Summary of April's New Media Breakfast

This morning fatBuzz MD, Gordon White, along with the rest of the fatBuzz team held April’s New Media Breakfast in 29 Glasgow.

The topic of our breakfast this morning was using Social Media to facilitate good Customer Service. It would be fair to say that those who attended this morning were hanging on every nugget of goodness we shared with them.

We touched on what Customer Service was like prior to the advent of Social Media, through to how the two used in tandem, and really work wonders for your business and brand.

We explained why we thought more and more consumers were taking to the world of Social Media when wanting to interact with companies. We also suggested how these businesses should respond to such contact from consumers.

To illustrate the points we’re making, Gordon made use of case studies, one of which was from this week, which you may have seen on the BBC News website. The case study was on how Virgin Media had sent a bill to a customer who had recently become deceased.

Gordon then went onto explain how he thought Virgin media should have dealt with the situation, and pointed out the areas in which the company went wrong.

The fatBuzz team also touched upon the importance of getting members of staff involved in using Social Media platforms.

Examples of poorly handled Customer Service situations via Social Media were countered by rays of light from the likes of La Lanterna and Zappos.

If you’re involved in business and wish you’d been able to attend this morning’s breakfast, but weren’t able to, fear not. We’ll be repeating this breakfast in Lanarkshire on Thursday 16 May.

This event is still open for people to sign up to attend. Rest assured, this is a breakfast that could really open your eyes to the endless possibilities and opportunities that can enhance the Customer Service at YOUR business.

For more information, just visit the New Media Breakfast website. Moreover, if you’d like to find out more about fatBuzz, what the company does, and what it could do for YOU, click here.

In addition, you can keep up-to-date with what we’re doing via Facebook and Twitter.

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Content Explored...Not so much sharing, more of an Entrepreneurial Exchange!

The 3rd in our series of "Content Explored" blogs

At recent presentations and speaking engagements, I've been talking a lot about the power of sharing and how much you get back by simply giving away information and sharing knowledge. As author of "New Rules of Marking and PR", David Meerman Scott said in a video he very kindly did for me, "The more you give, the more you get". This advice is also shared by other luminaries like CC Champan (Content Rules), Mitch Joel, (Six Pixels of Separation) and Chris Brogan (Trust Agents).

I certainly concur with their beliefs. Through the New Media Breakfast and our Social Media Podcast, fatBuzz share information and knowledge that leads to engagement, enquiries, referrals, and ultimately more work. The New Media Breakfast, the Social Media Podcast, our blog, and some other speaking engagements are the only real form of marketing we do at fatBuzz - all of them involve sharing knowledge. It is true, the more you give, the more you get.

However, after speaking at an Entrepreneurial Exchange Supper Club event this week it occurred to me that what we get back is much more than referrals and new business. The format of these events is a short presentation by the speaker (in this case me) followed by a round table discussion over dinner about the speaker's topic (in this case Social Media Defined and Proving ROI). Therefore, I get to engage with 15 entrepreneurs about social media; I learn their views, fears, experiences, concerns, expectations, perceptions and much more.

How valuable is that for me? These Entrepreneurial Exchange members are experienced and successful business owners, their opinions matter to me because they are relevant and probably representative of many other businesses. By listening to them, I have a much clearer understanding about what people want to know and what they want to achieve through social media marketing. So, I reckon I finished the evening learning as much, if not more, than they did, so in this case I got something back immediately. 

One of the first things I tell people about content creation is to look at your FAQs; what do people generally ask you? This is a great starting point; create content that answers the questions people normally ask you. By listening to the 15 Entrepreneurial Exchange members I have a clearer idea about the issues and concerns they have about adopting social media, I can now create content that addresses these points and I'm sure it will be relevant to many more than the 15 business owners in attendance.

So, the next time you're asked to speak to your local business networking group, careers meeting, industry conference or, graduate's boot-camp don't think of it as a chore, think of it as an opportunity. The questions they ask you are relevant to that community, they will help you understand what it is they need to know about you and what type of content is likely to engage them.

To the Entrepreneurial Exchange members who were present at the Supper Club meeting, thank you for open and frank discussion, I learned lots, and I hope you did too.

Our recent fatBuzz Social Media Day for Charities

NOTES:

• If you would like to find out more about social media marketing please think about coming along to our Monthly New Media Breakfasts - Details of the next one are here
• You can learn more about Entrepreneurial Exchange membership here
• CC Chapman has just published his new book entitled "Amazing things will Happen", if it's anything like the first book it will be well worth a read.  More details here 

If you would like to discuss your content strategy please give us a call or drop an email to hello@fatbuzz.com, we will be delighted to have a chat.

If you've found this post interesting please use the share buttons below to tell your online community about it, there's a good chance they'll find it interesting too.

