After 30 years at IBM, what does a Distinguished Engineer, a pioneer in search and content technologies, an author of best selling internet marketing books with a penchant for self-deprecating humor, do for an encore? If you’re Mike Moran, you join a social media agency (in this case Converseon) as Chief Strategist.

In a very important announcement, Mike has agreed to come on board starting September 1, 2008 to help oversee continuing build out of our Conversation Mining technology working with our already stellar team and help expand our capabilities in providing enterprise level search and social media to some of the world’s leading brands.

An engineer at a social media marketing and communications agency? Mike and I have known each other for quite some time and the more we talked, the more we realized how his experience and vision of the world aligns with ours. It goes back to a theory I have that if you are indeed on the right path, serendipity is your friend. Adding Mike to the agency is an exclamation point to our “mashup” approach. The agency of the future, which we are helping to pioneer, is indeed a mashup and Mike will soon be rubbing his Distinguished Engineer elbows with PR/reputation management folks, creative types, computer scientists, direct marketers, Aussie bloggers, linguistic analyzers and at least one Romanian professorial type. Hopefully, our willingness to leap into the unknown and push the edges of communications, will serve as a fertile environment for Mike to help apply his experience and learnings into this social media realm. We expect a moment of culture shock in a transition from IBM to a (slightly) smaller Converseon, but with our newfangled coffee machine, we hope he’ll feel at home.

With all due apology to political punditry, it’s indeed our hope to have Converseon be a shining agency on the hill, a beacon to those from the seemingly very diverse, far reaches of agencies and companies who are really passionate about transforming communications and are looking for the right place to make it happen. In this particular case, we’re glad Mike and Converseon found each other and look forward to great things ahead.

Please join us in welcoming him on board.

This Monday (June 23) the Converseon team will be attending OMMA Social at the Yale Club of New York. Our CEO Rob Key will be speaking in the afternoon and we’ll also be showing of our eResponder and Conversation Mining technology throughout the day.

OMMA Social is designed to guide marketing and media professionals through the terrain of social media. This one-day conference will address social marketing challenges and provide insights into how to make social networking work for companies now, and in the future.

Rob will be speaking on a panel straight after lunch at 12.45pm, here’s the description:

Catching On: “What Makes Something Viral?”
In a world that increasingly depends on consumers distributing content through social media channels, media companies and marketers all want to create content that consumers want to share. But what makes something viral is still an inexact science. Is it just great content that makes something viral? Is it using aggressive strategies to seed the content in the right communities? A diverse panel of social media experts tells what they know.

If you’re going to be attending please keep an eye out for our team or even swing by our table to see a Conversation Mining demonstration. If you’re not going to be at the event, follow our Twitter account for updates throughout the day.

The Converseon team is in mass conference mode this week as CEO Rob Key, Constantin Basturea and Paull Young each appear at leading online communications conferences around the USA. Details follow, if you will be attending any of these events please be sure to seek us out.

SMX ‘Master Social Media Marketing’ Conference– Rob Key Promotes Social Media Evangelism

Location: Long Beach, CA
When: April 22-23 (Rob’s panel is on Wednesday April 23 from 10:40am-12:00pm)

Rob Key will speak on the ‘Evangelist – The Marketer’s Role in SMM’ panel discussing the importance of evangelizing social media as an active participant in online communities in order to truly succeed in social media marketing. The session will also provide tips on how to authentically engage in online communities.

SNCR New Communications Forum – Constantin Basturea Looks to the Future of Public Relations

Location: Sonoma County, CA
When: April 22-25

Converseon has long been a proud supporter of the Society for New Communications Research as it is one of the most forward thinking organizations focusing on the rise of social media. Converseon director of social media and SNCR Fellow Constantin Basturea will be appearing alongside Brian Solis and Darren Barefoot on a panel entitled ‘Detour Ahead: Closing the Road to PR 3.0′.

Authentic Communications Conference – Paull Young Discusses New Methods to Measure Communications ROI

Location: CUNY Graduate Center, New York
When: Thursday, April 24 (Paull’s panel is from 1.30-2.15)

The Authentic Communications conference’s tagline is ‘Beyond Web 2.0’ and it aims to ‘bring together the best minds in the industry to showcase and explore success, failures and discuss how the industry can make sense of and take advantage of the rapidly changing environment facing us‘. Paull Young will be moderating a panel on measurement and ROI featuring Allison Murphy from PR Newswire, Kirsten Osolind of Re:Invention and Edelman’s Steve Rubel.

Our colleague, Paull Young, was quoted today in the Christian Science Monitor story ‘Who’s That Selling at Your (Online) Door‘ about ethics within social media and word of mouth marketing. Social media and word of mouth marketing are successful due to the trust they engender, but as more brands move budgets into this realm, the pressure to “bend the rules” will increase. Stealth marketing, astroturfing, fake blog (“flogs”) and other “dark art” tactics will simply destroy trust and, in the process, the effectiveness. And once trust is lost, it is all-so-difficult to regain.

