Jennifer Leggio is the director of strategic communications for Fortinet, as well as a regular blogger on ZDNet and co-host of the Quick-n-Dirty show on blogtalkradio. Having spent more than 15 years in the communications industry, she has a good grasp on technology, network security, and digital media.

Jennifer also played an accidental role in the naming of this web site (a typo she wrote basically helped inspire the name “Social Nerdia“). Please follow Jennifer aka Mediaphyter on Twitter and make sure to pay attention to any thought-provoking typos.

1. How do you balance your life while working at Fortinet, blogging for ZDNet, and contributing to other projects?

It’s tough. I sacrifice a lot of my personal life. While Fortinet is flexible and understanding of my “double life,” my job there is my first and foremost priority, and it has both its demands and rewards. I need to write at least two to three times per week for ZDNet and I have pretty high standards for what I post on the blog. I don’t like to do little blurbs that just riff on other people’s research. I like to do my own research. It’s challenging but worth it. I just need to find a way to work a little more “me” time into the equation and I’ll be satisfied.

2. You write about “social business”. Do you think there’s a place for every company (products/services, B2C/B2B, etc.) in the social web?

Every company? That might be a stretch. (more…)

As a follow-up on our recent video ‘Why I / You / We Tweet“, we thought we’d take one step further and do a survey to find out what Twitter is taking over the headlines, not to mention our lives.

Please take a few moments to share your thoughts.

{ Take Survey Now }

Frank Eliason is the Director of Digital Care at Comcast. His team is in charge of assisting customers on the web. Frank has done a good job of creating an important presence for Comcast in social media, particularly on Twitter. He told us about the importance of the customer experience, the current environment in which Comcast operates, and his personal life. Please send him a tweet after reading!

1. When I first joined Twitter I immediately saw pages for John Mayer, Oprah, and then… Comcast Cares. What caused Comcast to include Twitter as a line of communication for customer care?

As we are working to improve the Customer experience, one of our objectives has been to meet Customers where they already are. We do this in many ways throughout the internet, including blogs, forums, Facebook, and Twitter. This is just a great way to listen to Customers and assist when we can.

2. What internal/external feedback have you received thus far?

Feedback internally and externally has been overwhelmingly positive. Customers love to have a voice and we love the feedback.

3. Often times when a customer tweets @comcastcares with a question or issue they get a reply asking them to email customer care. What plans are in place to get closer to achieving “one-tweet resolution”?

LOL! I love the “one-tweet resolution!” This happens when the trouble that is being reported may require a little research or we may need more information beyond 140 characters. Our preference when possible is to keep it on Twitter. There may be other times, like the other day I was traveling without all my tools, so I asked people to email my team.

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Twitter is everywhere. You can’t watch a news segment without hearing about Twitter at least once. The microblogging site/platform has taken off like crazy and it has gained many followers (no pun intended), as well as some harsh critics.

In its attempts to be more transparent, the U.S. government allows their web visitors to “Stay Connected” by including noticeable links to official government accounts on social sites like Twitter. In contrast, Twitter is one of many recently disabled sites in mainland China, ahead of tomorrow’s 20th anniversary of the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown. It is obvious that these two governments have very different views  and very different reasons for how and why they communicate with the public online.

Several companies are now widely cherished in the Twittersphere and even business leaders are opening up to it. In today’s “The Welch Way” BusinessWeek column, Jack and Suzy Welch provided their reasons for tweeting. Aptly titled “Why We Tweet“, it should be interesting even for the biggest skeptic to learn why one of the most widely recognized CEOs in American history is using Twitter and sticking with it.

From tweets coming from the womb and surgery tables (according this New York Times piece), to Forrester research analysts praising Twitter, everybody has a unique explanation. Twitter is indeed a simple tool, but the reasons behind its widespread appeal are as diverse as the people using it.

Here’s a video of people outside a restaurant in Dallas who told us why they tweet. Do us a huge favor and let us know why YOU tweet (by commenting below or sending us an email)!

* Special thanks to: @digitaldoyle, @kitykity, @kylesteed, @deauxmain, @markramsey, @charlesmckeever, @wiredmonkey

Microsoft showed new Xbox 360 games (including Metal Gear Solid) and exciting new features for Xbox Live at a very impressive E3 Press Conference today.  Here are the highlights (and a few images!). Note: No Hulu integration, but who knows, maybe next year..

Xbox Live integration with Twitter! This has to be the best part of the announcement. Twitter on all 3 screens is fantastic for everyone.

Integration with Facebook! Customized Facebook experience for the living room. Integrates Facebook Connect. Real-time. Great design.

Integration with last.fm!  (more…)

The Guatemalan Twitterer Jean Anleu (@Jeanfer) has finally been released*. Bail was paid through the support of his employer and the people who sent donations via PayPal. Jean expressed his thankfulness and relief in this interview (Spanish).

Once able to log-in to his Twitter account, Jean changed his background and profile pictures, removed his name and other personal information, and protected his account (removing himself from the public Twitter timeframe and allowing only people he approves to be able to view his updates).

He also removed most of the content on his WordPress blog.

While Twitter has put a strain on the Guatemalan government (as posted on Spanish blog “Alt1040“) and many have called this an example of the Streisand Effect, it is possible that people in countries where freedom of speech is not encouraged will have to think twice about posting observations and/or opinions on Twitter and other social networks.

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Guatemala is currently enduring a political scandal that involves the murder of a whistleblowing Guatemalan lawyer named Rodrigo Rosenberg and a video that emerged on YouTube shortly after (see the bottom of this post). In the video, the lawyer predicted his assasination stating that if anybody watched the video it was because he had been murdered by corrupt government officials (and approved by president Alvaro Colom). The claims are just accusations at this point, but it has definitely created quite a stir with Guatemalans, and has started to get attention worldwide.

As the YouTube videos and transcripts spread through the internet, thousands started commenting and sharing links on social networks, resulting in a rampant protest against the government. While demonstrators started protesting outside the presidential palace in Guatemala City, others posted their outraged thoughts online.

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