April is National Volunteer Month in the U.S. At Waggener Edstrom Worldwide (WE) we want to recognize and thank all our volunteers around the globe by launching our second annual employee incentive campaign called Give 16, which will run April 16 through Nov. 16, 2012.

Each year, WE offers employees up to 16 hours of paid time to volunteer their time to make a difference in the world during work hours. In addition to our ongoing Volunteer Grant program, staff members who use all of their 16 volunteer hours benefit AND persuade a colleague to use their hours as well can apply for a bonus grant to benefit the organizations where they volunteer.

Employee volunteering has a significant impact on our company’s annual goal to contribute up to 1 percent of WE’s total fee revenue to the communities. WE exceeded its annual goal last year and donated $1.2 million to nonprofit organizations. Throughout the year, we share stories about our employees’ inspirations, motivations and passions in the communities. To learn more about the power of our employees’ volunteering efforts, check out this 2011 Year in Review infographic showing how our employees clocked 6,000 hours using their benefit, which translated into true social impact. This is only half of the story. This month we’re celebrating the power of collaboration, for the greater good.

“I don’t think it’s important to be successful and you can’t measure it. I just like to LIVE and take each day as it comes and play my part”, says Shalini Pathak. She is the office manager at Waggener Edstrom’s Mumbai office and is responsible for the office administration and assists the entire team with their administrative needs. Though she efficiently coordinates the finance and HR, she confesses that numbers are not her best friend and even simple math drives her up the wall. Shalini quickly gets attached to people, places and things. She has a mental list of ‘things to do before I die’ and her ambitious nature is symbolized by her stars and dice tattoo. Grishma Samuel, found out a few more interesting things about Shalini, which came out of this brief Q&A session with her.

  1. How do you add value to WE with your roles and responsibilities

• I believe the best way to lose weight is to help other people lose weight (not literally) and I try to follow it. I might fail to diet on my own, but if I decide to help someone else diet, I will feel more committed and more likely succeed. At work it is just as simple, I try and become an engaged employee, help others (exactly what my role demands) and in the end this is what makes me love my job.

2. Where did you work prior to joining Waggener Edstrom?

• Skyway RMC Plants

3. How do you prefer to unwind after a hectic day at work?

• By Spending hours in front of the TV :)

4. One event in history you would’ve loved to be a part of?

• 15th April 1912, the wreck of the Titanic…not necessarily at the time of the “wreckage” but would have loved to be a part of THE journey to witness the grandeur.

5. If you weren’t working at Waggener Edstrom, what else would you have been doing?

• Owning a shack in Goa and making enough monies to travel around the world :)

6. You favorite movie quote

•  ‘Nothing is more necessary than the unnecessary’ (From my most favorite movie “Life is Beautiful”)

7. One thing about your job that you think is the best

• The people I work with

8. If something could define you, what would it be?

• A song by Lady Gaga “Born This Way” best defines me.

 (Interview by Grishma Samuel, Account Coordinator, Waggener Edstrom, Mumbai, India)

A few weeks after I started at Waggener, I wrote a post for this blog about the initial integration process and how impressed I was with the way that Waggener “walks the walk” in that department.

 Fast forward and, hard as it is to believe, I’m approaching my one-year “Waggeversary” on the Windows team which means the honeymoon phase is officially over. I’m no longer the happy-go-lucky newbie savoring the “new car smell” of my cube and relishing the various, unique qualities that set Waggener apart from other employers (hello free Talking Rain!). I’ve gotten my hands dirty … I’ve worked the long hours we all hear about … I’ve had the late night client emails … the surprise deliverable asks … the emergency reactive situations. And like any good relationship, I have to say I love it more now than I did 12 months ago.

The agency does a lot to make the work environment enjoyable … Intern Fun Week … War Rooms … Donut Thursday … but there are a few big reasons why I am truly passionate about showing up to my cube every day and why I sing Waggener’s praises every chance I get.

 Work Life Balance is more than just a buzz word.  Many companies urge their employees to find “work life balance,” but actually taking the time to achieve this balance can be difficult. In some cases, a team is horribly short staffed so employees can’t get away without the organization collapsing.  In other cases, employees worry about the security of their job if they disappear for time off and the world continues to function in their absence. For several reasons workers are not taking all of their vacation time these days. Not the case at Waggener. While you can’t just take off at any time and for any duration, Waggener makes sure team members feel comfortable logging off to recharge.

 Waggener treats employees like adults. I can remember my first week here, checking in everyday with my manager before I ran to get coffee at Starbucks or ducking out for lunch. After a few days, Bonnie kindly let me know that the head’s up were not necessary … that she’d call my cell phone if the world was collapsing but otherwise, any work could wait fifteen minutes until I got back. This is emblematic of a bigger theme. There are no clock watchers at Waggener. Yes, we monitor our time, but managers know we work hard and will deliver gold standard work on time, so there are no Bill Lumberg’s wandering around making sure that coffee breaks last ONLY 15 minutes and that we are seated at our computers promptly at 9 AM. Management trusts the team because we show up and work hard.

 Waggener believes in flexibility. We had some work done on our house this year which meant a few days with repairmen who needed to be babysat. Instead of having to brick time off of my calendar and be “off” for half a day (or a full day in some cases), I simply plugged in at home and was able to keep plugging away as if I were at my desk in 3CP. For anyone who has had to skip work to wait on a contractor you know how valuable that freedom to stay on top of your to-do list instead of just sitting and waiting can be.

 Waggener hires brilliant people. One of the things that sold me on the chance to come work for Waggener was the opportunity to learn from some really smart individuals and this place has not disappointed. From watching Mark Martin lead the Windows business to the careful review and feedback I get from my manager, Bonnie, to the knowledge sharing sessions I have with my fellow Windows UnLeaded teammates … I am literally surrounded by “brilliant” every day. The growth I have seen in myself over the last 12 months is due, in large, LARGE, part to those folks and their positive influence. 

 Working for Waggener? Best. Career Move. Ever.

While I am pretty psyched about my upcoming Olympics date with the male volleyball competition, most Londoners’ excitement about the Olympics this summer is being severely tested by almost daily reports of predicted travel chaos over the 3 week period. This comes as an estimated 3 million additional trips on busy days are added to an already strained London transport system. The website getaheadofthegames.com has helpfully provided a map showing the predicted impact an influx of games tourists will have on London’s tube network so commuters can avoid the main stress points however the advice given by most is for businesses to adopt a flexible working practice and allow employees to work from home.

