Monday’s post will be my final one on Now Is Gone. It’s time.

There are only so many basic lessons and primers you can give. I have nothing more to say to the newly engaged social media communicator. Repeating or rehashing old posts seems like a bad idea. The primer has been laid thick, and now it is time to paint.

My motivation is somewhat selfish, too. For the past year plus I have worked tirelessly on this project giving, giving, and giving more. Consider speaking for free on numerous occasions, writing an entire book, authoring 150 Now Is Gone posts, and providing free content in other places. It has been service oriented work and has benefited my business with numerous intangibles, but at the same time, it has been draining, and has affected my personal life and well-being.

I don’t want to be one of these guys. Dying ain’t worth it. I’m taking some of these hours back.

Along the way numerous people have helped me. Ike Pigott and Lauren Vargas have been my comrades in arms on this blog. Like me they have donated their time and insights to help businesses embrace social media. Like me their motivation was service orientated. While Monday will be my last post, I leave it to them to write the postscripts. Thank you, Ike and Lauren. After it’s all said and done, I feel much closer to you as a result of our team effort. You are great friends.

Brian Solis helped shape and edit the book, and he wrote a great intro. And of course there were all the fabulous people who served as sources. Thanks to all of you.

I hope it has been and will continue to be valuable. The blog will remain as a resource, the book is still available. I will continue to offer social media and communications insights on the Buzz Bin. And if you are a real glutton, you can follow me on my personal blog. But for me — on Monday — Now Will Be Gone.

Thank you.

To dovetail Geoff’s latest post and to prevent anyone from making themselves appear like the animal represented in the post’s picture, it is essential to define listening.  As a university professor, I incorporate the basic skill of active listening into all of my class curriculum. Most students new to my class do not know how to actively listen.

To apply the mind, or pay attention, with a view to perceive, understand, or comply; to pay regard; to heed.

versus to hear…

To perceive (sound) by the ear.

Too often we choose to selectively listen. To succeed in a social media environment, such half measures will doom any presence. Relationships require devoted attention. Rather than focusing on our own messages, we must relearn how to listen to others. 

• Prove your understanding by asking for clarification.
• Focus on the speaker; take notes.
• Resist distractions.
• Be respectful.
• Acknowledge speaker.
• Paraphrase.
• Ask open-ended questions.

Golden Rule: "Listen unto others as you would have others listen to you."

It is tempting to slip into the social media world and become googly-eyed. You know, the rush of excitement to see your name as author of content or your company being discussed online or receiving your first blog comments. In the midst of stressing over a social media event, my friend so wisely reminded me, "It’s not about you." So true. It is about your community. All aspects of your community dictate the ebb and flow of the social media strategy, conversation and technology platform. Keeping an eye on the bigger picture will affirm your relevance in the future.

Last week I had the great pleasure of serving as a guest lecturer for two University of Maryland Communications classes. The students all brought questions, which we did not get a chance to answer. But in the spirit of continuing the conversation, here are some answers. I did not answer all of them, but may do a second round next week.

Q: How do you know if a blog is credible?

A: All things are subjective, but my preferred way is to delve into the links-to a blog, and see who is linking back and how. A blog that inspires a lot of negative conversations probably should not be considered credible. Another way is to use a formulaic tool like the Ad Age Power 150 or AideRSS to measure a blog’s standing.

A word of caution: Just because a blog does not get links-to does not mean the content lacks weight. The author may not blog often, or does not actively promote or cross-link.

Q: What is the most useful new media tool and what should we know about it?

A: FriendFeed has the hot hand right now. FriendFeed captures a latent demand for providing multiple pieces of content in one place, similar to a reader, but capturing headlines rather than full articles.It really allows individuals and small businesses to aggregate their content in a social way. Consider that integrated into Facebook it provides a viral way to show a diverse contact base several initiatives.

Further, it allows content creators to better serve their constituents in one place. For example, a guy like me blogs here to support a book, my company blog, and my personal blog as well as bookmarks, photos and videos. You can follow me on FriendFeed here.

