Revealed: Twitter's top 29 under 29 as voted (and valued) by you

We decided to have a little fun last week and ask the Twitterverse who they thought were the best young 'tweeters' out there.

The response was great - more than 120 nominations were tabled and the voting call to action post was shared on Twitter 220 times.

It illustrated a few things, including:

• We like to recognise the people that make Twitter a fun channel to be involved with
• Recognition as a currency carries a high value, whether giving or receiving
• Giving / sharing matters...and is valued (there that 'v' word again)
• Personality and being a real human is big too (we already knew this, but nice confirmation)
• The people who stand out do so for specific reason / they are 'doing' something

Anyway, enough of the feel-good analysis, let's highlight these young guns.

Twitter's top 29 under 29 - October 2010

The final 29, listed below in no particular order, were decided upon through a combination of:

- Number of nominations

- Why they had been nominated

- Specific acts of 'goodness' performed

@bridgetforney

Nominations: 5
Why: "While I completely enjoy reading her often witty and entertaining commentary on Twitter, she is a triple threat when it comes to Journalism, PR and social media. Bridget was named New Professional of the Year by PRSA and is definitely a local (and regional) thought leader when it comes to PR and social media. While she is well-known in the community for her innovative client work in PR, she's also contributed articles about social media to Baltimore magazine, the Baltimore Business Journal and many others on and offline." (from Michael)

@clark_jill

Nominations: 8
Why: "(Jill) is a force to be reckoned with where social media is concerned. One of the most engaging people in the Twitterverse, Jill copes with multiple accounts, Facebook, & her own very brilliant website, all with grace, elegance, sophistication & flair." (from Dani)

@imjustmike

Nominations: 6

Why: "WTF is my social media strategy was amazing, more than that - he response to twitter surveys and has more nous than any other, not just under 29, makes a lot of sense with a young head on his shoulders." (from Dan V)

@MaxTB
Nominations: 3
Why: 'Max is fun, knows his stuff, doesn't take it too seriously and is a nice fella in real life' (from @HarrietCrosse)

@beckyjohns
Nominations: 2
Why: "(Becky) is a smart, talented communications and PR professional who also happens to be an unbelievable photographer. Oh, and did I mention she has her own blog featuring key influencers and other insightful commentary about the digital space? She's definitely one of those people you want to keep an eye on." (from Erica Finchley)

@LewisShields

Nominations: 6

Why: "Because [a] he ain’t no twit [b] he makes me laugh [c] he makes me think [d] he shares cool stuff and finally [e] he listens (he suggested that last bit! :))" (from Sophy)

@scottgould

Nominations: 6

Why: 'Uses Twitter (and social media in general) to gain results and bring real benefits to people and businesses and the driving force behind #LikeMinds' (from Robert Pickstone)

The #SoCol 3
One of this year's best social media events was put together with the help and drive of these three people who are all aged under 29...awesome!

@Beth_Carroll
Nominations: 6
Why: "Great work on SoCol, awesome integration of PR with social media, an important young voice in the industry, and a lovely person. :)" (from @EmilyCagle)

@BarryFurby
Nominations: 5
Why: 'Barry has been behind a number of great online-to-offline initiatives, developing engaged communities as a result' (from Steve Ward)

@FelixHemsley
Nominations: 3
Why: 'A driving force behind #SoCol and a nice person to boot' (from John Bottom)

The other 19 people that are part of your top 29 include:

@CharlieSaidThat (a young guy running his own business), @lousiedoherty (part of the Rabbit clan), @vikkichowney (a positive voice and a driving force behind Reputation Online), @beckysocial (a bank of social media knowledge), @katiecolbourne (a great sharer), @joshfeldberg (a constant source of information and banter), @atkirby (behind the highly engaged Startup Donut community), @ewilko (applying knowledge and sharing it), @cubanalaf (as thoughtful and fun as they get), @davidspinks (Twitter chat pioneer),  @thetylerpeters (a 'teacher'), @emilycagle (too many reasons to list!), @dannyblahblah (knowledge and humour), @joshgroth (a 'great mind' according to @MattSingley), @alleighmarre (the complete package), @jamespoulter (sharp as they get), @Johntmeyer a vibrant young entrepreneur), @PinotBlush (gets involved and adds value at every step), @Rachela8 (positivity and enthusiasm personified).

