Chris S. Cornell mixes social media with his custom framing and baseball art business.

Last month, I received an envelope from Westchester Magazine that was unexpected. It informed me that I had been named to the “Best Of” list once again — but this time as “Social Media Guru” for 2010 — as a result of this Twitter Professor website I have been using to build community through social media in Westchester and beyond.

Today Westchester Magazine published the list of 2010 winners on their website, and the magazine should be available on most newstands.

The great thing about this award is that it was completely unexpected. The reason I launched TwitterProfessor.com was to promote the use of Twitter, and subsequently other forms of social media for the benefit of the community around me. Through the process, I have met scores of local people who share an interest in social media — many of whom are having great success in using it to build their business, promote their organization or accomplish their own personal goals.

TwitterProfessor was one of the ingredients that helped form Westchester140 — a Westchester-based group that aims to “inspire Westchesterians to discover their potentials through the use of social media and nouveau marketing.” Westchester140 is the group behind each of the first five very successful Westchester TweetUps, including the one held last Thursday at XV Motorsports in Irvington (read write-up here), and organized by House Party. Westchester140 was founded by Chris Dessi, Polly Kreisman, Andy Barovick, Anthony Colasacco, Sarah O’Grady, Adam Stone and myself.  Dessi and Kreisman are no longer organizers, but both are still extremely active in local social media.

TwitterProfessor has provided me with the opportunity to meet local people who are walking the walk. Examples include Linda Rey, Christopher Roberts, Heather Flournoy,  Nancy Shenker, Stacy Geisinger, Kris Ruby, Jeff Kornfeld, Dom Crincoli, Peter Barossi, Paul Feiner, Walter Olson, Dagmar Bleasdale, Denise Treco, Natalya Aikens, Elizabeth Nunan, Gerald Stern, Van Shea Sedita, Rick Wolff and many others.

I have also met some great social media minds from far beyond the borders of Westchester. These include Tim Massie, Becky McCray and David Mathison, just to name a few. TwitterProfessor also provided me with the knowledge and confidence to launch my BaseballArt website and Facebook page — which has in turn introduced me to nearly a hundred baseball artists and other experts in the field. That endeavor owes all of its success to what was learned here in Westchester.

I must also mention that I have learned a tremendous amount about Twitter, Facebook, and other forms of social media while conversing and working on this confusing stuff with my wife, Connie, who is the public relations director for Blythedale Children’s Hospital in Valhalla.

The work that was started here on TwitterProfessor may begin to shift to my new website WestchesterSocialMedia.com — because what is going on now encompasses so much more than Twitter. I welcome you to become an active particiapant on both of these sites, as well as on the WestchesterSocialMedia Facebook page. We are at the tipping point, and I believe it’s only going to get better from here on out.

There are still a few spots left for those who are interested in attending this event. RSVP now at Twitvite. The event will also feature swag bags, a raffle of prizes (including an iPad!) to raise money for Abbott House, and other goodies.

Twitter Professor: How long have you been engaged in social media?

Anthony Colasacco: I have been following the social media trend for some time now but as far as using it for my business, it has been about 6 months now.

TP: Did you “get it” right away, or was there a learning period?

AC: I absolutely got it right away. I just needed to figure out the best way for me to use it for POUR.

TP: What is your business objective or goal(s) with social media?

AC: Grow my business, stay connected to and feel the pulse of my customers and potential customers.

TP: Are you able to see measurable results so far?

AC: Absolutely. Since the first TweetUp was hosted at POUR, business has taken off. I can’t say for sure it’s all due to social media but I can certainly say it has helped immensely. Put it this way, here’s an example I use all the time when trying to explain to people who don’t “get” social media or want to know why to use social media. At the first TweetUp at Pour we had 50 twitter users attend; now those 50 people had a reach of at least 10,000 people through Twitter, so if 50 people can reach 10,000, how many can those 10,000 reach? It’s unlimited and grows exponentially. When I use that example, people “get it” right away!

TP: What has worked? What hasn’t?

AC: It’s all worked. Anything that drives business works.

TP: Any surprises?

