Mark your calendars! Block out the day! Get a babysitter!

Whatever you need to do to make it to the 2nd annual Social Media FTW Fall Conference, do it!

We have an official date of Wednesday, September 22, 2010. We have an official space: we’re back at the University of Southern Maine.

We’ve looked at the surveys last year’s attendees, and although they were overwhelmingly positive, we are making some changes to this year’s event:

• Beginner and advanced tracks, so you can learn at your own pace
• We’re bringing back some of last year’s best received presenters, but we’re also bringing in a couple of nationally recognized speakers on social media for an outside perspective
• We’re going to have water. (What, coffee and Red Bull weren’t enough for you people!)
• It’s going to be an all-day affair, lunch included. (Yeah, go ask your boss for the day off for professional growth. Have her come talk to us if she doesn’t see the value in it.)

As before, we’ll be talking Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, blogging, mobile apps and so much more. In fact, I’m sure we’ll have a few topics that we haven’t even thought about yet.

Although we’re doubling down on the amount of content we’re providing, we’re still looking to keep prices low so everyone can afford to attend. In addition, we’ll be announcing some early bird special discounts shortly.

If you want to be alerted to the early bird specials, or if you’re interested in speaking opportunities, or if your company would like to exhibit or become a sponsor for FTW2010, make sure you join our mailing list below. More information to follow shortly!

Can’t wait to see you this September!

–Chrystie, Jaica & Rich

I still can’t believe it’s over. [Rich speaking here.]

Jaica, Chrystie and I have been talking about, planning and promoting the event since March, an incredible amount of hours and sweat equity went into the FTW conference, and now it’s over.

We’d like to just take a moment and thank all the people who made it possible. (What, you thought we did this by ourselves?)

First off, the sponsors, who helped keep the event affordable for the attendees. MaineBusiness.com, the Business School at USM, and flyte new media.

Next up, we’d like to thank the exhibitors who kept people engaged in between the sessions and during registration: The Maine Marketing Association, Reliable Networks, Digital Research, Inc., and JobsInME.com, as well as booths from our sponsors.

We certainly want to thank all the speakers, who kept their cool despite NO A/C! Fred Abaroa, Jason C. Blais, Greg Daly, Justin Ellis, David Jacquet, Candace Karu, Mike Lewis, Franklin McMahon, Carl Natale, Amanda O’Brien, Jeff Parsons, Kyle Pouliot, Sarah Wallace, and Lynnelle Wilson.

I also want to thank the Department of Conferences at USM, and specifically our contact Sherry Phillips.

Let’s not forget Bard Coffee and Red Bull for keeping our attendees well-caffeinated throughout the day.

A special thanks to Lisa Valentine who gave us some priceless insight and advice for promoting the event.

I’d also like to thank all of our attendees for taking time out of their day to attend our first–but certainly not last–FTW conference. We were just overwhelmed by the interest in the topic, and felt terrible that we had to turn so many people away. (Those of you on the wait list will get an early head’s up on the next one.)

On a personal note, I’d like to thank the flyte crew who all pitched in to stuff badges, man the kiosks, handle registration, deal with the broken A/C, help out when the parking lot filled up, dealt with the evaluations, and did a million other things that I was kept blissfully unaware of during the day. Admittedly, they were “on the clock,” but we couldn’t have done it without you. Lindsay Babayan, Cybele Brooks, Dave Cousins, Ryan Goan (who we tricked into joining Twitter yesterday), Nicki Hicks, Gloria Maher, and Andy Woznica.

Thanks also to Angela Coulombe who was our official photobug for the day.

I’m almost afraid to hit “publish” because I know I’m forgetting somebody MAJOR, but that’s the beauty of a blog: you can just hit update.

JobsInME.com

Man, these booths are going fast! Where were you people when I was sweating bullets last week?

The latest one is going to JobsInME.com, a great resource for Maine-based businesses and people looking to work in the Pine Tree State.

JobsInME.com is the pronounced leader in its markets of local job boards and job recruiting. A growth oriented company, JobsInME seeks to increase its market share in its existing markets and plans for expansion into new markets.

JobsInME has been operating state specific job internet sites since 1999 and remains at the forefront of the industry through innovation, solid sales, distinguished marketing techniques and there-when-you-need-us customer service.

Located in the unique Dana Warp Mill in Westbrook, Maine, we offer a decidedly non-corporate work environment which values individual initiative and collaborative team work.

If you’re looking to fill vacancies at your business, or are looking for new job opportunities, be sure to swing by the JobsInME booth.