See the full list of nominations and reasons why they were highlighted via the original post (and also check out the other people nominate too - some more great young talents in there).

What does this list mean?

It doesn't mean or prove anything.

It doesn't officially crown these 29 individuals as Twitter's superstars to be.

It simply recognises some people who are doing good things and have struck a chord with the people they interact with.

But, that is cool enough.

What can you do with this list? 

This might have uncovered some people you weren't aware of or simply given you a better understanding as to why they have such good reputations.

If you want to follow everyone on this list and keep an eye on their progress in the future, check out the 'T29' Twitter list here.

So, that was a bit of fun!

Thanks to everyone who submitted nominations, shared the voting post and brought a number of talented people to our collective attention.

Adam

COMMScorner.com is the blog from Adam Vincenzini which focuses on social media and PR. Connect with Adam on Twitter or subscribe to his blog.

The social media tortoise and hare race gets trickier to predict in 2011

Without over-simplifying things, the explosion of social media has left businesses around the world with two options in the last couple of years:

1. Dive in to the deep end and paddle as fast as possible
2. Stay dry (to a degree) and attempt to enter via the shallow end

There are significant challenges involved with both approaches, and 2011 looks set to be the year each are magnified.

In fact, we might get some answers to one of social media's biggest questions: Is it better to be the tortoise or the hare?

'Hare' brands

For brands that have been quick out of the gate, some important advantages have already been recognised:

• Earlier adoption has increased internal buy-in, helping to make social media activity feel relatively normal / just another part of what is done from an overall communications perspective
• Brands that have made customer service a big part of their approach have quickly established a standard with their customers, winning many over
• Communities have been established, creating opportunities for direct message delivery, especially when amplifying campaign activity
• Forecasting longer-term budgets can be made with more confidence after a period of trial and error
• Customer feedback will have significantly shaped output, creating a sense of what works and what doesn't (especially by platform)

It's not all good news for the hare though with disadvantages also becoming evident:

• Starting fast has meant that many businesses have had to make significant adjustments on the bounce - for example, channel consolidation is an issue facing many brands at the moment after setting up numerous profiles and recognising that more doesn't necessarily mean better
• Big global brands are being faced with aligning domestic strategies with a more centralised global vision after many went out on their own, potentially wasting a lot of time and money in a direction that is no longer applicable - this will be a big issue for brands in 2011
• Some brands have established social media channels with a specific slant and which now means they are harder to use in different guises - for example, using Twitter as a predominantly customer service channel is great, but then attempting to use it for proactive brand activity won't be received as well by the audience who were originally engaged for the service approach that was adopted
• Inevitably, mistakes have been made which can't be erased - while it is good to experiment and try things, major public blips will be connected with selected brands for a long time to come

'Tortoise' brands

The businesses, of which there are still many, that have tentatively stepped out of the gate, have reaped some rewards - the advantages they have going in to 2011 include:

• Even the most inactive brands will have done some listening by now and will have a very specific picture of what their stakeholders want from them, making longer-term planning an easier process
• A relatively blank slate means very little expectation has been set with stakeholders. This is great for businesses who, for example, have a specific idea for what they want their Twitter presence to embody, allowing it to be shaped as desired (as opposed to inherited)
• Tortoise brands are less likely to have tainted relationships with key conversation drivers / influencers because they simply haven't conducted as much engagement, meaning fewer chances for mistakes
• Aligning domestic and global strategy 'should' be easier - less activity means that getting everyone on the same page isn't as difficult and consistency is a much more realistic goal

Sadly, it isn't all good news for the tortoise though, with just as many disadvantages lying ahead...and perhaps a lot more:

