Top 20 Minnesota Social Media Innovators

First, I want to thank everyone who submitted a nomination last week. In total we had more than 70 individuals who posted, DM’ed or emailed nominations. Wow. As I said in the initial post, we have a tremendously dynamic social community here in Minnesota–something we should all be proud of.

What was interesting throughout this process was the niches of folks that bubbled up across the state. People nominated folks in the legal, not-for-profit and health care industries. There were nominations for groups (MinnoV8) and even agencies (Fallon and the Nerdery–well deserved recognition). There were even nominations for people who live tweeted a birth (Paul Saarinen; Mike Keliher, can we expect another in August with Kermit Keliher?).

Keep in mind, this is a top 20 list. Really, it’s just the tip of the iceberg of what we have to offer here in Minnesota. There are so many more talented people who aren’t on this list (just look at the nomination list). It’s not intended to be exclusive–but instead to help raise awareness for the wonderful people who are doing truly amazing work in this community, and state. 

Finally, I’d like to call out one specific individual who helped me immensely in this process: Lalo Carter. Lalo graciously volunteered to help me with the badge design (read: It was all him)–something I never could have done on my own. He provided mock ups for review under very tight timelines, and all for no payment. Thank you, Lalo. Thank you. And if you’re looking for a designer, I’d encourage you to reach out to Lalo. Find more about him at www.lalopop.com  (he even makes his own “thank you” cards).

With that…drum roll please…The top 20 MN Social Media Innovators (in alphabetical order):

Lee Aase, social media strategist-Mayo Clinic, founder-Social Media University Global (SMUG). But don’t forget about @LeeAase, the leader behind Mayo Clinic’s social media identity. –@allanwoodstrom

Don Ball, founder of Unsummit. For his conception and brilliant roll-out of the Unsummit (http://www.unsummit.org), two of the best and most original conferences I have attended in a long time. –@megcanada

Connie Bensen, community strategist-Techrigy. For demonstrating that geography and location have little to do with talented people participating in a big way.–@rickmahn

Paul DeBettignies, IT recruiter, co-founder-Minnesota Recruiters. Who supports his community teaching people how to use social media for job searching during the economic downturn.–@megcanada

Jason DeRusha, WCCO-TV reporter, blogger. I would also like to nominate Jason DeRusha from WCCO. He is really reaching out to his audience and keeping people interested in news and MN events with Facebook, Twitter and his JasonCam at his desk at WCCO. He is a great guy, and is putting social technology to work in great ways.–@nikkisticks

Jason DeBoer-Moran, Concordia University, blogger at newcoventry.com. For exposing higher education to the benefits of engaging students and prospects on their own turf. –@thomasknoll

Dave Erickson, director of e-strategy, Tunheim Partners. For his long standing evangalism for all things social media and for introducing me to Twitter. –@rickb

Arik Hanson, Principal, ACH Communications, blogger at Communications Conversations. As a communications professional, I find Arik’s blog extremely valuable in the overall global conversations about the evolution of an industry I have been interested in since I was a kid. His contribution to the conversation is thoughtful, well articulated and provides great value to many locally and far beyond. –@lulugrimm

Jen Kane, owner, Kane Consulting. Great teaching style, passionate about bringing the world of social media to events. She also does a great job making it accessible to newbies and welcoming them into the conversation.– @newcoventry

Christopher Lower, Owner, Sterling Cross Communications. I’ll second that call out for @MrChristopherL, who has single handedly done more for bringing attention to great, local, unique eateries to national and global attention than anyone else I’ve known.–@rickmahn

Joshua Kahn, recruiter, blogger. Josh is leading a group at Best Buy and many/most of the new ideas they are running with are coming from his team. –@mnheadhunter

Gary Koelling, Best Buy, co-founder-Blue Shirt Nation, giftbag.com. For working social on the inside with BSN–@leeodden

