facebook and Twitter, you can have a community where you can hit people with what they are interested in. Cultivating a community that already exists is almost as important as reaching out to new people. But most important is people clicking on links, replying, retweeting and commenting, more so than follower numbers or likes.

Mat Yurow joined the dialogue, offering his perspective from Bloomberg. Bloomberg‘s wire service is its main source of revenue. In a world where Twitter is becoming the source for breaking news, how does a company balance service offerings which are free v. charged? Mobile apps have been optimized for sharing and discussion and that is where the organic growth will happen. At the moment, it’s about building a following. Each social network has its own strengths, and those strengths are primed to be taken advantage of.

His company has found that it gets much more traffic from Facebook and people spend three times as much time reading articles on the site, as opposed to the traffic from Twitter, while LinkedIn is used by reporters to find leads. Play the slow game and build relationships. There are few tools better at relationship building than Twitter. Social media editors are responsible for building their credibility and clout to make people listen to what is being said; PR people are responsible for checking-in periodically even when they are not pushing or selling a story. Become a familiar face on a journalist’s timeline, and journalists will be much more willing to respond.

Yurow instructed attendees to find a way to add value to your followers, and play to the vanity of people. Mention them in a newsletter, and then let them know they have been included. Send out tweets at different times, depending on when people read. Understand your audience and find out when you can offer most value. Consider scheduling tweets to post at night or on the weekends because social sites may be blocked at your followers’ workplace. Don’t lose your audience because they are not able to be at a desk when you are.

Then the New York Times’ Elizabeth Heron offered her views. On Twitter, the company uses the main @NYT account to break news. However, each desk has its own account and is responsible for its own social media strategy, so things don’t need to be completely centralized. “Hashtag Science” is used to create short hashtags which clearly identify the story and invite people to contribute. For example, #iEconomy to discuss how Apple is affecting the economy; how does Apple differ from other major companies that manufacture in China; do factory conditions affect people’s choice to buy iPhones?

To give readers access to journalists, the New York Times also holds live chats on Facebook, as well as on Google+ hangouts. The company likes to give direct access to reporters who work on series. And this international contingent of reporters is great for crowdsourcing. NYT considers the journalistic value of social media. It’s difficult to quantify, but if the company finds sources it would not have found otherwise or it’s able to cover breaking news more comprehensively, then it is significant. On the business side, the company cares about referral traffic. Engagement metrics are much more important than number of followers.

Craig Kanalley expounded on the role of the social media editor: to tell stories. Carve a niche and innovate to use social media creatively. There are endless possibilities. It’s also part of the employee’s responsibility to break out of a Twitter Monkey role. Engage journalists on Twitter by offering timely information.

Keep in mind that Pinterest is sustainable because it appeals to the mainstream audience, not the tech-geeky crowd. Finally, it’s better to post in real time in possible. Scheduling tweets can make you look outdated if not done correctly, so be careful.

The panel concluded with Anthony De Rosa. He stated that in order to be the place where people go for news, you should be the beacon for all news – it makes you valuable. You shouldn’t feel like you can only report those stories coming from your newsroom. However, make sure to validate; due diligence is necessary. Be a megaphone for your own content, but also act as a curator so you’re the central source for everything. The difference between social media and headlines is that you don’t have to be as literal with the former. Social media writers are aiming to grab attention rather than gain the SEO system. Ride the line of interesting and engaging, but don’t mislead.

Pinterest popped up again as a great distribution channel for videos, and LinkedIn was positioned as good for gathering information because it allows users to filter others by who people are: which companies do they work for and which positions do they hold? Listen on LinkedIn. This function doesn’t exist natively on Twitter, but can be maximized on LinkedIn.

Peter Himler helped us end the event by pointing us to MuckRack, which tracks thousands of journalists on Twitter and social media.

At the end of the event, I walked away feeling like I had a great sense of the myriad ways the news can get social and how companies are doing it.

Lisa Chau has been involved with Web 2.0 since graduate school at Dartmouth College, where she completed an independent study on blogging. She was subsequently highlighted as a woman blogger in Wellesley Magazine, published by her alma mater. Since 2009, Lisa has worked as an Assistant Director at the Tuck School of Business. In 2012, she launched GothamGreen212 to pursue social media strategy projects. You can follow her on twitter.

