There has been much buzz in the industry lately about Social Media Marketing. However, the impression that I get from clients and other interactive industry insiders is that it’s still a bit like a junior high school dance: lots of people standing around the edge of the dancefloor, waiting for more people to take the plunge before they go out there (and risk a major embarrassment).

Social Media has tremendous potential as essentially the word-of-mouth marketing of the twenty-first century. Most companies do recognize that transparency and authenticity are two qualities that garner your brand access to today’s consumers. However, with the promise of all that globally-web-empowered word-of-mouth comes significant risk, as well as a channel that is still in its infancy (meaning that the benchmarks for determining ROI for social media marketing are still being developed).

That said, there are ways that your business can begin dipping its toe in the uncertain waters of social media marketing in a relatively low-risk way. Is social media marketing right for every business? If we’re talking about a formal campaign including viral elements, probably not.

But I do believe that every business in this current age of low consumer confidence in traditional brand marketing needs to be cautious about being perceived as a “black box,” where only carefully-crafted, expertly spin-doctored corporate communication ever exits its hallowed halls. People ultimately want to do business with… people. Actual, live human beings.

If your company isn’t ready to enter the fray of formal social media marketing (and that may be a very smart move for your business, at this time), you still need to be cognizant of the cultural factors driving social media and conversational marketing. You need to look at all your communications–press releases, web copy, newsletters, advertisements–and do an honest assessment of how approachable and human your messaging is. We’re not suggesting a “warts and all” style is right for every company, or even most companies. However, the tone and voice of even the most conservative business should always be warm and personable.

Working on integrating the principles of authenticity and transparency into your current channels of communication, and learning to speak on a more personal level even within those traditional message forms, is a smart move for any brand. It can also help set the stage and build the foundation for your company to gracefully move into the promising world of social media marketing in the future.

The web design industry has really come along way over the past years. With the incorporation of handheld devices and online cafés, users can access it just about anywhere. Along side its convenience, the Internet has also proven to be a vehicle of self-expression and business. From major corporations to personal advertisements, anyone can acquire a space on the Internet to promote themselves. Graphic designers have always played a major role in the creation and maintenance of these websites; however, with its now simplistic nature, any average person can create their own site without any training.

It is a little intimidating when you have friends who know a little more than you do in the field of web design, especially when that is what you plan on doing as a career. This is the predicament where I currently reside. With trends (such as MySpace, YouTube, etc.) the ordinary person can create their own contraption and place it online for the world to see. Users are capable of fully customizing their personal web page with streaming video, music, layout, etc. MySpace has also proven to be a successful place for bands to advertise new music and also their latest tour dates; this also goes for companies as well with new promotions and sales. In some cases their sites on MySpace are more frequently updated than their own domain!

Students at a number of universities are also given a free space hosted by the school while they are enrolled. These private spaces are not openly advertised to students and are almost unknown to the student body to take advantage; however, the option is there. The only problem is there are no templates and one must start from scratch, which could prove to be a challenge for most because they can’t go to their favorite code generator for help. Also, strict guidelines are obviously set on these sites because students are to represent the university. Termination of this space obviously comes once the student has graduated or leaves the school.

With the simplification and ease of software use, amateurs can use Microsoft FrontPage or now Adobe Dreamweaver without having to know a thing about html or design. This is very useful for groups with a low budget who cannot afford to pay a design company for a professionally done product and just wants to get their name out in the open.

Companies have also been asking customers to submit their own designs for products and if they are chosen, ultimately their design will be mass-produced. This has always been an easy way for them to save money and not have to pay a designer for a professional job. This is very evident with Pepsi’s new strategy in releasing a new can design every month. They intend to attract teenagers to go to their company’s web site and create a billboard using preconceived stencils and the winner will have their own work placed in Times Square, what more could one ask for?

In my opinion I don’t think these average joes will take over the industry. The public sites where users can upload their own content will just prove to be a fun past time and possibly a way for people to become recognized. Not everyone can be a designer and not everyone can be a rocket scientist. What has risen recently appeals to a much younger generation and could possibly bring about a new breed of design and methods. I do feel that we should embrace these new forms of media and identify their strengths and weaknesses. Who knows where the Internet will be in the next ten years? It could be the one to make you breakfast in the morning and tuck you in at night… figuratively speaking of course.

A couple weeks ago I along with 4 other coworkers from the production team had the privilege of attending a 3 day Flash ActionScript class taught by Sherri Morris. Without a ton of Flash knowledge to my credit this was certainly an opportunity to enhance and expand my understanding of Flash and its many capabilities. Our goal for those three days (about 24 hours total) was to successfully cover roughly 504 pages of tutorials and training materials… basically around 168 pages a day or 21 pages an hour. So, to say the least there was a lot to accomplish… and we did… for the most part. 

Things went pretty smooth but you always tend to have those unexpected obstacles thrown your way just to make things a little more difficult than they otherwise should be. For instance, there was the room temperature situation. I’m not sure who was in charge of this, but whoever it was needs to be relinquished of those duties. I think maybe they just showed up at work and threw a dart at a bunch of numbers and whatever number they hit was going to be the temperature for the day. I wasn’t sure if I needed to bring a sweater or a half t-shirt and some cutoff jeans. Have fun enjoying that visual image for the rest of the day. 

We also had to deal with the unexpected winter blast that brought up to a half inch of snow. Driving conditions were just a notch below excellent but around here people reacted as if the roads were replaced with ice skating rinks. A good indication of overreacting is if the roads have more salt on them than snow. I think maybe the car wash businesses pay these salt people to dump as much as they possibly can even when it’s not needed. Anyone try to get their car cleaned over the past few weeks? I tried it one day… it only cost me two hours and a near aneurysm. 

Anyway, we battled through and are now implementing some of the knowledge we gained during our 3 day cram fest, with I’m sure more opportunities to do so in the near future. The one thing we never did quite figure out though was, after the first day where the hell did David run off to during lunch? Hmmmmm.

I’ve always loved writing–I was one of those weird kids who even loved the essay questions in grade school. The web is a much newer passion, but just as intense.

So when I got the opportunity to work here at LeapFrog doing copywriting for the web, it was like finding out about fried ice cream: you love Mexican food, you love dessert, and now you discover you can combine the two? How great is that?

Ultimately, I love writing and the web for many of the same reasons. I appreciate the fluid exchange of ideas, the flow of communication, and the way ideas grow and develop in the process of being shared are common to both the process of writing and the medium of the internet.

Web-based self-publishing companies like Lulu.com and iUniverse have opened up new doors for writers in the same way that the internet and the long tail have opened up doors in music. Web-based events like NaNoWriMo promote writing globally, and do a little bit of good in the world to boot.

The internet began as a method for linking reams and reams of technical documentation, and sharing them collaboratively. It developed into a very visual, design-oriented medium during the first big phase of growth. Now, in the next phase of the web, relevant content is again becoming King, and the need for copy that is well-written and clear for both search engines and human visitors is apparent.

Like Bogart at the end of Casablanca, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.