It is true what they say. The good ones are worth the wait.

Christmas came early for those of us — in fact, most of us, according to a November 16, 2009 article on Read Write Web — who use TweetDeck as oru third-party Twitter client of choice. This week, TweetDeck released a series of several updates including Twitter lists, geolocation, more Facebook support, and brand new LinkedIn support. A great article on Read Write Web covers the most significant changes in the new version of Tweetdeck. Here, I will discuss some implications and considerations for those of us who plan on continuing to use TweetDeck now that it has been cranked up to 11.

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace integration

Because Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are now integrated, those who know that most of their friends and followers are shared across networks should consider NOT updating Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn with the same thing. TweetDeck is now TRULY a deck, so use it as such. Instead of finding thinking of using the new TweetDeck as a shortcut to cross-posting the same thing all over the place, think of how to tailor your message accordingly to where people are going to care to read about it. If it’s work-related, Link it in, and so on and so forth.

Now that you can easily access your Twitter lists AND your TweetDeck groups, be smart about how you build them. TweetDeck groups aren’t public, so save your “cool people I tweet with all the time” list for a TweetDeck group and use Twitter lists, which are public, with a little more purpose in mind. Use them to add value and become a point of reference.

The new TweetDeck lets you write on the wall of the Facebook Pages with the same ease with which you tweet. This means that you can be more proactive and engaging with your fans on Facebook. Time to be more consistent about showing fans some love, as opposed to only updating the page every time you need something from them.

Should you choose to activate the Facebook news updates column on the new TweetDeck, be strategic about it. I don’t check Facebook as often as I do Twitter and when I do, I tend to see what a few number of my friends are up to  — I write a few witty wall posts, comment on pictures and then I’m off. Now, I’m using TweetDeck to try to catch what some of my new friends or old friends whom I have lost a bit of touch with are up to. In other words, I’m using it to maintain relationships that I may be giving less attention to simply because I’m not on Facebook as much and when I am, I default to commenting on the walls of friends with who I interact more often.

LinkedIn updates come in with less frequency than everything else, so why not activate that on the new TweetDeck? It’s information that I rarely, if ever, was paying attention to. Now, I can tell who is on the move and maybe some opportunities to connect people or connect with people will arise. I haven’t gotten there by using LinkedIn yet but maybe the new TweetDeck will make all the difference in that world.

More updates

TweetDeck’s new profile view includes geolocation; your bio; your link; and followers, following, tweets, and lists information. Don’t set your geolocation as “global” or “wherever the wind blows,” because that tells me nothing and it won’t help you make local connections — and the potential to scaling things back to local is where social media eventually wins and rules above everything else. Also, make sure your link actually goes somewhere, because it is now featured more prominently on your profile view and I might just click on it.

The infamous retweet function is opt-in on the new TweetDeck. All I have to say about that it… you guys are smarter and now your users better than Twitter. And, thank you.

Final Thoughts

TweetDeck, if you’re reading this, Flickr integration would be the cherry on top

February 8, 2010 Update: TweetDeck is now allows you to view Flickr, YouTube and Posterous media within the client.

Watch a video of the features in TweetDeck’s latest version below.

Your turn. How is the new TweetDeck fulfilling your every need? Or is it still coming up short?

More screen shots of the new TweetDeck here.

I am at Podcamp San Antonio 3.0. So far I have seen people in jeans and t-shirts, army uniforms and sequin coats and hats. And, as one would expect based on the eclectic mix of people, the sessions have covered a diverse set of topics all under the social media sun.

A recap:

Coworking

@firecatsue talked about coworking, which to me is a perfect example of how we can take social media offline and into the 3-dimensional world that all of us are familiar with. Coworking is heaven-sent for people like me who need distractions to focus and feed off other people’s energy and unique passions.

Check this out to get a sense for how coworking is taking off all over the coutry and, if you are in San Antonio… check out C4 Workspace, follow @coworkingsa and hey, why not take a day to actually try it out?

Journey through social media

@TXconflictcoach talked about her journey into social media. She talked about Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, BlogTalkRadio, blogging and MySpace (no, wait… take that back. MySpace is apparently where all the porn is). The thing to highlight about this session is the importance of experimenting and – one of my favorite words – TINKERING with different social media networks, channels, approches, strategies… in order to find the one (or ones) that fit you and what you do best. I highly recommend you do it. Hit the ground running and don’t be afraid to trip and fall – you’ll get back up. I promise.

What does social media have to do with business?

Bruce Hughes talked about how SBDC is helping businesses grow by guiding them through pretty much every step of the business development process. How does this relates to social media you ask? SBDC provides marketing assistance to businesses, which helps increase revenue…. but don’t forget! Social media also helps build communities, develop relationships with your business’ constituents, establish your business as a helpful resource…

We really must make it a point to stop looking at social media first and foremost as a way to make money. Your priority should be to use to to build your business around what your potential customers need, want and care to interact with.

Military and social media

@AFRC_433 talked about how the air force is using social media. Every airman is a communicator, they Twitter and now the base is working on their Facebook Page. So, why would the air force want to use social media? To let the public know what they were up to but do so by communicating on a more personal level.

