1. Get expert advice.
I started the first blog for my client in 2005. The question then, still remains: How do we create relevant content to keep our readers engaged? For the past decade, I have searched for a solution to this marketing dilemma and have found the answer in live event coverage. Get advice from a seasoned social media expert on how to provide live media coverage in this webinar.  

2. No gimmicks.
It's free. One whole hour of free resources including why and how these best practices can benefit you. Registration is free and easy. 

3. Free 18 page case study available.
Participants have access to a case study that outlines specific examples and direct results on how event coverage helped Webtrends during one of their event on Facebook Marketing. See for yourself how live event coverage increased exposure over 5000% by snagging this download during the webinar. 

4. Fred Flinstone needs his slide projector back.
Go ahead, let Fred and Wilma and Don Draper have the slide projector back. This webinar will show you how you don't need a slide projector to amplify the presenter's awesomeness. 

5. It's free.
It's free, sign up. Watch and listen while you work. Register here >

6. Ask hard questions.
I'll be answering today's tough questions that I get asked a lot including: 
"How do you handle presenters who feel that their presentation should be more guarded and private?" 
and 
"With everyone using a smartphone and tweeting today, can't we just rely on coverage organically?"
 
7. Get answers and more. 
I'll answer the questions to number 6 above. That, and I'll be available to answer any more questions you have for me. Bring it. (Did you get the link to register yet? OH! Here you go, register here > )

8. Learn how everyone can win.
Because we all love to win, see how live event coverage can benefit the event promoter, sponsor, presenter, attendee and non-attendee. 

9. Get more ROI from your event investment.
After all, isn't that what we are all doing this for? Event coverage optimizes the return on the resources you invest for your events. Just how can yo 

10. Sponsoring an event should be more about a ribbon on a lanyard. 
Ribbon, schmibbon. Get event coverage. Get it now. Register for this free webinar > 

As we travel together in today's digital universe, truth and character must remain a virtue over the illusions of fame and fortune.  

Avatars and bots have no soul. 

Profile pictures can not breathe the breath of life. 

Facebook updates do not replace breaking bread with one another. 

Community is found by sharing, caring and being real. Measured by cheers and tears, not retweets and fake thumbs-ups.   

Although bruises and blemishes can be Photoshopped to appear perfect in our pictures, the flaws and struggles are what give us the character that differentiates us from the fake Klout and the unreal "friends" and "fans." 

No matter how awesome you think you are, don't measure your success by online fame. If Elvis and Whitney Houston were here today, would they choose bruises and character over their 15 minutes of fame? I wonder. Once you taste true fame, it's hard to turn back. Addictions to feed pride are never  quenched. 

It's ironic the screens that separate reality from avatars are flat. Which side of the screen matters the most to you? 

Be real. Earn true signs of virtue. Live a legacy with depth. Remember we all lose, we all bruise. We're human. 

"We need someone who can bring change, someone who can revitalize our community, our organization, our business."

Really? Really? 

So, you say you want change. You want revitalization. Why now? 

Change isn't easy. If you have a difficult time maintaining and reinventing as you go, then what makes you think you can change once the walls have fallen down? 

I consider myself a change agent. There are two sides of the spectrum of change I see.  

I am a visionary. I can see the possibilities, the new areas of growth. I don't hear "no" and won't accept failure as a solution. I assert myself as a self motivator always in drive. Day after day, I get up and go for the gold. 

I'm a realist. I realize that there are certain structures and institutions that have become so corrupted and decayed that there is no changing their destructive course. I am only one voice that cannot change the critical mass of naysayers. Let it fall. 

A true sign of a healthy change agent: accepting both sides of the change spectrum. 

In today's digital media renaissance, it is time to redefine ourselves. Restore the hope, purpose and potential. 

If you feel like a fish out of water and you are not thriving, perhaps you aren't living the life you were designed for. 

Reassess your gifts and dreams. Continue to believe in them. Help others to recognize their gifts and dreams too. The power to influence others to see their true purpose will be everlasting and has potential to bring true peace in this world. 

The White House Correspondent Dinner, also known as the Nerd Prom met its PR objectives. Using traditional event planning, see how social media was used to get our attention, teasing us with the right eye-candy that turned me into a fan and left me wanting more. 

The star-studded smiles plastered throughout the 400 photos shared on Instagram intrigued me, drew me in and made me want to go Nerd Prom or bust in 2013.  

In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge hosted the first White House Correspondent Dinner. Nothing says media relations like the woo of the wine and dine outreach to the hottest A-listers and journalists. This annual event took place on the last Saturday of April at the Washington Hilton - same as it has for the past eight decades. 

What made this year's event different? 

Prior to this year's White House Correspondent Dinner, I hadn't heard of it. However, this year's event had a large fraction of my attention as I joined in with the 60,000 gawkers online to see the live coverage of this event. 

The use of social media to share content from events has arrived. As journalists, writers and bloggers from leading media outlets were doting their fashion designed gowns with their lucky date on one arm and their smart phones in their hands, these media influencers were showing us at home how its done. Here's my take on how social media took the Nerd Prom to the next level. 

Listen up because these lessons can be practices applied to grow the value and industry interest of your key event. 


1. Anyone can be an event correspondent.
Media relations can include the industry leading publications and their writers. Today's industry influencers and analysts are being followed on Twitter. With only 10% of social media profiles on Twitter, nearly every American hears about Twitter from their TV or news station each day. This is the new press wire and the new event correspondents are the attendees at your event. 

Who are the ones capturing the spreadable content that you want shared? You don't have to call Barbara Walters to get your event covered and capture the interest of your industry spectators. There is a sweet spot on the spectrum between 60 Minutes and no coverage at all. 

