Do you sometimes feel an overwhelming sense of dread when you hear that more changes are in the Social Media pipeline? Ever feel like it is hard to keep up with all of the new technological “bells and whistles?” Some of my clients have even expressed a sense of fear toward all of the advances and I often find myself coaching them toward new horizons in their business communications.

Here are a few of the tips that would like to share to help everyone get past the Social Media overload and seize the Social Media Changes as new opportunities to stay in control of your business relationships:

1. Challenge Your Resistance:

I have to admit, when I first heard about the Facebook changes that were going to be announced, I felt a sudden onset of dread. Like many, I can be resistant to change, especially if it’s occurring without my consent.

2. Accept that Change is Inevitable:

One thing that is becoming clear, we all have to get comfortable with these rapid changes. Once we get past the unknown and familiarize ourselves with what is new, a sense of comfort prevails.

3. Get Educated:

If you feel like you are being left behind, hire a coach or consultant who can help you get up to speed with Social Media. Master one network at a time, so you do not get overwhelmed or confused. My clients at Gossett Marketing are amazed at the range of possibilities that each network, especially Twitter, can generate for their business.

4. Get in on the Conversation:

Like any networking, Social networks are just online conversations and sharing of information. Just “eavesdropping” in on other peoples’ interactions is really not a valuable use of your time. Be conversational and you will create meaningful relationships over time.

5. Engage Day by Day:

Social Media and digital communications are changing daily and it is important to stay on top of the latest features. One way to stay current is to do a little every day. Daily engagement keeps you in the loop with your business and personal contacts.

6. Be “In the Know”:

Sharing your thoughts on interesting news, events and trends in your industry is a great way to spark conversations. Loosen up enough to allow your personality to shine through your updates, because no one wants to read or converse with a Corporate Drone.

7. Help others first:

There are so many possibilities for putting others first and a little effort goes a long way. If you see that someone needs a job or you have some valuable information that might help them, foster a connection and/or offer great tips.

8. Be of Value:

The #1 Cardinal Rule of Social Media is Do Not Spam. Social Media is “social” and being a used-car salesman is just not kosher in the Social ecosystem. More and more, people are filtering out people who do not offer valuable information. Do not over advertise and just become one of those spammer outcasts.

9. Manage your Time:

It is so easy to get sucked down the rabbit hole of wasting time on the internet. Time is so valuable to us all and it is important to really get control over the “time suck” of Social Media. Set a kitchen timer or use an online timer to make one hour a day the most productive use of your time online.

10. Get Focused:

Random surfing is often not an effective use of your online time. Neither is gaming Set up an RSS feed or read the LinkedIn News page like you would a newspaper and then share, tweet or comment about the most interesting news to your networks.

11. Get Excited:

Like it or not, Social Media is becoming the predominant form of global communications and those who embrace the changes are going to experience the excitement of new ideas and be on the fore-front of an economic revolution.

12. Embrace the Future:

As if I have to tell you, Information and online Social Relationships are “In” and the companies moving technology and communications forward are probably going to get us out of these economic doldrums that the world is currently facing.

In fact, a recent Forbes article highlights the Youngest Billionaires and 7 out of 9 are in the Technology/Social Media Industry. These “industries” were either fledgling or non-existent 20 years ago and the changes are so rapid that it is difficult to project what possibilities are ahead for the youth of today.

All I can say is, fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride! The best is yet to come…

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Today, I came across one of the posts from Rupesh Nandy, a rather prolific G+ content curator. While most of his posts are interesting, a particular video was thought provoking and made me laugh at the same time. The YouTube video is a mashup of just how much Social Media has revolutionized Global Communications as we know it. Here is the Video “R.E.M.ix: It’s the End of TV as We Know it” and my commentary below:

Turn back the clock about 30 or 40 years: In the 70′s, TV in the US was limited to 4 primary Broadcasters: ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS and most TV’s were black and white. I remember what a treat it was to get to stay up late to watch Chastity on Sonny & Cher. Most shows were family friendly and the most racy ad was the turtle-neck clad “Cross Your Heart Bra” model with the measuring tape. Cowboys, cops and Charlie’s Angels pulled the gun, but did not harass or blow the criminal’s head off. And sexuality was under wraps instead of scantily clad Victoria’s Secret models strutting down the cat walk with Angel wings. Remember the once a year broadcast of Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz? Staying up late was a treat and those movies were a family event.

