FACEBOOK, July New Media Breakfast Glasgow and Edinburgh

8am on Friday 2nd JULY 2010 at No.29, Glasgow
8am on Thursday 15th JULY 2010 at The Tower Restaurant, Chambers Street, Edinburgh

USING FACEBOOK
Facebook is without doubt the largest and most popular social network with over 400 million users world wide, it's difficult to avoid it nowadays with such a large following of private and business users.

Are you getting the most from your Facebook activity? Is your Facebook set up properly for your business; should you use a Group, a Facebook Page, Facebook Causes or, your personal provile? How do you determine your privacy settings? These are all questions we will explore at the next New Media Breakfast.

FACEBOOK ADVERTISING
Facebook advertising is growing everyday in popularity and importance; Joel Lumsden, the tallest member of the Attacat Internet Marketing team will make a cameo appearance at this breakfast to talk about why this relatively new platform is generating such a buzz in the online marketing world. He’ll explain how it differs from conventional pay-per-click platforms such as Google AdWords, share examples and tips on how to achieve good returns, look at the incredible demographic profiling available to advertisers and generally give an impassioned call to action for businesses to take advantage of the window of opportunity that Facebook advertising represents.

BOOKING - GLASGOW, 2nd July
Early indications are that this will be an extremely popular subject so, please book now to ensure your place.

COMPLIMENTARY FOR 29 MEMBERS
This event is complimentary to 29 Members - If you are a member you should email Malcolm to reserve your place.

BOOKING - EDINBURGH, 15th July

Early indications are that this will be an extremely popular

subject so, please book now to ensure your place.

7 Days to go and things are getting delivered...

Only 7 days until the launch and we're starting to get "things" delivered to the office.  The latest delivery are some wonderful shirts for the launch night from NKD Clothing - who else would you possibly go to for your corporate branded clothing?

The NKD have advised, assisted, designed and delivered - it's so good to work with companies that do what they say they'll do - thank you Gill, Steph and the rest of the team.  And, thank you for your discretion and helping us to keep the name under wraps.

We will be doing a video about the whole process of choosing and designing the shirts but, Gill's off for a well deserved holiday so we'll get it finished when she gets back (Or, maybe she's leaving the country so she doesn't spill the beans about the new name!).

Social Media Podcast No.20 now available

In Edition No.20 we talk to Iain Murray and Shona Lyttel about Connected FM's commitment to social media as an integral part of their marketing and how their whole web presence revolves around transparency and engagement.  We also discuss the reasons for the forthcoming Podcastmatters name change on the 17th June.

Also mentioned: A rare Zappos mistake and how effectively they dealt with it, John McGuire and Phoenix Car Company's network site, the iPad, the sony Bloggie and Iain's usual gadget, App and software roundup.

We also talk briefly about the forthcoming New Media Breakfasts in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.  The Glasgow (4th June) and Edinburgh (10th June) breakfasts have Ben Rogers of Attacat presenting on Google Analytics and how to get actionable date from your stats.  The Abedeen breakfast (9th June) has two sessions with me discussing podcasting and how it might be useful for your business and, Tim Barlow form Attacat will discuss Search Engine optimisation and pay-per-click advertising.  Tim has already presented this topic at previous Glasgow and Edinburgh breakfasts and everyone found it to be an extremely useful insight into the importance of search and how it works.

You can find full details on all the breakfast events and booking details here.

You can download the Social Media Podcast from iTunes by clicking here.

New Media Breakfasts in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen

We are delighted to confirm the dates and topics for the next New Media Breakfasts in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.  Firstly the dates and venues:





Glasgow - 4th June, 8am at No.29 Members Club, Royal Exchange Square Glasgow
Edinburgh - 10th June 8am at The Tower Restaurant, Chambers Street, Edinburgh
Aberdeen - 9th June venue to be confirmed

The topic for the Glasgow and Edinburgh breakfasts will be:

Actionable Insights with Google Analytics
Google Analytics is the most widely used website statistical service with over 50% of the top 100,000 websites having installed it. At this breakfast we’ll be trying to ignore the technical aspects of installing & setting up Google Analytics and instead look in detail at some of the reports available and the insights you can take from these.

The breakfast will look at the following:
· Importance of setting KPIs
· Tagging & segmenting different traffic sources
· Identifying weak & strong pages within your site
· The dangers of averages!
· What visitor information can tell you
· Optimising online & offline advertising

If anyone would be willing to share their Google Analytics data in a live demonstration during the breakfast please contact the speaker directly.