 Company laptops make working from home if necessary more of an option than ever so I thought it might be a good idea to pool the team’s collective knowledge and offer up some top tips. What I came up with however were ideas on how not to work from home – lessons learned from Waggener Edstrom staff apparently…..:

 1. Pajamas are not appropriate work attire – get up, get showered, get changed and get going – sometimes even leaving the house for a short walk can make the world of difference, allowing you to return in the right frame of mind…

2. Keep the TV turned off – the lure of soaps/Jeremy Kyle is an unexplainable yet powerful one

3. Clear yourself a designated workspace – whether it is the kitchen table or your own desk make sure you have a good chair, good lighting and HEATING

4. Work your set number of hours – it can be very easy to work 7 to midnight – DON’T

5. Plan breaks into your working day – without the natural distraction of colleagues discussing the latest celebrity scandal/what they plan to have for lunch it is all too easy to just keep going but without breaks your work will become less and less productive

6. Beware the doorbell – answering your door in the middle of the day can be a dangerous move which may lead to many long and unwanted conversations

7. Padlock your fridge – boredom grazing is neither productive nor good for the waist line

8. Lync is your friend – keep in contact with colleagues throughout the day to feel part of the team and save from having to write an email for every single thought which comes to you

9. Have you got everything you need? – make sure to take any and all materials you might need home the night before to save from yelling at yourself in frustration the next morning when you realise what you have forgotten

10. Laptop = check, power lead = ?? – bring all the tech you will need home just in case

 So there you go – educational I think you will agree!

In six collective volunteer hours last week, 37 WE employees helped do the following:

• Prepare and beautify the rooftop garden at Portland’s YWCA Camp Westwind in the City that 300+ kids will enjoy, learn from and eat from all summer long.
• Serve at Seattle’s Greenwood Food Bank, providing approximately 250 individuals with supplemental groceries that will feed them and their families as food stamps dwindle toward the end of the month

In addition to volunteer time, WE donated $1,500 to the YWCA and Greenwood Food Bank; a combination of in-kind and cash contributions. At the YWCA, WE’s donation will serve as a scholarship that covers the cost of summer camp for at least two kids who could not otherwise afford it, and at the Greenwood Food Bank, WE’s donation will cover thousands of pounds worth of fresh dairy products.

The ultimate goal of WE Smack Down is to get out and volunteer in the community. But seeing as we love healthy competition here at WE, Portland and Seattle employees also contend to see who can talk the best smack leading up to the volunteer events. Equipped with a wrestling name and an unlimited supply of enthusiasm and creativity, WE employees embraced the challenge. The Seattle team went so far as to create a training video to intimidate their Portland contenders.

The March WE Smack Down events were the first of four U.S. Northwest matchups — WE will host one per quarter — to determine the ultimate WE Smack Down champion for 2012. Teams get points based on who is fastest to fill their volunteer spots, who gets the most creative in driving awareness and trash talking leading up to the event, and who shows up to the event with the most volunteer spots filled. At the end of the year, the winning office will get a WE Smack Down trophy and, more importantly, bragging rights. The Pacific Northwest events are already such a hit that there’s talk about an East Coast WE Smack Down in the works between our New York, Boston and Washington, D.C. offices.

Though both teams put up a valiant fight, the ultimate WE Smack Down champ for our March battle was the Seattle team. Portland competitors, however, are not discouraged; after all, they have three more battles to wage, and this war is nowhere near over.

Congratulations to all our WE Smack Down contenders: You have proven how much you love your city!

On March 9, this year, 13 staff members from WE’s UK office volunteered with the Kids Company, a London-based charity that supports vulnerable inner-city children via a variety of programs, including Fun Days. Activities included face painting, cake decorating and an arts table.

“These days are an essential part of Kids Company work. There are many children who are subjected to abuse at home and it is crucial that we areable to support them as they courageously struggle on their own. We aim to provide a clean and fresh environment which can be their safe haven away from the troubles and stresses of life at home. Kids Company will continue to offer them as much support as we can and it is because of the generosity of people like yourselves that we can carry out this vital work.”— Kids Company

Our team arrived at the Ark Academy at 8:30 a.m. for a briefing, broke up into groups, rolled our sleeves up and set up for the day! The Fun Day was broken down into six sessions, with approximately 30 kids per session with ages ranging from 3 to 7. The activities took place in a bright and spacious hall with four designated areas for each project. Inspiring highlights from the day:

• Toby Walsh, Associate Director, WE-UK Technology Practice
  Very much enjoyed painting their faces, although some of the kids seemed to be scared of me! It was interesting to see how differently each of the children behaved – some were clearly happier or more confident than others.
• Georgia Long, Receptionist, WE-UK Headquarters
  First face-painting session and first participant takes ages to decide what he wants — we finally go for pirate (nice and easy!?) when shown the final result he said “I don’t like it, I want to be Spiderman!” FAIL. Second face-painting session of the day, I now think I’ve perfected Spiderman, butterfly and pirate. A little boy comes over to me with two minutes to go before the session ends. ”What would you like?” I ask, “Pirate? Spiderman?” — “I want to be a dinosaur!!” Eeeek!! — two minutes later the little guy is super happy with his “dinosaur!” SUCCESS!! So much fun, and I truly take my hat off to anyone that works with kids full time — I was exhausted by the end of the day.
• Annabel Kerr, Sr Account Executive, WE-UK Technology Practice
  I enjoyed seeing our boys getting totally flummoxed by the simple task of tying crowns onto the children’s heads — especially if there were pigtails attached. It was also totally worth it to see how proud the kids obviously felt of the cards and crowns they created — making some for family members, some for other kids in their class and some for the teachers themselves.
• Will Hall, Graduate Trainee, WE-UK Insight & Analytics
  It was a great opportunity to get out of my office comfort zone and to do something different from my day-to-day activities. Making the children happy was a great experience that I would love to repeat.
• Paul Middleton, Global Support Manager, Technology Services
  Kids were great, well-behaved heart breakers! Cake decorating and “Arts and craft” are well out of my comfort zone, but it was great fun working with the kids and WE team. I think I’d grown to the level of “barely competent” in those two activities by the end of the day. Highlight of the day was Chris Talago, WE’s EMEA General Manager, turning the icing into icing “water,” then pouring two tons of sugar in to try and return it back to icing…
• Hannah Hawkins, Graduate Trainee, W-UK Technology Practice
  Such a lovely and rewarding day. Hats (or should I say crowns?!) off to the children who were very well behaved and great fun to be around.
• Matt Daniels, Finance Supervisor, EMEA Business Services
  I’ve realized I should never, ever, EVER, paint a child’s face again. Poor little girl wanted to look like a princess and I turned her into demented gremlin with glitter on her face!! All joking aside, what a GREAT day to be a part of. The Kids Company is such a wonderful charity. So much so, I’m planning to do a sky dive to raise money for them.
• Sam Whitby,Operations Manager, WE-UK Headquarters
  My highlight was the very last girl to leave the hall, aged approximately 4 years old, who threw herself on the floor, crying her eyes out saying, “but I want to carry on having fun!!” Oh, and Matt Daniels, the ultimate Pied Piper, who had the children eating out of the palm of his hand with musical statue.