In the 80′s, we were introduced to Cable TV and MTV changed how we experienced music. I remember the excitement of seeing The Police, Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Cyndi Lauper perform over and over and over again, but it was the chance to see them perform that was so much more fun than just listening to the radio. We also, were introduced to videos… remember the VHS? No longer did we have to wait for the once a year “Frankly… my Dear, I don’t give a Damn.” But we did have to wait with baited breath to find out “Who Shot JR?”

Fast Forward to 2011: Real Housewives of Beverly Hills make us thankful for being able to live comparatively “normal” lives. As our viewing tastes have changed, our tolerance for what is acceptable on Prime Time TV has radically changed. The technology has changed as well – Black & White TV’s to VHS to DVD’s to Endless channels to real-time live streaming. In May 2011, the entire world had a front seat row at the Royal Wedding 2.0 as it was Live broadcast globally from YouTube.

What is interesting about today’s media is our growing tendency to want to “share” our thoughts and opinions and our ability to feel connected to the stars. Not only are we drawn-into the dramas of the “Housewives” and the Kardashians, but we want to connect with them and get in on their thoughts through their Tweets and social media updates.

Enter Social Media: This week, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook announced the upcoming changes at the F8 conference. His vision for Social Media is that we will all be sharing our media tastes and moments. Social Apps, like Hulu, are being developed to enable us to create a social experience out of the Television that we are watching. We will be able to share our comments about shows during the broadcast. Watching TV, Reading News, Watching Movies or Sharing Music with our friends adds a new (social) dimension to media as we know it.

Media Democracy: The one thing that I can say is as TV has evolved, so has our freedom of choice. There seems to be an infinite list of channels on cable TV and limitless programs to cater to various lifestyle interests. On the other hand, it seems like the programming is consistently pushing the envelope toward the direction of tasteless, lack of boundaries. (And we wonder why our kids behave the way they do…?)

Sensory Overload: On the other hand, there is a constant, never-ending chatter about what is going on in the world around us. As a result, many of us have gone through moments of utter “Social Fatigue.” We are constantly being bombarded with messages: Emails & Voice Mails are giving way to Text Messaging. Our Social Media channels are constantly flowing with Twitter streams and now the Facebook “Ticker.” There are times when we need to just turn it all off and get back to the natural, tangible world. And then, we wonder what we might be missing out on…

New Frontiers in Global Communications: In less than a decade, Media has been radically altered by the advent of Social Media. Changes to the networks are evolving daily. It is almost impossible to predict where we are going. Much like the pioneers who packed up their wagons to “Go West” into the unknown, we are heading toward a New Economy. In this Digital world, those who accelerate toward the new frontier are going to reap the rewards and the ones who resist the changes are simply going to be left behind.

The New Media Revolution: The one thing I can agree with… this YouTube Video “It’s the End of TV as we Know it” is a great overview of the changes that are happening. The Video highlights just how much Social Media has completely revolutionized and redefined the way our world communicates.

So where you stand on these changes? You excited or feeling overwhelmed? Looking forward or feeling left behind? Please Share…

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Prior to the announcements at the F8 Conference, I was feeling a great sense of resistance about the Facebook changes. As Mark Zuckerberg presented the new features, a sense of excitement and enthusiasm began to overcome the initial discomfort.   Zuckerberg’s energy sparked my curiosity and I quickly found a way to update my profile to the new timeline.