See You Friday! A Guide to Day 5

Posted on February 16, 2012February 16, 2012 by Nicky Yates

The end is near! One more day before SMWNYC closes out- and that means one more day for you to take part! Tomorrow hosts a powerful lineup and we're very excited to for you to be a part. Haven't registered? These events should get you in the SMWNYC mood.

8:30-9:30am at Bloomberg: Keynote: Reid Hoffman, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of LinkedIn on The StartUp of You: A revolutionary new guide to thriving in today’s fractured world of work

9-9:30am at Big Fuel: The Guardian Interviews: Alec Ross

9-10am at Hearst: Where is social media taking the travel industry in 2012?

9-11am at Thomson Reuters: Keynote: Jeremy Heimans, CEO of Purpose, followed by Panel: Building A Transnational Human Rights Movement

10-11am at Big Fuel: RAPP presents RAPPATHON- Hacking for Change: A New Way of Collaboration

10-11am at Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness: Biomarkers & Technology: Can Age be Reversed?

10:30-11:30am at Hearst: Untapped Drive: How innovation and entrepreneurship is revolutionizing daily life through social media & tech platforms

12-12:30pm at Big Fuel: Digital Fireside Chat: David Hirsch on Venture Funding

12-2pm at Hearst: The New Role Models: Chefs, Cooks, Bloggers & You — An Interview with Amanda Hesser, Robyn O'Brien & Bun Lai, followed by Who is Kale's PR Agent & What Dictates a Food Trend?

12-2pm at JWT: The LinkedIn Difference: How Brands Are Building Deep Connections with Professionals

2-3pm at Quirky: The Freelance Revolution: Independent Worker Collaboration & Innovation Through Online Communities

2-3pm at NY Public Library: GAME/WORLD: The New Collaborative Community

2:30-3:30pm at Big Fuel: Peer Pressure: Using the skills we learned in 6th grade for good

2:30-4:30pm at Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness: Feast on Health

3-4pm at Thomson Reuters: Leveraging online platforms to inspire social good

3-4pm at Hearst: Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll: Social's Steamy Side

3-5pm at Bloomberg: Keynote: Jalak Jobanputra on What in the World? The Global Startup Scene: Micro and Macro Trends Fueling Tech Growth around the World followed by Panel: NYC’s Digital Growth through Public Private Sector Innovation: The Role of Government in Fostering NYC

5-6pm at Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness: TEDx New York Salon Explores Health & Wellness

6-8pm at Columbia Journalism School: Challenging Conventional Wisdom of Social Media: Socmedia editors share their latest ideas

6:30-8:30pm at ShowBiz Cafe: Getaway To A Healthier Gorgeous You: How Social Media Empowers Change In Medical Tourism (sponsored by Medaway Health)

Keep your eyes posted on Twitter (and maybe ensure your phone's camera is intact…) for some fun closing activities tomorrow. And don't forget you can get around in style this week: Download the (free!) GroundLink mobile app now, and you save $20 on your first ride. Just use Invite Code “SMW20” when you set-up your account.

See you tomorrow!

See You Thursday! A Guide to Day 4

Posted on February 15, 2012February 15, 2012 by Nicky Yates

We’re building up steam, so don’t lose energy now! The final two days are packed with some incredible speakers, which are still open for you to register. Not sure what options you have? We’d recommend checking these out.

9-9:30am at Big Fuel: The Guardian Interviews Gabe Zichermann

9-10am at Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness: Keynote: Jay Walker on To Change Faster, We Must Decide Better

9-11:30am at Thomson Reuters: Keynote: Douglas Rushkoff on When Change is Always On followed by Panel: Just Like The 60’s: How Social Media Has (Or Hasn’t) Changed Civic Movements

9-11am at Hearst: Keynote: Elisa Camahort Page on Rewriting Keystroke by Keystroke followed by Panel: The Dawn of Companion TV

10-10:45am at Dominion Theater: A Conversation with Nick Jonas, moderated by Jason King

10-11am at Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness: Investors in the Hot Seat: Leading Health Investors Pitch To StartUps

12-12:30pm at Big Fuel: Digital Fireside Chat: John Winsor on Connections 2.0

12-1pm at Ogilvy: We’re All Social Now: How B2B Marketers Can Get With the Conversation

12-2pm at Thomson Reuters: Weapons of Choice: The Design of Insurgency

12-2pm at Hearst: Keynote: Jonah Peretti, Founder and CEO of BuzzFeed on the Future of Sharing followed by Panel: Creating Start-Ups Inside Traditional News Organizations

12-2pm at Ogilvy: Keynote: Rohit Bhargava on The Seductive Myth Of Brand Storytelling: Why Some Stories Work And Most Don’t

3-5pm at Thomson Reuters: Keynote: Jeremy Gilley, Founder of Peace One Day followed by Panel: Should we occupy Occupy Wall Street?

