Social media strategies are being fostered in executive boardrooms and entrepreneurial garages each week, quite often without the complete knowledge or skillsets required for successful campaigns. There are many people who promise to deliver and then there are those who have actually been living, breathing, and producing results using the different social media tools.
Next Level Hawaii will be bringing some of the national leaders of the social media industry to the Hawaii Convention Center from April 29 – May 1, 2010. I have spoken with and learned a lot of my knowledge from most of the speakers lined up for this conference.
Team Guy Kawasaki
Jesse Stay is like family to me, allow me to trace the genealogy. My business advisor, mentor, and dear friend Guy Kawasaki is an advisor for many different startups including Jesse’s Twitter and Facebook management tool, SocialToo. I’ve been a paid subscriber of SocialToo to manage my gratefully growing @NEENZ Twitter account since it launched and recommend everyone doing so too. More than Twitter, Jesse is also the author of two essential books for using Facebook: FBML Essentials and I’m on Facebook–Now What???.
Founder of the Gnomedex conference, held annually in Seattle, WA since 2001, Chris Pirillo is probably one of the most visible persons in social media recording an average of 1,000 videos per year and livestreaming as often as he’s allowed. (As I type this he has a little less than 300 viewers on his Ustream channel and he’s not even at his desk!). I’ve left conversations with Chris inspired and recharged, he has that much energy, but mostly encouraged to continue to pursue my goals.
Last year I attended, SOBCon: Biz School for Bloggers in Chicago, IL. Talk about an A-to-Z of social media, networking and tools. For three days I was listening and learning from good people doing great things. They were Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, co-authors of Trust Agents; Lewis Howes co-author of LinkedWorking the best how-to book for business networking site, LinkedIn; and the best tablemates I could ever ask for! One person that stood out to me because of his genuine grace was Geoff Livingston. He had just shared with the group his knowledge about mixing in traditional media and marketing practices with social media. We all had learned about his work with the United Way of Amercia, Save Darfur, and Live Earth. And yet, when we met in the hallway he carried himself with such grace and humility I couldn’t help but feel completely comfortable. Geoff is currently working with his new startup aimed at serving nonprofits and socially conscious companies, Zoetica, co-founded with nonprofit expert Beth Kanter and Kami Watson Huyse.
Rounding out the speakers are Roxanne Darling, Aaron Brazell, and Micah Baldwin. The agenda has not been published, but the conference is being produced by real estate consultant, Kelly Mitchell and I can only guess that there will be valuable information for the Hawaii real estate industry as well as nonprofits and entrepreneurs. Follow @nextlevelhawaii on Twitter for more updates.
The rates are reasonable as compared to other national conferences, including one that I helped organize, so consider registering as there are only a few weeks left.
Pono Media has partnered once again with CommPac and their client, McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii for the launch of the new Mocha and Caramel Frappés and Mac Snack Wraps.
TWEETUP
McDonald’s of Keeaumoku
910 Keeaumoku St. Honolulu, HI 96814
Thursday, January 14, 2010
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Like the #hiangus tweetup, we’ll all get together to sample the new Frappé blended ice drinks and Mac Snack Wraps till our stomachs are full. In addition to food and drinks, we’ll have a games and prizes so make sure you bring your laptops and smartphones! Games begin TODAY, so read below for details and see you on Thursday!
Check into McDonald’s of Keeaumoku on Foursquare and tag with #HIMCD using the ’shout’ option. (Tag #HIMCD is required).
Email photos of your meal and receipt to post@himcd.posterous.com (Photo of receipt and meal is required).
On January 14, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time we will confirm via Foursquare the Mayor of McDonald’s Keeaumoku and corresponding photos and receipts on the #HIMCD community blog. PRIZE: A $25 McDonald’s Gift Card will be awarded to the Mayor of McDonald’s of Keeaumoku.
I’M LOVIN’ IT! in Hawaii
Email photos of you, your family and friends enjoying a Frappé or Mac Snack Wrap at ANY McDonald’s in Hawaii (any and all islands welcome to participate) to post@himcd.posterous.com
On January 14, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. Hawaii Standard time we will count the number of posts per user. PRIZES: Up to (4) prizes will be awarded on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island to the person(s) with the most posts.
TWEET, TWEET, TWEET
Post your Frappé or Mac Snack Wrap photos, texts, and tweets to Twitter and tag them with #HIMCD.
On January 14, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. Hawaii Standard time we will count the number of tweets from 1/05/2010 at 6:00 p.m. to 1/14/2010 at 8:00 p.m. PRIZE: A $25 McDonald’s Gift Card will be awarded to the person with the most tweets tagged with #HIMCD.
There will be more games and prizes at the Tweetup, so make sure you arrive early and look for us in the outdoor seating area.
