We at Beekeeper Group often tout the benefits of social media for bringing traditional media attention to your association/corporation/nonprofit, but now I have a unique and personal case study.

You’ve probably heard of Uber – a new on-demand car service that delivers a luxury sedan to your exact location via GPS with the touch of a mobile app for just slightly more than the cost of a taxi.  Of course, the DC Taxi Cab Commission wasn’t very pleased when this innovative car service launched in DC, leading to a “sting operation” performed by DC Cab Commissioner Ron Linton in an attempt to shut down the service.

Fearful that the lack of regulations on something that is not quite a “taxi” and not quite a “car service” could stunt this successful step in innovation, I joined the fight to save Uber! A Twitter hashtag, a Facebook group, and a few tweets from my @DCconcierge account later, I was helping to lead the campaign against Mr. Linton’s attempts to shut Uber DC down.

Yes, Uber is alive and well today.  But the story continued, since the battle that started on Twitter and Facebook was later picked up by local blogs, and then, the likes of TIME magazine.  And when the journalist Andrew Ferguson was doing his research for a story on the DC social scene, he discovered my name from those stories and reached out.

Sure, there were many others declaring their verbal support for Uber among friends and colleagues, but that doesn’t always reach search engines.  If anything, this experience solidifies my belief that you need to take your voice to social media to both amplify your message and carry it to mainstream media channels.

Have you ever wondered about the best way to synchronize your organization’s lobbying and grassroots efforts? Join us June 15^th for the next installment in theAdvocacy Leaders Network event series, entitled Getting Cats and Dogs to Play Nice in the Office: Integrating Your Lobbying and Grassroots Operations.

Coordination in messaging and strategy not only helps professional advocates, it enhances the connection between citizens and their elected officials. This program is designed for advocacy professionals in BOTH sides of the office to learn the value and benefits of a coordinated message. Attendees will hear from experts who have successfully integrated grassroots and government relations campaigns and receive their guidance on how to address internal challenges to ensure their external communications.

Speakers for the event include:

• Michael J. Amery, Esq., Legislative Counsel, American Academy of Neurology

• Randy Dwyer, Director of Grassroots Advocacy, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

• Shelley Flenniken, PAC and Grassroots Manager, AEGON/Transamerica

• David Lusk, Senior Associate for Member Advocacy, Society for Human Resource Management

• Robert “Bo” Newsome, Director of Outreach and State Relations, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities

• Ryan Thomas, Partner, Seward Square Group

• Bradford Fitch, President and CEO, Congressional Management Foundation

• Travis Gianchetta, Partner, Beekeeper Group

If you are interested in attending, please visit our event page. We hope to see you in June!

When the Alzheimer’s Association was called upon by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to solicit feedback from caregivers and those affected by the disease for input on the first draft of the National Alzheimer’s Plan, they called on Beekeeper Group to help them generate some buzz.

Our work for the Alzheimer’s Association was recently honored by the Webby Awards, often described as the “Oscars” of online media. We were recognized in the Webby’s “activism” category and are very excited to have our work be judged among the best, plus we couldn’t resist bragging a little.

The awards didn’t stop there, Beekeeper Group also received a Pollie Award from the American Association of Political Consultants and is a nominee for a public relations industry SABRE Award. Beekeeper Group also snagged a Communicator Award for creative web design on the Alzheimer’s Association project, as well as three other projects – two for video work and one more in creative web design.

We are grateful to these organizations for their recognition of Beekeeper Group, and will keep you posted on these and future awards!

Live video by Ustream

It’s been awhile since I’ve published here on Hive Talkin’ so I thought I would bring you a recap of what this bee has been up to in recent months. I’ve been buzzing around town spreading the word about personal branding, the car world and even Harry Potter.

Taught students the value of personal branding to land a job…

At the end of March, I was welcomed back to American University to speak to the regional PRSSA Two Worlds conference about personal branding and its importance. This is my second appearance before AU students to discuss how to build an online personal brand – even before joining the workforce. Thanks to AU PRSSA president, Morgan Gress for including me on the panel with AU alums and public relations enthusiasts, Ashley Wolos and Jessica Noonan.