The University of London evaluated Kids Company’s programs over three years.  This independent research found that its users face the following problems:

• 87 percent face emotional and mental health difficulties
• 84 percent face homelessness
• 83 percent face sustained trauma
• 82 percent face substance misuse

The nonprofit support empowers children and young people in the following ways:

• 94 percent reduced substance misuse
• 91 percent were reintegrated into education
• 89 percent improved their anger management
• 97 percent found Kids Company effective in supporting their needs

We weren’t allowed to take photos of the children so here’s our team having a post-event, well-earned drink at the nearest pub. Note: this is the second time the WE-UK team volunteered for Kids Company, last November employees supported the organization via a  Cooking Class. Annually, WE employees can choose to use 16 company hours to volunteer during work time.

New York City

You know when your computer or printer goes haywire and that deep panic, anxiety and even anger sinks in? You think to yourself “how can I possibly fix this? I have no idea how any of this stuff works!!”

And as you are about to give up all hope you remember that time when someone in Technology Services (otherwise known as “TS”) saved your day!  And when you remembered this you realized that everything is going to be OK. Your blood pressure begins to return to a safe level…

My name is Jonathan Scheiner and I started at Waggener Edstrom only 3 weeks ago as a Service Desk Specialist in the New York City office. My manager, Darcie Opferman, has given me many tasks and goals to work on. One of these goals is to be a learning sponge for understanding the inner workings of Technology Services, their systems, processes and what WE does and stands for.  

To help me in this process, I have met with many team leads to get an understand of how they and their teams contribute to making the technology here at WE up to date, effective and integrated.  I am also lucky to have John Lowe here in the NY office to help me integrate and learn as much as I can. In my opinion he should be dubbed “Sensei Lowe” for his masterful wisdom on so much of technology here at WE.

I have just graduated from college and I feel lucky to be associated with Waggener Edstrom. Now that I’m here, I am having a blast getting to know my team mates in the NY office and the ones all over the world. Also since NY is the hub for so many businesses, our office gets to host many team meetings with team members from all over. This week we hosted The North American team leads and had a chance to discuss what they learned while they were here.

Finally, here is one thing that I hope never gets old. The view.  (31^st floor looking down at 47^th and 3^rd)

During SXSW Interactive this past week, I had the opportunity to attend several sessions. The one that impacted me the most was Social Media in the Underground World of B2B – a panel with representatives from Cisco, IBM, Nvidia and Xerox, moderated by Text 100. I’m involved in discussions and read articles on a daily basis that debate the merits of social media for a company in the B2B space. Many B2B companies don’t believe that their key audiences are using social media – when in fact they are.

There were several key points made during the panel that struck a chord and armed me with new data that I plan to highlight in future B2B social media conversations. All of these relate back to current offerings from WE. I’m inspired for my next discussion with clients and prospects; I’m always thinking about and looking for ways to take integrated influence to the next level.

Hang up the phone on anyone who asks you to define your Twitter or Facebook strategy

At least, that’s what Duane Schulz, VP of brand & social marketing at Xerox does! His advice: remember that social media is “just a tool” and that social media still needs to tie back to solving a business problem or achieving the business objective (“What is the problem you are trying to solve?” – a question frequently posed by WE president and founder Pam Edstrom). Make sure you are always listening across your markets and brands, and adjust your strategy in real time if it is not working to solve the business problem.

Employees are a company’s brand; help them be ambassadors

Who better to talk about a company than employees? Many are curious about social media, but intimidated. Companies should help their employees feel comfortable by offering education. One example of this discussed during the panel was that NVIDIA has installed screens in high traffic areas in the office (including near bathrooms!), streaming Twitter feeds on hashtags related to NVIDIA products. This has piqued curiosity and made NVIDIA employees want to know more, leading to education classes and future evangelists. It demonstrated to them that relevant discussion is already taking place online – whether they decide to participate or not.

WE offers social media 101 classes for clients. These classes are perfect for those companies who are just getting their toes wet with digital strategies and includes discussion around best practices for incorporating social media as part of a broader integrated influence program.

Clearly define your audience, then find them online

Everyone on the panel agreed that targeting before you begin your social media efforts is key:

• Cisco: Leverage your internal employees to help define the audience and shape the level of participation in social media. Scale the response as appropriate.
• NVIDIA: Conduct in-depth research on where your target audience “hangs out” online and focus your efforts there. “Shooting stuff into the ether without targeting isn’t effective.”
• Xerox: “Get your fingernails dirty.” Bring in subject matter experts, use market insights.
• IBM: Never stop listening. They have been evaluating the space since 2004 using internal proprietary software along with external tools.

Social media is a long-term relationship

This is a huge challenge for many companies – supporting social media on an ongoing basis vs. just during a major launch. One way to address this is by empowering employees with tools such as social media guidelines and content development recommendations. If employees have the tools to keep a conversation going and you have trained and educated an army, you’re much more likely to see content development and online engagement on an ongoing basis.

WE offers a content guerilla workshop specifically aimed at creating an army of social media advocates within a company. We’ve successfully implemented the workshop for several of our clients, both on a large, global scale and locally within business units.

Demonstrate ROI

There was some disagreement on the panel on best approaches to demonstrating ROI. Shanee Ben-Zur, social media strategist at NVIDIA, admitted that it’s hard to apply an objective number and that they try to look for affinity, which she admitted is “kind of like trying to measure love.” Jeanette Gibson, director of social media marketing at Cisco, mentioned that she looks at cost savings and time savings in reaching out to audiences. She gave the example of using a Facebook logon as an option for web users to register for and download white papers. Using Facebook enabled them to increase registrations by 20% while reducing costs by 40%.

