Delaware Social Media Initiative

Constant Contact CEO Gail Goodman checks out the Delaware Social Media Scene

2011-03-12T16:35:00.000-05:00

Sometimes we really need to have someone from outside our community to offer a fresh perspective on what we're doing in Delaware.

This week we got that perspective from none other than Constant Contact CEO Gail Goodman.

Ms. Goodman and her team came to see what Constant Contact Regional Development Director David Yunghans has been up to here in the First State.

We had more than 200 people come to our social media training/showcase/best practices session on March 11 - where more than a dozen business owners, non-profit managers, and others shared their social media success stories (it was incredible!)

After the event, Ms. Goodman had this observation about the Delaware Social Media Scene:

We look forward to MS. Goodman and her team coming back to spend some more time getting to know us.

More Evidence - this time from Men's Health

2011-03-10T09:39:00.001-05:00

Once again - let's grab a little perspective - the state of Delaware still has fewer than 1 million people - and yet the city of Wilmington is listed as the 22nd most socially networked cities in the United States!

I cannot tell you how proud I am of the way this state is connecting and using social media to connect better in person! You are doing awesome stuff and the world is sitting up and taking notice!

Keep up the awesome work!

Oh, here's the link to the Men's Health article

OK, About the Article...

2011-03-10T09:33:00.000-05:00

So, in the past week I've been fortunate enough to get morepositive press than should be allowed (sorry, I don't know how else to say it).

First, there was Thursday's News Journal article, then there was WDEL's Rick Jensen leading an on-air "Ken Grant fest" - and more e-mails, facebook posts, and tweets than I can count.

I humbly accept the kind words and affirmations from all, BUT, I hope you will indulge me with just a few extra moments of your time to expand on a couple of ideas.

Several years ago, a friend pointed out to me that cynics are actually great romantics - they see how the possibilities of what the world *could* be compared to how the world *is* - and I could relate.

Let the Battle Begin

I realized that I had a decision to make - would I live from an attitude of cynicism, or would I try to make the world a better place, that place of possibility?

This is a decision I find myselffacing every day - and it is what I see in this community that keeps me choosing, time after time, to work a little harder, to try a little more, to believe that we can - and do - make a difference.

When I see people who are unemployed (and employed) come together every week to help support each other in their job searches (Community Matters Networking Group),

When I see thousands of people volunteer to help homeless families in multiple ways (Family Promise, Sunday Breakfast Mission, Ministry of Caring, etc.),

When I see a growing network of people connecting both electronically and in person to work on projects that help build community (Network Delaware, Greater Newark Network, etc.),

When I see organizations dedicated to providing our youth with mentors, direction, and the tools needed to grow into adults who will make a difference in the world around them (Urban Promise, Jewish Family Services of Delaware, Delaware Youth for Christ, Junior Achievement, etc.), and

When I know that the list of examples I have here represents only a small fraction of the individuals and organizations that should be recognized,

Then I know that I cannot hide behind the cowardice of cynicism and must do my part in creating a better future.

What Can We Do?

I'll never forget seeing a great poster a few years ago, it reads:

There's three kinds of people in the world:

- Those who make things happen

- Those who watch things happen

- Those who look around and ask, What just happened?

I ask that every time you get the urge to complain about something you consider to be wrong in society that you stop and think about what YOU can do to improve the situation - andplease, be creative - a protest or letter-writing campaign might bring some awareness to a situation, but what then? What can you do to make a difference - please don't wait for a state agency to step in, or for someone else to do something - if you see a problem, an issue, an opportunity, then YOU have what it takes to change it.

Basic principles

Anyone who has been to more than a couple of weddings (or seen the movie "Wedding Crashers") is probably familiar with the famous writing from a Rabbi named Paul about how "Love is patient, love is kind..."

I'd like to direct your attention to one of his other writings that I would argue offers some very basic, practical guidelines for life in community:

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves... Share with people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you...Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Seriously, thanks so much to all of you who set an incredible example - thank you for all of the joy, hope, and inspiration you bring - thank you for demonstrating true kindness.

Now, let's continue to work together to make our corner of the world a little better!

With much appreciation,

Ken

Too much fun!

2011-03-01T11:39:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine really enjoys playing with Photoshop - I am proud, humbled, amused, and inspired by this - thanks Gene!

Egypt, social media, and the human spirit unleashed

2011-02-14T13:13:00.004-05:00

It was as far back as May 4, 2010, when a room full of people at the University of Delaware's Mitchell Hall got an inkling that there may be a major change coming to Egypt.

That was the evening that the University of Delaware's Center for Political Communication held a discussion about Political Communication and Social Networking featuring:

David Plouffe - Barack Obama's 2008 campaign manager
Steven Schmidt - John McCain's 2008 chief campaign strategist
Jacqueline Ann Surin - writer from Southeast Asia
Mona Eltahawy - writer from Egypt

Fortunately, the good people of C-SPAN were also in the room and captured the evening for all of us to see how prophetic Mona Eltahawy was nearly a year ago - Click Here to watch Mona Eltahawy's comments about social media in Egypt.

What Every Power Structure Needs to Learn From Egypt:

Here's what we need to understand - Every organization must understand the new world in which we live, let me be explicit on this - if you work for, work with, or are the embodiment of a:

Business
Corporation
Religious Organization
Charity
Government (local and national)

- then this applies to you.

You see, the same tools that enabled the people of Egypt to stand up to a 30-year-old power structure and succeed are available and being used by your customers, contributors, collaborators, and constituents.

The political revolutions we're seeing in various part of the world are only the beginning - we are seeing a real societal revolution taking place - a revolution where authenticity is rewarded and an old-school, authoritarian "because we are the power and we say so" mentality gets ignored at best, and utterly destroyed if it doesn't take the hint.

The choice has never been more obvious - if you desire to have your business, government, or organization to be relevant in the coming years, you must engage with those you wish to be relevant to. This means listening, sharing ideas, admitting mis-steps, and celebrating community.

PLEASE NOTE: What is written here is neither new nor original - and for more comprehensive and insightful material, I highly recommend the following:

1. Lee Mikles and Patrick Callahan discussing Egypt and Social Media in their What's now, What's Next Podcast (episode 52)

2. Dave Burris' always relevant post about how in social media, You Can't Fake the Funk

3. Erin Guttenplan's Edge of Seven post about the Women of Egypt

4. This great video from Clay Shirky:

Groundhog Day Event Re-Cap

2011-02-03T10:26:00.001-05:00

Wow!

I will never look at Groundhog Day the same way again!

I won a drawing for a free happy hour at the new Catherine Rooney's in Newark - throughout the evening, about 70 people came and joined in the fun - this was truly an awesome night of community!

These videos should give you an idea of what the evening was like - I am truly grateful for all who made this evening possible - and please, continue to be the awesome, incredible, inspiring people you all are!

Rodney Jordan - Sir Galahad incarnate

2011-01-24T11:56:00.000-05:00

Last Friday evening many, many people from all walks came together to celebrate Rodney Jordan's birthday - and raise more than $500 for the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition.

During the celebration, I asked one of my typical birthday questions, "What's the most significant event for you this past year?"

Rodney's response: "This night, having all of these people here, this community."

Wow.

I believe that tells you exactly what kind of person Rodney is - he is all about the community - at our roundtable, Rodney jordan is Sir Galahad - pure of heart and ever galant (fyi, I'm labeling myself as the town crier in this little analogy).

Here's the thing, I don't know if many people really know just how much Rodney does - from organizing events to putting people and organizations together to supporting hundreds of people in the area - Rodney was the first person to step up to lead the Community Matters Networking Group, Rodney put together (and primarily funded) the first Social Media Train in Delaware - oh yea, and for anyone who has benefitted from using the hashtag #netde, yea, Rodney started that.

It is safe to say that most people in our community owe a debt of gratitude to Rodney - I know I do.

And when I look at how much he has done in just the last couple of years I've known him, I can't wait to see how much will be accomplished in the coming years!

DelCastle Technical H.S. - giving students an incredible advantage

2011-01-21T14:55:00.000-05:00

Gary Phillips at DelCastle Technical High School is training students to have an incredible advantage in the "Real world"

First, check out what Lee Mikles had to say about his visit - I agree with every word he writes.

In addition to truly impressive equipment and hardware, these students are working with industry standard software and are learning valuable lessons from instructors like Gary and from guest speakers.

Most impressive is the way the students are being taught to use their skills in a variety of ways and apply their understanding of video technology, software, editing, and writing to create truly original work.

I am confident that in the coming years we are going to see amazing things out of these students, know that it is thanks to the vision and work done by Gary and his colleagues at DelCastle.

Social Media 2.0 - video recap

2011-01-19T06:02:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, January 18, 2010: The New Castle County Chamber of Commerce held a breakfast seminar on Foursquare and QR Codes at the University of Delaware's Courtyard Hotel in Newark.

Ken Grant and Rob Szczerba led the discussion, and Rodney Jordan shot the video.

Below is a combination of the videos shown that morning and the videos shot by Rodney:

Here's a link to a couple of CNN videos: Checkin in to Foursquare

Is Foursquare the next Twitter?

Exploring some newer Social Media Tools!

2011-01-12T14:05:00.000-05:00

I've said this from the beginning - and am more convinced than ever - this whole social media thing is a great big wild frontier that we get to explore and shape together.

So, next Tuesday, January 18 - let's do some exploring!

The New Castle County Chamber of Commerce is hosting a morning event for us to look at tools like FourSquare, QR Codes, and more!

