Someone is going to Awesome Camp to talk on entrepreneurship and they are starting a new business and it’s music related. They decide to go down to the Creative Track and see you talking about your new cd, what you put into it, what you went through to make it. They hear your passion, they hear your excitement and they introduce themselves and that starts a whole new partnership–a whole new business and it works out great for both of you. It’s THAT kind of possibility that excites me and motivates me to get the word out about Awesome Camp!
It could be anything, you come with a great idea for a new creative publication but maybe you don’t have the expertise or the technical skills to really get it going- you are more the creative blast behind it. This would be a great place to network and to bring in the missing components you need to launch your artistic endeavor. Not everybody is a jack of all trades, a lot of times successful business ventures take many people with many different talents. Maybe you’re not concerned about the business aspect of it, maybe its all for the love of art for you and you just want to put your art out there- you want to change lives with it. Well you never know who’s going to be there, looking at your work, hearing you talk with enthusiasm about your creative process. You don’t know what doors are going to open for you, unless go.
Perhaps you are in the market to make a short film and you’re looking for extras or animators or someone to write you an original music score–these are the types of people you could meet at Awesome Camp! It could be you have all those people and you’re looking for an investor for your project… Like I said, you’d be surprised who is out there and interested in investing in these types of start-ups. Unless you go out and pitch your concept, share your knowledge and let people see your passion, you may never hook up with these type of people.
So you don’t want to speak, you don’t have any new ideas, you’re feeling dry and barren- your creative landscape is a uniform shade of grey and your last entrepreneurial idea just fell flat. You could go to Awesome Camp for inspiration! There’s going to be a ton of people there full of passion and verve. They will be full of fire that can light your fire- it will take nothing away from their flame to light yours. You can’t imagine what great ideas will spark or who will need YOU. It’s possible there is a project out there where YOU are the missing piece and unless you go to Awesome Camp, you may never know.
Maybe you’re new to social media and communications–you’ve been working independently and are not really up to speed on this latest form of branding/marketing. Maybe you don’t know how to spread the word or get involved in this modern form of advertising. You’ll want to go watch the Communications Track for awhile and see how people are using social media to enhance their business, improve their lives and have fun.
It’s not all serious, it’s not all taking names and handing out cards, it’s going to be light, it’s going to be exciting, there’s going to be humour, there’s going to be surprises–but you won’t know until you go. Ultimately I can’t make you go to Awesome Camp. You’re going to go if you believe you’ll find value in it. All I can do is try to share what you might see there, who you might find there. If you go to listen, to speak, out of sheer curiosity, whatever is your choice- you will help add to it and make it awesome! The decision is yours. I hope you come!

Our first try at Social Media Club December was snowed out by the blizzard of ‘09, a week later, we made it, and the crowd was sweet. Captain Deb opened with a summary of the upcoming Awesome Camp. (I will be writing more about this soon!) Then Jay Wilkinson took the stage with, “How technology and social media are transforming the way we do business.”

Jay started off with a little background of how much technology and access to information has grown in just his lifetime. Contrasting himself, his son and his parents, he showed how quickly one can adapt to new ways of doing things. He then talked about how this is going to translate to businesses. Companies must not think to much about the past, rather focus on the future. If they don’t, they will end up chasing the market, instead of owning it. He gave some great examples of how to immerse your business into future tech with some specific topics:
E-Community
You used to have your roladex, your calendar, passed out some business cards- now it’s iphone, facebook, linkedin, twitter! It’s called your network- not netplay. Treat it that way! Get your employees involved in growing your companies social network in a positive way. Don’t be scared and stick your head in the sand- be proactive and teach them to be responsible with co-creating your brand.

Social Media
Jay touched on some common rules when using social media- participate, don’t just blather on- especially don’t blather about things you don’t know about. Be relevant, don’t complain. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you and be proactive with protecting and promoting your image.

Blog
Blogging is not for everyone! Jay said the best bloggers are those who have the natural talent and inclination for it. Bloggers must keep their blog updated (at least weekly) and he recommended that companies blog as a team.

Twitter
Most people use twitter as a headline for a different posting (like a blog post). Some people go beyond that and use it for conversations and to publish useful information. Businesses that stay active and engaged with their customers through social media will have a real edge over their competition and be able to grow faster.

Crowdsourcing
I always think this is such an interesting topic! Crowdsourcing is taking the power of a ‘crowd’ and leveraging it for business use. Basically companies get us to either work for them or provide them with great information, for free! There are some benefits to consumers- usually products that reflect our likes and interests. Many great business are using crowdsourcing such as google, Innocentive, Captcha, Ideastorm and Threadless.

