That was a risk joke, in case you missed it. It’s OK to snicker.

It was a really great day, and you can read more about what we learned last Tuesday over on the SmartBlog for Social Media. Among. Other. Places. Oh–and there are pictures! And to quote Maddie directly, because I can’t really say it any better, “..remember there’s one more Buzz breakfast to go, on August 18, with social media ROI superstar Olivier Blanchard. Personally, I can.not.wait. Register!”

Here’s the transcript of tweets coming out of the event.  A wee sample, also stolen from Mads:

Here’s a little snippet from the scenario–I’m still finalizing it. I think it’s going to be good. But if you have any suggestions for me, let me know.

“About a third of the 35 staff members are extreme action sports enthusiasts themselves. Several have been actively sharing video and photos of themselves enjoying their favorite sport on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube, and those posts have been very popular among members—especially the manufacturers of the equipment that the staff members are using. One manufacturer even commented to a staff member that he’d send him their latest model snowboard to demo so he could ‘learn what a real board feels like.’”

So…you spot any juicy risks in there? Got any ideas for the steps you’d take to manage that risk? Wait till you see the rest of the scenario…

See you on Tuesday. And please remember to register for Buzz2010 in advance. I know I keep saying this, but bring along a colleague, because that’s the kind of team experience this event is designed for. Have a great weekend!

Fear. It’s the pull to our push. And you can’t really talk about managing risk without talking about working through fear. The program next Tuesday will talk about those dynamics, but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised and encouraged by the success stories you hear. It can be done! And it doesn’t have to be scary!

We’re finalizing the program details for Buzz2010 - Managing Risk on July 20 at 8:30am, and after a few calls with Mark, Wendy, and Alex, I can’t wait. They’ll start off the program with 30 minutes of panel discussion. We’ll get a chance to pick the panelists brains. (Not literally, for you zombie fans out there. That would be scary, and we’re avoiding scary.) Then there will be a scenario for us to work through together in groups. We’ll talk about the strategy, process, and people in play for specific risks that the scenario will describe. Then we’ll come back together for the last half hour or so to discuss our a-ha moments from the program. You’ll get a chance to think about the risks your own organization is working through, and how you might tackle them moving forward. See…that’s not too scary!

Remember to register in advance. And bring a colleague–maybe someone from your risk management team–so you can share the experience.

• Get details about all three rebroadcasts.
• Get yourself registered for the Charlene Li rebroadcast, if you haven’t already.

This is one of those things that you should set aside a conference room and get the whole team involved to watch and discuss. Seriously…it was that good. Here’s a short clip from Charlene to give you an idea of what you’ll see. She covers a lot of ground during her presentation. And through the rebroadcast format, we’ll be able to discuss the content amongst ourselves as a group. That’s the part I’m looking forward to the most. Enjoy!

How to influence someone who is blocking your progress.

Answer: Create a win/win situation (as Alex explains from her work with Stephen Covey). In thinking about how this post and the concept relates to social media and risk, it all made sense…nothing blocks progress faster than fears about the risks of social media. And yet, if you can help the person or people who are blocking social media progress see the opportunity as it applies specifically to them–while at the same time addressing the risks that need addressing–you’re going to get a lot further, a lot faster.

No problem, right? I’d love to hear some stories from folks on both sides of this equation. Feel free to comment about your own experiences, and come to Buzz2010 with stories in mind.

The idea is to recapture the energy that characterizes the Buzz2010 breakfasts, even as we recreate the experience online. We’ll be doing the same thing for the Buzz2010 Managing Risk Rebroadcast on August 11, and the Buzz2010 Social Media ROI Rebroadcast on September 1. There’s also an option to purchase all three rebroadcast events as a package.

So now, even if you can’t be at the Buzz2010 breakfasts in person, you can still get the content. And actually, I’m thinking the rebroadcasts will be a great thing to watch and discuss with your entire social media team. You will have access to the recordings and materials after the rebroadcast, so you can watch it (or parts of it) again and again. Read more about what’s included.

