Today, I was inspired by a Google+ post by Chris Brogan (Found via +Aliza Sherman and +Adam Keats on Twitter.) titled, Fresh Impressions on Brandmarks (from my 5-year-old). I decided to do the same with my three-year-old son. Jack doesn't have the attention span of a 5 year old, and this is not a slickly produced video, but I thought it was interesting.

Simply holding my iPhone while browsing Google images, I intentionally picked logos that I thought he had possibly seen, but wasn't sure which ones he may actually be able to identify. I was surprised at how many he either got by name, or was able to describe what industry that logo was in. See for yourself...

jacklogos.m4v Watch on Posterous

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Reason Not To Blog #1: "I Can't Write, And Neither Can Anyone In My Company"
Seriously?  I visit a lot of blogs ever day, but not because of their exemplary writing. Consumers are not looking for the next Hemingway on your blog. They're looking for valuable insight, information and connection with your business. If you can't provide that, you probably should find another line of work anyway.

Reason #2: "We Don't Have Time"
Anyone who has a day job can tell you this one is complete hogwash. Don't get me wrong - I hope your business is so busy that you can't imagine having time to blog. That's a good problem to have. But I just don't buy it. The average American office worker wastes around 2.09 hours every day (not including lunch!). It's costing your business money, and lots of it. So you have a choice, you and your co-workers/employees can waste two hours a day costing money and sales, or you can commit 2 hours a week to research and writing a blog post.

Reason #3: "I haven't Seen One Sale Come From A Blog"
How many sales has that new mahogany desk gotten you today? You wouldn't measure the success of your desk based on sales figures would you? You bought that mahogany desk to hold your computer and other work-related materials, and to be aesthetically pleasing. It has achieved those goals, presumably, and so it can be considered a success, right?  Measuring the success or failure of your social media endeavors is important - but measuring them appropriately is more important. Not all blogs are created to generate sales. In fact, I would argue that sales generation is among the worst reasons to start a blog. Consumer interaction, customer support, brand exposure, traffic, reputation building/management, and simply wanting to share your expertise to as many people as possible are all reasons to blog - measure their success or failure accordingly.

The point is to measure your blog relative to your strategic goals for it. Yes, that's right - I'm assuming you actually planned ahead of time and set measurable goals before you started your blog. No, you didn't? And you're surprised it's not successful?

Reason #4: "We Will Run Out Of Ideas"
Writer's block is a legitimate concern. Anyone who has every done any amount of writing has experienced it. Sometimes you just don't have any new ideas. Usually that's a result of lack of inspiration. The best and most creative writers do a lot of reading. If you've run out of ideas, pick up a book or magazine, or visit some new blogs and read. Creativity often needs a shove in the right direction.

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Tonight, Penn State's student newspaper, Onward State, reported Joe Paterno's death at 8:45 pm. It was a scoop no other media outlet had confirmed. Within minutes, the national media picked up on the story, Twitter was abuzz and many millions went to bed believing Joe Paterno was dead. But the casualty of the night wasn't Joe Paterno, it was Devon Edwards - Onward State's managing editor. By 10 pm the same night, he stepped down.

In his letter of apology, Devin expressed his surprise at how quickly his reporting made its way around the world.

I never, in a million years, would have thought that Onward State might be cited by the national media. Today, I sincerely wish it never had been. To all those who read and passed along our reports, I sincerely apologize for having mislead you.

Devin learned a very tough lesson tonight. The social web has made our world infinitely smaller. It was already shrunk by efficient modes of travel, telephones, satellites, television and earlier iterations of the web. The social web, however, has made us all even closer.

In his latest book "The End Of Business As Usual", Brian Solis, explains this new reality, which he dubs the "nextwork."

The nextwork sends and receives information at blinding speeds, creating an efficient human switchboard and network that in theory and in practice, outperforms telephone, terrestrial, cell, emergency, and web networks for the speed and precision at which relevant experiences are shared and re-shared.

Unfortunately, Devin Edwards was clearly unaware of this brave new world we have all so gleefully joined. It's a world that gives us unprecedented access to information. But, information does not know the difference between truth and fiction, and so it travels at the same rate of speed. Tonight, fiction travelled around the world from it's point of origin in State College in the blink of an eye. Hopefully, Devin Edwards isn't the only one of us who learned a lesson tonight.

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A gallery of the websites of companies and organizations speaking out against SOPA.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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I will admit this up front - I really, really, dislike rules. I'm no rebel, nor do I have a problem with authority - I simply don't like rules. Why? Because, generally speaking, they tend to exist because we assume we need them - whether they are legitimate or not. Our society has an obsessive, almost debilitating, need to create rules for everything. They are a short-cut for the ignorant and a crutch for those who lack creativity.

First, these assumed rules of social media have made their way to clients and potential clients. I actually had a potential client tell me my plan for his public relations broke a social media rule. I asked him who told him it was a rule, he pulled out a book written by a social media "guru." I cringed.

More importantly, social media is organic in its nature. Sure, it's become a great deal more organized and systematic than it was in its origins, but it's still directed and raised by those who use it - people. Our interaction with each other online is as organic and unpredictable online as it is off. For public relations professionals to assume that by strictly adhering to a set of rules they can control, manipulate or predict this interaction to achieve a PR or marketing goal is just plain asinine. In fact, I would suggest that a strict adherence to anyone's social media rules would likely guarantee failure.

