Reflections of the 2012 Social Media Summit

The 2012 Social Media Summit was an enormous success both on a personal level and on a professional level.  Solutions for Advertising had an opportunity to sponsor the Facing Forward:  A Discussion on Social Networks and the Future.  This was our first time sponsoring a panel like this and were very pleased with the outcome of the panel.

I will be blogging about the two best panels that I attended, Social Networking and the Job Search and the Facing Forward panel.  I’d like to do a two-part blog about the Job Search, which I will post part 1 June 4 and part 2 June 11.  I’d also like to do a two-part blog about the Facing Forward panel, with part 1 being posted June 18 and part 2 being posted June 25.  I like to lay out when I’ll be posting each so I can keep myself on task, but also so my readers know when to expect new blogs.  And if it is one thing that I learned at the Job Search panel in regards to blogs, it certainly is don’t do more than you can handle.   I feel that one blog a week is certainly within my means, and for the summer at least, would like to post one per week (or so).

With this entry, I would like to go over some of the main ideas I’ll cover in my coming entries in June.  First of all, kudos to Harrisburg University for another outstanding event.  Steve Infanti and all of the staff at Harrisburg U should be proud of what they are able to with the limited resources that are available for this event.  Panelists of this event come without being paid and even have to foot their own travel expenses.  That being said, without the expertise of the panelists, this event would not be the success that is it.

There were two specific individuals that made the day very special to me personally.  The first person I would like to mention is Amanda Haddaway.  She has been quoted in several national publications for her HR and marketing expertise and has written her own book, Destination Real World: Success after Graduation for new and soon-to-be college graduates.  I also recommend job seekers follow her on Twitter (@ahaddaway) for added insight.  In next week’s blog, I will chronicle what amazing things Amanda had to say.

The second individual that made an amazing impression on me was Chris Dessi.  Mr. Dessi spoke at the Facing Forward panel and is CEO of Silverback Social. He is also an award-winning digital media executive, best-selling author, university lecturer, prominent blogger and keynote speaker.  His book “Your World is Exploding: How Social Media is Changing Everything and How You Need to Change With It”, shot to #1 on Amazon.com’s Hot New Releases in its first two weeks of publication. Dessi is a regular contributor on Fox News, and Good Day New York.  It truly was a pleasure to have the opportunity to not only enjoy his comments on the Future of Social Networking, but also to have the pleasure to have dinner with him and discuss my career path with someone who I extremely look up to.  I will discuss what amazing advice Mr. Dessi had for me in the Facing Forward blog entries later this month.  Follow Chris on Twitter @cdessi and find Silverback Social on Facebook.

This year’s experience overall was quite different from last year in a positive way.  Last year I didn’t have the knowledge that I have now.  I didn’t know about Linked In or even where to begin with blogging.  In the past 10 months, I have made every step to put myself in a position to succeed and I’m very happy with my progress.  I did realize at the Summit that I still have a long way to go to be where I want to be.  I’m sure I’ll find my direction with the help of people like Amanda Haddaway and Chris Dessi.

Paul M. Miller

pmiller@solutionsforadvertising.com

Twitter: @SolutionsforAdv

LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-miller/3b/b5/495

Preview to Social Media Summit, Wednesday May 23

I wanted to write a mini-blog about what panels I’m going to and what blogs I will be writing over the course of the next two months.  There are still a limited number of seats available by signing up at:  http://www.harrisburgu.edu/academics/professional/socialmedia/index-2012.php

Social Networking and the Job Search

9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m., Location: Room 1302

This is the panel last year that truly changed my life.  If you are looking for work currently, are in school or may have to look for a job ever in the age of social networking, this panel truly is an awakening.  I hope to learn new things about how to use social networking to help in my current job search.  I’ll keep everyone up to date with what I learn at this year’s panel.

Social Media and Pennsylvania’s Economy

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Location: Room 1302

Panel Sponsor: WITF

Join a panel of economic development experts, entrepreneurs and firms for a discussion on how social media can help transform the economy of the region, grow new technology companies and create new synergies.

I really think that this panel will have a ton of valuable information, especially for someone like myself that is familiar with social media, but little knowledge about PA’s economy.

Social Media and Political Change

1:15 to 2:45 p.m., Auditorium

Panel Sponsor: The Burg

This is another panel that I attended last year and found to be extremely thought-provoking, especially in regards to the non-profit work that I do.  Non-profits can and should use social media to their advantage because of minimum budgets and my social media knowledge could help non-profits effectively use their resources.

Steve Infanti also was very excited about one of the speakers of the panel Sherrie A. Madia, Ph.D.  “She is coauthor of the critically acclaimed book, The Social Media Survival Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Grow Your Business Exponentially with Social Media.  She has developed and teaches courses and workshops on social media communication strategies.”  I believe that she could be one of the best speakers at the event and I’ll  be sure to discuss what findings she has.

Facing Forward: Discussion on Social Networks and the Future

3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Auditorium

Panel Sponsor: Solutions for Advertising, LLC

We are sponsoring this panel because last year this was one of the more intriguing panels of the day.  I’m very excited to learn about what the new trends in social media are and how I can apply them to my profession.

