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Join us Monday, February 6th from 6:00pm – 7:00pm as we explore the latest weapons in social media, Pinterest and Instagram. The two platforms have found their way into the hearts of many, and are raising the eyebrows of brand strategists everywhere. Are you thinking about using them to build your personal brand or your clients?

During this month’s Twitter chat we’ll ask you:

1. What brands have you found to be successful on Pinterest or Instagram?
2. Are you thinking about using one of these sites?
3. Have you had any success?
4. What are some cool tricks you’ve found to work on Pinterest or Instagram?
5. Who should we be following?

Date: Monday, February 6th
Time: 6:00pm – 7:00pm
Topic: Exploring Pinterest & Instagram to build your brand
Hashtag: #smphxchat
Hosted by:Daniel Moran (@dmoranjr)

This month experts Clintus McGintus and Merlin U. Ward discussed the issue of leveraging video to drive traffic. Sharing their expertise they stressed that it’s essential for you to:

1. Explore ALL Channels: Learn where you audience is and post your videos on those platforms. There are more sites than just YouTube, so do your research.
2. Meta Tags: It’s important your Meta tags not only speak to the content of your videos, but how people will search search for your videos.
3. Content. Content. Content: Don’t expect to have millions of people view your channel, if you’re not consistently uploading new videos.

The Social Media Club of Phoenix would like to thank Clintus and Merlin for speaking to our group. If are looking to leverage video marketing and have questions send a Tweet to Clintus (@Clintus) or Merlin (@MerlinUWard).

Last night we picked the biggest moments in social media and here are our favorites.

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• Best Social Mishap: While Kenneth Cole’s infamous blunder that insulted the Egyptian people was pretty crazy, we thought Weinergate toped them all. Our group voted by a wide margin that Anthony Weiner’s failed DM was the biggest social mishap in 2011. After all, his Twitter picture bearing the family jewels managed to end his political career.

• Hottest Social Media Campaign: Online privacy is a hot topic and no other campaign showed us how vulnerable we are than Facebook Lollipop. Set to a creepy soundtrack that channels a Chainsaw Massacre flick, it’ll make you a little bit nervous the next time you log on. Check it out at www.takethislollipop.com.

Hidden Gems: What do you get when you cram a room full of social media junkies into a room? You’ll get some amazing recommendations for apps that’ll rock your world.

        Favorite Apps: Goodzer; Twitter for Debates; Square; Apple Check Out; Waze; and Kurrently.

        Favorite Sites: Turntablefm; Pinterest; Social Bro; Uncrate; and Procatinator.com.

Biggest Moment in 2012: It was when some crazy guy gave everyone access to his Starbucks card. And like all good things in life it came to an end after one bad apple ruined it for everyone. It’s why coffee lovers across the world LOVE Jonathan Stark and HATE Sam Qdio after he banked some Bengamins. Get the full scoop here: http://mashable.com/2011/08/12/jonathans-card-hacked-starbucks/

Social Hangover 2011: When this topic was brought up…everyone almost instantaneously yelled out Klout. The black sheep of the social media family has a long way to go before it wins the hearts of social junkies across the globe….or at least from the SMC Phoenix crew.

From everyone at SMC Phoenix HAPPY HOLIDAYS! We wish you the best of luck in 2012 and look forward to seeing you at next year’s meeting. Just because it’s 2012 doesn’t mean we’re changing our schedule. We’ll see you on January 12th at 6:30pm at Gannet Local.

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As 2011 comes to an end, Social Media Club of Phoenix wanted to hear from its members about what the biggest topics, trends, issues, etc. you’re expecting in 2012. Why? So that we cannot only start planning next year’s monthly meetings, but so everyone can better understand what obstacles and opportunities the future holds.

We’ll ask you to chirp about:

1. What will be the biggest focus in social media?
2. How will it change how you market a brand?
3. How will change how you market your personal brand?
4. What are you going to do differently in 2012?

Join us on Thursday, December 15th from 6:00pm – 7:00pm to discuss what the future holds. You can participate in our conversation with the hash tag #SMCPHXCHAT.

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Last month Social Media Club of Phoenix hosted its first Social Media Camp to help fellow social junkies get a firm grip on social media. During our two hour mini camp, our team members Jerilyn Kruger and Daniel Moran discussed the basics of how to get started on social media. The two tackled topics that included Facebook, Twitter and establishing your brand’s personality.

If you were not able to attend the event, our experts were kind enough to post their presentations online via Slidshare. We will be hosting a Social Media Camp in early 2012, so stay tuned for more information.

Can’t wait for our next Social Media Camp? You can attend our free monthly meetings where we discuss everything social. If there is a specific topic you want to explore, please post it on our future topics section of our website or let us know on Facebook.

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Facebook has evolved since its early days. During this month’s Twitter chat we took an in-depth look at the newest changes and the affect they have on users. We first discussed Timeline and found that SMC Phoenix members liked the new page features. @afmarcom shared how she thought the new changes would allow people to enhance their profile, “I’m sure other people will trick out their profile a lot more.”

