During our brief hiatus last week my partner in crime, Aaron Strout, posted the “Best of Quick’n’Dirty,” which highlighted all of the fun we’ve had over our first eleven episodes (Listen: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ,10 11). We came back with a bang during episode 12 (if I do say so myself) with a very special guest – Paul Buchheit, co-founder of FriendFeed and innovator extraordinare. Paul talked about the transition from FriendFeed to Facebook, all of the innovation left for Facebook to do, and about how if he had to announce the acquisition over again, he’d do it in a way that wouldn’t scare FriendFeed loyalists. If you want more, you’ll have to listen to the interview.

Other fun stuff:

• Social Network: We talked about Foursquare. Yes, again. Why? Because when we discussed it some weeks ago I was being snotty about it, saying that I didn’t see the value. I was capital-W wrong about that one. Now I am an addicted user of beloved Foursquare. I’m a superuser! I’m a mayor! I want more points! I even go out just so I can check in somewhere new.
• Featured Twitterer: And this week we highlighted my former co-worker and current performance management thought leader Nenshad Bardoliwalla (@nenshad). He knows how enterprise technology and enterprise 2.0 operates better than most people I know. Definitely worth a follow.
• Point / Counterpoint: So, our duel this week was about iPhone versus BlackBerry. Aaron is an iPhone user and I’m a #blackberryloyalist, as I say on Twitter. We talked about reliability, apps, the touchscreen keyboard and AT&T. I also made some pretty snarky comments, but what else is new?

Tune in next week when we’ll, well, it’ll be a surprise. Remember you can always listen to the replays or find us on iTunes by searching for “QuicknDirty.”

1. Inherent Dangers of Real-Time Social Networking
There’s plenty of chatter about social media and security issues, from social engineering to the naïveté of users. This panel of experts will explore how cyber criminals are taking advantage of socnet flaws and lack of user awareness, and what both individuals and companies can do to help protect themselves.

Co-Presenters:
John Adams, Twitter operations and security incident response team
Damon Cortesi, Security consultant with Sevricon, social app developer
Mike Murray, chief information security officer with Foreground Security

2. Hitting Bombs: Better Social Business Through Sports Metaphors
Teamwork. Preparation. Execution. Sports abounds with lessons for today’s socially enabled business. This panel’s Murderer’s Row of sports fans/social media pros will make you laugh, make you think, and give you fresh perspective on how sports metaphors can elevate social media practice for you and your company.

Co-Presenters:
Aaron Strout, Powered Inc.
Kyle Flaherty, Breaking Point Systems
Tim Walker, Hoover’s Business

3. How (Not) to Get Banned on Social Networks!
Many people use social networks for advertising, marketing, and personal promotion– some for good, and many for evil. This panel will consist of members from various abuse and security teams on many popular social networks. We’ll take a look at how to use these networks to your advantage, without raising the ire of support and abuse teams, gaming the system, or just being evil. We’ll give you an insider’s view of what it’s like to deal with user issues on a day to day basis, and how you can avoid being pulled into the many traps we’ve laid by being a good net citizen. We’ll also discuss user privacy concerns in the age of social networking and advertising, when all is laid to bare.

Co-Presenters:
John Adams, Twitter operations and security incident response team
Others TBD

There you have it. Three panel options, all solid content. All you need to vote is a quick login to the site and a few little clicks. Any support is appreciated.

First, however, an announcement: We’re taking a one-week break. We’re tired. We’ve been talking for 11 episodes! That’s a lot of talking for even the most loquacious of podcasters. OK, the real reason is that both Aaron and I have some travel plans that will make doing next week’s show challenging. Rather than do a poor job for our growing bevy of great listeners, we’ll save up our mojo for a week.

We will return on Aug. 27 with an amazing show (if we do say so ourselves). Our guest? None other than FriendFeed co-founder (and now Facebook‘er) Paul Buchheit. Be sure to listen in and join us in the chat so you can ask Paul questions about, well, whatever you want to ask him about.