AC: Yes, the speed in which it took off. My getting involved in social media was a natural progression for my business. I like to think I stay one step ahead of the crowd in what I do at Pour and social media was a no-brainer. If used correctly, the potential is unlimited and the ability to reach out to my customers as well as potential new customers via social media is very compelling, and also free, which in this economy is very appealing.

TP: You’ve mentioned that Sarah O’Grady — one of the other co-founders of Westchester140 — has helped you with your efforts. What has she done to help?:

AC: I have never done traditional advertising at Pour — its growth has come strictly from word of mouth and grass roots marketing, so social media was a natural progression. I just needed to pull it all together, which is where Sarah O’Grady came in. I had reached out to a few people regarding a social media campaign and Sarah was the one to pull it all together. After a few meetings with Sarah, we came up with a plan to use social media to expand business at Pour, which it most certainly has done. Her knowledge and professionalism blew me away — bottom line is she gets it better than most anyone I’ve met, period.

TP: Any advice for other businesses as they consider whether to get involved with social media?

AC: Take it slow, figure out what your objectives are. Be real, people will see through you immediately if you are trying to pull something over on them. Don’t be a used car salesman, meaning don’t always be trying to sell something — that will get old real fast, and people will stop following you. I read somewhere to think of it as a conversation at a party. If you sit and talk about yourself all night, people will walk away. Engage, interact, listed, share, just as if you are speaking to a friend.

TP: Why do you think so many businesses are reluctant to get involved with free services (such as twitter, Facebook and blogs)  that have the ability to help them reach out to their customers?

AC: I don’t think they understand it. They assume they don’t have the time, it’s too complicated, it doesn’t work, etc. There are a host of reasons and excuses people use for not getting involved, but they will — they will have to if they want to stay in the game. It’s not an option anymore — get social or go home.

TP: Is there any reason why you think your business is particularly well suited to benefit from social media?

AC: Yes. I sell a product people are very passionate about — food and wine. The ability to engage with my customers about something we’re both very passionate about is incredibly rewarding. To post a new wine I just got in or a special and see that so many people click the link and take a look at it and comment is awesome. There’s never been such an immediate way to connect and interact with customers and potential customers so quickly. There’s a reason large successful companies are changing their marketing efforts to include social media… it works!

TP: Do you have any particular social media philosophy or strategy?

AC: Yes, keep it simple and truthful, the same as I do in my business. Integrity is my top priority.

TP: How has the Westchester TweetUp worked for your business?

AC: It has gotten POUR’s name out to lots of people, and it continues to do so. I have met some great people via Twitter and Westchester140.

TP: Future goals?

AC: Grow my business and expands on to others. Use social media to help people to give back in some way. I’ve only just begun.

Pour Cafe & Wine Bar is located at 241 Main Street, Mt. Kisco, NY 10549. POUR will be hosting a Sip & Twit European Tasting Tour Tuesday March 23, 2010. For more information, call 914-864-0606, or go directly to this website for a discounted price: http://www.eventbee.com/view/tasting/discount?code=pour. You can learn more about POUR at http://PourMtKisco.com.

BaseballArt.com is building a community of baseball artists and fans through social media.

In the past month, I’ve been extremely busy with Cornell Gallery (my custom framing business located in Pleasantville) and with the development of BaseballArt.com — something I’ve dreamed about doing for more than a decade, but am finally getting the chance to make things happen. The launch of the Baseball Art Facebook page has been hugely successful — as more than 400 fans have signed on in the first three weeks. Among the current fans are some of the world’s best and most well-known baseball artists, the son of a Hall of Fame Major Leaguer, a former Major League pitcher, art publishers, museum and gallery directors, and a few hundred baseball art fans. There is also a Baseball Art group on Linkedin, as well as a Baseball Art Twitter account.

On the Westchester social media front, things continue to roll along. Facebook, Twitter and blog/website use among Westchester-area businesses and individuals continues to grow — and there is a corresponding growth in the social media consulting business. Numerous small and medium sized firms are emerging in this niche to help address the needs of individuals and businesses as they attempt to navigate the waters of this fast-evolving phenomenon. In the coming weeks, I plan to interview the principles of as many of these firms as possible for an upcoming article. The article will provide essential information about each of these businesses, including their philosophies, services offered, and a link to their respective websites. Feel free to contact me if you’d like to have your business included in this article.

