Every Dot Connects

Like 2300 other hopefuls, I have submitted a proposal to present at South by Southwest 2011. This is actually for a dual presentation with Jennifer Wojcik (@TheJenATX on Twitter), co-founder of Pinqued. Here’s the description:

One reason businesses delay entering the world of social media is the fear of swimming in shark-infested waters. Even the most seasoned writer may not be prepared to handle scathing comments or a full-out assault by Internet trolls. This session will include examples from personal experience, case studies, with ample time for Q&A. Attendees will learn: Why every company needs a social media engagement policy and comment guidelines. Why an intern should not be in charge of your company’s social media presence. How to distinguish between snarks–verbal snipers–and attention-seeking trolls who are bent on disruption. Whether to allow anonymous comments. When to moderate comments or suspend them temporarily. How to handle negative comments and help steer the conversation to a positive outcome.

We would appreciate your vote, and I think we’d fall over backwards if you left a comment!

SXSW 2011 PanelPicker – Social Media Engagement Guidelines: Surviving a Snark Attack.

I’m also partnering with Lisa Petrilli on another proposal, titled Resources Roulette: Winning Social Strategies for Shrinking Budgets. The panel will answer this question:

While the low barrier to entry of social networking is attractive to entrepreneurs and small business owners, their resources–which include their time–are quite limited. Can these companies still create an effective social media presence?

Please click on the button above for the full description. Again, we’d appreciate your vote.

But wait … there’s more!

I’m honored to be included in Social Media Club’s panel proposal called Social Media Club: Building a Global Community. I’ve been a co-founding member of SMC since 2006 and co-founded the Austin chapter. Growth over the last few years has been phenomenal: we now have 230+ chapters around the world–every continent except Antartica. Kristie Wells, SMC co-founder, will moderate, with Jason Falls, Serena Ehrlich, Kevin Urie and me rounding out the panel. We’ll discuss how a grassroots organization can become a global non-profit organization. We have so many lessons to share that will help anyone who is organizing a community–online or off.

And, finally, Sheila Scarborough, who has written many popular posts for Every Dot Connects, has a panel proposal that is a must-attend for anyone with an interest in travel or tourism.

Check it out here: Tourism Catches On: Old Industry Meets New Media.

The link below is to a podcast I recorded for the AMA’s series on Toby Bloomberg‘s book, written completely on Twitter. While the book was written one tweet at a time, it’s not just about Twitter; the book covers all aspects of social media marketing.

Listen to the podcast here:

Social Media Marketing GPS: Twitter Tactics – American Marketing Association.

Download the free ebook here:

Social Media Marketing GPS

More from Every Dot Connects

• Podcast: Connie and Sheila talk social media
• Connie Reece interview on FIR
• Diva Marketing Talks: Micro Blogging

Public relations specialists were some of the first people to embrace the power of social media, and as a result they are often the ones leading the way in the social space, whether they are consulting with clients from an agency point of view or strategizing on an in-house PR team.

In the past decade, the Internet has had a huge impact on how PR professionals function. As of late, social media is changing the face of PR, as well. We interviewed 14 PR pros on the future of public relations and how they see social media changing the industry.

via Mashable: The Future of Public Relations and Social Media.

I’m honored to be included for the third year as a presenter for the Women Who Tech Telesummit on September 15. I’ll be giving one of the 10-minute Lightning Talks that kicks off the event. My session, described below, is a sneak preview of what Jennifer Wojcik and I will present at Blogworld and New Media Expo in October.

Each year I’ve been impressed with the great roster of presenters that Allyson Kapin and the WWT team puts together for the Telesummit. The cost is only $20 for seven hours’ worth of information from top women — and, yes, a few men — who are technology change makers. Click the link below for the full lineup of speakers and to register.

How to Survive an Online Snark Attack – How do you deal with negative comments, verbal snipers and the inevitable trolls? As women entreprenuers and techies, are we held to a different standard in responding online? Are we afraid of being labeled a bitch? Connie Reece, Founder Every Dot Connects and Co-Founder of Social Media Club International has seen it all and will discuss the best tactics to take on these snark attacks so we will no longer fear “but what if they say something negative?”

via Women Who Tech | 2010 Panels.

A short update I sent yesterday  sparked a small conversation on Twitter and inspired a blog post by Heather Rast, Market Where Your Audiences Are.

I tweeted this after receiving this text message from Jon Johnson, pastor of my church:

Please don’t forget this Sunday is Food Pantry Sunday. Food is running low and we need to restock. Please bring non-perishable foods this Sunday! You all are the best.

The intended recipient list for this text message was probably those of us in leadership known to prefer text messaging or Facebook updates to email. Note that two bits of information are carried in this short message: 1) a reminder of a church outreach that needs attention; and 2) five little words of encouragement: “You all are the best.”

If you don’t have a relationship with our pastor, those words might sound corny or even supercilious. But spend a short amount of time with the good reverend, and you’ll know just how genuine and heartfelt those words are — and therefore, how encouraging.

The Twitter responses and Heather’s blog post made me think of how churches, and other communities of faith, are using new media. Some, like LifeChurch, have thriving online communities and a full library of multimedia resources available for free. Others ignore social media altogether–and risk becoming irrelevant to younger members.

Most are probably like my church, somewhere in the middle. We have a Web presence–not what we’d like it to be yet, but it’s receiving great traffic–and we’re on Facebook. And now we have a pastor who sends text messages. Hurray!

Naturally, I’ve been lobbying for a greater social media presence for several years. We’re a small church and all our efforts are volunteer. But I’ve taught several people how to use WordPress, and I started the Facebook group three years ago–before fan pages existed. Now volunteers are maintaining the Web site and Facebook. Pastor Jon is great at engaging people in online discussions, and he recently learned how to Skype.

What is your church or community of faith doing with new media? Have you encouraged them to start using new communication tools? Better yet, have you volunteered to share your knowledge?

More from Every Dot Connects

• Blogging Basics: How to start a blog, and whether you’ll ever make money from it
• 6 ways to improve your destination marketing (and why you’re toast if you don’t)
• Is your business ready for social media technology?