Disclosure: Pono Media, CommPac, and/or McDonald’s Hawaii reserves the rights to change the rules of the games without notice. In case of a tie or dispute, Pono Media, CommPac, and/or McDonald’s Hawaii shall make the final decision. Pono Media is a paid client of CommPac.
As I mentioned in a previous post, the unconference format, especially for the Hawaii community (and perhaps for yours) will be very important for 2010. For years we’ve been researching, networking, and building our kits with branding, marketing, and social media tools. Moving into the new year, the focus should be on building and strengthening your community.
As I have for the past few years, I’ll be traveling throughout the U.S. and for the first time, internationally; attending different tech, social media, and leadership conferences. Additionally, upon returning to Hawaii I will be conducting presentations based on what was learned, gained, and processed from each conference.
Here are a list of conferences that either I or my partners at Grilled Cornbread, LLP are considering attending in 2010:
January
International CES
January 7 – 10, 2010
Las Vegas Convention Center/Hilton Convention Center/Venetian Hotel
Las Vegas, NV
This will be an evolving list because let’s face it, tech and social media conferences are planned in a handful of weeks. There are some unconferences that I have not listed because they’re invite only. What conferences are you attending to build and strengthen your community and team in 2010?
Today I was fortunate enough to speak to the members of PRSA Hawaii about using photos and videos in social media. My focus was on (2) different uses of video as a marketing tool.
Use video to explain your product or service
One of the assumptions that companies often overlook is that their targeted audience or potential audience understands their product or service upon initial inquiry or contact. When launching your product or service, keep in mind the 3-types of learners: visual, audio, and hands-on. With visual learners, do not make additional assumptions that text or pictures are enough.
As the Chief Evangelist of Alltop, my opinion may be subjective, but take a look at the MyAlltop tutorial video below it has all of the elements of the different types of learners, including hands-on because it simulates the actual action readers will perform to build their customized MyAlltop page.
Put the camera in your customers hands
In October, I was fortunate enough to have dinner with Scott Monty, Ford Motor Company’s Head of Social Media. It was then that I first learned about Ford’s social media campaign, Fiesta Movement. In a coconut shell, 100 “agents” were given the keys to a Ford Fiesta, sent on selected missions over a 6-month period and asked to document their experience via social media.
I received an email from Scott last night with the following numbers from the agents’ published content:
More than 6 million views on YouTube
740,000 views on Flickr
3.7 million impressions on Twitter
Additionally, Ford has been able too:
Attract 80,000 people whom have asked to learn more about the Fiesta
Of the 80K, 97% are currently not Ford owners
Awareness of the vehicle is at 58%
Ford sold 1K vehicles in the first week of reservations
It’s important to note that the vehicle being marketed will not be available at dealerships until another 6-months.
Bruce Fisher, Ed Morita, L.P. Neenz Faleafine
If you’re still not convinced to use video to either help your potential customers understand your services or product or as a promotional marketing tool; fellow speaker, Bruce Fisher of Hawaii Aloha Travel demonstrated that a search for specific hotels in Hawaii on YouTube return his videos in the top results. Fortunately for the hotels, his videos enhance their brand, however not every company is that lucky.
For those of you familiar with social media and Alltop, you’re probably wondering how or why MyAlltop can be considered a social media tool. The answer is simple, regardless of your role in the social networking world, but especially if you’re an organization considering or executing a social media marketing plan you should be — reading more.
Second, scan through our more than 650 alltopics via keyword search, by category or alphabetically and identify the ones that are relevant to your niche, products, and services. To get you started I’ve listed a few alltopics to get you started:
Many factors are considered in the order of the sites on each alltopic page, however it is important that you or a member of your organization set aside some time to explore the different sites before selecting your MyAlltop choices.
Once you’ve sorted through and identified the sites whose news are most beneficial to you and your organization, follow the steps to set-up your customized MyAlltop account.
What are the benefits of having a customized MyAlltop page for your organization?
Staying abreast on the top news relevant to your organization.
Providing your clients with insight into your organizations’ thought process.
Share relevant content through your different social networking sites.
Take a look at MyAlltop page which is a collection of news sites that reflect my personal and professional interests. I also scan the headlines of the alltopics listed above as well as Hawaii, KGMB9, Lifehacks, and more.
MyAlltop also received a recent upgrade making reading RSS feeds via an iPhone much easier. If you’re not reading what’s going on in your industry, your competitors are — so don’t delay.
Lists, especially “Top Lists” are always open to discussion and debate because everyone has different opinions. It’s these differences in opinions that can make the world go round, crank the wheels of innovation, and churn up passionate emotions.
