A couple of weeks ago, my colleagues and I in the Campaigns class had a discussion board thread going about the value of blogs.

Do blogs really matter? Do they change the world?

Or, are they a soapbox for a person with an opinion?

The answer, I think, is “yes” to both questions.

It all may have started with opinionated people publishing their journals, musings, and rants online, but the movement quickly went mainstream, with a long tail extending into the offline world.

Technorati, a “recognized authority on what’s happening on the World Live Web, right now,” is at this very minute tracking 112.8 million blogs and more than 250 million pieces of tagged social media.

What’s more, Technorati reports that more than 175,000 new blogs are appearing every day. Bloggers are prolific, making more than 1.6 million posts per day, or more than 18 updates a second.

I stand before you a mere fleck of dust in the universe.

So I thought I’d use my soapbox (thanks to WVU IMC for a few more weeks) to point you in the direction of marketing experts and gurus that I’ve enjoyed discovering in the blogosphere. Check ‘em out:

The Church of the Customer
Hosted by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba, writers, speakers, and consultants based in Austin, Texas

The Society for Word of Mouth
SWOM: For those who seek word-of-mouth enlightenment

Seth’s Blog
Seth Godin—no need to say more

Brand Autopsy
Hosted by John Moore, and offering thought-provoking discussion on all things marketing related

What’s Next Blog.com
Hosted by BL Ochman, an Internet strategist and social media consultant

Publishing 2.0
Editor & Publisher: Scott Karp, addressing how technology is transforming media

Of course, these favorites are just a small sampling. Let’s build the list with more of your favorite marketing-related blogs.

P.S. Just for Fun
And a couple of blogs for your downtime:

Boing Boing
A directory of wonderful things

Mental Floss
Where knowledge junkies get their fix

It’s Week 6 of the summer session. Congrats, everyone, for making it to the back nine, or should we call it the back four? Yeah, I like that: the back four of the IMC Summer Open.

For those of you who’ve followed my postings, you can appreciate that I’m especially glad to be over the mid-term hump. This week, I heard back from Prof. Myers that, so far, I’m on the right track with my New Orleans campaign. That was just the good word I needed to rev up for the final push.

Last week, while the mid-term was being graded, I worked on campaign objectives, strategies, and tactics. I’m continuing to tweak my ideas and work out a realistic budget and media flow chart. It’s not easy to spend $100 million—even on paper. So that tells me that I need to open up my thinking and nail those really BIG ideas that will make my campaign stand out.

Yikes! How am I going to wrap this up in four short weeks? I want to start the course over again knowing what I know now. Well…not really. Just have to keep moving forward.

Despite the nail chewing, I am enjoying the New Orleans project. I’ve learned so much about the city pre- and post-Katrina. Although I’ve visited there several times, I’ve come to realize that I’ve only experienced a thimbleful of what NOLA has to offer.

For my project I’ve zeroed in on the city’s music festivals, dining, shopping, and arts district. Sure, Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street are quintessential New Orleans, but, believe me, there’s so much more to do, and at all times of the year. The lineup for Jazz Fest was amazing this spring, cutting across most music genres. The French Quarter festival also looks like a total good time. And over July 4th weekend, Essence magazine sponsors the Essence Music Festival, a New Orleans tradition that gets better every year.

And since I’m a foodie, I keep reading about the city’s new restaurants that I’m dying to try and also remembering the delicious meals that my husband and I had a few years ago at Commander’s Palace and the more modest, but just as tasty, Gumbo Shop.

I’m ready to go back. How about you?

New Orleans will welcome us with open arms.

And if you do find yourself traveling to NOLA for business or pleasure, think about staying an extra day or two and signing up for a Voluntourism project. A number of corporations, associations, and faith-based groups are donating their time to build a Habitat for Humanity house, help paint a school, or pick up trash and debris in City Park.

Voluntourism is definitely the “in” thing to do. You just might encounter Brad Pitt, founder of Make It Right, a home-building project focused on New Orleans’ Ninth Ward.

