This story epitomizes the power of online and social network marketing, and I'm pleased to say that I started it. Well, in this case, that is. Sorry, I don't toot my horn that often, but I just have to do it here. This is one of those marketing missions that I was pretty confident about when I took it on, but had completely underestimated the extent of its reach.

It all started in the Summer of 2008 when Tim Hatler, the owner of an all-inclusive Bed & Breakfast style resort in Baja Mexico, contacted me about putting on a series of women's kiteboarding camps based out of his resort. I knew Tim from supporting and attending an event for of his that raises money for the much-needed education system in his village. I also had been teaching and running women't kiteboarding camps for about 3 years, but never a destination camp of this extent or cost that Tim was suggesting.

I promoted the camps online through the WomensKiteboarding.com website, the e-newsletter, the Facebook group "The Women of Kiteboarding" and my kiteboarding school contacts. We nearly filled the camps through those channels alone. I did not talk to a single person, run a single ad, or print a single brochure.

Now, move forward 6 months to the actual camps. We have one day of no wind, so we go swim with the whale sharks -- an amazing experience that can't quite be described, but definitely speaks volumes in pictures! So, between our tour guide and myself, we post dozens of photos and even a couple of videos on Flickr, Facebook, and my blogs, all linking to one another. Did I mention that we adopted the sharks through the research organization as well? On Facebook alone, we have the photos linking and driving comments and tons of traffic to the Whale Shark Research of Mexico website. Comments and inquiries as to "how and where do you do that?" come pouring in. Ding!Ding!Ding! Funding for Whale Shark Research in Mexico sky rockets! At least we can assume.

It just so happens that our wonderful guide from the resort, Tim, shot all the video during the entire whale shark experience, posting to his website and FB page, "Palapas Ventana"... Now, that small village in Baja....

La Ventana, a small fishing village that just happens to have a great resort of casitas, killer margaritas and food, and a world-class fisherman to lead you to the biggest and best catch of your life. Tim from Palapas Ventana posts status updates on FB with all of his photos, so that you can see what he's talking about. I'm telling you... when you see a status update of "Just another day of killer fishing in front of Palapas Ventana!" with a link to an image of a 40 pound Yellowtail, you take note! In fact, you might just inquire about the best time of year to fish and "what are you rates, anyway?" Tim now uses the FB status updates for all of the activities going on at the resort. Smart considering that it's in the now, happening like "20 minutes ago". That is real. Not a glossy ad in a magazine, but a 20-minute old photo just taken of real clients catching real fish.

So yes, that was a pretty quick and general recap as to how we used the power of each social networking tool to not only drive traffic to our websites, but to fuel business. But notice that it was a dominoe effect. Each entity involved in the trip -- from the kiteboarding camp itself to the whale shark research to Tim's fishing trips and resort stays -- each played a role initially in spreading the buzz online about what they do, then sat back and let the community do the rest. Comments, forwards, replies.... CONVERSATION. As the conversation builds, it fuels interest and attention, creating demand throughout the community that is hard to contain. Like a virus, only a really good one that everyone wants to be a part of!

charity: water is a non profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. They are only 2 years old, founded from ONE guy on his 32nd birthday. This is one of those campaigns on the level of Obama's that successfully harnesses the power of relationships to change the world.

A little background...

Scott Harrison decided, before his 32nd birthday, to quit his high rolling event planning/consulting job in New York City to do something meaningful. In lieu of presents, Scott asked friends to donate $32 to a hospital in Kenya that had no water. 92 people donated enough money for Scott and a team to go back to Kenya and drill a well that would provide clean drinking water for the hospital and surrounding community. Recognizing urgent need throughout Africa for clean drinking water, Scott started expanding his mission of building wells for other water-starved communities as well.

Scott's movement grew. And grew. I learned of charity: water through Twitter, while tweeting for Kiteboarding 4 Cancer and browsing someone else's tweets. [Side note: Sound hoaky? It's powerful. More on Twitter later]. The power of online relationships and influence shines in the example of charity: water. Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, Tumblr, Changents, and more. These online tools have become word-of-mouth machines for causes such as charity: water.