The public reaction was not quite as enthusiastic.  At the end of the day, there was a flurry of images like “Honk if you think the new FB Sucks” and a variety of complaints streaming into the Newsfeed. (The amusing thing is these complaints were coming in from Facebook users who did not yet have access to the new features!)

Here is a quick summary demystifying the Facebook changes that are rolling out over the next few weeks with a quick video at the end.

The Newsfeed Change: The News Feed is going to feature Top Stories and the most newsworthy, relevant updates. The best way to make sure that you have updates that interest you is to Subscribe to your favorite peoples’ updates.

The Ticker: The small changes and more “lightweight moments” are going to be relegated to the Ticker in the top right hand corner of the screen. The Ticker feed will be the moment to moment updates from your network. You can see your friends updating in real-time and choose whether or not you want to engage with them.

Facebook Timeline: The profile is changing to what is now called the “Timeline” and is an aggregation of all of your posts since the day you signed up for your Facebook account. Your Timeline is “The Story of your Life on a Single Page” and can be edited as you see fit. Entries can be Highlighted with a Star or Deleted according to your preferences. Visitors to your Profile/Timeline can scroll through all of the important events of your life.

This new design takes a page out of Tumblr’s playbook. It enables each user to create what is essentially a personal blog or an ongoing digital scrapbook of life moments, interests and events. This is going to be a great memory-keeper for today’s youth and there was even discussion of being able to create an Annual Report of each year.

The Cover Image: At the Top of your Profile is the Cover Image that serves as a photographic header. It’s basically the Big Picture that best represents your personality at the top of the screen. Tip: Wide Horizontal images work the best.

Status Updates: Your updates now drop chronologically onto the Timeline and you can Filter your updates to denote Work & Education, Family & Relationships, Living, Health & Wellness and Milestones & Special Events. Essentially, your updates become your stories that you are sharing with the people you have connected with.

Graphic Mapping: In addition to status updates, there is a Graphic Mapping feature that documents the moments geographically. Click on a place and add pictures or comments about your experiences.

Social Apps: What has the most groundbreaking potential is the endless possibilities for App Developers to create new ways for us to interact socially. Mark Zuckerberg used the term “Frictionless” as he described the seamless way that our apps would automatically update our Timeline. For example, what you read in the Wall Street Journal social news app will automatically populate the news section of your Timeline. There are already Media apps in the pipeline: Netflix for renting & watching movies, Spotify for sharing songs & playlists, Hulu for sharing TV Shows, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post for News. Lifestyle apps include Nike+GPS for runners, biking, hiking, hobbies and various recipe/food review sharing apps.

And if these features are not enough… These were only some of the changes announced, so it will be interesting to see how the Facebook community responds to the fresh new look. Stay tuned for more updates as Facebook continues to evolve & roll out the changes.

If you just can’t wait to update your Facebook profile, here is a quick 3 min YouTube video that will guide you through the process of “How to Enable & Activate Your Facebook Timeline Today.”

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Circles – Prior to Google+, Social Media interactions were about as random as watching raindrops falling on one pond.  Sure the ripples intersected, but there was a general confusion and lack of focus generated by too much information and “noise.”   At times, it can be downright hard to make sense of it all.

Unlike Facebook, Twitter and other Social Networks, Google+ Circles is a more intuitive way of sharing information with the various people in your life. In Google+, we can create Circles of Influence and Relationships that are more defined. One circle might include your family, another your office colleagues, another your clients and others related to your hobbies or outside interests.

Cordoning your contacts into specific interest groups enables us to communicate more effectively by sharing information that might be of value to that particular circle. What is great about this is that we no longer have to share everything with everyone. In addition, you can add contacts into as many circles that they might fit into.  It is also possible to create a new circle for new online “acquaintances” that will help you to learn more about them before you determine which circle they best fit or if they belong in your circles at all.  (Spammers Beware: Google+ makes it possible for us to drop you int0 a “Spam” Circle, which enables us to simply ignore your efforts and filter you out.)

