Great seminar with lots of energy!

This morning we held our second Social Media for Executives seminar in Tacoma and had great feedback from all attendees. Blaine and Clay provided a solid overview of current communication trends, various social media tools and suggested ways for business executives to leverage them.

Several items I took away from today's meeting:
1. Social networking is not social media. Social media is an umbrella term for things such as social networking, blogging, Twitter and Yodio.

2. It is never a good idea for businesses to just "jump in" to social media. Effective use of the tools can be very powerful, while ineffective use can erode a brand rapidly. Create a plan and monitor the effectiveness over time.

3. Businesses need to identify their master plan for using social media and communicate that throughout the ranks. The example of how the company is represented should be set from the top down - the CEO absolutely belongs in the social media space and should be using tools that help differentiate them from the competition.

4. Social media is as accessible to small business as it is to large corporations. It is the first online tool that helps to level the playing field - and may actually provide an advantage to the little guy who can be far more nimble in using real time communication tools.

5. Comments are your friend. Don't be afraid to get feedback through the web. Look at it as an opportunity to respond publicly to criticism and dispel rumors before they spread.

I know our attendees left with their heads swimming with ideas and questions, we hope they continue the conversation here!

Social Media for CEO's seminar

We at the Business Examiner were pleased to bring Social Media for CEO's, presented by Clay Loges of Yodio and Blaine Millet of Customer Experiences, Inc., to sold out room of business executives at SeaGrill in downtown Tacoma this morning.

Thank you to those who attended, we hope the information and conversation were valuable to you and your business.

We've been exploring for some time how to leverage social media for the purpose of disseminating information to the business community we serve. It is amazing how much has changed and how quickly it is affecting our business and our clients. We hope to bring more information to our readers and partners and will be updating this blog over time with new media announcements and more.

We welcome attendees to continue the conversation started this morning here, on the Social Media and Your Business blog.

We also welcome comments to our general readership regarding your experience or feedback on the BE Daily blog. Also, check out the full spectrum of news and information available at BusinessExaminer.com.