Social Media Training - Recently Updated Pageshttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/pageSearch/updatedRecently Updated Pages on http://socialtraining.wetpaint.comen-usinfo@wetpaint.comTue, 20 May 2008 14:54:02 CDTTue, 20 May 2008 14:54:02 CDTwetpaint.com60Social Media Traininghttp://www.wetpaint.com/img/logo.gifhttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.comThe Social Media Training wiki provides a community-developed set of best practices for social media training. Covers cutting-edge topics including blogger relations, micro-blogging, podcasting and social media tools.Blogger Relationshttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Blogger+Relationsdavefleethttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Blogger+RelationsAdded links to blogger relations e-book and PR2.0 postTue, 20 May 2008 14:54:02 CDT The key to successful blogger relations is relationship-building. And out of that comes the need for respect and transparency.

While the UK's The National Union for Journalists (NUJ) has admitted its first full-time freelance professional blogger as a member, the majority of bloggers would perceive an out-of-context press release as spam and not know what to do with it, other than hit the delete key.

PRSpammers Wiki


Controversy erupted when Gina Traponi from the Lifehacker blog published a wiki to name and shame PR firms that "spam" bloggers.

Some of the people and publications that have weighed-in on this issue:
Alan Patrick - Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam
Blog World - Should Bloggers Blacklist PR Firms?
Brian Solis - Making Mistakes And Amends In Blogger Relations
Brian Solis - Dear Chris Anderson, An Open Letter To Make Things Right
Chris Anderson - Sorry PR People: You're Blocked
Chris Lynn - Unsubscribe Lifehacker: My Email To Gina Traponi
Chris Lynn - Gina Responds! And: About Yesterday's Post
Geoff Livingston - Dear Nasty Reporter/Blogger
Jason Falls - Why PR Folks Should Blacklist Bloggers
John Cass - Are Media Database Companies Complicit In PR Spamming?
Matt Haughey - Stop Asking, Start Filtering
Meg Roberts - A Young Pro's Take: Media Relations And The New PR Blacklists
PR Week - PR Blacklist Won't Fix Imperfect System
Robert French - PR Bludgeons Itself Again
Stowe Boyd - The Growing Backlash Against PR Spam, And The Rationale For MicroPR
Susan Getgood - Blogger Relations Tip: Check The Blog Before You Press Send
Todd Defren - Open Letter To Gina Traponi Of Lifehacker

Blogger Relations Tips

In response to the PRSpammers wiki, Todd Defren published a downloadable list of "7 promises" for PR professionals to adhere to when pitching bloggers. Good advice for everyone involved in blogger relations.

Brian Solis also published an e-book guide to blogger relations (available in PDF and MS Word formats).

Build Relationships Over Time

The most effective media relations campaigns are those based on relationships that have been developed with journalists over time. The same holds true for bloggers.

Whether these be through ongoing monitoring and comments in blogs that are key to your clients' interests, or meeting bloggers face to face at BarCamps, YULblog meetings or through other similar blogger networking opportunities, treating bloggers as individuals and getting to know them will go a long way towards being heard.

Get Involved In The Community

Ongoing involvement in the community goes hand-in-hand with building relationships with bloggers. Make a genuine effort to participate on relevant blogs, forums and other sites.

Blog yourself. Not only will this give you an appreciation of the commitment it takes to maintain a blog, it'll give you street cred. You're no longer an anonymous PR rep coming out of left field. You've put yourself out there, just like the bloggers you're trying to reach, with postings that can be reviewed and commented upon.

Know Who You're Pitching

Demonstrating that there is a direct link between a blogger's editorial line and your client's news item is a sign of respect that will be appreciated. This can be done by referring to a past posting in your pitch, or showing a clear awareness of the blogger's specific area of interest.

Beware of bulk, impersonal mailings. They won't work. What's more, missing your target can incur the wrath of the blogosphere, who will feel they have been spammed and that their time has been wasted. Instead, be sure you've understood what makes your individual blogger tick and bring him news that will be of direct interest to him.

Be Transparent

Let the blogger know who you are and what you're after. Explain that you're offering him the same access you'd offer a journalist : access to documentation, access to your spokespersons.