Rick Mahn, social media strategist, Land O Lakes, founder-Social Media Breakfast, Twin Cities. I nominate Rick Mahn for taking probably one of the most difficult jobs in this field, and making sure we all keep in contact once a month. –@taulpaul

Albert Maruggi, Provident Partners, host-Marketing Edge podcast.The man who continually reminds us that social media began long before the internet, he brings passion the conversations, and loves asking hard questions.–@newcoventry

Lee Odden, CEO, Top Rank Marketing. As far as communications go, we are more integrated now than ever. The PR, ad, mktg. and search worlds have collided, all dependent upon one another for optimal results. A PR person that aspires to learn enough about search to be a bit dangerous, I am constantly impressed at Lee’s Online Marketing blog and twitter interactions. I learn much from his insights regularly.–@lulugrimm

Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Pioneer Press, technology writer/columnist. I second Julio Ojeda-Zapata. In the journalism world, he’s done an incredible job crowd-sourcing via Twitter. He’s an evangelist internally at the Pi Press. –@derushaj

Blois Olson, executive vice president, Tunheim Partners. Because not only are his tweets informative but they are quite helpful as well. –@kathyswanson

Mykl Roventine, designer, blogger, founder-TechKaroake, Minneapolis. For his kind, patient teachings of social media AND for combining his passion for social media and love for music/singing to bring Tech Karaoke to Minneapolis.–@karyd

Paul Saarinen, consultant, digital culture and media advisor-Bolin Marketing & Advertising. For being a true innovator: he live tweeted the birth of his daughter before half of us were even on Twitter. –@marrina

Greg Swan, social media strategist, Weber Shandwick, blogger at Perfect Porridge. For being one of my very first teachers of anything related to social media; for constantly working to connect smart people both on and offline; and for loving his job so much it makes him glow –@karyd

Blogger relations: How do you navigate the relationship issue?

Many posts have been written about best practices in the blogger relations arena. A few of my favorites were penned by Dave Fleet, social media strategist with Thornley Fallis and Brian Solis, principal of FutureWorks.

But this post is about something a little more specific: relationships.

The issue I think most of us in the PR/social media space may run into in the coming months/years is simple: Do we leverage our relationships with key bloggers online to the benefit of our clients? Do we put that trust at risk?

It’s not as simple as you might think.

Here’s the conundrum. For example, like many who may read this blog, I have relationships with many key PR bloggers across the country. David Mullen, Beth Harte, Shonali Burke, Rachel Kay and Dave Fleet to name a few. These folks are not only PR colleagues, they’re good friends. 

If and when a client has a need for a blogger relations campaign that targets PR pros/marketers, do I use that trust and goodwill I’ve built up with these folks over the months/years to the benefit of my clients and their interests? 

Some will say blogger relations is just like media relations. I beg to differ. Journalists have a job to do. They get paid for their work (although I know a few bloggers do get paid). They work with editors. They have assignments. They have a strict code of ethics. 

On the other hand, bloggers are every day folks (not that journalists aren’t, it’s just a little different). They write about whatever the heck they want. They don’t have “bosses.” They’re people we know. And, most importantly, they’re often PR colleagues, and friends. 

Much different, wouldn’t you say?

Maybe this example is too specific–after all, we’re only talking about PR blogs here. But, what if we’re talking about Mommy bloggers? Isn’t the idea to establish relationships with the bloggers before pitching them? Building trust by posting comments and interacting with them online? Wouldn’t that lead to the same situation?

I know a big part of blogger relations is building relationships. But, in building those relationships, do we put them at risk when we get around to actually making the pitch?

If you work at an agency or you’re a solo practitioner, how are you handling this issue? Do you take advantage of the online relationships you’ve built? 

I’m curious to hear your thoughts.

Send me to BlogWell. I’ll help you get smarter about social media.

I have a unique proposition for you. Pay my way to the BlogWell event on Thursday, Aug. 13 in Minneapolis and I’ll help you and your team get smarter about social media.

