Yes, summer is over and I am back home in Broomfield. In fact, yesterday the foothills of the Front Range in Colorado saw their first snow. Some of the mountains in received over a foot of snow and Wolf Creek ski area is open.

From a work perspective, I continue to serve as the Chair of the Social Media workgroup for ACT (Agents Council for Technology). Most recently, Cindy Donaldson and I hosted a “Facebook for Insurance Professionals” webinar, which had close to 1000 participants. ACT continues to do great work and if you have not already, I would encourage you to visit their website and consider getting involved.

My role as Sr. Vice President at Aartrijk is where I focus most my effort. I have great respect for Peter van Aartrijk and the entire Aartrijk team and in my role fully enjoy helping our clients find their “voice” in the “social” space.

Which reminds me, have you taken a look at Google +? I think you should. I know, the last thing you want to think about is yet another social site to add to the time suck of social networking. Yet, I am really liking Google +. I find it much cleaner than Facebook and really like to “circle” concept for organizing my communities. I do not see Google + so much as competition to Facebook. Rather, I think it may be the beginning of a very compelling “cloud” environment that will grow as Google integrates all of its apps. If you join Google + (or are already there) please add me to one of your circles. You can find me at: http://gplus.to/rickjmiv or just click the “Add to Circles” button in the right sidebar of this post. If you want a Google + widget for your website or blog you can get it here.

Finally, while I am going to provide periodic updates to this post, most of my blogging will be on the Aartrijk blog. My most recent post: Disaster Communications: We Can Do More with Social Media. So, again please consider following me and the rest of the Aartrijk team: Here.

I spent much of this weekend doing spring cleaning – I guess it is that time of the year. Not the kind represented by the photo but rather social media spring cleaning. In doing so, I was reminded of several handy tools, resources, and tips that I thought I would share with you.

My first project was to tidy up my Twitter account. I was approaching close to 5,000 followers and following an equal number back. I wanted to stop following people with inactive accounts or without profile pictures and I wanted to cut back on the people I was following who were not following me back. With the help of ManageFlitter – mission accomplished.

I  use TweetDeck to manage my twitter account but it had gotten out of control. Actually, I have several accounts I manage using TweetDeck including my new @rjrvtravels account I set up to tweet about our RV travel adventures. I spent some time deleting lists, creating new lists, and organizing my TweetDeck columns –  then made sure my TweetDeck apps on my iPhone, iPad, and Chrome were all in synch.

Finally, I went into Twellow and searched for some new people to follow.

When I was all done, I checked out my Twitter grade at Twitter Grader. I now have about 4,500 followers and am following back 4,380 and have a Twitter grade of 100.

Next, I spent some time tweaking my LinkedIn profile. For example, under Basic Information, I changed my “Headline” from listing just my title to more of a statement of what I do. I also used more descriptive titles for my website links than just “blog”. To do this go to edit “Additional Information” and under “Websites” pick “other” rather than “blog” or “personal” or “business website”. Then just add a more descriptive title/description and the URL.

Don’t forget that  potential business partners and customers are searching you on LinkedIn. A key aspect of strong personal brand  is a 100% complete and professional LinkedIn profile. Lewis Howes has several very good videos and blog post on on effective use of  LinkedIn.

I would be remise if I didn’t mention that on May 5, 2011 I am presenting “LinkedIn for Insurance Professionals–how to increase your brand, your sales and recruit top performers via LinkedIn” with Cindy Donaldson for the Agents Council for Technology (ACT). If you are interested, you can register here. If you are not familiar with the ACT site, be sure and check it out. It is full of very good and useful information all focused on helping agents make effective use of technology including social media.

After working on my LindedIn account, I moved on to my Facebook Page. I switched from my personal profile to using Facebook as Rick Morgan Consulting. This allowed me to “like” other business pages, as well as, comment and “share” their updates.  I think this is a great way to show support for my  business friends.

I also clicked on my page banner photos and added descriptions and in some cases appropriate links. Did you know you can do that?

I created my custom landing/welcome page many months ago but I want to encourage you to be sure and do this. You may need some professional help here and I would recommend Kim Woodbridge. She did my page.

Managing and organizing an on-line presence is always a challenge but I feel as though I made some progress. What tools do you use to keep your “social” space organized?

Now to get my clippers and rake and tackle my yard!

In a post back in January, I asked you for your thoughts on what would be the Key Technology trends that would have an impact on the insurance industry in 2011. I was headed to the Agents Council for Technology (ACT) meeting in Tampa and wanted your input. Many of your comments centered on the impact mobile technology and computing would have on our industry. Not surprisingly, mobile technology was also the most discussed trend in the strategic future issues break-out sessions held during the ACT meeting. Mobile computing as distinguished from desktop Internet is much more significant than just phones. It also includes tablets (iPad), readers (Kindle), MP3 players (iPod), Car electronics (GPS), home entertainment (Wii) and wireless home appliances (Internet TV).

