http://micespace.net.au/topic21-social-media-platforms-and-business-events.aspx MICEspace.net - General topics for the business events industry - Social media platforms and business events - Messages en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Jitbit AspNetForum Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:59:31 GMT Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:59:31 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:59:31 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx

Melanietk. I love your BLOG. So good to see someone so passionate about what they do! Keep it up. Hope you dont mind but I'm going to pass it onto a few of my industry friends.]]> Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:54:19 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
as for narrow view

I think to see things from both angles is more of an open view- If all you do is see it from a positive light without seeing the negative- then you are narrow in your thoughts.

I have moved on from fighting the guy making the false claims- the last time I mentioned it was on this forum along time ago- I have moved on. So I don't want to go into that argument- it was not good for my health and I have bigger more important things to do now.- so I have moved on- it is just that they keep coming back- but I have a feeling that it will pass- they will get bored and move on themselves in time.

so Yes I have moved on- I was just letting people know of a different side of facebook so their views were not so narrow

I have not given much info about myself and only friends can view the details- not friends of friends. I Have not really promoted it only because I am still learning it, most of the content are rss feeds from my twitter (which doesn't get used) and my news directory which I havn't really promoted because of my brand new spanking corporate magic site that I have been working on-- which I am very proud of (I have been filming with cool green screens and have made info videos that appear as tho I am walking onto the web page) and I have been incorporating Various databases into the site which is taking me forever to do (I don't enjoy transfering databases) This and working gigs has been what I have been working on - Not fighting others. I am trying to get it ready for RSVP but I am not so sure- red bull and nooooo sleep and I think it will be ready. To get back on topic ummm
Yes at the moment I have family and some friends who are my friends on facebook- I'll have to look it over more to see what I can do with it.
edited by Toruk Makto on 17/07/2010]]> Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:00:55 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:25:20 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
Toruk Makto is this your 'company' facebook account or your 'personal' facebook account.

Maybe its time to stop posting negative things about other magicians and concentrate on what you do best. Seems to me that you are competant enough as I've seen your tradeshow video...

Even though our industry is small there's room for everyone to do what they do without the negativity.]]> Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:12:36 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
I can't repeat the message because they are too rude, but It has to do with my comments against those magicians using false advertising

They are taking shots at my physical features, but I cannot reply to them. So there is a downside to facebook.

cowards hide themselves, and this is what can happen when you allow people not to identify themselves

Dave]]> Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:26:24 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
honestly I didn't know about the hashtag search, never heard of it. I will start searching for things with a # on googl I use "" I assumed they would keep it all the same
Also with a name that incorporates "RSVP" I believe some of the search may become lost with other RSVP dating and to be honest any event that wants people to RSVP.

facebook located here http://www.facebook.com/rsvpeventcommunity?ref=ts#!/rsvpeventcommunity?v=wall&ref=ts

not alot of individual posting there, more from the organisers, but a few comments here and there.

yeah good on them for having a go. I just wanted to get something going on this forum again. I was at the expo, comparing what happened, to what the media said about it and having a giggle.
I was reading a post here http://eventexperts.com.au/index.php/2010/05/28/what-did-we-learn-from-rsvp-melbourne/ and they mentioned other social media like Ning (which has been around for a while) and others and seeing if other events were doing anything.

personally if the events industry is talking about using social media- I look to the trade events of the events industry as examples - they should be the kings and queens of social media at events
if their expo is about services to the events industry- I see that as they should do everything right and be an example, but this is my warped way of thinking (or lack of)]]> Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:56:25 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
We're not just 'talking about it' - I mean, have you ever seen the twitter stream - or rather, torrent - that is associated with any TEDx event? Each event has to not only plan such a strategy as part of their larger marketing plan, but dedicate resources to creating and implementing it as well.

Did RSVP have a LinkedIn or Facebook page for their event? Did they set up means by which attendees and exhibitors could connect prior, during or after the show - both online or offline? Perhaps their pre-show research on attendees found that they were not using those types of connections in their day to day business. Remember the part about how everyone is still learning, analysing, and assessing the viability and practice of these platforms? The @RSVPMelb account has under 200 followers. Whats to say that next year that wont be 2000? I applaud them for being there, and active, in the first place.

It's still early days my friend. Such an example is not indicative of the outcome or future of the 'social media revolution'.]]> Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:14:36 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx found here http://twitter.com/RSVPevent

There has been talk of using social media for pre/post and actual show

but no one is posting anything or rather there is hardly anything on the melbourne RSVP Twitter. despite the fact that thousands of people attended

so are we just talking about using social media- or are we actually using it- I think we just talk about it.]]> Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:54:29 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx http://twitterfeed.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://twitterfeed.com/

This is a powerful tool set up to automate part of your social media.

And investigate widgets which I will discuss later

, you will have 2 types of fans

those who join to follow the crowd (good for statistics, but not so good for anything else) and those who are raving fans, raving fans love you and want to help promote your business and they get involved

by creating a NEWS WIDGET you can share your rss feeds in a more direct manner than using twitter. your raving fans can put your news widget on their face book to spread the word quicker

You can also create a mobile site at widgetbox.com so people can access your page or site on the go- this is all using RSS Feeds

I have been thinking about your comment all day in between shows at the sydney family show today and I am disapointed that you didn't find a single thing to help in my posts, even if you just scanned the topic you would have come across http://twitterfeed.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://twitterfeed.com/ because it stands out in blue as a link.

AB99 got it right - it is faster because it is based on RSS Feeds, and not email, information is sent out as soon as it is typed- much more efficient than emails
he/she also states I see them as serving your own personal news update pages, where you can both post your news and read others, all in one glance.

do your self a favour and spend 5 minutes learning about the technology you wish to use not only what you can do with it, but how it works, My toolbox is exactly what AB99 is talking about get all the latest news in 1 glance with no emails updated every two hours. and I would very much like to add the Micenet latest news feed to it for my growing users. (because I have spicenew, eeaa, cei asia UK events news and you can get all this in a glance). You might not understand what I am talking about, but your going to want to know in the future.

I have sent emails to you asking for permission to use the feed to share it with those who have already downloaded my program- (because your web page privacy says I have to ask) Could I please use it?