Keep in mind that bigger businesses are doing this with portals, such as GM’s Next, Cisco’s page or Dell. But none of these entities benefit from the viral commenting and spread that FriendFeed offers.

Q: How do you choose what to blog? Do you accept pitches?

A: I use an editorial mission for my two business blogs. Now Is Gone and The Buzz Bin are meant to serve specific stakeholders, buyers of my book or the communications industry, respectively (including clients, employees, and partners and potential members of any of these stakeholder groups). Creative whim dictates content on my personal Off Hours blog.

I do accept pitches for the Buzz Bin, but very rarely. Usually, the pitches are way off and deal with a company’s specific marketing intent. If I do accept a pitch, I usually make the pitcher by-line the post.

Q: Do you recommend starting your own public relations company after accumulating enough experience? Was it difficult to get started?

A: If you are an entrepreneur, yes. But this is not for the faint of heart. Think five times before doing this. If you are not sure, Escape from Cubicle Nation would be a good resource to peruse.

You have to know how to sell. No matter how smart you are, no business succeeds without sales. You have to be ready for the long haul. You have to be ready for major trials, and be OK with the possibility of failing. I am celebrating my company’s second birthday this week, and looking back it has been absolutely grueling. Hobbies go out the window, relationships dissolve, and marriage can be strained.

If I knew then… I may not have started an agency, instead just focused on being an uber-consultant. Or, I may not have started at all. Now that I am two years in and have a team of five full-time (once we get our next person on…) + consultants, the rewards are starting to appear. I love watching people grow, the new challenges expansion is bringing, and of course, living with almost complete freedom.

Q: How do you make a corporate blog seem authentic without completely giving up control?

A: You can’t. Control is an illusion. For the most part, companies never really had it anyway.

Q: How do you balance the strict guidelines of the AP Stylebook and the informal culture of a blog?

A: Hah! Throw out the AP stylebook, of course! Great writers write to the medium. So a press release or corporate backgrounder is much different than a blog, and should be written in a completely different fashion. Corporate blogging and social media in general are conversational, demanding personality. AP Style takes that edge off. Institutions that enforce AP style on a blog better have fantastic content if they want to engage people.

That being said, editing a post a couple of times for basic grammar and spelling is usually appreciated by readers. Check out Copyblogger, too.

Q: I currently intern for the Washington Capitals and our public relations department openly welcomes bloggers to sit in the press box during the game. What are your feelings? Do you think what bloggers have to say is equally important as what a local newspaper writes?

A: The Washington Post seems to think so. So do I. Why? Because there’s a symbiotic relationship between reporters and bloggers, with many newspapers using blogs — or more importantly story trends across blogs — as a means of story research. To ignore bloggers or prevent them from executing stories like Mark Cuban wants to is foolish. It’s kind of like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Capitals, is a long-time Internet veteran. He gets it, and is actively trying to get AOL into this next generation of Internet technologies. It doesn’t surprise me that he allows bloggers. Heck, he even accepted my friendship request on Facebook.

Q: What disadvantages do you think our generation has or will struggle with once we get into the work force?

A: Ahh, millenials Most of my workforce is in your generation. Generally speaking, your generation is accustomed to immediacy, co-creating and crowd-sourcing. That means you expect to be a part of the larger picture, you want things now. You are disappointed when you are not included in all aspects of what your curiosity dictates should be an open conversation. This can lead to a sense of entitlement. I think the current economic environment may rectify this.

"Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip." Will Rogers

The words authenticity and transparency are not just buzz words, but key traits of any successful social media strategy. It is important to stress that nothing is off the record. What occurs externally of the Internet will become part of the Internet chatter and vice versa. You nor your company can lead a double life. It is important to take off the masks. A company cannot simply present a stage character via Internet and expect perceptions to change overnight. Each and every action is being documented. In this age, people are using mobile video and text to record and distribute content at an alarming speed. You and your company must truly live your promises in all your actions. Your "parrot" is your associates/customers and the world’s social networks is the audience.