Blogger relations are time consuming, but getting visibility for your client in the blogs of influencers will create a viral effect that can translate into increased notoriety, goodwill and sales.

See Also:



]]>Using Social Media To Create Social Media Traininghttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Using+Social+Media+To+Create+Social+Media+Trainingdavefleethttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Using+Social+Media+To+Create+Social+Media+TrainingAdded blogger relations as a feature topicSun, 18 May 2008 19:46:47 CDTSocial media is quickly becoming a topic that no professional communicator can afford to ignore.

Promote the wiki on your site

This site explores social media training and provides a resource for those looking to evangelize social media in their organizations.

What should a 'Social Media 101' course cover? What tools should people be aware of? How should we use those tools? What are the pitfalls? What are the basics that everyone in your marketing/communications department should know?

In the spirit of social media, there's no better way to develop a curriculum for social media training than through a wiki. Let the collaboration begin!

Feature Topic: Blogger Relations


The online world has been abuzz this week with talk of PR people pitching bloggers after Gina Traponi (from the LifeHacker blog) set up the prspammers wiki. Some people - generally on the receiving end of pitches - bemoaned the lack of professionalism of the pitchers, while others - usually PR folks - took a more conciliatory tone.

For an overview of what's been said, tips on how to pitch bloggers and to contribute to this important topic, check out our blogger relations page.

Topics:

Philosophy

Training & development

Tools



RSS Feeds



]]>Eventshttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Eventsdavefleethttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/EventsTue, 15 Apr 2008 10:31:12 CDT

New Communications Forum 2008

What: NewComm Forum brings together thought leaders and decision makers from around the globe to discuss the impact of social media and new communications on media, marketing, journalism, PR and advertising, business, culture and society. NewComm Forum is not a typical conference and it’s definitely not “Blogging 101″. It provides an in-depth, hands-on exploration of the future of communications. In its four year history, it has come to be known as one of the world’s leading conferences focusing on the latest trends in new emerging media and communications platforms. NewComm Forum is designed to teach communications professionals the strategy and tactics to effectively utilize the power of new media and communications tools and trends.

Produced by the Society for New Communications Research, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) global think tank dedicated to the advanced study of the latest developments in media and communications
For more information, visit http://www.newcommforum.com or email us at info@sncr.org or call (650) 331-0083.

When: April 22-25, 2008
Where: - Vineyard Creek Hotel & Spa, Sonoma County, CA
Cost: $995.(Academic discounts available.)
Info: http://www.newcommforum.com

Add your event to the list!




]]>Useful Social Media Toolshttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Useful+Social+Media+Toolsdavefleethttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Useful+Social+Media+ToolsAdded twitter toolsMon, 07 Apr 2008 12:42:32 CDTRSS Readers:
Google Reader
Bloglines
Flock
Newsgator
Netvibes


Conversation Tracking:
Google Alerts
Google Blog Search
Technorati
Blogpulse

Blogging platforms:
Blogger (free, hosted)
WordPress.com (free, hosted)
WordPress.org (free, open-source, host your own)
TypePad (free, hosted)
Tripod
Tumblr (free, hosted)
Blogonize (free, hosted)
Chyrp (free, host-your-own)
Textpattern (free, open-source, host-your-own)
Movable Type (free, host-your-own)
Simplelog (free, host-your-own)


Monitoring Services:
Radian6 (paid)


Audio editing software:
Audacity (free)
MP3 encoder for Audacity (or other software)
WavePad (free or paid versions)

Podcast hosting:
Libsyn

RSS feed management:
Feedburner

Blog stats:
Google Analytics
BlogPerfume
Mint (paid)
MyBlogLog

Downloading YouTube videos:
iDesktop.TV
KeepVid

Video:
YouTube (sharing)
Dailymotion (sharing)
Seesmic (production/sharing/community)
Viddler (production/sharing/community)
Mogulus (live streaming/production/sharing/community)
Kyte (production/sharing/community)
Blip.tv
Vimeo (sharing/community)

 Social Bookmarking sites:del.icio.us
digg

Micro-Blogging Tools:

]]>Micro-Blogshttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Micro-BlogsMartinDianohttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Micro-BlogsMon, 07 Apr 2008 09:05:25 CDT What is Micro-Blogging?Micro-blogging is a form of blogging that allows users to write brief text updates (usually less than 140 characters) and publish them, either to be viewed by anyone or by a restricted group which can be chosen by the user. These messages can be submitted by a variety of means, including text messaging, instant messaging, e-mail, MP3 or the Web. (from Wikipedia)

What are the Main Micro-Blogging Platforms?