If this year’s Summit is even half as good as last year, I will consider it a remarkable success.  I am looking to expand my social media footprint in the coming year and believe that the 2012 Social Media Summit at Harrisburg University is a major stepping stone to where I want to go.

Finally, I’ll be tweeting live from the event and look for questions to ask from my followers @SolutionsforAdv.

For more information, to sign-up, or to contact please use the following links:

Information and Sign-Up:  http://www.harrisburgu.edu/academics/professional/socialmedia/index-2012.php

Twitter:  @HUSocialSummit or #HUSocialSummit

Subscribe to Harrisburg University’s Social Media Summit 2012 Alerts by texting sms2012 to 90210.

See everyone Wednesday!

Paul M. Miller

pmiller@solutionsforadvertising.com

Twitter: @SolutionsforAdv

LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-miller/3b/b5/495

2012 Social Media Summit: A Life-Changing Experience?

The 2012 Social Media Summit takes place at Harrisburg University, May 23, beginning at 9 am.  There are 9 panels and 4 workshops and best of all the entire event is free.  I would like to speak about how the 2011 Summit has forever altered my career and how you can make the 2012 Summit a life-changing experience.

When I attended the free Social Media Summit last year at Harrisburg University, I did it mainly because of my hardships trying to find a job.  The first panel last year was entitled Social Media and the Job Search.  I learned so much valuable information in that one hour that inspired me to become what I have.  First, I created this blog, which in its first seven months has nearly registered 500 unique views.  This is my milestone 20th blog in that time, and I have received numberous accolades and have even parlayed my social media/blogging skills into work in a field that I love.  Needless to say, I enjoyed last year’s Summit.  But it was not just because I learned how to search for a job, it was because I was never taught some of the most important aspects of social media in grad school.  I got out of Shippensburg thinking I knew enough to have no problem finding a real job in a field that I love dearly, but I had not known enough about how important social media is to someone looking for work.

Over the last year, I have honed my social media skills and now represent two (and soon three) different companies as their Social Media Editor.  I have maintained my online brand to the point where my resume and work experience are second to none.  I have only now put myself in position to find the job I so dearly desire.  And none of this would have been possible without the 2011 Social Media Summit and meeting Associate Vice President of Harrisburg University Steven Infanti.  Since the 2011 Summit, Steven has been a mentor to me, both helping me by doing interviews about the recent BarCamp Harrisburg and the 2012 Summit, as well as giving myself and Solutions for Advertising an opportunity to sponsor the Facing Forward panel.  Steven commented on several questions I had about the Summit, which I will discuss below.

In our interview, my first question regarded why Steven had interest to take time out of his hectic schedule to sit down with me and have an interview.  He made it clear that social media has a power that other forms of media do not possess.  He said, “Blogging is important and can bring about change; be it social, economical, or political.  Our world around us is changing and it is important to embrace these changes.”

When I left the 2011 Summit, I was almost angry with my educators because I had not been taught an efficient way to find a job, but moreover why wasn’t the University requiring some sort of social media training?  Granted, I graduated in 2009, but social media surely was around then.  Which led to my next question, why are social media classes not required learning?  Steven claimed that in a communications field, social media is kin to the Wild West.  There are few laws and even fewer etiquettes.  This, however, does not have to be a negative.  Networking with colleagues and college friends is an essential part of today’s business landscape.  Steven stressed, “Network with people when you don’t need anything and they will be there for you if you do need something.   Networking with people only when you are searching for a job is counter-productive.”  Steve also made a statement that hit me close to home regarding students lack of knowledge about their university’s Career Services Center.  He claimed students did not take full (or any) advantage of Career Services.  Honestly, I’ll admit that I didn’t take advantage and remains one of the few regrets I have in life.

I want to stress the importance of this event once again, but also point out that is a free event.  Beyond that, a catered breakfast and lunch is provided (and based on my experience last year and at BarCamp Harrisburg, it is the best free lunch you’ll ever have).  Steven made this point to me, “With the economy and budget cuts that many companies have endured, free information is paramount to our culture.  New knowledge can and will bring about new innovation.”  Steven is also quick to add that the Social Media Summit is nothing without the presenters.  The wealth of knowledge that is available at the Summit is unparalleled in our region.  In fact, Steve left me with this statement:  “To bring about regional change you must have reasonable goals and attitudes on a regional level.”  This to me embodies what the Social Media Summit at Harrisburg University is striving to accomplish, and I believe it has.

For more information, to sign-up, or to contact please use the following links:

Information and Sign-Up:  http://www.harrisburgu.edu/academics/professional/socialmedia/index-2012.php

Twitter:  @HUSocialSummit or #HUSocialSummit

Subscribe to Harrisburg University’s Social Media Summit 2012 Alerts by texting sms2012 to 90210.

See everyone May 23!

