Originally posted on The Steve Rubel Stream.

Experian Simmons is out with a new package of stats that document the incredible growth of social networking in the US. (Experian is an Edelman client.) Here are some of the notable highlights…

First, some 66% of online Americans use social networking sites today, up from just 20% in 2007. This has been covered a lot before. However, what’s notable is that it’s an increasingly additive activity – 43% visit multiple times each day.

Second, social networking is largely synonymous with Facebook. This doesn’t bode well for others that are positioning themselves as a social network since it could confuse consumers. (Since it does not require mutual friending, Twitter to me really isn’t a social network but a continuous public communications channel.)

Third, social networking is largely viewed as a way to connect with friends, not co-workers or business partners. This may show that people are splitting up their personal/professional networks. This was something LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner and I recently discussed and it flies in the face of edge cases like me who have co-mingled the two. (LinkedIn is an Edelman client.)

Last but not least, social networking appears to be more predominant in the western and mountain states, even more than in the east.

One of my long-standing rants about digital communication and technologies is that sometimes it gets wrapped up unfairly into an umbrella term of “social media.” In fact, there are many forms of digital that are inherently not social, and those are worth exploring as well.

One item that fits well into that category in the health space is the notion of electronic medical records (EMRs). The active online Health IT community often discusses the concern that we’ll be behind in efficient patient care as long as we continue to avoid digitized health records.

To give you a different topic to think about this Tuesday, here are a few interesting things to consider when it comes to the role EMRs could play in improving patient care. If you have something to add, feel free to comment so we can keep building this list of resources.

The “20 Year Lag”

The article I always seem to keep coming back to in the EMR debate is a Wikinomics piece from March 2009. Jeff Perron very plainly states a fascinating juxtaposition of using paper-filing systems to organize vital information: “Am I to believe that our libraries did, almost 20 years ago, what our health care system is starting to do now?”

The Benefit

It’s easy to try and guess the benefits of an electronic records system, but it’s better to check out this case study from Dr. Owen O’Neill of a Minneapolis orthopedic surgical practice. The initial return appears just to be in staffing and management of the facility, but as you read on, you’ll note how O’Neill pointed to the improved quality of patient care, reduced risk of transcription errors, and better access to information after-hours. Even better, his partner noted how the physician quality of life also improved.

The Privacy Concern

Privacy has been the buzz word of the last year, and personal health is among the most sensitive of topics. While it’s easy to question why health systems are far behind other public sectors, the strongest reason to be cautious with implementing electronic records is that patients have to trust the security of their digitized records. They have to believe that a secure system in “the cloud” or in health system servers will keep their personal information safe.

New Technologies to Help

The tablet computer revolution has moved many to start looking for practical applications of the devices in the medical space. One such suggestion is leveraging those technologies to streamline the EMR process. There would be a few kinks to work out; as one author noted, if they can’t type on a tablet faster than they would normally write, the dictation apps better learn medical jargon. There is at least a notion that these devices could replace the physician’s clipboard.

Will They Solve Every Care Issue?

Late last year, a study showed that EMR adoption rates were still quite low in the United States, and there had yet to be more than modest differences in the quality of care between hospitals. Most notably, one concern is that some of the systems that may be able to use EMRs most effectively are those who see many poor patients. Yet those same hospitals rely on federal funds more than others, and EMRs may be lower on their implementation list. A digitized health system has clear benefits, but they certainly won’t solve everything.

Image credit: John Norris

On any given day there are 750 tweets per second on Twitter for a total of 65 million tweets per day. With an overload of tweets daily it can be difficult to grasp what is really trending at any given moment. Use the tools below to quickly find current Twitter trends and trending conversations.

Trendsmap

Trendsmap is an interactive map with real-time Twitter trends. It’s Twitter trends meets Google Maps and it is the fastest way to view trends at a global and local level. Each trend has in-depth data including frequency and volume, a description of the trend and any links that are relevant.

What the Trend

What the Trend goes beyond just telling you what’s trending on Twitter to let you know WHY certain topics are trending. What the Trend also has a great section called “Week in Review” which highlights the top 20 trends of the week and their editors provide predictions for upcoming trends and analysis of current trends.

TweetedBrands

TweetedBrands is a collection of the 50 most mentioned brands on Twitter for the current day, the previous week and the last month. While this tool is a great way to see who is getting the most buzz on Twitter it isn’t grabbing all the mentions of keywords associated with a brand so it shouldn’t be used as the primary monitoring tool for buzz.

