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In December, Time Magazine named The Protester its Person of the Year. This month, a new protest has surpassed Occupy Wall Street (OWS) in online conversations. You won’t find this battle being waged on Main Street or the streets of Manhattan. This protest is taking place on the information highway—and it’s proving that the virtual battleground may be just as powerful.

The Stop Online Online Piracy Act (SOPA) has created an uproar online, squeaking past OWS by 4% in social conversations during the past month. As we move closer to the Reddit blackout in opposition of SOPA, we took a look at what’s driving these conversations.

It’s all in how you tweet it.

Can a Twitter boost save your business? Maybe not, but it certainly couldn’t hurt. Most people have a misconception about the relationship between Twitter followers and success. Your company may be a worldwide brand but its Twitter account only has a few hundred followers. While the number of followers a Twitter account boasts is not necessarily related to the quality of the product, it does say something about the commitment to social media integration. And, let’s face it, social media is key to any current marketing strategy.

So how do you put yourself out there?

Search for Twitter accounts relevant to (or not) your field of business that have a successful Twitter following. Don’t take this too literally. If you are a local t-shirt manufacturer, you don’t need to seek out the Fortune 500 t-shirt company’s twitter account, but you may want to research other local, successful textile manufacturers and connect with them. You can search accounts by interest, so jot down a list of keywords that tie into your product. Also, remember that Twitter can be a great platform for business opportunities, so, in the case of the local t-shirt manufacturer, think about following the Twitter accounts of larger retail outlets where you could potentially display your product.

Consider the celebrity endorsement. Celebrity is a relative term. You may not have the pull to get Hugh Jackman to model your t-shirt via Twitpic, but what about the hometown hero that could put you on the map? “Celebrities,” of both local and international fame, usually have a significant amount of Twitter followers, so the potential reach of that one tweet is an important factor. If you don’t have the connections to seek out the big dogs (like Hugh Jackman), then there are plenty of outlets like SponsoredTweets and Adly that will hook you up with an endorsement. Just be prepared to shell out some cash.

Stay connected and observe. As with all things, trends on Twitter are constantly changing. There are currently over 100 million active users and Twitter reported in March 2011 that it receives an average of 460,000 new accounts per day. Recently, Twitter launched Twitter Stories, a collection of stories about people who used Twitter and saw radical change through their communication efforts. Take a look. You just might get inspired to fire up your account.

Major thanks to our newest team member, Edwin Colmenares, for pulling together this list of upcoming social media conferences.

Social Media World Forum
Summary: Social Media World Forum is an interactive and engaging conference where you can learn new ways to integrate social media into marketing plans, use social media for brand building, and attend various panel discussion/workshops.

• When: November 1 & 2, 2011
• Where: Javits Centre, NY
• Website: http://www.socialmedia-forum.com/northamerica

Social CRM 2011
Summary: Social CRM is one-day conference that will be fully interactive with presentations to discuss ways organizations integrate social media into sales, marketing, research, strategy-making and customer communications.

• When: November 3, 2011
• Where: New York, NY
• Website: http://www.oursocialtimes.com/socialcrmnewyork

Blog World & New Media Expo
Summary: Learn how to create better content, grow your brand, audience and revenue online from the world’s most successful New Media experts & Social Media innovators like Peter Shankman, Guy Kawasaki and more.

• When: November 3-5, 2011
• Where: Los Angeles Convention Center
• Website: http://www.blogworldexpo.com

Mashable Media Summit
Summary: The Mashable Media Summit is targeted toward professionals in digital, tech, advertising, sales, marketing, mobile, and publishing in order to learn from industry leaders. Speakers will discuss how media organizations, journalism professionals and the advertising industry are seizing the opportunities created by the innovations and innovators in the space

• When: November 4, 2011
• Where: New York, NY
• Website: http://mashable.com/media-summit

PubCon 2011
Summary: PubCon is a search and social media conference that will look at the future of technology and location-aware services such as Twitter, Foursquare, and Gowalla. It includes a search and social media training day, keynote from Leo Laporte and SEO managers from CNN, The Wall Street Journal and Disney. PubCon is also used as a launching ground for many new products.