Duane from Xerox mentioned that they “probably won’t even get to looking at social media ROI for two years.” He tends to look at business objectives (via a dashboard) to measure things like: how many people have social media in their job titles? Is the universe seeing a new Xerox via online conversation?

The WE Insights & Analytics team has many tools for benchmarking and analyzing the results of social media programs. Measurement is a key element of any successful program. For more information on any of the WE programs or tools mentioned in this blog, or to discuss B2B social further, please contact Suzanne Zurn, szurn@waggeneredstrom.com.

My father and I run a nonprofit organization called Friends of Baseball. The sport is a passion for both of us, and it brings great pleasure to spread that passion throughout the state of Oregon. Although our structure and approach have evolved a bit over the years, the goal has always stayed true — helping young boys and girls stay on the field of play. We never want to hear about young players not being able to participate in the game they love because of things like lack of funding, insufficient equipment or poor field conditions. We work to be that resource they may not have or to become that liaison to connect them with that resource. With this post, I’d like to accomplish three things:

• Share with you a little more about who we are.
• Explain what we are working on right now to  keep our organization sustainable for years to come.
• Inform you of ways you can get involved — including a fun film festival, March 22, in Portland, Ore.

Since 2006, Friends of Baseball has helped over 75 baseball and softball teams, in leagues serving over 36,000 children in 15 Northwest Oregon counties, secure more than $525,000 in goods, services, support and funding. In these communities, after-school activities are rare, and organized athletics even more so. At a time when our society is ever more isolated and sedentary, when childhood obesity and diabetes are on the rise, affordable access to team sports is needed more than ever. In a perfect world, all children would be able to participate in physical activity programs. Unfortunately, this just isn’t true. For many families, even a modest fee is too big a financial burden.

Study after study shows us, however, that well-structured, sustainable team programs play an integral role in shaping the whole child. They can help kids learn teamwork, problem-solving and critical thinking while strengthening a child’s self-esteem.

Friends of Baseball strives to offer Oregon’s underserved children equal access to the enhanced opportunities for social interaction, academic success, and physical and emotional well-being gained through participation in youth baseball and softball team programs. We work to ensure that all children, regardless of family finances, are able to “play ball.”

During the past two years, we have focused our fundraising efforts on a yearly event, the Friends of Baseball Film Festival. We had such phenomenal success with our first one in 2011, we are really excited for our second installment of this great event. Not only did we exceed our attendance and fundraising goals, but we established new relationships with both partners and future grantees. This event‘s main goal is to help us sustain our efforts for years to come. We rely on the support of both the community and our many partners to help us raise money for those underserved youth in Oregon. Our second goal is to showcase the wonderful game of baseball through the art of film. Last year, we showed a film called “Time in the Minors,” which followed two ball players through the minor league system and showed a side of the game, challenges and hardships that many don’t see. This year, we are excited to showcase a film about one of baseball’s most beloved legends, Bill “Spaceman” Lee. His documentary “High and Outside” is a captivating account of his career and what it was like playing major league baseball in the 1970s and 80s. Even more exciting, Spaceman will be at our event to share his experience in person. We are truly excited to have one of MLB’s great relief pitchers in attendance to provide his off-the-wall take on the game that many of us love.

The event is right around the corner, and we would love to have you join us for a night of old baseball stories, great food, fun entertainment and — above all — a chance to give back to those who need it the most. For tickets and information, please go to www.friendsofbaseball.org/filmfestival. We are also looking for a few volunteers for the event to help (please email Ben Longcor if you have interest in helping that evening). Finally, if you can’t make our event on March 22, and you still want to give back, visit our website, and you can donate directly online. All the proceeds will go toward helping youth stay active! I am proud to say WE provided a $150 Employee Volunteer Grant to help with our efforts again this year.

And if you made it all the way to the end of this story, you deserve a prize! The first 10 people who answer the question below in the comments section will get a free ticket to our event ($50 value) and the chance to meet “Spaceman” in person! In addition, you will have the chance to bid on some amazing auction items, such as a seven-night resort stay in Mazatlán, Mexico, tickets to the MLB 2012 All-Star game, two pairs of Boston Red Sox tickets in Fenway (including a Yankees game!) and much, much more.

Hope you can join Bill and me!

TRIVIA QUESTION: What popular television character is often thought to be loosely based off of the career/lifestyle of Bill “Spaceman” Lee?

Heading into my second rotation of my internship at Waggener Edstrom (or as I affectionately call it, SWAG-gener Edstrom) has brought what you could almost consider a paradigm shift in my perspective on life.

To contextualize this a little bit, since graduating college, I’ve been working filler jobs that paid the bills but didn’t allow me to use my brain or my creativity really at all. While this was beginning to feel like the norm, it hasn’t always been this way. Growing up, you couldn’t find a kid with more imagination and more of a passion for storytelling, where I loved to daydream about my future.  Before I could write, you could give me anything with pictures and I’d make up an elaborate narration, always for an audience. There is a video of me as a kid with a 12-month cat calendar, “reading” a story about cats from the pages as if the words were right there, and yet I was too young to read and the only words on the page were the month and the year. Where others saw simply photos, I saw stories.

Once I got a pen in my hand, I was filling notebooks with stories of all types: short stories, blurbs, you name it. I’d get an idea in my head and run with it until the next idea came along, the ideas often coming so fast that I never finished the previous one.

Then I started growing up. The ideas kept coming, but fear of being set apart settled in, leaving me to pursue coolness over innovation. Regardless, my social calendar was always full and my gums were always flapping; I never let that light grow dim.

High school and college seemed to be a balance of these two worlds. Many times, fear of failure won out over taking risks and sharing ideas, especially in my college sorority. While I made great friends and enjoyed all the social experiences Greek life had to offer, I did not feel like I fully used my perspective or imagination as much as I would have liked to have the opportunity to. Most likely, this was a fear that turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy, but it suppressed my creativity nonetheless. All this followed by fruitless post-grad occupations, leading me further down the path towards what I perceived to be an intellectual dead end.