Converseon is proud to be a governing member of WOMMA which has taken a lead in developing a set of ethical guidelines. Now it’s up to the industry to self regulate. We applaud organizations like DuPont who have formally adopted the WOMMA code of ethics.

At Converseon, all our work is in compliance. We find that this does not in any way limit effectiveness or creativity. There simply is no need to resort to unethical tactics. We also work closely with our clients to help adopt the ethical code, train them and also help set up compliance mechanisms. We recognize our role in helping this industry flourish and hope others hold themselves and their clients to the same standards. In a world where technology is helping to create new bonds through new communications tools and technologies, we, as an industry and a society, cannot afford to accept anything less.

Converseon will be involved in wide range of upcoming conferences. We’re looking forward to seeing old friends, and making new ones. Don’t hesitate to give us a shout if you’d like to connect at one of the following.

Rob Key will be speaking at Search Engine Strategies in New York on March 17-20th. He’ll be hosting a panel focusing on using Conversation Mining to find new language/keywords. The session, which will take place on Wednesday March 19, is described as follows:

If search engines are tapping into human knowledge more widely through tagging, click through tracking, search history features and other methods, so can search marketers. Social networks, blogs, feeds, tagging, social bookmarking and immersive game environments provide 24/7 real-time focus groups. Learn how Buzzmetrics, Cymfony (and Converseon) and others help quantify and reveal critical insights.

If you’re interested in attending, please leave a comment and we can give you a code for a 20% discount.

The Converseon team will also be present at BlogHer Business in New York on April 3-4 as Christin Eubanks joins our client Graco presenting a social media outreach case study on the successful Graco Get-Together events. BlogHer Business promises to be an informative and exciting conference (check the full agenda here) as some of the leading female bloggers and corporate online marketers combine to share best practices.

For those with a more academic bent, our CTO Jeff Doak will be at the International Conference on Blogs and Social Media (ICWSM) on March 30 to April 2 where he will be engaged in discussion on new research and technologies for social media analysis. Sponsored by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), the Conference “brings together academic and industrial practitioners to present and to discuss new research, applications, thoughts and ideas that are shaping the future of social media analysis.” We’re always interested in meeting those who share a similar passion for the field and are doing interesting research and development, so contact us if interested in meeting.

Converseon will be exhibiting at Ad:Tech San Francisco on April 15-17. Please come by and say hello. Our focus will be discussing best practices in developing social media strategies, with a special emphasis on social media monitoring - what we call Conversation Mining. Please contact us if you’d like a demo of the service.

Also upcoming, Converseon will be speaking and exhibiting at the ACCM show in Orlando on May 19 – 22. As the site describes,

“ACCM is the only conference that provides education in all the areas of multichannel marketing you need to increase profits, control costs and grow your business.” With the continued rise of social media and a renewed focus on performance based acquisition programs (such as through “Affiliate 2.0”), it should be an interesting event. Converseon provides an array of innovative social media, search and affiliate marketing services to multi-channel marketers.

These are just a few of the upcoming events, keep an eye on our Upcoming.org account for more. We’ll update everyone with more details and events in the coming weeks and we hope we’ll see you at one of the conferences.

If you are a student with a passion for the potential of social media, Converseon has an exciting opportunity for you: Learn and work at the cutting edge of digital innovation - through a summer internship in our New York City headquarters.

Converseon summer interns will provide social media strategy support across a variety of clients in a very hands-on role. You will gain specific experience listening and monitoring online conversation, brainstorming and assisting social media strategies, and immersing yourself in new technologies/platforms. The role will be an ideal learning experience as you’ll have the opportunity to work very closely with our award-winning team and learn from close contact with recognized industry leaders.

You are:

• Eager to make the most of your internship opportunity by demonstrating your enthusiasm as a self-starter, contributing valuable insights and ideas and doing the extras to extend your role
• Smart, enthusiastic about social media and participating already through social blogs, podcasts, social networks etc.
• A senior (juniors may still apply) in PR, marketing, media, advertising, e-commerce, journalism, design, film or another discipline, with a wide variety of experience and skills
• You do not need to be currently based in New York, but you need to be able to make the move here for the summer

Details:

• It’s a 3-month summer internship with flexible start and end dates
• You may receive college credit, depending on your program’s requirements (read: we’re happy to sign the paperwork)
• Your role will be to provide social media strategy support (very hands on); your experience will be what you make it - the harder you work, the more you get to do
• You will be paid a small stipend; but remember NYC is an expensive city, and you’ll need to take into account the feasibility of living here for a summer when applying.

Application process:

• Submit your resume and a brief cover letter to Christin Eubanks (hr [at] converseon.com)
• Your cover letter should include a brief introduction and links to any online content that demonstrates your proficiency and participation in social media
• Applications will be accepted immediately, and we will begin considering applicants from March 14
• We will supply more information about the position, answer any questions and share our selection deadlines as you express interest
• Show your enthusiasm by subscribing to this blog, following Converseon on Twitter and interacting with our company in a variety of social media spaces
• Converseon will respond to all applicants and contact stand-out candidates for interviews and more information

If you have any further questions please send us an email or leave a comment below. We look forward to meeting you!

