“How social media savvy is Hawaii, anyway?” asks Janis Magin, Managing Editor of Digital Content for Pacific Business News. She was lamenting the fact that only 20 companies had entered its “Social Madness” corporate challenge since it was launched on March 22. She notes that Austin has received 30 entries so far, and that response was described as “paltry.”

“I follow a number of local businesses on Twitter and Facebook, and I know there are a lot of you out there who are plugged in to social networking,” she notes. “So it’s puzzling that so few of you have entered PBN’s ‘Social Madness’ social media challenge.”

“Social Madness” is part of a national campaign involving PBN’s parent publisher, American Cities Business Journals. It’s described as “a one-of-a-kind competition that measures the growth of a company’s social presence” that “will spotlight the best social media programs of companies in 43 cities.”

The deadline to submit nominations is May 15. Then, beginning, June 1, “social votes” will be tallied via tracking activity for each nominee on bizjournals.com, LinkedIn connections, Facebook activity and Twitter followers.

It will be a “bracket-style” competition, and local winners will move on to compete in a national challenge. And the three top winners overall will get to designate the charity recipient of a $7,500 donation.

Among the nominees so far, according to Magin, are  Aloha Air Cargo, Blue Planet Surf, Da Kitchen,the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, Kona Ice Aloha, Mid Pac Petroleum, Oceanit, Social Wahines, Tetris Online, The Box Jelly, and Hawaii Aloha Travel. But she wants to see many more.

“Come on, Hawaii, let’s show the Mainland we’re as savvy as the next city,” Magin says. “Even more so!”

A local group of entrepreneurs and developers yesterday unveiled Screenfuse, an interactive social media display for businesses and special events.

The web-based service creates an attractive, live-updating screen that can show real-time social media activity connected to a store, restaurant, hotel, concert, or conference.

Screenfuse was developed in under a month by Hawaii-based web developer Evan Nagle, digital designer John Garcia, and L.A.-based entrepreneur Mike Prasad. The startup was incubated at The Greenhouse Innovation Hub in Kakaako.

“By leveraging social media networks such as Twitter, Instagram and Foursquare, Screenfuse activates on-site audiences to increase customer sharing and brand engagement,” Garcia explains.

Screenfuse displays are fully customizable, and powered by an intelligent filtering and network platform that ensures fresh, dynamic, and appropriate content. With a Screenfuse display, businesses can build their digital footprint, and learn more about their customers.

[Source: HawaiiStar.com]

This year’s program, taking place on Wednesday, May 2, 2012 at the Sheraton Waikiki, will include a Social Media Seminar:

BBB will be starting a conversation revolving around growing your business with emerging media. This is a unique opportunity for owners and executives to learn, network and collaborate with others who use social media to grow their brand, increase sales and improve their business. Attendees will have the chance to meet successful social media content creators in Hawaii; the movers and shakers, the bloggers, tweeters and online media influencers.

The social media speakers include:

• Douglas Wood,  Reed Smith
• Emi Hart (@EmiHart), Yelp
• Olena Heu (@OlenaHeu) of KHON2
• Elmer Guzman (@PokeStop), Poke Stop

Wood is an attorney, author, and social media guru, and he will kick things off with an overview of where social media started, lessons learned, and prospects lying ahead. Then the three local speakers will address personal and business branding, marketing and general practices in mini breakout sessions.

More than 400 people are expected to attend and participate in what the BBB describes as “a marketplace full of trustworthy businesses,” showcasing their products and services, creating business opportunities, and networking.

The cost to attend the Torch Awards Luncheon is $145 ($100 for BBB accredited businesses), or $45 to attend the social media seminar only ($35 to accreddited businesses). For more information, visit the Hawaii BBB website or call Ronalyn Reyes at (808) 628-3901.

Technology News Bytes

O’Neil and Ruff, who run RockLinkedIn.com, were listed among the “Top 50 Social Media Power Users” by Haydn Shaughnessy (@haydn1701), who blogs at Forbes.com and used PeekYou to generate his list.

Sessions will focus on:

• How to maximize your LinkedIn profile and make it shine, with O’Neil and Ruff.
• How to be inspired and make your presentations go viral, with Yancey Unequivocally-Jim (@YanceyU), co-founder of local presentation design firm Empowered Presentations, which took first place with its Powerpoint presentation in 3M’s “World’s Best Presentation” contest.
• How to navigate in the world of Geosocial Networking (Foursquare, Yelp, Facebook check-in) with Michael Hodge (@fullcircle_net), CEO of FullCircle GeoSocial Networks, who will explain why this social media tool is so important for your business.

