Did you know there is a Facebook Fan Page for Mackinac Historic Parks or that the Michigan Grape and Wine Council regularly tweets about great local wines?  In fact, the Michigan government Web site lists 26 Facebook pages, 21 Twitter accounts and 14 YouTube channels maintained by the state on its “Social Networking (Web 2.0)” page.

While many of us have already heard about the Pure Michigan social media success story, it seems the entire Michigan government social media program is attracting a few eyeballs.  The multiple Twitter accounts have more than 28,000 combined followers and the 14 YouTube channels have generated more than 41,000 views.

When digging a little deeper, it looks like each outpost employs a different engagement strategy.  Many of the sites are merely acting as extensions of their Web counterparts and rebroadcasting information.  There are only a few channels that are actively interacting with fans and followers. While creating a dialogue isn’t always an essential part of a social media strategy, I think two-way conversations are playing an increasingly important role in the government 2.0 movement.

Overall, I’m glad to see that the Michigan government is experimenting and giving average citizens newfound access to lawmakers and important state programs.  Mark this down as another “local” social media experiment that you should keep your eye on.

Your turn.

What do you think of Michigan’s social media strategy?  Are you fan?  What are they doing well?  Where could they improve?

Last Saturday was a big day for Detroit’s interactive community. A number of social media, business and communications experts from all over North America gathered in Southfield at Lawrence Tech. to share their thoughts on social media and personal branding.

When the conference finally came to a close, and co-workers, fellow professionals and friends started asking me about what I learned, the first words that came to mind were, “You simply had to be there.”

To see my take on the energy and excitement felt during Brand Camp University 2009, check out this recap video.

I also encourage you to check out some of the attendee and speaker reactions available on the Brand Camp University blog.

Special thanks to Henry Balanon and Hubert Sawyers for helping shoot the footage. Super special thanks to Brand Camp University’s official photographer, Paul Manoian, and Brian Ambrozy of Prime Pics for the awesome photos.

Your turn.

If you made it out to Brand Camp University 2009, what was your big takeaway?  What are you going to change about your personal brand and the way you do business?

Coutesy of MontageMan

You’re never in a room full of salespeople.  Just good people.

I think most of the readers of this blog are now well aware of my affinity for recapping tweetups and other local events.  However, since the Detroit social media community accomplished something very special this past Wednesday, I’d like to hand the recap duties over to someone else.

Detroit Twitterers & Live to Givers!

The most recent Detroit Tweetup was a monstrous success. We attracted over 100 people (new #detroittu record) and raised over $1,500 for our Bloomfield Hills non-profit organization, Live to Give Foundation (L2G). If you are unaware, L2G helps families in their time of need in a PERSONAL way with mini movies that reveal our donators, fundraisers and families in need. We were launched in November of 2007 by two college seniors and now are run by 5 post graduates all under 23 years old. Social media (obviously including Twitter) is our main outreach and have raised almost $20,000 because of it.

With the support we gained at the Tweetup in Novi, we are able to provide the Shuck family with 2 more months of rent and utilities while they try to escape homelessness, joblessness, and medical issues.

Thank you to everyone who attended, Fox 2 and Channel 7 for the stories they presented, our generous sponsors (Identity Marketing & Public Relations, iDetroit, CRT Medical Systems, Twitart.com, LA Productions and C! Tech Solutions), Bar Louie for their hospitality and Brandon (@bchesnutt) for taking so much initiative to make this wonderful night happen.

We have created our “personal touch” video of the night’s festivities and encourage you to take 3 minutes to see the Tweetup fun!

From the bottom of our passionate hearts, thank you!

The entire Live to Give team
Ryan, Kevin, Matt, Ashley & Kelly

Thank you to everyone for helping make this first Charity Tweetup a success.  It’s always a great time when we all get together.  Doing some good in the process was an added bonus.

For those who are wondering, we will be exploring this idea again in the future.  To stay informed as to when this will happen, follow Ken Burbary and I on Twitter or join the Detroit Tweetups Facebook Group.

At the Tweetup, I interviewed Ryan, Matt and Kevin from Live To Give to find out how Twitter has improved their communications efforts and what they thought of the Charity Tweetup.

You can check out some photos on my Flickr page.

Here is the attendance list:

First off, be sure to follow @livetogive.

The Sponsors

These great companies generously donated at least $1 each for every attendee, ensuring Live To Give received $7.50 for each attendee at the Tweetup.

