Cieslewicz, whose blog, “Citizen Dave,” appears on the Isthmus/Daily Page website, will discuss his blogging life as part of the panel discussion that will include local social media journalists and social media managers. The event, focusing on how and why writers of all types use social media , will be at 7 p.m. in Room 240.

The former mayor will be joined by Nick Heynen, social media coordinator/Web editor for the Wisconsin State Journal; Kristian Knutsen, web editor for Isthmus Publishing; Annie Rubens, social media manager and coordinator of the Social Media Breakfast — Madison; and Natasha Kassulke, editor of Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine and journalism instructor at Madison College.

“These panelists will examine how today’s writer can use social media platforms to elevate public awareness of an issue, a book or magazine article, a Web site, or a company or an organization,“ says Larry Hansen, Madison College instructor and panel moderator. “Of course, we’ll also look at the writing ‘life’ of someone immersed in social media either through a hobby or a career.”

The Writer’s Life Lecture Series is sponsored by the college’s Journalism and Creative Writing Programs.

Don’t worry, Social Media Club of Madison has you covered. You’re invited to kick back a few drinks, schmooze with Madison socialites and reunite with everyone’s favorite creative director at our premiere party for AMC’s Mad Men.

Set in style at The Atomic Koi, we’ve planned an evening of retro delights – from custom martinis to tasty pizza and a costume contest with prizes for the best dressed. (Break out your 60′s attire!)

The event starts at 7 p.m., the premiere starts at 8 p.m.

RSVP today – we promise it will be as swanky as a Draper soiree. #zoubisoubisou

P.S. During the event, we’ll be helping Tracey Zeigler raise funds for the Man & Woman of the Year campaign for the Wisconsin Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Visit their site to learn more!

Sponsors include:

Facebook, often criticized for its changing private settings is usually the social network people think of when the topic of privacy is discussed. However, what users tweet, Instagram, check-in and otherwise share elsewhere has an effect on privacy – or lack of. According to the latest data from Pew Internet Project, more women use social networking – 75 vs. 63 percent – and more women on a daily basis — 54 vs. 42 percent. So if more women are using social media, it begs the question: How do they approach privacy in the social media realm?

Sarah Evans, chief evangelist at open social collaboration platform Tracky and social correspondent at Sarah’s Faves thinks about things before she shares them online. “I have very specific things I will and will not share online. I don’t share things I deem too personal,” she says. For example, Evans will rave about an event she attended, but won’t share that she is going to an event alone.

Abby Draper, senior account executive, IMRE, is also careful about how much she shares. “I wouldn’t share passwords, exact address, kind of car I drive, etc. I do get scolded by family and friends, mostly male, about ‘checking in’ to different places like the bank or a bar so I try to be cautious of sharing too much there,” Draper says.

Location Sharing

Sites with geolocation such as Foursquare don’t deter women like Draper or Kate Gardiner, media consultant and founder, dstl.it, rather they consider when they check in to various locations choosing to check in after they leave the location. “In context of the whole ‘girls are at risk’ theory, I don’t know that any of my behavior is driven by that concept — my inclination is think, write, share and there’s usually a level of self-censorship ongoing,” Gardiner says.

Social media adds another layer of security to keep in mind when women travel. “I used to worry about sharing where I was going with places like Foursquare, but I created a strategy for when to post travel information,” Evans says. “It goes a little something like this: I will post travel plans if I’m not traveling alone; I will post travel plans if I’m not traveling alone and not traveling with my son; I will post travel plans after I’ve already arrived somewhere; I will post travel plans if it’s for the larger benefit of a client or event; I don’t post travel plans for local travel or personal events.”

Gardiner approaches the issue of travel plans and social media as a way to connect with her network in the area she’s traveling to. “It’s mostly because I have such a diverse network — I’m trying to reach people who I wouldn’t otherwise see,” Gardiner says.

Censoring

Some users share anything and everything online, and Krista Ledbetter, public relations and social media account executive, Kennedy Communications, finds herself mostly in this category. “I’m very open. Some people appreciate that, others don’t. But that’s the glory of social media -— you can unfollow me,” she says. “The only thing I will not do is complain about my job on social media. Never. That seems like such a small thing compared to the things I do open up about, but that’s my career. My livelihood. There’s no messing with that.”

