Brands I #LOVE: @NASA is a Social Media Star with #NASASocial Events

I've been following +NASA on Google+ for a while and always love seeing the pics from space, as well as the insider info on NASA events and Google+ hangouts about NASA's space exploration.

NASA hits it into space with social media! 

NASA truly has something for everyone with niche social media channels for all the different initiatives. Anyone can find their interest on NASA'S Social Media Connection Page. Imagine talking to astronauts IN SPACE! You can! Just connect with NASA via your favorite social media channels.

A brand with personality out of this world! One of my favorites..
Funny, suave, quirky, and sweet with a ton of pop culture references...meet @MarsCuriosity
(I think it's a guy...and I'm wooed by him!) I'm not the only one. See the Brandchannel.com article below.

Life of a Social-ITe at #TechVille2013 (Part 2)

So much is happening at TechVille 2013, I couldn't fit into one blog post!

Follow #TechVille2013 for LIVE TWEETS!

What: TechVille 2013 is the Nashville Technology Council's annual flagship event focusing on the state of technology in Nashville and highlighting technology innovation, talent, and entrepreneurship.

When: Tuesday April 23, 2013 from 8 am till 5 pm.


Basically, anyone who's anyone in technology in Nashville will be at TechVille and I'm all up in the mix of things going on!

Here are just some of the day's highlights I'm anticipating at TechVille 2013:

Great Speakers!
Keynote: Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association + speakers from Etsy, Moteva, Windstream, DePalma Studios, Populr.me -  See the full list of TechVille 2013 Speakers.

@NissanUSA is Sponsoring the Social-ITes!
This year Social Media Club Nashville's Social-ITes are proud to be sponsored by Nissan, which will have a Nissan Leaf (@NissanLEAF)  on site for us to explore the wonders of as we take the event social. Social-ITes (aka roaming reporters) are covering the event minute by minute as the most interactive form of media and PR: social media!

Visit @SMCNash's booth at TechVille!
Social Media Club Nashville will have a booth at TechVille. Look for us roaming around sharing the TechVille experience and happenings live on all the social networks. We'll show you all the latest #TechVille2013 Tweets and help you get social with some Twitter tips.

Vote me (@crossga) for "Mayor of #TechVille 2013"!
I've been selected to be in the running for "Mayor of TechVille" where the winning candidate will be determined via text vote. My platform is "The Social Connector," leveraging my fabulous social skills in connecting people. If you're attending, I appreciate your vote!

Whether you are there on site or not, please follow the hashtag #TechVille2013 and join in the conversation, follow all the Nashville Technology players, and feel free to reach out to me to connect you with who you want to meet! I'll track them down for you. It's all about building relationships.

See ya on the #TechVille2013 hashtag stream! Follow @NashTechCouncil for the roundup of speakers and sponsors.


Related TechVille posts and articles:

•  Life of a Social-ITe at #TechVille2013 (Part 1)
• #Nashville's #TechVille 2012 Social Media Cheat Sheet

Life of a Social-ITe at #TechVille2013 (Part 1)

Social-ITe: Pronounced "social" as in Social Media and "ITe" as in as in Information Technology.

The term Social-ITe came from the Nashville Technology Council's staff last year when they partnered with me and a few other Social Media Club Nashville members to be roaming social media reporters at their annual tech event, TechVille 2012.

Meet the Social-ITes! (pictured left to right) Leah Mackey Schultz, Lisa French, Krista Ashton, Ashley Nicholson, Katie Adkins, and Georgia Cross.

Using our social media marketing skills and leveraging our network in Nashville, the Social-ITes helped trend the #Techville hashtag, to the top of Twitter in Nashville in 2013.

We had a blast tweeting quotes from speakers, featuring TechVille attendees and sponsors in photos, and posting video clips. No social network was left out: Facebok, Twitter, Instagram, FourSquare, Google+, and YouTube. The best part is that we shared the TechVille experience with people that weren't even there. They were chiming into the conversations and commenting on the event in real time. 

TechVille 2012 was such a success, that Social-ITes were asked to cover Social Media at the Tech Awards Gala. We were even featured in the Nashville Technology Council's annual publication, Catalyst 2013.  