.
.
edited by FREE Event Organisers Tool Box on 8/04/2010]]> Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:52:45 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
TD - glad I'm not the only one here. I've no doubt that there are alot of us out there who are trying to find their way around 'social networking'. I was watching the morning news and it seems like all the Polititians are Twittering (makes you wonder if they are really listening to what being said in Parliment).

AB99 - I hope that when I set up my 'business' facebook account I'll use it just as much as my personal one.

MelanieTK - thanks...always enjoy reading your comments. You are fast becoming a Social Networking queen (or Princess depending on your age) to me. Thanks also for participating in our last Top 5 feature..."Tips on Utilising Social Media" - February issue of mice.net page 22-23...

http://micenet.realviewtechnologies.com/default.aspx?cdn=0&xml=micenet.xml&iid=32941

FEOToolB - Sorry you lost me. Too much mixed information...guess you didnt consider the KISS rule in this instance.

Would love to hear from others who are using Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and get your perspective...is it working for you? Or should we all just go back to picking up the phone (calling a friend, client etc), networking (face to face my favorite) at industry events...long lunches (takes me back to the 80's and 90's). Are we really that busy that the only time we have is spent in front of the computer?

This forum is your opportunity to write to your hearts content and BRAD FOSTER has made a promise that if he see's something that he thinks our readers will enjoy he'll publish it in micenet magazine. ]]> Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:08:51 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
If you really like what you do and who you work for you may brag about it, which could cause problems.

Or a young 18 year old fresh out of school gets her first job, and she brags to all her friends how she has a great job or bad job,

". I can't imagine too many people going out to create a Business Fan Page "
I can't imagine why people have to lie cheat and steal but it happens, people with do things for any amount of reasons The mear mention that you work for XYZ Company is enough to have an impact on the business especially when you put up your drunken photos or whatever.]]> Sun, 04 Apr 2010 16:28:54 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
You personal Facebook account remains completely separate and as always, you have many options for protecting your privacy of that profile. Just be smart about who you 'friend' and make sure you keep both worlds at a distance. Problem solved.

Fair point about creating a page for the business that you work for and being responsible for their brand - but as I've also said numerous times, that should be part of your business's marketing plan and thus carefully considered (ie: who will create and maintain it, what information is shared, what discussions or notifications are announced, who moderates and updates.. etc etc). I can't imagine too many people going out to create a Business Fan Page without either a) being the person in charge who has that authority or b) seek permission from the person who does have that authority. Why would you do it without the support of your fellow business associates anyway?

Create a mock page or test it out with a personal fan page first so you get to see all the bells and whistles. but really this is an easy concept and process and isn't as scary or complicated as some people would make you believe. As with anything on the Internet you need to carefully consider what information gets out there but by now that should be common knowledge - or one of the first things you self educate, or teach your staff.

This is a brave new world - experiment, road test, do market research, plan with your staff of associates, assess your progress - just like any new concept or marketing strategy implementation. I think you'll find yourselves pleasantly surprised how effective it can be if done properly, but like anything to do with Social Media, EVERYONE is new to this so we can all learn from each other.]]> Sun, 04 Apr 2010 11:39:55 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
Your face book profile is an extension of your branding.

Now I don't know you that well Sonya, but I get the feeling that you wouldn't post those raunchy photos online, but you can't leave anything nowadays to common sense or to good taste, so guidlines should be set up because one persons bad face book profile can get sent across the net quicker than ......um well, very fast, and if it is negative it gets sent around even faster. and that bad facebook profile can have major impact on the image of a company. so in closing- Don't leave anything to chance, don't rely on common sense, make rules and guidelines- and be prepared to change these guidlines on the go- because the world of social media is contantly changing

OK I am off to get a napkin for my dribble and I'll be back soon after eating my chocolate mmmmmmmmmmmmmm]]> Sat, 03 Apr 2010 16:16:00 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
Again, even if your Fan Page is a business, you can still add some personality to it. I've seen some great examples of businesses engaging with their 'fans' and getting some great promotion out of their efforts, but I don't have the first clue as to the name of the person running the business - and I don't care! I have loyalty to their brand. If I wanted to find out I'm sure I could, but what they provide is sufficient for me for now.

So Business + personality can still = WIN, while for personal branding purposes (or an inability to be the official representative for your business/company), a Fan Page under your personal name could be something fun to experiment with. Just make sure your Info Tab contains the relevant information about contacting you or your business.]]> Sat, 03 Apr 2010 13:09:39 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
In sales which is where you are Sonya (and to be honest everyone is in sales), To get people to buy your product they first must buy into you as a human, and people buy from people they like, so therefore your face book profile that you use for your business profile could include more human style information, not just the latest news and business info etc, granted you don't want to have all your personal info on it, and you don't want to include info that other people can take advantage of but having things that people can relate to about you, adding such things make you appear more human to those who don't know you. (not that your a robot, but having things that other people can relate to.)

It is a different angle to look at, Face Book is social media so add what you do socially on it, if you go on a holiday and video it- you can blur out faces using windows movie maker (free program with PC's) add it to youtube and it lets people in. they get to know you, they start to buy into you, people are going to buy from their friends before someone they don't know.

anyway that is my dribble for the second- I'll have more later

One of the things is that you don't own your business, if you were the face of your business this would be easier to deal with, so if you do post personal info on your business face book profile make sure that it does not conflict with the micenet image and branding (I know I Know I don't have to say that, but common sense is not all that common)]]> Fri, 02 Apr 2010 21:48:53 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
But since then, I have made some interesting discoveries. "Fan Pages" are a great tool for participating in discussions and receiving updates in your news feed (and with the clever use of filters, you can keep them separate from your family and friend updates) without any of your personal information being shared with anyone at all.
Creating your own "Fan Page" (for yourself, or your business - a lot of fan pages are now actual people, rather than a subject or concept) means you can link the pages you come across that are industry specific to that page only, rather than to your personal profile. Because most 'industry' people do the same thing - use fan pages instead of their personal profile, it becomes a nice 'arms length' situation.

Trying to explain it here is a little complicated, but suffice to say I am finding ways to conduct business while still keeping my private life relatively private.

