Discover 3 opportunities in social media

Today we are delighted to interview Lon Safko, author of "The Social Media Bible" and "The Fusion Marketing Bible". Lon is a professional speaker, and coach for large companies to help them harness innovative thinking and social media techniques. Lon is also the host of the PBS Television Special "Social Media & You... Communicating In A Digital World". His achievements have led him to become one of the most admired industry experts in the digital world today. This is the is the first half of the interview with Lon.  

We asked 340 economists [in academia] which social networks they prefer to use and how. Based on our observations and years of experience with social media, we outline how institutions can use social networks for better communication.

For conference organizers, the benefits of a smart use of social media channels stretches far beyond just the promotion of their event. The challenge of tight budgets for (especially) academic events is well-known, and the process of building proper online platforms and hiring additional administrative staff is often difficult to afford. By allowing some strategic thought and investing a little time, however, social media can become an extremely cost- and time-effective way to build online presence, ease the registration process, communicate with participants, gather feedback, attract speakers and sponsors and collect and store digital materials for future use.