Enter Waggener Edstrom, a PR firm with a heart of gold. Where my broadcast degree failed to land me an on-camera job, it aided in my getting hired as a PR intern, allowing me to explore a new avenue within the communications realm and foster my talent and passion for storytelling. In the short time I’ve been here, I already feel my creativity blossoming, and I haven’t even done any real work yet. It’s as though the imaginative spark that was burning so dimly for so long has been blasted with a fresh gust of oxygen, allowing it to gradually become a full-out fire. I’m thinking again, inspired; creating things in my mind. Even if it’s not always work-related, it proves to me that the path I’m on couldn’t be more right.

One of my weaknesses has always been fleshing out my ideas. That is one of my biggest goals for the next 11 weeks. Both on the clock and off, I want to learn to not only come up with great ideas, but find a way to give them life and make them a reality. I want to innovate, and really make it happen by setting my intention and giving it my whole heart. I want to see my creations through from start to finish, allowing myself to create space for success, and come to expect it from myself. I want to turn that cat calendar into a novel, and do it fearlessly.

• Donating time and expertise to support the Texas Marathon Relay, benefitting Junior Achievement of Central Texas. For the past six years, WE-Austin has partnered with the Texas Marathon Relay, managing the event’s media efforts including social, print and radio. Through this partnership, the WE team aims to increase awareness of Junior Achievement of Central Texas and its mission by driving conversations, engaging volunteers and highlighting the impact the organization makes on young people’s lives. Junior Achievement raises money and puts it “right back into the classroom,” says Rachel Austin, WE-Austin employee. By educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs, Junior Achievement creates fiscally fit and financially responsible individuals. You can check out the Texas Marathon Relay Facebook page and follow them on Twitter.
• Hosting an annual WE Make a Difference Day. WE-Austin hosts a yearly WE Make a Difference Day for employees during which time the entire office comes together to volunteer in the community. In 2011, WE-Austin employees volunteered their time on behalf of the Trail Foundation and spent a full day beautifying a local waterway, removing debris from Lady Bird Lake via kayaks.
• Judging elementary school science fairs. In January, three WE-Austin employees judged a very cute and innovative science fair where kindergarten through fifth grade students submitted paper mâché volcanoes, lemon-powered light bulbs and insect collections.
• Participating in the Rodeo Run 10K for Higher Education. Lisa Ferrara, a WE-Austin employee, recently ran the Rodeo Run that kicks off Rodeo Houston. The rodeo raises funds for scholarships in higher education, and this year’s Rodeo Run raised $360,000 for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Educational Fund. You can read more about Lisa’s story here.
• Gearing up to help save the lives of shelter animals. In the upcoming months, several WE-Austin employees will volunteer their time and skills with Austin Pets Alive, which is dedicated to making Austin a “no-kill” city and to keeping companion animals alive. WE employees will help the organization plan events and prepare its new building.

Thank you, WE Austinites for your continued commitment to give back to your community! And, for anyone attending Waggener Edstrom’s SXSWi party this Saturday at Malverde, be sure to check in on Four Square when you arrive. WE will donate $5 to Make-A-Wish Central & South Texas for each attendee who checks in.

Have a great SXSWi, y’all!

But once you show up, how do you take advantage of all of the information that’s available to you? With three festivals, panels, parties, sessions and people to meet, it’s just overwhelming to even think of how to organize all of this information. But never fear we are here to show you the best apps that will make SXSW 2012 the best experience for you.

Getting Around SXSW

The best app by far to get around SXSW is the official SXSW app, SXSW GO. Available on iOS, Android and coming for Windows Phone 7, this is the app that gives you all of the official SXSW information you need. You can build out your schedule, check panel times and sync panels to your device. A solid feature if you’re stuck in a no-signal zone.

Location, Location, Location

What’s a tech festival without talking about location based apps and services. One of the staples in the location based services space, Foursquare is still the king of getting you checked-in to SXSW. But, with its newly launched Explore search engine, you can now use Foursquare to find the best bars, restaurants and more in Austin.

Also another great one is the Hot Spots app Waggener Edstrom debuted last year at SXSW Interactive. It is a mobile app for Windows Phone 7 and iOS that enables users to discover where the most popular hangouts are during SXSW.

Who’s Around You?

Beyond the parties, great food and amazing bands, SXSW is about meeting people that share your same interests and striking up a conversation. At SXSW 2012, you can expect to hear a lot about apps like Highlig.ht, Glancee, Ban.jo and Kismet not only will tell you what your friends are doing, but they will find people that have checked-in or have similar interests that are around you and let you introduce yourself to them. This is a great way to meet new people, network with people that have similar interests and maybe pick up a new friend or two for some late night karaoke!

Capture and Share

Whether you’re checking out one of the hundreds of bands or a great panel, SXSW lends all of its festivities to being captured through photography or video. There are ton of apps out there that do this for you, but below are some of my favorites.

• Instagram for iOS
• Vignette for Android
• Instacam for Windows Phone 7
• Super 8 for iOS

Keeping it Fun at SXSW

Finally, SXSW is all about having fun. Waggener Edstrom partnered with tenfour, a Portland, Ore.-based creative agency, to bring Tweet-A-Beer to life. Tweet-A-Beer is a mobile Web app that helps people network and socialize by purchasing each other a beer over Twitter, perfect for fostering the face-to-face connections that are a natural part of the SXSW Interactive Festival or for those following through the Twittersphere.

So as you get prepped up for SXSW, make sure you take a look at the list of apps above. Not only will they help you keep organized at the show, but you might just find some new friends join you in the awesome experience of SXSW.

All you need is a bit of love at SXSW.

For those of you who don’t know, #SXSW (aka “southby” for the really cool kids) is when 5,000 12,000 20,000 a lot of the world’s developers, social media gurus and marketing types invade Austin, Texas, for a week of insightful, thought provoking conference sessions parties. I’ve been to three of the last four, and I am equally thankful and remiss I won’t be there this year. I’m missing out on groundbreaking tech and emerging digital trends. But thankfully, I realize that I don’t need to be on the ground to make an impact.

Talking Story

The best part of SXSW is the people. Hands down. This is the “can’t miss” event of the tech world, and it’s an opportunity to see those Twitter friends who are usually nothing more than a scrolling avatar. In the Hawaiian culture, “talking story” is simply sitting with a good friend in the sunshine and talking for hours. And SXSW is no exception. Some of the best moments I’ve had have been while talking story or roaming the halls.

Telling Story

What’s a social media conference without the ability to create terabytes of photos, videos, podcasts, vlogs, blogs, tweets and text messages? SXSW is no different. The important thing here is to find somebody who has a story and help them tell it. Entrepreneurs, hackers, PR flacks, we all have a story to tell. Pull out the camera and help the next big thing tell its story.

