Social Media Podcast Top 5 positions on iTunes

We are delighted with the progress we're making with the Social Media Podcast - today it rose from No.57 to No.5 in the Podcasting category.

The most recent podcast No.11 is a round-up of the year and some discussion about recent news stories like Telstra's commitment to Social Media and Pepsi's decision to put their $20 million Superbowl advertising budget into a Social Media campaign meaning they will not launch a new advert during the ball game for the first time in 23 years.

We round off the year with a look back at 2009 and a look forward to 2010 when we will continue the New Media Breakfast series as well as launching a new event in Inverness.

You can download all episodes of the podcast or subscribe here

Rounding off the year

Social Media Podcast No.11 is now available on iTunes. We chat about the hot stories this week in Social Media nad round up the year with a look at some of the work we've been doing and explore things like the "Book of the Year", Quote of the Year, Video of the Year and some other general ramblings.

You can search for "Social Media Podcast on iTunes or, link to it here.

Very encouraging story...

It's very encouraging to read stories like the recent post on Mashable about Telstra and their commitment to social media.

Telstra have recently announced mandatory social media training for its 40,000+ staff. They have formalized a '3R's' policy (responsibility, respect and representation) which will empower every member of staff online.

Furthermore, they are re-enforcing their commitment to transparency by announcing their intention to publish their training guides on line.

Well done Telstra.

If you look at the Mashable link you will also see that Pepsi have announced they are withdrawing from Superbowl advertising after 23 straight years. This is not a cost cutting exercise, they are spending the $20 million budget on a social media campaign instead. As reported on Mashable, "Rather than spending money on a Super Bowl ad, Pepsi will launch the Pepsi Refresh Project on January 13, 2010. At that time, users can submit their ideas to Pepsi for ways to refresh their communities, making the world a better place."

This is a major piece of news because Pepsi were one of the companies that made Superbowl adverts iconic in the past, their shift to social media speaks volumes about the changing nature of communication, advertising and engagement.