Social Media Clubhouse

Social Media Lunch Meat

SMCReporter — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:33:19 +0000

Our newly weekly feature couldn’t have hit at a better time, back-to-school, first day of September and just a few short weeks before Social Media Club kicks off the SMC Fall Tour 2010, with Chevrolet Cruze.

You may now look forward to a new Wednesday (to help get over the hump day blues) feature called Social Media Lunch Meat, ::round of applause of my oh-so-creative title::...ok, ok, our friends at Lunch are currently in BETA with their site that caters to different niche communities that allow members to rate and review the leading social media tools, training, influencers and services.

Each week, we’ll be combing Lunch’s social media community to bring our Clubhouse members some first hand reviews aka the Lunch Meat, and hopefully help you to discover new sites to make your social media life more engaging.

Review of Google Reader by Angelo Dignacio has received 114 compliments, as of today because his very insightful and through review of its features and he goes further to give some suggestions on how to really be most effective with Reader's functionality. The user based rating system scores Google Reader at a 3.9 out of a 5.

I love Google Reader! I have no idea what I'd be able to do without it. It keeps me from visiting the same sites day after day, wondering which of them have new posts, updates and announcements. I've got everything in one place, kind of like an e-mail inbox, and I subscribe to my favorite blogs and sites and stay updated throughout the day.

I've used Google Reader for a while now, and I haven't been able to use anything else. I highly recommend it to anybody who browses lots of sites or has favorite blogs that they want to stay updated with whenever they log on. Here are a couple of Reader tips that I've thought of that have really helped me get and enjoy information from the source I love.

I particularly enjoyed Angelo’s #5 Google Reader Tip,

Explore always - I considered Google Reader my excuse to always explore the internet for new content. To not always have my browser posted on Mashable or CNN, and find the smaller guys who may be more entertaining or personal. Use Reader to find more content to follow, and don't worry so much about getting drowned in having so many subscriptions you can't keep up. Just consider it a tool that allows you to keep tabs on the internet's content, without exhausting yourself out by chasing it manually. Remember that if you ever get tired or overwhelmed, there is always an unsubscribe to every feed. Mashable and CNN will never go away, so expand your reading to elsewhere on the communities you're interested in. I personally like to often click the "More Like This" button that instantly gives you recommendations of feeds that are similar to any feed you want more of.

Information overload has caused me to glaze over the same RSS feeds I have had in my Google Reader account since the beginning. This tip has inspired me to really start using the functionality of the “More Like This” button that he suggests. Thanks Angelo!

We encourage our Social Media Club community to visit Lunch.com and add to the conversation and perhaps, your rating, review or tip will be highlighted in our weekly Social Media Lunch Meat blog.

Visit Lunch.com to sign up!

Photo Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dagwood.JPG

SMC Fall Tour 2010: Social Media + Family, A Dad's Perspective

chris — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:16:48 +0000

As Social Media enters more corners of our everyday lives, the need for improving our general media literacy is increasingly important. While we have discussed the impact of Social Media on the organization and marketing in particular extensively, we feel the time has come to explore the role of Social Media in the family.

We are most especially interested at this time in learning from the unique perspective of dads who blog - aka "Daddy Bloggers". We've heard a lot from mom's who blog over the past few years, but the dad's have been, well, let's just say shy. But no more, as dads start to step up to the virtual plate and take their place at the social media dinner table. M3 Summit, #DadsTalking, Dad-o-Matic, Cast of Dads and many other efforts are starting to put a spotlight on dads who blog.

So this fall, Social Media Club is hosting a series of events in 12 cities across the country entitled "Social Media + Family, A Dad's Perspective". Sponsored by the all new 2011 Chevy Cruze, we will be facilitating a conversation among insightful dads who blog and among the local social media community to discuss if and how social media is bringing dad's closer to their families and keeping families more connected, or making their lives more challenging.

The emergence of The Social Family is bringing a whole new set of efficiencies to communications between family members, and making it easier to keep in touch across long distances. It is also not without its own set of challenges, from the common "my kids won't friend me on Facebook" to more dangerous issues such as child safety, cyber bullying and online stalking. With every increase in the level of public disclosure we make about our lives, we are at once becoming more connected to our broader community and providing potential evil doers with insights into our homes and our family life.