Paul M. Miller

pmiller@solutionsforadvertising.com

Twitter: @SolutionsforAdv

LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-miller/3b/b5/495

Foursquare: An Innovative, (Kind of) New Social Media

As this blog has taken shape over the past year, I’ve certainly discussed at length Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In.  There is one social medium that I have yet to discuss, Four Square.  For those of you that don’t know what Four Square is, I will do my best to describe it:  Foursquare is a relatively new form of social media that allows you to check-in to certain venues on your mobile device (sort of like the check-in option on Facebook) and collect points and badges based on where you check-in and who you check-in with.  When discussing Four Square with friends that have never used it, they often say, “How is it any different from Facebook?”.  That is what I will attempt to describe in this entry.

The thing that really drew me to Four Square was their badges that you can earn.  For a list of all the different badges you can receive, go to http://www.badgeunlock.com/foursquare-badge-list/.  There are a whole variety of different badges that you can earn.  A few I’m most proud of are the Lock and Keystone (for visiting historical places in PA), the Trainspotter (using trains to travel), and the Porky (visiting 5 different BBQ Joints).  That certainly is not the only reason to like Four Square.

Fans of this blog surely remember my blog entry around the holidays regarding American Express’s Small Business Saturday.  AMEX has strived to make Small Business Saturday more of a year-round initiative as opposed to one day a year.  As a part of this initiative, AMEX offers a $5 savings with a $5 purchase at a great deal of local small businesses, including many restaurants, with the use of your American Express card and checking-in on Four Square.  This sounds almost good enough for me to get an American Express card because the vast majority of places I go are included in this offer.  Beyond the pluses of using Four Square with your American Express card, businesses can also offer special loyalty rewards to those that check-in one or multiple times.  For example, when I was in Philadelphia one of the places offered a free cocktail with the purchase of a sandwich and a check-in on Four Square.  As more businesses begin to use Four Square, almost everywhere we go we can receive discounts.

You also have “friends” on Four Square, similar to Facebook.  In my experience, I only have a few friends that even use the app and that makes an interesting conversation piece when you see that individual the next time.  They may have gone to New York City to see a show, and you see that they visited.  Next time you see them, you can immediately say, “Hey, how was the show in New York?”.  You can also comment on friend’s check-in if you have recommendations for the place where they are or just want to see how they are doing.

Finally, Four Square lets you search for certain places near you.  This can be most useful if you are unfamiliar with the surroundings.  Say you are in Philadelphia at the Liberty Bell and would really like some sushi.  If you go to the search bar and type in “sushi”, you will immediately be shown all of the local sushi places and their distance from you at that moment.  You can also see their menu and prices, as well as comments about the restaurant from other Four Square users.  Pretty cool, huh…

As with everything, there is always a negative side to any social medium.  Some people argue that allowing people online to know where you are could be detrimental, especially with the crime rate in major cities.  Here is an interesting article from CNet about a site, pleaserobme.com that uses people’s Twitter feed to show when people are home or not (http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10454981-36.html).  This is certainly a valid point that you should be very careful what you share and how you share it, but Foursquare cannot post where you are ever.  Only you can check-in and that doesn’t even need to be shared with friends if you choose it not to be.

I am a huge fan of Four Square, for all of the reasons I’ve listed here and more.  Next time you are out and about, give it a try and see what you think.  And for those of you that already use Four Square, comment here and let’s think of some new ways to spice it up a bit.

Paul M. Miller

pmiller@solutionsforadvertising.com

Twitter: @SolutionsforAdv

LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-miller/3b/b5/495

BarCamp Harrisburg: My Impressions

BarCamp Harrisburg is the annual “un-conference” at Harrisburg University.  In a previous blog, we discussed what exactly BarCamp was and why it was important to the Harrisburg area.  In this feature, we will discuss my participation in BarCamp and what I learned at the conference.  Let me begin by providing accolades to the staff of Harrisburg University responsible for putting BarCamp on.  The facilities at HU are second-to-none and the lunch provided was extremely well done.

Being the Social Media Editor at Solutions for Advertising, I felt that I could try something new at BarCamp.  While I have a decent amount of Twitter followers, we all ideally want more.  I thought “live-tweeting” from the event would be something that would not only allow me to interact with my followers, but also receive real-time questions from them as well.  I promoted that I was attempting these endeavors and received an immense amount of feedback, which I will discuss below.

I attended three panels at BarCamp:  Ethics and Information Technology, Virtual Presenting, and Does Technology Move Too Fast for our Own Good?  I will summarize what I learned in each panel, as well as discuss questions that I asked of the panel via my Twitter feed.(@SolutionsforAdv).

Ethics and IT:

While this panel didn’t specifically apply to my social media background, I was immensely pleased that I attended.  The concept of “ethics” is something that certainly applies to all fields, not just IT.  Here are just a few bullet points of what we discussed during the panel:

• Many IT problems stem from the concept of ethics.
• Software comes to the market without proper testing and often with shoddy workmanship.
• People are now patenting ideas instead of building their invention.
• Honesty is key:  Do you possess the skills that you claim on your resume?
• Billing for work:  Are you working the hours that you are billing your client for?
• The state of Pennsylvania rewards the lowest bidder for IT bids.  The lowest bid is almost always too low and will require a change order.  This process costs constituents more money and takes more time in the long run.