As for how much time I spend on social networking... As an independent business owner, I have the flexibility to do a lot of it in my 'spare time' so on occasion, I've done some serious 5 hours sessions of catching up on twitter and participating in industry chats, reading LinkedIn Discussions, blogs, magazine articles, etc... But at the moment, with a significant event in less than a week, I've narrowed that down to about half an hour per day at most - I post event updates on twitter and Facebook, check on the status and statistics of various sites associated with the event, and then I get back to work. Deadlines are a great motivator
While I sometimes feel guilty over the time I (usually) spend on social media platforms, I know that it is also productive and educational, as well as social and networking and most times see it as time well spent.
edited by melanietk on 2/04/2010]]> Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:10:55 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
Seriously it's me again oh no

They say (I don't know who "they " are)

Never mix business with pleasure or personal.

Keep it seperate For business design a business face book profile if you could be bothered but better yet have a Linked IN account which is more business orientated

For social - just have a face book account and use your maiden name so no one knows who you are and keep it private so no one has access to it unless you say so.

For business you could create a Buisiness face book and use http://twitterfeed.com/ what you would do with this is use those nasty RSS Feeds that I was explaianing about in other posts to automatically update your business face book account and twitter accounts- what I mean is you grab the Micenet rss feed- latest news and whatever is posted here automatically gets posted on your twitter account without you doing anythning- I believe it will also appear in your facebook profile if you want. and you can grab other rss feeds to like this forum, this way it is a business account that you don't have to spend 30 minutes on, and it continues to update itself while you spend whatever time you have on your private facebook.

So yes you can have a face book and twitter account that you never personally update- you never ever touch it- but those business rss feeds do the work for you Gees I am only a magician and I Know this stuff, it is amazing that no one else knows this stuff.

ANY RSS Feed works so whatever your interested in- see if their is an RSS feed and you can add it, create a weblink back to micenet web site and bang instant business face book account which appears as tho you are constantly updating it. you could even add the micenet twitter feed to your own twitter feed, hmmmm, it gets confusing but essentially whatever gets posted on the official micentet twitter will automatically get published to your sonya business twitter

Oh my god I waffle on but golly gosh it is worth the read.... That 1 link is worth reading the entire posting, and it is free, so for all those small businesses out there who do not have time to do social media- you don't realy have to spend time doing it- just have a website that has RSS feeds or if you know a little about your website and you have a CPANEL you can create a latest news blog using wordpresss which is free and if you have a cpanel you can install it free and easy which you post your latest news and savings etc and it automatcally updates your social media sites, or worst comes to worst you can go here and create a free blog https://www.blogger.com/start and use the blogs rss feed to update your social media sites. so you just update your news as you would normally and it filters out to your social media sites

RSS stands for really simple syndication if you don't know.

I Have spent a year learning about RSS Feeds and feed readers and how they can be used- there is even an RSS to email newsletter program, so that your RSS feed turns into a Newsletter without you doing anything, people sign up and the program pulls info from your rss feed and sends it out to your database automatically- just make sure that the feed has constant changes in info - otherwise the same info will be sent each time.



OH and when I say use the blogs RSS feed- all I mean is you are copying and pasting the feed which appears in the web browser into the tritterfeed account (it tells you where to paste it) there is not high tech advanced editing knowledge required your only doing a copy & paste - very easy -

cool huh? and you thought I just did card tricks for a living
edited by FREE Event Organisers Tool Box on 2/04/2010
edited by FREE Event Organisers Tool Box on 2/04/2010
edited by FREE Event Organisers Tool Box on 2/04/2010]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 23:02:55 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx To me, both serve as easy, quick ways to see "what's going on" without having to open, read, write individual (or mergemail) emails - so much faster and "right there at a glance". SAVES time, rather than wasting it! I probably spend all of 5 minutes a day on Twitter, and have made a few deals and new connections through it. Same with Linkedin, and so I am hoping my business Facebook will be similar. (I spend a lot more time per day on my personal Facebook - probably 30 minutes - but that's just because I so enjoy reading my friends and family's posts, looking at their photos, commenting and updating and so on. It's still much easier than doing individual emails - not that I don't still write those as appropriate of course!)
I see them as serving your own personal news update pages, where you can both post your news and read others, all in one glance.]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:14:23 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
I've never attempted a linkedin account as I don't personally think I'd gain anything from that, I think twitter would be worth doing but once again I've never tried that either.

At the moment, creating a duplicate facebook account for business purposes might be worth doing... but I'm open to ideas.]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:25:06 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
Here is my dilemma. I’m on FACEBOOK but only use it to correspond/network with friends/family oversees. I have things such as photo’s of my kids and family, conversations with relatives and friends that don’t work within my industry (or if they do they are very good friends that don’t really want to discuss work issues). I’m also registered under my married name (I use my maiden name for work purposes). I find that I get a lot of invitations to;
- Become a friend of MCVB
- Be a fan of the Royal Easter Show
- Become a fan of Weddings at Swiss Grand

The list goes on and I’ve no doubt that I’ll continue to get these invites. Now I’m keen to support my industry but I find myself in a situation whereby I dont want to give my personal details (and I’m well aware that I can take out what I dont want people to see).

What do you suggest I do? Set up a Facebook account for only industry (nothing private/personal....just me)? What’s the point of doing that? Do I not bother because why would I become a fan/friend? What’s the purpose when I can read what they are doing in their e-newsletters/press releases. What would the value be to ‘me’ to participate? Is everyone just doing this for the sake of being involved? Do people think that if they dont follow the pack they get lost? Is it necessary? And who has time to do this? I’ve just spent 30 minutes typing this instead of doing my work (sorry Helen Batt-Rawden). Are we wasting time on Social Networking? Is our work suffering? Is this a topic that we need to seriously cover in mice.net? Melanietk you recently participated in our Top 5 feature and I must say that I enjoy reading your comments. How much of your day gets spent on Social Networking?]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:58:17 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
You know what? After all that, I have no website. I find that what counts to me, right now, in terms of personal branding, are those things associated with melanietk, be it blog, linkedin profile, twitter account etc, as they are the means by which I engage with people. I'm not a 'trading business, or tracking down/enticing new clients or jobs at this point in time, and those other mediums allow me to get across any message that a website would do for me, so while it would be nice to have something like that all in one place, it's a 'future project'. Then again I'm so small fry why add another website to the mix of those already out there?

