For those who think facebook is the extent of your online persona – think again. We are entering a new era and those migrating into social networks are quickly learning how to communicate online.

I like the idea that we are collectively learning and brainstorming how to use social media. Do you think it is a learned skill…?

In Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations, Clay Shirky discusses the mass amateurization that comes with social media and what “happens when people are given the tools to do things together, without needing traditional organizational structures.”

So, are you ready to dive in?

S is for Social

Social Media has given individuals an online platform to facilitate the sharing of information. We share ideas, songs, powerpoints- you name it, you can find opinions and ideas about that topic online and this information is now within your social network.

O is for Openness

The social web encourages transparency. There is no way to hide what you say online, everything is searchable and archived. The Freedom of Information age is upon us.

U is for Ubiquitos

Access will be mobile, allowing for constant interacting among individuals through virtual, online portals.

P is for Privacy

The internet and the information being gathered by google, facebook, linkedin, gist and twitter is a gold mine for marketers who want to anticipate our next move and find creative uses of GPS enabled location-tracking devices, like cell phones. When and where I’ll be hungry is a great place for a sidewalk lunch-special sign, isnt it?

What does all this lead to?

Well, it leads to the to optimization of the optimizer or a place where machines can analyze all the data on the Web, and computers behave like personal assistants and ultimately can respond to my questions and recommend my likes and dislikes based upon our prior behavior.

What is your next move online?

-Mike

www.MikeToner.com

College students about to enter the workforce during these weak economic times have an opportunity to control what their potential employers will know and need to know about them- at least more than a paper resume could ever show. It wasn’t so long ago that I was applying for my job and I relied predominately on a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 1/2 piece of paper.

I crammed as much text as possible onto that resume. My reputation lay in the hands of the information I presented here and maybe the three individuals I list at the bottom as references.

If Barrack Obama taught us anything over the course of his campaign it was how influential an online resume can be. He built an online network unlike any other and used it to supplement his traditional campaign.

In the end, he used social media to get the job, so-to-speak.

The blending of real world networking and online social networking can be the difference between getting your first interview and getting your first job.

For the seniors in college, I encourage you to think about hard your facebook profile and yes, delete pictures that put your reputation in question. Share your life online, share your experiences, but share wisely.

Your employers will google you.

Those results are your new resume.

Here’s a little video of my time out at the 2009 Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas last week.

I had a great time out in Vegas. It was my first trip to SinCity and to be honest, it was an easy test of my self-control. I played craps for about an hour and stayed clear of the slot machines. In old Vegas, I did play $5 blackjack, but all in all, I’ve still got my dignity AND my money.

In the video, the little netbook is from iRiver. The e-cigarette doesn’t have any nicotine nor a flame. It runs on a battery and is more or less a heated concoction of flavored steam. The Segway-table is an interesting use of an existing technology.

Pleo, the robotic baby dinosaur was a little too life like, but would make some kid really happy.

The coolest thing I saw didn’t make the video, mostly ’cause I met the guy on the monarail. This guy was wearing a flashlight looking thing on his belt and his T-shirt said something like, “As I walk, I’m charging my cell phone.” Essentially, the flashlight holster was a battery charger, called nPower PEG. It relies on the frequency movement you generate while walking to store the energy and charge whatever you want via a USB port.

Imagine harnessing wave energy with buoys placed out in the ocean. It can work to store and re-purpose the extra energy being produced just about anywhere. Very cool.

-Mike Toner

www.MikeToner.com

This is a follow up to my thoughts from Monday’s post on customer service.

I believe that every conversation with a potential customer is a representation of the larger organization; you are now acting as the company. In the same way, every performance for a stage actor is a representation of the way the playwright intended the script to be performed, mostly a larger depiction of reality.

Now lets take customer service as a new character role:

Service Provider: Not always seen as a hero, SP is the complicated antagonist of the play. After generations of observing good service he or she uses their experience, along with the desire to help to increase the position as a service provider. He or she is often forced to depend on the kindness of their customers.