 

Winners and Losers...the September New Media Breakfast

SOCIAL MEDIA WINNERS AND LOSERS

DATE: Friday 28th September
VENUE: 29 Member's Club, Royal exchange Square, Glasgow

It's our birthday!
The September breakfast is the 3rd Anniversary of The New Media Breakfast; yes, it’s been three years since we started or monthly knowledge sharing events. We are pleased these have now become part of the regular calendar at No.29. We also thank No.29 for all of their support during the past three years; they really make it easy to host an event of this nature.

We also take this opportunity to thank everyone who has attended the breakfast since we started, we hope you enjoy coming along as much as we enjoy hosting them. We appreciate your support and hope you will continue to come along to the events.

The September New Media Breakfast will explore social media winners and losers. This is a topic we’ve had requested in the past so we’re pleased to be able to bring it to you now.

The Winners
ROI is a question we’ve been asked about numerous times, hopefully this breakfast will help you identify the possible returns you can expect by exploring some social media winners. We will look at examples where brands have used social media tools to become social and how they succeeded in their objectives.

The Losers
It would be wrong to simply focus on the winners, there are many social media losers out there and we can learn as much from them as we can from the winners. We will look at some of the social media marketing failures and investigate what went wrong; we hope this will help identify what not to do.

We need your help...
We are looking for assistance from you; do you have a social media success story or, do you know about a success that you would like us to highlight? Equally, please let us know if you know of any failures that we could perhaps review and share with your New Media Breakfast colleagues.

We hope you can make it along to this important breakfast to help us celebrate three successful years of New Media Breakfast and perhaps learn from other winners and losers.

FREE Social Media Training Day
We would also like to draw your attention to a very important event we are hosting in No.29 on the 31st October – a FREE Social Media Training Day for charities. This event is strictly on a first come first served basis so, if you know any charities that may benefit form the day please share the information about the day with them. You can find out the full detaisl and programme for the Charity Training Day here.

HOW TO BOOK
Venue: 29 Member's Club, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow
Date: Friday 28th September 2012
Time: 7.30am for 8am
Cost: £10 +VAT

BOOK FOR NEW MEDIA BREAKFAST GLASGOW HERE:

No.29 MEMBERS GO FREE 

If you are a 29 Member you can attend the breakfast free of charge. Please email malcolm@fatbuzz.com with you membership number and he will add you to the attendance list.

We hope you can make it along to this event. If so, I look forward to seeing you on the day.

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August New Media Breakfast: Pixel Power - Are you making the most of images?

PIXEL POWER - Are you making the most of images?
Friday 31st August 2012

In times of status updates, tweets and blog posts, images are often overlooked in online communication; an increasing afterthought placed into content without any real thought or strategy.

However, images can be extremely influential in attracting attention to your content and engaging your community. In fact, images can also be very effective content in their own right.

This New Media Breakfast will explore how to make the best use of images and how to incorporate the use of imagery into your content strategy, as well as analysing prime examples where images are already being used effectively.

• We will look at some of the popular photo sharing platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest and Friends Reunited, and suggest ways that these platforms can be used effectively for business communication and community building.
• As we already know, the use of images is a major part of Facebook and Twitter, therefore we will look at how to make the most of your images on these major platforms.
• They say a picture paints a thousand words, and that may well be the case, however search engines unfortunately can’t see images. We will demonstrate how search engines interpret images and we’ll show you how to improve your overall SEO by applying images in the proper manner.

Of course, the use of images is not restricted to social media; we also use images in web sites, html email, and PDF documents. Therefore, this New Media Breakfast will explore one pertinent question...

Are you making the most of images?

YOUR QUESTIONS

The New Media Breakfast is all about sharing knowledge and helping to keep each other informed about the latest developments in new media, we would encourage you to submit any tips or tricks that you may have that you would like to share at the Breakfast. Or, you may have heard a tip for using images but you’re unsure about its effectiveness or credibility – please feel free to submit it to us beforehand and we can share the answers at the breakfast. Please send your tips or questions to @GordonWhite

THE SPEAKER
The Facebook Timeline breakfast will be presented by Gordon White, Managing Director, fatBuzz Ltd.

HOW TO BOOK
Venue: 29 Member's Club, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow
Date: Friday 31stth August 2012
Time: 7.30am for 8am
Cost: £10 +VAT

No.29 MEMBERS GO FREE 
If you are a 29 Member you can attend the breakfast free of charge. Please email malcolm@fatbuzz.com with you membership number and he will add you to the attendance list.

We hope you can make it along to this event. If so, I look forward to seeing you on the day.

BOOK FOR NEW MEDIA BREAKFAST GLASGOW HERE:

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Social Media Podcast 47 - Google+ has 250 million active users and Elvis IS alive and Tweeting!

Taking part in Social Media Podcast Episode 47 we have Gordon White,  Kyle Murdoch, Kirsty Hunter, Iain Murray however, this episode could well be renamed the Google Podcast because Iain was the only one who had done his homework.  Nevertheless, we do manage to get the odd non Google topic squeezed in!

As usual, the banter is good and the conversation moves along with good humour and, we hope, some interesting information from the world of social media and emerging technology.

