26th Nov: Twitter Handles of Attendees

30 Nov

It was great having you with us for the session. I am listing the twitter handles of all the attendees so you can connect with each other. After all that’s the main agenda of SMC-Mumbai, becoming a platform for people from the Social media domain to connect.

You can also follow SMC-Mumbai on Facebook and Twitter to continue the discussion OR  join the Newsletter and Twtvite Group to stay updated on the upcoming sessions.

We always look at members joining in to volunteer and/or collaborate in the club’s activities. Do get in touch with us if you’d like to contribute in any way. contact@smcmumbai.com

Looking forward to some great interactions with you.

Speakers:

@amrita_kumar

@sm63

@harshilkaria

Attendees:

@sunitprkash

@prasoonk

@theunsocialguy

@dipti_b

@nirali_hingwala

@nishith23

@ranaderohan

@hemanshujain

@shreekantpawar

@PureWaste

@tejasjinturkar

@manishnk

@mulchand

@I_Moron

@riccu

@pratikgupta

@ideasmithy

@v1shalmenon

@rushabh69

@jsonm

@emoparade

@justlikecrap

@tarkeebipitaara

@shrutimnair

@social_junkei

@duiee

@cool_desire

@kryptonickaos

@dhiraj_salian

Partners:

@TheTastyTangles

@Foodkamood

Volunteers :

@si0007

@TracyDeSouza

@admads

@manveermalhi

@LavinM

@ankitagaba

@nash711

SOCIAL STORYTELLING: A Workshop on Creating Content for the Social Web

22 Jun

Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter, especially in the online medium; so if you’re looking to get your message to the ’social’ crowd, you’re going to have to be captivating. How do you do this? Turn to social storytelling to give your content greater social presence and discover the softer edge that storytelling brings.

Social Media Club presents an interactive session, with Snigdha Manchanda Binjola, that’s custom tailored to help writers capitalize on the use of storytelling for content marketing in social media and viral campaigns. Gain hands-on experience and learn the art of crafting captivating content at the hands of an expert social storyteller and web strategist.

Date: 2nd of July,
Time: 5 to 8:30 pm
Venue: Directi-plex, Old Nagardas Road, Andheri (East).

How to register:
We just have 20 seats for this workshop and. Would like to give them out to those who deserve and on a first come first serve basis.

- Fill this form to apply.
- RSVP on our Facebook event here
- if selected, we will inform you via email

Agenda:
5:15-6:00 pm Check-in and networking.
6-7:30 pm Workshop
7:30 – 8:00 pm Snacks and check-out

Topics covered :

1. Why Storytelling in Social Media?

2. Content Marketing and Types of Messaging

3. Conventional Storytelling Vs. Digital Storytelling

4. Case Studies of Successful Storytelling in Social Media

Learning Outcomes:

· Understanding Digital Storytelling and its application in content marketing

· Exploring Content Marketing to design viral Social Media Campaigns

Equip yourself to write for the social web and come away with the essentials of the master storyteller’s took-kit; register now!

Event wrap up: Emerging Social Media Practices by product companies

9 Jun

The members of SMC Mumbai met again after a prolonged time-out on May 7th 2011 to discuss the emerging social media practices for product companies. The seminar was held at Directiplex in Andheri. The refreshing and encouraging fact was that many new members participated in the meet summing the total attendance to an approximate 30. The awareness has fairly increased with SMM. We hope that the trend will only continue to grow.

The seminar was slated to see three product companies – Deskaway, a software company primarily dealing in SaaS and Cloud; Yolkshire, an egg specialty start-up restaurant in Pune; Hokey Pokey a growing national chain of ice-cream parlours. Unfortunately Nitin Jain from Hokey Pokey couldn’t be present for the discussion. Nonetheless the seminar turned out to be quite enriching as Sahil Parikh and Sahil Khan, the respective owners for Deskaway and Yolkshire shared their experiences and thoughts on social media for their businesses.