3-5pm at JWT: Harnessing the Power of Social Content for Advertisers

3-5pm at Big Fuel: Edial Dekker on The Rise of the New Sharing Economy followed by The Trust Economy

3-6pm at Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness: Alternative Funding for Healthcare Innovation followed by Crossing the Chasm: Healthcare Innovation Matchmaking Session

4:30-5:30pm at Hearst: In the Twitter Kitchen: A Cookie Bake-off

5-6pm at Edelman Worldwide: My Social TV App Thinks I’m My Dad: Privacy Issues In The Age of Convergence

6-8pm at JWT: How and Why We Share: The Seven Deadly Sins of Social Media

6:30-8pm at Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness: Networking Reception with Sanofi US Innovation Challenge

Enjoy the lineup and we’ll see you Thursday!

LinkedIn In Action: Where To See Them at SMWNYC

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Nicky Yates

You already knew them, so they didn’t need much of an introduction; but last week we announced LinkedIn as a partner for SMWNYC. And because we think they know a thing or two about social media, being the largest professional network and all, you should catch them in action. Here are their three sessions for SMWNYC:

Interested in creating social change? Then register for Crowdsourcing Human and Monetary Capital for Social Impact on Wednesday, February 15 at 1:30pm at our Social & Environmental Change Hub.

With an A-list lineup, hear Rachael Chong of CatchAFire, Charles Best of DonorsChoose.org, Anthony De Rosa, Social Media Editor at Reuters, and Meg Garlinghouse at LinkedIn for Good chat how to create innovative channels for individuals to make a difference in the world and the challenges that still exist for nonprofits and social impact.

More interested on B2B? Then don’t miss We’re All Social Now: Why B2B Marketers Can Get With the Conversation Thursday, February 16 at 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM at our Business & Innovation Hub, hosted at Ogilvy. Explore the kind of differentiated marketing programs leading companies are putting into place and lay out the new roadmap for engaging followers in a B2B world with John Bell, Global Managing Director of Ogilvy; Ethan McCarty, Sr Manager of Digital and Social Strategy at IBM; Paul Taylor at the FT; and Jonathan Lister of LinkedIn.

Then, close out your week, with The LinkedIn Difference: How Brands Are Building Deep Connections with Professionals on Friday, February 17 at 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM at our Advertising & Marketing at JWT. Dale Durrett of LinkedIn will lead a discussion on how top brands are at the leading edge by marketing on LinkedIn and some of the emerging tools they’re using.

While you already know about it, everyone should check out Reid Hoffman, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of LinkedIn on The StartUp of You: A revolutionary new guide to thriving in today’s fractured world of work on Friday, February 17 at 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM at our Business & Innovation Hub at Bloomberg. Reid will highlight his book and the best practices of Silicon Valley start-ups. Plus, the first 100 guests will receive a complimentary copy of The Start-up of You!

New Events Added to SMWNYC

Posted on February 7, 2012February 7, 2012 by Nicky Yates

As we’re finalizing our robust schedule for SMWNYC, we realize some of our newer events might be overlooked. And to ensure you know all that’s happening and don’t miss a thing, we’re here to update you on these events. We think you’ll like ’em:

How to Create Facebook Custom Pages Workshop: Learn how a ‘custom’ Facebook Page can help you stand out.

Making government listen: Using Web 2.0 technology to revolutionize how we communicate with our government: Technology offers a powerful opportunity for empowerment and tech makes government more transparent and accountable.

The Agency of the Future: Hosted by our Global Supporting Sponsor, Ogilvy, we’ll discuss what new skills are needed and how they apply across key marketing and communications industries — social tv, social CRM, mobile and video distribution.

Fixing Health From the Outside In: Explore case studies on Ford’s collaboration with Healthrageous, Weight Watchers impact on “diabesity,” and Jawbone’s entry into health.

The LinkedIn Difference: How Brands Are Building Deep Connections with Professionals: Join our local sponsor, LinkedIn, for a discussion focusing on how top brands are at the leading edge by marketing on LinkedIn and hear about some of the emerging tools they’re using to carve out a significant presence on the platform.

