I recently heard a story on NPR about the U.S. military’s video game that simulates fighting a battle. The video game has single-handedly resulted in more military recruits than all the military’s other recruiting efforts. They called the game ‘militainment,’ a combination of military and entertainment.

I guess we’re in the Age of Making Up New Words (i.e., PR 3.0).

But these two concepts — communitainment and militainment — in my mind, underscore a fundamental shift that has taken place.

We’re not talking about passive consumers. We’re dealing with empowered consumers.

They’re used to choosing what media they consume, and when they consume it. They’re accustomed to searching online for news and information, and finding just what they’re looking for in a short amount of time when they need it. They’re bombarded with thousands of messages daily.

So how do you stand out?

You create fun, engaging, memorable experiences.

You interact with them in ways in which they want to participate.

You channel your most creative self and develop something completely different.

Of course, like Cinderella’s glass slipper, there are plenty of eager princess wannabes and only one perfect fit. It’ll take time, effort and lots of listening to your target audience to hit a home run.

But with so many tools available, the opportunities today certainly exceed that of any other time.

Let’s hear it for creatatainment! (I’ll bet I’m the first one to use that new word.)

Jeremiah Owyang has a great blog post about Companies that Measure Social Media, Influence, and Brand.

Rather than re-create it, I’m publishing this article to link you to his ongoing list of companies engaged in listening and measuring influence. I highly recommend checking it out.

Visit his site, Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang, to read his post and check out the online measurement companies.

A New Social Media Conference

And while I’m on the subject of Jeremiah Owyang, I’m pleased to announce he’ll be one of the keynote speakers at a Ragan Communications conference I have helped plan. I’ll also be part of the program.

It’s the Social Media Summit, presented by Ragan Communications at Cisco Systems headquarters in San Jose, Calif., from June 9-11, 2010.

It promises to be one of the best social media conferences of the year.

Guy Kawasaki is also one of the keynote speakers.

You can follow updates about the conference by searching for: #ragancisco

Here’s a link to the conference site on Ragan.com.

Ragan Communications presents a conference hosted by General Motors in Detroit, May 5-7, 2010.

The conference will provide an exclusive look into how GM uses social media to revolutionize its culture, launch new products and deal with crisis communications.

As part of the conference, Pete Codella, Accredited in public relations, has been invited to present one of three half-day pre-conference workshops.

Workshop 1

Mark Ragan will present a Social media boot camp: A total immersion workshop.

Workshop 2

Pete Codella will present Revitalize your public relations: How to combine the best of traditional and new media to share and manage your message.

Workshop 3

Shel Holtz will present Social media tools: What’s new, what’s coming.

Visit Ragan’s website for complete pre-conference and conference program descriptions.

Details

Revitalize your public relations: How to combine the best of traditional and new media to share and manage your message

Date: May 5, 2010

Time: 9 a.m. to Noon

Place: General Motors, Detroit

Cost: $345

Registration: at Ragan.com

Description

Public relations is about managing relationships with important stakeholders. Although practitioners are bombarded with ever-changing tools, the tried and true strategic approach to public relations remains constant.

Join Pete Codella, APR, in this three-hour pre-conference workshop to refresh and refine your public relations skills. He’ll review best and worst practices, outline effective social media strategies and discuss the reality of working in an “always on” profession.

In this practical, hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how to:

• Develop and implement strategic public relations plans that incorporate both traditional and new media initiatives
• Work more effectively utilizing technology and service providers
• Make the case for social media engagement within your organization
• Produce content that supports the search optimization strategy of your organization
• Utilize multimedia to self-publish and tell more of your story
• Support the marketing, advertising and communication efforts of your organization
• Deliver higher return on public relations investment
• Refine your media relations skills to deliver better placement
• Create and manage an online communication strategy that extends far beyond your main Web site and into vast social networks
• Make the most of Google’s free services
• Lead your organization effectively into new media adoption and utilization

The question, asked by @TiffanyWI: “If you could see any SM presenter… Who would it be?”

One response, by @marthamuzychka: “@TiffanyWI Pete Codella @codella @ShelHoltz or Seth Godin.”

Of course I had to thank Martha for her kind words. And after I did, she responded with: “I have heard you speak 2X & both times I thought you were really clear about the practical approaches/results of SM.”

And in case you think I’m making it up, here are screen captures of the conversation:

It’s always nice to receive some positive feedback.

If you’d like to read more reactions from people who have attended my seminars, you can in the Presentations section of my blog.

The Importance of Listening

I’d just like to point out that if I wasn’t monitoring Twitter using services like Google Alerts, Tweet Beep and Social Oomph, this conversation could have gone completely undetected by me.

