"Action beats inaction."

The real movers and shakers recognize that it's better to be moving and building momentum. 2011 can be summed up as the year of engagement and relationships in motion setting the stage for a year of action and lasting impact.

This year provided a fantastic opportunity for individuals on the Central Coast and Silicon Valley to come together and address some of the hottest topics facing the Latino market. Latino2 and #Cause2012 SCtSMC stand out as two shining moments of 2011.

Latino2 in Silicon Valley

What do you get when you invite aspiring Hispanic engineers, bloggers, entrepreneurs, a new media guru, passionate foodies, and the White House to take over a computer history museum right smack in the middle of Silicon Valley?

A whole lot of reverberating forward motion across the Latinosphere and an engagement think tank.

"What you don't know about your online reputation is going to hurt you." - Brian Solis on the need for brands to be in-tune with the many conversations taking place across the social media landscape.

#Cause2012 Social Change through Social Media Conference

Real purpose and meaning form the core of a true differentiation strategy. Success isn't built on ability and processes alone. The most important question facing today's organizations is the question of "Why?" 

We know who you are and what you do but we don't quite understand why you do it. Purpose matters in the eyes of consumers who are increasingly searching for brands and individuals who not only offer great widgets and remarkable experiences but also lead the pack in manufacturing meaning.

Video Link: (The new face of America.)

Having a unique story and sharing it with the world is something special.

Who would have thought that on a brisk October morning on a wonderful stage set in a beautifully intimate theater with a rich 45 year history where the likes of Kathy Bates, Robin Williams, and Belita Moreno (among others) have delighted crowds that we would find some of California's most dedicated agents and artists of community building?

On October 29th, 2011 the PCPA Theater at Allan Hancock College (A Hispanic-Serving Institution) was transformed into an ideation hub where the center of focus included social media best practices for driving organizational capacity building, increasing Latino engagement, and community organizing.

"Mi Causa es Su Causa." (My cause is your cause.) sums up the atmosphere rather nicely.

Both of these landmark events served as some of the most rewarding and engaging experiences of 2011. A huge standing ovation to all the outstanding individuals and organizations who made Latino2 and #Cause2012 a reality. The takeaways are numerous but none greater than the chance to call some great people...friends.

Here's to a great 2011 and a divine 2012!

A special thanks to Jesse Luna for sharing this information on the Malcolm Baldrige award including social media in its criteria.

• 68% of all Americans (internet users and non-users alike) said the internet has had a major impact on the ability of groups to communicate with members. Some 75% of internet users said that.
• 62% of all Americans said the internet has had a major impact on the ability of groups to draw attention to an issue. Some 68% of internet users said that.
• 60% of all Americans said the internet has had a major impact on the ability of groups to connect with other groups. Some 67% of internet users said that.
• 59% of all Americans said the internet has had a major impact on the ability of groups to impact society at large. Some 64% of internet users said that.
• 59% of all Americans said the internet has had a major impact on the ability of groups to organize activities. Some 65% of internet users said that.
• 52% of all Americans said the internet has had a major impact on the ability of groups to raise money. Some 55% of internet users said that.
• 51% of all Americans said the internet has had a major impact on the ability of groups to recruit new members. Some 55% of internet users said that.
• 49% of all Americans said the internet has had a major impact on the ability of groups to impact local communities. Some 52% of internet users said that.
• 35% of all Americans said the internet has had a major impact on the ability of groups to find people to take leadership roles. Some 35% of internet users said that.

Nonprofits and a diverse collection of organizations throughout the counties of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and beyond are presented with a powerful tool for interest generation, stakeholder education, empowerment, and audience engagement.

Read more about the social side of the internet.

Participating in social media takes a tremendous amount of investment. Inputs can range in time and scope making it necessary to measure the amount of return that one hopes to gain from tweets, blog posts, and other various forms of content. True success in the digital landscape requires substantial investment of an individual's time and effort.

Benchmarks

Before investing in social media, marketers and storytellers alike must identify concise objectives. These goals will help keep all efforts focused on the tasks at hand and open up opportunities for improvements. Benchmarks allow an individual to identify their target results.

However, before we focus too much time on retweets, likes, comments, subscribers, friends, followers, listeners, and so forth...let's stop for a moment to recognize the value of residual returns on our social media investment.

Here are a few questions to ask as you begin on placing a value on your social media marketing efforts:

• Is your content so good that people actually gained value from reading or sharing?
• Do you place enough of an importance on the value of reciprocity?
• Is social capital a vital component of your strategic efforts?
• Is your network (comprised of friends, followers, etc.) coming back for more?
• Does your audience care about you enough to actually share your content even when there's nothing new to share?

Residual returns on social capital can provide a unique benchmark for measuring the success of your continued investment in social media.

The beauty of online conversation is the ability to take the show offline. Quality relationships are built not only one tweet at a time but also strengthened by offline communication where individuals have an excellent opportunity to network, relate, and get to know each other on a greater level. Such was the case recently as several individuals who first met online convened in the city of Santa Maria, a gem of the Central Coast located between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Relationships are strengthened when we have the ability to add nonverbal cues and validate words that sometimes we take for granted in the digital space. 

Some might be struggling to validate the true value of social media without considering the merits of good person-to-person offline interaction.

Social media is just that...social!