Social media has fast become a part of every day life in today's universities. According to the 2010 Pearson Social Media Survey, 99% of professors have heard of social media, 81% have at least one account for personal use, 32% communicate with fellow faculty via social media, and 31% communicate with students via social media.  However, educators are not just adopting social media for their own uses; they are now introducing it into the curriculum.

Educators at Drury University in Springfield Missouri are offering a 15-day social media certification program to MBA students. As Curt Gilstrap, Program Director explains, "A while back, some people might have thought it's just a fresh technology and it will be gone tomorrow ... but I think most people know that's not the case now."

The certification program is not the first program that spreads knowledge of social media. PodCamps are popular community events for new media enthusiasts and anyone curious about social media. However, Drury's program is a unique among universities. The social media certification at Drury is not a semester-long class, but it is a likely stepping stone for many other universities to think about how they should incorporate social media into the curriculum. Most students are already ahead of their administrators in this regard. High school students already use Twitter and Facebook in classes to share ideas with classmates about homework assignments. Other social media tools are being used to enhance classroom communications. For example, some schools offer webcasts and podcasts of the lecture for students who missed the class.

However, these uses of social media are often insufficient to provide students with an understanding of the business uses of these platforms. Many companies now recognize the uses of social media to engage their audience online, generate awareness, and build customer loyalty. And yet, the ability to engage in discussions and contribute to online communities is not a skill that comes naturally to everyone. Drury University believes this is a skill that can be taught. The social media program at Drury addresses the business uses for social media tools, focusing on wikis, webcasts, and other social platforms.

Despite this novel program, universities have yet to fully embrace a well-rounded education in social media. Students need to be taught everything from online etiquette to engagement techniques and best practices. In addition, they also need projects that provide hands-on experience. A two-week course provides an excellent foundation for getting acquainted with social media. In the future, it would be nice to see schools allocating their resources towards semester long social media campaigns where students can learn how to listen, engage, and respond to online communities.



Photo credit: Anne Petersen

The recent announcement of Facebook's Open Graph Protocol has made it clear that the "Semantic Web" (in which meaning is defined for content) is closer to becoming a reality than ever before.

Intelligent Agents

For the uninitiated, here is the original vision for the Semantic Web as expressed by Tim Berners-Lee:

"I have a dream for the Web [in which computers] become capable of analyzing all the data on the Web - the content, links, and transactions between people and computers. A 'Semantic Web', which should make this possible, has yet to emerge, but when it does, the day-to-day mechanisms of trade, bureaucracy and our daily lives will be handled by machines talking to machines. The 'intelligent agents' people have touted for ages will finally materialize."

What this amounts to are web pages that (in addition to content) contain meta-data which are used to define the information within.

Let's take a look at a few different ways this can be applied in the real world.

Meaningful Content

Here is an example of how we would describe "The Rock" IMDB page using the Facebook Open Graph protocol:

<meta property="og:title" content="The Rock" />
<meta property="og:type" content="movie" />
<meta property="og:site_name" content="IMDb" />
<meta property="og:image" content="http://ia.media-imdb.com/rock.jpg"/>
<meta property="og:url" content="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117500/"/>

This information, while hidden from the user, is easily readable by other machines, making it very simple to connect web content with objects from the Social Graph.

Now, when you click "Like" using Facebook social plug-ins, it knows exactly what information you are linking to, and how to properly store and display the connections.

Developer Simplicity

Before the release of the Graph API, it was a hassle to get data out of Facebook. Their solution consisted of a custom authentication protocol, Facebook specific markup language, and several other convoluted ways to access simple information about a user.

With the Graph API, Facebook turned it around considerably.

For authentication, they have switch to oAuth, an open protocol used by sites like Twitter, Flickr, and Google to authenticate users.

As for accessing the data, they have created a simple, clean API that returns the data in the JavaScript friendly JSON format. (Example: http://bit.ly/dirXn4).

OpenGraph versus "Open"

For those of use who have been watching the evolution of Semantic tools (SPARQL) over the years, it is both disappointing and exciting to see Facebook venturing into this territory.

The excitement comes because we know Facebook has lots of users, which means their user graph is already extremely robust, and is only going to get bigger. This has been the biggest challenge in Semantic: without users, you don't have a graph. Without a graph, there isn't anything to find.

The disappointment comes because Facebook has ditched the traditional set of Semantic technologies for yet another custom protocol. This means tools already written to build and query Semantic graphs must now be abandoned (or rewritten) to utilize the less-robust Facebook graph information. Technology aside, the bigger issue here is that the graph is owned by Facebook. This is pretty ironic, considering it is a proprietary technology with "open" in the name.