Does this rebroadcast model work for you? Will you watch it on your own or with your team? Will you take part in real-time or asynchronously? Tell us what you think…

Time to look ahead to the next Buzz2010 breakfast on July 20–Managing Risk with Mark Story, Wendy Harman, and Alex Levit. The challenge with creating an education event about managing risk is that each and every association is facing different types and levels of risk, depending on their industry, their members, and the types of social media they are engaging in. And yet, still this is a topic on everyone’s mind, and for association leaders, taking the steps to mitigate risk and alleviate fear–both internally and externally–is a critical component to social media success.

So as we hear from Mark, Wendy, and Alex next month, we’ll hear about the specific risks they’ve tackled. Our three panelists are not lawyers or risk managers–though I hope to have some savvy lawyers and risk managers in the room. They will not be able to give you specific legal advice. But what they can do  is tell you how they went about building consensus and overcoming the fear that social media inevitably stirs. That’s the real golden nugget here–this idea that yes, there is a path to greater openness and acceptance of new media, so long as we’re willing to walk it one step at a time and bring our colleagues along on the journey. That means identifying problem areas, working with the legal team, HR, and executive management (among others) to work through them, and finding the right balance of risk and reward.

Enough of my rambling. What about the risks?

Compliance/Legal Risk
Mark Story from the SEC has some really fascinating perspective on using new media in industries with strict regulatory environments. He’s also got some great experience with Investor.gov, creating a space for watching and sharing (the foundation of the engagement pyramid as Charlene Li explained) that is well within the comfort zone of the SEC. (By the way, Mark is also an adjunct professor of public relations at the University of Maryland, so he knows all about communications risk, too.)

Communications/Brand Management Risk
As social media manager for the American Red Cross, Wendy Harman has faced down some serious crisis situations, with her organization at the center of the response effort. She’s also tackled the ARC efforts to coordinate social media efforts across their nearly 700 chapters, in an effort to unify brand and voice. She’s got some fascinating stories to tell about risks they’ve faced–both foreseen and unforeseen–on the communications and brand management front.

Workforce Risks
Bestselling author Alex Levit has written five books and a nationally syndicated column on workplace issues–especially focusing on career success and GenY. She understands the internal issues that a lot of associations are concerned with–especially the balance between personal and professional personas, and productivity in the age of Facebook. As an example, just yesterday, I spoke with an association concerned about members having access to staff photos on Facebook. Alex has it covered.

The format of the breakfast will be a fairly informal discussion with the panelists, followed by some serious audience interaction–we want you to walk away with an action plan for tackling the risk issues that have been holding your organization back. That’s the goal. Let’s make it happen.

In the meantime, here is the slide deck from Charlene’s presentation. Consider it your easter egg for taking the time to tell us what you think.

Linda Chreno

Peggy Hoffman

Ray van Hilst

Maggie McGary

Lauren Wolfe

Jessica Sidman

Emily Molitor

KiKi L’Italien

See you all tomorrow, gang!

In the final post from Ben Whitford’s interview series with Charlene Li, she says, “There’s a difference between leadership–inspiring people toward a common goal–and authority, which is the right to make decisions based on a title.” Thinking on that statement brings up a lot of questions for those of us who are leading from the middle–the managers, directors, and even some VPs who do not hold the ultimate authority in regards to the culture of openness inside our organizations.

At the second Buzz2010 breakfast on July 20, Wall Street Journal columnist, Alex Levit will be one of the panelists who will talk about managing risk. All three of the panelists, in fact, are experts at managing social media risk from the middle. Looking through some of Alex’s blog posts, I found this fantastic post on leading without authority. Alex offers these five tips…

1. Let your passion shine through.
2. Appear humble.
3. Develop deep relationships.
4. Help them help you.
5. Don’t be overcontrolling.

What do you see as the difference between leadership and authority? Does leadership beget authority, or the other way around? What happens when a great leader lacks authority? What happens when someone in authority lacks leadership skills? Just a few questions to get your juices flowing for Wednesday. See you at Clydes bright and early!