• In a competitive space it is a bit like giving Usain Bolt a head start in the 100m sprint, he is going to be very hard to catch - vying for subject passion and connection will be much harder for brands that haven't established a presence with stakeholder imagination most likely captured by the hare
• Where are the relationships? Not being involved means not growing with the people important to your business as they have been learning about this space. A good example is brands that have legitimately connected with influential bloggers already who are more likely to work them in the future due to the history in place
• Recruiting from scratch is another challenge - social media channels are already clogged up enough which makes it very hard for a new player to be pushed up the pecking order. There is probably only one way of overcoming that but money for this definitely doesn't grow on trees.
• Practical lessons haven't been learnt - there is a big difference between learning from the experiences of others and pouring over theoretical examples as opposed to getting actual live feedback from your stakeholders. Your research might say that Facebook is the right platform for your business but in actuality, it might only cater to a very specific type of participant 
• The social / traditional linear division will possibly remain in place for a longer period of time as the business gets its education. The forward thinking businesses have already accepted that integration is the only way to make social media work well but it takes an awful lot of adjusting to get to that point which means the tortoise is in some deep...

And the winner is...

Are you kidding? Can anyone on the planet really make this prediction with 100% confidence?

Only time will tell, but the issues raised above, and countless others all need to be considered very carefully by businesses based on their own specific set of circumstances.

For me, watching the tortoise versus hare battle could get quite enthralling.

What do you think?

Is it better to be the tortoise or the hare?

Do you have any specific 2011 social media predictions / trends you think will eventuate?

Adam

Note:#CommsChat which takes place on 25 October at 8pm UK time - visit http://commschat.posterous.com for more informnation.
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COMMScorner.com is the blog from Adam Vincenzini which focuses on social media and PR. Connect with Adam on Twitter or subscribe to his blog.
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Twitter's top 29 under 29 - early insights and the 'recognition economy'

Last week, on the back of PR Week's announcement of 2010's top 29 PR pros under the age of 29, I popped a short note out to my networks to see if there was any interest in staging a Twitter equivalent.

It became obvious quite quickly that there was a thirst to recognise the young guns who are making Twitter such a fun channel to be involved in.

The interested generated so far (more than 65 nominations) isn't too difficult to understand.

Mainly, Twitter is the ultimate example of the 'recognition economy' we now operate in.

A few weeks ago, James Poulter published a great post on the DNA of the recommendation economy - it is well worth a read.

The recognition economy (still a working title / thought) takes a bit of influence from that, and is exactly as it sounds - recognition is an increasingly accessible form of currency and we like to spend it and have it spent on us.

Let's be honest, no one is making millions from participating on Twitter.

But, recognising the people that make it a great place is a worthwhile exercise, a bit of fun, and will help highlight some positive role models for others wanting to get involved.

That last point is key.

Of the 65+ nominations so far, some themes are becoming evident:

• People who try new things and challenge the status quo are popular / well liked
• People who stand for something / stand by specific values and ethics are being nominated
• People who have an opinion appear to achieve better traction
• People who show respect for others but have fun while they're at it also go down well

There is no prize on offer here.

No-one is going to make a fortune if they appear on this list.

But, it is proof again, that giving people who participate the opportunity to recognise others is the best way to get a real picture of who we should be taking notice of.

If you haven't nominated anyone yet, it's not too late.

Simply visit this link and drop your nomination into the comments box by 28 October 2010.

Results will be released on 1 November 2010.

Adam
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COMMScorner.com is the blog from Adam Vincenzini which focuses on social media and PR. Connect with Adam on Twitter or subscribe to his blog.
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A simple private group bookmarking solution

I spent a bit of time yesterday trying to figure out a way that our team could collectively share bookmarks.

My main motivation was to create a central bank of items of interest arranged by client or topic e.g. online media coverage or social mentions for a specific project

The advantage being that at any one time, our team can privately access a library of links from anywhere.

There is probably another way of doing this so if you have a solution, shout!



Private group bookmarking with diigo.com

1. Head over to diigo.com and register
2. Once familiar with the site, check out the create a group option
3. Create your group (including specific URL) and mark the viewing setting to private
4. Also adjust the settings so your group is unsearchable and by invitation only (easy click options)

5. Once you've created your group, you can invite others to join it (via a simple invite form)

(By this stage, you should have everyone assigned to the group. Hurrah!)