Sounds crazy? Maybe so, but here me out on the details before you dismiss the idea.

Here’s what I’m offering:

* You pay my way to BlogWell on Aug. 13 and I will help you/your team get smarter about the social space. We can negotiate exact terms, but for example, I could provide: 1) A complete write up of the event complete with video interviews and summaries of each organization’s presentation. 2) A 2-hour social media boot camp session that builds on the case studies shared at BlogWell with my own personal experiences and learnings. 

That’s it. No hidden agendas. No beating around the bush. Pretty straightforward actually. I help you–you help me. Isn’t that the way it should work?

This deal is perfect for:

* Organizations outside Minnesota who can’t make this BlogWell event. Keep in mind, we’re going to hear from people like Allan Schoenberg at CME Group, Lee Aase at Mayo Clinic and Scott Monty at Ford. It’s a killer lineup.

* Organizations right here in Minnesota. Maybe you don’t have time to attend, but you want to extract the learnings because, well, it’s a dynamite list of companies and the content is relevant to your work. Let me do your homework for you. And then some.

* Freelancers/small agencies. Might seem a little steep for the solo/small agency crowd, but believe me, you’ll get tremendous ROI. Learning from case studies like the ones shared at BlogWell is one of the key ways we can all learn best practices in this space right now.

OK, you’re probably wondering, why would I pay you to go when I can just go myself? That’s a fair question and one that may be relevant for some. For others, the answer is simple: Time. Most folks don’t have enough of it these days. I’m offering a simple trade. For $250, I’ll provide you with portable content you can share with your teams. It’s a minimal cost for a big-time return on investment.

If you are interested in funding my trip to BlogWell, please send me a note at arik.hanson@gmail.com or DM me on Twitter (@arikhanson). Thank you in advance–I’d be grateful for the opportunity and think I could lend a lot of value to some organization/individual out there.

The “how to” behind Follow Friday

The last few months I’ve provided you with my Follow Friday recommendations through this video blog–along with context behind why I follow each person.

Today, I thought I’d try something a little different and give you the “how to” behind my broader follow strategy. If you notice from my profile, I don’t necessarily follow everyone who follows me. That’s by design. I have a strategy. And a focus. And I thought I’d share some of those tips with you all. Let me know what you think.

Rants N Raves: “Professional” is a relative term

“Jen, you need to work on acting more professionally. For instance, at the client event last month you drank your beer straight from the bottle.” This was the response from a supervisor when I asked why I wasn’t being promoted to account executive after more than a year of hard work and positive results. I’m not kidding.

The fact that my client handed me the bottle of beer while drinking out of his own beer bottle is moot. Heck, what if I had sipped from a beer bottle when everyone else was drinking “civilized” wine out of crystal goblets? What does my refreshment portal have to do with my professionalism? It’s not like I shot-gunned a can of PBR!

This now-infamous-with-my-friends memory was sparked by Lauren Fernandez’s recent post about how her “flirty nerd” style has bit her in the past (former bosses accused her of being too flirtatious with clients), and asked readers if they felt like they have to rein in their personality to remain professional. I understand that early in your career it is often necessary to conform a bit so your quirks don’t overshadow your abilities and strengths, but do you have to shove your true being deep “where the sun don’t shine” to get ahead?

The definition of professional: of, relating to, or characteristic of a profession b: engaged in one of the learned professions c (1): characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession (2): exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace.

So, according to Webster, the definition adapts by profession (a PR professional may be expected to act and dress differently than a professional baseball player). The definition of a pro is a bit vague and words like “businesslike manner” are meant to be applied to reflect various conventions of differing professions, but the first part of the definition focuses on technical and ethical standards.

Is it just me, or do people talking about someone acting “professionally” often seem to make judgments based on one’s dress, language and polish, rather than on the quality of one’s ethical behavior and technical savvy?

All those Wall Street bankers we read about last year, with their sharp pinstriped suits and Italian leather loafers, lookedprofessional. But did they act professionally when they stole our money or recklessly risked it?

