Paul Bradshaw, senior lecturer of online journalism and magazines at Birmingham City University, said the most basic tools that students should know how to use are Wordpress for blogging and site building, Twitter for live updates, Facebook for posting articles or videos, Delicious for bookmarking, Flickr for photos or videos, and YouTube for video. All of these can be used from the field with a smart phone or laptop.

The biggest problem is that once these students get out of school the game will have changed again.  Probably the best tool they can be taught is how to track the evolution of PR and Social Media and be ready to learn something new on a regular basis.

However there is no doubt about the need to have these skills today and tomorrow.

As you know, I am a big fan of David Meerman Scott and will defintely attend his session:

2:00pm–2:45pm EST
The New Rules of Viral Marketing
David Meerman Scott, author and marketing strategist

Following the worldwide best selling book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR, David Meerman Scott’s new book, World Wide Rave, focuses on the power of viral marketing online. Attend this presentation—just a few weeks after the launch of the new book—and be among the first to learn from David about how to create triggers that get millions of people to spread your ideas and tell your stories. Whether you market to businesses or consumers, a World Wide Rave is when people around the world are talking about you, your company, and your products. It’s when online buzz drives buyers to your virtual doorstep. And it’s when tons of fans visit your Web site and your blog because they genuinely want to be there. Learn how to take your marketing to the next level by following the six rules of “The Rave”:

1. Nobody cares about your products (except you)
2. No coercion required
3. Lose control
4. Put down roots
5. Create triggers that encourage people to share
6. Point the world to your (virtual) doorstep

C u there!

Vinajamun’s 6 rules of accidental branding/marketing are:
1. Sweat the Small Stuff–pay attention to details
2. Pick a Fight–take a stand against the existing brand
3. Be your own customer–keep your initial customer instincts
4. Be Unnaturally Persistent–this is probably the hardest part of the game
5. Build a myth–tell a story that appeals to some basic instinct of the target consumer
6. Be Faithful–keep in view your faithful fans and followers even when you become famous

As the author interviews different entrepreneurs, he realizes that many of them starting the product because they were trying to solve their own problems–they were all personally involved with the creation of the brand and they continued to keep the ability to think like real consumers.

He applied three test to create a definition of an Accidental Brand:
1. An Individual who is not trained in marketing must create the brand
2. This individual must experince the problem that the brand solves
3. The individual must control the brand for at least 10 years.

The author also does not discount the influence that luck and timing also had on these brands and gives many examples. One of the examples he gives to illustrate the trait of perfectionist is at Disney World. “You’ll see horses in the parades at Disney World, but you will never see any horse droppings. Why? Because Disney realizes that they are creating a fantasy world and that horses doent make a mess in a fantasy world. A lot of work goes into getting these small details right. Disney has networks of tunnels running under all of its properties to the guy with the shovel can inconspicuosly dieappear afer he has–ahem–made the mess go away.”

The book gives many real life examples and tries to point out the lessons learned if you want to be an “Accidental Marketer”. In this world of new rules for Marketing—there may be lessons in this book for all Marketers.