I have really enjoyed the Winter Olympics this year. Perhaps it is because of the especially cold and snowy winter we have endured – or perhaps it is that I am truly in awe of the athletes who can spin, jump and fly on skis. And it is easier than in years past to indulge in Olympic fever, with a multitude of media channels providing in-depth exposure. Television and online dominate the coverage, and corporate sponsors have embraced both. Visa or other sponsors go beyond logo inclusion and running tv spots, many have very extensive integrated campaigns – including social media.

Social media has played a big part of these games. Even companies who are not officially sponsors have tried to get in on the action
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There is a running joke around the office about my "love" of twitter. So, it was not surprising when my colleagues asked if I will run out and buy a Ford after the news that twitter will be incorporated into future Ford Motor Co. vehicles. (And, the answer is no, by the way.)

But, in all sincerity, as a public relations professional who loves to connect with people and needs to stay tuned into the latest industry news, twitter has been very helpful. Here are a few simple examples of how you can use it:

• Follow publications that are relevant to your space to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in the industry. On my personal twitter account (@ABBYBUTT), I recently started a B2B publication list… check it out – and if you are an editor or a publication and I missed you on the list,
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I didn't mean to be anti-social. Really, I didn't. 

I shut down my Twitter and Facebook accounts recently because I was failing to maintain these on-line representations of me, a B2B marketing and PR professional, in a way that was adding value. In fact I was hardly maintaining them at all. And that's not the way to be social these days, much less helpful. So, I've temporarily unplugged. (Oh, not entirely. I kept my LinkedIn page up and even updated my profile a bit, but that's beside the point).

The point, as my 20-something reverse mentor tells me, is to get and stay engaged. "Commit to 10 to 20 minutes a day," she said. I know she's right. And I know it's a bit early for a New Year's resolution, but I think I have one already. It's a matter of see and be seen, listen and contribute, or risk irrelevancy.

In an impressive study released today, Business.com reports about
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Is it just my imagination or is the Social Media landscape expanding faster than global warming on the Arctic’s polar ice cap?

On the publishing side of Social Media, we’ve got key players such as Wikipedia and Digg. On the sharing front, it’s Web sites like YouTube and Flickr. In the social networking arena, the heavy hitters are Facebook and LinkedIn. And don’t forget Twitter, which has taken blogging – in this case, microblogging – to a whole new level.

At this stage of the game, B2B marketers probably feel like they need a scorecard to keep track of all the Social Media players, their positions, strengths and weaknesses. The question is, which player is paying its dues right now in the minor leagues, poised to make a dramatic leap to the big leagues?

I don’t have that answer, but I do know one thing: Social Media is here to stay. And here’s
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Last week Google announced that they will be including tweets in their search results, and will be building a real-time search that includes Twitter and other providers.

What does that mean to a B2B company looking to optimize their web site for search? While the details of how tweets will be incorporated into Google results are yet to be determined, it is becoming clear that B2B marketers cannot dismiss social networking mediums like Twitter.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project recently released survey results reporting that 19% of internet users now say they use Twitter or another service to share updates about themselves, or to see updates about others.

The Google announcement is yet another reason to consider
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This has certainly been a year of change. And, possibly what has changed the most is where your audience goes to find their information. I know my own habits have changed substantially over the past year. I went from being a person who swore they would never be on Facebook, to joining Facebook and even Twitter. I even have the Facebook application on my Blackberry. These venues have tremendous marketing value if your audience is participating.

As fellow Godfrey blogger Melinda states, “Print is not dead.” But it is different. Trade publications are definitely noticeably skinnier than they once were. And, given the economic slowdown, maybe people even have more time to read the articles this year. My point is that the economic crisis has caused us to change our behaviors not only as human beings but also as target audiences for many marketers.
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I have been neglecting my blog. I’m not the only one. About 95% of blogs are abandoned—a number from Technorati based on the fact that only 7.4 million of the 133 million blogs have been updated in the past 120 days. But I have been tweeting. Not because the media has hyped it up or because everyone else is (not true actually, as the top 10% of Twitter users account for over 90% of tweets) but because in order to advise b2b clients on microblogging service, I had to experience it firsthand. After committing to it, I honestly see its value as a part of a b-to-b marketing communications strategy.

I talked about the ---More---

Tired of Twitter talk yet? Wondering why the micro-blogging service with a 140 character limit is getting so much text? The latest Twitter Talley shows there’s good reason b-to-b marketers are twittering. Twitter is the fastest growing member-based community site on the Web.

• As of February 2009, there were 7,038,000 Twitter users—an increase of 1,381%, up from 475,000 the previous year. (According to Nielson NetView.)
• The reported figures from Compete are higher, with over 14 million unique users in March 2009.
• In the blogsphere, talk about Twitter has
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