The super awesome Jordan Viator of Convio fame asked me 2 weeks ago to write a guest blog for the Convio "Connection Cafe" blog site. I was so honored and excited and talked her ear off about strategy and philosophy of social media. It was right after NTC so she filled me in on some of the awesomeness from that.
anyway I had just arrived in San Francisco to prepare for the 140 Smile launch and got her e-mail reminding me she needed the blog today. OOPS--time flies when your planning a crazy Twitter campaign. So I wrote it in the back of the airport shuttle and quickly found out that typing while dodging San Francisco traffic is much like riding that spinning thing at the carnival after you've eaten 4 corn dogs, cotton candy and a Slurpee. Anyway, here it is.
Thank you so much Jordan for letting me ramble on about my little baby, can't wait to do the follow up and how we helped over 140 children!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
talk about chatty
I was on @KenLudwig’s web radio show yesterday and chatted (at length) about Operation Smile, Twitter and 140 smiles! Click below, it’s May 26th, let it fully download and the fast forward about 13rd of the way. I’m right after “California Dreamin” Listen Here
So I chat a bit but what a great conversation with Ken! Plus, he's a stones fan too! Love it!
So I chat a bit but what a great conversation with Ken! Plus, he's a stones fan too! Love it!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
And the smiles keep coming
Wow, I am just more and more excited and inspired. I had some great calls and fun news about our launch event. I have also heard from some incredible folks whom I admire.
When I first left my post as Donor Relations Supervisor and took on Operation Smile's social media efforts I serendipitously started following @kanter. Ironically the very first week I was to create a Social Media Strategy, Beth was offering her now famous We Are Media workshop through Nten. This incredible workshop helped me form my plan and gave me the confidence to soldier on for smiles. (i also met incredible folks like @rachelannyes and of course Beth)
Anyway--So of course I was really hoping Beth would join us for the launch event of #140smiles campaign. Well, she's coming and much to my pride and excitement she even wrote a blog post.
CHECK IT OUT!
Rock on #140smiles!!!!
When I first left my post as Donor Relations Supervisor and took on Operation Smile's social media efforts I serendipitously started following @kanter. Ironically the very first week I was to create a Social Media Strategy, Beth was offering her now famous We Are Media workshop through Nten. This incredible workshop helped me form my plan and gave me the confidence to soldier on for smiles. (i also met incredible folks like @rachelannyes and of course Beth)
Anyway--So of course I was really hoping Beth would join us for the launch event of #140smiles campaign. Well, she's coming and much to my pride and excitement she even wrote a blog post.
CHECK IT OUT!
Rock on #140smiles!!!!
mini-media tour
I chatted up the killer guys at Twooting today. They have a daily podcast all about Twitter which makes them a fitting partner to help us get the word out about #140smiles. It was a great interview and we are so excited that they are donating 10 Smiles to the campaign--WOO HOO---So amazing. I am truly moved by how people are coming together to help us reach our goal--and the campaign hasn't officially launched!!!!
WOW!
Then I had a very rockin call with @kenludwig for his radio show. The interview was awesome and beyond just sharing the stories of our medical volunteers and patients, we got to bond over our mutual obsession with The Stones! Rock on Ken!(archive soon to come)
Everything's moving along and I think we may reach our goal--the world (tworld) is making smiles happen!
WOW!
Then I had a very rockin call with @kenludwig for his radio show. The interview was awesome and beyond just sharing the stories of our medical volunteers and patients, we got to bond over our mutual obsession with The Stones! Rock on Ken!(archive soon to come)
Everything's moving along and I think we may reach our goal--the world (tworld) is making smiles happen!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
less than a week and counting
I am officially not sleeping and determining just how many knots an intestine can create. I am so excited for my little baby project #140smiles to launch. The response has been fantastic, people are clamoring for more information on the campaign. We've also hit our 100 person mark for the launch party and half of the TWTRcon attendees still have not reserved theirs (only 75 left!)!
This is such a collaborative effort, I am in awe of the work Common Knowledge, Modern Media and Adventure Girl have done to make the campaign and launch super fantastic. I hope it meets the standards of those who have already raised their hands in support of the campaign. (holy mackrel-@pistachio, @missrogue, @jason_pollock, @shelisrael the list goes on). We are hoping everyone visits the site on 5/30 (day of the launch) and starts a twitter team to mobilize their followers for micro-donations to reach our goal of changing 140 children's lives.
There has been an amazing outpouring of hearts on Twitter helping people like the incredible story of Eric De La Cruz . Twitter is oddly enough somewhat of this utopian community where people truly respect and dare i say love one another. @iconic88 is clouding my Twitterstream with messages of random acts of kindness. I am learning about the teachings of Kabbalah from @yehudaberg.
I am hoping this notion of doing good and helping the world will continue on May 30th when we ask the Twitterverse to join us in helping to bring smiles to children around the world.