We have been talking about mobile for a couple of years. Yet, in 2011 for the first time, sales of smartphones will surpass the combined sales of PC desktops and laptops. It is important to note that it is estimated that almost 60% of time spent on mobile phones is spent on activity other than call, texting and mail. It impact of mobile becomes even more significant when you consider the success of the iPad.

Mobile users will demand better browsing experiences from brand sites. They are going to expect platform neutral and real time access to information and services at anytime from anywhere.  Ok… so, we all agree that mobile is going to be transformative. Yet, what does that really mean for insurance agents & brokers and how are they going to rise to the challenge to meet the expectations of the mobile consumer?

At a very basic level, most websites need to be optimized for mobile devices. The future is about much more than building a iPhone App that links back to an agency website and offers claim advice. As good as that is, it is not enough. We need to begin to think about how to offer mobile transaction capability. Stuff like providing policy delivery to tablets and creative ways to process insurance payments and other forms of self-service. For example, allowing customer’s to use smartphones to snap a “scan” of a vin number of a new car purchase and launch notification to the agent or broker and start of the endorsement process. Creating mobile Apps that make it possible to access and process certificates of insurance or request auto id cards. Clearly, there are major challenges around validation, security and privacy. Yet, we have no choice but to find solutions to these concerns if we are to succeed.

What is your take? How do you see the industry being effected by mobile trends and what action must it take to meet this challenge?

The Now Revolution provides readers with the business context that is missing from so many social discussions. It is a handbook of sorts – maybe even a survival guide for anyone who is navigating the social landscape. It does a great job identifying and underscoring the cultural shift being fueled by “social” and its impact on business.

Technology by itself is not magic. If magic is to happen it requires a business to do “new work” in “new ways”. That is, reinventing or creating new strategies, processes, and procedures, as well as, transforming the culture is mandatory in order to fully leverage and benefit from the promise and opportunity presented by new technology. Amber and Jay understand this and explore “7 shifts that can make your company faster, smarter, and more social.” They are the shits needed to position your company to compete and thrive in today’s digitally connected real time world.

As an example, the second shift “Find Talent You Can Trust” covers topics such as how to build and manage a purposeful team. how to hire, needed  skill sets, organizational structure, education, and the need to motivate are discussed in the context of finding, developing, and keeping talent you can trust. Besides outlining the process and providing strategic guidelines, the book is filled with “Now Hear This” notices that offer all kinds of actionable and  tactical suggestions. As an added bonus, the book is enhanced with Microsoft Tag Technology. Thus, using your smart phone you can gain access to bonus content including videos, tips, discussions and various other resources.

I couldn’t agree more with Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs who in her testimonial stated, “Jay and Amber have penned a book that truly isn’t a social media book. In other words, this isn’t the book you pick up when you want to create a blog or Twitter feed or Facebook group; rather, this is the book to read when you need to understand how our newly social and connected world has disrupted business as usual, and why you need to bother thinking about that.”

Yes, I highly recommend The Now Revolution. If you have already read it , please comment and let us know what you think.

More precisely, what do you think will be the key technology trends that will have an impact on the insurance industry in 2011?

The reason I am asking is that at the IIABA Agents Council for Technology (ACT) meeting in Tampa on February 19 there will be a Strategic Future Issues panel and breakout sessions discussing this question. I serve as the Chair for the ACT Social Web Workgroup and as such am very interested in the outcome of these discussions.

Over100 representatives from carriers, associations, and agencies, as well as, technology and media consultants will attend the meeting. This is the choir so to speak. While these folks are really smart and have plenty of informed ideas and opinions – here is your chance… I would really like to hear what you think. I encourage you to leave a comment on this post. Tell me what you see as the key technology trends that are and/or will have an impact on your business. How are you coping with the rapid advancement in technology and all the change it is bringing about? Is (or how is) new technology helping you grow your business?

I will make sure your opinion becomes part of the Strategic Future Issues discussion.

1. Chrome: I switched my browser of choice from Firefox to Chrome. I am not yet sure the change will be permanent but so far I am liking the “clean” feel of Chrome.

2.Gist:  It was getting harder and harder to manage my growing list of contacts, as well as, all the ways I could connect and communicate with them across social sites and email. I am finding Gist a very useful tool. I now have one unified list which contains a rich profile of everyone which includes news, status updates, blog posts and all their means of contact. Needless to say, I added the Gist Extension to Chrome.

