Live Interview with Elisa Camahort Page - COO and Co-Founder of BlogHer.com

SocialMediopolis Live! interviews Elisa Camahort Page on BlogTalkRadio.com, tomorrow, Monday, March 1st at 11am PST/ 1pm CST/ 2pm EST

Elisa Camahort Page - COO and Co-Founder of BlogHer.com
SocialMediopolis
Date / Time: 3/1/2010 12:00 PM

BlogHer began as a labor of love in February 2005, when founders Lisa Stone, Elisa Camahort Page and Jory Des Jardins launched a conference for women who blog. She is a co-founder of BlogHer and manages its events, marketing and corporate operations. After 13 years of marketing in Silicon Valley, she left high tech product management in 2003 to go online and join the social media world. She was one of the earliest professional and business bloggers and currently write or contribute to eight blogs. She blogs at various times about marketing, health issues, green and eco-conscious living, being a vegan, and reality TV talent shows like American Idol and Project Runway! She has a monthly column for the Silicon Valley Metro called Silicon Veggie. Today BlogHer is the leading participatory news, entertainment and information network for women online, reaching more than 15 million women each month via annual conferences, a Web hub ( http://www.blogher.com ), and an publishing network of more than 2,500 qualified, contextually targeted blog affiliates ( http://blogherads.com ). BlogHer Inc. is run by its three co-founders and has backing from Venrock, the Peacock Fund and Azure Capital Partners.

Listen to the live interview with Elisa Camahort Page, COO and Co-founder of the BlogHer Network, Monday, 3/1/2010 at 11am PST/ 2pm PST.

JOIN THE LIVE CONVERSATION! Call-in Number: (917) 889-8137 Don't worry if you're overseas- try out Skype (I'm surprised SocialMediopolis doesn't have a Skype account).

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BlogHer

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5 Top Websites

For me, the limitation of time is a huge part of what I base my opinion of a website on – I need to be able to access information in a safe, easy and fun way. All of the websites I spend the most time on are really skilled at delivering the information I’m looking for AND any related information.

Here's a list of my top 5 websites:

I’m not sure if any website can deliver a better recommendation engine then www.Amazon.com – it not only gets smarter the more I use the site, but it helps organize my experience by providing breadcrumbs and saves browsing information. It’s truly everything that a shopping experience should be about – in fact; I find it better than physical shopping experiences. A store clerk rarely manages to recommend me something to buy as consistently as Amazon.

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Amazon

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Discovering www.lastfm.com was like learning I could have a tiny angel on my shoulder leading me through the murky waters of music exploration. I have a tremendous passion for music and actually have a hard time keeping up with myself at times. Lastfm allows me to select a band or genre and it plays me the ultimate soundtrack –they call it radio, but I call it an awesome mix of all the stuff I like. It does cost me $3 per month, but there’s no DJ or annoying commercials. Lastfm is what MySpace should have become.

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Last.fm

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I’m something of a closet nerd – I love reading about techie news and gadgets, but I rarely feel compelled to actually buy any of them. www.boingboing.net allows me to learn about all the cool new techie stuff without shelling out any money. It’s also very much the voice of my generation in terms of the perspective the writers deploy to their articles. Their editorial blog posts are very cyber-punk and Gen X centric. I can always relate – even when I don’t entirely understand all the ‘geek-speak’.

One of my other favourite sites is more work related, but in saying that I think social media news is applicable to nearly anyone- no matter what you do for a living social media effects just about everyone these days. www.mashable.com is an incredible resource about anything related to social media. The contributors have specific areas of expertise and it brings a very rich, comprehensive perspective to a topic that is ordinarily treated like an annoying fad at best and the end of the world at worst. It’s no big surprise that Mashable articles are spread and shared around more than anyone – perhaps even more then Huffington Post articles (btw www.huffingtonpost.com a fantastic online news source).