Well, with that said, it’s time for me to get back to work. Check back Friday for the interview with Anthony, and then make sure to visit TwitterProfessor at least once a week. Thanks.

Michael Balkind, "Be the Media" author and keynote speaker David Mathison and POUR owner Anthony Colasacco at the 4th Westchester TweetUp held January 21 at the Jacob Burns Film Center's Media Arts Lab in Pleasantville. Photo by Chris S. Cornell.

Anyone looking for proof of the power of social media needed to look no further than the third Westchester TweetUp, at the Jacob Burns Film Center’s Media Arts Lab in Pleasantville on Jan. 21.

The event brought together more than 80 people interested in learning more about how to communicate their message through various forms of new media. It also featured a keynote address by “Be the Media” author David Mathison as well as networking opportunities for guests. This was the third event organized by Westchester140, a group of six Westchester residents that promotes community through social media in Westchester.

The event, which was fully booked within six days of being announced, raised more than $1,300 for ShelterBoxUSA, a non-profit organization assisting in the relief efforts in Haiti.

More than a dozen of the attendees live or work in Pleasantville, but guests from all over Westchester and beyond comprised the attendee list. Tim Massie traveled from Poughkeepsie to attend the event with hopes of meeting others who share his view of social media’s usefulness and potential.

“It’s important to meet others who are using social media so I can learn from them,” said Massi, the chief public affairs officer and an adjunct professor at Marist College. “I’m teaching future communicators, and [my students] need to know how to get their messages across and break through the clutter. Traditional forms of media will still be around, but as we learned Thursday night, each person has the potential to be his or her own medium.”

Other attendees included communications professionals, small business owners, representatives from local non-profits, students and attorneys. They heard Mathison speak about ways they can employ social media to amplify their message through Twitter, Facebook and blogs without additional expenditures.

Mathison, an internationally recognized media consultant, speaker, publisher, radio host and hi-tech entrepreneur, has more than 25 years of experience in content distribution. More than 5,000 copies of “Be the Media” sold in just 11 days via his Web site, blog, Twitter and Facebook accounts. Mathison is also a former vice president at Reuters, the world’s largest news agency, The event was widely discussed throughout Westchester, both in face-to-face conversations and online, via e-mail, Twitter and Facebook.

“This event was a success; people are still talking about it,” said Sarah O’Grady, a founding member of Westchester140. “Immediately following (the event), people wanted to know when the next one would be. Our TweetUps provide a comfortable, non-intimidating environment for people to discover, explore and share their social media experiences and practices.”

The selection of ShelterBoxUSA as the recipient of the event’s proceeds was another example of the power of social media. The organizers were looking for a way to help in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, and they had gotten to know ShelterBox team member Yi Shun Lai at the first two TweetUps held last year. Lai used social media extensively as a way to amplify her communications efforts.

“ShelterBox has been using social media to its advantage during this highly important time,” said Lai. “Since social media is now regarded as a place to get quick news, it makes sense that our home office would use this medium to quickly and easily document the moment our boxes hit the ground, for instance, and that we would use another account to quickly update our followers on what our teams are doing in the field.”

“And, of course, when I’ve had a great fundraising day and multiple folks or companies are responsible for it, well, I get to thank them quickly and publicly,” Lai added.

Denise Treco, the Jacob Burns Film Center’s director of marketing and owner of Flour & Sun Bakery in Pleasantville, was enthusiastic about the event. She said she was pleased that the film center was able to bring the Twitter community together to meet face-to-face, and visit the media arts lab as well.

“The key to successful marketing has always been about [building] relationships, Treco said. “Social media allows you to do just that in a meaningful way.”

The venue was donated by the Jacob Burns Film Center, Mathison donated his speaking services, and food and drink was provided by the sponsors, POUR Café and Wine Bar, Sundance Deli, Flour & Sun Cupcake Bakery, and Captain Lawrence Brewery. Attendees also went home with gift bags, overflowing with goodies donated by local businesses.