It's a win, win, win situation being a Social-ITe! Social Media Club Nashville gets some exposure and recognition, Social-ITes get to make new connections while telling the TechVille story via social networks, everyone following the hahstag gets informed and entertained, and Nashville Technology Council gets a ton of non-traditional PR.

Social Media has the power to reach and connect unlike any other medium. The best part is...you...yes, YOU can get in on the action with this year's TechVille2013!

What: TechVille 2013 is the Nashville Technology Council's annual flagship event focusing on the state of technology in Nashville and highlighting technology innovation, talent, and entrepreneurship.

When: Tuesday April 23, 2013 from 8 am till 5 pm.

Follow: #TechVille2013 , @NashTechCouncil, @crossga (Me!)

 Look for Part 2 of this post Tuesday 4/23 with the inside scoop on Techville2013!


Related TechVille posts and articles:

• #Nashville's #TechVille 2012 Social Media Cheat Sheet
• TechVille 2012 Social Media Analytics
  (Courtesy +Leah Mackey Schultz & Xerox/ACS Advertising)
• ACS Advertising Well-Represented at the Tech Awards Gala in Nashville

Born to Blog | Mark Shaefer on Courage

I'm finding some inspiration in the social media marketers I've been bumping into at Social Slam and Social media Marketing World. Mark Shaefer was so kind to be my first video interview on my blog. So fitting that the topic is "courage to publish" from his book, "Born to Blog".

 

[VIDEO]

Mark Shaefer, Co-author of "Born to Blog" and I discuss blogging and the "courage to push publish" at the Social Media Marketing World 2013 Conference in San Diego. (April 2013)

Get the book, "Born to Blog" at Amazon.com (This is not an affiliate link.)

Learn more about Mark Schaefer

Former First Lady, Elanor Roosevelt said it best back in the day:
“Do one thing every day that scares you.”
 I successfully have checked that off my list today when hitting "publish."

Return on Opportunity: Reflections from #SMMW13

I'm winding down from attending Social Media Explorer's first live conference, Social Media Marketing World (#SMMW13). There were 1,100+ attendees, amazing networking events, packed sessions with the top social media thought leaders, authors, and speakers- which was overwhelming for even a high flying social butterfly like me. Check out the pics with fellow social media marketers at #SMMW13's networking cruise. Everyone there shared a passion for social media! So what did I learn?

Social Media is Return on Opportunity.

This is the theme that comes to mind, as I am reflecting on all the new friends I've made at SMMW13, connections with these thought leaders, and their words of social media marketing wisdom.

A lot of the SMMW13 speakers emphasized how social media is about building a community, having passion for the content, and genuinely connecting and helping others via social networks.

What if that Tweet was shared and brought in a new customer that again shared their experience on Facebook and another person liked it and someone they were connected to saw it and went to your website to buy? Sounds dreamy, right?

Social Media Club Nashville Celebrating 4th year | Nashville.com Article

I'm very proud and pleased that Social Media Club Nashville (SMCNash) is celebrating it's forth year this April in bringing Nashville's social media marketing enthusiasts and business professionals together to network and learn from each other.

Apparently, you can get famous in Nashville without a song or a TV show...just by connecting people and having a passion. Check out this article about Social Media Club Nashville (and me!) on Nashville.com: Help for the New Nashville Entrepreneur

via Nashville.com

Marketing Buzzwords VS Thought Leaders at #SoSlam and #SMMW13

Buzz, buzz, buzz...optimize your content on the social web...increase brand reach and customer influence...buzz, buzz, buzz...targeted inbound marketing campaign...Content, Content, Content...buzz, buzz, buzz....Expert, Guru, Maven...buzz, buzz, buzz...

Everyone's an expert and then again, no one's an expert in social media marketing. There's a thin line between saying you are knowledgeable in an area of marketing and actually having an expertise or concentration in that area.

There are those that were raised on traditional marketing principles in their career and have gravitated to digital (like me), and then there are those that learned the tools, are savvy salespeople, and convince others that don't know any better that they are experts.