Tonight, digital ronin Burt Lum, co-host of Hawaii Public Radio’s technology show, Bytemarks Cafe presented the Top 20 Social Media Geeks in Hawaii at Pecha Kucha 5.0. If you’re not familiar with Pecha Kucha, in a coconut shell it’s an informal presentation format in which the presenter has 20 slides and 20 seconds to present each slide. (Note: This is an informal presentation format, for an equally effective, but a bit more formal presentation format follow Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 Rule).
Here is the Top 20 Social Media Geeks in Hawaii as compiled by Burt, and in case you’re wondering, he says, “it’s very subjective.”
Earlier in the week, Burt had contacted me for a picture so I knew I made his list, but I did not expect to be placed in the top position. I am thankful for Burt’s kind thoughts. I agree with everyone he has on his list and there are easily more people that could be added and room to rearrange positions, however I admire Burt’s courage for compiling the Top 20 Social Media Geeks in Hawaii.
Update: As Burt mentioned in his comment below, his list is not a ranking, but a flow.
The So Much More Hawaii Team will be visiting Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island in 8 days! Many have been asking me about a “schedule of events” and with Puka Shell Tour Guides for each of us on the different islands, at times the itineraries vary. But, I’ve listed the tweetups for each island. Please keep in mind that the dates and/or times may change. Also, Maui and the Big Island times are tentative*.
Oahu
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 Tiki’s Bar and Grill
6:00 p.m. – closing
$2 Budlights and Marketing Director, Michael Miller will be inventing a special SMMH Drink for the vent!
>>It’s open mic night, so this is the night to get some worldwide exposure.
In late April, just before leaving for Chicago, Alltop received an inquiry from Christine Lu of Cilantro Media to develop a partnership for the So Much More Hawaii tour. As I discussed my strategy in a previous post, I created an opportunity for myself.
Ivolunteered to bridge the local social media and blogging community with the So Much More Hawaii team. I have always believed that the State of Hawaii’s best evangelists are its residents, its people. Additionally, one of the best ways to experience a new place is through the recommendations and conversations with the locals. Borrowing the concept from the late, Rap Replinger I put together a team of Puka Shell Tour Guides.
Oahu
Burt Lum is a self-proclaimed digital ronin; the co-host of Hawaii’s leading tech radio show, Bytemarks Cafe; and the social and new media expert at one of Hawaii’s largest medical insurance companies. Professionally, Burt seems to tip the scales heavily towards tech, however if you have spent time with him and have come to know him like I have you’ll realize that he has a very spiritual side of him. Burt is a member of Protect Kaho’olawe Ohana and applies Eastern philosophy practices to his daily life. His knowledge of Eastern spiritual practices are a good match for Leah Lamb’s curiousity.
Melissa Chang, Twitterlulu’s “pushy Chinee broad” is also an accomplished writer for Metromix and has one of the most popular blogs on the Honolulu Advertiser. So popular that her posts have been known to resurrect a “Little Oven” with oh, a modest 80,000 page views for a single story. She has inspired me to discover my inner foodie, and she will definitely serve Oahu on her finest China for Chef Mark Tafoya.
Who doesn’t love the wit and charm of @ParkRat? If you follow him on Twitter then you know that majority of his day is spent shuttling his children to their different sports activities. And, at times his twittersteam is so busy, if you didn’t know him in real life you’d think he has a dozen little parkrats! He has a terrific sense of humor which is why Sheila Scarborough will have a LOL IRL time with @ParkRat!
When I first met this man, he said that he had such admiration and respect for my father that he’d follow him into battle — powerful words that touched my heart. Olin Lagon, Director of Tech & Social Ventures, Kanu Hawaii; his passion is social entrepreneurship. I just heard from Olin and he and Aric S. Queen have planned a full day of activities on Oahu.
Bruce and Yaling Fisher owners of HAWAII-ALOHA.COM love in no particular order; Hawaii, social media, and each other. Being a Puka Shell Tour Guide for the So Much More Hawaii Tour was almost godsend. In truth, their generosity to the local community is godsend. Bruce and Yaling did not wait for the official start of the tour, they’ve already had lunch with Christine Lu!
Maui
Liza is the Kama’aina blogger behind A Maui Blog. She has been living on Maui since 1994 and considers Maui as her “home”. She’s a 40 something mom who likes exploring Maui with family. She’s a busy working mom to two tweens (11 yr old Hapa Boy and a 10 yr old Hapa Girl). Sarah Burns is The Ohana Mama that traded traffic filled freeways and the cold west coast waters for a beach house in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. A Mom and Entrepreneur, she is building a place in the blogosphere that highlights and supports women entrepreneur.
Melanie Kosaka is the owner and founder of First Daughter Mediaworks a company specializing in culinary television production and interactive media. She is also the creator and Founder of Share Your Table, where food traditions, recipes and memories feast. Melanie, Melissa, and Mark have planned an itinerary for Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island!