Last night, my speech communications students watched the 2006 TED presentation by Sir Ken Robinson, Do Schools Kill Creativity? Robinson’s thesis is kids will take a chance. They are not afraid of being wrong. We educate the creativity out of our young generation; educating from the waist up to their heads and slightly on one side. This suppressive behavior is similar to how many companies treat employees. Their bodies are nothing but transport for their heads from meeting to meeting. Many of us have been educated out of our creative capacities.

For any social media strategy to be be successful, you must find the spark to ignite successful social media strategies. This spark comes from passionate people. Their creativity and openness is not hampered by fear of risk. Too often in the planning stages of a social media strategy, the passion is not considered a priority nor creativity of content necessary. The social media strategy emulates a cut and dry business plan devoid of life. It is important companies establish the rules of the sandbox before executing social media strategies, but we need to embrace diverse, interactive and distinct creativity to flourish in our objectives.

Robinson likens the creative void to the stripping of our minds like the stripping of earth’s precious resources. "If you are not prepared to be wrong, you will never comet up with something original." Are you prepared to be wrong?

If you read Now Is Gone, you are probably trying to figure out social media for you company. I’d like to do three virtual activities in May to help you. One idea is a webinar on participation or content creation.

But what would make sense for you? A BlogTalkRadioathon? An online chat? Let me know. We’ll make it happen.

Would you sit next to your brand at a dinner party? No, not your personal brand…your company. Was your brand on time for your dinner date? Does your brand have good table manners? Perhaps your dinner party date talked the entire night and didn’t let you speak a word. Would you go out on a second date? Ponder these questions and many others asked in the latest Brandjunkie Survey.

According to survey results, people chose Apple to be their ideal brand dinner party companion.

Apparently, for brandjunkies, the most desirable characteristics in a dining partner are sex appeal, intelligence, sense of humor, celebrity status, and of course taste—both on a literal and figurative level. Picture Steve Jobs wearing Victoria’s Secret but smelling like Chanel while drinking a Coke on Comedy Central (all mentioned as responses).

Brandjunkies are also, well, economical—but at least honestly so. Many chose to bring brands that would pay the bill, from American Express to Oprah. Our readers also seem to enjoy plenty of booze with their dinner, as these brands made the guest list: Absolut, Bacardi, Black Label, Budweiser, Ciroc Vodka, Dom Perignon, Guinness, Heineken, Jack Daniel’s, Johnnie Walker, Kaapzight Wine, Laurent-Perrier, Moët, Mont Blanc, Smirnoff, and Tanqueray. Cheers!

On the surface, such questions may appear ridiculous, but not when you consider your brand equity is dependent on being an integral part of your customer’s social lives. No surprise that Apple took the cake as being one of the most desirable and sociable brands overall.

Consider energizing questions on your next survey. Too often the questions asked are corporate speak and do not explore the link between human behavior and your brand. Instead of basing your SWOT analysis on stale pain-points, consider answering the BRandjunkie questions of your brand and analyze. Shift the context of how you view your brand equity.

In, Who Is Talking About Your Brand, Jay Deragon summarizes the shift of branding into the social mediasphere, "Brands have two choices: deny the process, or engage in it. Now consider how much social networking and related emerging technology has created the phenomena in which the masses are becoming connected with influence. Your brand is largely influenced by what customers testify as to its quality, responsiveness and ability to identify personally with the customer, people."

As an aside, I found the answer to this survey question the most revealing of customer perception, What brand do you think is truly (going) "green"? Answer: NOBODY. Ouch. Doesn’t Al Gore have $300M invested in a global warming ad campaign?

