One of the strengths of the Social Media Breakfast series is the “personality” that each breakfast group takes on, reflecting the strengths and smarts of the local organizers and the makeup of the attendees.
In this short audio conversation that I recorded earlier this week, Digital Operative CEO and co-founder BJ Cook talks about the SMB San Diego group that he shepherds.
The 5th session of Social Media Breakfast San Diego turned out to be a dynamic, animated session about how social media changes the way we engage and interact with others. Bryan Person, founder of Social Media Breakfast Boston back in 2007 and social media evangelist for LiveWorld, spoke and lead today’s discussion.
Bryan started off asking, Is there this sort of collision between our work lives and personal lives etc. that prevent us from blogging about what we’re really doing, how we’re really feeling and who we really are? There are all these different people in our lives, friends, family, church mates, bar buddies etc., so how do these different groups of people change the way we’re creating our content. Do we want certain people to see things while others not? Are we essentially assuming a role when we Tweet or blog creating this sort of “reality star personality” as one member referred to it? If we have to be diligent and worry about who we are going to offend is it the real “you”? The question was raised, how much of yourself is really in your content? It also raised the question of whether or not people are really trying to get to know you or simply trying to get more followers. Twitter as a tool was built to have useful effective conversations between individuals, but it seems to have lost its authenticity if it’s the latter.
There was a lot of great feedback and insight surrounding this topic. The discussion was very energetic. You can view the discussion at
We also went over our top 10 in 10 and found some great new things happening in social media this past month. Here is our list,
1. Stweets: Google Street View and Twitter: Takes the coordinates posted by a Twitter app and uses data to find the approximate location Tweet came from on a Google street view image.
2. Twitter removes a feature: The change which removes the option to view “half conversations” between someone you follow and someone you don’t. (hastwitterfixedrepliesyet.com)
3. YouTube Tool: YouTube lets you put 10’s and 100’s of videos into rows and columns. Just enter a YouTube video ID and frame width for each “piece” of the mosaic.
4. Starbucks brews traditional, viral ad mix in its biggest ad push in history: A challenge to customers to be the first to post a photo of a Starbucks poster on Twitter. Competition: $100 million McCafe line.
5. Climber scales Mt. Everest while Tweeting: Gavin Bate is taking Twitter up Mt. Everest. He is selling Tweets to advertisers to raise money for charity. (myeverestchallenge.com)
6. Church promotes social media during sermon: A church in Charlotte, NC allowed members to bring their phone to Easter Sunday service and post to Twitter throughout the service.
7. Susan Boyle, the biggest YouTube sensation ever: The appearance of Susan on the show, Britain’s Got Talent. The YouTube video is approaching levels of some of the biggest viral hits of all time.
8. Social Media Comes to Town Hall: Portland, Oregon’s County Chair is looking for a Social Media Coordinator. Local residents are.
9. The Elusive Justin Timberlake’s Mother’s day video: The follow up to one of YouTubes and NBC’s, D*ck in a Box. NBC no longer has a YouTube channel and has posted the clip to its website.
10. Twitter the movie, 140: Irish filmmaker, Franmk Kelly is creating a feature-length documentary inspired by the connectivity and synchronicity that Twitter users experience.
11. Bonus! Featured Tool: Pittsburgh Steelers quartback Ben Roethlisberger had a digital doppelganger creating false identities across claiming he had been diagnosed with skin cancer.
Think Together, an after school program was the winning nomination for our non profit feature project. Nadia Flores, Skyped in and gave the group a brief overview of the organization and its social media challenges.
Rebecca, from Parker White Inc. briefly shared with the group their Hansen’s Natural Soda viral campaign they’ve recently launched. Anyone can submit a photo of themselves with Hansen’s Soda, rules apply. There will be a grand prize of 5,000 dollars for the winner. Please visit, www.hansenslovessandiego.com for more details. Contest ends June 7, 2009.
We ended the session with Feedback 5, which allowed a few people to present the issues their facing in their own social media campaigns.
This morning turned out to be a great success!
A big thanks to Milano Coffee Co. for having us and especially a big thanks to Bryan Person and LiveWorld for speaking and sponsoring the breakfast this month.
