Social Media Arizona – The First

I was very fortunate to attend today’s first Social Media Arizona (the presentations have been uploaded just use the Recap) conference today. Fortunate for a few reasons.

1. I have been following many of these people on Twitter and got to meet them in person.
2. The topic (social media) is pretty near and dear to me. I have been using these tools (both internal and externally) for awhile.
3. Being in a gathering like this – with folks that “get” social computing – is very special. Birds of a feather, so to speak.

I would hate to single out any one of the topics.  Listening to many of the speakers talk about their successes, failures and the continued battles that they discussed, seemed to me like I was looking into a mirror. Did I learn anything new? Not really, but what I did learn was that I have a very close support group in Phoenix metro area.

Some of the many items that I did get were –

• Social media will transform business like nothing before because now word of mouth is so public.
• Social media is like teen sex. Everyone wants to do it. No one knows how. When all is .. done, everyone wonders why it’s not better.
• Budweiser on twitter has followers – but no photo and no tweets. Where Dunkin Donuts has plenty of both. What does that say about Budweiser? Can you say failure…. Check it out yourself.
• Internal social media is neglected sibling of external social media
• Twitter is a tool; not a strategy.
• Groundswell – the book should be in every social media experts or so-called experts library.

It was a great day of conversations. Social media is all about the conversations. I have to give a big shout out to a couple of the folks. Fred von Graf for pulling this altogether… BTW – all of the proceeds went to help kids and the homeless (all volunteers – everyone). Pam Slim, author of Escape From Cubicle Nation – awesome branding presentation today (I have to find out what my spice is – maybe I will ask Jeff Moriarty). Jeff Moriarty for turning me onto social media and the awesome Phoenix metro folks in social media. Evo Terra -for being Evo (keeping everyting real). Last but not least, to the folks that I talked with today, I am now following many of you on twitter – thanks!