Westchester140 is comprised of  Andy Barovick, Anthony Colasacco, Chris S. Cornell, Chris Dessi, Sarah O’Grady, and Adam Stone. This article appeared in January 26, 2010 issue of The Examiner.

Update – Monday, Jan. 18, 2010 - 12:10 a.m. — As of this update, the event is fully booked. All 80 spots have been taken less than six days after the event was announced.

PLEASANTVILLE – There’s something brewing in Pleasantville — and I’m not talking about beer or coffee. What’s brewing is social media — and next Thursday’s big event at the Jacob Burns Film Center Media Arts Lab will take social media in the Westchester, NY area to the next level.

The Jacob Burns Film Center's Media Arts Lab © 2009 David Lamb Photography

The event is the 3rd Westchester TweetUp to be held January 21, from 7-9:30 p.m. at the Jacob Burns Film Center’s newest gem, the Media Arts Lab located at 405 Manville Road in Pleasantville.

Just one day after the event was announced, half of the event’s 80 available spaces have been taken. The first two Westchester TweetUps (held at POUR Cafe and Wine Bar in Mount Kisco) were booked to capacity. Much of the on-line buzz surrounding this 3rd event has been about the event’s acclaimed speaker, David Mathison, author of Be the Media.

Mathison is the host of a succesful radio show – recent guests include Seth Godin, Michelle Shocked and guitarist Chuck Leavell – and he has delivered addresses at many prestigious venues, including Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, the University of Missouri, the School of Journalism, and the United Nations.

Mathison will speak about ways individuals and organizations can harness social media to “reach an audience that only a few years ago was reserved for the multi-billion dollar media conglomerates.”

Attendees must RSVP for the event using Twitvite. A modest $10 admission charge will entitle them to food and drinks, networking with some of the Westchester area’s most forward-thinking people, and the value of Mathison’s keynote address. Guests will also be offered a tour of the Media Arts Lab’s spectacular facility, and they will go home with a gift bag.

The Westchester TweetUps have been organized by Westchester140 – a group of six that came together after meeting through Twitter. Westchester140 thanks the Jacob Burns Film Center for making the venue available for this event completely free of charge. The group also thanks David Mathison for donating his time and expertise to this event.

Pleasantville’s Sundance Deli is donating delicious appetizers for attendees and Flour and Sun Cupcake Bakery is donating mouth-watering desserts. Guests will also be able to sample beer from Pleasantville’s Captain Lawrence Brewery and wine from Mt. Kisco’s POUR.

Comments work in several ways, and produce both expected and unexpected results.

1. Provides Feedback – A well-written comment provides valuable and appreciated feedback to the author of the article.
2. Encourages Author to Clarify – Comments often result in a response that further clarifies the author’s position on an issue. It allows readers a chance to present a viewpoint that differs from that of the author.
3. Gets Others Involved – Your comment may spark an interesting (and entertaining) dialog between the author and other readers. It’s not uncommon for this “conversation” to be even more interesting and engaging than the original article.
4. Provides a Way to Get to Know the Author – Comments often lead to a dialog and that  is a great way of “getting to know” the author, which can come in handy further down the road.
5. Gives You a Chance to Promote Yourself – Comments are a great place to leave links to something relevant that you may be working on. This is not the place for blatant self-promotion, but if your links are helpful and relevant, they are usually appreciated.
6. May Lead to More Followers and Fans – If you include your Twitter handle or Facebook page, a well-written comment often leads to followers or fans. And these are people who already share some of your interests, and are usually more involved and engaged than the average social media participant.
7. Improves Your Presence in Search – Your comments will also frequently rank surprisingly well in a Google-search of your name or for one or more of the terms you write about.

So go ahead — give it a try. Resolve not to keep your comments to yourself in 2010.