2. Any event can be sexy-hot.
Want to add some sex appeal that is spreadable through social streams? Invite the people that your industry followers love to love, or love to hate. Who is the Lindsey Lohan of your industry? As long as there is no home arrest ankle bracelet, invite the people that can help spread the buzz. If there is someone you know who speaks in tweets, or is photogenic, be sure to include them in your speaker line up or as a VIP attendee.

3. Tweets of content is more important than content alone.
What you say and do at your event doesn't matter near as much as what the people in the room are saying about your event. I ate up the tweeted nuggets of Jimmy Kimmel's routine like popcorn last Saturday night. It wasn't pre-scheduled content from Kimmel that appealed to me. It was the live tweets with added commentary that swam through my Twitter stream while I watched a movie at home with my family.

Since many of us are dual-screen watchers, we can only watch or listen to one piece of content at a time. But we can watch the stream of tweets and still be engaged with our families or at work. More on this, see #6.

4. Fat jokes still rule. 
As long as the jokes aren't about me, fat jokes are recommended to get the most tweet action. 

The Washington Post's Fix examined the 60,000 tweets tagged with #Nerdprom or #WHCD to see what was the most tweetable content throughout the five-hour evening. The tweets peaked at the moment comedian Jimmy Kimmel joked about New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's weight. At this point in time, there were 765 tweets per minute.  

5. Social has the power to influence. 
Last year, I hadn't heard of Nerd Prom, did you? This year? I watched Nerd Prom unfold online until late Saturday night, and, I want an invitation to next year's event. 

This proves that social can influence, grow interest and increase new market reach. 

6. Twitter coverage wins over C-Span.
Why is it that we'd all prefer to watch the fresh trends unfold through our Twitter stream more than watching C-SPAN? Because it is mobile and social. Perhaps you could watch C-SPAN, streamed to your smartphone, but it is typically not considered mobile as it is usually viewed on Grandpa's TV. 

Engaging bite-sized social content is not only more entertaining, digestible and spreadable than watching a five hour event through video, social channels give viewers more control. We can view the styles and viewpoints from more than mainstream broadcasters who are covering an event we can also share and include our own commentary. 
Though live coverage and can include a video, there isn't much social, interactive appeal with a C-Span approach. A standalone video camera stationed in the center of the room recording the activities with little to no commentary or engagement with the online viewers lacks appeal in today's interactive space. Adding a layer of social media through the Twitter channel can really increase engagement. I didn't view any video coverage of this year's Nerd Prom but my experience of the event was almost as personable as attending it in person. 

7. Today's events aren't limited to mainstream audiences.
Consider the events that you have seen the media cover and they will all have one common factor. From auto shows to Apple announcements, the topic and event must meet the interest of the mainstream readership that the Big 5 media outlets in broadcasting and publishing seek for event coverage. 

However as new digital leaders are emerging and today's brands act as media outlets, we are looking for ways to create relevant content and engage with our community, industry and segmented readership. Event coverage can be a hot-spot to capture segmented industry-leading stories. From the speakers and the content they present to peers and attendees posing while networking, event coverage can provide a wealth of online brand and buzz assets. 

8. Coverage through social optimizes event investment. 
You've paid a lot for these A-listers, the ice sculptures and the light show. Why limit the awesomeness to the people on the guest list? You don't have the be the White House to get the media coverage your event needs to get the attention from the non-attendees. Grow the exposure of your next event and hire an event correspondent to integrate social media as part of your publicity and event strategy.

We all strive for success. We dream as we put one foot in front of the other. The basic steps, slowly move us forward.

We walk. 
Building our physique to be stronger, changing our mindset to be flexible. We make the decision to move differently. To move quicker. Our dreams become more defined as goals within our reach. 

We run. 
Daring to push ourselves, hearing our heart pound. We strive to go further. We focus forward, passing the blurry bystanders along the way. Unexpected obstacles, like little rocks, thrown stones, banana peels or mountains stop us in our track.

We fall. 
Losing the traction needed for our pace to reach our goals, we stop, unexpectedly. We experience the pain, the injury caused by fear within ourselves or the external storms we were not prepared for. 

We reflect. 
Pausing as long as we need. Many will stay and settle. Re-examining their destination, their definition of success. Some will stay, so injured, so fearful, they will remain, bitterly frozen from their fall. 

A very small percentage will have a deep longing to reach the goal. They will stand, smarter, leaner, stronger and faster then ever before. They stand, then walk, then run. They're more prepared for the journey's obstacles. They accept the falls along the way. They repeat the process again. And again.  

Closer to success that is not limited to a destination, but is defined by the journey. 

I'm on the success circuit. Each day, I fearlessly face this workout, with a longing to move forward, one foot in front of the other. I strive to move ahead with intent and a God-given purpose understood along the way as I walk, run, fall, reflect and repeat the circuit. Where are you in your success circuit? 

Authenticity is virtuous. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. This is a photo of my 10 year old daughter. She's brilliantly intelligent, genius level. Seriously. 

She learned to read on her own, before the age of three. Today, as a fourth grader, she has read the entire Harry Potter series - a couple of times. Her test scores show she's on an eleventh grade reading level. 

She recently won "Guess how much candy is in the jar" contest at the local public library, with a guess of 398. The actual number of candy pieces in the jar was 393. 

A Pokemon fan, she's pictured here with her favorite Charzard, tucked underneath her arm. She takes this orange dragon stuffed animal wherever she goes, as socially awkward as it may appear. This comfort keeps her calm. 

My daughter reminds me that being real is more important than being pious. The real and authentic Charzard-holding person fascinates me. I'd rather do business with one genuine, approachable, quirky individual over a 1000 know-it-alls.

Be real. Being real trumps being pious. Do you agree?  

They are like the Europeans who believed the world was flat and laughed at Columbus as he ventured out to the new world.