BarCamp S.F. Tomorrow!

Just a quick note to say that I am very excited about attending BarCamp S.F. tomorrow.

I have been in “coccon” mode in regards to updating my posts lateley but I have so many interesting topics to share in the upcoming days.

I have been experimenting with Social Ads, formulating my crazy thoughts into recipes for New Media Marketing and also attending a few other roundtable discussions that I will share my ideas on.

Stay Tuned!

I am also going to be bringing mobile podcasting gear to the BarCamp Event along with maybe a digital video camera and will stream some of the stuff here – maybe live!

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Search Engine Strategies – S.F.

Just wanted to mention that today I am sitting in on a very good conference in San Francisco called “Effectively Leveraging Social Media in Online Marketing Strategies.”

The instructor is Liana “Li” Evans (http://www.searchmarketinggurus.com) and her presentation on Social Media strategies is excellent!

I am sure I will have stuff to share in a future podcast.

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If Albert Einstein Were A Podcaster

If Albert Einstein were around I can almost guarantee you that he would be one of us – he’d be blogging and podcasting!

Enjoy and share!

Download here:e-stein.mp3

Or, simply choose the play button below.

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Pac Man’ing LinkedIn Contacts

I decided that one of my many New Year resolutions would be to start translating my business and personal contacts into more than just a stockpile of business cards helplessly containing themselves inside of a single drawer in my office.

Like most people, I have participated with some of the past trends of storing networked connections and business cards.I’ve put them on rolodexs and spun them around a few times…daydreaming at the array of colors and patterns that resulted.

I’ve kept a few of the most valuable ones in my wallet for a few years, only to find that after a year or two, the person I was trying to contact via telephone had moved on or that the email message just came skipping back.

I’ve beamed a few…that is, when my Palm Pilot was charged and working and I wanted to look hip at a networking event where someone actually HAD a compatible device to receive one. Now that too, outdated, sits on a shelf in the corner with dust.

I’ve also accidentally given away a few by mistake with my telephone number on the back, in reaction to not having any of my own business cards available. I imagine that an old contact of mine may still have my cellphone number (since changed) on the back of a tattered Jiffy Lube business card (this probably wasn’t the best presentation of my credentials!).

So now I am using the service LinkedIn to store all of my “handshakes in virtual space”and networked contacts.

The service has some interesting features such as being able to send email invitations to contacts to “join your network.” The drawback for me currently with LinkedIn is that while I have a huge thick stack of business cards and email contacts, my current profile blinks back with me with only 16 direct contacts. As I have been inviting my contacts to join my “nano network”, I’ve been curious if there is some sort of judging going one before my invitations are accepted, since my contacts are visible.

Do you think some people are hesitant to add a contact that isn’t say, “high enough on the food chain” in fear of being socially rejected to a preferred network?

Case in point (and mind you that I am not keen on Politics), Barack Obama.

Barack currently has over 500 contacts and is probably pretty well networked, so I just invited him to join my network. I figured I would use the “Friend”option as the method of my invitation.

OK, who do I know that KNOWS Barack Obama?

Oprah Winfrey of course!

So I am curious that if the tried and true method of actually “social networking” a contact the old fashioned way through “name dropping” would work.

My guess…probably not!

Barack or his staff will receive my invitation, persuse and judge me by my existing contacts, Google me, and then ultimately…reject me.

Why?

Because he won’t find my name on the Fortune 500 list, and he definitely won’t find Oprah Winfrey as a contact in my network.

(Defeated Pac Man Sound Effect) Even though all I really wanted was a “virtual handshake.”

p.s. I’ll keep you updated on my certain rejection.

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The Tao of Credit Union Blogging, Tip #1.

Tip #1 Downplay The Marketing Message

Nobody wants to read a commercial about the features of say, “online banking” right smack dab on your credit union blog – leave the targeted messaging right where it belongs – back on the corporate website.   I’m not suggesting that you can’t talk about the subject, I’m just saying don’t try to sell it like a door-to-door salesman.

Fight the urge to blatantly promote your products and services with an “exact miniature replica” of your marketing brochures. Instead, try to focus on topics that your audience might be concerned with in regards to a service such as online banking.   An article on tips for preventing identity theft and fraud would be an excellent segue to briefly (yes, briefly!) mentioning or linking to the aforementioned online banking service.

Give the reader information that is relevant and not your best marketing pitch – and if you are one of those financial institutions that tries to give away a toaster as a gift for reading the blog, you’ll be “toast” in Social Networking circles.

 

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Welcome to WiredCU!

If you enjoy following current evolving Social Networking trends as they pertain to credit unions, then you have found a resource for discussion. 

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