• When: November 7-10, 2011
• Where: Las Vegas Convention Center
• Website: http://www.pubcon.com/pubcon-vegas-2011

Social Media Makeover Forum
Summary: Social Media Makeover Forum is a half-day forum for small and mid-sized businesses to learn about implementing social media engagement strategy and a chance to talk to experts about which metrics to use for measurements impacts, set realistic expectations of social media and more. It is a way to revamp your current social media strategy.

• When: November 8, 2011
• Where: Atlanta, GA
• Website: http://www.listeninteractive.com/social-media-makeover/

LATISM National Conference
Summary: This is a Latino-focused social media conference that focuses on the use of social media to amplify the impact of public service in Latino communities. This year is the first time that the conference is fully bilingual in Spanish and English.

• When: November 9 & 10, 2011
• Where: Chicago
• Website: http://conference.latism.org

PR News’ Twitter Conference
Summary: PR News’ Twitter Conference is a twitter-focused conference for communication professionals. It is a one-day conference on how to make PR professionals the main Twitter strategists for their organization where they can learn how to get the right people to follow your brand, measuring twitter activities and when to use hashtags.

• When: November 10, 2011
• Where: The Wynn, Las Vegas
• Website: http://www.prnewsonline.com/conferences/twitterconference-nov2011.html

GeekEND
Summary: This is a place where the brightest geeks, designers, artists, social media mavericks and forward thinking entrepreneurs are brought together to discuss and share knowledge on social media and the future.

• When: November 10-12, 2011
• Where: Savannah, GA
• Website: http://geek-end.com

SES Chicago
Summary: The leading search and social marketing event where professional can learn new methods of link building, track and maximize ROI using free and paid analytics software as well as workshops and an expo floor.

• When: November 14-18, 2011
• Where: Hyatt Regency, Chicago
• Website: http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/chicago

Social Media Plus: A web 2.0 Business Summit
Summary: Social Media Plus is the Mid-Atlantic region’s largest business summit for professionals interested in learning about the latest in Social Media and web 2.0 technologies.

• When: November 15 & 16, 2011
• Where: Philadelphia, PA
• Website: http://socialmediaplus.com

SMX Social Media Marketing
Summary: SMX Social Media Marketingis a two-day conference held in an intimate retreat-like environment to learn new techniques to drive site traffic, increase conversations about your brand and harness the power of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube and many more.

• When: December 5 & 6, 2011
• Where: Scottsdale, AZ
• Website: http://searchmarketingexpo.com/socialmediamarketing

Social Media Conference
Summary: Social Media Conference is the industry’s largest event that investigates social media to improve on strategic communication strategies for government and corporations. The conference consists of morning seminars and lectures followed by afternoon workshops.

• When: January 23-30, 2011
• Where: Miami, FL
• Website: http://www.socialmediaconference.com

Have another conference to share? Let us know, and we’ll add it to the list.

There’s a dirty little secret that most social media aggregators and analytics companies don’t want you to know. The data they’re providing you? It’s bad. It’s riddled with irrelevant content and affiliate spam—sites that are set up to earn money through Amazon by automatically generating (usually irrelevant) content.

And that automated sentiment? It’s also bad. Most aggregators rate sentiment based on a preset list of words and symbols that are automatically affiliated with negativity or positivity. Most claim about 60% accuracy (a D rating by most standards). Here are some fun examples from this week:

“Negative” posts, according to automated sentiment  (I didn’t have to dig very deep for these. All of these examples were found within the first 25 of more than 23,000 posts that were listed as negative):

• @netflix not sure what everyone is crying about. thanks for all these years of great service.
• Imagine if @Netflix and Qwikster combined services… unlimited DVD rentals and streaming. Now THAT would be awesome.
• layin watchin desperate housewives on netflix.