So through this debate, I'm noticing a pattern emerge. Big companies or high profile event businesses could utilise social media platforms for their events (in the myriad of ways already described), but would not necessarily be effective for self promotion. On the flip side, venues, smaller businesses or independent service providers would gain great benefit from social media in terms of being noticed and promoting products or specials, but may have little impact using them at events themselves (at least not for mass distribution).

Therefore, any 'impact' made is through understanding what works best for them and using it to their best advantage, but there's not a 'one size fits all' strategy for everyone.

Oooohh I can't wait to do an analysis on our social media strategy for our 2010 series of event vs the complete lack of one in 2009. Already we've noticed some amazing changes and opportunities, but details of that will come later (and probably blogged, when the NDS is lifted).]]> Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:13:33 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx Mecure sydney has not may fans/followers.
eventconnect has 230 followers on twitter

ummmmm are these people the best people to tell us about social media? and getting it to work for our business, I know kids entertainers who have more fans and followers]]> Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:25:05 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
Melanie now I put 2 and 2 togeather

Your micenet magazine photo is different from your linkedin photo you have cut your hair.......]]> Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:17:06 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx We are bombarded with big company advertisements everywhere we go- TV, Radio, print ads walking down the street- it gets to the point where we tune it out, so when we see it on facebook for example- we tune that out as well,

where as the smaller companies that do not apeear everywhere can standout by the simple fact that you don't see or hear them every day of our lives.

melanietk
I like your comments on "When it came time for them to promote their product, it felt like a friend asking a favour than a business asking for free advertising. "
I am a student of Joel Bauer (the Retired USA Infotainer) and while I do not agree with all his statements and lessons, He does make a big point of turning customers into raving fans who do the marketing for you (which do agree with).

If customers buy into you as a human- they are more likely to buy into whatever you are selling- and customers buy from people they like. It is possible that once a company reaches a large size- they become somewhat despised for their success and possibly their treatment of the small companies- we have all heard of westfields shutting down and putting out of business smaller companies, so we ignor their marketing plea's.

It might be possible if a small "no name brand" used the "all I want is a no name voucher" style promotion and get better results on account that you don't see their promotions every other second.

Now trying to relate that article back to the events industry, Perhaps all those huge venues that appear at every single trade show year in and year out, and who also appear in each events magazine may not get the best results from social media, but perhaps the smaller venue can stand out, perhaps social media is the domaine of the small business, Marketing events such as trade show via social media may not be a problem, but I would assume that you would be just topping up the visitor lists, with industry specific trade shows you would hope that the organisers already have a large database.

Mecure Sydney only has 428 followers http://twitter.com/Mercuresydney (from memory they were in the micenet magazine or I could be mistaken) and only 116 fans on facebook- I am sorry to say Why are they giving us advice as an expert in an industry magazine?

walk the walk and talk the talk]]> Sat, 13 Mar 2010 01:27:08 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
In a pleasant reversal, a small alternative clothing company in Australia recently ran a Facebook promotion by offering a relatively small gift voucher for their 4000th fan and the person that recommended them. It was a non invasive but simple promotion, and certainly gained them the support of people who might not have otherwise known about their business or products. What was appealing was that this business constantly engaged with its audience/fans, not only updating on their business but asking opinions, responding to feedback and promoting other peoples events (in much the same way most successful Twitter accounts function). When it came time for them to promote their product, it felt like a friend asking a favour than a business asking for free advertising.

I mention this in relation to business events, because as part of their engagement with their fans in such a manner, they actually went on to become a retail exhibitor at one of my upcoming events. I can't wait to meet them personally and browse their products for myself.

I had the honour of having some of my social media research published in the latest MICEnet magazine, and even now, after continuing to see methodologies, theories and practice evolve daily, I'm confident I got the basics right (so too did the other contributors - a great well rounded Top 5 feature). I've attended seminars and lectures on social media (and met some great Brisbane event professionals along the way!) and am attending another on personal branding in a fortnight, about which I'm very excited.

When someone I've never met comes up to me and says 'hey! You're melanietk! How's your event going?' I know I'm doing something right.]]> Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:30:43 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx http://www.marketingmag.com.au/blogs/view/why-social-media-and-marketing-don-t-mix-1986

makes you think- which is what I like]]> Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:56:17 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
you will have instant access to the events industry Media's twitter, and I am always looking for more, so if you know of other twitters out there- like AIME expo, or Meetings & Events Association twitter- then post it here and I will add it.







So That I play fair- I will post the download link only if Micenet moderators give me permission, otherwise you can view the video as an example of what is available out there.]]> Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:26:16 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
Being a forum it would be nice if people actually posted, as I am sure there are people out there who know a little.

Oh By the way this statement is directed at the owners:

This is one reason for the failure of this forum is that it is anonymous. You tried this years ago and it lasted about 3 months.

In essence this forum is a social media platform in it's core and this is one of the biggest problems with social media is that if the system is set up and is anonymous I don't believe that anonymous is the way to go and I said this before in a previous post, because anyone who is really serious about communicating doesn't hide who they are.

A fourm set up for the events industry at no cost to the users and no one posts- social media in events has along way to go (In Australia anyway)]]> Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:51:19 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
It is no good giving answers if people don't understand the question. I had to do my own research and experience the platforms and technology for myself, before the 'how-to' guides made sense. You yourself said that it isn't the technology that detracts from the value that can be gained, but rather not understanding how it should be used effectively.

As I said many times before, I will continue to offer links to articles and research that I found, or am finding useful in further understanding the impact of social media, and how to use it to enhance the delivery of events.

Direct link to a 60page eBook (pdf) that explains the concept and execution of 'backchannel' resources in very easy to understand terminology, and perfect for beginners in the medium.

Another eBook that really gets to the bottom of how social media is changing the face of the event industry in 2010, compiled by 7 Event experts from around the world.

A collection of articles by Jeff Hurt on Twittering at events, another giving a great analogy in the hopes of relating just what social media is and how it can be translated in to the virtual world, and finally a list of different ways attendees can connect and network prior and during your events.

Mike McCurry's entire site is dedicated to hybrid and virtual events, understanding technology, and how it relates to event professionals and attendees. He is a 30 year veteran of the events industry and respected speaker and author.