General Features

Micro-blogging is sometimes criticized for encouraging dull or meaningless posts, conveying the minutia of daily life, such as what the writer is eating, who the writer is waiting for, how far behind schedule the writer's flight is, and so on. This criticism, though, could be leveled at any communication tool, from longer-form blogging platforms to telephones to Post-It Notes. Not every bit of communication is riveting, but the potential for profundity and powerful prose is promising.

Additionally, the term micro-blogging, is perhaps more narrow than the true potential of the platform allows. For example, Twitter has often been compared to "time-shifted" instant messaging in which people can converse directly with quick messages without the need to be online together. Perhaps more common, Twitter can be compared with a chat room filled with only the people you choose to hear from, again without the need to be online at the same time -- although that's part of the fun.

Micro-blogging is what you make of it. The simplest way to think of the power of micro-blogging is to imagine tapping into the thoughts and lives of any number of people who have common interests, concerns, geography, hobbies or professions. You can:
  • Learn about new tools and ideas
  • Ask questions and receive immediate feedback, and
  • Develop a deeper understanding of the people with whom you connect online.

    Pros

    • Easy way to spread information quickly.

    Cons

    • Short message platform - not suitable for detailed or complex messaging


    Case Studies


    Background


    Twitter Tools


    ]]>    Social Media News Releasehttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Social+Media+News+Releasedavefleethttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Social+Media+News+ReleaseWed, 05 Mar 2008 20:22:58 CSTA "social media news release" (or "social media release" or "social media press release") takes advantage of the linking,multimedia and social media capabilities of the Web to make releases more reader-friendly and useful.

    Although traditional news releases can incorporate links and can include some multimedia elements, a social media news release aims to completely rethink the narrative, text-focused approach to news announcements.

    Social media news releases can appeal to any of three constituencies:
    • traditional journalists
    • bloggers/podcasters
    • and consumers/readers

    Background

    The origins of the social media news release can be traced back to Tom Foremski's 2006 post, Die Press Release, Die Die Die.

    Foremski called traditional news releases useless and artificial, and challenged the PR industry to rethink its strategies and adapt them to new realities, such as increasing disdain for "marketing clutter" and growing number of non-traditional publishing taking place on blogs and other Web sites.

    From Foremski:
    Here is my proposal:

    Deconstruct the press release into special sections and tag the information so that as a publisher, I can pre-assemble some of the news story and make the information useful.
    • Provide a brief description of what the announcement is, but leave the spin to the journalists. The journalists are going to go with their own spin on the story anyway, so why bother? Keep it straightforward rather than spintastic.
    • Provide a page of quotes from the CEO or other C-level execs.
    • Provide a page of quotes from customers, if applicable.
    • Provide a page of quotes from analysts, if applicable.
    • Provide financial information in many different formats.
    • Provide many links inside the press release copy, and also provide a whole page of relevant links to other news stories or reference sources.

    And tag everything so that I can pre-assemble my stories.

    In reaction, Todd Defren of SHIFT Communications introduced his "social media press release template" and kicked off a debate that continues to this day.

    On March 5, 2008, IABC announced it would take a lead in the push to develop standards around the social media release. Check out the social media release and the traditional release of the announcement.

    Reactions to the Social Media News Release


    Pros

    • Optimised for search
    • Optimised for conversation
    • Optimised for sharing
    • Tells the entire story through multimedia
    • Provides context on complicated stories
    • Makes a better impression, visually, than a wire release

    Cons

    We're still looking for input on the disadvantages of social media news releases. What are you waiting for?

    Case Studies

    Do you have a case study of a social media news release that you want to showcase? Add a new page under this one and go to town! Add a link here so people can get to it.

