Just want to take a minute to thank everyone who has had an impact on me in 2008. So, in no particular order, I’d like to thank:

• First and foremost, thanks to the boys at Industry 44 for putting this new website together for me.

• Thanks for CK and Drew for making NYC in April something special.

• Again, thanks to Drew for giving me some real great advice a few months back. (And happy birthday, man!)

• Matt Dickman, for being available whenever, despite a crazy schedule. Hopefully we’ll be able to do better than just cross paths in an airport next year!

• Cleveland’s Mark Goren, for having great faith and getting me back in an agency setting.

• Valeria Maltoni for being cool, coming into Montreal and spending a day with me.

• Adele McAlear for being a great work colleague and friend.

• Kelly Flynn at the Advanced Learning Institute for inviting for to deliver a workshop at the Social Media for Government Conference and then inviting me back, and then inviting me to Toronto for the Social Media Summit to do the same.

• Peter Korchnak, for having me guest post over on his blog and for guest posting over here.

• Melanie Notkin, for guest posting here as well.

• Andy Nulman, for picking up dinner.

• Thanks to all my colleagues on the AOC2, particularly Gavin for his huge effort putting it together with Drew.

• Jay Ehret for putting together the AOC2 podcast and having me on as a guest.

• And, last but not least, thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read my thoughts and share their comments.

Happy holiday, everyone! I’ll be back with more blogging goodness on January 5th!

When you find out that someone new is following your tweets, how do you decide if you’ll follow that person back? Here are three things to look at when you look at someone’s Twitter page for the first time.

1. Their most current tweets
The first thing I do is check out the person’s most recent tweets, usually going down the first page and maybe onto a second. While doing this, I’m looking at the value of their tweets – is what they’re adding all about them or are they helping others? I’m also looking at who the person is talking to at that moment, looking for familiar names – they add credibility to the new person.

2. Who is following that person
Building on the end of the first point, the next thing I’ll skim through is the list of people following my new follower. If I recognize the people my new follower is connected to, the more likely I’ll be to add them back. One or two familiar faces on the first two pages is suffice for me, I don’t feel the need to go much deeper than that.

3. Click on the link in the profile
The last thing I’ll check on is the link in the person’s profile. Where are they pointing me to? Their own business? Their place of work? A LinkedIn profile? Facebook? At this point, I’m just looking to get a sense of what the person does, what he or she is like. If I’m really intrigued, I may even subscribe to the blog, if there is one.

In short, what I’m trying to gain is a sense of credibility for the person and comfort for myself. And, when you think about it, isn’t that what we look for when we start any relationship?

So, how do you choose who to friend or follow back?

Tags: Twitter, Twitter Tips, Social Networking, Social Networks, Social Media, Planting Seeds, Planting Seeds Online, PlantingSeeds.ca

Every now and then I’ll pull an old post from my original blog and repost it here. There are new readers here, people who are just getting to know me. I’d like to share some of my original thinking with you, so you can see where the Planting Seeds analogy originated and how my thinking has shaped.

So, here’s the first Post from the Past. Originally posted on May 2, 2007, you’ll see how the 4 Ps of Blogging evolved into the LRI model I discuss here.

Looking forward to your new thoughts on this topic!

I’ve been trying to come up with a simple and easy way to explain to someone who’s never blogged before how to get into it in the right way. And, while I hate to add to the pile of 4P theories that have been knocked into our heads since college, this still remains an easy-to-remember device.

THE 4Ps TO STARTING A BLOG

1. Participate

For people coming in from out in the cold, participation is the key to understanding how the culture of blogging works. Potential bloggers need to visit other sites, read, comment and connect with the writers. The purpose of the participation phase is two-fold:

• To understand what’s involved, gain a sense of the commitment and help the potential blogger develop their own style, which happens by reading a variety of other blogs.
• Participating is also like raising a flag to other bloggers to tell them you’re in the game. Essentially, you’re developing a network to connect with and lean on when you start, which is also good for loading up your blogroll when the time comes.

2. Plan

Now that you visited other blogs and see how they’re organized, it’s time to start thinking about your own blog. This is the strategy phase. What will your blog be called? What URL will you secure? Which platform will you use - WordPress, Typepad, other? Start thinking about the tone of your blog. Consider your design, categories, tagline - everything that goes into developing a professional presence. Start writing your “about” page and your inaugural post.

At this stage, for the less technical, you’ll want to consult with a designer who can help you create the look and feel you’re after. Remember, your blog is a key element to developing a personal brand. Content is one thing, how it’s presented is quite another.

3. Practice

Once your plan is laid out, start practising. Become familiar with the blogging platform you’ll be using. Learn how to add categories, create links, edit, upload photos, import photos, and fix the little problems that come up from time to time. If you don’t know what those problems are, find a blogger on the same platform and ask. (Don’t worry, all this sounds more difficult than it really is.)

Start writing some posts and have someone critique them for you. And then keep writing. The more you write, the more your style will develop. You’ll also find your blogger’s mindset, so you can hit the ground running when you launch. In addition, you’ll have a bank of posts to choose from when you’re blogging.