Rob Szczerba from Associates International, Mark Thompson from ION-E, and I will share what we know (I'm counting on Rob and Mark to be much more informative than me - oops, did I say that out loud... anyway...) and you can help us discover cool new ways to use these tools for business, non-profit organizations, arts, government, community building, neighborhood development, and much more - this is going to be incredible!

Here's the official pitch from the chamber with a link to sign up - hope to see you there!

Social Media 2.0

Using Foursquare, QR Codes, and other technologies to grow your business

Do you know what a QR Code is? Have you ever checked in on FourSquare?

Join us at the Courtyard Newark at the University of Delaware for a full hot breakfast and a tutorial from the experts on how to network, connect and market your business in 2011. We'll discuss the latest social media innovations, including Foursquare, QR codes, and other interactive applications that may put customers at the forefront of marketing strategy. You will not want to miss this event!

Speakers: Ken Grant, Analtech

Rob Szczerba, Associates International

Mark Thompson, ION-E

Tuesday, January 18

(next week!)

8:30 - 11:30 a.m.

at Courtyard Newark at the University of Delaware

WHAT: Social Media 2.0
WHEN: Tuesday, January 18 - 8:30 - 11:30 AM
WHERE: Courtyard Newark at the University of Delaware - 400 David Hollowell Drive
WHO FOR: EVERYONE interested in communicating effectively with customers, clients, contributors, and/or collaborators
COST: $25 for NCCoChamber Members / $35 otherwise
Click Here to REGISTER

How about a little fun on New Year's Day?

2010-12-29T13:16:00.001-05:00

Yes, that's a photo of me in a skirt, blouse, and wig in the 2005 Hummers Parade.

So, this Saturday will be the 40th annual Hummers Parade in Middletown! - http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=201012280339

Even better, the weather is supposed to be great - mostly sunny, highs around 45 - which means the turnout for this parade should be pretty big (they claim there's been up to 10,000 at some past parades).

I cannot tell you how much fun these parades are - this is where people get to be creative and fun - you will not find professional floats in this parade - you will find men in diapers and roller skates, kids in costumes, people having fun with celebrities, politics, you name it.

I'm thinking we could have some real fun representing the Delaware Twitterati/Social Media Scene in the parade - a bunch of us can walk in the parade, take photos, and generally have a good time.

Obviously, I'm open to more creative ideas (we could bring along a screen, laptop, and projector - and show the whole twitter stream along the parade route... just an idea).

The parade is scheduled to start at 1:00 in the afternoon.

If you don't want to be IN the parade, would you want to just get together and all enjoy it from one spot?

What say you all?

Adventures with Alexander

2010-12-22T10:51:00.000-05:00

One of the things I'm fascinated by is effective communication - things said, done, or written that cause action, change attitudes, and/or make things happen.

The people at 23rd & 5th (DISCLOSURE: I consider these people to be geniuses and friends - so no, this isn't exactly the most objective post) sent out a bunch of $10 bills to friends and clients with a simple note attached explaining that this $10 bill was to be used as a donation to a worthy cause of your choice - oh, and you can go to their web site to see videos from nine great organizations - seriously, check it out here.

So, this morning, Alexander Hamilton and I went on a trip (yes, I buckled him in, cause that's the kind of nerd I am)...

and went down the road to the Food Bank of Delaware...

...where we met Anna, the Account Manager for the Food Bank of Delaware, who was happy to welcome Alexander to his new home...

I can't wait to see what happened with all the other $10 bills that went out from 23rd&5th

The Wilmington Amtrak Station Event

2010-12-06T15:15:00.001-05:00

On Monday, December 6, Amtrak commuters in Wilmington were treated to a newly renovated station, free bagels (Manhattan Bagel is awesome!), free coffee (LOMA Coffee is located just two blocks from the train station at 3rd and Market - full disclosure, I'm a member of the church that helped start LOMA Coffee - click here for the opening day video), and were greeted by:

Governor Jack Markell
Senator Tom Carper
Congressman Mike Castle
Mayor James Baker
DelDOT Secretary Carolann Wicks

You can see more about the opening from the News Journal and Channel 3 - CBS, but here's a collection of photos and a video - oh yea, and screen shots from the twitter traffic as everything was happening (Thanks to all who participated!)

A HUGE Thanks to Rodney Jordan - he's responsible for the good photos and video - I'm responsible for the blurry stuff.

Delaware supports Detroit!

2010-10-20T07:28:00.002-04:00

I have to tell you, I'm pretty excited about this!

Jeff Pulver, international social media leader and creator of the 140 Conferences, visited Delaware in June. D uring that visit, Mr. Pulver talked about how the city of Detroit is trying to do what Delaware is doing with social media, connecting business, government, non-profits, arts, and education in a way that encourages a flow of information, ideas, and support.

On Wednesday, Oct. 20, Jeff Pulver hosted the 140 Conference in Detroit.
During the afternoon session, Jeff introduced Delaware's own Maya Paveza (Nationally recognized leader in Social Media and Real Estate), and Maya introduced the people of Detroit to some of the Delaware Social Media Community via video.

The video features messages from:

- Governor Jack Markell
- Kim Kostes of the Food Bank of Delaware
- Steve Roettger and Wes Garnett of the COin Loft
- State Representative Tom Kovach
- Rodney Jordan of Armor Graphics
- Rebecca Faber, President of the World Trade Center Delaware
- Brian Sowards of the Delaware Film Initiative
- Laurie Bick of Community Matters
- Rick Jensen, WDEL talk show host
- Greg Gurev of MySherpa and president of the Technology Forum of Delaware
- Jayla Boire of The Right Idea

I just want to say "Thanks!" to all who made this possible - Delaware is continuing to come together as a stronger community than ever before to make great things happen!

Great Video Resources

2010-10-06T10:21:00.000-04:00

Just watch these:

Delaware goes to PodCamp Philly!

2010-10-04T10:46:00.001-04:00

In October of 2009, I believe there were four of us from Delaware who attended PodCamp Philly - this year, we had many more!

And we had an incredible time!

Felicia Pullam (@FPullam) and I (@kengrantde) had the privilege of leading a session on the Delaware Social Media Initiative - and Maya Paveza (@MayaREguru) led two sessions over the weekend!

Oh, and Steve Lubetkin (@podcaststeve) did an awesome interview with Felicia and me, check it out by clicking here.

So, this event was absolutely incredible - all of us walked away with new insights, great information, new friends, and ready for more!

Huge Thanks to Whitney Hoffman, Gloria Bell, Lynette Young, and everyone who make PodCamp Philly so great! Oh, and be sure to check out great photos by clicking here!

So, here's some video from the session Felicia and I did as well as a collection of some other photos taken by our Delaware people:

More impressive confirmations

2010-09-27T10:37:00.002-04:00

Recently, the good people at Netprospex issued a Social Media Report, offering a comprehensive look at the business usage of social media in the U.S. and in a wide variety of fields.

The report ranks cities in the U.S. where businesses are most active on Twitter - here's a look at their methodology:

We first grouped business people into geographic areas based on the locations of their companies. We then calculated a Twitter Score based on the average number of Twitter accounts, tweets, number of followers, and number of users following.

A high twitter score means there is a large percentage of business people within that city using Twitter.

I am very proud to report that Wilmington, Delaware is #10 on that list!

Click here to check out the full report.

Things I've learned over 10,000 tweets

2010-09-01T16:59:00.000-04:00

As I write this, I have posted 9,967 "tweets" or messages on twitter.

I've been on Twitter since January of 2009 (thanks to Whitney Hoffman!) - and some of you are reading this thinking, "yea, I hit 10,000 tweets ages ago" (I'm looking at you, Maya) and others are thinking, "Wow, don't you have a life?" (you know who you are).

As I cross this little milestone, I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on the lessons I've learned so far in the twitterverse.

Most people really do want to help others
Most people are kind, generous, and care about their community
You Can't Fake The Funk!
Transparency can be a truly beautiful and good thing
Most politicians, corporate drones, and bureaucrats have an intense fear of social media
The exceptions to the point above are the kinds of people I really want running things
I can learn more about breaking news from 5 minutes on twitter than 30 minutes of TV News
Almost every experience is better when sharing it with friends
I am unbelievably fortunate to have gotten to know SO MANY wonderful people and I am so very grateful to have all of you in my life!

These are just some thoughts off the top of my head - care to share anything you've learned?

General Information about why the social part is important

2010-08-26T15:23:00.000-04:00

Science continues to show us how inter-connected we are naturally, and how important it can be for us to approach this with some intentionality.

Know this, I am incredibly proud of the patch we're creating here in Delaware in this social media quilt.

Just interesting statistics (a fairly narcissistic post)

2010-08-18T08:27:00.001-04:00

One of the amazing things about this whole interwebs thing is how measurable everything is - I have a theory that these measurement tools are causing some sleepless nights for "traditional" marketing types. It used to be easy, tell someone that the billboard will mean 10 gazillion "impressions" - mix that with the television ad, the radio ad, and the full page newspaper ad and you'll have 230 mega-gajillion impressions!

NOTE: I am a firm believer in the above mentioned forms of advertising, and I have several friends in the advertising field - these communication tools are effective and useful - I just think some have taken advantage of the fact that you can't *really* measure how many people are "impressed" with these "impressions."

So, here's the thing - you can actually track how effective your message is here - you know how many people are watching your Youtube videos - or visiting your blog - and even how many people are clicking on the links you post on twitter.

While I do an occasional check to see how many people are clicking on the links I include on twitter, I'm normally just looking at a week's worth of traffic and, until now, haven't really stepped back to get a larger perspective, like this:

OK, so this counts the number of links I provided that were clicked on by others.

NOTE: This DOES NOT track links I've retweeted from others - ONLY those tweets that I originated with links shortened through Hootsuite.