Public relations is a craft. It is not a science. If all it takes is to follow a set of rules in order to execute positive public relations strategy, then I would be out of a job. It takes creativity, experience, know-how and an unyielding commitment to achieving your PR goals no matter what rules you break or follow.

The rules aren't important, the results are.

"Rules" That (I Think) Are Asinine:

• Respect those whom you’re engaging...
  Hogwash. Do you respect everyone who you pass on the street? How about that half-naked guy with a joint hanging out of his mouth asking you for money? Not everyone deserves respect. Wasting your time with those who don't, is exactly that - wasting your time.

• Don't Attack The Competition
  Did Marry Poppins write this rule? This is the mark of someone who lives in a world of theory. Here's the real world - if your competition sucks, let people know about it. If you're better, let people know about it. Those who are passionate about your product/company/persona/etc... may very well love you for it. If you want to follow another "rule" of social media about being honest and real, then be honest and real.

• Don’t rehash the same information people can get elsewhere.
  This one almost makes me laugh out loud. This rule is basically encouraging PR and marketing professionals to intentionally leave out pertinent information and force interested parties to find it their damn selves. Really?
• Let consumers find you
  When in business has this ever been true? Here's a great business idea for you - go open an ice cream shop, but don't advertise it, tell anyone about it or even put up a sign in front. Just wait until people discover you. That's brilliant!
• Ensure you have a strategy in place and that it ties back to brand objectives.
  Wait, I thought we weren't supposed to be motivated by evil corporate objectives in social media? I thought we were only supposed to listen and offer up free information and lollipops? Now you tell me I need a strategy to do this? I need objectives? I'm confused.

• Keep things conversational as it applies to portraying and reinforcing the personality and value of your brand and the brand you represent
  OK, let me understand this - I need to stay conversational, real, with users. As long as that "real conversation" "applies to portraying and reinforcing the personality and value of your brand and the brand you represent."  I already have a headache.

• Do not have an agency or agent speak for you on your social media page.
  Are you sure about that? How many CEO's does this person really know? A lot of CEOs, if not most, are about as adept at conversation and socialization with real people (online or off) as a three-year-old in mid-tantrum. Also, is it really a good idea to have your CEO spending his/her time on Facebook and Twitter everyday? Probably not - some things are better left to professionals.
• Only have a conversation with your users, don't dictate
  I understand this, in theory. But, when's the last valuable conversation you had with 30,000 people all at once? I follow a lot of companies in a lot of different social media worlds. I don't expect to have a conversation with BMW, but I like to know when they have something new to tell me about. But, if BMW follows this rule, I guess I have to hope it comes out in conversation, that is if I'm not drowned out by the other 25 million people following BMW.

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I've been in politics virtually my entire life. Let's just say, it's sort of a family legacy. As a consultant, I've seen any number of ways people in my business take advantage of people running for office, and scam others into thinking they know what they're doing. Here are five things to watch out for.

1. Consultants Who Are "Undefeated"

More than any other indicator, this one should send you running for the hills. There is not one political strategist on the planet worth his/her salt who hasn't lost elections. In fact, most of us lose more than we win. Some very famous political strategists spend decades never winning at all. If any consultant ever tells you that they are either undefeated or hardly ever lose, one of two things is true - either they are lying, or they only work for sure-things. Either way, their "record" is more of an indicator of a lack of skill than of any perceived successes they may claim.

- Key Question To Ask: "Tell me about some recent elections you've lost. What happened?"
- Most consultants have a number of losses they are very proud of. These may be elections where their client wasn't given a chance, but got close to winning.

2. Consultants Who Name Names

Don't get me wrong here, we all throw around names of candidates we've worked for. In fact, that's public information anyway. What we don't do, however, is divulge confidential projects we've worked on. We aren't generally chatty about our work. Any consultant that gives you unsolicited inside information on participants in a confidential project, is clearly untrustworthy. They'll talk about you too.

- Key Question: "Would you be ok with me asking (the person being named) about this project?"

3. Ensuring All Check's Go Through Them

This is a big one to watch out for. Your campaign checks should all go through a CPA on staff with the campaign. No political consultant should ever control the checkbook. Normally, there are only two areas in which consultants make money - a retainer fee and a percentage of media buys. If your consultant is paying for things like signs, t-shirts and office furniture, you can be sure they are marking up their invoices to the campaign for their trouble. Unless you contractually agreed to let them do that, your campaign is getting milked.

- Key Question: "What specific campaign expenses will you be invoice us for?"

4. Claiming Expertise In Whatever You Need

Political consultants come in a lot of different flavors. There are media strategists, polling and data experts, grassroots experts, and so on. Just because a person has worked on campaigns in the past, does not make them an expert in anything. It's like a businessman claiming to be a marketing expert, when he's really an accountant. Check their work, demand references. I've seen more than my fair share of supposed "media strategists" who couldn't tell you a thing about shooting a commercial or making a media buy. Would you hire someone off the street to shoot a commercial for your company without checking out their work? You'd be amazed how many political candidates do exactly that.

- Key Question: "What specific experience and education do you have in ______? Can I see examples?"

5. Those who wear suits

Political consultants don't wear suits. Seriously. I don't know why, we just don't. Political operatives do. What's the difference? Political operatives go from campaign to campaign in hopes of landing a job with an eventual administration. There's nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all. Operatives are important. Consultants aren't looking for a job, not usually. We don't wear suits.

- Key Question: "Are you hoping for a job if I win?"