In my opinion, for anything to truly revolutionize the web, it has to be based on open standards.
What do you think?

Photo Credit: Marc_Smith

Everyone has responsibilities. Some are personal, some are professional, and some are just common courtesy. Still, they are valid responsibilities, and we take them on willingly (and at times, unknowingly). As marketers, we have responsibilities to our our audience, particularly when practicing inbound and credibility-based marketing.

What are these responsibilities? What should we be taking on? What is good for business and what is really just "SEP"?

I head into all of my endeavors, personally and professionally, with the 'golden' rule in mind: Treat others as I would personally like to be treated. Obviously, we're human and we make mistakes. But if your general intent is to treat everyone how you wish to be treated, it makes the world a pretty decent place to exist.

Professionally, I find this philosophy crucial for community management and engagement. If you wouldn't want a marketer doing it to you, then WHY would you do it to someone else? I see it as a responsibility of mine to treat my target audience with the same level of respect that I expect to be exhibited towards myself from others. I also see it as a responsibility of mine to be honest and transparent with those I am engaging with. Yes, I am a marketer, but I'm not in this to dupe anyone. I'm in this to share and to engage. And if someone is not interested in what it is I am representing, then it's not the end of the world--I will seek out those who are interested. After all, rather than pushing, we're drawing in leads with inbound marketing. With credibility-based marketing, we're using our honesty, transparency, and credibility to do the selling for us.

But let's get back to responsibility and determine what our responsibilities are as marketers.

First and foremost, we cannot forget the responsibility to our clients. The end goal is to increase revenue and sales. As lovely as engagement is, at the end of the day we've got to be showing ROI for our clients. Looking out for our target customer, our community members, should be aligned with the our responsibilities to our clients. After all, if the consumer is happy, if they are engaged and have access to information, they'll remember you as a helpful friend. Would they have the same relationship with a brand that pushes or simply does not engage? I think not.

Armed with knowledge and an understanding of your responsibilities, executing your social campaign can be a lucrative and (dare I say fun?) experience.

What do you think? What are your responsibilities?

Photo Credit: Helen K

In our methodology, we share a simple concept with our client partners: turning leads into relationships makes for a better possibility of sustaining a sales environment. What we mean is this: you can get sales via the transactional method (beat people until they buy), or you can get sales from the relationship method (get to understand your prospects/customers, and get more than one sale over time). We like B.

One way to do this is to build "jump on" points to start relationships. For instance, if you're using social networking like LinkedIn or online forums, and the URL you share for your company is your primary corporate URL, what happens when this new prospect clicks that link? They fall out of an exploration of you and your profile and into the cold sales environment of your website. Instead, what if you pointed them towards a profile page, or an online bio?

That's part one.

On that profile or biography page, if there's a way to contact you, that'll be even better. Blogs are great because you can connect with people via the comments section. Having a link to an email address is useful because people can usually send email from any device. Having a contact form is great IF IT'S BRIEF.

And then from there, the third step (give them a warm link, make sure the landing place has a further contact option, and...) is to follow up. Just because you've collected their contact information doesn't mean they feel acknowledged. Take these new warm relationships and open them in to further communication. Start with something simple and brief. NEVER start back with a sales offer. In fact, the best next step is to ask them a few questions to get them talking.

Like I said: simple, and yet, is that how YOU are doing it? What's stopping you?

Photo Credit: Luc De Leeuw

Over the course of the next few weeks we will be exploring the effect that social media has on Search Engine Optimization (SEO). There seems to be some serious misunderstandings of how search engines like Google Index weigh social media sites within its holistic web algorithm. So before we get too geeky I want to take this time to cover a concept that many might see as basic, but often is overlooked.

THE LAZY ACCOUNT CREATOR

Yep, we have all seen it. Big company X is going to get involved in Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr with Corporate Account USA (Fictional to make point). Armed with the best intentions, they get Johnny down in IT to set them up with an account. Johnny creates the account and passes it onto to Sally in marketing after which she posts the inaugural tweet, Facebook update and Flickr photo! They are ready to start interacting with the community... right?

All too often accounts are set up like the above Twitter account. Does this account look like an official communications post for Corporate Account USA?  Is the profile up to the company standards in representing the brand? I mean, heck, they don't have any followers yet right? No need to worry about the technical stuff until later........ wrong!

SO WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH SEO?