When I have more time to dedicate to tracking down information I will add links regarding the topics of LinkedIn, Facebook, and other SM tools, but for now, I have a meeting with the QLD Governor at the Australia Day Ceremony to prepare for.]]> Mon, 25 Jan 2010 23:40:25 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
OK detailed out- but a quick generalise overview would be helpful

Twitter
pre show such as marketing- getting the word out
During the show- no idea
and post show- questions afterwards

next

Youtube
Pre show- promo video
at show- no idea
post show- highlights, filmed presentations etc

next

face book
Pre show yadaydaydya

that is pretty easy.

are we the only two people that post?

perhaps we could get a rename of the forum to Sydney Magician/melanietk or melanietk/sydney magician (we post more than the forum owners which is a little strange considering they are a media company- well it's strange to me)]]> Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:15:51 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
What I will agree with is that it needs to be used correctly and as I have said from the beginning education, training and trial-by-error are the only ways for Social Media to make a positive impact and successful integration in to the business events industry. That goes with anything new, technology or no.

As for listing all the ways and means - You're kidding, right? You may as well ask all the ways in which a computer can be used in day to day business. The options are endless and in most cases, as with anything new, still being discovered, and there are people much more knowledgeable than I who are already talking about and teaching on the subject.

As I mentioned I would be happy to link to resources I consider useful in this respect, but ultimately it is up to the individual as to what they want to know, learn, discover and evaluate as being useful from their perspective as a supplier or event organiser.]]> Mon, 25 Jan 2010 10:29:32 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx Trackers are the best thing sliced bread. How much time would you (or someone you're paying minimum wage to) have wasted on manually entering the names and details (which are often times limited) on the 500 business cards you've collected (if registered visitors have them at all), that have not given you a sense of what level of interest the lead had in the first place?

Trackers in and of themselves are useful- however they are not used correctly- most people scan a name badge and maby add a comment and in my book that is not a lead, if this is all your going to do- then why exhibit in the first place- you can get a list of contact details much cheaper by going to a mailing list broker.

Pen and paper approach (low tech) works for me and is why I have testimonials on my site saying I increase lead generation by 500% - not even a PR firm increases leads by that much on the trade show floor.

I do use a PA systm on the trade show floor- however not to be really loud- but so I can do my presentations all day without shouting and losing my voice..

Anyway- back to social media, with regards to"
How can a room of 500 people staring at a stage be a 'human connection' when real-time backchannel conversations are allowing those 500 people to interact with not only the speaker, but with the people sitting 5 rows ahead of them, or with those who aren't in the room (or even the event itself), but want to know the seminar content anyway?

Are these people using social media during the presentation? or afterwards to chat about it.- Afterwards is good, during the presentation is interesting, but imagine somehow that all attendies were somehow connected to twitter via phone, and the speaker asks a question and gets 500 responses- he would not be able to answer all these on stage, and even if he could answer 22 of them- thats 478 people who didn't get answered.

what I would like to know is (and we might have to start a seperate topic) is a list of the Social media out there and the way it could be used to help an event- with detailed responses

such as Twitter can be used
Pre event...........
At event............
Post event.........

Face Book can be used
Pre event.........

and so on and so on,]]> Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:56:20 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx link to MPI magazines recent post on this very topic (evolution of technology). If I could link directly to paper books, I would.

I disagree about 'technology' (which is only a tool) and social media (a way to use those tools) dehumanising events. Again and again the international business event sector is proving that the use of technology and social media platforms for and at events are creating communities, connecting people, and pulling us away from the 'talking head', limited engagement seminar or lecture.

How can a room of 500 people staring at a stage be a 'human connection' when real-time backchannel conversations are allowing those 500 people to interact with not only the speaker, but with the people sitting 5 rows ahead of them, or with those who aren't in the room (or even the event itself), but want to know the seminar content anyway?

Trackers are the best thing sliced bread. How much time would you (or someone you're paying minimum wage to) have wasted on manually entering the names and details (which are often times limited) on the 500 business cards you've collected (if registered visitors have them at all), that have not given you a sense of what level of interest the lead had in the first place?

It's not laziness - it's embracing innovation, utilising time saving tools so you can focus on what really matters - connecting with quality leads, colleagues, associates and other professionals. There will never be anything as good as F2F and I will always support the human factor, but you need to attract people in order to make that first engagement. Whether that is through a well constructed visual presentation on a plasma screen that really showcases the work and delivery of your services (anyone can talk up anything, but people want examples), or using twitter, Facebook or some other medium to announce something amazing happening at your booth.

I agree that 'Live' vs 'Televised' is a no brainer, but if you could announce to the 500 people on the tradeshow floor that you will be conducting a live, free, magic show at your booth in half an hour, you'll be attracting an audience that is made up of more people than those who just happened to be passing at the right time. And don't forget, you're talking as an individual supplier. Event organisers have hundred of exhibitors and dozens of sessions they need to 'announce' and encourage people to attend or engage with. Short of using the (droning and often distracting) PA system (Why don't you just use a megaphone?), or hoping that people are reading their conference programs with religious fervour, you have to use the tools your attendees are using.

It may be in the early stages right now, and thus the impact of utilising them in this manner may be limited, but the times are changing and conference/event organisers need to go to where the people are - and the people are on social media. Eventually, they'll rely on what they read on twitter or have had their friends or network connections recommend rather than what they are being force fed through advertising, glossy images or sponsor branding. Already you and some others have proven a distrust of a sponsor and their involvement in an event and thus viability as a stand alone service/product/brand. What about letting that sponsor prove themselves to you (royal you, not you specifically)?

The first booth I would visit at a trade show? Someone who has taken the time to engage with me prior to the show, given me hints at what I will see, maybe offered an early or 'mates rate' deal, and has encourage me to visit so we can 'meet in person', rather than being faced with someone I don't know, and a product I have to learn from scratch from a few brochures and wall posters. They know who I am, what I want, and what I'm hoping to learn before the exhibition has even opened. The exact same mentality would apply to a speaker. In fact, I would go so far as it would apply to the entire event or conference itself.

That isn't laziness, that is someone reaching out to me and making an effort to meet 'my' needs.

I highly recommend everyone watches this short YouTube video: "Is social media a fad? This will blow you away" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8and while as with anything statistics are questionable or probably biased or location specific (its not even event specific), it will still make you sit back and think.