Where to draw the line and how to be mindful of all these potential challenges takes real effort. So together we will find out what every social family should know. Beyond this, Dads have their own unique set of issues as 'modern media men', which are not yet as widely discussed or understood. That's part of the reason we are having this conversation now.

Beginning on September 8, 2010 in Atlanta before the Modern Media Man Summit and concluding in late October, Social Media Club's founder, Chris Heuer, will travel around the country facilitating these conversations with the local chapters in 12 cities. While all dates are not yet final and registration isn't opening until tomorrow, we will be visiting:

Atlanta - Wednesday September 8 (Confirmed)
 Minneapolis - Wednesday September 22 (Confirmed)
 St Louis - Thursday September 23 (Confirmed)
Phoenix - Thursday September 30 (Confirmed)
 New York - Monday October 4  (Confirmed)
Boston - Wednesday October 6 (Confirmed)
 Denver
 Seattle - Monday October 11 (Confirmed)
 Detroit - Monday, October 18 (Confirmed)
 Cleveland - Thursday October 21  (Confirmed)
Washington, DC - Monday October 25 (Confirmed)
 Baltimore - Tuesday October 26 (Confirmed)

More details will be posted soon, including event registration pages and logistics details for venues, etc. In some cities, the events will be totally free, in others, there will be a small fee that supports the local chapters so they can continue to do additional events and community service. We hope to be livestreaming from each of the events in case you can't make it out, but want to pay attention. It should be interesting to learn from the differences and similarities of each of the different cities, so you might just want to listen to them all.

While Chris is in town, he will also be hosting a separate Lunch event for dads who blog, called appropriately enough, Dads Who Lunch. If you are a dad who blogs who happens to live in or near one of the towns mentioned above, you can request an invite to join other dads who blog for a special community lunch. These lunches are also being hosted by Chris and also sponsored by the 2011 Chevy Cruze. While space is limited, a few participants will get a chance to have a VIP test drive loaner car for a few select bloggers, giving them a chance try it before anyone else can buy it.

Having support of Social Media Club and its mission to explore issues such as this couldn't come at a better time (GM is also now a corporate member). As we grow from a very loosely joined grassroots organization into the industry's global professional trade association, Chris will also be talking to the issues that arise in developing our new official chapter program, and talking about the importance of having members participate in our fall conference and annual membership meeting, Social Media University.

It's an exciting time in social media, its an important time in our lives and a perfect time to have this conversation around our national and global network. So please join us this fall in a city near you, or if you can't be there in person, join the conversation online, with Social Media Club.

About Chevy Cruze (our sponsor for this event series)

Earlier this year, President Obama called the Chevy Cruze “the car of the future”, because it’s the car that has something for the entire family. It’s the only car in its segment with a 5-Star safety rating, and it comes with an unprecedented 10 airbags, providing you peace of mind while hauling even your most previous cargo. Its upscale amenities like Bluetooth, turn-by-turn navigation and 18” aluminum wheels let parents and children ride in style. And with hybrid-like fuel efficiency and a headline-making sticker cost of only $16,995, the Chevy Cruze is giving the modern family what it deserves – something that appeals to the entire family

If you could pick one 1 person to follow on Twitter for 30 days, who would it be and why?

SMCReporter — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:57:00 +0000

With millions of tweets coming at us every month, we posed this question, If you could follow only one person on Twitter for 30 days, who would it be and why?

Our community had some great responses and their favorites were people of influence, thought leadership and overall, people who share something of value with their followers.

Here is what the community said,

katemdempsey:
@socialmediaclub: @littlechick; family 1st

namtrok
@socialmediaclub I'd follow @graywolf for the fun spin on seo while giving valuable knowledge.

shanebarnhill
@socialmediaclub I would follow @DRUNKHULK b/c he provides such a good synopsis of current events in his own way.

Mr_Madness
@socialmediaclub @gripnostril Major Boss potential. Meeting tmrw!

ergeekgoddess
@socialmediaclub And @ginaruiz 's tunes are not half bad either... trying to recruit her to be #latism's official DJ :)

LaurenC7
@socialmediaclub I would follow @HuffingtonPost. They cover many topics and sprinkle in messages from their other Twitter accounts.

SwitchingGranny
@socialmediaclub @NibbyP He's not only my tweet heart-Great posts about tech, life, athletics & God What else do I need?

BobbyPens
Prob @kanyewest. Most original content.

