Category Archives: Events

Twenty Questions Regarding Social Government Business

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OMNI Hotel at CNN Center

Today is officially day one of the ALI Social Media for Government Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. This morning, I went around the room of about 40 attendees to ask them what questions they have as they attend this event and what they expect to learn. I jotted down the questions with the promise to make sure everyone has an answer or at least a place to go to, to get more information if no quick answer exists.

I can haz a question

To help this group get their questions answered, I am putting this list out to my social networks to share in the conversation. I ask of you, if you have a presentation, story, anecdote, or anything else to share to help answer these questions, please do so in the comments below and pass on this blog post to your circle to continue to build the answers to this list of twenty questions. If you have the answer to the question, in your comment, please put the question number and then your answer. If possible, please link liberally to more information. While this is a Government audience, I think we can agree that no matter what industry you are in, these are universal problems. I have been able to answer some of these questions in the little time I have as chair between sessions and hope to discuss others at the end of each day. Tomorrow morning, I present another session in which I hope to focus on the Return on Investment (ROI) of Social Media.

When I get enough information to complete the answers to the Q, I will take that into a permanent page on my website as a continued resource that I can bring out and refresh now and again. I thank you in advance for your time.

Here are the questions I culled from the group:

  1. How can I get/use an editorial calendar to manage my social media content?
  2. How can I get my peers onboard, get excited, or keep their interest with using social media?
  3. How can I enhance my blogs with Twitter and Facebook?
  4. How can I create a group blog and make it a successful one?
  5. How can I get past management’s reluctance to embrace social media as another content outlet for our information?
  6. How can I put social media policies or create guidelines for management of social media into place?
  7. What else should my organization be doing in social media besides a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube?
  8. What are some of the best practices available?
  9. How do I get the most bang for my buck?
  10. How can I do effective measurement and analytics, how do I measure twitter?
  11. How do I handle all my daily requirements and run our social media presence? It’s just me! How do I manage this monster?
  12. How to I bring IT on board and convince them social media is not an evil thing?
  13. What is the most effective way to cross-broadcast our information using multiple social media channels?
  14. How do I address the generation and cultural gaps of my target audience?
  15. How do I shift the paradigm from email to social?
  16. How do I reach my rural constituents when they might not even be web connected?
  17. How do I boost the effects of Follow Friday or other audience gathering techniques?
  18. How do I select the right tools for the job/audience?
  19. How do I maintain success once I achieve it?
  20. What is the next big thing/trend in social?

September 2011 Speaking Engagements and More

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Photo Courtesy of PeterP Photography

September has been a busy month for me, so I would be remiss if I didn’t share with my readers what I have been up to, where I have been speaking and where I will be speaking.

Last week (September 11-13) I gave back to back 2 hour presentations on the “Social Business Roadmap” and “How to Conduct a Social Business Assessment“, both were based on a whitepaper I wrote with my colleague at AIIM International this past March 2011. These presentations were part of the #Optsum conference in Glendale, Arizona. It was a beneficial trip from the networking connections I met at the conference over lunches. It was also beneficial to me on a personal level because I got to reconnect over the two days with former Army buddies. I drove from Glendale to Tucson for the first visit, my former roommate Andria and the next night in Glendale with my friend Gian and his family. As much as in the desert you can get that Glendale is, I found my stay enjoyable as the Renaissance Hotel is right next to a fun little town center called Westgate and my hotel room had a stone’s throw view of University of Phoenix Stadium, where the Cardinals played their opener.

As always, I post my presentations to Slideshare.net and I let my attendees know where they can get the materials. I do from time to time tweak the presentations to be specific to audience, but the ones I post to slideshare fill the general conversation spectrum.

This week I am in Atlanta, Georgia for the Social Media in Government Conference where I not only ran a workshop on Monday, but I am the Chair of the event for the first time. I have spoken for the ALI Conferences in the past for Social Media in Government, but this is my first chair. I feel very comfortable in this role as I have chaired other events, as well as had my share of event planning. The conference is being held in the Omni at CNN Center which is a quite an impressive venue. I am hoping I could run into Wolf or Piers in the hallways.