It underlies the importance — for individuals, organizations and brands — of using tools to monitor and listen to the social media space.

I use fan pages because it’s like a website with its own vanity URL that allows your friends to collaborate with you by sharing their own content and commenting on your content.

Facebook Fan Page Suggestions

Set a vanity URL for your fan page once you’ve got at least 25 fans by visiting Facebook.com/username.

Also, you can automate sharing content from an RSS feed in a fan page. I like to use either a blog or online newsroom’s RSS feed and import it into the fan page notes application. Just edit the page, edit the Notes application and import an RSS feed.

You can also create applications on your fan page. Check out the Bags Fly Free application on the Southwest Airlines Facebook fan page.

You can message fans by posting an update that appears in the “Updates” section of fans’ inboxes.

Facebook also provides analytics for pages with more than 10,000 fans (see: Introducing per post analytics for Pages).

Here’s my advice on managing your Facebook fan page:

• Set your vanity URL
• Install applications
• Import RSS in the Notes application
• Frequently share useful articles and videos
• Post upcoming events
• Provide info to Facebook fans first
• Post discounts, deals and coupons — skip the line pass, secret sales, bring a friend coupon
• Ask fans for their feedback and insight to improve your products/services and do a drawing for one lucky participant
• Set appropriate privacy settings on your personal page

The Bottom Line

Create a place where your fans are comfortable communicating with you.

Fan Comment Notifications

As of this writing Facebook, unfortunately, hasn’t incorporated a way for fan page administrators to be notified when someone shares something on your fan page.

But there is a way to find out when people comment on something that has been shared — you have to “Like” it then you’ll receive notifications when someone else follows you with a “Like” or “Comment.” I blogged about that earlier (see: How to receive notifications when someone posts to your Facebook fan page).

Suggestions?

Do any of you have suggestions for ways businesses can and are using Facebook fan pages?

I’d love to hear them.

They lowered it all right. They lowered it substantially below the balance that was due. And while my business cash flow was diminishing I was suddenly paying over-your-credit-limit and sometimes late fees with my payments.

I eventually paid down the balance due so it was no longer over the newly imposed lower credit limit.

But I have to admit, warranted or not, I felt betrayed, even taken advantage of, by American Express.

I vowed to continue to pay down the debt until it was paid-off, and to close my American Express accounts, both personal and corporate.

This month marks the first time in several years that I no longer have any American Express accounts.

It’s a happy day for Codella Marketing, and for me personally.

So long to dirty little tricks and the ruthlessly ridged creditor called American Express.

Following the success of Pete Codella’s 17 social media tools to help save communicators time and money Webinar in December and re-broadcast in January, Pete’s back with another Ragan PR Daily Webinar installment. This time the Webinar is focused on using inexpensive video cameras to quickly and easily create HD video for corporate communications.

Details

Hey, PR pros: Do you ‘Flip?’
Producing web content with the Flip, bloggie and Zi8 video cameras

Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Time: 1 to 2:15 p.m. Mountain time

Place: This is a Webinar and can be accessed online from any Internet-enabled location

Cost: $99

Registration: at Ragan.com

Hashtag: #raganflip

Description

The web began with lots of text and little multimedia to break it up—but we’re not in Kansas anymore. People are not only more attracted to multimedia content, they expect it.

The good news is that small, portable, high-definition video cameras have pretty much removed the barrier to creating video content previously done with expensive, complicated video equipment.

Now all it takes is a couple hundred dollars and about 20 minutes, and you’ve got HD video for the web—from concept to shooting, editing and uploading to your favorite Internet site.

We’ll review three video cameras that fit the bill: the bloggie by Sony, the Flip, and the Zi8 by Kodak.

In this webinar, you’ll learn how to:

• Identify fun, creative and compelling video vignettes
• Quickly produce high-definition video content for web sites
• Determine which portable video camera is right for you—we’ll compare and contrast some options: bloggie, Flip, Zi8
• Operate a Flip, bloggie, or Zi8 video camera — from pulling it out of the box and setting it up, filming, installing software, uploading video to your favorite platform then sharing that video
• Plan for lighting and sound to create the best outcome
• Edit your video for concise, on-message content
• Upload video from your desktop to YouTube
• Apply appropriate video titles, descriptions and tags so your video can be found in online search

A presentation for the 9th Annual Utah Rural Business Conference hosted by Senator Bob Bennett and the Utah Rural Development Council.

The development of social media has helped millions of people better connect with friends and acquaintances.

Many businesses now recognize the power of such a medium in communicating with constituencies.