The Human Story

I wrote a post in 2009 that was essentially about being human at SXSW. And the principles are the same. Just be a human. We all have a pitch. I’m a PR guy, the person next to me is the co-founder of a location-aware geo-tagging service that will add a social layer to RSS streams of daily deals. The point is, at the end of the day, we’re all human. Don’t be afraid to let your guard down and interact with the person next to you.

Your Brand’s Story

OK, we’re here to make money, right? Finding a new app to partner with or invest in; seeking a new reader base for your emerging blog even. It’s OK to pimp your brand at SXSW. Everybody expects to hear your pitch and get your business card, so have your brand’s story down. Have your twit-pitch down to a science and be ready for the comparisons — ”So, it’s like the MySpace of Groupons?”

At the end of the day, SXSW is an adventure, one you must prepare for and one you must be ready to conquer. But the best part about it is the stories you can tell before, during and after the event. Let’s hear your stories in the comments.

Thank you to @Krystyl from mylovetravels.com for the great photo from last year.

As a student of Gonzaga University’s online communication and leadership program, I recently spent a weekend in Spokane, Wash., discussing the principles of good storytelling. Unlike many of my classmates, I get to talk about storytelling and writing principles all the time. I wasn’t expecting to hear anything too revolutionary. But, silly me, I forgot about the power of community.

Our intimate group of 20 was made up of vastly different backgrounds and stories. We formed a community around our mutual interest in learning, and shared pieces of ourselves that we rarely share with others. For instance, our instructor asked us each to find a quote that spoke to our hearts, and read it aloud to the group. Each beautiful line gave us a peek inside one another’s personality: One man recited his wedding vows; another read hip-hop lyrics from The Roots. Some students chose quotes from their favorite books; others read poems from their childhood.

These snippets painted images of one another that conveyed our personal histories — one of many storytelling lessons I learned from my educational community and Prof. Kristina Morehouse that weekend:

1. “Stop in time, and pay attention to the power of words.” What we say builds community — and sadly, sometimes breaks it down. We need to be mindful of the words we use because someone is always listening.
2. “Concise messages are most important.” If you find the right word, you don’t need as many.
3. “Show, don’t tell.” When telling a story, don’t leave out the details. Oftentimes, we’re writing for an online audience that reads fast and suffers from information overload, so we skimp on the background information — the interesting characteristics — and focus solely on the lead, aiming to quickly grab attention. But when the next newsworthy headline hits, your lead is long gone.
4. “Everyone needs one really good editor.” Find someone you trust to read your work. Ask for constructive criticism, and grow from your mistakes.
5. “You can’t write if you don’t read.” Even the best writers find inspiration in other people’s words, and they appreciate how others phrase their musings. We should all read to better learn about the basic rules of grammar, and to uncover the magic behind parallel structure and cadence.

I found myself nodding along to each suggestion, excited to share them with my broader community of writers, editors and storytellers. Even if we’ve heard them before, it’s always nice to reiterate their importance in our industry.

And as for my inspirational quote? Always the grammarian, I read a quote that demonstrates parallelism at its finest:

“To him she seemed so beautiful, so seductive, so different from ordinary people, that he could not understand why no one was as disturbed as he by the clicking of her heels on the paving stones, why no one else’s heart was wild with the breeze stirred by the sighs of her veils, why everyone did not go mad with the movements of her braid, the flight of her hands, the gold of her laughter. He had not missed a single one of her gestures, not one of the indications of her character, but he did not dare approach her for fear of destroying the spell.”
– Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “Love in the Time of Cholera”

Image by wallyg.

Sasquatch! Music Festival’s 10-year anniversary has come and gone, but positive reception for our contribution continues. Our 2011 website design has been recognized as a Merit Winner in the latest HOW Interactive Design Awards!

A team of design-industry veterans judged nearly 400 entries in 11 categories and selected winning projects that demonstrated an ideal mix of concept, strategy and execution. The judging panel included Patrick McNeil, content director for the HOW Interactive Design community, Tyson Damman, senior art director at Big Spaceship, and Teresa Payne, a Web designer and developer.

Entries were judged according to these criteria:

• How well does the entry communicate?
• How well does the entry achieve the client’s mission?
• How memorable or unique is the entry?
• How strong is the entry aesthetically?

All winning projects are prominently featured in the March 2012 issue of HOW magazine.

So in preparation of SXSW and all the out-of-towners about to flood the live music capital of the world, let’s quickly bust some common Austin myths and help you prepare to experience the best city. Ever.

Myth #1 – Everyone knows where to go for great music.

I’m ashamed to say if a stranger asked me, “Where can I go to hear some good music?” I would look at my feet and stammer out some lame reply like “Hmm…6^th Street…Stubbs?” Austin has been my home for a while (and in college too), but music has never been “my thing.” While I can tell you where to get the best tacos or see the best play, I’m always so embarrassed when Austin visitors look to me, an Austinite, to give them insight to the Austin music scene. If you are visiting Austin, do your music venue research before you arrive otherwise you might end up getting terrible advice from someone like me, who only kind of knows where to go. Here are a couple starter resources to find the best music in town (and of course, SXSW):

• Austin360
• SXSW
• Culture Map Austin
• Austinist
• Austin Chronicle

Myth #2 – Austin is always hot.

Now it is true that Austin is the city of 300 days of sunshine, but March is a really strange month for the state of Texas. It could be 75 degrees and sunny or it could be 29 degrees with freezing rain. While it will most likely be warm and you will catch a few rays of sunshine, you should be prepared for anything and check the weather before you pack!

March Temperature Averages and Records

(Image from weather.com)

Myth #3 – Everyone is friendly.

The state motto of Texas is simply “friendship.” The word Texas is from a Caddo Indian word “teyshas” (meaning “friends” or “allies” – see name origin of Texas). And while I like to think every Texan you come across is going to offer you directions to the nearest premium beef and call you “sweetheart,” Austin is still a fairly big city full of college students, downtown executives, politicians and a colorful assortment of people who [literally] call 6^th Street their home. Therefore, with this grab bag of characters, not every person is friendly. Expect for people to cut you off as you take an exit off Mopac (our quirky name for the beltway) or if you leave your car unlocked, know that it could be broken into. This is a city, after all. Things happen. I like to think those instances occur because some reviled outsider (say from Oklahoma) is preying on innocent visitors to Austin, but travel smart and don’t let the southern drawl fool you.

