Blog Power!

A strange thing happened to me on the way to the blog.

Okay, while I was blogging.

Even though, daily, I'm kvetching aloud in the car, in my house, and on the streets, I've noticed that the kvetching I do right here on the blog garnishes attention from Marketers working for the companies I'm complaining about. (Instead of staring and gawking from people walking by.)

I'm referring to experiences I've had on this very blog with Hertz, Scotts Miracle Gro, TerraCycle, and, well, VW hasn't contacted me yet... Heather Hamilton at Microsoft has had the same thing happen to her. Complaining on her popular blog about the customer service she just had for a hair dryer, she got a quick response from the company's Marketing VP who rapidly took care of the situation with a wave of his hand.

So it's interesting to me that we're sponsoring a Webcast concerning Marketers and the "social media revolution" in a couple weeks. I mean, if a Marketer reaches out to a well-traveled blog to smooth things over (after the blogger has complained about their service/product), how does that go over in the world o' social networking?

Should be an interesting listen...

Here's the dealio (from the AMA site):

Paul Gillin, will help you sort out the chaos in new media.  Using concrete examples from his book, “The New Influencers: A Marketer’s Guide to the New Social Media,â€? Paul will offer tips on how marketers can leverage new digital channels to create customer relationships built on trust and conversation.

Beyond the control of marketers, consumers are increasingly using weblogs, podcasts, wikis, and other social media to discuss and critique favorite (and not so favorite) companies and brands. Within days, positive or negative experiences can be shared across these communities and around the online world. While a few organizations have mastered learning from � and at times even influencing � these conversations, most are struggling to get started.

I wonder if Mr. Gillin will mention me by name?

The Webcast will be October 16th at 10am PST. (PDT?)

Details and registration are right here.

If you can't make it, I'll be sure to point you to the archive if you want to hear it later.