Identity Marketing & Public Relations
@identitypr
@bchesnutt
@aming44
@andreabogos
@erinsabo
@tnixon16
Lauren Hughes (who also brought a friend – thanks Lauren!)

LA Productions
@lisakup
@anig05

C! Tech Solutions
@ryanmeray / @ctechsinc

iDetroit
@davemurr
@balanon

Twitart.com
@kauf / @twitartdotcom

CRT Medical Systems
They generously bumped up their donation to $2.50 per attendee by the end of the night.  Totally awesome!  Plus, they brought about a dozen people.  Wow.

The Attendees

I have to give a very heartfelt thanks to all of the Metro Detroit Twitter users who came out and supported this great cause. I can’t even tell you how much pride I have for our growing community.

@elatlboy
@estrellabella10
@laurenweber84
@chrismoritz
@loritwilliams
@davebenjamin
@corab
@klavaute / @quickenloans
@amurphy / @quizzle
@red5050
@wmtylerwalker
@detroitvoice
@kevinbiznet
@freshmenz
@jennimurr
@swarheit
@damnredhead
@rmercader
@ericjvogel / @socialmediamstr
@mollysly
@hcwlau
@leftos
@guffly (brought like 3 people!)
@genebrady
@kirstenross
@alisondunn2
@ayeskey
@lish
@kimpossiblydire
@muddypuppy
@tailwheel

In addition to our awesome local Twitter users, another 45 people came out to support Live To Give.  We even converted a few into new Twitter users based on our efforts. Sah-weet.

Contrary to popular belief, when you put a bunch of social media-types together in one room at a Detroit Tweetup, we rarely sit around and actually talk about social media.  

Instead, we like to indulge in some great conversation and have a little fun.  We might even randomly decide to “Office Space” a malfunctioning copier.  Check out @charliecurve’s hilarious aggression-filled video below. Note: the lyrics in this video are NSFW, so put your earmuffs on.

Special thanks to @kevinbiznet for another great Biznet Tweetup.

It’s official.  Tech Karaoke Detroit is up and running.

In case you were unable to attend our “launch event,” enjoy this lovely video recap.

You can also check out some hilarious photos on Flickr. The event was grunge themed, so I hope that explains the flannel.

Want to rock the mic with us next time and be part of the awesomeness?  Join our Facebook group for updates and details on our next event.

At the recent Angelina Detroit #eatup, there was a ton of discussion surrounding what should be the next “activity” for the Detroit social media community.  One of the many ideas thrown out was to follow in the footsteps of New York City, L.A. and Chicago by putting together a TechKaraoke event.

What is TechKaraoke all about?  It’s simple: people get together, have a few cocktails and rock the mic.

Well, hold on to your butts because it looks like a karaoke event will be held next week thanks to @primesuspect.  We’ll also be using this opportunity to give a good friend of Detroit a proper send-off.

Our very own Shannon Paul will soon be relocating to Seattle as part of her new position with WeSeed. While we all hate to see her go, we definitely want to say “goodbye and good luck” in style.  Since Shannon is actually the one who first shared with me the idea of putting on a TechKaraoke-style event,  I find it only appropriate that she be a major part of the “first” gathering.

So, come join Detroit’s tech and social media community on Saturday, May 30th at Royal Kubo in Clawson as we give our friend a “very official” send-off (see what I did there?).  They’ll be great conversation, lots of laughs and the butchering of classic songs by your friends and neighbors.  This could also be the start of a TechKaraoke Detroit chapter!

If you can’t make it, be sure to thank Shannon for all she has done for Detroit.  We are sure going to miss her!

Check out the Facebook page for the event.

I was recently asked to speak on the topic of digital marketing and social media strategy at the third annual Walsh College Small Business Conference.  Walsh has always been known as one of the region’s top business schools, and their continued commitment to providing local companies with the tools and counsel for growth is definitely commendable.

This year’s conference focused on “The Big 3″ for small business: marketing, management and money.  Numerous breakout sessions where available that shed light on a variety of topics including cash flow management, tax strategies, H.R. regulations, business succession planning, electronic payments and marketing communications.

While floating among the conversations and seminars, I noticed that social media was a hot topic of discussion.  Even Jim Hiller, the conference’s keynote speaker and founder of the uber-successful Hiller’s Markets, regularly referenced the use of free social technologies as a way for small businesses to cope with the “post-advertising marketplace.”

However, with all this talk of social media this and social networking that, small businesses often get caught up in the technology before developing their strategy.  Companies need to create a plan that aligns with core business objectives instead of trying to repackage their goals so they can fit them into a certain network or community.  It just looks messy… and not in a good way.