Once you've seen that, read this exhibitor feedback report by respected Tradeshow & Conference Creative Director Erik Lukazewski of Echelon Design.

My posts in the beginning of this thread showed my own reluctance and fears about understanding social media and its impact on events. Since then I made the conscious effort to research and engage with worldwide industry professionals and let me tell you, I am a convert. I encourage others to do a little research themselves, if they have the time... I would even be happy to save everyone the hassle of finding the 'good stuff' and post educational and opinion links here, if it helps.

For anyone in the events industry who is on, or wants to try Twitter, search for the hashtag #eventprofs and you will be amazed at the quality and quantity of content out there, and the vibrant international community of event professionals who are engaging, informing, sharing and educating.
edited by melanietk on 24/01/2010]]> Sun, 24 Jan 2010 12:52:21 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx High Tech high touch

The more technology plays a part in our life, and the more we rely on High Tech solutions for our life
the more we value personalised expressions
The more High tech our world is, the more we will respond to high touch experiences.

If events become fully technology based, the more we will respond to those events that personalise our experience, and treat us not as a web statistic, but more as a person, and granted- Technology does allow all to have a voice, but you do lose the human component to an event- I guess as a magician I have a different prespective- there is a huge difference between seeing a Magician live and seeing a magician on TV.

I remember years ago when my Dad played grass hockey on real grass, when the astro turf came out he said it made good hockey players out of bad ones, and made us more lazy when playing because we didn't really have to focus as much when we had control of the ball. (real grass has bumps and you had to keep your eye on the ball) Events are similar (I also guess it is the argument of photographers- digital v's real film, but thats for the photographers forum.

I think there are many events today that over rely on technology, I am not sure if it because the event organiser is lazy, sometimes it is, lazyness, sometimes they run out of original ideas and sometimes they are copying people (yes copying people does happen) But I see it big time on the trade show floor- to the point where companies spend a fortune on technology which actually distances the company from the potential customer, and this is not what you want to do at your event.

From a trade show perspective companies spend money on getting lead trackers, Plasma screen demo's, Flashing lights - all of which actually distract and distance yourself from the most powerful thing you can do at a trade show which is 2 humans connecting and communicating. most companies don't use their technology correctly. When it comes to SM It really needs to be done correctly, if it used for the sake of using it- then it is wasted- I must admit I am bumbling around with this post. I am trying to figure out the right words to use, I think if a social media platform comes out to run events- then many more people will use it, and become lazy in creating events that will really truly connect people- it will make good event organisers out of the not so good- but events need great event organisers. I think SM will work if it does not remove the human element to the event and we do not over rely on it- look what happened to email- there is so much junk email out there- there is also alot of junk SM out there.

anyway- it is way to hot to sit in front of the computer on Saturday as I type- and perhaps the heat has made me a little more weird than usual- I'm getting a beer, and I'll come back on Monday to see all the Hate repsonses moohoohahaha.

on second thought - Cold Shower- then beer and when the cool changes happens a scotch and coke mmmmmmmmmm]]> Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:53:21 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
He first came to my attention when I was witnessing the social media explosion surrounding PCMA10 - http://www.pcma2010.org
It is only the most recent example and probably one that has, in my mind, made the best case for the impact social media has for events. Want to know where the link to the conference website was? I can't tell you, because I don't know. It didn't turn up in the first 10 pages of a Google search for 'PCMA10' (the official 'Hashtag' for the event), although yes, searching for its full title of PCMA2010 did make it the first hit. But I had to guess, and eventually just punched a random URL in to my GoogleChrome link bar and hope for the best.

I'm nowhere near Dallas, TX, USA, and my event circle and Australian network weren't likely to attend in any great numbers, so all I had to go on where the hundreds of tweets and blog posts about this mysterious 'PCMA10' thing that all the 'Power players' in the global event industry were talking about.

For a while, it was all anyone seemed to be talking about, almost to the point where one might wish that Twitter had a 'snooze' button. In true journalistic nature, people began to write about the fact that it was being so widely covered - by attendees. Who ran the event? What were the specific goals of the organisers? You couldn't tell from anything that was written out there online. All you got, for the most part, was delegate feedback on either session speakers or topics, how well the conference was going, invitations to post-session social events, and the cool new gadgets and ideas that were being floated around by exhibitors and other attendees.

I watched the whole thing unfold with avid fascination, and wondered if there would be an Australian event that could make such an impact on the social media landscape. Suffice to say, quite a few lessons can be learnt by taking the time, if you have it, to Google 'PCMA10' and read just a few articles about both the conference content - and how people shared it with the rest of the world - and the impact real-time delegate feedback had on the event itself.

But I apologise, I'm getting off topic. Back to Jeff Hurt. He is Director of Education and Engagement at Velvet Chainsaw Consulting. While this may not be appropriate, I'd like to link you to his blog, so people can make up their own mind about whether his teachings (or opinions, research, however you'd like to describe it) are useful in helping people understand this particular micespace.net.au topic: Is social media going to revolutionise the business events industry.

Me? I'm jumping feet first on to this bandwagon, am reading Jeff's blog (and many others on similar topics) daily, and hoping that I can find a way to understand and change my attitudes and execution of events in the future, and hopefully keep up with the lightening speed 'revolution'.

http://jeffhurtblog.com/ - topics covered are more than social media and technology for events, but also imparting ideas about the way conferences can evolve and maintain both momentum (increased numbers, increased delegate experience) and relevance.
edited by melanietk on 21/01/2010]]> Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:32:34 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
http://www.ready2spark.com/2009/12/bringing-twitters-back-channel-to-the-front.html

As well as discussing the practical application and virtues of the new avenues recent SM technology allows, they also cover what they perceive as certain personality types who are, and will probably continue to be opposed to such evolutions in presentation styles. I'm sure most here could name a few people that fit in to this category?