About the speaker:

Ben Rogers is a Director of Attacat Internet Marketing, the Edinburgh-based search engine and internet marketing firm.

Ben joined Attacat in 2008 with a strong technical background, having studied Computing Science at Aberdeen University. His passion for stats makes Ben a natural when it comes to analytics; he even passed the Google Analytics exam within 3 hours of it being launched, making him one of the first 100 people in the world to gain the Google Analytics Individual Qualification.

Ben has a proven track record of finding unique solutions with Analytics as well as improving website performances through clever use of data. He has also held numerous Google Analytics seminars and training sessions, whether it be a general session for beginners or a bespoke solution for individual companies.

Ben Rogers on LinkedIn
Ben Rogers on Twitter
Ben Rogers on the Attacat Website

Click here to book the Glasgow New Media Breakfast

COMPLIMENTARY FOR 29 MEMBERS
This event is complimentary to 29 Members - If you are a member you should email Malcolm to reserve your place.

Click here to book the Edinburgh New Media Breakfast


ABERDEEN BREAKFAST 9th June

1st Session
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION AND PAY PER CLICK MARKETING
Presented by Tim Barlow, Attacat Ltd

Search engine optimisation and pay per click marketing may be grabbing less headlines in the internet marketing world these days. However, they are still very relevant for businesses and gaining in relevance all the time. Search needs to be an integral part of any online marketing plan.

We'll examine the various different elements that make up the Google search experience and how businesses should go about seeking to appear in each different type of listing including:

• Sponsored links
• Regular "natural" results
• Maps/Local
• Shopping Results
• Video

We'll also examine some of the current trends towards more personalised results and social search.

About the speaker:
Tim Barlow is the managing director of Attacat, the Edinburgh-based search engine and internet marketing firm. Tim has been involved in search engine promotion since 1999 when he managed the first Innogy website for National Power. In 2001, Tim launched Pastures-New, one of the UK's leading rental portals, gaining similar levels of traffic with a marketing budget of £100 a month as Rightmove were then achieving with a multi million pound TV campaign.

Attacat was set up in 1994 to take advantage of Tim's knowledge. Self-taught in the art of search engine optimisation and internet marketing (there simply weren't formal courses in those days),

Tim passionately believes that good SEO is not rocket science or a black art but simply the result of effective online marketing and web design.

This approach has been proven time and again by Tim and his team achieving long lasting high ranks on competitive one and two word phrases for clients in a variety of fields. Pay per click (such as Google AdWords) has been a long time specialism of Tim and Attacat. Indeed Tim was one of the very first Qualified Google Advertising Professionals in the world and Attacat has held the company version of the qualification since its inception. Attacat use pay per click (PPC) to drive £10s of millions of business for a variety of clients from classic e-commerce sites to B2B businesses in niches you probably never knew existed.

Tim speaks regularly at Chamber of Commerce events.

2nd Session
CAN PODCASTING HELP YOR BUSINESS?
Presented by Gordon White, Podcastmatters Ltd

Podcasts are among the most intimate forms of communication. They offer the opportunity for you to talk directly in the ear of someone who has chosen to listen to your content. At this breakfast we will look at the various different types of podcasts and the tools trequired to make your own podcasts.

We will also have the new Apple iPad on display and we'll show you how that can be used to make audio podcasts. You will also get the opportunity to try it for yourself during the meeting.

This session will look at the following:

• What is a podcast?
• What is RSS and how does it work?
• Different types of podcast content
• Audio and Video Podcasts - what are they?
• Different ways to make a podcast - Agency and in-house
• How it can help your business
• What does it cost?
• How long does it take?

We'll also look at some of the companies using podcasts and how they use them as an effective internal or promotional communication tool.

Organisers:
The New Media Breakfast will be run by Podcastmatters Ltd, a leading new media company involved in Audio and Video podcast production, Niche Network creation and new media consulting for a wide range of organisations across many industry sectors.

Cost:
We are applying a nominal £25 charge for attendance and any profits from this event will be donated to CLAN (Cancer Link Aberdeen and North).

More Information:
For any further information please email Nicki Murray or telephone 01224 701383.

