Asheville Social Media School - City Crawl on June 18, 2010

It is time for some "Hands On" social media and training in Asheville. We are meeting at the Hotel Indigo on June 18th from 5pm - 8pm and maybe later for those who wish to keep going.

We will have several people leading the group. We will be taking pictures, tweeting, fourquaring, taking videos, writing, blogging, etc. Come as you are, ready to chose and use the medium of your choice or several.

A few ways to build your media during this event:

1. Bring a pen and pad and write down a few sentences of each place we visit. You can then put this online via a blog or Facebook note.

2. Bring your Blackberry, I-Phone, Droid or whatever Internet enabled phone you have to use for Foursquare, Twitter, Facebook Updates, Twitpic, 12 Seconds etc. Make sure you sign up for Twitpic and 12 Seconds if you plan on using these platforms. You can easily make an account on these sites with your Twitter login. Then once you are signed in, go to "Settings," and there will be an email where you can send your 12 Second videos or Twitpic photo uploads online while you are mobile.

3. Bring your cell phone. Set up your regular cell phone by going to Twitter, then to "Settings" and add your cell phone to connect it. No Internet required. Standard text messaging rates apply, and if you have unlimited texting, you are set!

4. Bring your camera to take pictures of all of the stops we make. Maybe take notes of each place. You can use these pictures to create a Picasa, Flickr, or Facebook photo album and name it "Asheville Social Media Crawl." You can upload these pics from your Internet enabled phone or from your computer to Twitpic, with a short description. You can also use these photos to add to a blog post about the evening when you get back home.

5. Bring your video camera and take videos of everywhere we go. You can then make a movie out of them and showcase the crawl!!

6. Bring yourself - the most important part of this mix. Without people like you, who pay attention to media and life, and then go the extra mile to share it; social media would not be anything. Even if you do not have any media platforms and just want to tour and have some fun with us, we welcome you.

The places we plan on stopping by are, but not limited to: Hotel Indigo, Bruisin Ales, Royal Peasantry, Drum Circle, Grove Arcade, Downtown After 5, Barley's Pizza and many more. We will be experiencing and covering each place through our unique views and platforms. No Experience Necessary. Come to have fun and learn with us, as a team!!

RSVP requested, but not necessary. See the Facebook event by clicking HERE or email RSVP me along with any questions. My email is listed on the right column of this blog. Thank you.

Angela Shelton speaks on Social Media and Movie Making

As AskAsheville, G Social Media interviewed Angela Shelton at The Hotel Indigo in Asheville North Carolina. I just loved how connected she was when it came to new media and new thinking. We took a tour of the beautiful condo and then did this interview in the lobby area. Angela recently spoke at the 140 Twitter / Social Media Conference in New York City and also the one in Los Angeles. Her future plans include making 3 movies in the Asheville NC area.

5 People you shouldn’t hire for Social Media

In this economy, businesses are struggling and social media is new. Everyone “knows” it is the fastest greenest form of making connections and building your network. When business owners do not know much about new media, someone who knows just a little more may seem like an expert. With this in mind, many groups are selling an “experimental” form of social media to their clients. This goes against all business morale. People need social media that works, not learn to simply dabble in it and make some friends. So where do you start? There are many places to get comprehensive social media, but here are some people and places you should not be looking:

1. Web Designers – Companies that build websites are not social media professionals. They may know how to make a Facebook Fan Page or start a Twitter account, but their main focus is web development. I have dealt with several people recently that have told me that their web designer is handling their social media for the past several months and it proves my point exactly. There is not really much to show. On the other hand, a web designer may even pass the social media work to a “friend” who thinks they know what they are doing, do their client a great injustice, and hurt the cause of the business. Also, web designers may be struggling, so they put the social media hat on to make a few extra bucks, and get little done. Finally, they may be worried about losing their clients to a company that does social media, so they rather limit their knowledge and not point them in the right direction. Some web designers go against the tide and give their clients the best social media specialist options available.

2. Social Media Interns – An intern is someone who works in a temporary position with an emphasis on on-the-job training. This means that you have someone practicing on you and trying to learn it at the same time. With something as vital as social media marketing, your business deserves a little more commitment than being an experimental test dummy.

3. SEO Experts – Being a search engine optimization expert is not a resume for social media. I have several friends in this area and they will gladly agree. Just because you know how to keyword correctly and customize meta-tags, does not mean that you know new media. Yes, common sense SEO is good to know, but that does not qualify you for social media at all. This also goes for other traditional marketers. A doctor does not do everything. I do not want my dentist doctor performing brain surgery on me. Get your roles correct and clarity what they do best.

4. Unsociable People – Having no personality and flexibility in person will make a bad showing online. I understand that some have an “alter-ego” where they are a recluse in person, and then a superstar online, but that is the exception. As the rule, your sociable skills that you currently have end up being the same attitude you have online. This is where you could really use someone that knows how to communicate and socially integrate you online. I tell people all of the time that the 1st rule of social media is to BE SOCIABLE. Without it, you miss the whole point.

5. Your Teens and College Kids – Just because you have a son in college that has a MySpace page, it does not mean that they know anything about business social media. They know how to connect and network online, just like my 6 year old (maybe a little more). Social media, internet networking and marketing for your company is very important. In the hands of a child, it could be dangerous.

Of course, if you have enough time on your hands, anyone can initiate and build their social media network. This could take years. I did a comparison on a company that told me “we are doing our own social media” about 6 months ago, and a social media package where I built it and trained the client just a mere 30 days ago; and the proof is in the pudding. What am I saying? Do your research and make sure you are getting a comprehensive social media package that works constantly for you and your business. This is neither the time nor place to play.