Lots of stats are being bandied around about Pinterest at the moment that focus on its swiftly increasing user numbers and its appeal to different interests. But we wanted to think about how brands can get involved with the site, and explore if indeed there is space for corporate presence on the network.

You can find a full transcript below, but here are some tweets we pulled out during the course of the chat:

@PRgirlAshley: All companies don’t need to be involved w/ @Pinterest. FIrst step should be to set goals – what do you hope to achieve?

@GemmaPhelan: Every corporate brand should look to build communities of interest

@iftweeter: according to this infographic the UK user base is said to be weighted towards males http://t.co/pnbWVds7

@jamesnicholsfry: #pinterest may be female focused globally, but what’s wrong with female focused advertising? BBC: http://t.co/hRWNNucz

@jonathan626537: I saw an awful “repin to win” campaign on Pinterest. Very lazy in my opinion

@LizCpher: The most important consideration a business should make is to ensure their site has at least one great image for people to pin.

@jane63c: like the idea of tribes gathering round this idea – wonder what @SethGodin makes of it?

@jgombita: fave line from a real curator at #smwto… @Pinterest serves as a filing cabinet for me

After last night, we’re definitely looking forward to seeing how Pinterest develops in the online space – and which brands manage to make it work for them. You can read the full transcript here: 20 Feb Tom Ball

So is there space for corporate brands on Pinterest? And will its communications abilities develop beyond marketing? We’ll be joined by Tom Ball from Immediate Future, who’s blogged extensively on the topic, to discuss Pinterest on 20 Feb from 8pm (UK time) on #CommsChat.

Topics for discussion include:

-          Isn’t Pinterest basically just a platform for cut and pasted aspirational lifestyle pictures? What’s it got to do with brands?

-          Does the UK user base compare to the US base as an audience yet?

-          How can brands start to build useful presences on Pinterest?

-          Should the corporate approach to Pinterest focus on content creation or content curation?

-          Is engagement and collaboration with Pinterest users the way forward – or is this just a marketing opportunity?

You can take part in #CommsChat right here on our website, or by including the hashtag in your tweets. As ever, if you can’t join the conversation at the time, a transcript will be available during the week.

John is the head of digital corporate, PA and financial EMEA at Weber Shandwick which has recently launched its crisis management tool, Firebell, in Europe.

We looked at the challenges of a social media crisis, the benefits of running mock crises in crisis training and which departments should take part in the simulation.

It was a lively chat, resulting in 35 pages of transcript and attracting participants from Europe, Canada, and South Africa. The transcript can be viewed below and we’ve also pulled out a few of our favourite Tweets from the course of the hour.

@patricecloutier I’m gonna get things going … first question should really read: how crucial are the first 12 MINUTES of a crisis

@helenblundell A series of holding statements is vital to buy time while assessing situation

@robertcgage  A2 – crises rarely conform to textbooks. They grow organically. Simulations can grow like this too.

@alexpackham The initial ‘panic’ feeling of an online crisis in SM as its so quick, can’t be emulated without simulation.

@johnevans23  and seeng non social depts like HR, legal etc see it for “real” often makes them focus on the threat

@AntonioKing1 Aside from the usuals, Marketing and CS departments need to see and understand what happens during social media crises.

@charlibate  I agree. The length of some corporate processes is not at all conducive to social media!

@amandacomms  would have to include spam, attacks and protest all online. Test speed of response

@stuart_baird  best scenarios are always very close to real examples & need to get under the skin of the organisation

@AllthingsIC  I’ve found having hard-copies of crisis manuals invaluable, particularly if your systems are down as part of the real crisis!

The transcript can be seen here: Transcript February 13 with John Evans

John is the head of digital corporate, PA and financial EMEA at Weber Shandwick which has recently launched its crisis management tool, Firebell, in Europe.

With frequent cases of companies failing to react effectively to a crisis on social media platforms, should more organisations be drilled in crisis communications? #CommsChat will discuss social media crises and whether companies benefit from the practice run that crisis simulations can provide. Get your thinking caps on because we are also going to be asking you what mock social media crisis scenarios you can come up with!

Topics up for debate are:

1) How crucial are the first 12 hours of social media activity in a crisis?

2) What can employees learn from a mock crisis that they can’t learn from training without simulation?

3) Which departments should take part in the simulation?

4) Do companies which outsource their PR need to prepare for crises?

5) What sorts of mock scenarios would you come up with to put an organisation through its paces?

#CommsChat will last an hour, from 8-9pm Monday (UK time). Take part right here on the CommsChat site, or by tagging your tweets with the #CommsChat hashtag. A transcript will go up on Tuesday morning.

The chat looked at the role of the community manager and best practice in this rapidly evolving field. Following ‘Community Manager Appreciation Day’ a fortnight ago, we also asked whether it is a valued role.

The transcript can be viewed below and we’ve also pulled out a few of our favourite Tweets from the course of the hour.

@blaisegv The #cmgr should sit in middle of organisational matrix IMO. Their input is invaluable in all facets of how a company runs.

@helenblundell in fact you need to resist being departmentalised at all

@jeremywaite Not a brand manager. More a brand guardian. You are not in control anymore. Your customers are.