Emerging Social Media Practices by Product Companies

Deskaway started their stint with the Social Media on Facebook and Twitter a year after their launch. Yolkshire on the other hand started early with a month long pre-launch campaign on Facebook. While the timing might be different the approach has been the same for both. ‘Content is king’ and the platform is majorly employed as a conversation medium. Sahil Parikh quoted in particular that no strategy is followed for their online campaigns per se. It is intrinsically about making conversations in the virtual world with your customers and potential clients. “Do you have a strategy when you go to a social event or a party? Unless you want a pick a girl!” said Parikh in jest. Sahil Khan couldn’t agree more on this. Yolkshire believes in creating content that is interesting enough to generate interaction by the users. The two almost said in unison that the social media platforms are not being used with sales as the primary objective. “Pushy sales are a complete No No!” The simple idea is to create awareness about the product! As Sahil Khan quipped, “Talk everything about eggs.” Effectively tapping the medium to connect like-minded people is another way leading to content generation by the users.
Yolkshire has been rewarded with a healthy fan base due to their daily campaigns viz. “Fan of the day” on Facebook offering a 10% discount to the winners. Various online contests and events at the eatery are synergized with the social media. The prizes, discounts, twitter coupons, free event passes act as incentives and increase the brand following while keeping the current and old relations intact. Constant awareness about product launches, gaining feedback, engaging in discussions about the new trends of the industry, etc keeps the online campaign alive.
Having a social media presence calls for not only interaction with the users but dealing with criticism as well. Online reputation management is a key in such situations. For Deskaway, an online helpdesk is the simple solution. Yolkshire being an eatery chooses to give online reassurance of services and quality. Fighting the viral nature of online criticism is tough but not impossible. Candidness and acceptance about the failures is essential. It never hurts to share inside stories of work productivity, scoops and scandals of the trade either. It only generates more user interest and increases the relativity to the product.
The open discussion saw many members suggesting that an integrated online strategy is the current trend for SMM. Different online tools have to be incorporated with one another to have a streamlined online campaign. Blogs, videos, pictures, etc. from different sites can be shared on all social networking sites. One has to ensure that all the followers are virtually on ‘the same page’ (Pun unintended) with the product’s and/or service’s progress and growth.
Investing time and money into anything, involuntarily asks for measurable results. Online tracking is therefore an essential part of calculations. Hootsuite is an indispensable part of Deskaway’s online accounting, measuring clicks, followers, engagement, etc. With Hootsuite integrating various social media profiles into one makes it easier to keep tabs, make reports and access the analytics. It helps you acknowledge the source of online traffic. One can see the buzz growing with time. Paid and unpaid online tracking tools are available but not necessarily used by all. All said and done, Yolkshire and Deskaway shared similar views on the ever debatable issue – ROI! While the analytics and monthly reports aid in reviewing the online campaigns they can never promise actual conversions in any certainty. Social media is a relatively small part of any marketing plan. And it is fundamentally more of a branding and engagement channel than an advertising portal. In fact the ‘I’ in ROI can very well be called an “Influence” than an investment. To put it simply – ROI is difficult to measure for the social media campaigns. “Don’t sweat it!” But since the finances are being drawn into a campaign one has to make sure it is headed towards some practical fruition.
Both the Sahil(s) revealed their further plans. Future online prospects for Deskaway aren’t revolutionary in any respect as of now. Facebook hasn’t turned out to be as good as Twitter for the software giant in terms of online conversions. The results on Twitter are far more promising and they plan to continue their campaigns there. Yolkshire plans to embark on a more elaborated online drive with collaborations with DealTadka and Foursquare.
There are a plethora of options to be harnessed for one’s social media campaigns. Identifying what suits your trade the best is of importance. Raking in the confidence of industry influencers viz. the food bloggers, the software critics, etc is just one way of being smart in the trade. There are more untapped options and secret windows like these and we hope to explain, debate, share and learn about them in our coming seminars.