Streams – While it is possible to create “lists” and “groups” within Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, the previous process of distributing out information is not quite as intuitive as Google+. Sharing information with your Circles becomes as simple as dragging and dropping images, articles, videos into a circle and then watching the conversation that results.

What is fun is the interactive nature of watching the information ripple like a stone dropped into a pond that then turns into a stream of conversation. The difference now is that you can choose which pond to drop the stone into instead of sharing your information indiscriminately to everyone you know and the conversations can then become more relevant to that group. If the information is interesting, the ripple might become an interesting stream of engagement.

Much like panning for Gold, clicking on a Circle enables us to scan, filter and focus on the information that we are interested in at the time.  It’s more time effective to share  and pay attention to business or industry related Circles during working hours, while sharing and reviewing family photos could be relegated to more leisurely moments. That being said, with Google+ our conversations can be better managed in terms of time and focus.

What will be interesting will be to see how many apps and Social Media  channels will begin to interface with Google+.  I look forward to seeing how quickly RSS Feed Readers will enable us to share directly to our Google+ profile.  I have a feeling that creating Circles will better enable us to organize our relationships and more effectively use our time, while enabling us to target our conversations and share information with those who might actually care.

Here is Google’s quick YouTube video on explaining Google+ Circles:

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Google’s Fresh Spin – Just as we thought we were getting settled into the daily ennui of going around in circles with Social Media, Google had to put a new (and refreshing) spin on how we connect and interact online. In early July 2011, Google+ was introduced and the “early adopters” got invitations to test the new program. In just under a month, 20 Million users are already getting their feet wet.

With minimal information about this new web service, we plunged ahead with a few of the introductory videos and began learning how to reconnect all over again. Over the past few weeks, I have just begun to scratch the surface of all of the possibilities for this new way of communication and I was inspired by the “e-Brief” An Early Overview of Google+ as a Content Marketing Platform published by +Rex Hammock and his Hammock & Associates team to begin to quickly translate this for my own clients. The most salient takeaway from the e-brief was the ease at which Google has made the sharing of the information:

“business owners typically view technology as a hassle and burden and something that keeps them away from what their business really is. Google+ was clearly developed as technology for people who don’t like technology — a playing card out of Apple’s deck.” –Hammock Labs

A Blast from the Past – In the early days of the internet, information was trickling in from the technical community, researchers and universities. One of my summer fellowships as a graduate student was to create a static website in HTML that detailed the research projects going on at the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture. Then we all started to learn how to use the internet to “search” for the information and used rudimentary email to share information. While technically and visually raw, the information was not as infinite in scope. Google was the first “search engine” with a mission to organize the infinity of information that was being entered online and it was a vast improvement on the (gasp!) card catalog system developed in 1876 that inventoried the libraries of universities of yesteryear.

Communication Chaos – With the advent of Social Media, in addition to the one-way stream information, conversations started to pour into the online universe. Just as in the early days of the internet, the social information was just as unorganized. Only the very savvy can manage to keep up with all of the social media channels and effectively stay on top of it all even while “on the go.” And, while the masses are now participating in Social Media, it is easy to feel inundated with “too much information” and just plain noise. Many business executives who chalked up Social Media as “just another fad” for younger generations are starting to feel left behind and are at a disadvantage in terms of business communications when their companies are no longer “in on” the latest conversations.

With all the chaos of multiple Social Media channels, Google+ is an attempt to help us organize our relationships under one umbrella and be able to easily share our information. It is no wonder that Google+ is coming along at this time to help us to make sense of all of the relationships and conversations that are now going on. What will be interesting to see is the multitude of applications that will help us to make better sense of our ability to interact with each other in real-time and globally.

I believe that Google+ will be one more step toward helping us all make sense of the vast possibilities for Social Media as a mechanism for Global Communications. It will be interesting to see how all of this evolves… To follow will be a series of posts on Google+ that will hopefully help you get started too.

