But as I got more involved with Social Media - I found myself using it less and less. One of the things that I love most about Social Media is the Open Nature of communication - and I’ve felt that things like LinkedIn Mail are barriers to real communication. And in a world that moves as fast as this one - barriers just don’t work anymore.

Additionally - I was having issues with what I thought were expired invitations - although I might have been looking at the InMail system incorrectly. So in this case it was plain and simple user error.

In any event - I sent out a tweet about how frustrated I was with LinkedIn - and how I thought it was a closed system. Imagine my surprise when I immediately (I mean within 5 seconds) heard from one of the folks who works for LinkedIn. Steve Ganz. Now Steve and I have never met - so I imagine he must have been using the Twitter tracking service to track the keyword “LinkedIn”. What’s really awesome - is not only did he look into my issue - and politely let me know that I was actually mistaken. But he also offered to open up the discussion about why I think LinkedIn is a closed system - and what I think they can do to improve. Nice. Here’s the email I received:

Hi Erica,

I did a little digging and found that there really aren’t any instances that we actually expire a request. Can you tell me what type of request it was that expired for you?

The only thing I can think of is if you were to send a LinkedIn invitation request to someone who wasn’t already a member, we would send out a reminder to them once or twice and then stop the reminders. But it never actually expires.

Best,
Steve

P.S. Also, if you wouldn’t mind sharing, I’d love to hear more about your feelings that LinkedIn is a closed system. What can we do to open it up more for you?

How’s that for Open Dialogue? I’m going to be formulating a list of things I love/hate about LinkedIn as it currently stands for Steve and also post them here. So expect an update on this soon. In the meantime - Kudos to LinkedIn for an amazingly quick response and terrific user support!

It’s interesting to note that today’s users not only expect companies to listen - they also expect them to respond and take action. My friend John Moore often says: “Be Everywhere Your Customers Expect You To Be”. I think the follow-up to that is - “If you want to really impress your customers - be where they don’t expect you to be too.” Once again - Bravo to LinkedIn for listening, responding, taking action, and being cool enough to hang out on Twitter.

(more…)

“Social media right now is Stephen Covey’s Quadrant 2 (important but not urgent.) It’s not urgent….yet. Focus NOW!”

I’ll be posting my answer to this question here at 3:30 Pacific time - along with links to my responses on Twitter, Utterz & Jaiku.

“The Future of Communication is a combination of the Participatory Web and Ambient Media. I think we’re heading toward a time when we can use tools like Twitter, Jaiku, Pownce, Groovr, etc - without self-reporting. A cross between what Jambo tried to accomplish - and what Microblogging is today. That’s from a Technology Perspective. When it comes to the heart of communication though - I think we’re all still trying to figure that out. The web has become this amazing platform where anyone with something important to say can be heard. We’ve seen it time and time again - from the Hugs Campaign to Stand Up and Speak Out. The Web can make a difference and impact the world. Web 3.0 will definitely be Social Networking with a Conscience. But companies who aren’t already participating in this global conversation will start participating - either by choice or by necessity. And the Conversations will get bigger - and smaller at the same time. Everything will become Hyperlocal - and we will never feel more connected or more alone…”

Link to Twitters: http://twitter.com/ericaogrady/statuses/381613732

Link to Utterz: http://www.utterz.com/~u-NDk2NDgzNA/utt.php

This week would also be a good time to revisit The Cluetrain Manifesto - I think that we’re about to see a remarkable shift in the way companies and people do business - and these two resources are your treasure map to the fabled city of Marketsville.

I’m a Social Media Consultant. Part of my job here at Peanut Butter Media is to help companies create active Communities Online and Off. For some companies this is easier than others. And I think I know one reason why (here’s that aha moment I had with Geri): Some Companies are Vanilla. They are plain & nondescript. They might be Rich in Ideas or Funding or even Talent. From the outside - they are dependable, loyal, common & ordinary. Unfortunately - they aren’t memorable.

My friend John Moore gives a Great Talk on Ideals that Spark Ideas. One of his main tenets is to “Make The Common - Uncommon”. It’s impossible to make something “go viral” - but it’s easy to make something unique and different. And that’s where I start with Vanilla Companies in Social Media.

Of course one always prefers starting with something Pistachio flavored. YUM Pistachio…

Bloggers everywhere are united together today in one single cause. Today - over 15K blogs across the world will discuss one issue - The Environment.

