First was the MACC Initiative (Mothers & Companies Cooperating), led by Autumn Manning. The group is comprised of an impressive group of women who have made it their goal to excel both professionally and at home. Through sponsorships they’ve recently become officially non-profit and their numbers and influence are growing daily.

The second group is the Network Community of Northwest Arkansas. The group, led by Michael Mollitor meets monthly to network and welcome professional newcomers to the area. Michael told me that the group initially was started to fill a the void that most transplants to the area feel upon moving across the country to work near the “Big Three.” Their membership is large and they hold monthly meetings that see a fair number in attendance.

My group, the Social Media Club, Northwest Arkansas (SMCNWA), is part of the larger international club that’s chapters are committed to growing social media professionally and personally all over the world. I’m director of membership and do all I can to keep up with our president, Kyle Judkins, and two other directors, Collin Condray and Tom Redwine in expanding this goal to our area. We’ve got a good number of club members and tend to see a fair turnout at all our meetings and tweetups.

Now for the fun part… In January, we’re combining efforts to link the groups together if only socially to further each of our causes. Venue and exact time and date are still being verified but we anticipate upwards of 150 people in attendance. I’m really looking forward to bringing the groups together and seeing what we can do together. If you’d like to be a part of the event, contact me or anyone listed in this post. Its going to be a great night of conversation at a area restaurant and we’ll get the details ironed out early so you can track down a sitter if needed.

~comments?

This got me thinking and I broke down and downloaded the first free news app I found. What did I learn from this new MSNBC app? Pay attention here… Absolutely Nothing I hadn’t picked up via twitter in the previous two days. Hmm… have I gone rogue? Shunning traditional media for this new wave stream of BS from biased and inconsistent sources?

No actually. I follow several of the traditionals on twitter but for the first time in our history, I’m able to check sources via crowd-sourcing. A media outlet might tell you something is going on but in most cases, it’s already gone on and they’re giving you’re their interpretation. Now we pull points of view from those on the ground, half-way around the world in real time. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it Fox News… (sorry, couldn’t hold it back any longer)

So no, none of this is breaking news. We all have at least heard about this phenomenon of real-time news gathering via social media… I only post this because it snuck up and eased my attention all the way away from my typical sources… and I’m alright with it. I wonder what’s next?

Cable is already on its way out. Apple TV and other “On Demand” systems like my beloved U-Verse are easing ahead of traditional cable purchase in my house. I’m starting to realize that I can buy episodes for a buck or even seasons of my favorite programs for $20 and enjoy myself every time I turn on the TV. At what point do we stop paying premium prices for 600 channels we don’t ever watch? When will at&t offer a VOD only package? That would do it! Rent/buy the shows you want, spend the rest of your previously $150 cable bill on “away from the boob-tube” activities.

Traditional news is dead or dying, television and radio are en route to a similar death, newspapers are moving to digital and according to Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt, the distribution distinction between TV, Radio, and the Internet will be gone by 2015 (barring the end of the world and all). Take a look! We are probably within one generation of not knowing what a paper boy is. Hell, my picture frame in my office doesn’t stay on one image for more than a couple of seconds. And somehow we’re not only ok with all this data but we’re buying in at record pace. Don’t believe me? Check to see if you mom’s on facebook yet. Mine is.

So I guess its not a matter of whether or not you’re plugged in, the question is “Are you plugged in enough?” Comments on this rant? Please? This one has had my head spinning for a few days now.

For those that missed it, enjoy the video and make plans to attend Blogher in New York next year. Who knows, you might just get your shot at all the fun. For those that made the show, keep a keen eye. You’re in there somewhere.

So back to my picture, what is your perception of the photoshoped creative icon?  Mine shows my actual face, the logo of my company, and even a little of that style… and FMT says it’s creepy… like Harry Potter creepy.  You know, the guy with the weird eye?  No? Google, it… no here, let me – http://tinyurl.com/mogjue

Let’s start from the top. What are you trying to achieve? …and don’t say more business. Do you want to find new business through twitter conversations or inform and generate buzz though YouTube videos? Maybe you’d prefer to show alternate product views on twitter and field comments. The options are endless but you have to start by deciding what level of engagement you want from your customers as well as what you’re willing to provide. Remember that social media is a two way street… hence the “social” aspect.

In a nutshell, I think your best bet is to decide whom you want to reach… write that down, no really. I’ll wait. Got it? Good. Next step, figure out where they hang out and how involved they are in their particular communities. Use tools like twitter search to search your brand or product then view conversations that include that brand or product. Try to match that level of engagement on that platform. Step three, engage in conversation. Do not spam. I repeat, DO NOT SPAM. If you want to mention a special you’ve got, make sure the people you’re talking to want to hear about it.

Finally, like a good golf swing, it’s all in the follow through. Follow up with those people you’ve built a relationship with. Nothing says thanks like a facebook/twitter shout out and thank you. Everyone on twitter loves to see their name in the “mentions” column on TweetDeck. Make it a habbit.

So there you have it. A quick run through on getting started. Needless to say, this is only one man’s opinion and it’s very high level. I accept no responsibility for your results… unless they’re good of course. Got any pointers you’d like to add? Post them below! Comments are cooler than mentions in my book.