I am also grateful this event is in Atlanta where my sister lives real close, so I have been able to stay with her and bond with my nephew. As I am a Maryland resident, Atlanta is 11 hours away from me and so seeing my family and watching my nephew grow into a little man has been at least easier through social media. I am thankful technology keeps us connected. However, since this is only about the 6th time I have seen him and him me, having him remember who I am to him or who I am at all at 2.5 years old is a learning process every visit. Each time I see him, by the time he warms up to me, it is time to leave town.

I will be rounding out the end of this week in NYC for a project I hope I can be a part of and share with you about sometime soon.

Next week, I will be speaking on Social Media Return on Investment at Digital East from September 28-29, with my colleague at SMCDC Former President Larissa Fair.

After that, I plan to slow down a little and take a much needed vacation in October back to the West Coast for time with our family and friends in California.

It’s FOSE Time Again

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The FOSE Conference & Expo is returning to Washington, DC, July 19-21 – are you planning to attend? I am, I can’t tell you how many times I have attended in recent years, as the conference circuit is quite a blur from one to the next. However, I always know when it is time for FOSE because it is THE biggest event in the Washington DC area for the Federal Government IT. As a US Army veteran and former consultant to the Government industry, this was a must do event every year for me. This year, I will be there again in support of Operation Gratitude and for my organization’s booth – AIIM International.

If you stop by our booth (number 505), you can ask Jesse Wilkins, who also will be speaking on Social Media Governance on the 20th at 1:30pm or myself about our Social Business Roadmap. In fact, if you head over to Jesse’s blog post about the event, you can enter to win a free full conference pass.

If you’ve never been to FOSE before, then make 2011 the year you attend! There’s a reason (several, actually) why it’s the top government IT event in the country. FOSE features a FREE Expo with education sessions and over 400 IT solution providers, including Blackberry, Canon and Dell. Another excellent reason to attend FOSE: Apple founder Steve Wozniak will be one of this year’s keynote speakers!

This year’s Conference features advanced level sessions and keynotes across 5 tracks, including:

 

Interested in attending FOSE? Register today at http://bit.ly/FOSE20Reg for a 20% discount off the full conference rate!

The Social Business Conference is just 2 Months Away

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Two months from now we will be bringing you the Social Business Conference on September 8, 2011 presented by AIIM. The event has three tracks for the best content and information under use cases, strategy, and governance, with some of the best minds in Social Business.

Since June, we have been talking to our presenters as we gear up for the event with a series of blog post interviews. We wanted to know what they will be sharing with our audience of attendees and what other things they have in the work regarding social business. Our most recent interviews have been with:

Tracks:
  • Strategies
  • Use Cases
  • Governance
Cost to Attend:
  • Members – $85
  • Non-members – $95

What’s Included?

  • Access to all sessions during the live event
  • 1 month access to all recorded presentations
  • 6.0 credits for Certified Records Managers (event is pre-approved)

Who Should Attend?

The 1-day virtual conference is for people tasked with implementing social technologies, such as:

  • IT staff tasked with identifying and implementing the appropriate solution to engage staff, partners or staff
  • Line of business managers interested in redefining customer relationships, knowledge worker productivity and innovation.
  • Information and records management professionals tasked with managing information assets and records
  • Solution and service providers interested in learning more about how to implement and manage social technologies

Questions?

For all questions related to the conference or registration, please contact gclelland@aiim.org.

Check out the AIIM Communities blogs for more interview from now until the event is live on September 8, 2011. You can also follow our special event hashtag on twitter #sbcon11. We have been using this hashtag to post information regarding this event and we will be using it the day of to keep an open back-channel of conversation relating to the event.

