Have you ever been to meetings of social media groups and wanted to leave because they felt like a Home Owners Association for Social Media? Or read an idea on a blog and thought to yourself “Why is this person or company trying to lay claim to this idea people are already doing on a local level and stifle its growth with rules?”  It seems to me that people or companies strive for rules and regulations for two reasons: a desire to validate their presence in a space, and fear.

Every good social media campaign needs a backbone. It needs a concerted, well-conceived goal set. The right tools (this includes the people actively acting on the campaign). You need solid strategy in place to get you to wear you want to be. At the same time, you need flexibility. If everyone is given a proscribed set of rules on the national level, all we’ll get is an impersonal, HMO style social media experience. This will only serve to drive people away from the platforms you have invested in. If you are going to spend the time, energy and effort (and trust me, a great social media campaign does take effort, time and energy) in this space, why would you shoot yourself in the foot by creating a situation where you can not innovate?

Don’t fall prey to false metrics. Eschew extensive rules. Avoid boilerplate social media campaigns. Leave yourself the ability to respond, to think actively and proactively about the results you are getting. Leave yourself and your company the room to do what needs to be done, and where, in real time. Practice a few common sense guidelines (Listen, Engage, Listen, Be Human, Don’t Tell The Internet If You Wouldn’t Tell Your Grandma, Listen, Share, Help, Be Trustworthy, Listen) and you’ll be fine.

We’re going to have a band, Rick is going to roast a pig for us and serve all the fixin’s, and there will be a cash bar for alcoholic beverages (coffee, tea and water will be included with the BBQ). We are seeking sponsors (partial sponsorship is ok). The sponsorships will be used to pay the band and pay for the food. Rick is generously donating the venue space for free.

This Social Media Breakfast NH will be a slightly different format. Instead of having speakers, we are inviting you to bring your family to this afternoon of networking and fun. Sponsors will get the benefit of being part of the marketing for the event (we’ll make sure you get lots of exposure in the coming weeks). They’ll also get to take the microphone briefly to tell us a little about why they sponsored and what they do as a company.

I’m looking into getting shirts made for what we hope to be an annual event at varying venues across the state. If I do get shirts done (it’s pretty short notice), the sponsors will also have logos on the back of the shirt.

So, the sign up page will be going up shortly. If you want to be a full or partial sponsor, please email me directly or use the Google Voice button in the right sidebar to leave me a message.

This will be a blast, and a great way to celebrate and network before everyone get back to school and fall routines. Even CEOs get to play “hooky” once in a while – it makes us human.

The venue:

This month’s Social Media Breakfast is brought to you by Uptown Uncorked (your SMBNH organizer and monthly host), DimDim (live casting) and Southern New Hampshire University (venue).

Thank you to Jason Allgire who helped facilitate the SNHU venue for us.

Location: SNHU Campus, Manchester, NH – Building TBD

Social Media Breakfast History

On seeing growing demand in this area, I decided to fill the need with a new branch of the nationwide Social Media Breakfast in NH. It isn’t that we don’t love Boston, because we do, but our neighbor to the north is rich in technology and social media, and often overlooked when events are planned. I saw a need for networking opportunities that were easier to get to for the northern tech and social media crowd, and decided to step up and fill it. Because NH itself is a diverse and scattered state, the Social Media Breakfast there will be just a little bit different than the one in Cambridge/Boston. Our first meeting was in January 2009, and was a roaring success.

What is a Social Media Breakfast?

From the official description: The Social Media Breakfast was founded by Bryan Person in August 2007 as an event where social media experts and newbies alike come together to eat, meet, share, and learn. Marketers, PR pros, entrepreneurs, bloggers, podcasters, new-media fanatics, and online social networkers are all welcome to attend.

The breakfast series began in Boston and has now spread to more than a dozen cities throughout the United States and around the world.

How will the Social Media Breakfast in NH be different?

The main difference between Social Media Breakfast NH and other SMBs will be all-inclusiveness. I do not want only social media people and companies to attend, I also want technology types, programmers, coders, tech writers, tech companies and more to attend. As a state that is rich in technology but scattered in distance, I think the best networking and connection making effect will be achieved by combined our different cultures. You never know, as a social media type you might just meet the coder you’ve been looking for to create your dream project if we all come together to connect and to learn from each other!

Theme for the fourth Social Media Breakfast: Using Social Media In Education

The fifth Social Media Breakfast NH (hashtag #smbnh) will be all about topics related to using social media in education. In this struggling economy and shifting paradigm we need to be working together to be more successful and better weather the storm. We should be pulling in all aspects of technology, new media, old media and social media to succeed and more importantly to help the next generation succeed. This meeting will help us lay the foundation for a richer, better education, tech and new media community in NH.

In addition to myself, who will be your host and MC for the morning, you will have three speakers giving three brief presentations on topics relating to the theme for the morning.