What about the manager who dresses in designer duds, carries an $800 handbag and is repeatedly promoted, yet badmouths people she manages when she is with other subordinates? Or the supervisor who uses his power inappropriately?

Is appearing professional more important to your career’s future than being professional? How do you balance this without losing yourself? Do you just suck it up until you’re successful and can go your own route? Or do you take the more difficult road (as I did) of being yourself while resisting professional standards that focus more on form than function?

I’m at the point in my life now where I don’t worry about how every facet of my personality and on-the-job style appears, but I wonder about those just entering the field or facing this pressure as they advance in their career.

To those of you who have been in the business for a while, do you see the pressure to conform to a traditional “business style” changing since your early days? I don’t just mean the addition of Casual Friday, but in management’s – and your – overall attitude?

How do you define “professionalism?” Is following a conservative dress code with buttoned-down conduct more important to your career in PR than a killer work ethic or respectable billing practices? Face it, in some disciplines and professions, and particularly for some employers, your personal style in dress and action can carry you a long way up the career ladder or hold you to a low or mediocre rung. Perhaps your personal style does not fit in one environment and you would do better to change employers or your style.

Then too, lapses in business ethics or technical judgment can throw you completely off the ladder. Changing employers will not “fix” poor ethical judgment or incompetent technical decisions. Correcting these is not as easy as tossing out sensible shoes, a paisley tie or sipping from cut crystal. I know where my professional focus is; how about you? 

Jennifer Wilbur is an independent PR professional, principal of Rockstar Communications and semi-retired party girl. Follow her on Twitter, and connect with her on Facebook and LinkedIn. Though she has been caught red-handed drinking beer from a bottle (and maybe even a can once), she prefers red wine and vodka martinis (in glasses).

Note: Photo credits to DP+Company and jeremy.plemon via Flickr 

Legal’s role in social media: Where do you draw the line?

This isn’t a new issue. Legal’s influence and command over PR issues has been felt for years.
I experienced this first-hand during my time at a international professional services firm. From time to time we’d face public scrutiny around an audit or tax issue for a client. As the issue became more prominent in the communities we served, negative public opinion swelled. Yet, all too often, legal’s response was “we cannot comment.” Now, legal was just doing their job: Manage risk and protect the organization. But, I continue to ask one simple question:

Where do you draw the line?

Yes, companies need to protect themselves. But, at what cost? And now with the social tools available to employees, management, customers and other influencers, it’s an even bigger risk (in legal’s eyes)–and an even bigger opportunity cost from a reputation management standpoint.

Case in point: Some of you may remember this exchange on Twitter last Saturday as I tweeted poolside at my son/daughter’s swimming lessons:

1. 
   arikhanson Just got asked to stop tweeting poolside at swimming lessons. Really ymca? I understand no phones in locker rooms but this is a little much 18 Jul 2009 from TwitterBerry
2. 
   sonnygill @arikhanson Ha, what the heck. Is your tweeting disrupting their practice or something? 18 Jul 2009 from TweetDeck in reply to arikhanson
3. 
   PRtini @arikhanson really?!? What damage do they think you’re causing? 18 Jul 2009 from Tweetie in reply to arikhanson
4. 
   dmanetta @arikhanson probably because kids are in a less dressed state than t-ball game? Agree it sounds heavy handed tho, no dif than the beach. 18 Jul 2009 from SocialScope in reply to arikhanson

— this quote was brought to you by quoteurl

Without knowing the full reason behind why I couldn’t tweet poolside (the YMCA rep never told me why, just that I couldn’t do it per their policy), I’m guessing it’s a risk issue. But, again, at what point does risk outweigh brand and PR opportunities? In this case, it might be folks taking photos of their kids at swimming lessons at the YMCA and sharing on Facebook (great word-of-mouth and increased brand exposure for the YMCA–WOM they don’t pay for, by the way).

