Sean Patrick Farrell comment-56201 2011-08-29T22:37:55Z 2011-08-29T22:37:55Z 1. I think that you took an argumentative tone here. I agree with just about everything you said. 2. "New" is a relative term, and to many people just getting their start in the realm of social media, Twitter is a "new tool." I understand that my credibility is damaged among professionals by terming it as such, but industry professionals are not necessarily my target audience. 3. I'd love to get in touch with you to discuss your experiences further, and I look forward to having a discussion that is not limited by an appeal to a broader base. Look forward to hearing from you, and thanks for your input! Sean Patrick Farrell 2011-08-29T22:37:55Z thechivalrous comment-52326 2011-06-17T18:28:38Z 2011-06-17T18:28:38Z 1. I think you played it safe in your take here. Cowboy up and take a stance on ROI. Measuring metrics that cannot be directly tracked to business objectives = no ROI. Bottom line. Too bad so sad. There is a great need for social media education for local small businesses in Sacramento- made apparent by this meeting. 2. Calling HootSuite and Tweetdeck "new" tools is inaccurate and chips away at your credibility in the space. These tools have been around for some time now. 3. What I noticed at the meeting that there were few willing to a) acknowledge the reality of the experience, implications of spam/noise flood, lack of measurable return, b) the attendees who seem to represent healthy businesses were actually interested in the path to tracking and measuring but c) a majority of the small businesses are so caught up in believing "on faith" in the given value of social metrics that they fail to critically analyze them or integrate them into their business model. What is worse, when challenged with the notion of a continually changing market and audience, they seemed to gang up on those raising the question without tackling the questions themselves. There may be more traffic in painting a pretty picture and continuing false hype and bubble talk about social media, but to those disciplined in business, marketing and social, most of what is said is laughable at best. The moderator was great but the panelists evaded answering the question until finally admitting that they rely on good ole Google analytics to track everything (after ragging on those metrics in the beginning). I'm not a fan of B.S. Bubble Speak and I work in the space rolling out social marketing strategy for clients all over the west coast, but I prefer to practice with integrity. I don't think it's appropriate to lower the ball for Sacramento businesses, by continuing the discussion in such a puff piece way especially when a majority of these social businesses cannot map a path to financial return. That is an #epicfail. Let's get real about describing the challenges and how we ought to face them. It's time Sacramento develops an attitude of discipline and education in social media and business in general that consists of describing the dragons and facing them head on with a piercing sword of finely honed ideas, the tactics to deploy them and virtues to face them, all while mounted a steed and foundation of business acumen. #GetHeroik thechivalrous 2011-06-17T18:28:38Z Laura Good comment-51347 2011-05-28T16:14:46Z 2011-05-28T16:14:46Z Nice recap Sean! Thank you for attending Social Media Club Sacramento panel discussions and sharing what you learn with the rest of Sacramento! Laura Good 2011-05-28T16:14:46Z Brenna Hamilton comment-50642 2011-05-16T23:08:36Z 2011-05-16T23:08:36Z Thanks for the follow-up on last month's informative event! One small problem, however, is that the caption "SMC Sac members kind enough to volunteer at the registration desk" is incorrect. The person seated at the table is The California Museum's stellar staff member, Scott. Brenna Hamilton 2011-05-16T23:08:36Z Casey Kirk comment-50633 2011-05-16T18:37:51Z 2011-05-16T18:37:51Z Thanks for looking out, Laura. The link is fixed. Casey Kirk 2011-05-16T18:37:51Z Laura Good comment-50630 2011-05-16T17:46:13Z 2011-05-16T17:46:13Z Here is the missing link for tomorrow's "Social Media ROI: Is it Measurable" panel discussion referenced at the bottom of the article: http://roiandsocialmedia.eventbrite.com/ Laura Good 2011-05-16T17:46:13Z Isaac Gonzalez comment-50627 2011-05-16T17:02:41Z 2011-05-16T17:02:41Z I would say, that at the least, social media has given a platform to those who before had none. That in itself doesn't lean towards "better" or "worse", but rather more unpredictable. The spark which ignites a cultural response can now come from anywhere, and now that the genie is out of the bottle nation states that seek to deny basic human rights to their citizens best be mindful of using old school methods to squash dissidents. The world may begin to look like a very different place over the next ten years as the disenfranchised struggle to define what being "free" means. Hopefully, true equality is the outcome of these uprisings, however it is just as well possible that zealots can swoop in during the absence of clear leadership and use the powerful politics of fear to unite the uniformed towards their causes. Unbiased observation and analysis is critical and extremely difficult as these complex interactions take place. What a time to be alive! Isaac Gonzalez 2011-05-16T17:02:41Z maya81 comment-46464 2011-02-25T23:14:35Z 2011-02-25T23:14:35Z I'm definitely a fan of Meetup. I would also recommend a social site for travelers to meet locals called Tripping.com. It's a great way to expand your circle without leaving home. They have networks for various UC schools, so check out if your school has a Network: https://www.tripping.com/networks. maya81 2011-02-25T23:14:35Z Casey Kirk comment-46134 2011-02-21T20:17:08Z 2011-02-21T20:17:08Z No need to be upset! Headline fixed and welcome to The Sacramento Press. Great recruitment, Laura. Casey Kirk 2011-02-21T20:17:08Z Laura Good comment-46126 2011-02-21T17:33:45Z 2011-02-21T17:33:45Z Sean--great article and welcome to citizen journalism! Laura Good 2011-02-21T17:33:45Z Sean Patrick Farrell comment-46115 2011-02-21T02:22:44Z 2011-02-21T02:22:44Z Big thanks to Laura Good for all her help editing my first story on Sacramento Press! Quick side-note: I'm aware that the second quotation-mark is missing in the title, and - trust me - I'm more upset about it than you are. Sean Patrick Farrell 2011-02-21T02:22:44Z