I sense this year is going to be amazing and filled with adventures, opportunities and incredible success. I want to take you along for the ride.

We’re going to be talking about…

1. Why content is king and how to be a content creator
2. Developing compelling stories and become the storyteller you’re destined to become
3. How to make the right noise in a world that is overloaded it
4. Integrating technology, plus a few of my favorite apps and tools
5. Turning on your social listening ear
6. Open up to a world of creativity

And if there’s something you’d like to see, let me know. See you on the electronic pages!

Point of entry:  Everyone in the course started from different places. Some were quite proficient and for others it was brand new. The ability to communicate the importance of say Twitter versus a Facebook Fan page in a concise and effective manner really pushed me to think of experience beyond my boundaries. It drove me to see it from their position and how these tools could have a direct impact to personal brand and business interests.

Information gathering:  The flood of information available online can be overwhelming. However, anyone who is a student of social networking understands the importance of RSS feeds and social bookmarking to be efficient with their time. Without these two resources there’s no way I would be able to recite a fact, remember a case study or provide examples during the class.

Validation:  We all want validation that we’re doing something right but social networking is a different ball game. There is no right or wrong way. It’s about maximizing the socials sites to provide the value you need based on your vision statement and goals.

Learn from anyone: The neatest thing about social networking is that everyone is learning at different speeds and anyone can find new feature or an easier way to do something. This is especially true for newbies who have an incredible knack for finding new tricks. 

Interaction feeds knowledge: My personal quest for learning more was enhanced greatly throughout the course. Questions and the personal desire of the individual participants drove me to not only find answers but be active in the process.

My thanks go to Dr. Bret Simmons for inviting me to co-present and the students for their active participation that motivated me to learn and do more.

“With Google being a 21st-century electronic business card, it communicates one’s personal brand to the world–with a click of a mouse anyone can learn about you,” said Simmons. “Combine that with today’s intensely competitive business environment, and it’s even more essential to actively control what is being said about the value of someone’s unique skill set. You can control your brand and that’s what this course is about.”

Through hands-on coaching from social-media experts, students will learn how social-media tools correlate, as well as the most effective ways to use the tools discovered to create a personal brand. It will also go beyond traditional social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and static websites to demonstrate how to create and operate a dynamic blog and develop a presence on Twitter the right way.

Klingensmith founded RKPR Inc. in 2002 to provide clients with innovative communications strategies. With her 17 years of communications experience, Klingensmith offers a broad range of expertise with a variety of clients in various industries with strong emphasis on travel and tourism, focusing on the integration of social networking, new media and integrated communications. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno and received her Accredited in Public Relations (APR) certification in 2003 from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

Simmons teaches classes in organizational behavior, entrepreneurial psychology and research methods at the University of Nevada, Reno. His research currently focuses on positive organizational behavior and employee performance. In addition to academic publications, his research has been featured in articles by US News & World Report and USA Today.

Class dates for “Google Is Your New Business Card” are November 2 and 9 from 6 to 9 p.m. and November 16 and 30 from 6 to 8 p.m. Registration is required for the course, for information visit online or call the Extended Studies office at 775-784-4046.

Overnight, workers gathered materials and morphed the normal staircase into a piano staircase that, not only looked like a piano, but actually played music. The result was 66% more people than normal chose the fun piano stairs over the escalator.

The video is from a contest that Volkswagen is currently running to test the theory “that fun is the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better.”  In this case by using the staircase, 66% more people than normal are getting added exercise.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JJu4l8h_nU

This contest is the perfect example of a PR stunt. Volkswagen is getting their name out to the public solely through viral buzz.  The contest deadline is November 15 and contestants must come up with their own ideas that will change people’s behavior for the better whether that’s through themselves, the environment or some other entity…all in the name of promoting Volkswagen.  Now that is great PR!

We’ve all seen Tweets that use the phrases, “OMG,” “totally,” and of course, “!” used as punctuation throughout. Even better are the multiple “!!!!!”  This is absolutely acceptable for individual Tweets if that’s how that individual communicates. However, if the voice of your brand is communicated that way, it’s worth serious evaluation. Twitter is not for kids anymore.

If you are a business and your goal is to remain true to your brand, which is how it should be, the “voice” that is carried throughout your marketing needs to remain in line including your social networking voice. We’ve seen professional brands that come on to Twitter and begin Tweeting one way and then suddenly the voice changes. That’s okay if your voice is still consistent with your brand. However, if it sounds like you’ve handed over your passwords to a social networking newbie, you may start losing followers and not gaining any new ones.

A common misperception we’ve heard is that social networking is owned by the younger generation. That’s not necessarily true. And yes, there are exceptions to this rule. But while today’s college student most likely has a Facebook account and maybe Tweets, they are doing so personally. Their personal voices have been perfected with their friends in a causal and engaging manner. If the person you have assigned to manage your social networking does so without the insight to your brand positioning, the image of your company online won’t be consistent with your marketing. The expectation that it will, is wrong.

So, when a company just hands over its brand to the youngest person in the office without educating them, they are passing off a critical component of their brand to someone without any training. Companies surely wouldn’t do that with an ad or collateral piece. Which leads me to believe that businesses are either: 1) not taking it seriously or 2) they are just doing social networking for the sake of doing social networking. The fact is it’s a very powerful, fully Google searchable voice to your business. If you doubt the power of social networking, you’re just kidding yourself.

We also see confusion on where social networking fits. Social networking is a tactic. It’s not a strategy. However it does require a strategic approach just like any great marketing program.

Want to know how your potential new hire or agency handles it?  Easy, check out their work. 

1.    Do a Google search and see how their personal social outreach trends.

2.    Check out Twitter and see how many people they follow, how many follow back, how often they post and the number of posts to date.

3.    Go to Facebook and check out their profiles including frequency, photos, links and other tabs.

4.    View their LinkedIn profile to see how their professional resume is presented.

5.    See if they have a personal website and/or if they blog.

If you are looking at hiring professionals or an agency,

1.    Be sure to check out the agency’s social networking presence with a Google search. There should be a consistent level of frequency and not just starts.

2.    Search for individual team members to determine their level of participation. After all if you choose the firm, they will be managing your efforts.

3.    Go to their Web site. If an agency is active in the social networking arena, there should be links to their pages and it should up-to-date.

4.    See if the agency blogs. 

If the agency can’t do it for their own business, how are they going to do it for you?

No matter if it’s an individual or agency, a review of each of the online platforms will help determine their personal brand and therefore how they might represent you. If they’ve promoted themselves well, they’ll do justice for you. If they’re not active socially, then you have your answer.