Was away for a little while and now working furiously to get back into the swing of things. Here’s a quick recap of what’s been going on since the groundhog looked for his shadow:

• Earlier this month, I ran the Planting Seeds workshop at the Social Media for Government Conference in Ottawa. The group was great and eager to learn. In the session, we covered a few key lessons in the three hours, including:

- The importance of monitoring online conversations and the introduction of basic tools needed to help organizations 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

I really enjoy doing these sessions and the feedback has been tremendous. Looking forward to heading across the 401 to Toronto for the Social Media Summit in April and then back to Ottawa for another Social Media for Government conference in May. At these two events, we’re going to look at social media monitoring and the free tools you can use to set up your own listening posts.

• Speaking of workshops, I’m currently exploring the possibility of organizing some independent ones here in Montreal. With the help of friend Sharon Hunter (Twitter), we’re aiming to offer a range of sessions for executives and marketing folk. Within the week, I’ll be highlighting the sessions in the space.

If you’re interested in joining a session or having one at your place of business, just leave a comment below or send me an email. Let’s talk!

• Lots of feed reader goodness in the last little while. Here are some links that have caught my eye:

- Executing a listening plan, Techno//Marketer
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while or have attended one of my workshops, you know how important I believe putting together a listening plan is for people starting to dive into the social media waters. In this post, Matt explores what he calls the “Three layers of listening” - 1. the data layer, 2. the human layer and 3. the action layer.

- Social Media Year over Year Stats, Search Engine Guide
Take a look at the numbers, social media is growing. In this post, you’ll see just how much, as some networks have shown huge growth in the past year. Throw these stats into your next presentation, it’ll help turn people into believers.

- How Big Brands Can Start Testing Social Media, Conversation Agent
Another important post by friend Valeria Maltoni. In it, she gives companies five important things to think about when testing social media. Have a read and share your thoughts here or on her blog.

That’s it, that’s all for now. More juicy goodness to come, so stay tuned!