What the Hashtag?!

What the Hashtag?! is a user-editable encyclopedia for over 14,000 hashtags on Twitter. Each hashtag has a detailed information page with a definition, related hashtags, links, stats for the last 7 days and a list of the top contributors for that hashtag.

Thingbuzz

Thingbuzz is a site to discover the most talked about products through real-time Twitter search. The homepage shows the latest and most popular products that are being shared via Twitter. You can also search on Thingbuzz by the demographic that tweeted the product. For example, one of the most popular products being tweeted by “gamers” is a WiFi scale with over 6,000 tweets.

Twitter stats updated June 29, 2010

Edelman Digital Brazil has been working for the Grand Hyatt São Paulo since 2009, when the team created official profiles on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook to establish relationships with users and engage with bloggers.

Edelman develops tips and trivia about where to hang out in São Paulo, concerts, movies, and encourages conversations about all the subjects related to the Hotel like its restaurants, the spa, the pub and the wine festivals. We want to position Hyatt as a credible source for wine and food.

Hyatt prefers to work with Facebook as it has a high-end audience – in Brazil they tend to be more on Facebook than Orkut. Several cultural contests were promoted on Facebook and Twitter and the winners could experience one of the Hotel’s services.

We also engage with bloggers that talk about Entertainment, Tourism and Beauty.  We invited blogger Liliane Ferrari to stay at the hotel for a weekend to support the International Women’s Day. As a result of this relationship the blogger, who is a great influencer, became an ambassadress for Hyatt.

Edelman is now expanding the project with Hyatt and developing a portal that will be launched in the second half of 2010 to bring information about Traveling, Beauty, Wellness, Wine, Cooking, Music, celebrities that stayed at Hyatt and other interesting subjects.

Success was proved in the first quarter of 2010 when the @GrandHyatt_SP gained 26% more followers and the interaction with the profile through replies, messages and re-tweets increased 213%. The number of people who “like” Hyatt’s Fan Page on Facebook grew 74% and the number of interactions also increased 37%. Tourism is the fastest growing online niche in Brazil and there’s an enormous potential to leverage Hyatt.

Hyatt Digital team is led by Annia Vuolo with the support of Thais Silva and the coordination of Thiane Loureiro.

Write Your Headline- Write the Future

In honor of the World Cup, Nike has launched the largest LED screen in Johannesburg to display fan-submitted messages from Facebook, Mixit, QQ, and Twitter in support of their favorite players. As NOTCOT reports, The messages will appear across the LED screen which triggers an animation of the player mentioned. The user is then pinged back with a photo of their headline on the Life Center”.

Facebook Nears 500 Million, Seeks World Domination and One Billion Users

500 million friends may not be enough, it seems. In an interview with Ad Age editor Abbey Klaassen, Zuckerberg expressed his interest in bringing in one billion global users. To do so, Facebook will need to step up its efforts in China, Japan, Korea and Russia. Currently, Russia is doubling sign-ups ever six months but it will take considerable effort to make this goal feasible. While Facebook has not shared specific strategies to user acquisition in Asia, we believe Facebook will need to consider providing locally-relevant adjustments to its platform to address the unique digital culture in each region. Additionally, the potential for Facebook to manage the data of over one billion web users will only further scrutiny of its privacy standards.

Facebook Integrates SEO Within Open Graph

As Facebook moves toward its goal of connecting one billion web users around the world, it will become an even more important source for search. To-date, search functionality has been rather limited but now, Open Graph will allow sites like TripAdvisor to optimize content for Facebook search results. This presents an enormous opportunity for brands to reach its growing userbase.

3D Sound Creates Incredible Mobile Gaming Experience

As Paul Bennun Somethin’ Else says, “With iPhone in hand and ear phones plugged into your lugs you can dive into this 90-minute psychological zombie thriller set in Papa Sangre’s evil mysterious palace, with the objective of saving the soul of the person you love. The game is set in complete darkness and the player has only sound to navigate through the story, aided by vibrations and movements. It’ll be different for every player, too; the pictures in your mind will be different from everyone else’s because audio can stimulate the imagination instead of replacing it”.

“Ummmm, my dad just friended me?!”