Networking Reception with Sanofi: Sanofi and the Data Design Diabetes team invite you connect and collaborate with the next generation health tech innovators.

Fireside Chat: The Creative Social Revolution – What in the world is going on?: Join our fireside chat discussing what was breakthrough/groundbreaking in Health and Wellness this year.

Biomarkers, Technology, and Age-Reversal: Help us explore the case of Grateful Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow, who engaged in a four-month experiment to turn back the clock on decades of drinking hard, smoking, and eating a lot of processed food.

Power to the Patient: What does it mean to be a patient in 2012? Or rather, an e-patient? Join us as we debate.

Guardian Interview with Jalak, sponsored by Nokia: Don’t miss our Global Media Partner, The Guardian, as they interview one of our keynotes, Jalak Jobanputra, up close and personal.

Food + Tech: With a growing number of startups entering the food startup community, it’s not only difficult to differentiate yourselves, but also monetize your ideas. We’ll dine and chat- join us.

Buddy Media Cocktail Mixer: Cocktails. Buddy Media. Need we say more?

My Social TV App Thinks I’m My Dad: Privacy Issues In The Age of Convergence: TVs are rarely personal devices. So how do you make sure that Mom and Dad’s Cinemax movies aren’t posted to their kid’s Facebook walls? Let’s talk privacy.

More than “Likes” Can Say: Join Microsoft, as they’ve assembled a panel of people who can show and tell how people’s activities and contributions online can contribute to a better overall web experience – in some very unexpected ways!

Covering the 2012 Election Socially: With NYT, Washington Post, and CNN, this panel discussion will focus on how social media is changing the way we’re reporting the presidential election this year.

Guardian Interviews Don, sponsored by Nokia: Global Media Partner gets to know our global keynote from Canada, Don Tapscott.

We’re All Social Now: Why B2B Marketers Can Get With the Conversation: How do B2B marketers adjust their strategies? Is there a difference in the way workers interact with their professional versus personal networks online? This panel will explore the kind of differentiated marketing programs leading companies are putting into place and lay out the new roadmap for engaging followers in a B2B world.

Social Media Week’s Opening VIP Reception Hosted by Nokia: Our invite-only special opening party.

Reflecting on 2012 Grammys Digital Partnerships, Social Media and Innovation: Following the 54th GRAMMY Awards, Beverly Jackson of the GRAMMY team will head to NYC to recap the Social, Digital, and Mobile initiatives that went into planning and executing the award ceremony this year – What did and didn’t work?

We all have Influence Somewhere: The Next Great Social Media Transformation: Kred CEO Andrew Grill and a panel of senior marketers will discuss the science and philosophy behind Influence, and why used properly it is an essential tool for building rich engagements and brand loyalty.

BtoB’s New York NetMarketing Breakfast: This breakfast will feature a panel discussion between B2B marketing executives on how they’re using social media ato drive response and the tactics and tools that are working from them.

Leveraging online platforms to inspire social good: Hear from experts on how they’re taking control and making a difference in the world through their use of the internet to leverage the power of community.

Rich Media Stories: Presenting case summaries from leading brands we will demonstrate how they are using rich experiences to make their social outreach more tangible, meaningful and valuable.

Getting to the Meat of the Tweet Redux (The Meatier and Tweetier Sequel): Applying Big Data Analytics to Social Media Data, Hosted by Opera Solutions: We’ve assembled some of the best to discuss what’s state-of-the-art for applying Big Data analytics to social media data and what it all could mean for business, politics, government, and the rest of us.

Keynote: Howard Lindzon followed by Panel: The Evolution of Reg-FD: How Social Media Has Changed Investor Relations, Hosted by StockTwits: Howard Lindzon is founder and CEO of StockTwits. Howard will share insights on how firms can best leverage social media to enhance investor communications, followed by corporate communications leaders sharing their experience.

Maintaining Authenticity and Transparency: How Financial Advisors Are Using Social Media to Build their Business, Hosted by Actiance: Listen to case studies that show how financial advisors are using social to build their book of business, and discover these industry leaders’ predictions on where the industry is headed in 2012.

Retail Banking Redux: Can Social Media Create a New Paradigm?: At this event, we describe how social media, particularly Foursquare and Facebook, increases consumer loyalty and the bottom line.

Social Media HAS Changed the World: With The Red Cross and DonorsChoose, this panel takes a look at how non-profits are using social media to get the word out about their specific programs and to listen to the problems facing a community.

