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KC-area native and proud Jayhawk. Here I share personal stories, photos and videos. If you're looking for a post from my previous website, I still aggregate my content on Tumblr.

 

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Entries in social media (17)

Saturday
Feb272010

Who says social media doesn't pay?

DateSaturday, February 27, 2010 at 10:28PM

This month INK magazine wrote an article about social media in which I was featured. My mom went all "mom" and sent a copy to my Grandma Delores in Minneapolis. This week I received a greeting card in the snail mail with the following message. It works better if you read it aloud with a Fargo accent:

Your Mother sent me the article about you - with a picture of you in it - great picture! Your new job sounds terrific. I don't quite understand it all. I am definitely old fashioned and un-hip. Congrats to my modern Granddaughter!

Love, Grandma

In addition to the adorable note, the envelope contained a $20 bill.

Who says you can't determine ROI for social media? I just made $20 in cold, hard cash. That's nearly a tank of gas for the Prius OR 19 items on the $1 menu (gotta factor in tax). Booya! Thanks, Grandma!

(P.S. I did the math and - considering I've been a full-time social media professional for the past year and a half - that equates to $0.006/hour. Payday, b**ches.)

AuthorWhitney Mathews | Comment1 Comment |
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Wednesday
Jan272010

Why my mom needs an iPad

DateWednesday, January 27, 2010 at 9:17PM

Menopause jokes aside, Chris Mathews is the perfect target customer for the iPad.

Why?

She's a media consumer, not a media creator. Mom rarely needs to edit, upload or generate any kind of content. She just wants to read stuff, check emails, torture her children on Facebook and keep in touch with the bunko ladies.

Unlike Jake or me (two people who are heavily involved in multimedia creation), Mom can probably find anything she needs from technology in the app store.

Geeks might see this product as a disappointment (I'm a little disappointed that iPad will not change my life... yet), but this product reaches a brand new market for Apple. It's for people who don't need all the bells and whistles of iLife or iWork, but need something more than an iPhone or iPod Touch.

The touch screen, size and price make it a good option for the Chris Mathews of the world. It's visual and on an OS that's easy to learn. Translation: Whitney Children will not have to be on-call for tech support.

Take this as a not-so-subtle hint, Mom.

AuthorWhitney Mathews | CommentPost a Comment |
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Monday
Dec212009

The Free State Social

DateMonday, December 21, 2009 at 11:47AM

I get to be part of a lot of neat stuff at work, but this project is going to be really special. 

Today, tickets for the Free State Social went on sale! The World Company is backing social media so much, they're allowing Ben and I to throw a social media conference on April 29-30, 2010.

We've confirmed Chris Brogan, Jeremiah Owyang, Sarah Evans, Shawna Coronado and Ellyn Angelotti to be our speakers, and we're going to have an exhibit hall that features local technology innovations and social media groups. 

The plan is to touch on everything from customer service and personal branding to news organizations and blogging. 

Last week The Oread staff (which is still under construction and opens on Jan. 8, 2010) let me take a tour of the unfinished venue (video below). It's going to be a fantastic space for what we're going for. It's like a giant castle with Jimmy Johns in the basement.

I will admit this is my first time organizing an event of this scale. It's like planning a 36-hour wedding for 350 people. The details are insane (power strips, bandwidth, projectors, tables, badges, printing, etc.) But I'm learning as I go and adjusting accordingly.

The biggest complaint we've heard is that tickets are too expensive. Believe me, I wish we could let everyone in for free. The talent ain't cheap (especially our lineup) and neither is the locale, but after attending a some similar events in the past few years, I know that the ticket prices we set are much lower others. This year will tell us a lot about what we need to adjust for the following years. 

So... keep an eye on the Free State Social Web site. I'll be making updates about the event there. Hope everyone has a great holiday!

AuthorWhitney Mathews | CommentPost a Comment |
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Sunday
Nov152009

Lawrence Journal-World Blog

DateSunday, November 15, 2009 at 10:15AM

My team member at the Lawrence Journal-World and I have launched a new blog on LJWorld.com. Ben and I will be posting about our projects at the World Company and within the community, localizing national trends and discussing social media and news coverage with the Journal-World. Check it out.

We'll also be posting pictures, video and slides from our presentations. Below is an embed of the slides we presented to the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce members on 11/10/09. This luncheon was geared at presenting the basics of social media and its uses for business. The day after that, we did a Twitter workshop for the Lawrence community at the Lawrence Arts Center. That was a lot of fun, because we had a pretty diverse crowd and introduced Twitter to some local businesses like the Strawberry Hill Christmas Tree Farm.

Look for more educational pieces n' stuff on both my blog and the Journal-World blog.

Shawnee Chamber of Commerce

AuthorWhitney Mathews | Comment1 Comment |
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Tuesday
Nov102009

Learn to Tweet!

DateTuesday, November 10, 2009 at 2:19PM

Part of our social media efforts at the Lawrence Journal-World include educating the community on how to use (and the uses for) social media.

Wednesday (tomorrow) Ben, Kristen and I are hosting a FREE workshop at the Lawrence Arts Center on Twitter. Short notice, I know. But if you're curious about WTF this Twitter thing is, make sure to attend. Here's the basic info:

Join the World Company and members of the Lawrence Twitter community on Wednesday Nov. 11 at the Lawrence Arts Center for a free beginner’s class on the basics of Twitter. Learn what Twitter is and how to use it with hands-on assistance in setting up an account and making your first “tweets.” See how easy it is to make new friends and become a part of a vibrant and growing local Twitter community.

Register below for your choice of one of two sessions beginning at 8:00 a.m. and 10 a.m.

Each session includes a short presentation introducing you to the basics of Twitter and how people are connecting here in Lawrence, followed by small group break outs with an experienced Twitter guide who will help you to set up an account and get you started following people and finding the news and information that interests you.

Take advantage of this free opportunity to discover how Twitter can help you connect with your local community in a whole new way.

You can sign up on the LJWorld.com page.

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