LeighDow
@socialmediaclub Buddha, because he seems to understand the power of 140 characters of less

kraftykash
@TheRustedChain cuz she makes me laugh

ginaruiz
@socialmediaclub @ergeekgoddess because she rocks the #latism house

Oh, oh and my *favorite* - Oh. Go. On!
noellemac
@socialmediaclub I guess would follow @socialmediaclub since you are a hub rather than a spoke

For those that didn't respond before, I pose the question to you. If you could only follow one person on Twitter for 30 days, who would it be and why?

21st Century Literacies, Part 1 of 2

chris — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:44:23 +0000

Earlier this summer I sat down with Howard Rheingold to talk about his ideas for 21st Century Literacies. The result is a two part video. This is the first part wherein he discusses whether all this tech stuff is any good for us, the new digital divides between those who know how to use this stuff and those who don't, crap filters, digital natives, learning methods and more.

Produced specifically for our friends in our #SMCEDU community and our members, we hope you find this as valuable as we do. Watch and learn, and then share your thoughts.

Background.

Many years ago at the beginning of my Internet life, I read Howard Rheingold's great book, Virtual Community. It changed everything. Years later, I met him during my first visit to Silicon Valley, when I was interviewed by Susan Bratton for a job she advised me not to take. In fact, as I recall, Howard told me that I was too nice of a guy to be in the startup business and I should get out of that too...

21st Century Literacies, Part 1 of 2 from Social Media Club on Vimeo.

Join #CitizenGulf Benefits Across the Country on Wednesday, August 25th

SMCReporter — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:30:52 +0000

gulf_coast_benefit.png

Are you apart of Citizen Gulf 2010?

This week marks the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, CitizenGulf’s National Day of Action, promoted by Gulf Coast Benefit, is hosting evens around the country to raise funds for the fishing families affected by the BP oil spill and ultimately, provide educational resources to create a more sustainable future for their children.

Social Media Club has partnered with the Gulf Coast Benefit and strongly encourages our community to help the future generations that will be affected by the BP oil spill, by joining the following cities hosting events, tickets are only $10 and all donations will benefit families of oil spill victims. There are 19 cities participating in this benefit.

Gulf Coast Benefit Cities:

Boston, MA
Chicago, IL
Detroit, MI
Fredricksburg, VA
Greensboro, NC
Honolulu, HI
Houston, TX
Los Angeles, CA
Miami, FL
Mobile, AL
New Orleans, LA
New York, NY
Philadelphia, PA
San Antonio, TX
San Francisco, CA
Sanibel Island, FL
San Jose, CA
Santa Monica, CA
Washington D.C.
What city will you be attending the #CitizenGulf 2010 Event in?

Official Chapter Program: Conference Call Notes from August 11, 2010

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:28:20 +0000

On August 11th, Social Media Club Founders - Chris Heuer and Kristie Wells - hosted a conference call to answer questions around the newly launched Official Chapter Program and discuss the overall vision and strategy for Social Media Club going forward.

The conference call is just under 58 minutes and you can listen to it by cliking here

Some of the highlights:

The 501c6 Non-Profit application has been filed with the IRS and we are awaiting word on our approved status.
Chris and Kristie are working to turn Social Media Club into a member owned organization and will be opening the Board of Directors up to 11 positions in 2011 and voting will take place at the Social Media University event on November 10, 2010 in Orlando, FL.
The launch of the Official Chapter Program was needed so that we may establish guidelines for voting on Board of Directors in local chapters, sponsorships, education and more.
All Chapters are currently designated as Open Community Chapters. However, we need every chapter team lead to complete the Official Chapter Application so we have updated information on your group.
Chapters who have 10 or more Professional members, and have submitted their application that was approved, will be designated as Official Chapters and receive additional benefits as laid out in the post referenced above (set up bank accounts, handle accounting, sponsorship opportunities, better reporting, etc).
Social Media Club is working on setting up reporting within the new website to give chapter leaders better visibility into their member base.
Chapters who do not have 10 ore more Professional members will remain Open Community Chapters for now so there is nothing for you to do, except to fill out the application.
Chapters do not have to promote the membership drive, but as it is are primary source of revenue - we appreciate the the assistance. Monies will be used for staff (Executive Director, Editorial Staff, Membership Director, etc), website improvements,, launch of educational programs like #smcedu and more.

Take a listen. Lots of good projects in the works.