Here is a quick YouTube video made by Google to quickly introduce the overall concept of Google+ :

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How many networking and business related events do you attend on an annual basis. You know… conferences, seminars, networking meetups? Now multiply those by the number of business cards you collect at each one. That number is how many people you could potentially affect in terms of business and can be staggering if you add it all up. And let’s face it, as great as Social Media is for developing networks, the best connections are those made by face-to-face relationships coupled with some form of Memorable follow-up.

We’ve all heard the old saying, “The fortune is in the follow-up.” And yet how many of us end up with stacks of cards and distant memories of the valuable moments spent in various business affairs. The most important thing you can do is to re-connect with your new connections within 24 to 48 hours. The longer we wait, the faster we become just a foggy recollection. But as busy professionals, who realistically has time for processing all of those cards? Actually, with a couple of tools and a system, we all do!

If you are ready to become a Networking Rock star, here are a 3 ways you can implement a Rapid Follow-Up system with your new Business Connections:

1. Immediately “Process” your Business Cards into your Contact Database.   Now this might sound unrealistic right from the get-go, but most of us have mobile smart phones.   CardMunch is an iPhone app that can take care of the data entry for you.  Simply scan a new business card into the phone and CardMunch will send it to remote data-entry operators who will then input your card information.  In a few minutes, you will receive a “Munch” sound on your phone notifying you that new contacts have been added.
2. Then Connect in with your New Contact using LinkedIn.  The second great feature of CardMunch is that with the push of a button, you can automatically add the new contacts into your LinkedIn network.  This connection request is your first form of follow-up and shows just how savvy you are with Social Media.  You will also grow your LinkedIn network significantly.
3. Finally, using a video email tool to send a quick follow-up “nice to meet you” video is definitely more interesting than just a standard email.   In the same amount of time it takes to draft a text-based email, you can reach out to the new contact with a quick video.  Seeing your face again will rapidly re-establish your face-time connection and this technology is cutting edge.  I use TalkFusion as a quick way to send a quick “hello,” share business tips or even birthday greetings.

Have any great tips for Business Networking and Making a Memorable impression with your new contacts?  Please Share! (In the meantime, I am off to reconnect with some of the lovely women bloggers that I met recently at the SheCon event in Miami!)

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Reason #1: Just one blog post can be fed simultaneously into a Facebook Page, the Twitter Stream and LinkedIn, in addition to being syndicated into RSS. If the writer just enters the information into Facebook, he or she has missed out on the opportunity to reach all of the channels. (This is like having a one channel TV as opposed to the full-range of networks that cable offers.)  As a Social Media and Blogging Consultant, I teach my clients to post to their blogs first and then we integrate their blogs to broadcast to all of the channels. What this does is get one entry in front of many more readers rather than limiting it just to the Facebook following. In my opinion, just posting on Facebook is a lazy and less than optimal use of time.

Reason #2: Perhaps most importantly, while Google and Search Engines are starting to pay attention to Social Media as a way to measure influence, Blogs receive the “Sweetheart” treatment in terms of SEO placement. Blogs are more like long-term relationships as opposed to a one-night stand. Posting valuable content requires more time and commitment that just a quick status update.  But those conversations stand the test of time and add up to more than just idle chatter that quickly get lost in the stream. Facebook posts are just a Social Media “one Night stand,” while blogging is more of a long-term commitment. Let’s face it… we all benefit more from “engagement” and stable relationships.

Reason #3: A blog that also shows the “Social proof” of Facebook likes and Tweets, are given even more of a lift. The problem is, many bloggers do not fully understand the method to fully integrating their posts with Social Media. We teach clients how to use Social Media as distribution and sharing tools that drive traffic back to the posts. (In fact, I reached Jeff Bullas’s post “Is Facebook Killing the Blog?” which inspired this post, via his Twitter Stream and will most definitely ReTweet.)