How IT Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Facebook

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This post was previously posted on the AIIM Community Blogs/Social Business
In just a little under 3 months’ time, AIIM will be presenting ourAIIM Social Business Conference, a virtual event – September 8, 2011. The entire event will be conducted online from presenter to participant. A 6-hour event, this conference is different from Social Business and Enterprise 2.0 events of traditional participation.  It is different due to the excellent price (just $85 for professional AIIM membership and $95 for General Participations) and the high caliber of presenters, such as our Keynotes Andrew McAfee, David Weinberger, and Debra Logan. We have speakers from all lines of business such as fortune 500 companies, non-profits, and Government.
You will not find a conference with this much to offer, speakers so experience and knowledgable, and the convenience to attend from your home or office for such a little price. In this economy, you can learn, network and share for under $100. How’s that for justification to your management? You will be up on the latest information, find new contacts all for less of a traditional conference where you would have to spend time in airports, taxis, and hotels.
I as well as my supervisor, Director of Systems of Engagement Jesse Wilkins and our AIIM President John Mancini will all be giving presentations. Jesse and I have been working hard to ensure this program is not only beneficial in content, but timely to those who take the time to participate. We wanted to present a schedule of content that is relevant to our community and extends to those we have not touched yet. Social Business is a growing term, but the practice is still nascent amongst organizations of all types. We want to reach these organizations to understand that community management, customer and brand engagement, and knowledge management is not just for the traditional corporate culture. Organizations such as churches, educational institutions, online communities, entertainment, non-profits, and more also have social business needs.
Our event focus covers a wide spectrum of information under three main tracks of strategies, use cases, and governance.  Within each track we have found some of the best international examples of Social Business in practice. We cover a various amount of experience and examples in this program all of which I believe support the Social Business Roadmap we released back in March of this year. The 8 steps of our roadmap are reinforced within this conference are: Emergence, Strategy, Development, Monitoring, Participation, Engagement, Governance, and Optimization.

We believe in Governance so much, we are dedicating an entire track to it to focus on some of the most relevant discussions to cover your organizational needs. My session specifically, How IT Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Facebook, covers not only the concerns IT has for Facebook traditionally, but how to overcome common concerns and issues and use social business technologies to the organization’s benefit. IT does not have to be a hindrance; it can be one of your biggest champions.
Overall, I believe there is something for everyone in this event. Whether you are new to Social Business or have been involved with it before it was identified with the name, you will find a reason to attend. We also want to make sure our potential participants understand this event is for all levels of your career as well as for the various departments with your organization. Consider passing this blog and the link to the event to your internal departments, such as HR, Finance, Legal, and especially IT. We would love to reach these departments especially. The myth is that you have to be social media savvy to understand and embrace social business as a practice. Another myth is that you have to be a millennial. You do not have to be either. You just have to attend, you will be enlightened.

 

At Work with AIIM: 5 month update

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Tomorrow (June 17, 2011 — considered to be the happiest day of the year by some), I will have been employed with AIIM for 5 months. Its been quite a rush of work so far. In my first 2 months at AIIM, I did not take a single weekend off as I was working on developing the Social Business Roadmap, which we released in March 2011. We hope that as this year continues, we see more and more businesses and organizations take something away from this whitepaper, as we see it as THE guide for those who wish to adopt social media into their organization to better connect with their community.

Since releasing the whitepaper, we have traveled and blogged in support of our research and are still supporting that with our participation at the Enterprise 2.0 Conference next week in Boston, MA. My boss, Director Systems of Engagement, Jesse Wilkins and I will be at the AIIM booth (#521) on the expo floor where we will be happy to talk with you about your ideas of Enterprise 2.0, Social Business, and what ever is coming next.

At AIIM we also are in the works of  TaskForce II headed up by Andrew McAfee. The father of Enterprise 2.0 and keynote at this 5th year of the #e2conf.  We are working to define the responsible use of social content with some brilliant minds. We last met in person in Boston back in April and we are continuing to develop our research and discussions. As you might know, the first AIIM TaskForce with Geoffrey Moore was a huge success in defining that we have moved from Systems of Records to Systems of Engagement. As such, my position at AIIM was identified and I am now working hard to fulfill my every growing task load. It been challenging at times, but its also very much something that requires the amount of energy I have and my experience.

Now that we have delivered on setting guidance on the roadmap, I have to major projects underway. One is that I am working on developing part of our new Social Business training offerings. I am working on a community management set of modules that I am very excited about and we will be releasing to our community members this summer. The second, is our Social Business Conference this September 8, 2011. This event is unique in that it is completely virtual and our cost is very affordable for our members and non-members at the price points of $85/$95 respectively. I challenge you to find a better deal anywhere else that offers the stellar lineup of speakers and content. I will also be speaking at this event, under the Governance track. We are offering three tracks for the best content and information under use cases, strategy, and governance.

As the event is less than three months away now, I have started a  series of blog post interviews of those who are presenting at the event, so far we have heard from:

… more to come with a new interview every Monday and Wednesday until the event is live on September 8, 2011.

Sign up now to register for this event. This event is for all levels of engagement of social media and social business. Whether you are new or an old pro there is something for you to hear. Additionally this is also for all target audiences from non-profits, to educators, to Government, to the fortune 500, to small business. We want you to attend, network, and share with us your stories.