How often do you take your ability to smile for granted? whatch this video and I bet you won't anymore! AND, I hope you'll join us on May 30th for #140smiles!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
missing SXSW
Just re-read my blog from SxSW and am missing it---what a great experience!
Click Here to read the SXSW SMILES journal
Click Here to read the SXSW SMILES journal
social media's so bright, i gotta wear shades!
SO many wonderful things have started to materialize since the New Years Bell tolled and the start of 2009. I switched gears in my professional role from Donor Relations Supervisor, managing my International children's medical charities Donor Relation Call Center and grassroots fund raising to a role doing a very similar function only using social media.
I met some amazing mentors and contacts very early on by attending the We Are Media workshop from NTEN in Feb. and then had some great conversations and learning experiences from SxSW Interactive in March.
The more I learn, the more I feel like it's o.k. to listen to my instincts. While I may not know the jargon and the latest trends in web marketing, what I have always had a knack for is relationship building. Talking to people, anticipating their needs, predicting trends and acting on my instincts.
These traits have served me well in various fields including the restaurant business, retail, marketing and radio. They also helped way back when I donned a purple with and face glitter in my role as a professional clown! (thank god that was pre-social media and the pics are non-existent).
I am reflecting on all of this this because I recently had some really amazing conversations with folks who are outright terrified of social media. People who I have always respected and admired for their incredible intellect, innovation and professional prowess are now asking me for my thoughts and ideas related to social media. And, while I'm not an "expert" like my colleagues and mentors, and I don't speak fluent tech ease, I realize I do have some valuable perspective and information to help them get their toes wet in social media.
I also realize that there are no experts. Everyone is learning, we're all in this together which certainly echoes the very notion of "social" media. You can't get a degree in it because surely by the time the commencement speech is over the technology has changed. But the philosophy remains the same. And the philosophy of Social Media is what seems to have corporate America shaking in their loafers.
While I have a ways to go to maximize my understanding of the total picture if the world wide web, I am uniquely qualified to dive into the pool of Social Media philosophy and strategy. I started as a user and evangelist starting with Friendster in 2002 and then Myspace, DeviantArt, Etsy etc etc. I am now an official Facebook and Twitter addict and am anxiously looking for the next great way to communicate.
And the communication is the key-social media has created an incredible community to learn, grow, explore, elevate and inspire. The playing fields are becoming more level and the walls are being broken down in more ways than you can even imagine.
In the coming weeks I will have some personal benchmarks that will prove to even more solidly tie me to this insane online world and I can't wait to see where it all takes me. The lessons are pouring in from my mentors are invaluable as are the conversations, tweets, blogs and webinars. I'm grabbing some sunglasses (with non-reflective lenses to reduce the screens effects on my eyes) because this social media future is so freaking bright...bring it on!
I met some amazing mentors and contacts very early on by attending the We Are Media workshop from NTEN in Feb. and then had some great conversations and learning experiences from SxSW Interactive in March.
The more I learn, the more I feel like it's o.k. to listen to my instincts. While I may not know the jargon and the latest trends in web marketing, what I have always had a knack for is relationship building. Talking to people, anticipating their needs, predicting trends and acting on my instincts.
These traits have served me well in various fields including the restaurant business, retail, marketing and radio. They also helped way back when I donned a purple with and face glitter in my role as a professional clown! (thank god that was pre-social media and the pics are non-existent).
I am reflecting on all of this this because I recently had some really amazing conversations with folks who are outright terrified of social media. People who I have always respected and admired for their incredible intellect, innovation and professional prowess are now asking me for my thoughts and ideas related to social media. And, while I'm not an "expert" like my colleagues and mentors, and I don't speak fluent tech ease, I realize I do have some valuable perspective and information to help them get their toes wet in social media.
I also realize that there are no experts. Everyone is learning, we're all in this together which certainly echoes the very notion of "social" media. You can't get a degree in it because surely by the time the commencement speech is over the technology has changed. But the philosophy remains the same. And the philosophy of Social Media is what seems to have corporate America shaking in their loafers.
While I have a ways to go to maximize my understanding of the total picture if the world wide web, I am uniquely qualified to dive into the pool of Social Media philosophy and strategy. I started as a user and evangelist starting with Friendster in 2002 and then Myspace, DeviantArt, Etsy etc etc. I am now an official Facebook and Twitter addict and am anxiously looking for the next great way to communicate.
And the communication is the key-social media has created an incredible community to learn, grow, explore, elevate and inspire. The playing fields are becoming more level and the walls are being broken down in more ways than you can even imagine.
In the coming weeks I will have some personal benchmarks that will prove to even more solidly tie me to this insane online world and I can't wait to see where it all takes me. The lessons are pouring in from my mentors are invaluable as are the conversations, tweets, blogs and webinars. I'm grabbing some sunglasses (with non-reflective lenses to reduce the screens effects on my eyes) because this social media future is so freaking bright...bring it on!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Archived from the We Are Media Workshop
Original Post Feb. 2009 as part of the We Are Media Workshop from NTENHELLO!
