Peter Muir wrote this piece on our Integrated Print Forum Blog. Peter, along with many other leaders in the social media field, will be presenting at the Integrated Print Forum this October at Printing Industries of America’s head quarters in Pittsburgh, PA.  1. Something gets posted you don’t want others to see. Is it a corporate secret, comments of a disgruntled employee or an upset customer because of a lack of customer service? If you don’t already have one, a brief internal social media policy should cover what can and can’t be said along with how it could be said by those inside the organization. It should be flexible enough to encourage passion for customers and the brand but should also make sure the brand remains an asset. If the comments are from outside the organization they should be quickly judged to determine constructive criticism or inappropriate behavior and appropriate steps should be taken to deal with them in a timely manner. 2. You create a social presence but no one is participating. Social media should start with a strategy and part of the strategy should include audience, content and appropriate channel(s). It takes time to grow a community. You may think you’re talking to yourself but really you can be honing your message to your customer while you also spend time listening to what is important to them and include it in your community content. The time you take working at establishing your social media standing can also be used as an ongoing case study to discuss what you’ve learned with your customers. 3. You’re trying to be social but the topic gets sidetracked or even hijacked. Simply ask, “Why?” Perhaps there is something else more important you could or should be covering. One of the first rules of social media is that it’s not about you. Or perhaps you can suggest covering the new topic in next week’s discussions where you can research it further and get more input on it. The point of social media is that you don’t have direct control of the message but the more involved you are in social media and are aware of your business and customers, your ability to influence the message increases. 4. Some people don’t tolerate change. As your social media community grows and expands its reach there is a possibility of alienating your core followers. You need to consider your core first before diluting your approach to please the masses you’re not currently connected to. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, but if you include the core in your growth and choices for growth it’s often easier for them to deal with change. Also remember, there are some people who...

In this video, Brad Evans shows three different ways to test UV adhesions problems. Find it informative? Enjoyable? Want to see more videos like this? Let us know in the comments. Also, visit http://www.printing.org/labservices for more information on what we can help you with.  We just finished filming a series of videos with Dillon Mooney, our technical consultant, so look for those in the coming...

I sat down with Julie Shaffer the other day to talk a bit about augmented reality’s role in print. Before this conversation I can’t say I imagined there was a bright future, but Julie was quick to bring up a few good examples. We recorded that conversation and you can listen to that below. Let us know what you think!  Discussing augmented reality and print. #integratedprint...

I’ve been dabbling in a new way to bring our community new and interesting content via Audioboo. Audioboo is a neat little application for the iPhone that lets me record up to five minutes of audio to share across our social networks. It’s fun, easy, and automatic. Not only does this make my life easier, but we can provide a whole new type of content to you with minimal hassle! Here is our debut audiboo. In it I talk to Julie Shaffer about the Integrated Print Forum 2011. Talking to Julie Shaffer about the Integrated Print Forum 2011 #integratedprint (mp3) Did you enjoy it? Let us know in the comments. If you have any suggestions or ideas on what type of content you’d like to hear, let us...

Last week we announced more information about the Integrated Print Forum. In particular, we were excited to reveal that Lon Safko will be keynoting the Integrated Print Forum 2011! Lon Safko is the author of The Social Media Bible and, as you would expect, is a digital marketing expert.  He’ll help attendees understand interesting terms and techniques such as, “the fundamental shift in power,” “link love,” “Google Juice,” and SEO advantages to blogging. I wonder if we’ll find out if  “Google Juice” is full of the electrolytes and vitamines a printer needs to integrate new technology? Lon Safko will be a great keynoter, no doubt, but there will also be a number of sessions on the following topics: Mobile Takeover: The Future, Apps and You Digital Acumen: How to Hire the Staff of Tomorrow, Today! Mobile Website Essentials           How to Become a LinkedIn Power User Preparing the PSP for 2020 Direct Marketing Trends 2011: Who’s Mailing What? Build Your Own Augmented Reality Scene    Marketing: The Secret Ingredient Risky Business: Entrepreneurial Adventures in Today’s Marketplace Everyone’s in Sales Personalization Power:  Mastering Relational Databases Practical Integrated Marketing: Winning Your First Campaign Portal Power: Managing Integrated Marketing Campaigns Super Scripts for Dynamic Direct Mail Straight Talk: Sales in 2012 and Beyond  There’s a wealth of cutting-edge talks and information that we’re proud to be hosting at Printing Industries of America this Fall. You can find more information about Integrated Print Forum 2011at http://www.integratedprintforum.org. The forum is open to a limited amount of registrants so it’s recommended that you register early.  For questions about the conference please email, Sam Shea at sshea@printing.org or ask on www.formspring.me/integratedprint.  ...