We're fast approaching Episode 50; have you any ideas what we should do or, do you want to take part?  Let us know - email gordon@fatBuzz.com or kyle@fatbuzz.com.

Elvis gets a mention and, we chat briefly about Morton Fraser's fascinating podcast about what happens to your online stuff when you die.  We also pose some new questions for our friendly legal experts about using edited Tweets as testimonials in your marketing material - we will be interested to hear their opinion this!

There's really a lot in this one including:

• Google+ - Reposturing has begun and, 250 million active users?
• Introducing Nexus7 - Great if you like your tablet half baked!
• Google Play - Playing at being iTunes?
• NexusQ - Ideal for Androids
• Google Now - Big Brother's not watch you, he's directing you! 
• Microsoft Surface - Has it surfaced to soon?
• Waze - A great way to get people to your chip shop?
• Twitter - No longer feeding  to Linked-In - great news!
• Take some time to reduce the size of your community
• Mon.ki - A Google Chrome add on that enables relevant Twitter messages to appear on your search pages now out of Beta
• Google Analytics goes mobile
• Facebook Emails - Big bad Facebook have a glitch
• Elvis is alive and Tweeting!
• Morton Fraser's podcast - Do you have a digital sock drawer?  What happens to your stuff when you die
• New Media Breakfast - Who won the big Social Media v SEO The Face Off?
• Edited Tweets being used in Marketing material - one for our friends at Morton Fraser
• What length are your Tweets?

We hope you enjoy the podcast, if you have any comments to make or topics you would like us to discuss please leave them here on the blog or on our Facebook Page.

Play the podcast here:

Subscribe/Download Social Media Podcast on iTunes

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Maximising the Potential of LinkedIn for You and Your Business

Founded in 2002 and launched in May 2003, LinkedIn has grown to become the business social network of choice across the globe. Latest figures released in April 2012 reveal that there are over 9 million users in the UK and 161 million around the world in over 200 countries. 2 new members sign up every 2 seconds.

Whilst LinkedIn is a very useful tool for business professionals, it is also playing an increasingly more important role for businesses. More than 2 million organisations have a Company Page and members share insights in more than 1 million LinkedIn Groups.

At this breakfast, you will find out how to maximise the effectiveness of how you use LinkedIn to enhance both your company's brand and gain the most benefit personally.

• The Power of search
• LinkedIn etiquette - personally & professionally
• Building relationships & trust with your connections
• Interacting with Groups
• The latest Apps to enhance your Profile
• Using keywords in your Profile to enhance SEO
• The power of Recommendations
• Setting up Company Pages to complement your Social Media Strategy
• Setting up a Group & encouraging participation
• Managing & functionality of a Group

YOUR QUESTIONS
Belinda will be happy to address any specific questions that you have about LinkedIn at the breakfast and there will obviously also be the opportunity to ask more on the day. Please email your questions to hello@thenetworkingcoach.biz and we will endeavour to cover as many as possible at the breakfast.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Belinda is the Founder of WeDO Scotland, one of Scotland's most exclusive networking organisations for entrepreneurs and The Networking Coach which provides coaching in on and offline networking and LinkedIn. She has over 17 years experience in training and coaching in soft skills, sales and management and sold her first training company 12 years ago.

She is an avid networker and user of LinkedIn as can be seen by her number of connections which exceed 1300, despite not adding the numerous unknown 'friend' requests she receives on a daily basis! Belinda is launching a new company this Autumn which will be the provider of global online soft skills training solutions underpinned by a state-of-the-art digital library and learning platform technology including social networking, assessment and remediation.

You can view Belinda's public LinkedIn profile here.

HOW TO BOOK
Venue: 29 Member's Club, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow
Date: Friday 27th July 2012
Time: 7.30am for 8am
Cost: £10 +VAT

No.29 MEMBERS GO FREE 
If you are a 29 Member you can attend the breakfast free of charge. Please email malcolm@fatbuzz.com with you membership number and he will add you to the attendance list.

We hope you can make it along to this event. If so, I look forward to seeing you on the day.

BOOK FOR NEW MEDIA BREAKFAST GLASGOW HERE:

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Social Media or Search Engine Optimisation - THE FACE OFF

Social Media or Search Engine Optimisation - THE FACE OFF
29th June 2012
29 Members Club, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow

We are often asked where businesses should spend their online marketing budget – Social Media or Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)? The answer is of course, both. Social Media and SEO are both essential for online success therefore you shouldn’t discard one in favour of the other; in fact, social media and SEO increasingly work hand-in-hand with each other.

So rather than battling it out for your budgets, regular New Media Breakfast speakers Gordon White (in the social media corner) and Tim Barlow (in the SEO corner) will take it in turns to share their (or your) very best online marketing tips in an attempt to win your vote. He who gets the most votes wins. He who wins?...well that's still to be decided.

We’re not sure how many tips we’ll get through but, don’t worry, we’ll prepare lots for you and you’ll leave the breakfast with lots of things to consider for optimising your Social and your Search.

