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Social TV Event; At the Intersection of TV and Social Media

October 14, 2011 By 1 Comment
Social TV Event | The Bella Buzz

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We are pleased to have Eric Holtzclaw and Kevin O’Connor from User Insight as our guests on this episode of The Bella Buzz podcast. After many years of service conducting high quality user research for big name clients, they decided that it was time to put their experience to use on a topic that is quickly evolving right in our living rooms.  They invested their own resources to research how people interact with their televisions and related content.

The outcomes from that research will be presented on October 20th, 2011 at  The Social TV Event. Attendees, either streaming or in person, will have access to some of the innovators in this truly exciting space.

Many listeners to the podcast can relate to the fact that people are now participating in some form of social media interaction simultaneous to watching television. User Insight uses a broad definition of social media to include everything from text messaging to accessing major social networks. Participants were also taken off the couch and into the lab to preview some of the latest technologies that will be rolling out. Brands are interested in finding out how these social interactions take place and glean knowledge from User Insight in order to figure out how they fit in.

Content producers are also challenged with competing in the “four screen” environment.  The Social TV Event will provide some real world advice on how to develop compelling content that can capture attention, including insight from Dean McBeth who was the digital strategist behind the hugely successful Old Spice campaign. He is one of the many guest speakers attendees will hear from.

Desiree points out that the Oprah Winfrey’s Lifeclass App is breaking new ground in how the television and application world are merging.

A research outcome for User Insight has been the development of Personas.  These personas provide a cluster of users based upon behaviors and patterns of buying decisions, technology usage and even lifestyle choices.  Brands can use these definitions to determine best communication approaches.

Kevin and Eric have also initiated a unique approach to distributing information before, during and even after the event by incorporating Twitter MC’s, including Desiree. She and Krystelle Lorraine will be providing a direct perspective on the conversation via the #SocialTVEvent hashtag.

For more information about the event, visit the blog at SocialTVEvent.com.

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Theme music for The Bella Buzz is Fallen by Digital Chemistry, available for download at the Podsafe Music Network.

You can subscribe to The Bella Buzz directly from iTunes by following this link, and we would be happy to receive listener feedback and ratings at The iTunes Store.

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Going Mobile; The Coke Mobility Summit

July 5, 2011 By 1 Comment
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On this week’s episode of The Bella Buzz podcast we discuss a recent event sponsored by Coca-Cola, where they focused on the evolution of mobile services. Desiree was an invited guest of Catherine Tabor of Sparkquest, who has developed a great location based app for retailers and merchants. Presenters included companies such as Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Aisle411, Groupon and Scvngr to name just a few.

We also voice some opinion on the recently announced social network from Google called Google+, the schizophrenia of multiple Google profiles, and the pluses and minuses of working from home.

Coke Mobility Summit

Last week, Coca-Cola’s customers including Chick-Fil-A, Subway, Chipotle and many other restaurants and venues were present at a discussion about the future of mobile technology.  A cast of superstars from the internet marketing and development industry were there to present their services and opinions on how Coke’s clients can succeed in this changing environment.  The group presented some very interesting statistics that confirm the shifting importance of mobile devices.

An interesting topic to keep an eye on is the growth of mobile phone payment systems.

Near Field Communications allows the phone to exchange data with a reader. In the context of this presentation it represents a payment process where the phone account replaces the use of currency.  In other contexts, NFC can be used for ID Cards, keycards, QR Code readers and many other functions to come.  Desiree saw a Coke machine that dispensed its product after a simple swipe of an iPhone.

Another player in the space is a company called Square. Founded by Jack Dorsey of Twitter fame, the Square service turns an iPhone into a credit card machine.  Merchants can attach the device to their iPhone, swipe the customer’s credit card and process the payment. Square is even able to eliminate some of the cumbersome processing fees and inter-connected services required to accept credit cards currently. Desiree’s company is already using this mobile application with her customers.

Google+

Will you or someone you know change to a new social network? Even if it rolled out by Google?

