We found this recent post by Justin Siefert especially interesting and valuable.  Not a day goes by where we aren’t having to defend our use and support of Twitter as a communications channel for our clients and for us, as a matter of fact.  Despite skepticism from late Twitter bloomers…end users are using this medium as a way to get info…and so are influencers.  Thanks for the insight, Justin…hope your eyes are better.

Event tweeting occurs quickly, especially if your point person is fed streams of information by multiple participants. The thoughts that people jot down may not even resemble proper tweet fodder, but don’t sweat it. When your client is tweeting about an event or conference, follow these simple tips to make sure their tweets are the center of attention and not another brief event mention.

1. Develop a tweet calendar based on the duration of the event.
   1. A minimum of two tweets per day is recommended: A tweet to start the day and a tweet to end the day
2. Craft your tweets around specific events or participants. For instance:
   1. What, if anything, is the client demoing or showcasing?
   2. Is your client speaking?
   3. Is your client exhibiting?
   4. Are there any panel sessions you want to draw attention to?
   5. Is the client introducing a new product or service?
   6. Is there anyone famous speaking at the event that will promote visibility of the event overall? For example, #MichaelJordan speaking at #VoiceCon may be a trending topic, but #AndrewEvangelista? Not so much…
3. Solicit instant updates from your people at the scene, if they aren’t able to tweet themselves. A couple of questions to get them started:
   1. What trends or hot topics are being talked about at the client’s booth and on the show floor?
   2. What’s the mood of the crowd?
   3. Anything exciting, surprising or particularly funny happen?

Hope these three tips help at your next event!

No, I can’t speak a lick of Latin, but I can convey a thought or two in 140 characters. When it comes to tweeting about their news and events, that’s all the real estate your clients will get to convey their message. To bring that size, or lack thereof, into perspective, my first two blog sentences are a total of 216 characters, well above the Twitter limit. That means you should put a lot of thought into making those 140 characters as impactful as possible.

Consider the title of this post. Let’s take the first part of the original Latin phrase and dissect it to add meaning and value: “Cogito,” which when translated into English means “I think.” I presume you care about Twitter since you’re reading this blog post, either for personal or professional gain, so I ask you to open a separate Internet tab and take a look at your personal Twitter feed. Of the dozen or so tweets on your page, what percentage shows a lack of foresight, care, or dare I say “thought”?

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Chris Heuer, Source: chrisheuer.com

It’s an unfortunate aspect of live as a grown up that sometimes you have to associate with people you don’t especially like.

That couldn’t be further from the truth with today’s Break through the Noise guest, Chris Heuer (and for that matter, this wife Kristie Wells, too).

He’s a genuine person who happens to be whip-smart when t comes to social media. And as a founder of Social Media Club, he really practices what he preaches.

[Listen]

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Today I had the pleasure of discussing how influence happens today and much more with Tom Foremski, the former Financial Times journalist, who now heads up Silicon Valley Watcher.

[Listen]

(Please pardon the technical difficulties, it gets better after it gets bad)

Harry McCracken, Source: HarryMcCracken.com

Today we’re thrilled to have Harry McCracken as our guest on our podcast, Break through the Noise.

I’m my opinion, Harry has one of the great Silicon Valley stories: Starting in the “traditional” media world to creating the blog Technologizer. I’ll be asking him about that part of his personal journal and a whole lot more.

[Listen]

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By Lyda Velez, Senior Associate

Tony La Russa, Source: Examiner.com

When I heard that St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa was suing Twitter over the claim that someone created an account under his name and sent out derogatory remarks that damaged his reputation and caused him “significant emotional distress,” I couldn’t help but wonder…

if Tony La Russa were my client, how would I have advised him to handle such a situation?

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Before you make a decision about investing marketing dollars in social media or social networking, you should understand the current “online footprint” for your company as well as your competitors. We’re offering to do a free Social Media Audit to gauge a company’s current profile in these channels as well as the potential for using social media to reach new and existing customers. We also take a look at competitors to see if they’re beating you to the punch.

 
Influence is taking place on social networks today. The question is, are you doing the influencing, or is your competitor?

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Source: dotnot

Twitter, Twitter, Twitter… it’s the place to see and be seen these days. And it can be an effective strategy for targeted efforts.

Here’s our 6 step guide:

1. Set up separate company Twitter account to use as the main channel. Be sure to customize the page.
2. Push press releases to your Twitter feed. Ideally, use a free tool to feed them in automatically. You’ll also want to highlight content on your Web site, such as whitepapers, promote coverage as well as your presence at tradeshows.
3. Make sure your target publications and analysts retweet your tweets by identifying them ahead of time and making sure you are following them. Many users automatically follow people who follow them to help manage their Twitter activity, so just by following the right people, there’s a good chance they’ll start following you.

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