    Other Examples of Social Media News Releases

    A list of companies having experimented with the social media news release (some courtesy of Todd Defren):

  • Las Vegas Township Justice Court
  • BEA
  • SAP AG
  • Novell
  • Hubspot
  • Eurekster
  • Plant-It 2020 (Second Life Reforestation Project)
  • The first & second GeoCommons SMNRs
  • SinglePipe Communications
  • A list of PRX Releases
  • Pretty much every release in General Motors-Europe’s Social Media Newsroom
  • Converseon
  • Centrum Vitamins




    • A list of some U.K. SMNRs distributed by webitpr can be found here.


    ]]>    RSS Feedshttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/RSS+Feedsdavefleethttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/RSS+FeedsAdded simple analogy for RSSSat, 01 Mar 2008 09:51:54 CST What Is RSS?In a nutshell: Usually when you want to find stuff on the Internet, you have navigate to other websites to find it. RSS brings the web to you.

    Here's a great analogy from Ed Lee:

    Your Web content is like water in a lake. Lots of people want it and you want them to have it. They want to drink it, swim in it and play water polo in it.
    But, to get it, they need to visit the lake, fill their buckets and then go back to their homes to use it.
    RSS enables your audience to create a stream from your lake (where the content is) to their home (where they need the content).

    RSS is a format for sharing content online. It started out as a way to distribute news-related headlines and descriptions.

    RSS allows you to subscribe to information that gets delivered directly to your RSS reader or Web browser. So instead of visiting several different web pages each day or performing the same web searches over and over, you can set up RSS feeds to do it for you.

    RSS is an acronym for Really Simple Syndication and Rich Site Summary.

    How Does RSS Work?

    Subscribing to an RSS feed is really easy. There are three simple steps:

    1. Select a reader.
    2. Find a feed.
    3. Add it to your reader.

    Here's a great video that explains RSS feeds in plain language.


    ]]>    Social Networkshttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Social+Networkskanterhttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Social+NetworksSat, 23 Feb 2008 17:54:07 CST What is a Social Network?Social networks focus on online communities of people who share interests and activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others.

    Most social network services are primarily web based and provide a collection of various ways for users to interact, such as chat, messaging, email, video, voice chat, file sharing, blogging, discussion groups, and so on. (from Wikipedia, edited)

    What Are the Main Social Networks?


    General Features

    Facebook is a great place to build your profile and network with others. You can also start and join groups relevant to your interest.

    Pros


    Cons


    Case Studies



    Eight Secrets of Using Social Networking Sites Effectively

    ]]>    Social Bookmarkinghttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Social+Bookmarkingkanterhttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Social+BookmarkingSat, 23 Feb 2008 17:51:43 CST What Are Social Bookmarks?Social bookmarking is a way for people to store, organize, share and search their favourite web pages.

    In a social bookmarking system, users save links (bookmarks) to web pages that they want to remember and/or share. These bookmarks are usually public, but depending on the service's features, may be saved privately, shared only with specific people or groups, shared only inside certain networks, or another combination of public and private.

    The allowed people can usually view these bookmarks chronologically, by category or tags, via a search engine, or even randomly. (from Wikipedia)

    Here's a screencast that explains the benefits of using social bookmarking sites and the associated terms.


    What Are The Major Social Bookmarking Sites?


    What Are The Differences Between The Major Social Bookmarking Sites?


    The major sites have a domino effect when success is reached. Often by getting on the front page of Digg your articles will succeed better in Reddit and Stumbleupon. Success in any of these communities often leads to the content being submitted to more niche communities as well as bookmark sites like Delicious.

    Digg is the most popular social news site. Out of all the categories on the site, the "Technology", "World News & Business", and "Offbeat" are the most popular. Getting something on the frontpage of Digg can drive 20,000 to 100,000 visitors over a couple of days, in addition to 100's of unique links to your post.

    Reddit is the second largest social news site on the web. Unlike Digg, Reddit is much more political and science oriented. though other good content is also routinely featured. Because the friend system on Reddit is highly restrictive, only articles that are strictly pertinent to the community will succeed. Successful stories on Reddit can bring 5,000 to 20,000 visitors but drive virtually zero long-term traffic. Unlike Digg, content submitted to Reddit can drive traffic even without getting popular.