Headed New York, New York for cars, cars, cars…

Earlier this month, I took the fast track (read Acela) to the Big Apple for two key automotive industry events – the NADA IHS Automotive Forum and the 20120 New York International Auto Show.

I heard from automotive industry leaders, dealers, and media at the forum on Tuesday, April 3. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn provided an industry-wide perspective on the adoption of electric vehicles in America to the group saying, “We’re just starting the story with the EV, the zero emissions vehicle.”

Putting on my auto blogger hat, I tweeted the conference live. Check out the event hash tag #NADAIHS if you’d like to catch up on what was said while there!

Following the Automotive Forum, I hit up NYIAS for my blog BeCarChic.com, reporting on some of the most anticipated car reveals of the year, including the new SRT Viper (formerly known as a Dodge Viper). If you love 640 horsepower and beautiful curves, then feast your eyes on this.

Perfect practice makes perfect…

The Symphony Orchestra of Arlington has been practicing hard for our upcoming concert featuring music from all eight Harry Potter films! In case you missed it, I’ve been playing violin with the orchestra since the start of 2011.

You’re invited to join us for our festive, family-friendly concert on Friday, April 27 starting at 6:00 p.m. We will have face painters, a magician, and a wonderful show for Harry Potter fanatics or just anyone who enjoys listening to a beautifully composed music score.

Go here to learn more about the concert and to purchase tickets. Follow the orchestra on Twitter here for more up-to-date news.

Well, that’s a wrap for this buzzy bee. I hope you’ll keep in touch with me as I’m on-the-go!

Those of you inside the Beltway may or may not know that we have a new neighbor coming to town.  This Thursday, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM) will welcome the Space Shuttle Discovery to its new home at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.  I am lucky enough to be one of thirty members of the public invited to participate in this first-ever NASA Social that will surround Discovery’s arrival.

What is a NASA Social, you ask? Similar to a tweetup, NASA Socials are informal events where NASA social media fans participate in a unique in-person experience that they can discuss and share on social networks.  As a former NASA History intern and lover of all things social media, I see this as an incredible opportunity.  NASA’s online presence has always been impressive to me, from their award-winning websites to their highly engaging social channels, all of which exemplify how a government agency can successfully leverage social networks for public outreach.

This particular NASA Social is a bit of a retirement party for Discovery, the most well-travelled of the Space Shuttles, as it joins the national collection at the Smithsonian.  As an intern, I had the opportunity to see Discovery on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center (see photo above!), so I’m looking forward to reuniting with this incredible work of American ingenuity and history.

Check out my tweets at @taylofquist or the hash tags #NASASocial and #OV103 on April 19^th to follow the event, and join me in welcoming Discovery to DC!

The 2012 CampaignTech Conference hosted by Campaigns and Elections magazine is next week! Join us on April 19th and 20th here in Washington DC for two days of CampaignTech sessions that are designed for practitioners like you in the political space and crafted for your role in the political process!

Travis Gianchetta and I will be presenting a session on the anatomy of an online advertising campaign and Henri will delve into responsive design (what do you mean you don’t know how your website appears on an iPad?!).

What else will you get out of CampaignTech?

•    Campaign Professionals – Learn how to incorporate the latest and most effective digital tactics into their electoral arsenals.
•    Non-profit advocates – Learn how to refine your digital organizing and outreach skills in preparation for the upcoming election year.
•    Technologists – Gain intellectual nourishment and inspiration from each other – and heroes outside the profession.
•    Communicators – Learn how to connect your message to the right audience online.

Keynote Speakers include Leslie Bradshaw (Co-founder of JESS3), Jim Gilliam (Founder of NationBuilder), Howard Mortman (Director of Communications for C-SPAN), and Rachel Sklar (Writer and Social Entrepreneur) to name a few!
If you’re interested in joining us, check out the full agenda here and register online! We hope to see you there!

Just last week, we welcomed our newest bee to the office (or as we like to call it, the Hive). Meet Alexandra Dickinson – or Alex, as she prefers to be called – who joins Beekeeper Group as an Account Manager.