Need your vote! SxSW 2011 Panels from your Social Media Club members.

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:10:02 +0000

rynda_s_current_events_-.jpg

SXSW® Interactive features five days of presentations, parties and some of the best networking opportunities I have ever had in my life. Some call it 'Geek Spring Break', I call it a must attend event if you wish to easily connect to a global community of your tech loving peers in the shortest amount of time possible.

Several of Social Media Club's Members and Chapter Leaders have panels that are up for vote and we hope they are selected and featured on the schedule. To help make that happen, take a read through these and if you feel the love, please log onto the SxSW website and vote for the one(s) that move you. There are healthcare enthusiasts. There are pranksters. There are community builders. There are business owners. There is a little something for everyone here. The polls are open until August 27, 2010 - but don't wait until the last minute...vote now my friends.

Building Global Communities: This is the story of how an idea and belief in shared values has bound together 100's of thousands of people around the world. Social Media Club's mantra - "If you get it, share it" - highlights "sharing" as the key verb we should associate with social media, but when you dig deeper, its much more then what you see on the surface. Panelists included: @serena @kevinurie @jasonfalls @conniereece @kristiewells
Serve the Market, Not The Stock Market: High level overview of a very big idea that also discusses the power of social media, the leveraging of web technology and a different model for thinking about the role of "the firm". Speaker: @chrisheuer
Transmedia Storytelling - LOST Style: Using examples from LOST as the backdrop, this panel will discuss creative use of transmedia storytelling to engage the fans and generate buzz; and how this approach can be used to drive higher audience engagement for your brands/products. Speakers: @dougmeacham @girlgamy
World Wide Working - CoWorking & Collaboration: Our panel focuses on the international co-working space from a creation and management perspective. We touch on how each space was created, funded, and continues to operate. We will look at various forms of monetization and sponsorship opportunities. Speakers: @chrisheuer @xpoxpo @lacantine @techhub @nwc @pariSoma
The Social Media Dilemma for Publicly-Held Companies: Social media! It's not just for the PR team anymore. Work for a publicly-held company? Are you aware of the rules and regulations you need to know to keep yourself and your company out of hot water with the SEC? This panel will discuss how the SEC rules and regulations surround social media as well as how investor relations programs can use social media successfully. Speakers: @serena and others TBA
Startup Success: Entrepreneurial Women Share the Team-Building Secret: How do you go from idea to launch to national and international success? The Secret: Team-Building. Learn what it takes from a team of successful women who have formed their own companies and continue to help others. Speakers: @rynda @Bakespace @ColetteBallou @acoolong @StaceySoleil
Frosting the Law: Building a Safe Prank Group: Public pranks and flashmobs range from epic dance arrangements to little in-jokes. They can cheer people up, get attention, promote an idea, be a hell of a lot of fun... and also get you into lots of trouble. We’ll give you all of our tips and history, what worked and what didn’t, what we wanted to do and what fell short. Speakers: @jmoriarty @evo_terra @nelz9999
Controlling Health Care Costs Through Social Media: Patient communities, remote monitoring, personal responsibility tools all exist to help patients avoid expensive hospitalization for chronic conditions. Speakers: @hardaway @Karoli @empowHer
Have Fun to Increase Customer Engagement: People are more likely to converse and interact with others who are friendly and sociable. Companies who stop marketing traditionally and instead think about how to have fun with their customers, create brand advocates who generate awareness and influence within their networks. Speakers: @davemurr @sazbean @betsyweber @beverlycornell
Size Matters: Engaging The SMB Customer: Opportunities to engage abound, but how does one reach key decision makers in this ever-changing landscape? Hear directly from leading brands that are engaging with the SMB customer. Speakers: @jennifered @MicrosoftSMB @CiscoSystems @yelp @bondjanebond
Non Profits have a nice selection: Method Tweeting for Nonprofits, Your Nonprofit goes Mobile and/or Nonprofits and Free Agents? Speakers: @daveiam @Kanter @evesimon @HSUS @NWF @starfocus @cariegrls
PR and SEO Battle for Social Media Domination: Award-winning tweeter and PR Maven tussles with internationally known SEO guru over who should "own" social media. They will discuss who should manage the strategy, messaging, tactics and budget for social media marketing. Speakers: @CarriBugbee @Aimclear
K.I.S.S. and Your Brand: Keep it simple stupid. In today's business world with online branding, Social Networking and short attention spans, you need to keep your message simple. Speakers @DavePeck
Kicking Community Ass: Building Better Influence. Come to find out how to spread influence in 10 steps or less. Speakers: @DavePeck @sujamthe
My Kindergartner Markets Better Than You. This panel aims to focus on the rudimentary principles of marketing often overlooked by both new and established businesses. Special attention will be paid to "playground tactics" and ways that kids can influence others with far more success than adults. Speakers:@DavePeck @BullfrogMedia