Many industry members are attending the NewComm Forum this April 22-25th in Sonoma County, CA. One of Now Is Gone’s primary sources Communications Overtone’s Kami Huyse has kindly asked me to join here one pre-conference workshop on the 22nd as well as main conference session on the 24th. Here’s what you can expect…

Pre-Conference Session: Tuesday, April 22 - 1:00 - 4:30 pm: Building Integrated Social Media Campaigns: How to Leverage New Media in Existing Communication Plans

Social media is often approached as a separate discipline than traditional public relations and marketing. However, while effectively engaging in social media requires a shift in strategy, it shouldn’t be considered in isolation from the strategic communications or marketing plan. This half-day seminar is designed to give participants what they need to start incorporating social media into their public relations and marketing plans today. Attendees will learn a three-step process that will allow them to include social media tactics as they research, plan, implement and measure their overall communication strategy. They will also learn how to appropriately engage online communities and create programs that are designed to find the alignment between organizational and constituent goals. Participants will:

-Learn to incorporate social media into their overall strategic communications plans
-Leave with resources to start engaging in social media immediately
-Have a clear understanding of how to measure success

This should be interesting because integrating social media into a larger marketing plan only makes sense, yet many folks still struggle with how to engage in social media correctly. We are already modifying several of our past processes to deliver something completely new for NewComm Forum pre-con attendees.

On Thursday morning, April 24 at 10 a.m Kami and I pick up the beat again for, “Building Your Brand with Conversational Media.”

Millions of people are creating content on social networks as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. In today’s world, quick and portable micro content is king. Moreover, stakeholders are demanding that companies interact with them in real time. Communicators, from the independent to agencies to corporate communications departments, are increasingly under pressure to help their clients and companies navigate this new era and remain relevant. In this seminar, learn about the online culture and how to engage with it through a logical three-step process. Hear how other companies have used social media to position themselves as thought leaders in their field. You will:

• Learn about the latest social media tools and techniques
• Take away a three-step process to begin engage right away
• Understand how micro content will help you to position your brand
• Hear about case studies that you can apply to your own business needs

Another three-step process, hmmm. Really this session will have a lot to do with WOM, and third party credibility.

Bonus Miles

I will be in the Bay Area for most of the week and am actively trying to arrange a Tweet-up in SF of some sorts on the 21st or 23rd. If anyone would like to get together during this time, please let me know! Social media always gets great when it becomes an in person thing. Heck, I may even wrangle Kami into it!

Often, social media is referred to as “the conversation.” But on tomorrow’s Buzz Bin post, I argue that in actuality for companies conversation is not the end result. Instead it’s just a process to create engagement with stakeholders. Engagement creates strong relationships, in turn yielding measurable results for companies in social worlds (see K.D. Paine for more on this).

In my opinion there are four ways to create engagement with stakeholders using social media tools.

1) Co-creation: The customization of socially enabled product platforms by customers which creates engagement. Customers are excited because they get to build a unique and better business product that suits their needs. Examples: Google front page, Mini Coopers (image is Bobasonic’s custom Cooper), Build a Bear, etc. This can extend to the brick and mortar world, too. Think Harley Davidsons and the vast amount of customization these bikes enjoy. The key is to create a platform that customers and other stakeholders can play with…

2) Collaboration: Think Wikis (and other collaborative tools like text, chat and emai). These are designed to help people involved in a common task achieve their goals.Wikipedia is the classic example, but other forms include implementations at Adobe Systems, Intel, Microsoft and the FBI. WIkis are really hot for internal corporate environments, and make for a great tools to engage internal stakeholders in larger discussions about business.

3) Conversation: The most talked about form of engagement (pun intended), this embodies blogging and true social networking. Conversations from a corporate standpoint in these realms include corporate blogging, applications for social networks, community forums, even social advertising. Participation in the conversation works better in these environments rather than the tired old one-way approach to communications. Many think the term conversation has become a cliche, or overused, but smart people know that conversation is simply a two-way dialogue.

4) Crowdsourcing: This is a task traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people, in the form of an open call. Social technologies are great for catalyzing these types of environments, particularly for product development. Nokia’s Mosh, Dell’s Idea Storm, and MyStarbucks are the most visible corporate examples I have seen. Here’s another example featuring Livebooks. Also, Rohit had an interesting version of crowdsourcing interviews to launch his book.

So, go forth and engage!