My Big, Fat Social Media Day

Yesterday was a good day for me in social media terms.

The Twebinar
I was able to carve out some time to "attend" the Part 2 of the Twebinar series covering the topic, "Who really owns your brand?" (Note: in case you missed the first Twebinar on “Doing Business in Social Media," here's the archived video from June.)

I really enjoyed the second installment of the Twebinar. The topic was well covered. The technology worked better as Chris Brogan switched from live to recorded video.

Who really owns your brand? A few quotes & take-aways that were interesting to me:

• Kami Watson-Huyse - "brand is co-owned...actually do something so we can talk. [The brand is where the] interest of the company and interest of the consumer or stakeholder meet."
• Phil Gomes - mentioned that we could really be considered "brand curators"
  
• Chris Heuer - "brands with the best storytellers win." (Reminded me of something that Lauren Vargas recently said.)
  
• Mike Manuel - "if you walk into a situation and don't have the ability to understand the context of the conversation, then you don't belong there"
• Lee Odden - "Brand is a promise kept" (this one topped my list of favs from Twebinar 2.)

Do these thoughts mesh with your idea of brand ownership?
(Bonus: Here are a few posts on the twebinar.)

The Meetup
Next, I had the pleasure to attend the first of what I hope to be many meetings of the Social Media Club Fort Worth. (Another big thanks to Lauren Vargas for setting it all up and inviting her students.) I enjoyed meeting some people in the area who are investigating social media for a variety of uses. It was encouraging to see such a lively group. (What's up Jake.) I hope that it continues, grows, and provides the Fort Worth area (and Dallas too) with some direction and leadership in social media.

The first rule of Social Media Club is...
you TALK about Social Media Club.

The second rule of Social Media Club is...
you TALK about Social Media Club!



The Conversations
Throughout the day I had some excellent conversations. Whether it was on Twitter before, during, and after the Twebinar, or lively banter at the SMC Fort Worth, I believe we are hard-wired for this social media stuff. We want to connect. We want to tell good stories. We want to talk about ourselves. We want to talk with other people.

As a Communications/PR professional I need to remember this when integrating social technologies into campaigns and general strategies.