Help Name/Rename our 1st Annual Conference

chris — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 20:59:50 +0000

If you haven't yet seen it, we have a heck of an impressive lineup already for Social Media Club's 1st annual conference and membership meeting happening from November 10-12 in Orlando, FL. While there are still a few more speakers to be announced and we haven't yet published the final schedule, we are excited to say that we have some of the brightest minds in social media coming to share their insights with you.

But, I have been having a problem with the naming of the conference. I have always intended to name our annual conference Social Media University ever since I registered that domain back when we started SMC. But now it seems many people think the name might be for online classes, or even be an actual school/degree instead of a conference. The other problem is that a lot of other people since have created their own programs called social media university, so the 'namespace' is a bit crowded.

So I have reached out to some good friends to get their feedback like Howard Greenstein, Todd Defren, Adam Helweh and Todd Vanhoosear among many others. Through these discussions, Ike Pigott came up with what I think is a good idea for a name with SMU 501 and then I immediately thought we might do SMC 501 (we registered the domains already). But they have their own challenges. For those of you not familiar with the university course registration system, the 501 designation is usually the first level of coursework as a part of a Graduate Degree, or Masters program, as opposed to the 101 designation which is an introductory level. I like it, but I am not sure.

So this is where we turn to you to get your opinion in this poll, and or to share additional name ideas in the comments and vote on the choices below (Social Media University, Social Media Masters, SMU 501 and SMC 501) and help us pick a better name for this very important step in Social Media Club's growth. Beneath the poll I have included some additional background on the conference and links to the current web site.

For some additional background:

During the conference and our membership meeting, we are broadly talking about social media as a profession, with some emphasis on what we should be doing to improve, protect and enhance "social media" as an industry. This is not going to be your typical conference. The speakers will be diving deep beyond the typical social media 101 sort of material, with a program that will help accelerate your deep understanding of social media as it applies to your organization, and its role in bringing markets together as communities.

John Hagel wil set the stage for the conference as the keynote to kick off the day talking about the findings of his latest book, The Power of Pull and how the big shift is forever transforming our socioeconomic structures and the very notion of 'the firm'. We also have David Meerman Scott, KD Paine, Tara Hunt, Jason Falls and several other great speakers and quite a few opportunities to enjoy the family friendly fun Orlando has to offer while networking with Social Media Club members and supporters from around the world.

Regardless of the name, we hope you join us and encourage you to register now before the price goes up towards the end of August.

Upcoming Conferences & Discounts for Social Media Club Members

SMCReporter — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:53:40 +0000

Social Media Club is proud to share events hosted over the next few months that have extended our Social Media Club Members some very sweet discounts, so take advantage of them.

August 17-19, 2010 - Pii 2010 Privacy Identity Innovation, Seattle, WA (USA). Discount code is ‘4SMC’ to receive 20% off of an individual pii2010 ticket. *If you are interested in purchasing the pii 2010 & Gnomedex passes use discount code ‘g104SMC’ to save $200 off of the combined pii2010 / Gnomedex ticket, a $600 value.
August 17-19, 2010 - Social Media Email Marketing, San Francisco, CA (USA). Discount code: “Socialmc” will get 10% off all events.
September 20, 2010 - Social Media Ads, Apps & Incentives, London (UK). Discount Code: “Socialmc” will get 10% off all events.
September 27-30,2010 - Social Media for Canadian Government, Ottawa, Onatrio (Canada). Discount Code: Requires you to call and book ticket & request SMC discount.
September 30, 2010 - Social Media Marketing & Advertising, Miami, FL (USA). Discount code: “Socialmc” will get 10% off all events.
October 5, 2010 - Monitoring Social Media, Boston, MA (USA). Discount code: “Socialmc” will get 10% off all events.
November 2-5, 2010 Social Media for Communications, Atlanta, GA (USA). Discount code: Reference Social Media Club when booking your ticket over the phone and receive $200 off the ticket price.
November 10-12, 2010 - Social Media Club's 1st Annual Conference, Orlando, FL (USA). Social Media Club Professional members receive discounted tickets. There is also an early bird ticket available through August 30, 2010.
December 2-4, 2010 - UnGeeked Elite Retreat, San Francisco, CA (USA). Discount code: SMCUNGEEKED for 20 % off Non-early bird ticket price.
December 6, 2010 - Social Media for Government, Las Vegas, NV (USA). Discount code: Reference Social Media Club when booking your ticket over the phone and receive $200 off ticket price.