OK, now let’s talk about last week’s great show. As our special guest, the most impressive Bert DuMars, vice president e-business and interactive marketing for Newell Rubbermaid. I first met Bert last year when I interviewed him for my Fortune 500 series on how the company is using social media. He joined us on the podcast to give us a bit of update and also share with us some amazing stories about Sharpie Uncapped, Graco Baby Blog, Sharpie Blog and the Rubbermaid “Adventures in Organization” Blog. Listen to the recap to hear Bert talk about the challenges and wins each of these brands are experiencing, as well as a case study on letting your existing fans determine your social media strategy.

We also discussed:

• Social Network: Hootsuite. OK, so it’s not a social network it’s a Twitter tool. But it’s my current favorite Twitter tool for managing multiple Twitter accounts (including the Quick’n’Dirty feed). Listen and learn why.
• Featured Twitterer: We had two this week. We usually highlight an executive or someone who is running a feed for a company, but this time we went with a couple (literally) of Twitterers who are engaging and interesting and thought-provoking — John Pruitt and Terre Pruitt. Two of my personal favorites.
• Point / Counterpoint: Aaron and I briefly discussed the Facebook acquisition of FriendFeed and what that might mean for the socialsphere in general. It was a pretty brief discussion as we were in danger of going over time (Bert was just so interesting!) so you’ll have to tune in to learn more.

Remember, we’re off next week but we’ll be back on Aug. 27 with Paul Buchheit. And also, don’t forget that you can find us on iTunes and subscribe by searching for “QuicknDirty.” As always, thanks for listening. Or reading. Or both!

I had a guest co-host in Kyle Flaherty, who I always claim is my mentor, and we had a fabulous time. For those of you who don’t know Kyle he is an incredibly sharp blogger and also manages marketing for Breaking Point Systems.

Our special guest this week was Rick Calvert of Blog World and New Media Expo. We talked about all of the exciting stuff coming up in the fall, and Rick thinks this particular conference is for the geekiest of the social media set. “Other conferences include social media, but this conference is all about social media,” he said. Yes. That’s a geek gathering, for sure.

Take a listen to the replay (or search for QuicknDirty on iTunes) for more from the interview with Rick.

In other news:

• Social Network: Kyle and I talked about the coolness that is Shelfari, a book-sharing social network site. Every user has a (you guessed it) shelf on which you “store” books you’ve read, books you want to read, and books you’re currently reading. You can write reviews, share with friends, connect with like-minded readers, and even create a wish list. Downside? There’s seemingly no easy way to buy books off of hte wish list, should you want to do so. Overall, a cool social network.
• Featured Twitterer: Um, so this guy Jerry Remy aka RemDawg. Apparently lots of Red Sox and baseball fans know who he is. And thankfully, Kyle knew who he was, being a Red Sox fan and all. He seems to be an icon among Red Sox Nation and has extended his presence to Twitter — much to the joy of his fans. If you’re a fan of Boston, you should follow RemDawg on Twitter. (Disclaimer: I watch hockey and only hockey. For enthusiasm, listen to Kyle go on and on during the replay).
• Point / Counterpoint: Last week I wrote a feature that explored the psychological impact of social media fame on the brand-holders and their co-workers and loved ones. I asked the question, can a visible personal brand ruin your life? Kyle and I discussed the challenges of managing a public presence with protecting and uplifting workplace and home place relationships, and share some personal examples of our own.

Again, you can hear it all on the replay or you can search QuicknDirty on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast!

This week: Our very special guest will be Michael Feferman, digital director of C3 and we’ll also talk about the merits (and woes) of sponsored blogging and tweeting during our point / counterpoint. Join us at 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 30 at the Blog Talk Radio site!

I also want to throw out yet another thank you to Kenneth Lim who won our logo creation contest back at the launch of the show. We still love it and we still appreciate your hard work. Thanks Kenneth!

Aaron and I are both big fans of Pandora. I personally have gotten very emotionally involved with Pandora’s grassroots battle against unfair, significantly heightened royalty fees that could’ve crippled the company’s business some months ago. Westergren talked to us about the latest win in Pandora’s fight, the history and mechanics of the Music Genome Project, how Pandora is a service for the artists (they want to create a “musicians’ middle class”), plans and ideas, and how much they love their listeners. Oh, and Westergren had some words of advice for would-be entrepreneurs, too.

