For the last year or so there was a lot of hype surrounding the use of social networks from a marketing and public relations perspective. Then came the question of ROI on Social Media.

Look at how far we’ve come…

I am happy to say that in the world of online interaction… we are moving on.

Over the last year we have figured out to engage, track and leverage social networks as a piece of our organizations marketing and PR efforts. Now that we’ve done that…What’s next, you say?

The Internet is leaving the computer at home. We are taking the internet with us everyday on our blackberry, iphones, droids etc.

We are able to access information on the web from virtually every place on earth, no pun intended…(it’s not virtual, it’s real…)

The Future is in the palm of your hand..in the form of a mobile phone/device…

One day soon, my blackberry will ping me when the dryer is done and my refrigerator will send me a message when it is time to buy more Dr. Pepper after sensing that the refrigerator is low on soda.

When thinking about the next use of mobile devices what do you imagine? I think appliances, cars and tv’s will the the first things to ‘communicate’ with my mobile phone… what do you think?

I believe we are also going to watch our mobile devices become our keys, phones & wallets combined…

Mobile is the pre-cursur to the Semantic Web..or the Personal Web…the cloud?, er  3.0….ohh no…here we go again…

The Future Internet – Web 3.0: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=off08As3siM

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

Social Media is about engagement, right?

Yes, but maybe you started off with social media the way I did; quietly listening while learning the ropes, lurking and not really being social at all!

In fact, my first tweet was on October, 26th 2007. Great, except- I sent 15 tweets in the first month and not one was an @ message! I wasn’t talking to anyone… I wasn’t there yet.

Today, I am somewhere between participation and relationship building with regards to social media. I’ve made the mind shift from 1-way to 2-way, although I sometimes find myself reverting back to my old 1-way ways.

This almost implies tuning out a little, doesn’t it?

In order to concentrate on providing value, I may need to block out some of the noise. Perhaps stepping out of the echo chamber will allow me to focus on the task at hand. A Tim Ferriss’esque idea -no doubt.

During my own adoption of social media, I focused heavily on reading and listening, so much so- that this has become a comfort zone for me to run back to. Recently, I have stopped reading my google reader everyday. Instead, I am going to do some thinking of my own and stop relying on old meme’s to create new content.

I hope that by eliminating distractions I will be able to provide quality information and value to my network.

Where are you on the social media curve?

-MikeToner

www.MikeToner.com

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

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

Truth is what we make it out to be. If social networks wish to be truly social, then we should stop talking about them and make them what, [I mean really create and make out-of social networks] what we want them to be; make our own reality. Most folks know what a real conversation looks like. I say, why don’t we start making online networks focused on the people, the conversation and the knowledge that can be shared among those with similar interests? There are many social networks, each with their own personality and each with a level of community involvement that mimics the real world and just as in the real world, the relationships rely on the community involvement.

Twitter may be the easiest case study: Twitter has undoubtedly brought like-minded individuals together. Folks who “get” twitter “get twitter.” Period. The microblogging network has and will continue to grow, but its users will peak. And Yes, I agree that twitter’s cool but anyone who thinks twitter will reach the same number of users as Facebook is mistaken. Twitter represents a deeper involvement in the online world, it is often referred to as ultra-connected, the same way people view Blackberry’s and refuse to get one.

I hope to honestly engage with all communities I’m involved in, in real life and online.

Social Networking: It happens to be- what you make of it.

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