    StumbleUpon is a unique social community that utilizes a toolbar to view pages that are voted positively in catagories you subscribe to. Unlike the other sites, content here doesn't have to be popular at all. StumbleUpon utilizes an excellent recommendation system (based on categories you tell them you like, and content that you have voted on previously). In addition to that, the site also has a popular content page called StumbleUpon Buzz.Typical traffic from StumbleUpon depends on the category it is associated with and can range from 3,000 to 20,000 UVs in a week. Artistic and creative content is most successful on StumbleUpon.

    Propeller is similar in nature to Digg, and similar in community preferences to Reddit. Unlike the other social communities, Propeller only publishes a certain number of articles from each category to the front page each day. Stories reaching the front page can receive up to 10,000 UVs in a day as well as acquire a decent amount of links. In addition to community-based promotion, Propeller stories can also be manually picked by hired moderators, to be featured at the top of the site.

    General Features

    Most social bookmark services encourage users to organize their bookmarks with informal tags instead of the traditional browser-based system of folders, although some services feature categories/folders or a combination of folders and tags. They also enable viewing bookmarks associated with a chosen tag, and include information about the number of users who have bookmarked them.

    Some social bookmarking services also draw inferences from the relationship of tags to create clusters of tags or bookmarks.


    Many social bookmarking services provide web feeds for their lists of bookmarks, including lists organized by tags. This allows subscribers to become aware of new bookmarks as they are saved, shared, and tagged by other users.

    As these services have matured and grown more popular, they have added extra features such as ratings and comments on bookmarks, the ability to import and export bookmarks from browsers, emailing of bookmarks, web annotation, and groups or other social network features.

    How Can Communicators Use Social Bookmarking Sites?

    Keyword optimization: Search any major social bookmarking sites listed above and see what is being bookmarked and what tags are being applied, this will provide new insight to how people think about your offering

    Brand monitoring and competitive intelligence: observing what tags are associated with a bookmark and other links in cloud provide insight into how a community groups you with others who are similar.

    Message reinforcement: as a service provider you can get entire teams to sharebook and tag on behalf of your organization. Sharing a tag cloud on your blog can help reinforce areas of speciality. The interactive agency Organic does a great job of this on their blog http://www.threeminds.com/

    Pros

    • Allows people to discover your product or service in other context of their mental model at a point in time, you are not interrupting them.
    • New visitors to your site are likely to be more interested as they "found" you versus you finding them

    Cons

    • You may end up being tagged along side your competition
    • Tags can be negative

    Case Studies



    ]]>    Fundamentalshttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Fundamentalskanterhttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/FundamentalsSat, 23 Feb 2008 17:49:08 CST Conversation, Not SellingWe're still looking for useful training content under this heading. Feel free to edit the page and add your thoughts!

    Relationships, Not Transactions

    We're still looking for useful training content under this heading. Feel free to edit the page and add your thoughts!

    Listen, Learn, Participate

    We're still looking for useful training content under this heading. Feel free to edit the page and add your thoughts!

    I have several modules on this - part of a blogging workshops
    Listening 101 -Step by Step
    Reading and Commenting on Blogs

    Social media is not a strategy. It's part and parcel of an approach to corporate communications and public relations.

    We're still looking for useful training content under this heading. Feel free to edit the page and add your thoughts!

    ]]>    Podcastshttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Podcastsdanielerossihttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/PodcastsEdits to the pros and cons portion of 'Podcasting'Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:17:59 CST What is a Podcast? An MP3 file that you can download, stream over the internet or subscribe to via RSS

    General Features

    A podcast is a digital media file, or a related collection of such files, which is distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and personal computers. The term, like "radio", can refer either to the content itself or to the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also termed podcasting. The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster.


    Though podcasters' web sites may also offer direct download or streaming of their content, a podcast is distinguished from other digital media formats by its ability to be syndicated, subscribed to, and downloaded automatically when new content is added, using an aggregator or feed reader capable of reading feed formats such as RSS or Atom.

    Pros

    • Captures the warmth of the human voice
    • Low-cost
    • Measurable reach
    • Portable
    • Time shift-able
    • Audience can participate via audio comments and/or text comments on the show's blog

    Cons

    • A loyal audience tends to expect new episodes on a regular basis
    • Content of a podcast depends on the host(s) knowledge and research

    Case Studies


    Useful Podcasts for the Latest in Social Media



    ]]>    Blogshttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Blogsillumineahttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Blogsadded info about RSS feeds and types of media that can be used in blogsSun, 03 Feb 2008 09:26:28 CSTWhat Are Blogs? A blog (a combination of "web log") is a website where entries are written in chronological order and commonly displayed in reverse chronological order.

    Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. Blogs are also used by businesses to promote products, network, publicize news, and position themselves as experts in their fields.

    As of September 2007, blog search engine Technorati tracked more than 106 million blogs. (from Wikipedia)

    General Features

    A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. Thanks to many online services, bloggers can also add video (from YouTube and other video-sharing sites), audio (such as podcasts), and even embed documents in easy to read formats (via Scribd, docsctoc and slideshare).

    A major feature of blogs is their RSS feeds. These feeds allow people to subscribe to the content and view it in RSS feed readers, such as Google Reader or Netvibes. Bloggers can also add the ability to subscribe to automatic e-mail updates via feed management services such as Feedburner.

    This video gives a great introduction to RSS feeds.

    What are the Main Blogging Platforms?


    Pros

    • Blogs deliver fresh content, which delivers increased SEO
    • Increased brand exposure
    • Positions the blogger as an expert, creates thought leadership
    • Helps expand the bloggers social network, and bring in real business leads.

      Cons

      • Takes a lot of time to manage a successful blog. The tasks involved in managing a successful blog include: writing posts, managing and responding to comments, reading other blogs for ideas, commenting on other blogs.
      • Demands patience: there is little instant gratification with a blog. It takes consistent investment of time and effort over months before the blog owner may begin to see results.

      Case Studies

      Got an example of successful blog use within an organization? Profile it here!

      Top Blogs



      ]]>      Ethicshttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Ethicsdavefleethttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/EthicsThu, 31 Jan 2008 21:52:26 CSTCode of EthicsKami Huyse suggested the following code of ethics regarding astro-turfing:

      • I will not fabricate a public concern by paying or coercing individuals to falsely act as concerned citizens. I will only seek to help give voice to those who already hold an existing concern and/or provide education to stakeholders that might be affected by a particular issue.
      • When supporting grassroots efforts, I will ensure that I am transparent in all my actions and clearly and publicly state what actions I am taking and which organization or client I represent.
      • I will never knowingly distort of falsify information to help my client/interest achieve a strategic/emotional advantage in a public debate.
      • I will encourage all grassroots supporters to be open and honest in all of their communications, just as I will be open and honest in mine.

      David Jones wrote about Ogilvy's code of ethics for blogger relations:

      • We reach out to bloggers because we respect your influence and feel that we might have something that is “remarkable” which could be of interest to you and/or your audience.
      • We will only propose blogger outreach as a tactic if it complements our overall strategy. We will not recommend it as a panacea for every social media campaign.
      • We will always be transparent and clearly disclose who we are and who we work for in our outreach email.
      • Before we email you, we will check out your blog’s About, Contact and Advertising page in an effort to see if you have blatantly said you would not like to be contacted by PR/Marketing companies. If so, we’ll leave you alone.
      • If you tell us there is a specific way you want to be reached, we’ll adhere to those guidelines.
      • We won’t pretend to have read your blog if we haven’t.
      • In our email we will convey why we think you, in particular, might be interested in our client’s product, issue, event or message.
      • We won’t leave you hanging. If your contact at Ogilvy PR is going out of town or will be unreachable, we will provide you with an alternate point of contact.
      • We encourage you to disclose our relationship with you to your readers, and will never ask you to do otherwise.
      • You are entitled to blog on information or products we give you in any way you see fit. (Yes, you can even say you hate it.)
      • If you don’t want to hear from us again, we will place you on our Do Not Contact list – which we will share with the rest of the Ogilvy PR agency.
      • If you are initially interested in the campaign, but don’t respond to one of our emails, we will follow up with you no more than once. If you don’t respond to us at all, we’ll leave you alone.
      • Our initial outreach email will always include a link to Ogilvy PR’s Blog Outreach Code of Ethics.