But donating some vacation time to New Orleans’ recovery also seems like the right thing to do. Last week I heard a fellow AMA-Richmond member relate his recent experience spending a day on a Habitat project while in New Orleans for a business meeting. When he and his dog-tired coworkers returned to the hotel after a grueling day spent working in the Ninth Ward, the Ritz-Carlton staff lined up to greet the bus and give the volunteers a rousing round of applause. Wow! Talk about a feel-good moment.

That’s just what NOLA needs—more people coming to the city and experiencing a wonderful time. New Orleans is part of America’s fabric that should be experienced and appreciated. See what Campaigns will do to ya? I’ve got the fever.

P.S. Study Tunes
Totally switching gears—and I’m sure that I’m the last person on Earth to find out about this neat web site—but lately I’ve been studying to a wonderful music experience I’ve discovered online: Pandora. If you’ve not discovered the Music Genome Project, check it out. And since I probably am the last one on the planet to find this, just be kind and don’t tell me.

As I near the end of the IMC program, I find myself thinking more about the value of networking with my fellow students and IMC faculty. Soon I’ll be cast out into the world without my familiar e-campus and my virtual friends.

I’ve done some networking throughout the program, exchanging e-mails with classmates and attending a couple of IMC weekends. Yet, networking can be more challenging in an online environment. “It takes a little more effort to do it, but it’s definitely worth it,” says IMC graduate Rebecca Andersen, who has since joined the IMC faculty as an adjunct instructor. “I really encourage students to do it.”

A good way to get started, she says, is to reach out to fellow students with whom you sense a connection—perhaps you have similar backgrounds or are traveling through the IMC program at about the same pace. “Send them a direct e-mail or talk to them about a project,” just to get a conversation started, she advises.

Getting the hang of networking while still in school yields benefits down the road.

IMC grad and adjunct faculty member Matthew Cummings, who works as director of marketing and communications for an economic and community development organization in Pennsylvania, sees the value of networking in getting things done every day.

“Although technology and creative can help facilitate communication and open doors, people still make things happen,” he says. “I’ve come to learn that all business deals, projects, and successes in an organization ultimately come down to people. Growing your personal and professional network just makes sense.”

For Andersen, it’s the Washington, D.C., metro chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, which she joined about seven years ago and recently made a three-year commitment to serve on the board of delegates for this second largest chapter of PRSA. And then there’s her primary job as corporate communications manager at Opnext Inc., a telecommunications company that tasks her with all things IMC.

Cummings serves on the board of his local American Advertising Federation chapter, is a member of the regional Chamber of Commerce, works with various small business marketing committees around northwest Pennsylvania, the International Radio and Television Society, a young professionals group, and a few other organizations in his spare time. “Active networking has allowed me to expand my social and professional horizons,” he says.

Both of these busy people still find time to participate in the professional networking site LinkedIn www.linkedin.com, which Andersen says is a useful tool not only for staying in touch with her IMC connections at WVU but also for reaching out to her own employees.

“LinkedIn is very exciting because it takes these face-to-face interactions (Chamber events, AAF events, IMC weekends) and puts them online where time and geographic limitations are completely removed,” says Cummings.

“To those not familiar with the technology, I often explain LinkedIn as wearing all of your personal and professional contacts on a sandwich board and entering a large meeting. People soon begin to connect with you based on mutual friends or colleagues and an interesting dialogue takes place,” he notes. “The IMC Group on LinkedIn is one example of how a smaller network of professionals with similar interests (and education) can be built and leveraged by both students and faculty.”

Staying in touch should become second nature to IMC students and grads. “If you think about it, WVU IMC students and faculty are interacting with professionals all day, every day,” says Cummings. “They are immersed in new ideas, new technology, and new opportunities. You never know when that might be the differentiator in a job search or business situation.”

It’s equally important to keep building your network once you’re out of school, Andersen says, through organizations like PRSA, AAF, the American Marketing Association, and the International Association of Business Communicators, to name a few. “It’s a good way to get involved with people who share the same interests,” she says.