 

Event: Understanding Metrics & Measurement When It Comes To Social Media

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Thanks to the beauty of social networking and good contacts made within the DC Tech Scene — I have been asked to speak at the next NVTC Social Media Committee event on November 5, 2010. I look forward to this event and sharing my thoughts on how to understand the tools you are using and the “numbers” that are coming out of them. One new tool not mentioned that I have been looking into is KLOUT. A tool that measures influence and reach. As such my klout score currently is 33 { 1K true reach 17 amplification 54 network }

According to their means of measurement that makes me a Socializer:

You are the hub of social scenes and people count on you to find out what’s happening. You are quick to connect people and readily share your social savvy. Your followers appreciate your network and generosity.

Below are the details of the NVTC event if you would like to attend in person, this is the same day as GrowSmartBiz, in which I will be attending immediately after. I will be tweeting and taking pictures at GrowSmartBiz as a content generator. I don’t expect I will have an opportunity to do the same during my panel.  

Time:
7:30 a.m. Registration
8:00 – 9:30 a.m. Program

Understanding Metrics & Measurement When It Comes To Social Media

Social media is on everyone’s radar and if you aren’t already doing it, you are probably looking to start. When executing a social media plan, it is important to clearly define the metrics and objectives and agree on how to measure your efforts.

This panel will cover some of the questions on everyone’s mind:

  • How can I measure social media efforts?
  • What exactly should I be measuring?
  • How do I create measurable objectives?
  • How do I outline actionable metrics?
  • Can I define the metrics to quantify ROI?

Come learn how to take your social media objectives and create measurable metrics that demonstrate value. Some of the tools that will be discussed include Bit.ly, Google Analytics, Sitemeter, TweetStats, Twtpoll and more.

Moderator
Priya Ramesh, CRT/tanaka (@newpr)

Panelists

  • Andrea Baker, Director of Enterprise 2.0, Navstar, Inc. (@immunity/ @andreabaker)
  • Jack Holt, Sr. Strategist for Emerging Media, DOD (@jack_holt)
  • Brian Dresher, Director of Business Development, Mashable (@bdresher)
  • Susan Wade, Director of Corporate Communications, Network Solutions (@susan_w)

WIRe Conference 2010

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The World Intelligence Review (WIRe) will host its annual conference entitled, “Beyond Tools: Transforming Online Intelligence” on February 24-25, 2010 at the Gaylord National Hotel at the National Harbor, MD.

The goal of the 2010 WIRe conference is to propel the Intelligence Community (IC) beyond the static use of tools toward a more dynamic point of cultural transformation and repurposing of the ways that we utilize online intelligence. As we investigate the differences between how the IC and the rest of the world use social media, we will pinpoint best practices across the social networking spectrum and examine how constantly evolving Web and social media tools impact the intelligence mission.

Who Should Attend:
The 2010 WIRe conference will foster networking opportunities for members of the IC, Department of Defence (DoD), military, and academic communities, as well as Government contracting and industry representatives.

This event is completely unclassified.

Just announced: WIReCamp — a networking & open brainstorming session during the WIRe conference next week! Bring your fresh ideas 4 #gov20

This moderated networking event will take place during the conference between 12-5pm each day. I am looking forward to moderating the event. Hope you can come with your ideas.

I will be attending this event, always moving forward in making Government more efficient and less redundant.

I am also looking forward to seeing Dion Hinchcliffe and Marcia Conner speak as well as the progress for the Apps for the Army and IDEO presentations.

If you are in the United States Government, Contractor, or state or local… DHS included, please think about registering and attending. Its not too late.

A long needed Hiatus

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To my dear readers, subscribers, friends, and colleagues:

This is a very personal post and because I believe in transparency, I would like to share the following…

I have been anxious to get back to blogging, public speaking, and writing for some time. But as some of you might know if you follow my personal and semi-professional twitter feeds, that I have been dealing with a multitude of personal crisis which have for the moment subsided. This absence is the reason I was unable to attend Gov 2.0 Camp in LA, which I was really looking forward to attending.

In mid-December 2009, I decided to finally put my health first and get a Gastric Bypass (RNY). I have been struggling with weight issues since my honorable discharge from the Army in 1998. I am a disabled American Veteran and I had suffered multiple injuries while in service. As such, these injuries and the medicine to help me cope contributed to a weight gain I was unfamiliar with. I spent 2/3 of my life being mostly underweight. Encouraged by family to eat more — I was never a big eater.