We’re thrilled to announce that our own Jamie Birch has been awarded an Honorary Affiliate Manager Certification by Affiliate Classroom. Jamie is our Director of Affiliate Relations and leads our affiliate marketing group that provides performance-based marketing solutions for clients including Hilton Hotels, Mikasa, and Edmund Scientifics.

One of only 14 affiliate industry candidates to receive the award, Jamie was picked by an advisory board of affiliate industry personalities. Affiliate managers wear many hats - they are internet marketers with a broad range of skills, often including sales and customer service, web development, analysis and reporting, project management, and creative and promotional smarts. We certainly agree with Affiliate Classroom that Jamie and the others nominated “really exemplified the meaning of a professional affiliate manager.”

Affiliate Classroom has posted a nice video about the five most recent honorees, including Jamie. Congratulations, Jamie! We’re very proud of you.

Today Aberdeen Group released its Social Media Measurement and Monitoring Report.

As a leading company providing social media monitoring and measurement services Converseon agreed to help sponsor the report earlier this year to help educate the industry. To find out more about our Conversation Mining and eResponder social media monitoring technology, visit our site here. We will be providing a review of the research in the coming days; however, on an initial glance it appears to have some interesting findings, such as:

• It found that Best-in-Class organizations are over 680% more likely than Laggards to improve their ability to predict customer behavior through the use of social media monitoring and analysis tools.

• Best-in-Class companies are nurturing technology implementation with key organizational processes and capabilities, such as a formalized process for monitoring consumer-generated content (65%), dedicated personnel devoted to social media monitoring (52%), and an “early warning system” for detecting potential threats to the brand (42%).

• As a result of strong organizational support, Best-in-Class companies are 5 times more likely than Laggards to be “extremely satisfied” with the number of actionable insights derived from social media monitoring and analysis.

The report is an important contribution to other research of the industry that has been growing, including Peter Kim’s industry report (The Forrester Wave™: Brand Monitoring, Q3 2006) and Nathan Gilliat’s comprehensive Guide to Social Media Analysis.

Access to the report is free until March 31 (just requires a registration) and please click here to download your copy.

We hope you find it interesting and of use and look forward to feedback.

This morning Converseon sponsored New York’s first Social Media Breakfast alongside Text 100. Reuters Second Life reporter Eric Krangel (aka Eric Reuters) spoke about virtual worlds, the changing media landscape and his role as a Second Life journalist. You can see all our photos in the Converseon Flickr account.

We’d really like to see the New York social media scene come together and we think events like this are important for the community - not that virtual relationships moving into the real world is anything new, as this 1997 Wired quote about The Well shows:

In addition to electronic dialog, there should be a strong face-to-face element to The Well. (It was while on EIES that Brand had learned the value of online confrères having physical contact - a group of EIES regulars made a point of meeting offline as well.) He sensed that the most interesting possibility to arise from knitting electronic dialog into the fabric of everyday life would lie not in championing either the virtual or the human-contact model but rather in finding the place where they overlapped. “Brand had an awareness that you had to have that sense of the physical environment and the local culture and flavor for the community to work,” says John Perry Barlow, who joined The Well in 1986.

Thank you to all the friends of Converseon (new and old) who joined us for breakfast this morning; it was great to be able to sponsor a meeting of New York’s finest social media minds.

On a day to day basis our work at Converseon touches on a number of marketing disciplines and draws from widely different areas of expertise. This diversity is on show this week as our team speaks at three events with varying backgrounds and audiences

Search Engine Strategies - Chicago

Constantin Basturea will appear on a panel ‘Meet the Bloggers Who Can Make Your Cash Register Ring!’

There is a significant difference between popularity and influence. And it is important to find out which bloggers generate editorial coverage, influence your existing and potential customers, and drive traffic to your ecommerce or merchant site. While building relationships with these influential bloggers can be very time-consuming and resource-intensive, this session will help you to get started.

PRSA event: Social Media 101: What Every PR Practitioner Should Know - Pittsburgh

Social networks and online communities are transforming traditional PR strategies. The old broadcast system is on its way out. In this interactive session with nationally renowned digital marketing expert, Rob Key, learn how the social media phenomenon is rapidly changing the practice of public relations. In this session you’ll learn about the latest digital tools available to today’s PR practitioner as well as strategies for incorporating social media tactics into your organization’s marketing mix

SNCR Research Symposium

Constantin Basturea will appear on a panel on online communities and virtual worlds discussing our multiple award winning Second Chance Trees project.

The SNCR Symposium & Awards Gala will feature the latest research and winning case studies from around the globe. Learn, discuss and have fun with your peers, industry experts and the most notable thinkers and practitioners in the world of new media and communications.