P.S.
I’m off to the American Marketing Association’s Richmond chapter meeting this week. I joined the chapter about a year ago, and the top-notch lunch speakers each month always provide me with fresh ideas. Plus, I’m doing a little volunteer writing and editing for our Chapter Excellence Award entry. Yes, it all takes more of my precious time, but I’m getting to know people better in my chosen field. I look at it as a long-term investment.

Let me just cut to the chase: I’ve had some challenges since my last blog posting. After two fun weekends away at the start of the Campaigns course, I finally faced the unpleasant reality that I was more than a little behind with my writing assignments.

Without the usual Monday night deadlines for this course, I had unintentionally fallen victim to putting off til tomorrow what should have been done today.

Although I had kept up with the postings and assignment research each week, which included a boatload of secondary research as well as primary research in the form of a survey and personal interviews to assess awareness and general thinking about New Orleans’ recovery, I had committed only a modest percentage of the actual work to paper.

Suddenly, the mid-term deadline of June 16 was too close for comfort. (Insert sound of stress meter reaching danger zone!)

So I buckled down at the end of last week, got some sections organized, and promised myself total dedication to the project through the weekend.

Oh, but of course, I didn’t want to cancel out of my Wicked River Run on Saturday morning. Never mind that temperatures and humidity levels were soaring up near 100 in Richmond for the weekend. I wanted that T-shirt!

So I ran the race on what turned out to be one of Richmond’s worst air-quality days of the year (smoke from North Carolina wildfires had settled on top of our city’s heat wave). And, well, that little exertion took some recovery time. I did pop open my laptop midday and work for about three hours.

Oh, but of course, I couldn’t cancel on my co-worker’s party for her son who just graduated high school. True, my husband and I didn’t stay long. But, hey, since we were out, might as well grab some dinner, right?

Back home, I opened my trusty Apple PowerBook and worked about another hour before the day caught up with a vengeance. Plus, I’d gotten some upsetting news that day that was rolling around in my brain and clogging the gray cells.

Sunday was a marathon Campaigns day for this runner. I had a one-hour outing to the health food store to pick up a few things plus lunch. Yet, as the evening rolled round, and I assessed my progress, I began to weigh the merits of taking Monday off as a personal day.

I really don’t like missing work for school. It goes against my personal code. I feel like I’ve failed to perform—I’ve let the balance shift. But in looking at the week’s work calendar, Monday was the only viable day to take and I knew I needed more immersion in New Orleans.

So…Monday became another focused push for Campaigns as I battled a headache. The day paid off, however, and since then I’ve been able to look ahead with confidence that I can finish up the mid-term portion of the project on schedule this weekend. (I’ve been playing catch-up at work, but that was the deal I made myself).

A few truisms for me this week:
1) You can’t do everything all the time. No, you really can’t.
2) Don’t get senioritis or road-trippy the first two weekends of the last IMC course.
3) Family stuff happens at the most inopportune times, so always have a little slack built into your schedule.
4) Never discount the time it takes to do a good job with secondary and primary research. It is the foundation of your project and paves the way for the creative ideas to flow.
5) When your life and schedule get interrupted, take a breath, but then shoulder the pack and keep walking.

P.S.
See you next week after the mid-term mails! Until then, here’s a little YouTube for your entertainment. Don’t let this happen to you!

The IMC program came together for me in a big way this past weekend in Morgantown. It made me realize how far I’ve come in the last two years and how fortunate I’ve been to be part of a first-rate graduate program that is committed to meeting the needs of students by challenging us to reach ever higher.

Faculty and students enjoy the Touchdown Terrace.
Photo: Dan Friend, WVU Photographic Services

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
It all began Friday evening at the Touchdown Terrace, overlooking the famed WVU football stadium. It was humorous to watch everyone (myself included) scanning nametags, as we know each other better by name than face in our virtual world. One of my former classmates, Ken, who had just graduated in May, made the drive all the way from Ontario, Canada, for the weekend.

After two years of getting acquainted on the forums, I also got to meet Bev from Morgantown, who started the program when I did, and Anne from Pittsburgh, who was the first IMC student blogger. Impressive women!