Gardiner on the other hand seldom shares her opinion. “My opinions are mine, and rarely shared on social because I’ve written so many social media policies and spent so much time scaring other people who work in editorial environments,” Gardiner says.

Finding the balance

Evans, Gardiner, Draper and Ledbetter have all found a balance between sharing enough information to connect with people while maintaining a level of safety. “Don’t share your last name, your address, your place of employment. If you’re going to meet someone, do it in a public place. I do all of these things until I really get to ‘know’ someone. I’ve made dozens of friends through Twitter and blogging. Clearly by now they know all of these things about me. But, as a rule, don’t share anything that would let a stranger pick you out of a crowd,” Ledbetter adds.

Draper says that her network consists mostly of close friends and family who use it to check on her from long distance. “I think the way that I use social media is a bit unique in that it serves mostly as a tool to keep my family, friends, loved ones who are all over the country updated to what I am doing and more importantly, that I am safe and happy,” she says. Because of this atmosphere to her accounts, she uses it as a kind of safeguard. “Make sure that someone knows how frequently you share and if they notice you’re not sharing that often, have them check in with you.”

All four of these women said the solution is to be smart about what you share. “If you’re going to be away for a while, don’t tell the internet. If you’re alone in a hotel room, tweeting or Facebooking from that place in a way that allows someone to find you isn’t wise,” Gardiner says.

Evans takes the “be smart” advice a step further with a few tips. “If you’re going to be traveling somewhere alone, don’t post it. If you’re going to be home alone, don’t post it. If you ever have doubts about something you’re thinking about posting, don’t post it. Update the privacy settings on your social networks. Make sure you’re only sharing with the people you want to share with,” she adds. “If you ever meet someone online male or female and plan a meet up, meet in a public place, let a friend or family member know where you’re going and who you’re meeting.”

Remember that nothing is truly private even with locked down accounts. “I think it’s overkill to say never share where you are, what you’re doing, to be anonymous or to never post pictures of anything,” Ledbetter says. “Imagine anything you post will be available to anyone in the world to read. Don’t share anything you wouldn’t share with all of those millions of strangers.”

by Brian Lee, President of Revelation PR, Advertising & Social Media

YouTube has launched the careers of musical artists such as Justin Bieber and Arnel Pineda (current lead singer of Journey). Now’s it launching an entire genre of music called K-Pop.

I bet more people are familiar with K-Pop–which is pop music from South Korea–than they realize. Just turn on the radio or go online to hear/watch PSY’s “Gangnam Style,” which the New Yorker calls the “Macarena of the moment.”

These videos have high-quality production and dance choreography, which certainly helped them go viral worldwide (the No. 1 rule for viral marketing is to have good content). So far, “Gangnam Style” has more than 600 million views, Girls’ Generation’s “Gee” has 90 million and Super Junior’s “Mr. Simple” has 50 million.

K-Pop’s popularity is an example of the ever-evolving digital landscape. Previously, you typically discovered new music through the radio and/or by watching MTV/VH1. Now, by the time a song hits one of those media, you’re already familiar with the song through YouTube, Spotify or iTunes.

What does this mean for the notoriously greedy record industry? Besides using these new avenues, record executives need to remember it’s okay to give away something for free. Recent sold-out K-Pop concerts in the United States and huge record sales prove this.

And if something is worth sharing, people will share it.

Brian Lee is the President of Revelation PR, Advertising & Social Media and founder of EatDrinkMadison.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @CaptBNL. 

Arthur Ranney

Social Media Club Madison’s new Brown Bag lunch series kicks off with Professor Arthur Ranney of U.W. Platteville – the first school to offer a minor in Social Media.

Ranney will bring his perspective on social media’s role for business. He will talk about what he’s teaching his students and what you might want to focus on as social media professionals.

