An annual spring webinar with the AWC (Association for Women in Communications) to provide a snapshot of current tech trends for communicators, especially those highlighted during SXSWi (South by Southwest Interactive) every March in Austin, Texas. AWC website: http://www.womcom.org/

1. Ear to the (Geek) Ground:
Tech News You Can Use
2012 Update
Steampunk
typewriter
courtesy
etharooni on
Flickr CC

2. Your Geek Guide...
Sheila
Scarborough
@SheilaS
@AWCchat
@FreelanceAustin
Co-founder,
TourismCurrents.com

3. What This Is....
A broad-brush snapshot of:
Tech/social media trends
What those trends might mean for
communicators
Always asking .... So What?

4. What This Is Not....
A note-taking test!
Reference material will be available
So, put down the pen/keyboard if you'd
like, and let's get nerdy....

5. Big Themes for Today
Power of images
Social business & integration
Data, measurement & ROI
Pause for mid-session Q&A
Mobile
SXSWi 2012 brief trip report
Updating your toolbox
Wrap-up Q&A

8. Pinterest
(digital bulletin/inspiration boards)
Instagram
(shared mobile pics + Photoshop-ish effects)
Foodspotting
(shared mobile pics + food porn)

9. Imagery in action: the Pure New Zealand website
On the Quartz Hill track (via
PhillipC at Flickr CC)

10. Your Takeaways - Images
When in doubt, use a photo
Photo SEO matters (Flickr isn't dead yet)
A photo can be....
A blog post
A Facebook update
A tweet
A slide
More prominent part of your website
More prominent in print!

11. Social Business and Integration
Welder (courtesy
Library of Congress on
Flickr Commons)

12. “Social Business....
an organization that is optimized
to benefit its entire ecosystem
(customers, employees, owners,
partners) by embedding
collaboration, information sharing,
and active engagement into its
operations and culture.”
(Sidera Works definition, bold emphasis mine)

13. Social Media vs. Social Business
“....take advantage of social media's
opportunities....[by] applying social
concepts and technology internally
to enable collaboration, sharing,
innovation, and open engagement.”
(Sidera Works discussion in their
PDF about social business, bold emphasis mine)

14. Integration thoughts to ponder:
Do you have a “Telephone Director/Coordinator?”
Do you have an “Email Department?”
(social media is a method and tool set;
don't treat it as a bolt-on to your plans)

15. Cross-platform
media
consumption

16. n t
r i
p
it h
w
tr o
r e
n g
o i
G

17. Your Takeaways –
Social Biz & Integration
Social business = organization and culture
Think web, not wire diagram
Integrating social media means....
Understanding that social is everywhere, not just
one department or person
Understanding that it's communications by a
different means (often multiple means)
Understanding that there are no magic beans; i.e.,
do the work!

18. Data, measurement & ROI
aka, Drowning in Data

19. We are drowning in data, but
don't always know what it's telling us

20. ROI (Return on Investment)
is a formula:
(Gains – Cost) / Cost = % of ROI

21. Of COURSE you can measure
social media activity.
Of COURSE you can determine
the ROI of your efforts.
Where many are missing the boat:
goals, metrics and KPIs
(Key Performance Indicators)

22. Quick Poll
On
Measuring

23. Your Takeaways –
Data, Measurement & ROI
Data is available, lots of it, down to a VERY
granular level
You must know which data matters!
Saying “ROI” does not mean diddly squat
unless....
You have a process and methodology in place to
measure it
“What's the ROI of a pencil?” (Liz Strauss) i.e., the
ROI of a ubiquitous tool?

24. The Pause That Refreshes:
It's Q & A Time!
555 LED flasher candy creation
(courtesy oskay at Flickr CC)

25. Imagine everyone with the web
in their pocket or purse
Shibuya intersection courtesy
baldur at Flickr CC

26. Mobile

27. Take everything you've ever thought
about communications....
….and imagine a mobile version.

28. Your Takeaways – Mobile
Smartphone = publishing machine
Check your website & blog analytics
How many arrive via mobile?
Are your sites optimized for them?
Location-based services & mobile GPS
Less about the check-in, and more about
“what or who is around me right now?”

29. SXSWi
(South by Southwest Interactive)
Where it's already
the future
5+ days
20,000+ people

30. 3 SXSWi 2012 Award Winners
Slavery Footprint – note graphics/scrolling/quiz
SCREW*D – Craftsman Tools gets hip; note
video and “regular folks” participating
Storify – mashup your social media mentions
(Full winners list on sxsw.com)

31. Ear to the Ground:
Updating the Communications Toolbox
Tools by L. Marie at Flickr CC

32. How can we keep UP with all this?!
Don't Panic button by Jim Linwood Flickr CC

33. The story comes first
The emotional connection
comes first
THEN apply the best tool

34. It's not about the shiny
tools....
It's about the application of
those tools.

35. Staying Up To Speed
Yes, mainstream media
Bloomberg BusinessWeek
The UK's Guardian Tech section
Find tech-savvy mentors
Go where the geeks are
Your local Social Media Club/SM Breakfast
BlogWorld & New Media Expo
CES & Mobile World Congress Barcelona
BlogHer
South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi)

36. Communicator Takeaways
Keep your goals and overall strategy in
mind, or you'll go nuts.
Go where the geeks are, online and off.
MOBILE
Story/emotional connection comes first.
Don't let your toolbox get rusty.
Cull and sort, add and subtract as
needed.

37. Whew! Thanks for Coming Today
She's geeky! (courtesy
Cambodia4KidsOrg at Flickr CC)

38. Go Get Nerdy
Sheila Scarborough
@SheilaS
@AWCchat
@FreelanceAustin
Co-founder,
TourismCurrents.com
This presentation was made with
OpenOffice.org Impress open
source software