Recently, you might have seen White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs (who was responsible for @PressSec at the time, now Jay Carney) answering questions in real time. I work in digital, so of course I asked a question:

Within 4 minutes, he responded:

I’m not sure if he actually answered my question, but I did get a response – and there’s definitely value in that. Since then, I have taken note of many different interviews conducted online, some better than others. Here’s a short take on what you’ll need to do if you want to host a successful Twitterview of your own.

Duration: Robert Gibbs said that he would answer questions submitted via @reply to the @PressSec handle for a window of 30 minutes. This was an ideal, manageable length of time, even though Gibbs was unable to answer every question. It’s important to define how long you will be answering questions, both to manage the expectations of your audience and to prevent the event from becoming unwieldy.

Who: These interviews can be conducted with individuals from any level in a company, from C-suite executives all the way down to interns. A series of Twitterviews can be a good way to give perspective from various levels. Similarly, a series of Twitterviews with various subject matter experts can shed light on different aspects of your company, brand or product.

Logistics: Decide “who” will be involved, “when” to conduct the Twitterview and “where” (which account) it will be held first. Be sure you have adequate Internet access.

In the days or weeks leading up to your Twitterview, create a hashtag and begin to promote the “who,” “when” and “where.” It is important to choose a hashtag that is unique, and one that reflects your brand, product or the theme of your Twitterview. A unique, well-promoted hashtag will allow you to monitor common questions and conversation before the event, and to prepare likely responses in advance.

The actual Twitterview will go much more smoothly if everyone involved in the process “behind the scenes” can engage in open dialogue. If contributors are not all in the same location, it is probably best to gather everyone on a conference call. Talking out questions and answers in person or on the phone is the simplest and most efficient way to arrive at responses that are acceptable to all stakeholders. A conference call is particularly ideal if representatives from legal, brand or PR must approve your Twitterview responses.

An SMMS (social media management system) will prove invaluable in managing the workflow of a Twitterview. A typical Twitterview involves three distinct roles: “spotter,” “adviser” and “interviewee.” The role of the spotter (or spotters) is to identify and flag questions for the rest of the team to respond to, usually by using an SMMS to filter for the event’s unique hashtag. Advisers and the interviewee then decide upon an appropriate response, which is then input and posted by the interviewee. *Note this section only applies if there is a group participating in the Twitterview. If you’re conducting a Twitterview yourself, you’re the “spotter,” “adviser” and “interviewee.”*

Note that there are a few different ways to post responses to questions, depending on whether or not you want your entire community to see the responses. Tweets that begin with an “@” symbol are visible only to those users who follow both the account that posts the tweet, and the handle mentioned at the beginning of the tweet. Tweets that begin with any other character, however, appear in the main feeds of all of your followers. Responding with an @ reply is appropriate for specific questions that might not be relevant to all of your followers; more general questions can be addressed with ordinary tweets. Be careful, though – some followers might not want their feeds filled up with dozens of rapid-fire Twitterview responses.

Post-Twitterview Follow-up: This is a must. Thank your community for participating. If you couldn’t answer all the questions, let your followers know how (or if) their questions will be answered.

Due to the transient nature of Twitter as a communications medium, there’s a chance that a large portion of your following might have missed the entire Twitterview. The best way to give your event some permanence is by summarizing it on a web property, most commonly via a follow-up blog post. This blog post should include a recap of the Twitterview, a transcript of the questions and answers, and any unanswered questions that could not be addressed due to time limitations. If you cannot provide answers to some questions, it is important to let your community know that they will not be addressed. A follow-up video can also be an effective way to address unanswered questions, and to give your Twitterview an additional human touch.

Lastly, please take these guidelines as just that – guidelines. There is no set blueprint for how to conduct a Twitterview. Each Twitterview will necessarily have its own unique style and voice, so don’t worry too much about fitting a certain mold. The goal of any Twitterview is to answer your followers’ questions in a forthright and transparent manner. If you can accomplish this, and remain true to the voice of your brand, your Twitterview will be a success.

Next up, the Face(book)view……

Image credit: visual_dichotomy

Last month, more than 100 academics from around the globe descended upon New York City at Edelman’s fourth annual New Media Academic Summit, hosted by New York University and Syracuse University. In case you weren’t able to make it, the panels and insights are posted on the website and definitely worth checking out.

Between the panels featuring industry leaders, I participated on a panel of new professionals. Our discussion focused on what the industry is like for new professionals and how much our education prepared us for this field. Here are some of the highlights:

New methods of research

More than just new spaces for brands to execute campaigns, the new digital landscape also offers more opportunities for research and analysis of trends, conversations and opportunities. This requires more than an Excel spreadsheet. Being able to compile this data and translating this into actionable business objectives requires a refreshed research education.

