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Social media is at a defining moment, a point where there are ample technologies to effectively participate in the medium, but also significant issues being debated within organizations about using the medium. The Business Smart Tools conference on May 5 in Stamford, CT will feature discussions about both the use of the technologies and the debates within organizations.

I will join Scott Monty of Ford Motor Company, John C. Havens of Blog Talk Radio, among others at this one day conference sponsored by Creative Concepts. Valorie Luther, CEO of Creative Concepts and I highlight some of these issues in this Marketing Edge podcast. It some cases, midsize companies have captured the essence of social media to gain significant exposure while larger more regulated, or bureaucratic companies have struggled with being social.

The Business Smart tools conference will have workshops on using Twitter for business, and the ROI of social media. There is also a discount for Marketing Edge listeners, register for Business Smart Tools conference and in the promo code field use the word Blog for a 20 percent discount

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I spent most of the week in the New York metro area, first speaking on a panel on the issue of podcasting and blogging at the Business Smart Tools conference in Stamford, Conn., then reporting from the Streaming Media East conference in Manhattan.

Loathe the name podcasting, even though it is accepted as new word in the dictionary. Judging by some of the questions that are prevalent at these conferences, marketers may do well to not use words like “podcasting” when trying to present the idea to management.

The concept may better be positioned using terms like audio, radio, video, or something a bit more retro. I highlight some other ways to describe this wonderfully mislabeled medium in this podcast, er…Marketing Edge show.

I also spent some time at the Streaming Media East show, which was excellent. One of our clients unveiled a fun new presentation tool called Proclaim, which is one of the reasons that brought me to the show.

While there I listened to a great keynote from Martin Nisenholtz, senior VP of digital operations at the New York Times Company. He discussed how bloggers complement journalists, not replace them. Bloggers will continue to act as self-appointed watchdogs of the media, and as traditional journalists increasingly join the blogosphere, it becomes easier for the average Jane or Joe to become part of the news conversation.

Publications will continue to add more multimedia content to their Web sites. “All the news that’s fit to print” at the New York Times takes on a new meaning with the limitless space of Web site, and it also has a way to capture your heart. Check out the Manny Fernandez piece called “Johnny’s Cave.”

This piece shows how powerfully video can tell a story, and with a writer like Fernandez weaving the thread, it simply leaves you numb. This is journalism at its finest.

Sharing is good: It’s the only way to do it in this era of social media. Go ahead. Be social.

Here are links to the video services I mentioned in the podcast:
Brightcove
Feedroom
YouTube

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