I tend to think there needs to be more give-and-take by organizations. Keep in mind, legal’s not making these decisions. They’re in the same boat as PR pros. They get paid to provide valuable counsel. It’s management that’s making the final call.

So, it’s incumbent upon us, as PR/brand/marketing professionals to make a strong case for a more balanced approach. There’s no doubt we should protect our companies, their assets and the intellectual capital they’ve worked so hard to build. But, our organization’s reputations are also at stake here. And, word of mouth through social platforms plays a key role these days.

We need to have these crucial conversations with legal and management. We need to make the case loud and clear for effective online reputation management.

That’s my two cents. What do you think?

Top 20 Twin Cities social media innovators

If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you know by now I’m all about the community. And one community I think doesn’t get near the credit it deserves is our social/digital community right here in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

So often in the social world, you hear about Boston, Austin, Chicago, San Francisco. But you rarely hear about fly-over country.

Make no mistake about it: We’re hear. In fact, we’re here in droves. Nearly 300 people turned up for our last Social Media Breakfast. And, we have some of the top thought leaders in the industry right under our noses.

So, I wanted to start recognizing this talent by identifying the top 20 social innovators across Minnesota. And, as usual, I’m calling on you–my community–for help.

Here’s what I’m hoping you can do:

* Leave a comment–or DM me, if you’re more comfortable–with five (max) innovators you’d like to nominate. Bonus points: Provide the reasons behind why you think they are solid candidates.

* The innovators must live in Minnesota (I’m opening it up beyond the Twin Cities because there are at least a few key people who would be on my list who do not reside in the Twin Cities)

* After one week, I’ll tally the results and post the top 20 vote-getters (I’m going to try to work up badges, too).

OK, so, who would you nominate? Let’s have it!

Photo credit: Zinkwasi, FlickR Creative Commons

PR Rock Stars: A Conversation with Blois Olson

Most people know this rock star as a public affairs juggernaut. But, I’ve come to know Blois Olson as a savvy communicator no matter the discipline or sect of PR. And, his firm–Tunheim Partners–has been successful at using social tools and platforms with smaller businesses across the Twin Cities to drive sales and brand awareness. I could tell you the full story, but this Rock Star tells it much better…

PR Rock Stars: A conversation with Jason Kintzler

One of the very interesting dynamics of engaging online is meeting folks in real life that you’ve only followed and interacted with on Twitter and other social platforms. Yesterday, I had the pleasure to meet Jason Kintzler, CEO of PitchEngine, in person. And I was not disappointed. Genuine, personable and “social smart”, Jason lived up to expectations. 

I even stole a few moments with him right after his keynote address to discuss the future of the traditional news release, how smaller brands are using PitchEngine as a tool to tell their story, and one nugget you might not know about the social media/PR thought leader.

PR Rock Stars: A conversation with Danny Brown

If you engage regularly on Twitter, chances are you know Danny Brown. The ubiqitous founder of the largely popular 12for12K effort, Danny is what I like to call an “uber engager.” He’s smart. Always open to an engaging–and quippy–conversation. And he’s not above chatting with just about anyone. But, in addition to exhibiting key traits of any community manager, Danny’s also a savvy PR pro. He runs his own consultancy, which focuses on providing branding and social media services to all kinds of operations from start-ups to Fortune 500 organizations.

I could probably extoll Danny’s virtues all day, but instead I’ll let him tell his story… 

As many folks on Twitter know, you’re the driving force behind the 12for12K effort. To date, what have you learned from this innovative project?

That it’s always easier planning something than executing it! It’s been a really good learning curve, from a cause marketing perspective, with lots of plus points to take away. Learning what works (one-off events, fun giveaways, community interaction) against what’s not been so successful (message formats, physical versus virtual participation, type of fundraising initiative). So it’s an ongoing process and one that is constantly evolving. One thing that has been clear from the start is the immense support from both friends and strangers – it’s humbling to see.

