We're just like this guy ... every day

This blog has been a wee bit quiet lately, because there’s a lot going on with us.

I thought it might be helpful to get the word out about some of the upcoming excitement.

BarCamp Auckland: 17 July 2010

(That’s this Saturday!) BarCamp is an unconference, which means anyone can speak, which includes me. I’ll be debuting my Ragtag Leadership concept and look forward to some great discussions.

Online Marketing & New Media Masterclass: 19-20 July, 2010, Wellington

Our 2-day masterclass will be in Wellington on Monday and Tuesday next week. It’s very soon, but I don’t think BrightStar would mind a few late registrations! These are comprehensive and very interactive, we always come away with some good questions. Register here.

NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants, Auckland, July 27th

Social media affects everyone, including accountants. This presentation will look at how social media is affecting internal communication, and also introduce some Ragtag Leadership ideas. Register here.

Wordcamp, 7-8 August

I won’t be speaking but will be attending this gathering all about the popular blogging platform (and for many sites, including this one, a full content management system) WordPress. Details here.

Marie Workshops, Auckland, 18 August

Our very successful one-day workshop continues in Auckland at the University of Otago centre on Wednesday August 18th. We’ve had great feedback from these workshops, particularly about the personal touch we bring to the workshops. We’d love you to join us if you’re new to social media (or even in need of a refresher course).

Google BarCamp Auckland

Another BarCamp, but this time all about Google. Not speaking, just attending (as long as I’m in Auckland) and listening and learning! Info here.

3rd Annual Marketing Education Services Summit, Wellington, 25-27 August

I’ll be holding a special one-day workshop for educational marketers wanting to harness social media to reach potential students. I’ll also be giving a presentation in the main summit, alongside some pretty high-calibre presenters including our friend Charlotte Mayne from Lincoln University, who’ll talk about how Lincoln revitalised its brand without losing its essence. Register for the summit here.

We’ve also got some exciting in-house engagements with clients coming up, including a talk to some research scientists, educators and PR people. It’s really exciting to see awareness of social media’s influence beyond marketing and PR. These are truly exciting times to be alive.

If you’re interested in getting us in for a workshop, or to speak at an event, please contact us.

Why websites don’t work

Okay, so maybe I exaggerated. Websites do work, and our website plays an important part in letting people know who we are and what we do.

But most of our enquiries don’t come through our website. Our latest two speaking engagements came through Twitter and Facebook respectively.

A simple benefit of social media is being available on multiple channels, so you can serve your clients/customers more effectively.

Also interesting; these enquiries came through a personal channel, rather than the official Twitter account or Facebook page. Again, it points back to the increasing importance of personal brand.

More on this soon!

(Clever calendar pic borrowed from this ingenious page)

You’ll know my easy answer if you saw my Marketing Now presentation – that social media is a commitment, not a campaign. But how do you make the first step in that commitment?

That’s the topic I’m tackling this Friday at Search Engine Boot Camp. I’ll be joined by some great speakers covering other aspects of search and social media. Hope to see you there! Register here.

photo credit: nyki_m

We’re about to enter a slightly crazy time of public speaking engagements, which means just as much listening and talking – if we do our job right.

Here they are, in short order:

• Monday, August 4th , 7:30am – 9:30am, at Lowndes Associates ‘ Business Intelligence Workshop , at the Stamford Plaza in Albert Street, Auckland. Subject is “Online Strategies for Non-Online Businesses” Bookings here .
• Thursday, August 7th , 12pm-2pm, at the Marketing Association ’s Southern Luncheon at the Hotel Grand Chancellor , 161 Cashel Street, Christchurch. Subject: Making Sense of Social Media. Bookings here .
• Wednesday, August 13th , 2:30-3pm as part of the day-long Digital Future Now summit, at the SkyCity Convention Centre in Auckland. I’ll be on a panel with Paul Reynolds and Nicholas O’Flaherty discussing how social media can help business. Bookings here .
• Monday, September 15th , 4:15-5pm as part of the day-long 6th Annual Media Relations Conference at the Wellington Town Hall . I’m chairing a “champagne roundtable” (hic!) on exploring the potential of social media. Bookings here .
• Tuesday, September 16th , 1:30pm-5pm in a workshop entitled Blogs: Friend or Foe? Also at the Wellington Town Hall . Bookings here .

And if you can’t make it to any of these, we’ll still be producing the weekly Jump In video podcast , and appearing from time to time on Radio NZ National’s Virtual World segment with Jim Mora .