technology

For fifteen years I’ve provided research, evidence and carefully chosen words to anyone who would listen to describe the benefits of allowing interpersonal communication within a brand-space. We used to call that "social network theory" or "social engine theory". Over time, the 'social media' industry grew up around our voices (not loud enough to dominate it but still we prattled away).

Today, my agency and team operate as a very tiny part of a £Billion business based on the very same ideas; that conversations are a form of marketing, that the customer can be an ambassador and that brand choices are part of expressible identity.

The questions I’m asked each day remain essentially the same, although the vocabulary has changed a little. Ten years ago a major sports brand asked me "What will I do if the public are critical of our product in a forum we put our brand on", today they ask "What are the costs and risks of page moderation".

Are you planning an event during Social Media Week London this September (24th - 28th)?  Have you submitted it to the schedule yet? You need to make it quick, the event submission deadline is 21st August, just two weeks away!

Also, the SMWLDN Sept '12 Schedule goes live tonight, with our official London schedule launch tomorrow morning. 

Not to worry, we have all you need to know to submit your event below.

On the face of it, it's tough to draw parallels between one of Britain's oldest publishing business and small, fast-growing firms in the digital, or any other, industry sector. But there's some useful lessons to be learnt here that apply to any business, especially those based on intellectual property.

Last week, the folks at Fresh Minds invited me to a breakfast roundtable with guest speaker, Mark Anderson, President of Strategy for Pearson International who took us on a tour of Pearson International's journey from book publisher to one of the world's largest education providers.

With 180+ events taking place across London, it can sometimes be a little difficult to navigate and get between events. To aid this problem, this September we're introducing SMWLDN Hubs to London, where events topics and some of the best events will be grouped into venues during the week.

We're very excited to introduce five Hubs for this year's SMWLDN Sept '12 at some very cool venues, with more Hubs and their topics to be announced.

During Digital Shoreditch last May, Chinwag held a very successful Careers Day where employers such as Bloomberg, Mozilla Firefox, Financial Times, LBi, Unruly Media, Beyond, Yammer and more were able to meet top candidates and showcase their companies and vacancies.

On top of meeting fantastic brands and agencies, candidates were able to take advantage of a programme of advice sessions including CV Surgeries, Portfolio Reviews & Creativity Workshops.

The day was a huge hit with 23 brands exhibiting, 20 mentors, 100+ individual advice sessions, 120+ workshop delegates and 1000+ job seekers through the door. Check out the event highlights, top tips and advice from our mentors & sponsors here.

After recieving such great feedback during and after the event we decided that we'd love to do it all over again, and what better time than during this September's Social Media Week London.