“Positive” posts, according to automated sentiment (note words like “funny,” “love” and “hilarious”—all words that may typically be associated with positive thoughts)

• Heh. RT @jeffhaywood Funny people having fun at Netflix’s expense: Insane follow-up emails from the CEO of Netflix: bit.ly/oTtNfT
• Dear Netflix, we’re offering special prices & 30-day trials of Blockbuster Total Access to your members #helloBlockbuster http://essn.tl/q8
• Dear Netflix, *Phew* thanks for saving us from bankruptcy. Love, Blockbuster
• That letter from the Netflix owner was hilarious. Who is he kidding? Won’t see part of my paycheck again

So how do we make this data better? The good news is, despite the junk, the good stuff is still in there to be uncovered. It’s just going to take a little more work. Yes, this is where I remind you that it’s absolutely necessary to have human intervention to clean up your data. Whether it’s monitoring for opportunities and threats or uncovering relevant insights and measurement points, no automated process can beat a process that includes human touch.

Can we help? Set up a half hour call to walk us through your current challenges.

Netflix has been front-page tech news over the last few months with the announcement of pricing changes and now the spinoff of Qwikster, their new DVD/video game arm. We thought we’d take a qwick qwik quick look at the basic numbers from the latest announcement to see how it all panned out.

Over the years, countless new terms have become a part of the social media marketing language. When working with marketers and analysts, there’s a fair amount of jargon to keep up with. You don’t need to carry around a glossary, but familiarize yourself with the items below in order to better understand the vast world of social media and how it’s affecting not just your business, but online conversations as a whole.

• Hashtag: The hashtag was invented in 2007 to make it easier for group members attending particular events to find each other through search. For example, do a search for #barcamp or #sxsw, and you’ll find an instant community discussing the events. The hashtag has since been adopted by the wider Twitter community, and is often associated with jokes and pop culture references (e.g. #tgif and #nowplaying).
• Incoming Tweets: The number of incoming tweets a website or page receives is the number of times its URL has been linked within a tweet. This can be tracked through tools such as backtweets.com and convotrack.com. Blogs will often display the number of incoming tweets through tools such as the Topsy Retweet Button or Retweeters.
• Retweet: Twitter users can “retweet” or share a tweet originally published by another user. You’ll know it’s a retweet if you see the abbreviation “RT” in front of the post. Retweets are often used by social media analysts to measure trend growth and popularity.
• Like: Facebook users can now “like” content outside of Facebook and share it with their friends. Sites will often display the numbers of “likes” to particular content through plugins such as Facebook Like Button and Facebook Like .
• Feed: A feed is a data format that allows an audience to subscribe to frequently updated content (blogs, podcasts, etc.). Social media aggregators are able to retrieve online conversations and pull them into their own tools through these feeds.
• Hits: The number of hits a website receives is the measurement of the number of times a website is accessed. Hits can be broken down by time and other factors that help determine the strengths and weaknesses of a website. The number of hits is often the primary data used to gain site advertisers.
• Influencer: An influencer of online conversation for a particular brand or organization is related to the exposure of that brand or organization through popular websites, Twitter and Facebook accounts, forums or blogs. Influencers tend to be somewhat subjective, depending on the variables that a particular brand uses to measure by (unique readers, retweets, incoming links, comments, direct sales driven, etc.).
• Diggs/Up-votes: Similar to a Facebook “like,” a “digg” is a vote given to online content on the social news site, Digg.com. The more diggs, or votes, a post has, the higher it rises on the site, and the more attention it is given to the Digg audience. This community voting model has since been used on other popular sites like Reddit and Newsvine.
• Meme: A meme usually refers to online content that has suddenly gone viral (meaning its circulation has skyrocketed); memes tend to be short-lived, as they are quickly usurped by new memes .
• SEO: Search Engine Optimization is the process of improving the presence of a website in search engine results (e.g. Google, Yahoo, Bing). SEO can be broken down into many categories, but they all involve adjusting the language, features or code of a site in order to optimize visibility.

Social Media is constantly evolving. Therefore, it’s important to keep up with the trends. One of the best ways to explore the latest initiatives in social media marketing, design, and branding is to attend social media conferences and seminars. Below is a brief list of upcoming events around the country.