There may be a heavy bias in this collaboration, or it may really indicate a change in the times in how SM is not only frequently used at business events, but is now making up the fabric of overall delivery and becoming almost an essential part of its success.]]> Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:33:21 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx Sat, 19 Dec 2009 08:48:23 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
I like to stay as much as possible on topic, but when people start off topic posts about me, especially annon users, then this peeves me, Questions about me should be PM'ed

and warnings should be private, just like in an office- you would never sit someone down in the middle of the room to give someone a verbal warning or a written one and the forum is the same- you shut people down privately

like when I am on stage and I get a heckler, there are ways of shutting themdown without making them feel less than who they are,

But thank you for your comments Batman,

I know and feel that I think a little differently- I can't really control this, as I get older I feel even more separated, and sure.... I give myself a little plug here and there- I am proud of my achievements (and no one else is going to give me a plug (I don't work through the agencies or speaker agengies because I don't want to fork out a grand for bioview) you do know what this is don't you) - Although I will say this which is off topic, because many people here do not understand magicians or what they go through-

My Brother is a charted Accountant (at some lawyer firm in Sydney) he is still paying off his Hex debt (and also his wedding) I was going through my tax with him, and we found that over the years- I have spent more money learning magic, then he spent becoming a charted accountant, the core difference is I don't have any debt. I say this because I feel people tend to look down on magicians, sometimes I get compared to circus folk and street theatre which is an insult, especially when entertainer agencies have the magician in the same category as Stilt walker or Cartoonist, people think that you learn a few simple card tricks and thats it, and I don't have a certificate of magic, I have experience, so for those people who feel that they need to give me a snappy comment like I am bitchy or that I should have more gigs so I don't have to post so much on this forum, open up your mind, you make people feel less than who they are, and chances are this is because in your mind- putting people down makes you look cool- guess what? it doesn't.

anyway lets get back on topic, and thanks again batman]]> Sat, 19 Dec 2009 07:50:49 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:24:27 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
It's not just a matter of wasting time it is security as well

If all workers computers are connected on an intranet for example and one person downloads a viras which is excecuted from a flash file or a bit of Javascript, then the whole intranet could become effected. Sure there are firewalls to go through, but companies don't want to risk it and why should they.

Youtube uses flash, however other viras based programs are executed from flash.

I have found it a little strange that if a company puts someone in charge of organising an event, that they do not allow that person to have lighter security on their computer.

I have also wondered about event connect when you go through the search form- you go to the Map of Australia and tick the area's your interested in- this is in Flash, perhaps brad could share some light on how event connect works, But I might put my security on my browser up to MAX just to see what happens- however some websites detect how secure your browser it and redirect you to a useable section of the site automatically which is what I assume event connect does.

But it is not just for time wasters, it is also for security reasons,


UPDATE

OK Putting my security up to MAX- event connect seems to detect my security and allows me to use a drop down menu form instead of the flash map thing

OKOK Last post
edited by sydney_magician on 17/12/2009
edited by sydney_magician on 18/12/2009]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:30:05 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
And Re: "you'd have to make sure that those who have access are using it for the intended purpose", I disagree with this common concept, that such things have to be controlled. Individuals' work performance is what has to be, and what can be, controlled - trying to control possible ways of wasting time is a waste of time and a missing of the point. If someone's work is up to scratch, that's the only thing that should matter. If it's not, they need to be counselled about it. If their manager suspects it's because they're spending all their time on their personal FaceBook page, the manager should be talking to them about that as a possible reason for the poor performance. Banning access is so, like, 1968 - and not really effective management.]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:34:07 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
I think this could potentially be extremly usable and postentially powerful tool for the events industry-

Now the link below is a very very long video but wow (and developed in Sydney)


http://wave.google.com/help/wave/about.html#video

it is still being developed, but for online webinars/conferences etc

It is free, so this will probably open up the doors as many of the exhisting companies that provide large online conferences charge a small fortune (granted it is probably cheaper than putting on a live event. (It may also stuff up their own business, or they will have to make some changes)

Interesting tho

OK Thats it- good bye]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:36:35 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
The events industry is a very proactive sector so I would imagine a lot of smaller businesses (in personnel number - not influence!) would have the means and right intention to effectively use these tools, but you bring up a good point, sydney_magician, in that Government and large corporate workplaces (especially those where the 'events department' is but a small part) could potentially be losing out on the opportunity to access valuable, influential or potentially profitable information and networks. Considering the weight such organisations hold in all sectors, that could in turn be detrimental to everyone else and their effectiveness in establishing and maintaining control (especially of information) would be undermined. Pure speculation of course, it has been a little while since I worked for government, and perhaps they too have embraced the 'new wave' of Web2.0, but I think for those departments, the Good Old Fashioned Way of networking will remain their priority for a little while to come - or as was noted - it will have to be done in their own time or on their own machines.

For the immediate future (and in the world of technology, that means about 6 months) I still believe SM will be only another tool in the box for the business events industry. It is obviously getting results in a promotional and lead generation sense, but until the 'novelty' of live twitter feeds, Facebook Fan Pages and streaming video wears off, its usefulness at, or in support of, the events themselves remains to be seen, or at least integrated in a way that will revolutionise the way we work within the industry.

That's not to say I do not have hope! I am looking forward to seeing how it all fits together, how people or businesses use the technology for The Greater Good and completely wow us in to new way of thinking about the delivery of events.

ETA:
The following blog (and its interesting comments) came about because of a discussion on a LinkedIn Tradeshow group, and I thought it rather timely. It explores the impact and possible threat social media plays in live events (specifically Trade Shows): http://www.tradeshowweek.com/blog/1620000362/post/1330050733.html

Yes, I am aware the breadcrumbs of this are tinged with irony.



edited by melanietk on 8/12/2009
edited by melanietk on 8/12/2009]]> Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:40:59 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
I think the media and Associations will benefit from effective use of social media especially Twitter as it is a fast way of getting the news out
FaceBook/micespace you could have an account with the focus of driving potential members/users to your actual site. If your customers are using facebook- then create an account,
you really don't have to do alot of editing- just wack a few widgets up online to allow your twitters and blog rss feeds to update your account without you having to do anything- if you are time poor. and you wouldn't need to hire a web developer to do this (you could create a RSS widget at widgetbox then copy and paste the code- easy and free)

Moving on....