Timetable for the Event:
07.00 Tea/Coffee on Arrival
07.30 Search Engine Optimisation and Pay Per Click Marketing
08.15 Tea/Coffee/Bacon Rolls and Networking
08.45 Can Podcasting Help Your Business?
09.30 Questions & Answers
10.00 Close

Click here to book the Aberdeen New Media Breakfast

Social Media Podcast No.18 - The Digital Economy Act

The Digital Economy Act went through parliament under the "was up" procedure - in this episode we speak to Valerie Surgenor, IT Lawyer with Macroberts who explains the "wash up" procedure and some of the key aspects of the Digital Economy Act. Valerie explains where she forsees issues with the act and explains a little about the procedure for making future amendments.
Listen to the podcast
Subscribe to the Social Media Podcast
Download the iPhone App

Can podcasting work for you?

Podcasting is something everyone can do; no need for expensive equipment or dedicated facilities, podcasting is now within the capabilities of anyone with a newish computer or even a 3G mobile device.  But, why should you podcast?  Will it work for you?  What kind of podcast should you do?  If you want the answers to these questions and more, take my advice and go along to one, or both, of the podcasting events taking place in Glasgow in the next couple of weeks.

The first of these is this Wednesday at the Scottish Social Media Dinner at the Urban Grill & Brasserie from 6.30pm.  There will be three very interesting speakers and many people (some expert, some beginners, some just wanting to find out more) at the dinner and, no matter what your current knowledge, there will be something of interest to you.  

Full details of the Scottish Social Media Dinner and booking information are on Craig McGill's Contently Managed blog.  Alternatively, you can book your place here.

The second podcasting event this month is at the Glasgow New Media Breakfast at No.29 on 30th April.  The breakfast meeting will explore why you might consider podcasting and different styles you might employ.  In addition, it will look at the equipment you can use (and most probably have already), where to publish your content, how to promote your show and the cost involved.

Full details of the New Media Breakfast and booking details are available here.  Alternatively you can go directly to the booking page here.

If you’re interested in finding out about podcasting, go along to at least one of these events and talk to some people who are already doing it and, who are happy to help with your questions.  Personally, I would recommend going to both and really get a cross section of views.

Neither of these events is for profit; both have been organised to help you understand podcasting and help you to make up your own mind if it can help your business.

The iPad - Two weeks on...

We've been using the iPad for two weeks now and, if you listened to the Social Media Podcast review, you'll know that we concluded that it was a very cool and beautifully designed toy.  We have shown it to many people now and most feel the same way - whether it's useful or not people still want one.

Well that was then.  We used the iPad in a client meeting on Wednesday and suddenly we realised it is the most remarkable tool for presentations, especially if it's a web based topic you're talking about.  The ability to pass the iPad to the client, the ability to find a web site and flip it over to show the client and, the speed at which it works makes it a truly fantastic meeting room device.  No need to get the laptop screen at the right angle for someone else to view and no need to huddle round the screen, it was a genuine eye opener.

Battery life is amazing and it makes you wonder why the iPhone is so bad.  After a one hour meeting and constant use the battery was still 92%.   The iPad doesn't seem to heat up either, maybe someone can explain why that is?

We weren't looking to justify the purchase price but, it's nice when suddenly something you were happy to own as a gadget becomes a truly useful and impressive work tool.

What you need to know about Podcasting & try the Apple iPad

GLASGOW NEW MEDIA BREAKFAST
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PODCASTING and TRY THE NEW APPLE iPAD
8am on 30th APRIL 2010 at No.29, Glasgow

Podcasts are one of the most intimate forms of communication, they offer the opportunity for you to talk dirctly in the ear of someone who has chosen to listen to your content. At this breakfast we will look at the various different types of podcast such as Audio, Enhanced Audio and Video and, time permitting, we will attempt to make a podcast during the breakfast featuring interviews with some of the attendees.

We will also have the new Apple iPad on display and you will get the opportunity to try it for yourself during the meeting.

The breakfast will look at the following:

• What is a podcast?
• What is RSS and how does it work?
• Different types of podcast content
• Audio, Enhanced and Video Podcasts - what are they?
• Different ways to make a podcast - Agency and in-house
• What does it cost?
• How long does it take?

We'll also look at some of the companies that are using podcasts and what they do with them

About the speaker:
This breakfast will be presented by the Podcastmatters team

The New Media Breakfast Glasgow is on the 30th April at No.29, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow. You can book your place below.

COMPLIMENTARY FOR 29 MEMBERS 
This event is complimentary to 29 Members - If you are a member you should email Malcolm to reserve your place.

COMPLIMENTARY FOR 29 MEMBERS
This event is complimentary to 29 Members - If you are a member you should email Malcolm to reserve your place.

I look forward to seeing you on the 30th.