6. You want to visit the 'tools' option in the top navigation bar next
7. It will automatically detect which browser you are using and provide you with the extension to help you clip / bookmark pages via a shortcut (example below)

8. When you click the bookmark button, you'll see the following dialogue box pop up - see the arrows where you can adjust the settings to file and keep the link within the private group
9. The tags you select are important and should mirror your internal systems


10. From this point, navigating the library is pretty straightforward, and you can view by tag or group

There are some other things you can do to customise the experience too - especially in regards to pesky email notifications - set them up as you see fit.

I think this tool / system will not only come in handy, but also help in the ongoing education of the team in using online tools, social or otherwise.

Adam
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COMMScorner.com is the blog from Adam Vincenzini which focuses on social media and PR. Connect with Adam on Twitter or subscribe to his blog.
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12 big posts from the first 12 months of COMMScorner.com

My lil' blog, COMMScorner.com, celebrates its first birthday this week. Hurrah!

So this week I'm going to take a look back at the last year, starting with some of the more popular posts that have been served up.

The plan is to also celebrate some of the people that have shaped this blog, highlight the major developments in communications over that period, and take a peek into the next 12 months.

Thanks to the subscribers, readers and sharers of this blog, COMMScorner.com has chalked up nearly 100,000 page views since October 2009 and below are the most popular posts from that period - so, thank you so much for all of the support!

I've also captured some learnings about this blog and blogging which you'll find toward the end of this post.

(Note: I changed URLs recently and lost a big portion of retweet data which will explain any inconsistencies you may come across on that level)

12 posts from 12 months

1. 10 social media tools every PR pro should master, April 2010 

Some basic and (mostly) free tools that are easy to add to your arsenal of tools if you are a PR pro.

2. 10 foursquare secrets worth making public, May 2010 

Foursquare has been a big story this year and this post looked at some of the aspects of it that weren't so easy to find in May of this year

3. 40 useful things you can share on Twitter besides blog posts, September 2010 

These are just some ideas of things you can share and do to spice up your Twitter stream a bit.

4. 5 online tools making social media easier in 2010, March 2010

Sadly, one of the tools I loved and mentioned in this post has now disappeared to the big virtual tool shed in the sky, but the others have all been big this year.

5. The complete Twitter follow / unfollow toolkit, February 2010

This highlights some tools / process that can be used to manage your Twitter followers and who you want to follow - one tool in particular, mytweeple.com, keeps on getting better and better.

6. 50 ways to get your news without opening a newspaper, February 2010

Part of an experiment which has involved avoiding newspapers since 1 January, this post featured ways you can get your news fix without picking up a physical newspaper.

7. The Don Draper guide to social media marketing, October 2010

I've really become a big fan of Mad Men, the TV series based on ad agency life on Madison Avenue in the 1960's - after comparing social media to the show's lead character, not a whole lot has changed it appears...

8. 100 useful social media learnings from 2010 (so far), June 2010

The aim of this blog has always been to capture the stuff that can be learnt by being involved in social media communities - this post attempted to bring some of the more useful bit together in one place.

9. What your Twitter name says about you, July 2010

This was a light-hearted look at the how and why of Twitter handles.

10. What blog readers really want: Survey results, August 2010

This was probably the most useful thing that has happened via this blog in 2010 - nearly 100 people answered a bunch of questions about what they like and don't like about blogs and it revealed some great stuff.

11. 5 creative ways brands can use foursquare tips

This platform is constantly developing and so will the use of its many functions.

12. The ultimate YouTube treasure chest

My knowledge of YouTube and its various functions isn't great, but writing this post helped me understand it a little better.

What I've learnt about this blog and blogging

I've learnt a lot via this blog in the last 12 months, most specifically, to shape its content based on what people are interested in.

This sounds like a no-brainer, but a blog tends to be a collection of your own thoughts, but those thoughts aren't very relevant unless you find ways of finding common touch points with other people.

I have a terrible attention span, so my posts tend to reflect my inability to read long portions of text - hence the use of big headers, numbers, lists etc - most people are quite time poor so I've found that serving up little nuggets are received well.

All the other lessons are pretty common with the ones I read everyday all over the social web- it is mainly the little things about blogging that you discover while doing it which seems to help the most.