In other news:

• Social Network: We talked about the coolness of 12 Seconds, a micro-video site for the folks who have something to say… in 12 seconds or less. It’s a pretty cool idea and I’ve absolutely loved watching my friends’ 12 seconds videos. But as I told Aaron, I have a face for radio, so I’ve yet to do them myself. Check it out.
• Featured Twitterer: Dr. Ogan Gurel is walking from Chicago to Washington D.C. to “draw attention to the very real stories of hardship and inequity that persist in our health care system.” According to his official blog, Dr. Gurel is sharing his stories along the way via multiple social networks (Twitter, Facebook, Loopt, etc.) and is currently in Pennsylvania.
• Point / Counterpoint: Aaron and I have been Twitter buddies for a long time (having finally met in person back in April) but our friendship really soared after he wrote a blog post for me on “branded communities.” There was some legal hassle over which Aaron and I bonded (and, well, we were also totally right). We thought we’d dredge up the topic this week since it’s a continually relevant one. Should you build or join a community? I uttered my usual mantra: “Depends on what you want, etc.” Aaron, who is incredibly passionate about the topic, talked about how it shouldn’t be a choice — a company should build and join. Aaron even issued a challenge — contact him either through his blog or through Twitter and he will show you how ANY company can benefit from both building and joining communities.

You can listen to the recap here or find us on iTunes by searching for “QuicknDirty.”

Next Week! We’ll have a guest host as Aaron will be on vacation, and it’s the super fabulous, wonderfully awesome Kyle Flaherty (who just happens to be my mentor). We’ll talk about all kinds of fun stuff and our special interview will be with Rick Calvert, CEO of Blog World and New Media Expo!

Join us!

Since we were heading into a long holiday weekend, Aaron and I decided that we would just make this show fun, and take things a little bit different. So we did. We combined our special guest with our case study of the week. I know, there’s no stopping the insanity!

1. Guest / Case Study: Kyle Flaherty, director of marketing for Breaking Point Systems, came on to talk about the success that this testing systems company that creates tools for network equipment manufacturers is leveraging social media. In other words, Flaherty and the Breaking Point marketing team (including powerhouse Pam O’Neal) are continuing to defy the notion that social media is harder to successfully implement in a B2B environment. He shared some real challenges and lessons learned, as well as some metrics that show how Breaking Point truly is benefiting from its progressive marketing strategy overall.
2. Point / Counterpoint: Facebook fan pages vs. Facebook connect. We explain how each of them work and the pros and cons when it comes to businesses benefitting from Facebook. We also talk about the downsides of certain approaches. Who took which side? Which do we like better? Listen and find out.
3. Social Network: Daily Mile is my new favorite discovery and I’ve been using it now for a few weeks. For those who don’t know I am (slowly, painfully) training for an endurance event later this year, and I saw a friend of mine update his Facebook status with his run time. He did it via Daily Mile and I soon signed up as well. Hear me explain how Daily Mile works, how it helps with endurance training, and how it’s a fun social network all on its own.
4. Exec on Twitter: Each week we talk about someone on Twitter (or any social network, really) that is making an impact. It started out on the executive track,  but we’ve started to loosen the definition and focus on any individual or project that is, to us, making a difference. I was thrilled this week to talk about Technically Women, a new blog collaboration with a host of fantastic ladies — Cathy Brooks, Laura Fitton, Maggie Fox, Rachel Happe, Adele McAlear, Francine McKenna, Anne Kathrine Petteroe, Marilyn Pratt and Susan Scrupski.

Catch the replay here or find us on iTunes by searching for “QuicknDirty Podcast”!

Next Week: We’ll give away a 2-day pass for Blog World Expo! Want to win? Follow @QuicknDirty on Twitter for instructions on how to win. The instructions will come about 24 hours before our next show!

Following Week: We’re really excited to have Tim Westergren, CEO of Pandora, as our special guest for July 16.

Finally, a question for our listeners: We’re thinking of moving the show to 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET (it’s currently on at 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET). Please let us know if that works for you either by commenting here or letting us know on Twitter.