On the flip side, it’s often difficult to recognize good customer service and even harder to BE A good customer. Yes, that’s right, as the customer you must be willing to listen and be receptive to the service offered to you.

Customer: Often not ready for a new process or sequence and can be easily caught off guard. During his or her ‘demanding moments,’ customer is at their worst. In contrast, the quieter times seem good and this leading character will willingly engage in an interchange of questions and answers with SP.

As an audience member, there are certain rules or etiquettes that should be followed by all parties involved. As with theatre, there is an expectation that the show will be professional.

Do you recognize good customer service? Moreover, are you good at being a customer?

What characteristics does each portray?

Photo by: Tabbi Kat

As I headed to the Kennedy Center last night for a show, I began thinking about the preparation involved in stage production and what an immense undertaking it is. The behind the scenes work takes months to produce a seemingly effortless result; the performance.

I was always taught that the trick to acting is to make each performance seem like the first time. To make each word and motion authentic to the moment, current and un-contrived.

I believe the same idea applies to real life and to business, especially from a customer service standpoint. Each interaction with a customer or client should feel real, not a canned corporate answer and definitely should not sound like a rehearsed script.

No matter the interaction, act as though you are the only personal contact that the customer has with your company. Be prepared and behave as though the entire company’s image depends on you.

More on this tomorrow…

Photo by: Beck Exposed

Do marketers avoid being persuaded by their own art?

Or do marketers love the hypnosis that comes from their own craft?

Over the past 3 years I’ve worked with a lot of marketing and PR professionals. As a result of the work I see happening around me I have become much more aware of my surroundings and the messages that are being sent to be from products and logos. Simultaneously, I have found myself analyzing and critiquing advertising campaigns.

I feel comfortable saying that most folks find a little enjoyment in making sure Apple doesn’t do something politically incorrect, or that Coca Cola doesn’t run into a communication crisis over water pollution or something, right?

We all want brands to do well- but not too well. I also think that fans of good branding campaigns enjoy that the message being received by them also says something about them.

But I wonder if marketers are a little too keen on the meanings of messages and ads they see in their everyday lives? Take McDonalds Olympic ads: I know that Olympians don’t eat McDonalds and drink soda. Or what about Gas and oil companies? We have all noticed an increasing amount of commercials and positive green campaigns. But- because I recognize the message being sent, what does that say about me? I still eat McDonalds. I still buy gas.

I think the interview with Exxon’s CEO, Rex Tillerman was one of the best examples of a company explaining themselves. He said his job is to provide, fast and reliable energy.”- That’s it- Not to save the world. Remember, he wants to get paid just like you and I – and I think he was correct in saying this isn’t up to just Exxon.

Consumers have the power. If we continue to buy cars that run on gas -we fuel the flames- so to speak. He explains that there is not just one simple solution; this will take a hybrid (some jokes?) approach. We will need to combine other energy sources; sun, water, light & wind, to create a balanced energy solution. Now I sound like a politician…

I believe that Exxon and others like them can sit back and wait for their consumers to tip the multi-faceted energy scales from oil to something else. But Green Ad’s do nothing for me.

We have to walk the walk first to bring about change- literally, walk.

When is bike to work day? Did I miss it?

Welcome to the totally redesigned MikeToner.com! This is the third redesign I’ve been through. The first website I created back in June 2002 was a static iWeb site hosted via godaddy with a blog that was really hard to update. I was having to manually update blog posts to my site via FTP. This made things way too difficult!

I made the decision after graduating college to move my blog to a blogger site that was much easier to update. The link to my blog was sort of cheesy though. It was hosted on the static site (as shown above) but linked to the blogger website- http://mike-toner.blogspot.com/

It made my life easy, but I felt like I was sacrificing design for convenience. I wanted the ability to really customize it.

So, here we are… Welcome to MikeToner.com version 3.0. I have upgraded to wordpress, designed a logo and created a custom theme with the help of Tony at Razolution. Bascially, I wanted a design that demonstrates my unpredictable style but kept the business of the blog in the forefront. What do ya think? Did we accomplish that?