The inherent nature of these panels is not so much question and answer, but an open communication about questions that are posed.  Just because I’m posting them here does not in any way reflect my feelings on the subject, but points that were brought up during the time we discussed this question.

After a short discussion about privacy, I was tweeted a question about the privacy efforts of Facebook.  The question was:  What challenges ethically arise for Facebook in regards to their privacy policy?

• Facebook acts unethically and exposes more information about us than we can ever imagine.
• Facebook users really need to be more educated about their privacy settings.
• Ethically, Facebook should take more responsibility educating people who are not technologically savvy.
• Facebook gets away with their privacy matters because there is a market for their service.

Overall, this was the session that I took the most away from because it included a lot of information that I had little knowledge about.

Virtual Presenting:

In our current technological landscape, the topic of Virtual Presenting is extremely important.  The presenter had 10-steps to doing a virtual presentation that I would like to share.

1.  Identify Objectives – What do you want your audience to take away from your presentation?

2.  Learn the platform that you will be using to broadcast.  Two popular ones are Adobe Connect or Go To Meeting.

3.  Create a project plan.  Have a SME (Subject Matter Expert).

4.  Work with others, especially your SME.

5.  Create compelling content.

6.  Decide what visuals to use.

7.  Sharpen presentation skills.

8.  Rehearse (at least twice).

9.  Present your Virtual Presentation.  Multi-task efficiently.

10.  Follow-up, offer feedback, and most importantly, keep learning about your subject.

During this panel, I had a follower on Facebook offer this question:  What are some uses for Twitter in Virtual Presenting?

According to the panel leader, Twitter is a great way to promote your webinar.  Encourage people to retweet information regarding your presentation and spread the message to colleagues that would be interested in the subject matter.  Also, #hashtags are effective in bringing certain questions to the forefront of the webinar.  The incorporation of Twitter into Virtual Presentation is sometimes difficult because most Virtual presentations already have a “chat” box worked into the program.  But the uses of Twitter go far beyond the presentation itself.

Does Technology Move to Fast for Our Own Good?

As someone with a vast knowledge of the Diffusion of Innovations theory, the way the panel leader led off this panel was a great attention-grabber.  He discussed a recent conversation that he had with a colleague regarding what to put in a time-capsule that wouldn’t be opened for 50 years.  Many people discuss CDs or DVDs as a great starting point.  But an interesting problem arose, wouldn’t we need to add the hardware to play this software?  Think about it…who still has 8-track (or to another point record players) to play an 8-track in a 50-year-old time capsule?  As VCRs are already phased out, DVDs have already reached their critical mass.  From this discussion arose one point that stuck with me:  “Just because we can do it doesn’t mean we need to. Where are the ethics?”

The panel continued with a discussion regarding the frequency of updates with software, such as Windows and Microsoft Office.  Do we really need upgrades to this software every 2 – 4 years?  Do the newer versions offer a significant relative advantage or do the software companies simply offer new versions just to make more money?  One point did arise in this conversation that stuck with me as well; If you don’t adopt new technologies  when they are available you have the potential to be left behind in a business standpoint.  Client’s expect that our equipment is not only up-to-date but innovative as well.

Another point that was brought up was about face-to-face interviews being a thing of the past.  In my opinion, in the advertising business it is crucial for face-to-face meetings.  However, some companies do not want the burden of paying for travel expenses when there is Skype, Go To Meeting, etc.  and often these meetings are being phased out.  One attendee said that he wouldn’t even consider a face-to-face meeting without a contract in place.  That was really surprising to me, as a face-to-face is almost always the first thing that Solutions for Advertising offers.

A final segment of the panel regarded how difficult it is nowadays to have personal time.  With cell-phones, we are now expected to be available for business purposes 24/7.  This can directly be attributed to new technology.  This new technology directly impacts the demands of a businessperson in today’s landscape.

BarCamp Harrisburg is a significant “un-conference” in Harrisburg and should be recognized as such.  After this event, I certainly look forward to the Social Media Summit, Wednesday, May 23.  I will be posting frequently about this event over the next few months and look for it to be a major success.  Below are all the links you might need to register and remember, it’s free!  See you there!

To register:  http://www.harrisburgu.edu/academics/professional/socialmedia/index-2012.php

Twitter:  @HUSocialSummit

Paul M. Miller

pmiller@solutionsforadvertising.com

Twitter: @SolutionsforAdv

LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-miller/3b/b5/495

Contact Helpline and 211

CONTACT Helpline (http://www.contacthelpline.org) is a valued client of ours at Solutions for Advertising and we enjoy our relationship with them very much. Cathy Haynes (http://www.linkedin.com/pub/cathy-l-haynes/1a/b46/ab3) has been an absolute pleasure to work with and we look forward to an opportunity to support CONTACT in the future. Cathy was kind enough to answer some questions that I had about the new 211 Service. Below is the transcript of the interview:

Paul: In reading about the 211 adoption in Harrisburg, I read that the floods pushed it in to effect before it was supposed to be. Can you describe in a little more detail about this situation?