If you would like your event to be promoted on our Social Media Club website, contact Kristie [at] socialmediaclub dot org.

Social Media Club Launches Official Chapter Program

chris — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:33:16 +0000

Since 2006, Social Media Club has operated as a sort of 'Un-Organization', eschewing the formality and legality in order to simply enable people to gather and share their knowledge with one another, both online and off. Local chapters have operated as informal groups of individuals working together for the common good. We incorporated in early 2007 as Social Media Club Inc. in the state of California, USA in order to have the basic framework for paying bills and managing finances.

As Social Media has evolved, and as the organization has grown to reach in excess of 100,000 people around the world, it has become necessary for Social Media Club to evolve as well. Fulfilling our original promise of operating as a not for loss organization, we are now transitioning to become a member owned professional association with global operations. This means that we are a 501(c)6 legal entity in the United States, which also means that all paying professional members in good standing are not only voting members, but also in part, owners of the association. While the complexities of international non-profits are immense and the administrative burdens/costs are a lot to bear, the time has come for us to take this important step forward.

In short, the organization is being given to the people who have built it around the globe. In order to operate effectively and fulfill our mission, the time has come that we transition to a more structured organization, at least at the core. The Official Chapter program is the best path we have found towards ensuring our mutual success.

Why Change?

The bottom line is that we feel we will all be better served under this new global structure. There are several reasons for this, the most important of which is the need to put the governance of the organization into the hands of the global membership and the need for a reputable association to look after the better interests of Social Media as an industry and a profession. We also have a sincere desire to see our original missions accomplished and this is not possible without real revenues and a full time staff. Further, it has grown so large that it is no longer possible to run the global operations and local chapter support from our home office.

While the 'let it go to let it grow' approach has served us well, we believe that each of the existing chapters could benefit from a co-operative sort of structure to provide basic services that enable you to focus on serving your local community. The structure we are designing here should strike the right balance between providing local chapters with the flexibility it needs for their unique community, while ensuring basic consistency in key areas such as knowledge sharing, co-promotion, and social good.

The other issue is that by enabling every chapter to use their own platforms, we have fragmented not only our global community, but also the knowledge it contains. This year there have been a countless number of local chapter events focused on the same topics, but in most cases, the local chapters did not build upon the insights shared previously from other chapters.

The Transition

In order to go from where we are, to where we want to be, we are launching the Official Chapter program to better serve the collective needs of Social Media Club members and chapter leaders around the world. In working with several chapters closely, surveying local chapter leaders and understanding the needs of a local chapter through our own experiences with San Francisco, we have developed this program with the intention of making it easier to operate a Social Media Club chapter and to accomplish our primary missions.

It's important to note here that this is the beginning and that much of this is open to discussion and adjustment. While we have done our best to be fair and to create a plan for the organization that will meet all of our needs, we realize that there are many issues that will need to be addressed and perhaps even debated further. However, until there is a formally recognized group of paying professional members who qualify with voting rights, from a reasonable number of chapters around the world, we feel it is best to hold off on putting such issues as addressed in this program to a vote.

During Social Media University on November 10, 2010 in Orlando, FL we will hold our first annual membership meeting to address official business, including all aspects of the official chapter program and the relationship between the international organization and its member chapters. During our first annual international membership meeting, we will accept nominations for the 2011 Board of Directors with the vote happening online in early December and the annual term of the new Board commencing on January 1, 2011.

In the time leading up to the meeting, we will discuss all legal, financial and business issues of Social Media Club on our Leadership intranet. All local leaders listed on accepted applications into the Official Chapter Program (form below) will receive an invite to the Intranet. Applications will be considered as accepted when you receive notification from kristie@socialmediaclub.org with instructions on next steps. Official Chapter status will be conveyed once all the requirements are met.