Reason #4: People need to really understand… that anything that they put onto Facebook is no longer theirs. By default, their updates become the property of Facebook or whatever network they are on. A self-hosted blog is in effect, the blogger’s Online Real Estate. Over time, this information published in the form of blog posts is archived and accrues value for the blogger. Books can be published using the information in a blog, Google Rankings can increase as posts are considered “Pages” and keywords accumulate and blogs can gather their own unique following of like-minded niche readers and connoisseurs. Like a fine wine, as blogs age, they accrue a deeper, richer and more valuable flavor. Facebook posts are just common table grapes in comparison… only good while they are fresh.

Reason #5: In today’s terms, Facebook is more like the news rack at the grocery store as opposed to all of the great books that can be downloaded, archived and read in a Kindle. We quickly read the the headlines in the check out, but we could store and carry the Library of Alexandria in a Mobile device.  A Blog is like our own library of posts which can be archived and referenced through the search engines.

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Recently, I came across a blog post Tweet by Jeff Bullas titled “Is Facebook Killing the Blog?” As a Social Media consultant in South Florida, I just HAD to jump into the arena of comments.  As I wrote my response, I realized that the comments were actually going to become my blog post for today.

For personal branding and marketing, blogging in addition to Social Media offers a much more comprehensive reach than just Facebook alone. If the blog is properly integrated to distribute to all of the social networks and feeds, there is a much larger chance of reaching a wider audience. Just measuring blog traffic is really not enough. And just doing Facebook is a huge mistake because you are leaving a lot of potential readership on the table.  A more comprehensive approach of measuring Blog Traffic + Social Media engagement offers a much more accurate view of the true audience reach.

As society is struggling with the economic shift from industrial to a data-driven economy, we are going to find that there will be two new “classes” – the “information producers” and “the information consumers.” Bloggers are inherently in the business of information production, while Social Media is the stage from which information producers reach our audience. In short, the Blog is the Hub (Stage) of your Online “voice” and Social Media is just the Syndication (Microphone) of your Voice.  Furthermore, Google and Search Engines are interested in the entire production that you create and not just the microphones for amplification.

On the other hand, blogging is not for the faint of heart. It takes commitment to create posts and sometimes it feels like people are not listening. Truthfully, it is easier to see the interaction of comments and engagement that happen via Facebook and LinkedIn and writing this post took more thought than just the comments that I posted earlier online.   It is gratifying to see blog posts that have been shared with Facebook Likes and Tweeted by your readers. And the Google rankings… be still my heart! Businesses that still have “static” websites or are afraid of using Social Media are simply missing the boat!

It would be great to hear your comments and questions about Blogging and Social Media.

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This is a “Just the Basics” List… (Stay tuned for a Monthly update on the latest Mobile apps for Executives on the go!)

1. Email -Since my iPhone is always with me, I rarely check my emails online.  All of my accounts can be managed and read from my phone… and my responses are often much shorter via phone.  I no longer have to wait until I am back at my desk to get to my emails.

2. Calendar – A great way to keep track of appointments and the Google Calendar syncs right into my phone.

3. Tungle.me Want to have a way to people can schedule with you real-time? Set up Tungle.me on your website and they can schedule appointments with you and requests/acceptances can be managed as push notifications to your phone.

4. Dragon Dictation Are your fingers too big to effectively navigate the mobile keyboard? Use Dragon Dictation to speak your texts, emails and other notes into your phone and have it distributed as a message.

5. YouTube – A standard app, but a great way to research videos about your customers or competition! YouTube is a phenomenal search engine and you can upload your videos on the go that you want to share with the world about real-time events and places that you want to share with the world.

6. NewsRack – If you are hooked on reading the latest news and use RSS feeds to stay on-top of the latest information, then check out the NewsRack app.  This is a mobile organizer of all of your favorite feeds that make it easy to stay in-the-know while you are on-the-go!  This app will cause “infomaniacs” to drool.