The new cover photo allows people to brand themselves and give a better snapshot of their personality, interests, etc. A recent article on Mashable.com showed how people are having fun designing their Timeline cover photo. Ultimately by completing the information the way it’s designed, Facebook has created a virtual timeline of your life—allowing you to tell people exactly who you are.

Like with any new changes some are not so welcomed. Two of the biggest issues we discussed were centered around Facebook’s new apps policy and Ticker. The latest changes in its apps policy allows them to access your information and post updates without having to ask your permission. While privacy is a big concern it is also becoming an inconvenience as @phxgrl31 pointed out that Spotify is, “listing every song I listened to.”

While the information trickles into Facebook’s new Ticker it’s still viewed as spam by most users. @CherylMarquez added that you are able to adjust your privacy settings, so that your every move won’t be posted by apps on your newsfeed or ticker.

With the latest changes marketers are finding it harder to increase or maintain engagement because posts are being buried. @CherylMarquez said, “[It’s] so hard to drive engagement on FB [Facebook] too” in response to @afmarcom’s tweet referring to her lack of ability to see posts. @afmarcom continued to add, “All FB [Facebook] activity has been slow; the new algorithms are hurting conversations.”

What hiccups are you experiencing? Are you finding it hard to increase engagement or see your friend’s posts? Be sure to stay tuned for November’s Twitter chat. We will be announcing the day, time and topic soon.

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This month Social Media Club of Pheonix’s Twitter Chat will be held Monday, October 10th from 6:00pm – 7:00pm. With the launch of Facebook’s new Timeline people are up in arms over the upcoming changes, and some are on edge—after all Timeline is a stalkers paradise. The new setting neatly organizes all your past posts and photos from over the years—making it the perfect place for someone to drudge up ammo on you.

During October’s Twitter Chat will do more than explore Timeline, we’ll take a quick look at all the changes occurring. Here are some of the questions we will be asking:

1. What do you think your Timeline will say about you?
2. Does the “All Access” App pass concern you?
3. Will access to movies, music and more keep you locked into Facebook longer?
4. Do you think the new changes will hurt or help Facebook?
5. Do the new features allow you to express more of who you are?

Join us on Monday, October 10th from 6:00pm – 7:00pm to discuss Facebook and its new features. You can participate in our conversation with the hash tag #SMCPHXCHAT.

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At this month’s Twitter Chat we took the Klout conversation we had at our last meeting, and tackled the pressing questions still lingering. Our discussion on Twitter shifted gears as we focused on how Klout has changed our online behaviors.

Amongst our Twitter Chat participants, we came to an overall consensus that Klout has pushed us to engage more on Twitter and other platforms.  @dmoranjr Tweeted, “It’s made me re-think how much I engage! So yes it has switched things up for me.” Exploring how Klout has pushed us to engage more, we explored ways to further open up a dialogue with people we don’t personally know.

Since social media is about being social, @JoeManna encouraged members to jump into conversations. He stated, “I usually interject myself on Twitter. Usually with some usefulness, wittiness or humor.”

A hot topic on everyone’s minds was how we can improve our Klout scores, and bottom line there is no way to cheat the system—it’s about staying active and engaged on social platforms. @CherylMarquez noticed her score increased when she started having conversations on Twitter. Other users expressed using social platforms that link to Twitter or Klout that pushes them to have more of a conversation with their followers.

Overall it’s clear that Klout and its algorithm for determining influence has itself earned clout in the world of social media. As companies begin examining a person’s Klout score and people are slowly giving Klout online, the company has created a respected recipe for determining a person’s impact in the social media world.

Be sure to tune in to next month’s Twitter chat held the first Friday of every month. Social Media Club of Phoenix will be announcing the topic in the next week or two.

Related articles

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• Do You Need Klout? (adrsocialmedia.wordpress.com)
• 4 Great Alternatives to Klout (lockergnome.com)
• Paul Gillin’s Trouble with Klout & the need for a true measure of social media impact (birnbachcom.com)
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Image by Mashable.com via Flickr

Mashable, the leading information outlet for social media, has declared June 30 to be Social Media Day. More than 525 places around the world are hosting events in honor of the decreed day.

Locally, Social Media Arizona (SMAZ) is hosting a Social Media Day party at MADCAP Theater in Tempe from 5-7 p.m.  SMAZ is inviting people to get on the MADCAP stage and give a verbal, in-person Tweet about why they love their favorite social media tool and talk about something great that happened because they used it. You can RSVP and check out the Meetup details here.

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We have a bevy of organizations in Phoenix that are hosting fun and interesting events in the next few months – Check them out!

December

• 12/12 ImprovAZ will be doing their first mp3 Experiment at 2pm on Mill Ave in Tempe:  ImprovAZ
• 12/12 Sunlight Hackathon at Gangplank: Hackathon09

January

• 1/10 No Pants AZ Ride.  More details to follow soon: No Pants AZ 2010 – Facebook
• 1/14 SMC – Facebook Deep Dive with Jason Baer: SMC Phoenix
• 1/25 Social Media AZ Conference at Madcap Theaters in Tempe: Social Media AZ
  • Sign up before the 12/25 on Eventbrite and use the SMC discount code to receive 45% off.  

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