Ed brought up a few good points through his presentation. First was the point that you can’t buy or sponsor your way into positive public perception. Despite their giving in the past, public perception wasn’t high until they spent time in the space, helping and effectively awaiting karma. Another was that agencies couldn’t properly manage your social media alone. While helpful in setting up a plan and process, social media needs to be at least a partnership effort. Transparency is only transparent when you’re directly involved in the process. Being of the agency world, believe it or not, I agree. I am fully capable of building social media strategy but wouldn’t feel completely comfortable managing the strategy without direct and constant involvement with that client and their business.

Beyond the information at the meeting, Ed framed the speaking with music. Bluesy, folk expertly performed and food-based music was on the playlist and was expertly performed. Ed even did his little part to eliminate hunger in the meeting by handing out a couple of butternut squash to those paying closest attention. It was a great meeting.

For those interested in the Northwest Arkansas chapter of the Social Media Club, visit our Ning site and become a fan of our facebook page.

Additional links:
Tyson Food’s Hunger Relief site – http://hungerrelief.tyson.com/
Social Media Club – NWA – http://socialmediaclubnwa.ning.com/
Social Media Club – Global – http://www.socialmediaclub.org/
Social Media Club – Wiki – http://socialmediaclub.pbworks.com/Northwest-Arkansas-Social-Media-Club
Social Media Club – Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Social-Media-Club-NWA/93013193054

To start, wow.  What’ a weekend!  For those that don’t know, Collective Bias flew @RyannFMT and me to Chicago for the end of BlogHer 2009 and the BowlHer event sponsored by Collective Bias, One to One Networks, and Mom it Forward.  Collective Bias, my new employer thought that the event would be a great opportunity for me to meet the bloggers as well as a few sponsors and brands so Friday, shortly after my exit interview from my previous employer, we loaded the car and hit it to Tulsa to join the party.

We arrived in Chicago just in time to catch a Hershey tweetup at the James hotel.  Very nice venue and the people were even better.  On a side note, Hershey Bliss is slap-yo-mama good… and you can quote me on that one.  From there we ran to the hotel, changed, made a pit-stop by the lobby bar at Hotel Sax and met up the Collective Bias group for a great dinner at Texas de Brazil.  See the pictures for a little insight into that evening.  The food was great (duh, who doesn’t like a constant parade of different meats coming to your plate via sword-service) and conversations ranged from the latest in social media tools to new product lines to hometowns.  Thanks to everyone for a great night.  We turned in fairly early on Friday night and it was definitely for the best.  I had been up since 6am and had a huge day ahead in setting up for BowlHer.

Saturday we were up with the early birds, enjoying an excellent breakfast at our hotel with about 1,000 other guests.  I parted ways with FMT and headed to a meeting-turned-search and rescue that moved smoothly and directly into BowlHer setup.  We broke around noon to have lunch at Gino’s East.  Yes the pizza takes a full hour to cook, but take a look at the pictures, classic Chicago pizza at its finest.  From there it was back to Lucky Strike for more setup.

Once we found a stopping point, FMT and I ran to the hotel for showers and 10 minutes of rest before running back to finish final set up and get ready to greet the bloggers.  BowlHer was an unmitigated success thanks to our gracious hosts and sponsors and all the wonderful mom bloggers.  Stories are still swarming around the blogsphere and twittersphere.  I encourage everyone to search your favorite social media tool and post comments with links to your favorite posts, pictures, and more.  Enjoy these pictures and look for a few more posts on my favorite new people!

Mike Thompson was on hand tonight to touch base with everyone and hand out another few signed copies of the Organizational Champion.  Ed Nicholson from Tyson was there, representing, not to mention a healthy dose of SVI, Rockfish, and Mars presence.  Needless to say, SMCNWA was firing on all cylinders tonight.

Some productivity was had tonight.  I wandered the venue polling on meetings and here’s my question.  What time do you want to meet?  Tentatively we’re still scheduled for the early shift on the monthly, but believe me… that is negotiable. We’re also talking about splitting the gap between monthly informatives with bar-meets like tonight… to remind us that the first word in social media is, infact… SOCIAL.

As we grow and get organized, it is important that you let us know what you want to get from being a part of the Social Media Club. This group will always give more with your input and feedback.  Involvement is what the SMC is about and our members and directors are there to help with any and all questions you might have.  Don’t hesitate.

Have a great night and we look forward to seeing you all again soon!

TidyTweet is one of the latest Twitter tools to cross the feed and one of the first in a while that caught my attention. I’ve since implemented and am helping with the beta testing… for a price.

My charge was a brief interview with Michael,  lead developer of TidyTweet at Rockfish Interactive, one of the more progressive agencies I’ve come into contact with. This is what Michael had to say. ~it’s a read but worth it, trust me.

[me] Tell me about TidyTweet.