I soon spotted Todd (South Carolina), whom I’d met at my first IMC Weekend in 2006. He and his wife were chatting with Professor Myers, our current instructor for IMC Campaigns, who had flown in from Wisconsin. We all talked a bit about how the class was progressing, but mostly this evening was about meeting and greeting current students, program graduates, IMC faculty, and prospective students. More than 120 people (including guests) registered for the event.

Over dinner, my husband and I enjoyed renewing acquaintances with Professor Creely (my first instructor in IMC 610). Across the table was a prospective student, who plans to enter the program this fall. In classic small-world fashion, we found ourselves sitting next to another student who lives about 30 miles from us in the Richmond, Va., metro area. It’s a nice touch to welcome spouses and S.O.’s to these events—it makes for great commiseration for everyone.

Maryanne Reed, dean of the P.I. Reed School of Journalism, welcomed us warmly. She reiterated the importance of the IMC program to the journalism school and introduced keynote speaker, Bruce Nelson, vice chairman of the Omnicon Group, whose impressive list of credentials made me sit up straighter in my chair.

Here are a few nuggets I distilled from his talk:

Bruce Nelson
Photo: WVU Photographic Services

• As IMC practitioners, we’re “in the business of condensed storytelling to get people to do something.” The time we have to tell a brand or product story gets shorter and shorter, Nelson said, yet the story must still describe the product and motivate action. “Without the story, we are lost. Without the story we are merely buying media.”

• “You have to dig deeper all the time to learn more about your product. It’s the hardest thing to learn, but you have to keep investigating all of those things you took for granted.” Connecting the obvious with the not-so-obvious leads to a-ha moments.

• The desire for marketing accountability is growing in the industry. The demand for ROI is the “greatest sea change [the industry has experienced] in five or so years.”

SATURDAY SESSIONS
My plans for an early-morning walk on the amazing Monongahela River trail, accessible just steps from our hotel, were rained out by an early morning thunderstorm. I happily settled for a delicious omelet in the cushy Waterplace Hotel restaurant.

New and prospective students started their day with an information session, which segued into two panel discussions-one with IMC faculty, the other with IMC students and recent graduates. It was great to hear faculty members share their perspectives on the strength of WVU’s online program. Their testament to its rigor in relation to other university programs and its relevance to current needs in the marketplace was reassuring, to say the least.

Prof. Gary Myers answers a question.
Photo: Dan Friend, WVU Photographic Services

As a member of the student panel, I somehow managed to share my age live and on camera, as I babbled on about being an older student. You’ll have to catch the video to hear that confession.

Listening to the stories of my fellow students who are moving through the program two classes at a time and, in many cases, with young children at home, I simply stand in awe. Others, like me, have chosen the one-class-at-a-time pace. The beauty of the IMC program is that you can do it either way.

We had our choice of four faculty-led breakout sessions on exciting topics: emerging media, green marketing, PR for nonprofits, and entrepreneurship. I grabbed my box lunch and headed for Professor DeMarco’s session on green marketing Great choice!

DeMarco delved into the evolution, expansion, and ethics of green marketing. Plus, we talked about this rapidly expanding career specialization area for marketers.

Essentially, DeMarco gave us a preview of the green marketing component that will be part of the new IMC 621: Current Topics in IMC elective rolling out this fall. The course will be divided into three-week sections on subjects like healthcare communications, sports marketing, and green marketing. Check it out as you schedule courses this fall.

The IMC Weekend wrapped up with a student and faculty jam session on whatever topics came to mind.

Prof. Chad Mezera
Photo: Dan Friend, WVU Photographic Services

Chad Mezera, IMC program director, moderated, and we all walked away with new bits of information about the IMC degree, its value in the workplace, and the continuing improvements WVU has in the pipeline. Plus, we got a sneak preview of the new IMC web site coming soon. It’s a great showcase for our program-smart and integrated.

As I near completion of the IMC program, I’m confident I’ve made the right choice in degree and school. It all came together in Morgantown.