      Tom O'Brien added: Here is a comprehensive guide to social media marketing from the Word of Mouth Marketing Association:WOMMA CODE OF ETHICS

      Mathew Ingram, speaking to Third Tuesday Toronto gave this succinct piece of advice that applies to everything online, and especially ethics: "Don't be a dick." Before doing anything online, take a moment to wonder how you would feel if you received that email, read that comment or received that friend request.



      ]]>      Social media strategy workshophttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Social+media+strategy+workshopdavefleethttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Social+media+strategy+workshopFixed formatting, added links to existing content where appropriateFri, 18 Jan 2008 08:14:22 CSTThis workshop/session is designed to help facilitate senior managers to a level of understanding of Social Media that they then become comfortable with it.

      • What IS Social Media?
        • Wikipedia definition
        • Stats: who is doing all this stuff?
        • Geek talk: RSS, XML, AJAX, widget... wtf?
          • (It's all technology that has been around a long time; it's just suddenly exploded out of the tiny geek community and gone mainstream)
      • Why is it so important?
        • Change in the communication landscape
          • Collaborative
          • Co-operative
          • 'Declarative living'
            • (The idea that rather than posting stuff that allows people to stalk us, we purposefully digitise and post our lives so that we get more value back - contacts, connections, etc.)
      • Discussion: What is NEW about the communication landscape? Do they see these changes already? What are the risks of these changes? What are the opportunities?
      • The 'Flat Earth': Discussion about Freidman's book -- the book focuses on India, but what are the implications for you (and not just with call centres)?

        • Overview of the tools of social media
        • The future: coming soon to a browser near you
          • The metaverse
            • Second Life
            • World Of Warcraft
            • There
            • IBM's own metaverse (see Roo Reynolds' presentation here and here)
        • Integration with the already
          • How do you add social media into your mix?
          • What are the resource implications?
          • What can you jettison to create space for some web2.0 tactics?
          • What are the risks?
          • Where do you find/hire the people who know about this stuff?
        • Blogger Relations - not pissing off those who could firestorm you
        • How to develop Social Media Brand Evangelists
        • How to handle personal use of social networking during office hours
        • BlogStorm Risk Strategy & Crisis Communications
        • I don’t have enough time for a first life! - The Future and how to keep on top of it

        ]]>        Workshop contenthttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Workshop+contentdavefleethttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Workshop+contentFixed formatting, added links to existing content where appropriateFri, 18 Jan 2008 08:07:37 CSTSocial Media Workshop
        This can be either a one-day workshop or expanded into a two-day workshop.

        One day workshop

        • What IS social media?
          • Wikipedia definition
          • Geek talk: RSS, XML, AJAX, widget... wtf?
            • (It's all technology that has been around a long time; it's just suddenly exploded out of the tiny geek community and gone mainstream)
        • Why is it so important?
          • Change in the communication landscape
            • Collaborative
            • Co-operative
            • 'Declarative living'
              • (The idea that rather than posting stuff that allows people to stalk us, we purposefully digitise and post our lives so that we get more value back - contacts, connections, etc.)
            • Flat earth
        • Demographics, statistics, etc.
        • The tools of social media (with examples in each category, showing creativity and low barrier to entry)
        • How to construct a social media release (the Todd Defren model)

        • The future: coming soon to a browser near you
          • The metaverse
            • Second Life
            • World Of Warcraft
            • There
            • IBM's own metaverse (see Roo Reynolds' presentation here and here)
            • SeaDragon (Microsft at TED video)

        Of course, for a two-day course you can make it more interactive, with 'build your own' sessions, either on individual laptops or in groups huddled around a PC/notebook.

        ]]>        Wikishttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Wikisleehopkinshttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Wikisadded book referenceWed, 16 Jan 2008 17:32:32 CST What is a Wiki?A wiki is a type of computer software that allows users to easily create, edit and link web pages. The main power of wikis are enabling users to collaborate in creating content.

        What Are The Main Wiki Applications?


        General Features

        A wiki enables documents to be written collaboratively, in a simple markup language using a web browser. A single page in a wiki is referred to as a "wiki page", while the entire collection of pages, which are usually well interconnected by hyperlinks, is "the wiki". A wiki is essentially a database for creating, browsing, and searching through information.

        A defining characteristic of wiki technology is the ease with which pages can be created and updated. Generally, there is no review before modifications are accepted. Many wikis are open to alteration by the general public without requiring them to register user accounts.