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It's no secret that just about every news outlet on the planet has tried to figure out a sustainable and reasonable economic model for online news. The New York Times recent pay plan took the online-news world by storm. The plan allows users to read 20 articles a month. After that, readers have various payment plans to choose from. And now, Mashable is introducing an entirely new model - share or pay.

It works basically like this:

• To read Mashable's content, you will have to pay $10 upfront, per month.
• For every article you share, Mashable will credit your account $.25.
• Meaning, if you share 40 articles a month, Mashable is still "free."
• On top of that, those who share more than $10 of articles a month, you will actually be credited moving forward.
• Interestingly, Mashable plans to only accept Facebook credits as payment, a decision that Mashable doesn't fully explain.
• They even have a nifty new term for it - "SocialPay."

On the surface, SocialPay comes off as a bit a threat of sorts. It makes me a feel a bit like a toddler again. "Robert Munson if you don't share your toys with your sister you're going to bed without dinner!"

Perhaps Mashable feels like most parents do - getting your kids to share usually takes some kind of associated threat.

Or, perhaps they feel it's more of a carrot.

My own son responds better to incentives than he does threats. All kids are different I guess. All Mashable users are different too. So what do you think?

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For marketing and PR folks, custom twitter backgrounds are absolutely necessary. That is, if you believe many very knowledgable people in the PR and social media world. It's fairly common to see this "necessary" adaptation in one of countless "Top 10 ways to maximize Twitter" blog entries. Of course, I'm not talking about a simple, pleasing, background image, I'm referring to backgrounds designed for personal or business marketing purposes. And, frankly, I get the pro-customization point. A custom background stands out from the pack. It can communicate a level of sophistication with the platform. It allows for people to quickly and easily see your picture or logo, a brief bio and other ways to communicate with you. But...

On the surface, customization looks like a no-brainer. But I just don't buy it. Here's why:

1. Twitter backgrounds are only seen on Twitter's website, and Twitter has moved very quickly beyond the desktop computer.
Twitter is a platform that is utilized in an almost innumerable number of ways, both mobile and desktop. Personally, I use either Twitter's own desktop application or Tweetdeck when I'm at the office. When I'm mobile, I use the same applications designed for my iPhone and/or iPad. I also use various social media monitoring tools when dealing with client's social media presence. This is not to mention that I, like most people, tend to use the "Tweet" button on blogs and article entries that I want to share. The point is that I almost never see anyone's actual Twitter page, including my own. And I'm not sure that anyone else spends much time on other people's twitter pages either.

2. Custom Twitter Backgrounds Almost Always Look Terrible
Don't get upset - I'm not necessarily talking about your design itself. The problem is Twitter's layout. You can't change it. That's why the only customization possible is in the background. The problem with that? Unless someone is using a very wide or even fullscreen view on their browser, your beautiful mug shot and contact information is cut in half, hidden by the timeline, and largely unreadable. I'm sure your head is very attractive, it's just only seeing half of it is distracting and kind of creepy.

3. Custom Twitter Backgrounds Almost Always Look Terrible, Part II
Again, I'm not trying to be insulting, but... if you're not a graphic or interface designer, then don't try and act like one. And all of those inexpensive and/or free customization tools out there are not interested in the design aesthetics of their work.  From a pure user experience standpoint, the addition of a large picture and a bunch of links and contact information is distracting. There's already enough going on with Twitter's page. All you are doing with all of that information is distracting my eye from your tweets. I don't  go to a person's Twitter page for their business card, I go there for your tweets. 

4. Positive First Impressions Matter
I may be alone in this, but when I go to a party and the first person I meet shoves a business card in my face and asks me what I do for a living, I turn around and walk out. When I go to a person's Twitter page, I want to know who they are and what they are interested in by way of their Tweets. When your "brand" is the most prominent thing on your Twitter page, I start to get nervous. I don't like pushy people. But that may just be me.

5. It's The Content That Matters
Your profile pic tells me what you look like or what your logo looks like. Your bio tells me who you are and what you're interested in. Your content tells me everything else I need to know. Period.

6. We're Already Annoying Enough
Let's be real PR and marketing folks, we can annoy the hell out of people some times. We're so caught up in branding, marketing, self-marketing, selling and singing the praises of our clients and ourselves, we sometimes forget that Twitter is not an interactive billboard for all things us. To me, a big, brash and loud custom background is just too much. Tone it down, let your content do the talking. 

Having Said All Of That...
Here are a couple custom backgrounds I actually like

@problogger - The design actually makes use of the fact that the guy's head is cut in half.

@adamplitt - Brilliant use of the narrow top portion above the timeline. Attractive, pleasing and not at all distracting. The design actually frames the content.

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Facebook welcome pages are all the rage these days, and with good reason. For businesses and organizations looking to make their mark on the web's premiere social media website, a great welcome page is essential. Let's face it, for most small businesses people aren't going to spend their time on your wall. They like your business, and want to be kept up to date on what's happening. That may be news, updates, deals, coupons or tutorials. Whatever the case, a welcome page serves as a mini-website of sorts. Let's take a look at a new welcome page from Baton Rouge-based Digital FX.