7. Notesy – If you use your mobile device as a notepad… and have ever lost your notes during a sync… Notesy is a great app for you.  Take your notes and store them seamlessly into DropBox.  Then the notes can be available to you from “the cloud” whenever and where ever you choose to get online.

8. Expenditure – Use your phone to scan in your receipts and Track your Business expenses.   Then store away those receipts for your accountant.

9. LinkedIn – Connect into your business network directly from your phone.  The greatest new feature is to Share the Latest News with your LinkedIn Connections.  And then use Card Munch (below) to manage all those business connections the minute you meet face to face.

10. Card Munch – In 3 Steps, you can create a memorable impression:  Scan a Business Card, Connect to your new Contact with one push of the LinkedIn button and then Send the new business connection an immediate follow-up email.  Great for Building in your LinkedIn Connections and Instant Follow-up on the Go.

11. Hashable – A Hybrid of Foursquare and LinkedIn… Business Networking and Connections with local check-in and push notifications.

Use these apps to connect with and be as value added as a business person. Today’s new Economy is all about being as productive and helpful to others in the most efficient way possible. The real question for Business owners… “How can you use your mobile device to connect in and be helpful to others?”

Who’s got some great mobile apps that have made your Business life more productive?

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Ok… Some of you are going to love this and some will hate this, but I just Have to document this moment with a Social Media Guide to the official sites related to   The Royal Wedding 2011 To be honest, I really could care less about William and Kate. Sure, they are a nice looking couple, but the aspect that I find the most interesting about this event is the absolute frenzy and buzz that this has created worldwide from a Social Media standpoint.

The primary difference between the Royal Wedding 2011 and the marriage of Charles and Diana has been the advent of the internet and Social Media. That is why I am calling this the Royal Wedding 2.0.

Let’s take a quick look at the online channels that are blowing up right now with all of the hoopla!

Twitter is completely exploding with Royal Wedding Trending and William and Kate Trending. It’s the night before the wedding and the comments are rapidly streaming. It’s a bit like a hybrid of a Global Stag party mixed in with a Bridal shower – Crass Comments and Sappy Well-wishes galore. The Official Twitter stream is being managed by the @Clarence House and is not updated very frequently and is a bit stodgy, which I guess is to be expected.  There are over 65,ooo Twitter Followers for @ClarenceHouse and the official news.

YouTube has a very simple Channel for the Royal Wedding 2011 by TheRoyalChannel There are 20 videos related to the wedding – from the wedding cake to the choir  – and close to 60,000 subscribers and around 150,000 views.  Like the Twitter site, the design is rather stark, clean and crisp.  The wedding will be Live Streaming via YouTube.com

Facebook’s Official Royal Wedding Page is extremely well-customized.  Interestingly enough, the actual page is very difficult to find and does not come up in Facebook search.  Nonetheless, the facebook page for the Royal Wedding is beating Twitter and YouTube hands down with over 398,000 fans.

The real winner in my opinion is the OfficialRoyalWedding2011.org Blog.  The web-design is so simple and so well-integrated with the Social Media channels.   The information is comprehensive and quite classy.  What is wonderful to see is the contemporary flair of a dynamic blogsite without turning into a tacky hodge-podge of too much information.  The site is well-organized and clear -  truly a multi-media wonder.

This social media combination and integration is really beyond impressive.  Aside from all of the tabloid-style unofficial sites, the official channels clearly are working together to document what is sure to be a historic occasion. Oddly enough, there is no cohesive look to the various sites. (SeymourResults makes sure our clients’ channels are custom branded across all of the channels for a more unified visual experience.) What is most amazing is the level of Global Interaction that Social Media has brought to the table of history.  In just one generation, communications as we know it have massively shifted and changed.

Felicitations to Prince William and Kate Middleton on the eve of your Royal Wedding 2.o!  The world is celebrating your day through Social Media.

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