4. Post

You’ve launched your blog. All the elements are in place. Now it’s time to get posting. Develop a schedule, decide on a minimum number of posts to make every week and try to stick to it. Then, once you’re in the flow of things, increase your frequency as you gain comfort.

The most important thing to note as you go through these four steps is that once you pass into the next P, the others never stop. You’ll always participate, plan and practice, even when you’ve moved into the posting phase. Blogging is an ongoing process at all levels, so while you have to start at the beginning, don’t think of it as graduating to the next step - it’s more like you’re building in a new step when you’re ready.

And these, good readers, are the 4Ps of starting a blog: Participate, plan, practice, post.

•

What are your thoughts on the 4 Ps? How do you see Listening, Responding + Initiating Conversations fitting in?

The upcoming Social Media for Government Conference, taking place in Ottawa this February, is closing in. My colleague Jennifer Savage, from WebDrive Canada, will once again be presenting, this time a case study titled, “Understanding Key Policies And Standards To Maximize Your Web 2.0 Initiatives”. She’s up on day two of the conference, while I’ll be running a pre-conference workshop tited, “How To Use Social Media To Engage More Citizens - Planting Seeds Online To Cultivate Conversations And Communities.”

The workshop at the last conference was a great success, so I’m hoping to build on that and help more people get to know the basics of Social Media. Here’s a bit from the abstract:

By planting seeds online, you can help people discover you, get to know you and find common interests - all so they can form a solid relationship with your organization.

In this hands-on workshop, you will learn about some of the tactics, tools and websites you can use to accomplish this, including:

    “The importance of monitoring online conversations and the introduction of basic tools needed to help your organization achieve this
    ” Various ways to respond to the ongoing conversations as you start to dip your toes into the”social media” waters
    ” How to initiate your own conversations to help you better engage citizens
    ” A look at some key social networking sites and how you can start planting seeds by participating in these existing communities

This is the second time we’ll both be involved in the conference and I can honestly say that it’s an excellent opportunity to see what other goverment departments are doing, gain an understanding of their challenges and see what they’ve done to foster a culture of collaboration to further their goals. Seeing really is believing - that’s why it could be an excellent opportunity to bring key colleagues along so they can see the benefits of a social media platform.

You can check out the agenda here.

Also, there’s a discount rate if you register by December 19th. Just ask for the EARLY BIRD rate to save $400. Plus, if you mention “SPK”, you’ll get an extra $200 off.

Let me know what you think. It’s could be a good way to help sell social media + web 2.0 strategies and solutions to your organization.

Tags: SocialMedia For Governement, Government 2.0, Social Media, Advanced Learning Institute, #ALI, Planting Seeds, Planting Seeds Online, PlantingSeeds.ca, WebDrive Canada

Think of the web as fertile ground for information. With millions and millions of websites and billions more pages of content, there is so much valuable information to gather. Whether it’s real-time conversations taking place on blogs and discussion forums or market research you’re looking for, you can work the web to distil and collect the information that matches your business goals.
 
What’s being said and why even bother?
Right now, people are talking behind your back. More precisely, they’re sharing their thoughts and opinions about your brand (and your competitors’) with others online. This is happening on blogs, forums, social networks, wikis, microblogs, video-sharing sites, mainstream media and so forth. However, unless you know what’s being said, you’re powerless to act on this information. 
 
So, why would you want to know what’s being said? There are several reasons:
 
1. To gain free focus group research
The online environment is a free focus group. However, unlike the moderator and one-way mirror approach, when you listen to online conversations, you get real feelings, plus open, honest feedback. There is no filter, only pure opinion. Collect it and you could learn a whole lot of what people are thinking about your brand - right at that moment.
 
2. To say thanks
A lot of what’s being said about your brand is positive. People are praising it, either for the service it provides, the value they’re getting out of it or just because they have a great passion for what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. If that’s the case, you’ll want to know what they’re saying so you can say thank you.
 
3. To acknowledge negative opinions and share your viewpoint
Conversely, many people are online spreading their negative perceptions about your brand. And, in many ways, this information travels faster than the positive. Without the knowledge of what’s being said - and a proper response plan in place - these opinions can run rampant and have a powerfully negative effect on your search engine results. If left unchallenged, the effect on your brand’s perception can be damaging in both the short and long term.
 
4. To help people
When monitoring the web, you’ll often come across people who are just looking for a little help, advice or resources. Be the ones to give it to them - whether related to your brand or not - and you’ll be seen and appreciated as a company with a human approach. 
 
5. To collect business intelligence
Say you’re looking for something specific, for example, your competitor’s strengths and weaknesses. You can not only monitor the web for impressions of their brand, you can always use the web to learn about their key people, past successes or failures. Armed with this information, you’ll be in a better position to develop plans to take advantage of the openings they’re leaving for you.

So, my questions to you are:

1. Are you monitoring the web?
2. What are you looking for?
3. Is there something else you’re monitoring for?  

Tags: PlantingSeeds, Planting Seeds Online, PlantingSeeds.ca, Monitoring, Tracking, Listening, Online Conversations, Lists, Bogs, Forums, Social Networks, Wikis, Microblogs, Video-sharing Sites, Mainstream Media