So, since the beginning of this year, 4,869 people have clicked on a link I've offered up into the twittersphere - to be honest, I have no idea how that compares with others, all I know is that it indicates that others are engaging with me at some level, and for that I am both appreciative and humbled.

Now, a couple of quick observations about the most popular messages:

The most popular topic was the social media wedding (thank you, Chris and Elizabeth, for making this so much fun!) - those were messages #3, #6, and #10 on the list for a grand total of 197 clicks
It looks like people like fun - the most popular message was about a bunch of characters walking around the University of Delaware
People like Community - #2 on the list was a link to the Community Shoe Drive at BellaVista in Pike Creek, #4 was about the Greater Newark Network meeting, and #5 and #7 are all about getting the word out about how great Delaware is.

Another observation - until I looked at this chart, I honestly had no idea how many people had been clicking on these links to get information. Chances are, you don't know the kind of impact you're having - if you're active in the Delaware Social Media Community, please keep it up - if you are not yet engaging, please do, you'll never know how many people you will inform, encourage, entertain, and engage with!

A Huge Success Story!

2010-08-16T13:33:00.000-04:00

This is exciting!

The Food Bank of Delaware has been awarded $10,000 to fund their backpack program:

The Backpack Program reduces hunger and improves the quality of life by providing nutritious foods and nutritional education while school is not in session. The Food Bank of Delaware works to identify children at risk of malnutrition to provide them with backpacks filled with nutritious meals and snacks that they take home on weekends. This grant will provide 51 children with meals for an entire program year. The food bank currently serves 46 school sites, however, there are an additional 35 school sites we have yet to reach with nutritious meals on the weekends and holidays. This grant will help us expand our Backpack Program to help feed children at risk of hunger in the state of Delaware.

How did this happen?

I'm glad you asked!

Kim Kostes at the Food Bank of Delaware entered the Good Idea Contest sponsored by Shoprite and Pepsi - Food Bank of DE and 14 other organizations posted ideas and gathered votes - the top five organizations to receive votes between July 8 and August 16 are awarded $10,000 each to fund their ideas.

Think about this for a minute - the other 14 organizations are from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York, and other states in the mid-Atlantic and New England areas - based on population, it's safe to say Delaware is the underdog.

It seems like every week I have the same conversation with businesses, non-profits, and others who want to know why they should get involved with Social Media - hopefully this will demonstrate just some of the value.

Congratulations to Kim and everyone at the Food Bank of Delaware - and Huge Thanks to Everyone who voted, posted on facebook, retweeted on twitter and helped make this possible!

How to join the Delaware Twitter Community - super easy edition

2010-08-16T11:25:00.003-04:00

OK, I'm working with a lot of people who are starting to see the benefits of getting on Twitter and joining in the Delaware Twitter community. Once people get in, they realize how helpful, useful, encouraging, informative, and great this community is - it's just the joining part that seems to be a small hurdle.

SO, Here's a couple of videos that do a great job of walking you through the basics of explaining what Twitter is and how to get started:

So, go to Twitter.com and set up your account.

Now that your account is set up, start following Delaware people - here's a couple of lists to check out:

- Delaware Twibe
- WeFollow list for Delaware
- TwitterGrader list for Delaware

By now, you should be following at least 100 people.

OK, now start using #netde with any posts that have to do with Delaware - and please retweet messages from others who are using #netde (you can click here to see the kinds of conversations going on with the #netde hashtag right now).

Here's some more resources to check out (I HIGHLY recommend subscribing to these feeds):

- Phil Woods' Digital Marketing
- Chris Brogan's best Twitter Advice

DO NOT become overwhelmed - this really is easy and the results will blow you away! - oh, and be sure to follow me on twitter - @kengrantde

Videos from Ignite Dover

2010-08-11T19:43:00.002-04:00

***UPDATE***
There are MUCH Better videos posted at the IgniteDover site - click here to see them!

July 14, 2010 - the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts in Dover - John McKown and his crew held Ignite Dover #1 - and is was incredible!

I took the liberty of recording everything on the Flip - here's the videos:

Um, we need to have a little chat

2010-08-03T10:07:00.003-04:00

OK, I've already addressed this issue once with @stevenfoley here, but maybe I need to cover this a little more explicitly for the rest of you, especially:

@DEConservative
@jasonconeill
@BootMikeCastle
~~@CofSussexAngel~~ (see comments section)
@izzysroses
@CapeMayMeg
@outofstyle
@davidhust

Here's the thing, when you're on twitter, you are limited to 140 characters - that's not a lot of space to communicate a reasonable message - you have to get to the point quickly. This normally means your message comes down to one of three categories:

I'm passing along useful information
I'm expressing something good/encouraging
I'm upset and I'm throwing a tantrum

Now, stop and think about this for a moment - if you had three friends, one fitting in each category, and you could only hang out with two of those friends, which two would you choose?

If you look at the previous post, you'll see a really cool video showing the "Twitter Moods" around the country over a period of time, I've taken the liberty of grabbing a couple of screen shots:

Do you notice something there? Doesn't Delaware seem to kind of stick out in a good way?
I would argue that's because the vast majority of people in Delaware who choose to engage on Twitter are doing so in a positive way, using this tool to communicate useful information and/or expressions of gratitude and encouragement.

I'm asking you to really think about what you are trying to accomplish - because if you're trying to get people to support your candidate by yelling and screaming at those who support another candidate, well, that hasn't proven to be a very effective strategy.

If I were to employ your methods, the local twitter stream would be packed with links to posts like this and this and this and this and, well, you get the picture.

Seth Godin recently posted this piece about the kind of tactics you are using, here's a key excerpt:

If a candidate wants to gain attention and possibly votes, then, it makes short-term sense to stir up fear of strangers and turn it into anger. It might even work (once). But it makes it virtually impossible to govern. It's a short-term strategy that eats itself, because sooner or later, everyone is a stranger, and fear is no foundation for work that matters.

Here's the thing, six months from now I'm still going to be on Twitter trying to build this community, encourage good things, inviting friends into the conversation, and trying to do something constructive - and I believe, based on the commitment I've seen from so many great people here in Delaware, that many others will still be here doing the same. The elections will be over and life will go on - I would love it if you were working with us, but if your idea of contributing to this community is to simply attack anyone with whom you disagree, well, I guess I'll have to live with that.

I hope I've done a reasonable job of communicating with you, I hope you will take your energy and intellect and use it in a positive way on Twitter, we'd really appreciate it.

Science Demonstrates that we're happier in Delaware on twitter!

2010-07-30T20:16:00.001-04:00

WOW! I cannot believe this - take a look at this - know that green represents happy twitter messages:

Can you believe this?! We are doing this in Delaware - this demonstrates just how much of an impact we're having here - keep up the awesome work everyone - YOU ROCK!

Oh, here's a link to the New Scientist post that explains the methodology behind this whole thing.

DelTweet 4.0 - now with celebrity party crashers!

2010-07-30T15:50:00.000-04:00

DelTweet 4.0 at the Blue Rocks game was amazing!

Nearly a hundred people came together in the luxurious sky box at Frawley Stadium to enjoy a great game, food, drink, and a chance to meet so many online friends in person.

Little did we know that we would get surprise visits from both Chris Brogan and Jane Castle!

Huge Thanks to the organizers (Major, Maya, The_Borg), the sponsor (Horizon Services), and Mike Miller, Ticket Manager for the Blue Rocks for making this such an awesome event.

By the way, there's some good stuff over at Examiner.com about Mike Miller's work with the Blue Rocks and a piece about how Chris Brogan sees our work here in Delaware.

DelTweet 4.0 + Blue Rocks = THE place to be July 29

2010-07-21T15:22:00.000-04:00

OK, take the fun and excitement that is a DelTweet event

And put it in the Frawley Stadium Sky Box for a Blue Rocks Game:

And only charge $5 to attend - http://deltweet.eventbrite.com/

Yet another reason why the Delaware Social Media scene is so incredible!

By the way, the reason it's only $5 (instead of $50) - is thanks to the great people at Horizon Services - check them out for plumbing, heating, and air conditioning.

An Open Post To Steven Foley

2010-07-20T11:04:00.000-04:00

First, the background:

On Saturday, July 17, 2010 - I retweeted a simple message on twitter that led to a couple of responses from someone I had never heard of before, Steven Foley of The Minority Report - you can check out his Twitter Feed here and his Web Site here - here's our entire twitter conversation:

OK, now everyone is up to speed on what got us to this point.

Let me start off with a couple of apologies - first, Mr. Foley, the remark I made about the high school debate class was meant to be a light attempt at humor, it may have come across more snarky than intended. Second, I said I would have this ready Monday, I failed - sincere apologies.

And, in the interest of full disclosure (as it has some bearing on the discussion) - I am the former Communications Director for the Republican Party of Delaware (2001-2006), currently employed in private industry.

Now, I would like to take this opportunity to explore the relationship we've started.

Mr. Foley,

In your first message to me, you accuse me of either being a paid hack or a born fool - my response was intended to be an invitation for you to take a moment to maybe get to know who you're attacking and possibly try a different approach to engage in conversation. Instead, you respond with "truth hurts" and "bring it" - *sigh*

Steven - can I call you Steven - from what I can tell, you live in Las Vegas, Nevada - well over 2,000 miles from Delaware. I can only assume that you will not be voting in either a primary election nor general election here in Delaware. Based on our brief exchange and a quick look at your posts on twitter and your web site, I'm going to go out on a limb and speculate that you don't actually know Congressman Castle (I'm assuming that you have volumes of files on the voting record of Congressman Castle and every other incumbent you have deemed unworthy of re-election in the country, but we both know that's not the same as knowing someone). You see, Steven, most of us here in Delaware do know our Congressman (and Senator Carper and Senator Kaufman and Vice-President Biden and Governor Markell and... well, you get the idea). Steven, we don't always agree with every position our elected officials make, but I can tell you that we can and do have those conversations with them - we engage in open discussions and debates, and rarely does it turn into personal attacks and insults just to score points.