Join Pete Codella of Codella Marketing who coaches business leaders on how they can better harness the potential of social media and social networks.

Learn how your business can benefit from engaging key publics through social media.

Details

Defining a Social Media Strategy

Date: February 19, 2010

Time: 11:15 a.m.

Place: Carbon County Event Center, Price, Utah

RSVP: RuralUtah.com

Cost: The Rural Business Conference is free thanks to the support of its generous sponsors

Slides: Visit the Codella Marketing newsroom for PDF slides from the presentation

Do you agree that using Google services helps your website’s search placement?

Although I haven’t seen substantiated, written evidence of my theory, many web developers and professional communicators share my perspective — that when you use Google webmaster tools on your site, you’re adding Google juice that benefits your site’s page rank and search placement.

Here are a few Google tools I recommend all websites utilize:

Google Search

Even if you have a relatively small site with only a few dozen pages, incorporating Google Search on your website is a good idea.

If for no other reason than having Google index your site, it’s a good idea.

But it’s also a good idea from the perspective of usability. Is it easy for people to navigate your site and locate information? Even if you think it is, have you done usability focus group studies to determine if that’s really the case?

Why not add Google Search, a free tool, to help your site visitors fine what they’re looking for faster?

And if you don’t like the paid ads that show up in search results, pay the $100 a month for the Google Custom Search Business Edition to remove them.

Google Analytics

As communicators you’ve got to measure your efforts to show which direction the needle’s moving.

Google Analytics provides a pretty good, basic understanding of website traffic and referring sources.

You can use Analytics to compare your online activity with offline campaigns like sales, an advertising push or articles that may appear in the media or blogosphere about your product or service.

Are there correlating peaks and valleys? Is there no correlation?

These are important considerations in our day of integrated marketing communication.

Google FeedBurner

This is one of my favorite tools, especially now that they’ve added Socialize to the FeedBurner add-ons. You can read what I wrote about the Socialize plugin last month.

FeedBurner takes your native feed and puts it on steroids. It allows people to easily and quickly add your feed to their RSS reader, regardless of which reader they’re using. It also allows the reader to choose to receive your feed in their email inbox (its most valuable feature in my opinion).

FeedBurner has a host of additional plugins that allow you to add a logo to the feed and control how the feed subscriber can interact with and share your feed.

Since a key Web strategy is making your content portable and sharable among social networks, it’s almost a no-brainer for you to use FeedBurner.

Google XML Sitemap for WordPress

And for those of you who use WordPress to drive your site or blog, be sure you’re using the Google XML Sitemaps Generator plugin.

Others?

Those are my favorite Google tools. Do you have others you think should be a priority?

Resources

And if you care to learn more, I highly recommend you spend some time on the Google Webmaster Central Channel on YouTube.

You’ll probably learn more than you ever wanted to know.

A brown bag lunchtime presentation for members and friends of ChamberWest, the chamber of commerce serving West Valley City, Taylorsville and Kearns, Utah.

You’ve heard the buzz about social media.

You’re probably already on Facebook, and maybe you’re using Twitter.

But you’re still asking yourself, “How can I utilize social media tools to help my business grow?”

And that’s just the question Salt Lake City social media coach Pete Codella will answer at this gathering of marketers and business owners.

Details

Using social media for business marketing

Join members and friends of ChamberWest at this free informational workshop focused on social media marketing for business.

The 2009 program director for the Social Media Club of Salt Lake City and chair of the 2009 Utah Social Media Awards, Pete Codella, will provide a presentation covering social media tools and discussing examples of businesses utilizing such tools to develop stronger relationships with constituencies.

Codella owns and operates Codella Marketing, NewsCactus and co-hosts the Online PR Podcast. His e-book, Integrated Marketing in the Digital World, is available for download on PeteCodella.com. And his course, Using Social Media as a Tool for Public Relations, is available online this May through the University of California, Irvine Extension.

Date: Monday, January 25, 2010

Time: Noon to 1 p.m.

Place: Alphagraphics at 2189 South 3200 West in West Valley City | map it

RSVP by emailing Brian Johnson at bjohnson [at] alphagraphics.com

Hashtag: #ChamberWest

Bring your own lunch. Finger food snacks and drinks will be provided by Alphagraphics.

At this seminar you’ll learn how to:

• Develop strategies that maximize your online presence
• Create an online monitoring system to learn what people are saying about you
• Determine which social media platforms are right for you
• Establish and maximize your social media presence
• Incorporate social media initiatives into your traditional marketing, public relations and advertising
• Effectively use a Facebook fan page, Twitter account, YouTube channel and LinkedIn group