I spoke today about Boost Your Business Radio, Twitter Talk Radio, launching Blog World Radio last week at Blog World Expo, and using Twitter Talk Radio to learn from companies about social media strategy.  I chose to speak about doing radio as part of Square Martini Media’s business strategy.

I discussed the reasons I do Twitter Talk Radio:

• To highlight great business cases and to encourage businesses  to have confidence to use social media because of what they learn from listening.
• The promote show guests and give them high quality podcasts to share with their tribes.
• To foster my own social media education because it takes reading and studying every day to keep up with this fast moving industry.
• To network.
• To help others without regard to what I’m getting in return because I believe in Karma.
• To give back to the Social Media Industry and provide leadership as a Social Media Strategist. I don’t take my role in this industry lightly and you shouldn’t either.  If you want to play in this space, I expect a lot out of you and I expect you to hold me to a high standard too.

I also talked about working with Rieva Lesonsky and her awesome brilliance in the small business space.  It is my true honor to work with her.  If you haven’t read Rieva’s material.  Make sure  you follow her on Twitter and read her work.

One of my favorite parts of the meeting is Erin Levinson’s Top Ten list where she talks about the Top Ten mentionable events happening in the social media space.  This week the 1st item on the Top Ten list was #beatcancer, the event at blog world where bloggers/tweeters broke a world record for the most tweets in 24 hours for a good cause.

Also on the Top Ten List was Employers Blocking Social Media Sites.  We had a passionate discussion about this trend.  I’ll be participating on a panel about this topic tomorrow at the San Diego Social Media Symposium.

Thanks to San Diego Social Media Breakfast for having me as a speaker.  I always enjoy networking and I always learn something! Whether you are into Social Media Strategy in San Diego or your city and whether you are a business or just curious about social media, check out Social Media Breakfast.  I guarantee you’ll have an interesting Cup o’ Joe!  Social Media Breakfast was started by Bryan Person.  Find a Social Media Breakfast in a city near you and join the fun!

Oh, and did I mention there was Hip Hop Dancing too?  You can still enter you moves in the Altec Lansing Mix It Up Contest but be ready to be judged by Chamillionaire himself!  In the words of @Mark Stuhmer on Twitter,

“Great talk by @aaswartz at #SMBS and then breakdancing! Doesn’t get any better“

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Today is the third annual Blog Action Day where over 10,000 blogs and online media outlets are focusing on one issue that effects us all… climate change.  At Square Martini Media we decided to focus on one of our key missions: hiring remote workers.  Take a look at the below video and learn what Square Martini Media is doing to make a difference:

Take a look at a few of our favorite posts about Blog Action Day and consider what you can do to make a difference:

The Prime Misters post: Gordon Brown’s blog on climate change, Mashable’s Post: What Are You Doing to Reverse Climate Change?, and The Mother Jones blog: Fix the Climate, or the Kid Gets It.

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Twitter names: @BlogWorld, @Genuine, @Rieva and @aaswartz

You can listen to the Boost Your Business Radio Show on Blogworld below:

Podcast One:  Blog World Expo

Guest Info and Notes: Rieva and Angie discuss how Housing Starts are up for the 3^rd month indicating the Economy might be turning around while other factors are still uncertain, how you can benefit, focusing on what you do best, beefing up your skills and attending industry trade shows.  Additionally, we discuss the deaths of Ted Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and the Kennedy family philosophy: you must do something with your life to better society.  They discuss the importance of karma of the universe and giving back via money, time or just helping others.

Podcast Two: What is Blog World Expo & How Did it Start?

Guest Info and Notes: Rieva and Angie interview Rick Calvert and Jim Turner from Blog World Expo.  Blog World Expo is the premier conference for bloggers and podcasters started by Rick Calvert after he started a blog as a hobby and found that there was no conference for bloggers four years ago.  Blog World expects 3500 attendees in October 2009 and offers some of the world’s leading authorities on the blogging industry as speakers.  We discuss how the event offers an atmosphere where everyone is approachable even folks like Mike Shinoda, lead singer for Lincoln Park (2008 speaker & attendee).  Additionally, we compare/contrast bloggers to traditional reporters and how the industry has changed.  Rick offers a 20% off discount code for attendees.

Podcast Three: Why Blog World Expo is a MUST-Attend Event!

Guest Info and Notes: Rick and Jim discuss their experience transitioning from corporate careers to full time entrepreneurs and offer advice to anyone making the same change.  We discuss how Blog World Expo 2009 will offer over 200 speakers including folks like Erin Swisher, Brian Solis & Chris Brogan. Tracts are offered for Bloggers and Professionals focused on the Business, Nonprofits, Military, Medical, Mommy, Real Estate Industries.  The conference also offers terrific networking opportunities.