Walk the walk, talk the talk

Playing on Facebook and posting on Twitter doesn’t make you a social media expert. It’s important to understand how brands are walking the walk and talking the talk online. New professionals can get this experience by not only witnessing how brands engage their stakeholders online, but by participating in this process. Some of the ways this can be done include blogging on a topic you’re passionate about, interacting with brands on Twitter and immersing yourself in online communities.

Curiosity and creativity

More than ever, the new generation of public relations professionals need to be curious about the landscape and needs to bring a strong creative background when counseling a client. As new tools and platforms rise to popularity fairly often, a sense curiosity about this landscape will drive innovation. In terms of creativity, this skill can be taught – and learned – with time and effort. You might have heard that even though PR entries were up around 30 percent at Cannes Lions, there were few PR winners, and to top it off, an ad agency won the top PR prize. I’m not here to compare the levels of creativity between advertising and public relations, but it’s important for new professionals to develop a creative sense.

The old skills are important, too

My fellow panelists also spoke to the importance of the “old skills”: a strong, journalistic writing background; business acumen to apply public relations efforts with measurable effects on the business; and a deep academic background in social sciences, marketing and finance.

Originally posted on PRNewser by Joe Ciarallo.

Edelman CEO Richard Edelman is a relatively new user of Twitter, so we reached out to him to conduct PRNewser’s first ever Twitter interview, which took place this morning.

When asked in the interview if there have been any serious offers to buy Edelman this year, the CEO responded, “The big holding companies know our story–the Pirate King–independent now and forever.”

Edelman also said that “social engagement” is a big factor for the agency when looking at potential new hires. “Beyond Facebook and Twitter too,” he said. “[We want them to have involvement in community by donating time and PR expertise.”

If you don’t know who Brian Solis is, perhaps you should take a closer look. Brian is one of the veterans of the communications space who has pushed the PR industry into new territory as an early adopter who fully embraced Web 2.0 and the changes it has brought. You may have seen Brian’s thinking in a slideshow near you—his Conversation Prism is ubiquitous social media frameworks. He’s also written a new book simply titled “Engage” which lays out in depth how organizations can better engage with multiple stakeholders in an era where participation rules and one way communication proves less effective. We recently had a moment to catch up with Brian in a casual setting where we discussed a variety of topics from metrics, to Old Spice to managing change brought upon by social technologies.

Enjoy.

Image credit: Brian Solis

Originally posted on The Steve Rubel Stream.

Later today Klout, an influence tracking tool, is going to launch a new Facebook app called Facebird that helps you understand overlaps in influence between your Twitter and Facebook friends. Facebird will be live later today over on the Klout Labs site. The team gave me a preview yesterday, which you can watch above or over on YouTube.

A few weeks ago I attended SOBCon in Chicago to participate in a discussion about strategies and tactics for integrating online and offline social marketing. Between the thoughtful breakout discussions, the refreshing panels, and the evening entertainment (social media people love karaoke) I asked attendees “How are you creating value in social media”. We decided to showcase a few responses in a video created by our Edelman Creative production company.

Thanks to everyone that participated including Liz Strauss, David Murray, Lewis Howes, Jason Keath, Julie Roads, Simon Salt, Amber Naslund, Loren Feldman, Lucretia Pruitt, Chris Brogan, Miss Destructo and many more.

Watch the video and tell us…

Image credit: Steve Hall

I recently had a chance to sit down with Joseph Jaffe, author of Flip The Funnel and Chief Interruptor at Powered. Joseph and I recently teamed up to do a series of talks with Symantec (client). We discussed the role of “thought leadership”–it’s relevancy and balancing both thinking and doing. Don’t let the poolside background fool you, we’re both working very hard at helping large organizations integrate social media into the way the do business. Enjoy the chat.

Originally post on The Steve Rubel Stream.

Last week in LA I had a chance to visit Idealab, an incubator that pioneered pay-per-click advertising a decade ago. The purpose of my visit was to meet CEO Bill Gross and his team and to learn more about TweetUp, an innovative new service that, I believe, has a great shot of creating a demand-driven ad network around Twitter.

(Idealab, not TweetUp specifically, is an Edelman client.)

Unlike Twitter’s own ad platform, TweetUp will surface not only tweets but tweeters. What’s more, they will be integrated as widgets/columns in key ecosystem apps like TweetDeck and contextually via large sites like Business Insider.

To me, TweetUp’s greatest appeal lies in that it’s a mix of paid, earned and social. In order to receive the best position for your tweets, the TweetUp system needs to perceive that you are an expert in the topic/keywords you are bidding for.