Next session: TBD More details will be available on the SMBSD website soon!
We’ve confirmed the breakfast location in Appleton with the Atlas Coffee Mill & Café on the Fox Riverfront in downtown Appleton. Here’s a link to the location on their site: http://www.atlascoffeemill.com/location.htm
They will provide table service (usually a walk-up counter) and a custom menu for our group free of charge.
We’ll be forming an agenda based on some of the questions that came from the last breakfast in Green Bay and from the “What the Tweet is Social Media” event on the 19th.
This event was put together by Abby and Greg at Weidert Group (www.weidert.com) in Appleton.
Join us at San Antonio’s only authentic brasserie for an amazing breakfast, stimulating conversation and fabulous networking. In May we’ll be meeting at Brasserie Pavil at the SE corner of 1604 and Huebner.
San Antonio’s SMB5 event details:
When: Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 7:30-9am Where:Brasserie Pavil, 1818 N. Loop 1604 West, San Antonio, TX 78248 (Google Map) Cost: Event is free; breakfast is available on your own.
Menu
Each selection below is $15 which includes drinks, tax and tip.
1. Omelet of the day
2. Eggs Benedict
3. Crepes of the day
4. French toast
Our guest speaker will be:
Luis Sandoval (@Pandaran), co-founder of Social Media Club San Antonio
Managing your Social Media Tools
In a world where we are constantly connected–receiving messages on our phones, in email, on social networks and from other inboxes–managing our various means of communications can be extremely challenging. Luis will share tips on managing the informaton overload and shed some light on amazing tools that can streamline your processes and free up some time. Whether it’s for personal or business use, we can all use a little extra time in our day!
The San Antonio Social Media Breakfast is organized by Jennifer Navarrete and Jennifer Milikien; it brings together social media experts, newcomers and enthusiasts, for a morning of eating, meeting, sharing, and learning.
Marketers, PR pros, entrepreneurs, bloggers, videobloggers, podcasters, students, new-media enthusiasts, Twitterers, community managers, recruiters, and online social networkers are all welcome.
Our next Waco Social Media Breakfast will be on Tuesday, May 26th, starting at 7:30 am
At our May Social Media Breakfast, Michael Brown, will talk about how incorporated Social Media into the Texas Young CPA’s conference. Hosted by CJ Jackson and Caryn Brown.
This is a free event, but you must register to attend. There are a limited number of tickets available. Breakfast will be available to purchase.
7:30-8:00 – Networking and Socializing
8:00-9:00 – Presentation by Michael Brown, questions and answers
9:00-9:30 – Networking and Socializing
New Location:
The Olive Branch
330 Austin Avenue
Waco, Texas 76701
More than 50 people attended the first Charlotte Social Media Breakfast on Tuesday, May 12th at the Dilworth Neighborhood Grille. It was a lively group discussing formats for future breakfasts, networking with new friends (and old) and upcoming social media events.
The next breakfast will be Tuesday, June 9th from 7:30 am to 9:00 am at the Dilworth Neighborhood Grille. *All future events will be held on the second Tuesday of every month.
The June speaker is Geno Church from Brains on Fire. Geno is Brains on Fire Word of Mouth Inspiration Officer and is responsible for developing word of mouth, buzz, viral and evangelism strategies for the agency’s clients. In his 13+ years with Brains On Fire, Geno has helped build word of mouth into the identities of brands including Fiskars Brands, Rawlings Sporting Goods, National Family Partnership and Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities.
Geno has been recognized as a thought leader in both the identity and word of mouth realms, and has received awards from numerous organizations.
Registration for the June 9th event will be live after Friday, May 22nd – please visit http://smbcharlotte.eventbrite.com at that time to register.
This month as we head into session 5, we are fortunate to have Bryan Person visiting San Diego to present. Bryan founded the Social Media Breakfast in Boston back in 2007. He is also the social media evangelist for LiveWorld, a company that builds, manages and moderates online communities for leading brands.
Bryan will be discussing how social media changes the way we engage and interact with others and how social media channels like Facebook and Myspace are changing our conversational relationships. The borders we have traditionally erected between our separate social groups for family members, friends and co-workers are evaporating online. Now within the very same social network, our status updates will be read by our co-worker from the next cubicle, that old bully from the 3rd grade who’s just become our “friend” and your grandmother alike. Is this disconcerting or is it the new normal?