1. The company logo is prominent in the top left profile picture spot. In this case, they chose to omit the company name. It's an interesting choice, and certainly not for everyone. But, in this case, the logo (which is new, BTW) stood out more than the name particularly when the profile pic is viewed in its thumbnail state.
2. Most prominent on the page itself is the big news - for Digital FX, it's the acquisition of a rare and highly-sought after super-HD video camera. For DFX, a post-production video company, this camera has brought international attention. It's what everyone is talking about. The key word there is "talking." The very existence of the camerat at DFX encourages conversation and interest.
3. Within the image of the new camera, is an actionable item - "Now Available." Actionable items are key. Click on it, and you go to the company website with information on renting the camera.
4. Immediately below the "big news," is a related video. To date, it's the only hands-on video of this camera in the world. When we posted the video Engadget.com picked it up. It's been viewed by some 80,000 unique persons all over the world. Again, this is a popular item - one that people will come to the page specifically to views. It also represents on the goals for the page - providing up-to-date high quality videos on new products, trends and techniques.
5. Below the video is a newsletter sign up form. It's yet another way for people to contact and converse with the company. You can't have too many contact points.
6. Contact Information at the bottom. Yes, users can find that by clicking on the "info" link, but why make them? Get your contact information out there immediately. It's a no-brainer.

All in all, this page does its job - provides a welcoming, informative and entertaining entry point for new users. It encourages action, provides important information and stays up to date. It also offers some elements only found on the DFX facebook page.

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My two-year-old son recently gave me a series of rules about when and where I can use my phone. He noticed over a period of time that my phone took time away from him. He realized that if I have that phone on my person, I am incapable of ignoring it. My phone had become a barrier between he and I. A barrier that interrupted play time, story time, meal time and any time that would otherwise be personal time between myself and him.

As a result of my obsessive phone use, he recently told me that I was not to bring the phone into his room or when we go outside. Not only can I not have it in my hand, he makes sure I don’t have it in my pocket. It's easy to dismiss this as a toddler wanting more attention. But it's more than that - much more.

On the surface, it’s a funny little “from the mouths of babes” type of story. But dig a little deeper, and you might understand the sense of sadness that I felt when I fully realized that my dependence on technology was seriously diminishing my ability to be a Dad. When I should have been playing with my son, perhaps teaching him how to build a house with Legos, or how to jump his toy cars over a ramp made of books, I was checking my Twitter account. When I could have been teaching him how to hit a baseball or skip rocks in the water outside, I was worried about my cell connection. When I should have been socializing with my two-year-old son, I was instead choosing to socialize via technology with people I largely do not know.

I’m not bashing social media, or social interaction online. I use social media every day, and I love it. I’m only suggesting that we take a step back every once in a while and consider the long-term consequences of our own actions. Namely, the examples we set for those younger folks who are watching us.

When we are so willing to share our most intimate moments with strangers online, and yet so incapable of expressing ourselves in person, what example are we setting for those who learn from us? When we text, email, chat, tweet and Facebook message long before we even contemplate even a phone call, much less a personal visit, what are we teaching our kids about how family, friends and loved ones should communicate?

We know it’s rude and annoying when we choose what’s on our phone over the person in front of us. We know we should send a hand-written personal note of thanks, instead of an email or text, to someone who has done something nice for us. The list could go on and on. The point is that we know what type of social interaction is positive and productive online and what is not.

We know right from wrong. But do our actions reflect that knowledge? Or are we so comfortable in a social media world, that we are risking sending the wrong message to those who learn from our actions?

Here's a reality - our teenagers don’t know how to socialize in a personal way, like teenagers once did. They text each other from across the table. They post Facebook pictures of themselves for people who are in the same room as them. They tweet about a funny story they just overheard, rather than actually sharing that story with the person next to them.  They’d rather play a game of basketball on their Xbox then actually play basketball outside. They prefer to spend time on their handheld devices than with their friends and family in the flesh.

They do what we do.

Technology and social expression online had once been a foreign concept to me. Now it has become too comfortable, too familiar. But for our kids, technology and social media will never be foreign. They will grow up with it and see it every day. As parents, teachers, guardians, mentors and role models, it's time we accept the responsibility that comes with a world where physical interaction and personal bonding are becoming less familiar than the virtual kind. There are consquences that come as a result. Just ask my two-year-old.

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You know you've made it as a company when not doing something makes international news. Today, rumors abound that Apple is NOT going to release details on the iPhone 5 at its annual software developers conference in June. News organizations and blogs all over the planet are reporting the rumor as though the lack of something happening is now news. But when it comes to Steve Jobs and Apple, it is news.

As millions of frustrated Apple-widows and widowers all over the world breath a sigh of relief, the news comes as a shock to most. Apple has traditional released details of its next generation iPhone around this time. Why not now? Is it a change of strategy, technical and/or production issues? Or does Steve Jobs and his Apple followers simply love to be loved. I'm guessing a little of all of the above.

No matter the reason, the point is that Apple is now officially the tech-world's most followed, most loved and most hated company. We hate them when they release products too early. We hate them when they release them too late. But we, most of us anyway, end up loving them when these products are announced, late or early. It's a torrid, passionate and altogether volatile relationship Apple has with its customers. They play hard to get sometimes, other times they're a little too eager. No matter, we seem to always fall for them.

For PC lovers (a.k.a., Apple haters), watching this romance from afar is a little like having to watch a terrible reality show your spouse is obsessed with. You have no choice but to watch it because it's the only thing on. That's Apple today. They're the only thing on. Sure, other manufacturers occasionally come out with something that makes a splash for a few hours or maybe even a couple of days. But nobody, nobody, dominates tech news like Apple. Even when they have nothing new to report.

