Many of you may recall a rather non-traditional, yet wildly popular haiku from Jonathan Schwartz, former CEO of Sun Microsystems, who tweeted his resignation earlier this year.

Brilliant! So, on his coattails and in celebration of National Poetry Month, Marketwire is holding a haiku contest of its own for aspiring poets and social media enthusiasts alike.

The challenge:  Create a haiku that speaks to one or both categories:

1. SM10X30, Marketwire’s social media fitness program
   For inspiration, visit the SM10X30 microsite and read about the program; more than 3,500 people have registered since January.  (PS – if you haven’t registered, the time is now!)
2. Social Media
   Compose a haiku about anything relative to social media. From Twitter to tags, and wikis to widgets, it’s wide open.

DEADLINE: Friday, April 30, 2010

What is a haiku? In their traditional form, haikus are short Japanese poems that consist of 17 syllables in three metered phrases of 5, 7 and 5, respectively. While most haiku often speak to nature or the seasons, any topic can be discussed.  For example, Jonathan Schwartz’ haiku was:

Financial crisis (5 syllables)
Stalled too many customers (7 syllables)
CEO no more (5 syllables)

And, to put things into perspective, here’s another example specific to the SM 10X30 program:

Basic rules I learn
Twitter, Facebook, mastery
Strength in social space

Prizes per category:

SM10X30
Use hashtag #sm10X30 on Twitter and include @marketwire

• Grand prize*
  • One (1) free Marketwire Social Media 2.0 release
  • $50 Amazon gift card (valid for the Canadian and U.S. stores; £25 Amazon cards for UK winners)
  • SM10X30 T-shirt and titanium water bottle
  • Paul Gillin’s book, The New Influencers: A Marketer’s Guide to the New Social Media
  • Haiku posted on the Marketwire blog, Twitter and Facebook
• Runner-up
  • $50 Amazon gift card (valid for the Canadian and U.S. stores; £25 Amazon cards for UK winners)
  • SM10X30 T-shirt and titanium water bottle
  • Paul Gillin’s book, The New Influencers: A Marketer’s Guide to the New Social Media
  • Haiku posted on the Marketwire blog, Twitter and Facebook
• Selected Finalists
  • Haiku chosen at random will be posted on the Marketwire blog, Twitter and Facebook

Social Media
Use #socialmedia on Twitter and include @marketwire

• Grand prize
  • $50 Amazon gift card (valid for the Canadian and U.S. stores; £25 Amazon cards for UK winners)
  • SM10X30 T-shirt and titanium water bottle
  • Paul Gillin’s book, The New Influencers: A Marketer’s Guide to the New Social Media
  • Haiku posted on the Marketwire blog, Twitter and Facebook
• Runners-up (2)
  • SM10X30 T-shirt and titanium water bottle
  • Paul Gillin’s The New Influencers: A Marketer’s Guide to the New Social Media
  • The selected haiku posted on the Marketwire blog, Twitter and Facebook
• Selected finalists
  • Haiku chosen at random will be posted on the Marketwire blog, Twitter and Facebook

How to enter:

Contest dates:  Thursday, April 15, 2010 (1 pm EST) through Friday, April 30, 2010 (12 am EST)
Cost to enter:   There is no cost to enter this contest and no purchase is necessary. You may submit multiple entries to both categories.
4 ways to enter:

1. Email Nick Shin at nshin[at]marketwire.com
2. Tweet Nick @marketwire on Twitter
3. Click through on our Marketwire Facebook page
4. Comment on Marketwire’s “Do you haiku?” blog post

Notification:

The winning entries will be announced by Marketwire during the week of May 17, 2010. Following the announcement, individual winners will be notified via tweet or email only. Winners will have seven days from notification to claim their prize. If you are a winner, send Nick an email from an account that can corroborate your identity. Unclaimed prizes will not be awarded.

Contest Rules:

Need more details? The “fine print” is available here.

Questions?

Contact Nick Shin via:

• Email: nshin[at]marketwire.com
• Twitter: @marketwire
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/Marketwire
• Marketwire Blog: Comment on the “Do you haiku?” blog post

Good luck, everyone!

