I was recently invited by Digital Citizens co-founder James Fridley @fridley to be on a panel discussion entitled “Startups, small shops and bootstrappers: the real value in social media and digital PR for small business”. Digital Citizens is an inclusive, informal organisation dedicated to knowledge sharing and discussion of social, political, ethical and professional issues related to new technologies and the social web.   So my first response was along the lines of “Are you sure you want me”? I don’t profess to be an SME, SMEG or any other acronym that gives off the illusion that I am some sort of expert with social media. But that’s precisely why I was asked.

I mean to be honest, I get really annoyed with social media, particularly Twitter where half the time I feel like I’m talking to myself and lack of response or retweets can really send me into a sulky tantrum and Facebook where I find I do get a lot of response time however constantly stalked by lonely men wanting to build up their online female friend list or potential “wannabe” friends only out to post and promote their business on my wall! Sometimes there’s no point to it but then I think about all of the connections and friends I have made and that regardless of the response/s I do have an impact on someone, somewhere, out there and that’s what’s important to me. It’s all about the connection. (Just as an aside, I must pay tribute to @iggypintado for flogging the whole “connection” thing as he taught me that).

So as nervous as I was to attend and speak (as the set resembled something out of Q&A albeit more relaxed), I was also honored that someone out there thought I was relevant and interesting enough to listen to and I was flattered to be sharing the panel with Jeremy Somers (@itsartdammit) designer and co-founder of We Are Handsome, Craig Macindoe  (@chefmumu) head chef and owner of Mumu Grill and Lara Solomon (@LaRoo) creator of Mocks, and author of Brand New Day.

The plan was to take questions from the audience and online although the majority of the questions came from the audience who were an eager bunch wanting to learn more about social media success in your business and how you can attain it. One of the questions we all fielded was around “measurement of social media” i.e. how do we measure the fact that a sale or lead can be directly attributed to a tweet, how do you know how much time and effort to invest in order to get a return?

I could hear the sharp intake of breath when my answer to this was not as expected. No, I didn’t hook up my iPhone to a pocket projector and beam colourful charts and graphs plotting time spent being “social” (x axis) against dollars flowing into the business (y axis). My answer was simple, I don’t measure. While many strive for the magic social media combination and formula for me it is just about being me. I am the representative of my brand and fortunately I like to chat, with anyone, about anything.  I can sense the puzzled look on your face!

For me anyway it is about building and maintaining connections which in turn become friends. Over time these maintained connections will be beneficial (mutually hopefully). I am sure it is something to do with six degrees of separation but from my connections I can summon all matter of things: tech help on my website, an invite to an event, opening a door to a new client and so on.

And you just can’t put a price on that!

Those readers who follow me closely know I love all things social media, so when I was given the opportunity to live-tweet at the Media140 for Foodies event I didn’t think twice. My fingers were poised, ready to send tweets via my trusty iPhone, @dictates wouldn’t hand over his iPad !

Media140 was founded by Ande Gregson in February last year as a way of bringing people together at events and conferences all over the world to “explore the future of the real-time web”. Twitter icon Mahei Foliaki ( @iconic88 ) and his partner The Internet Chef Bridget Davis ( @Bridget_CooKs ) decided to extend the idea further by holding a media140 event for Sydney’s passionate foodie crowd and Johanna Baker-Dowdell ( @JohannaBD ) and I were invited to guest tweet throughout the event.

Johanna and I travelled down to Electrolux at Mascot for the evening thinking we were going to be tweeting, eating, drinking wine and mingling with other guests, but when we arrived we discovered we were actually part of the set!

Johanna was to blog throughout Media140 for Foodies for The Internet Chef website and also the Media140 website. That meant the tweeting was up to me – and I’d never live-tweeted before. Well, I’ve tweeted interesting comments at events like Flying Solo and ConnectNow before, but this was different. I WAS the tweeter this time and everyone was watching my Twitter feed to see what was happening at the event. No pressure!

The food Bridget and her team cooked was sumptuous and matched perfectly with wines from Robert Oatley Vineyards. It was great to hear from food bloggers, writers and chefs about how they use social media.

I’m not a huge foodie like some of the people at the event, although I have sent the odd food tweet out when I’m eating somewhere and I want others to share the experience. I usually follow every step of a recipe and don’t stray from the guidelines in case it all goes wrong, but by going to Media140 for Foodies, I was motivated to explore eating and cooking new foods – and then how to tweet about them.

Even though events turned out unexpectedly, I had a great time (and was even a bit cheeky when they forgot to bring Johanna and I food while we were blogging/tweeting. Sadly we missed out on the gorgeous bread Mei’s team from @brasseriebread were cooking while the event unfolded) and ended up ranking as fifth in tweets about the night.

It was an amazing opportunity for me to meet Julie Posetti ( @julie_posetti ) who was the editorial director for Media140 for Foodies and the first Media140 event in Sydney last November. I also got to see @carmR in action helping out Bridget and meet @bradatslice who coordinated the whole event.

