Nokia on the future of … weather?

Posted by Social Media Business Council Staff on September 29, 2008

Not every post on a corporate blog needs to be about new products.  On the Nokia Conversations blog, James Beechinor-Collin has been reporting back on the interesting technology he’s seeing at the Nokia Research Center during the company’s “The Way We Live Next” event.  In his latest post, James points out that there are 3.3 billion mobile devices around the world.  With approximately one billion of those from Nokia, he mentions that the company’s engineers are actually looking into ways of using data collected from those devices to aggregate a continuously accurate weather report.

Sometimes, you can find the future on a corporate blog.

Learn more:
Nokia Conversations: The Future of Weather

You Ought to Know: Other Links We Found Interesting

Posted by Social Media Business Council Staff on September 26, 2008

Here is a roundup of some of the other interesting items about corporate blogging and social media that came across our desks this week.

Do you have a tip or an interesting link to share?  Send it to Michael E. Rubin, Blog Council VP, Community. michael@blogcouncil.org

1. Debbie Davenport, Dell *
   “Chat with Tech Support when your system is feeling under the weather!”
   Everyone knows that obtaining tech support from a big company can be a challenge at times.  Debbie Davenport uses the Direct2Dell blog as a platform to write from the tech support operator’s perspective and help customers navigate through all the options available. (link)
2. Phil Mooney, Coca-Cola *
   “Coke as a true refreshment”
   Coca-Cola historian/archivist Phil Mooney shares a heartwarming story sent in by a customer about how Coke affected her life.  Personal stories are at the core of what keeps the blogosphere linked together. Non-controversial posts like this don’t get a ton of traffic, but they should. (link)
3. Brandon Hoe, Lenovo *
   “Rockin’ Good Times”
   For gadget geeks, this is just too cool!  Brandon Hoe, a product manager at Lenovo, takes customers behind the scenes about the thinking that went into designing audio features on the the new ThinkPad SL laptop.  Check out the comments, where customers interact and talk back about it to provide instant feedback for the designers.  (link)
4. Lori MacVittie, Two Different Socks
   “Corporate Blogging: The Fallacy of Quantity vs. Quality”
   The classic question now writ large for the world of corporate blogging. Lori MacVittie explores this conundrum on DevCentral with a plethora of links and examples. (link)
5. Lindsay Lebresco, Graco *
   VIDEO: “Parenting Superpowers”
   Corporate blog don’t have to always be serious.  Here’s the first of a fun series of videos that the team at Graco Children’s Products posted about “parenting superpowers.”  (link)

* Disclosure: This post that we’re linking to was produced by a member of the Blog Council.  But we would have linked to them anyway because we think they’re great.  Read our disclosure policy.

Blogs and Communities Jumpstart the Conversation

Posted by Social Media Business Council Staff on September 25, 2008

According to a study published on eMarketer and conducted by Harris Interactive for Alloy Media, 23% of college students indicated they heard about new products primarily from blogs and online communities.  A whopping 99% heard about them via word of mouth from friends and family.

This doesn’t mean blogging is dead.  Far from it. The lesson is clear: for new products and services, blogs and online communities act as the catalyst for word of mouth that takes place face-to-face with others people trust the most: friends and family.

8 great case studies in corporate social media

Posted by Social Media Business Council Staff on September 23, 2008

BlogWell: How Big Companies Use Social Media
October 28, San Jose Convention Center
http://gaspedal.com/blogwell

On October 28, we’re hosting an amazing day where eight big corporations are going to share best practices, give practical advice, and talk about their experiences starting blogs and launching social media programs:

• Cisco Systems
• Graco
• The Home Depot
• Intel
• Kaiser Permanente
• UPS
• Walmart
• Wells Fargo

You’ll receive practical how-to advice on measuring ROI, managing teams, dealing with legal issues, working with agencies, BtoB blogging, internal communications, blogging in regulated industries and creating great content.

All for only $200. This is the best opportunity available for anyone looking to get started or improve their corporate social media efforts.

Register today

BlogWell, Oct. 28: Practical how-to advice on corporate social media

Posted by Social Media Business Council Staff on September 19, 2008

BlogWell: How Big Companies Use Social Media
October 28, San Jose
http://gaspedal.com/blogwell

Unprecedented insight on social media from Cisco, Intel, Wells Fargo, Walmart, UPS, Kaiser Permanente, Graco, and Home Depot. Learn more about measuring ROI, managing teams, dealing with legal issues, working with agencies, BtoB blogging, internal communications, blogging in regulated industries and creating great content. This is the best opportunity available for anyone looking to get started or improve their corporate social media efforts.

Get practical, how-to advice, a lesson in disclosure and corporate social media responsibility, and loads of ideas and examples – all for $200.