YOUR QUESTIONS

The New Media Breakfast is all about sharing knowledge and helping to keep each other informed about the latest developments in new media, we would encourage you to submit any tips or tricks that you may have that you would like to share at the Breakfast. Or, you may have heard a tip for Social or SEO but you’re unsure about its effectiveness or credibility – please feel free to submit it to us beforehand and we can share the answers at the breakfast. Please send your tips or questions to @GordonWhite or @TimBarlow

HOW TO BOOK
Venue: 29 Member's Club, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow
Date: Friday 29th June 2012
Time: 7.30am for 8am
Cost: £10 +VAT

No.29 MEMBERS GO FREE 
If you are a 29 Member you can attend the breakfast free of charge. Please email malcolm@fatbuzz.com with you membership number and he will add you to the attendance list.

We hope you can make it along to this event. If so, I look forward to seeing you on the day.

BOOK FOR NEW MEDIA BREAKFAST GLASGOW HERE:

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Social Media Podcast Edition 45 - Everything's Changing - Is the Google halo slipping as Friends Reunited is reinvented?

We've got a great podcast for you this time around, lots of subjects covered and the usual lighthearted banter among the team.  Taking part in Social Media podcast Episode 45 we have Gordon White,  Kyle Murdoch, Kirsty Hunter, Iain Murray and a special guest, Fraser Bedwell from Poppy Scotland.

Fraser joins in the general chat with the team and talks about the challenges and opportunities offered by social media for the charity sector.

In addition to the input from Fraser and the fatBuzz team, we managed to have a chat with Chris van der Kuyl, Chief Executive, Friends Reunited before we recorded the podcast and  we talked about the 'reinvention' of Friends Reunited and got some insight from Chris about the future plans for the platform.

We start this podcast where we left off on Social Media Podcast 44 with the question from Tim Barlow, Managing director, Attacat Ltd about monetising blogs, thanks to Tim for the question and for his input on the topic.

Here are some of the other topics we discuss in the podcast:

• GCHQ's plans to monitor all emails and internet traffic - is it a step too far?
• When sharing content is NOT social media
• Employers demanding social media login details from employees 
• Is Google's halo slipping? - The recent blog post from ex Google employee James Whittaker on the change of culture and focus within Google
• Where are they now?  RIM, Nokia and Yahoo
• Friends Reunited - the revamped platform explored and what did Chris van der Kuyl have to say about its future?
• Kirsty's Friends Reunited "Love Story"
• Nostalgia Marketing on Friends Reunited - is this something that is attractive to Poppy Scotland? 
• And Me Share App - the ultimate share button!
• Magnum Ice Cream - there incredible journey through 17 web sites while collecting chocolate Bon Bons!
• The new fatBuzz 'InfoGraphic' Facebook Page
• Google Glass concept - is this a step too far?  Link to Google Glass video  Link to Google Glass spoof video
• Is social media making us anti-social?
• My1Login - a Glasgow based start-up featured on the BBC web site
• Lady Gaga's new social network site
• The Masters Golf App
• Facebook Timeline Pages to be discussed at the next New Media Breakfast

We hope you enjoy the podcast, if you have any comments to make or topics you would like us to discuss please leave them here on the blog or on our Facebook Page.

Play the podcast here:

Subscribe/Download Social Media Podcast on iTunes

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April New Media Breakfast - The new Facebook Timeline Pages explored

MAKING THE MOST OF FACEBOOK TIMELINE PAGES
27th April 2012
29 Members Club, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow

Facebook Timeline for pages has arrived and as from the 30th March all Facebook Pages will be transferred to the new timeline layout.  The changes are radical and will mean every page user has to adapt to the new layout and, the new functionality.  In some cases, this will mean a fundamental change in the way people operate their pages and for some it may mean they are not able to do some of the things they have done with their page in the past.

The new timeline layout is very different and the new functionality offers many new opportunities for businesses and brands to engage with their communities.  The New Media Breakfast will highlight the changes to the pages and explore the ways that you can take advantage of the new timeline layout and the new functionality.

fatBuzz has been busy over the past month changing the layouts for around 100 pages that we manage for clients; we will use some of these to demonstrate what you can do to engage and reach out to your community.  We will show you live examples of what others are doing on their pages and provide some ideas to help you promote your page and grow your community.

We will look at the following:

• Branding
• Tabs and iFrame Pages
• Using the timeline
• New functionality
• Liking, Commenting, Sharing and Tagging
• Photos and Video
• Syndicating content to your page
• Insights
• Advertising
• SEO

The presentation will also take a look at Facebook Insights and show you how you can use the information available from Facebook to track the effectiveness of your activity and your individual posts.

FACEBOOK AND SEO
We will take a fresh look at the impact and potential impact of Facebook on SEO. These are not specifically as a result of the new Timeline layout but we will take the opportunity to update you about the changes and how to maximise the SEO value of your Facebook activity.