Last week, I attended and presented at the FutureMidwest conference. Over the course of two days, a wide array of entrepreneurs, thought leaders and creative thinkers converged on Royal Oak. We took over the Royal Oak Music Theater and discussed the past, present and future of not only Detroit, but its fellow Midwestern sister cities. My session was entitled, ‘Growing Community, One Blog at a Time’. I shared the path I took in creating a community of 20 something city dwellers, Gals’ Guide.

Being from the metro-Detroit area, I was ecstatic to see such a conference taking place. There is a unique spirit that Detroiters possess – it’s a combination of grit, innovation and heart. The last few years have been a challenge for my hometown, but I can see changes happening all the time. For instance, the way in which General Motors (client) and Ford Motor Company embraced social media as key elements to their corporate turnaround strategies has inspired a sea of new digital practitioners.

I had a chance to interview some conference attendees and get their perspective on the Midwest, technology and shiny objects.

Adrian Pittman – Co-Founder, FutureMidwest

Adrian gives us an inside look into how the conference was formed, along with the themes he is seeing in the metro Detroit technology space.

Chris Barger – Director, Global Social Media, General Motors

Chris walks us through General Motors’ social media evolution. Learn about the ‘Immerse and Disperse system at GM’.

Ken Burbary – Head of Digital Strategy and Social Media, Ernst & Young

Ken reminds us of the importance of segmentation and analytics. He also highlights the ‘shiny objects syndrome’ that is prevalent today.

Jay Adelson – Entrepreneur and former CEO of Digg

Jay, a native of metro Detroit, believes that the entrepreneurs of the future live in and around the Midwest. We tried to get a hint of what his next project is, but no dice.

Image credit: beckyjohns7

Originally posted on WOMMA.

WOMMA: After the social media hype is finally done, where do you see it fitting into the marketing profession?

David Armano: I don’t see it fitting neatly into the “marketing profession” and this is going to be challenge for organizations. That said, marketing will be a key element. Social media often touches customer service, PR, marketing, IT, and even HR responsibilities. I see the need for a center of excellence or “core team” in large organizations that help train and develop competencies, which can then be implemented through ALL of these disciplines. I see the need for more integration as well, not only between the different departments but also with partners. Think of all the different agencies and firms a large company works with. It’s all very complex, but I’m convinced that there needs to be multiple hubs or better yet nodes within an organization that plug into a centralized social media resource. It’s the best of both worlds.

WOMMA: The phrase “word of mouth” is usually pegged to marketing. What other ways should brands think about word of mouth?

DA: “WOM” does seem to be limited to marketing and it’s a shame because it’s so much bigger. Employees of large companies rely on word of mouth just as much as “consumers”. We look for references for prospective hires, and “word of mouth” also tells us when a team has done something worthy of taking notice. Ratings aren’t just for products, in a way they also work for people. Just look at all the reputation building that is going on in the world. Edelman’s trust barometer indicated that people increasingly trust expertise and often times expertise is built upon word of mouth, both within the marketing world and outside of it.

WOMMA: You attended SXSW. What or who did you see there that Word readers should keep their eye on?

DA: Well, the founders of Foursquare for starters and lots of platform developers not to mention user experience professionals or brilliant minds such as Microsoft’s Danah Boyd (client). SXSW is special not so much because of the size but also for its diversity. There are marketers there for sure but there are also hard-core developers and geeks from all over the world. There are also folks from smaller firms such as Altimeter Group who really grasp the big picture of where this is all going. Again, it’s way bigger than marketing.

WOMMA: How does a brand move past thinking about their image and begin thinking about their personality?

DA: Let’s be honest—a brand worries about their personality when they are in decline. Does Apple worry about their personality? Perhaps their brand police do, but really I see a laser focus on amazing products. Is Facebook focused on their personality? No—they are focused on keeping you addicted to their platform. I think that it’s more important for a brand to be valuable and authentic. If your brand’s product is a commodity, like toothpaste—then you are more reliant on clever marketing. But honestly, I think even innovation can happen with toothpaste.

WOMMA: Many brands are WOM-Curious but are stalled when confronted with the overabundance of specialists, experts and gurus. What is the shortlist of traits that they should look for in a WOM agency or consultant?

DA: Call it a WOM, social media, marketing, advertising agency or even a business consultancy—you are looking for the same things:

• Relevant industry experience
• Professional business conduct
• Case studies
• Talent and of course, “word of mouth”. What do others say about this firm or individual—what is their reputation? Referrals are just as important here as they are in every other facet of life.

On a personal note, when I made the news public that I had joined Edelman there were literally hundreds of responses on Twitter. I couldn’t find anything negative—in fact it was the opposite. This was probably the best indicator of my decision that I could have hoped for.