Today, we have never been so connected and accessible.  Information has never been that easy to get.  And we’ve never been spoiled with so many updates.

I used to remember sending snail mails (from Manila) to my grandma who was living in the U.S. back then.  That took a lot of time.  I remember my friends sharing with me that they stayed up late by writing excitedly in their diary.  And I remember spending time in the library to research on the works of Picasso or to learn more about the Renaissance Age.  How time has changed.

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Tags: ciscogoogle, connect the unconnected, facebook, Instagram, Internet of Everything, linkedin, social, social media, social networking, Tomorrow Starts Here, twitter

This post was written by Hilal Chouman, social media strategist for Cisco Networking Academy

Since late 2009, Cisco Networking Academy (NetAcad), one of Cisco’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs, has been present on various social media networks. The earliest presence was on the rising social network of that time: Facebook.

In late 2010, NetAcad’s Facebook page hit its first 100,000 likes. After this milestone, the Facebook page continued its growth, following the growth of the number of students in the NetAcad program.

Today, NetAcad’s Facebook page hit a half million likes (fans).

It is amazing how a social presence can accelerate in content and size, as soon as it grasps the right connection with the audience.

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Tags: Cisco CSR, Cisco Education, cisco networking academy, corporate social responsibility, education, facebook, netacad, networking academy, stem, Students

People are becoming more media savvy than ever before. The advent of social media has resulting in people consuming and sharing more information. A by-product of this is that people have becoming adept at ignoring traditional marketing and advertising and better at spotting marketing content trying to masquerade as something else. The best way to overcome the challenges presented by this new social world is to embrace this awareness and willingness to interact and use it to your advantage.

Marketing in a social word means you need to change when, where, and how you speak to consumers. Instead of sending them a static message (like a traditional ad) you need to interact with them. Here’s a few key things to keep in mind:

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Tags: Cisco, education, facebook, mobile, small business, social media, twitter

Every year, BtoB’s Social Media Marketing Awards are rewarded to companies that exhibit excellence with an innovative social media marketing campaign or initiative for a number of different award categories including Best Use of Twitter, Best Use of Facebook, Best Use of Mobile and more. A few days ago, BtoB revealed the lucky winners and runners-up of this year’s awards.

I’m proud to announce that Cisco Systems was honored with a few different winning titles. The Cisco Global Mobile Events  App and the Social Media Training & Certification Program won within the “Best Use of Mobile” and “Best Closed Community” categories, respectively, while the Cisco Systems Facebook page was deemed runner-up for “Best Use of Facebook.”

Congratulations to all winners who will be recognized and presented with awards during BtoB’s Digital Edge Live conference to be held in San Francisco, CA on March 20, 2013. In the meantime, you can check out the complete list of 2013 BtoB Social Media Marketing Award winners for each of the various categories.

Tags: BtoB, cisco global mobile events app, facebook, social media awards, social media marketing, social media training and certification program

According to a Nielsen study, social media is no longer in its infancy.  No kidding.

During the November military confrontation between Israel and Hamas, social media played a very grown-up role.  What distinguished it from past politically-charged social media exchanges was the participation of state and pseudo-state spokespersons.  Official announcements were issued by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigade via Twitter and Facebook in near real-time.

• The IDF announced the initiation of the military campaign via Twitter, and tweeted in caps that it had “ELIMINATED” Hamas military commander Ahmed Jabari in an airstrike.
• The Brigade responded with threats of retaliation; both sides posted minute-by-minute updates as the fighting unfolded.

The evolution of social media into an official communications venue should come as no surprise.  It follows a time-honored pattern of disruptive ideas and technologies gaining acceptability as they move into the mainstream.  The Nielsen Social Media 2012 study tells us that 30 percent of individuals’ mobile device time is spent accessing social media.  That qualifies as mainstream.

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Tags: Cisco Security, facebook, geopolitics and social media, Google, iran, Israel, nielsen study, social media, syria, twitter