Here are a few of my tweets from the night to give you a taste of what happened:

Just arrived #media140 smells gooooood (@ Electrolux Demonstration Centre w/ @johannabd)

Doing the media thang at #media140 with @JohannaBD

I’m in the corner waving from my mac @PushCreatives \0/ #media140

Assuming my “tweeting” position, in the corner, watching the crowd at #media140, the culinary aroma is overwhelming #foodies #yummy

Would love to sample some of this fine food – @JohannaBD and I official blogger and tweeter in the corner – feel free to bring us some!!!!

Around 10pm I have the program, bring us food and we’ll show you RT @_ToniTones_: Does anyone know what time #media140 finishes tonight?

Kicking off the evening with intro by @julieposetti introducing @Bridget_Cooks #foodie #media140 salmon entree to die for!! more please!

Defining her cooking style @Bridget_Cooks, lots of seafood, organic & fresh produce, simple, sustainable #urbanfoodmarket #foodies #media140

Passion is to share food experiences @Bridget_Cooks – @iconic88 big influence (but of course) #media140 #foodies

Social media works really well due to @Bridget_Cooks experience with large community #newzealand #foodies #media140

Next up warm roast chicken sandwich @brasseriebread @Bridget_Cooks #foodies #media140 – ohh I can smell it from here (the corner)!!!

Wild Oats Sauvignon Blanc – that’s what we’re drinking at #media140 #foodies gorgeous drop – in the corner if you’d like to bring me one

OMG bring back the chicken! Amazing turning the simple chicken sandwich into a culinary delight #media140 #foodies #meltinginmymouth

Next up @Julie_possetti introducing panel @blues_junkie @notquitenigella @gosstronomy and then audience Q&A #media140 @foodies

How seriously are people taking restaurants tweeting? Its not about broadcasting ads its about relationships #media140 (via @CatrionaPollard)

No words describe the sensation @Bridget_Cooks #media140 #foodies duck confit pie red wine reduction

#media140 mainstream media isn’t doing enough to tackle issues about food re palm oil @elegsufficiency #media140 #foodies

@elegsufficiency trusts food reviews over food bloggers and people posting their opinions on Twitter and Foursquare #media140 #foodies

Ooh coming out is miniature wagyu buyers with onion jam and piquant cheddar #media140 @Bridget_Cooks I’d marry you !!!! #foodies

Real time web has positive implications in getting people through the door! #media140 #foodies uses social media to monitor, measure & gauge

Check out Johanna’s guest blog for Bridget’s website The Internet Chef: http://www.theinternetchef.biz/2010/05/the-internet-chef-stars-at-media140-for-foodies/

And her live-blogs for Media140: http://media140.org/?p=2896

Alex Popovic is one of the more famous Virtual Assistants based in Australia. She is well known for her blogging and more recently her celebrity status on Twitter. Alex has kindly written a guest post for The Transcription People blog …

It often amuses me that even with free access to so much information via the net and media, those that have even heard of the term “Virtual Assistant” (VA) think of it as simply a “typist“. Whilst it is true most VAs do word processing, it is only one of the many diverse services available.

So I thought I’d clarify by detailing some specific tasks I have performed for my clients that have made their business run more effectively.

Streamlining business processes – You know you’re just not working to your full capacity and you’re tired of the long hours and weekends. Let me find new ways of organising your business saving you time and money.

Calendar management – If you find it difficult to juggle your responsibilities, let me manage your appointments, reminders and make sure you stay on top of your daily tasklist.

Organise travel & accommodation – For that next important business trip I can locate the cheapest flights, transfers and appropriate accommodation so you can stay focused on your work.

Contact list management – All of your vital contacts are scattered everywhere – notes, emails, address books, diaries, your mobile and even in your memory. Let me centralise them all and ensure your business lists stays up to date. I can also assist with obtaining new prospects.

Networking & Social Media – We all know some form of networking is essential to your business and that social media has now taken over cyberpsace, but just where do you start? I can give you ideas and even manage your schedule to ensure you are best utilising your networking time.

Managing email – Your inbox is a daily nightmare, taking up most of your mornings to sort through. As your Personal Assistant (PA), I can gain access your network and respond on your behalf, monitoring your incoming and outgoing emails freeing up your time.

Brainstorming ideas & weekly review – You’ve simply run out of steam and ideas for your business. Would you benefit from regular brainstorming sessions? Also, I could help you organise a timeline and make sure you stay on track of your goals with a weekly review.

Online research & fact finding – From products and services, to competitors or even industy research. Why spend countless hours online when you’ve got better things you need to be concentrating on?

Proofreading & editing documents – You’ve been working on that important proposal for weeks and still feel it’s not quite there. I can provide a fresh perspective, suggestions and format the document professionally.

Client billing or personal payments – A necessary evil! Quit being behind in your billing or even your personal bills and have me organise your payments.

DTP & Presentations – Let me assist with designing a new brochure, business logo or creating a powerpoint presentation.

Marketing & Promotions – Do you need assistance in a general Marketing plan and promotional activities? Let me oversee this important aspect of your business.

The most important benefit clients receive from a Virtual Assistant is having an experienced person available to you who has your best interests at heart, taking the initiative and staying one step ahead of you at all times.

Many business owners are simply too overwhelmed keeping all their plates continuously spinning, and this is when you need a Virtual Assistant the most. An extra pair of reliable hands ensuring none of those precious plates break, shattering your business’ potential.

Alex