Cathy: CONTACT is still in the “soft launch” phase of switching to 211. While there is still a lot to be done before we can officially go live, one of the things we accomplished (in August of 2011) was the configuration of our phone lines to accept 211 calls. Fortunately for our 211 calling area (Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry, Franklin, Adams and York counties) the 211 number was ready when Tropical Strom Lee hit in September. We researched shelters, clean-up services, how to apply for FEMA financial assistance, and even where to take your pet if you are flooded out of your home. Keep in mind this information was changing on a daily basis; some shelters closed and others opened, churches opened food and clothing banks, college fraternities organized clean-up crews, and municipalities put together their own action plans. 211 provided a centralized and simplified way to consolidate this ever-changing information. Imagine you are the member of a church and you want to help your flooded neighbors by collecting & distributing clothing. How do you get the word out? 211 gives everyone a centralized option for both our neighbors in need and our neighbors wanting and willing to help.

Paul: What does the 211 system mean for Contact Helpline?

Cathy: CONTACT Helpline has been providing health and human services information and referral for over 41 years, so the overall concept of what 211 does is nothing new to us. So far, the biggest changes have been internal; computer and phone related as well as certain licenses and accreditations necessary to be part of this bigger 211 network Going from a 3 county service area to a 6 county service area, coupled with the increase in awareness of what 211 offers, will mean a significant increase in call volume. We anticipate our call volume to quadruple by 2014 to over 100,000 calls a year, which of course means we will need more hotline volunteers. Most of all, 211 means easier and greater access for our callers, and what is important to our callers is important to CONTACT Helpline.

Paul: What has the response been over the last few months with the adoption of 211 in the Harrisburg area?

Cathy: For the most part the Greater Harrisburg Area has no idea 211 exists! Because we are not yet officially launching 211 we have not attempted any significant publicity for 211. That said, everyone we have spoken to has the basic same reaction, basically “sounds like an important service, what has taken PA so long to get on board with this?” The response from local organizations has also been positive. We have had a lot of support from the United Way of the Capital Region and some local foundations like the Wells Foundation and the Foundation for Enhancing Communities.

Paul: How does 211 change your fundraising methods?
Cathy: The adaptation to 211 has been and continues to be very expensive for CONTACT Helpline and this is in a time when both business and personal donations are scarce and budget cuts have affected existing support for the hotline, so fundraising is more important than ever. We have applied for grants specific to certain 211 costs, and we are exploring the possibility of allowing a major partner to associate themselves strongly with the 211 initiative in Pennsylvania over the next three years. When we do officially launch we expect a lot of first and second year publicity and our major partner will get the benefit by association with CONTACT and 211.

My impression from the interview is that it is clear that 211 is a much-needed service in the region and it is great to know that this service is available. Cathy also wanted to stress the importance of their official launch party Saturday, March 31. Cathy said the event is called “An Evening with the Artists” supporting CONTACT Helpline, Central PA’s 211. It will be held Saturday March 31^stat the Harrisburg Hilton. The event will start with a cocktail reception that features six artists from the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen. Each of the artists will be at a station answering questions and demonstrating how they create their artwork. There will also be a silent auction during the reception, with specialty baskets filled with donated items and gift certificates.  Dinner features a wine pairing presented by Bill Kohl of Tres Bonne Annee. After dinner, there will be a live auction that includes art donated by the six participating artists. Our Platinum Sponsors will each be invited to act as a celebrity auctioneer, auctioning off a donated piece. Alicia Richards will be the Mistress of Ceremonies. Tickets are $125 each and available by calling Cathy at 717-652-4987.

Solutions for Advertising is proud to be a sponsor of CONTACT Helpline and wish them the best of luck with their 211 venture. Please do not hesitate to call Cathy at 717-652-4987 or email at cathy@contacthelpline.org and she will be able to assist you any way she can.

Paul M. Miller

pmiller@solutionsforadvertising.com

Twitter: @SolutionsforAdv

LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-miller/3b/b5/495

Bar Camp Harrisburg: The Un-Conference

This blog post will discuss the BarCamp Harrisburg Conference, Saturday, March 31st at 9 am at Harrisburg University.  I interviewed one of the organizers of this event and AVP of Communications and Marketing at Harrisburg University, Steven Infanti (@HUSocialSummit), about BarCamp Harrisburg and the differences between this and the Social Media Summit.  I’m looking forward to both events, with Bar Camp Harrisburg being an interesting twist on the traditional “conference”.   According to the official press release, “The free event–now in its third year at HU–is known as an “unconference” because it is filled with open, participatory events, discussions, and workshops where presentation content is provided by the participants rather than chosen speakers. The annual event draws nearly 200 web developers, cloud computing experts, educators, e-learning experts, application developers and software engineers.”  I find this notion of an ad-hoc conference refreshing in this era because it is important to cover what the audience wants to cover as opposed to a set schedule of speakers.