If your company is thinking about or in the early stages of developing a social media presence, you absolutely need to be here. BlogWell is presented by GasPedal and the Blog Council.

Register today

Meet the Blog Council at BlogWorld

Posted by Social Media Business Council Staff on September 18, 2008

Come learn about big business blogging and social media direct from some of the biggest corporations in the world … live and in person!

The Blog Council will be featured on an afternoon panel at BlogWorld Expo on Friday, September 19 as part of the first day Executive & Entrepreneur Conference. Entitled “How to Implement Blogs and Social Media Strategies for Big Business” and will take place during the Executive track at 3.30pm.

Michael E. Rubin of the Blog Council is moderating the panel, which consists of three senior social media executives sharing the experiences and best practices they’ve learned along the way: John Andrews (Walmart), Michael Brito (Intel), and Hilary Weber (Kaiser Permanente).

We’d love to meet you, so come on by and say hi!

Guest Show and Tell with Yammer CEO David Sacks

Posted by Social Media Business Council Staff on September 17, 2008

New Guest Show and Tell: Yammer

With: David Sacks, Yammer CEO and Founder
When: Today, Wednesday, September 17
Time: 1pm ET/10am PT (one hour call)
This is a members-only call. If you want to participate, please contact us about joining the Blog Council.

Here’s a quick recap on the format:

1. David talks for 10 minutes
2. We open it up for 30 minutes of Q&A
3. David drops off the call and members talk in confidential conversation for the remaining about 20 minutes

This is a terrific example of an exclusive member benefit companies enjoy with their membership in the Blog Council. Last week, some members discussed Yammer in our Member Center discussion forum. They were sharing advice and first impressions about how they were using it at their companies. Some questions were asked, and so we invited David Sacks from Yammer to come and talk with members directly.

Rather than limit this to the traditional “vendor meet-and-greet,” participants will have the opportunity to discuss the service and the content of the call with each other after the vendor has dropped off the line.

Learning from the “New Kid” at school

Posted by Social Media Business Council Staff on September 16, 2008

David Alston, Radian6 and TweetPR, wrote a guest post on GasPedal’s Blog about starting out in social media for businesses. David compares starting out in social media to being the new kid at school. “Fitting in, making new friends, becoming part of a new community with unfamiliar rules. Businesses beginning their adventures in social media can face many of the same challenges.”

Read the whole blog at GasPedal.

Disclosure: GasPedal owns and manages the Blog Council. Learn more about our disclosure policies.

Forward this to your attorney — Blog Council legal briefing on Disclosure

Posted by Social Media Business Council Staff on September 12, 2008

Next week, the Blog Council will host a legal briefing on social media disclosure. Please help us spread the word about this vitally important topic and forward this to your attorney, counsel, or other legal policy advisors.

UNDERSTANDING DISCLOSURE
IN BLOGGING AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Presented by the Blog Council and the Practising Law Institute
Thursday, September 18 @ 1pm ET (one-hour call)

Business blogs
Personal blogs
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter

It’s a 24/7 mash-up world of media out there. Transparency and openness are standard operating procedure. Corporations (and the agencies that work on their behalf) must familiarize themselves with the new rules for interacting with the social media community appropriately.

Join as we discuss disclosure and share best practices for interacting with bloggers. This briefing is essential for internal counsel and other legal advisors who are drafting new employee policies or amending existing rules for social media.

Learn the answers to questions such as:

• Why is disclosure vital to blogger relations?
• Does it really matter if your company’s bloggers hide their identity?
• What are some real-world examples of how companies handle disclosure?

Participation Details

Date & Time:
September 18 @ 1pm ET

Participants:
- Andy Sernovitz, CEO, Blog Council
- Kevin O’Keefe, President, LexBlog
- John Pope, Digital Media Senior Manager, Dell
- Laurie Steuri, Assoc. Dir. of External Relations, Procter & Gamble

Normally, this event costs $299 to participate.
Click this link for our reduced member rate

This call is accredited by the PLI. Participants may be eligible for CLE credit depending on state requirements.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Michael E. Rubin, the Blog Council’s VP, Community.

The Home Depot steps up on Twitter as hurricanes come bearing down

Posted by Social Media Business Council Staff on September 5, 2008

Here’s another great case study for corporations successfully using Twitter: The Home Depot.

Do a Twitter search for @TheHomeDepot.  In recent days, you see a flurry of tweets with tips, suggestions, and pointers to Web content about preparing for hurricanes. Rather than approach the community as something to be ‘engaged’, the company is using social media to connect directly with people who need good, reliable information quickly.

Here’s why it works:

Credit and kudos to Sarah Molinari, Home Depot’s Corporate Communications Manager.  She tweets at @TheHomeDepot and really “gets it.”

Learn more:

Disclosure: The Home Depot is a member of the Blog Council.