Keep in mind, however, these are only rumors. If there's anything Steve Jobs like to play with more than next-gen Apple handheld products, it's rumors. He's a zen-like master of them. He's the Phil Jackson of tech. He's probably just sitting atop his Apple mountain laughing at us all. After all, he's got us right where he wants us.

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A few weeks ago, a client of mine received a very special camera. The client is a post-production film and video facility. The camera was a Red Epic-M. Seeing as this is not a blog about video and film technology, I'll save you the details. But, suffice to say, the Epic-M is the most drool-worthy camera on the planet right now. Even more special, the camera is not in production. Only a handful of facilities in the world were "chosen" by Red to receive a handmade pre-production model. My client was one of those.

Initially, we did the obvious things - press releases, blog posts, Facebook updates, tweets and email newsletters. Response was expectedly underwhelming. So, we did what my client does best - we made a video. A hands-on video of the Epic-M, to be exact. We sent the link to anyone and everyone who might be interested. Engadget.com gave us a shout.

Anyone in tech knows that getting a post on Engadget.com is big, very big. Unknown iPhone apps have gone from obscurity to millions of dollars in a day thanks to Engadget. The blog reaches millions.

Monday morning, Engadget featured the video. The response was immediate and deafening - 35,000 views in just a matter of hours. Not only did Engadget pick it up, so did other tech blogs around the web. We made local news as well - people are impressed when a local company makes the front page of a website as pervasive as Engadget.

Before too long, our contacts in Los Angeles were emailing us wondering how the heck we took this 3 minute video and, in the words of one contact, put it "EVERYWHERE" on the internet. We didn't do much, really. We only did what my client does best.

There's no secret ingredient here other than getting to know your client and their target audience and catering to it. That's what we did, and the exposure received by the company dwarfed any previous press hit. Sometimes it's better to not overthink things and get out of your own way. Lesson learned.

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Louisiana ranks #4 in the nation for entrepreneurial activity. This according to a new report by the Kauffman Foundation and reported locally by the Baton Rouge Business Report. Louisiana, frankly, isn't used to ranking in the top 5 in anything good. The news is encouraging and certainly points to an independent and self-reliant population of small business people. But, at the risk of pulling the rug out from under myself as an entrepreneur, let's face it - jobs are better.

The Kauffman Foundation said it best:

During the Great Recession, more Americans have become entrepreneurs than at any time in the past 15 years. However, while the economy and its high unemployment rates may have pressed more individuals into business ownership, most of them are going it alone, rather than starting companies that employ others.

The last line is the kicker - "...rather than starting companies that employ others." Ouch.

It seems for most recent entrepreneurs, the decision to become self reliant may not be their own. Most people aren't cut out for self employment. The biggest reason? No steady pay check. And, let's be honest, there's a lot to be said for that. Secondly, health insurance. This costly expense isn't for everybody. But more than anything, self-employment is just plain hard. To be successful at it takes a lot of personal attributes that aren't in everyone's DNA. A good job, in a good career, is what most want and what Louisiana lacks too many of. We're not alone by any stretch on that count.

On a positive not, at least we're not sitting on our hands watching Oprah all day. We're getting out there trying to make ends meet with the hope of something even better than a job - a viable business to call our own. Who knows, maybe one of these new entrepreneurs will find their calling and become a Fortune 500 company. Even Fortune 500s had to start somewhere. Z5P2PHDHWHXQ

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• Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker embraces social media tool Twitter @PostCrescent
  MADISON — On the first morning of his first day as governor, Scott Walker tweeted a picture. The photo, shot at 7:26 a.m. with a Blackberry 9630 smart phone, shows a dramatic pink morning sky.

• Why the economics of blogging are broken @markwschaefer
  Content is ripped off wholesale. There is an expectation that any type of creative output is free and should be freely distributed. As the popularity of my blog has grown, so has the popularity of ripping it off.

• Professors Paid by Qaddafi: Providing 'Positive Public Relations' @thenation
  money, under a $3 million per year contract with a consulting group which promised to “enhance the profile of Libya and Muammar Quadhafi” in Britain and the US.

• Wanted: Social Media Gurus @technorati
  More and more people are flocking to social media both for networking and for business. With billions of users, it is only suitable that businesses have taken notice of the trend in social media and have jumped on board.

• iPhone 4 + Personal Hotspot + Wi-Fi-only iPad: Possible, but with drawbacks @tuaw
  Once Apple announced Personal Hotspot, the new iPhone 4-only feature, a lot of potential iPad buyers started asking the same question. "Can I use this feature with a Wi-Fi-only iPad and avoid paying extra for a 3G-enabled iPad, plus another monthly data plan for it?"

• Twitter iPhone App’s Quick Bar Met With Disdain, Twitter Reacts [POLL] @mashable
  Twitter placed a new “Quick Bar” on its iPhone app last Thursday, and as usual, when anything changes in the online world, there’s a small and extremely loud group of hard-core users objecting to it.

• 6 Successful SXSW Startup Launch Stories @mashable
  Startups vie for a chance to be part of the SXSW Accelerator competition for the opportunity it brings — 41% of the companies that have participated in the first two competitions received funding after the event.

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New Orleans is famous for Mardi Gras, and rightly so. But there's at least one parade in Louisiana's capital city of Baton Rouge that can rival anything New Orleans has to offer. It's the Spanish Town Mardi Gras parade, and despite a heavy downpour, it went on today as planned. Here's some of the best tweets and pics of the day from the infamously naughty Spanish Town mardi gras parade.