-Bhakti
SMC Mumbai
Deskaway started their stint with the Social Media on Facebook and Twitter a year after their launch. Yolkshire on the other hand started early with a month long pre-launch campaign on Facebook. While the timing might be different the approach has been the same for both. ‘Content is king’ and the platform is majorly employed as a conversation medium. Sahil Parikh quoted in particular that no strategy is followed for their online campaigns per se. It is intrinsically about making conversations in the virtual world with your customers and potential clients. “Do you have a strategy when you go to a social event or a party? Unless you want a pick a girl!” said Parikh in jest. Sahil Khan couldn’t agree more on this. Yolkshire believes in creating content that is interesting enough to generate interaction by the users. The two almost said in unison that the social media platforms are not being used with sales as the primary objective. “Pushy sales are a complete No No!” The simple idea is to create awareness about the product! As Sahil Khan quipped, “Talk everything about eggs.” Effectively tapping the medium to connect like-minded people is another way leading to content generation by the users.
Yolkshire has been rewarded with a healthy fan base due to their daily campaigns viz. “Fan of the day” on Facebook offering a 10% discount to the winners. Various online contests and events at the eatery are synergized with the social media. The prizes, discounts, twitter coupons, free event passes act as incentives and increase the brand following while keeping the current and old relations intact. Constant awareness about product launches, gaining feedback, engaging in discussions about the new trends of the industry, etc keeps the online campaign alive.
Having a social media presence calls for not only interaction with the users but dealing with criticism as well. Online reputation management is a key in such situations. For Deskaway, an online helpdesk is the simple solution. Yolkshire being an eatery chooses to give online reassurance of services and quality. Fighting the viral nature of online criticism is tough but not impossible. Candidness and acceptance about the failures is essential. It never hurts to share inside stories of work productivity, scoops and scandals of the trade either. It only generates more user interest and increases the relativity to the product.
The open discussion saw many members suggesting that an integrated online strategy is the current trend for SMM. Different online tools have to be incorporated with one another to have a streamlined online campaign. Blogs, videos, pictures, etc. from different sites can be shared on all social networking sites. One has to ensure that all the followers are virtually on ‘the same page’ (Pun unintended) with the product’s and/or service’s progress and growth.
Investing time and money into anything, involuntarily asks for measurable results. Online tracking is therefore an essential part of calculations. Hootsuite is an indispensable part of Deskaway’s online accounting, measuring clicks, followers, engagement, etc. With Hootsuite integrating various social media profiles into one makes it easier to keep tabs, make reports and access the analytics. It helps you acknowledge the source of online traffic. One can see the buzz growing with time. Paid and unpaid online tracking tools are available but not necessarily used by all. All said and done, Yolkshire and Deskaway shared similar views on the ever debatable issue – ROI! While the analytics and monthly reports aid in reviewing the online campaigns they can never promise actual conversions in any certainty. Social media is a relatively small part of any marketing plan. And it is fundamentally more of a branding and engagement channel than an advertising portal. In fact the ‘I’ in ROI can very well be called an “Influence” than an investment. To put it simply – ROI is difficult to measure for the social media campaigns. “Don’t sweat it!” But since the finances are being drawn into a campaign one has to make sure it is headed towards some practical fruition.
Both the Sahil(s) revealed their further plans. Future online prospects for Deskaway aren’t revolutionary in any respect as of now. Facebook hasn’t turned out to be as good as Twitter for the software giant in terms of online conversions. The results on Twitter are far more promising and they plan to continue their campaigns there. Yolkshire plans to embark on a more elaborated online drive with collaborations with DealTadka and Foursquare.
There are a plethora of options to be harnessed for one’s social media campaigns. Identifying what suits your trade the best is of importance. Raking in the confidence of industry influencers viz. the food bloggers, the software critics, etc is just one way of being smart in the trade. There are more untapped options and secret windows like these and we hope to explain, debate, share and learn about them in our coming seminars.
-Bhakti
SMC Mumbai