Many people involved in social media feel there is just too much information coming at them.  They feel overwhelmed, and that social media just doesn’t work.  This week, I received a question from an SM 10X30 participant about overexposure and information overload.

As a reminder, all questions are welcome, whether you are new to social media or are someone who is already very familiar. I love to help and chat about social media.  @ me on Twitter and let’s talk!

Q.  What are your suggestions in preventing overexposure and information overload when it comes to using all these social media sites?  Can you recommend a percentage mix of content and conversation to keep your fans and followers interested?

• Post relevant content.   In general, it’s not how often or how much you tweet or post, it’s the quality that counts. If you continually develop new and relevant content, your followers will continue to be interested. It’s important to make the content relevant to your business so they can think of you when the need arises. It’s also important to post consistently. A stagnant social media account is one of the sins of social media marketing and you will lose followers/fans quickly.
• Engage in conversation. Providing relevant content is great, but you also don’t want to look like you’re spamming. Remember that spam applies to social media as well.  The point of joining a social media site is to develop relationships. A great start is to join a TweetChat on Twitter, fan a page on Facebook and answer questions on LinkedIn. This shows your fans that you are authentic, knowledgeable and willing to help, as opposed to being seen as a person only wanting to sell.
• Market yourself smartly. There might be a time when you need to promote a great offer and you want to get as much exposure as possible. In preventing overexposure, be creative and re-word the message rather than repeating the same thing over and over again.
• Ask questions.  Instead of just broadcasting your message, seek advice and answers from other users and groups. You’ll be surprised by how helpful the social networking community really is and how it can spark a great conversation.

Thanks to the SM10X30 participants who submitted this question. Your dedication and willingness to learn are much appreciated! Keep your questions and feedback coming! Send me an email at nshin [at] marketwire [dot] com.

If you are part of the SM10X30 program, comment or @ me on Twitter to be included in the #sm10×30 Twitter list.  Here is a link to follow those who are as dedicated to social media as you are: http://twitter.com/#/list/Marketwire/sm10×30-rockstars.  Be sure to join the Facebook group dedicated to SM10X30 participants.

In this installment of “Tips,” I answer questions submitted by SM 10X30 participants about some more advanced topics involving Facebook.
As a reminder, all questions are welcome whether you are new to social media or are already very familiar. I love to help and chat about social media. Get exclusive tips, photos, and videos by joining our Facebook page.

Q. How does a (Facebook) fan page become a fan of another page?

• I know of the favorite fan pages box, but I have never used it personally. Here is a link to install the “favorite pages” application.

Q.  I really like Marketwire’s page and I noticed that Marketwire has customized its Facebook page.  How do I do that for my business.

• Thanks for the compliment! I’m glad you asked this question. What I did to customize Marketwire’s page was basic compared to what others have done to theirs, but by doing so, our page stands out and it has seen an increase in user engagement.
• To begin, you need to install the “Static FBML” application.  FBML stands for Facebook Markup Language.
• Once you ADD TO YOUR PAGE, go to your Facebook page and click EDIT PAGE. Scroll down to APPLICATIONS >> find the FBML app and edit. In order to add a clickable image (for example), insert this code:

<a href="http://INSERT LANDING PAGE LINK"><img src="http://INSERT LINK TO PHOTOBUCKET-FLICKR DOES NOT WORK FOR THIS.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• Once your page is created, you can either move it to a tab or to the wall where you can see it in the left sidebar.
• Recommendation: For the FBML box to appear on your tab, use a width of 500-600 px. For the box to appear on your wall, use a width of 180 px.

Q. How do I add more FBML boxes?

• Go into EDIT PAGE of your page and locate the FBML box you created. Click on EDIT >> ADD ANOTHER FBML BOX.

Thanks to all the SM10X30 participants who submitted their questions. Your dedication and willingness to learn are much appreciated!  Keep your questions and feedback coming!  Send me an email at nshin [at] marketwire [dot] com.

If you are part of the SM10X30 program, comment or @ me on Twitter to be included in the #sm10×30 Twitter list. Here is a link to follow those who are as dedicated to social media as you are.  Also, be sure to join the Facebook group dedicated to SM10×30 participants.

