PR 2.0 Optimization Seminar April 8, Guangzhou and Web

April 6, 2009 By

When I’m speaking to business people about social media I find it helpful to have illustrative stories from my direct, personal experience.  That’s why, in conversations over the past couple of weeks, leading up to this coming Wednesday April 8th’s PR 2.0 Optimization seminar in Guangzhou, China and on the Web, I’ve been enjoying having at my fingertips a practical illustration of how social media can help business, efficiently and economically.

PR 2.0 Optimization Seminar banner

Because as well as the subject matter being very much about social media, in the promotion and staging of the event there is a practical use of social media tools and approaches.

For example:

  • The event is being publicized on Facebook and Twitter and via PitchEngine, an online media service which has been built precisely so as to meet the continually evolving demands of a social media enabled economy.
  • At least two of the people presenting at the seminar, Brian Solis and I, will be doing so virtually, via Skype video.

There is also a philanthropic dimension. The company organizing the event, CultureFish Media, of which I’m an Associate, is also providing a special discounted entry price scholarship for the first 300 people from a range of specified groups, including members of Social Media Club worldwide and people on Twitter, and the proceeds from those tickets will go to helping build shelters for survivors of the catastrophic Sichuan earthquakes.

CultureFish Media

Filed Under: Business, China, Social Media, Web 2.0 Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Keeping My Carbon Footprint Down with Skype Video

March 4, 2009 By

Thanks to Skype video, I will have the pleasure of being a co-presenter, with my colleague Professor Lonnie B. Hodge, at a workshop being held a few weeks from now about 4,300 miles (about 9,300 km) away, in Guangzhou, China.

I love doing live presentations, but on this occasion my presence will be virtual.

Apart from the time-saving, it gives me a nice feeling about my carbon footprint. No air travel – nor taxis to and from airports – no hotels. Just sitting at my desk and looking into the camera.

For more information about the workshop, including, location, times, how to register (for participation in the live event or online) go to the event Facebook page.

Yesterday I had a chat with Lonnie about our intentions and plans for the workshop day.

The audio of our chat lasts about 36 minutes: you can listen here or download the MP3 file to your iPod or other MP3 player. Note that this podcast was first posted yesterday on my Social Media Show site, so you may have listened to it there. If not, happy listening! :)


Filed Under: Business, China, Social Media, Social networking, Web 2.0 Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Lonnie Hodge to Speak at China Bloggercon 2008

October 30, 2008 By

China Bloggercon 2008I’d love to be able to attend China Bloggercon 2008 in Guangzhou, China, a couple of weeks from now – November 15th to 16th to be  precise.

Having been just over a month ago at another gathering of bloggers and other new media enthusiasts in Las Vegas, NV, USA – BlogWorld & New Media Expo 2008 - I know what a buzz it is to hang out for a few days with people who have a shared enthusiasm for blogging and podcasting.

The event in Guangzhou will be, if I’m not mistaken, the third China Bloggercon. I understand that it is expected to attract around 500 participants.

A couple of people I know are on the speaker list, including as keynote, as has been reported in a few places now, social media commentator Shel Israel, whose Global Neighbourhoods blog is a great source of information and insight on the takeup and application of social media around the world.

Lonnie B. HodgeAlso on the list is my friend and colleague, Professor Lonnie B. Hodge, who is a long-term Asia resident and now lives right in Guangzhou. Lonnie is CEO of CultureFish Media, of which I am an Associate.

Next week, Lonnie and I will be launching a new Internet radio program about China. We will be having a conversation each week about doing business, especially online, in China, about social media in China and probably ranging out from time to time to a wider regional perspective. We have started to line up some very interesting guests. Watch this space!

Filed Under: Blogging, China Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Web Wednesday Guangzhou Presentation

October 16, 2008 By

Is there a rule of the universe that, when you are doing a presentation on a tech-related subject and/or to a group with lots of techies present, the technology will let you down, wholly or in part?

Last night’s presentation to the Web Wednesday event in Guangzhou, via Skype video, on social media and advertising, was looking somewhat threatened for a while. In spite of the system testing perfectly before the event got underway, once it was time for me to be on we had – from memory – three or four dropouts before we were able to settle into the presentation.

Eventually everything worked and I’ve been told today that the feedback from the event was good. I certainly enjoyed the experience!

The attendees were spared my slides, because it was not feasible at the venue to be able to show the slides and have me talking at the same time. I’m posting the slideshow here for the sake of anyone who might have liked to see them.

As with all my slide presentations these days, the aim is to provide some shared talking points, a few graphic illustrations and contact info for anyone who wants to follow up.

I hope the implicit narrative is clear enough. If there was one key point I wanted to make, it was Think Conversation (not “campaign”).

Advertising – the Social Media Bit

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: guandong china)
Filed Under: Business, China, Social Media Tagged With: , , , ,

I’m Speaking at Web Wednesday, Guangzhou

October 14, 2008 By

Web Wednesday GuangzhouI’m speaking tomorrow night at the Web Wednesday mixer in Guangzhou, China. As I’ll be several thousand miles/kilometres from Guangzhou, my presence will be virtual.

No drinks for me.

The Web Wednesday events, informal monthly gatherings of interested digerati, were started in Hong Kong by Internet entrepreneur and Sinologist Napoleon Biggs,  who has been 20 years in China and Hong Kong.

There is also a Web Wednesday group in Singapore.

Web Wednesday Guangzhou is organized by my friend and colleague Professor Lonnie B. Hodge, CEO of CFM Ltd, another long term Asia hand and a very persuasive man: which goes some way to explaining how I could agree to do a presentation in a country and city so far away, without working out at the time just how this was to be achieved!

The topic for tomorrow night in Guangzhou is Advertising Alchemy.

The other speaker is Peter Burton, who is based in Hong Kong and has been in China for 12 years. He knows a lot about advertising.

Peter is currently Operations Director at digital marketing and adserving company Oriented Media and is a veteran of the internet. He is a co-founder of Activ8 (now Oriented Media). Before that he was a member of the start-up team for SpaceAsia Media, Asia’s first adserving network.

So just what’s my role expected to be in this forum on how to create gold via advertising? Well, I understand I’m going to be allowed to talk about how blogging and social media generally fit into or relate to the advertising mix.

Which is fine.

As the friends I still have will attest, I can talk about blogging and social media under ten feet of wet cement.

Fortunately the communication medium will be the more speaker-friendly Skype video. I’ve put some slides together but have no idea yet whether they can be shown as I speak. What I’m more interested in is engaging with issues that are important or simply of interest for the people attending the event.

There are thirty people confirmed already and I’m hoping to get some challenging questions, whether in the comments here, or on the event Facebook page or from the floor on the night.

Should be fun.

Filed Under: China, Social Media, Web 2.0 Tagged With: , , , ,