By no means and I a social media expert. I am just a guy who's worked in the journalism and communications business for over 14 years. I've had a lot of experiences; worked with a variety of clients; managed a number of programs; and, have had my share of success and failures. One common thread throughout my career is technology. I've built websites. I've managed databases. I've fixed computers. I've set up small business networks. I've managed intranets. Since early 2000, I've utilized a number of online services that have now been classified as social networks.
My point here is that I know a lot about the PR business and I just so happen to be a big tech geek that knows a lot about all the tools jammed into the crowded space called social media. Am I am an expert? Nah...people at the office my say otherwise, but I'm just doing my job and keep us ahead of the tech curve.
This leads me to this morning. I was asked by the Boston Chamber of Commerce to organize and moderate a panel discussion on developing social media strategies. Overall it was a success. I got lots of positive feedback and made some great new connections on the social web.
The one thing that struck me and gave me that "wow, maybe you do know alot about this stuff," was when I facilitated the Q&A session of the panel. A good majority of the questions evolved around the some of the more simple and mundane (though important) questions, like:
- How much time do you dedicate to managing your social media programs?
- Who "owns" it?
- What services should we be using?
Well, I hope that I and the panelists answered those questions and more during our session. After reviewing my contribution, I realized that I guess I do know more than I think I do. Guess that's a good thing.
Here's my presentation from today. Feedback welcome.