To begin the interview about BarCamp Harrisburg, I first asked Mr. Infanti why he agreed to do an interview with a blogger like me.  His response was simple, the world has changed (be it good, bad, or indifferent) with the internet.  We now have a connection to peers with the touch of a fingertip.  Blogs are important and can bring about change, be it social or political.  Blogs are new communication mechanisms that have a great importance in our society both now and in the future.  As Mr. Infanti is also a coordinator for the Social Media Summit, there was some overlapping dialogue about both, but here I want to stick to discussing BarCamp.  Harrisburg University uses an outstanding, state-of-the-art facility to acquire top-notch talent for their conferences.  They should be proud of the reputation the University has in the region.  That being said, I will be writing a follow-up piece in April about this interview closer to the Social Media Summit.

BarCamp Harrisburg uses an un-traditional approach to a conference.  Where traditional conferences have panels at set times with set speakers, BarCamp has little structure.  It is specifically designed to allow the participants to come and go as necessary.  It is also free to attend and provides a catered breakfast and lunch.  Steven feels that with the present state of the economy, a free conference like this is paramount to our culture and that new knowledge brings new innovation.  It also opens discussions on subjects that a majority of people are unaware of.

To continue discussion about BarCamp Harrisburg, Steven tried to give me an idea of how it would run.  He stressed the free-wheeling exchange and style of the event with emphasis on great knowledge and great networking abilities.  The presenters that are attending have experience in a wide variety of issues giving them the opportunity to branch out on a myriad of subjects.  There were three specific things that he did mention would be covered; important subjects that should be covered in this day and age:  cyber security, e-learning and mobile apps and their development.  Steven also stressed that the nature of a BarCamp is to allow input from the attendees on what they want to discuss.  Personally, in a setting of this nature, I think a discussion of social media for business would be in order.  I feel I could contribute a vast amount to this discussion but would also love to get feedback from other attendees.

BarCamp Harrisburg is a great, fresh concept and stands to be a great event.  I truly encourage all of my readers to consider going to this event.  At the time of this writing, there were still 35 free tickets remaining.  I also encourage any of my readers that may not be able to attend to Tweet (@SolutionsforAdv) or comment here on WordPress questions that I can bring up at the conference and report back to you.  I would certainly appreciate the interactivity between now and then.

For free tickets:  http://barcamphbg4.eventbrite.com/

For more information:  http://www.barcamphbg.org/

Twitter:  @Barcamphbg, @HUSocialSummit

Paul M. Miller

pmiller@solutionsforadvertising.com

Twitter: @SolutionsforAdv

LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-miller/3b/b5/495

Logan’s Run and Walk for Autism

I have had the great fortune to work with the Autism Society –Greater Harrisburg Area Chapter (“the Chapter”) for the past couple of years and I must say that it truly means a lot to me to be involved with this great organization. I began my involvement with them because my son has autism and supporting the Chapter felt like something that I needed to do. With my growing number of followers, I decided blogging about their most important event of the year, Logan’s Run and Walk for Autism, just made sense. I had the opportunity to interview the director of this event and former President of the Chapter’s Board of Directors, Georgia Rackley about the importance of Logan’s Run and Walk to the Autism Society –Greater Harrisburg Area Chapter. Logan’s Run and Walk will take place April 14, at 9 AM on City Island in Harrisburg. It is important to note that this event is the backbone of the Chapter’s yearly funding. In fact, almost half of their operating budget comes directly from monies raised at this event.

The first question I asked was: How would you rate the success of the 2011 walk? According to Georgia, the 2011 Walk was a success, with both total money and total attendance being up from last year (2010). It is difficult to determine exactly how successful it was, but increases in these two major categories represent a success at any event. She went on to say, “The real growth that the Chapter noted was from the grass-roots movements. Many independent teams fielded showed an increase in participation and donations. Social media can play a major role in this continued expansion.” As this blog does focus around my views on social media, I would like to comment on this statement. One of the great things about social media is its ability to allow people to band together in grass-roots style movements. Even something like making an event page on Facebook allows you an outlet to discuss causes you support with your friends and family. I would hope that this trend continues for Logan’s Run and Walk as social media is one major advantage available to non-profits that simply wasn’t available just a few short years ago. The non-profits that use this to their advantage are the ones who will see major positive changes in the coming years.

The next question I asked was: What is the most difficult challenge to the coordination of this event? Georgia noted several challenges coordinating this event, including:

- Finding sponsors on a yearly basis

• While some sponsors support the walk from year to year, it is always a challenge to find new sponsors to replace previous sponsors that do not participate on a yearly basis.
• The Autism Society – Greater Harrisburg Area Chapter has always been proud of its ability to maintain strong relationships with donors and sponsors.

- Many of the participants/volunteers have children with ASD

• The inherent nature of ASD leads participants and volunteers to have last-minute issues/emergencies that cannot be foreseen.

I’m sure there are other challenges associated with the event, but these were specifically the ones that Georgia spoke of. I have helped coordinate events in the past and it is always the things that you don’t foresee becoming your biggest issue.

