Hey Ashley, thanks for the opportunity to promote social media (ok, me!)

I blog at http://blendingthemix.com (An Ad Age Power 150 listed blog and recently short-listed for Computer Weekly Web 2.0 blog award).

More about me here, I twitter here and find me amongst a list of pretty influential social media consultant types here.

I am responsible for the social media activity behind leading brands like Shop Direct Group (Facebook Application, Community participation, Outreach, Shop Direct blog and Love Label blog) as well as strategic and tactical social media consultancy for a leading international healthcare brand, an international luxury hotel chain and leading international sportswear brand (amongst others!)

I also provide buzz monitoring tools to institutions like Nationwide BS, The OU and Barclaycard.

I am a shameless self-publicist :-) and have helped develop the range of social media seminars and hands-on workshops we give.

Hi Ashley

What a great idea.

There is no doubt that social networking/media are hot topics right now.  We get asked about it a lot.  I am not sure everyone means the same thing when they say these words so here are some of the things that we have realised people meant (I am not promising this is comprehensive):

* promoting your brand/products on social networks (e.g. via banner, text or interstitial ads)
* developing and leveraging a corporate presence on a social network (e.g. a YouTube channel or Facebook channel)
* responding to user comments on your brand on social networks (Note, it's not clear that users want brands to interact with them in these environments - at least not without them inviting you to first)
* using social networking functionality on your website or on a new branded website to reinforce your brand proposition (we did this actually)

There are some great examples of initiatives that have made a significant positive consumer impact in this arena - where would every 'social media' presentation I've ever seen have been without O2's Orgy of Fun?.  The trouble is the hundreds or thousands of other efforts you've never heard of.  We believe the biggest challenge is the convergence of advertising, technology and media skills in this arena (as should be self evident from the list above).  It would be foolhardy to dive into social networking without both those skills and the vision to understand how they come together.

A side note - another topic that also often comes up alongside social networking is gadgets/widgets.  To many, social networking symoblises web 2.0. (don't you hate that term - I often wish it had never been uttered!) - and these are clearly another aspect of web 2.0.

At Essence, we're fortunate and honoured to be Google's media agency for Europe, one of a small number of agencies they use to develop Google gadgets for iGoogle and the only European agency on their global Creative Roster.  We've developed Google and YouTube gadgets and Facebook apps for Google, YouTube, Cancer Research UK, The Mirror and Sony Music (and I've probably forgotten a few).  We like to think our work for Google and YouTube gives as an insiders perspective on the social media landscape.  And inevitably we've run a heap of media activity on MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, YouTube and a heap of other social networks - some of which worked, and some of which totally bombed.  You can check out some of our work here.

Like Paul, I thank you for the chance for the shameless self publicity.

Matt

@Finnur I'd love to have a chat with you. I have recently been evaluating social networking platforms for a client (whose description happens to be mentioned above) and would love to take a closer look at Pluck.

@Matt, likewise, i'd love to have a chat and chew the fat so to speak - it's always nice to chat with people who are actually cracking on and doing "stuff" in this space instead of writing about it!

@Ashley, I think we are all guilty of labelling - and something like (cringe) social media, is prime for labelling. If blogging has show us anything, it is that people of varying abilities can become a writer and theorist - and with it comes labels! When you think about the term "social networking" though, what is networking if it isn't social?

Hence why I have always considered social media as an appropriate label for the web-based technologies (media) that allow us to socialise.

Equally, I have found that there is a need to label if it helps to make conversations with clients "outside of the bubble" understand what it is all about (and please, thats not intended to sound arrogant!). Sure, there is absolutely the perception that adding labels simply serves to scare people into thinking that they don't actually know something they already do anyway, but categorising terms and activities helps to educate - which is as much of what i see my role as any actual implementation of a strategy.

Thanks Ashley.

agency:2 is the UK's leading social media agency

We deliver significant results for clients including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, MasterCard, Park Plaza Hotels Newham Council - 2012 Games Unit, HBOS, ASOS, TotalJobs, Endsleigh Insurance and Microsoft.

We help promote leading brands within social media sites by participating in online conversations with our clients target audience.

Call us on 0207 775 5608 to chat about how the right social media strategy and social media marketing programme will help your organisation.

Joel Davis
agency:2 The Social Media Agency
www.agency2.co.uk
joel@agency2.co.uk
Sea Containers House, South Bank, London, SE1

I think if this was a game of Top Trumps, you'd have it nailed there David! Great line up!