Social media websites like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and others rank among the highest in the eyes of Google and other search engines. This is because they hit the two big "R"s of the organic search algorithm (R)ecency and (R)elevancy. (We'll talk about these in SEO - Part 2) So it is important to note that when creating accounts in social networks that you must treat them with a level of importance that meets or even exceeds that of any other representative media. Individuals are flocking to these sites as sources of information and to connect. Twitter grew over 1300% in 2009 and Facebook has eclipsed the 400 million user mark! That's a lot of potential customers, vendors, employees, and general public likely to make contact with your brand for the first time!

So at minimum, Make that good first impression!

• Create a complete profile
• Customize any avatars
  
• Properly skin and brand the accounts
• Be transparent about who is updating

We'll talk about the importance of planning and strategy in a future article.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

At New Marketing Labs we perform holistic digital audits for companies, ranging from medium-sized businesses all the way to the largest enterprises, on a nearly daily basis. This is what prompted me to start at square one. No company no matter how big or small is immune to making these mistakes. Those of you social media veterans may look at this and say ''Tell me something I don't already know', while others reading this will immediately rush off to Facebook to upload a company logo or avatar.

Next week we will begin to dig deeper into the nuances, details, and importance of social and how it plays in your SEO strategy.

Until then...may all your social media sites be complete and your websites converting.

Business people don't have a long time to devote to blogging. Though I often challenge companies to become media companies, it's not like that's their core work. Sometimes, you have to get out a post quickly, and then get back to what earns you money. With that in mind, here's the way I put together most posts.

START BY HOOKING THEM IN

I start by making sure you know I'm writing to you. This post points out what you already know: that you don't have a lot of time. I make sure the first paragraph gives you a sense of connection to the main topic.

GET THEM THE LEAD RIGHT AWAY

Also in the first paragraph, I give you a notion of what the post is going to deliver. There isn't enough time to reveal something way down at the bottom. If you're not in from the start, you're not in.

BREAK THINGS UP VISUALLY

You think it's by accident that we bold up these sub-headings and make it much easier for your eye to skim? Do you know how many people won't even read this sub-header information? (Let us know if YOU saw this in the comments). Breaking things up visually gives people a sense of accomplishment; silly but true.

MAKE THINGS ACTIONABLE

If I don't give you something to do, then it's just information. Opinions are great, but you will be better served if you can take action on whatever I give you.

BREVITY

It rules.

FINISH WITH A QUESTION

This is just my way of getting more engagement. You could finish with a call to action, with an offer to get more information, or with a buy offer. But finish strong. Lots of blog posts just peter out. Doing that is deadly.

What do you think? Did this post give you a simple template to use for your blogging pursuits? You'll note I didn't talk about topics. Want some of those? Let me know in the comments.

Photo Credit: Justin See

While this month commemorates the fifth birthday of YouTube and all of the accolades that go with it, I find it more interesting to explore the evolution of online video since the service launched. The dynamics of online video have changed greatly in the last 24 months alone. There's no question that YouTube is a pioneer that has paved the way for much of what has happened, but the industry and the opportunity has morphed considerably since then.

• In November of last year Mashable recognized Facebook as the number 3 video site behind Hulu and Yahoo.  Social media sites and social sharing sites have changed where people will go to upload videos as well as their motivations for creating video content.
  
• Hulu's impact, in particular, can be felt in two ways: 1) It was the first company to successfully include commercial interruptions in their online video and 2) it proved that its customers would be willing to watch "long form" video - dispelling the long held belief that video needed to be 7 minutes or less.
  
• Mainstream media is pushing the envelope with online streaming. I would point to two stats that illustrate this: 1) The  incredible volume of video consumption of the Tiger Woods press conference on USTREAM - and 2) the explosion in the number of options available to watch NCAA basketball online streaming. 

So what does this mean to us marketers?

It means is that, thanks to YouTube, online video is now mainstream. The consumer now expects it and its consumption will only grow from here.  We need to look at ways to include online video content, both informational and educational, into our engagement programs.  At New Marketing Labs, we are working with many clients to implement videos in our campaigns. 

Do you see online video as an essential component of your marketing communications programs?

Photo Credit: Joe Hall

In the media-saturated world we live in, it can be easy to undervalue traditional communication tools. It's assumed that social media platforms are making older media outlets obsolete.
 
How much of this view is perception and how much is reality?
 
For the past two weeks I've been thinking about this, especially as it relates to crisis communications. On Saturday, May 1, a major water artery broke in my home-state of Massachusetts, allowing potentially untreated water to run through the pipes of the greater Boston metro area. While the state worked to fix the problem, officials utilized a wide array of communication channels to alert a metro population of 2 million to boil its water.
 
As the "aquapocalypse" drew on, an interesting question arose: when and how did we hear about the emergency?
 