Myth #4 – Every Austin restaurant is awesome.

There is no beating Texas BBQ or Tex-Mex, but it always breaks my heart to meet someone who has visited Austin, and they say that the food was just “okay,” but then come to find out they stopped off the highway and ate at Jim’s or Pappasito’s to experience Texas finest.

Heartbreaking! I’d say 90% of the food you find in Austin is amazing but there is always that 10% chance it could be mediocre. So do your research (are you seeing a pattern here?) and find that amazing hole-in-the-wall place that showcases true Austin cuisine. Also check out these sites to ensure your taste buds get a Texas-sized treat:

• Austin360 – complete list of Austin restaurants
• Relish Austin
• Tastingbuds
• Eater Austin

Myth #5 – 6^th Street is where it’s at!

East 6^th Street has its charm…sort of. If you are looking to rub elbows with newly 21 college students and guys with tribal tattoos, that’s the place to be, but if you’re looking to get a drink with some friends and enjoy some low-key shenanigans, you will want to explore beyond good ole’ Dirty 6^th (there is a reason it has that nickname). Here are some tips for the local night life beyond the infamous strip:

• Rainey Street – Rainey Street is positioned near Lady Bird Lake and Interstate 35 in the southeast corner of downtown. Composed of converted 1930s homes, the laid-back street gets its name from King of the Hill.

Recommendations: Lustre Pearl, Clive Bar, G’Raj Mahal.

• West 6^{th –} Bisecting new condo towers and a classic tree-lined Austin neighborhood, West 6^th Street has developed its own distinct (slightly more mature) flavor from its more famous sister East 6^th.

Recommendations: Star Bar, Kung Fu Saloon, Opal Divine’s.

• 2^nd Street District – Looking for a more refined downtown experience? Surround yourself with swank local apparel shops, and enjoy cocktails and sophisticated nibbles in the 2^nd Street district.

Recommendations: Malverde, Crú, Malaga Tapas & Bar.

• South Congress – You can never go wrong with SoCo. Home to food trailers, live music, and one of the most amazing views of Austin.

Recommendations: Doc’s, The Continental Club, Snack Bar.

Austin is a great city that we want everyone to fall in love with, so the greatest piece of advice you can take away from this post is to come prepared. Know what you want to get out of this fine cultural mecca before your plane lands, and you’ll be guaranteed to have a good time.

From a marketing standpoint, we at Waggener Edstrom have seen continued interest from our clients across all verticals and sectors in utilizing social media in connecting with their customers. While this sounds like probably the most obvious statement in the history of marketing, the difference is that they are no longer asking the “why” questions and are rather asking the “how” questions. This tells me that social marketing here in APAC has moved out of the novelty phase in the mind of even the most conservative of companies, and marketers want to understand how to drive efficiencies, how to set up the internal processes that will ensure the right level of engagement with customers & influencers, and that social media is accruing up to bigger marketing KPIs than just the measurement of friends or likes. We call this process the Social Influence System.

Along those lines, one of the themes that I thought was most prescient at Social Media Week, was the need to conceptualize the digital brand journey for the customer. At Cloud View’s presentation at the Singapore SMW, the concept of Design Thinking was a nice philosophical counterpoint to our Social Influence System of creating scalable processes out of the potential chaos of social media. In Design Thinking, the marketer analyses three different, yet related factors when developing his strategy: the human or desirable (creating an experience that is personally relevant and has a demand); the business or viable (how business opportunities or limitations affect the desirable); and the technology or feasible (what ways the idea can be executed to have most impact).

If one of the pillars is ignored, the entire experience suffers. The key here is a deep understanding of what the drivers and preferences of a customer are, that will get them to follow through on a call to action—persona modeling, media consumption studies and audience research becomes as important to social media as it is to above-the-line marketing. With that in mind, there is a maturation of the content-is-king theme to focus more on context. The right content for the right audience on the right platforms driving the right outcomes.

At the end, the key continues to be one of the basic pillars of marketing – BE RELEVANT, which means being relevant not only in WHAT we say but also WHEN and WHERE.

You can watch a replay of the panel here.

Image: Tuppus

While visiting my brother’s nano-premie babies in the NICU of Children’s Hospital Dallas, the hospital PR director called up to say that Khloe Kardashian was on-site and wanted to come up and visit a couple of babies. Not just any babies — my brother’s babies because they’d been born weighing one pound and are now thriving. Khloe came on the scene some 15 minutes later via a back elevator, preceded by producers handing out releases to anyone and everyone on the floor, and followed by a big camera, fully rolling. We had not been warned that Khloe (who is, in fact, NOT an amazon!) would be accompanied by a crew shooting footage for her new show, “Khloe & Lamar in Dallas” (premieres Feb. 19 on E!). While she cooed over the babies and chatted away with my brother, I took a backseat near the producer so that I could ask him my burning questions about reality TV. Here’s what I learned:

• These cameras capture between 12 and 14 hours of footage per day of Khloe; they follow her everywhere.
• The footage is not scripted: writers/producers don’t create scenarios for her to fulfill; she just lives her life how she wants to live it (only on camera).
• Two weeks before the show airs, this producer and two writers guide the editing of the footage. They troll through hundreds of hours of footage with a goal of piecing together a compelling story, based on classic storytelling elements: tension between “characters,” good guy-bad guy dynamics, scenes that include genuine and raw emotion, “turning points in relationships,” etc. (Sound familiar?!)
• They then make recommendations to Khloe for the cuts they want to take and the commentary they will need from her. She ultimately makes the decision for what’s included and what’s not, with a goal of including “only the most authentic moments” because her “credibility depends on authenticity.” (Sound familiar?!)

Khloe and her crew soon departed, on to some Dallas hot spot for the night. I thanked the producer for the fascinating info, mumbling something cryptic about our being kindred spirits while thinking about how our jobs continue to change to accommodate audiences who increasingly want to be entertained rather than informed. Like this producer, our ability to tell compelling stories entirely depends on the quality of the footage we’re able to capture. And like reality TV, success means that we authentically communicate “reality,” the reality of business challenges and triumphs as well as the reality of how people experience products and services.

Like her and her sisters or not, watch their shows or not, their audience appeal is undeniable. Millions of viewers tune in weekly to to get the story (Truth) behind the headline. THAT’s what I call storytelling chops!

