This years CES was a very exciting and also a very interesting learning experience.  I got to see quite a bit of exciting technology like 3D HD by Panasonic,  3D Guitar Hero by nVidia, and a vast array of oversized booths filled with hundreds of flat screen TV’s.  Following the  #CES09 activity on Twitter was very fun and interesting.  Watching your iPhone data connection fall to its knees and beg for mercy was not so fun.  Quick lines for presentations at booths and less traffic was nice as I hear from recent reports that attendace was way down this year.  Checking out an impromptu show with  DJ Relm at the Shure booth was an amazing experience.  However, what was most interesting were the knowledge track learning sessions offered throughout the day.

I attended a number of those sessions including a few from Billboard Digital Music Live, Social Media Jungle, and Re-inventing Advertising. The most beneficial and interesting sessions were in the Social Media Jungle track.  Discussions about Twitter, Blogging, Facebook, etc were vast and abound every minute.  Experts from many areas, and some people new to this area, had much information to share.  The main question that always came up was “how do you integrate technology such as Twitter into the workplace and make it an effective tool”.  We are addressing that very same issue at McNally Smith College of Music.  Another question was “how do you make money using Social Networking”?  Some great examples of how to accomplish this were shared.  One simple way is to track keywords on Twitter that directly reflect your brand.  Once a post is made by anyone on Twitter that uses a keyword you have chosen to monitor, you see that post and can respond to it in a very casual “social” way.  Meaning, you do not need to sell your product or service but you need to express your posting in a very human-like manner.  Full disclosure is important and most people appreciate honesty in Social Networking.  Never try to be a spammer or hard-sell your product or service, rather take the approach similar to what you would do at a cocktail party when you overhear something of interest by a group of strangers and want to chime in but also be respectful of that person or group’s personal space.

Many companies think that Social Networking is only social and that it is a waste of time and all social media sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc should be blocked using the company firewall.  I think many companies do not understand the value of the networking aspect of the Social Networking.  Of course this is a new realm for many businesses but I do believe that it is an opportunity to reach out and connect with potential customers who wish to use this medium to funnel most of their experience with a business.  The Internet is inherently social, and these Social Networking sites merely adapt to that aspect and actually are quite successful. 

We will see what is yet to come for Social Networking but I definitely see a bright future and an exciting revelation in advertising, marketing, and public relations for any business, especially our college.  I am excited to be a part of that challenge for McNally Smith College and look forward to more new technology that involves Social Networking.