The first experiment in mashing up Twitter and a video webinar has been completed.  And while there are certainly ways to continue to improve for the upcoming twebinars in July and August, I believe the experience was a positive one for the majority involved.

The theme of the first Twebinar was around game changing moves in social media – generally referring to various examples of how organizations used social media to help them be successful.

The twebinar tried to accomplish many things but primarily aimed to give those, new to social media, a chance to jump into the game with both feet along side veterans in the biz.  And while moving hundreds of people into the social media pool at the same time certainly had its challenges I believe most participants got used to the temperature once they were in and began to see its potential.

The experiment also proved another point – online word-of-mouth is alive and well in the various channels of social media.  Website traffic spiked dramatically yesterday (as seen below) and the Twebinar site was visited by 71 countries from across the globe.  In the end, over 1500 people registered for the twebinar – a number that totally amazed and humbled all of us.

The intensity of the discussion before, during and after the two twebinars also resonated strongly within the halls of Twitter and a number of blogs.  Below is the buzz around Twebinars  (tracked using Radian6 over a 14 day period) versus the discussion of megabrand, Starbucks, and Democratic Presidential hopeful, Obama.  A rather large spike in relative terms fueled by discussion and WOM.

And the reviews and feedback has been very helpful.  I’ve captured an ongoing list of Twebinar-related posts on our Radian6 delicio.us page.

Again, thank you to all who participated, to the speakers, to the host Chris Brogan & CrossTech Media, to all who shared the news on their blogs/post/email lists (SNCR, WOMMA, etc…) and for everyone who helped put this together behind the scenes.  It wouldn’t have been what it was without the help of all of you.

Video of the event will be posted shortly and the registration link for the next Twebinar in July will be up by the first of the week.  Have a great weekend – it’s been quite a week.

Universal McCann to roll out Radian6 social media monitoring platform worldwide, and offer program to clients across its global network. Will gain deeper, more accurate understanding of online conversations about brands, organizations and issues, as they happen in real-time.

New York, NY (PRWEB) June 22, 2008 — Universal McCann announced today the worldwide roll-out of the Radian6 social media monitoring platform, a solution that tracks user generated content (UGC) across all forms of social media.

Featuring real-time aggregation of online conversations from blogs sites, video-sharing sites, opinion review forums, photo-sharing sites, micro-blogging platforms and more, Radian6 will help Universal McCann gain a deeper and more accurate understanding of what people across the internet are saying about brands, organizations and issues. The program will be offered to clients across UM’s global network and is already being utilized by one of the company’s key clients, Kohl’s.

“Trends in UGC build in hours not days and weeks,” explained Brian Monahan, SVP, Global Lead Social Media at Universal McCann. “We needed a solution that delivers results in real-time and that allows us to quickly visualize emerging themes across all types of social media. The Radian6 solution not only enables us to drill down on a specific post but it gives us the ability graph trends, compare buzz, and sort to the most viral conversations.”

Social media is becoming a more important part of global media consumption for Internet users than some tradition media channels, states the Wave 3 report recently commissioned and released by Universal McCann. This survey shows no signs of a pause in the explosive growth of social media with 73% of Internet users globally reading blogs, with 48% including this UGC in their weekly media diet.

“The Radian6 platform gives Universal McCann the ability to uncover sites online where users are congregating on a specific topic,” said Marcel LeBrun, CEO of Radian6. “Not only does this allow them to select appropriate inventory to reach users on these sites but it also opens the door for potential partnerships with these influential site owners.”

“The Radian6 platform will be integrated into the UGC capabilities we offer clients globally. Its ability to filter conversations by region, by source, by media type and by language with support for English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Korean, Japanese and Simple Chinese means we have a truly global solution at our disposal to meet each client’s diverse set of needs,” concluded Monahan.

About Universal McCann:
Universal McCann (UM) is a global media communications agency providing Next Thing Now solutions for the world’s leading marketers and strategic thinkers including Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil, Johnson & Johnson, Mastercard, Microsoft, Sony, Bacardi, L’oreal and UPS. Part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG), UM has 90 offices in 66 countries and over 2,800 employees with headquarters in New York. UM provides a full spectrum of media services including media and communications planning, digital strategy consultation, analytics and economic modeling and research and consumer insight. The company’s mission is to deliver marketing innovation through media excellence. For more information on Universal McCann visit www.universalmccann.com

About Radian6 Technologies Inc.:
Radian6 provides the social media monitoring platform for PR and advertising professionals. The company’s flexible dashboard enables monitoring all forms of social media with results appearing in real-time as discovered. Various analysis widgets give users the ability to uncover the top influencers as well as which conversations are having an impact online. Visit www.radian6.com for more information.

June 26 at 2pm EST kicks off the social media summer series hosted by Chris Brogan and brought to those registering FREE by Radian6.  Interviews with over 30 of social media’s leaders, this series will explore various aspects of social media as they relate to the corporation.  The first topic is called “Game Changing Moves – Doing Business with Social Media.”  Here’s a summary of what will be covered during a video interview packed 1 hour session.

“How do companies like Boeing, Comcast, Sony, Yamaha, The American Red Cross, Sea World, General Motors, and Nike use social media to change the way they’re doing business? What can they teach you about building community, marketing, product development, and customer service? Radian6 and CrossTech Media have partnered on an incredible journey into how businesses can benefit from social media, and you’re invited along for the ride…”

And we are trying something new as well.  We are introducing the Twebinar – the mashup between Twitter and a webinar. Users don’t just watch from the sidelines but join in on the conversation before, during and after each Twebinar. And they connect with not only the host but every social media leader featured in the program.

It’s going to be quite a summer.