I wanted to follow-up questions about the walk with some general questions about what functions the Chapter serves. Georgia noted that by national mandate, the Autism Society does not provide “services”. They do provide support for families and individuals affected by autism. The Autism Society –Greater Harrisburg Area Chapter provides an outlet for families with questions to reach out and have someone to talk to. The Society offers family friendly events that offer an opportunity for families impacted by autism to network with one another. To me, this seems to be one of the most important things. Not one family asks to be impacted by autism, and it takes a network of people to offer support and guidance. Often, families of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) don’t know where to turn. The Chapter offers an outlet to any family impacted by autism. They also offer groups for adults and teens with autism. These groups directly help individuals with ASD a chance to socialize with their peers, something not always offered by other programs. Some of the trips for the adult group from previous years include: Gettysburg Battlefields, Knoebels, dinner at local restaurants and movie nights. Inherently, ASD impacts an individual’s ability to not only communicate effectively, but also being able to make friends with peers. The teen and adult groups sponsored by the Chapter directly help both of these areas.

Being that April is Autism Awareness Month, I wanted to close the interview with some other interesting facts. Georgia was quick to point out that while Autism Awareness Month is extremely important, the Chapter wants their focus to be on a daily and weekly awareness, not just one month out of the year. Georgia did note that Autism Awareness month is positive and should be viewed as such because the amount of individuals that have increased awareness is greater during April than any other month.

I wish Logan’s Run and Walk for Autism another great year in 2012. Please refer to http://www.autismharrisburg.com for more information about the walk itself as well as information about the programs and meetings that the Autism Society – Greater Harrisburg Area Chapter offers. I also encourage any questions about the event or the Chapter in the comments section of this blog. I will be more than happy to answer questions or put you in touch with someone who can. And finally, please help this great event by walking, running, volunteering, or even creating your own team. Individuals with ASD count on our continued support and we must make it a point to be there for them!

Special thanks to Georgia Rackley for her help with this interview. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to do this!

Paul M. Miller

pmiller@solutionsforadvertising.com

@SolutionsforAdv

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-miller/3b/b5/495

QR Codes – Part 2

After an introduction to QR codes last week and a discussion about how they are currently used, I want to use this week’s entry to discuss some of the reasons QR has not been regarded as successful.  As we discussed last week, few smartphone users even know how to scan QR.  According to a recent article written by Sean X Cummings, he conducted a survey of 300 people about QR codes (http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/30267.asp).  Here were the results he came up with:

– 11 percent correctly answered QR code or quick response code

– 29 percent responded with “Some bar code thingy”

– Seven percent guessed some variant of “Those things you stare at that get 3D when you cross your eyes. What picture is it? I can’t seem to get it”

–  The remaining 53 percent tried everything from a secret military code, Korean (uh really?), to an aerial street map of San Francisco

This is astonishing to me.  In a society that prides itself on being so technologically advanced, how are we so unaware of technology that has been around for a few years now?  My answer would have to be because these days, everyone just wants to throw a QR code on everything they touch.  This in turn leads to companies simply sending people to their websites.  As we discussed in part one of this blog, this leads to zero relative advantage over not using it at all.

One of the questions I posed to Adam Myszewski  (http://www.linkedin.com/pub/adam-myszewski/2/220/194), National Sales Manager at Houck Transit Advertising (http://www.houckads.com) was:  What could companies do to make their QR code stand out?  Adam was adament about companies putting more thought into the content provided by QR.  He says, “Instead of simply slapping it on every ad they run, have an enticing and engaging call to action with it. Have it link to a specific page for a promotion, or a special website. In reality, a QR code in an ad is visually unappealing, but most companies don’t bother to incorporate them in an interesting way. The best QR codes, and the only ones that I will take the time to scan, are stand alone QR codes where I have no idea the company that they are for. These guerrilla ads at least have some mystique and promise of something interesting. “

So it clearly appears that QR is not worth doing unless you are going to take the time to do it properly.  The unfortunate thing in this whole argument is not everyone will put the appropriate amount of time into their QR.  What they don’t realize it that they are simply dooming the technology to fail.  QR should only be done if there is a special offer for those that scan the barcode or some sort of special content only available to scanners.

Let’s move away from general QR conversation and turn our focus to the transportation advertising point of view.  One thing we must take into consideration is buses, taxi, and train ads are constantly in motion, making scanning a QR code difficult.  Logistically, this would seem to make the QR code unusable in transportation based ads.    I, however, would tend to somewhat disagree.  As a sales associate, I usually have some input into what exactly my clients do on their ad.  I will admit that we have a wide range of clients in a technological sense.  For some of my clients, I certainly would not suggest the use of QR for many reasons.  A handful of my clients are beginners at harnessing new technology for the betterment of their company.  They don’t seem to embrace social media and really don’t have much of a website to speak of.  While it certainly is not my job to discuss this with them, I wouldn’t even suggest the use of QR for them.  Solutions for Advertising does have clients that are more technologically advanced, to the point where they are on par with our online presence.  There is certainly a possibility that if they were to think of a creative way to use QR, we would advise that they use it on their ads.