A lunch buffet will be served on the Sunset Lanai and a Tweet-up will take place from 3-5 p.m., where you’ll be able to mingle with event speakers and network with other attendees. Tickets cost $97, but the discount code “SEMINAR” will save 20 percent off when booking at www.hawaiiseminar.eventbrite.com.

Technology News Bytes, part of the Hawaii Pacific Entertainment corporate family, describes itself as “Hawaii’s leading technology news network” that organizes “the state’s largest and most successful technology events on Oahu and Maui.”

For more information on the Hawaii Social Media Seminar, visit www.tnblive.com/events or contact Sanna Thuresson (@SannaThuresson) at sanna@tnblive.com or (808) 673-0672, or Quincy Solano (@QuincySolano) at quincy@tnblive.com or (808) 381-2552.

Organized by the Hawaii State Senate Committee on Education, “Education Week” will run March 12 to March 16. The interactive week-long celebration honors the achievements and innovative efforts of our local schools, educators, students, and various programs throughout the State, from early childhood to the university system.

“As Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, I am constantly looking for ways to engage our State’s future leaders in the work we do today,” said Senator Jill Tokuda. “Their thoughts, opinions and ideas need to be heard at the legislative level, and it is incumbent on us to look for new and unique ways to communicate with them. Utilizing the tools social media provides to create a virtual civics classroom for our students is just one of the ways we can work with them to make a difference.”

The “Ask Your Senator” project provides an opportunity for students to lead the discussion, through student driven and student oriented questions. Students may take part in the “Ask Your Senator” project as a group (school or classroom) or as individuals using email, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Questions will be collected between March 5 and March 13, and selected questions will then be answered by senators via videos posted online and sent back to students.

Example question topics include topics such as: the legislative processes, issues or problems in your community, or general questions about the role of the legislature.

How to Participate in “Ask Your Senator”

• Email: Send your questions or video link to scomm@capitol.hawaii.gov.
• Twitter: Use the hashtag #HIAskYourSen
• Facebook:
  • Share your message to the Hawaii Senate Majority Facebook page under the note Section, Ask Your Senator?
  • Share your message with your Senator on their Facebook page.
• YouTube: Post a video question from you or your class with the title “Dear Hawaii State Senator, I Have a Question”

For more information, call (808) 586-7148, follow @HawaiiSenate on Twitter, check out the Hawaii Senate Majority page on Facebook, or visit the Hawaii Senate Majority profiles on Flickr and YouTube. Photo courtesy Hawaii Senate Communications.

The panel will feature local attorney and speaker Ryan K. Hew, David Bower, director of business development for Altres, Sylvia Dahlby from Smart Search, and Connye Harper of Harper Strategies, LLC.

Among the key questions to be addressed: How do employers empower employees in the social media space while also protecting their brand and staying within the bounds of the law.

“Whether you’re running a small business or managing the needs of a regulated industry, your company will need a social media policy,” writes SMCHI president Tara Coomans. “After leaving our event, we want you to feel empowered to create a social media policy for your company and its employees.”

The meeting will take place from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 21 at the Amuse Wine Bar in the Honolulu Design Center on Kapiolani Boulevard. Parking is free, via the entrance on Piikoi Street.

To register for the meeting, click here.

The Hawaii State Senate today adopted a social media use policy. The policy provides guidance to users, both internally and among the public.

The use of social media in the public sector is an emerging phenomenon across the country. The Hawaii State Senate is one of the few state senate bodies that have formally adopted a social media use policy. (The House of Representatives has had a policy since 2009.)

“The recent growth of social media use to communicate with government officials and organizations underscores the importance for government agencies to incorporate social media services (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr) as integral components to governments’ overarching communication initiatives,” said Senate President Shan Tsutsui.

“At the same time, it is equally vital that we, as agencies and representatives, harness the potential of these tools in the most appropriate and responsible manner,” he added. “That’s what this policy guides us to do.”

The State Senate endeavors to increase public accessibility to legislative policies and information to best serve the needs of citizens and has found it necessary to explore and embrace the use of social media.

The Senate policy supports the growing adoption of social media by its members and staff while providing guidance and standards of its use to ensure appropriate and effective use, and to be consistent and in compliance with Federal and State rules and regulations.

“Social media is continually changing the way we communicate and engage with one another,” said Senate Majority Leader Brickwood Galuteria. “While traditional vehicles of communication, such as print and broadcast hold much value, we cannot negate the importance of new and emerging technology. It is important for us to reach out to all of our citizens, and that includes the use of social media. This policy provides the appropriate structure for doing so.”

The Hawaii State Senate Social Media Use Policy includes guidance on social media application, use, security, approval, content, and management. All official accounts will be monitored by the Senate Communications Office to assure compliance with the use policy.