Podcast Four:  The Truths in Business

Guest Info and Notes: The Truths in Business are Lessons for Business Owners.  1) It Takes Hardwork 2) There will be uncertainty 3) Only You will be truly passionate about your own business 4) The hardwork you Being your own boss is like nothing else and luck 5) Luck plays a part but you can only take advantage of luck if you put in the hard work 6) You must get involved in your community, the world and your business because it will come back to help you.  7) The economy is still unstable but focus on what yourself  If you product sucks, social media won’t change it.  8)  Social Media will expose your dirty laundry.  9)  People buy from people you like.  Social media allows you to present personality.  10)  Social media builds loyalty.

Learn more about Blog World Expo by listening to past Twitter Talk Radio shows.  Subscribe to Twitter Talk Radio:

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I don’t work for Blog World Expo…

It really did….

And if you are a business owner who wants to learn more about Social Media and you’ve been looking for a one-stop learning experience where you can immerse yourself in an environment and really understand what the Social Media industry is all about, well folks, this is the one.  Not to mention you get the bonus opportunity to learn all about podcasting because Blog World Expo merged with New Media Expo this year too (the premier conference for podcasters).

Prior to Blog World Expo ‘08, I had a very solid understanding of Social Media and I was already using many of the tools.  However, once I attended Blog World Expo, my knowledge level jettisoned and I was quite certain within hours of arriving in Las Vegas that I would be working in this industry for the rest of my life.

Social Media is such an obvious must-add to your marketing toolbox.  You may remember that I have a business background. I’m a CPA and an MBA.  I’ve been working in Business for 20 years.  At the time I attended Blog World Expo last year, my focus was business consulting and executive coaching.  It was so obvious that Social Media was such a “must-have” for all of my clients that it seemed it would be a crime not to add it to my company’s list of offerings.  I decided on the spot that I would study and drink this industry like kool aid and do my best to become a subject matter expert in Social Media Strategy.

But enough about me.  Why am I writing this post and why should YOU go to Blog World Expo?  I don’t want you to miss this terrific learning experience that only comes along once each year.

This year’s conference takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Center and has over 200 speakers, over 85 sessions with many different specialty tracks to choose from.  A special 20% discount code “Tweet20″ is available through Sept 20 for early registrants.

Blog World Expo confirmed the following key points for me last year:

• Social Media is filled with smart, educated, authentic, genuine people who are passionate about what they do.
• These people are generous and excited and willing to teach you and help advance your learning.
• Nothing can replace face-to-face interaction and “making friends in the blogosphere” means making connections in person as well as virtually (i.e., leaving blog comments on other peoples blogs).
• The Social Media Industry moves fast and everyone is still learning.  Great people are and will be learning right beside you!  People like Gary Vaynerchuk, Brian Clark, Mari Smith, Dave Taylor, Tim Ferriss, Mike Shinoda, Chris Brogan, Warren Whitlock, Doyle Albee, Denise Wakeman, and SOOOO many more!
• Twitter is an amazing tool and promotes an interactive, fast paced experience at conferences like none I’d ever experienced before.
• The Power of the Tweetup is amazing and is demonstrated right before your eyes.
• There was a whole community in San Diego that I needed to embrace and meet. The Social Media San Diego landscape was an unknown one to me that I would discover because of Blog World Expo. Since last year, I’ve met hundreds of people because Blog World Expo opened my eyes to the power of social media connecting. This is true not just in San Diego but in many cities all over the world.

So, yes Blog World Expo changed my life forever. Since returning a year ago, I launched Square Martini Media, started a social network, launched 2 new blogs, started 2 new internet radio shows/podcasts, became a keynote speaker on social media, attended at least 10 other social media seminars, read countless books, read what seems like millions of blogposts and sent over 8,500 tweets, met and now love the San Diego Social Media and San Diego Twitterati scenes, formed countless relationships due to social media.  My love affair with social media grows daily and I’m oh so thankful.

How can you not attend?

I know I can’t wait to get there and see everyone I met last year at #BWE09 and make new friends this year!

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I attended Gravity Summit at Harvard University on August 31.   Thanks to Rodney Rumford and Beverly Macy for another terrific multimedia learning experience! This was the 3rd Gravity Summit I’ve attended and they just keep getting better every time! I promise to write another post covering the entire event in detail but I just had to write my first post about one of my all time favorites, Gary Vaynerchuk, who shared the Keynote stage with MC Hammer (yes, THAT MC Hammer! Mr. “Can’t Touch This” Himself).

