Tech Forward:

If you read my post a couple of weeks ago about Keeping Social Networking Simple, you know that I feel the pain of everyone who’s suffering from social media overwhelm.

The temptation with social media is to join every social networking community that launches, agree to blog for any company that will accept your posts, be a guest on anyone’s podcast and accept “friend” requests from people you barely know–with no visible results or connections–all in the name of being part of the conversation.

A few months later, you’re tired, stressed out and your business is suffering. You’re left wondering why your social networking efforts aren’t worth the megabytes they gobble up.

I’ll be leading a teleclass for the Downtown Women’s Club this Wednesday, November 19 at noon EST to show you specifically how to avoid that whole mess while still finding the time for social media. Yeah, you. The one sitting there reading this blog post.

Whether you’ve got five minutes or 50, I’m going to show you my personal low-tech, low-cost tips and tricks for getting the most out of social media while keeping your sanity in your back pocket.

Check out “Social Media & Time Management: How Do I Find the Time?” You need to be a member to listen in. Not a member? Tsk, tsk.

If you want to keep social networking simple and you don’t want to be bogged down with other social networking sites and tools, it looks like LinkedIn is calling your name.

The folks at LinkedIn understand that today’s busy-ness professional is focused on how to do more with less and squeeze every bit of utility out of one tool. They’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) that it’s best to stick with one thing and master the heck out of it.

For the social networking newbie, you can’t beat LinkedIn to get started.

• It doesn’t require a lot of money–I’ve had a free account for years and have used it to network just fine.
• You create and update your own profile. You control whom you’re linked to and for how long.
• You can build your network as large or as intimate as you like and be a “connector” by introducing people in your network to one another.
• For increased visibility, you can create your own “R&D team” by asking timely, relevant questions and developing a dialogue with those who answer.

And, for all you Twitter-ized FriendFeed‘ers, if you’ve pooh-pooh’ed LinkedIn, its new offerings might be of interest:

• Share your reading list via Amazon.com
• Share files via Box.net (glad they finally got their act together)
• Share travel plans via TripIt.com
• Share your latest blog posts with WordPress and SixApart
• Share your latest PowerPoint presentation with SlideShare (if PPT is your thing)
• And if you’re nosey curious like me? There’s always LinkedIn’s own Company Buzz.

Don’t say I never gave you anything. Get going!

Whether you believe that we’re in a tough economy or not, it’s always good business practice to think about how to streamline processes and make work flow actually flow–even if that means doing more with fewer resources.

I’m pleasantly surprised to see that the folks at PBWiki are addressing areas of concern for today’s businesses.

If you’ve ever wondered about wikis . . . what the heck they are, what they can do for your business and how they can help improve productivity, this webinar is for you.

The shindig goes down on Tuesday, October 21, at 1 p.m. EST–that’s tomorrow–and the best part is, you don’t have to go anywhere: Everything will be available online.  So saddle up your computers and prepare to learn.  Register for free today.

Online networking has become de rigueur.

Chances are, if you’re online, you are or have engaged in some sort of online networking. Maybe you’re using Entrepreneur’s social networking community, or perhaps it’s Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

The Downtown Women’s Club is aware that there are big changes in online networking and, because it is a forward-thinking organization, it’s keeping up with those changes, compiling that information and sharing it with you.

The group wants to see how businesswomen have changed their online networking habits and how we really feel about Sarah Palin (Gasp!).

The same organization that brought you the 2006 Online Networking Survey needs your input on its “How Social is Your Media?” survey.

Before I wrote this post, I took the survey myself and I timed it. Total: six minutes.

You can swing that . . . take the survey here: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB22893KN9VK5

Oh, and did I mention? All survey participants earn discounted DWC+ memberships or free renewals for completing the survey. That’s a $50 membership for six minutes. You do the math.

These are some of the questions I was asked by Jim Kukral while he interviewed me for his Daily Flip podcast.

Interesting conversation; and it’s amazing to see how fast 10 minutes can fly by when you’re running your trap!

Head over to Jim’s blog and take a listen….

OK, OK. I’ve been promising the results from the Communitelligence Social Media Resistance survey, which were released at the Executing Social Media Conference in Pasadena, California, with the help of USC’s Marshall School of Business.

Here they are. Don’t say I never gave you anything (opens in PPT)

I think the results are interesting and telling. I love how the larger a company is, the more it thinks podcasting isn’t useful for its branding. Nope, bigger companies think RSS feeds are all the rage for branding. (Are they serious?)

However, the scrappy small businesses know that online video is where it’s at. For all the small business owners reading this, don’t feel bad–you “get it” more than corporate at this point. Good on ya’!

And of all the respondents, a full 89 percent of companies think their social media adoption is below average or average. Whooty whoot! That means more business for my company!

What are your thoughts about the results?

Well, two possibly new clients and two new speaking invites later, I made it home from the Executing Social Media conference in lovely Pasadena. (I could so totally live there!)

We all had a great time, and what was most important to me, I think, was that all the attendees finally realized that they’re not “losers” for not being fully engaged with social media. There are multibillion-dollar brands that can’t yet use social media effectively, so no one should feel bad.

Social media has such a “keep up with the Joneses” element to it that companies with perfectly good marketing strategies and strong brands sometimes feel like they’re doing a horrible job.

Take that energy and put it into getting started. If you don’t have the resources or interest (or are just too leery) to launch your own social media initiative, use what I call O.P.S. (Other People’s Social) to dip your toe in the water . . . comment on other blogs and connect with people through offering advice and guidance in online communities. Never forget that you have to give to get.

And if you don’t want to be that active, just listen. Set up a Google Alert for your name, the name of your company, products, services and other phrases or unique words associated with your brand. You might even set up a Google Alert for the name of your industry–commercial construction, for example–to find out what’s being said about your industry overall.