In 2008, I learned I had developed Osteo-Arthritis in both of my knees not only as a result from carrying too much weight, but as a result of how physical I once was before all the injuries. My damage from the injuries were common for a woman who had been a runner/basketball player, as I was both before and after high school. In early 2009, I had learned I had multiple esophageal ulcers, a hernia, and GERD. All of which my doctors attributed to stress. Not to mention adding to the problems of comorbidity. I decided this was my final straw and the weight had to come off.

I started looking into Weight Loss Surgery in 2007. But all the surgeries seemed too severe. I tried again weight watchers and other online monitoring tools. I would lose some, but it always came back. In Spring 2009, I started seeing a professional nutritionist in McLean, whom I have recommended to others. She put me on the right track and got me ready for surgery.

Many of my friends have been asking me questions of my progress and asking for pictures. I promise you that is coming. I am planning a public reveal at the WIRe Conference next week at the Gaylord National on February 24-25. As of this post I am 43lbs lost at day 63 of recovery. I have already been fitting and wearing clothes I bought myself and never had a chance to wear.

In other news, my family has recently gone through a very sad loss. My Aunt Claudia Romeo, who was also my Godmother and very close to my heart passed away on February 7, 2010 after being summoned by the Angels to end her battle with Acute myeloid leukemia (AML). She was a careerist in the Foreign Service of the US State Department. Two weeks before her death, we were told that she would not be with us much longer and so during the first of the two snow storms, we were able to say our last goodbyes and tell her how much we loved her. The service for her memory was held this past Valentine’s Day at our family Church, Oxon Hill Lutheran. So please take a moment to kiss and hug your loved ones. They can never hear this enough.

All in all, you can tell that I have had a trying two months mentally, emotionally, and physically. I have been battling personal depression and weakness when it comes to dealing with my recovery and the loss of someone so close. Luckily, friends and colleagues have been so supportive in this time of confusion for me. I am also lucky that last year I met someone special in my life that finally can be a partner to me rather than just a boyfriend. So Joe Higgs, you have been a rock, a nurse, and a HUGE help when it comes to making life a little easier.

And back to my weight loss adventure and new life, an even MORE public reveal will be this year at SxSW in Austin, TX. I may not be able to indulge in the drinking and the BBQ (maybe just a taste), but I will be able to participate in many sessions and reconnect with the online relationships I have been fostering for years. So if you happen to be in Austin for Geek Spring Break as well, please come find me — I know it might be harder to spot me, since there is less of me to go around :)

I am now back to work full time (if snow days allow for it) and I am focused on a real busy spring in public appearances, writing, and working with my wonderful customers. So my sincerest apologies, if you have called, emailed or tweeted looking for me in the past two months. I look forward to renewing our connections.

NerdHerding for Fun and Profit

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Today I am in Denver and I am going to be speaking this afternoon about how to have fun with Community Management at Defrag. As much as it is a business, its not all stuffed shirts and processes.

I believe I was born to be a community manager. At some level at least. When I was younger, I used to be the one on my street that organized all the kids together in the games we would play. If I had my scanner and photo album here with me, I would be sharing pictures with you of a bunch of kids rein-acting the Beatles “Help” in her grandmother’s front yard.

In high school, I wasn’t a loner, I was a connector. I didn’t belong to one specific group (grits, yo’s, preps, or jocks). I had friends in all these circles, but I didn’t associate with any specifically. However, I was able to work with all of them to get things done. I learned how to produce videos from the ideas in my head, using my associations to get the finished product to air on local television.

In the Army, while stationed in Germany, I used the old spaces in our barracks basement to throw parties. We would have themes and the parties kept the soldiers on the base safe and without having to drink and drive.

After the Army I created my own music promotions company, Emerging Sounds. In which I helped bands connect with their fans and get noticed by major record labels. Which, I can proudly say, several of the acts I worked with did go on to get signed. Some with big successes.

In recent years, as a Government Contractor with Navstar, Inc, I have been a community manager in a real sense being able to work on the Intellipedia project.

Taking my life lessons learned, I have been able to observe how people interact with each other in person and online in much of the same way. My talk today is a glimpse into that world and the dance of the community manager.