In the short 30 minutes that Gary spoke, he covered social media strategy, passion & doing what you love, personal branding, the New York Jets (his goal is to buy them), the New York Jets Social Media Strategy (they are his client), his family (he has a new 3 month old daughter Misha), his new book “Crush It” (coming out in the fall), his business (Wine Library TV), business and how every entrepreneur deserves the right to hit bottom so they can have the opportunity to sell rocks.

If you haven’t ever heard Gary speak, you’re likely wondering how it is possible Gary covered all of these topics in such a short time.  Gary is passionate about everything he does.  He starts talking and leadership and business principles start spewing out like he’s a machine.

Gary focused on the importance of gaining buy in from the top decision makers when implementing a Social Media Strategy.  He always gets straight to the point,

“You can’t do social media ½ pregnant.  You’ve got to reach the CEO and keep talking about the importance of social media until they hear you. So yap and yap and yap until they fire you.”

Brilliant. Poignant. Well said. Tweetable.

I think what he meant was if management isn’t listening and they never hear what you’re saying about:

• The importance of social media,
• How effective social media is,
• How old media and marketing methods are no longer as effective as they used to be

Then you might as well just walk out the door, because:

• They aren’t going to support you theoretically,
• They aren’t going to give you the financial budgets, and;
• The support from their staffs

That you need for your social media campaigns to be successful anyway.

So, why am I choosing to write a post about this?  For those of you business owners who are thinking about whether you should stick your toe in the water and work on a Social Media Strategy, there’s a message here for you.  Don’t do it until you’ve done some homework.  There is so much information available on the web about social media.  After all, most good social media companies should be using social media strategies for their own businesses.  Thus, they should be sharing information on social media sites.  If you can’t find answers, contact us and we’ll be happy to talk to you about whether social media is right for you.

I’ve met Gary in person and listened to him speak via livecast many times.  It’s quotes like the one above that keep me coming back.  Additionally, Gary keeps me thinking long after we’ve parted company.  I love that about him.  His ability to keep my creative energy moving is a true talent.  It’s a great honor to host Gary on both Boost Your Business Radio and Twitter Talk Radio shows on October 14 so tune in to hear him!

A little  more on selling rocks…

Yes, Gary said “I’ll sell Rocks to make a comeback if I lose everything I have taking time out to be with my wife and my baby girl.”  I’m sure it isn’t Gary’s wishes to lose everything he has.  However, he was making a point that balance and his family are uber important to him.  He was talking about being a guy who’s super focused on what he does at every minute.  If he’s gotta wait 45 minutes to see his daughter smile-so be it.

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On July 15, CNN iReporter Chris Morrow visited the Cool Twitter Conference at Croces in San Diego where I was speaking. (The conference was terrific. Read Marketing Melodie’s Live Blogging coverage for more info.)

Reporter Chris Morrow came to ask a few of the Speakers their thoughts about what the future holds for Twitter.  Watch the report above and see what you think.

Now that you’ve watched the video and heard from us, what do YOU think the future will hold for Twitter?

• Will Twitter live to be older than the average age of most social networks of 5 years? (Twitter is 3 years old now)
• Will Twitter Win a Nobel Peace Prize? (You can vote Here)
• Will Twitter be Man of the Year as suggested by Bob Rice?

Leave your comments below and tell us your thoughts around these options and many others! And keep your eyes open, Chris’ video just might end up on your TV on CNN.

I’ll be interviewing Chris Morrow about her career as a freelance journalist and her use of twitter on Boost Your Business Radio with my Cohost Rieva Lesonsky on July 29 at 11am PST.  Come listen–her daily travels are fascinating! How many people do you know who interview people while traveling in a private helicopter?

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The Panel topic: Building and Managing Successful Online Communities is sure to be one of the highlights of Gravity Summit.  The importance of building successful and engaging online communities for brand awareness, revenue generation, and customer experience is becoming an increasingly important marketing and public relations tool.  All of the panelists are pioneers in building online communities and will share their real world experiences with us at Gravity Summit.

You can be a part of the Gravity Summit experience by following Angie Swartz and I on Twitter as we live tweet the event.  Follow Angie Swartz @aaswartz and Alan Underkofler @alanunderkofler on Twitter.  We will also be using the hash tag #gravsum on our tweets which are searchable on Twitter.

Gravity Summit is designed to deliver value to business, marketing and branding professionals with insights to help them make high impact changes to their online social marketing and branding program.

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