In this installment, I’ll answer questions submitted by SM10X30 participants about Twitter lists and retweeting.

I am now following @marketwire. I saw the post asking if followers were on the #sm10×30 list. How would I go about getting on that list? 

Note:  The post to which this participant refers is: http://twitter.com/Marketwire/status/8242441735 (Currently updating #sm10×30 Twitter List. Are you in the SM fitness program? RT to be included)

NS: I can add anyone to the sm10×30 list. Only the creator of a Twitter list can add users. However, let’s say that I did not know what your Twitter handle was and you saw my tweet, you would simply retweet it like this: “RT @Marketwire Currently updating #sm10×30 Twitter List. Are you in the SM fitness program? RT to be included.”

When I search for people using #sm10×30, nothing comes up.  I was going to retweet info on #sm10×30, but can I just RT something from @marketwire Twitter posts?

NS: In order to do a search for #sm10×30, you can go to Twitter search – http://search.twitter.com/ and type in #sm10×30.  The Twitter search function does not keep tweets older than a couple weeks. You can also click on #sm10×30 whenever you see it in a tweet. If you do, this is the link you will be directed to, which is essentially the same method I explained previously: http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23sm10×30

What exactly is that “#” symbol? It is called a hashtag. Hashtags are used as a way to organize and manage searchable groups.  They are automatically linked so that when a user clicks on a hashtag, every tweet incorporating that hashtag will show up. If you don’t utilize the hashtag, it will not show up as part of that group when searching.

When you retweet, can you type an intro/comment and, if so, how is that done?

NS: Absolutely, but it depends on how you RT. There are two ways to RT:

1. You can use the “retweet” button. If you click that button, a “retweet to your followers” message pops up. This method does NOT allow you to add a comment.
2. You can use the original way of retweeting where you add a “RT @[username] message” and you can add a comment before or after. This requires more of a copy-and-paste process.
   Example: “RT @Marketwire Currently updating #sm10×30 Twitter List. Are you in the SM fitness program? RT to be included”

If you are part of the SM10X30 program I’d love to hear from you, so comment or @ me on Twitter to be included in the #sm10×30 Twitter list.  Here is a link to follow those who are as dedicated to social media as you are: http://twitter.com/#/list/Marketwire/sm10×30-rockstars.

In this weekly series, SM 10X30 fitness trainer and resident social media specialist Nick Shin answers selected questions from program participants, offering tips and insights to help you make the most of your training.

Hi folks.  In last week’s Tips from the Trainer, I answered questions about username availability and how limiting your profile affects your social networking.  This week, I decided to answer questions specific to Twitter and Facebook.

How do I change my username on Twitter? Why would I want to change my username?  How do I cancel a Twitter account so I can reuse my email address?

NS: If you want to simply change your username, you do not need to delete your account.  Simply log in and click on SETTINGS, then ACCOUNT, and then find the EMAIL field to change your email address.

There are several reasons why you might want to change your Twitter username:

• Branding Opportunities: You want to change the way your name/business is branded.  For example, if you are a PR firm or a PR consultant, consider the initials “PR” as part of your username.
• Length: You feel your username is too long — shortening the username provides more opportunity for retweets.
• Professionalism: You feel your username is inappropriate for professional networking, especially if you want to start using Twitter similarly to LinkedIn.

If you want to delete your account permanently, log in as explained above.  However, before you continue, change your email address so that you can reuse the email address you want to use. Once logged in, go to SETTINGS, then ACCOUNT, scroll to the bottom and click DELETE MY ACCOUNT.  It takes about 24 hours for the account to be deleted.

Do you have a personal Facebook page and a professional one? I can’t even find the time to keep my personal Facebook page up-to-date, let alone a professional one.

NS: I keep a personal Facebook page and also manage Marketwire’s fan page, so it can be done.  Many people create a personal Facebook page meant solely for friends and family members while also maintaining a fan page for business purposes.