The organization also executed very well on branding their mission as something that YOU want to be a part of. It looks cool. The videos are hip and real. Rough and edgy, they appeal to 20 to 30-somethings. The story is genuine, unpolished, and well told. No corporate suits and soft elevator music. A bold and cutting-edge promo video with music by Beck excites your inner generosity. Before it ends, you too will be reaching for your checkbook. A wonderful cause, charity: water's successful social networking strategy has helped build over 1200 wells worldwide, serving 650,000 people.

I've refrained from talking about this topic because I'd be opening a door to an entirely new world of marketing that many people are not prepared to handle. It's like getting on a rocketship -- Once you get on, strap in and take off, there is no getting off easily. So, I'll do my best here with a little help from some other great marketing consultants and writers....

The "New Rules of Marketing & PR" has circled around a bit in the last 3 years or so as a key phrase describing what most of us in marketing can't: The impact and importance of the internet (and the conversations, communities, and interactivity going on within it) on how we, as businesses, market our products and services.

Marketing author, David Meerman Scott, states it very well:

"...the old rules of marketing & PR were that you either had to buy expensive advertising or beg the media to write about you. Prior to the Web, there weren't other significant ways to get noticed. The Web has changed the rules. The new rules of marketing & PR are that you can bypass the gatekeepers and publish your own content online in the form of content-rich Web sites, blogs, YouTube videos, photos, ebooks and the like and reach buyers directly."

The New Rules of Marketing, however, go beyond simply writing content on the web. That's just one component. You can start the conversation on the web with content, but that's not where the "marketing" happens. The "marketing" happens when people browse, read, interact with, and SHARE your content with others. It's as simple as telling your friends about that great sale you heard about at Imelda's Shoe Store. They go, maybe buy some shoes or some socks or a purse. Then they tell their friends. Their friends tell more friends and so on. And that is the "community" or "networking" component is marketing for Imelda's. It works the same on the web.

I like how David Meeram Scott simplifies the "New Rules of Marketing" with two categories under this umbrella:

1. Social Media Marketing: Online media with an interactive component. A news story that is delivered online becomes social media if there is a place for readers to comment on the news story.

Online Examples: Blogs, forums, Wikis, and chat rooms

2. Social Network Marketing: Online networking tools and the ways they are used to connect groups of people on the Web.

Online Examples: Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, SecondLife, Bebo, Twitter

Personally, I'm a big fan of the latter. People use these sites to network and stay connected with friends and colleagues and to meet other like-minded people who may also have similar interests, values, or beliefs. If your company had a Facebook group page, you could use the platform to post updates on the lastest R&D in the company, or what the hottest lunch item is in the cafeteria. Sound stupid? Maybe. But, millions of people are following and reading these stupid bits of data and sharing the info with friends. All of this content that you create initiates a conversation. It gets people talking about you and your brand. How can you do that offline? Not very easily.

I heard a great description of this new marketing that may make more sense if you're at all confused. The internet and the communities within it offer an ear to the ground, a pulse on what's happening "outside". You can sit in your windowless cubicle all day, but until you go outside and stand on the sidewalk amongst people, cars, activity, and the elements, you don't really know what's going on.

For more on this topic, David Meeram Scott's article on Social Media Marketing/Social Network Marketing and Web 2.0 is very clear, concise, and understandable. Check it out.

Every once in awhile I'm blown away by another artist's work, so much that I study their every stroke seeking out something to take from it. How did she achieve that stroke? What was the thought process behind putting those two very random elements together? And make it work so seamlessly? This is what goes through my mind when I look at Sabrina Ward Harrison's work.

I was first taken by Sabrina's work when I randomly picked up her first work "Spilling Open", which she published at just 22 years old. It's pretty good. The freedom and confidence of  having no borders of colors, fonts, or messaging, and the ability to make it all look good and sound poetically brilliant is talent. I don't have that talent -- I am not deep enough. But I'll take a little bit from her and be fine with that. Reading through her story, it's not difficult to point out that with that kind of talent comes some darkness and insecurites that bring out that powerful art expression in the first place. Check her stuff out.