As expected, our fifth hire definitely adds to the diverse and fun atmosphere. Not only is she well-versed in the life of Abraham Lincoln (a personal passion she’s got a Tumblr for), but Alex also loves everything social media.

Securing a Master’s from George Washington University in 2011, where she studied media strategy and political media systems, Alex went on to help launch and produce C-SPAN’s American History TV programming. While at C-SPAN she assisted in the production of content for air while functioning as a coordinator and project manager for their weekly slot of 48 hours of programming. Alex also helped build a dynamic Twitter following of history fans and C-SPAN aficionados under the @cspanhistory account.

A Michigan native, Alex is a die-hard Tigers and Pistons fan. In keeping with her Detroit Rock City area roots, she once ran a music venue in Ann Arbor called the EQMC.

When she’s not obsessing over Lincoln’s awesomeness, Alex is a tea and coffee enthusiast who’s garnered a passion for latte art. Check out her online musings by following Alex at @alexmae. And stay tuned to Hive Talkin’ as there’s sure to be more from our newest bee!

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the Winning with Twitter in 2012 panel (or #TwitterDC) just a few blocks from the Beekeeper Hive.  Even though Twitter feels like a very familiar platform to me, I found the panel to be interesting and informative, and I learned a few new things along the way.  For example, did you know that the Twitter icon is named Larry Bird?!

In all seriousness, the #TwitterDC presentation provided many substantive takeaways, especially for those of us in the public affairs and advocacy space:

Dual platform consumption: One trend emphasized during the event was dual platform consumption, where an individual is taking part in two forms of media simultaneously (i.e. watching a political debate on TV while live tweeting responses).  According to Twitter’s Mindy Finn, the spread of dual platform consumption signals a need to think about ways advocacy groups can integrate television, the most widely consumed media, with Twitter, which is primarily an interest network.

Prioritize mobile: The folks from Twitter also discussed some interesting data relevant to the public affairs space.  For example, 55% of active mobile users utilize Twitter, while 16% of new Twitter users start on a mobile device.  This highlights the importance of sharing mobile-friendly media on Twitter, as well as the need for an easy-to-use mobile site for your advocacy campaign.

Keep it fun and engaging: During the panel presentation, digital strategists from AARP, the US Chamber of Commerce, and the US Travel Association shared best practices for crafting highly engaging tweets.  They agreed that common factors of the most engaging tweets include links, hash tags, and direct calls to action.  Tammy Gordon of AARP also used her organization’s Happy Birthday Betty Twitter campaign – featuring cultural icon Betty White – as an example of using something fun to bring awareness to an issue.

All politics is local: Some of the panelists also noted the importance of localized Twitter campaigns.  For example, the AARP’s state offices use their own Twitter accounts to engage and mobilize activists at the local level, which can be more effective than broad, nation-wide campaigns.

Followers as activists: Towards the end of the event, an audience member asked how advocacy groups can turn Twitter followers into activists.  In my opinion, the best answer came from Nick Schaper of the Chamber of Commerce:

The National Journal held a briefing yesterday on communications use and the state of the information landscape in Washington, DC. The presentation, entitled “Washington in the Information Age,” gave a comprehensive overview of media consumption in the District using data obtained through Journal surveys. The results were mixed. Few will be surprised to learn that people under 30 are the heaviest social media users; however, other responses were less expected. Email newsletters, for example, are THE top news source for Congressional staffers in the morning and rank second throughout the day after computer websites.

And while Washington professionals are eager to have instant access to the latest content, they are slow to adopt the newest technology; the text-heavy Blackberry continues to dominate the local smartphone market over the media-rich iPhone.

More than anything, the briefing underscored social and online media’s growing legitimacy and influence. Below are a few key takeaways:

- Twitter has emerged as a major news source. In 2009, only 14% of Congressional staffers described it this way. The number jumped to 41% in 2012.

- National and local media brands are trusted equally. Staffers indicated that they rely on both major national media brands and inside-the-Beltway publications for the full story.

- Media consumption remains the same during recess. The Journal’s survey revealed that two-thirds of polled staffers spent the same or more time catching up on developments with print and online media when Congress is in recess.