Then I saw a post made by Walter Olson’s @Midwestchester account, and I was intrigued. It read:

RT @MarkFranzoso Time lapse video of our crews putting on a new roof in Westchester: http://tinyurl.com/yhejfoa

The link led to a YouTube video that Franzoso had made of one of his roofing crews doing a complete roofing job — but by speeding up the video, Franzoso managed to condense the entire process to a mere 5 minutes and 13 seconds.

The video was one of the best pieces of social media marketing I saw from a Westchester-area company during the 2009 calendar year. Unfortunately, the effort did not achieve the results it should have. The video had only received about 60 views as of  December 31, mainly because it never got much of a launch.

I predict that this video will achieve 10 times that number of views in the first month of 2010, possibly much more. Furthermore, this is exactly the type of low-cost marketing that businesses should be looking for as they attempt to leverage social media to promote theiir businesses.

What was the best piece of social media marketing you saw from a Westchester-area business in 2009? Enter your thoughts in the comments section and let the dialog begin.

Tomorrow morning (Monday, December 21, 2009) at 6 am, Blythedale Children’s Hospital will be rocking and rolling as 95.5  WPLJ FM holds its 18th Annual Holiday Broadcast Concert and Fundraiser. Featured music performers include stars Rob Thomas, Colbie Caillat and Jason Mraz. 

An interesting development on the social media front is the news that Blythedale will utilize a live Twitter feed leading up to and during the concert to help publicize and promote both the concert and auction components of the event. A 60-inch flatscreen will be used to display tweets to those attending the event.  Those listening to the concert on the radio will be able to interact with the @Blythedale Twitter account throughout the fundraiser.

Blythedale has been one of a handful of non-profits in Westchester County, NY to fully utilize Twitter to help communicate its organizational story. Director of Public Relations Connie Cornell launched the account in May 2009, and has used Twitter as a place to post child safety tips, publicize links to hospital news, and encourage people to visit the hospital’s website, along with other interesting and useful information. The @Blythedale Twitter account currently has 1127 followers.

“Twitter has proven itself to be a valuable resource that we have been able to integrate into our larger public relations and communications strategy, said Cornell. “We have been able to use it to connect with others in our local community who are interested in what Blythedale has to offer. At the same time, we have been able to reach out to people in other parts of the country and beyond. Not bad for a free communications application.”

Cornell was an attendee at the 1st Westchester TweetUp held at POUR Cafe and Wine Bar in Mount Kisco in October. The TweetUp, organized by Westchester140, was the first-ever full-blown Twitter event in the Westchester area, and resulted in Blythedale acquiring dozens of local influential followers. She plans to continue attending similar events to promote her organization in the future, including the 3rd Westchester TweetUp planned for the third week of January.

The concert, which is Blythedale’s largest fundraiser of the year, will be broadcast on 95.5 WPLJ FM and hosted by WPLJ’s Scott Shannon and Todd Pettengill.  The concert is the final show of the year for the “Scott & Todd in the Morning Show”. While the concert is an invitation-only event, the public can participate by supporting the Hospital in advance of the broadcast or during the Radiothon by any one of the following ways:

• Donate to Blythedale Children’s Hospital by calling 914-592-7138 ext. 304
• Listen to the WPLJ broadcast from 6 -10 am, and call 914-592-1643 to bid on the auction items or to make a gift
• Bid online at the WPLJ website  for auction items that include rock-and-roll and sports memorabilia
• Donations can also be made online by visiting www.blythedale.org
• Follow Blythedale on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates on the live auction.

“The Annual Holiday Concert has become a wonderful tradition here at Blythedale and is always a memorable event for the children as well as our staff,” said Larry Levine, President and CEO of Blythedale Children’s Hospital. “Over the years, the concert has featured some of the country’s best-known recording artists and we are so grateful to them for donating their time and talents for this very special occasion.”

In years past, the popular fundraiser has drawn such star power as Jon Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews, Rob Thomas, John Mayer, Vanessa Williams, Cyndi Lauper, Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates, Tony Bennett, Barenaked Ladies, Jewel, Meatloaf, Pat Monahan & Band, Jason Mraz, Natalie Merchant, Meat Loaf, Elliot Yamin, Jose Feliciano, Darlene Love, Debbie Gibson, Bobby Helms and many more.