But here's the thing, Steven, we're working hard here in Delaware to create an atmosphere where people feel free to express their support for their candidates and ideas without fear of needless insults (please note, we're not talking about avoiding debate - we're talking about elevating that debate in the hopes of making things better).

Steven, I want to point you to a truly incredible piece written by my good friend Dave Burris - he does a much better job of expressing all of this than I can.

Steven, I've read through several of your recent posts on twitter - and you seem like someone who is angry and frustrated at how certain things are in the world. Steven, I share your frustration, I think we, as a society can do better. And yes, there was a time when I would have been right there with you, blasting candidates I deemed unworthy and insulting those candidate's supporters. I have to tell you from experience Steven, tearing other people down does not lift you up - and no matter how much you prove someone else is wrong, it doesn't make you right by default.

Steven, let me share with you some of the things we're doing here in Delaware to make things better.

Some of us are frustrated with unemployment, so we got together and started Community Matters Networking Group - a place for the unemployed to meet, help each other out, share job leads, and encourage each other.

Families facing homelessness is a major issue, so we started a Family Promise chapter here in Delaware.

Recently, some of us got really frustrated about companies that are actually stating in their "Help Wanted" ads that those who are currently unemployed need not apply. We could have written angry letters, called for boycotts, pushed for legislation, but instead we decided to provide a platform where those companies that are doing it right can be showcased - take a look at Hire The Qualified.

Steven, these are just a few examples - and I'd really like for you to take a look at the kind of community we're trying to encourage in social media - click here for the #netde twitter feed - do you see what's there, Steven? News, information, people supporting each other's causes and businesses - this is the kind of place I feel comfortable with my family sharing and being a part of, where I feel comfortable that my teenage children can post their support for any candidate, philosophy, or idea and not be subjected to personal attacks from someone who doesn't even know them.

Please note, Steven, I'm not trying to censor you, I don't want to stop anyone from voicing their opinions - I'm just asking that you take a moment to think about how you can be more effective and engaging with your opinions.

Steven, if you're travels bring you to the mid-Atlantic area, I invite you to come here to Delaware, I would be happy to introduce you to some of the great people we have here from all across the political and social spectrum, we might even have the opportunity to meet with Congressman Castle, you might find him to be an intelligent and engaging public servant.

Seriously Steven, I hope you'll consider this, think about ways you can take your energy and intelligence and use it to forward creative and innovative ideas we can all support instead of looking for ways to attack those with whom you disagree. Thanks for reading this, I hope we have a chance to work together towards some common goals.

Your new friend in Delaware,

Ken

A Day In The Life of a Co-Working Space

2010-07-14T14:24:00.004-04:00

I recently received an interesting invitation - to come to the COin Loft in Wilmington to work for a day and share the experience with others.

I've been talking for months about what an exciting concept co-working is, but had not had the experience - so I gladly accepted the invitation.

Friday, July 9, I showed up at the COinLoft shortly before 8:00 am to find Steve Roettger and Wes Garnett already busy at work, their skateboards parked at the front entrance. After a tour of the facility - two floors of work space, a larger conference room, smaller idea room, and lounge area - I plugged in my laptop and started getting some work done.

First realization - these guys did not skimp on the connectivity - I don't think my laptop has ever had faster access to the interwebs - seriously, awesome wireless.

Second realization - there's a very simple code to let people know that you're not available for conversation - earbuds. I guess earbuds might be the new "Do Not Disturb" sign.

Third realization - this is quite simply the ideal working environment. I mean, just by the nature of what it is, it seems to attract people who are creative, motivated, friendly, and professional.

While the space, the equipment, and the furniture are all great - and certainly set the right tone for work, it's the people that bring the energy, ideas, and excitement that make this such a revolutionary concept.

Here's a couple of videos to give you a better feel for what it's like:

The State of Delaware "Gets" Social Media - big time!

2010-06-30T12:02:00.012-04:00

Have you seen what the State of Delaware has been doing?

First, check out the new Delaware.gov home page - OK, I haven't gone to every other state web site yet, but I doubt you'll find others that prominently feature their Twitter Feed, Facebook Updates, Youtube Videos, Blog Posts, AND Flickr Photos ALL on the home page - seriously, how cool is that?

I took the liberty of asking some of the local Social Media Rock Stars what they think about the new site, here's some of their responses:

"By offering site visitors a mosaic of images, video, links, text snippets and compelling narrative, the Web team has done a superb job of mashing up 'a sense of place' with 'a sense of virtual space' [and time]. Whereas some see the social media as a poor substitute for face-to-face interaction, this updated content hub enables users to better appreciate Delaware opportunities and challenges, guided by their own objectives, pace and preferences. User-driven access to key private and public sector initiatives and resources in one place is not easy to find, and I cannot think of another state that has accomplished it as well."

- Laurie Gelb
Trellist Marketing|Technology

"I’m really noticing that Delaware’s Gov 'gets it' – using social media to dialogue with us makes me have faith that FINALLY our government will know what to do for its people because they’re listening to what we want, and creating and following dialogue. It’s not a one way conversation with government any more. It’s relevant, timely and conscious dialogue. Go Gov. Markell!"

- Jayla Boire

"My company builds government websites for a living, and I have yet to see another city, let alone a state, that has this much integration with social media. It makes me proud to be from Delaware. "

- John McKown

"The State's use of social media displays an unexpected level of openness and transparency. I look forward to watching social media become a primary communication channel with government and state agencies. Success will be judged by improved responsiveness - which we can all benefit from!"

- Phil Woods

Marketing Consultant

"The development of this site definitely shows that Delaware Government is not afraid of transparency, and is looking to open up a channel for dialogue and feedback from the people. It is also very encouraging to see that grassroot/public initiatives can really make an impact, and are truly being acknowledged."

- Stephen J. Roettger

Partner @ Verge

Co-Founder of coIN Loft

"As a life-long Delawarean I know how monumental the new website is! In my opinion, social media isn't just a way to communicate; it's a catalyst for authentic community building. The State's choice to embrace social media not only shows strong leadership but also a willingness to create a future of Delaware based upon the real needs and concerns of 'we the people'. This is a bold and unprecedented step every state should take."

- Wes Garnett

Partner @ Verge

Co-Founder of coIN Loft

"As a non-native Delawarean, I see this state's willingness to embrace social media through the development of this content-rich site. It supports and raises the strong sense of community I've found since moving to this state. I'm most impressed with the dept and breadth of the site content; it's a virtual metaphor for all that Delaware has to offer to everyone who visits or lives here. I commend Governor Markell and everyone who contributes to the Web site for their willingness to be unique in the Union with such support of new media. It shows his administration recognizes that embracing social media opens the door to more effective communication between state government and the people of Delaware."

- Laurie E. Bick

Marketing and Business Communications Consultant

"I'm so excited to see the new State home page! It is one of the best governmental web pages I've seen- easy to use, navigate and see what's going on. I've been so impressed by how dedicated Governor Markell and his staff are to making government 'user friendly' and responsive to the needs of citizens in Delaware- and the new web page is a great indicator that they mean what they say and put their words into actions. Making government user friendly isn't an easy task, but the new web site is a huge step forward in making this a reality."

- Whitney Hoffman

In addition to the new web site, check out this Blog Post from Alan Levin, Director of the Delaware Economic Development Office, here's the opening to the post:

Earlier this month, DEDO hosted the second annual Governor’s Entrepreneurial Business Conference. Nearly 400 people attended to hear experts share their experiences as successful economic developers, entrepreneurs and leaders in business.

The energy at the conference was exciting! For the first time, we used our new Twitter account to engage with attendees: by the end of the week, conference participants had created more than 25 pages of content and they kept sharing, even after the conference was over.

The post goes on to highlight such great ideas as co-working here in the first state (quick plug - check out the COin Loft in Wilmington, cowork.element in Lewes, and CoWo in Newark).

I continue to be amazed at the momentum that is building here in Delaware - we really are connecting our government, business, non-profit, media, and local communities through social media - I believe we are all benefitting from being more informed and more connected.

Let's keep this momentum going!

Immediate posts from the people making the news!

2010-06-17T10:56:00.000-04:00

This is just too cool - on Wednesday, June 16, Governor Jack Markell signed the "BFF" bill, providing real incentives for all of us to invite more businesses to Delaware - check out the details here.

If you clicked on the link above, you should have seen some great photos from the bill signing ceremony, but you did not see THIS photo:

Take a look at what Representative Tom Kovach is doing here (second from the right) - YES - he is letting all of us know about the bill signing via Twitter and Facebook!

And yes, Governor Markell posted about the bill signing, too

How Cool Is THAT!? WE are given real access to what's happening in Legislative Hall (seriously, Rep. Kovach regularly posts which committee meetings he's in, what's happening on the House Floor, and the kinds of discussions going on) - welcome to a whole new world!

If you're not already following @TomKovach and @GovernorMarkell - you should, now! Both are setting an example of what it means to be public servants, communicating with us - not just speaking at us.

As more elected officials, government leaders, business leaders, community activists, parents, teachers, students, friends, and family members engage in communicating together, I am confident we will see not only innovative solutions to issues, but also more cooperation and huge advances in our communities, our state, and our society.