@blaisegv Copyright is always a thorny issue in social media – make sure you have at least a notice & takedown procedure in place

@blaisegv Libel in the UK is something every #cmgr should be aware of – given libel tourism non-UK #cmgr should pay attention too

@MatthewSemulo If given the right training and support, yes CM can be done by an intern in my opinion.

@HelenMoore Getting your intern to run a community, is like getting your son to enter the Tour de France because they have a bike

@gaildoggett and in that case the intern should get the advertising and marketing budgets to play with too…

@alexpackham  An intern doesn’t = a young person who uses Facebook & Twitter. An intern should be a student wanting to develop skills.

@AntonioKing1  Well when community mgmt is such a 24/7 role, it doesn’t make getting up at 3AM for a virtual summit all that difficult.

@JamesBougourd  I’m always finding content from the community, best way to get content shared

The transcript can be seen here: transcript 6 February with Blaise Grimes-Viort

For an hour on Monday, we’re going to explore the role of the community manager and best practice in this rapidly evolving field. Topics up for debate are:

1)      It was recently ‘Community Manager Appreciation Day.’ Are community managers valued, (or is the role perceived as easy, involving playing around on social media all day)?

2)      Where does a community manager fit in an organisation?

3)      What are the core legal topics a community manager needs to be aware of?

4)      Can community management be done by an intern?

5)      What sort of content can you use to engage the community with?

Some pre-reading material can be found on Blaise’s blog: 10 key principles for community building and engagement, and 10 steps to building successful communities.

#CommsChat will last an hour, from 8-9pm Monday (UK time). Take part right here on the CommsChat site, or by tagging your tweets with the #CommsChat hashtag. A transcript will go up on Tuesday morning.

As rumours abound that Facebook is preparing an IPO, with estimates setting the amount to be raised as high as $10 billion, it seems timely that this week’s #CommsChat focused on the social network

Mike Quinn is product marketing manager at Adobe EMEA, which is working with Facebook on several projects this year.

The full transcript can be accessed below and we’ve also pulled out a few of our favourite tweets from the course of the hour.

@AdamAzor free social services & their resulting popularity was the cause and start of this journey

@MikeQuinn Engaging with the Social Channel is a cost even if you only count the labour costs so businesses need to prove ROI

@Stevejuice anyone else think social media is judged more severely on measurable ROI than trad PR and advertising ever has?

@MikeQuinn When Levi’s implemented the Like button on its site over 40% of all the traffic coming to its website came from Facebook

@SheilaS Yes social should be judged, but seems to be a lot more questioning of FB over 1/4 page print ad that “we always buy.”

@MikeQuinn polled 600 bizs w/ @Econsultancy & found only 12% believe they’re harnessing social data correctly

The transcript can be seen here: transcript January 30 with Mike Quinn

Brand involvement with Facebook is hardly a novelty now, but Mike Quinn, product marketing manager at Adobe EMEA, which is working with Facebook on several projects this year, will be discussing how that ubiquitous blue thumbs up – the ‘Like’ button – can actually be monetised.

#CommsChat starts at 8pm, right here. Mike will be tweeting from @AdobeUK - don’t forget to tag your tweets with #commschat to join in the conversation. Topics for tonight include:

-          How has a free network progressed to the point that it’s now possible to monetise Facebook interactions?

-          Who’s already there? And what can they teach us about best practise?

-          Will everyone be able to move into monetising their Facebook presence?

-          How will social media audiences respond?

-          What are the best ways to collaborate with Facebook on your page?

A transcript will be available on the #CommsChat website on Tuesday.

There has been much discussion about the nature of social CRM, whether it is software, a philosophy or a business strategy. We discussed how CRM in a social media context can be defined and whether it’s necessary for brands that want to achieve a 1:1 relationship with customers. To conclude we asked for practical tips on how a brand can achieve a 1:1 relationship with customers.

The full transcript can be accessed below and we’ve also pulled out a few of our favourite tweets from the course of the hour.

@Phil_Mohr: Bottom line for me:Social CRM is like a faster version of normal CRM,with different data src+tools to interact with ur customer

@LexMarkus: I get allergic reactions when it’s claimed that (social) CRM is software.

@robertcgage:  Companies using social media as free PR and not bothering to interact with customers miss the point

@AmelieMet: In real life one has to teach the customer that immediate response is not likely, so that needs to be taught on twitter as well

@JeremySinger1: Social has given consumers & fans of brands an access all areas pass. Transparency is now key!

@robertcgage: Doing it well – @BTcare @BandQ to name two…

@LexMarkus: Yes, but it’s also possible to work w/ CRM without CRM software. Not recommended, but still possible.

@AmelieMet: CRM may not be the only way but it appears to be the easiest and most used way

@Littlefoxcomms: but how many organisations have got the resources or organisations to answer questions 24/7?!

@JamesAldousPR: Social should support CRM, but be very careful before you allow it to lead it

@Phil_Mohr: a good CRM with a community manger handover protocol definitely helps. Community management is often underestimated

The transcript can be viewed here: transcript January 23 with Phil Mohr

For an hour on Monday, we’re going to explore the idea of social CRM. Topics up for debate will include:

#CommsChat will last an hour, from 8-9pm Monday (UK time). Take part right here on the CommsChat site, or by tagging your tweets with the #CommsChat hashtag. A transcript will go up on Tuesday morning.