YOUR QUESTIONS
We are also keen to answer any questions you may have about the new Facebook Pages or, Facebook in general so, please feel free to send us any questions in advance to gordon@fatbuzz.com or post them as a comment on the blog or on the New Media Breakfast Facebook page.

THE SPEAKERS
The Facebook Timeline breakfast will be presented by Gordon White, Managing Director, fatBuzz Ltd and Tim Barlow, Managing Director of Attacat.

HOW TO BOOK
Venue: 29 Member's Club, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow
Date: Friday 27th April 2012
Time: 7.30am for 8am
Cost: £10 +VAT

No.29 Members Go Free – If you are a 29 Member you can attend the breakfast free of charge. Please email malcolm@fatbuzz.com with you membership number and he will add you to the attendance list.

We hope you can make it along to this event. If so, I look forward to seeing you on the day.

BOOK FOR NEW MEDIA BREAKFAST GLASGOW HERE:

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Why do you Tweet?

It occurred to me today that social media is a bit like football. The teams we support are the media we favour using and we can get quite ‘tribal’ about that (how often have you expressed disbelief that someone isn’t using the same channel as you?) And just like football, we can all behave like fantasy-league managers when it comes to discussing ‘team tactics’ ie how you should use your media of choice.

Take Twitter for instance. fatBuzz’s Gordon White and I both tweet but, as I found out during a natter following a recent New Media Breakfast, the ‘birth’ of our 140 character ramblings is very different.

Gordon’s belief is that your tweets should be entirely ad hoc and done at a time when you’re free to respond should anyone pick up on them. For example, when he tweets about an upcoming fatBuzz event and someone replies, “Looking forward to it,” he tweets a comment back there and then. For Gordon, Twitter is primarily about interaction.

For me, Twitter is more about keeping on people’s radars, with the odd bit of interaction leading from that, and using it as a channel to give people clues to who you are and what you have to offer ie your personal brand. So I approach my tweets differently (what can I say…doing things ‘my way’ is a theme of my brand!)

I’m a big fan of schedulers – in my case Hootsuite and Buffer – as they allow me to take part in the Twittersphere despite my mare of a diary meaning I’m seldom free to tweet when I need/want to. So I sit for half an hour on a Sunday and set up a mix of messages for the coming week – some sharing information from others, some sharing my own knowledge eg blogs and some giving a ‘shout out’ to other Tweeters I’m due to meet or who have retweeted me recently. Schedulers also allow me to consider the wording of my messages so they give people the right impression of my personal brand through my language and links – well, I’ve got to walk the talk, haven’t I?

I then add to those with other (infrequent) messages on the hoof, when I have time to reply, to get a bit more of that ‘in the moment’ banter Gordon rates (which I agree, is a real bonus of Twitter). A case in point was a question I posed the evening I was off to a football match, asking what people recommended I do to stay warm (I started the ball rolling with a suggestion that I just eat pies). I got a few replies - most of them sensible, though one wit told me having a fondue was the way to go - and I tweeted back, strengthening my online relationships with those people.

Unlike football though, there’s no offside rule to give guidance on the state of play; no-one decrees how you should use Twitter. It’s more important to have a clear idea what you want it to achieve and how you’ll go about doing that…and then do it your way.

So how do you use it?


About Me

I have presented at the Glasgow and Edinburgh New Media Breakfasts on the subject of personal branding. It's a pleasure to be guest blogging on the fatBuzz Blog, hopefully I can bring you some useful information in the future. Meantime, you can read more from me on my own Spark Branding blog here.

Alternatively you can contact me via Linked-In or Twitter at the links below or via Fiona MacDonald fiona@fatbuzz.com

Follow me on Twitter
View my Linked-In profile

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March New Media Breakfast, Glasgow - TOP GEAR - A guide to making good technology buying decisions today.

TOP GEAR - A guide to making good technology buying decisions today.

New Media Breakfast presentation by Iain Murray of Principle Consulting

Wikipedia’s entry on Moore’s law describes “a long-term trend in the history of computing hardware whereby the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years. The period often quoted as “18 months” is due to David House, an Intel executive, who predicted that period for a doubling in chip performance (being a combination of the effect of more transistors and them being faster).

The capabilities of many digital electronic devices are strongly linked to Moore’s law: processing speed, memory capacity, sensors and even the number and size of pixels in digital cameras. All of these are improving at (roughly) exponential rates as well (see Other formulations and similar laws). This exponential improvement has dramatically enhanced the impact of digital electronics in nearly every segment of the world economy. Moore’s law describes a driving force of technological and social change in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.”

What this means to the rest of us is that it is almost impossible to keep up with the latest technology and the things that it can do. The danger is that we make a bad procurement decision and end up with Betamax (beaten by VHS) or HD DVD (beaten by Blu-ray), and we have wasted our money.

Coupled with this is the significant trend towards web based software, cloud computing and Apps. These too can be baffling and the cause for consternation about what to buy, and when will it become obsolete.