Jeff Pulver on the Delaware Social Media Initiative

2010-06-16T12:02:00.001-04:00

Jeff Pulver

Jeff Pulver is a globally renowned thought leader, author and entrepreneur. His blog is well read within the social media industry and in high-tech communities around the world. Jeff is the originator, proprietor and organizer of the 140 character conferences (#140conf) around the world. Jeff is also the founder of FWD, the VON Coalition, PrimeTimeRewind.TV, Vivox, the co-founder of VoIP provider, Vonage and an early investor in Twitter.

Jeff spent several hours with the Delaware Social Media crowd on June 15 - which happened to be the one year anniversary of the first #140 Conference in New York.

I asked Jeff if, in his travels around the world, he's seeing other states or regions trying to do use social media to connect people locally and highlight positive things from that region for the world to see.

"Oh yes, everyone is trying to do this," Jeff said.

So I asked how he thought Delaware was doing in comparison with everyone else.

"Well, you're actually doing it here in Delaware," was his response.

Jeff went on to tell us about how the people of Detroit are trying to use social media tools to revitalize their city. Wednesday morning, he invited Governor Jack Markell to come to Detroit and share with them what we're doing in Delaware - seriously - how cool is that!

Friends, this Delaware Social Media Initiative is happening because of you! Everyone who engages in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn - connects with others in the area - attends the various events (Ignite Wilmington, Ignite Sussex, Ignite Dover, Tweet Ups, NetDE Happy Hours, etc.) - uses the #netde hashtag on Twitter - helps to promote and support each other - YOU are the ones who are making this dream a reality!

Delaware is connecting - bonds are strengthening - we are creating an exciting new future together!

Here's a video of Jeff Pulver and Rick Jensen talking about what's happening here in Delaware and what the future may hold for all of us!

Videos from Ignite Wilmington #3

2010-06-15T10:13:00.001-04:00

On May 13, 2010, Ignite Wilmington #3 rocked the city!

Here's my completely unofficial videos from that evening - enjoy!

Governor Markell's Address at the Entrepreneurial Business Conference

2010-06-08T07:34:00.000-04:00

Once again, many thanks to Rodney Jordan of Armor Graphics for providing excellent video coverage!

Here's the keynote address at the Governor's Entrepreneurial Business Conference from Delaware Governor Jack Markell:

The Governor's Entrepreneurial Business Conference - Social Media Recap

2010-06-07T16:15:00.002-04:00

I've heard nothing but great feedback from the Governor's Entrepreneurial Business Conference! We heard from

Wilmington Mayor James Baker
Delaware Economic Development Office Director Alan Levin
Warren Brown, Founder and Owner of Cake Love
University of Delaware President Patrick Harker
Brian McGowan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Economic Development with the U.S. Department of Commerce
Thomas O'Malley, Chairman of Petroplus
Delaware Governor Jack Markell

Here's a few things we heard:

Delaware is on track to be the first state out of the recession
Delaware had three potential blows to our economy recently (closing of Chrysler Plant, closing of GM Plant, closing of oil refinery in Delaware City) - and all three have been turned around - UD purchasing Chrysler land to develop awesome stuff, Fisker purchasing GM plant, O'Malley purchasing the refinery
Follow Your Dreams and Passions!
The economy coming out of this recession will be vastly different from the economy we are used to
Economic Development needs to take a long-term, regional approach - not a short-term "only-in-my-back-yard" approach
Delaware's elected officials (esp. Governor Markell) "get it" when it comes to business
Delaware is working on some exciting new ideas to attract more business to the area

Then came the afternoon sessions.

Darnyelle Jervey, Director of the YWCA Center for Women's Entrepreneurship led a panel discussion on the Entrepreneurs' Tool Box with:

Chris Burkhard, President, CBI Group, Inc.
Ernie Dianastasis, Managing Director, CAI
Barbara Hines, President, SSD Technology Partners, Inc.
Margie Johnson, President, Shoptalk
Mark Stellini, President/CEO, Virtual Resources, Inc.
Dr. Devona Williams, President/CEO, Goeins-Williams Associates, Inc.

Oh, check out the Twitter Feed from the day by clicking here (more than 25 pages of content!)

Then, there's the Social Media experts!

Many, many thanks to Rodney Jordan for shooting and posting these videos! Here's the list of awesome speakers:

Whitney Hoffman - Social Media 101 - let's get this party started!
John McKown - Getting Started Action Plan - complete with cheat sheets
Lee Mikles - how to join the social media party and not be “that guy”
Maya Paveza - Why and how you should be there - discussing business strategy
Jayla Boire - Content is still King - providing great content for your strategy
Phil Woods - Measuring your social media campaign effectiveness
Brenda Cheeseman - social media as the new chamber of commerce
Laurie Bick - the job connection in social media
Major Highfield - Mobile Tactics
Laurie Gelb - Be DelAWARE for Fun & Profit
Rodney Jordan - We're building a community here

Coming June 4 - Governor's Entrepreneurial Business Conference

2010-05-24T13:10:00.005-04:00

UPDATE: Early Bird Registration Extended!
You can still register for this event for only $35! (Early Bird Registration ends Friday, May 28 - you do not want to miss this opportunity!

CLICK HERE to Register NOW!

Last June's Entrepreneurial Business Conference at the Chase Center on the Riverfront was a day packed with information, resources, and networking. All indications are that this year's conference will be even better!

Before we go too far, let me just take care of this right now - here's the details:

WHAT: Governor's Entrepreneurial Business Conference
WHEN: Friday, June 4 - 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM
WHERE: Chase Center at the Wilmington Riverfront
COST: $35 Early Bird Special until 5/28 - then $50
RSVP: Click Here to register

Here's what to expect that day:

1. Networking
2. Insights from Wilmington Mayor James Baker, Delaware Economic Development Office Director Alan Levin, UD President Patrick Harker, U.S. Asst. Secretary of Commerce and Economic Development John Fernandez, Governor Jack Markell, and more!
3. A Panel Discussion on the Entrepreneurs' Tool Box
4. One of the most exciting presentations yet on Social Media and business applications from some of the most dynamic, insightful speakers in and around the state of Delaware - each speaker will have 4 minutes to deliver their presentation in a comprehensive, entertaining fashion, you'll hear from:

Whitney Hoffman - Social Media 101 - let's get this party started!
John McKown - Getting Started Action Plan - complete with cheat sheets
Lee Mikles - how to join the social media party and not be “that guy”
Maya Paveza - Why and how you should be there - discussing business strategy
Jayla Boire - Content is still King - providing great content for your strategy
Phil Woods - Measuring your social media campaign effectiveness
Brenda Cheeseman - social media as the new chamber of commerce
Jeff Zarge - Getting your company into Social Media when the boss doesn't want to
Laurie Bick - the job connection in social media
Major Highfield - Mobile Tactics
Gigi Peterkin - corporate responsibility and regulatory issues
Laurie Gelb - Be DelAWARE for Fun & Profit
Rodney Jordan - We're building a community here

If you want to see why I'm really fond of this event, just click here.

Seriously folks, you do not want to miss this event - sign up here and come on out to the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington to network, learn, and engage at a whole new level!

Exclusive Report: Whitney Hoffman's Secret Power Source Revealed

2010-05-03T13:35:00.002-04:00

Photographic evidence of performance enhancement supplies, speculation of sharing powers with others

Whitney Hoffman: Podcaster, Attorney, Speaker, Teacher, Leader, co-creator of PodCamp - Superhero?

The Delaware Social Media Initiative News Network has obtained evidence that one of the most influential movers and shakers in the area may be using performance enhancing materials - and, interviews indicate she may even be sharing those materials with others.

Who is Whitney Hoffman?

Whitney Hoffman "has been involved in New Media and Social Media for the past four years, both as a content producer and as the organizer of Digital Media unconferences. She has organized Podcamp conferences in Philadelphia, New York and Boston. She recently organized the Web2Open sessions at the Web 2.0 Expo, in association with O'Reilly Publishing and TechWeb. She is CEO of Hoffman Digital Media, a digital media consulting firm that produces podcasts for clients, including the LD Podcast, an internet radio show about learning and learning disabilities and OB-GYN To Go, a podcast focusing on resident and physician education. Her personal blog, discussing finance, business, social media and more can be found at www.whitneyhoffman.com. Whitney co-authored Public Assembly Facility Law with Turner D. Madden for the International Association of Assembly Managers and presented at their annual conference."

NOTE: the preceding paragraph was shamelessly stolen from Technorati - click here to read more, including a comprehensive interview with Whitney Hoffman - which does NOT include any references to her stash of super power materials.

Recently obtained photos from Whitney Hoffman's garage show a combination of supplies that - for many - help explain how she is able to accomplish so much. these photos show containers of:

Antimatter
Mind Control
Justice
Intuition
Omnipotence
Gravity
Intelligence
Immortality
Matter
Invisibility
Chaos
Black Hole

It appears most of these supplies were purchased from the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company.

Chris Brogan - a self-described friend, legal client, and co-conspirator with Hoffman, was dismissive of any speculation of wrong-doing by Hoffman.

"Whitney's doing some truly incredible work, she's not doing anything illegal - we don't even know if she's using any of these supplies or if she's just keeping them in her garage for a friend," said Brogan. When asked if he had ever used any of these materials, Brogan simply said, "No Comment" and disappeared from sight.

Public Officials see no reason for alarm

"Whitney Hoffman seems to be providing great insights and assistance to many, many people throughout Delaware and the region," said U.S. Congressman Michael N. Castle. "I don't see a problem, none of these substances are restricted by state or federal code."

Governor Jack A. Markell agrees.

"At least she is putting her powers to use for the public good," Gov. Markell said.

Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.'s Delaware home is located less than 10 miles from Whitney Hoffman's stash of materials. The Vice President could not be reached for this story, but sources say he has been overheard to say that if Hoffman is using these items, then "it's not a big f***ing deal."

Observations from Others

Maya Paveza was open to listing Hoffman's accomplishments but remained silent when asked if she had ever tried any of the materials herself.

"Look, Whitney is producing podcasts, teaching people about social media, organizing events, and making a ton of things happen in this area," said Paveza. "If she happens to use a mixture of extra Intelligence, Mind Control, and a pinch of Chaos to help make some of this... um, I mean, hypothetically if she were mixing some of those things... oh, screw it - good things are happening, no one is getting hurt - leave Whitney alone or I might have to break out some of the supplies in my garage."

Training an Army?

From PodCamp Philly to AGS University to the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce to Community Matters Networking Group to the Tech Forum of Delaware and the Delaware BioScience Association to Network Delaware's Social Media Train - Whitney Hoffman has led seminars, spoken on panels, and influenced hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

The question is - is she using her supply of Mind Control in these training sessions?

"Whitney Hoffman provides our customers and friends with great insight and practical tips to help their businesses," said Charlie Copeland, President of AGS. Copeland went on to deny knowing anything about Hoffman using any extra substances before teaching at AGS University.

Investigation Continues

Now that the world is aware of the stash of Super Power Supplies in Whitney Hoffman's home, the Delaware Social Media Initiative News Service is going to keep it's eyes and ears open for any evidence of the use of these supplies - not only by Hoffman, but also by her devoted circle of friends and supporters.

Anyone witnessing acts of time travel, invisibility, extra gravity, or any other unexplained phenomena should contact the news service immediately.

Let's make some things happen in Newark!

2010-04-15T13:46:00.002-04:00

OK, some great guys - Mark Kleinschmidt, Bob Chadwick and Paul Pomeroy - are making some things happen in the Greater Newark area - if you live, work, or play anywhere in or around Newark, PLEASE come out on April 27!

Here's the deal:

WHAT: Greater Newark Network event
WHEN: Tuesday, April 27, 7:00 PM
WHERE: Embassy Suites Newark - Click Here for Map
RSVP: Click Here to Register

Here's the message from Bob:

TO FRIENDS OF THE GREATER NEWARK AREA:

The Greater Newark Network will be hosting a public forum on TUESDAY, APRIL 27th at 7pm at the Embassy Suites Newark. As a reminder, the Network is an organization Co-Chaired by Newark City Councilman Paul Pomeroy and New Castle County Chamber of Commerce President Mark Kleinschmidt. It is an informal group of stakeholders focusing on economic development issues in the greater Newark area.

This public session will focus on how the greater Newark area has the opportunity to not only rebound from the current economic downturn but also how and why it can provide leadership in Delaware's economic recovery. The event will feature a series of impressive presenters, each speaking for approximately 5-7 minutes, followed by a networking reception. Some of the topics that will be discussed include:

UD’s plans for the Chrysler Property
The new Health Sciences Alliance
How expansion at Aberdeen will benefit Newark
A report from the City of Newark
Arts & Culture in Newark

The event is free and open to all interested community members--university, business or resident. All we ask is that you pre-register by sending an email to chadwickb@ncccc.com. Please include you first and last name, your address and your email address.

Also, please feel free to forward this message to any other potentially interested individuals.

From Delaware to Nepal - here's how the Serendipity Engine works!

2010-04-08T07:38:00.000-04:00

Last November Chris Brogan spoke at the Web 2.0 Expo in New York about how he sees social media as "The Serendipity Engine" - if you haven't seen this yet, here it is (you might recognize some concepts that have been mentioned on this blog before, like the 12:1 ratio):

Now, here's an example of the Serendipity Engine connecting a whole bunch of us in some incredible ways (and I think this is only the beginning of this story!)

I just had the privilege of shaking hands with Erin Guttenplan yesterday - Erin grew up in Delaware and has been travelling the world for some time now and has put together a group called Edge of Seven:

Edge of Seven’s mission is to support volunteer projects in developing countries that are sustainable and that respond to local needs. Edge of Seven believes that change is possible with collective action over time.

Erin and I connected on twitter - a friend asked her how that happened, and that's when I got to find out how this Serendipity Engine made this possible.

Erin said she recently read Chris Brogan's book and was so impressed that she subscribed to his blog, and on March 25, saw the post about Chris Brogan meeting with Delaware Governor Jack Markell - based on Chris' link to my twitter page in that post, she decided to start following me.

One of the first posts she saw from me was a message about the Delaware Happy Hour event - she responded saying she was in Florida at the time, but really liked the concept - I asked her to send me information about Edge of Seven, that's when I found out about her efforts to build a school in Nepal (how cool is THAT?!) and how she's raising funds for that project now.

So, yesterday she held a fundraiser at Iron Hill Brewery on the Wilmington Riverfront - same location as DelTweet 1.0 last year - and we finally got a chance to meet. By the way, the plans for the school in Nepal are awesome - I encourage you to learn more and find out how you can help by clicking here.

Friends, this is what this Social Media Initiative is all about - we're connecting ideas, businesses, individuals, governments, and concepts throughout the state and around the world - open yourself up to the Serendipity Engine - and live this adventure!

Laurie Gelb's brilliant plan to promote Delaware

2010-04-07T14:45:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, April 6, 2010, the NEws Journal published a great article by Gary Soulsman about how Laurie Gelb of Trellist is calling on all of us to help promote Delaware through a variety of web sites - here's an excerpt:

Her pitch was to get Delawareans posting on portals like TripAdvisor, City-Data and Virtual Tourist as well as sites dealing with interests such as birding, boating and dining out.

That's because visitors to those sites, who will make decisions about travel and relocation, have little knowledge of Delaware, she says.

"We've all had unique experiences in Delaware that we can share," Gelb says. "I'm sure right now there are people wondering if they move to Delaware where they would be most happy.

"Or they're thinking, if they're driving through the mid-Atlantic what's worth seeing?"

So, we contacted Laurie and asked what sites should we visit and start posting to make this happen - here's her response:

The way I look at it, any user-generated content re DE is grist for the mill. So my list of UGC “types” includes pics, video, reviews, calendar listings, attraction listings, itineraries, tips, ratings, badges from portals (e.g. rated restaurants/lodging/attractions should d/l their badges from TripAdvisor and put them on their Web sites bc then people are more likely to click through to the portals), hyperlinks to other content, etc.

That makes the list of sites/potential cross-links pretty eclectic, but here’s a sampling:

VirtualTourist, TripAdvisor and other travel portals
Zagat, Chowhound and other eatery boards
Eventful, When.com and other calendars, including calendars of concerts, festivals, art exhibits
Yelp, Yahoo and other review sites
City-data and other relo portals
YouTube and anywhere else you can place video or links to YouTube [e.g. very easy to feature your vid in a Flash shell on another site]
Flickr, Picasa Web albums and other photo libraries
Local photo streams like TNJ and natl streams like CNN iReport for news events
Affinity portals for hobbies (birding, antiquing, hiking, golfing, fishing…)
Link to your UGC by commenting on others’ articles, reviews and blogs, as appropriate, as well as links from FB and Twitter
Use widgets for your platform(s), if available, that permit random display/slide shows of photos and/or links to other networks, e.g. Flickr Profile Widget on your blog

OK folks, let's make this happen!

THE Place to be this Friday!

2010-04-06T09:54:00.001-04:00

OK, remember a couple of weeks ago when I said you should come out for the Delaware Happy Hour event? Well, if you were there, then you know - if you weren't, let me just give you a rundown of some of the people who were there:

19 entrepreneurs and business owners
2 prominent members of Delaware media
various officials with the State Chamber of Commerce
various officials with the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce
3 government officials (state and federal)
7 artists
at least a dozen other people that I don't know how to categorize

Seriously, this was a better event than I thought it would be!

Guess what - it's happening again!

This Friday - come out to meet people and enjoy the Wilmington Art Loop! We'll start off at 5:00 at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts -
click here for more on the Art Loop

WHAT: Wilmington Art Loop/DE Happy Hour
WHEN: Friday, April 9 - 5:00 - 9:00
WHERE: Start at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts - 200 South Madison Street, Wilmington

View Larger Map
COST: FREE

There's more going on than you can imagine!

2010-03-25T10:17:00.000-04:00

There's some truly incredible things happening here in Delaware!

yes, it's kind of centered around social media - but it's more
yes, it involves the success of our businesses - but it's more
yes, it involves arts organizations - but it's more
yes, it involves the building of community - but it's more

OK, I'm going to touch on these things further down in this message - but before I do, I urge you to click here and sign up for this Friday's Network Delaware Happy Hour at Scratch MaGoo's in Wilmington - I don't care if you've never used social media, I don't care if you're planning on getting together with other friends (bring them along), I don't care if you don't like me, I don't care where you are or what you do for a living - you should come to Scratch MaGoo's this Friday AND you should mark your calendar now to prepare for the next gathering on Friday, April 9 (which will also be Art Loop night - you won't want to miss it)!

OK, now that you've signed up for Friday's event, let me touch on the great things happening here in Delaware - then give you the compelling reasons why you want to come out on Friday.

Last Thursday was an absolutely incredible, awesome, unbelievable day for Delaware - I'm just going to quote from Dave Burris here:

I drove to Wilmington to attend the first Trust Summit presented by the Archer Group with bestselling authors Chris Brogan, Julien Smith (authors of Trust Agents) and Mitch Joel (author of Six Pixels of Separation). First of all, the magnitude of these people coming to Delaware, together, for an appearance is greater than most people realize. I took to telling people that if there was a Mount Rushmore for social media, they'd all be on it.