I recently sent out an email to 2000 events industry people asking if they could view my web site, sure their was a hint of self promotion there but more so I wanted to know if people could:
1: View the video and 2: View my drop down menu system

The results scared me a little

Many people could not view the video, being flash, many company computers do not allow flash or active X Controls to work (or Javascript) for that matter, with the reason being that many virases are are ignited via flash or Active X Controls., so their for Youtube will not work- many of the Government run computers have Javascript turned off. these same people will not be able to view youtube video (or google video etc)

Worse still the menu is (or was- I did change it all) was javascript and DHTML lovely looking drop down menu- that no one could see. (It is the same for the Meetings & Events association web site- their drop down section will not work on many computers) so if a social media site has javascript as part of it's process, then there is going to be problems

So if we are to embrace social media our customers computers need to be able to view the technology, I find most home computers can view and connect to the social media, but the company computers cannot. so if the only time our customers can view social media is when they are home then this will require a different design approach than creating a full on business web site on facebook, as our customers are looking at the social media in their non work time.

hmmmm, somthing to think about]]> Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:27:01 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:20:25 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
I can skim the tweets of those I follow with a glance that doesn't take more than a minute or two - much less time than scrolling through and opening and reading email.

We've already picked up some business deals through our twitter account, as well as interaction from interested (and relevant) business parties.

I am also planning to start a Facebook account for the association - my manager recently attended a business networking event wherein the attendance had multiplied ten times from the year prior (150 to 1500) - primarily, she was informed, through FB & Twitter.

If the person using Twitter and FB for business is already familiar with then through personal use, it's a snap. I believe use of these media for business will grow and it's just a steepish learning curve for those who don't use them personally.]]> Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:17:45 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
I'd agree with that.

My question is:

How do you people read the twitters that you are following:

Do you log in and read your twitters from other people which would take a bit of time and most of the time not worth signing in for
- or do you have a twitter reader? a simple little addon (like reading RSS Feeds) that you click and you get all the latest tweets without having to sign in and it really is as simple as clicking a button on your browser.

I have spoken to a few people as I was setting up my news site and people were not aware of the little addon, and they had to log in and find each person one by one, which to be honest took them forever and therefore didn't use it.

I have a twitter account on the topic of Trade shows- but the only people to join are people from America, which is nice and all, but pointless so I havn't used it for some time and my myspace profile got too much spam and I eventually got rid of it.

anyway sorry to chip in, I know people here think I just do a bunch of card tricks and there is nothing deeper to me. another name for excentric is creative, My mind works a little differently which can be advantageous when creating magic and thought provoking forum posts.
edited by sydney_magician on 5/12/2009]]> Sat, 05 Dec 2009 10:49:14 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
Twitter and tweets, facebook and face looks, and now Bizzly the Grizzly. I personaly work my full 9 hours a day (take lunch at my desk) and who be classified as "time poor". I ask who has the time to read all the volumes of information never mind reply to it.

On the other hand I like Blogs because they are topic specific and I enjoy reading the specific comments on the subject (except perhaps the excentric blogger if you know who I mean) but the information (95% trash) I get into my Face Book and the people I have never heard of that follow me on Twitter, I have no time for.

What is Bizzly going to bring to the table? It is supposed to be a combination of facebook and twitter? What will come next? How can companies that make the decision to go down the social media path ever keep up. We only have a small number of staff and could never afford to engage the services of a full time Socialmediaoligist.

I think you can keep social media to just that, SOCIAL and let business find otherways to market its produce.]]> Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:16:45 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
Now I doubt that the humble C&I industry will ever reach the frenzied heights of the Hollywood need to know set BUT there is a C&I audience out there and where there is an audience there must be a performance and like all performances, content, timing and delivery are the key to acclaim. Therefore perform we must.

Whilst this new medium doesn't infuse the buzz and excitement of the telex machine of the 70'a or the wonderment of the fax machine in the 80's or the email sensation of the 90's, I feel it is, in no small way, akin to the daunting replacement of telephone bookings with multi access computer reservation systems. You had to go with it or become a relic. Yes, there were those who poo hooed then and there will be those who pooh hoo now but are they using email?

I am coming to terms with the fact that along with monitoring my website statistics and continually tweaking it to creep up the google rankings I have had to educate myself on html and source code so that I can run my web based marketing campaigns linked to my website with rss feeds alerting me to who has opened them and who unsubscribes whilst at the same time ensuring everything is fed to facebook and twitter which I will have to log in to later to read my followers comments and respond to their requests. This is after uploading subscriptions and enquiries from the website and before I've done any work on next weeks client event. Heavens above, and all the while run my business efficiently and profitably.

I am about to advertise a new role in my company. Twitterer Extraordinaire. Must be able to tweet, facebook, bebo, jaiku, LinkedIn, myspace, plurk, ryze, wasabi, google, bing, SMS and wiki. Entry level 300wpm or 200wpm with two thumbs. Simultaneous database and small meetings management an advantage. 100 hours per week. Salary .....

Not a silly idea methinks.

Now, back to next weeks event, where were we, ah yes guest speaker wants to change his .......



simple - get someone else to do it and stick to what you do best.]]> Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:28:36 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
Unless the events are frequently reoccurring (business breakfasts, networking functions, etc), or you are marketing a fixed product (such as a venue or service provider with weekly specials, or other purchase incentives), at which point I do believe SM models can have an positive influence on marketing and sales, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter are too 'information heavy' and real-time, that prolonged or targeted campaigns get lost in the noise.]]> Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:15:43 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx
I think it has gotten to the point of being overwhelming. There are just too many options, too many opinions, and a million experts telling us that our events are going to fail if we don't get on the SM bandwagon. It takes as much time to research the best ways to roll out these programs (and apparently, to maintain them) as it does to execute a full marketing plan... At least that seems to be the case! I think that unless you have someone on the team who is already using these techniques, or has exposure to them, it can be quite a daunting task. Best to hand it over to a business that does know how to do it.

Having said that, some events with which I am involved are slowly undertaking the SM marketing technique. Not quite as effectively as the blogs and articles claim it should be, but I can certainly see the advantage. I also see other events use it to great advantage. Conferences in particular are streaming twitter feeds and presenting material live online, creating a 'back and forth' between onsite attendees, and those present 'remotely'. I 'sat in' on #media140 a while ago, and it was interesting to see the real time interaction between the presenter on stage, and the Tweets scrolling down the web page.]]> Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:14:02 GMT http://micespace.net.au/topic21-.aspx Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:23:24 GMT