[Michael] TidyTweet was built to solve a serious problem that we personally encountered at Rockfish Interactive. At Rockfish, we build engaging websites that often include social elements such as Twitter feeds. For example, a company may want to display the last 10 tweets that mention their brand. This is a great way to engage the community and show the buzz around a product or brand. However, doing this occasionally tends to attract spammers who mention a keyword or brand just to get their tweets listed on that page. So, rather than just write an internal tool to solve our problems, we decided to build it as a product to help others in the same position.

TidyTweet is a web-based service designed to help individuals and companies create customized Twitter feeds that they can protect from inappropriate content, spam, and any other content they want to filter. Simply create an account on TidyTweet.com; create your feed using search phrases and filters; grab the RSS feed or embed code; put it on your site and you’re all set. We’re currently in a private beta testing phase and offer the following features:

• Various moderation levels such as requiring manual approval or auto-approving after a delay
• Built-in and custom inappropriate language filters
• Auto-approval of specified users
• Auto-rejection of specified users
• Customized URLs for accounts and feeds
• Multiple output formats such as ATOM, RSS, and an HTML/Javascript widget

What changes and additions are you planning?

Our next couple of features will be focused on more proactively fighting Twitter spam. Our research has shown that a large amount of Twitter spam comes from 2 sources: brand new accounts and/or accounts tweeting using hash tags of 2 or more trending topics.
New Accounts: Once Twitter realizes an account is a spammer, they will shut down the account which means that spam accounts have a limited lifespan. By automatically rejecting new accounts, we will immediately cut down on a large amount of spam.
Multiple Trending Topics: One tactic used by spammers is to include multiple trending topics in their tweets so that anyone viewing those trending topics will see their tweets. For example, “Watch movies for free online #iranElection #Michael Jackson #google”. By eliminating any tweets with multiple trending topics, we’ll be able to eliminate this type of spam.

What are your key markets?

Any users looking to include a Twitter feed on their website will benefit from TidyTweet. Users can range from casual bloggers who want to show their tweets on their blogs to large companies who want to include social elements on their sites. TidyTweet will especially help companies who want social elements but can’t afford to take on the liability of including unfiltered community-driven content on their sites.

How long have you been developing TidyTweet?

The idea for TidyTweet was first tossed around approximately 6 weeks ago. Rockfish has always been an entrepreneurial company and immediately committed to seeing the idea come to life. Six weeks later, we’re in private beta testing.

Have there been any unforeseen challenges to date?

Developing a product around Twitter and specifically Twitter spam has been both exciting and challenging due to the ever-increasing popularity of both. Twitter continues to release new features and is constantly making tweaks to their products, and spammers are constantly finding new ways to use Twitter to push their message. This means that we have to constantly stay on top of changes to Twitter and remain proactive in fighting to eliminate spam.

How might someone get in on the beta test group?

Registration is free, and our signup page can be found at http://tidytweet.com/BetaSignup.aspx. We are approving a limited number of people for the beta test group on a first come, first serve basis. However, someone who feels like they would make a good candidate for beta testing and hasn’t already been approved can send a tweet to @tidytweet mentioning this blog entry, and we’ll do the best we can to make an exception.

So there’s the long and short on TidyTweet. Even as we work through the few bugs I’ve hit, I’m supremely impressed with the usability of the tool and recommend it across the board. Look for updates from Michael and myself on twitter and don’t hesitate to contact them directly with any specific questions you might have. Here are all the ways you can get in touch with TidyTweet.

Homepage: http://tidytweet.com
Email Support: tidytweet@rockfishinteractive.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tidytweet
Feedback forum: http://tidytweet.uservoice.com
Rockfish Interactive: http://rockfishinteractive.com

@jaythornton000 – the slow growth.
This account started with only a few followers and following. I knew each and every one of them, personally, and we basically used the service as an instant messaging platform for the longest time. But times have changed. Global buy-in has allowed for a type of cultural overview by viewing twitter, hence my following of new people that I don’t know but share industry or interest with me. Too many words between periods? Sorry.

I’ve been known to blindly follow in the past but have since cleaned up the mess that caused. Now I’m relatively careful of who I follow and regularly un-follow those that spam. I actively seek out local users and sift through those who find me to keep my groups focused.

The result of all of this you might ask?
Following: 828
Followers: 864
Updates: 1,823

@JayatJBHunt – calling all followers.
I started this account by searching out industry types via the common channels, twibs, twellow, twitter search, etc. and following any and all within the industry. Then I started thinking… it would be beneficial to get some followers in the business world. We haul freight for people that make and sell products. Let find those guys. This turned into a “get everyone we can” strategy where I’ve joined several of the link trains and the rest is history.

The result of this?
Following: 1,190
Followers: 908
Updates: 301

The overall result is obvious. Gauged and deliberate follower strategy leads to slow growth of a more engaged audience, and rightly so. They’ve got over 1,800 tweets to have learned about me and make a decision. Further, they’re all part of or speaking on topics of interest to me. This group of people is interesting, provide awesome links and regularly engage in conversation. This is my golden group.

The other group, not to bash, but I really don’t know a lot about yet. We’ve only just met, we don’t converse and when we do we’re talking on different subject matter. Businesses talk product, I talk transport and marketing, we talk sports? I don’t know. I’m still learning this group.

So there you have it, my general assessment on two Twitter strategies. Comments?