The transition period is expected to last through the end of the year. For practical purposes, there is nothing that you MUST do right now. We wish to give each chapter a reasonable amount of time to decide whether or not they would like to affiliate under this new organizational structure and take advantage of the benefits we will provide.

The Application Process

As of this moment, we are referencing all existing chapters as Open Community Chapters until such time as you complete the Official Chapter application and meet the qualifications thereof. As with our Open Membership program, there are no direct fees for being an Open Community Chapter.

The process itself is simple. First and foremost, we suggest local leadership teams who have questions talk with one another to review the benefits and requirements as detailed below. If you have questions, we invite you to join us on our weekly calls each Wednesday so we can make things clear. We will also be setting up other times in the weeks ahead to hold special conference calls in order to ensure that you can fully understand what it is we are doing and why. In order to help us run this transition more efficiently, we ask that you pick a representative to speak on your behalf so we don't end up saying the same thing to every individual on your leadership team, quadrupling our effort.

Please fill out the Official Chapter application form as thoroughly as possible. From this application we will create your accounts on the Intranet where we will begin sharing documents and preparing for our 1st official membership meeting in Orlando, FL on November 10, 2010. You don't necessarily need to promote paid membership to your local chapter members, but we think it would be beneficial for everyone. Either way, once you have 10 paying professional members (see below for more details), we will notify you of your Official Chapter status and recognize this in a weekly post on the Social Media Club blog. We expect for this to happen organically in many cases.

For those local leaders who wish to serve in an official capacity as either President, VP, Secretary or Treasurer, we are going to ask that you become a paying professional member in advance of the meeting at Social Media University, so you may vote for your interests. Should this place a financial hardship on you due to unemployment or another situation, please let us know and we will figure out a way to help you. This isn't intended to be onerous, but it is necessary for legal reasons with regards to the governance of the association. Besides, your professional or business membership essentially makes you an owner of Social Media Club.

Should existing chapters (which we are now referencing as Open Community Chapters) choose to not apply at this time, you will be able to retain your Open Community chapter status at least through the end of the year and the beginning of next. While it is my personal belief at this time that you should be able to keep such status forever, it will be up to the voting professional members of the organization and the 2011 Board of Directors as to how long they will continue to honor this status. The only issue I can see with preserving the status quo under the new structure is in the case where a chapter has dozens of paying professional members who are not being represented by local leadership in regards to official Social Media Club business.

The bottom line is that we hope you see the real value in restructuring this way and we hope to be able to hand over the keys to this great global village we have all built together in the very near future. We are looking forward to establishing an official democratically minded governance for all of the members around the world, to ensure that our work together might endure for the benefit of ourselves as Social Media Professionals and the world in which we live.

If you are interested in starting a Social Media Club in your city and there isn't one that already exists, we ask you to complete this Open Community Chapter application form. If you are a part of an existing Social Media Club chapter, we would like to request that you complete the Official Chapter application as soon as possible.

In Closing

We understand that this change is significant and may not be of interest to you. If that is the case, we will gladly discuss it with you and make a transition plan as necessary for your specific needs. We hope that all of our chapters around the world will see the benefits of this new structure but understand that it is not likely and we will end up losing a few great chapters and wonderful people who may wish to start something else. Given our global size and our desire to put you in charge, we hope this is minimized, but having watched something similar happen with Internet professionals in the mid to late 90's, it is an unfortunate inevitability.

That said, please remember that all of this is subject to change depending on the will of the global voting membership. In this case, my often used quote of Howard Rheingold's is particularly poignant - "What it is --> is up to you."

Thank you for your patience and for your continuing support, in whatever form it may take.

Official Chapter Benefits

Legal Status
Social Media Club, Inc. will file Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and other pertinent legal documentation required to have official Not for Profit / NGO status for the Official Chapter in your home state or country.

The leadership team for Official Chapters will be voted in by members on an annual basis. Required roles are President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. Recommended additional leadership roles are Directors in Programming, Production, Membership, Sponsorship, Promotions, and Community Outreach. We also hope that someone within your community will serve as the SMCEDU liaison with the local university communities, and that you will support other global programs as appropriate. Individual's may serve in multiple roles with the approval of the Social Media Club global leadership.

