TweetCamp Chicago has come and gone, but the community is still chirping!  You can see an archive of all TweetCamp Chicago tweets in the TwapperKeeper, re-read all tweets tagged with the#TCChi hashtag.  Be forewarned – there are over 1,100 tweets!

I am always especially impressed by those who sacrifice a Saturday to learn, network and share with their community, so it’s no surprise that I had a fantastic time spending the day with other social media enthusiasts.  Birds of a feather stick together – and the irony is not lost on this tweeter!

Many thanks to Cathy Taylor for catching my 20 second TweetCamp spotlight!

The day began with slight chaos as the crowd of over 100 (!) learned what an “unconference” was – with 3-4 breakout sessions going on at once, I couldn’t be everywhere, but I happy to share the info I collected with you!  There was tremendous demand for Twitter 101 sessions, which was music to my ears! Newbies are joining everyday, and we welcome all of you!

And speaking of music… Leah Jones kicked off the morning with a session on Twitter for Musicans – A tool for Artists. Panel featured Leah and two of her success stories @MattRyd and Tom from @cobaltandthehgs. Leah shared great tips for artists, musicians and everyday tweeters alike:  Make it about your fans, not just you! Share links to videos, reviews, music and have conversations about anything important to you!

Next up was Barbara Talisman speaking about social media best practices for Non Profits.  I loved the learning about how to execute a Tweet-a-Thon and the best takeaway was Barbara’s Social Media Policy, which she is graciously sharing with everyone!

Chaz Witkowski from Weber Shandwick led a session on BIG Brand Tweeting, from an agency perspective.  Five essential components of a branded twitter account include: staying true to the Brand’s identity, two-way engagement, cross-pollination across social channels, relationship development and a pioneer mentality!

Lunch time! Ramon DeLeon is the Pizza guy to know in Chicago! Thank you Ramon for feeding our bellies while we fed our brains! Ramon also was a panelist discussing how social media has shaped his Domino’s business.

There are so many twitter applications available, and the Red Recruiter, Michael Long reiterated that you don’t have to use them all, just stick with the ones that are best for you.  After kicking off his session with one of my favorite You Tube videos, Where the Hell is Matt (2008) to show the power of social media, Michael introduced me to a new tool, Twubs.  Twubs are Twitter groups built around content aggregated from #hashtags, very useful tool to connect and share with people of similar interests.

Keynote was delivered by Scott Smith, the Editor and Director of Content at Playboy.com! Did you know that Hef was the first to leak Marge Simposon on the cover of Playboy back in August!?  Well, the issue is on the stands now – see for yourself what all of the buzz is about!

Garrett Popcorn‘s Director of Social Media, Alecia Dantico took the stage with Keidra Chaney to discuss work life balance as it relates to social media. Guess what… there is no such thing!  Popcorn is an inherently social activity and social media is an excellent platform to surprise and delight fans!  Garrett Popcorn replies to each and every twitter mention, and averages over 80 tweets per day. Don’t miss Garrett’s Michigan Avenue Grand Re-Opening on Thursday 10/15.  Free popcorn samples to those in line between 10 am – 12 Noon, Yum!

Lastly, I closed out the day with a breakout session on How to Use Social Media in your Job search.  If you have any question on how to tap into your social network please contact me for more information!

Thank you to sponsors: The Association for Women Journalists, Columbia College Journalism Department, Domino’s Pizza/Ramon DeLeon, OfficePort, Rackspace, Rohdesign and NeedGraphics and organizers Maura Hernadez and Keidra Chaney!

Were you at TweetCamp or following along online? Please share other takeaways with those who couldn’t be there!

Related posts:

1. TweetCamp Chicago – An Unconference
2. Cool Twitter Conference Chicago
3. Windy City Social Media Masters’ Summit Recap

What the heck is an unconference you ask?  It’s as organic as social media.  Today I am attending TweetCamp Chicago at Columbia College sponsored by the Association of Women Journalists. Spontaneous break out sessions are defined by the group.

This morning I came as an attendee, most excited to meet my tweeps in person and take our relationship offline.  Added benefits include great speakers and content, and I am soaking in a tremendous amount of info!

For example – who knows what a dongle is?  Apparently I have been living under a rock – its the power cord adapter that allows the Mac to connect!

What is a Dongle?!

My community knew the answer!

As an unconference allows for spontaneity,  I will now be presenting a session on Using Social Media in your Job Search. Join me at 3:00 and come back for more TweetCamp highlights later.

Also follow along and join the conversation, #TCChi.

And if you are here… please come say Hi! That’s why I’m here. To meet you!

Related posts:

1. TweetCamp Chicago: Recap
2. Cool Twitter Conference Chicago

Back to school season is upon us, but I believe its always a good time to learn.

Today I will be speaking at the CRAVE Chicago Coffee Chat, a caffeinated casual conversation about business.

I am honored to be on a panel with MJ Tam, editor of Chicagonista and Sydney Owen of Weber Shandwick.  We will be sharing tips and tricks to develop a social media strategy and spruce up attendees social media skills.

We are living in the information age, and it is easy to get overloaded.

In many ways entering the social media space can be like the first day of school, however at social media school the TrapperKeeper has been replaced by Tweetdeck, laptop bags are the new lunch boxes, Facebook is the new phone tree.

There is no right way or wrong way to engage in social media.  Knowing what you want to get out of your interactions is a good place to start – begin by identifying your personal and professional goals and go from there.  Seek out people and subjects of interest, listen and participate!

Think back to your first days of school…during homeroom everyone introduces themselves, nowadays a twitter introduction is made in 140 characters, or in a 30 second elevator pitch!  Remember show & tell?  Well, that in a nutshell is social media, participants share discoveries and tell their networks about what they’ve learned and experienced.  Now that’s not so intimidating, is it?  I fondly remember Show & Tell being one of my favorite parts of elementary school, now I get to do it everyday!

What are your favorite social media tools? How would you advise a newbie to ace social media?

Share and Enjoy:

Related posts:

1. Presenting at Social Media Bootcamp Rockford
2. Happy Social Media Day!
3. interactiveAmy is looking for a Social Media Intern!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of presenting at Chicago’s Cool Twitter Conference, on the subject of using twitter for Customer Service.

Amy Ravit Korin on the speaker circuit!

The subject of my presentation was “Customized Customer Service – How Domino’s Delivered More Than Pizza.” Through telling the story of how Ramon De Leon, owner of 6 Chicago Domino’s franchises was able to turn a complaint into a happy customer, I illustrated examples of best practices of using twitter to deliver outstanding customer service.

If you missed my presentation, you can hear a radio interview of me speaking on the same subject, my story was featured in an in-depth interview on The Bigg Success Show!

Have you been on the receiving end of outstanding customer service? So often people only complain when on the other side – take a minute to share how someone (person or company) was able to help you with a question, concern or customer service issue through twitter.

Related posts:

1. TweetCamp Chicago: Recap
2. Windy City Social Marketing Summit Recap
3. Windy City Social Media Masters’ Summit Recap

Today I will be presenting a Lunch and Learn session on the subject of using social media in a job search, organized by Cheryl Rich Heisler, President of Lawternatives, which offers career consulting for Lawyers, Law firms and other professionals exploring alternate career paths.

I am looking forward to sharing tips to tap into the power of the social web to help a group of legal professionals maximize their job search.  With so many great resources available, there are many options for job seekers nowadays.

Today’s presentation will focus on network building on and offline, and will highlight platforms such as LinkedIn, twitter and Facebook.

Have you found your dream job online?  What are your favorite job seeking resources?

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