The good news, however, is that the show recorded in it’s entirety (you can even hear me questioning whether or not we were still recording) and you can download or listen here. Why should you? Here’s what we discussed:

1. Case Study: We had a brief discussion around how technology provider AMD is leveraging social media monitoring and measurement platform Radian6 to listen to its customers. The company created a ‘war room’ earlier this year at CES and tracked conversations around the show on various social networks using Radian6. It was so successful that the platform is being used throughout the company.
2. Special Guest: Brian Halligan, CEO of HubSpot, came on to talk about the recently issued “State of the Twittersphere” report. Halligan discussed the methodology behind the report, the results, Twitter usage stats and Twitter growth.
3. Point / Counterpoint: Last week Squarespace started a Twitter giveaway of 30 iPhones over 30 days. People are supposted to tweet with #squarespace once a day for a chance to win. I contended that it creates mostly noise and doesn’t tie value back to the company or for the users. Aaron feels that name recognition is good marketing and that there is value for the company. Hear us, um, square off about it.
4. Executive on Twitter: Nancy Duarte, CEO of Duarte Designs, has a compelling Twitter presence. She shares valuable information with her readers while also heavily engaging with them, and showing a personal and entertaining side of herself.  Definitely worth a follow.
5. Giveaway: We gave away an iPhone! Or, rather, a $199 gift certificate for an Apple product. In response to the Squarespace giveaway, I offered my Twitter followers a chance to win their own iPhone if they came up with a more creative giveaway idea. Jim Lodico was our winner. We discuss why.

We didn’t get a chance to discuss a new social network this week (Glue was on the roster) so we’ll talk about it next week. Also next week we’ll have Mike Murray of Foreground Security on to discuss true social engineering in social networking / social media. Aaron will also do an almost real-time update and overview of Jeff Pulver’s 140 Characters Conference.

Listen live or download archived podcasts here.

1. Social Network: We talked about Foursquare, of which Aaron has been a fan for a while, and I signed up for only a few weeks ago. It’s a cool geolocational social network (developed by Dodgeball creator Dennis Crowley) in which you can track your friends’ adventures in a protected environment, but also create to do lists of exciting stuff, and even earn points for the adventures you rack up. I suggested that Crowley try to monetize by creating authenticated sections for conferences that would pay a premium rate for their users to track each other on site (a great alternative to cluttered Twitter feeds and it almost creates an on-site social network).
2. Point / Counterpoint: Spymaster, the interactive social network game that is all the rage on Twitter. Aaron believes that to some degree Spymaster helps bring new users into Twitter and helps people better engage and better understand the service. I compared it to Mafia Wars and other ridiculous time wasters on Facebook and explained my “unfollow policy” when it comes to people DMing me and trying to recruit me to the game.
3. Executive on Twitter: Aaron told the story of Padmsree Warrior, CTO of Cisco, and how she’s grown her Twitter network to nearly half a million followers. However, he also noted that she’s only following back 66 people out of that nearly half a million. That’s a pretty poor ratio, and while it’s true that you don’t need to follow everyone in order to engage, following 66 people is pretty minimal. I also asked the question, would she have so many followers if she was not Cisco’s CTO since she may not fully engage?
4. Case Study: Monsanto and social media. Aaron shared his experience hearing Glynn Young from the agri-business goliath present about how the company has used social media to turn some of its negative perceptions into opportunity. Aaron has a full recap of the case study here.

In the future we will have a special guest (we didn’t want to make a poor soul suffer from our trial run) and we will also issue some sort of challenge to our listeners. We haven’t figured out how that is going to work yet, so ideas are welcome. Also, if you listened in today, feel free to ping either one of us with feedback. We want this to be quick, snappy, fun and not long and drawn out. This podcast isn’t about us — it’s about you guys.

Finally, huge thanks again to Intel, Seagate, ScateIgnite and EuSecWest for sponsoring our logo design contest!

Speaking of fun stuff, we’d also hosted a two-week long logo design contest. Well, you see the logo above. We love it! Big thanks to Kenneth Lim who designed the winning logo. He went above and beyond and gave us several options, and the design was so clean and fun that we had to go with it. Kenneth has won the following:

• Seagate: FreeAgent Go portable hard drive
• Intel: A coveted Ajay Bhatt t-shirt
• Scate Ignite: Copy of Scate Ignite 4 multi-media presentation and e-learning software
• EuSecWest: Conference ticket -OR- MIMO UM710 mini monitor

I am sure we will do other giveaways and prize incentives in the future, so be sure to listen to the podcast. The BlogTalkRadio link is here. Will you join us?