I have been vocal about my resolve to integrate video into my blogging efforts and the last time I wrote about this quest, many of you were, too. I met Steve Garfield last year at Jeff Pulver’s 140Characters Conference in LA and we’ve been friends ever since. Mostly (private joke). Oh, and when Newsweek calls a guy “one of the web’s more beloved video bloggers,” I’m thinking that I’m not the only one who thinks he’s peachy.

Steve’s new book ‘Get Seen: Online Video Secrets to Building Your Business’ recently came out and if, like me, you want to do more with video, you need to quit fooling around, buy the book and dive in.

Garfield’s book is filled with tips and information that is valuable to both veterans in the world of video and newbies like me. And, for marketing your small business online, there’s really not a better tool out there. It’s down-to-earth, easy to digest and a quick read. I’m not done with it yet, and when I am, I’ll write more. What I can tell you is that it contains tips and tactics on subjects like what cameras to buy, best practices when it comes to lighting, recording and shooting and editing (which was the hardest part for me), and much, much more. Trust me on this one. Follow Steve on Twitter, buy his book, once you buy it read it (always the hard part for me!) and get going.

And my own personal message when it comes to vlogging – get over being perfect. Few of us are perfect in real life, so why expect that you will be on video? My necklace is crooked, my hair could always use a good brushing, and I’ll always look and sound goofy. But then, aren’t we all our own harshest critics? So get over that, buy Steve’s book, read it and send us both a link to your first vlog post – I can’t wait!

Want to Vlog? Steve Garfield is Your Guy is a post from: V3 Kansas City Integrated Marketing and Social Media Agency

Good. I’ve got your attention. I’m a big fan of Jeff Pulver and his 140 Characters Conferences which are all about Exploring the State of Now. I was planning on attending this coming week’s #140Conf event in New York City and very much looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I can’t make it. Here’s your chance.

Instead of selling my ticket (Disclosure: $140 value), I want to give it away. There’s a catch. But it’s an easy one. You’ve gotta want it. And you’ve gotta earn it.

Want my ticket? It’s yours. Just tell me why I should give it to you in the comments section of this post (and what a perfect time to subscribe to the bloggy-blog-blog, if you’ve not yet done that) (I’m nothing if not subtle). Make it pithy. Make it funny. Make it desperate. Make it sappy. I don’t care what strategy you use. I want a bonafide, put your thinking cap on, how am I gonna win this gal over kind of pitch. And, for the record, I’m not saying that what you spin has to be the truth, peeps, it just has to be good.

The conference is 4/20-21 and you can see the schedule, as well as the amazing speakers that Pulver has lined up, and follow the #140conf NYC 2010 Speaker list on Twitter, too.

C’mon. Have you got it in you? Oh, and I’m the democratic sort. I’ll definitely ask my wacky group of friends to weigh in on this. But the final decision rests with me. And, in just this one instance, I’ll refrain from being swayable (it’s a word if I say it is) by bribery. Wordsmithery and strategy are the two things that are going to win this one. Oh, and make it quick, as I’ll make my decision and notify the winner by 9pm CST on Sunday evening, April 18th.

What are you waiting for …. get busy!! Don’t disappoint me, either ….

Wanna FREE Ticket to the #140Conf in NYC? is a post from: V3 Kansas City Integrated Marketing and Social Media Agency

But here’s the thing. What I saw began to happen as the days and weeks went by was that some of the very people I’ve grown to know, interact with, admire and respect within the realm of Twitter became obsessed with “winning” and garnering as many votes as possible. I began to receive DMs from people, asking me to nominate them, as well as asking for my vote. I even began to get private messages from friends who had received pleas from people they barely knew, asking for their vote, and when they weren’t sure how to respond, they wrote to me to ask for advice. Intrigued, I began to pay attention to Twitter streams and saw public messages that said “Vote for me and I’ll vote for you!” and a myriad of other tactics in play by people I never would have dreamed would care so much – about something so trivial. Truly, as time went on, I began to be more and more sickened by the rampant, repugnant behavior that I saw taking place in the Twitterverse. And, as a result, the honor of being nominated with this group of people began to pale and the Awards became, for me, almost laughable.

People – what is wrong with this picture? When someone pays you a compliment by standing up on a pedestal and saying “I think that so-and-so is a great person, an influencer, and someone really making a difference” why in the world is it appropriate to DO ANYTHING but say “thank you.” And to humbly accept the recognition and behave accordingly. But, instead, people were begging for votes. Pleading for support. Bartering quid pro quo. And engaging in lots of shameless self-promotion.

This ridicularity reminds me of all the morons out there who insist on calling themselves “Social Media Experts.” We all know that the people who feel the need to attach a label of “expert” to themselves are, in all likelihood, probably the LEAST qualified among us. As Forrest Gump might say “Expert is as expert does” and a true expert only has to be himself. No labels, no gimmicks, no flashy signs. Experts are obvious and have no need to affix labels to themselves or proclaim their “expertness” at every turn.

The same can be true of those who are truly deserving of an award like the #140Conf NOW Awards. If your behavior in the social media realm is such that you warrant identification as an influencer, game changer, person making a difference, etc., isn’t it possible to leave it to your peers to say so? Without extolling them to vote for you, begging in private for votes and, in general, acting like a bunch of crazed high school kids in the race for selection of Class President? Expert is as expert does. Influencer is as influencer does – and I’m pretty sure that when he created that definition, that @JeffPulver didn’t mean that he expected to see how much influence people could exert over their Twitter followers in a bogus effort to gain votes. I think he’s a smart guy and intended the #140Conf NOW awards to genuinely recognize people who are making a difference.

But life has a funny way of taking care of things. Many of this very same group of people, people who’ve been hanging on every vote and checking their status on a daily basis, pleading with anyone who will listen to vote for them, hell-bent on remaining “important” fell victim to someone they claim was gaming the system. I saw frantic messages all day long when this rapscallion had the nerve to unleash his game and, truthfully, I’ve never laughed harder.

It seems that things do have a way of working out. Some might say that there is a God. The God of Appropriate Behavior is what I call him. The gamers got gamed. And, maybe, just maybe, next time, when there’s an Awards program that calls for nomination by peers, people will put their egos firmly in the closet, act like grown-ups, and let nature take it’s course. They’ll remember the manners they all used to have and the fact that graciously accepting a compliment, and humbly acknowledging honors bestowed upon us – especially when they come from a group of our peers – is really only the right thing to do. The cream always rises to the top. Always.

My words of wisdom: never forget the transparency that is the social media realm – and always behave accordingly. Everybody is watching. And class never goes out of style. Ever.

The Day the Gamers Got Gamed is a post from: V3 Kansas City Integrated Marketing and Social Media Agency