Last fall, Google announced the OpenSocial standard. Let me spend a few moments explaining what exactly that is, and why it will be important to your business in the future.

The OpenSocial movement is based on the belief that users should be able to distribute content across the Web’s many manifestions (blogs, social networks, mobile phones, etc.), as opposed to accessing it only via one central website.

Lots of other companies have joined the movement along with Google: MySpace, LinkedIn, Plaxo and SixApart, to name a few.

We’ve always thought of the corporate website as THE one-stop destination for all of our prospects and existing customers. With the onset of embeddable YouTube videos and RSS feeds, we saw that if the content is good enough, others will distribute it. OpenSocial is simply the next step of this evolution.

Let’s say you’ve created a little interactive Flash game on your website. It’s branded with your identity, it’s engaging, and you want your visitors to play around with it. Three years ago this was called "sticky" content, thinking that users should be given incentive to "stick around" and come back to websites. Today, OpenSocial allows you to offer that game for anyone to grab and post inside their blog or their personal Myspace/Facebook page. Remember, your customer can also be your distributor.

Another great thing about the OpenSocial movement: If you want your content to easily "snap in" to all of these various spaces, why should your developers have to learn programming languages that are specific to each platform? They could spend hours learning how to develop something inside Facebook, then duplicate that time by re-creating the same initiative for MySpace. That’s a lot of wasted time. OpenSocial gives us a common set of tools – learn it once, apply it everywhere.

Don’t feel like you need to go out and learn everything about the OpenSocial movement today. Just keep it in your web strategy toolbox as your company’s web content evolves. In fact, if you’ve ever read a blog’s RSS feed, embedded a YouTube video, or sent a link to your friend, you’re already a pioneer in this movement!

Just a quick note to announce that I’ve started blogging at IowaBiz.com — a multi-faceted collection of Iowa bloggers talking about various small business topics. I’ll be posting three times per month, covering new media and social media marketing.

Mike Sansone, who previously addressed these subjects at IowaBiz, is stepping aside to further focus his efforts within his business and other arenas. Multiple hat tips to Mike for getting the ball rolling, and to Drew McLellan for inviting me to join the family!

The first post is about Google’s OpenSocial API standard, and why your business should take note of it.

Last night I recorded this quick video at the Des Moines TweetUp with my Flip Video cam. Apologies for the lack of lighting. (We were in an underground drinking establishment.) Twitter-ers in attendance were @mikesansone, @abrudtkuhl, @miketempleton, @scottatdrake, @jakekerber and myself. Looking forward to the next one!

On Wednesday, February 6th, I’ll be speaking at an IABC Iowa luncheon about various social media goodies and their applications in business. (Hat tip to Mike Sansone for setting up this opportunity.)

Also, the FIRST EVER Des Moines TweetUp will be taking place this Thursday the 7th at Shorty’s, beginning at 5:30 pm. If you’re a Twitter user and you’re in the DSM area, please come join us.

So, where’s Shorty’s? Glad you asked. It’s in the basement of a closed-down grocery store at 208 Court Avenue, downtown. (Here’s a map!) Shorty’s doesn’t have a front door, so you have to enter through the alley south of the building. It’s the best bar in DSM, hands down. Feel free to spread the word, and I’ll see you there.

Lava Row has an opening for a Strategist in Social Media, New Media and Emerging Media. (How’s that for a title?) Responsibilities will include development and execution of strategy for new and existing clients. Candidate should have exceptional verbal/written/human communication skills, huge ideas and an obsession with emerging mediums. 2-3 years of experience in marketing and/or web technology is preferred but not necessary.

Interested? Please read the careers page, then give a shout.

UPDATE 6/9/2008: This position has been filled.

When developing social media strategy for clients, I often talk about listening before talking. As with any marketing effort, it helps to know the general wants and needs of the customer first, before jumping in.

Traditionally this would take the form of consumer research, surveys or focus groups. Today, with all sorts of social mediums inviting peer-to-peer conversation (such as blogs, wikis, message boards and social networks) companies can listen to what’s being said about them in real-time.

There are many listening / buzz trending tools online, ranging from the free (Google BlogSearch and Twitter) to the high-end (Radian6). One application that has emerged as particularly useful for me recently is the search partnership between Omgili and Google.

Omgili, to put it simply, is a search engine that tracks opinions, discussions and conversations, as opposed to individual websites and pages. At google.omgili.com, you can see how they’ve paired subjective search results (perception, arguments, opinion, sarcasm) with Google’s objective results (facts, raw information).

It’s a nice blend, especially for marketing and PR folk. Just type in your company’s name and click "search both" to see what customers are saying, right now.

Consumer insight like this is invaluable, and it gives your organization an advantage in the long run. The best part: Omgili is a free application that you can start using today.