Speakers:

• Opening Remarks by Leslie Poston, Uptown Uncorked and co-author, Twitter for Dummies

• Welcome Remarks by SNHU

• Wayne Kurtzman (Beyond the Biz, Destination Imagination, More) will be speaking about his work with Destination Imagination and more

• John Herman (OddNoggin.com, GravityLand.com, Improv, More) will be speaking about his use of social media and multi media in his class at Epping High School

• Kelley-Sue LeBlanc (Aleuromedia) will discuss her work this past semester with social media in a classroom at Daniel Webster College

This is going to be a great breakfast!

TO SPONSOR THIS OR A FUTURE SMBNH CONTACT LESLIE POSTON via Twitter, Email or Phone or purchase a sponsor ticket above.

Let’s make the new SMBNH crackle with energy and success! See you there!

I am an idea person. I don’t like to see a good idea die on the vine, choked by excessive caution, hemming, hawing or general “over thinking”. Sure, you need to plan, but there comes a point where you also have to take that leap and try the idea out – set it free to roam the wild. It’s the only you can grow as a person or business.

Some ideas fly high, like Uptown Uncorked, the Topics on Fire podcast (currently on summer hiatus) or the recent Twitter for Dummies project with Laura Fitton and Michael Gruen that just wrapped (hitting stores soon). Some build momentum more slowly. Some struggle to get past the enthusiasm stage. Some end up being put aside as not viable after all.

Some of my projects are building momentum at a nice steady pace now, like Film Pop!, a side project I’m working on with Amy Greenlaw or a new book I’m going to be writing with Jim Keenan from A Sales Guy. Some are building momentum slowly, like Social Mic, a fun music side project I’m working on with Maria Thurrell and a new hush hush project I’m creating with Alexa Scordato.

A few took off like rockets, going much faster than anticipated. One of those was Social Media Breakfast NH. The people in the business community of NH have embraced this idea and are instrumental in how successful it has been, and I can’t thank you all enough for the enthusiasm you bring to each month’s meeting (next month: Education 2.0 part two, by the way – save the date: 7/17). SMBNH grew so quickly I had to bring on the fabulous Kevin Micalizzi and Matt Turner to help. Another of these is PodCamp NH, which is really starting to gather steam behind the scenes. It’s a good thing I have a good team helping with that (Thanks team: Kevin Baringer, Kevin Micalizzi, John Herman, Amy Greenlaw, Christine Major, Nick Plante)!

One of my favorite ideas is struggling to get past the enthusiasm stage, mainly due to unexpected issues with red tape. That one is Strong Women in Tech, which I discussed the other day. Luckily, I reached out and am now getting some fabulous responses to that cry for help, and this idea may finally push past Stage One and really take off.

Some people look at all of the irons I keep in the fire – clients, speaking, writing, side projects, blogging, and more – and ask how on earth I can do everything I want to and still have a life. Simple: my network. Every single project or idea, as you can see, involves me reaching out to someone (or several someones) from my network I think would be a great fit for the idea actually getting legs and growing. If I didn’t have a strong network, none of this would work.

It isn’t just about me tapping my network, either. My network taps me for their projects all of the time (case in point, Laura tapping me for Twitter for Dummies and Amy tapping me for Film Pop!). Be helpful. Be willing. Be supportive. This collaborative culture and collaborative economy we are in now is a two way street. Grow your network, take leaps of faith, help, support, DO, be bold – and you will grow in return.

Because we want as many people in the education space to attend as possible, we switched the off months to June and will be having this SMBNH on July 17th at SNHU. I’m still finalizing arrangements with the speakers and seeking a food sponsor, so stay tuned for more information.

I don’t post more often because I like to put most of my ideas into action instead. I am a woman of big ideas, a connector, and I try to enact as many as possible, as quickly and as well as I can. I don’t like a good idea to die on the vine. A lot of these big ideas involve connecting the real world with the online world. The value of social media to people and businesses is in the connectivity it brings, and the doors that opens. This means I believe just as much in the value of face time as I do in the value of online time, and I try to instill that belief in others by building powerful real life networks.

I’ve been putting these thoughts into practice with Social Media Breakfast NH, Podcamp NH, in-person relationship building, client coaching and strategizing, writing books to make the concept easier for others like Twitter for Dummies (co-author with Laura Fitton and Michael Gruen), investigating co-working spaces like the upcoming Port Forward, real life networking whenever possible at events like NH and Boston Media Makers, local off-web events like Chamber meetings or last night’s Extreme Website Makeover event, one-on-one time with my colleagues and friends whose minds inspire me, and more. There is something about translating connections between the tangible and the intangible that makes the ideas much more vibrant and that makes the connection adhere more fully.

How is face time important for your business? Simple: it brings the human element into your brand. You can attempt to engage people online until you are blue in the face. You can throw money and resources at social media until you go broke. But if you can’t translate that rapport and effort into time off the screen somehow, you’re missing a key component to your overall social media and business development strategy. It’s not your 100 or 100,000 or more followers on various platforms that counts, it’s the number that come to your movie, attend your event, support your cause in person, talk about you to their friends, go to your concert, use your service in their homes or businesses, drink your wine in real life… you get the idea.