As eMarketer reports, 78.2% of teens online are active users of social media and no more than one-fifth of teens like having their parents in their network. 58% of younger teens “hate it” while older teens were more receptive to the idea of hanging out with their parents in their networks. If they happen to co-exist in the same community online, about one third of teens completely restrict access to their content. It’s important to consider this dynamic when planning a program targeted toward both parents and teens. They are still figuring out what they’re cool sharing with each other on their personal profiles and navigating a brand program that speaks to both of them may be a total turn-off for teens. Personally, my dad is still in my friend requests queue awaiting approval… We’ve talked about it. He’s cool with it. Oh, and he definitely has more friends than me on MySpace.

Originally posted on 6 A.M.

This week I spoke at Edelman’s fourth New Media Academic Summit, jointly hosted by New York University and Syracuse University, attended by more than 100 professors from 10 countries. My bold assertion is that there is a Third Way for companies to communicate, beyond paid and earned media, by embracing Public Engagement.

Today, there is a dispersion of authority, away from the mainstream media and classic sources of influence toward open platforms and new voices driven by passion and personal experience. Smart companies are changing their games, moving from strict message control to a more open discussion with stakeholders. Mike Slaby, who just joined our firm as chairman of Edelman Digital, said, “We are moving from speaking at audiences to participating with them by drawing them into organizations with authentic communications”.

The Third Way asserts that companies need to complement their usual paid and earned media strategies by embracing new, social and owned media. The Third Way envisages:

• Utilizing the evolved mainstream media, with its numerous opportunities for participation, such as video, commentary from mid-level employees and shared experiences of customers.
• Reaching out to new media with the convening credibility of expert voices. Recognize that Politico or Tech Crunch may be the best starting point for media outreach.
• Utilizing social networks as essential spaces for company embassies. Be an aggregator for discussion. Connect members to related stories. Provide multiple entry points for relating to personal experiences.
• Helping every company become a media company (thanks again, Andrew Heyward, for this quote) via an owned channel. This offers a faithful representation of the present situation while providing context that enables viewers to understand the full story.

The change from impression-based interactions to long-term relationships with clients’ stakeholders requires nothing short of a major reevaluation of our role as PR counsel. We need to provide strategic advice, not simply communications tactics. Our profession must now embrace research to distinguish among idea starters, amplifiers and viewers. We should create the central idea and enable the full exploitation across four screens (TV, PC, Slate and smart phone). Since online platforms and spaces are at the root of the current evolution of media, digital strategy can no longer be seen as a specialty area; it must become a core competence for all PR people.

The new principles adopted by Edelman practitioners in order to maintain our clients’ license to operate, are termed the rules of Public Engagement. These include:

• Open advocacy (why you are here)
• Listening with new intelligence
• Participating real time in conversations
• Create and co-create content
• Socialize media relations
• Build partnerships for the common good
• Embrace and navigate complexity

We should aim for measurable outcomes beyond media impressions and advertising equivalencies, including Building Trust, Changing Behaviors, Deeper Communities and Delivering Commercial Benefit. At the same time we must draw a clear line between journalism and public relations, as we rely on a discerning media sector as a cornerstone of our work.

We will proceed along two dimensions—to encompass a broader set of media options, from Mainstream to New to Social to Owned; and engage stakeholders in deeper, long-term social relationships, as all communications become public. In this way, PR can assume its proper role as the organizing principle for strategy and communications. Herein ends the lecture: please click through my slide show and as always, I welcome your views.

Last January, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered a policy address about Internet freedom at the Newseum in D.C. In the address, Sec. Clinton argued that the rise of the Internet and information networks is creating a “new nervous system for our planet”.

The Internet, social networks and the resulting immediacy and reach of information define 21st century statecraft. Understanding this reality and the revolutionary power of these new tools, the State Department is launching initiatives that promote Internet freedom and use new media to connect people and build civic participation.

Speaking at a breakfast earlier this month, Jared Cohen, a member of the State Department’s policy and planning staff, maintained that social media and the “connection technologies” we now use every day are more revolutionary than radio or television when they were introduced. Why? Because, today, the platform is the intermediary. These new technology platforms are game changers. They empower people by connecting them directly to information, other individuals and resources.

Mobile Technology: Eliminating Communication Boundaries

Whether used by Iranian teenagers trying to find the coolest parties or by terrorists from prison cells, mobile technology is an irrefutable connective force in today’s world. In the United States, people are increasingly opting out of landlines in favor of a mobile-only existence. In Afghanistan, police officers in remote or high-risk areas receive automated text notifications on their cell phones when their paychecks are deposited, allowing for a more transparent payroll process.

