Trending Towards Change...

Recently my manager asked me to write down the first three current (or currently evolving) social media trends. Here is the list I came up with:

• Social media is a marketing communications tool. It should be used in a way that the customer experience is seamless between the physical and digital worlds. Customer expectations are skyrocketing. Not only is mediocrity is no longer tolerated, it is instantly broadcast. Companies need to be transparent and join in the conversation about their brand(s) - the good, the bad, and the ugly. All of it will be told - and is being told - either a company can be part of the storytelling or they will be left behind.
• Social media innovations will cause major shifts in other areas, like copyright. Blogs and social sharing sites started to push the limits of copyright as it currently stands several years ago. Pinterest is pushing these boundaries even further. Many people are saying that the current general terms of service on Pinterest does have due diligence to protect copyrighted material. But, this is just the beginning. I think that social media and digital innovations will continue to create shifts in society status quo. (Here I'm talking about major changes in law, revolutions, transfers of power, etc.)
• The right person for the job might not be within commuting distance. We are now living in a global world, doing business in a global economy. To be competitive you need to have a global workforce. Companies need to use technology and social tools to find the best people for the job wherever they are located. Social networking, communication, and collaboration tools can help people across the globe work together as a team. (Here think internal collaboration tools - instant messaging, video chatting, file sharing, collaborative editing, etc. And it's important to note, these tools do not need to be proprietary, they can be AIM, Skype, Google Docs, etc.)

After thinking about my list he suggested I add privacy and how our ideas of privacy are changing as a society. I agree. It is important for individuals and organizations to respect the privacy of others, but I think our ideas of privacy will evolve as global citizens become more comfortable being netizens. We will need to strike a balance between "sharing" and "privacy". Balancing these two opposing aspects of social behavior is a challenge for all social networks. As we move towards the ideas of semantic web context becomes more important. Therefore sharing information and connections will also increase in relevance.

Where should we draw the line now? And where will we draw the line in the future? Only time will tell...

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words - A Day in the Life of the Internet

I saw this today on the DigitalGov Blog and wanted to share it here too. It's a digital world!



Created by: MBAOnline.com

New Challenges

I know, I have not posted on this blog very regularly for a while... And I am not making a resolution to remedy that situation at this time. That is not the purpose of this post.

About two years ago began working at the Internal Revenue Service. My job at the IRS has been to increase public awareness of tax programs and laws through social media and traditional marketing communications campaigns.  In addition to learning more than I could ever imagined - and probably no where near enough - about tax law and policy, this position has taught me a great deal about working as a civil servant and the many issues facing federal government agencies today. And I had the opportunity to work with a team of wonderful people!

Now, I am about to embark on a challenge. Next Monday I will be joining the Office of Web Communications at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to be the social media lead for the EPA. I am looking forward to new challenges!

My Experience at the 140 Characters Conference in NYC

So, I know I have not posted to this blog in a while. However, my recent experiences at a conference in New York City definitely warrant a post.

How would I describe my experience at the 140 Characters Conference in a word? I cannot. It was a wonderful and crazy experience. It was like being exposed to waves of creativity and ideas. It was a time of professional growth and a time increase my understanding of others.

I enjoy conferences and gatherings which bring diverse people together to share ideas. Not only does it force me to listen to, learn about, and gain an understanding of topics I think I am not interested in; these experiences also help me to be more creative.

At the 140 Characters Conference in New York I listened to presentations by marketers, reporters, activists, visionaries, and more. I met and learned from too many people to mention in a blog post. And I had the opportunity to share what I am currently working on at IRS - and the lessons I have learned from this work. Here is the link to a YouTube video of my talk:




I want to thank everyone I met at the 140 Characters Conference for the thoughts and insights you share with me and the community. I would also like to thank Jeff Pulver for making the event possible, inviting me to speak and being supportive of myself and the other presenters. I hope to be able to attend another 140 Characters event in the future!

Community Interaction on Twitter - #uksnow Map

This afternoon I noticed that the hashtag #uksnow was trending on Twitter. I looked at a few tweets and came across a very cool Twitter Mashup - #uksnow Map.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term mashup, Wikipedia defines it as a “web or cloud based applications are a combination of separate parts brought together with the use of the open architecture of public Application Programming Interfaces (API)”. In other words, it takes existing pieces (data and APIs) and creating something new and unique.

The #uksnow Map was created by a freelance developer (Ben Marsh) from the UK. The developer asked Twitter users to tweet their location, how much snow is falling, and include the hashtag #uksnow. Then the application on the website displays the snow conditions being reported via these tweets.

I think this is a great mashup. It is a fun way to graphically display the this uncommon snow storm. In addition, it is a creative way to encourage community interaction on Twitter.

World Bank + Social Web

You expect consumer brands to embrace social media – it is where their customers are communicating with each other and gathering information for purchase decisions. But, what about other organizations, like international non-governmental organizations?

The World Bank has become an active participant in the social web. Through the Open Development program the organization is encouraging transparency and sharing their data with the community to promote innovation. The data for organization's projects is available online and via the World Bank DataFinder App for iPhone, iTouch, and iPad.

Recently the organization announced a contest – Apps for Development – to build an app for any mobile platform that displays their data in a useful way to the community. Here is how the competition is described by the World Bank:

• “We're challenging the public to create innovative software applications that move us a step closer toward solving some of the world's most pressing problems.”

This is an ambitious effort to harness the collective creativity of the global community. And it is a way for the organization to transform from a large non-governmental organization to a tangible entity in the eyes of the individuals it interacts with around the world.

The World Bank has also embraced blogging and has a number of active blogs on its website. In addition, the organization is actively engaging the community on a variety of social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. On Twitter the organization encourages discussion of Open Development with the #opendata hashtag.

Reaching out – virtually – to the global community and participating in conversations on the web is important for all organizations, including for profit companies, governments, and non-governmental organizations.

If a large international organization like the World Bank can become an active participant in the social web so can you.

Foursquare in Space

I am not an enthusiastic participant in Foursquare. I created an account, used it for a little bit, and then wrote about my experience here. Perhaps I am too cautious to be the right demographic for that type of geotagging application. I just do not feel the need to broadcast my exact location. Nor do I feel comfortable doing so. Facebook Places is the only geotagging application that I have found less intimidating. Maybe that is because I am already hooked on Facebook!

But, I am not writing today to discuss my personal feelings or insecurities about geotagging. I am writing about Foursquare in space!

On October 22, 2010 a NASA astronaut became the first person to check in to Foursquare from outside the Earth's atmosphere. That is a cool use of social media! And a great way to excite and engage people in space exploration and science. The NASA Explorer Badge on Foursquare will soon be available for users to earn. This follows the first tweet from space in May 2009.

NASA is really embracing social media to share with community. In addition to Twitter and Foursquare, NASA has apps for iPhone and iPad and is participating in Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Ustream, and other social media platforms. Great way to engage the community!