This week, we heard from Google that the super stealth project that they claim is not their “Facebook Killer” is now available on an Invite Only basis.  Google+ brings you the ability to connect with your social graph through Circles, connect with them via video on Hangouts and pull all of your interests together across the web through Sparks.

Since we have been exuberant in the past about Google product releases including Wave and Buzz and Latitude, we have to temper our views upon seeing the latest “social” platform.  To identify a truly transformative rollout from Google, you might have to go all the way back to GMail.  However, after having a little more time to dig into Google+, there might be some interesting aspects to keep an eye on.

In particular, the use of video conferencing technology in Hangouts looks amazing.  This allows groups to get together to share in a gathering, and to connect in a real face to face way. Something that has been a missing element distinguishing online and offline socializing.

It is in an Invite Only state, so submit your name via this link. (UPDATE: Before publishing this post, apparently there is “insane demand” for invites!)

Google Profiles

One side effect of using Google as a personal profile on the web that I have a particular problem with, is the distinction between a personal profile and a Google Apps profile.  Many years ago, Google was touting a service for businesses that allowed for sharing of documents on the web, provided a replacement for the Microsoft Office Suite on the desktop, and even provided many free services that would make my life more efficient. I believed it was important to tie together many of the Google services I use into this account.

This also allowed me to port my own domain into the account so that my company email address and domain were integrated.

The distinction that has now been made between personal and App account, some of these services are not available. This includes the increasingly more prominent Google Profiles, which controls the ability to set up Google+ and maintain the Circles of contacts within the social network.  Others, including Peter Shankman are adding their own voices to this issue.

Working from Home

We finish up the conversation with the disclaimer that “there’s no place like home”. We are both fortunate to have working environments that allow us to be successful and efficient from offices within our homes, and realize that there is no need to have any office overhead.

It takes some diligence and persistence to balance the work and family aspects of this, but with today’s technology it is easily accomplished!

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The Bella Buzz is sponsored by Constant Contact. Connect, Inform, Grow.  Constant Contact’s leading email marketing, online survey and event marketing tools help all types of small businesses.

Theme music for The Bella Buzz is Fallen by Digital Chemistry, available for download at the Podsafe Music Network.

You can subscribe to The Bella Buzz directly from iTunes by following this link, and we would be happy to receive listener feedback and ratings at The iTunes Store.

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Interview with Al Meyers, Founder of TEDxPeachtree

November 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment
TEDx Peachtree Logo | The Bella Buzz

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We are very excited to bring you this Bella Buzz podcast conversation with Al Meyers.  Al is a very inspiring entrepreneur with great insights into the changing face of technology, education and social change.  It was our great fortune that Desiree connected with Al at the event that he initiated in Atlanta called TEDxPeachtree.

We begin the conversation by discussing how Al’s experience at the TED Conference in 2008, would eventually lead to the events that he developed for Atlanta in 2009 and 2010.   The founders of the global TED conference had a vision to promote their brand through local events and the distribution of mobile apps. This vision has allowed numerous people to dialog and connect globally about revolutionary ideas.  In their words “Ideas worth Spreading.”

Al’s vision for Atlanta reflects the belief that we spoke about on our previous episode, in which we believe that the city has a great opportunity to embrace new forms of communication and to develop a foundation of forward thinkers.   He built his own Tribe of volunteers to help bootstrap TEDx.

Visit the list of presenters who addressed the group at this year’s event and follow the information at the TEDxPeachtree.com blog to find out when the videos from the event will be made available on line.  If you would like to view the presentations from the 2009 conference, the videos are available on You Tube at TEDxPeachtree.

Al’s other passion and great gift to the city is The Atlanta Music Project.  Based upon the moving El Sistema children’s music education program founded in Venezuela by Jose Antonio Abreau, it has provided hope and identity to the city’s children.

Abreau was awarded the Ted Stage Prize in 2009 which comes with one wish.  It is the responsibility of TED attendees to do what they can to make that wish come true .. prepare yourself to be moved by watching the video below:

Al responded to the wish and in conjunction with TED and the New England Conservatory of Music, a fund was created to send talented musicians to learn the El Sistema program.  As events unfolded it became apparent that Atlanta was going to get one of the Abreau fellows and with that Dante Rameau became the Director to launch the program in Atlanta.