Accounting
A local bank account will be set up for Official Chapters. Chapter Treasurer will work closely with Banking liaison at Social Media Club, Inc. A portion of funds from the chapter account will need to be reserved for bookkeeping and other administrative services. The anticipated rate for these services, in line with other similar organizations, will initially be 5%, though this issue will be addressed during our first annual membership meeting and adjusted accordingly.

Leadership Education and Training
Extended learning opportunities through our official intranet and through other specific training opportunities such as the leadership day held during Social Media University. The leadership intranet will be a place where network sponsorship offers will be made, where issues such as this official chapter program will be discussed, and where we will all be able to learn from each other and share documents such as local bylaws, sponsorship packages and other program materials (like SMCEDU).

Insurance
All official chapters will be covered by Social Media Club, Inc.'s General Liability policy. Certificate of Insurance, often required by venues for hosting events on their premises, will be provided upon request.

Local Hub on Web Site
While still in its early phases of development, the SocialMediaClub.org Web site is being built to represent a complete rethinking of a typical association Web site. The current state of the site in essence represents a 1.0 release. There are many other major components yet to be built such as chapter sCRM and eLearning tools. In the coming months we will also be investing in an integration program with leading Web services such as Eventbrite, Lunch.com and even Location Based Services. Together with your input, we will set a new standard for how global professional associations operate and how they serve the market for the benefit of its members.

Publicity and Promotion
Official Chapters, and those who have applied for this status, will receive additional publicity and promotion for events and programs of interest to members and potential members. Through our web site, and eventually through both online and offline marketing, we will work to drive increased participation in your local chapter. Additionally, you will be able to coordinate promotion with other chapter leaders through the Official Chapter Intranet and other yet to be built web technologies.

Sponsorship Revenues
Participation in network sponsorship opportunities available through Social Media Club, Inc.

Share of Membership Dues
Once the requirement of having 10 professional members affiliated with your chapter as their primary 'home' is met, every subsequent membership will provide the chapter with funds to use for events, for charitable purposes or other expenses of operating the local chapter. The percentages of membership dues listed in the schedule below will be discussed and amended as determined by a vote of the professional chapters during our annual meeting.

# of Members	Percentage Share
1-10	0%
11-50	10%
51-100	15%
101+	20%

Official Chapter Requirements

Qualification of Official Chapter
Once a chapter that has applied for Official Chapter status has 10 professional members associated with it, we will change your status on the web site from being an Open Community Chapter to being formally recognized as an Official Chapter. There is no revenue share on these members because the funds from these memberships, approximately $750 after membership fulfillment and setup expenses, will go towards setting up the legal and financial structure for the Official Chapter.

Legal Standing
Working together with the international organization, you will be required to keep the Official Chapter in good standing legally and financially. Each required position of the local chapter must be filled. A plan for annual leadership elections must be created and followed to encourage the cultivation of future leaders in the local community. Individuals who have a felony/criminal record may not serve in an official leadership capacity with the organization.

Reporting
The Secretary and Treasurer must file quarterly reports detailing the then current financial standing of the chapter and listing its leadership. Further, a summary of chapter activities for the quarter past and a plan for future activities shall be submitted to Social Media Club International. Further details of this reporting requirement will be determined by the membership of the organization and the full Social Media Club, Inc. Board of Directors.

Professional Conduct
You are required to conduct the affairs of the organization in accordance with all locally applicable laws and regulations. You must serve and protect the good name and reputation of Social Media Club locally and globally. When approved by a majority of the total international membership in accordance with our bylaws, local leaders must agree to and support the Social Media Club Professional Code of Conduct.

Web Site Publishing
In order to keep every member around the world informed of your activities and to connect them with the knowledge and insights shared by your local members, we require that you list your events on the socialmediaclub.org calendar, that you provide a summary of the events you hold within a few days after the event on the local chapter site on socialmediaclub.org, and that you include your RSS feed from any external site you operate. You may continue to use your existing web properties as desired so long as these basic requirements are met.

Official Event Discounts for Members
You may choose to operate your local events as needed to ensure you do not lose money. This includes choosing whether or not to charge for these events. Should you choose to charge for events, we ask that you provide a discounted rate for Professional Members in good standing. You may choose to provide free access for professional members, but this is not required and would be dependent on the type of event you are hosting.

Support For the Official Missions of Social Media Club
Official Chapters should endeavour to fulfill the missions of Social Media Club through its local and online activities.