With events like these, you don’t want to waste any time. Register today- and tell your friends! We’re looking forward to seeing you in 6 days!

An Interview with Stephen Bates, Oracle Public Sector Director of Business Strategy, on Social Media, Public Companies, and Advice for CEOs

Posted on February 6, 2012February 5, 2013 by Lisa Chau

Stephen Bates is the Director of Business Strategy for Oracle Public Sector, one of the largest technology companies in the world. In this role, he drives program capture to enlarge Oracle’s hardware and software footprint within DoD, Federal Civilian agencies, Canada, and both state and local.

sebartwork — Stephen Bates, twitter: @batess

Q. What is the general consensus among public companies regarding social media?

SB: Most publicly traded companies have fairly well defined guidance regarding the use of social media. As you know, publicly traded companies are regulated by the SEC regarding disclosure of material information. There is necessary due diligence that must be done regarding public communications. More and more companies are discovering social media as a way to harness their internal intellectual capital, but the free two-way exchange of information via social media remains a concern for a variety of reasons. Most companies will use social media as a marketing tool, allowing them to carefully craft both message and the medium. Others do an extraordinary job of customer service through Twitter (think Starwood Preferred Guest, Zappos, American Express, and JetBlue).

Q. Who are the CEOs who embrace social media?

SB: Aaron Stout has a list of Fortune 500 CEOs on Twitter.

Michael Hyatt, Tony Hsiesh, Scott McNealy, Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch, Mark Cuban, Jack Welch, Sir Richard Branson, Schmidt, Tim O’Reilly, Fred Wilson.

The WSJ ran an article recently in the Careers section discussing the decline of resumes. Union Square Ventures, headed by Fred Wilson, simply asked prospective candidates to send them links to their web presence. I would imagine Klout scores weighing more heavily in future job prospects.

Q. Who would you like to see using social media?

SB: Firms that are customer-focused. I would love to see Jeff Smisek of United. There are HIGH RISKS, however. Consider the following:

CEOs are busy people with tons of demands on their time.

The stakes are high. If you make a mistake, you can end up in the front page of the Wall Street Journal. And not in a good way.

Financial risk makes it tricky to talk about meaningful drivers to the business (the SEC doesn’t take kindly to potential insider information).

Twitter is hard to learn, so learning “on the job” — while the world is watching — can be unnerving.

Q. What are best practices for firms to leverage social media?

SB: Be personal. American Express is superb at this. They put a name to their company Twitter account. The Army CIO-G6 also does this; she tweets herself unless tweets are prefaced by “staff.”

Be consistent across all forms of social media.

Be timely and accurate.

Q. You worked as a General Manager at Apple for four years. What are your thoughts about Apple and social networking?

SB: If you recall, Apple wanted to partner with FB, but Mark Z’s terms and conditions were too onerous (See the 7 Nov 11 cover of Forbes magazine.) Apple wanted to buy Dropbox, and while not social, it did round out the ecosystem. Look at how deeply Twitter is embedded into the iOS. Phil Schiller tweets, but Steve Jobs did not nor did Tim Cook. Speculation on Apple’s future product plans is generally a fool’s errand.

Q. What do you see as the next big revolution in social media?

SB: Social overtaking and/or disrupting search. Search will be social. And the marketing metrics will get tighter and more effective. Look at Klout, ComScore, ListenLogic, Radian6 as examples of increasing measurement, but for business and consumer.

Q. Will Facebook exist in 5 years?

SB: Absolutely, but mainly due to the lack of a credible alternative. I had high hopes for Google+, but I think Timeline was such game changer that few are going to make a similar such an investment in Google+, at least in the short term. That may change in the longer term for those that don’t have such an investment in FB.

Q. If you were hired as the CEO for a startup social media company, what are the first three key issues you would address?

SB: A CEO has two major priorities: Set strategic vision and focus on talent. Delegate everything else to your top managers. Do I have enough projected capital to execute my strategic vision while paying above market rates for my employees? If not, how do I raise and what is the appropriate debt and equity structure? What’s my exit plan? Are my metrics meaningful? Are my employees as fanatically devoted to customer service as I am to them? I spend quite a bit of time in the hiring andvetting process and would train managers accordingly. Employee churn kills companies.

