Corporate Socializers competition to recognize best in corporate social media

August 11, 2008 – 2:55 pm
I'm looking for the best of the best in corporate social media for my new book, SocialCorp, Social media goes corporate, so I've created the Corporate Socializers competition, a program designed to recognize communications professionals who have implemented innovative and effective corporate social media. The competition is open to companies of at least 100 employees, and both in-house communications staff at every level, as well as the agencies who support them, are eligible. Almost everyone in communications agrees that social media has broad use in the corporate world. And while the value of conversation and transparency is widely understood, large corporations are bound by rules, regulations and customs, and in some cases, a responsibility to shareholders and investors, that sometimes require a more tempered approach to social media. The Corporate Socializers competition is designed to highlight the work of professional communicators implement social media that are creative and effective, while keeping ...

Chapter 1 wee hoo

August 7, 2008 – 10:49 pm
Chapter 1 is off to the publisher today, thanks to Bukola for Word formatting help. Felt kind of weird saying "this chapter is done." Now 10 more chapters and the case studies. Easy!

What does it take to be a SocialCorp?

July 4, 2008 – 4:57 pm
What are the benefits of social media in a corporate environment? What tools are corporations currently using? (We're looking at all audiences, including prospects, customers, journalists, bloggers, analysts, shareholders and employees) Other than Dell and Sun, what companies are doing great things with social media? (I haven't nailed down exactly what size company the book is aimed at, but it's probably around 25 employees or larger. Examples can come from anywhere*.) Does the company really have to surrender control of its brand to play authentically in social media How do you develop a corporate social media strategy? Is it developed under the leadership of a social media team, or is social media expertise distributed across existing corporate communications functions like public relations and marketing? What special risks exist in a large corporation that will determine either the kinds of social media programs the company selects, or social media policies that are developed? * We will also ...

Help write the SocialCorp book

July 4, 2008 – 4:39 pm
We're finally getting into high gear writing the SocialCorp book, which is about the merger of social media and corporate communications. The book is intended to be a guide for managers and senior executives inside corporations, and their agencies, on how to develop, implement and manage social media initiatives that work in a corporate environment. From time to time I will post some ideas on the current chapter and will solicit input from social media experts, corporate communicators, PR professionals and others, to make sure the book reflects the current  social media reality in the corporate world as much as possible, and not just my point of view. Please join in and contribute. Thanks!

Early comps of SocialCorp book cover

June 16, 2008 – 11:03 am
Check out these early comps (very rough) of cover designs for the SocialCorp book, and if you have a moment, vote with a comment on which one you like best, and why. Let me know if you have any ideas for imagery, typography or what the book cover should convey. Or maybe book covers are just supposed to catch the eye, and intrigue, and perhaps they don't need to tell the whole story. Remember these are comps, which are before proofs. Images are not rendered properly. Just for basic concept. May post some more soon. 1. Light bulb 2. Name tag 3. Beehive 4. Sidecar

The SocialCorp Blog

May 9, 2008 – 9:30 am
This is the official blog for my book, SocialCorp, due out in November. As you can see, the theme and layout are still in the works. I'll be using this blog to solicit case studies and talk about the contents of the book as I write it, so that when it's done, it's as current and relevant as possible. I've had a number of offers of help, which is wonderful, and I'll soon be formalizing a few processes and recruiting a couple of interns to help with the book, the blog, and the wiki. If you're interested, keep an eye on the blog or e-mail me joel[at]socializedpr[dot]com.