Thanks again and I hope that wasn't too self-indulgent.

Adam
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COMMScorner.com is the blog from Adam Vincenzini which focuses on social media and PR. Connect with Adam on Twitter or subscribe to his blog.

Basic social media monitoring in five minutes a day

The key to any form of communications, social or not, is to listen first.

It's not rocket science.

If we listen, we know what people want, as opposed to forcing the issue, which can often lead to the opposite result.

Without getting too preachy, it is an approach we like to take at Paratus when it comes to social media.



Our three-step process is:

1. Listen
2. Engage
3. Analyse

And, it's constant - each element feeds into the other and should go on, and on and on - this paves the way for constant relevancy.

In addition to the more sophisticated listening tools out there, of which there are loads, I've developed a five minute routine that I go through each morning for each of the clients / topics I'm following at any given time.

It tends to be clearer when demonstrated live so here is a screencast the process in action using the weekly live Twitter chat, #CommsChat, as an example.

A quick demonstration of 'at-a-glance' social media monitoring in action



This is just going to provide you with the basics but more often than not, that is all you'll need.

In keeping with the listening theme and tools, I've also embedded a presentation below which outlines the tools featured in the screencast in a bit more detail.

Basic social media monitoring tools

View more presentations from Adam @ Paratus Communications.

As I said up top, this is a nice and simple way to get a feel for your topic at a glance, and can open up opportunities as well as alert you to things that have the potential to become problematic.

If you've got some daily rituals you think are worth sharing, drop something in the comments box below.

Adam

Opinion: The social media bubble will burst in 2014...

... or thereabouts

When it comes to the social media bubble bursting, it appears the majority of communicators agree it is not a matter of if, but when.



My hypothesis is that we'll reach that point in 2014, based on this view:

2010: The year everyone talked about social media marketing
2011: The year social media marketing becomes a regular way of life for forward thinking brands / orgs
2012: The year it becomes a regular way of life for all brands, but with some decent budget to support it
2013: A year of consolidation, budgets are finally about right, and it's done more than talked about
2014: The bubble bursts - social media isn't so special any more, it is actually seen as simply a part of the overall communications package...by everyone

The two questions I'd probably ask if I read something like that would be:

1. What is that thinking based on?
2. What does it mean for communicators and brands right now?

Let me address both.

Why 2014 and what it means now...

I'm not going to reel off a bunch of social media adoption statistics here, or tell you how many people will be blogging in 2014 because I think numbers like that are quite irrelevant.

I am going to base this on what I see happening in organisations right now, what my clients are telling me and how their set ups are changing.

While agency people have developed a serious case of Social Media Desperation Disorder (SMDD) in 2010, big business has been getting its head around how to structure themselves internally to do social media properly.

The major stumbling block hasn't been that they don't know what to do, but rather finding the budget to do it.

Marketing budgets are already stretched and social media, which was wrongly positioned as a cheaper way of communicating for most of 2009, is now being rightly seen by organisation as an investment in talented people, not platforms.

So, if my feeling on this is right, based on a combination of instinct and insight, brands and organisations have a very difficult choice to make:

• A) Invest in social media now, so by the time the start of 2012 rolls around, they are equipped to reap the benefits and minimize the risk sufficiently.

Or

• B) Wait another 12 months until budgets have more give, know exactly what direction to take, and then get your house in order.

The problem with option B is that timing is not a luxury that brands / orgs have.

What is the solution then?

It comes down to each individual business, none of which are the same.

Each has different products, margins, structures, people and most importantly, priorities.

Should social media be at the top of that priority list?

No, overall communications structure should be, because when the bubble bursts, robust social media solutions will simply be a part of what is expected from them, just like everything else.

Are you ready?

Adam

The Don Draper guide to social media marketing

I really think we can learn a thing or two from the way Don Draper does his thing on AMC's Mad Men.

His character may be set on Madison Avenue in the 1960's, developing traditional advertising messages, but he's a 'creative' first and is all about 'the work'.

So, grab a stiff drink and take a sip of Don's social media marketing manifesto...