Lisa Chau has been involved with Web 2.0 since graduate school at Dartmouth College, where she completed an independent study on blogging. She was subsequently highlighted as a woman blogger in Wellesley Magazine, published by her alma mater. Since 2009, Lisa has worked as an Assistant Director at the Tuck School of Business. In 2012, she launched GothamGreen212 to pursue social media strategy projects. Follow her on twitter.

Linking It All Together- LinkedIn & SMWNYC

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Nicky Yates

More than 100 million users representing over 200 countries around the world. The largest professional social network. Yes, we’re talking about LinkedIn.

This year, SMWNYC is very excited to have LinkedIn on board as one of our official sponsors. What does this mean for you? Well, two pretty big things.

1. They help it all be possible- and free. Thanks to the generous support from our sponsors and partners- just like LinkedIn- events hosted directly by Social Media Week are free to attend and events hosted in conjunction with Social Media Week are primarily free or significantly subsidized. That’s a big plus.

2. They’re going all-in to bring some serious content and quality to our program. How? Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman, is keynoting. And you can see him. Catch him Friday, February 17th from 8:30-9:30am at our Business & Innovation Hub at Bloomberg. He’ll be discussing how professionals- aka, you- can accelerate their careers by acting more like a start-up. Why? Well, you have to come to his session to find out. While Reid Hoffman’s keynote is a great addition, LinkedIn isn’t stopping with his session. We’ll have more information next week, but you can rest assured, LinkedIn is bringing their A-game to SMWNYC.

And did you know Reid Hoffman recently released his book, The Start-up Of You? It highlights the best practices of Silicon Valley start-ups and how you can apply them to your professional life, including how to adapt your career plans, develop a competitive advantage, and strengthen your professional network. The best part? The first 100 guests to his keynote on Friday, 2/17, will receive a complimentary copy.

Now, if you aren’t regularly using LinkedIn, you should go check it out. It’s grown tremendously in the past two years and the services it’s been rolling out are phenomenal. From their news platform LinkedIn Today to their latest app, Cardmunch, which scans your business cards and adds the information to your contacts, it’s a company worth being well-acquainted with. Join us in welcoming LinkedIn to the SMWNYC family, keep up with them on Twitter, and meet their team Friday, 2/17.

Leveraging LinkedIn to Land a Job-Job: Part 2 of 2

Posted on December 19, 2011December 19, 2011 by Greg Bodenlos

This is the sequel to Leveraging LinkedIn to Land a Job-Job: Part 1 of 2.

Let’s bring it all together and take a closer look at my favorite LinkedIn Boot Camp infographic (unleash your inner tech-geek!). I hope you’ll find a few hidden gems of insight in this follow-up companion piece.

SAN ANSELMO, CA - JANUARY 27: In this photo i... — Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Point #4 – Muscle Toning: Spice Up Your Image – I couldn’t agree more with this point. Your profile should be direct about who you are, what you’re about, and how you can help out others with your expertise, but it also needs to exude some personality. While LinkedIn is championed constantly as the professional networking site, too often people shy away from injecting their own personal flavor into their profile. Think about this from a future client or employer’s perspective: Would you really want to hire an employee that comes across bland or uninteresting? I think not.

Point #5 – Hand-to-Hand Combat: Recommend Others – In college when I first started evangelizing the site, I was all about asking for recommendations; it’s one of the prerequisites to a “100% complete” LinkedIn profile. These days, I see recommendations as a “nice to have” but not imperative component of your profile. Save the asking for recommendations until you’ve cleared the other hurdles listed here.

Point #6 – Heavy Lifting: Join Groups – Once you’ve hit those most important items, joining groups is key in staying actively engaged beyond passive management and updating of your profile. Joining groups will put you in touch with professionals in your field and will help you build your reputation as a thought-leader. Use groups to grow your organic sphere of influence.

Point #7 – Self Awareness: Add Your Company Profile – A very easy-to-do, however largely forgotten, art-form on the site. Linking to your company profile not only gives your business some nice promotion, but more imperatively, augments your portfolio with more meaty substance as you link to a (hopefully) credible business that has (ideally) a similarly robust and frequently-updated LinkedIn company profile page.

Photo credit: Jasper Johns, courtesy cliff1066 on Flickr.com

Point #8 – Target Practice: Optimize Your Search Rankings – Like many SEO best practices, this exercise involves a bit of messy, educated guesswork and is difficult to drill down to a science. That said, looking to optimize your search rankings with a nifty-sounding, keyword-heavy (though no black-hat SEO practices, please…that will directly violate Point #4, above) headline, as well as with current work experience, past work experience, summary and specialities makes total sense.