Never underestimate the value of face time. How do you employ face time in your business or life?

Professor of Economics, Evangelos Simos, opened the meeting with remarks from UNH. One of my favorites was his paraphrasing of one of his favorite economists in saying that some of the world’s greatest inventions have come about in times of recession or strife, fueled by entrepreneurial thought and think tank groups like ours.

Opening remarks by Mr. Simos (captured by Jeff Cutler)

I then introduced Kelley Muir, Director of Float Left Labs, who discussed the new intern economy. She taught us all things we didn’t know about everything from internships that only benefit those who can afford them because they are bought, as well as other types of internships. She also discussed how new media tools were changing the face of interning completely.

After Kelley I introduced Hans Mundahl, an educator at New Hampton School. He discussed bringing Mogulus and live streaming video into his classroom. He also touched on some of the other tools he uses like his classroom wiki and FaceBook.

We then had an open Q&A learning session in the spirit of an unconference, where everyone had a chance to ask questions and share their knowledge.

It was a fantastic meeting. I hope that the open Q&A comes through in the embedded video below, as the mic did not quite reach everyone in the room. If you were a speaker or attendee, I encourage sharing. Please embed the video in your own sites. all I ask is that a) you do not modify or edit the recording and b) you link back to this post.

The next meeting will be in Concord, NH and will focus on Marketing and New Media. We are currently seeking speakers.

Live Chat Room: Transcript

As we enter our third meeting, averaging 50 – 80 people each time (and growing) no matter what the weather holds, it became time to get some behind the scenes help. Kevin Micalizzi and Matt Turner have been instrumental in helping at each breakfast without being asked (Kevin has been doing the live-casting everyone loves so much through DimDim, and Matt has been excellent on concierge duty the day of each event). It only made sense then to bring on Kevin and Matt officially.

From now on, while I will still be the main contact, you can also submit topic, speaker, sponsor and venue ideas to Kevin Micalizzi as well as to myself. He will also be another source for answers to your questions. Matt Turner is so fantastic at on-site duties and connecting people during the event that he’ll be instrumental in that area, so the day of the event you can see either myself or Matt for whatever concierge-type help you may need.

You probably already follow me on Twitter (geechee_girl). Be sure to follow Kevin (kevinmic) and Matt (onmatt) also. Hashtag for all Social Media Breakfast events continues to be #smbnh

See everyone Friday at UNH for the third SMBNH!

Attendee Videos:

From Perkett PR‘s Christine Major:

Original Post:

Special thank you to our partial event sponsor, Custom Scoop, publisher of Media Bulls Eye Magazine. Thanks to their generosity and the generosity of Rick Korn from Rick’s Pond View we are able to offer this breakfast at a low cost to you.

What’s Custom Scoop?

CustomScoop, a leader in Media Intelligence,
delivers customizable media monitoring technology and analysis to its
customers in Public Relations, Sales, Marketing, Investor Relations and
Competitive Intelligence.

CustomScoop’s solutions utilize proprietary software, an extensive
database of sources and a team of search experts to deliver information
quickly, accurately and with detailed reporting. Products range from an
efficient online news clipping service to an enterprise-level blog
monitoring and analysis solution.

CustomScoop is headquartered in Concord, NH.

Location: Rick’s Pond View, 92 Route 125, Kingston, NH 03848 (right in the middle of several major highways and roads: Hwy 101, I 495, Route 125, Route 111, Route 107, Route 108 and more. Follow Rick’s Pond View on Twitter, or Rick’s A Cafe and Grille, also on Twitter, and check out both on FaceBook (group/fan page).

Theme for the second Social Media Breakfast: Government 2.0 (how utilities, organizations for the environment, and more work with and from municipalities and other entities using social media to achieve goals)

The second Social Media Breakfast NH (hashtag #smbnh) will be all about topics related to Government 2.0. In this struggling economy and shifting paradigm we need to be working together to be more successful and better weather the storm. We should be pulling in all aspects of technology, new media, old media and social media to succeed. This meeting will help us lay the foundation for a richer, better education, tech and new media community in NH.

In addition to myself, who will be your host and MC for the morning, you will have three speakers giving three brief presentations on topics relating to the theme for the morning.

‘Electric Tweets‘ – Why @psnh followers increased 1,700% in one week Public Service of New Hampshire’s Martin Murray will discuss the electric utility’s use of Twitter and other social media.

Boston Police Department is sending John Daley to discuss their web outreach efforts via Twitter and other new media.

Now or Never Media‘s Bill Rogers and his partners in clean air initiatives will discuss how they use social media to get the word out and reach out to municipalities for change.

TO SPONSOR THIS OR A FUTURE SMBNH CONTACT LESLIE POSTON via Twitter, Email or Phone or purchase a sponsor ticket above.

Let’s make the new SMBNH crackle with energy and success! See you there!