Best Tweets:

• CEStephens: Someone just gave me alcoholic whipped cream. From an aerosol spray can. #Spanishtown #winning #MardiGras

• craigbayer: #fail. Almost out of jack daniels, parade does not start for 2 hours. #Spanishtown

• RJ0hn50n: just heard post-#spanishtown #mardigras, "Why do you even invite him? He never has the good weed." Partygoer criteria to take note of. #fb

• Allin4Lifehouse: I had a blast. I love Louisiana! We know how to party like no one else. #spanishtown

• jfoLSU: Best pee of my life. #Spanishtown (@ LSU - LSU Student Union) http://4sq.com/e9viJx

• biteandbooze: So far I'm losing. #Embarrassed. RT @CEStephens: I challenged @biteandbooze to drink more than me. #willendpoorly #Spanishtown #MardiGras

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How A Local Company Faced A Social Media Revolution, And Came Out Alive

It's a day unlikely to go down in infamy. But, on March 3^rd, 2011, a 24-hour war between a beer company and a beer charity, waged on social media websites, finally ended. This public relations battle may pale in comparison to BP's oil disaster, or FEMA's regrettable inaction in New Orleans following Katrina, but it's a local Louisiana battle worth noting.

>> Skip To 7 Lessons Learned

First, some context: On February 18^th, Louisiana's own Abita Brewing Company sent a cease-and-desist letter to a Baton Rouge charity organizer ordering him to stop using the term "pub crawl." Abita claimed to own the Louisiana rights to the trademark "pub crawl," but Manu Kamat had named his charity tour of bars across downtown Baton Rouge by the same name (the charity benefits the New Orleans Council for Community and Justice). Abita's lawyers took action. On March 2, the Baton Rouge Business Report reported the situation via its daily newsletter the Daily Report. The news was out.

Within seconds of the report, Facebook users across the country were posting their displeasure with Abita. In the interest of full discloser, I was doing the same thing. The idea that our beloved Abita Brewing Company would act in such evil "corporate" manner was astounding to many of the company's fans. Abita's own Facebook page told the tale.

"Shame on you and your "pub crawl" greediness."

"What have you guys been consulting Charlie Sheen or something? Very bad move on your part…"

"You guys are pathetic. You have really alienated your local customer base with this Cease and Desist order, AGAINST A CHARITY no less. Until you fix this I and everyone I know will NOT be buying Abita."

"You are the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons."

“I drank my last Abita product 2 days ago. shame shame shame."

Hundreds of Abita fans, and those who simply "liked" the page in order to post their displeasure, were letting the company have it. Threats of boycotts were numerous, but the posts were more an expression of disappointment in a local and beloved company who had always been on the right side of charitable issues.

Less than 24 hours after the controversy had made its way to the world of social media, Abita responded with a six-paragraph letter from the President of Abita, David Blossman.

"We’ve heard from you today on this trademark issue and we agree. Your respect is far more important to us than two little words.

This morning we reached out to the New Orleans Council for Community and Justice and let them know we’ve changed our mind and our position on the trademark issue. We have offered and they have accepted our support of their next event, scheduled for March 25. Abita is proud of our history of charitable giving to our community through our fundraising brews and our commitment to non-profit organizations."

If this protest had taken place outside the front door of Abita's headquarters in Abita Springs, LA, people from miles around could have heard the cheers of victory.

"…the issue has been resolved like Louisiana friends and family should do...then I'm going to celebrate with an Andygator!"

"There will be a keg of Amber at my Mardi Gras party Saturday. Thanks for fixing this."

"Thank goodness you recanted. I didn't want to give up my Abita strawberry this season!"

And so, the pub crawl won, Abita saved their well-earned reputation and the people's voices were heard. Sound the trumpets!

But wait, as they say, there's more…

This may have been a just a blip on the radar of the public relations world, but there's a series of important lessons to be had from this event.

1. Facebook, Twitter and other social media websites are not just for fun and games. Serious issues are discussed ever day by millions of people all over the world. Piss one of them off, and you've pissed off the 500 hundred friends they have on Facebook and the 1000 followers they have on Twitter as well as the 1500 friends and followers those people have. And on, and on, and on… Don’t believe me? Ask Hosni Mubarek.
2. Attorneys are experts in the law, not in public relations. Attorneys deal with the letter of the law, PR experts deal with perception. Theses are two very different things. No public legal matter should ever be entered into without the consultation of a public relations expert. The lawyers probably won't like it. Who cares. It's your reputation and business on the line, not theirs.
3. Monitor your social media interaction constantly. This virtual protest happened in a matter of seconds following the first, and only, mainstream news report of the incident. If Abita had not bothered to monitor their social media platforms, this controversy could have gone on for days. But they were on top of it, and less than 24 hours later were able to mitigate the crisis and retain their fan base. Had it gone one for another 24 hours, the situation could have become critical for Abita's reputation.
4. Crisis management is called management for a reason, it doesn't erase the mistake. Abita was smart enough to realize this. Instead of denying what happened, or making some inexplicable excuse for it, they owned it, apologized for it and then made it right. They managed the crisis, weathered the storm and came out just fine on the other side.
5. For consumers, social media is power. Everybody loves power, however big or small. Social media's empowerment effect on consumers is not to be taken lightly. One person can start a revolution in the social media world. That's a scary thought for some companies. That's good - don't ever make the mistake of taking it lightly. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
6. Don’t mistake a social media protest as a “virtual” protest. It’s not. It’s very real, and in many ways more powerful and pervasive than the “real” thing. It’s faster, reaches more people and encourages actions by those would never dream of fashioning a clever sign to spend the day pacing outside a corporate office building. Abita, to their great credit, understood that completely.
7. Abita makes great beer. That's it. They just do.