3. Twitter: More than anything else my Twitter feed was out of control. I spent time cleaning up my list of followers and then set up  new lists on several topics I am interested in. The TweetDeck extension is perhaps one of the best extentinos on Chrome.

4. Diigo:  Perhaps you heard the rumor that Yahoo was planning on shutting down Delicious? I have been using the social bookmarking site Delicious for several years to bookmark, tag and share links to sites and articles I found interesting. Well, it may be in fact just a rumor but to be safe I decided to create a Diigo account and transfer all my Delicious Bookmarks. Actually, Diigo lets you post to both sites simultaneously – which is what I am doing.

5. Quora – From ” About” “Quora is a continually improving collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it. The most important thing is to have each question page become the best possible resource for someone who wants to know about the question.” I am not sure about this yet – but it is interesting. It feels a bit like Facebook meets Wikipedia.

5. Google Reader – Over the years I have subscribed to lots and lots of RSS feeds. It was time to clean out the blogs that had gone inactive or that I no longer had any interest in. Ahhh…That feels much better.

6. Paying attention to the ideas of Content Marketing and Content Curation. Without question we are going to hear a lot about these topics in 2011.

7. Read some great articles on Trends to watch in 2011

A List of Trends, Ideas, Predictions for 2011

The New Next: 2011 Social Media Influencers Predictions by TrendsSpotting

Seven Digital Media Trends of 2011 | Social Media Today

What new stuff are you using to stay “organized”.  - if you are using any of the tools mentioned above let me know what you think.

I am not sure I feel completely organized or all caught up. Yet, I feel reenergized and ready for the opportunities, challenges and surprises ahead in 2011.

Happy New Year!

I am talking about more than Google search. It is more than just researching a topic. Rather, it is using search in places like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to differentiate yourself and increase your competitive advantage.

Here is an example to demonstrate my point. During a breakout session on social media at a recent Agents Council for Technology meeting an agent recounted how a service provider showed up for a meeting and presented him with a book on a topic to of interest to him. Prior to the meeting, the service provider had researched the agent’s profile on Linkedin, and Facebook. Clearly, this gesture made an impression.

How are you using this rich information and knowledge resource?

While I still think there needs to be some general goals, when it comes to creating a social presence, I vote for less planning and more action. When I think of my own experience, it was after jumping in, playing and experimenting that I was able to really begin to understand the tools and appreciate how they could be used in business.

It is the low cost of entry into the social web that makes this a viable approach. Yes, it will take time and there is a learning curve but writing a blog, Tweeting, setting up a Facebook Fan page, engaging is a Linkedin Group discussion, and posting a customer video endorsement on YouTube will not cost a penny.

There is no one  “right” way to use social media. Almost by definition, each of us approach and use social media in our own unique way. Only through experience do we develop our individual social personality – the strategy will follow and evolve.

What has your experience been?

photo flickr curtesy of MacAllenBrothers

Agents Council for Technology (ACT). There are all kinds of great resources on this site including recorded webinars. The Best Web Marketing Strategy You’ve Never Heard is the most recent article and gives a step-by-step guide on setting up local search on Google, Yahoo, Bing and others. Local search is an important component to any agency’s social web strategy.

Insurance Journal “On Point” Podcast. I host this along with Peter van Aartrijk. These are conversations with interesting and informative industry experts on a wide range of industry topics. I think you will find the two most recent conversations with agency owners about their social media initiatives particularly interesting. McClain Insurance owner Claudia McClain’s discussion is here. The podcast by David Pullman from Parker, Smith & Feek can be found here.

I recently asked agencies and other insurance folks who were blogging to list their blog under the Discussion Tab on my Facebook Fan Page. Over 35 have now done so. There are some really good ones and if you are considering starting a blog I would highly recommend that you check some of these out. You can also access a list of industry blogs from the “Links” tab on this blog.

Also, here are a few resources that I think were particularly good in offering advice on how be more successful with social networking.

10 Ways to Grow Your Facebook Page Following

6 Ways To Use Video As A Small Business Owner

10 Social Media Best Practices for PR Pros

Finally, before I forget…. If you are not familiar with the Personal Lines Growth Alliance please go here and join (its free).

If you have recently found an article or video that has helped you transition into a Social Business, please share it with us. Just post it as a comment. Thanks.

Last Friday, I posted this on Twitter  asking anyone interested to go the discussions tab on my Facebook Fan page and post their blog URL. As of this morning, 22 insurance people have listed their blogs. No, this is not a comprehensive list – but clearly our industry is blogging.

Are you blogging? If not but are thinking about it, check out the blogs that are listed here. There are some really good ones and you will learn a lot about how to go about blogging by watching these bloggers.

If you have a blog it is not too late to add your Blog URL to the list or leave a comment on this post with your blog URL.