Iain Murray has been delivering a version of this presentation since 2005, when there was no iphone and no Apps and he has been updating it regularly ever since. The ethos of the presentation remains the same, show how today’s ‘available’ technology can make an impact on your personal productivity, your business and your staff.

This year fatBuzz and Iain have teamed up with CommsWorld to bring the presentation to life. Commsworld are a leading voice and data solutions provider and mobile and fixed communications technology. Iain will merge the presentation on what technology and applications to consider with some live hands on demonstrations of everything from mobile phones to tablets. He will look at the do’s and don’ts of data management, looking at cloud computing applications as well as mobile data costs.

Iain will also look at the plethora of mobile applications out there today, picking and demonstrating some of the best Apps for business and personal productivity. He has been an avid user or Social Media and will also cover the applications and technology needed to make the best use of Social Media on the move.

Iain’s talks have proved very popular and this year’s new and enhanced presentation promises to be the most dynamic and informative yet. If you want to know how to maximise the technology and the applications available today then this is a talk not to be missed. Places will go fast for this so please book early.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Iain Murray is the founder of Principle Consulting a Management Consultancy business specialising in Property & Facilities Management as well as all other aspects of business advice from business development to long term strategy. Iain has a career in business spanning over 25 years and has held the Facilities Management industry’s top position as Chair of the British Institute of Facilities Management. He is currently the Deputy Chair of Global FM, the global Association of Associations representing over 50,000 FM’s worldwide.

Iain was an early adopter of Social Media and a pioneer in business on the use of integrated and cloud technology. He has won awards for integrating several technologies to improve the efficiency of service while making significant operational savings.

Our connection with Iain came about when he attended the first New Media Breakfast, opened his laptop and appointed himself as the official ‘tweeter’ for the event. He has now attended and spoken several times at the NMB and is a permanent member of the Social Media Podcast team, recording a podcast a couple of times a month.

Iain is continuing his crusade to introduce Social Media to business and his tweets are reaching a global audience and following. Iain regularly write and presents on the benefits and merits of Social Media for business with a style that is both engaging and witty.

Sponsored by

HOW TO BOOK

Venue: 29 Member’s Club, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow

Date: Friday 30th March 2012

Time: 7.30am for 8am

We hope you can make it along to this event. If so, I look forward to seeing you on the day.

BOOK FOR NEW MEDIA BREAKFAST GLASGOW HERE:

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A classical lesson about the importance of a relevant community...

I saw a picture on Facebook today that was shared by Lynn Harris, a friend in real life as well as on Facebook; the picture was accompanied by a story that I found intriguing and fascinating for a number of reasons.

The picture is a screen grab from a video of what appears to be a busker playing the violin at the entrance to L'Enfant Plaza Station in Washington. The comment on the Facebook photo goes on to explain that the violinist was in fact one of the greatest living violinist, Joshua Bell who was playing six classical pieces - among them was a piece by Bach which is widely considered among the most demanding violin works to play. During the 43 minute performance, nobody really stopped to listen for any length of time and he collected just $32 - usually you will pay in excess of $100 per seat to see him perform.

On reading this I was compelled to explore the story further so I went to YouTube where there are several versions of the video with almost 5,000,000 views, I also found a link to the story in the Washington Post - they were behind the experiment. It is worth reading some of the many subsequent comments gathered from commuters that day.

There are several reasons I find this story so interesting and I think, in the context of social media, there are many things we can learn from it:

The importance of building a relevant community
Just before the experiment in January 2007, Joshua had performed for a hushed audience at a sell-out concert in Boston yet in the DC Metro entrance 1100 people walked straight past him on their way to work. People did not know him or, that he was performing an extremely complex piece on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars! Within the classical music community, he is adored and appreciated but in a busy station playing in front of a wide variety of people, he was anonymous.

The audience in the station that morning were intent on getting to where they had to go by a certain time whilst, the audience in Boston were there because they were fans of classical music or Joshua Bell, or both.  The potential station audience was unlimited and it was free for anybody to enjoy but, the concert audience was only available to $100+ ticket holders.

This indicates to me you can have the best and most interesting content in the World and make it available on the most public platforms but, if it's not getting in front of the right people you may as well not bother.

It's not a new story

This is the first time I have seen this story but, the experiment was actually carried out at 7:51 on 12th January 2007 - over 5 years ago. For me, this highlights the legacy benefits of creating good online content. Some of you may have seen this piece before but I noticed it today because someone in my online community shared it on Facebook. The person who shared this particular thread did so on the 16th February this year and it's had 161,231 likes and 144,565 shares in the past 9 days! Therefore, an old story is getting lots of attention because people who find it interesting now have shared it.

At fatBuzz, we are constantly amazed when we see the number of downloads every month of past episodes of our Social Media Podcast - this month we have had over a dozen downloads of a podcast that was recorded 18 months ago!

So, the next time you're creating content, don't just assume you're creating something for people to consume and share that day, week or month; instead, think about your new content as an addition to your online assets. Content will be found and shared by people when they find it interesting and relevant, not just when you find it interesting and relevant.

