Part 2 of the Molly Flatt Interview discussing the social aspects of social media and making a change

More passionate and enthusiastic conversation with Molly Flatt (@mollyflatt) from 1000 heads. I hope you feel as motivated and as energised as I did after our chat. Watch it and then go make some changes in what you do for the better…

Here’s part two of the interview:

Agree or disagree, you can’t fail to love her passion and enthusiasm for her work and her life.

What do you think?

Want to hear & see a refreshing approach to social media? This is part one of my interview with Molly Flatt from 1000 heads

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting up with Molly Flatt (@mollyflatt) from 1000 heads. Across about an hour we had a chat about how she feels social media needs to change, modern ways for brands and organisations to communicate and generally putting the world to rights.

Here’s part one of the interview

I’d love to hear your thoughts on what Molly and I talked about.

Need inspiration? Take 2 pills of social media guru pain relief & swallow…then focus and become great

I’m carrying on a theme from an earlier post but I don’t think it’s just me that sees companies and individuals across social media going through plenty of self-analysis and soul searching lately.

The reasons for this to me are relatively clear.

1. Many so called experts and gurus(??) are slightly bemused as to why the promised land hasn’t led them to fields of gold, and the billionaires haven’t materialised quite as quickly as was meant to happen – written out in the prophecy’s of many before them

2. Organisations, companies, industry commentators, SME’s, traditional media and even government don’t know what to do with what’s supposed to be the new holy grail of  the marketing and communications arena

I could write about the problems and read more

An American’s perspective on Likeminds & other UK conferences from Trey Pennington

I’ve met up with Trey Pennington on a number of occasions and he’s someone I’m now lucky enough to call a friend.  Our last meeting was at the Likeminds conference in Exeter about 5 weeks ago. One of our conversations was based around the differences between the UK & the US in how they treat social media events .

Here follows his thoughts.

An American perspective on LikeMinds 2010

Chris Hall is a community-builder. I’m thankful he’s included me in his community and asked for my thoughts on the differences between conferences in the United States and the United Kingdom.

For me, the conferences in the United Kingdom are quite rewarding. Only in the UK do y’all appreciate my distinctive Southern accent. In the US, no one notices.

It seems British audiences are more vocal about expectations and the thwarting of them. Y’all are quick to voice critique. I had thought Americans were demanding and vocal—the criticism of Jeff Pulver’s 140 conferences in the US was downright brutal, for instance. (Then again, I’ve also thought American politicians wouldn’t last very long under the scrutiny of Questions to the Prime Minister.)

American criticism seems to focus more on things (the attacks on Pulver’s 140 focused on lack of Wi-Fi, being in a basement without access to cellular signal, and lack of power outlets, for instance). British critique seems to focus more on content and people.  Criticism of specific speakers or specific content doesn’t seem so pronounced in the US.

One might make a case that Americans think first of comfort and convenience while Brits consider content. I can’t say one way or the other. What I can say is, it seems the critique proffered by my British friends would serve to increase the speed of evolution for things that matter.

Scott Gould with Trey Pennington on the London Bridge after the 2009 LikeMinds Conference in Exeter.

I can also say the British have received and treated me exceptionally well. I’ve been amazed at the hospitality showered on me by Scott Gould, his extended family, and the whole community of friends associated with LikeMinds. Y’all have enriched my life considerably and I’m immensely thankful for you.

What are your thoughts on UK/US conferences and their approach?

Sarah Evans Interview – where we talk being two, not thinking too much & being a freak

Sarah Evans is a public relations and new media consultant. She works with many non profit, social good and technology companies. But it’s her personal mission—to engage and employ the use of emerging technologies in all communication—that connects her with a rapidly growing base of more than 40,000 people.

A self-described “social media freak,” Sarah initiated and moderates #journchat, the weekly live chat between PR professionals, journalists and bloggers on the microblogging platform, Twitter. She is a guest writer for Mashable, one of the most popular social media blogs in the world runs her own blog at PRsarahevans.com and shares a daily resource for PR professionals called Commentz.

Here follows our interview.

1. At what point did you decide the career path you’ve chosen and what drew you to it?

I was drawn to public relations ultimately because I liked connecting people. I can trace my draw to the profession back to when I was a two-year-old planning tea parties. There’s something fulfilling to me about connecting people through a meaningful experience and even better when they talk to others about a positive experience. Working in public relations has allowed me to create meaningful and memorable experiences, connect with people and get great results.

2. What excites you most about the growth of social media?

Social media allows us to break boundaries. There aren’t any spatial constraints where you find yourself talking with read more

reBlog from Princess Misia: STUDY: Does Social Media Drive Sales?

I found this fascinating quote today:

A recent study by Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies confirms that both Twitter and Facebook are effective marketing tools. The data collected from over 1,500 customers in United States shows that people are more likely to purchase products and services from brands that they follow on Facebook (51%) and Twitter (67%). Also, 60% of Facebook fans and 79% of Twitter followers are more likely to recommend those brands since becoming a fan or follower.Princess Misia, I <3 SOCIAL MEDIA » Blog Archive » STUDY: Does Social Media Drive Sales?

You should read the whole article.

Life is not played out in 140 characters

It’s a thought that’s been whirring around my mind for a while now as I’ve been watching the social media channels fill up with 140 character messages, status updates, wall posts, blog comments and image uploads and I’ve started to realise that too many people don’t seem to mind that they’re playing their lives out on computer screens or through their smart-phones.

I appreciate that the very fact you’re reading this demonstrates that we’re both playing a part in the same side show but hopefully by the end of this you’ll take the thought away that all your energy and raison d’etre should be channeled into forming close relationships and holding direct communications with all who you feel worthy of your time.

It was a year ago when I first registered for Twitter. Like you I didn’t know anybody. I watched, listened and began to engage in conversation. After a while I realised that I was often communicating with the same people, sometimes in replies and other read more

Likeminds. Bringing people together? A resounding Yes!

Like 350 others I was lucky enough to attend Likeminds 2010 in Exeter, Devon last Friday.

Much has been written about it the day; from the speakers, the attendees and the atmosphere, and most it has been very positive.

There has even been a minor backlash at all those who seemed to infiltrate the twitter stream with the ubiquitous #likeminds hashtag. But isn’t that the point. Did I miss something? Isn’t the very essence of why we all went was to meet ‘Likeminded’ people who all want to understand, learn and develop their communication skills – for themselves, for their clients, and for their organisations?

How many events have you been to where you’re still read more