What amazed me most of all is that three people who have emerged as leaders in this space, when each given 40 minutes or so to speak, brought three different perspectives - Joel's passion, Smith's depth & Brogan's showmanship. I learned a massive amount from each, and I'm not exactly new to this stuff.

Click here to read the full post - Dave captures so much here!

Governor Markell and Chris Brogan on the Social Media Initiative

Thanks to the Lee Mikles of the Archer Group, Whitney Hoffman, Ken Anderson with the Delaware Economic Development Office, and Governor Jack Markell and his people (I'm looking at you, Felicia) - Chris Brogan not only came to Delaware, but also agreed to spend some time with key government, business, non-profit, arts, and media representatives to explore how we in Delaware can use the tools available to us to connect every part of our society and take things to a whole new level.

This time I'll quote from Governor Markell's blog:

Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with a few social media thought leaders, including Chris Brogan. Chris graciously spent time meeting with many of our online innovators to discuss how we can make Delaware the "First State of Social Media." The feedback I've heard so far-and read through Twitter-has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic.

...

There are so many amazing things happening in our state, and we need to get the word out. Join the grassroots discussion through Twitter, using #NetDE, or at this Facebook page.

Click Here to read the full post and view an incredible 4 minute discussion between Governor Jack Markell and Chris Brogan

AND

Click Here to see Chris Brogan's take on his visit to Delaware

Ignite Sussex Videos!

Thanks again to the Archer Group, we've enjoyed a couple of great Ignite Wilmington events. A couple of weeks ago, an incredible line up of speakers came together for Ignite Sussex - and they posted videos!

Watch host Dave Burris, publisher of Coastal Sussex Weekly magazine, and presenters like Cassandra Tororian of Bell Rock Capital, Bill Sammons of Watermark Productions, Matthew Peterson of Element Design Group, Audra Marotta of Dogfish Head, Andrew Mason of Bayshore Community Church, and more by clicking here.

Where In Delaware?

Have you ever wondered where to go for specific home repairs in Delaware? What about looking for fun activities near where you live? Well, Phil Woods has created an incredible tool called "Where In DE" - you can ask any question, and you can answer questions from others. Seriously, check this out by clicking here.

Co-Working in Delaware

Steve Roettger and Wes Garnett are out to change the state of Delaware. They are in the process of putting the finishing touches on their Co-Working space (first of many) called COin Loft - trust me on this one, if you have a dream, a business plan, an idea - you want to meet with Steve and Wes! Click Here to find out more about the coIN Loft

Community Matters Networking Group on WHYY

Laurie Bick, Volunteer Director of Community Matters Networking Group, was the featured guest on WHYY's Radio Times - the topic: "What are the jobless doing to take back their employment?"
Click Here to check out the show!
If you want to know more about the incredible work being done by this volunteer organization, please check out the web site here and come on out to Hockessin Baptist Church on Friday mornings at 9:30 to see for yourself what's happening!

Be a part of the Action!

OK, back to the reason you want to come out this Friday.

As you can see throughout this message, there's a world of potential that's starting to form into tangible things (new businesses, new relationships, new jobs, etc.). And believe me, I haven't even scratched the surface here - there's Unite Sussex and Family Promise and our chambers of commerce and exciting things happening in mentoring and so much more happening here!

This thing, this movement, is happening here in Delaware - you should be a part of it - your participation, your help, your voice is valuable - please come, meet the men and women who are making things happen here, ask questions, add your insights, help create new opportunities!

This is more than a social organization
This is more than a business group
This is more than a discussion

This is our future!

Click Here to sign up for Friday's event

Click Here to find out more about Network Delaware

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Social Media Train is moving!

2010-02-23T10:01:00.004-05:00

REALLY NEW UPDATE: The good people at Talk Fusion and Network Delaware have loaded some great videos - click here for Congressman Castle's talk and click here to see the first human bar graph video

NEW UPDATE: Check out this cool 70 second video from the event by clicking here

UPDATE: There's 7 videos from this event available by clicking here

Friday, February 19, 2010 - More than 200 people gathered at Bella Vita at Cavaliers Country Club to learn, share, and discuss Social Media for more than three hours - if you were there, you know how incredible the event was - if you couldn't make it, you were missed and we hope to see you in the near future at some more events.

So, here's a quick recap:

First, I need to clarify something - many people are giving me credit for doing a lot of this stuff - the fact is I just run around talking about what other people are actually doing. In this case, the people doing all of the heavy lifting are Rodney Jordan and Laurie Bick. They laid the tracks for this train, set up the station, purchased the tickets (along with some much appreciated sponsors!), and invited all of us to jump on board - I'm grateful to be a passenger. If anyone walks away with tools and insights that help them grow their business, non-profit, arts organization, or even personal life, know that Rodney Jordan and Laurie Bick are the people you should be thanking!

Opening Speaker: Ken Anderson, Director, Entrepreneurial & Small Business Support with the Delaware Economic Development Office. Ken did a phenomenal job in helping us better understand Delaware's place in the national economy, our challenges, and our opportunities. Ken blew the crowd away!

Next, we heard some great success stories from Chris Marchak who is organizing the Red Robin Rocks event for the Ronald McDonald House, Kim Kostes from the Food Bank of Delaware, Wes Garnett, Jr., and Steve Roettger of COin Loft and Verge - then I got to create my first human bar graph to demonstrate how social media helped my company grow!

That's when we got a surprise visit from U.S. Congressman Mike Castle who was reading about the event on Twitter and decided to stop in and share his experiences with this new media.

Oh, did I mention that a whole bunch of people were twittering about the event - posting photos (some you see here) - and engaging in conversations with Governor Markell, State Representative Tom Kovach, and several others the whole time - this really was a cool event.

So, after Congressman Castle spoke, we heard from Whitney Hoffman about legal issues surrounding social media. Then we heard from Maya Paveza with TQI Consulting, Phil Woods with 2 Fish Group, and Carl Immediato about Talk Fusion.

By the way, the food was delicious!

Again, huge thanks to Rodney, Laurie, all of the sponsors, speakers, participants, and all who followed on twitter.

OK, people - let's welcome our new friends!

2010-02-17T10:13:00.000-05:00

If you are reading this, you are most likely:

1) engaged in social media
2) in some way connected with the state of Delaware (live, work, play in or around the state)

If you don't fit in either category, that's OK - you're welcome to keep reading.

If you do fit in the above categories, then I have a special request that will benefit you, me, and the whole state.

Wednesday evening and Friday afternoon there will be two social media training events (check them out here and here).

Here's the thing - at these events we will have people helping attendees "kick start" their social media presence by signing them up with a Twitter Account and immediately following everyone in the Delaware Twibe (note, if you have not yet signed up to be a part of the Delaware Twibe and you fit into the two categories above, click here and join now - it's quick and free - you'll thank me later).

So, if you are part of the Delaware Twibe (and you should be by now - see paragraph above) - then you should notice that a lot of new people are following you in the next few days - please follow them back, welcome them to the world of social media, encourage them, suggest others for them to follow.

Yes, I am inviting all of you to be a part of this big welcome wagon - it's all part of this Delaware Social Media Initiative - and it's only working because of YOU!

Thank you for your time and attention - and for all you are doing to help grow this vibrant community!

DelTweet 3.0 - the debrief

2010-02-09T16:28:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, February 3, 2010 - Kildare's in Newark - easily one of the greatest nights in the history of Social Media in the First State!

Approximately 175 people came out for DelTweet 3.0 - raising more than $700 and 243 pounds of food for the Food Bank of Delaware.

And, Gov. Jack Markell started Twittering!

Here's the great thing - this gathering was a true representation of Delaware - there were people from all over the state, representing every part of the political and social spectrum. We had business leaders, politicians, artists, community activists, entrepreneurs, young people (I think my 17-year-old son was the youngest) and seniors (not going to guess on the oldest person there).

Oh, and here's a video from the News Journal:

But the feel wasn't of a business mixer, or political rally, or self-help seminar - this felt like a family reunion! The connections made were more than just superficial business card exchanges - people really connected here! The only real complaint I've heard since the event is that people didn't get to meet everyone they hoped to meet because there just wasn't enough time (we'll take that into consideration for next time).

Besides the video above (thanks Rodney jordan!) there was some great media coverage and a ton of photos, here's some samples:

From the University of Delaware Review - great article and photos!
From the Delaware Business Ledger - more photos and another great article
WDEL's Hi-Tech Watch - click here to go directly to the audio
The_BORG interviewed on the Rick Jensen Show
Check out Maya's blog post here

Social Media Training for Everyone!

2010-01-27T09:24:00.003-05:00

So, you're a small business owner trying to figure out how to use social media to grow your business - or you're heading up a non-profit and you want to know how to use this medium to increase awareness for your cause - or you're working with an arts organization and you want everyone to know about the upcoming show, recital, or play...