I do think that QR does have a place in marketing in the coming years.  As I mentioned in part 1, the diffusion of smartphones has not reached critical mass yet.  Maybe QR codes are ahead of their time and if marketing execs can figure out a way to make the use of them more user-friendly, they may have a place in marketing for years to come.  With the emerging technology our country possesses, I think that QR could lead to a new way of thinking about our surroundings.  Imagine walking down the street and seeing an ad on the side of a bus with a QR.  The ad interests you and you quickly scan the code.  This leads to a much more interactive experience with our surroundings.  When posed a question about this subject, Adam Myszewski didn’t share my thoughts about this:  “Unless the companies that are constantly using QR codes in their ads start to rethink their use and make them interesting for the consumer, then QR codes will be gone in a few years. I can’t imagine that I am alone in my avoidance of scanning QR codes, and you still have a very large portion of the population that doesn’t even know what a QR code is. The time for QR codes seems to be fading fast.”  I will agree with Adam in that it is clear that companies are not using QR to its’ potential.  I do think that with heightened awareness, some marketers will see that they are ruining a great asset in advertising.  I’m hoping that in the coming months and years that these people will embrace what QR has to offer and begin making strides to take more time with this technology.

At the end of the day, QR codes may not ever be something that will be embraced by our tech savvy nation.  Presently, those in charge of marketing are to blame, by not putting enough time into researching the proper way of using this new technology.  I do see a relative advantage here and hope that people on both sides begin to use QR in a more effective way.

Special thanks to Adam Myszewski for his help on this blog.  Without his insight, this blog would not have been possible.

Paul M. Miller

pmiller@solutionsforadvertising.com

@SolutionsforAdv

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-miller/3b/b5/495

QR Codes – Part 1

Do QR Codes have a place in transportation advertising?

My main reasoning for covering QR codes in this entry is many of our clients recently have discussed whether adding a QR to their ads would be effective.  With Solutions for Advertising(http://www.solutionsforadvertising.com), we offer transportation-based ads (bus, taxi, and train) and these ads are usually in motion when people see them.  I have read numberous articles that discuss the positives of QR codes in print ads, to the point where some say there is new hope for print because of QR.  I wanted to do some research to see if it would even be feasible for QR in transportation-based ads.  I feel that QR codes certainly fall into the realm of social media, and should be embraced as such.

For those who don’t know what QR codes are (and I’m sure there are a lot of you) here is a great description of what they are, who invented them, and why they may have a place in society (http://qrcodeguide.org/14/qr-codes-%e2%80%93-history-and-technical-background/).  Basically, they are like bar codes that can be scanned by smartphones.  When scanned, they can do many different things to promote your service or product.  I can almost guarantee that everyone has at least seen them, but I don’t know how many people actually scan them.

When beginning my research, one thing that I immediately realized is that many smartphone users don’t even know how to scan QR codes.  I have tried to scan them before and have had little success.  QR codes should be much more simple to access.  As someone who has a lot of experience with the diffusion of innovations theory (a theory in communications that can help determine whether technologies will succeed or fail), the QR code does not seem that it has much of an opportunity to succeed in our landscape.  The most important thing about new technologies revolves around people in society that influence others.  Many of the people higher up on the technological food chain have already passed on QR because of two reasons:  it is difficult to use, and more importantly, companies have not realized how to use QR to its’ potential.

In doing my research, I was able to speak with Adam Myszewski  (http://www.linkedin.com/pub/adam-myszewski/2/220/194), National Sales Manager at Houck Transit Advertising (http://www.houckads.com) about this subject.  I will be referencing our interview throughout this blog and next week’s blog.  One of the first questions I asked Adam was:  Why are people not using their QR code resources effectively?  Adam responded by saying:  “It seems like a majority of companies and their marketing departments aren’t very imaginative about using QR codes. They tend to think that using a QR code to send people straight to their website’s main page is embracing the technology, when in fact, it’s killing the reputation of QR codes.”   In my experiences, I would absolutely agree with Adam.  Because marketing departments fail to be thoughtful in their QR design, it almost is killing the medium entirely.  When people scan QR and are sent to the company website, what advantage does that serve?  People could just as easily go to the website on their phone, probably faster than by scanning.  Basically, Adam and I both agree that a new way of looking at QR from a creation standpoint is a necessity if QR is to have a future in this technological landscape.

I have to a link to a website that quickly describes diffusion of innovations and the s-curve (http://www.stanford.edu/class/symbsys205/Diffusion%20of%20Innovations.htm).  This is a very basic introduction to diffusion.  I think this is important in the discussion of QR because this is a great indicator of potential success or failure.  One thing that should be noted is while seemingly every day you hear more and more people with smartphones, only about 50% of cellphone users have smartphones.  The diffusion of smartphones hasn’t even reach its’ critical mass yet.  So if QR codes can just hang around, maybe they can have a place in advertising over the next decade.

This blog will continue next week and discuss more of my interview with Adam.  I would like to discuss my final findings about QR codes in transportation advertising, as well as discussing some ways to improve the present landscape of QR.

Paul M. Miller

pmiller@solutionsforadvertising.com

@SolutionsforAdv

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-miller/3b/b5/495