This was one of the coolest session at Podcamp because it demostrates that with a little persistence, even institutions that have insane amounts of restrictions and levels of hierarchy to cut through in order to get permission to do, well… anything… can start using social media to connect with the public.

@AFRC_433 talked about using her phone to start Twittering, blogging, etc. while she waited for approval to do social media on personal laptops. To the air force, public affairs is public affairs is public affairs. Anything that gets on Twitter goes out with a link to more information and to the Web site. However, she also tweets cool facts like how many tortillas fit in a CS Galaxy (answer: 322, 857).

And that’s the way. Aha, aha, I like it.

I really, really like it.

YouTube, make videos and SEO

Another way of getting your content into Google is video. You didn’t know that? Well there ya go.

Some tips for SEO with YouTube videos:

• Think keywords when you name your video and make it easier for people to find you on Google.
• The actual file you upload to YouTube should also be keyword-conscious.
• Oh yeah, go to Google and do a bit of keyword research to discover what people are looking for.
• Optimize your video content. Pick descriptive keywords that are not used as much in competitive areas to catch the low-hanging fruit in terms of SEO.
• Pillar content vs. Feeder/Teaser content – the first is content people are looking for and the other is content that directs people to another site/source.
• (Me talking…) Subscribe to Top Rank’s Online Marketing Blog and follow @leeodden. The man knows about SEO and the blog is a great resources for tips, best practices, ideas, enlightment, etc.

PS: Don’t be afraid of videos. They don’t need to be edited professionally, scripts, storyboards, etc. If you think you have something of value that could be turned into a video consider it a green light. Get yourself a Flip camera and start rolling. And hey, if you feel uncomfortable about making videos but still want to publish your content in a way that doesn’t involve blogging, try slideshows and narrated visual presentations.

Pay it forward with a virtual network

@Matt_Scherer talked about not just using social networks but doing so to help others. Logical right? We are social beings and we love to share. Matt talked about several places online that are taking this innate quality of human beings and harnessing it to create communities that gather to help each other.

Something that stuck with me was the idea of champions – people who help others find connections and get into the right places to launch their careers, projects, ideas, etc. Ultimately, it is your job to post your resume online, join social networks and begin by eavesdropping on people who share common interests. As Seth Godin would say, find your tribe. If there isn’t one, create one.

Takeaway – whether you are an individual or a company, you are the master of your own destiny but know that you have a world (literally) of people out there who are willing to help you on your way to get there. We all have something everybody wants. Find out what you want, figure out what you have to give in return and get a move on.

Blog your heart out: How to start a blog and stick to it

[My session!]

It went a little like this… if you think you have something of value that could take the form of a blog… start a blog

• Find out who you are and what you want to write about ahead of time. Even if you want to write about everything, know that ahead of time so that you don’t all of a sudden get hit (and hard) by this realization.
• Find your software. Shout out to WordPress for easy stats, great SEO tools, user friendliness, customization, plug-ins and a world of other cool things.
• Customize your blog! Give it a personal touch and write your “About Me” page to let your readers know who you are and what they can expect. This makes you transparent, personable and credible.
• Set up RSS feeds to see what others are blogging about on the topics that interest you. This way, you can add unique content to the online conversation and place the RIGHT inbound links into your posts to make the hallway of mirrors that is the internet a little less dizzying for readers
• What’s that? You want to get blogging already?… Come up with an editorial calendar and evergreen topics you can write about to avoid bloggers’ block.
• Come up with ideas for list posts, how-to posts and other short and sweet content that is helpful, fun to read and that helps you vary the style of your posts.
• More importantly, think of topics that you are PASSIONATE about. If you are not genuine, blogging is a no-go.
• Figure out when you’ll post. Start off with once or twice a week but make sure that you are consistent and good to your readers. Don’t feel pressured. This should be fun.
• Don’t just assume that you are going to have readers. If your blog is your personal diary don’t be outraged if hundreds of comments ensue after every post. If what you are posting useful content and want to share it with people who might be looking for the information you are putting out there, get a Twitter account, feed it, NOURISH it.
• Make your useful content easy to find. Register your blog on Technorati, Bloglines, Feedburner, etc. And use Simplaris Blogcast on Facebook to publish your blog post on the Notes section of your profile.
• Follow @problogger on Twitter. He has a lot of helpful advice and a 31-Day Challenge to Better Your Blog
• Ready. Set. Go.

(By the way, I’m moving to http://andinarvaez.com this weekend – It took a while for me to build up!)

Twitter. All of it.

Oh my… I’m afraid to go there. Basically, register for TweetCamp San Antonio on July 18, 2009 and learn all there is to know

PREVIEW: Twitter is making things HAPPEN.

… Must go. Had an amazing time!!!

Check out the #podcampsa Twitter hashtag and the live stream to catch up with more of what went down inside the Habana Room at El Tropicano hotel today.

Signing off.

As of Tuesday, November 4, 2008 the country has been in an uproar. And with good reason.

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