Cheers!

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In part 1 of this series, I took a long at political forums – a virtual minefield for political candidates. In part 2, we’ll focus on social media networks like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter – much friendlier confines for campaigns, but no less important to do right.

When working with my political clients, I almost always get the same reaction when I mention Facebook – “Oh yeah, I think my kids are on that.” It’s probably true, but it also tends to skew my clients’ perspective of both the importance and relevance of the platform.

Social networks have gone from a place for “kids” to chat with friends to a full-blow social revolution. In other words, it’s not just for your kids anymore. In fact, in the right hands, these websites can be one of the most effective grassroots platforms in your campaign. Just as effective, if not more so, than walking neighborhoods, having meet and greets and block parties. And better yet, they are much more efficient – requiring less leg work and time with the potential to reach many more voters.

Social networks  are not about technology. Get that out of your mind right now. They’re about social interaction. The key word here is “social.” This brings me to my first and probably most important tip:

1. Don’t pitch your friends list.

When you truly understand that these websites are for social interaction, you will understand why the “campaign pitch” would be a serious faux paus. Take this example – you’re at the neighborhood park on a Sunday afternoon with your family. There are lots of people there, some you know well, some you sort of know and others who you don’t know. Of those people, who do you go up to and give a stump speech? Hopefully the answer is none of the above. Why don’t you do that? Because it’s not considered appropriate in that kind of social atmosphere. It’s a turn off. Nobody wants to get cornered by a hyped up politician in their neighborhood park on a Sunday afternoon. Well, the same holds true for Facebook users. Yes, they know you’re running for office – that’s part of the reason they’re on your friend’s list. But because they’re on your friends list, they don’t expect or want to be given the campaign pitch 15 times a day. They do expect to hear news, events and announcements – but in a conversational manner, because they are your “friends” (i.e. – supporters).

2. Encourage questions and debate on with your friends list.

Social media is, after all, about social interaction. The key word here, being interaction. Remember, social media is a dialogue, not a monologue. Take the time to engage your supporters – don’t just limit your status updates to events and news. Ask questions about the issues, relevant news, your last television commercial. Ask for ideas – how can you better reach the undecided? What are your friends hearing on the street, in their workplace and amongst their “real” friends? No, you can’t control this conversation (or shouldn’t, at least), but you’ll be shocked my how much of it is positive (usually 90% or so) and even more shocked by helpful this interaction can be.

3. Completely fill out your profile.

Think of this as an online resume for the voters. Trust me, people will look at your profile when you’re running for office. They want to know where your from, where you went to school and just as importantly – your hobbies, interests and family life. These are pictures of candidates we rarely get to see and the voters want to know. Don’t give them a reason to question your sincerity by leaving out key parts of your profile – fill it out COMPLETELY.

4. Post pictures and videos as often as possible

In most campaigns, the candidate always has a couple of the same people around him at all times. Make sure they have a small digital still camera, and if possible a video camera (the FLIP camera is perfect for this – and cheap). After every event, make sure to constantly post pictures and any videos you may have. These are often candid and sincere photographs that voters rarely get to see – you’ll become much more human, and a lot less of a political robot.

5. Utilize groups

There are millions of groups on Facebook and MySpace based around shared interests, hobbies and politics. These groups are joined by people who want to know more about you. If there’s a local latino group on Facebook in your district – join it. Listen to their issues and their conversations. Become a part of the group, in a social way. Let them know, once you’ve become a real part of their group, what you can do for them. And then listen again. The same goes for every group on Facebook and Myspace – seek out those that are relevant in your campaign and engage!

6. Set up “Citizens For Mr. Candidate” Groups

There are thousands of interest groups in every district. Make sure you’re reaching out to as many of them as is effective for your campaign. Have a “Truckers For Mr. Candidate” fan page, a “Republican Women for Mr. Candidate” page, and so on. These pages allow members of those interest groups to discuss your candidacy as it pertains to the issues that matter most to them (and therefore, should matter to you).

7. Integrate, Embed

If you have a blog, use RSS to feed your blog posts into all of your social media networks. Make sure your YouTube page is embedded as well. Ensure Twitter posts are updates on other sites too. Use these tools and widgets to help your campaign more efficiently update your social media networks in as few places as possible.

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In part 1 of this blog series, I decided to begin with forums. Why forums? Because it is where I see the most and biggest mistakes from political candidates and their staff. In coming posts, I’ll tackle blogs, Facebook, twitter and the rest of the social media community.

Forum Users:
Every community has local political forums. For the most part, users on these forums are hyper political animals. They love politics, sure, but they love having a place to “hear” themselves and their political opinions even more. As my father is fond of saying, “everybody’s a political consultant.” He’s right, particularly in an election year, everybody is an expert and forums provide the perfect place to vent, argue and attempt to have an impact. Let’s look closer at the types of political forum users.