        Sometimes         logging in for a session is recommended, to create a "wiki-signature" cookie for signing edits automatically. Many edits, however, can be made in real-time and appear almost instantly online. This can facilitate abuse of the system. Private wiki servers require user authentication to edit pages, and sometimes even to read them. (from Wikipedia)

        Pros

        • Convenient and easy to edit
        • Information is not lost when edited
        • Easy to undo mistakes
        • Allows multiple people to contribute
        • Permits information to evolve over time
        • Relatively safe to give many people access
        • Easy to cross-reference pages

        Cons

        • Can lead to a sense of chaos - no-one is in charge
        • Potential for conflict between users
        • Potential for malicious tampering with pages
        • Difficult to verify information - can lead to unintended inaccuracies

        Case Studies

        Wikipedia is perhaps the best-known wiki site. The name comes from a combination of "wiki" and "encyclopedia." Wikipedia is one of the web's largest reference sites, hosting over 9,000,000 articles edited by over 75,000 active members.

        Useful reading material

        Wikipatterns by Stewart Mader -- just published, flamin' brilliant!

        ]]>        Blogging Policieshttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Blogging+PoliciesJasonFallshttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Blogging+PoliciesAdded info on blog comments and frequency, along with an honesty and transparency noteMon, 14 Jan 2008 19:54:15 CSTWhat do you think the key features of a good blogging policy are?

        One of the unique characteristics of a blog is that the definition of a good blog varies from one individual or organization to another. Yet there are some generally accepted principles that guide the authoring and publishing of most blogs.

        These include:

        Honesty and Transparency
        Blog readers seldom tolerate masked intent or a blog with a disingenuous nature. If you're trying to sell something, be up front about it. Your readers will appreciate it.

         Comments
        Most blogs allow readers to comment on each post, often time engaging the author and other readers in conversations about the topic in question. While not all blogs allow comments (marketing guru Seth Godin's blog is one notable example) it is generally expected that readers will be allowed to contribute reactions.

        Most blogging software is set up to handle comments in one of two ways, either straight-to-post, where the commment is immediately published to the blog page upon the user submitting the comment, and as a moderated comment. In this mechanism the blog author or other administrator must review the comment and approve it before it goes live. Moderating comments is an accepted practice by the majority of the blogging community's standards as it helps cut down on spam comments, flame comments and those that might contain obscenities, insults and other derogatory or inflamatory language.

        It should be noted that while the moderation of comments is acceptable, the deliberate witholding of comments by the blog author of those which do not qualify as inflamatory, offensive, derogatory or obscene, is generally frowned upon. This detracts from the honesty and transparency of a blog. It is also one reason many corporations have resisted blogging as it allows for negative statements of a brand or company on its own website.

        Frequency Of Posts
        There are no rules or standards for how often someone should post. However, the consistency of timing helps build and maintain an audience. Blog with infrequent or inconsistent time periods between posts have a difficult time maintaining or growing an audience of readers.

        Continue Contributions Here
        Help to create a best-practice template for blogging policies by contributing your ideas.

        ]]>        Blog Monitoringhttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Blog+Monitoringdavefleethttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Blog+MonitoringMoved from: BlogsSun, 06 Jan 2008 21:10:06 CST


        ]]>        Video Blogshttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Video+Blogsdavefleethttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Video+BlogsConsistency with other page titlesMon, 31 Dec 2007 11:08:22 CSTWhat Are Video Blogs?Want to share your knowledge of video blogging? Add your content to this page - let's get this thing started!

        General Features


        Pros


        Cons


        Case Studies


        ]]>        Social Browsinghttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Social+Browsingdavefleethttp://socialtraining.wetpaint.com/page/Social+BrowsingMoved from: Using Social Media To Create Social Media TrainingSun, 25 Nov 2007 12:28:57 CST

        What is Social Browsing?

        Social Browsing allows you to share the pages that your are viewing with your social network. Some social browsing technologies allow you to save the pages in a shared space for your social network to follow, where others allow people to observe your movement between various Web sites real time.

        What are the Main Social Browsing Platforms?


        General Features


        Pros


        Cons


        Case Studies



        ]]>