My new iPad

This is the first blog post made from my new iPad and what a lovely thing it is. We are doing a review of the iPad in our next Social Media Podcast to be recorded on Tuesday afternoon and we are looking for one more member of our review panel for the recording. If you would like to take part, please email me to say you are interested.

The podcast will probably be recorded late afternoon or early evening.

That's all for now, I'm off to explore what else it can do.

Want to know the truth about Search Optimisation?

I had a very pleasant lunch yesterday with Tim Barlow and some of the team at Attacat, a great bunch with lots of knowledge, expertise, and enthusiasm. Naturally, the conversation was focused around social media and search optimisation and it occurred to me that perhaps companies could be so wrapped up in adopting new 'sexy' social media tools that they forget about search optimisation.

Search is still the primary method by which someone will find your web site and it shouldn't be overlooked. In fact, you could argue that it is more important than ever; the increase in businesses using social media platforms in addition to their tradition web site could mean it's getting more difficult to be noticed on search engines.

I also think it's a particular area of new media that gets a bad name; everyday I get emails promising me a No.1 listing on Google, how can they possibly promise this? People ask many questions about search optimisation:

• What do search optmisation companies actually do?
• Why do I have to keep optimising my site?
• Can anyone guarantee a No.1 listing?
• How do I decide what to spend on search optimisation?
• Can I do it myself or should I use an agency?

Hopefully we can answer some of these questions for you; Tim Barlow is the next New Media Breakfast speaker, on 26th March in Glasgow and the 15th April in Edinburgh. Tim will give a completely honest and open presentation about search optimisation and, you will have the opportunity to ask him these and any other questions about search optimisation and pay-per-click advertising.

If you would like to attend the New Media Breakfast in Glasgow or Edinburgh please select one of the links below to see full details and booking arrangements

GLASGOW EVENT

EDINBURGH EVENT

Social Media Podcast No.16 with Paul Levinson

Social Media Podcast No.16 is now available on iTunes.  In this episode we chat with Paul Levinson, Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Fordham University in New York and author of New New Media and 15 other books.

During the discussion we chat about his book, New New Media, social media in politics, China, Amazon, YouTube debates, Gordon Brown and David Cameron, blocking access in the workplace and other new media related subjects.

As you will hear, Paul loves to talk and his passion for new media and writing is evident throughout the conversation, I hope you enjoy listening to him as much as I enjoyed chatting to him.

By 2013 mobile devices will be the most popular method to access the web.

I've just been corrected by our speaker on Friday, Iain Murray, that mobile devices will become the favoured access method to the internet by 2013 (How quickly things change in Social Media). So, I have decided to repose this blog with the correct heading.


Find out about social media on the move at the New Media Breakfast in Glasgow on the 26th February with Iain Murray for Chardfm and the Podcastmatters team. For full venue, programme and booking details please link here

By 2014 mobile devices will be the most popular access for the internet

Find out about social media on the move at the New Media Breakfast in Glasgow on the 26th February with Iain Murray for Chardfm and the Podcastmatters team.

For full venue, programme and booking details please link here

NEW MEDIA BREAKFAST INVERNESS

We are pleased to announce, due to numerous requests, we have scheduled our first New Media Breakfast in Inverness on the 18th February at the Kingsmills Hotel in association with Empire HR.

You can see full venue, programme and booking details here

News about Edinburgh Breakfast:
We have also posted details of the Re-Launch of the New Media Breakfast in Edinburgh in association with Winning Entrepreneurs. You can see full venue, programme and booking details here

Looking forward to a good discussion...

With 83 people pre-booked for the New Media Breakfast at 8am in 29, Glasgow, we're looking forward to some interesting discussion about Social Media in the workplace.

We've got representatives from over 60 organisations and a wide variety of market sectors so hopefully we'll get a real cross section of views.

Watch out for our report and social media podcast.

We've got our own iPhone App!

Podcastmatters now has an iPhone App called "Podcastmatters" (lots of thought went into that). with the App installed you can access the Social Media Podcast directly from your iPhone.  You can also read the show notes for each podcast and share an episode with your Facebook friends.

I created the App in iSites which is a new site that allows you to create you App for $25; you create all the graphics and links and they take care of the iTunes submission for you - it's all very simple.

The company has been inundated with applications, so much so that they sent me an email yesterday saying they intended to batch all the orders and submit 75-100 Apps each day to iTunes.  They also said they have stopped taking payments until they clear the current backlog. I thought I might have to wait a while for the App but this morning I noticed two mentions of our new App on a Google Alert for Podcastmatters - I clicked the link and there it was.