5 Types of Political Forum Users:

1. The “Expert” – the guy who watches a lot of political news and enjoys the arm chair quarterback role in local elections.
2. The “Evangelist” – party loyalists who will stop at nothing to defend their particular ideology. They love forums because they love to argue their case.
3. The “Insider” – this is the person who claims to have the inside information that nobody else knows. He/she usually refuses to give up their “sources” but will claim to be absolutely trustworthy.
4. The “Peacemaker” – the one who is constantly attempting to tone down the rhetoric and get people to be more civil.
5. The “Antagonist” – usually, these users don’t care what the topic is, they simply like to antagonize, usually with personal insults, to get people riled up.

And yes, there are just “regular” users on political forums as well, but they don’t normally last very long as the 5 types of users will ultimately become too laborious for them.

If you consider these 5 types of users, you can quickly understand why political forums can be a waste of time for a political campaign. You can’t really please any of them, but more importantly you can’t change any of their minds. Even the peacemaker is steadfast in his ways, he’s just more civil about it. Remember, political forums are not places for political discourse in the pursuit of greater understanding. Understanding this will save you a lot of time and headache.

There are some social media “gurus” who will disagree with me on that. But those guys don’t work in the world of politics. We’re not talking about competing reviews on a dishwasher here, we’re talking about emotionally charged political know it alls. And I’m not talking about national campaigns here either. We’re talking about local and state-wide races where people know each other and personalities clash. There are opportunities online for discourse, it’s just that political forums are rarely on the top of that list for political candidates.

Having said all of that, there are times and places where it is necessary to engage in political forums. As I already noted, it’s important to monitor them at all times, but there are instances when you have to dive in. But there are rules…

The 5 “No, Nos” of Forum Interaction:

1. Don’t, EVER, make your first post a diatribe. Remember, social media is about discourse, it’s not a place for you to make a grand entrance. If you’re going to post, do so slowly. Read, listen and think. Do that for as long as you can before posting. When you do post, keep it simple and non aggressive. Try to become part of the community.
2. Don’t lie about who you are. If you’re the candidate, say it. If you work for the campaign, say it. If you don’t and you have suspiciously accurate “inside” information, you will be found out. The people on these forums have been on them for years – you’ll stand out one way or the other. Make sure you stand out for being honest.
3. Don’t allow family to take up your case. If there’s one thing people want to see from their leaders, it’s that they can stand on their own two feet. If you’re getting beat up online, and you decide you just have to counter the rumors – do it yourself. Don’t let your daughter do it or your husband do it or your wife. It’s all about you.
4. Do not counter rumors with rumors. It’s tempting to do this, I’m sure. But if there’s a whisper campaign out there against you, don’t battle it with half-truths yourself. Doing so will immediately (and I mean IMMEDIATELY) call into question your own character.
5. Don’t get in a pissing match. Sorry for the french, but there’s no better way to say it. Political forum users are relentless. I promise you, they have more time than you do. They will not back down, ever. Make your point, say your peace, but don’t get into with these people. You won’t win and you’ll end up “saying” something you’ll regret.

Now, some of you are probably wondering by now about these whisper campaigns. Someone has to start them, right? And some of these campaigns are successful, right? Yep and yep. If a whisper campaign is started, it should NEVER come from anyone associated with the campaign. Not a staffer, not a contributor, not a consultant, not a vendor. I’m not condoning the practice of anonymously tearing up someone’s reputation online, but if you’re going to do it – don’t be stupid about it and always assume that the “anonymous” user will be found out. If they’re not – great. But if they are, you’d better be sure you’re not on their speed dial.

Using Political Forums, Positively

1. Forums can be used to place announcements and news. However, these should be done by someone who is already an established member of that community. There’s nothing that ticks off forum regulars more than a flack.
2. Monitoring forums can lead to opportunities for real discussion. Though it may be temporary (until the nut jobs take over), there can be opportunities to jump in. At times, real people ask real questions. It’s rare, but it does happen. These are sometimes opportunities where a candidate or senior staffer can actually jump in with their first post. Something like, “Hi everybody, I’ve been reading this forum for some time and I thought I’d jump in today to answer this very important question. I’d love to hear your feedback…”
3. Monitoring forums can lead to strategic clues. There have been many times where I have been tipped off to something by monitoring forums. Most of the “inside” information is B.S. But sometimes, there’s some truth in there. Once, a user casually remarked how he saw the candidate in front of a school with a TV crew. Someone replies that they saw the candidate too – but this time at a park with a bunch of kids. That’s great information – I know that they are working on an ad about education. I’ve been tipped off to news stories, past mistakes of the opposition, polls in the field, and more. If possible, we monitor every day. You never know what you might read.
4. You can identify and utilize supporters on forums. In the insane arguments that happen in political forums, it’s easy to tell where most people stand. If you find users who consistently take up your cause, you can send them a private message thanking them and asking for their help as a volunteer. If they are passionate enough about the campaign to battle the crazies for you, they’ll probably be flattered to actually work for you.
5. Always assume there’s more to it than meets the eye. I hate to say it, but this is politics after all. These forums are owned and operated by someone. Presumably, that person is interested in politics. Put two and two together here folks – unless the owner/operator is the world’s first true independent, he/she has a political leaning and will use the website to that end. You’ve heard about campaigns “owning” some of these kinds of websites for a reason – it’s true. So, unless it is you who “owns” it, assume the worst.

So, to sum it up – political forums can be a valuable resource if utilized correctly. But as valuable as they can be, they can be even more dangerous. Take your time, move slowly and deliberately if at all, knowing there are probably better social media avenues to make your point.

Next up, Facebook…

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