Updates from the Club

23 Sep

—Sep 18: SMC-Mumbai supported Digital Vidya for their Social Media Bootcamp earlier this month. We kicked ass at it with our Online Reputation Management presentation. Plans are to have the same session in one of our next SMC meets.

—Sep 23: is Social Good Day, organized by Mashable and RED.

Can social media be used to make the world a better place? We believe it can – Says Mashable

Any thoughts/ideas on how SMC Mumbai can contribute or get involved? Moksh Juneja has already schedule a meetup.

As part of Social Good Day, Social Media Club is glad to support the aTEEtude of Giving campaign initiated by Lavin. Through Ateetude of giving campaign you can donate brand new t-shirts and brownie boxes to underprivileged students before 01 Oct 2010. Here are some ways to get involved with the campaign.

—Sep 24: SMC supports the Digital Media Conclave by CellStrat . They’ve offered a 10% discount for all our members/followers.

Feel free to comment on this post for the discount code.

—Sep 25 is the big day! . SMC Mumbai’s next meet A Photographer’s tryst with Social Media.
Do attend and yes, If you like it, share it!
Facebook
Twitter
Linkedin

Cheers

Social Media and Crime

19 May

Social Media and Crime from SMC Mumbai on Vimeo.

When did the web become social? A history

12 May

Cross posted from Superchooha blog by Ralston D’ Souza.

It is very difficult to track the beginning or the end of Social media accurately. It is a vast realm that is changing at all times. The first known socially interactive platform in the world emerged in 1979. It was called Usenet. Its inventors were two computer scientists by the names of Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis. In the interim of 1979 and the early 90’s, there were a number of platforms like BBS (Bulletin Board Systems) which were in some small abstract way an equivalent of social media today. IRC better known as Internet Relay Chat was in one sense the father of modern day chat platforms we have on almost every social networking website and mail client today. IRC’s were first used in order to share links and generally stay in touch. Also, ‘Leetspeak’ began at this juncture.

The comparison between modern Social media platforms and Usenet is based on the premise that both of them united people and contained the foremost essence or the crux of any social media platform: interaction emerging from common interests.

Over the years, marketing has adapted to social media and the fact that there is an increase in the presence of more and more people coming online and interacting. It is human tendency to trust people in a new medium of interaction. Cases in point being social media platforms like face book and twitter when they first emerged. Although niche, social media platforms are greater influencers as compared to television today because people get the missing dimension of interactivity which a TVC or a print commercial cannot give. Secondly, the user can choose who to interact with.

The clue train manifesto is a set of 95 theses regarding new market places. These theses are a call to action for businesses in the new market place. An instance of one such new market place is the internet. The manifesto goes on to say, that ‘a powerful global conversation has begun. Owing to a marketplace, which is more informed, and share relevant knowledge at a blinding speed, the stress is on having a conversation with people. So the more informed you are, the better the relevance and hence, better will be the quality of your conversations.

In social media, there is one paradigm of engagement only:

Attention ——> Relevance
As a newcomer to social media, I have realized that the online audience is smart. More so, they seek relevance. “What’s in it for me?” is generally their first and foremost question before they join your community or interact with you. Taking a patronizing tone with an audience this sharp, is the equivalent of social media suicide.

Although not all of them have what Daniel Goleman calls EQ, they can find out if the information is accurate, just in case you are taking the high ground by Pfaffing.

Why is it ‘Social’ Media?
The word ‘Social’ in its most basic sense refers to the interaction of organisms with other organisms and to their collective co-existence, irrespective of whether they are aware of it or not, and irrespective of whether the interaction is voluntary or involuntary. Social Media is media meant to be disseminated through the use of the internet. Now this broad definition of Social Media can include Microblogging, Social networking (which is distinct from Social media), Social bookmarking, Blogging, Social network aggregation, Photo/video sharing and so much more.

Heraclitus wrote once, that you cannot enter the same river twice. For a beginner in Social Media all I can say is that there are many aspects of it that I have not completely discovered as yet and by the time I discover them, the river is not quite the same anymore!

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