Founders Hall

P.S. Questions, anyone?
In keeping with the tradition of my predecessor bloggers, the “Ask Virginia” line is always open. If you have a question about IMC weekend, the program in general, or my experience as a student over the past two years, ask away and I’ll get back with you.

So, when you think of New Orleans, is this the first thing that comes to mind?

Hurricane Katrina

Or this?

NOLA rebounds (Photos: New Orleans CVB)

If you chose the former, you’re not alone. Nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina, those images seem to be indelibly imprinted in the minds of many Americans, as well as international tourists. That is the challenge that the city of New Orleans (NOLA) is facing as it seeks to restore its position as a top tourist destination.

How, precisely, to do that is also the challenge that my colleagues and I are facing in IMC Campaigns this term. Gulp!

I’ve been gulping quite a bit this week, as I seek to get a grip on organizing myself for this course, which calls for a $100 million IMC campaign to bring visitors back to NOLA. The research load is fairly heavy. The good news is that information is abundant.

The secret will be drilling past the general information available on Google and tapping into a few sources of original—or, at least, fresh—information.

So I’m conducting some primary research rather than relying on all secondary research, as I develop strategies and tactics that are relevant to my target markets.

In short: come to the capstone course prepared to use all of the tools and knowledge you’ve acquired in the core and elective courses—surveys, focus groups, SWOT analysis, creative briefs, media buying and scheduling, direct marketing, sales promotion, creative design, measurement and evaluation. Bring it all!

Two weeks in, I find myself thinking a lot about the 610 foundation course, which actually foreshadows the capstone course. In fact, I’ve even pulled my trusty Principles of Advertising & IMC off the shelf. It’s comforting to have Duncan right beside me on the study couch.

Because I’m feeling a little overwhelmed this week, I thought I’d offer a few ideas to steady myself—and maybe reassure those of you out there who may be feeling the same (I’d love to hear your tips as well):

• Take it bird by bird (with full credit to Anne Lamott). That is to say, one thing at a time.
• Read the assignments carefully. Read them again later in the week, so you don’t overlook a key element in your haste to whip out the written work.
• Make your own notes of key points from the lesson, assignment, and readings.
• Use the WVU libraries to reach beyond Google searches
• Tap your local city or county library—your card PIN gives you online access to electronic databases from the comfort of home.
• Devote at least two lunch hours a week for catching up on reading or postings.
• Get out of the office, or the home office, on the other days as a treat. Even if it’s just picking up a salad and a bagel or window shopping.
• Remember to exercise (so guilty this week!). I need the endorphins that come from running or hitting the gym every couple of days.
• Read the movie reviews, even if you don’t find time to actually go.
• Give your S.O. a kiss for putting up with the whining.

P.S. I’m on the road starting Friday, as I head to Morgantown for IMC Weekend. I’m psyched, as I attended the event in 2006, right after I started the program, but missed last year. I’m looking forward to seeing old friends, like Todd, April, and Jim, and catching up with my professors. Plus, it’s always exciting to meet people in person for the first time after sharing classes. Honestly, they’re like dear, old friends.

It promises to be a terrific weekend with a reception, keynote speaker, student and faculty panels, and lots of time to network. I’m attending the special session on Green Marketing. Guess what you’ll hear about next week?!

In the midst of completing my final project for Sales Promotion this past Sunday, I took a few hours off to fete my friend, Sarah, who completed her second bachelor?s at Virginia Commonwealth University May 17. With top honors in forensics science (total career shift from her English background)!

Believe me, it was no small effort to leave the party early and head home to write that last section of the project. Chalk it up to senioritis, as I enter the final IMC Campaigns course.

For the past couple of years, Sarah and I have been cheering each other on as we returned to school as, well, older students. (It?s safe to say we?ve left our 30s behind?me, a little longer than Sarah.)

Stir Crazy: Mary, Virginia, and Sarah

Our good friend, Mary, who had been pulling for us from the sidelines caught the bug and decided to pursue her teaching certification?on top of a master?s in English/English Education. She?s about three-quarters done with the post-graduate teacher licensure from Mary Baldwin College, which has a campus here in Richmond, Va.