Keep up with all of the tremendous work that Al is doing at the following web sites:

TEDxPeachtree

Atlanta Music Project

ReiventED Solutions

We cannot express enough how grateful we are to Al for joining us on the Bella Buzz podcast!

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Theme music for The Bella Buzz is Fallen by Digital Chemistry, available for download at the Podsafe Music Network.

You can subscribe to The Bella Buzz directly from ITunes by following this link, and we would be happy to receive listener feedback and ratings at The ITunes Store.

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Social Media Atlanta Week; An Interview with Yepser’s Matt Gardner

November 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Yepser Logo | The Bella Buzz.com

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To celebrate Social Media Atlanta Week 2010, running from November 8th through November 12th, we invited Matt Gardner from Yepser.com to speak with us today. Matt is the owner of Yepser Internet Strategies and is co-hosting a panel Tuesday the 9th with Desiree called Social Media for Entrepreneurs.  They will also be doing a panel about LinkedIn.

Yepser was founded to provide companies the opportunity to grow their existing business affordably through the use of the Internet. The founders have owned and operated their own businesses and have worked with over 150 independent business owners in 36 states over the last seven years.

The staff at Yepser produces social content from copywriters, graphic designers and programmers to help their clients achieve success in the social spaces. Systems and strategies have been set up internally to help clients distribute this content into social channels.

Thanks to Matt for spending some time with us to discuss his services and we look forward to his contributions at the Social Media Atlanta conference next week.

We have always felt that Atlanta had a opportunity to establish itself as a center of social media, on the east coast especially, and this conference and the diversity of talent on the panels and special guests really highlights where the region has succeeded.

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Theme music for The Bella Buzz is Fallen by Digital Chemistry, available for download at the Podsafe Music Network.

You can subscribe to The Bella Buzz directly from ITunes by following this link, and we would be happy to receive listener feedback and ratings at The ITunes Store.

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Enhancing Social Media Connections via Live Networking Events

September 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Download Social Media Networking

People-networking-event This week on the Bella Buzz podcast we talk about networking in the offline world where strong relationships can be solidified even more with a face to face connection.  Although the subject is usually about the great new tools that are available to use, it still comes down to getting out there and networking, shaking hands, up-close and in-person in order to make that connection even stronger.

The New Media Atlanta Social Media Conference coming up on September 25, 2009 will give people the opportunity to do just that. This event will bring together some of the brightest minds in social media from Atlanta including Desiree, Brent Leary, Toby Bloomberg and others supplemented by some great national speakers leading the conversation.

We can't forget that not only are there great gatherings of like minded individuals around the social media and online marketing spaces, it's the events sponsored by organizations like Rotary Clubs, Chambers of Commerce, The Small Business Administration which can provide great insight into how to grow your business. Meeting someone in these traditional settings sets up a great online relationship keeping the conversation going. This leads to a more involved connection that will continue to develop until the next time you meet.

There are things like business mixers that are put on and sponsored by local businesses that might be advantageous to attend.  For example, John Damiano, an Atlanta realtor friend of Desiree hosts a quarterly business mixer that can attract over 200 people at times.

Networking via these local events does not preclude us from having long distance relationships with clients, both Desiree and I serve clients who are not local.  What we have found is that the longer we work with a client on a professional level the more we look forward to that actual day when we are able to meet face to face in an airport or a travel schedule allows, which really helps move the partnership along to an even greater place.

The bottom line is, business still needs a personal touch … you have to step away from the keyboard and get out there every once in awhile.

For those event promoters and sponsors, get in touch with social media evangelists and practitioners to leverage the networks for getting your message out there.

Theme music for The Bella Buzz is Fallen by Digital Chemistry, available for download at the Podsafe Music Network.

You can subscribe to The Bella Buzz directly from ITunes by following this link, and we would be happy to receive listener feedback and ratings at The ITunes Store.

Filed Under: Events, Social Media