Point #9 – Special Weapons: Add Applications – Similar to the recommendations section, the applications are nice bells-and-whistles to enhance your profile once all of the “heavy lifting” is done. Nevertheless, many of the LinkedIn applications available are terrific ways to promote your work and improve visitor experience when checking out your profile.

I’ll close with this piece as I did with my first post, which is to say: I hope that this was helpful to all of you savvy, social networkers out there. Here’s to heading over to LinkedIn and optimizing all of the resources available to you!

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Greg is a motivated Cornell University Hotel School alumnus, affectionately known as a Hotelie for life, with keen interests in social and digital marketing for hospitality and lifestyle brands. He’s passionate about sales and marketing in the hospitality industry, specifically as it relates to the dynamic online space. In his free time, Greg obsesses over growing his musical intellect (both modern and past-time artists apply), tennis, and running skills. Check out his lifestyle blog covering these topics at http://www.thesocialsonictraveler.wordpress.com.

Leveraging LinkedIn to Land a Job-Job: Part 1 of 2

Posted on December 9, 2011December 8, 2011 by Greg Bodenlos

I’d like to offer some point-counterpoint commentary on a topic matter that currently occupies a lot of my physical and mental energy consumption: how to optimally leverage your LinkedIn network to land, as I affectionately like to call a “full-time position with benefits.” A Job-Job. While I am currently enjoying my flexible schedule freelancing for various Manhattan start-ups as both social media strategist and sales manager, I am really after that Job-Job. As a social media enthusiast, I am hell-bent on finding ways to optimize my usage of LinkedIn to get ahead and land that ideally suited position.

I recently stumbled upon a really interesting infographic (because seriously, what infographics have you come across that weren’t interesting?) billed as the LinkedIn Boot Camp (praise you Mashable and Pete Cashmore!). It immediately sparked a barrage of pre-conceived opinions I possessed about this social networking site. I decided to take the time to offer a bit of a point-counterpoint analysis on this, largely spot-on piece outlining nine ways to best take advantage of the site’s functionality and features. Note: please excuse the somewhat corn-ball ‘boot camp’ metaphors that each point leads with; they were MindShare.com’s, not this author’s, choice of vernacular.

Point #1 – Core Conditioning: Completing Your Profile – This is a no-brainer, baseline action item that you should check-off your LinkedIn To Do list as soon as possible. From an SEO perspective, completing your profile in full is a crucial component of managing your own personal brand. To be more transparent, as the infographic accurately points out, your LinkedIn profile will consistently index as a top 5, first page search result when you, or more importantly, potential clients and future employers, “Google you” in search for more information on your background. So get on this…pronto!

Point #2 – Endurance: Connect with Everyone – I’m not sure that I fully agree with this. Yes, direct connections are integral to building your network and, in turn, would presumably improve your ability to leverage said network for both business lead generation and professional opportunities. That said, you should not dismiss the very clearly stated message that LinkedIn champions each and every time you reach out to ‘LinkIn’ with someone (yes, the term has become a verb); that is, it is notbest practice to connect with someone you do not know at all or, more specifically, someone who has very little to do with the professional space that you occupy. Every generic, rather innocuous LinkedIn invitation that I receive from someone I have never met in my life just makes me feel like I’m being ambushed by some obnoxious telemarkterer. So unless you have some affinity for bantering with telemarketing folk, I would steer clear of this spammy-practice.
Image by Christopher S. Penn via Flickr

Point #3 – Guns & Ammo: Customize Your URL and Websites – Like point #1, this is another ‘no-brainer’ that needs to be at the very top of your To Do checklist, not only for SEO purposes but for ensuring that your profile maintains a clean look and feel. After all, you are the keeper and protector of your own personal brand, a brand that I contend is the most important out there (lo siento Starbucks…).

Hope these first three points were a helpful start to all of you savvy, social networkers out there. Here’s to hoping your next step is your LinkedIn page. Stay tuned for the second half of this point-counterpoint LinkedIn discussion…

I’m a motivated Cornell University Hotel School alumnus, affectionately known as a Hotelie for life, with keen interests in social and digital marketing for hospitality and lifestyle brands. I’m very passionate about sales and marketing in the hospitality industry, specifically as it relates to the dynamic online space. In my free time, I obsess over growing my musical intellect (both modern and past-time artists apply), tennis, and running practice.