Befitting my status as a digital native, I learned about the crisis through Twitter. I was at a barbeque, and, as word spread throughout the party, guests pulled out their mobile phones to check and confirm the news. There was no television or radio to alert us, and no landline to receive emergency calls.
 
As a social media advocate, I saw this as validating Twitter's remarkable role at the front line in emergencies. Twitter, Facebook and other real-time new media tools aggregate and communicate the information that becomes the news.  Yet how much does my experience reflect what actually went on during this crisis?
 
According to Boston.com, the city executed a complex multi-channeled outreach strategy to notify people of the boiling order. The agency in charge of the operation, the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority, made reverse phone calls, sent e-mails, notified community health centers and installed flashing signs on highways to communicate the urgent news to citizens. Meanwhile, traditional media platforms began spreading the news to a wider audience. By the end of the weekend, the MWRA had created a special site that relayed critical information about the crisis in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
 
Where was Twitter in the official response? Considering that the MWRA's Twitter hasn't been updated since last year, it appears the network was not a top priority for state officials. Social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter were mobilized, but in a role that embodies their limitations in the face of local emergencies. While Twitter and online news outlets informed most of my friends, this was not the case for the majority of citizens.
 
What can we learn from this?

Our excitement over the increasing role of Twitter and the future of social media tools obscures some present-day realities. More and more, people look to social media for real-time news, but many are still likely to learn about big events from television, radio, telephone or the next-door neighbor. If you need to communicate an urgent message to a diverse, large group, you need to use all the channels available. As one pundit told Boston.com, "By definition, you don't rely on one source of information....You need distributed multimedia dissemination.'' This can apply for any urgent message you want to deliver to large groups of people.  If you work in a public medium, whether through an official role or as a publicist or marketer, you should always be aware of the diversity of ways in which your audience hears your message.

Do you agree? How do you compliment traditional media messages with your social media strategies?

Photo Credit: Doug Haslam
 

For most web developers, the most frustrating part of their job is tweaking websites to work with non-standards-compliant browsers such as IE6. Microsoft has long been behind the browser curve due to their resistance to open standards. Two recent developments from the folks at Microsoft seem to indicate they are ready to re-engage with the web.

IE6 Just Won't Die

Ask web designers what the most frustrating part of their job is, and most will go into a 15 minute tirade about Internet Explorer 6.

The Microsoft browser (which was last updated in 2001), is infamous for its security flaws and lack of adherence to open web standards (maintained by the W3C).

Even with these flaws, it managed to hold on to a huge share of the browser market. It was still prevalent among 55% of businesses in December 2007, over a year after the release of Internet Explorer 7.

Even with the recent release of Internet Explorer 8, IE6 still currently holds about 20% of the global browser market

The web has been trying to push IE6 out for quite some time, but it looks like Microsoft finally gets the point.

They have even started a web campaign (see left) to educate users about the flaws inherent in IE6 and urge them to upgrade to IE8. The site is currently hosted at Microsoft Australia, but will hopefully be expanded to users around the globe.

Ever since Google (and YouTube) stopped supporting IE6, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the web followed suit.

While the elimin ation of IE6 is likely going to be a slow, tedious process, at least it's a start.

"IE9 looks great"

At a recent conference, Microsoft announced plans for Internet Explorer 9. To the delight of the web community, everything seems to be moving in the right direction.

Even the folks at Mozilla have kind words for their biggest browser rival. "IE9 looks great, very glad to see it. Congrats to the IE team!" said Mike Shaver, vice president of engineering at Firefox backer Mozilla, in a tweet (right).

There are many improvements planned for the latest incarnation, but the major ones are as follows:

• HTML5 Web Standards
  This version of IE will focus on the latest in open web standard, meaning less browser-specific coding for developers. It is also focused on passing the Acid Test, which is a common measure of standards-compliance.
  
• High-performance JavaScript engine
  Microsoft has built a new JavaScript engine that is focused on performance, taking advantage of the multi-core processors installed in newer machines. Their initial release is already outperforming the FF3 engine in benchmark testing.
  
• Developer feedback
  Microsoft has released a "test drive" version of the browser to gain feedback from developers as it goes through the remaining stages of development.

Looking Ahead

Microsoft finally understands that to make a better web, the focus should be on open standards, not proprietary technology. With Microsoft aboard, it will keep the entire browser industry moving forward (instead of holding it back).

Now that Microsoft is back in a big way, Firefox and Chrome better step up their game.

What do you think? Will you be using Internet Explorer 9?

There's a certain amount of finesse needed to work a community to your advantage. Engaging in an established community can be daunting, difficult and even dangerous if not approached with care.