It's all about the idea

Don famously once said "give me more ideas to reject" and he's 100% right. The tools may be endless, the jargon may be annoying, but the idea is everything. 'Make the client feel how big the idea is' and you're 99% there. Social media marketing is no different and anyone who tells you differently simply doesn't have any confidence in their creative ability.

Proof: The IKEA Facebook showroom - sure, the platform was used cleverly, but it was the idea that you could win items by tagging them which captured the public's imagination.

Keep your strategy simple

Remember this quote? "That's not a strategy, that's two strategies connected by the word 'and' - I can do "where the pros go" or I can do "everyone's welcome," not both."

So much debate takes place about social media strategy and how important it is to achieving success. A strategy is not a 50 page deck or a 10-part blog post series, it is a very clear and concise idea of where you want to go. End of.

Proof: Look at the brands making waves in social media marketing and you can bet 'being useful' is the backbone of their strategy.

Embrace being the face of the agency / brand

Don wasn't particularly happy about being the face of the newly formed Stirling Cooper Draper Price but quickly realised he couldn't do what he was good at (generating great creative) without the clients to represent. It may not be your cup of tea, but people buy people, and one of the the best ways of triggering an interest in your social media marketing capabilities is to actively use them. Comment on prominent blog posts, get involved in Twitter chats, have an opinion on industry trends - showcase your talents.

Proof: Ford's Scott Monty immediately springs to mind.

Sex sells? No, real insight does.

Don, in response to being told that sex sells: "Says who? Just so you know, the people who talk that way think that monkeys can do this. They take all this monkey crap and stick it in a briefcase, completely unaware that their success depends on something more than shoeshine."

He's right. Although the solutions and language used need to be simple so they can be understood and adopted, it doesn't mean real insight isn't required. Use your shiny tools only when required, helping them deliver great work not be a substitute for them.

Proof: You might scream 'Old Spice' here but it wasn't simply sex which made that pop.

You are the product

People don't buy things, they buy feelings. Feelings come from people. Therefore (drum roll) people must be at the centre of your social media marketing efforts.

Proof: Millions to choose from...literally. 

Manage expectations

This is just solid business advice. Don't go promising 250,000 meaningless fans. Don't pluck ridiculous blog post mentions out of the sky. Yes, some social media activity can snowball and go 'viral' but most of the time, reaching the right people, in the right place, with the right content will get you results that will create the desired impact.

Proof: GetGlue.com's work with AMC and Mad Men is a good example of fitting the right platform with the right product, rather than attempting a wildly broad shot in the dark.

Other guiding principals

Don also knows the value of telling great stories, he knows that nostalgia is a hugely powerful emotion when it comes to our social tree and that understanding behaviour all have a role to play.

What other Don-esque traits do you think apply?

Could you see him in your office tomorrow blogging away?

Pour your comments into the glass below...

Chirrps.com - Twitter's best kept secret checks in...literally

Filtering out the noise is widely recognised as one of the biggest challenges when it comes to Twitter.

Fortunately, chirrps.com (currently in phase one of development), makes this task LOADS easier and has some other really valuable features too including the ability to 'check in' to a website (seriously, it's pretty cool).

Here's the full scoop on chirrps.com and why it is is one worth keeping an eye on...

What is it?

Chirrps.com aggregates tweets by displaying them in order of popularity (and by topic).

This is handy if you want to see which tweets / links are popular right now or if you are following a specific subject (e.g. business, tech, sports etc) and want to see what is being shared the most around that topic.

It also allows you to sign in with your Twitter account, paving the way for in-app tweeting, and linking up with other people.

The individual preferences settings allows for some nice customization too.

Key features?

This is where chirpps.com gets good!

• Tells you how many retweets you've received
• Can arrange your tweets by popularity (based on retweets)
• Lists your favourites in an easy to navigate panel
• Displays all the photos you've ever tweeted in one tab
• The same goes for video via handy gallery function 

Checking in

This actually could be quite useful.

Chirrps.com's 'check in' function allows you to mark your visit with an official record but also leave reviews and score points along the way.

You simply need to download the Google Chrome extension and watch the video below.



This one is worth a try.

Adam
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