Social Media: Unleashing the Power of Personal Networks

Social media has incredible potential for mass organization because it allows information to spread organically to individuals’ personal networks. In Egypt, young people are using Facebook to stand up for their political rights and organize strikes nationwide. In Colombia, an unemployed engineer started a Facebook group that eventually put 12 million people on the streets to protest against the FARC, a 40-year old terrorist organization.

Personal Perspectives: Sharing Ideas with the World

Websites like YouTube and Flickr, as well as personal blogs, help share individual perspectives across the world. A cell phone video of Neda Soltani’s murder during Iran protests in June 2009 was uploaded to YouTube by an amateur videographer. The footage made it in front of heads of state within hours of being posted and their rhetoric about the Iranian protests changed as a result.

Access: Providing Information, Even to the Oppressed

Cohen argued that connective technologies make today’s walls porous. Information shared on social networks or through mobile technologies help break down government-imposed barriers. Even in some of the most oppressive situations, Cohen maintained that the current generation of youth has unprecedented tools of empowerment to spread information, organize and get around censorship.

The Aid Process: Increasing Transparency and Collaboration

Twenty-first century statecraft is also unique because the Internet allows individuals to track aid funding and advocate for other people to get involved with a cause. Today’s digital age permits unparalleled opportunities for networking and collaboration between remote individuals and groups.

As we continue to transition towards new modes of operation in business and towards a new society in general, I have pondered what it will take to make this “shift” proceed smoothly and with optimism. While the structures that we thought to be infallible slowly crumble around us and we acknowledge that we are operating within a fundamentally broken system, it is easy to become reactionary and allow fear to prevent us from embracing change. But how can we use the tools we have to our advantage? In one of humanity’s greatest displays of ingenuity, we have created the Web. How can we now use this communication platform to our advantage, to rebuild trust in each other, to redefine our values and visions, and to create a world in which we can pursue our personal objectives in a way that is mutually beneficial for all?

It’s a tall order, and not one that technology alone can solve. As I’ve stated before - 

Technology is the tool, not the builder. We are the builders.

It is our responsibility to design environments in which the behavior and actions we wish to see can emerge. Before we can take action, I believe a common ground needs to be established where we can come to a place of shared understanding and shared meaning. To that end, I proposed a concept for a conversation and collaboration platform I’ve called “Junto”. The term comes from a club by the same name originally initiated by Benjamin Franklin. The intention behind the meetup was to bring together colleagues and intellectuals to discuss the issues of the day – of business, politics, ethics, and how to better serve the community and evolve as compassionate, consciously aware humans. They identified a core value system which they could all agree upon, one that placed highest regard on mutual improvement and the spirit of inquiry itself. Though friction was inevitable, progress could be made because of a commitment to engage in generative dialogue in service of a larger vision.

While our version of this platform is still being built, ‘The Conversation’ is already underway. I look forward to watching this environment being built for free access on open standards, where live, public video-based dialogue can occur on a global scale. The technology that is needed already exists; what is lacking is the focused intention for the conversation. I’ve been showing what this conversation looks like for months already – I model it in the way I interact on my blog, on Twitter, and on Skype. I’ve even begun recording and posting clips of it. “Junto” is simply a word to represent the essence of the way we can choose to approach problem solving, collaboration, and each other. I believe it is up to us now to decide whether we are ready to be the change we hope to inspire in the world around us.

Venessa Miemis is a futurist, digital ethnographer, and modern day philosopher. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Media Studies at the New School in NYC. The focus of her graduate work is on facilitating trust-building, generative dialogue, and open collaboration in networked environments.  Her blog, Emergent by Design, probes the potential impacts of social technologies on human behavior, thought processes, and the evolution of consciousness. Connect with her on Twitter @venessamiemis.

Originally posted on The Naked Pheasant.

Ideas and the Fire Hose

Today the connected citizen is drinking from a fire hose of information which is an experience of our own making. In our eagerness to engage online we created more new data in 2009 than had been generated in history to date. But where do all these new ideas and conversations come from to create such a torrent?

Begin at the beginning

Here is my question, if conversations are markets then who starts them? Who starts the idea that starts the conversation? Who said that yellow stuff looks really nice – why don’t we give it a certain prestige in our culture and make it important to own? Even in today’s internet world a small group of people need to hit on the idea to get the ball rolling.