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Oh, www.wired.com how I adore thee- let me count all the ways: intelligent, thought-provoking, contemporary, innovative and just really super clever. Wired is the one of the few American magazines I keep buying while living in Australia. It’s worth the $11.95 price tag (its $4.99 in the US). I’m not as big a fan of the UK version – don’t know why, but the American offering details the issues faced by those who are creating the technology that I’m more in touch with – Google, Twitter, Apple, etc. Of course, everyone is talking about these products, but Wired is putting them into context. Most publications tackle life with technology as the brave new world- when in fact; it’s just normal everyday life. Where we are going is an important thing to think about, but Wired is more about this moment and the times we live in today. The website offers just about all of the content you get in the mag- plus some really great blogs on a plethora of topics.

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ConnectNow

I'm very stoked about this upcoming conference. First of all, it's in Sydney - so a short flight from Melbourne and excuse to hang with my Sydney mates. And also, it's pretty exciting to see so many names on the speaking roster who I've chatted with online.

The Australian Dame of Social Media, Laurel Papworth (aka Silk Charm on Twitter) will be there. Dareen Rowse of famed ProBlogger will also be there.

Also Tara Hunt (aka MissRogue on Twitter)- a fellow Canadian, entrepreneur, and one of the most influential women in technology (according to Fast Company Magazine in 2009).

in reference to: Venue (view on Google Sidewiki)

Social Media Expert?

Do you think there's such a thing as an expert of social media? If so, who is holding up their hand?

I've been involved in social media in a professional capacity since 2003. I'd never claim to be an expert, and not because I don't think I know a lot about social media. To appoint myself an expert isn't accurate and I don't think it's accurate for most people. Anyone claiming to be an 'expert' is a touch conceded and I tend to think "suspect" immediately.

I see myself as a specialist or consultant because I've worked on several platforms for various companies and I know about the challenges a lot of company's face when they first start out in social media. You don't need an 'expert' you need someone who can help you understand that the world of business is changing. Read Wikinomics, Groundswell, and Here Comes Everybody and save yourself a lot of stress and money. It's going to be OK.

For most, claiming to be an "expert" is like saying my GP is an expert doctor. It doesn't make any sense. My GP is super clever and she's great at helping me understand the basics concerning my health. And a GP could be a lounge chair expert knowing lots about a particular biological or physical element of the human body due to a personal interest of theirs, but a general practitioner is usually known for having general knowledge. Usually you'd be sent to a specialist by your GP when they can't figure out what's wrong with you. I mean, wouldn't it piss you off if your GP kept trying out random treatments for a cancer diagnosis instead of sending you to an oncologist?

For me, a specialist is someone who has been apart of a team building a platform and has had success at leading a community or users on a platform. Creating a profile on Twitter isn't really that special or requiring expert skills.

Watch how your pet is a social media expert: http://vimeo.com/9044339

There are defiantly lots of people who know a lot about social media, but its really the same as being a TV expert. Do you really need someone to teach you how to flip channels?

I think most people offering social media services are like the TV guide - they give you all the options about what's on, with descriptions and even reviews sometimes, and then they allow you to make up your mind about what you want to watch. So there's a big difference between the TV Guide and TiVo.

An expert has the ability to manipulate the TV into your own platform. An expert builds you TiVo. Someone who is a social media expert is a person who can build you a branded application, game, or digital product to license and share. An example would be: Creating custom designs for iGoogle that have the potential to provide millions of users more tools to personalize their homepage. A social media expert creates stuff and helps customize platforms through APIs. The expert makes you appart of a community. They create tools that adds value or is engaging.