Big Island
Leslie Lang is an award-winning business, book, and magazine writer whose work has appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered, Hawaiian Airlines InFlight Magazine: Hana Hou!, and Homes of the Big Island to name a few. Her blogs include Big Island on the Cheap and Honolulu on the Cheap.
The So Much More Hawaii Tour which officially launches today was put together in six weeks. My upcoming posts will provide an opportunity for other local bloggers to engage with the So Much More Hawaii team, as well as have their content featured.
In June of 2007 I read a news article in the Honolulu Advertiser about Ryan Ozawa livestreaming via his Palm Treo 700p. I became intrigued and began researching on the internet to learn more about this new technology that allowed anyone to create their own live show. One click led to the next and eventually I happened upon Twitter. According to Tweetdeck my registration date for Twitter is July 25, 2007.
Back then, there was no search feature on Twitter and the suggested users list was very small. I eventually found Ryan and went through the list of people that he followed and in turn followed everyone that either indicated they were from Hawaii or could possibly be from Hawaii. One of those people that didn’t list being from Hawaii (in fact he still lists his location as United but has now moved from 2B to 3B), but sounded like he could be from here was Guy Kawasaki. According to Tweetdeck, Guy joined Twitter on August 25, 2007.
In early October 2007 Guy had tweeted (posted to Twitter) that he was in Hawaii, and that he would be speaking at the S.T.E.M. Leadership Conference at the local community college. I had not met anyone from Twitter (Tweet ups were not yet born) and thought this was a great opportunity to meet someone that I followed.
I sent Guy a direct message to ask if I could attend, and he replied, “I think so, if not tell them you’re my bodyguard.”
I attended without having to flex any Samoan muscles and sat in the back row. By the end of Guy’s speech, I was ready to start something — I didn’t know exactly what, but he had added fuel to the fire that burned with in me and I was ready to dance in the aisles and scream choo hooo!
Before he left, I introduced myself and took a quick photo; our Lieutenant Governor was waiting behind me to also speak to Guy. As I walked towards the elevator I thought, “Wow, Guy must be important for the Lt. Governor to be here and waiting in line to speak to him.”
Fast forward to February 2008 (there’s more to the story, and those who have heard it will say that I’m leaving out the best parts, however it’s better to hear the rest of the story in person, like say a speaking gig!) and Guy, Will, and Kathryn (Two guys and a gal in a garage, otherwise known as Nononina, Inc.) launch Alltop.
I noticed Guy tweet that he needed help and I offered. I helped with the first project, and then offered again. I completed that task and offered once more. I noticed a pattern, and then began taking the initiative to complete tasks before being asked. By volunteering my help, listening and following directions, being open to learning and growing — I created my own opportunity to become a part of the Alltop team.
By following this same pattern I have created many opportunities for myself:
A sponsored invitation to participate in a leadership training facilitated by Lance Giroux.
To understand all of this a bit more, prior to creating my own opportunity with Guy, I was the Property Manager for one of Hawaii’s most notorious public housing projects.
Volunteering, listening, being open-minded, and the willingness to grind it out has allowed me to create my own opportunities. But, I want to learn about how you. What’s your approach? How do you create opportunities for yourself?
The So Much More Hawaii website officially launched early this morning signifying the much anticipated, first ever social media tour sponsored by the Hawaii Tourism Authority. There has already been a lot of buzz in the local blogosphere and on Twitter. Some are skeptical, many are anxious, but one thing I know for sure — the Hawaii Tourism Authority is poised to becoming a leader in the social media world.
Organized by Cilantro Media, its founding partner Christine Lu has a proven, successful track record in the social media sphere. She was named “20 Most Influential Individuals in Los Angeles” by NowPublic based on her influence and “publicness” in online visibility, presence on user generated content and social networking sites, interactivity and accessibility, and presence on microblogging platforms. She shared the impressive list with the CEO of Mahalo, Jason Calacanis; notorious gossiper Perez Hilton, and the Queen of Spain Erin Kotecki Vest to name a few.
In November 2008 she co-organized the China 2.0 tour, similar to the So Much More Hawaii, but on a much larger scale. And, even larger than the China 2.0 tour, Christine’s company, Cilantro Media is a partner in the upcoming Geeks on A Plane.
Over the next week, I will be blogging about my role in the So Much More Hawaii Tour; the role of Alltop and Pono Media; and of course highlighting so much more about Hawaii.
As I mentioned in a previous post, the 
Burt Lum
Melissa Chang
Who doesn’t love the wit and charm of 
When I first met this man, he said that he had such admiration and respect for my father that he’d follow him into battle — powerful words that touched my heart. 
Bruce
Liza
Sarah Burns
Melanie Kosaka
Leslie Lang is an award-winning business, book, and magazine writer whose work has appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered, Hawaiian Airlines InFlight Magazine: Hana Hou!, and Homes of the Big Island to name a few. Her blogs include 