Amid record snow fall last week, Seattle felt a bit like Davos minus the plows.  Homebound, I started to poke around online and get ready for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting that takes place in the real Davos this week. Lucky for me, my agency, Waggener Edstrom, offers a suite of tools to help pinpoint the people who influence conversations most profoundly.  Last year, I wrote a blog post that highlighted the top ten influencers to follow on Twitter at Davos.  These are the movers and shakers who shape and develop the online dialogue. The list was so well received  in the Twittersphere that I thought it well worth publishing a similar list this year.

To keep things interesting, I decided to present two lists.  The first list contains the likely suspects and is rank ordered according to influence. The second list contains people that are relatively influential online and are newer to the Davos conversation.  The second list is not rank ordered according to influence; they are simply my top picks.  My research was not exhaustive, so I am not saying the people on the second list have never been involved in WEF.  I see them as emerging leaders in the online social innovation conversation – a group of people we like to call “the influencers to the influencers.”

Without further ado, I present this year’s list(s):

Top 5 Influentials to Follow (You are likely already following if you care about Social Innovation!)

1. @Davos (1,594,512 followers) – This one is a no-brainer.  It’s the official Twitter handle of the World Economic Forum dedicated to the Annual Meeting in Davos.
2. @Nouriel (130,216 followers) – American economist and professor Nouriel Roubini tweets consistently about global economic development.  If you are not familiar with his work, check out this profile piece published by The New York Times Magazine in 2008.
3. @nickkristof (1,218,632 followers) – Pulitzer prize winning columnist Nicholas Kristof has a globally diverse following.  He can also be found engaging readers on his Facebook page.  (Full disclosure:  Waggener Edstrom partnered with Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn in developing www.halftheskymovement.org)
4. @gatesfoundation (680,326 followers) – The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation needs no introduction.  What you might not know is that the foundation has a great blog called Impatient Optimists, which features the work of the foundation’s grantees, partners, leadership, and staff, as well as other bloggers, to provide commentary and insight on global health, global development and education. 
5. @fareedzakaria (125,117 followers) –Time magazine editor Fareed Zakaria is one of the leading journalists on international relations. (Note:  These top influencers also talk to each other.  Check out this video of Fareed discussing the role of women in the world with Kristof.

Top 5 Newcomers to the Davos Conversation (Add these influencers if you are looking to get a new and different perspective from Davos)

1. @bethcomstock (8,965 followers) – BusinessWeek called Beth Comstock GE’s Innovation Champion.  Her real title is Chief Marketing Officer.  I believe to really solve some of the world’s most intractable problems it will take an all hands on deck approach, including innovative ideas from the private sector.  Welcome, Beth! 
2. @hbuffett (1,494 followers) – Howard W. Buffett is the grandson of investment guru Warren Buffett and director of the HGB Foundation. Fast Company profiled him earlier this year for his own disruptive approach to philanthropy. He tweeted this gorgeous picture from Davos when he arrived and is participating in WEF’s Global Shapers Community, a group of 20-somethings aiming to making an impact in the world. 
3. @mabelvanoranje (14,370 followers) – Mabel van Oranje is CEO of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders who work together for peace and human rights. In 2005, the World Economic Forum named her one of its Young Global Leaders.
4. @BabatundeUNFPA (869 followers) – As executive director of UNFPA, Babatunde Osotimehin addresses reproductive health of women worldwide.  More than 215 million women worldwide don’t have access to contraceptives.  Babatunde is fairly new to Twitter, but I hope that he engages to discuss this important issue at Davos.
5. @felixsalmon – (48,375 followers) – Felix Salmon is a finance blogger for Thomson Reuters.  Felix blogged extensively at Davos last year and keeps us honest by pointing out that Davos is still primarily the stomping grounds of the elite.  He did an amusing blog post on how the badges at Davos work and the access one gets at each level.  His posts will make you laugh.

A footnote on methodology: The WE twendz pro™ tool uses a formula (sentiment influence + quantitative + qualitative analysis) that can help us understand who the most influential players are in your industry or sector and more importantly, how to engage with them.  Twitter can be pretty overwhelming and the WE twendz pro™ service allows us to dig through the clutter and gain some insight into the robust Twitter conversation happening at Davos.  It’s a pretty easy tool to use, and once I put my request in, I had a list of the most influential people at Davos within 24 hours.

Update your Twitter feeds!  To make it easy for you, we have created lists for each group.  You can find the list of established influencers here, and the list of newcomers here.  Although not all of us can be in Davos this week, we can all participate in the dialogue.

A new report from Jeremiah Owyang at Altimeter Group has some interesting facts we thought you would find interesting.

Waggener Edstrom Worldwide’s Jen Grant was interviewed as part of the research. Watch a short video of Jen and Tac Anderson discussing the report.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Some things that came out of the research was that the average global brand has 178 distinct social media accounts. And that although 70% of those interviewed felt that their social media efforts were obtaining their objectives, only 43% of people said they had a documented social media strategy.

Developing a social media strategy is a great opportunity to step back and reassess your overall Marketing and Communication strategy. at Waggener Edstrom we’ve developed a system we call the Social Influence System (PDF). Jeremiah recommends five steps to follow if you want to really master your social media management:

1. First prepare the company internally, and conduct audits to verify readiness.
2. Determine which of the five social media management use cases, defined in this report, the company aligns to.
3. Select vendors based on business needs, not marketing.
4. Tap into services, support teams and outsourced community management services.
5. Roll out internally in a systematic way that starts with education, training, mock workflows and thorough testing.

Altimeter also identified 5 main use cases for social media management.

The other thing that came out was that social media management systems are still lagging behind market needs. However, part of the problem is the proverbial cart-before-the-horse. SMMSs are developing products and solutions before the end user (brands and agencies) has fully articulated what it needs.

Our takeaway from this is that brands still need to focus on some of the fundamentals. Make sure you have a strategy. And just as important make sure you have the internal processes in place to effectively execute.

For us the report was a good reminder that we’re still in the early days and we need to make sure we take the time to work out the processes before we jump into worrying about the right tools. Attack it one step at a time. Don’t feel like you have to develop a plan to organize and manage all social media profiles in one shot. Step back and select 5-6 accounts to test your internal processes and strategies with first before you roll out with all of them.

Here’s the full report.
A Strategy for Managing Social Media Proliferation