It's no biggie to be a consultant. It's not a dirty title, but there's a big difference between me and Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (one the founders of Facebook). I'm ok with not being an expert, and I think most of my clients are happy to have me describe the landscape for them. Most company's use social media inappropriately and they give themselves a bad name because of it. Doing it right isn't actually that difficult, but it usually requires you to define your goals and then decide how to engage. There are so many people claiming to have all of the answers- but it's not too dissimilar from weight loss gurus. The truth is, the answers are inside of you.

in reference to: 10 Questions to Evaluate a Social Media 'Expert' | Internet Marketing Strategy: Conversation Marketing (view on Google Sidewiki)

Women Set The Bar in Web Ventures

Great whitepaper by Illuminate Ventures. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the firm is targeting US-based high growth, capital efficient companies in selected sectors within the high-tech landscape.

High Performance Entrepreneurs: Women in High Tech – Summary

New research shows what many have long suspected: women entrepreneurs are poised to lead the next wave of growth in global technology ventures. The full report, prepared by Illuminate Ventures, documents the performance of women entrepreneurs in the past decade and the trends that are propelling them towards critical mass in the high-tech sector. Please register to receive the full 15-page paper.

• Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency: The high-tech companies women build are more capital-efficient than the norm. The average venture-backed company run by a woman had achieved comparable early-year revenues, using an average of one-third less committed capital.
• Big Progress in Recent Times: More women are serving as officers of venture-backed companies with successful exits. In 1988, only 4% of the 134 firms that went public in the U.S. had women in top management positions. Of 2009’s 19 high-tech IPOs, all but two had at least one woman officer.
• Fewer Failures: Despite often being capital-constrained, women-owned businesses are more likely to survive the transition from raw start-up to established company than the average.
• Expanded IP Contributions: From 1985 to 2005, the annual number of U.S. female-invented fractional software patents increased 45-fold – three times the average growth rate in that sector.
• Growing Influence in Tech: Women-owned or led firms are the fastest growing sector of new venture creation in the U.S., growing at five times the rate of all new firms between 1997 and 2006 – now representing nearly 50% of all privately held businesses.
• Venture-level Returns: In the past 10 years more than 125 companies with over 200 women co-founders or officers have achieved IPOs or >$50M M&A exits in the U.S. high-tech sector alone.
• Diversity Improves Performance: Organizations that are the most inclusive of women in top management achieve 35% higher ROE and 34% better total return to shareholders versus their peers – and research shows gender diversity to be particularly valuable where innovation is key.
• Financial Bottleneck: $1M+ woman led companies are twice as likely as those led by men to gain debt versus equity capital. In 2008 woman co-founded tech businesses gained less than 10% of venture investment in the high-tech sector while representing 30% of the workforce.
• Impact of Women Investors: Women now represent just over 15 percent of angel investors, but just 5%-7% of partner-level high-tech venture capital investors in the U.S. Firms with women investment partners are 70 percent more likely to lead an investment in a woman entrepreneur than those with only male partners.

The bottom line: More than ever before, women are influencing the face of business. They are on the cusp of becoming a leading entrepreneurial force in technology. As the global economy regenerates, new business models are needed to stimulate economic and job growth. Investors seeking to reinvigorate bottom-line performance and to favorably impact the entrepreneurial strength of our economy would be wise to support strategies that enable high-tech start-ups that are inclusive of women entrepreneurs.

Please Register Here to Receive The Complete Whitepaper

Here's another great read from my dear friend's at Mashable: Why Social Media Means Big Opportunities for Women

Laurel Papworth and Media 140

Laurel Papworth is a name to know if you work in digital media here in Australia.

Here's a little snippet from her bio:

Laurel has been named Head of Industry, Social Media (Marketing Magazine) and her blog LaurelPapworth.com has made her the #5 blogger in Australia (B&T Magazine) and in the Top 150 Media/Marketing blogs in the world (AdAge USA). She has been creating and managing online communities for over 20 years, including IRC, Usenet, Ultima Online forums and inworld game moderator management. Laurel has taught social media marketing courses since 2005 and consults on blog, Facebook, and Twitter courses to business and Government around the world, as well as keynoting at international conferences on social media.