Was it the right time?
This experiment took place on a weekday during rush hour; I wonder how many more people might have found time to listen a bit longer if it had taken place at a different time?

Not wishing to contradict my earlier comments about legacy but think about when you release new content to get the maximum initial impact, if your community is busy during working hours, think about releasing your content early evening or maybe even over the weekend when they have more time to consume it. Experiment with the release times and monitor the reach you achieve at different times on different days.

Getting the ear of your target audience
Many of the 1100 commuters didn't hear Joshua because they were listening to their own choice of content through their headphones; I wonder if any were actually listening to a Joshua Bell recording as they walked passed him!

Choosing the right platform, or a range of platforms, is important; what's the point of producing everything on video if your community wants to listen to a podcast while they're in the gym. Alternatively, should your content be limited to Twitter messages with links to articles if your community wants to have something to read during a flight? You can't possibly please everybody but repurposing your blog post as a podcast or, producing a blog post about your latest video will help to ensure you get your content out to more people in the fashion they want to receive it.

Extending your community
The Washington Post article offers remarkable feedback from commuters who had earlier walked straight past Joshua but, I wonder what the impact was after they found out who he was? How many went and searched for him online? How many bought one of his recordings? How many shared the story with their friends?

This experiment may, or may not, have unearthed some new classical music enthusiasts or, some new Joshua Bell fans; these may be people that had never considered classical music in the past but, the "experiment" was the catalyst for their new found interest. Is there a promotion, campaign, or event that may help you extend your community?

A final thought...
Imagine, you gather all 1100 commuters in a concert hall and tell them a bit about Joshua and the piece he is about to perform, how many will become converts, fans or ambassadors? How many will be listening to him through their headphones the next time they walk through L'Enfant Plaza Station on their way to work?

If you have found this post interesting please share it with your online community using either the Twitter, Facebook and Share buttons below. Thank You.

Social Media Podcast 43 now available - Augmented Reality Apps can't change the colour of Iain's phone

Taking part in Social Media podcast Episode 43 we have Gordon White,  Kyle Murdoch, Kirsty Hunter, and Iain Murray.

This one was recorded last thing on a Friday and that weekend feeling was already setting in while we were taking a look at recent events, news and updates in the world of social media.  This light hearted exploration of all things social takes in a number of interesting topics and throws up the usual variety of opinions.



On Social Media Podcast No.43 we discuss the following:

• The Steve Jobs doll - We start by clearing up a question from the last podcast - can you patent a person? 
• Lead Generation - Kirsty finds some survey results from Hubspot about which social media platforms businesses find most effective for lead generation.  Link to article 
• Social Media Profiles - Recent cases where employers have been taken to tribunal for using information gained on social media platforms when considering candidates for jobs.
• Freedom of Speech - Does the law interfere too much in what's said on social media platforms?
• Facebook IPO - Are we about to see a new much more commercial model from Facebook and, is Sponsored Stories already going too far?
• Scottish Independence - Does Facebook's love affair with Ireland indicate the way forward for Scotland?
• Shazam - A great new way to link off-line and on-line activity
• Augmented Reality - We explore lots of great examples of practical, (and some not so practical uses of augmented reality.
• Pop-Up Books - Could these be a threat to traditional publishing in the future.  Link to Pop-Up Book video feature on Digital Buzz
• Business Cards of the future - Great idea for business cards with video content!  Link to YouTube Video
• Nissan's new augmented reality App - Choose the colour and spec of your car via Nissan's new App.  Link to YouTube video about Nissan's App
• Audi's augmented reality App - Another car manufacturer using the latest technology to preview its cars.  Link to Audi's App video on YouTube.
• ARMES using augmented reality in the architectural industry - Could this spell the end for model makers?  Link to ARMES Video on YouTube
• IKEA's iPhone App - Choose your furniture and see what it looks like in your home before you buy.  Link to IKEA video on YouTube
• Phoenix Car - Phoenix Car take a new approach to content.  Link to Phoenix "I want to go green" blog post
• Kindle - Bring technology to every generation.
• IonRoad - A really pointless App (unless it knows how to work the foot pedals!!!)
• GPSTuner - An almost pointless App!!!
• TweetDeck - It wasn't broken so why try and fix it?
• Symantec got hacked - PC Anywhere ended up everywhere!!!
• Apple iPad3 - Liesten to what we would like to see it do
• Phone Colours - Should men be allowed to have white phones?
• Windows 8 Tablet - What will it include and, will it spell a revival for Nokia?
• Groupon, is the bubble is burst? - Groupon don't deliver on what they said they would... again!
• Great Service deserves a mention - Well done Moo and Kimtag

We hope you enjoy the podcast, if you have any comments to make or topics you would like us to discuss please leave them here on the blog or on our Facebook Page.

Play the podcast here:

Subscribe/Download Social Media Podcast on iTunes

If you have found this post interesting please share it with your online community using either the Twitter, Facebook and Share buttons below. Thank You.