I'm happy to report that there's several opportunities coming up to learn from the best and mix with others in the Delaware Social Media sphere:

Tuesday, Feb. 2, 8:30 - 10:30 AM - The Delaware State Chamber of Commerce presents Small Business Alliance Workshop: Social Media Questions Answered - Click Here to learn more and register

Wednesday, Feb. 3, 5:00 - 9:00 PM - DelTweet 3.0 - Trust me, you want to be at this event! Click Here to learn more and RSVP

Wednesday, Feb. 17, 5:30 - 8:30 PM - Delaware BioScience Association and Technology Forum of Delaware presents the Social Media Revolution - this event is a must attend for anyone in the Bio/Pharma industry as well as the Technology Industry - Click Here to learn more and register

Thursday, Feb. 18, 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM - AGS University - Marketing with Facebook: Fans, Friends, Apps & More - Whitney Hoffman will teach the essentials of marketing through Facebook. Generate more ROI by applying the right Facebook tools to achieve your goals. Click Here to learn more and register

Friday, Feb. 19, 12 Noon - 3:00 PM - Delaware Small Business Social Media Train - A collection of some of the top Delaware Social Media experts ready to share with you - FREE - Click here to learn more and RSVP

Wednesday, March 10, 5:00 - 8:00 PM - Ignite Sussex at Dogfish Head in Rehoboth Beach - you have to experience this! Click Here to learn more and register

Thursday, March 18, 8:00 - 10:00 AM - New Castle County Chamber of Commerce ChamberWorks: Social Media Revolution - a step by step on how to do it - FREE - Click Here to learn more and RSVP

Delaware Business Ledger story on Social Media Initiative!

2010-01-07T06:54:00.001-05:00

The Delaware Business Ledger has just published an awesome article about the Delaware Social Media Initiative!

Here's some excerpts:

It is already apparent that Delaware may be ahead of the curve, based on the widespread use of social networking tools, with large companies such as DuPont, ING Direct and AstraZeneca having a Twitter presence. State government is also on board with various agencies using Twitter.

“I think it is a wonderful idea for Delaware to innovate, as a small state, and as a close knit community we have a lot more opportunity to do that than most states," writes Maya. J. Paveza, a Realtor for Coldwell Banker Preferred, who also does social media consulting work.

One of the more enthusiastic supporters of the initiative is Rebecca Faber, president and CEO of the World Trade Center of Delaware. Faber uses Twitter to keep in touch with a far-flung network of world trade centers and is known for tweeting at conferences and networking events.

"Consider that just by having that (social network) message being told and repeated via social media, itself an innovative tool, this message of Delaware being friendly to innovation and business will look to be quite valid. Consider that this message could reach people looking for a place to do business in the U.S. or to invest, to send their children to school, to move their company," Faber writes

Click Here to read the complete article!

True Confessions - Ulterior Motives for the Delaware Social Media Initiative

2009-12-30T12:08:00.000-05:00

When I started thinking about this Delaware Social Media Initiative idea, my first thought was, "Wow, we can really make a difference in this state - promote business, help charities, and raise awareness of the arts." My second thought was, "We could make Delaware a magnet for entrepreneurs, investors, and artists."

While both of those reasons remain true, I do have some ulterior motives for promoting the Delaware Social Media Initiative, and, in the interest of transparency and full disclosure, I'll share those ulterior motives now.

First, I am a self-described First Amendment extremist - I believe that as more citizens exercise their right to express their views in the open marketplace, the better off we are as a society. I also believe that those views and opinions that are based in false information (i.e. urban legends) are more quickly exposed and relegated to the trash bin in which they belong when exposed to the harsh light of a transparent public venue such as social media.

Second, I believe that the social media tools available to us now - if used by all of us - can shape a very different future than the one we've been raised to expect. OK, follow me on this one, I think it's safe to assume that we've all grown up with this concept that advanced technology will be used by government entities to control the masses (i.e. Orwell's "1984," Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451," etc.). But, what we're seeing now is a situation where all of us have more advanced communication tools at our disposal than the vast majority of government entities that are either hindered by out-of-date hardware or out-of-date policies (blocking access to social media sites like Youtube and Facebook). Think about this for a moment - this means that those politicians and bureaucrats who historically have used secrecy (or at least a lack of communication) to lie, intimidate, or otherwise exercise undue influence on others are now the very ones who are subject to having their speech and behavior broadcast to the masses and must fear being exposed for the frauds/bullies/idiots that they are. As Thomas Jefferson put it, “When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”

Third, I believe that every great advance in civilization comes about because of an advance in communication. Whether it's Gutenberg's printing press, Morse's telegraph, or Marconi's radio, we've seen new communication tools translate into great leaps in science, business, transportation, liberty, and overall quality of life. The thing is, where before we would need the resources to purchase heavy machinery, broadcast towers, etc., or pay to have our messages put out through those media - today everyone reading this has the ability and tools to become their own printing press and broadcast station. The more we engage in this communication, the faster we will see the next great advance in society!

So, there you have it - there's my deeper motives for promoting the Delaware Social Media Initiative. Feel free to share your thoughts.

THIS is a great step in the right direction!

2009-12-23T07:21:00.000-05:00

The State of Delaware is really starting to do some good things in Social Media - it's encouraging to go to the state web site and see this:

Click Here to get the full run-down of State Government connections through Social Media.

Help spread the word!

2009-12-16T07:44:00.000-05:00

Take a minute and think of the groups you belong to:

Business Associations
Rotary Club
Lions Club
charity group
church
chamber of commerce
PTA (or PTSA)
Scouts
Bridge Club
Civic Association

OK, now imagine getting just a few people from each of those groups engaged in Social Media, working together to promote each other, collaborate on projects, support each others' efforts.

So, here's the deal - if you want someone to come and make a presentation to your group about using Social Media, let me know. If you currently use Social Media and would feel comfortable sharing your experiences with a group, let me know.

We can do this!

Are You Willing To Lead?

2009-12-15T13:12:00.000-05:00

Do you use some form of Social Media right now (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Blog, e-mail, etc.)? Are you willing to help others get up to speed? You don't have to be an "expert" - you just need to be someone who uses these tools and can help walk other people through the early steps to get them set up.

If you are willing to help, simply post your name, what you use regularly, and the best way for people to reach you.

Thanks!

Oh, and if you already have a web site, blog, facebook page, or anything else already set up - please post that, too!

First Interview on the Delaware Social Media Initiative!

2009-12-15T11:03:00.000-05:00

Dave Burris just posted the first interview about the Delaware Social Media Initiative - click here to check it out.

And yes, this should demonstrate how fast this whole Social Media thing is!

The Delaware Social Media Initiative - We can do this!

2009-12-15T07:42:00.001-05:00

Friends,

We have an opportunity before us to make this state and region the single most attractive location for businesses, entrepreneurs, artists, musicians, educators, and, well, everybody - while growing our communities and enjoying unprecedented success.

We can make Delaware the single largest social media state in the country.

Here's the basic concept:

WHAT: Growing Delaware's Social Media usage exponentially throughout 2010 - engaging people involved in every aspect of life:

- Finance Industry

- Service Industry

- Arts

- Music

- Manufacturing

- Bio/Pharma Industry

- Information Technology

- Non-Profit Community

- Education

- Parenting

- Government

- Hobbies

- Sports

- Charitable Organizations

- Faith Community

- Auto Industry

- Environmental Organizations

- …And More…

WHO: Everyone who lives, works, plays, or prays in Delaware

HOW: Using a variety of social media tools - LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter, etc. to actively promote Delaware businesses, events, charities, ideas, and individuals.

WHEN: NOW!

WHY: By having everyone from CEOs to artists to teachers to high school students to caterers to Blue Rocks players to history buffs and everyone in between engaged and amplifying each others' messages, we achieve two things - First, greater awareness, support, and cooperation in the state leading to shared success in all sectors and all regions. Second, all of this transparent, open activity will act as a magnet attracting entrepreneurs, investors, artists, businesses, and creative teams from all over the world to Delaware (literally and virtually).

OK, that's the basic concept in a nutshell. If you've experienced the power of social media firsthand, then there's probably a light bulb (energy efficient, of course) shining brightly over your head right now and you're already leap-frogging ahead of me (which I encourage, more on that later).

If, however, you've not yet engaged in social media, done so in a very limited fashion, or just haven't had your first “Wow - I can't believe I just connected with that customer/collaborator/ceo/celebrity/writer/expert…” moment yet - then I need to share a little more about this concept to help you see the vision.

First Principle: YOU can reach EVERYBODY - by engaging in social media, you can create your own vibrant network to communicate with key people and spread your message to a large audience. What does this mean in real life? It means that if you want to let everyone know abut an important charity event, or your friends' new business venture, or encourage people to contact their local elected official about a new road being proposed by your neighborhood, or even something as simple as sharing your thoughts about a great book you just read, you don't have to take out an ad, you just put the message out there.

Second Principle: YOU can listen to everybody that matters - If you don't have anything to share, that's OK, sit back and listen (or, to be more accurate, read). You will know more about everything that interests you and be exposed to new events, concepts, ideas, products, groups, and individuals.

Third Principle: It's all about open communication, community, and transparency - You can have a simple conversation with someone in social media about your favorite book, business, cause, organization, or whatever and quickly find that the author, CEO, leader of the cause is joining in the conversation and thanking you for your comments. This is the world in which we live, embrace the possibilities!

Fourth Principle: Traditional Media IS engaged - Virtually every radio station and newspaper in Delaware (as well as national news organizations) is fully engaged in social media, reporters and editors are not only paying attention to what's being posted, but will also ask questions about news tips, experts, and opinions - if you are not engaged in social media then you are missing one of the most effective methods of communicating your message to a very large audience.

Now, back to those of you who are already jumping ahead with this concept. I encourage you to take this as far as you can! Go, blaze the new trails, show all of us what is possible. Create new web sites and applications. We are on the border of the wild frontier that is Social Media - the potential is limitless and there's room for all of us to learn and grow together.

Finally, I encourage all of us to embrace the 12-to-1 ratio rule (note: I'm stealing this rule from Chris Brogan, I don't think he'll mind) - for every ONE message you produce promoting your business/brand/non-profit/cause/etc., produce TWELVE that promote other Delaware businesses/brands/non-profits/causes/etc.

Friends, we can do this! You can create and grow your own network, encourage others in the area to do the same thing, and grow the number of opportunities for all of us exponentially. Let's make history together!