As digital technologies evolve and continue to gain more traction, will we see more companies stating “we have Facebook” instead of “we have a strategy?” Are we already at that point?  What do you think?

The inaugural Module Midwest Digital Conference represented a great moment for Detroit’s social media community. Many of our local rock stars took to the stage with recognizable leaders in the digital industry and shared their knowledge of all things social media with attendees who were eager to learn.

With Module being hailed as a winner and a successful Startup Weekend in the bag, I think it’s pretty clear that fantastic things are really starting to happen in Detroit.

So, what comes next? How do we carry this momentum forward? How do we become more than just a blip on the radar?

To find some answers, I asked Jeremy Tanner, Ken Burbary, Adrian Pittman, Damian Rintelmann, Scott Monty, Shannon Paul and Chris Brogan how they think Detroit can take things to the next level.

I’m really taking their advice to heart.  But now I’m looking to you.

What would be your advice to Detroit or another up-and-coming social media community looking to create a name for itself?

A lot of people out there (well, at least like 60,000) think Chris Brogan is pretty cool dude.  So, when it was announced that there would be a Tweetup in his honor at the Royal Oak Brewery, Detroit’s Twitter community came out in force… and with only 24 hours notice.

A surprise bonus was that social media firecracker Amber Naslund (pictured below with everyone’s favorite redhead – @damnredhead) was also present.  After introducing myself, I just had to thank her.  Why?  Because Radian6 is pretty awesome.

Be sure to check out everyone’s tweets from the event – #robtu

Here were some of my favorite moments:

• Getting the chance to finally meet @cbarger.  Heck of a nice guy.  Make sure you follow him.
• Loudly promoting Friday’s Module 09 conference.  It is going to be awesome.  Seriously. Buy a ticket.
• Being referred to as “Trouble” by @ambercadabra.  Obviously, my reputation proceeds me.
• Discussing a possible Tweetup collaboration with my new friend, the delightful @lish.
• Seeing many new faces.  This Tweetup drew people from all over Michigan, including @natalie_joy, @kaseyincharge, @andrea_ness and @ssiewert (a fellow Erma’s Frozen Custard fan).
• Reconnecting with @drintelmann. Our paths had not crossed in some time…. and it started getting annoying.
• Talking about the happenings here in Detroit with @chrisbrogan.
• Sharing my love of Band of Brothers with @kenburbary and @essohhbee.  CURRAHEE!
• Bumping into @bw313. I actually introduced her to Twitter back in February at another event.  This was her first Tweetup and she brought a not-yet-on-Twitter friend… who is now on Twitter as @ElaineMBrady.

Thanks to everyone for making it a great night and for playing a part in Detroit’s growing social media community.  You all rock.

Check out the list of attendees after the jump.

Special thanks to @wendyrclark for holding down the list for this Tweetup and posting it on the Facebook page!

As always, if you don’t see your name, give me a shout.

(NOTE: Those of you who attended TweetTea may have arrived after the list left for the night.)

LAST UPDATED: 4/11/2009

@chrisbrogan
@cbarger
@nuriabaldello
@lesleyhettinger
@philcolley
@detnews
@dougwernert
@nate_lapt
@detroitvoice
@jminni
@joem32
@ericjvogel (@socialmediamstr)
@ambercadabra
@davezilla
@davebenjamin
@coreyperlman (@ebootcamp)
@kaylook
@khalidh
@ayat
@chuckgosh
@kirstenross (@flexworkpro)
@newmediaphoto
@denniselliott
@hajjflemings
@bukoff
@natalie_joy
@stanleyyork
@dschelberg
@swarheit
@mutinyware
@jacquelynpierce
@bchesnutt
@ericrasche
@damnredhead
@andrea_ness
@kaseyincharge
@ssiewert
@bw313
@elainembrady
@michaelstuertz
@kewlrats
@essohhbee
@justinsthompson
@joebarron3
@jennimurr
@davemurr
@tomshea
@janakmehta (@preasy)
@urvimehta (@socialmediami)
@jrodcc2007
@primesuspect
@tayzenberg
@rmercader
@amurphy
@klavaute (@quickenloans)
@corab (@feedbackcentral)
@heatherhall3
@lish
@bethanylouise
@turboclaw
@kevinbiznet
@drintelmann
@wendyrclark
@hubertGAM
@kenburbary
@joem32

If you want to hear about the Twitter happenings going on around Metro Detroit, be sure to join the Detroit Tweetups Facebook Group.  We are almost 400 strong!