ARF’s Social Media Bootcamp: Social Media For Research and Marketing
When: October 27, 2010
Where: New York, NY

The Advertising Research Foundation’s Social Media Bootcamp is a half-day workshop that demonstrates how to best execute effective social media strategies across an organization.

Forrester’s Consumer Forum
When: October 28-29, 2010
Where: Chicago, IL

The key to successful marketing campaigns is knowing your audience. As consumers spend more time online in social media outlets, industries are starting to focus advertising efforts in arenas like Facebook and Twitter. This 2-day forum will discuss how to increase your business by getting in touch with social media marketing.

Monitoring Social Media
When: November 4-5, 2010
Where: New York, NY

This two-day seminar will feature PR and Marketing experts’ take on how best to monitor social media. Participants have the opportunity to hear speakers from Radian 6, Influence People, Brandwatch, and other prominent media organizations.

Small Business Technology Tour
When: November 9, 2010
Where: Atlanta, GA

If you’re a small business owner who is eager to utilize social media and other technological strategies in your marketing and advertising campaigns, check out the Small Business Technology Tour. This one-day seminar is specifically designed to educate small business owners on the latest and most effective e-marketing trends.

BlogWell
When: November 9, 2010
Where: Philadelphia, PA

BlogWell takes a look at a social media marketing for larger brands. Explore case studies on e-marketing efforts by companies like Johnson & Johnson™, Hershey’s™, and Scholastic™, and listen to advice from experts on how to improve your social media marketing efforts.

Social Media Bootcamp for CEOs
When: November 17-18
Where: Houston, TX

The Advertising Research Foundation’s Social Media Bootcamp for CEOs is a 2-day workshop that demonstrates how to best execute effective social media strategies across an organization from a CEO standpoint.

TWTRCON SF 2010
When: November 18, 2010
Where: San Francisco, CA

If Twitter plays a big role in your business, or if you’re curious as to how real-time technology can be used to amp up your marketing campaign, check out TWTRCON SF 2010.

unGeeked
When: December 2-4, 2010
Where: San Francisco, CA

This 3-day conference focuses solely on social media, marketing, and branding. The event features 11 speakers and uses a more participatory approach for its sessions.

Social IRL: Social Media Marketing Boot Camp with Sarah Evans
When: December 9, 2010
Where: Springfield, MO

Learn how to integrate social media tools into your traditional marketing approach. Sarah Evans, a respected PR consultant and blogger, will teach you the tricks of the trade in this one-day seminar.

2011 Washington Nonprofit Conference | Direct Marketing Association
When: February 17-18, 2011
Where: Washington, DC

This 2-day event is designed specifically for the non-profit sector. Learn how to use social media to your organization’s advantage in order to boost awareness and fund-raising efforts.

SXSW 2011
When: March 11-15, 2011
Where: Austin, TX

South By Southwest (SXSW) is known for its music festival, but its interactive conference offers multiple sessions on social media marketing and other seminars to boost your technological creativity. Register early to receive conference discounts.

SOBCon
When: April 28 – May 2, 2011
Where: Chicago, IL

The “SOB” in SOBCon stands for “Successful Online Business.” This 5-day event features seminars on best business practices for the online world and includes a heavy emphasis on e-marketing. This is a pricey event, so considering registering early (by December 16th) to save $200.

BrandsConf: Exploring the Humanization of Brands
When: December 2, 2010
Where: New York, NY

BrandsConf takes a look at the evolution of branding, what branding means in today’s real-time atmosphere, and the essential human voice that makes successful brands successful. Hear from the experts on how to take your brand to the next level.

PodCamp
When: See link for a list of upcoming dates
Where: See link for a list of upcoming locations

PodCamp explores all things new media with an emphasis on podcasting, social media and networking, video (i.e. YouTube) and blogging. PodCamp is conducted in bar-camp style (an open, ad-hoc gathering) with multiple sessions that you can actually sign up to lead yourself. These events are usually free or under $5 (unless you want a t-shirt). Upcoming locations include Topeka, KS (November 6, 2010), Phoenix (November 20-21, 2010), Cleveland (2011), and Cincinnati (2011).