The Senate Social Media Use Policy has been posted online:

http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2011/docs/SenateSocialMediaUsePolicy.pdf

For more information, contact:

• Caroline Julian at (808) 586-6261
• Cassandra Harris at (808) 586-7148

Photo from Sen. Shan Tsutsui’s Flickr photostream.

Tomorrow the Hawaii Social Media Club is hosting its “Hawaii Social Media Year in Review” party in the Cupola Room at the Amuse Wine Bar.

Like last year, attendees are invited to submit their 2011 social media accomplishments, which will then be featured in a “digital brag board” slideshow that will loop throughout the event.

“Nothing is too large or small,” the organizers write. “From opening social accounts to creating campaigns, everyone is growing in the social media sphere and we’d like to celebrate it all!”

The event is sponsored by Hagadone Printing. It will also feature a “social media kiosk” provided by Pacific Digital Signs. Prizes include tickets to LUX at the Trump, and Reyn Spooner gift certificates.

As for music? Organizers are inviting people to submit tracks to a shared “SMCHI Playlist” on Spotify.

Although the event is free (food and drink will be available for purchase), people are encouraged to RSVP on Eventbrite.

Photo by Roxanne Darling

The session was led by Lori Lum (@chunlum) and Damian Davila (@idaconcpts) of Anthology Marketing Group, a communication company with offices in Seattle, Honolulu and Guam.

The session covered the differences between personal and business profiles on Google+, setting up a business page with photos and links, website widgets, +1 buttons, possible implications for search and SEO, and Google Direct Connect.

John Garcia (@johngarcia), co-owner and CTO of The Green House, helped lead the group through the process of setting up an example Google+ business page. Local blogger and media maker Doc Rock (@docrock) shared his thoughts on engaging customers on social media and dealing with privacy concerns. I shared my thoughts on Google+ as well, and showed new tools like Daniel Treadwell’s Google+Blog plugin for WordPress.

From the discussion, it was clear that Google+ was still young and in flux, stymied by limitations like single-user administration, liabilities like “brand jacking,” and rapid changes in how it would be integrated into other Google properties like YouTube. But the consensus was that businesses should explore Google+ now, and set up a presence sooner rather than later.

Last night’s “think tank” event was the first of many envisioned for The Green House. Garcia noted that the Auahi Street location — next door to Interisland Terminal’s R&D and CHAI Studio — is where The Green House will stay. Although the original plan was to take over a warehouse on Cooke Street, the “pop up” version that sprung up during Nonstop Kakaako uncovered an available, already functional space, and illustrated the benefits of being closer to complementary groups.

See Also:

• How Google+ Could Affect SEO by Damian Davila

A local entrepreneur and white collar and cyber crime consultant has launched OnlyMeWorld, a social network that he says will provide “the new standard in social networking in 2012.”

In a press release, founder Carlson S. Yamamoto Jr. writes:

OnlyMeWorld offers a social networking platform similar in function to Facebook, Google+, Linkedin, and Twitter, yet differs in its approach to privacy rights, anonymity, and protection from cyber crime. At OnlyMeWorld, people are able to participate with absolute privacy and anonymity. OnlyMeWorld requires no real names or email addresses. It uses no web tracking, no facial recognition software, and no data mining.

Describing social networking services like Facebook and Google+ as “open-door gold mines for cyber criminals,” Yamamoto says the solution is to eliminate the requirements to use real names or to provide email addresses.

“At OnlyMeWorld, people are able to participate with absolute privacy and anonymity — It uses no web tracking, no facial recognition software, and no data mining,” the release explains. “With a real name, email address, and date of birth, a cyber criminal can seriously damage your personal and financial life.”

OnlyMeWorld LLC was registered in February, and the site launched in April. It’s running on the Dolphin community management system, a free, open-source PHP software package used for social networking, community, and dating sites. Features include both personal and business profiles, groups, the ability to upload videos or link YouTube videos, event listings, blogs, and classifieds.

The Dolphin system does not list facial recognition among its features. OnlyMeWorld does have Google Analytics installed, though its certainly not the level of tracking that got Facebook into trouble.

The registration form for OnlyMeWorld does not require a name or email address, but it does require a city, ZIP code, country, and a full birthdate — one of the datapoints described as risky. The site also notes that no one under the age of 16 is eligible to join, and those aged 16 through 18 are told to get parental consent.

You can follow OnlyMeWorld on Twitter at @onlymeworld1. A YouTube channel includes promotional videos:

A Kailua High graduate, Yamamoto’s previous entrepreneurial effort included Global Distribution Solutions, an affiliate of the LifeVantage dietary supplement company.