You’re like a walking, breathing case study for not-for-profits around the world. I’m sure many of them would like to know, where does your passion for helping people come from?

Thanks! Though I’m sure people like Beth Kanter and Stacey Monk might be better suited to that role… To be honest, Arik, I think it’s just plain old compassion for my fellow human being (and forgive me if that sounds cheesy!). I wrote a blog post at the start of 2009 called Pale Blue Dots that was inspired by a Carl Sagan video. That video (and post) pretty much sums up my “passion”, if you like. The fact that I’m in a position to help others just makes it a no-brainer.

One last 12for12K question, what’s on tap for the rest of the year? Can you divulge details? Anything in particular you’re looking forward to? Are you attending the lavish Masquertweet in New York City later this month?

Unfortunately I won’t be going to the Masquertweet event, although I would love to be there – it promises to be quite the show! With regards the rest of the year, I think September promises to be an amazing month. We’re combining with Mark Lovett and Doctors Without Borders and have some pretty exciting international events to announce around that. Then November sees us alongside Stacey Monk and her Epic Change team, so much to look forward to.

You’re one of the most prolific bloggers online. You post virtually every day. What’s your secret? Where do you come up with all these ideas? Who’s your muse?

That could just mean I talk more nonsense than anyone else! I love to write, Arik, plain and simple. From junior school to high school and beyond, I’ve always written something – short stories, poems, songs and now blogs (plus the Community Spirit book I’m working on). So my mind is always ticking over with something. But I take a lot of inspiration from my community – something that’s mentioned on Twitter, comments from my readers and other blog posts also inspire me. There are far smarter people than me in the community and I’m happy to learn from them every day.

As a solo PR practitioner, what’s one piece of advice you would lend to those out there who may be considering that path?

Build your network first and make sure you can survive without pay for at least six months. Seriously. I don’t think I need to offer any current PR practitioner advice on public relations itself, so the main thing is to have a probable client roster already planned, and savings to get you through six months. And don’t be afraid to ask for help – you may be great at what you do but someone else is probably greater. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the amount of people that will offer you their advice from personal experience – so ask!

I often refer to you as my “Twitter Jesus.” Obviously, I’m having some fun with that reference, but the truth behind it is I trust you implicitly online—without having met once in person. I’m willing to bet I’m not the only one that feels that way about you. As organizations work to build strong communities around their brands, I think they can learn a lot from what you’ve done. To what do you attribute your success?

I’m just waiting on the Vatican or Church of England hounding me because of you, Arik! That’s really kind of you, thank you. I think it just comes down to the word you used – “trust”. I’ve found that the more I’ve offered of myself, the more open I become and that helps build trust in me from others. I think being human and being yourself goes a long way. I’m not perfect, and I’ll criticize myself as often as others will, and I think recognizing – and sharing – your faults goes a long way to humanizing yourself. And I’m genuinely interested in what others have to say. I love conversations and I’ll chat with pretty much anyone and everyone, which I think more people and companies need to do.

Here’s an example. David Spinks wrote a really nice blog post about me the other day (thanks David!), and one of the things that caught my eye the most was David’s description of how he thought I might have viewed him – “a new, hardly ‘popular’ community member”. To me, there’s no such thing as a new or popular member of a community. That’s not a community; that’s a clique. Whether I’ve just met you or we’ve known each other for years, we’re all part of the same community.

So, I guess my “success”, if you like, is the fact that I don’t see myself as any better than the next person. I may be more knowledgeable on a certain topic, and that person may know more than me on something else. But better? No. I think that’s the key for any brand to remember – you’re only as good, or successful, as others allow you to be. Remember that, don’t let ego get in the way, and you should be okay!

More about Danny Brown 
Danny Brown provides business branding and social media consultancy services to individuals and businesses, from small start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. He is also the founder of the 12for12k Challenge, a charity initiative using social media for good.

You can read more from Danny at his social media pr and marketing blog or connect with him on Twitter.