Well, I would like to say that for this very brief moment, we at Creative Concepts can take a breath. We have caught up from the Business Smart Tools Conference which was very exciting, we have reached out to many present and future clients, and we are sitting back and watching a bit to see where we are going and how we are getting there…summer is good for that.

One trend or direction for us started with blogging and is now moving towards social networks. In my mind, they are one in the same with a slight technical difference. I am a huge fan of blogging as many of your know. It is a place where the corporate sector can provide solid content for their fans, they can control the messaging which is a big deal for the more dated mind set of managing the image every step of the way, and the walls are removed between management and the customer through the comment section. So cool…a web tool with legs to stand on!

I believe social networks have the similiar mindset. Now when I say social networks, I mean like myspace, facebook, linkedin and such and when I refer to “working” social networks, I don’t mean posting an ad on the homepage and hoping people get it although many ads on the homepage of myspace are pretty cool. What I mean by “working” social networks, I mean reaching out to new friends/contacts, I mean entering the forums and speaking for the company we represent (with full disclosure of course). We submit questions and answers in a low key way, we are part of the group…we aren’t out selling, we are truly making friends. It takes a lot of work and attention to detail but in my mind, it is the best way to reach out to a whole new generation and a whole new group of people period.

Many of the conferences I have attended don’t talk about this stuff (I have heard a lot about viral marketing and digital ads) but our clients are very interested in the concept of online communities. Business wants to talk to their people, and our clients (and potential clients) want to be a part of a group much like the people on the social networks already.

It’s all very interesting and it keeps us on our toes.

I am off now to visit with TheNewsMarket which is a video distribution channel that in my mind, so far anyway, makes sense!

Until next time!!

Well, the conference is over and I am finally at the point of catch up…I think.  I have great clients who ask for more…more than a blog, more than myspace, more than meebo…let’s go…can I ask for anything more?  It is a dream come true to have a client say they want to continue to move forward in the world of online communities where what a company says matters and how you do business matters even more.  Great stuff…I need to start writing my case studies.

Until then, here is something to ponder.  When the Business Smart Tools Conference was completed, we sent out a thank you to all attendees, speakers and demos along with some questions for each to answer.  How did you like the conference, did it meet your expectations…you know what I mean.  One thing that came back many times was, “where were the women?”  The only women involved were from Creative Concepts. 

As presenter of the conference, I tried to get some women involved and was very aware that there was no female participation from the podium except for myself.  I tried to contact 7-8 women and for various reasons, none could make the conference.  Some didn’t return my call, some didn’t follow up, one was going on her honeymoon (Ok that was a good one).   Maybe there aren’t that many women in the social media/corporate arena, maybe there aren’t many women who are up for the task of public speaking, maybe the women don’t see the value of getting out of the office and into the public eye…I wish someone could explain it because I don’t understand it.

Tonight I happened to be looking at info about the new markeing agency Crayon who has their offices in Second Life.  It is a mash up of talent and information….cool stuff…lots of chatter about them but where are the women? 

I know women for ages have been saying that they don’t have the same opportunities that men do…women aren’t getting paid as much…is that because women aren’t putting themselves out there in the same way?  Are they afraid?  Is it because women have families (please don’t use that one…I have 4 kids and one of them plays AAU basketball where I have literally seen every corner of CT for the last couple of months!)  Are women the innovators?  Are women the leading edge entrepreneurs who have a vision and follow up no matter what anyone says?  There is no excuse for a woman not to succeed in this new online world where the playing field has been leveled and the ones who win are the ones who get it vs. the guys who play golf and talk shop and make deals over a whiskey.

This is the biggest reason I love social media and this new online world…there is no seniority…everyone is scrambling to find the buck and make this work.  The most creative, and I mean creative in the sense of melding the business and online worlds, wins the prize.  Women have an unbelievable chance to make it here.  Where are they?  I guess you will have to come to Creative Concepts to find the perfect mix of female talent and social media know how!