What role the Internet and Social Media has played in the election is a very interesting topic and one I'm sure we'll be seeing many blogs about over the coming days.

Many thought the top 3 or at least one of them would adopt a Barack Obama style Social Media Strategy which would revolutionise election campaigning and create a dramatic and exciting result. Sadly no.

There were of course lots of people blogging and twittering and yes the parties pulled out one or 2 last min attempts to get their message out (Tory youtube prime slot on election day) but ultimately in terms of campaigning it largely remained off line with TV being the media channel of choice.  

With regards to Social Media, well the social media world screamed Lib dem / Lab / Lib dem which is not surprising given their profile making them prime liberal targets. So in the social media world what looked yesterday like Lib dem / lab  taking over the world in reality was not representative of the UK population and was only representative of the online / social media population.

What I think we did manage via Social Media yesterday was getting those who were umming and aaahing out to the polling stations. Having voted at 7:15am I proudly announced my voting action on arrival at my desk across Facebook and twitter and then watched as the rest of my social media population did the same. There were calls to get out there and VOTE, links to manifestos if you were still making up your mind and for those who has been considering it and were not going to bother the peer pressure grew and by 9pm they wanted in on the action and were cueing down the streets.  

It will be interesting to see what post election fall out ensues in the social media world, no doubt a call for electoral reform. But will we be enough of a voice to make a difference? I dont doubt in time the answer will be yes but for now I fear not. 

Interesting article from the BBC here asking was it an Internet Election?... I think not.

Good post by Rebecca Jesson regarding last nights victory of the unprecedented grassroots campaign to topple the X-factor monopoly of our Christmas number 1

Like most things in this world that I don't know or understand I turn to the almighty knowledge of google to find out.

Today I learnt how to hyperlink words in my blog and thought i'd share the know how.

Basically it's quite simple.

Step 1 Write out your sentence
Step 2 Follow the instructions here
Step 3 Check it works using something like a HTML checker

Give it a whirl and let me know how you get on.

Last week I attended a talk in Sheffield about Social Media Marketing. It was ok, slightly basic and I didn’t come away having learned anything new or mind-blowing. It was however was good to see how keen business people in Yorkshire are to understand the power of social media and what it can do for their business.  It was also surprising to see how scared they all seemed!!

Having spent the last few years studying interactive marketing, the pros and cons of using and integrating different marketing channels my advice to them would be not to be scared but to see social media as another set of channels.

The key as with any marketing channel, is knowing exactly where and how the channel is best used.

The principles are exactly the same as usual.. (quick overview)

• Define you objectives
• Identify your audience
• Identify where they hang out in the social media world
• Understand audience wants and needs
• Engage them and earn their trust
• Build up a relationship 
• Measure

Mashable.com is a great aggregator of all of the most up-to-date thinking around the net. Here they have provided a thorough Social Media Guide for Small Businesses with some handy hints and tips to help you on the social media path.

read it here:  Mashable

So I've been toying with the idea of setting up a blog for some time now. What has stopped me was where do I start. Then I came across this blog by Chris Brogen re: Using your blog for stock answers. Which seemed like a great place to start.

So who am I? Well I guess that depends on where you look. My Linkedin will tell you that I am:

• An Account Manager at DigforfireDMG
• A Diploma Graduate of the IDM
• A former Fine Art Student
• A Digital Marketing Professional

It will also tell you that I:

• Have 10 years experience in Marketing (8 in Digital Marketing, 2 in Online Research)
• Have a thirst for knowledge in my field
• Take courses to keep me up to date
• Consume books on Marketing and Social Media for breakfast

Facebook will tell you that:

What I am actually doing is covering these books 'IN' my breakfast and once I've wiped off the jam maybe i'll make some sense of it all.

Twitter will probably tell you something in-between:

You'll get the censored Facebook version of events without the corporate sheen of Linkedin, coupled with anything I think might be interesting.

What will this blog tell you?

Here, well I'll try and tell the truth... but I am in marketing after all so we'll see what sounds the most interesting, useful and entertaining...(how honest of me)

What interests me?

Everything exciting, what's exciting? Anything clever, unusual, anything that helps me make sense of the world in which I live and work. Currently, the new age of digital connected communities and anything a little bit tech and geeky.

How do I see myself?

I am naturally passionate about a lot of things. I sleep as much as possible and like to live life at warp speed when awake. I am a member of a small collective of Intentional Idiots...(accidental angels) AKA my friends. I am a bad rollerskater, a good jewellery maker, an ok scarf knitter, a great jam maker, and a most excellent and accomplished dirty stop out.