I like Jon Newman's thoughts after a week of intense social media energy in Central Virginia -- starting Thursday night with another highly touted Social Media Club of Richmond (SMCRVA) event at the Virginia Museum, and followed by a full day of "Social Media for Social Good" discussion at a conference organized by the University of Richmond's Jepson School of Leadership. (Check out the live blog and Twitter feed of that event here.)
Newman reminded his readers that Richmond broke out of the advertising pack in the 1980s thanks to a handful of talented creatives. A lot of that original gain has vanished, despite the fact that Richmond still has some solid, creative shops.
After Thursday’s Social Media Club event with Gradon speaking about nonprofits, and Friday’s event I am left with the strong feeling that we in Richmond are on the edge of something special. Folks that come in to speak from out of town are amazed by the numbers of people who come to social media events, understand what they are talking about, and beginning to add social media into their marketing arsenal...
... I think Richmond can position itself similarly in the world of social media. But to do that we need to work together.
Newman sees the SMCRVA (now entering its fourth month in a strong way) as an organizing force in this spcae, and calls on the group to continue raising the bar. But he also makes a call to the creative/media space for more transparency, openness and sharing.
We need to share in each other victories, like with Cynthia and Geoff Livingston have done in a short time with ChildFund, and learn from those victories, applying those lessons for our clients and businesses.
For my part, my wheels are already turning. I plan on sharing some ideas with folks in the coming weeks and hopefully begin working together to keep building on this success.
Richmond can become a center for not only was social media is but for its evolution. We have the interest, the talent and the excitement already generated. Working together to can do something pretty cool.
We need to build on this excitement. Big opportunities like this don’t come along very often.
For my part, I think Newman is onto something. The whole social media social sphere in Richmond is onto something.
But in order to capitalize on it, the SMCRVA and others will need to remember their hedgehog, and stay focused on their competency -- which is using new technology to change or enhance the way groups of people communicate and share messages.
At Friday's event at UR, Newman talked about "social media capital" as something earned for being relevant on Twitter or other SM spaces. The SMCRVA has built a lot of capital in the past few months -- they've shown they can draw crowds, create buzz, engage people into the conversation.
If they spend their capital too fast, they'll be a flash in the pan. If they hold onto it too long, they'll lose relevancy. If they spend it on the wrong things, they'll be dismissed as yet another bright bunch of easily distracted Richmonders.
Knowing how and when and where to spend that capital will require strategy and vision. But it will also require a touch of common sense. And while it isn't entirely up to the SMCRVA leadership to do any of what Newman suggests, they are the one group in town that is actually playing with a full deck of cards right now.
Their time can be now.