With the redesign comes a re-focus. I have “re-thought” my use of this site and made a conscious decision to be more involved with my friends, colleagues and clients via the internet. I have begun to realize a fusion of my work life and personal life and hope that I can help facilitate the integrations of work and play via my website.

I know that my positive outlook on life is something I want to share. I know that my relationship is something I want to be open about; I know that that I love my job and want to talk about the lessons I learn and share my knowledge of marketing and social media with you.

This is going to be a hard balance to achieve- so stick with me here. Perhaps think about signing up for the email subscription at the top?

On Thursday I’ve got a video which I think you’ll enjoy.

-Mike Toner

www.MikeToner.com

Yesterday I had an opportunity to speak to a group of graduate students earning their degree in Strategic Public Relations at George Washington University. I focused primarily on the Social Media Press Release and what steps they can take as PR professionals to create shareable, interactive news releases.

Here are two questions from the class:

My Answer:

Sure, if you felt it would be well received you could include an SMPR as an HTML document in the body of an email; however, each journalist or blogger will vary on how they prefer to receive press releases.

What’s your answer?

How would you think organizations should email SMPR formatted news? In an email, a link…?

Question #2

My Answer:

I am not sure how many journalists or bloggers are publishing the full text press release to begin with? Of course there are certain news sites have automated, full text postings of the press release in which the SMPR may or not be retained, depending on technical limitations of the news site. In general, I would venture to say that the SMPR does not lend itself to full text re-posting, but rather- it seems to lend itself to well-reasoned and well informed reporting, thus encouraging the journalist or blogger to use the facts presented to craft their story.

Please feel free to leave some comments and help answer the questions from these students.

In preparation for my presentation at Virginia Tech’s annual PRSSA Symposium this Saturday I have gathered some tips I hope to pass along to the seniors at VT about to enter the working world. If you have any other words of wisdom, interview tips, or hard lessons learned please let me know.

1) The importance of networking online. Your employers will Google you! It is important to be found online. Use your profiles on Facebook and LinkedIn as an extension of your resume.
2) Ask how long your interviewer has been with the company. The longer a person’s tenure, the better the company is most likely treating them.
3) Know at least 3 or more direct competitors of the organization you interview with, they may ask you as way to gauge how much research and preparation you gave this interview.
4) Research the company’s most recent news. Know what is important to them and what is going on in their industry. Press releases are the BEST way to get breaking news on an organization and their competitors.
5) There is no substitute for internships. Start volunteering, start helping out, make a phone call, see where you can assist and then Make it Happen!
6) You are interviewing the organization as much as they are interviewing you. Make sure the company is a good fit for your personal style and interests.
7) Method Affects Effect. Make it look good. The way you present yourself, or the method, in which you present yourself, will affect the overall outcome. The vocabulary words you choose will affect your message. The shoes you wear will make an impression. Your personal method will affect the outcome.

Please drop a comment if you’ve got anything you’d like to add..

Mike Toner
www.MikeToner.com

1) What are people already saying about your organization on the web? Gather information, do your research, seek out the conversation. Listen FIRST.

2) Think about your plan of action. Which blogs will you want to follow? How much of the conversation has already taken place? Will you and how will you engage? Listen and Plan.

3) Calmly engage in the conversation happening on the web. Do not react to negative comments by haphazardly responding with a defensive comment on someone’s blog. Calmly engage.

4) It’s important to spread a message that is true to your organization. On this plan, you will never need to remember what you say or write to anyone. If you tell the truth, the story stays the same. Transparency, honesty and authenticity work well with social media.

5) Social Media is a two-way conversation. Find and engage with the folks that already have a perception of your organization or brand. Be ready to react.

6) Use photos, videos and any kind of mixed media to enhance your message when possible. Hyperlink to additional information or suggested reading, this will help bring value to your message. Create valuable content.

7) If you want to be easily found on the web, you should be constantly engaging in the conversation happening on the web. While consistency lends itself to search engine visibility it is important to find a balance between quality content and consistency. Quality outweighs quantity.

Michael T. Toner
www.miketoner.com