As for me, the IMC master?s at WVU offered a promise of a career shift after 20 years on the magazine publishing treadmill. Building on my undergrad degree in journalism, I hope to expand?with degreed credentials?into PR and marketing.

After being in the workforce for 23 years, I see a master?s degree as a definite advantage in the job market and our current economy. It?s one more face card to play in the game of change management, which requires knowledge, experience and flexibility.

Although I believe there are rewards ahead, working on a master?s while juggling family and work life isn?t totally fun. Still, I?m reminded of an adage Prof. Creely shared in my first IMC course: ?If it were easy, everyone would do it.?

In doing a little research on Virginia.gov, I discovered that, nationally, 6.9 percent of the population has a master?s degree, 2 percent has a professional degree and 1.1 percent a doctorate degree.

Pat yourself on the back IMC-ers. You?re in an elite group.

The Commonwealth of Virginia web site also makes another key point: ?Education not only prepares individuals for the tasks required by a job, but also enhances an individual?s ability to adapt to new working environments.?

Truly, that?s why Sarah, Mary, and I are back in school.

As the first finisher, Sarah is exited about the opportunities ahead. ?I know this change seems radical to other people, but it just made sense to me to try and align my career with my values and interests. Forensic science offers both an intellectual challenge and an opportunity to serve the community. Now that I have completed my degree, I am looking forward to more training, actually. Entry-level positions in this field typically involve intensive training in a specific area like drug analysis or firearms. I hope to build the kind of subject matter expertise that makes me a valuable resource.?

After Mary finishes up her coursework, she will have to figure out how to fit in the final requirement of student teaching for one full semester in a public school classroom. ?I?m in no hurry to do that,? she says, ?because I?m still working full-time and can?t afford to lose my income; even the salary I will make as a new teacher will be lower than my current salary, though there is a strong likelihood that my current position (and salary) will be done away with in the upcoming company merger.?

I relate to Mary?s self-assessment that she still doesn?t quite know what she wants to be when she grows up. But especially since turning 40, Mary says she leaned that it?s good to discover as many options as possible. ?Regardless of what type of work I end up doing in my ?next career,? I believe this training (and the experience in general) has made me more marketable in a number of fields. At the very least, it?s gotten me in touch with a number of realities about the present and future, of which I was only dimly aware. In this way, it?s made me both younger and wiser.?

So, IMC-ers. What?s your story? Old or young?what put you on this master?s track? The comment line is open.

P.S. I promise to write more about the capstone course next week. Our project is the City of New Orleans?and the entire course will be devoted to developing a professional IMC campaign to help the city reclaim its tourism cachet.

I?m excited about the project, as I?ve visited New Orleans several times but not since Hurricane Katrina. Why haven?t I gone back? What will make me go back? That I must ponder as I start developing campaign ideas. It?s going to be jam-packed, all-brain-cells-firing nine weeks, let me tell you.

Welcome to the IMC summer-session blog!

I’m your host, Virginia Sowers, embarking on my final IMC course—636 Campaigns. You’ll have a front-row seat as I enter the home stretch of the WVU IMC program.

Even though I’ve taken only one course at a time, it’s been a fast two and half years for me (well, relatively). I put in some long hours this past weekend as I finished up my final paper for Sales Promotions—a class that kept me on my toes all term as I worked to draw the IMC connections. As always, I learned a ton from my classmates, and Dr. Lee kept us on track with his zinger insights.

So here’s the plan for this session’s blog: look for my weekly postings on Thursdays as the week winds down and we have a bit of breathing space. Sure, I’ll have a few things to say, but it’s your feedback that will make the blog take off.

Tune in on Thursday and join me in the conversation about what drives us to pursue master’s degrees in the midst of our crazy-busy lives.

P.S. Has anyone been following the marketing story unfolding around UPS and “Big Brown,” who won the Preakness over the weekend? Talk about a brand-maker’s dream!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24652945/