The Communications Department

I had the pleasure of attending the first ever Podcamp Western Massachusetts this past weekend. While I could only make it for the half of the full day podcamp, I did come away with some useful learnings and insights. Here are five of them.

1. Social media gatherings are positive experiences.The purpose of the podcamp was to bring people together who have a common interest in social media. One of the fundamental behaviors of social media online is to share thoughts, ideas and knowledge with one another in a free and open manner. This remained true during our face-to-face time together, too. Helping with this experience was the use of the Unconference format, which allowed for a free-flowing agenda defined by the interests of the group and the opportunity for attendees to opt-in to workshops that have the greatest appeal to the individual.
2. This social media stuff is real and significant. This isn’t really a learning for me but a reinforcement of what I have been experiencing over the last year or so. The folks at podcamp represented a wide range of occupations, economic status and life experience. They also represented a wide spectrum of social media and technical expertise. And yet there were so many stories of how they were engaging or being impacted by social media on a daily basis — from doing business to connecting with people they would never have met without these social media tools to driving cultural change.
3. It’s still all about relationships. I attended a workshop about using social media to promote  yourself and your business and one of the first comments was that interpersonal relationships remain the primary driver  for success. This idea is of particular interest to me because I’m trying to get a better understanding of the effects — positive and negative — social media has on authentic relationships. And as the podcamp helped prove,  there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction. There are plenty of online tools to facilitate the workshop topics covered at podcamp. However, there is real value in coming together as a group and seeing and hearing one another in person.
4. Twitter is hot. There was a lot of discussion about Twitter during the time I was at podcamp. It appeared to garner the most interest, leading to its own Twitter 101 session. While the discussions included information on what it is and how to use it, there were several discussions on why we use it. With Twitter growing so quickly and making its way into the mainstream, the information and networking on Twitter has the potential to grow in value and importance. I say has the potential because the downside is that it also is growing in spam and losing some of its “purity,” as a cottage industry of ghost Tweeters seems to be growing, too.
5. Attend more social media gatherings. Podcamp was a great experience and as mentioned in the first learning in this list, social media gatherings generally make for a positive and worthwhile time. And with social media evolving and changing at lightening speeds, attending an event is a great way to keep up with what’s going on in the social media world. So be on the lookout for social media podcamps, Tweetups (gatherings of local folks on Twitter) and other social media conferences.

For more learnings from folks who attended Podcamp Western Mass, make sure to check out the links on the Wiki.

Ever wonder what goes on in the lockeroom at an NBA game during halftime? We now have a brief, 140-character glimpse of what transpires thanks to Charlie Villanueva, a forward for the Milwaukee Bucks, sending a “tweet” via Twitter live from the Bucks locker room during a recent game against the Boston Celtics. Needless to say, his coaches were not too happy about it. (”Bucks Coach Calls Foul on Villanueva Twitter Post”).

While this is a high-profile example of tweeting from the workplace, the reality is that it is becoming more prevelant as the number of Twitter users continues to grow like crazy. I have read that there may be as many as 2,000 to 5,000 new users opening Twitter accounts everyday. You know it is just a matter of time before some of your employees  are tweeting from work. In fact, some may be doing so already.

What’s the Risk?
As you think about work, think about the meetings and conversations in which you engage during a typical day. Now think about how comfortable you would be if those conversations, planning sessions and/or workplace operations plans ended up in the Twitter streams of hundreds or thousands of people. Feeling uncomfortable? I have seen tweets from employees at locations where job eliminations were just announced and tweets from folks who were on conference calls. While most of the content was benign, it is easy to see how harmful or proprietary information could make it out of an organization. For one such example, read the storyof FedEx and the employee from Ketchum.

What Can We Do?
With the proliferation of social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, it may seem impossible to believe anything can be done to curtail or stop these kinds of communications from your employees. However, there are some proactive steps you can take to help influence their decision-making process.

1. Create a social media policy. Many companies have created or are in the process of creating social media policies for their employees. These policies may include guidelines for the kinds of business-related information employees may discuss via Twitter or Facebook, as well as disclaimer language an employee should include with any work-related posts. Some policies also include consequences for violating the guidelines, including termination.
2. Monitor the conversations. For Twitter specifically, there are applications that allow you to monitor Tweets by key word. Tweetdeck is on example. If you monitor Tweets that include your company name, you will not only see what employees may be saying about you, but everyone else, too. From there, you will have to decide when and how you would like to intervene.
3. Have a voice in the conversation. Don’t let the only information in the social media world come from employees or customers who may be uninformed, misinformed or disgruntled. The percentage of people creating content for social media platforms is much smaller than the number of people reading and commenting on that content. You should be creating the messages on which others comment and share with their networks.

As the use of social media tools grows and posting information becomes easier due to the increasad adoption of portable handheld devices, expect to see more workplace commentary in the form of Tweets and Facebook and LinkedIn status updates. That reminds me. I have to do a workplace Tweet about my Workplace Tweeting blog entry.

Welcome to The Communications Deparment. The concept is simple. I have spent most of my professional life in a corporate communcations environment, either as an employee or a consultant. From speechwriting to talking points to newsletter and Website content to video production, I have used many mediums to help my clients communicate ideas, change behaviors and call people to action. And if there is one thing I have noticed throughout the years, it is that there is always more to be done, but there is not always someone there to do it.

That’s where I come in.

I have met many communications professionals who work hard, create excellent communications under great pressure and work non-stop. However, there is always one more thing they would like to accomplish or there is the need for some extra assistance with the one-off project or meeting. Their plates are overflowing, so I am there with my plate to catch what might fall to the floor. I may do this by providing onsite meeting support and production or writing a draft of a speech or provide communications support for a specific campaign or initiative.

I also can bring together a virtual network of other communications professionals, all people with whom I have worked on projects, to deliver more complex communications programs — from video production to Website development to print materials.

While traditional communications strategy and implementation is an area of focus for me, I also am interested in working with businesses to help them create and establish their social media programs. From Facebook to YouTube to LinkedIn, just to name a few, there is a new world for communicators to navigate and I believe I can provide valuable assistance.

It is my greatest desire to bring my skills and talents and network of resources to any situation in order to provide excellent communications and service so that I can make life easier for my clients.