The point is to start.

P.S. I’m still trying to get my hands on the social media resistance survey results from the Executing Social Media conference. When they’re uploaded, I’ll link to them. Thanks for your patience.

We’re doing the wrap up for Day One, and we’re all holding hands and singing “Kumbaya.“

No seriously, we are talking about what we all got out of the day; and Chris Heuer made the good point that 10 years later, we’re seeing the predictions in Cluetrain Manifesto come to life.

Heuer also shared a particularly poignant Shel Israel quote, “People usually overestimate the ability to create change in the short term and underestimate their ability to create change in the long term.” Amen to that.

George Wright from Blendtec just said, “Either you’re going to be a big boy and hike your skirt up and do something or you’re not.” Amen to that, too.

And I added to that: “As of now, everyone in this room has the potential to be a leader, and what you do with all this information that you get from this conference is going to separate the true leaders from people who can’t step up and effect change. And as of right now, you can’t say you don’t know about social media. Ignorance is no longer an excuse.”

We also spent a good deal of time talking about risk aversion and managing the legal department and its objections. To which, Jake McKee says, “Legal doesn’t own and operate your company. You do.” You tell ‘em, Jake.

Well, we’re just about to wrap up our last roundtable session, and then we’ll move into the evening cocktail hour–and that means drinks!

I also like the fact that there are some fresh faces speaking at this conference. There are some of the “usual suspects,” but there are also many new people leading roundtables and, as usual, many of the “usual suspects” are trying to take over the conversation from the new leaders. Ahhh, men in social media

Once the social media resistance survey results are released, I’ll let you know. Apparently, there is much interest about the results. I’ve been speaking and live blogging so I haven’t had much time to really look at the results, but when I post them, I’ll be sure to give you my two cents’ worth.

Oh, and did I mention that Jake McKee of Ant’s Eye View is here? The funny thing is, I didn’t know who he was until I went to his website. Then I put two and two together. Jake is a cool guy with a lot of insights about social media. (Isn’t it funny how I know people based on their websites and e-mail addresses? That says a lot about how times have changed.)

Oh, and if you want to check out photos from the conference, visit Flickr.

Well, I arrived safely here in Los Angeles to speak at the Executing Social Media conference tomorrow. I could have done without the toddler who screamed all the way from Kansas to Los Angeles, though. Someone should have told her that’s not the kind of social media we mean.

I read on Peter Shankman’s Twitter feed that he’s arrived here, as well. If you don’t know who Peter Shankman is, find out by subscribing to his Help A Reporter Out (HARO) service. It’s real, legitimate, free leads for media coverage. My company has received some great coverage by responding to some of the queries that come through his mailing list–and no, it’s not just tech stuff.

I took a nice walk around Old Town Pasadena today and I really like it. I can live here, but lately I’ve been saying that a lot about everyplace but New York. Hmmm . . . maybe there’s a small change brewing?

Pasadena is great, relaxed and the peeps are really friendly. You can wear flip-flops in just about every fancy restaurant. I collect art and I try to pick up pieces from my travels, so I asked a few local Pasadenans what Pasadena is famous for and they all said the Rose Parade. Soooooo . . . since I missed that, I’ll take a few pictures of the gorgeous architecture and leave it at that. Maybe I’ll have a fewshots framed.

Anyway . . . the conference starts tomorrow. I’ll try to do some live blogging, but I have a session to lead and a roundtable to orchestrate, so I’ll do what I can to keep you informed of what’s going on here.

Stay tuned…

Sometimes you just gotta go with counterculture brands.

And in the game of social media, the counterculture brand du jour would be NOSO. Although not for long. This anti-social social media movement is quietly becoming all the rage.

The intro video, in a Hal-ish voiceover, explains NOSO as a “. . . real-world platform for temporary disengagement from your social networking environment . . .”

And, though I love social media and all that it offers, I must admit that the whole concept is very attractive. No agenda, no texting, no Twit’ing . . . just existing and navel gazing. What’s not to like about that?

However, I’m one of the fortunate ones. Although I write for several blogs and have a monthly column at WomenEntrepreneur.com, blogging and social networking activities have not taken over my life. That is due, in large part, to how I manage my schedule. I really do like writing, so it would be pretty easy for me to get caught up in the rapture of needing to post pithy blog post after pithy blog post. I avoid that by dedicating one day for writing blog content and a portion of two other days to blog management and social media/networking activities (i.e. reviewing friend requests on Facebook, responding to LinkedIn requests, making sure my blog has my most recent speaking schedule, etc.)

I know that not everyone has the same work style or approach that I do. Many people don’t know when enough is enough. They blog and blog and blog until they have nothing left–their content is all spent, then they suffer from burnout and die. Those types need a virtual chill pill. Permission and a means to disconnect momentarily–and NOSO offers that.

NOSO is not right for everyone. Ask your doctor if NOSO is right for you.

My blogosphere buddy and internet marketer supreme, Jim Kukral, is doing a really nice thing for everyone who wants to experiment with web video but really doesn’t know where to start.

He’s just launched a website, Online Video Toolkit, that tells you all the things you need to know to make professional-quality videos on a shoestring–and how to use them to market your business.

Here’s why I say Jim’s nice (other than that I know him and know he really is a good guy): It’s all free. No cost. Nada. Zilchorina. There’s no catch, and you can win a FlipVideo camera.

I’ve gotten an advance peek at all the goodies he’s going to be giving away, and he really does go into the nitty gritty details, from lighting (which lights you need and where to buy them–he actually videos himself in the store making selections) to apparel (types of clothes to wear and which to avoid). Jim, where do you find the time?