Brown Bag Lunch – Thursday, November 15th, 2012 @ Noon

Sponsored by: Holiday Inn – Madison East

Held at: Holiday Inn – Madison East
5109 West Terrace Drive
Madison, WI 53718

How to Get the FREE Brown Bag Lunch

• “Like” Holiday Inn – Madison East on Facebook
• “Like” Social Media Club – Madison on Facebook

Register for this Event

by Maureen Alley, Owner, Media Alley 

With just a little more than two weeks before the 2012 Presidential Election, it feels nearly impossible to go online, watch TV or even speak to someone without hearing a political opinion. As a consumer, this may not be an issue other than getting annoyed by a friend’s point-of-view. But as a brand, you risk losing half your audience – or half your customers – and half your revenue.

According to the 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, 94 percent of respondents use social media to market their businesses. Compare that number to the increasing number of consumers who following brands on these sites: Twice as many consumers followed brands in the past two years according The Social Habit 2012 study by Edison Research.

Yelp Party at HotelRed

Last night I attended the Yelp kick-off party in Madison at HotelRed on Regent street. This soiree was to let people know that Yelp has opened a branch in the Madison area. @yelpmadison is their Twitter handle.

The evening was sponsored by a few companies that brought food, drink and prizes to those attending. Yelp swag also was available in the form of bouncy balls, earth friendly shopping bags, bottle openers and more.

I talked with Corey, the Madison ambassador for Yelp. He was excited to see what is going on in the Madison area and get Yelp’s name across to all the restaurants in town.

I also talked with some social media friends and met a couple new ones. Each person was interested to see how YelpMadison is going to be a part of the social media community.

Corey has confirmed that he will be at the Madison SMC mixer next week at Capitol Brewery. You can meet him there and find out more about Yelp’s infusion into Madison.

Rachel Fell from Yelp Milwaukee doing jazz hands for Yelp Madison

Yelp comes to Madison

Get to know other smart and savvy Madison Social Media people interested in upping their game. You can also learn about the perks to become a MadisonSMC member. Best of all, if you register early, your first drink is on us! The first 50 people to register will receive their drink coupon at the door.

Visit the Eventbrite invite to register for the event. Use @MadisonSMC and/or #MadSMC for tweeting.

A big thanks to our sponsor: 

Photo c/o M i x y.

We’ve  been brainstorming some big things for the 2012-2013 Social Media Club Madison year. And today, we’re thrilled to announce the launch of our Brown Bag Lunch (BBL) series.

Our BBLs will take place the first Thursday of each month, starting in October. Each will cover an educational topic to help you plan, manage and measure for social media success. Stay tuned for our first event in October! 

Visit the blog or sign up for our e-newsletter to get details sent straight to your inbox as soon as we announce them.

We’re looking forward to great year full of new connections, big ideas and strategies for social media success.

-Kira (@kksparks)

Why your Madison business should join Madison SMC

There are many reasons why Dane County based businesses need to be part of Madison’s Social Media Club. Joining is easy to do and you support Madison WI based businesses. You also belong to a group that brings up topics you need to know about in this social world.

Community is King – Associate Yourself

If you stand out by yourself, no one will see you. If you participate in the community, people associate a face with a company. It becomes a different game when they know who you are.

I hate the word “Join”

I joined a club when I was 10, but did nothing for it. They said you would get new friends if you joined, but I did not. Of course, I also didn’t participate in most of the activities.

Joining is easy. Being a part of the group can take a little more. Participating in MadisonSMC sounds like a better option.

What Benefits if I “Participate”?

The biggest benefit is knowledge from other Social Media professionals in Madison. To prove it, let me give you an important tip in Social Media that you may be overlooking.

Social Media Tip: When networking via Facebook, Twitter; Your friends can give you the numbers. Only problem is: you know those people and some might never be customers. Try to get someone to “Like” your page that you do not know. That can be your newest, best-est customer. Plan for 2-3 new people a day, and your business might just pick up within a year.

What Do I Have to Do as a Business?

Simple: attend the events, interact, learn. You could even send another employee to attend the events, but make sure they report what happened to you. By being on top of this, you might learn something new and pick up a few new customers.

It’s all in how you participate. Madison SMC is a chapter of Social Media Club, which connects with people world-wide. We have members move to other cities and people from other clubs move here. You are not only building a network within Madison – you are stretching it out to other cities.

Come to a MadisonSMC event and see what we’re talking about. Join us on Twitter: MadisonSMC. Join us on Facebook, too!