Ad:tech
When: See link for a list of upcoming dates
Where: See link for a list of upcoming locations

Ad:tech is a global conference and exhibition that focuses on the latest trends in advertising technology. Attend key-note speaker sessions and visit the exhibition to check out cutting edge branding initiatives. Upcoming Ad:tech events within the United States include New York (November 3-4, 2010) and San Francisco (April 11-13, 2011).

I had the pleasure of attending Advertising Week DC last week, and I found that a few key themes kept popping up throughout the week. Thanks to everyone who worked hard to put the event on.

We’re in a new age of consumer research

From secure communities like Communispace to the open online conversation insights that we pull together here at Loudpixel, the way we seek out consumer and competitive insights has changed drastically over the past five years. More marketers are starting to see the direct returns from uncovering these insights—both in product and communications development.

The lines between advertising and PR continue to become more blurred

I found it fascinating that Arnold Worldwide’s Roger Baldacci brought up Gatorade Replay as an example of the new age of advertising. As someone with a public relations background, I know that this initiative could have just as easily fallen under the PR hat. There is certainly increased crossover with earned and paid media, particularly in the digital space, and we’re going to have to learn how to work together effectively.

Consumers want to be heard, but they still don’t expect it

While many consumers are out there talking about brands and people online, most are still somewhat shocked to hear from company representatives personally. For this reason, companies that do respond have an upper hand. Think about it—it’s easy to complain about someone behind their back, but it requires much more thought to give feedback directly to a person who wants to hear what you have to say.

I’m spending the week in Michigan with family, and I’m finding that my parents and friends have a difficult time understand what exactly I do for a living as an online conversation analyst (or what anyone in public relations or marketing does these days, really). Conversation monitoring and analysis is certainly a new concept to most, since this is a career path that didn’t exist just a few short years ago. Beyond that, the job can be fairly complicated to describe. It’s not as simple as saying, “I’m a doctor,” or even, “You know that show, Mad Men? Yes, it’s sort of like that.”

So here is my attempt to describe, in the simplest way possible, what it is that a conversation analyst aims to accomplish.

Conversation monitoring is like an insurance policy for brands.

The thing is, you never know when something is going to blow up online and cause an outrage among your customers or potential customers. The last thing a brand wants is to be the target of an outrage without knowing until it’s too late. As a brand manager, it’s nice to have the “insurance policy” of knowing that someone is keeping a regular eye on these trends to make sure you don’t become the next Motrin, Dominos, Pantene, Nestle or Maytag.

Conversation monitoring is the new customer service.

It’s fairly common these days for consumers to blast questions and complaints to their social connections online rather than picking up the phone or submitting the issues directly to the company. This could be anything from product quality issues or trouble locating products to complaints about discontinued or updated products.

Conversation analysis is like an open focus group.

When brands launch new products or campaigns, it doesn’t make sense for them to throw their messages out there without having a plan in place to gauge consumer responses. Online conversation analysis offers the ability to gain an immediate understanding of how consumers are reacting to the brand. This might influence anything from whether an advertisement continues to run to whether the ingredients or design of a particular product need to be reevaluated to make improvements.

Hope this makes things a bit more clear. Feel free to add your thoughts around the definition of conversation monitoring and analysis.

Well, we’ve spent almost ten months working and reworking our Levee conversation analysis dashboard, and we’re finally ready to release it to the world. Loudpixel is now accepting beta partners for its Levee brand analysis dashboard.

The dashboard is set up to accommodate the two sides of social media monitoring—day-to-day tracking of individual issues and opportunities and deeper insights and measurement based on overall conversations and trends. It’s important to note that Levee was built to make human analysis easier; it works with existing data aggregators, rather than competing against them.

If you’re interested in Levee, learn more about the launch, watch a Levee demo and get in touch to learn more.