New Social Project UPDATE:
We will be announcing the Non Profit Organization that received the most votes. The current votes are:
Move San Diego (5)
Think Together (14)
San Diego Hospice (4)
Young Non-profits Professionals Network (2)
San Diego Canyon Lands (2)
Event Details:
Where: Milano Coffee Co., 8685 Rio San Diego Dr., Ste B, San Diego, CA
Parking: Recommend parking across the street in shopping center lot
Panelists Simon Salt, Natanya Anderson, and Lionel Menchaca and moderator Aaron Strout led an engaging discussion on the value of content marketing for brands at Austin’s 7th Social Media Breakfast, held Friday morning, May 8th, at la Madeline Country French Cafe in North Austin.
Some of the highlights:
Aaron (@AaronStrout), CMO at Powered, noted what what good content marketing is not: “a company trying to force its tongue down your throat” as soon as you introduce yourself.
For Simon (@IncSlinger), the CEO of IncSlingers, the challenge for brands is to produce not just “good content” but “social content,” where the ownership of the content is actually unclear. A good example: Disney’s Moms Panel.
Natanya (@NatanyaP), VP of Content of Powered, explained that most brands aren’t passion brands (Disney being an obvious exception), and that good content can serve as the “proxy for the passion.” She also argued that content should support users “lifestyle needs” over time, and not only during the period of the transaction.
Lionel (@LionelAtDell), chief blogger at Dell, recounted the company’s early efforts in social media and the key lesson his team has learned along the way: “content needs to be shareable.”
Time again for SMB in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minnesota.
This month we’ll be talking about online reputation management with two of Minnesota’s thought leaders on the subject. Both Greg Swan (@perfectporridge) and Christopher Lower (@MrChristopherL) will talk about online reputation management in both large and small organizations. Come and learn about the important aspects of monitoring your brands, and measuring community reach.
We’re also looking forward to hosting Social Media Breakfast founder, Bryan Person for his first visit to SMBMSP. Bryan will be giving us some background on the history of SMB and where he sees the organization going in the future.
Details
Date: Friday, May 22nd, 2009
Time: 8AM to 10AM (CT)
Location: Concordia University – St. Paul, MN
Address: Concordia University Library Technology Center, 1282 Concordia Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104 (Map) (Campus Map)
Greg’s experience with the Internet, social media, emerging media and how specific audience groups interact online provides Weber Shandwick clients valuable strategy, insight and counsel as they consider a standalone viral campaign or expanding a brand or product launch using new media. An expert at monitoring blogosphere buzz, Greg uses this expertise to inform client campaigns on brand, product and trend issues. (@PerfectPorridge on Twitter)
Christopher is behind Social Media campaigns for over a dozen clients such as: moto-i, Baja Sol, Curry Up, The Bailey Group, Hospitality Minnesota, The Minnesota Restaurant Association, The Minnesota Lodging Association, & The MN Campground & Resort Association. Christopher has over 17 years of Marketing, Sales, PR, & Copywriting, and 10 years of focus on emerging web technologies and their use in marketing. (@MrChristopherL on Twitter)
Bryan Person is a social media evangelist for LiveWorld, Inc., a company that builds, manages, and moderates online communities for leading brands. In his role, Bryan writes and speaks about the latest trends and best practices in social media. (@BryanPerson on Twitter)
Join C.C. Chapman and Todd Defren in a morning of social media at Champlain College. This event includes three super speakers and a breakout session to benefit a local Vermont non-profit. Along with a great breakfast of course.
Agenda:
C.C Chapman – New Media Maven and Digital Dad
“Social Media is Small Town 2.0” – What Makes Social Media So Special
Todd Defren – PR + Social Media
“Content Marketing in Social Media” – Why Sharing Might Be the Smartest Strategy.
Mike Hayes – Magic Hat
“Do Beer and Social Media Mix?”
We’ve confirmed the breakfast location in Appleton with the Atlas Coffee Mill & Café on the Fox Riverfront in downtown Appleton. Here’s a link to the location on their site: 
