Transition

doublearrowI am preparing myself mentally for a new stage in my life. I have spent my career defending Israel as a part of my job, and I now have to move to the sidelines. It is difficult to move “to the sidelines”, but I feel that I have given my all to help grow my organization, and to assist Israel in the process. My career path has lead me to accept a great opportunity at a well respected digital marketing agency, for which I am set to begin after Pesach.

I am excited to eat, drink, and sleep social media (which I already do) and now get paid for it. I am thrilled to work with a new team of peers: social media and computer geeks … and with some big name clients. This is a unique time to be in my shoes. This time of transition is a new experience for me, and I am looking forward to the forthcoming challenges that await me in the near future.

I will miss my friends, colleagues, and students I have worked with over the years at StandWithUs. Please stay in touch.

~Dani

Social Media, Newspapers, and TV

It’s interesting that the traditional media, namely television & newspapers, who are not as profitable as they once were due to the Internet, have taken different approaches regarding social media.

Newspapers, the soon to be all but extinct media, have heavily pushed their online presence to give life to their struggling brands. Journalists are using blogs to copy find stories, while the papers are synced with Twitter to publish their headlines in the hopes that they are RT (ReTweeted) out to the masses. Despite this attempt, newspapers will be on life support within a few short years.

Television on the other hand isn’t fully intertwined with social media yet. While you can find almost every show on TV (minus HBO programming and a few others) online, either via Hulu or the network’s website, social media seems to be an afterthought. Yes, there is the required “share” button near the video, and some sites allow or encourage discussion of their programs below or alongside the video. But is that all? With social media as pervasive as it has become over the past few years in our lives, how has it not been integrated into program content? While statistics show that more and more people are spending more time on Facebook, Twitter, writing a blog, and especially checking their mobile devices — do we see our favorite characters on [NBC’s] The Office or [CBS’s] How I Met Your Mother check their Facebook profile ever?

Couldn’t they make these programs more interactive with the audience? I do have to give credit to How I Met Your Mother for integrating a Super Bowl ad with Neil Patrick Harris playing his character Barney Stinson – encouraging the audience to call a number, blurring the lines of real life and scripted TV. But beyond that, where is the creativity? Where is the use of social media reaching out to fans – current or potential?

Some shows are doing this. I’m currently following Twitter accounts relating to Glee, White Collar, and the Olympics, but those are just a few shows of many I like and follow, and they rarely tweet. With the tons of programming that goes on week after week, the lost outreach opportunities through social media conversations are many. People are talking about your programming. Why not be involved – either by listening or participating, or god forbid both?

I call upon the TV & cable networks to put on their thinking caps, get creative, and think out of the box. Or, hire me, and let’s do something different. 😉

3 Topics to Talk (and Tweet) About at #SocialMediaWeek

social-media-week

(This was originally posted yesterday on www.SocialMediaWeek.org)

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Need something to discuss at #SMW? Wondering which topics will emerge as hot-button conversation pieces? Based on what’s generating buzz now, and what we’re expecting to see in the coming months, here are my predictions:

1. Location based (geo-social) apps are here, there, everywhere. Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp, Loopt and a handful of others have been making waves lately. What changes will they bring to the social media world?

These services will continue to grow in 2010 because they integrate well with pre-existing platforms like Facebook and Twitter and allow users to track their whereabouts in real time. You can learn about places nearby, get specials or coupons, and find your friends in the area. 360i’s David Berkowitz explained the key differences between these apps in an article published earlier this week.

Given the growing popularity of mobile-social platforms, don’t be surprised to see a large number of people at Social Media week “checking in” at the various events. You may even meet some mayors. (Editor’s Note: Stay tuned — We’ll soon be publishing a guide on using geo-location services at Social Media Week right here on the blog.)

2. Facebook and Twitter continue to dominate. Nothing new here — between Facebook’s revamped privacy settings and new currency, Facebook Credits, the world’s largest social network is a mainstay in social media conversation. Not to be outdone,Twitter has recently implemented Local Trends. Has that changed the way you search through tweets?

3. Where does social media fit within non-profits and fund raising initiatives? Working for a non-profit, I have seen first hand what social media and other online apps and tools can do for cash-strapped organizations and small businesses. There are a number of sessions at the New York event that will address this very topic. You can read all about them and register here.

The rise of social media has allowed the world to both help and witness the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti. Through numerous organizations, celebrities and personal efforts, millions of dollars were raised online and through text messaging, demonstrating the unique power of social media to spread awareness and drive others to take action in times of need. Earlier this month, digital word of mouth played a key role in the more than $5 million raised for the Red Cross’s relief work in Haiti within a 24-hour period.

“Social Media and the Haiti Disaster” – a New York Times SMW New York event – will focus on the role of social media by news organizations, relief groups, search and rescue teams and people around the world during and in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Which trends do you think will be discussed at Social Media Week in New York and elsewhere? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Dani aka Guest Blogger

bloggerI’ve been approached by a few places to be a guest blogger, which is quite exciting. This is in addition to me posting original content to my blog: YeahThatsKosher.com & my Vlog: JewishTravelTV.com, as well as guest posts on Jewlicious.com & Jewneric.com.

In the beginning of February I will be covering Social Media Week New York, which is a week long series of events discussing social media. I am truly excited to attend these events and meet interesting people.

Additionally, CheapOair.com has asked me to contribute to their blog after checking out YeahThatsKosher.com. I will be giving kosher travel tips to their readers shortly.

Once my posts for Social Media Week & CheapOair are up, I will share them here.

If you’re interested in having me blog for your organization or business (and/or manage your digital content) feel free to email me.

Israel’s Humanitarian Aid Effort in Haiti

baby-hospital_1561931iI have been keeping a close eye on the humanitarian situation in Haiti this past week. To my delight, tiny little Israel has sent over 220 humanitarian aid workers including doctors, medics, search & rescue teams, and others.

Well into the global rescue efforts, Israel was the only country with a working field hospital that was actually performing necessary surgeries on earthquake victims. This makes me proud to see Israel go above and beyond and drop everything to save human lives.

To read more on Israel’s Humanitarian Aid effort in Haiti, check out:

My new personal site

So a while ago I was playing around with iWeb on my Macbook, and created http://daniklein.info, which if you see a different site means I haven’t been automatically forwarding it to here yet.

From a personal branding perspective, I think this site, and WordPress in general, will do a lot better.

On this site I will be sharing the projects that I am working on, as well as the random thoughts and ideas I want to share with the world.

I hope you enjoy.
~Dani