Having just been given the opportunity to serve Operation Smile as "Social Media Strategist" it is so serendipitous that I found this amazing workshop. In true "new media" fashion I discovered the workshop from Twitter as Beth Kanter Tweeted about her preparations for the 2 days. I am sitting here, reading Groundswell, with my Tweetdeck up and chirping and preparing for my (first) trip to San Francisco to kick off this new role and what I hope will be an incredible new era for Operation Smile!
So on to the official questions posed in our pre-workshop assignment:
How is your organization currently using social media? Operation Smile has a great Web/It Director who has worked hard over the last 2+ years to refocus our online presence. We've signed on with Convio, started testing m-give for SMS texting and have worked on upgrading the look and feel of our Myspace page. My first order of business as Social Media Strategy was to get busy on Twitter both as a personal endeavor and to start the conversation about cleft lip/palate deformities and get people in the Twitterverse familiar with Operation Smile's mission!
Here is where you can find us on the web:
- http://www.operationsmile.org (main site)
- http://www.worldjourneyofsmiles.org (special website for our 25th anniversary in 2007)
- www.myspace.com/operation_smile; myspace Paypal donation widget http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=116436531
- FaceBook Cause Page; Facebook: Has both Causes Donation Function and Mobile Text widget (by the way the pic in this post is a valentine app I made for Facebook)
- http://twitter.com/operationsmile
- Donation Widgets:Google Check Out
- YouTube page http://www.youtube.com/createsmiles
- SMS/Text:SMS Text Message: SMILE to 90999
- SMS Flash Widget: http://www.operationsmile.org/mobile-phone-donation
What do you hope to learn from the workshop? I am so excited about this workshop! Coming from a marketing, donor relations and development background I am not as technology based as many people starting out in roles such as "New Media Strategist". However I feel like understanding how to use the technology doesn't matter if you can't have the personality and interactions that engage and inspire supporters, fans and donors. I am hoping to be able to come away with the tools I need to turn my well-meaning energy, passion and ideas into a solid plan to help elevate Operation Smile's online presence and create a legion of people ready to help raise awareness and funds to provide new smiles to children around the world!
Archived Post from the We Are Media Workshop
Original Blog Post Feb. 2009 as part of the We Are Media Workshop from NTEN
"Key Points of your Social Media Strategy"
Objective:
Engage volunteers, supporters and donors in spreading the word and raising funds for Operation Smile.
Personally, my strategy/goal is to create as large of a "legion of Smiles" meaning supporters, fans, followers and interested people so that when we do large scale campaigns they can be mobilized to not only open their wallets but to really make an impact on the funds raised and events held.
Target Audience:
Quite broad as we currently have many medical professionals blogging and participating in social media sites like twitter. We also have students and young people participating in Facebook and MySpace as well as others. So we have different target audiences for different elements of our objective.
Integration:
Once I have done analysis on what we currently have in place, where our holes are, where our opportunities and greatest needs are I will be able to meet with our Direct Response Marketing team (and web team) to figure out the best way of integrating with our current traditional marketing strategy.
In terms of Integrating with our Internet Strategy, again that will depend on what i learn from "listening" and when I learn in more detail the current web plan. Our web-team has already invested in web optimization, search engine etc.
My philosophy as stated before is to use New Media as a means to build supporters that will then be further inspired through the other forms of marketing.
Culture Change:
Again, there is a large army of folks already communicating about our organization on social media, it is my job to find them, refine where needed and use them to help encourage more viral communication. I will also be creating parameters, how-to's and best practice forms forms to encourage more staff and volunteers to get active online. I am fortunate in that our organization is fully supportive and excited about using social media.
"Key Points of your Social Media Strategy"
Objective:
Engage volunteers, supporters and donors in spreading the word and raising funds for Operation Smile.
Personally, my strategy/goal is to create as large of a "legion of Smiles" meaning supporters, fans, followers and interested people so that when we do large scale campaigns they can be mobilized to not only open their wallets but to really make an impact on the funds raised and events held.
Target Audience:
Quite broad as we currently have many medical professionals blogging and participating in social media sites like twitter. We also have students and young people participating in Facebook and MySpace as well as others. So we have different target audiences for different elements of our objective.
Integration:
Once I have done analysis on what we currently have in place, where our holes are, where our opportunities and greatest needs are I will be able to meet with our Direct Response Marketing team (and web team) to figure out the best way of integrating with our current traditional marketing strategy.
In terms of Integrating with our Internet Strategy, again that will depend on what i learn from "listening" and when I learn in more detail the current web plan. Our web-team has already invested in web optimization, search engine etc.
My philosophy as stated before is to use New Media as a means to build supporters that will then be further inspired through the other forms of marketing.
Culture Change:
Again, there is a large army of folks already communicating about our organization on social media, it is my job to find them, refine where needed and use them to help encourage more viral communication. I will also be creating parameters, how-to's and best practice forms forms to encourage more staff and volunteers to get active online. I am fortunate in that our organization is fully supportive and excited about using social media.
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