Social Media Experts Join Forces to Launch Consultancy: Socialmedia.biz Helps Companies Master the Social Web

San Francisco, CA (Vocus) March 4, 2009

Seven top experts in social media have joined forces to launch a new enterprise under the banner of Socialmedia.biz. The site will serve both as a daily publication providing news and analysis of Web 2.0 trends and as a means of gaining access to some of the most recognized names in social media for consulting.

The Socialmedia.biz blog gained a reputation in 2007 - 2009 as one of the top sources, if not the ultimate source, for gaining the most current information about the social Web. Now with the collaboration of seven thought leaders, a team has been assembled that can provide end-to-end solutions for corporations and small to mid-size businesses seeking to succeed in social media and social networking. Visitors can learn about what social media initiatives are working or not working inside businesses via the white papers and case studies offered on the site and then gain help from the experts in achieving maximum impact with campaign strategies and execution.

Since the site's unveiling on Feb. 25, Socialmedia.biz now ranks as the No. 2 search result on Google for the term "social media" behind only the Wikipedia definition. It has been recommended as a top resource on social media by a variety of sources including the following:
http://www.virtualhosting.com/blog/2007/top-100-social-media-and-social-networking-blogs/

"2009 is turning out to be about collaboration - and we have brought experts together to help businesses enter this brave new world of the social Web," said Socialmedia.biz founder J.D. Lasica, a prominent blogger, entrepreneur and author.

Socialmedia.biz offers a broad suite of services ranging from strategic planning to online publicity; grassroots and new media marketing to business intelligence; search engine services and online reputation clean-up. Each principal has a successful track record in working with clients such as Intel, Cisco, Oracle, Sharp Electronics, Schering-Plough, T. Rowe Price, McCann Digital, Fresh Air Fund, International Medical Corps, and dozens of others.

"Each expert brings a different strength to the table," Lasica said. "As a broad-based enterprise, we can offer businesses an integrated, comprehensive approach to their social media strategy."

Strategists
The strategists teaming up on the new joint business venture are:

• Chris Abraham, co-founder and principal of Abraham Harrison, an international consulting group that specializes in online word-of-mouth/conversation marketing and online business and technology strategy advising.
• Deltina Hay, owner of Dalton Publishing, founder of the social media Website service PlumbSocial.com and author of the upcoming book, "A Survival Guide to Social Media and Web 2.0 Optimization: Strategies, Tactics, and Tools for Succeeding in the Social Web."
• Christopher S. Rollyson, a pioneer in corporate innovation, strategy and transformation for 20 years who has had a leading role in launching such game-changing offerings as Java with Sun and e-business strategy with PricewaterhouseCoopers Management Consulting.
• Ayelet Noff, founder of Blonde 2.0, a consulting firm specializing in helping brands understand how to use social media tools such as blogs, social networks and social software to launch conversational marketing campaigns and create brand awareness.
• J.D. Lasica, one of the earliest social media strategists, who founded Ourmedia.org, the first video hosting site, wrote the book "Darknet" about emerging media and was one of the first 50,000 bloggers on the planet.
• Joanna Lord, co-founder and CMO of TheOnlineBeat.com, a resource for online job searchers and an expert in online marketing and social networking.
• David Spark, owner of Spark Media Solutions, a new media production company that specializes in reporting and producing at live events and developing brand and thought leadership through storytelling.

The seven strategists will use the tools of Web 2.0 to collaborate, announce upcoming events, share videos and calendars, show off Flickr photos of major conferences, and create whitepapers and reports about developments in social media. One novel innovation is the use of a "Tweet-roll" to showcase prominent Twitter members who work in social media.

"By banding together," Deltina Hay said, "we can bring our success stories to a much broader audience and draw on the expertise and resources of other participants. These kind of collaborative models work for only one reason: the client benefits from a one-stop shop."

The group blog Socialmedia.biz operates on WordPress with development provided by BlitzLocal, a Boulder, Colo., company that specializes in local search for professional service firms and franchises. BlitzLocal CEO and co-founder Dennis Yu extolled Socialmedia.biz as "the prototype of a 21st century business model that harnesses the power of collective intelligence."

About Socialmedia.biz:
In 2007 Socialmedia.biz was named the #1 site covering the social Web. CNET named its founder, J.D. Lasica, one of the top 100 media bloggers in the world after he launched Ourmedia.org (150,000 members), the first video hosting and sharing site.

Currently the consultancy has two major objectives:

• To highlight news, trends, tools, resources and white papers around social media, social networks and Web 2.0
• To help businesses and organizations achieve maximum impact with their social media strategies and online campaigns.

Socialmedia.biz is a joint enterprise founded by leading experts in the business use of social media with locations in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Austin and Tel Aviv.

For more information, visit http://www.Socialmedia.biz.

Media Contacts:
J.D. Lasica
Socialmedia.biz
(925) 600-0639
jd (at) socialmedia (dot) biz

Cynthia Baker
Accolades Public Relations
(512) 586.8278
Cynthia (at) AccoladesPR (dot) com

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