If you create a fan page, make time to update it often enough so you don’t lose your fans.  As long as you are providing links to resources and relevant articles, as opposed to spamming your fans/followers to promote your products and services, you will continue to gain a steady stream of fans.  In terms of priority, business before pleasure, they say! Friends and family will understand your week-old updates, but clients won’t tolerate stale content.

Hope that helps. Thanks to all the SM10×30 participants who submitted their questions. Your dedication and willingness to learn are much appreciated!  Keep your questions and feedback coming!  Send me an email at nshin [at] marketwire [dot] com.

After an intense workout session, a recovery period is essential for muscle rejuvenation, inner reflection and whole-body relaxation. If you’re an SM 10X30 participant working hard to complete our social media “workouts,” the same applies to you.

In this weekly series, SM 10X30 fitness trainer and resident social media specialist Nick Shin answers selected questions from program participants, offering tips and insights to help you make the most of your training.

I checked my username (namechk.com) and found that it’s available on all social networking sites but one. Do I sign up for all the sites just to get the username out there?

NS: It’s a cliché, but I have to answer “it depends.”

If you are a business owner (or represent a business), then I would secure that username even if you have no immediate plans for using that account.  You never know what the “next big thing” will be in social media. Look at all the Fortune 500 companies (Walmart, Dell, Bank of America, General Motors, to name a few) that lost out on their name on Twitter before it exploded into a phenomenon.

• If you plan on using your name to brand yourself (i.e., going the “consultant route” where developing your name is vital), then I would secure that username on all sites.
• If the user name is for personal networking, I would secure your username for the sites you feel are most relevant to you.  In some cases, having a photo- or video- sharing account might not be necessary. If you secure the username today and it’s gone tomorrow, would you be okay with signing up with another/similar username?  For a business, probably not.  For personal use, sure.

I’m concerned about receiving unsolicited emails. If I make my profile private, does that limit the effectiveness of social networking?

NS: It can limit the effectiveness depending on your goal.  If your goal is to network and gain business, then make your accounts public.  If you simply want to participate, I would look at the privacy settings and limit what the public can see.

On LinkedIn, I make my entire profile open to the public because my focus is on networking.  But, if you want to only open it to your connections, you are limiting your networking opportunity.  Your decision is based on who you are comfortable sharing information with.   If someone is intent on contacting you, they will contact you on Twitter or LinkedIn and send you a message.  Personally, I include my email address on the Marketwire Twitter account and my personal Twitter account and it’s worked wonders because it offers an added customer service outlet.

Below are some quick tips regarding your new personal Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook accounts.  If you are opening accounts for your business, then the accounts should be made as visible as possible, which is the nature of transparency.

Twitter – Keep it public, but share limited personal information

Facebook – Turn on privacy settings and limit your information to your connections only.  Facebook is a more personal networking site meant for family and friends.

LinkedIn – Keep it public, but share information with your connections at a minimum.  Opening information to the public is based on your comfort level.

Hope that helps. Keep those questions coming! Shoot me an email at nshin [at] marketwire [dot] com.

By way of this quick post, I want to officially welcome everyone who has already signed up for our free Social Media Fitness Program, SM10×30. Within 24 hours of the program’s launch, we had more than 300 people register, and response to the concept of ‘getting fit, fast, with social media’ has been overwhelmingly positive.

Created to help PR, IR and marketing communications professionals to better understand the how’s, why’s, so what’s and what’s-in-it-for-me’s of social media, the daily workouts and program exercises will show you the benefits of getting active in social media, and show you how it can help your business.

Please keep the questions, feedback, and suggestions coming. You can @ or DM me on Twitter, post a message on the Social Media Fitness Program Facebook group, post a message on our LinkedIn Group or email me at nshin[at]marketwire.com. As the official trainer for this program, I am pumped (okay, I had to say it!), and ready, willing and able to assist with blogger, media and participant requests. Whether you are enrolled in the Basic Training or Core Conditioning track, I am here to help you succeed.

Big thanks to everyone who has RT’d about the program on Twitter using the hashtag #sm10×30, shared program information on Facebook, and spread the message through LinkedIn and blog posts. Help spread the word: http://bit.ly/5yHTEv.

We hope that this program helps you build your confidence and become more social media savvy. Again, a hearty welcome to all participants.