So my 7:30 am session at WeMedia is over (yeah!) we had a good group, but of course the challenge is always to have a useful and interesting conversation that can keep the attention of both the very experienced people in the room and the newbies and the early intermediates who come for specific tips and help.  My co-facilitator, Rebecca Weeks Watson of Divine Caroline, had a nice detailed preso on driving community and traffic to your site, and I worked with the group to outline some tools and ideas before we started. Greg Linch live blogged the session and Marllory Colliflower,@malcolli, live-tweeted it.

For those who did not make it to the session, here's my recap:
1) How and where do we see the impact of social media?  What does social media do for us? (Group made list) 

• quick news
• lazy web/crowdsourcing ideas
• community and connection
• fllter ideas
• deepen engagement and community
• personal or business branding
  

(Susan sez: What uses would you add?)_

2) What tools are part of the social media toolbox?

• facebook
• myspace
• twitter
• flickr
• seesmic
• 12seconds.tv
• upcoming
• meetup
• email CRM (constant comment, zebratracks)
• blogs
• mybloglog
• youtube

(Susan sez: What other tools would you add?)

Discussion points:

• The social media ecosystem means knowing how to use more than one social media tool; using 3 or more together creates the ecosystem. To be an effective social media user, you want to have a strategy and understand the outcomes you want.
• Possible outcomes include deepening the engagement of your current audience/community, reaching new people, building a new micro donor base, generating buzz.
• Remember that social media is "bursty" and best tied to campaigns; ie you don't have to use all the tools at the same fever pitch all the time--you can do burst of this activity and then dial it down.
• Email is a tool you don't want to ignore, don't abandon it, just add the new tools.
• Facebook has great power; understand how to create fan pages, groups, and events beyond your own page
• Associate FB events with upcoming and meetup events
• Use flickr, youtube and multmedia to create more buzz/community
• Use google docs to post invites to feedback, polls, commentary; then reflect back and recognize what you learn

We went on for a good 1 hr 15; alot of what we discussed is also in the case study document I just did, social media for social change, and in the social media toolbox paper I did for Knight.