SMS/MMS
SMS stands for short message service and MMS is multi-media message service. This is a HUGE area for advertising growth. Many companies are sending coupons to phones and consumers are responding! Everything is going digital and business will use sms to tap into a very receptive market.

Virtual Worlds
Many of us think of virtual reality as being way off in the future, but Jay thinks most of us would be surprised how prevalent this technology is and where it’s going. It’s used for trainings, meetings, job searches, fun and to sell products and services. It intersects with real life by having some real world situations (hello lawsuits and divorces!) play out in the courts. Children are being exposed and accustomed to it at young ages. Jay thinks this tech will be very accepted and widespread in the future.

Jay closed with a reminder not to use technology just for technology’s sake. Use it with purpose! If your business can embrace and use tech effectively, you will be able to stay ahead of the game!

Another great night with the Social Media Club of Lincoln.
We started with great mingling, with several people getting snacks or dinner. I, myself, had the grilled cheese sandwich that was very tasty. After a bit of networking time, we went through a few announcements- two that I wanted to share again are:
Stephanie (http://twitter.com/5t3ph) representing UNL Ad Club is looking to get some other people together to make a Social Media Club dodge ball team for a charity event. She promised that a tough yet catchy name (I like Social Media Club Smashers) will be adopted and lots of fun will be had by all. Please contact her if you’re interested in dodging balls for a good cause.
Also, Justin (@revoltpuppy) spoke of Ignite Lincoln (http://ignitelincoln.org) the beginning of a set of inspiring talks from Lincoln’s greatest minds, possibly taking place in April. See the website or contact him for more details.

After the announcements it was time for Ali Schwanke, Promoting yourself Online and In Real Time.

Ali was a dynamic speaker that really involved our audience and got them thinking. My summary won’t do justice to her outstanding presentation, but I’d like to list some of her great points:

Self promotion: sell yourself, get ahead in your career and stand out. If you have a passion for what you’re promoting, it will seem natural- like when you were trying to talk your parents into letting you do something. If your canned or forced in your delivery- it will show. Think about all the organizations you’re a member of, plus your family, friends, clients, social media contacts- Your perception of yourself should equal what others think of you. To create a good brand they need to match, you need to get feedback from these valuable resources.

What’s worthless: not delivering on your promises, you think you rock- but no one else does, no one is listening to you. You need to build a report with people first. Think about your favorite brand- doesn’t it deliver on it’s promise? Same thing for you as a person. Are you trustworthy? creative? You have to keep that up all the time, to deliver on your brand promise.

Self promotion, getting started: Who are you? What are your strengths? What are your goals? What’s your niche? Do you have an ‘elevator speech’ (what do you do, what keeps you busy?) Ali then had us sit with someone new and give our elevator speech. I did a horrible job, but that’s okay. I need to brush up and start with what I’m most passionate with and make it more cohesive. More practice will help. There was a suggestion to kind of tighten your pitch towards what your audience wants to here as opposed to what you want to tell them. And think how do you set yourself apart?

Branding yourself online: facebook, twitter, linkedIn, YouTube- Ali recommends using your real name, or first and middle and she recommends they all match and are serious. (read: not my personal email, which has to do with perky chipmunks.)

Brand yourself offline: try to dress appropriately to create a good first impression. Language- are you using too much industry jargon? Can you be helpful to everyone? Communication skills are very important, public speaking and the ability to put your thoughts together on your feet. Get these skills and your brand message will carry through.

Offline promotion: Do networking! Have a reason to be there! Learn to be a mingler with confidence- practice - and a firm handshake. People enjoy talking about themselves- ask them what they do. Partner with a friend to cross-promote each other. Get involved in organizations, don’t just become a member. Be a resource!

Online promotion: be a community builder- introduce people to other people they may like or have a use for. Use your manners, don’t be offended if people don’t add you as friends, don’t flame people. Use what you talk about online to take it real life. Continue the conversation. Keep your photo and portfolio current on all online venues. Contribute to blogs/online mags, etc.

She closed with the universal rules:

• follow up
• treat them like real people, not targets
• boomerang principle- what you do comes back to you
• time factor- it takes time to build relationships

Social Media Club really enjoyed having Ali speak and we are looking forward to next months meeting where Jay Wilkenson will be our guest.

Some surprise visitors to SMC Lincoln