Her clients include Westpac, Singapore Government, Middle East Broadcasting (Saudi Arabia), Channel Ten, and PR and Marketing Agencies in Australia and Asia.

She spoke recently at Media140 in Sydney – check out her highlights.

Media140 is a global brand and organisation spanning 5 continents, employing over 12 Media140 Associates in more than 10 major cities.

Founded in February 2009, by Andrew Gregson. Media140 is an independent global movement creating unique multimedia conferences and events to explore the future of the real-time web. We do not just focus on Twitter but look at all the real-time platforms that are now beginning to affect business and consumers: to foster discourse, collaboration and innovation within journalism, media, advertising, entertainment, marketing, PR, gaming and technology industries.

in reference to:

"I spoke at Media140 Sydney – I want to highlight some of the “arguments” used against social media by the panels, also focus on Everybody co-creating The Human Narrative and the diminishing role of journalists who take news from one part of the community and deliver it to another part: It’s not YOUR content. It’s our content. Our stories. We didn’t give you the Human Story, we loaned it to you, and now we’re taking it back."
- Media140 Sydney: Social Media Twitter & Journalism | Laurel Papworth (view on Google Sidewiki)

Become A Gadget Expert in an Instant!

Motherboard is a celebration of the diversity and eclecticism of the culture that surrounds technology. Rather than squinting at technology through the lens of gizmos and gadgetry, Motherboard explores the ways it influences and affects music, art, design, film, gaming, sports, issues surrounding the environment, and everything else we find important.

So consider the floor open for group participation. It's simple: Get involved in an existing discussion, post your own related videos, write posts, comment, anything… you're now part of the Motherboard.

Learn more about Motherboard

in reference to: Motherboard - Playing well together (view on Google Sidewiki)

Ask the Audience

When was the last time you watched, Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? Harnessing the collective wisdom of many is a great way to find the right answer. The audience is rarely wrong.

Several years ago I read, 'The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations', It's a book written by James Surowiecki about the aggregation of information in groups, resulting in decisions that, he argues, are often better than could have been made by any single member of the group. The book presents numerous case studies and anecdotes to illustrate its argument, and touches on several fields, primarily economics and psychology.

In a recent report entitled Social Influence Marketing published by Razorfish, Bob Lord states:

"We respectfully suggest that what you say — or your agency says — about your brand or your product matters less than what your customers say about you. And what matters most to them is what your brand does."

You can read the entire report here: http://fluent.razorfish.com/publication/?m=6540&l=1

I think this example from Cadbury is the future of advertising. It's not about what the company thinks is best for it's brand - it's about what your customers want to buy.

10 Ways to Use LinkedIn by Guy Kawasaki

Excellent list of value tips. I think point #11 is the best topic to raise because most people don't know how to interact with the community at large.

LinkedIn's product, LinkedIn Answers, aims to enable this online. The product allows you to broadcast your business-related questions to both your network and the greater LinkedIn network. The premise is that you will get more high-value responses from the people in your network than more open forums. For example, here are some questions an entrepreneur might ask when the associates of a venture capital firm come up blank:

1. 'Who's a good, fast, and cheap patent lawyer?'
2. 'What should we pay a vp of biz dev?'
3. 'Is going to Demo worth it?'
4. 'How much traffic does a TechCrunch plug generate?'

in reference to:

"LinkedIn's product, LinkedIn Answers, aims to enable this online. The product allows you to broadcast your business-related questions to both your network and the greater LinkedIn network. The premise is that you will get more high-value responses from the people in your network than more open forums. For example, here are some questions an entrepreneur might ask when the associates of a venture capital firm come up blank: 'Who's a good, fast, and cheap patent lawyer?' 'What should we pay a vp of biz dev?' 'Is going to Demo worth it?' 'How much traffic does a TechCrunch plug generate?'"
- 10 Ways to Use LinkedIn by Guy Kawasaki (view on Google Sidewiki)