Today using new tools and approaches we can see who starts these conversations quite clearly. Furthermore we can also engage with these online citizens in conversations that build and strengthen ideas, and ultimately aid the dispersion of ideas to wider audiences who have purchasing power, authority or influence.

Defining online conversations and engagement

From our experience in working with HP (client) and other technology businesses we see that people actively participating in conversations within the digital ecosystem can be identified as having certain qualities and characteristics based on their style of online engagement, level of contribution and informed discussions.

These communication characteristics can be divided and define five main categories that form the digital conversation model and its participants. The categories are termed: ‘idea starters’, ‘amplifiers’, ‘adapters’, ‘commentators’ and ‘viewers’. The characteristics of each group are diverse but that is not to suggest that one person cannot occupy more than one role at anytime. We can further understand the digital conversation model, culture and etiquette through the ‘Topology of Influence’ diagram below.

By analysing the online conversation culture and engagement etiquette of idea starters, it is apparent that these individuals often form less than one percent of those engaged within an online conversation. Even amplifiers will only usually form between five to ten percent of the online crowd. These two groups are often referred to as ‘influencers’. However, this term is misleading as both engagement etiquettes are driven less by the need to ‘influence’ than the desire to share, educate, inform and entertain within a conversation. The traditional notion of seeking to set an objective and influence the world implied by the term ‘influencer’ misses the point of successful engagement – it renders images of one-way brashness, shouting and persuasion, not the two-way, open dialogue engagement should be. We therefore prefer to see these groups as ‘influentials’ within the process of engagement. This is exactly why understanding the culture and etiquette of individuals participating in online conversations is valuable so we can clearly identify the individual’s role within a conversation and quickly determine their intention, purpose and potential.

‘Adapters and commentators’ are a very important ingredient in the online engagement model as they bring a broader context, scope and refinement to the conversation. Adapters are usually people who read what is going on outside of their traditional sphere of knowledge and take the opinions of others and reform them so that they are tailored to their niche group. Commentators do not usually create new content but instead read the views and opinions of others and take part in the conversation by adding comments. Each forms between 10-20 percent of those engaged online. Although as conversations get bigger and evolve, it is usually the adapters who hold a larger proportion of the conversation.

The final group are the ‘viewers’ who are the majority group with 40 percent and over. These individuals do not create any online content but tend to be a vociferous consumer of information of which they read, learn and share with their peers in the offline world. Although they do not have the same reach as the amplifier, their views are trusted and they are able to promote these ideas in an alternative method. Viewers are not completely passive online; they participate in search engine and Google activity but essentially they do not declare themselves in this type. This characteristic is behavioural as a reader will often remain silent even in an online conversation where they could be an adapter or even an idea starter. A large proportion of viewers are accidentals who Google into a conversation by accident, irregularly or take note and leave. Viewers are often harder to identify as they do not necessarily leave a digital footprint but they are nevertheless important.

Read more…

Can you even fathom? There would be no Twitter or Facebook feeds to check, no entering a coffee shop without having to check-in, no Mashable covering the latest and greatest social site. Now, I love social media as much as the next person, but when does it become overwhelming or an overkill? When did social media become purely about pushing information out from one stream to the next?

A couple weeks ago I was out with friends and the conversation stopped at a dead halt for everyone to check-in to their location on Foursquare. After they were checked-in and their phone was in sight, they began answering e-mails, text messages and replies on Twitter. After seeing everyone else start to type away on their phones, I began to do the same as if it were a natural reaction. Our social situation took a 360 turn and became isolated and silent.

Is social media still “social”? It has been repeatedly said, but I will continue to say it until I’m blue in the face: engagement really is the key to successful social media. I’m tired of seeing Twitter accounts with thousands of followers and the account holder only following a couple hundred people back. Give me successful social media campaigns that have worked without engagement, and I will come back with twice as many that were even more successful using engagement. Besides engaging online, it is important to engage offline as well. Call me traditional, but face to face engagement is still important.

One feature I really enjoy about Foursquare is its ability to be “social” and use social media at the same time. The other night I was out at a restaurant and when I checked-in (after pausing my conversation and isolating myself from the group) I noticed a friend was checked-in as well. Through her check-in I tracked her down and had a great face to face conversation.

I don’t know what the future holds for social media. It has come to a crossroads: the “social” road and the one-sided push road. I hope it chooses the social road and continues to leverage brands and voices online through engagement and traditional face to face interaction.

Image credit: goofeey and gaetanlee.