I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight some of my favorite “Go Green” Websites.

• WorldChanging.org - According to Bruce Sterling it’s “The Most Important Website on The Planet”
• Zaadz - The Social Network with a Conscience
• IPCC - The Intergovermental Planet on Climate Change (they did just win The Nobel Peace Prize)
• Greenpeace - The Best known Environmental Organization in the World

So go read up - and do something good for our world today!

There is so much information on Social Media these days that it’s hard to keep up. It’s even harder to know which sites are a trusted authority on Social Media - and who’s just clogging up the blogosphere. So in this week’s issue of PBM’s Peanut Seeds we’re counting down our Top 10 favorite Social Media Sites.

Coming in at #10 - Chris Heuer’s Idea Engine: As the Co-Founder of Social Media Club - and one of the most respected folks in the world of Social Media - Chris’s blog is an excellent resource for Social Media links, Information on the Latest New Media Conferences, and interviews with the who’s who of Social Media. It doesn’t hurt that he’s also married to one of the most charming women in tech - Kristie Wells.

#9 - HappyKatie.com: I never miss an opportunity to showcase local Houston talent - and Katie Laird (better known as HappyKatie) is just that. Katie writes about technology, social media, marketing, photography, and community. She’s also on staff at The Houstonist - so you can bet your paycheck this gal’s got a way with words.

#8 - Seth Godin: From King of Permission Marketing to Social Networking Founder (Squidoo), Seth is one of the foremost experts on creating a “Remarkable” brand. If you’re wondering why he’s not closer to the top of our list - it’s really a matter of consistency and Social Media Focus. We wanted to save our top spots for those folks who consistently knock them out of the park.

#7 - Scobleizer.com: Robert Scoble is one of the most likable guys around. We know - we’ve hung out with him on quite a few occasions - and even watched a movie at his house. He’s also got a tremendous reach - especially when it comes to bloggers and vloggers. Robert writes on so many different topics - that’s it’s really hard to put him into the Social Media Box exclusively. But if you want to learn about what it means to build a personal brand or to be authentic and transparent without losing credibility - no one’s a better teacher than Scoble.

#6 - LikeItMatters: Brian Oberkirch is a Marketing Consultant turned Social Media Legend. He writes, speaks, lives and breaths all things Social Media. On his Blog you’ll find amazing nuggets of wisdom - and you’ll be introduced to other stars of Social Media like Deb Schultz & Joshua Porter.

#5 - Every Dot Connects: Connie Reece is not your typical blogger. When it comes to the typical blogger profile - she breaks the mold in every way. She’s a woman - in a predominantly male dominated field - she’s over 40 - and she’s almost never without her signature Hot Pink Boa. She’s also savvy - quick witted - and one of the best writers we know. She even co-authored a book on Social Media called - The Age of Conversation. Definitely a must read!

#4 - Brand Autopsy: John Moore delivers some of the best presentations on Social Media around. He has a knack for taking complex ideas - and breaking them down into easy to digest words of wisdom - and catchy slogans. His Ideals to Spark Ideas - made us rethink the way we look at Social Media. He’s also the author of Tribal Knowledge: Business Wisdom Brewed from the Grounds of Starbucks Corporate Culture.

#3 - HorsePigCow.com: Tara Hunt gets Community better than anyone we’ve ever met. And at the end of the day - that’s what Social Media is really all about. Some of our favorite posts by Tara can be found here, here, and here. She’s currently working on her first book about Community & of course Social Media.

#2 - Web-Strategist.com: Jeremiah Owyang began his Social Media career as a Community Manager with Hitachi. Today he is a Senior Analyst with Forrester Research where he focuses on Social Computing for the interactive Marketer. He updates his blog at least 3-5 times a day - and it seems like he never misses a step in the world of Social Media.

#1 - Chris Brogan: Chris Brogan gives heart to Social Media - and he also put the love back into Marketing & PR. His posts on Social Media and Technology have made us laugh and cry, scream and shout - and even get down on our knees and pray for a better world. His Social Network Grasshoppers is all about finding opportunities to spread kindness and help one another. If you want to know how to create community, build real relationship, and succeed at this whole Social Media Thang - be sure and take a daily dose of Chris. If you’d like even more Chris - you can find him on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/chrisbrogan.

Honorable Mention also goes to: Common Craft (Lee & Sachi Lefever) & PR 2.0 (Brian Solis)

*This is just one company’s opinion - YMMV