February New MediaBreakfast, Glasgow - Personal Branding and Your Online Persona

PERSONAL BRANDING AND YOUR ONLINE PERSONA
Friday 24th February

Your personal brand is important, it is what people judge you on and, what forms the first impression of you. Because of social media, people often form that first impression before they even meet you.

Ask yourself this: will you check out Jennifer Holloway before you commit to attending this breakfast? Many of you will, and in doing so, you will form an impression; that's what people are doing before they meet you!


Projecting the right personal brand is important but, it throws up lots of questions:

• What tone should I adopt?
• Should I have a different persona online?
• Should I be formal or informal?
• What pictures should I use?
• How much information should I disclose about private life
• How much do I disclose about my business life?

Jennifer Holloway has kindly agreed to follow up her extremely popular presentation from last year with a look at these issues. She will deploy her her own very special brand of humour and knowledge in what promises to be a useful insight into personal branding.

Those of you who saw Jennifer last year will testify that her presentation style is engaging and light-hearted but, extremely informative. This is certain going to be a busy breakfast so be sure to book your place early.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE A 1:2:1 MEETING WITH JENNIFER?

Jennifer works with key personnel in many organisations to ensure their online branding is giving out the right messages. Last year we arranged one-to-one meetings for Jennifer with anyone who wanted to chat about how she could work with them, if you would like to arrange a meeting with her on 24th February please email fiona@fatbuzz.com who will be happy to arrange a suitable time.

NOTE: Last year we had many requests for meetings so please book early and, if for any reason you're not going to make your appointment please let us know as soon as possible so that we can accommodate others.

ABOUT JENNIFER HOLLOWAY

With a career including 15 years in media relations and PR, Jennifer Holloway knows a thing or two about promoting a personal brand – she did it every time she picked up the phone to a journalist. The result? She stood out from the ‘press office crowd’ and got her stories on the front page. Today, she is a personal brand expert, helping executives to define their personal brand before teaching them how to promote that in everything they say and do. Known as ‘The Antidote to Yes-Men’ her honest, challenging and practical style has helped leaders discover how, by being themselves, they can be even more successful.

Take a look at Jennifer's Blog

Jennifer Holloway on Linked-In

Venue: 29 Member's Club, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow
Date: Friday 24th February 2012
Time: 7.30am for 8am

No.29 Members Go Free – If you are a 29 Member you can attend the breakfast free of charge. Please email malcolm@fatbuzz.com with you membership number and he will add you to the attendance list.

We hope you can make it along to this event. If so, I look forward to seeing you on the day.

BOOK FOR NEW MEDIA BREAKFAST GLASGOW HERE:

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Social Media Podcast 42 is now available - Gordon explains why things are not so Black and White and much more!!

Taking part in Social Media podcast Episode 42 we have Gordon White,  Kyle Murdoch, Kirsty Hunter, and Iain Murray.

All back and refreshed after the festive season break, we resume the usual banter and chat about social media, gadgets and relevant (and sometimes not so relevant) news items.  As normal, we have the odd disagreement and a few laughs as we talk through an interesting and varied list of topics and, for the first time, we announce the winner of our fatBuzz Social Media Podcast Green Award!

On Social Media Podcast No.42 we discuss the following:

• The Steve Jobs doll - Can you patent a person? 
• Linked-In - The user who claimed constructive dismissal because of content posted on his profile and his online CV.  For more information on this you can read the blog post by Innes Clark, Partner with Morton Fraser 
• Personal profiles - do you have a different persona on-line?
• Posting content - why do people share so much information on-line?
• Rupert Murdoch - he joins Twitter and immediately picks a fight with Google
• Steve Jobs book - what Kyle didn't have to say about it!
• MyPermissions.org - a new platform for managing your on-line permissions
• FitBit and Endomondo - Iain's useless fitness apps
• Augmented Reality - where is it at and is the cost of entry a barrier to greater uptake?
• QR Codes - Heineken's great campaign and other good ideas
• The new fatBuzz Social Media Podcast Awards - who wins our first award?  The Green Award
• Mark Zuckerberg - Gordon gets an email from the Facebook founder
• Top level domain names - the new top level domains - are they a license to print money?
• Wikipedia - the first internet strike
• fatBuzz.TV - a new resource from fatBuzz
• NetFlix - the UK launch
• Zappos - the recent data breach and the strange decision to shut down telephone lines and block the blog outside the US
• Facebook Insights - the new Facebook Insights has been released with lots of useful information for brands
• Recommended Blogs - do you have any blogs you would recommend to other listeners?
• Targeted Social Media Marketing - we discuss the benefits of building a relevant community

We hope you enjoy the podcast, if you have any comments to make or topics you would like us to discuss please leave them here on the blog or on our Facebook Page.

Play the podcast here:

Subscribe/Download Social Media Podcast on iTunes

If you have found this post interesting please share it with your online community using either the Twitter, Facebook and Share buttons below. Thank You.