If you’re looking to get the attention of business owners in Maine, we still have some sponsorship opportunities available.

It’s a good news/bad news sort of thing. We’re are extremely excited that we have maxed out our space at USM, but sorry we had to close registration early for everyone who wanted to attend the Social Media FTW Fall Conference.

We do have a waiting list, and if we can make something happen, we will. The best thing is to do is to sign up for the waiting list and hope for the best. We’ll also be alerting any waiting list people to the next FTW conference early, so, you’ve got that going for you…which is nice.

For everyone else, can’t wait to see you at the Social Media FTW Fall Conference on Wednesday, 9/23/09!

We just got confirmation that Digital Research will be grabbing an exhibitor booth for the Social Media FTW Fall Conference.

Digital Research, Inc. (DRI) is a full-service marketing research firm serving some of the world’s largest corporations.  They harness cutting-edge technology and social media in developing research solutions for their clients.

Be sure to swing by their booth while you’re attending this fall’s premier social media marketing event.

There are a couple of exhibitor booths still available. If you’re interested in getting a booth, or sponsoring part of the FTW conference, please let us know. Time is running out!

Yesterday ads for the Social Media FTW Fall Conference started running on local radio stations. In case you only listen to NPR, here’s what the :30 ad sounds like.

Social Media FTW Fall Conference :30 Ad

Our own Rich Brooks wore his “tech guru” hat on 207 the other night to talk about how businesses were using social media to better market their business.

If you want to learn more than what you can glean from a five minute segment be sure to register for the FTW conference!

Having just updated our speakers page, we count 14 social media experts gurus stylists presenting on 9 different topics…each presentation focusing on helping businesses make sense of social media so that they can grow in any economy.

Here’s a quick run down:

Session 1:

• Twitter for Business – Chrystie Corns
• The Elephant in the Room: Social Media ROI – Mike Lewis
• Online Video – Amanda O’Brien & Kyle Pouloit

Session 2:

• Facebook for Business – Jaica Kinsman
• Business Blogging – Carl Natale, Sarah Wallace & Lynnelle Wilson
• Social Media and Traditional Media – Justin Ellis & Jeff Parsons

Session 3:

• LinkedIn for Business – Jason Blais
• Search Engine Optimization and Social Media – Rich Brooks
• Podcasting – Fred Abraoa & Franklin McMahon

For bios, please visit our speakers page. Titles subject to change.

We’re making a limited number of discounted student passes available for, um, students, who wish to attend the Social Media FTW Fall Conference. The cost is only $19 (compared to the regular price of $79.)

To take advantage of this you’ll need to:

• be a full-time student,
• register with your college email address, and
• present a valid student ID at the door.

Small print: your ticket doesn’t include a drink ticket and you won’t be eligible for any door prizes. But who knows? You might get extra credit or meet some local companies that are looking for social media all-stars for part- or full-time work.

So, what are you waiting for? Register now!

We couldn’t be happier to announce that MaineTodayMedia / MaineBusiness.com has signed on as our exclusive media sponsor for the Social Media FTW Fall Conference.

MaineToday Media, the largest media outlet in Maine, is a community-minded company committed to strengthening its relationship with consumers and advertisers. Maine Today Media, Inc. owns the award-winning Portland Press Herald; Maine Sunday Telegram; Kennebec Journal; Waterville Sentinel; Coastal Journal; and MaineToday.com. One of our presenters, Justin Ellis is a reporter for the Press Herald and blogs there at NXT: The Next Generation. Check it out.

As far as MaineBusiness.com goes, as you may know, FTW co-founder Rich Brooks blogs there under the Internet Marketing 101 banner. In addition, FTW presenter Lynelle Wilson also blogs there under the Making it Happen banner. (Did you know Lynnelle is putting on another social media conference on 10/13? Deets coming soon.) Another presenter, Carl Natale, is the voice and vision of MaineBusiness.com, with his blog The Takeaway. A must read.

MaineBusiness.com is a major source of information for small business owners who are trying to understand how social media can improve their business. The online community features advice from business people who share their expertise through blogs and comments. They’re practicing the principles of social media marketing. In addition to learning about social media, business owners can get advice in areas such as marketing, cash management, finance, green practices, regulation, advertising and technology. It’s also a source for entrepreneurs starting businesses and anyone who wants to be successful in this tough economy.

We thank MaineToday Media for their support.

Sponsorships and exhibitor space is going fast! Please contact us if you’d like a booth or other advertising opportunity.