It works extremely well and, not that we've got it listed, we can start to tweek it and improve it.   I have already noticed that the iTunes Store graphic is too small so I've changed it and uploaded a new graphic - it will be interesting to see how long that takes to filter through.

Social Media Podcast No.13 - We are currently at No.2 on iTunes

We released Edition No.13 of the Social Media Podcast on Thursday and it's now at No.2 in the Audio Podcasting section in the Podcast Category. Download it to find out what we did in a car park in Inverurie and what happened to Evan Ratliff...you could just help us to that No.1 spot AGAIN!

Download the podcast on iTunes Click Here

Social Media Podcast No.13 - What we did in a car park in Inverurie!

In this episode we discuss the Wired Magazine article - Vanish. Evan Ratliff tried to disappear for a month, did he conduct a realistic exercise. Can you disappear and maintain a social media profile? Read the article in Wired

We talk to Eddie Gilmour, MD of Spymasters about the exercise and your digital footprint

We also talk about Bakupify which offers a back-up service for all your social media activity

What we got up to in a car park in Inverurie with a cow!

Beans on Toast - We review the Red Laser iPhone App

We also review a couple of other iPhone Apps - AudioBoo and Four Square

Although, we may have referred to Four Square as SquareSpace in the podcast which is something completely different! We will address this in the next podcast (I blame Kyle!)

New Media Breakfast 29th January - Social Media in the Work Place

New Media Breakfast Glasgow 29th January

SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE WORKPLACE

Exploring the issues surrounding employee access and the use of social media as a communication tool.

We have been asked on numerous occasions in the latter part of 2009, and already in 2010, about allowing employees access to social networks at work; should they encourage employees to use social networking in connection with their business and, what are the potential pitfalls if they do?

There is no right or wrong answer to this; many factors will influence whether or not it is right for your business.  With this in mind, the next New Media Breakfast will explore the topic in order to help you make a more informed decision about allowing access and the use of social media in your business.

The meeting will be an open discussion with two or three very short presentations designed to help the process.  We are still formalising the exact content of each presentation however, we will structure them to help cover the following issues:

• Does enabling social networks in the workplace adversely affect productivity?

• What are the options if I do allow staff to use social networks?

• Are guidelines available?

• What are other organisations doing?

• What are the potential risks and rewards?

• Will it fit with other marketing activities?

• What does it cost?

• What are the common mistakes?

• Can you keep your brand off social media?

We don’t particularly want to focus too much on actual social media tools, they will change; this discussion is more about the principle of adopting social media as a communication tool.

There is little doubt you will continue to hear about social media in 2010 and you will probably be asking if, and when, it is right for your business; hopefully this New Media Breakfast will help you to focus on the issues you need to consider to make the right decision.

So, if you would like to be part of the discussion or, you simply want to hear what others think, come along on the 29^th to No. 29, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow.  We would like to see you there and we look forward to finding out the thoughts of business leaders, charitable organisations and the public sector about this extremely important issue.

To book your place click here and follow the payment details at the bottom of the page.

No.29 Members

If you are a 29 Member please email Malcolm with your name, company name and 29 membership number.

Forget No.5 we're No.1 now!

Thank you to everyone that downloaded or subscribed to the Social Media Podcast, We're No.1 in the Podcasting Section for Audio Podcasts this morning and, No.4 in the combined Audio and Video Podcasting Charts.

Gary Dixon, Spectrum Personnel asked me this morning why the podcast was doing so well; I said to him that, whilst word-of-mouth plays large part in these things, it is the extent and reach of our social media footprint that gets the word out there in the first place. When we released this podcast we promoted it on several platforms some of which are listed below:

• Podcastmatters Blog
• Podcastmatters Social Network
• Podcastmatters Twitter
• Gordon White's personal Twitter
• Design Matters Twitter
• Kyle Murdoch's Twitter
• New Media Breakfast Twitter
• Facebook
• Social Media Group on Spectrum Social Network
• New Media Update Group on Engage (Entrepreneurial Exchange's online network)
• Social Media Podcast Group on Podcastmatters Network
• Linked-In

These were the main outlets however, there are other networks that our updates post to via Ping.fm and FriendFeed

This highlights the benefits of a good social media presence. It is also worth noting that we didn't create this presence yesterday - it has taken a long time and we will continue to develop our community and take advantage of all new opportunities. New Year is traditionally a time to reflect on where you are and plan for the future, you should be looking at how you can create your on-line community during 2010, believe me, it's worth it.

If you want to download or subscribe to the Social Media Podcast please click here